cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Apoptosis induction by chemopreventive agents.

The goals of cancer chemoprevention are to inhibit the induction or suppress the progression of preneoplastic lesions to invasive cancer by using specific natural or synthetic chemical agents. Numerous studies have demonstrated that suppression of apoptosis or defects in apoptotic pathways contribute to expansion of initiated or aberrant clones leading to cancer development. Therefore, agents that can eliminate aberrant clones by induction of apoptosis rather than merely slowing down their proliferation may have chemopreventive potential. The increased understanding of apoptosis pathways has directed attention to components of these pathways as potential targets for not only chemotherapeutic but also chemopreventive agents. Indeed, an increasing number of previously identified chemopreventive agents including retinoids, vitamin D(3) analogues, triterpenoids, butyroids, monoterpenoids, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents and others were found recently to enhance apoptosis in a variety of premalignant or malignant cell types in vitro and in a few animal models in vivo and in clinical trials. Further understanding of the effects of potential chemopreventive agents on specific components of the pathways that lead to apoptosis may provide a rational approach to use such agents alone or in combination with other agents to enhance apoptosis as a strategy for effective chemoprevention of cancer.
Micro-motors: A motile bacteria based system for liposome cargo transport

Biological micro-motors (microorganisms) have potential applications in energy utilization and nanotechnology. However, harnessing the power generated by such motors to execute desired work is extremely difficult. Here, we employ the power of motile bacteria to transport small, large and giant unilamellar vesicles (SUVs, LUVs and GUVs). Furthermore, we demonstrate bacteria–bilayer interactions by probing glycolipids inside the model membrane scaffold. Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) spectroscopic and microscopic methods were utilized for understanding these interactions. We found that motile bacteria could successfully propel SUVs and LUVs with a velocity of 28 μm s−1 and 13 μm s−1, respectively. GUVs, however, displayed Brownian motion and could not be propelled by attached bacteria. Bacterial velocity decreased with the larger loaded cargo, which agrees with our calculations of loaded bacteria swimming at low Reynolds number.
Markowitz Portfolio Theory

We introduce Harry Markowitz’s mathematical model for how to distribute an initial capital across a collection of risky securities to create an efficient portfolio, namely, one with the least risk given an expected return and largest expected return given a level of portfolio risk. This chapter covers: the set up of the Markowitz portfolio model, which includes modeling security returns, the issue of multivariate normality, weights, short selling, portfolio return, portfolio risk, and portfolio log returns; two-security portfolio theory; the efficient frontier for N securities with and without short selling; the global minimum-variance portfolio, diversified portfolio, and Mutual Fund Theorem; utility functions and utility maximization; and diversification.
Genomic diversity in established melanoma cell lines and human melanoma tumors.

e13001Background: Melanoma progression is often associated with a mutation in the BRAF oncogene that promotes constitutive activation of the MAPK signaling cascade. Analysis of malignant transforma...
Physical modelling of non-invasive silicon temperature measurement by infrared absorption

It has recently been shown that the temperature of silicon wafers can be measured in situ in rapid thermal processing reactors by monitoring the infrared absorption of the substrate at specific wavelengths. In the present work, a physical model of infrared absorption in silicon is used to determine the dominant absorption mechanisms in the relevant temperature and wavelength ranges. The model is then used to predict the ultimate temperature ranges of applicability of the technique and to show the effects of heavy doping. Since free carrier absorption dominates at wavelengths over 1.55 mu m, approximately 850 degrees C may be estimated as an upper limit for the technique of silicon temperature measurement by infrared transmission. Because bandgap absorption dominates at short wavelengths, the technique may be extended to temperatures as low as 77 K. >
Perceived health, caregiver burden, and quality of life in women partners providing care to veterans with traumatic brain injury

Families of Veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are often faced with providing long-term informal care to their loved one. However, little is known about how their perceived health and caregiving burden contribute to their quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe perceived health, somatic symptoms, caregiver burden, and perceived QOL and to identify the extent to which these variables are associated with QOL in female partners/spouses of Veterans with TBI. Participants completed a written questionnaire including the Patient Health Questionnaire-15, Caregiver Reaction Assessment, Quality of Life Index, and the general health subscale of the 12-Item Short Form Survey version 2. Caregivers reported moderate levels of QOL, and over a quarter of the sample reported high levels of somatic symptoms, particularly fatigue and sleep disturbance. Age, perceived general health, somatic symptoms, the five subscales of caregiver burden (self-esteem, disrupted schedule, effect on finances, lack of family support, and effect on health) predicted QOL and explained 64% of its variance (adjusted r2 = 0.64, F(8,31) = 9.59). However, only somatic symptoms and the caregiver burden subscales of self-esteem and effect on finances were significant predictors in the model. These findings have implications for development of family-centered interventions to enhance the QOL of informal caregivers of Veterans with TBI.
Joint reconstruction of the sound speed and initial pressure distributions for ultrasound computed tomography and photoacoustic computed tomography

Accurate reconstruction of the initial pressure distribution in photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT), in general, requires knowledge of the sound speed distribution of the medium. However, the sound speed distri- bution is often unknown, and estimating both the sound speed and initial pressure from PACT measurements alone is unstable. An alternative is to estimate the sound speed from ultrasound computed tomography (USCT) measurements. This approach fails to exploit the acoustic information in the PACT measurements and may require many USCT measurements to accurately reconstruct the sound speed. Here, we propose a joint recon- struction method where the sound speed and initial pressure distributions are simultaneously estimated from combined PACT/USCT measurements. This approach effectively overcomes the instability of the PACT joint reconstruction problem while requiring few USCT measurements.
The Oksana Affair: Ambiguous resistance in an Israeli warehouse:

In volatile situations, resistance can often take an ambiguous form which demonstrates the power of the dominated but avoids provoking repression. Such ambiguity cannot be simply dispelled by ethnographers; rather, it must be acknowledged and accounted for through a methodology that is willing to accommodate uncertainty while demonstrating the researcher’s good faith and sufficient knowledge. I show how this can be done by narrating an episode of ambiguous resistance which took place during my fieldwork doing logistical labor in a warehouse in Ashdod, Israel, when the work crew of which I was a part successfully undertook to resist the removal of our popular forewoman, Oksana. Taking into account the precarious nature of warehouse employment and drawing on the ambiguous statements and non-verbal behavior of both workers and management, I probe the tactical advantages, strategic limitations and epistemological corollaries of ambiguous resistance in the struggle against domination.
LAW 658/G: Weibling Entrepreneurship Clinic—A Peer Review of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio

This benchmark portfolio summarizes a study conducted by Professor Brett C. Stohs of students in the Weibling Entrepreneurship Clinic during the 2017 Spring semester. Specifically, the study sought to determine whether students who participate in the clinic develop their professional identities as soon-to-be lawyers. Using qualitative and quantitative measurements, the study determined that participating students do tend to develop their professional identities while in the clinic. This portfolio examines the extent of that development and identifies opportunities for continued course improvement.
Victor August Zullo, 1936-1993

Victor August Zullo biography, with introduction by Warren D. Allmon and bibliography compiled by Roger W. Portell.
“If You Were Like Me, You Would Consider It Too”: Suicide, Older Men, and Masculinity:

Rates of suicide are far higher for older men than for any other age or gender group. However, we know relatively little about how depressed older men think about suicide. This study addresses this...
Introduction to JTD Air Pollution Section.

In 2010, outdoor air pollution contributed 3.2 million premature deaths and 76 million years of healthy life lost globally based on cardiorespiratory effects of PM 2.5 (airborne particles with an aerodynamic diameter equal or smaller than 2.5 micrometer. These are also called respirable particles because they can enter the deep lung) (1). According to a 2016 report of the World Health Organization (WHO), air quality in most of the world is showing a worsening trend; and 9 out of 10 people live in places where ambient air quality cannot meet WHO air quality guideline values (2).
"Gender, Governance and Patriarchy: Married Women's Perceptions of their (Un)employment Legitimacy"

Considering the intersection between gender, public/private patriarchy and governance, this paper explores the legitimacy justifications of female unemployment in the Arab Middle Eastern country of...
Diffusion processes during creep at intermediate temperatures in a Ni-based superalloy

Abstract The local compositional changes associated with stacking fault and microtwin formation during creep at intermediate temperatures in a commercial Ni-base disk superalloy are explored. In order to investigate microtwin formation, an [001] single crystal of ME3 was tested in compression at 760 °C under a stress of 414 MPa – a stress-temperature regime found to promote microtwinning. Atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy combined with state-of-the-art energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy analysis reveals the presence of Co and Cr rich Cottrell atmospheres around leading dislocations responsible for the creation of SISFs, SESFs, and microtwins. This analysis also highlights the role that tertiary γ particles inside γ′ precipitates have on γ′ shearing deformation mechanisms. Through the use of CALPHAD calculations, combined with new experimental observations, new insights into the rate-controlling processes during creep deformation are discussed.
Factor Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Automobiles

Clean Energy Research Center Clean Vehicle Consortium (CERC-CVC) under U.S. Department of Energy award number DE-PI0000012.
Selective Light-Driven Chemoenzymatic Trifluoromethylation/Hydroxylation of Substituted Arenes

The merging of photoredox trifluoromethylation with hybrid P450 BM3 variants has enabled the selective light-driven functionalization of several arenes. This approach capitalizes on the unique photochemical properties of the Ru(II)-diimine photosensitizer to initiate single electron transfer events. Under photoredox conditions, a CF3 radical promoted by the d6 metal complex can add to arenes. In the hybrid P450 BM3 enzymes, the covalently attached Ru(II)-diimine photosensitizer provides the necessary electrons to perform, upon visible light activation, P450 oxyfunctionalizations on the trifluoromethylated substrates.
Unraveling the mechanisms of obesity-induced hyperoxaluria

Kidney stones is increasingly associated with obesity. With an increasing prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome in the past 30 years, urinary oxalate has significantly increased. However, its underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms of hyperoxaluria have not been fully explored. This preclinical study suggests that hyperoxaluria in obesity depends on a complex network of inflammatory responses linked to metabolic outcome. The future mechanistic and clinical investigations must be targeted at elucidating the pathogenetic role of inflammation in obesity induced hyperoxaluria.
Translating Brazil’s Marquise de Sade

Hilda Hilst’s “obscene tetralogy” is a meditation on the work of mediation between the divine and the terrestrial that literature is tasked with performing. The intrusion of market-based considerations into the office of the writer, she believed, had corrupted this duty. This deeply frustrated Hilst, who satirized this bastardization of the craft. In Letters from a Seducer, Hilst plays with the pornographic, as a mode, as a discourse, and as a register. This chapter explores the poetic and discursive effects of this play, which in classic Hilstian fashion combines the sacred with the profane, beauty with abjection, and truth with deceit.
An Approximation Framework for Infinite Horizon Optimization Problems in a Mathematical Programming Setting

Dynamic optimization problems, including optimal control problems, have typically relied on the solution techniques of dynamic programming, involving the sequential solution of certain optimality equations. However, many problems cannot be handled this way, due to complex constraints, a continuous state space, and other complicating factors. When recast as mathematical programs relying on the powerful tools of optimization, especially duality, and decomposability to deal with very large problems, the boundaries imposed by dynamic programming are lifted. This paper develops approximation techniques for stationary infinite horizon problems with discounted costs, in the framework of mathematical programming. A reference is given for parallel results for stochastic dynamic optimization problems.
The Historical, Comparative, and Convergence Trifecta in International Water Law: A Mexico-U.S. Example

Doctrinal disconnects complicate adjudication of international water rights controversies. However, legal history and comparative law sources can fill gaps and build analogies to bridge differences in substantive law. Between Mexico and the United States in particular, the civil-common law divide at times appears vast, but has been occasionally narrowed by reference to shared Roman principles of usufruct or by incorporation of Mexican law into the U.S. system. This article argues that these commonalities can help solve the dispute over the All-American Canal in Southern California, which prior to being lined with concrete by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation recharged groundwater supplying Mexican farmers and the endangered Colorado Delta ecosystem. Such meeting places for doctrine suggest that, even in domestic courts, nations need not attempt to resolve international problems through domestic law alone.
Characterization of piezoelectric wafer active sensor for acoustic emission sensing

In this article, a new avenue of using the piezoelectric wafer active sensor (PWAS) for detecting the fatigue crack generated acoustic emission (AE) signals is presented. In-situ AE-fatigue experiments were conducted using PWAS along with two commercially available AE sensors. It has been shown that the PWAS and existing AE sensors successfully captured the AE signals from the fatigue crack growth in a thin aerospace specimen. Two experiments were conducted using the PWAS with each of the commercial AE sensors. For each experiment, two AE analyses were performed: (1) the hit-based analysis, (2) the waveform-based analysis. The fatigue loading was synchronized with the AE measurements. This allowed comparing the AE hits due to a particular AE event captured by PWAS and the other sensors. All the sensors showed a very similar pattern of AE hits as observed from the hit-based analysis. The AE waveform-based analysis was used to compare the waveforms and their frequency spectra captured by the three sensors. The commercial PICO showed ringing in the AE signals and showed a weak response in high-frequency region. The commercial S9225 had better signal-to-noise ratio but it also showed a weak response in high-frequency region. It was found that all sensors captured the low-frequency flexural modes of the guided acoustic waves. However, the high-frequency acoustic wave signals were predominately captured by the PWAS. The AE waveform-based analysis provided more insight of the AE source and guided wave propagation modes.
Long term outcome of treatment of high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) in patients with five years follow up

Background Office-based or surgical ablation of HSIL may prevent anal cancer; however, limited data exist on long-term outcome regarding HSIL or cancer. It is not established that treating HSIL reduces the incidence of cancer, but long-term remission of HSIL may be a good clinical indicator necessary for cancer prevention. Methods Between 2006 and 2008, 369 new patients were diagnosed with HSIL. Follow-up data were extracted in 285/369 patients with HSIL (follow-up not determined in 84). 133 (46.7%) were followed for more than 5 years. As a preliminary analysis, every third patient was analyzed for outcome defined as no HSIL for at least 2 years (HSIL-free) (n=50). Results Forty-six patients were men (39 HIV-positive) and 4 were women (1 HIV-positive) ranging in age from 26 to 67 years (mean 45.7 years) and followed from 5.1 to 11.4 years (mean 8.8 years). Patients had between 1–10 (mean 2.58, median 2) ablations to become HSIL-free. Three patients never became HSIL-free; 1 with inadequate follow up and treatment developed cancer at 5.1 years. There was no recurrence of HSIL in 31 patients (62%) followed for 3.2 to 10.1 years (mean 7.0 years). HSIL recurred in 16 patients (32%) at 2.1 to 6.2 years (mean 3.8 years) and only four had another recurrence after becoming HSIL-free. Conclusions In patients with more than five years follow-up, 94% became HSIL-free with treatment. Although HSIL recurred in 16 patients, most became HSIL-free. Only 1 patient developed cancer as a result of inadequate treatment. Becoming HSIL-free after ablation may effectively prevent anal cancer.
Cervical spine trauma evaluation.

Abstract Cervical spine trauma is a relatively rare but catastrophic event in sports. These critical situations depend on sports medicine personnel understanding every aspect of sideline care to ensure a safe and successful evaluation. This involves thorough preparation, vigilant observation of the sporting event to detect the possible mechanism of injury, and initiation of the appropriate action plan when a potentially catastrophic injury is suspected. Sideline management of cervical spine trauma requires the appropriate primary survey, with spine stabilization if necessary, secondary survey for concomitant injury, and, potentially, initiation of full spine stabilization with a spine board. In this chapter, our primary focus is discussion of the sideline evaluation of cervical spine trauma, and sideline practices designed to stabilize the athlete and minimize risk for further injury.
Thermal conductivity in self-assembled CoFe2O4/BiFeO3 vertical nanocomposite films

The thermal conductivity of self-assembled nanocomposite oxide films consisting of cobalt ferrite (CFO) spinel pillars grown within a single-crystal bismuth ferrite (BFO) perovskite matrix is described as a function of the volume fraction of the spinel. Single phase BFO and CFO had cross-plane thermal conductivities of 1.32 W m−1 K−1 and 3.94 W m−1 K−1, respectively, and the thermal conductivity of the nanocomposites increased with the CFO volume fraction within this range. A small increase (∼5%) in thermal conductivity for the pure CFO phase in the AC-demagnetized state was observed, suggesting possible magnon contributions. Steady state gray-medium based variance-reduced Monte Carlo simulations show consistent trends with experimental data on the dependence of thermal conductivity with the CFO volume fraction.
Exploring the Psychological basis for Transitions in the Archaeological Record

In lieu of an abstract here is the first paragraph: No other species remotely approaches the human capacity for the cultural evolution of novelty that is accumulative, adaptive, and open-ended (i.e., with no a priori limit on the size or scope of possibilities). By culture we mean extrasomatic adaptations--including behavior and technology--that are socially rather than sexually transmitted. This chapter synthesizes research from anthropology, psychology, archaeology, and agent-based modeling into a speculative yet coherent account of two fundamental cognitive transitions underlying human cultural evolution that is consistent with contemporary psychology. While the chapter overlaps with a more technical paper on this topic (Gabora & Smith 2018), it incorporates new research and elaborates a genetic component to our overall argument. The ideas in this chapter grew out of a non-Darwinian framework for cultural evolution, referred to as the Self-other Reorganization (SOR) theory of cultural evolution (Gabora, 2013, in press; Smith, 2013), which was inspired by research on the origin and earliest stage in the evolution of life (Cornish-Bowden & Cardenas 2017; Goldenfeld, Biancalani, & Jafarpour, 2017, Vetsigian, Woese, & Goldenfeld 2006; Woese, 2002). SOR bridges psychological research on fundamental aspects of our human nature such as creativity and our proclivity to reflect on ideas from different perspectives, with the literature on evolutionary approaches to cultural evolution that aspire to synthesize the behavioral sciences much as has been done for the biological scientists. The current chapter is complementary to this effort, but less abstract; it attempts to ground the theory of cultural evolution in terms of cognitive transitions as suggested by archaeological evidence.
Estimating volatility transmission between oil prices and the US Dollar exchange rate under structural breaks

This study examines volatility dynamics of oil prices and the US dollar exchange rate using univariate and bivariate GARCH models using data from January 2, 2000 to December 31, 2015. The modified iterative cumulative sum of square (ICSS) algorithm is employed to identify structural breaks in the variance of the two return series. I find no evidence of volatility transmission between oil prices and the US dollar exchange rate if structural breaks are ignored in the model. However, after accounting for structural breaks in variance in the bivariate GARCH model, I find significant volatility transmission between oil prices and the US dollar exchange rate. I also show that dynamic risk minimizing hedge ratios substantially change when breaks are incorporated in the bivariate GARCH model.
Small RNA responses of Culex mosquitoes and cell lines during acute and persistent virus infection.

Abstract RNA interference is a crucial antiviral mechanism in arthropods, including in mosquito vectors of arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses). Although the exogenous small interfering RNA (siRNA) pathway constitutes an efficient antiviral response in mosquitoes, virus-derived P-element induced wimpy testis (PIWI)-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) have been implicated in the response to alpha-, bunya- and flaviviruses in Aedes spp. mosquitoes. Culex mosquitoes transmit several medically important viruses including West Nile virus (WNV), but are considerably less well studied than Aedes mosquitoes and little is known about antiviral RNA interference in Culex mosquitoes. Therefore, we sequenced small RNA (sRNA) libraries from different Culex cell lines and tissues infected with WNV. The clear majority of virus-derived sRNA reads were 21 nt siRNAs in all cell lines and tissues tested, with no evidence for a role of WNV-derived piRNAs. Additionally, we aligned sRNA reads from Culex quinquefasciatus Hsu cells to the insect-specific rhabdovirus, Merida virus, which persistently replicates in these cells. We found that a significant proportion of the sRNA response to Merida virus consisted of piRNAs. Since viral DNA forms have been implicated in siRNA and piRNA responses of Aedes spp. mosquitoes, we also tested for viral DNA forms in WNV infected Culex cells. We detected viral DNA in Culex tarsalis cells infected with WNV and, to a lesser amount, WNV and Merida virus-derived DNA in Culex quinquefasciatus Hsu cells. In conclusion, Hsu cells generated Merida virus-derived piRNAs, but our data suggests that the major sRNA response of Culex cells and mosquitoes to WNV infection is the exogenous siRNA response. It is also evident that sRNA responses differ significantly between specific virus-mosquito combinations. Future work using additional Culex-borne viruses may further elucidate how virus-derived piRNAs are generated in Culex cells and what role they may play in controlling replication of different viruses.
Robust two-scale command shaping for residual vibration mitigation in nonlinear systems

Abstract This paper develops robust two-scale command shaping (TSCS) for vibration mitigation in nonlinear systems. Recursive least-squares (RLS) and extended Kalman filtering (EKF) approaches are used to estimate uncertain system parameters alongside robust command shaping methods to decrease the impact of vibration mode variations on TSCS efficacy. For full implementation, the TSCS strategy requires input parameters to characterize the nonlinear system for which it is being applied, which may be a) difficult to quantify, and/or b) uncertain due to their dependence on environmental considerations or operating conditions. To alleviate these issues a parameter estimation technique can be used to help define these required input parameters. Additionally, robust command shaping methods can be leveraged to decrease the impact of variations in system vibration modes on the efficacy of the command shaping portion of TSCS. A motivating problem for adding robustness to TSCS is the mitigation of vibration-related issues during internal combustion engine (ICE) restart. TSCS applied to engine restart is used as an example to develop the techniques to add robustness to the strategy. It is shown that both the RLS and EKF algorithms can be used to estimate the necessary ICE parameters and increase effectiveness of the TSCS strategy. Robust command shaping is then used to reduce the effect of variations in the chassis and powertrain vibration modes on the efficacy of TSCS during ICE restart.
Photobleaching of YFP does not produce a CFP-like species that affects FRET measurements.

To the editor: Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) efficiency between variants of fluorescent protein can be determined by photobleaching the acceptor molecule1. After complete acceptor bleaching, FRET efficiency equals the dequenched donor fluorescence divided by the total donor fluorescence. Recently, Valentin et al.2 reported that photobleaching of yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), Citrine and Venus (commonly used acceptor fluorescent protein tags) produced a species with an emission peak similar to that of cyan fluorescent protein (CFP), a widely-used donor fluorescent protein. This result predicts that FRET efficiency determined by acceptor photobleaching will be overestimated. As this prediction potentially impacts the accuracy of numerous existing studies and raises concerns about the validity of the photobleaching method, we examined the effects of acceptor fluorescent protein photobleaching using several imaging modalities commonly used in FRET experiments. We imaged HeLa cells coexpressing Venus and nuclear-localized CFP one day after transfection (Fig. 1a; Supplementary Methods online). Prolonged illumination through a YFP filter set (excitation: 500 ± 10 nm, emitter: 540 ± 15 nm, dichroic: 520LP) decreased the intensity of Venus fluorescence (YFP filter set) evenly throughout the cell. Conversely, the pattern and intensity of fluorescence detected through a CFP filter (excitation: 436 ± 10 nm, emitter: 480 ± 20 nm, dichroic: 455LP) remained unchanged. Additionally, fixation of cells expressing YFP or Venus with paraformaldehyde followed by photobleaching (50% decrease in YFP channel intensity) did not produce an increase in CFP channel fluorescence intensity (Supplementary Fig. 1 online). We obtained similar results (Supplementary Fig. 1) using CFP excitation (excitation: 406 ± 7.5 nm) similar to that used by Valentin et al.2. We determined the emission spectra of either Venus or YFP before and after photobleaching (514 nm argon ion laser) of fixed HeLa cells expressing these proteins. Photobleaching of Venus or YFP (> 50%) did not alter the shape of the emission spectra acquired with an LSM510 confocal microscope using two-photon excitation between 750 and 940 nm (Fig. 1b, and Supplementary Figs. 1 and 2 online). In particular, we observed no detectable increase in fluorescence intensity from 420–500 nm. This finding is in marked contrast to the result of Valentin et al.2. Our results demonstrate that photobleaching of YFP or Venus, under the conditions stated, does not produce CFP-like fluorescence, and thus FRET efficiency determination using acceptor photobleaching need not be encumbered by the reported phenomenon2. It is unclear why our results deviate from those of Valentin et al.2 as experimental conditions were similar (but not identical).
The effect of Strategy ofsimilarities in the development of visual thinking for mathematics at the primary school pupils

هدف البحث الى معرفة أثر استراتيجية المتشابهات في تنمية التفكير البصري لمادة الرياضيات لدى تلاميذ المرحلة الابتدائية ، ولتحقيق هدف الدراسة وضعت الباحثة الفرضيات الصفرية الآتية :- لا يوجد فرق ذو دلالة إحصائية عند مستوى ( 05, 0) بين متوسطي درجات تلاميذ المجموعة التجريبية الذين سيدرسون على وفق استراتيجية المتشابهات ودرجات تلاميذ المجموعة الضابطة الذين سيدرسون على وفق الطريقة الاعتيادية في اختبار مهارات التفكير البصري . لا يوجد فرق ذو دلالة إحصائية عند مستوى دلالة (05, 0) بين متوسطي درجات تلاميذ المجموعة التجريبية في نتائج الاختبار ( القبلي – البعدي ) لمهارات التفكير البصري . لا يوجد فرق ذو دلالة إحصائية عند مستوى دلالة (05, 0) بين متوسطي درجات تلاميذ المجموعة الضابطة في نتائج الاختبار ( القبلي – البعدي ) لمهارات التفكير البصري . اقتصر البحث على عينة من تلاميذ الصف الخامس الابتدائي ، في مدرسة (الهادي عليه السلام الابتدائية المختلطة ) التابعة لمديرية تربية بغداد / الرصافة الثالثة . اختارت الباحثة شعبتين عشوائيتين بلغ عدد تلاميذها (67) تلميذا وتلميذة ، وبعد الاستبعاد الإحصائي مثلت الشعبة (أ) المجموعة الضابطة إذ بلغ حجمها (31) تلميذا وتلميذة والتي درست على وفق الطريقة الاعتيادية ، في حين مثلت الشبعة (ب) المجموعة التجريبية إذ بلغ حجمها (31) تلميذا وتلميذة والتي درست على وفق استراتيجية المتشابهات. كافأت الباحثة مجموعتي البحث بمتغيرات (العمر الزمني، التحصيل السابق في مادة الرياضيات، المستوى الدراسي للوالدين ، التفكير البصري)، طبق اختبار التفكير البصري " قبليا" على عينتي البحث، وبعد استخراج النتائج ، باشرت الباحثة تدريس المجموعتين (التجريبية والضابطة)، طبقت بعدها اختبار التفكير البصري. واعتمدت الباحثة الوسائل الإحصائية (t-test لعينتين مترابطتين وعينة واحدة ، معامل ارتباط بيرسون) . أما أهم النتائج التي توصل اليها هذا البحث فكانت :- يوجد فرق ذو دلالة احصائية عند مستوى ( 05, 0) بين متوسطي درجات تلاميذ المجموعة التجريبية الذين سيدرسون على وفق استراتيجية المتشابهات ودرجات تلاميذ المجموعة الضابطة الذين سيدرسون على وفق الطريقة الاعتيادية في اختبار مهارات التفكير البصري . يوجد فرق ذو دلالة إحصائية عند مستوى دلالة (05, 0) بين متوسطي درجات تلاميذ المجموعة التجريبية في نتائج الاختبار ( القبلي – البعدي ) لمهارات التفكير البصري . لا يوجد فرق ذو دلالة إحصائية عند مستوى دلالة (05, 0) بين متوسطي درجات تلاميذ المجموعة الضابطة في نتائج الاختبار ( القبلي – البعدي ) لمهارات التفكير البصري .
Applied behavior analysis as a development tool: Examples from agroforestry

Applied behavior analysis can be used by development practitioners to improve the design and implementation of development programs. Programs are most successful when the goals and consequences of ...
The Observer as an Instrument in Qualitative Community Studies

Une etude qualitative du leadership dans les communautes noires locales a ete realisee par un chercheur indien dans le Cleveland dans les annees 1960-70. L'A. rapporte les conditions et la methodologie de realisation de l'etude. Utilisant l'observation participante, les entretiens, les documents publies ou non, l'A. developpe 10 propositions sur le leadership organisationnel et electoral dans les communautes noires.
Physician deaths from COVID-19 have been lower than expected.

Background More than 100 US physicians have died from COVID-19. I considered the number of US physician deaths in comparison to the expected COVID death rate in the general population. Aims To estimate the whether US physicians are at increased risk of death from COVID-19 due to occupational exposures. Methods COVID-related physician deaths were identified through searches using Medscape In Memoriam, and multiple internet searches using Google and Facebook. An obituary or death notice was obtained in all but one case. Death rates among physicians were compared to the expected rate based on COVID deaths in the US population. Results Up to 7 October 2020, there were 108 deaths among US physicians. Physicians make up about 0.33% of the US population. By 1 October 2020, there were 210 000 COVID deaths in the US population with 693 expected physician deaths. Observed deaths were 16% of expected. Seventy-five per cent of the deaths occurred among physicians older than age 60 and about half appeared to be among those retired from clinical practice. Conclusions Observed physician deaths were significantly below expected based on deaths the general population. Prudent use of personal protective equipment may explain the lower-than-expected death rates.
High Fidelity Rapid Modeling of Hybrid Rotor PM Machines using Equivalent Machine Model

Machines that use a combination of rotor types, i.e., hybrid rotor machines, have additional degrees of freedom with rotor combinations and are shown to produce a wide array of operating characteristics with minimal design changes. However, the axial asymmetric nature of the hybrid rotor PM machines requires 3D finite element analysis (FEA) based modeling approach, which is time-consuming and computationally expensive despite the use of rotational and axial symmetry to reduce model size. This article aims to develop a faster analysis method that combines 2D FEA models with an analytical equivalent machine model of the hybrid rotor PMSM. The proposed analysis method is compared with 3D FEA to verify the accuracy and will be shown to significantly reduce the computation time while maintaining high fidelity.
Speech-Language Pathologists' Experiences With Interpreters in the School Setting: A Preliminary Study

Purpose The purpose of this exploratory study was to obtain documentation about interpretive interactions that include speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and interpreters in public schools, includ...
The Epistemological Significance and Implications of Belief Polarization

A principal assumption in the epistemology of disagreement is that we, as rational subjects, assess evidence neutrally in order to justify our beliefs. However, the existence of the phenomenon of Belief Polarization threatens the validity of this basis. Since its introduction into philosophical discussion in Thomas Kelly’s paper titled, Disagreement, Dogmatism, and Belief Polarization, the phenomenon of Belief Polarization has been thoughtlessly overlooked. Given serious consideration, there seem to be widespread epistemological implications due to the existence of Belief Polarization. Specifically, Belief Polarization brings to light significant claims about the nature of justification and belief forming processes, specifically concerning evidence gathering. As this paper will argue, given awareness of Belief Polarization, rational subjects should be less confident in their justification of belief forming processes. In other words, rational subjects should not be fully confident in the objectively based truth-value of their beliefs.
Affective modeling in behavioral simulations: experience and implementations

Recent studies have convincingly demonstrated the critical role of affect in human cognitive development and expression, supporting the case for incorporating affective representation into behavioral simulations for artificial intelligence. Music provides a powerful and concise mechanism for evoking and indeed representing emotions, and thus studying the ways in which music represents affect can provide insights into computer representations. That music can be understood as a multidimensional structure leads to the consideration of systemic grammars for this representation. A systemic grammar of emotions is presented which has proven effective as the basis for a concrete – and marketable – implementation of behavioral simulations for virtual characters, by allowing the system to parse interactions between characters into representations of emotional states, and using the attributes of those determined states as determinants of subsequent behavior.
Liver Abscess Caused by Haemophilus paraphrohaemolyticus

Haemophilus paraphrohaemolyticus was isolated in pure culture from a liver abscess in a 73-year-old man.
Data Quality and Energy Management Tradeoffs in Sensor Service Clouds

Cloud-based sensor data collection services are becoming an essential part of the Internet of Things (IoT). As the consumer demand grows for these services, the data quality (DQ) of the stream becomes an increasingly vital issue. Of particular interest is the inherent tradeoff between the DQ and the energy consumption of the sensor. Unfortunately, there has been very little research on the management of this tradeoff that allows data consumers to receive high quality data while simultaneously conserving energy. Our work seeks to explore this tradeoff in detail by combining DQ services for the data stream consumer with customizable energy efficient "EE" throttling algorithms for the data feed producers. These energy management services provide cost reduction rewards for consumers who would otherwise make poor DQ/EE decisions. Our primary contributions include cloud-based services for monitoring the tradeoff, an architecture that adjusts to DQ needs and a producer/consumer data stream best matching cloud service. We envision that our services architecture will reward energy efficiency decisions and profoundly affect consumer choices.
Enteral paracetamol or Intravenous Indomethacin for Closure of Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Preterm Neonates: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

To compare the efficacy of enteral paracetamol and intravenous indomethacin for closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in preterm neonates. Randomized controlled trial. Level III neonatal intensive care unit. 77 preterm neonates with birth weight ≤1500 g and PDA size ≥1.5 mm, with left to right ductal flow with left atrium to aortic root ratio >1.5:1; diagnosed by 2D-Echo within first 48 hours of life. Paracetamol drops through the infant feeding tube (15mg/kg/dose 6 hourly for 7 days) or intravenous indomethacin (0.2 mg/kg/dose once daily for 3 days). Primary: PDA closure rate assessed by echocardiography. Secondary: need for surgical closure of PDA, renal impairment, gastrointestinal bleed, necrotising enterocolitis, hepatotoxicity, pulmonary hemorrhage, sepsis, hypothermia, retinopathy of prematurity, intraventricular hemorrhage, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and mortality. PDA closure rate was 100% (36/36) in enteral paracetamol group as compared to 94.6% (35/37) in intravenous indomethacin group (P=0.13). The secondary outcomes were also similar between the two groups. There was no occurrence of hepatotoxicity. Enteral paracetamol is safe but not superior to intravenous indomethacin in the treatment of PDA in preterm neonates.
Spatial scaling of temporal changes in avian communities

Aim Biodiversity patterns and the mechanisms driving these patterns are inherently scale dependent. Studies investigating biodiversity scaling have focused mostly on evaluating community turnover without taking into consideration its underlying processes of local extinction (hereafter, extinction) and colonization. Our goal was to evaluate the spatial scaling of change in avian assemblages through time and identify environmental drivers of community-wide dynamics across a range of spatial scales, with a focus on extinction and colonization. Location New York State. Methods We analysed community dissimilarity, temporal turnover, extinction and colonization as measures of temporal change in avian communities at five spatial resolutions (5 × 5, 10 × 10, 20 × 20, 40 × 40 and 80 km × 80 km). We evaluated the relationships between community change and change in climatic conditions, landscape fragmentation and elevation at each spatial grain using Bayesian spatially varying intercept models. Results We found that the decline in colonization with increasing spatial scale was less steep than the decline in community dissimilarity, temporal turnover or extinction. We also found that the importance of environmental drivers to community change was dependent on both scale and metric, though we did not find optimal spatial scales at which either landscape or climatic processes consistently drove patterns of community change. Landscape characteristics were the most important correlate of extinction at all spatial scales, while colonization was not predicted well by any of the environmental factors. Main conclusions The slower decline in colonization across spatial grains is probably a consequence of the high mobility and dispersal abilities of birds. We further conclude that the two processes underlying community change – extinction and colonization – are driven by different factors. Landscape characteristics strongly affect the rates of extinctions in avian communities. On the contrary, patterns of colonization are likely to be a result of intrinsic characteristics of birds – specifically, high dispersal ability – that allow them to colonize new sites, regardless of the environmental context.
Should ageism be a stratification factor in patients with pancreatic cancer

With ageism being a trend worldwide, and age being a known risk factor for pancreatic cancer, the optimal management of pancreatic cancer patients with advance age is becoming more and more of a pertinent discussion amongst GI oncologists, surgical oncologists and radiation oncologists that is being increasingly addressed in studies nowadays. In an attempt to answer the question of whether age should be a cultural bias in decision making in pancreatic cancer patients, we will review Abstracts #287, #310 and #332 that were presented in the 2014 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. These abstracts explore whether neoadjuvant therapy should be offered to patients older than 75 years to increase the chances of bridging to surgical resectability (Abstract #287), if patients older than age 70 years would benefit from chemotherapy similar to younger patients (Abstract #310), also whether adjuvant radiation therapy and number of lymph nodes resected in patients older than 70 years correlates with overall survival (Abstract #332). Image: Tufts University. Boston, MA, USA
Hepatocellular Carcinoma Masquerading as a Large Renal Mass with Hepatic Invasion

Large masses are evaluated with imaging to assess primary origin and tumor spread. We present the unusual case of a 53-year-old male with a 17-cm right upper quadrant mass suspected to be renal or adrenal in origin based on radiographic findings. After surgical excision, the mass was subsequently discovered to be primary hepatocellular carcinoma with direct extension to the kidney and adrenal gland. A diagnosis of chronic hepatitis B was made postoperatively. Primary hepatocellular carcinoma with direct renal extension is an exceedingly rare occurrence based on our experience and review of the published literature.
Solubility of benzyl methacrylate/methacrylic acid copolymers in carbon dioxide-expanded acetone and correlation with the PC-SAFT equation of state

Abstract The high-pressure solid–liquid–vapor phase behavior of ternary systems comprising CO 2 , acetone, and benzyl methacrylate (BzMA)/methacrylic acid (MAA) copolymers has been probed experimentally and modeled with the PC-SAFT equation of state. Precipitation of BzMA/MAA copolymers required a larger overall CO 2 mole fraction – and a correspondingly higher system pressure – in dilute solutions; however, a minimum in the precipitation pressure was observed for all copolymer compositions and temperatures near a CO 2 -free copolymer mass fraction of 0.05. These systems were characterized by a rapid reduction in copolymer solubility over a relatively narrow range of pressure (between 1.48 MPa and 2.86 MPa). The precipitation pressure increased with increasing temperature and BzMA mass fraction (per copolymer mass unit). The PC-SAFT EOS was successfully used to correlate the phase behavior data using binary interaction parameters with linear temperature dependence. The average relative error associated with the calculated precipitation pressure for each copolymer was 4.1% over the range of temperature and composition examined. Liquid phase carbon dioxide mole fraction was calculated to monotonically increase with increasing solid precipitation pressure, implying that carbon dioxide does not act as an antisolvent at higher (>5 wt%) copolymer fractions.
Synoptic Scale Moisture Variation over the Tropical Pacific Ocean

Abstract Moisture observing capability is surveyed over the tropical northeast Pacific Ocean. Data are taken from late January 1979 during FGGE. Emphasis is on diagnosis of synoptic scale systems in data sparse areas. The capabilities and limitations of five observing systems are examined: surface observations, satellite cloud imagery, radio- and dropsondes, satellite individual channel brightness temperatures, and model analysis from the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts. Both qualitative and quantitative intercomparisons are made. Surface observations carry almost insignificant moisture information over the tropical oceans. The capability of GOES imagery is well known; however, clouds mask important moisture structure and do not always define moisture patterns well, even at cloud level. Soundings were adequate for synoptic diagnosis, ifthere were enough of them; however, FGGE dropsondes were limited in detail. Satellite channel data provide thorough coverage and show some detail even in...
The geometry of the super KP flows

A supersymmetric generalization of the Krichever map is used to construct algebro-geometric solutions to the various super Kadomtsev-Petviashvili (SKP) hierarchies. The geometric data required consist of a suitable algebraic supercurve of genusg (generallynot a super Riemann surface) with a distinguished point and local coordinates (z, θ) there, and a generic line bundle of degreeg−1 with a local trivialization near the point. The resulting solutions to the Manin-Radul SKP system describe coupled deformations of the line bundle and the supercurve itself, in contrast to the ordinary KP system which deforms line bundles but not curves. Two new SKP systems are introduced: an integrable “Jacobian” system whose solutions describe genuine Jacobian flows, deforming the bundle but not the curve; and a nonintegrable “maximal” system describing independent deformations of bundle and curve. The Kac-van de Leur SKP system describes the same deformations as the maximal system, but in a different parametrization.