cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-Dose Chemotherapy With Autologous Stem-Cell Rescue in Children and Adults With Newly Diagnosed Pineoblastomas

Purpose: We evaluated the usefulness of a treatment regimen that included high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with autologous stem-cell rescue (ASCR) in patients with newly diagnosed pineoblastoma (PBL). Patients and Methods: Twelve patients with PBL were initially treated with surgery and induction chemotherapy. All but two patients underwent radiotherapy. Subsequently, all patients received HDC using cyclophosphamide (CTX) + melphalan (MEL) or busulfan (Bu) + MEL regimens and ASCR. Results: A total of six children and six adults with median ages of 4.2 (range, 0.3 to 19.8 years) and 23 years (range, 23 to 43.7 years), respectively, were treated according to this strategy. Four patients had metastatic disease confined to the neuraxis. Five of 12 patients (42%) had a complete tumor resection at diagnosis. Ten patients received radiotherapy at median doses of 36.0 and 59.4 Gy to the neuraxis and pineal region, respectively. Eleven patients received HDC with CTX + MEL, and one patient received BU + MEL followed by...
Inhibition of the mitochondrial permeability transition by protein kinase A in rat liver mitochondria and hepatocytes

NO and cGMP administered at reperfusion after ischaemia prevent injury to hepatocytes mediated by the MPT (mitochondrial permeability transition). To characterize further the mechanism of protection, the ability of hepatic cytosol in combination with cyclic nucleotides to delay onset of the calcium-induced MPT was evaluated in isolated rat liver mitochondria. Liver cytosol plus cGMP or cAMP dose-dependently inhibited the MPT, required ATP hydrolysis for inhibition and did not inhibit mitochondrial calcium uptake. Specific peptide inhibitors for PKA (protein kinase A), but not PKG (protein kinase G), abolished cytosol-induced inhibition of MPT onset. Activity assays showed a cGMP- and cAMP-stimulated protein kinase activity in liver cytosol that was completely inhibited by PKI, a PKA peptide inhibitor. Size-exclusion chromatography of liver cytosol produced a single peak of cGMP/cAMP-stimulated kinase activity with an estimated protein size of 180–220 kDa. This fraction was PKI-sensitive and delayed onset of the MPT. Incubation of active catalytic PKA subunit directly with mitochondria in the absence of cytosol and cyclic nucleotide also delayed MPT onset, and incubation with purified outer membranes led to phosphorylation of a major 31 kDa band. After ischaemia, administration at reperfusion of membrane-permeant cAMPs and cAMP-mobilizing glucagon prevented reperfusion injury to hepatocytes. In conclusion, PKA in liver cytosol activated by cGMP or cAMP acts directly on mitochondria to delay onset of the MPT and protect hepatocytes from cell death after ischaemia/reperfusion.
Veterans Administration support for medical research: opinions of the endangered species of physician-scientists.

Over the past three decades the Veterans Affairs (VA) Research program has evolved into a powerful, peer-reviewed funding mechanism for basic and translational research that has resulted in numerous important contributions to medical science and improvements in patient care. Continuity in VA Merit Review funding has fostered and nurtured the scientific careers of a large number of physician-scientists who have remained devoted to the mission of performing creative and innovative research that affects the patient care mission of the VA. VA medical research policies have undergone a major overhaul in the past year. Although many of these changes (de-emphasizing bench research and revamping the peer review process) have recently been reversed, the future direction of VA research remains in flux. The goal of this manuscript is to demonstrate the importance of the Merit Review medical research funding mechanism not just to the VA, but to the entire nation’s health care system. To achieve this goal, the opinion...
Occurrence of Antibody in Human Vaginal Mucus.

Summary and conclusionsUsing typhoid vaccine, soluble typhoid bacillus antigen, and specific agglutinin as a model antigen-antibody system, it has been possible to demonstrate the occurrence of specific antibody in human vaginal mucus as a consequence of active immunization. Vaginal antibody was produced in response to either parenteral or locally applied antigen and the response to the latter kind of antigenic stimulus was superior to that of the former. Vaginal agglutinin appeared earlier than serum antibody, reached a peak slightly sooner, and disappeared in 7-8 weeks though serum antibody persisted, often in relatively high titer. Vaginal antibody response to primary and secondary inoculation appeared to be substantially the same, and was not affected by menstruation or intervening pregnancy.
Beware the tail that wags the dog: informal and formal models in biology

Informal models have always been used in biology to guide thinking and devise experiments. In recent years, formal mathematical models have also been widely introduced. It is sometimes suggested that formal models are inherently superior to informal ones and that biology should develop along the lines of physics or economics by replacing the latter with the former. Here I suggest to the contrary that progress in biology requires a better integration of the formal with the informal.
A synthesis of classical and adaptive control

In this paper we describe a new adaptive control algorithm which is specifically designed for for systems which are difficult to control. The models that we consider may exhibit nontrivial time variations; have significant delays; have nonminimum phase characteristics; and may be subject to measurement noise and plant disturbances. Our goal is to obtain robust control laws, and to simultaneously obtain good transient response and small steady state error. A two step procedure is taken. First, we design a linear controller which is based on some a priori knowledge of the plant. This controller incorporates predictions of future outputs which are obtained from online parameter estimates. It is argued that this makes the design of a robust controller easier than when predictions are not used. Secondly, the control law feeds back filtered estimates of the disturbance process, which are also obtained from the parameter estimator online. An optimal design technique is used to design an appropriate filter, thereby tuning the disturbance response of the closed loop system. A robotic welder at the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory in Champaign, Illinois is currently being used as a test bed for these theoretical results. Observations are described and future work is discussed. >
Throughput maximization with buffer constraints in broadband OFDMA networks

The paper presents a radio resource allocation scheme for OFDMA-based wireless broadband networks. The problem of maximizing the base-station packet throughput subject to individual users' outage probability constraints is formulated. The proposed algorithm assumes a finite buffer for the arrival packets and allocates the radio resource based on users' channel characteristics and traffic patterns. By performing the radio resource allocation in two steps, namely bandwidth allocation and channel assignment, admission control is realized with low complexity. Simulations show that the algorithm yields significant lower outage probability and higher throughput compared to existing multiple access methods.
Host plant and temperature effects on Lysiphlebus testaceipes (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae), a native parasitoid of the exotic brown citrus aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae)

Abstract The brown citrus aphid, Toxoptera citricida (Kirkaldy), is an exotic pest of citrus in the United States that was introduced into Florida in 1995. The native parasitoid Lysiphlebus testaceipes (Cresson) has demonstrated acceptance of the brown citrus aphid as a host. This experiment evaluated the effect of citrus host plants on brown citrus aphid parasitism by L. testaceipes, and the effect of temperature on development of the parasitoid. The levels of parasitism achieved by L. testaceipes were similar among brown citrus aphid populations on five citrus cultivars used as host plants for the aphids (range 34–36%). The percentage of adult parasitoid emergence was highest on ‘Duncan grapefruit’ (82%) and significantly lower on ‘Mexican lime’ (63%) than on any of the other citrus cultivars. The proportion of adults that were female was significantly higher on ‘Duncan grapefruit’ (81%) than on any of the other cultivars. The results demonstrate that the effects of multiple trophic levels can influence...
Rethinking Classical Liberalism in 'Progressive' Times: The Divergent Sociologies of Spencer and Sumner

This paper explores classical liberal disillusionment via two figures: Herbert Spencer and William Graham Sumner. As self-avowed sociologists both made their theories of social change explicit, and thus offer an excellent opportunity to analyze how the disillusionment of classical liberalism was = like all shifts in nineteenth-century liberalism = intertwined with visions of the past, present, and future of social change. In comparing these figures I also suggest the limits of recurrent portrayals of Sumner as an American Spencerian. Crucial differences between Spencer and Sumner came to the fore in their responses to the late-nineteenth century. While reacting in light of a shared background in classical liberalism, each sociologist worked out the theoretical consequences of disillusionment in divergent ways. In his later works Spencer retained his initial mid-century confidence that the endpoint of progress is a social order with minimal government by postponing realization of this ideal to a more distant future and opening up the present as a target for cutting critique. Sumner by contrast put aside belief in progress as he forged a “science of society” from the perspective of which such a belief was only a myth unable, at the dawn of the twentieth century, even to claim the redeeming feature of being socially useful.
Quantitative Protein Profiling by Mass Spectrometry Using Label-Free Proteomics

"Gel-free," or mass spectrometry (MS)-based, proteomics techniques are emerging as the methods of choice for quantitatively comparing proteins levels among biological proteomes, since they are more sensitive and reproducible than two dimensional gel (2-DE)-based methods. Currently, the MS-based methods utilize mainly stable isotope labels (e.g., ICAT, iTRAQ) that enable easy identification of differentially expressed proteins in two or more samples. "Label-free" MS-based methods would alleviate several limitations of the labeling methods, provided that relative quantitative profiling of proteins among multiple MS runs is achievable. However, comparisons of multiple MS runs of highly complex biological samples are very challenging and time consuming. To alleviate this problem, several laboratories and MS vendors have developed software for computer-assisted comparisons of multiple label-free MS runs to allow profiling of differentially expressed proteins. In this chapter, we describe the use of custom-developed MatchRx software in quantitative comparison of multiple label-free MS runs. We also describe details of sample preparation, fractionation, statistical analysis, and protein database searching for label-free comparative quantitative proteomics, as well as the application of a "targeted" MS approach, which includes quantification of the samples using MS followed by selective identification of only the differentially expressed peptides using tandem MS (MS/MS).
Strain-based fatigue data for Ti–6Al–4V ELI under fully-reversed and mean strain loads

This article presents the experimental data supporting the study to obtain the mean strain/stress effects on the fatigue behavior of Ti-6Al-4V ELI. A series of strain-controlled fatigue experiments on Ti-6Al-4V ELI were performed at four strain ratios (-1, -0.5, 0, and 0.5). Two types of data are included for each specimen. These are the hysteresis stress-strain responses for the cycle in a log10 increment, and the maximum and minimum stress-strain responses for each cycle. Fatigue lives are also reported for all the experiments.
Visiting near-optimal solutions using local search algorithms

This paper presents results on the analysis of local search algorithms to visit near-optimal solutions. The β-acceptable solution probability is used to capture how effectively an algorithm has performed to date and how effectively an algorithm can be expected to perform in the future. An estimator for the expected number of iterations for local search algorithm to visit a β-acceptable solution is obtained. Computational experiments are reported with a modified simulated annealing algorithm applied to four small travelling salesman problem instances with known optimal solutions.
An Ultrastructural Basis for the Shape Changes Induced in Platelets by Chilling

Blood platelets normally circulate in the form of flat discs. Under conditions which promote aggregation, platelets transform from discs to irregular spheres and become sticky. Exposure of platelets to low temperature for brief periods causes similar shape changes. The present study demonstrates that the alterations induced in platelets by chilling are related to disappearance of a marginal bundle of microtubules, which has recently been described in platelets. Rewarming platelets which have previously been chilled results in recovery of both the marginal band of tubules and platelet disc shape. Thus the bundle of microtubules in platelet hyaloplasm appears intimately associated with disc shape of unaltered cells. Factors which influence platelet shape changes may do so by acting on the supporting marginal band of microtubules.
Pension Plan Participation Continued to Rise in 2000 - What Next?

Using the 1993-2001 March Current Population Surveys, this article examines pension/ retirement plan participation among wage and salary workers ages 21-64 across various worker characteristics and the characteristics of the workers' employers. The number of salary workers ages 21-64 found to be participating in a pension or retirement plan through their employment reached 62.1 million in 2000, up 50.3 million in 1992. This represents 52.3 percent of the workers in 2000. Furthermore, the study discovered that much of the growth in pension and retirement plan participation during this time was from workers with historically low participation rates - workers of small employers and part-year workers.
HERDER'S PHANTOM PUBLIC

Some of Herder's most striking ideas stemmed from his early evaluation of German literary publicity, which to his mind stood in stark contrast to conditions in the sociable world. Such a predicament bespeaks the importance of considering the relationship between printed text and lived sociability in the Enlightenment. By charting the heady twists and turns in his intellectual development from 1765 to 1769, this essay treats the young Herder in what for him became an aesthetically charged field between the two. The “phantom” public which he came to envision would be manifest to the senses, at least to the extent that it might be “felt” by the reader of print, but it also amounted to a surrogate for the more tangibly sensual experience of face-to-face community.
An Improved Thunberg Technique for Bacterial Oxidations

Although more accurate methods of measuring redox potentials in connection with bacterial oxidations are now available,1,2 the Thunberg technique,3 which has been extended by Quastel4,5 and others, will no doubt continue to find wide application. It is especially useful where a large number of determinations are to be made, because of its greater simplicity and less time-consuming nature than the electrometric methods. At the same time, however, there are important sources of error. The purpose of this paper is to describe an improved method which either totally eliminates or greatly reduces the errors associated with the Thunberg technique as it has generally been used.In a recent critical study, Yudkin6,7 points out 6 factors which may interact to alter the reduction time of methylene blue by bacteria, when the suspension is evacuated and placed in a water bath. These are: (1) the temperature lag effect, (2) presence of residual oxygen, (3) gradual poisoning of the enzyme by methylene blue, (4) affinity...
Early events in the pupal-adult molt of Aedes triseriatus (Díptera: Culicidae): spatial and temporal considerations.

Early events in the pupal-adult molt of Aedes triseriatus (Say) were studied in serial paraffin sections. Four widely separated sites were examined in pupae of known hourly age post-larval-pupal ecdysis. Although early increase in epidermal cell volume was evident at two of the four sites, there was no evidence of increase in cell number, i.e., no mitotic figures were seen. In pupae reared at 27°C, molting fluid (taken as an indication of recent apolysis) first appeared at 10 h at the anterior-most site and at 12 h at the remaining three sites. Pupal cuticle increased in thickness up to 12 to 14 h and then decreased. Adult procuticle first appeared at 22 h at three sites and at 24 h at the remaining site. Pupal rearing temperature influenced timing of molting fluid secretion. Molting fluid appeared earliest (between 10 and 15 h) in pupae reared at 27 and 32°C, later (between 10 and 20 h) at 22 and 37°C, and latest (between 20 and 25 h) at 17°C.
Survival of the European Corn Borer on Opaque-2 Corn Hybrids and Their Normal Counterparts12

Survival of Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner) on 6 opaque-2 corn hybrids and their normal counterparts was compared by artificially infesting each plant with 3 egg masses and determining the number of corn borers present 2, 4, and 10 weeks after egg hatch. Borer survival was higher on opaque-2 hybrids at 2 and 4 weeks but not at 10 weeks, and the extent of tunneling was higher on opaque-2 hybrids at all 3 periods. An increased incidence of borers and tunnels was induced by biological changes caused by the opaque-2 gene other than the lysine concentration. The results will have practical significance, since opaque-2 hybrids may become widely used.
Microstructure and properties of hot rolled Mn-Ti steel under ultra fast cooling plus laminar cooling process

Microstructure and properties of a hot rolled Mn-Ti steel under ultra fast cooling plus laminar cooling process were investigated. The results show that yield and tensile strength of the steel increase first and then decrease with the increasing of ultra-fast cooling inlet temperature,and the yield and tensile strength of steel decrease first and then increase with the decreasing of laminar cooling outlet temperature. The yield strength,tensile strength and elongation of the steel are 675 MPa,737. 5 MPa and 20%,respectively,and good mechanical properties are obtained when the ultra-fast cooling inlet temperature,ultra fast cooling outlet temperature and laminar cooling outlet temperature are 830,699 and 620 ℃,respectively. The microstructure of the steel is mainly composed of ferrite and a large number of precipitates in the ferrite matrix,and the amount of precipitation strengthening is about 190 MPa. The strengthening of grain refinement and precipitation strengthening effectively improve the mechanical properties of the steel.
Craniosacral Outflow: The Four Cranial Parasympathetic Ganglia & Attendant Pathways

The human autonomic nervous system (ANS) comprises two major divisions – sympathetic and parasympathetic. The enteric division of the ANS, which provides automatic control of the gastrointestinal t...
Families, motivation, and reading: Pre-adolescent students and their reading motivation and family reading habits

Research indicates that reading motivation declines as elementary students grow older. This reading motivation is multi-faceted with a variety of influences. Additional research indicates that when families are involved with students’ reading as well as with school activities, students can reap positive academic benefits. Involving families in reading, however, declines as students progress to the upper elementary and pre-adolescent years. There is a lack of research concerning family involvement in reading with pre-adolescent students, particularly in regard to the effect of family involvement on reading motivation. The purpose of this study was to determine the reading motivation and family reading habits of sixth grade students at Prairie Elementary School (pseudonym) during the 20072008 school year. Throughout the school year, 36 families participated in a control group that completed the regular district independent reading curriculum. Additionally 34 families took part in an experimental group that completed the 15 independent reading homework assignments as family homework. A survey was utilized at the beginning and end of the study to measure students’ reading motivation as well as family reading habits in both the control and experimental groups. The results of the research study indicate that family involvement homework tasks do affect specific family reading habits of older students. Particularly, those students and families who took part in the family homework tasks reported an increase in mean response scores given for how often they read together. In contrast, students and families of the control group all reported a decrease in mean response scores from pretest to posttest for how often they read together. The study did not, however, find a difference in reading motivation for either the control or the experimental group of students.
River Activism, “Levees-Only” and the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927

This article investigates media coverage of 19th and early 20th century river activism and its effect on federal policy to control the Mississippi River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ “levees-only” policy—which joined disparate navigation and flood control interests—is largely blamed for the Great Flood of 1927, called the largest peacetime disaster in American history. River activists organized annual conventions, and later, professional lobbies organized media campaigns up and down the Mississippi River to sway public opinion and pressure Congress to fund flood control and river navigation projects. Annual river conventions drew thousands of delegates such as plantation owners, shippers, bankers, chambers of commerce, governors, congressmen, mayors and cabinet members with interests on the Mississippi River. Public pressure on Congress successfully captured millions of federal dollars to protect property, drain swamps for development, subsidize local levee districts and influence river policy.
Visual Disability in the Elderly: Implications for Visual Rehabilitation

When visual system disorders result in bilateral visual impairments, patients have difficulty performing their customary activities and experience a diminished quality of life (West et al. 2002). Visual impairments increase patients’ risk of falling (Ivers et al. 1998), injury (Salive et al. 1994), poor general health (Crews and Campbell 2001), depression (Casten et al. 2004), and even death (Pedula et al. 2006). Activity-limiting chronic visual impairments, collectively called “low vision,” most often are caused by age-related visual system disorders, with age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and cataract leading the list (Congdon et al. 2004). Some visual system disorders, such as diabetic retinopathy, are manifestations of more general disorders that frequently produce co-disabilities. But most low vision patients are elderly, so comorbidities and co-disabilities from diseases unrelated to their visual system disorders are common (Ahmadian and Massof 2008). Thus, for a large portion of the low vision population, activity limitations from visual impairments are superimposed on and worsen activity limitations from comorbidities (Langelaan et al. 2009).
PHOSPHOFRUCTOKINASE FROM RABBIT MUSCLE

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a procedure for isolating phosphofructokinase from rabbit muscle. In the procedure, the extract of rabbit muscle was brought to a 10% concentration of isopropanol at 40°C. The muscle from one rabbit gave about 350 mg of the purified enzyme in a yield of 60%. Dilution and dialysis led to inactivation because of dissociation of the enzyme. Several compounds prevent this inactivation or even restore activity to the inactive protein. This interconversion of active and inactive forms is extremely interesting and is exploited in the isolation procedure. The extraction with dilute potassium hydroxide by the old procedure of Taylor gave a stable extract but a much lower yield of enzyme than could be obtained by extraction with phosphate buffer. There is no evidence for the enzyme being phosphorylated during the reactivation process.
Cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts exhibit differential sensitivity to apoptosis-inducing stimuli

Cell death in the cardiovascular system by apoptosis has received considerable attention in recent years. Cardiac and vascular cell death by apoptosis is not only a feature of embryologic and neonatal development, but can be elicited by a variety of diverse stimuli (Table I) and has been linked to virtually every major cardiovascular disease or disorder (Table II). In many of these disorders, particularly those leading to chronic heart failure, myocyte cell death/loss is usually accompanied by an increase in fibrous tissue content (1). Excessive fibrosis in the presence of myocyte loss has been advocated as a basis for impaired myocardial function in these disease states. The spontaneous hypertensive rat presents a clear example of the imbalance that exists as heart failure evolves (2). In this experimental model, increased cardiac myocyte apoptosis (Figure 1C) can be linked to the reduction in myocyte fractional mass (Figure 1A) as the hearts progress to failure. During this same time, there is a substantial increase in the fibrotic fractional area of the heart (Figure IB).
A Test Utilization Approach to the Diagnostic Workup of Isolated Eosinophilia in Otherwise Morphologically Unremarkable Bone Marrow: A Single Institutional Experience.

Objectives Determine ancillary test utilization for the workup of isolated eosinophilia in otherwise morphologically unremarkable bone marrow (BM). Methods We evaluated BM ancillary testing performed in cases with isolated eosinophilia and otherwise morphologically unremarkable BM. Cases with abnormal morphology (eg, dysplasia, basophilia) and/or findings suggestive of a disorder (eg, unexplained thromboses, lymphoma) are specifically excluded. Results A total of 132 cases met inclusion criteria. Ten cases had an ancillary testing abnormality that warranted a more specific hematologic diagnosis: four cases of lymphocytic variant of hypereosinophilic syndrome, three cases of myeloid neoplasm with PDGFRA rearrangement, and one case each of myeloid neoplasm with PDGFRB rearrangement, chronic eosinophilic leukemia, and morphologically occult systemic mastocytosis. No cases revealed a cryptic PDGFRB or BCR/ABL1 rearrangement or JAK2 V617F mutation. Conclusions Findings from our institutional experience support initial testing in isolated eosinophilia with otherwise unremarkable BM to include PDGFRA rearrangement, tryptase/CD25 immunohistochemistry, cytogenetics, and T-cell flow cytometry/receptor gene rearrangement. This approach achieves diagnostic quality and test utilization efficiency in our clinical practice.
Flux: Insights into the Social Aspects of Life Transitions

Life transitions are often conceptualized and studied as individual experiences. But in reality, transitions are rarely individual: they are relational. We offer a set of insights into the social aspects of transitions. Transitions are experienced with and alongside others in states of interdependence. Family and other relationships can be key sources of support for transitions but also create risks. Changes in the transition patterns of cohorts are fertile ground for intergenerational tension in families and societies. Much of the action relevant to understanding life transitions is also found in the mind, in processes related to inequality, and in invisible forces related to history, demography, and institutions. Illustrations reinforce the principle that to understand the personal, we must look beyond the personal. Because transitions have strong social aspects, they can be strengthened through interventions, institutions, and policies.
Nonmalignant Pain Symptom Subgroups in Nursing Home Residents.

Abstract Context Despite many nursing home residents experiencing pain, research about the multidimensional nature of nonmalignant pain in these residents is scant. Objectives To identify and describe pain symptom subgroups and to evaluate whether subgroups differed by sex. Methods Using Minimum Data Set 3.0 data (2011-2012), we identified newly admitted nursing home residents reporting pain (n = 119,379). A latent class analysis included 13 indicators: markers for pain (i.e., severity, frequency, impacts sleep, and function) and depressive symptoms. Sex was evaluated as a grouping variable. Multinomial logistic models identified the association between latent class membership and covariates, including age and cognitive impairment. Results Four latent subgroups were identified: severe (15.2%), moderate frequent (26.4%), moderate occasional with depressive symptoms (26.4%), and moderate occasional without depressive symptoms (32.0%). Measurement invariance by sex was ruled out. Depressed mood, sleep disturbances, and fatigue distinguished subgroups. Age ≥75 years was inversely associated with belonging to the severe, moderate frequent, or moderate occasional with depressive symptoms subgroups. Residents with severe cognitive impairment had reduced odds of membership in the severe pain subgroup (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.78-0.90) and moderate frequent pain subgroup (aOR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.56-0.64) but increased odds in the moderate occasional pain with depressive symptoms subgroup (aOR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.06-1.18). Conclusion Identifying subgroups of residents with different patterns of pain and depressive symptoms highlights the need to consider physical and psychological components of pain. Expanding knowledge about pain symptom subgroups may provide a promising avenue to improve pain management in nursing home residents.
JAMAevidence: An Instructional Resource for Evidence-Based Medicine

JAMAevidence provides three textbooks offering guidance on identifying and applying the best available evidence from the medical literature across a variety of clinical contexts and situations. The database also features educational tools associated with these textbooks instructors can implement when teaching the key concepts behind evidence-based medicine (EBM). These tools include ready-made PowerPoint presentations, calculators geared toward clinical use, and an A-Z glossary of EBM terms. This article describes the history of the JAMAevidence database, the content included in it, a sample search, and recommendations for best use.
Judges' perceptions of violence risk among defendants with mental illness

Objective: We examined the extent to which judges’ personal or family history with psychiatric disorders influenced their perception of violence risk among criminal defendants diagnosed with/withou...
Coincidence Avoidance and Formulating the Access Problem

In this article, I discuss a trivialization worry for Hartry Field’s official formulation of the access problem for mathematical realists, which was pointed out by Oystein Linnebo (and has recently been made much of by Justin Clarke-Doane). I argue that various attempted reformulations of the Benacerraf problem fail to block trivialization, but that access worriers can better defend themselves by sticking closer to Hartry Field’s initial informal characterization of the access problem in terms of (something like) general epistemic norms of coincidence avoidance.
Literature Review and Implementation Overview: High Performance Computing with Graphics Processing Units for Classroom and Research Use

In this report, I discuss the history and current state of GPU HPC systems. Although high-power GPUs have only existed a short time, they have found rapid adoption in deep learning applications. I also discuss an implementation of a commodity-hardware NVIDIA GPU HPC cluster for deep learning research and academic teaching use.
The Myth of Presidential Representation

The Myth of Presidential Representation evaluates the nature of American presidential representation, examining the strongly embedded belief – held by the country's founders, as well as current American political culture and social science theory – that presidents should represent the community at large. Citizens expect presidents to reflect prevailing public sentiment and compromise in the national interest. Social scientists express these same ideas through theoretical models depicting presidential behavior as driven by centrism and issue stances adhering to the median voter. Yet partisanship seems to be a dominant theme of modern American politics. Do American presidents adhere to a centrist model of representation as envisioned by the founders? Or, do presidents typically attempt to lead the public toward their own more partisan positions? If so, how successful are they? What are the consequences of centrist versus partisan presidential representation? The Myth of Presidential Representation addresses these questions both theoretically and empirically.
Long-wave IR chemical sensing based on difference frequency generation in orientation-patterned GaAs

The combination of continuous-wave difference frequency generation based on quasi-phase-matched (QPM) gallium arsenide with cavity ring-down spectroscopy is explored for use in spectroscopic and chemical sensing applications. The advent of QPM materials based on orientation-patterned GaAs (OP-GaAs) offers a significant advantage over traditional ferroelectric QPM materials of extended wavelength coverage into the spectroscopically important 8–12 μm region. In this work, the outputs from two tunable, external cavity diode lasers covering the 1.3 μm and 1.5 μm telecom bands were amplified then mixed in an orientation-patterned GaAs crystal, producing several microwatts of tunable radiation in the 7–9 μm region. We also evaluate the use of a low-power DFG source for use in cavity ring-down spectroscopy.
Manifold learning analysis suggests strategies to align single-cell multimodal data of neuronal electrophysiology and transcriptomics.

Recent single-cell multimodal data reveal multi-scale characteristics of single cells, such as transcriptomics, morphology, and electrophysiology. However, integrating and analyzing such multimodal data to deeper understand functional genomics and gene regulation in various cellular characteristics remains elusive. To address this, we applied and benchmarked multiple machine learning methods to align gene expression and electrophysiological data of single neuronal cells in the mouse brain from the Brain Initiative. We found that nonlinear manifold learning outperforms other methods. After manifold alignment, the cells form clusters highly corresponding to transcriptomic and morphological cell types, suggesting a strong nonlinear relationship between gene expression and electrophysiology at the cell-type level. Also, the electrophysiological features are highly predictable by gene expression on the latent space from manifold alignment. The aligned cells further show continuous changes of electrophysiological features, implying cross-cluster gene expression transitions. Functional enrichment and gene regulatory network analyses for those cell clusters revealed potential genome functions and molecular mechanisms from gene expression to neuronal electrophysiology. Huang et al apply and benchmark multiple machine learning methods to align gene expression and electrophysiological data of single neuronal cells in the mouse brain from the Brain Initiative. Their approach reveals potential genome functions and gene regulatory mechanisms from gene expression to neuronal electrophysiology.
Surface Pressures and Heat Transfer on Unswept Blunt Plates in Helium at High Mach Numbers

Pressure distributions and local convective heat-transfer coefficients on a flat plate at zero angle of attack were measured in helium. Data were obtained with various amounts of leading-edge bluntness at Mach numbers of 12.5 and 14.7. The pressures on a sharp leading-edged plate were not influenced by the leading edge and were predicted by the first-order, hypersonic, weak-interaction theory. Pressures on blunt plates were correlated by introducing the leading-edge Reynolds number as a parameter. Measured heat-transfer coefficients on the sharp plate agreed with predictions obtained form existing exact solutions for hear transfer across the laminar boundary layer. For the blunt plates a comparison of theory with experiment indicated that more knowledge of the flow field between the sock wave and plate surface is necessary before an adequate prediction of convective heat transfer can be made. Shock-wave shapes for the blun plates at a Mach number 12.5 and zero angle of attack were measured. At distances between 2 and 60 leading-edge thicknesses from the shock vertex, the shock-wave shapes were found to be represented by a modified form of the blast-wave analogy.
Cost/Effort Drivers and Decision Analysis

Engineering trade study analyses demand consideration of performance, cost and schedule impacts across the spectrum of alternative concepts and in direct reference to product requirements. Prior to detailed design, requirements are too often ill-defined (only goals ) and prone to creep, extending well beyond the Systems Requirements Review. Though lack of engineering design and definitive requirements inhibit the ability to perform detailed cost analyses, affordability trades still comprise the foundation of these future product decisions and must evolve in concert. This presentation excerpts results of the recent NASA subsonic Engine Concept Study for an Advanced Single Aisle Transport to demonstrate an affordability evaluation of performance characteristics and the subsequent impacts on engine architecture decisions. Applying the Process Based Economic Analysis Tool (PBEAT), development cost, production cost, as well as operation and support costs were considered in a traditional weighted ranking of the following system-level figures of merit: mission fuel burn, take-off noise, NOx emissions, and cruise speed. Weighting factors were varied to ascertain the architecture ranking sensitivities to these performance figures of merit with companion cost considerations. A more detailed examination of supersonic variable cycle engine cost is also briefly presented, with observations and recommendations for further refinements.
Fairness Considerations and Alternative Policies

A method is presented whereby a water-resource planner can generate a range of alternative solutions to problems in the public sector. Different definitions of fairness based on legal and philosophical principles form the foundation of the method. These are: (1)Contractual agreement; (2)precedent; (3)the market system; (4)egalitarianism; and (5)equal treatment of equals and differential treatment of unequals. Alternative solutions to a sample problem dealing with regional phosphorus control are constructed with objectives of meeting a particular fairness definition. Thus, decision makers are able to organize their options as they meet the fairness requirements of the judiciary and the procedural mandates of Federal and state environmental policy acts.
Delineating the Boundaries of Marketing

Reviews briefly the scope of marketing, making the distinction between the definition of marketing and of marketing's domain. Discusses the popular notion of marketing, i.e. marketing is synonymous with selling. Presents an alternative perspective of the core of marketing — the Boundaries of Marketing Model — which it suggests is a useful guide for the delineation of marketing's boundaries. Reveals that the popular notion of marketing is inadequate and that the Boundaries of Marketing Model can guide managers as to what is within their scope.
Anger rumination as a mediator of the relationship between mindfulness and aggression: The utility of a multidimensional mindfulness model

OBJECTIVES: Mindfulness training reduces anger and aggression, but the mechanisms of these effects are unclear. Mindfulness may reduce anger expression and hostility via reductions in anger rumination, a process of thinking repetitively about angry episodes that increases anger. Previous research supports this theory but used measures of general rumination and assessed only the present-centered awareness component of mindfulness. The present study investigated associations between various aspects of mindfulness, anger rumination, and components of aggression. METHOD: The present study used self-report measures of these constructs in a cross-sectional sample of 823 students. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling revealed that anger rumination accounts for a significant component of the relationship between mindfulness and aggression, with the largest effect sizes demonstrated for the nonjudgment of inner experiences facet of mindfulness. CONCLUSION: Nonjudgment and present-centered awareness may influence aggression via reduced anger rumination. The importance of examining mindfulness as a multidimensional construct is discussed. Language: en
Turning GOLD into EPG: Lessons from Low-Tech Democratic Experimentalism for Electronic Rulemaking and Other Ventures in Cyberdemocracy

Empowered Participatory Governance, or EPG, is a model of governance developed by Archon Fung and Erik Olin Wright that seeks to connect a set of normative commitments for strengthening democracy with a set of institutional design prescriptions intended to meet that objective. It is derived partly from democratic theory and partly from the study of real-world attempts to institutionalize transformative strategies for democratizing social and political decision making. This paper reviews Fung and Wright's recent volume, Deepening Democracy: Institutional Innovations in Empowered Participatory Governance, and considers the relevance of the authors' and other contributors' insights for the future of a phenomenon called electronic rulemaking. Electronic rulemaking is a species of government on-line deliberation, which I call GOLD, that seeks to facilitate greater citizen involvement in the formal processes of elaborating administrative rules to implement federal law. Although the volume hardly mentions information and communications technologies at all, there readily appears an extraordinary fit between the capacities of new ICTs and the needs of EPG, in terms of both accomplishing a supportive context and actually implementing the recommended institutional designs. Whether electronic rulemaking will prove a significant way station towards EPG is uncertain, but, given the promise of the EPG experimental agenda and the need to enlarge opportunities for meaningful citizen participation in decisions that affect their lives, EPG proponents should give more active consideration to the potential role of GOLD initiatives in achieving EPG aims.
Book Review - James H. Read, 'Majority Rule Versus Consensus: The Political Thought of John C. Calhoun'

This review considers James H. Read's analysis of the political and constitutional thought of John C. Calhoun. It describes how Read links the thought of Calhoun to contemporary times by explaining how Arend Lijphart's concept of 'Consociational Democracy' is basically Calhounian in nature and how this 'updated' version of Calhounianism has exercised an influence around the world. Read is also seen as exposing Calhoun's contemporary influence via the views of President Clinton's nominee Lani Guinier whom he sees as essentailly espousing Calhounian principles. The review shows how Read concludes that we could do much worse in this day and age than to pay serious attention to the details of Calhoun's political philosophy. Read draws this conclusion given the significance of Calhoun's unique concept of freedom, his 'skepticism' about the ease with which democratic institutions can be made to work, and his belief that at bottom the only real solution to the problem of democracy lies in wise political leadership.
Caspase-8, RIPK1 and FADD regulate cell death and caspase-1 activation during yersinia infection (INM3P.438)

Programmed cell death is an evolutionarily conserved response to infection that can promote host defense or microbial virulence. Pathogens manipulate various immune signaling pathways through the activity of specific virulence factors that access the host cell cytosol. Cell death is a major consequence of infection with pathogenic Y. pseudotuberculosis and requires the effector YopJ, a potent inhibitor of NF-κB and MAPK signaling. However, the pathways that regulate cell death in response to Yersinia infection and the precise mechanism by which cell death mediates protective immunity are not well understood. We find a novel requirement for caspase-8, receptor interacting protein 1 (RIPK1) and Fas-associated protein with death domain (FADD) in Yersinia-induced cell death and pro-inflammatory caspase-1 activation. Moreover, mice deficient in caspase-8 were highly susceptible to Yersinia infection and were unable to sustain innate cytokine production. We hypothesize that activation of these pathways during Yersinia infection may induce specific pro-inflammatory signals that shape innate and adaptive responses and promote microbial clearance.
Discerning vibronic molecular dynamics using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy

Dynamic processes at the molecular level occur on ultrafast time scales and are often associated with structural as well as electronic changes. These can in principle be studied by time-resolved scattering1,2,3 and spectroscopic methods, respectively. In polyatomic molecules, however, excitation results in the rapid mixing of vibrational and electronic motions, which induces both charge redistribution and energy flow in the molecule4,5. This ‘vibronic’ or ‘non-adiabatic’ coupling is a key step in photochemical6 and photobiological processes7 and underlies many of the concepts of molecular electronics8, but it obscures the notion of distinct and readily observable vibrational and electronic states. Here we report time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy measurements that distinguish vibrational dynamics from the coupled electronic population dynamics, associated with the photo-induced internal conversion, in a linear unsaturated hydrocarbon chain. The vibrational resolution of our photoelectron spectra allows for a direct observation of the underlying nuclear dynamics, demonstrating that it is possible to obtain detailed insights into ultrafast non-adiabatic processes.
Quantum Mechanical Examination of Optical Absorption Spectra of Silver Nanorod Dimers

Time-dependent density functional theory calculations are employed to examine the optical absorption spectra of dimers of the pentagonal silver nanorods Ag19 +1, Ag25 +1, and Ag31 +1. The qualitative features of the spectra agree well with the exciton-coupling model and with previous experimental and theoretical results. In the end-to-end orientation, longitudinal peak red-shifts with decreasing distance. For side-by-side dimers, the transverse peak splits as the interparticle distance decreases due to symmetry-breaking, and the longitudinal peak blue-shifts slightly with decreasing distance. Quantum mechanical calculations are required for the calculation of absorption spectra at very short interparticle distances where the electron densities of the two subsystems overlap. At short distances, the energies and intensities of the monomer peaks change substantially and new excitation peaks emerge