cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hempel, Carnap, and the Covering Law Model

Carl Gustav Hempel was one of the most influential figures in the development of scientific philosophy in the twentieth century, particularly in the English-speaking world. While he made a variety of contributions to the philosophy of science, he is perhaps most remembered for his careful formulation and detailed elaboration of the “Covering Law model” for scientific explanation. In this essay I consider why the CL model was, and still is, so influential, in spite of the fact that it has been subjected to many criticisms and is usually seen as superseded by alternative models. Answering this question involves a reexamination of Hempel’s relationship to other influential scientific philosophers, especially Rudolf Carnap. It also sheds new light on issues concerning the notions of analysis, explication, and modeling that remain relevant today.
Mining Clustering Dimensions

Many real-world datasets can be clustered along multiple dimensions. For example, text documents can be clustered not only by topic, but also by the author's gender or sentiment. Unfortunately, traditional clustering algorithms produce only a single clustering of a dataset, effectively providing a user with just a single view of the data. In this paper, we propose a new clustering algorithm that can discover in an unsupervised manner each clustering dimension along which a dataset can be meaningfully clustered. Its ability to reveal the important clustering dimensions of a dataset in an unsupervised manner is particularly appealing for those users who have no idea of how a dataset can possibly be clustered. We demonstrate its viability on several challenging text classification tasks.
Metabolic adaptation and maladaptation in adipose tissue

Adipose tissue possesses the remarkable capacity to control its size and function in response to a variety of internal and external cues, such as nutritional status and temperature. The regulatory circuits of fuel storage and oxidation in white adipocytes and thermogenic adipocytes (brown and beige adipocytes) play a central role in systemic energy homeostasis, whereas dysregulation of the pathways is closely associated with metabolic disorders and adipose tissue malfunction, including obesity, insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and fibrosis. Recent studies have uncovered new regulatory elements that control the above parameters and provide new mechanistic opportunities to reprogram fat cell fate and function. In this Review, we provide an overview of the current understanding of adipocyte metabolism in physiology and disease and also discuss possible strategies to alter fuel utilization in fat cells to improve metabolic health.
Meta-analysis of clinical outcome after treatment for achalasia based on manometric subtypes.

Background The introduction of high-resolution manometry and the Chicago classification has made it possible to diagnose achalasia and predict treatment response accurately. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of the different treatments available on symptomatic outcomes across all achalasia subtypes. Methods The study was conducted according to PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines. A literature search of PubMed and MEDLINE databases was undertaken to identify all relevant articles reporting clinical outcomes of patients with achalasia after botulinum toxin injection, pneumatic dilatation, laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) and peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) based on manometric subtypes. Patients were grouped according to the Chicago classification and the success rate in treating symptoms was measured as the primary endpoint. Results Twenty studies (1575 patients) were selected, and data on botulinum toxin, pneumatic dilatation, LHM and POEM were extracted. Success rates for LHM in type I, II and III achalasia were 81, 92 and 71 per cent respectively. Those for POEM were 95, 97 and 93 per cent respectively. POEM was more likely to be successful than LHM for both type I (odds ratio (OR) 2·97, 95 per cent c.i. 1·09 to 8·03; P = 0·032) and type III (OR 3·50, 1·39 to 8·77; P = 0·007) achalasia. The likelihood of success of POEM and LHM for type II achalasia was similar. Conclusion Pneumatic dilatation had a lower but still acceptable success rate compared with POEM or LHM in patients with type II achalasia. POEM is an excellent treatment modality for type I and type III achalasia, although it did not show any superiority over LHM for type II achalasia.
Mechanisms and consequences of gut commensal translocation in chronic diseases

Humans and other mammalian hosts have evolved mechanisms to control the bacteria colonizing their mucosal barriers to prevent invasion. While the breach of barriers by bacteria typically leads to overt infection, increasing evidence supports a role for translocation of commensal bacteria across an impaired gut barrier to extraintestinal sites in the pathogenesis of autoimmune and other chronic, non-infectious diseases. Whether gut commensal translocation is a cause or consequence of the disease is incompletely defined. Here we discuss factors that lead to translocation of live bacteria across the gut barrier. We expand upon our recently published demonstration that translocation of the gut pathobiont Enterococcus gallinarum can induce autoimmunity in susceptible hosts and postulate on the role of Enterococcus species as instigators of chronic, non-infectious diseases.
Rehabilitation of Blind Persons in Rural India

Describes a five-year research and demonstration project which trains and assesses the effectiveness of “barefoot” rehabilitation workers. The workers, all raised in rural villages in south India a...
Draft Genome Sequence of a Chitinimonas Species from Hudson Valley Waterways That Expresses Violacein Pigment.

ABSTRACT Chitinimonas spp. are Gram-negative bacilli that are observed in freshwater and soil sources. A number of Chitinimonas species have been characterized, including the green-pigmented Chitinimonas viridis. The isolate described here, BJB300, was obtained from a freshwater source in the Hudson Valley, NY. BJB300 is the first Chitinimonas isolate expressing violacein, a pigment with biotherapeutic potential.
Risk factors for revision cubital tunnel surgery

SUMMARY While surgical management of cubital tunnel syndrome (CuTS) results in improvement of pain, paresthesia, and restoration of motor function, there is a subset of patients who do not improve after primary surgery and require revision. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence and risk factors for revision after primary CuTS. A retrospective review of patients who underwent revision CuTS after unsuccessful primary surgery from February 1989-May 2009 was performed. Data regarding patients’ demographics, age at primary and revision surgeries, handedness, presenting symptoms and the duration, physical examination, McGowan grading, electrodiagnostic findings and final outcomes were collected. A total of 1239 patients undergoing 1279 cubital tunnel surgeries were identified; of which 17 patients underwent 18 revision CuTS met our inclusion criteria. Forty-one randomly selected consecutive patients who underwent primary CuTS (control cohort) were compared to identify the risk factors associated with revision CuTS. Younger age at presentation, a greater static two-point discrimination and a history of diabetes were associated with a greater number of revision surgeries. Patients requiring revision for primary CuTS were 8.4 years on average younger, had a greater static two-point discrimination and were more likely to have diabetes. Pain as a presenting symptom compared to weakness and numbness was also a more common complaint in this cohort of patients. Future larger multi-center prospective studies are recommended.
Laser facilitates week-long sustained transdermal drug delivery at high doses

Abstract Traditional patches are most successful in transdermal delivery of low-dose hydrophobic drugs. Week-long transdermal delivery of high-dose hydrophilic drugs remains a big challenge. This study explored ablative fractional laser (AFL) to assist 3-day to week-long sustained transdermal delivery of powder hydrophilic drugs in murine models. Bulk drug powder was coated into reservoir patches followed by topical application onto AFL-treated skin. Water evaporated from AFL-generated skin microchannels (MCs) gradually dissolve topical drug powder to elicit multi-day sustained drug delivery. Using sulforhodamine b, zidovudine, and bovine serum albumin as model hydrophilic drugs, we found tapped coating could coat 10–20 mg drug per 0.5 cm2 reservoir patch to elicit 3-day sustained delivery, while compression coating could coat ~35–70 mg drug per 0.5 cm2 reservoir patch to elicit week-long sustained delivery. Besides sustained drug delivery, AFL-assisted powder reservoir patch delivery showed a good safety. AFL-generated skin MCs resealed in 1–2 days and completely recovered in 3 days after the week-long sustained delivery. AFL-assisted powder reservoir patch delivery involves no complex powder formulation and only requires incorporation of highly water-soluble mannitol or a similar excipient to elicit the high-efficient delivery. Enlarging reservoir patch size to 10 cm2 can conveniently expand the delivery capacity to gram scale. To our knowledge, this is the first time that high-dose week-long sustained transdermal delivery of hydrophilic drugs was achieved via a simple laser-based powder delivery platform.
Integration of Lean practices and Industry 4.0 technologies: smart manufacturing for next-generation enterprises

Industry 4.0 technologies have attempted to transform current industrial settings to a level that we have never seen before. While at the same time, prevailing applications of Lean tools and techniques over the last 20 years have already dramatically reduced wastes ranging from shop floor production to cross-functional enterprise processes. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review and report on links between Lean tools and Industry 4.0 technologies, and on how simultaneous implementation of these two paradigms affects the operational performance of factories. The existing and potential enhancements of Lean practices enabled by Industry 4.0 technologies such as wireless networks, big data, cloud computing, and virtual reality (VR) will also be explored. A cloud-based Kanban decision support system is also presented as a real-world demonstrator for integration of an Industry 4.0 technology (cloud computing) and a major Lean tool (Kanban).
Staging and Personalized Intervention for Infection and Sepsis

Background: Sepsis is defined as a dysregulated host response to infection, resulting in life-threatening organ dysfunction. It is now understood that this dysregulation not only constitutes excessive inflammation, but also sustained immune suppression. Immune-modulatory therapies thus have great potential for novel sepsis therapies. Here, we provide a review of biomarkers and functional assays designed to immunologically stage patients with sepsis as well as therapies designed to alter the innate and adaptive immune systems of patients with sepsis beneficially. Methods: A search of PubMed/MEDLINE and clinicaltrials.gov was performed between October 1, 2019 and December 22, 2019 using search terms such as "sepsis immunotherapy," "sepsis biomarkers," "sepsis clinical trials," and variations thereof. Results: Despite more than 30 years of research, there is still no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared biomarker that has proven to be effective in either identifying patients with sepsis who are at an increased risk of adverse outcomes or responsive to specific interventions. Similarly, past clinical trials investigating new treatment strategies have rarely stratified patients with sepsis. Overall, the results of these trials have been disappointing. Novel efforts to properly gauge an individual patient's immune response and choose an appropriate immunomodulatory agent based on the results are underway. Conclusion: Our evolving understanding of the different mechanisms perturbing immune homeostasis during sepsis strongly suggests that future successes will depend on finding the right therapy for the right patient and administering it at the right time. For such a personalized medicine approach, novel biomarkers and functional assays to properly stage the patient with sepsis will be crucial. The growing repertoire of immunomodulatory agents at our disposal, as well as re-appraisal of agents that have already been tested in unstratified cohorts of patients with sepsis, may finally translate into successful treatment strategies for sepsis.
Subjective sleep quality is poorly associated with actigraphy and heart rate measures in community-dwelling older men

Abstract Objectives There has been a proliferation in the use of commercially-available accelerometry- and heart rate-based wearable devices to monitor sleep. While the underlying technology is reasonable at detecting sleep quantity, the ability of these devices to predict subjective sleep quality is currently unknown. We tested whether the fundamental signals from such devices are useful in determining subjective sleep quality. Methods Older, community-dwelling men (76.5 ± 5.77 years) enrolled in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study (MrOS) participated in an overnight sleep study during which sleep was monitored with actigraphy (wrist-worn accelerometry) and polysomnography (PSG), including electrocardiography (N = 1141). Subjective sleep quality was determined the next morning using 5-point Likert-type scales of sleep depth and restfulness. Lasso and random forest regression models analyzed the relationship between actigraph-determined sleep variables, the shape of the activity patterns during sleep (functional principal component analysis), average heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), demographics, and self-reported depression, anxiety, habitual sleep, and daytime sleepiness measures. Results Actigraphy data, in combination with heart rate, HRV, demographic, and psychological variables, do not predict well subjective sleep quality (R2 = 0.025 to 0.162). Conclusions Findings are consistent with previous studies that objective sleep measures are not well correlated with subjective sleep quality. Developing validated biomarkers of subjective sleep quality could improve both existing and novel treatment modalities and advance sleep medicine towards precision healthcare standards.
Chapter e27 – Information Technology Security Management

Information technology (IT) security management can be defined as a process that enables organizational structure and technology to protect an organization's IT operations and assets against internal and external threats, intentional or otherwise. The principal purpose of IT security management is to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability of IT systems. Fundamentally, security management is a part of the risk management process and business continuity strategy in an organization.
The Springs of Action

An assumption common to the theories of action discussed in the last chapter is that voluntary action has a distinctive mental aspect. Although I raised a general metaphysical doubt about the basis for those theories, I shall now put that doubt aside, at least initially, and attempt to work out a plausible view of how the mental aspects of action are best understood. Toward the end of the chapter I shall show how a philosophical opponent of actions and states can come to terms with the view I develop.
Efficient Bidirectional protection structure for Plasma induced damage (PID) and Electrostatic discharge (ESD) for 3D IC Integration

During metal/dielectric plasma processing for the back end of the line (BEOL), degradation of the transistor gate oxide may occur due to the plasma discharge current. This degradation can create a functional failure or lead to future reliability issues. Diodes of a specific size are incorporated into the chip to protect from plasma induced damage (PID) during the BEOL processing. In 3D integrated circuits (IC) additional processes such as through silicon via (TSV) etching and backside redistribution layer (RDL) are accounted for in deciding the diode size. Additional diode protection structure is also used for electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage during fab/assembly. In this study, a bidirectional diode is proposed to protect the transistor gate oxide from both PID and ESD during the 3D IC integration process. The combined protection diode addresses PID due to front and back side processes and ESD during chip to chip/wafer to wafer bonding process.
Pyrenesulfonyl azide: A covalent probe permitting invitro desensitization of labeled acetylcholine-rich membrane fragments from Torpedocalifornica

Abstract Acetylcholine receptor-rich membrane fragments from Torpedo californica electroplax after covalent labelling at the protein-lipid boundary by nitrenes generated in situ from pyrenesulfonyl azide can bind [ 125 I]-α-bungarotoxin . The covalent attachment of 6–8 molecules of the fluorescent probe/receptor molecule also does not perturb the marked effect on the rate of α-bungarotoxin binding to electroplax membranes exerted by their preincubation with carbamylcholine. This phenomenon, which is analogous to pharmacological desensitization of receptors in synaptic junctions, is fully reversible upon removal of carbamylcholine (Quast, V., Schmerlik, M., Lee, T., Witzemann, V., Blanchard, V. and Raftery, M.A. (1978) Biochemistry 17 , 2405–2414). Torpedo electroplax membranes, whether tagged with the covalent probe or freshly isolated, regain the original fast rate of α-bungarotoxin binding upon dilution of carbamylcholine.
Hormones in human milk: a summary of the quantity, determinants, and health outcomes of milk hormones

Abstract Lactation offers several health benefits to children, including lower risk of cardiometabolic disease and immune system development. These benefits have been attributed to composition of human milk, which contains bioactive components in addition to nutrients. Several metabolic hormones have been identified and quantified in human milk, including insulin, adiponectin, leptin, ghrelin, cortisol/cortisone, resistin, obestatin, apelin, nesfatin, insulin-like growth factor-1, and epidermal growth factor. Milk hormone concentrations fluctuate throughout the postpartum period and differ according to maternal biological factors such as BMI. These human milk hormones may play a role in infant growth, development, metabolism, and other longer term health outcomes.
Vacuum Anti-Shielding of Monopoles

At last year’s Monopole Conference, R. Iengo gave an informal talk on his formalism for treating the interaction of the electromagnetic field simultaneously with electric and magnetic charges, and his deduction from it that the vacuum polarization effect of virtual monopole-pair creation on charge renormalization (Z3) would be opposite to the effect of virtual charge-pair creation. That is, virtual charges shield charge, but virtual monopoles antishield charge.
Effect of Biochar on Sweet Corn Production

Biochar is an organic amendment produced by a process called pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is the burning of biomass in a limited oxygen environment. In the recent past, agricultural use of biochar has been steadily increasing and attracting research interest. Biochar has been shown to reduce leaching of critical nutrients thereby providing greater soil availability and crop uptake. Potential use of biochar in cropping systems could include nutrient recycling, soil conditioning, and longterm carbon sequestration. Biochar as a biorenewable resource has the potential to positively impact several key areas of our production systems such as soil organic matter and quality, water quality, crop growth, yield, and productivity
An applied collaborative training program for graduate students in community psychology: a case study of a community project working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth.

The following case study offers a detailed description of a university–organization partnership, the basis for a collaborative outreach training program between community psychology graduate students and a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth center. Students and youth collaborated over 2 semesters on the creation of a social meeting venue within an urban LGBTQ youth-operated center as part of a community outreach project in the students' course in community psychology. Semistructured interviews with the youth and the students provide first-person accounts and perspectives of the project as an effective learning tool for training students in community psychology and in working with LGBTQ youth.
Determination of the amounts of the protein synthesis initiation and elongation factors in wheat germ

Previous work by Browning et al. (Browning, K. S., Lax, S. R., Humphreys, J., Ravel, J. M., Jobling, S. A., and Gehrke, L. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 9630-9634) indicated that wheat germ extracts do not contain sufficient amounts of some of the protein synthesis initiation factors to obtain optimal translation of all mRNAs. In this investigation, a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the amounts of eukaryotic initiation factors (eIF) 2, 3, 4A, 4F, and (iso)4F as well as the amounts of 40 S ribosomal subunits and elongation factors (EF) 1 alpha and 2 present in wheat germ extracts. EF-1 alpha is present in the highest amount (approximately 5% of the total protein), and eIF-4F is present in the lowest amount (approximately 0.03% of the total protein). The micromolar amounts of the factors and ribosomes are as follows: EF-1 alpha, 34; EF-2, 5.2; eIF-2, 1.5; eIF-3, 0.7; eIF-4A, 3.0, eIF-4F, 0.09; eIF-(iso)4F, 0.8; and 40 S ribosomal subunits, 3.2. The molar ratios of the factors to 40 S ribosomal subunits are approximately 11:1 for EF-1 alpha, 1.6:1 for EF-2, 0.45:1 for eIF-2, 0.2:1 for eIF-3, 0.9:1 for eIF-4A, 0.03:1 for eIF-4F, and 0.25:1 for eIF-(iso)4F. These findings strongly suggest that the concentrations of the initiation factors, particularly those factors required for the binding of mRNA to ribosomes, may play a major role in regulating the translation of mRNAs within the cell.
Protein detection in gels using fixation.

The most commonly used types of gels for separating proteins are SDS gels, either in a 1-D format or as the second dimension of various 2-D separations, and the most common methods of visualizing proteins in these gels use protein binding dyes after fixing the proteins in the gel matrix. In recent years, there has been a continuing trend away from preparing staining solutions in the laboratory to using commercially available kits, which are convenient, save time, have defined shelf lives, and may provide greater reproducibility than stains formulated in research laboratories. In general, when using commercial kits, satisfactory results can be readily obtained by following the manufacturer's protocols. This unit reviews commonly used fixation-based stains and provides a number of manual formulations with staining protocols for those who prefer such staining methods. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
NOAA's Manned Undersea Science and Technology program

1. In August 1971, a Manned Undersea Science and Technology Program was established within NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) of the United States. 2. The purpose of this program is to support the exploration and development of marine resources utilizing undersea systems. These systems include research submersibles, underwater laboratories, underwater habitats, and related systems and technology. 3. Several programs have been carried out utilizing the various systems mentioned above. The projects range from geological studies on the carbonate platforms of British Honduras, to undersea investigation of the Pacific walrus under the ice in the Bering Sea. 4. This paper describes the current program of the Manned Undersea Science and Technology Office, a review of the programs conducted to date, and a look into the future of NOAA's undersea efforts in science and technology.
Notes on the European Union's Brussels-I 'Recast' Regulation

The European Union's "Brussels-I Regulation" on Jurisdiction and Judgment Recognition in Civil and Commercial Matters has been revised. The "recast" Regulation was promulgated in late 2012, to enter into force Jan. 15, 2015. The paper notes important changes dealing with choice-of-court clauses, lis pendens, weaker party protection (consumer transactions) and relating to judgment recognition (anolition of exequatur).
Bromley issues reports on research-intensive universities

In one of his final acts as President Bush's science adviser, D. Allan Bromley released two reports authored by White House panels: “Renewing the Promise: Research-Intensive Universities and the Nation,” and “In the National Interest: The Federal Government and Research-Intensive Universities.” “I have had the opportunity to work on a wide range of issues as the Assistant to President Bush for Science and Technology, but none has been more important to me than those issues involving the health of this nation's research-intensive universities,” he said.
The ultrastructural morphology of the squirrel monkey area postrema

Examination of the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus) area postrema (AP) revealed this circumventricular organ to be primarily composed of two types of glial cells and a single type of neuronal element. No pattern of neuronal arrangement could be discerned, however, this cell type was frequently observed in close relation to the perivascular spaces. The neuronal elements, although slightly larger than the glial cells, were characteristically less electron dense. The neurons routinely displayed an infolded nuclear membrane, a single nucleolus and the normal complement of subcellular organelles. Synaptic terminals were numerous, and both axo-somatic and axo-dendritic varieties were observed with the latter being more numerous. Both clear-cored and dense-cored vesicles could be observed in the same ending. Unmyelinated neuronal processes were the predominant type within the interior of the AP, although myelinated processes were also regularly present.
Microwave spectrum, conformation, and dipole moment of divinyl ether☆

Abstract The microwave spectrum of divinyl ether has been observed and a , b , and c type rotational transitions of one conformer assigned. This conformer has rotational constants closely related to the cis-trans planar form. The inertial defect and dipole moment reveal that it is not planar. This nonplanarity almost certainly results because of strong repulsion between the β hydrogen of the cis vinyl group and the α hydrogen of the trans vinyl group. The c type transitions are split 53 MHz by inversion tunneling. The dipole moment has been obtained from Stark effect measurements and is 0.782 debye.
NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS AND RESOURCE DEPENDENCY: THE ESTABLISHMENT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

It is the author's contention that community control movements of the 1960s were unable to fulfill their militant objectives due to their lack of politically critical resources. As a result, these organizations were forced to moderate their objectives or incur the wrath of their donors. This article provides a brief history of the movement and an analysis of the consequences of resource dependency (i.e., the need of these groups to seek resources from government, corporations, and the philanthropic sector). The author concludes that the participants, if they are to have any hope of becoming successful, must maximize their own resources. Such maximization might make community control organizations less dependent on outside donors (whose interests may conflict with those of the group), giving them greater freedom to realize their objectives.
Interaction of 2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide with photosystem II in chloroplasts and subchloroplast particles

The effects of 2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide on electron transport in thylakoids and oxygen-evolving photosystem II particles has been examined. Kinetic fluorescence studies reveal that the site of inhibition for alkyl derivatives of hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide (I50℞2 µM) is located between Q and plastoquinone. Studies with thylakoids isolated from atrazine-resistant pigweed plants indicate that the modification in the Q/B membrane complex that confers increased resistance to inhibition by atrazine also results in decreased sensitivity to inhibition by 2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide (resistant/sensitive ratio =11). From the results of tetramethylphenylenediamine by-pass experiments, determinations of inhibitor sensitivity in trypsin-treated thylakoids and competitive displacement experiments made with [14C]metribuzin in thylakoids and photosystem II particles, it is suggested that 2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide binds in a region of the Q/B complex that is distinct from the 3-(3,4-dichloro)-1,1-dimethyl urea and atrazine binding sites.
Dual vectors expressing murine factor VIII result in sustained correction of hemophilia A mice.

Hemophilia A is a sex-linked disorder that results from a deficiency of functional factor VIII and is currently treated by protein replacement therapies. Within the past decade, gene therapy efforts have come to the forefront of novel therapeutics. In this work, a dual-vector approach was employed in which recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vectors expressing the heavy and light chains of the murine factor VIII gene were delivered either intramuscularly or intravenously to a mouse model of hemophilia A. From in vitro work, it was determined that coinfection with both vectors is required as heterodimerization of the heavy and light chains occurs intracellularly. In vivo, therapeutic levels of factor VIII expression were achieved throughout the duration of the study (22 weeks). Intravenous and intramuscular delivery resulted in a maximal average expression of 31.4 ± 6.4 and 29 ± 6.5% of normal murine factor VIII levels, respectively. Western blots of cryoprecipitate as well as immunostaining of injec...
Robust interactive decision-analysis (RID): An overview☆

Abstract This paper provides an operational overview of the principle features and issues for Robust Interactive Decision-Analysis (RID), an alternative to traditional decision tree analysis. The RID method avoids the difficult problems in measuring utility and state probability information associated with decision tree analysis. Instead, this alternative approach elicits only some imprecise (ordinal or interval) probability estimates and strong preference binary choices and incorporates them into an interactive procedure which repeatedly prunes the set of possible decision functions until a single ‘optimal’ or subset of efficient decision functions remains. The paper provides an informal introduction to the RID methodology and also discusses a decision support system which implements these ideas. We also discuss the system design criteria which have evolved from our own implementation experiences with the RID methodology.
Developing Preservice Teachers’ Expertise in Equitable Assessment for English Learners

This study illustrated a pathway of growth that a preservice teacher might traverse when learning to use and develop equitable assessments (EA). The study is rare in that it looks at the development of preservice teachers’ understanding and ability to design EA. I examined the understanding and implementation of EA of 23 secondary preservice teachers within two classes. The methods classes focused on the academic content area of science. Participants’ journals, teaching philosophies, and inquiry-based science units served as data sources. Participants progressed from a simple view of EA as “fairness” to a more sophisticated view of EA, including: ways to increase fairness, the importance of challenging students, and using assessments for learning. Results also showed changes in preservice teachers’ views of learners and the purpose of assessment. While understanding developed robustly, teachers’ assessment plans in their units were not as strong. Teacher education programs need to place more emphasis on developing critical understanding of EA practices to meet the needs of diverse learners.
Viscosity effects on eukaryotic nitrate reductase activity.

Abstract Rate-limiting processes of catalysis by eukaryotic molybdenum-containing nitrate reductase (NaR, EC 1.7.1.1–3) were investigated using two viscosogens (glycerol and sucrose) and observing their impact on NAD(P)H:NaR activity of corn leaf NaR and recombinant Arabidopsis and yeast NaR. Holo-NaR has two “hinge” sequences between stably folded regions housing its internal electron carriers: 1) Hinge 1 between the molybdenum-containing nitrate reducing module and cytochrome b domain containing heme and 2) Hinge 2 between cytochrome b and cytochrome b reductase (CbR) module containing FAD. Solution viscosity negatively impacted the activity of these holo-NaR forms, which suggests that the rate-limiting events in catalysis were likely to involve large conformational changes that restrict or “gate” internal electron-proton transfers (IET). Little effect of viscosity was observed on recombinant CbR module and methyl viologen nitrate reduction by holo-NaR, suggesting that these activities involved no large conformational changes. To determine whether Hinge 2 is involved in gating the first step in IET, the effects of viscosogen on cytochrome c and ferricyanide reductase activities of holo-NaR and ferricyanide reductase activity of the recombinant molybdenum reductase module (CbR, Hinge 2, and cytochrome b) were analyzed. Solution viscosity negatively impacted these partial activities, as if Hinge 2 were involved in gating IET in both enzyme forms. We concluded that both Hinges 1 and 2 appear to be involved in gating IET steps by restricting the movement of the cytochrome b domain relative to the larger nitrate-reducing and electron-donating modules of NaR.
Shoreward Intrusion of Upper Gulf Stream Water onto the U.S. Southeastern Continental Shelf

Abstract In winter, cooling of the South Atlantic Bight continental shelf water results in higher density in the middle shelf region relative to the shelf-break region where the western flank of the Gulf Stream flows. Shoreward, estuarine-like intrusion of the upper Gulf Stream water in the presence of such a positive onshore density gradient is then possible through advective processes triggered either by the meander of the Stream or onshore Ekman transports by southward wind stresses. Repeated cross-shelf hydrographic transects were conducted from 10 January through 30 January 1986 to more closely study this intrusion process. These observations show many features predicted by a previous numerical model study. A semi-empirical model is proposed here wherein the state of stratification of water on the outer continental shelf region just inshore of the shelf break is used as an indicator of the intrusion process. Model analysis suggests correlating the observed time rate of change of potential energy of t...
SU-E-T-612: Reducing Toxicity in HPV+ Head and Neck Patients: Dose De- Escalation Or PTV Elimination?

Purpose: Studies have shown that patients diagnosed with HPV positive head and neck cancer have a higher probability of local control and 5 year survival. For these patients, reducing treatment related toxicities have become a clinical focus. Two primary strategies exist to reduce the risk of complications: dose de-escalation and/or PTV reduction. The goal of this planning study is to evaluate which strategy would have the greatest potential for reducing toxicity. Methods: Patients treated with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) were re-planned based on 2 scenarios: A) eliminating the PTV and keeping the same planned dose to the CTV (assuming that daily dose assessment would be performed and plan adaptation when necessary) and B) dose de-escalation to 54 Gy (following the ECOG Phase II trial (E1308) schema). The target D99 and D95 was maintained for all planning scenarios as per the dose level. The mean dose to the superior constrictor (SC), left and right parotid glands (LPG, RPG), and left and right submandibular glands (LSG, RSG) were evaluated for each planning scenario. Results: Dose de-escalation to 54 Gy achieved greater sparing of all structures compared to eliminating the PTV while maintaining the planned dose. The average sparing with the dose de-escalation was 10, 5.7, 5.2, 8.6, and 8.1 Gy for the SC, LPG, RPG, LSG, and RSG, respectively, compared to the clinical plan. The average sparing with the PTV elimination was 2.3, 2.8, 3.0, 5.4, and 6.4 Gy, for the SC, LPG, RPG, LSG, and RSG, respectively, compared to the clinical plan. Conclusion: Dose de-escalation has the potential to provide additional sparing of the superior constrictor, which is believed to be highly correlated with patient quality of life, compared to elimination of the PTV. The combination of both dose de-escalation and PTV elimination could provide additional sparing.
Ureteral Access Sheath for the Management of Pediatric Renal and Ureteral Stones: A Single Center Experience

Purpose: Ureteral access sheaths were developed to facilitate difficult ureteroscopic access in adults. We report our use of the ureteral access sheath during standard ureteroscopic procedures in the pediatric stone population.Materials and Methods: Eight patients underwent flexible ureteroscopy and holmium laser lithotripsy for symptomatic renal and ureteral calculi between October 2003 and October 2004. Average patient age was 9.3 years (range 4 to 13). There were 4 males and 4 females. Five of 8 patients had bilateral stones and underwent bilateral endoscopic stone treatment at the same operation. A 14Fr 20 cm Flexor® ureteral access sheath was used for dilation and access of the ureter. Flexible pediatric ureteroscope was used to enter the ureter and collecting system for stone retrieval and fragmentation.Results: All patients were rendered stone-free in a single operative setting. Average operative time was 99 minutes (range 65 to 130). Average total stone burden for the group was 9 ± 3 mm. All patie...
Liquefaction Resistance of Clean and Nonplastic Silty Sands Based on Cone Penetration Resistance

Liquefaction of granular soil deposits is one of the major causes of loss resulting from earthquakes. The accuracy in the assessment of the likelihood of liquefaction at a site affects the safety and economy of the design. In this paper, curves of cyclic resistance ratio (CRR) versus cone penetration test (CPT) stress-normalized cone resistance qc1 are developed from a combination of analysis and laboratory testing. The approach consists of two steps: (1) determination of the CRR as a function of relative density from cyclic triaxial tests performed on samples isotropically consolidated to 100 kPa; and (2) estimation of the stress-normalized cone resistance qc1 for the relative densities at which the soil liquefaction tests were performed. A well-tested penetration resistance analysis based on cavity expansion analysis was used to calculate qc1 for the various soil densities. A set of 64 cyclic triaxial tests were performed on specimens of Ottawa sand with nonplastic silt content in the range of 0–15% by ...
Solar Energy in a Sustainable World

While virtually all the energy sources we use today including fossil energy, wind, fission, geothermal energy are ultimately derived from the sun, I will focus on the current status and future prospects of photovoltaic and solar thermal energy, as well as biofuels and the conversion sunlight/electricity to fuel.
INDOMETHACIN (INDO) PROPHYLAXIS AND OUTCOME AT SCHOOL AGE. † 2222

We determined the outcome at school age of children who received INDO for intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) prevention. Follow-up data were available in 81 children, through developmental testing (n=46) or through completed questionnaires (n=35). Of 81, 26 received INDO; 55 did not (NO-INDO). Thetable shows demographics and outcomes as to school performance, severe neuro/sensory handicaps, and in those tested using the WISC-III, the means of the IQs; i.e., verbal (VIQ), performance (PIQ), full scale (FSIQ), verbal comprehension (VC), perceptual organization (PO), freedom from distractibility (FD), and processing speed (PS). Multiple linear regression was used to determine the effect of birth weight (BW), socioeconomic status (SES), IVH grade and indomethacin, on full scale, verbal and performance IQs, as well as on the 4 factors. We found no differences in outcomes between the INDO and NO-INDO groups. IQ scores were not related to INDO, BW or SES. However, FSIQ was related to sex (p<0.005) and IVH(p<0.02). Verbal IQ was related to sex but not to IVH. PIQ and POIQ were significantly related to IVH (p<0.02). We conclude that INDO for IVH prevention did not affect long-term outcome, however, IVH significantly influenced perceptual organization.
Social benefits of trees in urban environments

People have a behavioral need for contact with trees in cities. One cause for the increase in wilderness recreation use and popularity of indoor and outdoor gardening is a basic desire for contact with vegetation. Trees can lend cities a dimension of sensory diversity, visual order and aesthetic pleasure that is lacking. There is a relationship between levels of park use, vandalism or property values in urban areas and their landscape character. These relationships have implications for the planting and preservation of trees in urban environments.
Cluttering : Data in search of understanding

Much of what is known about cluttering is the product of anecdotal clinical observations rather than findings from systematic empirical research. As a result, the credibility of much of this information is substantially compromised as is its diagnostic value. Current research efforts, unfortunately, continue to reflect many of these same weaknesses.
Epitaxial Deposition of Cadmium Selenide

IN the past few years there has been considerable interest in the use of evaporated films of cadmium selenide (CdSe) for thin-film transistors and photoconductive devices1. As normally prepared, such films consist of polycrystalline material which has a rather poor electron mobility.
Continuous development of schemes for parallel computing of the electrostatics in biological systems: Implementation in DelPhi

Due to the enormous importance of electrostatics in molecular biology, calculating the electrostatic potential and corresponding energies has become a standard computational approach for the study of biomolecules and nano-objects immersed in water and salt phase or other media. However, the electrostatics of large macromolecules and macromolecular complexes, including nano-objects, may not be obtainable via explicit methods and even the standard continuum electrostatics methods may not be applicable due to high computational time and memory requirements. Here, we report further development of the parallelization scheme reported in our previous work (Li, et al., J. Comput. Chem. 2012, 33, 1960) to include parallelization of the molecular surface and energy calculations components of the algorithm. The parallelization scheme utilizes different approaches such as space domain parallelization, algorithmic parallelization, multithreading, and task scheduling, depending on the quantity being calculated. This allows for efficient use of the computing resources of the corresponding computer cluster. The parallelization scheme is implemented in the popular software DelPhi and results in speedup of several folds. As a demonstration of the efficiency and capability of this methodology, the electrostatic potential, and electric field distributions are calculated for the bovine mitochondrial supercomplex illustrating their complex topology, which cannot be obtained by modeling the supercomplex components alone.
Behavior of reinforced concrete structures predicted by the finite element method

Abstract With current nonlinear analysis computer capabilities, considerable strides are being made in developing procedures, the utilization of which, allows one to analyze reinforced concrete structures while taking into account cracking and other characteristics of the constituent materials. Objective of the analyses is the determination of displacements as well as concrete and steel forces at various stages of loading. Cracking and the consequent loss of tensile strength is a major characteristic that must be modeled in any program for the analysis of reinforced concrete members. The three basic approaches have been employed by various investigators to account for tension cracking are discussed. Advantages and problems associated with these approaches are discussed. The formulation used to delineate compressive stress characteristics of concrete is evaluated. Solution procedures are described. Peculiarities required of solution methods in order to be suitable for the analysis of reinforced concrete systems are noted.
Stimulation of golgi membrane tubulation and retrograde trafficking to the ER by phospholipase A2 activating protein (PLAP) peptide

Recent pharmacological studies using specific antagonists of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity have suggested that the formation of Golgi membrane tubules, 60–80 nm in diameter and up to several microns long, both in vivo and in a cell-free cytosol-dependent reconstitution system, requires the activity of a cytoplasmic Ca2+-independent PLA2. We confirm and extend these studies by demonstrating that the stimulators of PLA2, melittin and PLA2 activating protein peptide (PLAPp), enhance cytosol-dependent Golgi membrane tubulation. Starting with preparations of bovine brain cytosol (BBC), or a fraction of BBC that is highly enriched in tubulation activity, called the gel filtration (GF) fraction, that are at subsaturating concentrations for inducing tubulation in vitro, we found that increasing concentrations of melittin or PLAPp produced a linear and saturable stimulation of Golgi membrane tubulation. This stimulation was inhibited by cytosolic PLA2 antagonists, including the Ca2+-independent PLA2-specific antagonist, bromoenol lactone. The stimulatory effect of PLAPp, and its inhibition by PLA2 antagonists, was reproduced using a permeabilized cell system, which reconstitutes both cytosol-dependent Golgi membrane tubulation and retrograde trafficking to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Taken together, these results are consistent with the idea that cytosolic PLA2 activity is involved in the formation of Golgi membrane tubules, which can serve as trafficking intermediates in Golgi-to-ER retrograde movement. J. Cell. Biochem. 74:670–683, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Photocytotoxicity of the Fluorescent Nonsteroidal Androgen Receptor Ligand TDPQ

1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2,2-dimethyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)-8-pyridono-15,6-g]quinoline (TDPQ), a selective nonsteroidal androgen receptor (AR) ligand, is a fluorescent compound. We characterized its spectral properties in comparison with the structural precursor carbostyril 151 (C151) and with its racemic structural isomer 4-ethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6-(trifluoromethyl)-8-pyridino[5,6-glquinoline (ETPQ). The absorption maximum in CH 3 CN of either TDPQ or ETPQ is 400 nm whereas that of C151 is 350 nm. The fluorescence lifetimes (τ) and quantum yields (ϕ f ) in CH 3 CN are typical of fluorescent dyes: TDPQ (4.2 ns, 0.8) and ETPQ (4.6 ns, 0.76). C151 showed lower τ and ϕf of 0.2 ns and 0.02, respectively. TDPQ can function as a fluorescent label at (sub)micromolar concentrations. We detected TDPQ fluorescence in human breast tumor cells using confocal microscopy. While the fluorescence maxima of the compounds were solvent insensitive, the ϕ f for ETPQ decreased in aqueous solutions regardless of the presence of albumin or DNA. The ϕ f of TDPQ was less affected. The quantum yield of singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) photosensitization (ϕ so ) by TDPQ and ETPQ was about 7% in CH 3 CN, sufficient to induce photocytotoxicity. TDPQ was photocytotoxic in AR-positive MDA-MB-453 breast cancer cells but not in AR-negative MDA-MB-231 cells. The combination of AR selectivity with photocytotoxicity makes TDPQ a promising candidate for selective targeting of AR-positive cells during photodynamic therapy.