cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bargaining in Less-Democratic Newly Industrialized Countries Model and Evidence from South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia

Do governments in less-democratic newly industrialized countries (NICs) bar- gain with their citizens? In this article we develop a game-theoretic model to show that the government may not be able to avoid bargaining in open econo- mies such as the Asian NICs when economic conditions are less than optimal. The reason is that, in the absence of government bargaining, citizens acting rationally and strategically choose to withdraw resources such as labor or pro- duction investment from a weak economy. Under these circumstances, govern- ment bargaining to elicit resource investment is a sub-game perfect equilibrium outcome. To test the model, we analyze data on production investment in the Asian NICs of South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia from the 1960s to the 1990s. The analysis supports the prediction of the formal model and, hence, makes three contributions to the study of this topic. First, when we relax the assumption that citizens are naive, governments in less-democratic open economies such as the Asian NICs may not be able to avoid bargaining with their citizens. Second, resource-withholding or withdrawal is an equili- brium strategy that convinces the government to bargain. Third, governments may bargain credibly even in the absence of formal constraints.
FadA from Fusobacterium nucleatum Utilizes both Secreted and Nonsecreted Forms for Functional Oligomerization for Attachment and Invasion of Host Cells

Fusobacterium nucleatum is a Gram-negative anaerobe associated with various human infections, including periodontal diseases and preterm birth. A novel FadA adhesin was recently identified for host-cell binding. It consists of 129 amino acid residues, with an 18-amino acid signal peptide. Expression of FadA in Escherichia coli enhanced bacterial binding to host epithelial and endothelial cells. In both E. coli and F. nucleatum, FadA exists in two forms, the intact pre-FadA and the secreted mature FadA (mFadA), with pre-FadA anchored in the inner membrane and mFadA secreted outside the bacteria. Pre-FadA and mFadA formed high Mr complexes. When each form was purified to a single species, mFadA was soluble at neutral pH, whereas pre-FadA was insoluble. Pre-FadA became soluble when mixed with mFadA or under acidic pH. When fluorescence-labeled mFadA alone was added to the epithelial cells, no binding was detected. However, when mixed with nonlabeled pre-FadA, binding and invasion of mFadA into epithelial cells was observed. FadA is a unique bacterial adhesin/invasin in that it utilizes its own two forms for both structural and functional purposes. The pre-FadA-mFadA complex is probably anchored in the inner membrane and protrudes through the outer membrane. Internalization of the pre-FadA-mFadA ensures invasion of the bacteria into the host cells.
Policy recognition for multi-player tactical scenarios

This paper addresses the problem of recognizing policies given logs of battle scenarios from multi-player games. The ability to identify individual and team policies from observations is important for a wide range of applications including automated commentary generation, game coaching, and opponent modeling. We define a policy as a preference model over possible actions based on the game state, and a team policy as a collection of individual policies along with an assignment of players to policies. This paper explores two promising approaches for policy recognition: (1) a model-based system for combining evidence from observed events using Dempster-Shafer theory, and (2) a data-driven discriminative classifier using support vector machines (SVMs). We evaluate our techniques on logs of real and simulated games played using Open Gaming Foundation d20, the rule system used by many popular tabletop games, including Dungeons and Dragons.
A new improved model-based seizure detection using statistically optimal null filter

A patient-specific model-based seizure detection method using statistically optimal null filters (SONF) has been recently proposed to aid the review of long-term EEG [1, 2]. The method relies on the model of a priori known seizure (template pattern) for subsequent detection of similar seizures. Artifacts, non-epileptic EEG rhythms, and at times modeling errors lead to increased false or missed detections. In this paper, we present a new improved model-based seizure detection that introduces a pre-processing block for artifact rejection, an adaptive technique of modeling the template patterns, and a new evolution-based classifier. The proposed classifier tracks the temporal evolution of seizure to improve the classification accuracy. With the help of simulated EEG, we illustrate the significance and need for these modifications. Further, performance of the complete algorithm is tested on single channel depth EEG of seven patients, and compared with the previous approaches. In terms of sensitivity and specificity, the proposed method resulted in 84% and 100%, method of [1] 65% and 84%, and method of [2], 84% and 90% respectively. An overall performance improvement is seen as enhanced detection sensitivity and reduced false positives. This is preliminary result on seven patient data.
Comparing Interferon-γ Release Assay with Tuberculin Skin Test Readings at 48–72 Hours and 144–168 Hours with Use of 2 Commercial Reagents

BACKGROUND Despite widespread use, the tuberculin skin test (TST) has many limitations, including a requirement for a second visit between 48 and 72 hours. The goal of this study was to determine the reliability of a TST reading between 144 and 168 hours. METHODS Tuberculin antigen was applied into both forearms (Aplisol in one arm and Tubersol in the other, from single lots of each product) by the Mantoux method. Blood samples were obtained for interferon- gamma release assay. Subjects were seen at 48-72 hours for the initial (day 2) TST reading and returned at 144-168 hours for a second (day 7) reading. RESULTS A total of 116 subjects at increased risk for tuberculosis were studied; 25 (22%) had positive results at day 2 with Tubersol and 27 (23%) had positive results at day 2 with Aplisol. Overall agreement between Tubersol and Aplisol at day 2 was 93% (kappa = 0.80) and at day 7 was 94% (kappa = 0.76). Overall agreement between day 2 and day 7 was 89% for Tubersol and 86% for Aplisol. Discordant results between day 2 and day 7 occurred mostly in persons with a history of bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccination. CONCLUSIONS Subjects who fail to present at 48-72 hours for TST reading may still have a reliable TST reading at up to 168 hours. Aplisol and Tubersol reagents produce comparable results when compared with the interferon- gamma release assay.
“We Want Them to Be as Heterosexual as Possible” Fathers Talk about Their Teen Children’s Sexuality

This article examines heterosexual fathers’ descriptions of conversations with their teen children about sexuality and their perceptions of their teen children’s sexual identities. We show that fathers construct their own identities as masculine and heterosexual in the context of these conversations and prefer that their children, especially sons, are heterosexual. Specifically, fathers feel accountable for their sons’ sexuality and model and craft heterosexuality for them, even as many encourage their sons to stay away from heterosexual relationships and sex until they are older. Fathers are more accepting of homosexuality for their daughters yet question the authenticity of teen lesbian identity and do not recognize their daughters’ sexuality as agentic. They instead construct their daughters as sexually passive and vulnerable and position themselves as their daughters’ protectors. The findings illustrate the complexities of heteronormativity in a context of shifting, frequently contested gender and sex...
Windows to their World: The Effect of Sensory Impairments on Social Engagement and Activity Time in Nursing Home Residents

This study examined relationships between three sensory and communication abilities and two areas of nursing home resident behavior. Data from 18,873 nursing home residents include measures of hearing, visual, and communication abilities, and social engagement and time spent in activities. Increasing level of visual impairment is associated with low levels of social engagement and low time in activities. Both moderate and severe hearing impairment are associated with low time in activities, while inadequate communication is associated with limits in both social engagement and time in activities. The combined effects of visual and communications impairments are associated with low social engagement. Increasing attention to sensory and communication losses may lead to improve quality of life in this population.
Validation of body composition estimates in male and female distance runners using estimates from a four-component model.

This study used estimates of body composition from a four-component model (%Fat(d,w,m)) to determine whether the assumed density (D(ffm)) and the composition of the fat-free mass (FFM), and estimates of body composition from methods based on two- and three-component models are valid in distance runners. Measures of body density (D(b)) by underwater weighing, total body water by deuterium dilution, and bone mineral by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) were obtained in 10 female and 12 male runners and an equal number of controls matched for age, height, weight, gender, and ethnicity. D(ffm) of the runners did not differ from 1.1 g.cm(-3) or from the controls even though the composition of the FFM differed from that assumed. Therefore, percentage of body fat (%Fat) from densitometry did not differ from %Fat(d,w,m) in the runners, although individual variation was substantial (-5.3 to 3.0% body mass, SD(diff) = 2.1% body mass). Three-component model estimates of %Fat from D(b) and body water agreed quite closely with %Fat(d,w,m) (x </= 1.6% body mass, SD(diff) = 0.5% body mass), whereas those from D(b) and body mineral (x(diff) = 1.6-2.9% body mass, SD(diff) = 2.3% body mass) and from DXA (x(diff) = 2.2-4.0% body mass, SD(diff) = 2.1% body mass) were less accurate and underestimated %Fat(d,w,m). We conclude that D(ffm) does not differ from 1.1 g.cm(-3) and that densitometry is a valid method to estimate group mean body composition, but that measurement of D(b) and total body water are necessary for accurate individual estimates of body composition in male and female distance runners. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 12:301-314, 2000. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Implanted coil MR microscopy of renal pathology.

Inductively coupled implanted coils have been shown to provide up to a 10-fold increase in signal-to-noise ratio when compared to whole-body imaging of small animals. The current study was designed to extend the implanted coil imaging technique to a rodent model of renal pathology. Resonant radiofrequency (RF) coils were implanted around the left kidney of four rats and inductively coupled from within a birdcage body coil. All images were acquired at 2 T using a T1-weighted spin-echo sequence with TR = 500 ms and TE = 20 ms. In vivo MR microscopy with voxels of 117 × 117 × 2000 μm demonstrated cortex, inner and outer medulla, and major vascular structures on baseline images. Mercuric chloride-induced nephrotoxic acute tubular necrosis (ATN) diminished cortico-medullary contrast at 24 h after dosing with pathologic evaluation demonstrating nephrotoxic changes in the inner cortex. The kidney regained a baseline MR appearance 360 h after dosing and resolution of the damage was confirmed with histology. T1 data were gathered on excised kidneys as an adjunct to the images to help correlate the loss and return ofcortico-medullary contrast with the pathology and pathophysiology of nephrotoxic ATN. With implanted RF coils we were able to demonstrate renal pathology and follow its subsequent resolution. Specifically, loss and return of cortico-medullary contrast as a result of nephrotoxic ATN were serially documented in four rats. Such serial in vivo studies performed on single animals should further the use of MR microscopy by minimizing the number of animals required for adequate biostatistics. © 1989 Academic Press, Inc.
BIOGEOCHEMICAL CONSEQUENCES OF RAPID MICROBIAL TURNOVER AND SEASONAL SUCCESSION IN SOIL

Soil microbial communities have the metabolic and genetic capability to adapt to changing environmental conditions on very short time scales. In this paper we combine biogeochemical and molecular approaches to reveal this potential, showing that microbial biomass can turn over on time scales of days to months in soil, resulting in a succession of microbial communities over the course of a year. This new understanding of the year-round turnover and succession of microbial communities allows us for the first time to propose a temporally explicit N cycle that provides mechanistic hypotheses to explain both the loss and retention of dissolved organic N (DON) and inorganic N (DIN) throughout the year in terrestrial ecosystems. In addition, our results strongly support the hypothesis that turnover of the microbial community is the largest source of DON and DIN for plant uptake during the plant growing season. While this model of microbial biogeochemistry is derived from observed dynamics in the alpine, we present several examples from other ecosystems to indicate that the general ideas of biogeochemical fluxes being linked to turnover and succession of microbial communities are applicable to a wide range of terrestrial ecosystems.
Static Verification of Design Constraints and Software Correctness Properties in the Hob System

Sets of objects are an intuitive foundation for many object-oriented design formalisms, serving as a key concept for describing elements of the design and promoting communication between members of the development team. It may be natural for the sets of the objects in the design to correspond to the sets of objects in the implementation. In practice, however, the object structure of the implementation is much more complex than that of the design. Hob allows developers to express and verify the connection between abstract sets of design objects and concrete sets of implementation objects. Abstraction maps define the meaning of the design sets in terms of the objects in the implementation, enabling the elimination of implementation complexity not relevant to the design. An abstract set specification language enables the developer to state important relationships (such as inclusion and disjointness) between abstract sets of objects; our verification system statically checks that the implementation correctly preserves these design-level correctness properties. We have implemented Hob and used it to develop several software systems. Our experience shows that Hob enables the effective expression and verification of precise design constraints that manifest themselves as important correctness properties that the implemented system is guaranteed to preserve.
Communicating Control: Performing and Voicing Authorial Power through the Female Body in Dreaming in Cuban

Lourdes Puente welcomes the purity, the hollowness of her stomach. It’s been a month since she’s stopped eating, and already she’s lost thirty-four pounds. She envisions the muscled walls of her stomach shrinking, contracting, slickly clean from the absence of food and the gallons of springwater she drinks. She feels transparent, as if the hard lines of her hulking form were disintegrating. —Cristina Garcia, Dreaming in Cuban
Poly(amidoamine) Dendrimer–Doxorubicin Conjugates: In Vitro Characteristics and Pseudosolution Formulation in Pressurized Metered-Dose Inhalers

Lung cancers are the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women. A series of PEGylated poly(amidoamine) dendrimer-based doxorubicin (DOX) nanocarriers (G3NH2-mPEG-nDOX) were synthesized and their chemistry tailored for the development of novel pseudosolution formulations in propellant-based metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs) with enhanced aerosol characteristics. A pH-labile bond was used to conjugate DOX to dendrimer for controlled intracellular release. We employed a two-step PEGylation strategy to cover a range of DOX loading and PEGylation density. We investigated the impact of pH, PEGylation density, and DOX payload on the release of DOX from the conjugate. We also determined the cellular internalization of the conjugate, the intracellular release kinetics of DOX from the conjugate, and their ability to kill human alveolar carcinoma cells (A549). The acid-labile conjugates sustained the release of DOX in acidic medium, and also intracellularly, as determined by nuclear colocalization studies with confocal microscopy. Meanwhile, DOX was retained in the conjugate at extracellular physiological conditions, indicating their potential to achieve spatial and temporal controlled release profiles. We also observed that the kinetics of cellular entry of the conjugates with DOX increased significantly compared to free DOX. Due to controlled release, the G3NH2-mPEG-nDOX conjugates showed time-dependent cell kill, but their cell kill ability was comparable to free DOX, which suggests their potential in vivo as compared to free DOX. The conjugates were formulated in pMDIs as pseudosolution formulations, with the help of a minimum amount of cosolvent (ethanol; <0.4%; v/v). The physical stability and aerosol characteristics of the conjugates were controlled by the PEGylation density of the carriers: the higher the PEG density, the better the dispersibility and the better the deep lung deposition of the conjugates (fine particle fraction up to ca. 80%).
Moral Development and Moral Responsibility

At the end of Section of "Freedom and Resentment,"1 just after he has drawn our attention to the reactive attitudes, P. F. Strawson remarks, "The object of these commonplaces is to try to keep before our minds something it is easy to forget when we are engaged in philosophy, espe cially in our cool, contemporary style, viz., what it is actually like to be involved in ordinary inter-personal relationships, ranging from the most intimate to the most casual (50)." It is striking, then, that the proponent of so thoroughly naturalistic an account of moral responsibility seems himself largely to ignore the fact that moral agents do not spring into existence ab initio. The adult moral agent, who is the central character of normative theory and of accounts of moral responsibility, was once a child. Our juvenile selves get a mention in Strawson's paper, but only as examples of creatures who are paradigmatically not responsible or who inhabit "a borderline, penumbral area (61)" with respect to responsibility.2 Thus it remains a mystery, on Strawson's account, how we become the morally responsible creatures he takes us to be. It is a constraint on any account of moral responsibility that it not attribute to adult moral agents capacities and abilities they could not (and thus do not) acquire in the usual course of human development. This com monplace, true of any interesting adult competence, from language to moral agency, cannot be gainsaid. However, the constraint might have more or less import. Given a description of the relevant adult competence in question, the constraint demands an answer to the following question: how could children in the normal course of development come to acquire the capacities and abilities so described? The 'could' leaves it open to empirical inquiry to determine whether children learn all they need to know from the environment or whether such experience supplements some more or-less rich innate endowment. But whatever the respective contributions of nature and nurture turn out to be with respect to particular competen
Experimental Study on Streamer Discharge Characteristics Along Contamination Insulator Surface

In order to investigate the influence of surface contamination on the streamer propagation on insulators, in a UHV Experimental Base at an altitude of 2 100 m in China, using a three-electrode structure, we experimentally investigated and compared the characteristics of streamer propagation on insulators covered with contaminations of different ESDD and NSDD. We also calculated the electric field distribution on insulator surface before and after being contaminated through simulations in Ansoft. The experiments show that Est(the applied electric field sustains stable streamer propagation) increases with ESDD until ESDD reaches 0.10 mg/cm2, then it stays the same, but it keeps increasing with NSDD. When the applied field exceeds Est, the propagation velocity of streamer on surfaces with different ESDD and NSDD is the same. From the simulation, it is found that the presence of contamination distorts the electric field on insulator surface, and the electric field is obviously reduced in contaminated area but enhanced on both ends of the contaminated area. In conclusion, the change in conductivity of contamination due to different ESDD and NSDD changes the electric field distribution on insulator surface, and then causes the surface streamers to have changes in their current waveforms and hence in their Est.
Whose Job Is It to Change

This chapter explores the role of transformative learning in fostering organizational change in higher education.
Body mass index as a predictor of continued survival in older chronic dialysis patients.

Objective: To investigate the contribution of body mass index (BMI) to mortality over 11 years of follow-up in a prevalent sample of dialysis patients aged 60+. Design: Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Setting: Multicenter stratified random sample of black and white older chronic dialysis patients in a southeastern state. Subjects: 316 patients on hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD). Main outcome measure: Continued survival from baseline interview in 1988 to June1999. Results: Adjusting for age, primary diagnosis of diabetes, cardiovascular comorbidity, HD/PD therapy, and patient-reported functional impairment, the interaction of baseline BMI with race and gender was associated with older patients' risk of mortality. Black females, black males, and white males with higher BMI had a reduced risk of mortality, while no protective effect of higher BMI was found for white females. Patients with cardiovascular comorbidity and greater functional impairment at baseline had increased mortality risk. BMI was not significantly correlated with serum albumin or functional impairment. Conclusion: BMI, a simple anthropometric measure that provides a marker of nutritional status,interacts with race and gender to predict long-term survival in older dialysis patients. The association of survival with dialysis adequacy,nutritional indicators, and cardiovascular status in black and white dialysis patients is an important area of study.
Dynamic and Cross-Platform Optimal Financial Transaction Taxation

This paper analyzes the welfare implications of a linear financial transactions tax in a multi-period portfolio selection model with heterogeneous agents. Under certain conditions over the redistribution of government revenues, with no Pigouvian motives, I find such a tax may induce first-order losses due to the distortion of idiosyncratic risk-sharing. A transaction tax induces both a contemporaneous inaction region and intertemporal shifting of transaction realizations. Given a segmented market over multiple trading platforms and the choice of at least two different tax instruments, I develop sufficient statistic formulas that differ from standard optimal commodity tax theory in that they account for untaxed capital accumulation, market structure rents, and uncertain returns.
Viability of Using Twitter to Support Peer Instruction in Teacher Education

This paper reports on a case study in which Twitter served as a backchannel to mediate and support the peer-teaching activity in a face-to-face teacher education course. Surveys and interviews were utilised to understand the effectiveness of the Twitter integration and students' perceived learning in a Twitter-supported peer teaching environment. Tweets were used to determine how preservice teachers used Twitter to support peer instruction. Most students were able to use the Twitter platform to produce and retrieve peer feedback, while some encountered technical difficulties. Our current analysis suggests the Twitter-based peer feedback was moderately successful in this peer teaching activity. There exists a large variability of students' perceptions towards Twitter as a tool to support the delivery and reception of peer feedback.
Patient-Centered Designs (and Outcomes)

Clinical trials have provided invaluable information about effective treatments for various diseases and conditions. However, they have been limited by focusing on internal validity. When findings are implemented in the general clinical setting, the effects of these treatments on more heterogeneous populations are not known. Further, the outcomes assessed seldom consider patients’ concerns and questions. Incorporation of patient-reported outcomes, use of comparative effectiveness designs, and engagement of patients, frontline clinicians and other stakeholders is important to provide the information needed for patients to make informed healthcare decisions. In addition, facilitating the conduct and speedier completion of clinical trials through the use of existing data sources (e.g., registries, electronic medical records) and technologies such as the internet and text messaging are also key to improving upon clinical trials. To be successful and effective, clinical trials need to be done more efficiently to inform practice. This chapter offers several strategies to increase patient centeredness and efficiency in clinical trials.
An opportune and unique research to evaluate the public health impact of electronic cigarettes

In response to the growing public health concern regarding the risks or benefits of electronic cigarettes (e-cig) use relative to smoking, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has recently introduced the first standardized- and well- characterized e-cig device to the research community (see, https://www.drugabuse.gov/funding/supplemental-information-nida-e-cig ). E-cig are promoted as safe alternatives to conventional tobacco cigarettes and/or as aides to smoking cessation. E-cig are highly popular among cigarette smokers who are unable/unwilling to quit but are willing to switch to putatively less-harmful tobacco substitutes. E-cig are also becoming increasingly popular among youth who have never experimented with combustible cigarettes. However, chemical analyses of e-cig juices (both in liquid form and after being heated into vapor) have shown that many carcinogens present in cigarette smoke are also found in a range of e-cig products. To date, the cancer-causing potential of e-cig has not been investigated in e-cig users (i.e., vapers). Use of e-cig without a prior history of smoking is currently a rare phenomenon in adults, but is increasingly common among youth. Consequently, investigating the carcinogenic potential of e-cig in nonsmoking youth provides a unique opportunity to verify the health impact of e-cig use, without the confounding effects of cigarette smoking. Within this context, the availability of the NIDA Standard Research e-cig offers a unique research opportunity with tremendous public health implications. Comparing and contrasting the cancer-causing potentials of standard vaping and smoking in youth will help determine the health risks or benefits of e-cig use relative to cigarette smoking. This information will be instrumental in making scientifically based decisions on the development and evaluation of policies and regulations on e-cig manufacture, marketing, and distribution. Ultimately, evidence-based guidelines and legislations on e-cig will help reduce the burden of tobacco-related diseases, particularly on minors and vulnerable populations.
Methanol: A “Smart” Chemical Probe Molecule

A novel chemisorption method was employed for the dissociative adsorption of methanol to surface methoxy intermediates in order to quantitatively determine the number of surface active sites on one-component metal oxide catalysts (MgO, CaO, SrO, BaO, Y2O3, La2O3, CeO2, TiO2, ZrO2, HfO2, V2O5, Nb2O5, Ta2O5, Cr2O3, MoO3, WO3, Mn2O3, Fe2O3, Co3O4, Rh2O3, NiO, PdO, PtO, CuO, Ag2O, Au2O3, ZnO, Al2O3, Ga2O3, In2O3, SiO2, GeO2, SnO2, P2O5, Sb2O3, Bi2O3, SeO2 and TeO2). The number of surface active sites for methanol dissociative adsorption corresponds to ∼3 μmol/m2 on average for many of the metal oxide catalysts. Furthermore, the methanol oxidation product distribution at low conversions reflects the nature of the surface active sites on metal oxides since redox sites yield H2CO, acidic sites yield CH3OCH3 and basic sites yield CO2. The distribution of the different types of surface active sites was found to vary widely for the different metal oxide catalysts. In addition, the commonality of the surface methoxy intermediate during dissociative chemisorption of methanol and methanol oxidation on oxide catalysts also allows for the quantitative determination of the turnover frequency (TOF) values. The TOF values for the various metal oxide catalysts were found to vary over seven orders of magnitude (10−3 to 104 s−1). An inverse relationship (for metal oxide catalysts displaying high (>85%) selectivity to either redox or acidic products) was found between the methanol oxidation TOF values and the decomposition temperatures of the surface M–OCH3 intermediates reflecting that the decomposition of the surface M–OCH3 species is the rate-determining step during methanol oxidation over the metal oxide catalysts.
Fastest pulses that implement dynamically corrected single-qubit phase gates

Dynamically correcting for unwanted interactions between a quantum system and its environment is vital to achieving the high-fidelity quantum control necessary for a broad range of quantum information technologies. In recent work, we uncovered the complete solution space of all possible driving fields that suppress transverse quasistatic noise errors while performing single-qubit phase gates. This solution space lives within a simple geometrical framework that makes it possible to obtain globally optimal pulses subject to a set of experimental constraints by solving certain geometrical optimization problems. In this work, we solve such a geometrical optimization problem to find the fastest possible pulses that implement single-qubit phase gates while canceling transverse quasistatic noise to second order. Because the time-optimized pulses are not smooth, we provide a method based on our geometrical approach to obtain experimentally feasible smooth pulses that approximate the time-optimal ones with minimal loss in gate speed. We show that in the presence of realistic constraints on pulse rise times, our smooth pulses significantly outperform sequences based on ideal pulse shapes, highlighting the benefits of building experimental waveform constraints directly into dynamically corrected gate designs.
Retrolabyrinthine Trans-Sigmoid (RLTS) Approach to Aneurysms of the Basilar Trunk and Vertebrobasilar Junction: an Update

Traditionally, approaches for vertebral basilar junction and basilar trunk aneurysms have been complicated by excessive temporal lobe, brainstem, or cerebellar retraction, and by long reaches through narrow corridors bounded by interposed cranial nerves. The author has successfully developed and utilized an approach with a trajectory through the mastoid which reduces the working distance between the surface and the basilar artery and obviates the need for virtually any significant cerebellar retraction and no brainstem retraction. Mastoid air cells are removed anterior and posterior to the sigmoid sinus. The anterior extent of the removal is the posterior semicircular canal. The superior extent of removal is the superior petrosal sinus, and the inferior extent of removal is the jugular bulb. By including a small amount of bone removal posterior to the sigmoid sinus, the sigmoid sinus is then ligated at its junction with the jugular bulb and superior petrosal sinus and it and the dura are reflected anteriorly. With the patient in the supine position with the head turned 60 degrees away from the side of the approach, the pontine and medullary cisterns are easily accessible without cerebellar or brain-stem retraction. Nine cases have been treated utilizing this approach. There was one death of a patient with a giant basilar trunk aneurysm which could not be successfully ligated and subsequently suffered a fatal recurrent subarachnoid hemorrhage four weeks post-operatively. The remaining eight patients made good recoveries. There were two lower cranial nerve deficits which resolved spontaneously. Hearing was preserved in all nine surviving cases. There have been no complications related to selective occlusion of the sigmoid sinus.
Harmonic Components in Hair Cell Responses

The harmonic structure of gross cochlear potentials has been studied in considerable detail (Newman et al., 1937; Wever and Bray, 1938; Wever and Lawrence, 1954; Dallos, 1973). In contrast, harmonic distortion in intracellular responses has received only minimal attention. Thus the presence of harmonic distortion may only be surmised from published response waveforms in a variety of hair cell types, both reptilian and mammalian (Russell and Sellick, 1978; Crawford and Fettiplace, 1981; Holton and Weiss, 1983). A quantitative description of the harmonic content of tone-evoked responses from hair cells has not been provided. This is unfortunate since knowledge of distortion generation is essential for the description of a nonlinear transducer, such as the hair cell. Moreover, certain nonlinear transfer characteristics may be fully identified from the harmonic structure of their output. Consequently, a determination of the harmonic content of hair cell receptor potentials is a desirable objective. This is particularly true for mammalian hair cells where a comparison between harmonic production by inner and outer hair cells may reveal essential information about their, conceivably different, transducer properties. Preliminary data on harmonic generation by mammalian hair cells have been reported (Dallos and Oesterle, 1985).
Physiology of renal glucose handling via SGLT1, SGLT2 and GLUT2.

The concentration of glucose in plasma is held within narrow limits (4–10 mmol/l), primarily to ensure fuel supply to the brain. Kidneys play a role in glucose homeostasis in the body by ensuring that glucose is not lost in the urine. Three membrane proteins are responsible for glucose reabsorption from the glomerular filtrate in the proximal tubule: sodium−glucose cotransporters SGLT1 and SGLT2, in the apical membrane, and GLUT2, a uniporter in the basolateral membrane. ‘Knockout’ of these transporters in mice and men results in the excretion of filtered glucose in the urine. In humans, intravenous injection of the plant glucoside phlorizin also results in excretion of the full filtered glucose load. This outcome and the finding that, in an animal model, phlorizin reversed the symptoms of diabetes, has stimulated the development and successful introduction of SGLT2 inhibitors, gliflozins, in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Here we summarise the current state of our knowledge about the physiology of renal glucose handling and provide background to the development of SGLT2 inhibitors for type 2 diabetes treatment.
The Purification of Plant Viruses

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an outline on the purification of plant viruses and discusses the methods of purification. Appropriate steps toward purification are described in detail both for those viruses that have yet to be purified and for those that have already been obtained as relatively monodisperse suspensions but for which there is interest in securing the highest degree of purity possible. Although there are indications that nucleic acid obtained from plant viruses is infective by itself, the discussion is limited to methods used for the purification of so called intact virus particles. Most of the procedures employed in virus purification are known to result in the loss of infectivity of some of the virus particles. Nevertheless, a preparation is considered purified if it is infective and free of all detectable contaminants.
Fast and slow thinking; and the problem of conflating clinical reasoning and ethical deliberation in acute decision-making

Expertise in a medical specialty requires countless hours of learning and practice and a combination of neural plasticity and contextual case experience resulting in advanced gestalt clinical reasoning. This holistic thinking assimilates complex segmented information and is advantageous for timely clinical decision-making in the emergency department and paediatric or neonatal intensive care units. However, the same agile reasoning that is essential acutely may be at odds with the slow deliberative thought required for ethical reasoning and weighing the probability of patient morbidity. Recent studies suggest that inadequate ethical decision-making results in increased morbidity for patients and that clinical ethics consultation may reduce the inappropriate use of life-sustaining treatment. Behavioural psychology research suggests there are two systems of thinking - fast and slow - that control our thoughts and therefore our actions. The problem for experienced clinicians is that fast thinking, which is instinctual and reflexive, is particularly vulnerable to experiential biases or assumptions. While it has significant utility for clinical reasoning when timely life and death decisions are crucial, I contend it may simultaneously undermine the deliberative slow thought required for ethical reasoning to determine appropriate therapeutic interventions that reduce future patient morbidity. Whilst health-care providers generally make excellent therapeutic choices leading to good outcomes, a type of substitutive thinking that conflates clinical reasoning and ethical deliberation in acute decision-making may impinge on therapeutic relationships, have adverse effects on patient outcomes and inflict lifelong burdens on some children and their families.
A critical race case study exploration of two Black male student-athletes’ STEM career development

Black males are overrepresented in sports. A dominant narrative exists that positions Black male student-athletes (BMSA), especially in high-revenue college sports, as academically underachieving a...
Identifying New Substrates and Functions for an Old Enzyme: Calcineurin

Biological processes are dynamically regulated by signaling networks composed of protein kinases and phosphatases. Calcineurin, or PP3, is a conserved phosphoserine/phosphothreonine-specific protein phosphatase and member of the PPP family of phosphatases. Calcineurin is unique, however, in its activation by Ca2+ and calmodulin. This ubiquitously expressed phosphatase controls Ca2+-dependent processes in all human tissues, but is best known for driving the adaptive immune response by dephosphorylating the nuclear factor of the activated T-cells (NFAT) family of transcription factors. Therefore, calcineurin inhibitors, FK506 (tacrolimus), and cyclosporin A serve as immunosuppressants. We describe some of the adverse effects associated with calcineurin inhibitors that result from inhibition of calcineurin in nonimmune tissues, illustrating the many functions of this enzyme that have yet to be elucidated. In fact, calcineurin has essential roles beyond the immune system, from yeast to humans, but since its discovery more than 30 years ago, only a small number of direct calcineurin substrates have been shown (∼75 proteins). This is because of limitations in current methods for identification of phosphatase substrates. Here we discuss recent insights into mechanisms of calcineurin activation and substrate recognition that have been critical in the development of novel approaches for identifying its targets systematically. Rather than comprehensively reviewing known functions of calcineurin, we highlight new approaches to substrate identification for this critical regulator that may reveal molecular mechanisms underlying toxicities caused by calcineurin inhibitor-based immunosuppression.
Case-control study of prophylactic cranial irradiation in nonmetastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

7050 Background: Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) reduces the incidence of brain metastases in NSCLC patients after primary therapy, but its impact on survival is uncertain. We report on the ...
A factor analytic evaluation of the Self-Stigma Scale-Short (SSS-S) among psychosocial clubhouse members in the United States.

Abstract The main purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure, the internal consistency, and other aspects of validity of the English version of the Self-Stigma Scale-Short (SSS-S). In the present study, the SSS-S was assessed in a sample of 194 adults with psychiatric disabilities from four Psychosocial Clubhouses in the Southern and Midwestern United States. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 98) supported a one-factor structure of the SSS-S, which accounted for 59% of the variance. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; n = 96) demonstrated that the factor structure of the SSS-S was satisfactory. The scale was also reliable, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.93 and 0.91 for the EFA and CFA samples, respectively. The SSS-S showed adequate convergent and criterion-related validity, as indicated by statistically significant positive correlations between internalized stigma with perceived societal stigma, symptom severity, and functional impairment, as well as negative correlations between internalized stigma with perceived social self-efficacy, social support, and resiliency. Overall, these findings support the English version of the SSS-S as a valid and reliable tool for determining the internalized stigma of adults with psychiatric disabilities in clinical settings and similar research.
Understanding the Learned Conceptions of Writing that First-Year Students Bring to College

Professors, writing center tutors, and peers often observe that many students struggle with college-level writing, particularly during their first year. While the struggle itself is easy to observe, its origins are not as easy to identify. To better understand why students find difficulty in the transition from high school to college-level writing, I conducted qualitative research involving an analysis of 221 incoming first-year students’ descriptions of “good” writing. Through learning what students’ conceptions of writing are upon entering college, and measuring those conceptions against the writing practices supported by writing-studies research, it should be possible to pinpoint the areas in which students need further development in order to be successful college-level writers.
The Hall conductivity in Weyl semimetals as a tool to detect the axion field

Abstract The electron–electron interaction in Weyl semimetals induces a coupling between the chiral electronic bands. As a result, a sliding density wave is induced and observed by Gooth et al. (2019) Here we compute the Hall conductivity at finite temperatures in Weyl semimetals, revealing the presence of density waves.
The Inequity of Isolation.

The Inequity of Isolation In the past few months, as I’ve learned to catch and care for babies, select elegant antibiotics, and titrate methadone, I’ve also learned that bearing witness to my patie...
Mosaic Proteins, Not Reinventing the Wheel

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the mosaic proteins. Horizontal transfer is a rapid process that allows the acquisition of novel phenotypes. During its relatively short lifetime, a single bacterium can acquire a particular determinant and pass on its newfound ability to all its descendents. As long as the acquired determinant originated outside the bacterium itself, the transfer is horizontal. Often this process involves the acquisition of complete genes or of operons. Even more frequently, though, the process involves acquisition of only segments of genes. In both cases, Mosaic patterns are created in the recipient bacterium, the former process creating mosaic operons and chromosomes and the latter, mosaic genes and proteins. This chapter focuses on the latter process as it occurs in bacterial genomes with a focus on the evolution of surface protein genes that function in the interface between host and pathogen. The advantage to the recipient bacterium in acquiring a determinant through the mosaic process is the equivalent of not having to reinvent the wheel. The creation of a new mosaic pattern within a gene has an immediate effect on the amino acid sequence of the encoded protein. Horizontal transfer thus, efficiently enables a protein to add a new function or alter a previous function.
Bacterial Subversion of Phagocytic Killing

Internalization of microorganisms by phagocytic cells usually results in restriction and death of the microbe. Most pathogens are able to cause disease because they have the ability to inactivate, bypass, or exploit the phagocytic machinery of the host. Here we describe common strategies that allow pathogens to bypass phagocytic killing. These strategies include inactivation of phagocytes, construction of intracellular replication vacuoles, destruction of phagocytic compartments, and manipulation of host cell autophagic machinery.
Structural Aspects of Na.K-ATPase

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the structural aspects of Na,K-ATPase. The chapter illustrates problems of purity, subunit association, and topological mapping. Na,K-ATPase is an enzymatic transport system that characteristically moves 3 Na + outward and 2 K + inward across the plasma membrane of animal cells per terminal phosphate group of intracellular ATP split off with catalysis by intracellular Mg 2+ . It is characteristically identified specifically by its inhibition by, or binding of, extracellular cardioactive steroids such as ouabain. It is conveniently assayed in preparations of broken membranes as an ATPase activity that requires Mg 2+ , Na + , and K + and is inhibited by ouabain. It is an intrinsic protein of plasma membranes. Na,K-ATPase contains at least two polypeptides, the α- and β-subunits, and phospholipid. The α-subunit is the “catalytic” subunit, whereas, the β-subunit is a glycoprotein showing microheterogeneity. The purity of Na,K-ATPase is often estimated semiquantitatively by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). In addition, purity is estimated in part by structural analysis. So purification lifts itself by its own bootstraps stepping uncertainly by successive approximations. In this test a purified enzyme shows only 2 bands—one at about 100 kilodaltons and a less distinct one at about 50 kilodaltons.
Particle Confinement in EBT Reactors with Noncircular Mirror Coils

Methods of improving single particle confinement in the vacuum magnetic field of an ELMO Bumpy Torus (EBT) reactor have heretofore focused on enhancement of the effective magnetic aspect ratio through the addition of relatively low current supplementary coils to the basic EBT configuration of toroidally linked circular mirror coils. This method of aspect ratio enhancement is reviewed and compared to the use of noncircular, D-shaped mirror coils. A critical parameter in this evaluation is the required radial thickness delta of the blanket-shield assembly in the coil throat. Results indicate that D-coils represent an attractive alternative to the supplementary coil configurations if future neutronics calculations show that delta