cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The genetics of breast cancer risk in the post-genome era: thoughts on study design to move past BRCA and towards clinical relevance

More than 12 % of women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Although there have been tremendous advances in elucidating genetic risk factors underlying both familial and sporadic breast cancer, much of the genetic contribution to breast cancer etiology remains unknown. The discovery of BRCA1 and BRCA2 over 20 years ago remains the seminal event in the field and has paved the way for the discovery of other high-penetrance susceptibility genes by linkage analysis. The advent of genome-wide association studies made possible the next wave of discoveries, in which over 80 low-penetrance and moderate-penetrance variants were identified. Although these studies were highly successful at discovering variants associated with both familial and sporadic breast cancer, the variants identified to date explain only 50 % of the heritability of breast cancer. In this review, we look back at the investigative strategies that have led to our current understanding of breast cancer genetics, consider the challenges of performing association studies in heterogeneous complex diseases such as breast cancer, and look ahead toward the types of study designs that may lead to the identification of the genetic variation accounting for the remaining missing heritability.
Phosphorylation of the Polarity Protein BASL Differentiates Asymmetric Cell Fate through MAPKs and SPCH

Summary Cell polarization is commonly used for the regulation of stem cell asymmetric division in both animals and plants. Stomatal development in Arabidopsis , a process that produces breathing pores in the epidermis, requires asymmetric cell division to differentiate highly specialized guard cells while maintaining a stem cell population [1, 2]. The BREAKING OF ASYMMETRY IN THE STOMATAL LINEAGE (BASL) protein exhibits a polarized localization pattern in the cell and is required for differential cell fates resulting from asymmetric cell division [3]. The polarization of BASL is made possible by a positive feedback loop with a canonical mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway that recruits the MAPKK kinase YODA (YDA) and MAPK 6 (MPK6) to the cortical polarity site [4]. Here, we study BASL intracellular dynamics and show that the membrane-associated BASL is slowly replenished at the cortical polarity site and that the mobility is tightly linked to its phosphorylation status. Because BASL polarity is only exhibited by one daughter cell after an asymmetric cell division, we study how BASL differentially functions in the two daughter cells. The YDA MAPK cascade transduces upstream ligand-receptor signaling [5–13] to the transcription factor SPEECHLESS (SPCH), which controls stomatal initiation and is directly suppressed by MPK3/6-mediated phosphorylation [14, 15]. We show that BASL polarization leads to elevated nuclear MPK6 signaling and lowered SPCH abundance in one of the two daughter cells. Therefore, two daughter cells are differentiated by BASL polarity-mediated differential suppression of SPCH, which may provide developmental plasticity in plant stem cell asymmetric cell division (ACD).
Harry S. Truman: The Economics of a Populist President. By E. Ray Canterbery. (Toh Tuck Link, Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 2014. Pp. x, 200. $45.00.)

The author of this book has a legitimate claim to distinction. One expects a talented, historically minded scholar to explain the economic outlook of one of the twentieth century's most important p...
A Compact Single Conductor Transmission Line Launcher for Telemetry in Borehole Drilling

A very compact and conformal launcher for single conductor transmission lines (SCTLs) at the HF-band is presented. Also the concept of using drill pipes as the conductor of SCTL is introduced for the first time to satisfy the need for cost-effective and real-time data communication in drilling process. It is shown that a TM surface wave can be launched effectively making use of the drilling mud around the drill pipe. Provision of TM surface wave launchers that can fit within the borehole at both ends makes it feasible to transmit data over the drill pipe from downhole to the surface and vice versa. The launcher is composed of an open ended helical conductor which concentrically surrounds the drill pipe with appropriate pitch and length forming a compact surface wave launcher. Keeping its dimension smaller than $0.005\lambda \times 0.005\lambda \times 0.03\lambda $ , the proposed launcher provides 2% fractional bandwidth at low HF-band.
Reading and feeling after Scenes of Subjection

It is important to remember that blackness is defined here in terms of social relationality rather than identity; thus blackness incorporates subjects normatively defined as black, the relations am...
Assessing self-assessment practices: A survey of U.S. colleges and schools of pharmacy.

Abstract Objective This study quantifies and describes student self-assessment approaches in colleges of pharmacy across the United States. Methods Faculty members identified as assessment directors from college websites at U.S. colleges of pharmacy were electronically surveyed. Prior to distribution, feedback and question validation was sought from select assessment directors. Surveys were distributed and recorded, via Qualtrics ® survey software and analyzed in Microsoft Excel ® . Results Responses were received from 49 colleges of pharmacy (n = 49/134, 37% response rate). The most commonly used strategies were reflective essays (n = 44/49, 90%), portfolios (n = 40/49, 82%), student self-evaluations (n = 35/49, 71%) and questionnaires/surveys/checklists (n = 29/49, 59%). Out of 49 submitted surveys, 35 programs noted students received feedback on self-assessment. Feedback came most commonly from faculty (n = 31/35, 88%). Thirty-four programs responded regarding self-assessment integration including fifteen colleges (n = 15/34, 44%) that integrated self-assessment both into the curriculum and co-curricular activities, while 14 (n = 14/34, 41%) integrated self-assessment exclusively into the curriculum, and five (n = 5/34, 15%) used self-assessment exclusively in co-curricular activities. Discussion and conclusions Student self-assessment is a critical first step of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) process. Colleges and schools of pharmacy use a wide variety of methods to develop this skill in preparing future practitioners.
An Incremental Machine Learning Algorithm for Nuclear Forensics

This paper presents an incremental machine learning algorithm that identifies the origin, or provenance, of samples of nuclear material. This is part of work being undertaken by the Canadian National Nuclear Forensics Library development program, which seeks to build a comprehensive database of signatures for radioactive and nuclear materials under Canadian regulatory control. One difficulty with this application is the small ratio of the number of examples over the number of classes. So, we introduce variants to a basic generative algorithm, based on ideas from the robust statistics literature and elsewhere, to address this issue and to improve robustness to attribute noise. We show experimentally the effectiveness of the approach, and the problems that arise, when adding new examples and classes.
Determinants of Feasibility in Bioconversion of Solar Energy

The fundamental determinants limiting the feasibility in bioconversion of solar energy for food, feed, fertilizer, and fermentable substrates may be categorized as technical, economical and sociological. Technical determinants are related to the amount of solar energy available and the efficiency of bioconversion. The amount of solar energy is mainly determined by location on the surface of the earth whereas photosynthetic efficiency is closely related to species specific growth rates. Light availability, nutrient base, temperature, and organism size and metabolic characteristics are among the factors influencing growth rate and efficiency. Because of low efficiency and other adverse characteristics of higher plants, it appears likely that the microalgae are the only organisms which can be produced at sufficiently high and sustained photosynthetic efficiencies to make biological transformation of solar energy, for energy alone,economically feasible. There is little question that algae produced on a large-scale would now be economically feasible for human food, animal feed, and for fertilizer if competitive markets were available. However, economical, political and sociological restrictions appear to be major barriers to current widespread applications. It seems likely that as the world food and protein crisis and the inadequacies of conventional agriculture to meet this crisis become more widely recognized acceptance and growing application of algal technology will occur in the developed and developing nations of the world. This, in turn, should permit new levels of environmentally sound abundances of food in the world.
Promotion of Plant and Insect Hormone Action by Membrane Matrix Matching Lipids

At the 1959 meeting of this conference, I reported an unexpected effect of small quantities of diverse lipids on the growth and respiration of pea stem sections (Stowe, 1960). Such lipids often doubled the cell elongation caused by auxin, while having no growth promoting action of their own. Later studies showed that these lipids entered membrane-rich fractions and that the concomitant stimulation of respiration could, in some instances, be elicited by the lipids in the absence of growth (Penny & Stowe, 1965, 1966). Last year, we reported that some analogs of the juvenile hormone show parallel activity in insects and in the pea bioassay, and suggested that in plant and insects such lipids have a sterically similar locus of action in a membrane (Stowe & Hudson, 1969).
Drug Affinity Responsive Target Stability (DARTS) for Small-Molecule Target Identification

Drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) is a relatively quick and straightforward approach to identify potential protein targets for small molecules. It relies on the protection against proteolysis conferred on the target protein by interaction with a small molecule. The greatest advantage of this method is being able to use the native small molecule without having to immobilize or modify it (e.g., by incorporation of biotin, fluorescent, radioisotope, or photoaffinity labels). Here we describe in detail the protocol for performing unbiased DARTS with complex protein lysates to identify binding targets of small molecules and for using DARTS-Western blotting to test, screen, or validate potential small-molecule targets. Although the ideas have mainly been developed from studying molecules in areas of biology that are currently of interest to us and our collaborators, the general principles should be applicable to the analysis of all molecules in nature.
A comprehensive study comparing smokers and non-smokers with lung cancer in an urban minority population.

e18087Background: Cigarette smoking is strongly associated with lung cancer; however, very few studies have been conducted in the urban minority population comparing various parameters between smok...
Temporal patterns of self-weighing behavior and weight changes assessed by consumer purchased scales in the Health eHeart Study

Self-weighing may promote attainment and maintenance of healthy weight; however, the natural temporal patterns and factors associated with self-weighing behavior are unclear. The aims of this secondary analysis were to (1) identify distinct temporal patterns of self-weighing behaviors; (2) explore factors associated with temporal self-weighing patterns; and (3) examine differences in percent weight changes by patterns of self-weighing over time. We analyzed electronically collected self-weighing data from the Health eHeart Study, an ongoing longitudinal research study coordinated by the University of California, San Francisco. We selected participants with at least 12 months of data since the day of first use of a WiFi- or Bluetooth-enabled digital scale. The sample (N = 1041) was predominantly male (77.5%) and White (89.9%), with a mean age of 46.5 ± 12.3 years and a mean BMI of 28.3 ± 5.9 kg/m2 at entry. Using group-based trajectory modeling, six distinct temporal patterns of self-weighing were identified: non-users (n = 120, 11.5%), weekly users (n = 189, 18.2%), rapid decliners (n = 109, 10.5%), increasing users (n = 160, 15.4%), slow decliners (n = 182, 17.5%), and persistent daily users (n = 281, 27.0%). Individuals who were older, female, or self-weighed 6–7 days/week at week 1 were more likely to follow the self-weighing pattern of persistent daily users. Predicted self-weighing trajectory group membership was significantly associated with weight change over time (p < .001). In conclusion, we identified six distinct patterns of self-weighing behavior over the 12-month period. Persistent daily users lost more weight compared with groups with less frequent patterns of scale use.
Linear Accelerator-Based Stereotactic Radiotherapy for Low-Grade Meningiomas: Improved Local Control With Hypofractionation:

Background and purpose Meningioma is a common type of benign tumor that can be managed in several ways, ranging from close observation, surgical resection, and various types of radiation. We present here results from a 10-year experience treating meningiomas with a hypofractionated approach. Materials and methods We reviewed the charts of 56 patients treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) from 2008 to 2017. A total of 46 (82%) patients had WHO Grade 1 disease and 10 (18%) had Grade 2. Outcomes that were analyzed included local control rates and the rate and grade of any reported toxicity. Results A total of 38 women and 18 men underwent SRS to a median dose of 15 Gy (n = 24) or hypofractionated SRT with a median dose of 25 Gy in five fractions (n = 34). Of the 56 patients, 22 had surgery before receiving treatment. The median follow-up was 36 (6-110) months. Local control at 2 and 5 years for all patients was 90% and 88%, respectively. Comparing fractionated to single-fraction treatment, there was improved local control with fractionation (91% vs 80% local control at 2 years, P = .009). There was one episode of late radionecrosis on imaging with associated symptoms after single-fraction treatment and one patient requiring resection of meningioma related to worsening symptoms (and local recurrence) after five-fraction SRT. Conclusions This study provides further evidence for high rates of local control and minimal toxicity using a hypofractionated SRT approach, with improvement in local control through use of hypofractionation.
World-Craving: Rahel Varnhagen, Daniel Paul Schreber, and the Strange Promise of Paranoia:

This essay reads Hannah Arendt’s Rahel Varnhagen (1957) alongside Sigmund Freud’s case history of paranoia, The Schreber Case (1911), two texts about 18th- and 19th-century personalities caught up ...
What Does Exploration Look Like? Painting a Picture of Learning Pathways Using Learning Analytics

Game-based learning is becoming one of the major trends in education as it brings together numerous benefits. However, due to the open-ended and less linear nature of these environments, it is often complicated for instructors to really understand the learning process of students within a game. Learning analytics can play a meaningful role in transforming learning pathways in games into interpretable information for teachers. In this study, we propose three novel metrics that focus more on the learning process of students than on the outcomes. We apply these metrics to data from The Radix Endeavor, an inquiry-based learning game on STEM topics that has been tested in multiple schools across the US. We also report correlations between these metrics and in-game learning outcomes and discuss the importance and potential use of metrics to understand students’ learning processes.
P015 Sleep-related problems in children with osteogenesis imperfecta

Introduction Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder affecting 1 in 10,000 births with a wide variability in phenotypes. Clinical manifestations include; recurrent fractures, bone pain, varying degrees of short stature and deformity, scoliosis, kyphosis, and respiratory failure in the severest types. Sleep disorders are often under-acknowledged and are frequently more problematic in children with chronic illnesses. Children with OI are likely to complain of poor sleep quality due to pain, night sweats, structural changes in the chest and spine restricting the lungs, and soft tissues changes leading to decreased muscle tone, which may be linked to obstructive sleep apnoea. The aim of the current project was to examine whether sleep-related problems are a significant issue to patients with OI at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Methods A convenience sample of children with OI and their carers completed questionnaires designed by the project team to capture sleep and respiratory-related problems [service evaluation SE1090]. Results 55 patients (26 female; mean age 12.77yrs; range 3.1–17.3) and carers completed the questionnaires during routine admission or clinic appointment. Participants were classified by OI type; 32-mild, 13-moderate, 10-severe. 67% reported difficulty in getting off to sleep. 36% of participants reported waking in the night, with discomfort (44%) and feeling too hot (36%) being the most common causes. Frequency of night time waking ranged from 0–4 times a night. 27% of participants reported snoring. Discussion This service evaluation highlighted that OI patients are reporting sleep-related issues and further focus on sleep in the clinical history may be of importance. A pilot study examining the feasibility of polysomnography and sleep-related questionnaires in children with OI is currently underway to further research sleep in this cohort.
Pharmacological inhibition of TLR4 ameliorates muscle and liver ceramide content after disuse in previously physically active mice

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a proposed mediator of ceramide accumulation, muscle atrophy, and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. It is currently unknown whether pharmacological inhibition of...
CHARACTERIZATION OF TRACES OF PREDATION AND PARASITISM ON FOSSIL ECHINOIDS

Interactions with predators and parasites can result in traces found on Recent and fossil echinoids. However, identifying specific trace makers, particularly on fossil echinoids, remains contentious. To document the range of trace morphologies present on echinoids and improve our ability to identify and quantify biotic interactions affecting echinoids, we characterized traces found on fossil echinoids using museum collections and field sampling spanning the Jurassic to Recent worldwide. Using light microscopy, 8,564 individual echinoid specimens were examined including 130 species, and 516 traces of potential biotic interactions identified. Morphological characteristics were recorded for each trace, including the shape of the trace outline, maximum diameter and cross-section profile. Based on shared morphological characteristics, it was possible to classify all traces into eight categories: circular, subcircular, elongated, irregular, rectangular, figure-eight, notched, and linear. Cross-section characteristics provided additional insights into the identity of potential trace makers. To further evaluate the proposed biotic origins of these traces, trace diversity was examined through time and compared with anticipated ecological trends associated with the diversification of echinoids, and their predators and parasites. Trace diversity increased over time, starting in the late Eocene, coincident with the proliferation of echinoid-drilling gastropods, an indication that biotic interactions intensified through evolutionary time, as predicted by several macroevolutionary hypotheses previously tested using mollusks. The morphological descriptions provided here enhance our understanding of biotic traces on fossil echinoids, and the potential to identify temporal trends in the intensity and diversity of biotic interactions that have affected echinoids throughout their evolutionary history.
Ruang-ruang Keadilan Bagi Sang Margin

This essay examines just space(s) from the perspective of Christian hospitality towards the marginalized. The focus for Letty Russell in her theology addresses those considered the ‘unfortunate’ or those victimized by the variegated visage of injustice (the ‘unfair’) as that face is set against ‘the outsiders’; Miroslav Volf focuses on the ‘other,’ as does Amos Yong concerning “the stranger.” Nevertheless, they use these three terms interchangeably. To build just space(s) for the marginalized, I intend to approach the justice discourse via two arguments: first, by claiming that every theory of justice derived philosophically tends to get trapped in matters of techno-calculation; second, by proposing the relevance of a theological approach for “patching” such philosophical shortcomings. Following the parable of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew 20:10-16, we see that a theological approach yields a conceptualization of generosity—as the commentaries of Michael Green show—thereby demonstrating the relevance of such theological praxis. As a study in Christian hospitality, this essay proposes several ethical tenets for the building of just space(s) as spaces for justice that take as their point of departure the very same marginalized toward whom these spaces are oriented.
Implementation of Hospital Practices Supportive of Breastfeeding in the Context of COVID-19-United States, July 15-August 20, 2020

Breastfeeding has health benefits for both infants and mothers and is recommended by numerous health and medical organizations*,† (1). The birth hospitalization is a critical period for establishing breastfeeding; however, some hospital practices, particularly related to mother-newborn contact, have given rise to concern about the potential for mother-to-newborn transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (2). CDC conducted a COVID-19 survey (July 15-August 20, 2020) among 1,344 hospitals that completed the 2018 Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) survey to assess current practices and breastfeeding support while in the hospital. Among mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, 14.0% of hospitals discouraged and 6.5% prohibited skin-to-skin care; 37.8% discouraged and 5.3% prohibited rooming-in; 20.1% discouraged direct breastfeeding but allowed it if the mother chose; and 12.7% did not support direct breastfeeding, but encouraged feeding of expressed breast milk. In response to the pandemic, 17.9% of hospitals reported reduced in-person lactation support, and 72.9% reported discharging mothers and their newborns <48 hours after birth. Some of the infection prevention and control (IPC) practices that hospitals were implementing conflicted with evidence-based care to support breastfeeding. Mothers who are separated from their newborn or not feeding directly at the breast might need additional postdischarge breastfeeding support. In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that newborns discharged before 48 hours receive prompt follow-up with a pediatric health care provider.
Implementation of a Protocol: Dexmedetomidine for Use in Long-Term Procedural Sedation in Non-Intubated Pediatric Patients.

Abstract The objective of this quality initiative was to evaluate the process of implementing a new protocol using the Iowa model and evidence-base interventions. The first aim included deploying a protocol guiding sedation with dexmedetomidine for up to 24 h; the procedure involved non-intubated pediatric patients in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) while monitored by certified registered nurses. Dexmedetomidine is supported within the literature to be a safe and effective medication for pediatric patients, exceeding 24 h, without the adverse event of respiratory depression. The second aim was to then evaluate the implementation process. A pre-post educational approach was used, over a five-month period. Thirty-two nurses were educated and surveyed on their knowledge and attitudes regarding the use and administration of dexmedetomidine. The evaluation of pre and post knowledge surrounding dexmedetomidine was concluded following the post-survey. The evaluation of pre-post education showed, greater than 90% of the attending nurses, had an increase in their knowledge and understanding of safe use and monitoring for dexmedetomidine sedations in children. This quality initiative further supports effective application of evidence-based interventions. Moreover, using the Iowa model allowed for the effective execution in driving change, promoting sustainability, and improving safety in the delivery of care for pediatric patients receiving dexmedetomidine for long-term sedation.
Nitromethane Decomposition via Automated Reaction Discovery and an Ab Initio Corrected Kinetic Model

We explore the systematic construction of kinetic models from in silico reaction data for the decomposition of nitromethane. Our models are constructed in a computationally affordable manner by using reactions discovered through accelerated molecular dynamics simulations using the ReaxFF reactive force field. The reaction paths are then optimized to determine reaction rate parameters. We introduce a reaction barrier correction scheme that combines accurate thermochemical data from density functional theory with ReaxFF minimal energy paths. We validate our models across different thermodynamic regimes, showing predictions of gas phase CO and NO concentrations and high-pressure induction times that are similar to experimental data. The kinetic models are analyzed to find fundamental decomposition reactions in different thermodynamic regimes.
Real-Time Lossless Compression for Ultrahigh-Density Synchrophasor and Point-on-Wave Data

Modern advanced phasor measurement units are developed with ultrahigh reporting rates to meet the demand for monitoring the power systems dynamics in detail. Due to the large volume of data, the communication and storage systems are seriously challenged with the presence of ultrahigh-density (UHD) synchrophasor and point-on-wave (POW) data. Therefore, it is an urgent task to compress the UHD data for more efficient communication and data storage. This article proposes several methods to compress the synchrophasor and POW data in a lossless manner. First, an improved time-series special compression (ITSSC) method is proposed to compress the UHD frequency data. Second, a delta-difference Huffman method is combined with the time-series special compression algorithm to compress the UHD phase angle data. Finally, a cyclical high-order delta modulation method is proposed to compress the UHD POW data. The proposed models are extensively tested and compared with different existing lossless compression algorithms using the field-collected synchrophasor and POW data at different reporting rates. The results indicate that the proposed algorithms are efficient in performing lossless compression for the UHD synchrophasor and POW data in real time.
Why Bad Leaders? A Perspective from WICS

This chapter considers the contemporary problem of bad leadership. It opens with a consideration of why, in recent times, leadership has declined in quality. Several reasons are presented: forgetting the lessons of the World Wars, the Internet, social media, surveillance, and discouragement of good candidates for entering positions of leadership. The chapter then presents the WICS theory—wisdom–intelligence–creativity synthesized—and how it applies to bad leadership. Finally, it draws some conclusions, including that the forces of tribalism today are very strong and it may take disasters for people to realize that tribalism is a dead end.
Building an Interactive Geospatial Visualization Application for National Health Care-Associated Infection Surveillance: Development Study

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) is the most widely used health care–associated infection (HAI) and antimicrobial use and resistance surveillance program in the United States. Over 37,000 health care facilities participate in the program and submit a large volume of surveillance data. These data are used by the facilities themselves, the CDC, and other agencies and organizations for a variety of purposes, including infection prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, and clinical quality measurement. Among the summary metrics made available by the NHSN are standardized infection ratios, which are used to identify HAI prevention needs and measure progress at the national, regional, state, and local levels. Objective: To extend the use of geospatial methods and tools to NHSN data, and in turn to promote and inspire new uses of the rendered data for analysis and prevention purposes, we developed a web-enabled system that enables integrated visualization of HAI metrics and supporting data. Methods: We leveraged geocoding and visualization technologies that are readily available and in current use to develop a web-enabled system designed to support visualization and interpretation of data submitted to the NHSN from geographically dispersed sites. The server–client model–based system enables users to access the application via a web browser. Results: We integrated multiple data sets into a single-page dashboard designed to enable users to navigate across different HAI event types, choose specific health care facility or geographic locations for data displays, and scale across time units within identified periods. We launched the system for internal CDC use in January 2019. Conclusions: CDC NHSN statisticians, data analysts, and subject matter experts identified opportunities to extend the use of geospatial methods and tools to NHSN data and provided the impetus to develop NHSNViz. The development effort proceeded iteratively, with the developer adding or enhancing functionality and including additional data sets in a series of prototype versions, each of which incorporated user feedback. The initial production version of NHSNViz provides a new geospatial analytic resource built in accordance with CDC user requirements and extensible to additional users and uses in subsequent versions.
User-Centered Design of a Library Tutorials Page: A Solution to Digital Hoarding.

Library tutorials offer on demand and as-needed instruction, a necessity as higher education continues to extend the reach of online learning. Our institution has increased its online course offeri...
Classical Common Law Jurisprudence (Part 2)

This, the second Part of a two-part essay, offers a partial philosophical reconstruction of the seventeenth century common law conception of law. Part I identified two notions on which the conception was based: common custom and common reason. The interdependence of these two notions is most evident in the pivotal idea of the "artificial reason" of the trained common lawyer. Part II of this essay undertakes to articulate and explore the seventeenth century understanding of the nature of "artificial reason." It is argued that it had less to do with the expertise of an elite than with a view of a special discipline of practical reasoning in which the public, discursive, and forensic context of its exercise is essential for its claim to authority. It is argued that the reason of the common law was "artificial" not in the sense of being professional or elite, but in the sense of being experienced and social. "Artificial Reason" was the product of reflective, public-spirited practical experience, as opposed to untutored individual intuition or a natural capacity for deductive reasoning exercised in abstraction from the concrete details of ordinary life. Against the background of this understanding of the reason of the common law, the notion of binding precedent and its relationship to Parliamentary legislation is discussed. The essay closes with a consideration of the normative foundations of common law and speculates on how natural law views about God as the source of law's authority were reconciled with a basically non-voluntarist concept of law. The essay maintains that, despite its many variations, the constant theme in classical common law jurisprudence is the idea of law rooted in a disciplined practice of public practical reasoning, maintaining a substantial congruence (but not identity) with the thick texture of the ordinary life and affairs of people in the political community.
Thermally enhanced adsorption and persulfate oxidation-driven regeneration on FeCl3-activated biochar for removal of microcystin-LR in water.

Abstract In this study, a cyclic process of adsorption and persulfate (PS) oxidation-driven regeneration using FeCl3-activated biochar (FA-BC) was suggested as a novel remediation process to remove microcystin-LR (MC-LR) from water. For enhancing overall treatment efficiency and cost effectiveness, the impacts of temperature on adsorption and PS oxidation-driven regeneration were investigated. The increase of temperature resulted in the increase of MC-LR adsorption rate on FA-BC due to the enhanced MC-LR diffusivity in water. Moreover, the MC-LR oxidation and PS reaction rates during the PS regeneration on FA-BC were remarkably improved by factors of 3.4 and 3.5 with increasing temperature from 20 °C to 50 °C. Both diffusion and desorption of MC-LR from FA-BC were thought to be the key factors for controlling the MC-LR oxidation rate during the PS regeneration of MC-LR. In addition, the decrease of pH (from 10 to 4) and increase of PS concentration (from 100 to 400 mg/L) enhanced the regeneration efficiency for MC-LR-spent FA-BC. The four cycles of adsorption-PS regeneration (200 mg/L PS, pH 6, and 50 °C) resulted in 92.81% regeneration efficiency in DI water and 82.89% in lake water. However, the four cycles of adsorption-PS regeneration led to the reduction of surface area (from 835 to 413 m2/g), oxidation of carbon surface and slight reduction of Fe0 on FA-BC. In overall, the cyclic adsorption-PS regeneration at higher temperature could provide practical reuse of FA-BC for cost-effective treatment of aqueous MC-LR.
A Note on the Visual Neurosensorium

There is a striking discrepancy between the stable and continuous impression of the visual world we experience when contrasted with the spatially and temporally discontinuous series of retinal images which occur in the ordinary course of vision. The information about the environment gained through the eye is defined at each instant by the character of the image sensed by the photoreceptors, which in turn is defined by the position of the eye with respect to the external scene. During normal vision the position of the eyes ordinarily shifts abruptly at an average rate of from two to four times per second, so that there is a corresponding change in the neural input to the brain associated with each shift of the visual image. Although there has been considerable theoretical speculation on the nature of the central mechanisms which might stabilize the visual percept in the face of the discontinuity induced by the saccadic eye movements (Sperry, 1950; von Holst and Mittelstaedt, 1950; Teuber, 1960; MacKay, 1966) neurophsyiological studies of the visual system have largely ignored the implications of these frequency shifts of the retinal image for the processing of afferent information.
Kallikrein release by vascular tissue.

Vascular tissue contains kallikrein and kallikrein mRNA, suggesting a vascular kallikrein-kinin system. We questioned whether 1) kallikrein concentration varies among large and small vessels; 2) kallikrein is released by vascular tissue; and 3) blocking protein synthesis inhibits release, suggesting de novo synthesis. Using rat vascular rings and isolated-perfused hindquarters, we examined kallikrein in the bath and perfusate. Active kallikrein was higher in tail arteries than the aorta (P or = 3 h. In contrast, lactic dehydrogenase fell from 6.7 +/- 2.5 to 2.5 +/- 0.4 U.h-1 x mg tissue-1. Total kallikrein in the rings was 302 +/- 51 pg bradykinin/mg wt tissue before 3 h and 298 +/- 68 afterward. Kallikrein released by the hindquarters after 3 h was as follows: active, 6.2 +/- 2.8 ng bradykinin.min-1 x kg.body wt-1; total, 85.2 +/- 17 ng bradykinin.min-1 x kg body wt-1. Puromycin pretreatment (10 mg ip) reduced total perfusate kallikrein from 105 +/- 19 to 8.5 +/- 3.6 (P < 0.005).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A 25-hydroxycholesterol-resistant cell line deficient in acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase.

We describe a line of mutant Chinese hamster ovary cells, SRD-4 cells, that lacks acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) activity and fails to synthesize cholesteryl esters when stimulated with 25-hydroxycholesterol or low density lipoprotein. The cells also have a partial defect in their ability to repress transcription of three sterol-regulated genes, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthase, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, and the low density lipoprotein receptor. The cells were selected by mutagenesis followed by growth in the presence of 25-hydroxycholesterol, which kills the parental cells by cholesterol depletion, owing to an inhibition of cholesterol synthesis and a stimulation of cholesterol esterification. Treatment of parental cells with compound 58-035 (3-(decyldimethylsilyl)-N-[2-(4-methylphenyl)-1- phenylethyl]propanamide), an inhibitor of ACAT, abolished cholesterol esterification but did not reproduce the defect in gene repression seen in the SRD-4 cells, and it only partially reproduced the resistance to the killing effect of 25-hydroxycholesterol. We conclude that the SRD-4 cells most likely have two independent defects, one in ACAT and the other in a factor that mediates sterol-dependent transcriptional repression. The SRD-4 cells thus resemble a line of hamster cells previously isolated (Cadigan, K.M., Heider, J.G., and Chang, T.-Y. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 274-282), which has similar independent defects. The results raise the possibility that a partial resistance to sterol repression provides a growth advantage to cells that lack ACAT.
Worried to Death

To the Editor: We were interested to read the report of the 70-year-old woman who developed ST-segment changes, elevated cardiac enzymes, and ventricular akinesis on hearing of her husband’s death.1 Bereavement or other significant life stressors have been associated with life-threatening arrhythmias and increased mortality. Although clinical laboratory studies have demonstrated that acute psychological stress produces ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease,2 rarely has an acute ischemic response to real-life psychological stress been clinically documented in an otherwise healthy individual. Prospective studies, however, have demonstrated that otherwise healthy individuals with chronically elevated anxiety are at greater risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD).3 Anxiety increases the risk of …
Learning goal orientation, formal mentoring, and leadership competence in HRD: A conceptual model

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to suggest a conceptual model of formal mentoring as a leadership development initiative including “learning goal orientation”, “mentoring functions”, and “leadership competencies” as key constructs of the model.Design/methodology/approach – Some empirical studies, though there are not many, will provide positive suggestions for the effectiveness of formal mentoring in leadership development. Then the rationale of the conceptual model will be provided with testable propositions. Further, the future direction of research on mentoring in relation to leadership development will be recommended.Findings – Formal mentoring could have great potential as a leadership development initiative.Research limitations/implications – A conceptual model of formal mentoring for leadership development could lead HRD professionals to identify and develop learning goal‐oriented mentors and proteges.Originality/value – Contributes to the literature in human resources about formal mentoring...
TREM-1: A new regulator of innate immunity in sepsis syndrome

Although we have drugs and biologics designed to interfere with the innate immune response, none has been shown to shut down the massive inflammatory reaction that occurs during sepsis. A new pro-inflammatory myeloid-cell receptor might make a better target.
Atomic Fluorescence in Environmental Analysis

Atomic fluorescence is a spectroscopic process which is based upon the absorption of radiation of a certain wavelength by an atomic vapor and subsequent radiational deactivation of the excited atoms toward the detection device. Both the absorption and the subsequent atomic emission processes occur at wavelengths which are characteristic of the atomic species present. Atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (AFS) is a very sensitive and selective method for the determination of a number of environmentally and biomedically important elements such as mercury, arsenic, selenium, bismuth, antimony, tellurium, lead, and cadmium. This technique has become one of the most important analytical tools for trace element analysis in environmental samples, such as mercury, owing to its advantages over other methods in terms of linearity and detection levels. Several books and a number of book chapters and review articles have been published dealing with the theory and instrumentation of AFS. This article will provide up-to-date AFS information regarding its application in environmental analysis.
Citigroup 2007: Financial Reporting and Regulatory Capital (TN)

Learning Objective:(1) introduces students to financial statements for banks and basic regulatory capital ratios (2) allows students to assess the impact of potential future write-offs/fair value decreases arising from the continuing financial crisis, and how Citigroup can respond.
Conjugate Addition Reactions of Organocopper Reagents

Addition of an organometallic reagent to alpha,beta-usaturated carbonyl compounds occurs in one or both of two modes: attack at the carbonyl function produces a 1,2 adduct, whereas reaction with the entire system gives a 1,4 adduct. Organoalkali metal reagents derived from unstabilized carbanions generally add across the carbonyl group, where as enolate and other stabilized anions usually undergo a Michael addition, introducing a carboalkyl group at the beta carbon. Grignard reagents normally give 1,2 adducts. The wide scope of these reagents has made conjugate addition of alkyl and aryl groups a useful reaction in organic synthesis. Copper-promoted conjugate additions were generally effected by allowing an organomagnesium reagent and a alpha, beta- unsaturated carbonyl compound to react in the presence of a catalytic amount of copper salt. Studies since 1966 have shown that stoichiometric organocopper reagents in addition to their broad utility in coupling reactions with organic halides and in reaction with other substrates undergo unusually effective conjugate addition to a wide variety alpha,beta- unsaturated carbonyl substrates. Emphasis in this chapter is on stoichiometric organic copper reagents. Mechanism, scope, limitations, synthetic utility, and optimal conditions are considered. Keywords: conjugate addition; organocopper reagents; unsaturated carbonyl substrate; derivatives; stereochemistry; enones; enone esters; compatible functional groups; Grignard reagents
Social Norms, Feelings, and Other Factors Affecting Helping and Altruism

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses social norms, feelings, and other factors that influence helping and altruism. Externally derived incentives are undoubtedly major determinants of behavior, perhaps more important than internalized ideals for many persons and in many situations. But there is probably a far greater incidence of selfless action on behalf of others—even in the absence of reciprocal or anticipated benefits than the usual form of exchange theory. Some of this behavior, not all, is influenced by the operation of social rules and internalized standards of conduct. People sometimes act altruistically because this is the right thing to do in a given situation. On other occasions, however, they might help someone else because they empathize with him. The chapter also considers another complication: a person may deviate from social regulations in some instances even though he is firmly convinced of their propriety and has attempted to adhere to these standards in other situations; these occasional deviations do not mean that he or she does not believe in these rules or that they do not frequently govern his behavior. Other factors obviously may become potent determinants of behavior in some situations. Social-exchange conceptions apply to the organizational world because this setting promotes exchange concerns. Outside this milieu however, exchange ideas may be less influential as other motives, interests, and values come into play. Nonetheless, the findings reviewed in the chapter indicate that many normative conceptions of social behavior are vastly oversimplified.
Oral cancer examinations among smokers and moderate‐heavy drinkers, United States, 2008

Objectives Smoking and moderate-heavy alcohol consumption are primary risk factors for oral cancer. This report uses national data to test whether adults with these risk factors received oral cancer examinations (OCEs) at a rate consistent with their risk. Methods Data from the 2008 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were used for this analysis. The main outcome variables described lifetime receipt of extraoral or intraoral OCEs. Other variables described health-care visits, as well as the timing of, reasons for, and type of practitioner providing the most recent OCE. Descriptor variables were smoking and drinking status. Covariates included several sociodemographic factors. Weighted bivariate and multivariable analyses were conducted using SUDAAN software. Results According to the 2008 NHIS, about 34 percent of adults aged 40 years or older reported receiving either an extraoral or intraoral examination during their lifetime. Current smokers were no more likely to have received an OCE than were never smokers, controlling for relevant covariates. Moderate-heavy drinkers and light drinkers were significantly more likely to have received an OCE than were lifetime abstainers. Conclusions Current smokers did not receive OCEs at a rate consistent with their increased risk, whereas moderate-heavy drinkers did. One explanation for this finding is that medical and dental visit behaviors indirectly influenced OCE rates. Dentition status played an important role, as having teeth is strongly associated with dental visit behaviors. Health-care practitioners are encouraged to consider the smoking and drinking statuses of their patients when they conduct routine physical examinations of the head and neck.
Learning to Be an Outsider: Peer Stigmatization in Kindergarten.

This article reports findings of a naturalistic study of stigmatization processes discovered in the peer interactions of a kindergarten class. The study was undertaken from an interactionist theoretical perspective, and data were gathered using passive participant observation, ethnographic interviewing, and the collection of unobtrusive measures. The study was begun with the broad goal of recording and analyzing child-to-child interactions in a kindergarten peer group. As early data were analyzed, the behavior of a particular child, Lester, and the behavior of other children in relation to Lester became the focus of the study. Further data collection and analyses were designed to reveal patterns of interaction within the peer group which in effect stigmatized Lester as an outsider. The findings of the study are analytic descriptions of Lester's “rule breaking” behaviors in relations with peers and peers' “group responses” in relations with him. Deviance as a socially constructed phenomenon and implications of being labeled an outsider by child-peers are discussed.