cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity of cochlear nucleus neurons to spatio-temporal changes in auditory nerve activity.

The spatio-temporal pattern of auditory nerve (AN) activity, representing the relative timing of spikes across the tonotopic axis, contains cues to perceptual features of sounds such as pitch, loudness, timbre, and spatial location. These spatio-temporal cues may be extracted by neurons in the cochlear nucleus (CN) that are sensitive to relative timing of inputs from AN fibers innervating different cochlear regions. One possible mechanism for this extraction is “cross-frequency” coincidence detection (CD), in which a central neuron converts the degree of coincidence across the tonotopic axis into a rate code by preferentially firing when its AN inputs discharge in synchrony. We used Huffman stimuli (Carney LH. J Neurophysiol 64: 437–456, 1990), which have a flat power spectrum but differ in their phase spectra, to systematically manipulate relative timing of spikes across tonotopically neighboring AN fibers without changing overall firing rates. We compared responses of CN units to Huffman stimuli with responses of model CD cells operating on spatio-temporal patterns of AN activity derived from measured responses of AN fibers with the principle of cochlear scaling invariance. We used the maximum likelihood method to determine the CD model cell parameters most likely to produce the measured CN unit responses, and thereby could distinguish units behaving like cross-frequency CD cells from those consistent with same-frequency CD (in which all inputs would originate from the same tonotopic location). We find that certain CN unit types, especially those associated with globular bushy cells, have responses consistent with cross-frequency CD cells. A possible functional role of a cross-frequency CD mechanism in these CN units is to increase the dynamic range of binaural neurons that process cues for sound localization.
Lessons from a Decade of Replications at the Quarterly Journal of Political Science

To allow researchers to investigate not only whether a paper’s methods are theoretically sound but also whether they have been properly implemented and are robust to alternative specifications, it is necessary that published papers be accompanied by their underlying data and code. This article describes experiences and lessons learned at the Quarterly Journal of Political Science since it began requiring authors to provide this type of replication code in 2005. It finds that of the 24 empirical papers subjected to in-house replication review since September 2012, only four packages did not require any modifications. Most troubling, 14 packages (58%) had results in the paper that differed from those generated by the author’s own code. Based on these experiences, this article presents a set of guidelines for authors and journals for improving the reliability and usability of replication packages.
Banking, Money, and Credit

For China to continue to achieve high economic growth rates into the 21st century, it will be necessary to improve the efficiency of banks and financial institutions, so that scarce capital can be allocated to high productivity uses. Moreover, China must continue to attract foreign loan and business capital. This chapter gives some insights concerning the prospects in these areas over the near future.
A Comprehensive review and Communication research agenda of the Contextualized Workgroup: The Evolution and Future of Leader-Member Exchange, Coworker Exchange, and Team-Member Exchange

Although leader-member exchange (LMX), coworker exchange (CWX), and team-member exchange (TMX) serve distinct yet related purposes in workgroups, these relationships remain segregated in scholarship, thus providing an incomplete view of the most prevalent communicative relationships in the workplace. The purpose of this comprehensive review and research agenda is to present the current state of workplace exchange relationships and offer compelling reasoning for why these relationships should be examined in concert. Areas for future scholarship are suggested, including the refinement of epistemological perspectives, replication of studies to explore current contradictions, and need for more multilevel examinations of workgroup relationships.
Graphical animation from knowledge

A system is described which produces explanatory animation sequences for a small CAD system. The animation is data-driven from a scriptal knowledge structure describing the user-system interaction for a given design operation. The use of a unified data representation scheme results in the potential to generate animation in coordination with natural language output from an existing knowledge-based system.
Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) Thai reverse logistics supply chain management for ready mix plants

Thailand and namely Bangkok is currently experiencing a construction boom. New condominiums are being erected throughout the city and the construction material of choice is concrete. Concrete is being produced by mixing water, cement and aggregates. The concrete plant can be either on-site or off-site, in this case the concrete needs to be trucked from the ready mixed plant to the job site. The raw materials (cement and aggregates) for the concrete have to be shipped to the concrete plant. Aggregates are either fine or coarse and are made by crushing rocks or hardened concrete which results in so called recycled concrete aggregates (RCA). The composition of concrete waste (RCA) is Ca (21.9%), Si (8.27%), Al (4.58%), O (53.51%), C (11.74%) [1] and RCA has similar strength and properties as rock from the mountain. In this case the RCA can be either generated on-site by demolition the existing structure or from a designated quarry site or other demolition site. The objective of the study was to look at all three cases and the advantages and challenges associated with the RCA production site from a logistics management perspective. The main savings found are in terms of transportation costs (fuel and time) when comparing RCA to aggregates from a remote natural quarry. There are additional intangible savings in terms of global warming in the production process and the energy used in mining the raw material as well as disposal costs for the existing structure. The study used an on-line web enabled survey of young logistics management professionals to compare their perceptions of the various scenarios in a Thai context and analyzed the findings statistically using SPSS in order to create a theoretical model for RCA as part of a sustainable ready mixed concrete supply chain in Thailand and ASEAN.
NOTES Techniques: present and future

BACKGROUND: Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) is a promising approach to decrease surgical morbidity. However, the techniques and instrumentation are still primitive, requiring major modifications for use in NOTES procedures. METHODS: Review of the literature, personal communications and experiences. RESULTS: The operating room environment need to change with a larger sterile field and long sterile tables to accommodate long flexible instruments. Operating systems need to be improved to allow surgeons to have free ergonomic-friendly movements with long instruments. Modified endoscopes or flexible overtubes are required to provide a stable site of dissection at the end of a long flexible tube. Graspers need to be developed that are accurate and robust at a long distance from the operator. Tissue dissection through a flexible channel (ideally ultrasonic) will allow more complex NOTES procedures. Techniques of tissue closure and anastomosis are primitive and need to reach the standard seen with laparoscopic surgery. CONCLUSIONS: It is our judgment that NOTES will play a pivotal role in GI surgery. A general, coordinated effort will probably make NOTES a widespread reality.
Decomposition of Matrix Transformations: Eigenstructures and Quadratic Forms

This chapter discusses decomposition of matrix transformations and describes eigenstructures and quadratic forms. Vectors, which under a given transformation map into themselves or multiples of themselves, are called invariant vectors under that transformation. The distinguishing feature of an eigenvector basis is that the nature of the transformation assumes a particularly simple geometric form. If a symmetric matrix consists of all real-valued entries, then all of its eigenvalues and associated eigenvectors can be real valued. Eigenstructures are computed only for square matrices. The rank of either a minor or major product moment is the same as the rank of the matrix itself. Finding the eigenstructure of a matrix—either symmetric to begin with or else a derived product-moment matrix—is a highly useful procedure for determining matrix rank. Data-based product-moment matrices exhibit a number of virtues, such as real-valued eigenstructures and orthogonal transformations for rotating the matrix to diagonal form.
Feminist spaces: gender and geography in a global context

Feminist Spaces: Gender and Geography in a Global Context takes us through current and emerging work in feminist geography by examining the core concepts of contemporary feminist geographic scholar...
Lighten Up Yu Self!: The Politics of Lightness, Success and Color Consciousness in Urban Jamaica

This essay explores the practice, process, purpose and politics of skin lightening amongst Black youth in urban Jamaica. Through semi-structured, open-ended interviews, life histories and focus group discussions, the study reveals the complex, substantive and multilayered reasons for skin lightening. It also traces the development of colorism and spotlights the expansion of cosmetic bleaching in recent years. Informants maintain that skin lightening is a consequence of both historical and contemporary forces. It is, they suggest, a rational attempt to secure and maintain power.
Rigid PNP pincer ligands and their transition metal complexes

The new family of rigid PNP pincer ligands supports a wealth of exciting transition metal chemistry. The usefulness of the PNP ligands extends to both borders of the transition-metal series. Such versatility exists because of the rigid backbone that prearranges three donor atoms for binding a transition metal and also because of the hybrid nature of PNP, incorporating both hard amido donors and soft phosphine donors. In the early metals, the chemistry of group-4 metal–carbon multiple bonds significantly extend beyond the previously known precepts. In the late metals, particularly those of groups 9 and 10, the PNP ligands serve as robust ancillary ligands in diverse catalytic processes. In addition, the new PNP ligands are used to engender unusual organometallic reactions and to support new structural motifs.
Pseudospirochetes, a Cause of Erroneous Diagnoses of Leptospirosis

Motile filaments of varying lengths and thicknesses were observed by darkfield microscopy in a blood culture of a specimen from a patient who had fever of unknown origin. Similar structures were also seen in cultures inoculated with donor blood from healthy controls. Since the movement and configuration of the structures were not characteristic for spirochetes, the morphologic features were further examined by electron microscopy. The filaments observed were identical in appearance to pseudospirochetes described more than 50 years ago. The authors’ observations indicate that they are derived from erythrocytes. Because of possible confusion of these pseudospirochetes with living organisms, the diagnosis of leptospirosis by darkfield microscopy should be confirmed by cultural or serologic tests.
Conversion of conifer plantations to native hardwoods: influences of overstory and fertilization on artificial regeneration

Forest tree species in the eastern US such as American chestnut (Castanea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh) and oaks (Quercus spp.) have been negatively impacted by forest changes over the past century. Many mature, introduced pine (Pinus spp.) plantations exist in the Midwest US following establishment 50–60 years ago yet have little economic and ecological value. As oak and chestnut have similar site preferences to pines, these stands may be ideal sites for hardwood restoration plantings. We sought to determine optimal management strategies for converting pine plantations by manipulating their canopies. We underplanted hybrid American chestnut and northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) seedlings into three canopy treatments (control, shelterwood, clearcut) and included an open field treatment. For each of two growing seasons, 0, 30, or 60 g 19N–6P–12K of controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) were also applied to seedlings. Soil chemical parameters and leaf nutrients were analyzed throughout the study. Chestnut and oak seedlings had significantly greater height after two growing seasons in the clearcut and shelterwood than the control and open field, and chestnut had significantly greater diameter as well. Chestnut height and RCD growth were threefold that of oak after two growing seasons. In general, fertilization increased seedling growth more in the clearcut and open field than shelterwood and control for both species. Soils had significantly higher pH, K, and S in the open field than in pine stands. Results suggest that pine plantations may serve as target sites for restoration of these hardwood species. Shelterwoods and clearcuts are both favorable conversion options for oak and chestnut, and addition of CRF may augment further growth increase, especially in open environments.
Profiles and Predictors of Smart Home Technology Adoption by Older Adults

The commercial popularity of smart home (SH) technology has broadened the scope of aging-in-place and home health occupational therapy. The objective of this article is to examine ownership of SH technology by older adults, their readiness to adopt SH technology, and identify the client factors relating to the adoption. A survey of older adults aged 60 and above living in the community was conducted. Respondents (N = 445) who were women; in the age group of 60 to 70 years; living in a two-level home, with a body function impairment; with a fall history; and experienced in information and communication technology (ICT) were significantly likely to be "brisk adopters" of SH (p < .05). Stepwise regression model identified marital status, home security, and overall ICT ownership as the predictors of SH ownership, whereas being female, concern over home security, and perceived independence contributed to SH readiness (p < .05). Consideration of the identified client profiles, health, and personal factors will strengthen SH integration for aging-in-place.
‘Quicksand of Hate’: Experiences of Islamophobia and Poetic Resistance

ABSTRACTHow might English classrooms be spaces where Muslim students are empowered to recognise and resist Islamophobia? This qualitative study draws on theories of critical consciousness and Islamophobia to show how Bassim, a Muslim student, makes sense of Islamophobic encounters through the poetic and analytic writing he creates in his public high school English classroom. When examined intertextually, Bassim’s words offer a glimpse of what Islamophobic experiences are like for some contemporary Muslim students. The findings suggest that through his English class, Bassim is able to use poetic and analytic writing as the means by which he recognises and resists Islamophobia. Further, this study indicates that more work should take up the implications of students’ religious beliefs and the ways those beliefs shape their writing – particularly when they are members of a marginalised religion.
WIP: Testing an Integrated framework of Motivation and Identity in a Doctoral Engineering Context

The purpose of this research category, work in progress (WIP) paper is to qualitatively test and refine our motivation-identity conceptual framework within the doctoral engineering teaching assistant (DETA) population. We developed our motivation-identity framework through previous qualitative research investigating doctoral engineering students’ future goals where identity emerged through their discourse. To capture multiple roles in graduate programs, we chose a DETA population to test our integrated framework for transferability. A codebook containing codes, categories, and themes that we created through our past research will be used to test our framework on a DETA population. We collected two sets of qualitative data from 16 participants: timeline and interview. These two pieces of data will be coded together to validate and expand the framework by using a directed content analysis. By understanding the ways in which identity and motivation interact and influence the doctoral experience we can target aspects of doctoral training that may serve to undercut or suppress development of these affective characteristics.
4-Aminopyridine as a Single Agent Diagnostic and Treatment for Severe Nerve Crush Injury.

Background Traumatic peripheral nerve injury (TPI) is a major medical problem without effective treatment options. There is no way to diagnose or treat an incomplete injury and delays contribute to morbidity. We examined 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), a potassium-channel blocker as a possible treatment for TPI. Methods We used standard mouse models of TPI with functional outcomes including sciatic-functional-index, sensory indices, and electrodiagnostics; in addition to standard immunohistochemical, and electron microscopic correlates of axon and myelin morphology. Results Sustained early 4-AP administration increased the speed and extent of behavioral recovery too rapidly to be explained by axonal regeneration. 4-AP also enhanced recovery of nerve conduction velocity, promoted remyelination, and increased axonal area post-injury. 4-AP treatment also enabled the rapid distinction between incomplete and complete nerve lesions. Conclusion 4-AP singularly provides both a new potential therapy to promote durable recovery and remyelination in acute peripheral nerve injury and a means of identifying lesions in which this therapy would be most likely to be of value. The ability to distinguish injuries that may respond to extended therapy without intervention can offer benefit to wounded soldiers.
Ready to Move: A Unique University Worksite Wellness Initiative

Background: Ready to Move (RTM), a university worksite wellness program, was implemented to get employees moving more and sitting less by combining student health coaching and activity trackers (AT’s). Aim: This article provides program specifics and survey data outcomes to facilitate ideas for university faculty, staff and student collaboration. The intent of the article is to provide an example of how academic classes can contribute to employee worksite wellness programming within a university. Methods: Twelve cohorts (2015 - 2017) comprised of 295 university employees received Fitbit Flex ATs and health coaching from students enrolled in a physical activity (PA) behavioral interventions class during a 10-week program. The employees met with their student coach eight times to learn how to use their AT and set movement goals. Employee’s completed self-reported surveys on average PA days and PA confidence pre/post program. Results: Findings revealed RTM significantly impacted employees average number of PA days and their confidence in ability to sustain PA. Employee qualitative comments revealed RTM instilled the importance of utilizing ATs combined with student engagement made the experience enjoyable and effective. Conclusion: RTM’s combination improved employee movement outcomes and provided additional programming ideas for the employee wellness program at a large Midwestern university.
Copper complex formed with pyridine rings grafted on cellulose nanofibrous membranes for highly efficient lysozyme adsorption

Abstract The development of separation and purification materials with high adsorption performance and large processing throughput is of great importance. Regenerated cellulose nanofibers membranes (RC-NFM) with average fiber diameter 300 nm were fabricated and functionalized via grafting 4-vinyl pyridine (4-VP) on the cellulose (RC-VP) using a chemically immobilized photo-initiator. The pyridines in RC-VP form complex nanofibrous membranes with Cu(II) to form RC-VP-Cu(II) which enhances selectivity for lysozyme adsorption. The RC-VP-Cu(II) NFM showed superb static adsorption capacity of 800 mg·g−1 and a high saturated dynamic protein binding capacity of 700 mg·g−1 toward lysozyme. Besides, benefiting from its stable physical and chemical structures, after 5 cycles of reuses, RC-VP-Cu(II) still showed promising efficiency for lysozyme separation from egg-white samples with lysozyme activity 80% of a synthetic one. The successful synthesis of such intriguing and economic RC-VP-Cu(II) NFM may serve as a promising candidate for the next generation of rapid, massive, and cost-effective separation and purification of proteins.
Impact of Youth Problem Type on Specific Dimensions of Caregiver Strain in Latino Families

Caregiver strain is directly impacted by youth symptom severity and is a robust predictor of youth mental health service utilization. A closer examination of caregiver strain may provide important insights into understanding mental health disparities as they affect Latino families. This study examined the impact of youth problem type on specific dimensions of caregiver strain in Latino families. Data from 337 Latino caregivers that participated in the Patterns of Care Study was used in a cross-sectional examination of the relationship between youth emotional/behavioral problems and caregiver strain. Caregiver strain was measured using the Caregiver Strain Questionnaire. Youth emotional/behavioral problems were assessed via caregiver ratings on the Child Behavior Checklist. Path analyses were conducted and used sampling weights to account for the complex survey design of the study. Multivariate analyses revealed that youth externalizing problems were significantly and positively associated with subjective internalized and externalized caregiver strain, but not with objective caregiver strain. Youth internalizing problems were associated with objective and subjective internalized caregiver strain, but not with subjective externalized strain. Youth sex was associated with caregiver subjective internalized strain and objective strain. Youth age was positively associated with subjective externalized caregiver strain. This study emphasizes the significance of the relationship between youth problem-type and caregiver strain. It also highlights caregiver strain as an important point for assessment and intervention which, if appropriately targeted, may contribute to the reduction of health disparities and unmet mental health need for Latino youth.
The Portrayals of the Pharisees in the Gospels and Acts

The first five books of the New Testament contain a large proportion of all uses of the term Farisai/oj in extant literature. In the light of growing scepticism among historians of Judaism over the accuracy and legitimacy of reconstructions of the Pharisees of history, Mary Marshall sets aside the quest for the historical Pharisees and instead offers an analysis of the portrayal of the Pharisees by each evangelist. The author adopts a redaction critical approach which incorporates narrative critical observations where appropriate. Her examination of the texts demonstrates the particularity of each book and its portrayal of the Pharisees. The five books do not portray a monolithic body of evidence but each has its own style, occasion and purpose(s). All New Testament portrayals of the Pharisees occupy a good deal of common ground and yet the pictures they produce are not identical. Every one of the evangelists integrates the Pharisees into his own presentation of the gospel, emphasising those aspects of the Pharisees' portrayal which serve his own particular concerns. This study of material from the gospels and Acts yields multi-faceted portraits of the Pharisees and discloses the variety of christological, soteriological, ecclesiological and ethical concerns with which they are associated. It alerts the exegete both to the nuances within a given New Testament book and to the subtle differences between books. It demonstrates the combination of fidelity and freedom with which the evangelists regarded their inherited tradition and sources. The way the Pharisees are portrayed in each text is particular to that text and its purposes, and therefore consideration of the Pharisees' portrayal is able to enrich our understanding of the gospels and Acts more generally.
Efficacy and safety of combined endoscopic cyanoacrylate injection and balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous occlusion (BRTOcc) of gastrorenal shunts in patients with bleeding gastric fundal varices.

Background Endoscopic cyanoacrylate (glue) injection of fundal varices may result in life-threatening embolic adverse events through spontaneous gastrorenal shunts (GRSs). Balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous occlusion (BRTOcc) of GRSs during cyanoacrylate injection may prevent serious systemic glue embolization through the shunt. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a combined endoscopic-interventional radiologic (BRTOcc) approach for the treatment of bleeding fundal varices. Methods We retrospectively analysed the data of patients who underwent the combined procedure for acutely bleeding fundal varices between January 2010 and April 2018. Data were extracted for patient demographics, clinical and endoscopic findings, technical details, and adverse events of the endoscopic-BRTOcc approach and patient outcomes. Results We identified 30 patients (13 [43.3%] women; median age 58 [range, 25-92] years) with gastroesophageal varices type 2 (53.3%, 16/30) and isolated gastric varices type 1 (46.7%, 14/30) per Sarin classification, and median clinical and endoscopic follow-up of 151 (range, 4-2,513) days and 98 (range, 3-2,373) days, respectively. The median volume of octyl-cyanoacrylate: Lipiodol injected was 7 (range, 4-22) mL. Procedure-related adverse events occurred in three (10.0%) patients, including transient fever, non-life-threatening pulmonary glue embolism, and an injection-site ulcer bleed. Complete gastric variceal obturation was achieved in 18 of 21 patients (85.7%) at endoscopic follow-up. Delayed variceal rebleeding was confirmed in one patient (3.3%) and suspected in two patients (6.7%). Although no procedure-related deaths occurred, the overall mortality rate was 46.7%, primarily from liver-disease progression and co-morbidities. Conclusion The combined endoscopic-BRTOcc procedure is a relatively safe and effective technique for bleeding fundal varices, with a high rate of variceal obturation and a low rate of serious adverse events.
Alcohol Use Disorders

Within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2000), alcohol use disorders (AUDs) can be subdivided into two major diagnoses: alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. Alcohol abuse refers to a pathological pattern of drinking marked by one or more of four domains of problems—specifically recurrent using of alcohol in physically hazardous situations, legal problems, problems in fulfilling role obligations, and interpersonal problems. Alcohol dependence refers to a presumed more severe condition marked by three or more of seven criteria—tolerance, withdrawal, impaired control of drinking, inability to cut down or abstain, a great deal of time spent drinking or recovering from alcohol's effects, important activities given up because of drinking, and drinking despite knowledge that it is having adverse effects on one's mental and/or physical health. Keywords: alcohol abuse; alcohol dependence; etiology; treatment
Opioid prescription patterns among urologists as compiled from within Medicare.

Introduction We aimed to evaluate opioid prescribing patterns of urologists across the United States (U.S.) and the District of Columbia (D.C.) using publicly available data from Medicare Part D. Our secondary analysis was to identify any loco-regional trends that may exist within the U.S. Methods We queried publicly reported information from the Part D Prescriber database, which is compiled from beneficiaries enrolled within the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. Only providers with the specialty description of urologist were included within this study. Results Between 2013 and 2017, a five-year average of 452 901 opioid claims by 9640 urologists - amounting to $5 357 114 (USD) and comprising 3.78% of all claims made - were identified. The state of Maine featured the highest percentage of opioid claims in relation to all claims (5.81%). West Virginia had the greatest average total opioid claims per provider (90), while Michigan featured the highest average proportion of opioid claims per provider (10.63%). The fewest opioid claims were processed within the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions. Conclusions A multitude of factors likely contributes to variability between states. Urologists should be increasingly aware of their individual prescription tendencies and use available drug monitoring programs in order to reduce unnecessary prescriptions, all while providing more targeted and appropriate pain management.
Collective Action, Legislation, and Creative Litigation at the Intersection of Geospatial Data & Workers’ Rights

“Geospatial data” is a term familiar to most geographers, but much less familiar to most attorneys, employment law scholars, and workers’ rights activists. In this article, we explain what geospatial data is and provides examples of the types of geospatial technology being used by employers to track their employees, including GPS, RFID, and microchipping implants. We illuminate the various ways that unionization protects employees from misuse of geospatial data, such as providing the right to bargain over implementation of new surveillance technologies and protection to be disciplined based on geospatial data only for cause. Examples of contractual provisions, such as those in the Teamsters and UPS collective bargaining agreement and professional sports’ contracts, that establish joint decision-making processes over the use of geospatial technology are identified. We illustrate state laws that protect against misuse of geospatial technology, such as laws prohibiting microchipping, regulating tracking devices, requiring notice before an employer monitors an employee, and prohibiting termination because of lawful off-duty conduct. We provide examples of cases brought in tort for invasion of privacy and under the Fourth Amendment for unlawful search by employees whose employers were tracking them during their personal time. We offer tools for self and community education for those interested in expanding legal protections from employer misuse of geospatial data and conclude that laws that strengthen workers’ rights organizations, such as unions, workers’ centers, worker-owned cooperatives, and mutuals, aid workers’ abilities to successfully address surveillance and the use of geospatial data by employers.
Does your corporation “care”? Exploring an ethical standard for communicating CSR relationships online:

A qualitative content analysis of corporate social responsibility (CSR) webpages of top-ranked corporations was conducted to determine the ethical nature of online communications surrounding nonpro...
U.S. Transportation Agencies’ Trends of Using Construction Engineering and Inspection Consultants and In-House Staff:

State transportation agencies (STA) are relying on needs-based construction, engineering, and inspection (CEI) consultants as a primary solution to their staffing deficits. While other studies have...
Foreword to Special Issue: Malaria elimination in the Asia‐Pacific

Cambodia has reported zero deaths since 2018 while there has been a reduction of 60%–90% of P. falciparum malaria cases across the subregion from 2020 to 2021, despite COVID-19 disruptions (World Health Organization, 2021).At the same time, with the 2030 goal of elimination committed to by 21 Heads of State firmly before us, there remains much work to be done in the decade ahead. In an era of diminishing resources, malaria elimination efforts increasingly need ways to maximise the long-term benefit of donor funding while increasing domestic resources for malaria and health systems strengthening in the long term. Burkot and Gilbert ( 2021) offer a country perspective from the Solomon Islands on the impact of foreign aid on malaria elimination efforts with recommendations for future priorities on the integration of malaria services within the general health system.
Context-Dependent Anomalies and Strategies for Resolving Disagreement

The interpretation and analysis of anomalies is itself theory-dependent, as illustrated in the case of the ox phos debate in biochemistry in the 1960s. Here, the perceived threat of six anomalies to an existing research lineage depended on perspective, or Kuhnian paradigm. The ambiguous status of anomalies sharpens the problem of Kuhnian incommensurability. But analysis of the details of the historical case—one way to pursue an empirical philosophy of science—also indicate a possible solution. The asymmetric organization of multiple anomalies strongly indicated that disagreement had shifted from an intraparadigm to an interparadigm level, where modes of effective argument and use of evidence differ. This diagnostic awareness of the type of disagreement can orient discourse and allow investigators to develop and present evidence appropriately. I briefly extend the results of this historical case analysis to Darwin’s synthesis and to gendered bias in craniology, to indicate the prospective generality of the analysis of anomaly asymmetry.
Resolution with Feature Unification

A resolution based proof procedure for order-sorted predicate logic is presented where sorts are represented by feature terms. Term unification is extended by feature unification. Soundness and completeness of the calculus presented are reduced to the soundness and completeness results for an order-sorted predicate calculus with a fixed sort lattice containing primitive sorts only.
American Perceptions of Sicily as a Tourist Destination as Experienced Through Film

This study examines the ways in which residents in the United States perceive Sicily as a tourist destination based on representations of the island encountered through commercial cinema. Twelve participants viewed trailers or clips of twelve feature films and then rated their impressions of the people, places, activities, and moods of each piece. They then responded to an open-ended question about whether what they saw made them want to go to Sicily. Next, I reviewed each participant’s responses with them to investigate their perceptions further. I mix the findings of this process with insights gleaned from the literature on film-induced tourism as well as from analyses of the films themselves.
Thyroxine-protein interactions: II. The binding of thyroxine and its analogues to human serum albumin

Abstract The relative affinities of various thyroxine analogues for albumin have been determined. Estimations of relative binding affinities were based on a comparative study of the abilities of the analogues to displace thyroxine from binding sites on albumin. The results indicate that the substituents on thyroxine most directly involved in binding are: (1) the phenolic hydroxyl group; (2) iodine atoms in both the 3′- and 5′-positions of the thyronine molecule; (3) the diphenyl ether group. The absence of any one of these substituents from the molecule leads to an appreciable reduction in relative binding affinity. With regard to the alanine side chain of thyroxine, it appears that neither a free carboxylate ion nor a free α-amino group are required for binding. The results of experiments on the effect of d -thyroxine on the binding of l -thyroxine indicate that binding is not stereospecific. The constants for the binding of tetraiodothyropropionic acid by albumin have been determined.
Purine nucleoside phosphorylase from human erythrocytes. IV. Crystallization and some properties.

Abstract Purine nucleoside phosphorylase has been purified about 7,300-fold and crystallized from human erythrocytes (mol wt 81,000). The recrystallized enzyme exists in the form of needles and sometimes bundles of needles and has a specific activity of 96 µm units per mg of protein. A number of phenomena reported earlier for a less pure preparation of this enzyme are still seen with the crystalline enzyme. These include (a) substrate activation by inosine and (b) a constant ratio of reactivity with inosine and deoxyinosine. However, the ribosyl transfer reaction seems markedly decreased with the crystalline preparation. The effect of pH on maximal velocity suggests the occurrence of essential imidazole and sulfhydryl groups, whereas the effect of pH on the Michaelis constant suggests the existence of an essential ionizing group at about pH 7.2 in the free enzyme. Binding studies with hypoxanthine-8-14C indicate that there are at least three binding sites per molecule of enzyme. When the commercially available bovine spleen purine nucleoside phosphorylase was compared with human erythrocytic enzyme, the two enzymes were found to be similar in molecular weight. However, they have different crystal structures and different specific activities, and in contrast to the behavior of the human enzyme, the spleen enzyme did not display the phenomena of substrate activation at high concentrations of inosine.
Legionella micdadei and Legionella dumoffii monoclonal antibodies for laboratory diagnosis of Legionella infections.

Two different monoclonal antibodies directed against Legionella micdadei and L. dumoffii (Genetic Systems Corp., Seattle, Wash.) were evaluated for their specificity and ability to detect L. micdadei and L. dumoffii in human and animal clinical samples and bacterial isolates in an indirect immunofluorescence assay. All three frozen sputum samples and all three Formalin-fixed sputum and liver samples from patients with culture-documented L. micdadei pneumonia were positive when tested with the L. micdadei monoclonal antibody. A Formalin-preserved lung sample from a patient with culture-documented L. dumoffii pneumonia was positive with its homologous monoclonal antibody. No cross-staining reactions were found with either monoclonal antibody on any of 25 human sputum samples tested from patients without Legionella infections. A total of 66 Legionella strains and 56 non-Legionella strains including 22 Pseudomonas strains and 34 other bacterial strains were studied. No cross-staining reactions were found except in Staphylococcus aureus Cowan 1 ATCC 12598. The lower limit of detection in seeded sputum samples was about 7 X 10(4) cells per ml for both monoclonal antibodies. Lung and tracheal lavage specimens from L. micdadei- or L. dumoffii-infected guinea pigs showed specific staining only with their respective monoclonal antibodies. The monoclonal antibodies stained homologous bacteria slightly less intensely than did the polyclonal antisera, but the signal-to-noise ratio was considerably higher for the monoclonal antibodies. No differences in sensitivity of staining of clinical specimens or bacterial isolates were noted between the monoclonal antibodies and the polyclonal reagents for L. micdadei and L. dumoffii (Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga., and BioDx, Denville, N.J. These monoclonal antibodies ae sensitive and specific, making them good candidates for laboratory diagnostic purposes.
Hepatic clearance and biliary secretory rate maximum of taurocholate in the recirculating and single pass isolated perfused rat liver

Abstract The ability of the cholestatic steroid glucuronide, estradiol-17β-(β- d -glucuronide) (E 2 17G), to inhibit the hepatic clearance (Cl H ) and biliary secretory rate maximum (SR m ) of taurocholate was investigated in the recirculating and single pass isolated perfused male rat liver. In the recirculating perfused liver, E 2 17G (0, 2, 4, or 6 μmol) was added as a bolus dose to the reservoir at zero time while taurocholate was infused into the portal vein in increasing amounts (15, 30, 45, or 60 μmol/mL; 1 mL/hr for 15 min each). E 2 17G (4 μmol) caused a significant (P m which occurred at 42 min, indicating that E 2 17G had not caused an irreversible inhibition of taurocholate transport, E 2 17G (6 μmol) caused a profound and irreversible inhibition of bile flow attributable to retention of E 2 17G in the liver. The noncholestatic estradiol-3-(β- d -glucuronide) (E 2 3G; 6 μmol) had no significant effect on bile flow or the SR m . In the single pass perfused liver (10 mL/min flow rate), E 2 17G (0, 1, 2, 5, or 10 nmol/mL) or E 2 3G (2 nmol/mL) was added to the perfusate resulting in a stable infusion to the liver. [ 3 H]Taurocholate was infused into the portal vein in increasing amounts to give inflow concentrations (C in ) of 25, 50, 75 or 100 nmol/mL. In the absence of E 2 17G, taurocholate Cl H decreased from 0.92 to 0.70 mL/min/g liver with increasing taurocholate concentrations. Neither E 2 17G nor E 2 3G altered the Cl H of 25 nmol/mL taurocholate. E 2 17G (10 nmol/mL) inhibited bile flow and bile acid secretion first at 20–25 min, followed by inhibition of Cl H of 75 and 100 nmol/mL taurocholate (35–60 min). In contrast, E 2 3G stimulated bile acid secretion and increased the SR m by 80%. Thus, at doses that did not block its own elimination, E 2 17G did not cause an irreversible inhibition of taurocholate transport into bile. E 2 17G did not directly inhibit the uptake of tuarocholate into the liver but first inhibited the biliary excretion of taurocholate, resulting in its intrahepatic accumulation and decreased clearance from the perfusate.
Goals for Development: History, Prospects, and Costs

The Millennium Development Goals set quantitative targets for poverty reduction and improvements in health, education, gender equality, the environment, and other aspects of human welfare. At existing rates of progress many countries will fall short of these goals. However, if developing countries take steps to improve their policies and increased financial resources are made available, significant additional progress toward the goals is possible. Devarajan, Miller, and Swanson provide a preliminary estimate of the additional financial resources which would be required if countries would work vigorously toward meeting the Millennium Development Goals. Two estimates of the resource gap are developed, one by estimating the additional resources necessary to increase economic growth so as to reduce income poverty, the other by estimating the cost of meeting specific goals in health, education, and the environment. Both estimates yield a figure in the range of $40-$70 billion in additional assistance per year, which is in line with estimates from other international development agencies and which would roughly represent a doubling of official aid flows over 2000 levels. While the authors believe this is a reasonable first approximation of the costs associated with achieving the Millennium Development Goals, it should be interpreted with caution for several reasons, including the lack of empirical data in many countries to estimate the relationship between expenditures on health or education and related outcomes, or the relationship between investment and growth, the sensitivity of the results to changes in the policy environment (both at the macroeconomic and sector level, and with respect to international trade), and opportunities for increased - and more efficient - domestic resource mobilization. This paper - a product of the Office of the Vice President, Human Development Network, and the Development Data Group - is part of a larger effort in the Bank to accelerate progress toward the Millennium Development Goals.
From Helplessness to Optimism: The Role of Resilience in Treating and Preventing Depression in Youth

Some of the most common psychological disorders in children and adolescents are internalizing disorders such as depression and anxiety. Research on the development of depression and anxiety suggests that internalizing disorders can be reduced, even prevented, by promoting more accurate cognitive styles, problem-solving skills, and supportive family relationships. Several cognitive–behavioral interventions have shown promise in treating and preventing depression and anxiety. We review the Penn Resiliency Program (PRP) as an example of such an intervention. We suggest that most of the skills covered in the PRP and similar preventive interventions are not specific to depression or anxiety and can be useful for increasing young people’s resiliency more generally. Interventions that teach and reinforce these skills can help children to navigate a variety of difficult situations they are likely to encounter during adolescence and adulthood.
Toward improved ionizing radiation safety standards

Ionizing radiation safety standards developed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) during the past 50-plus years have provided guidance for effective protection of workers and the public from the potentially harmful effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, including cancer. Earlier standards were based primarily on radiation dose rate to organs of the body. More recent recommendations have calculated cancer risk as a function of cumulative dose using a linear no-threshold cancer risk model based on the acute high dose rate exposures received by the Japanese atomic bomb survivors. The underlying assumption in these current recommendations is that risk of radiation-induced cancer is proportional to cumulative dose without threshold. In conflict with this position are the studies of protracted exposures from internally-deposited radionuclides in people and laboratory animals that have demonstrated that cancer induction risk is a function of average dose rate for protracted exposures to ionizing radiation. At lower average dose rates, cancer latency can exceed natural lifespan leading to a virtual threshold. This forum statement proposes that the conflict of these two cancer risk models is explained by the fact that the increased risk of cancer observed in the atomic bomb survivor studies was primarily the result of acute high dose rate promotion of ongoing biological processes that lead to cancer rather than cancer induction. In addition, ionizing radiation-induced cancer is not the result of a simple stochastic event in a single living cell but rather a complex deterministic systemic effect in living tissues. It is recommended that the ICRP consider revising its position in light of this important distinction between cancer promotion and cancer induction.
Constant number Monte Carlo simulation of population balances with multiple growth mechanisms

We present a complete simulation scheme for particulate processes based on the constant number Monte Carlo methodology. Specifically, the proposed scheme can be applied towards the solution of population balances that include nucleation, coagulation and surface deposition, coupled to chemical reactions. The synthesis of titania (TiO2) by flame oxidation of TiCl4 is employed as a comparison basis of the relative advantages and weaknesses of Monte Carlo against more classical numerical approaches. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010
Recent advances in diffractive- and micro-optics technology

Recent advances in single-point diamond turning and single- point laser pattern generation permit diffractive- and micro-optics components to be fabricated with optical performances approaching the theoretical limits. This improved quality is spurring active product development in a number new application areas, including head-mounted displays, laser printing systems, optical telecommunications, optical data storage, and laser projection systems.
CFTR: Break a pump, make a channel

Rarely do the two broad motivations propelling molecular biological research—discovery of intricate molecular mechanisms and understanding the underlying causes of human disease—converge in a single system. An example of such convergence is provided by cystic fibrosis (CF), an all-too-common genetic disease characterized by devastating chronic lung infection in children and young adults (1).