cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Research and Development of FEA System for Four Bar Linkage Crane

The design of four bar linkage is the main work in designing portal crane frame.The universal FEA softwares can be used to finish the strength and fatigue analysis,meanwhile the total stability and local stability analysis are still completed by manual calculation,which is time-consuming and laborious poor reliability.So a FEM analysis system is developed for four bar linkage portal crane,modules are established to achieve many functions such as parameter modeling,fatigue and stability analysis and so on.The paper introduces the structure of the software system and the modules composition in details.A brief introduction of programming and modules function is given.
Alerting Infrastructure

Alerting Infrastructure! is a physical hit counter that translates hits to the web site of an organization into interior damage of the physical building that web site or organization represents. The focus of the piece is to amplify the concern that physical spaces are slowly losing ground to their virtual counterparts. The amount of structural damage to the building directly correlates to the amount of exposure and attention the web site gets, thus exposing the physical structure's temporal existence.
Isolation of oligomers of 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid from the eye of the catfish

The reflecting material of the tapetum lucidum of the sea catfish (Arius felis) was chromatographed on Sephadex LH-20 in methanol–dimethyl sulphoxide–formic acid. Two components were present: one, showing an absorption maximum at 330nm, was tapetal pigment; the other, at 257nm, was an associated nucleoside. The tapetal pigment was extracted in methanol–HCl and isolated by adsorption chromatography on Sephadex LH-20. It yielded a methoxy methyl ester on treatment with diazomethane, and permanganate oxidation gave pyrrole-2,3,5-tricarboxylic acid. From the information provided by u.v. and i.r. spectra of the pigment and its methoxy methyl ester, from elemental analyses and from the oxidation products, we suggest that the tapetal pigment is derived from oxidative coupling of 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid. A molecular-weight determination and chromatography of the methoxy methyl ester indicate that the pigment is a mixture of oligomers, among which the tetramers probably predominate. We consider that the monomers are joined mainly by C-C linkages at positions 4 and 7. A synthetic pigment having spectral properties nearly identical with those of the natural pigment was prepared by enzymic oxidation of 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid with mushroom tyrosinase. The identity of the tapetal pigment with the synthetic pigment was further confirmed by comparing u.v. and i.r. spectra of their methoxy methyl esters. Formation of the tapetal pigment from tyrosine and relationships of the tapetal pigment to melanin are discussed.
School Obesity Prevention Policies and Practices in Minnesota and Student Outcomes: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Introduction The School Obesity-related Policy Evaluation (ScOPE) Study uses existing public surveillance data and applies a rigorous study design to evaluate effectiveness of school policies and practices impacting student behavioral and weight outcomes. Methods The ScOPE Study used a cohort of 50 combined junior−senior and high schools in Minnesota to evaluate the change in weight-related policy environments in 2006 and 2012 and test the effect of policy change on students attending those schools in 2007 and 2013. Exposure variables included school practices about foods and beverages available in school vending machines and school stores, physical education requirements, and intramural opportunities. Primary study outcomes were average school-level ninth grade student BMI percentile, obesity prevalence, daily servings of fruits/vegetables, and daily glasses of soda. Results Availability of fruits/vegetables in schools was associated with a significant increase in total daily intake among ninth grade students by 0.4 servings. Availability of soda in schools was associated with a significant increase in total daily intake among ninth grade boys by 0.5 servings. Less-healthy snack and drink availability in schools was associated with a small, significant increase (1%) in student BMI percentile at the school level. Conclusions Use of a school-level longitudinal cohort study design over a 6-year period uniquely adds to the methodologic rigor of school policy and practice evaluation studies. The ScOPE Study provides marginal evidence that school policies and practices, especially those that restrict vending and school store offerings, may have small effects on weight status among ninth grade students.
Sequenced Integration and the Identification of a Problem-Solving Approach Through a Learning Process

Background:Preservice teachers (N=27) in two sections of a sequenced, methodological and process integrated mathematics/science course solved a levers problem with three similar learning processes and a problem-solving approach, and identified a problem-solving approach through one different learning process.Material and methods:Research questions were answered by using the constant comparison method.Results:Preservice teachers solved a total integration problem with the similar learning processes: conjecture and test, 48%, reason, 44%, and experiment and collect data, 41%. Although the problem was solved by three similar learning processes, and problem-solving or inquiry: 26 out of the 27 preservice teachers categorized the problem as one of mathematics because of its association with formulas, equations, and numbers, 89%.Conclusions:The identification of formulas, equations, and numbers, which is not shared with science, signals a difference in the disciplines and is evidence of PST learning. The identification of the difference between disciplines may be associated with a sequenced integration, a form of integration which allows problem-solving in depth and enriches an understanding of epistemology. The implication for this study is that the current movement towards total, enhanced, and parallel integration, and other STEM connections, may not allow students to strongly enrich aspects of mathematics learning.
Role of Mechanical Stimulations in Directing Mesenchymal Stem Cell Adipogenesis

An increased recruitment of new preadipocytes from mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) sources to form adipocytes and deposit adipose tissue is one of the features of obesity. In this chapter, the role of mechanical extracellular environments in directing MSC adipogenic commitment and differentiation will be reviewed. It was recently highlighted that adipose cells and their precursor cells, including MSCs, are exposed in vivo to complex mechanical stimulations. Further, studies proposed that adipose cells are ‘mechanically sensitive and responsive’, which is a characteristic of traditionally well-established mechanoresponsive cells such as osteoblasts, chondrocytes, myoblasts, etc. While it is still in the early stage of ‘adipocyte mechanotransduction’ research, this chapter will review the data reported on the control of MSC fate decision to adipogenesis via utilizing mechanical cell stimulations (stretch, compression, fluid flow) and also via static mechanophysical signals from the cell culture substrate. Also, comparison of MSC adipogenesis with the osteogenesis, as attempted in many of these studies, will be reviewed. Determining extracellular mechanophysical conditions optimal to inhibit the MSC adipogenesis and revealing underlying molecular mechanistic pathways may significantly advance the strategy to deal with obesity.
Applications of Cohesive Subgraph Detection Algorithms to Analyzing Socio-Technical Networks

Socio-technical networks can be productively modeled at several granularities, including the interaction of actors, how this interaction is mediated by digital artifacts, and sociograms that model direct ties between the actors themselves. Cohesive subgraph detection algorithms (CSDA, a.k.a. “community detection algorithms”) are often applied to sociograms, but also have utility in analyzing graphs corresponding to other levels of modeling. This paper illustrates applications of CSDA to graphs modeling interaction and mediated association. It reviews some leading candidate algorithms (particularly InfoMap, link communities, the Louvain method, and weakly connected components, all of which are available in R), and evaluates them with respect to how useful they have been in analyzing a large dataset derived from a network of educators known as Tapped In. This practitioner-oriented evaluation is a complement to more formal benchmark based studies common in the literature.
Feasible Generalized Least Squares Using Machine Learning

In the presence of heteroskedastic errors, regression using Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) offers potential efficiency gains over Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). However, FGLS adoption remains limited, in part because the form of heteroskedasticity may be misspecified. We investigate machine learning methods to address this concern, focusing on Support Vector Regression. Monte Carlo results indicate the resulting estimator and an accompanying standard error correction offer substantially improved precision, nominal coverage rates, and shorter confidence intervals than OLS with heteroskedasticity-consistent (HC3) standard errors. Reductions in root mean squared error are over 90% of those achievable when the form of heteroskedasticity is known.
Object agreement and topicality hierarchies in Kiyaka

This investigation of object agreement in Kiyaka raises a theoretical question common to Bantu but which has been answered only partially in previous studies: what accounts for the control and sequential order of object agreement markers (OAMs) in languages where the verb complex can take more than one such marker? Individual parameters of topicality hierarchies (TH) have been shown to be responsible for the behaviour of the OAMs, especially in constructions where single hierarchies are active. For TH to account for conflicting predictions by different individual hierarchies, 1 propose a Trans-Hierarchical Constraint (THCC) that can be claimed to be cross-Bantu at least. This constraint predicts that OAMs can be determined by a single hierarchy (the predominant in the language), or by two hierarchies, one of which must be the semantic one. It follows from the nature of the THCC that there are two types of languages in terms of the strategies they use to resolve conflicting cases: (1) those where the semantic hierarchy is always active and (2) those where the semantic hierarchy is sometimes inactive. The study also predicts that ambiguity resulting from multiple agreement occurs only when the semantic hierarchy is inactive.
Hormonal contraceptive use in smokers: Prevalence of use and associations with smoking motives.

Abstract Introduction While endogenous sex hormones influence smoking-related outcomes, little is known about the role of hormonal contraceptives (HCs). This is despite dated estimates suggesting that HC use is prevalent among female smokers. Therefore, we sought to update estimates of the prevalence of HC use among female smokers and explore the association of HC use with various smoking motives (SMs). Methods This online cross-sectional survey recruited female smokers between the ages of 18–35. Survey questions assessed smoking behavior, SMs, use of HCs, and menstrual cycle regularity. Results Participants (n = 734) were, on average (± standard deviation), 20.7 ± 2.7 years old and smoked 7.3 ± 6.7 cigarettes/day. The majority of females reported a history of HC use (85%) and half reported current use (48%). Cyclical HC users (n = 227) scored significantly lower on three SMs compared to naturally-cycling women in the follicular phase (n = 62) and significantly higher on 15 SMs compared to naturally-cycling women in the luteal phase (n = 29). Women on cyclical HCs differed from women on long-acting HCs (n = 128) on two SMs. Further, the naturally-cycling women in the follicular phase scoring significantly higher on 15 SMs compared to those in the luteal phase. Discussion These observations indicate that HC use remains prevalent in female smokers and may influence SMs. Additional research should replicate these observations and explore the implications on smoking cessation outcomes.
Translation of protein charge and hydrophilicity to materials surface properties using thermal treatment in fluorous media

Protein-based materials provide an inherently biocompatible and sustainable platform for the generation of functional materials. Translating protein properties into protein films resistant to aqueous degradation is crucial for most applications such as tissue engineering and controlled drug delivery. Current methods to stabilize protein films use three main strategies: employing the relatively limited variety of naturally self-assembling proteins, using added cross-linkers or heat curing. While the cross-linking strategy generates functionally diverse structures, unreacted additives retained in cross-linked protein films can adversely affect their final behavior. Traditional heat curing results in hydrophobic surface and loss of protein inherent properties. We demonstrate here a scalable, additive-free, fluorous media assisted thermal treatment for the fabrication of stable, hydrophilic protein films. This approach is general in terms of protein building block, retaining much of their native structure and surface properties upon heating. We demonstrate the versatility of this strategy through fabrication of antifouling coatings on complex three-dimensional surfaces. The utility of these films as biomaterials is highlighted through the generation of highly biocompatible non-fouling surfaces and regulation of cellular adhesion through choice of protein precursor.
Ureteral carcinoma in situ after successful intravesical therapy for superficial bladder tumors: incidence, possible pathogenesis and management.

AbstractA total of 66 patients with multifocal, progressive, flat carcinoma in situ of the bladder responded completely to intravesical bacillus Calmette - Guerin therapy for more than 1 year. Of the patients 19 (29 per cent) had clinical evidence of distal ureteral carcinoma in situ between 13 and 30 months (median 15 months) after bacillus Calmette-Guerin treatment. After evaluation of a positive urinary cytology study failed to reveal recurrent urothelial tumor of the bladder or prostatic urethral mucosa 6 patients underwent distal ureterectomy, 2 underwent nephroureterectomy, and 11 were managed by ureteroscopic resection and fulguration. In patients with carcinoma in situ of the bladder treated successfully with topical therapy the ureters represent a potential site of in situ carcinoma.
An attention-based decision fusion scheme for multimedia information retrieval

In this paper, we proposed a novel decision fusion scheme based on the psychological observations on human beings' visual and aural attention characteristics, which combines a set of decisions obtained from different data sources or features to generate better decision result. Based on studying of the “heterogeneity” and “monotonicity” properties of certain types of decision fusion issues, a set of so-called Attention Fusion Functions are devised, which are able to obtain more reasonable fusion results than typical fusion schemes. Preliminary experiment on image retrieval shows the effectiveness of the proposed fusion scheme.
Imaging of Acute Appendicitis in Children: Computed Tomography Including Radiation Issues

Clinical presentation, along with careful diagnostic imaging, should be employed when appendicitis is suspected in a child. Because computed tomography (CT) is becoming increasingly utilized for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children, radiologists must carefully and responsibly consider the issue of radiation exposure.
Molecular mimetic self-assembly of anisotropic particles

Abstract The role of self-assembly in materials design will continue to grow as new syntheses emerge for colloidal building blocks that can form directional and reversible bonds with one another in a fashion similar to atomic systems. Molecular concepts, such as valence, shape recognition, reconfiguration, and chirality, are increasingly present in the modern colloidal chemists’ lexicon. Gaining control over particle shape and surface chemistry is paramount to engineering colloidal interactions, whose capabilities and limitations start with the choice of material. Here, we examine many of the colloidal mediums utilized in modern research labs, paying particular attention to 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate, whose dual liquid/solid nature presents unique routes to control particle shape and surface chemistry.
Decidual stromal cell-derived PGE2 regulates macrophage responses to microbial threat.

Problem Bacterial chorioamnionitis causes adverse pregnancy outcomes, yet host-microbial interactions are not well characterized within gestational membranes. The decidua, the outermost region of the membranes, is a potential point of entry for bacteria ascending from the vagina to cause chorioamnionitis. We sought to determine whether paracrine communication between decidual stromal cells and macrophages shaped immune responses to microbial sensing. Method of study Decidual cell-macrophage interactions were modeled in vitro utilizing decidualized, telomerase-immortalized human endometrial stromal cells (dTHESCs) and phorbol ester-differentiated THP-1 macrophage-like cells. The production of inflammatory mediators in response to LPS was monitored by ELISA for both cell types, while phagocytosis of bacterial pathogens (Escherichia coli and Group B Streptococcus (GBS)) was measured in THP-1 cells or primary human placental macrophages. Diclofenac, a non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 ) were utilized to interrogate prostaglandins as decidual cell-derived paracrine immunomodulators. A mouse model of ascending chorioamnionitis caused by GBS was utilized to assess the colocalization of bacteria and macrophages in vivo and assess PGE2 production. Results In response to LPS, dTHESC and THP-1 coculture demonstrated enhancement of most inflammatory mediators, but a potent suppression of macrophage TNF-α generation was observed. This appeared to reflect a paracrine-mediated effect of decidual cell-derived PGE2 . In mice with GBS chorioamnionitis, macrophages accumulated at sites of bacterial invasion with increased PGE2 in amniotic fluid, suggesting such paracrine effects might hold relevance in vivo. Conclusion These data suggest key roles for decidual stromal cells in modulating tissue responses to microbial threat through release of PGE2 .
Linking hope factors, barriers to employment and health outcomes for individuals living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

BACKGROUND Employment and hope have been correlated with improved health outcomes in individuals with disabilities. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship among barriers to employment and hope theory factors and whether those factors mediate between barriers to employment and health outcomes in individuals living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). METHODS The sample from this study consisted of 1,702 participants who completed the National Working Positive Vocational Development and Employment Needs Survey NWPC-VDENS and identified as unemployed. A structural equation model was used to assess relationship among functioning level, past adversity, vocational goal setting, pathway thinking, agentic thinking, mental health, general health perception, and T-Cell counts. RESULTS Overall, the fit of the final structural equation model was good (RMSEA = 0.055, TLI = 0.924, CFI = 0.945). In this model, all the paths were significant below 0.001 of p-value except the path from agency to T-cell count, which was also significant below 0.05 of p-value. CONCLUSIONS Goal setting showed high direct effect on agentic thinking and pathway thinking. Functioning level and past adversity impacted pathway thinking and goal setting while outcomes of hope factors to health variables were significantly positive as hypothesized.
Hydrogen Plasma Post-Deposition Treatment for Passivation of a-Si/c-Si Interface for Heterojunction Solar Cell by Correlating Optical Emission Spectroscopy and Minority Carrier Lifetime

Excellent passivation at the a-Si:HI c-Si interface is required for high efficiency heterojunction solar cells. Hydrogen plasma treatment after the a-Si deposition has been considered as an effective and manufacturable method to saturate the surface dangling bonds. In this paper the correlation between H2 plasma composition and passivation quality of the a-Si:H films has been investigated using optical emission spectroscopy and minority carrier lifetime. Increasing the H2 pressure to 2750 mT lead to an implied Voc of 739 mV and effective lifetime >1900 μs, which were 13 mV and 300 μs, respectively, greater than the baseline. Cells with efficiency > 18% were fabricated. Comparison of implied JV curves indicates significant loss in Voc during deposition of the doped layers and metal contacts.
Margins and Opportunity

We use the statistical quantity of margin --- the distance between a decision boundary and a classified point, or the gap between two scores --- to formalize the principle of equal opportunity --- the chance to improve one's outcome, regardless of group status. This leads to a better definition of opportunity which recognizes, for example, that a strongly rejected individual was offered less recourse than a weakly rejected one, despite the shared outcome. It also leads to simpler algorithms, since real-valued margins are easier to analyze and optimize than discrete outcomes. We formalize two ways that a protected group may be guaranteed equal opportunity: (1) (social) mobility: acceptance should be within reach for the group (conversely, the general population shouldn't be cushioned from rejection), and (2) contrast: within the group, good candidates should get substantially higher scores than bad candidates, preventing the so-called 'token' effect. A simple linear classifier seems to offer roughly equal opportunity both experimentally and mathematically.
Transit crime as a barrier to qualitative urban health research with older adults

This paper reports how transit crime and perception of crime have been barriers to an area-focused and person-based ethnographic urban health and wellbeing research study in St. Louis. This study h...
Störungen der Selbstwahrnehmung

Storunqen der Selbstwahrnehmung („self-awareness “) nach einer Hirnschadigung werden haufig nicht angemessen verstanden und behandelt (11. Prinzip). Es stellt sich die Frage, ob die offenbar mangelnde Einsicht des Patienten ein Ergebnis der Dysfunktion des Gehirns oder ein psychologischer Abwehrmechanismus (z. B. Verleugnung) gegenuber der Erkenntnis von Einschrankungen und Behinderungen ist. Die Antwort darauf ist fur den Umgang mit Patienten, aber auch fur das Verstandnis der Mechanismen menschlichen Bewusstseins von Bedeutung.
E-Cigarette Use and Subsequent Cigarette Initiation and Sustained Use Among Youth, U.S., 2015-2017.

Abstract Purpose Using cross-sectional data, we measured the association between electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use and subsequent initiation and sustained use of cigarettes among U.S. youth. Methods Data were pooled from the 2015–2017 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a school-based survey of U.S. students in grades 6–12. Questions on current age and age of first use of different tobacco products (cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco) were used to ascertain the temporal sequence of tobacco product use. The pooled study population was 52,579 youth who 5 years before the survey had never smoked cigarettes. E-cigarette users were defined as those who used e-cigarettes before or without ever smoking cigarettes. Cigarette smoking was assessed with the following measures: ever smoking a cigarette at any time within the past 5 years and sustained smoking (smoked ≥1 year ago and within past 30 days). Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) were calculated, controlling for other tobacco product use and sociodemographics. Results Among never cigarette smokers as of 5 years before the survey, 17.4% used e-cigarettes, and 15.6% first smoked within the past 5 years. Compared with those who did not use e-cigarettes, those who used e-cigarettes had higher odds of ever smoking cigarettes within the past 5 years (AOR = 2.73) and had higher odds of sustained smoking (AOR = 1.55; all p Conclusions E-cigarette use is associated with subsequent initiation and sustained use of cigarettes among youth. Efforts are warranted to reduce youth use of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.
The judge, the cop, and the queen of carnival: Ethnography, storytelling, and the (contested) meanings of protest

Santiagaso, est le nom de la revolte qui a eu lieu au nord-est de l'Argentine a Santiago del Estero le 16 decembre 1993, et pendant laquelle des milliers de manifestants (pour la plupart des employes reclamant leurs salaires impayes) ont saccage et brule la maison du gouverneur, le tribunal et une douzaine de maisons des notables. Base sur des interviews et des conversations informelles, effectues entre 1999 et 2000 a Santiago del Estero, l'article decrit l'impact de cet evenement a partir des recits des journalistes, fonctionnaires d'Etat et participants a la revolte
A Classroom Survey of Language Teachers’ Discriminatory Practices against Students: Causes, Consequences and Keys

Previous research confirms that individuals frequently become subject to various forms of discrimination for a variety of reasons. This study aimed at revealing the incidence of discrimination toward English as a Foreign Language students, the grounds on which it happens, its adverse effects on students as well as potential solutions to it. The data were collected through questionnaires and were further supported by interviews and classroom observations. The participants consisted of sixty-five Iranian students from a variety of ethnic, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The findings indicated that nearly one-third of the students had experienced discrimination of one form or another. Students’ perceptions of discrimination were that it is based on skin colour, age, sex, social class, as well as political and religious beliefs. Furthermore, the findings showed that discrimination was perceived to have a negative bearing on students’ motivation and their overall ability by adversely affecting their class attendance, sense of responsibility, class performance, and assignment completion. It was found that teachers overtly discriminated against students by openly mocking them, neglecting to call on them for class participation, and unfairly assessing the students and their achievements. Some suggestions to raise awareness of implicit attitudes and biases, identify and end the practice of discrimination among English as a Foreign Language teachers included setting up teacher education programmes, raising learners’ awareness, raising teachers’ awareness of their responsibilities and students’ rights, institutional warning, punishing ‘discriminating’ teachers, and suspending teachers from work.
Health care experiences for older adults diagnosed with leukemia and lymphoma: Factors associated with emergency department use, timeliness and access of health care.

Abstract Objectives This study examined the association of ED use in the first year of diagnosis and patient experiences in care among older adults with hematologic malignancies. Materials and Methods Cross-sectional design using SEER-CAHPS® data from 2002 to 2015 to study Medicare fee-for-service enrollees with a primary diagnosis of leukemia or lymphoma. We linked the CAHPS survey data (patient-reported experiences with health services) to patients' cancer registry information and Medicare outpatient claims from the SEER-CAHPS resource. We estimated associations of ED use and clinical characteristics with two CAHPS outcomes – “getting care quickly” (timeliness) and “getting needed care” (access) – with bivariate and multivariate analyses. Results The analytic sample included 751 patients, 125 of whom had an ED claim in the first year of cancer diagnosis. The most frequent ED diagnosis clusters were fever and infection (n = 17, 13.6%), orthopedic and injury (16, 12.8%) and pain (16, 12.8%). Significantly more enrollees with an ED claim were diagnosed with lymphoma (p Conclusion The management of urgent care concerns for adults with hematologic malignancies remains an important clinical and quality improvement imperative. Further study is warranted to enhance the management of emergent complications in older adults receiving care for hematologic malignancies, with efforts that enhance coordination of ambulatory oncology care.
Pulse-shaped chopping: Eliminating and characterizing heat effects in ultrafast infrared spectroscopy

The infrared pulses used to generate nonlinear signals from a vibrational probe can cause heating via solvent absorption. Solvent absorption followed by rapid vibrational relaxation produces unwanted heat signals by creating spectral shifts of the solvent and probe absorptions. The signals are often isolated by “chopping,” i.e., alternately blocking one of the incident pulses. This method is standard in pump–probe transient absorption experiments. As less heat is deposited into the sample when an incident pulse is blocked, the heat-induced spectral shifts give rise to artificial signals. Here, we demonstrate a new method that eliminates heat induced signals using pulse shaping to control pulse spectra. This method is useful if the absorption spectrum of the vibrational probe is narrow compared to the laser bandwidth. By using a pulse shaper to selectively eliminate only frequencies of light resonant with the probe absorption during the “off” shot, part of the pulse energy, and the resulting heat, is delivered to the solvent without generating the nonlinear signal. This partial heating reduces the difference heat signal between the on and off shots. The remaining solvent heat signal can be eliminated by reducing the wings of the on shot spectrum while still resonantly exciting the probe; the heat deposition from the on shot can be matched with that from the off shot, eliminating the solvent heat contribution to the signal. Modification of the pulse sequence makes it possible to measure only the heat signal, permitting the kinetics of heating to be studied.
Teaching and learning transformation in the time of the Coronavirus crisis

The education landscape changed almost overnight from the in-person mode to online due to the onslaught of the ongoing pandemic, Covid19. As educators, we have a responsibility to build an online t...
The role of interleukin-32 against tuberculosis

IL-32 is increasingly recognized to be an important host-protective molecule against tuberculosis. In this commentary, we highlight some of the potential mechanisms by which the immunomodulatory effect of IL-32 occurs against mycobacterial infections but also areas where mechanistic clarifications are needed.
Selected Topics on Hebraica Cataloging from the Heb-NACO Listserv

The Hebrew NACO (Name Authority Cooperative Program) Funnel Project, which began in October 1994, was the catalyst for creating the HebNACO listserv. Although the listserv was specifically designed to cover only Hebraic authority issues, it functions as a discussion group for all issues pertaining to Hebraica cataloging.
Case series: anesthetic management of patients with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (Kennedy's disease).

Purpose Kennedy’s disease (KD) is a rare, X-linked recessive, neurodegenerative disorder of lower motor neurons characterized by progressive proximal limb and bulbar muscular atrophy with spontaneous laryngospasm, which may present an anesthetic risk. We undertook a computerized search of the Mayo Clinic medical records database between January 1996 and May 2008 for patients with KD undergoing general anesthesia. Medical records were reviewed for anesthetic techniques and perioperative complications.
Corporate Moral Agency

The article summarizes the theory that corporations and corporate-like entities can satisfy the conditions of being intentional actors and qualify as moral agents to which moral principles and rules apply and be held morally responsible for what they do. The theory is an alternative to the methodological individualist's interpretation of corporations as merely contractual relations between human moral agents with no moral status of their own. It provides a synopsis of the locus classicus of the theory that was developed by Peter French and clarifies that holding a corporation morally responsible for an action or event does not exclude the possibility that a human moral agent may also be responsible for the same action or event. Keywords: corporate moral agency; corporate responsibility; methodological individualism; collective responsibility; organizational ehtics; intentional rational agents; corporate internal decision structure (CID Structure)
Kiobel, Subject Matter Jurisdiction, and the Alien Tort Statute

The Supreme Court is currently reviewing the Second Circuit’s decision in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, a case holding that federal courts lack jurisdiction under the Alien Tort Statute (“ATS”) over claims against corporations. Although the parties have focused on issues of corporate liability under the ATS, there is a logically antecedent question of subject matter jurisdiction that the Court should decide before considering corporate liability. All of the parties in Kiobel — whether corporate or individual — are aliens. Understood in its full legal and historical context, the ATS was a jurisdictional statute that did not apply to suits between aliens. The First Congress enacted the ATS as a species of foreign diversity jurisdiction to satisfy the United States’ obligation under international law to redress violence by U.S. citizens against foreign citizens. Accordingly, the ATS was originally understood to give federal courts jurisdiction only over claims by aliens against U.S. citizens for intentional torts to person or personal property. In Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain, the Supreme Court sought to interpret the ATS in accordance with the expectations of the First Congress. If the Court adheres to this goal in Kiobel, then it should conclude that it lacks statutory subject matter jurisdiction over the case. If the Court decides that the ATS does not apply to suits between aliens, then the Court likely will never have occasion to decide the thorny question of corporate liability under the ATS. Under the express terms of 28 U.S.C. §1332, federal courts already have jurisdiction over suits by aliens against U.S. corporations provided that the amount in controversy is greater than $75,000.00 — a condition easily met in cases against large corporations.
The labeling of high affinity sites of antibodies with 99mTc.

Abstract Labeling of F(ab′) 2 with 99 m Tc was investigated. The best labeling procedure for F(ab′) 2 was then applied to IgG and Fab. Stannous ion was used as the reducing agent for 99m TcO 4 − and free DTPA was used as a competing reagent to prevent colloid formation and loosely bound 99m Tc. The competition reactions revealed two 99m Tc binding sites for F(ab′) 2 and IgG. One is a high capacity, low affinity site. This accounts for 76 and 84% of total IgG and F(ab′) 2 binding sites. The labeling of these sites can be prevented if the antibody is labeled in the presence of free DTPA. The second site is a low capacity, high affinity site. The labeling of these sites cannot be prevented by free DTPA. Fab, unlike IgG and F(ab′) 2 , does not have an appreciable percentage of high affinity sites. The determination of sulfhydryl groups using Ellman's reagent indicates the production of 5.5, 4.2 and 0.9 sulfhydryl groups when IgG, F(ab′) 2 and Fab were exposed to 56 μg/mL SnCl 2 · 2H 2 O. These sulfhydryl groups may be the source of the high affinity binding. Biodistribution in mice for 9 99m Tc labeled F(ab′) 2 and F(ab′) 2 -DTPA, both prepared in the presence of excess free DTPA, was similar to that of F(ab′) 2 -DTPA- 111 In.
Studies on protein synthesis with ribonucleoprotein particles from pea seedlings.

Abstract Ribonucleoprotein particles from pea seedlings were isolated by conventional techniques and incubated in phosphate buffer with Mg, ATP and radioactive phenylalanine. It was found that a substantial amount of label was incorporated into protein and at the same time a net increase in the amount of protein, amounting to about 250 μg per mg original protein, was observed. The effects of ATP and chloramphenicol on the synthesis of protein as well as the effect of storing the particles prior to the incubation were also studied.
Biliary complications of living related pediatric liver transplant patients

Patients who undergo living related left lateral segment liver transplants have been reported to have a high incidence of biliary complications and some studies suggest that most patients will ultimately need operative revision. We reviewed our experience with living related transplantation in pediatric recipients to examine the occurrence of biliary complications and the utility of percutaneous biliary procedures in their management. Over a 10-yr period, 48 living donor transplants were performed in 47 patients. Sixteen patients (33%) had biliary complications. Complications included 10 leaks (20%) and eight strictures (17%). Although leaks were treated predominantly with operation, other biliary complications were treated almost exclusively non-operatively. Self limited leaks that lead to biloma accumulation were most often treated via percutaneous catheter drainage and all strictures were treated using percutaneous transhepatic biliary cholangioplasty and stenting. Sixty-seven percent of biliary complications underwent non-operative biliary intervention. Most strictures were focal anastomotic strictures and were successfully treated with cholangioplasty although multiple interventions were necessary and patients required stenting for an average of 13 months. Three of eight strictures were diffuse in nature and these included the only patient who required retransplantation. Graft survival with respect to biliary complications was 94%; 1 yr, 5 yr and overall patient survival for those with biliary complications was 88, 88 and 81%, and for the entire living related group was 84, 81 and 77%, respectively. Although biliary complications are frequent in pediatric living related transplantation, they are not associated with decreased patient survival. Excepting significant bile leaks, the majority can be treated non-operatively via biliary cholangioplasty and stenting. Strictures are especially amenable to this technique which, in our experience, has been successful at decreasing or postponing the need for retransplantation.
Two-Sided Estimation of Mate Preferences for Similarities in Age, Education, and Religion

We propose a two-sided method to simultaneously estimate men's and women's preferences for relative age, education, and religious characteristics of potential mates using cross-sectional data on married couples and single individuals, in conjunction with a behavioral model developed in game theory and discrete choice estimation methods developed for simpler, one-sided choice situations. We use fixed effects to control for characteristics that are observed by the opposite sex but are missing from our data. Estimated mean preference coefficients determine the average degree to which measured characteristics of individuals affect others' evaluations of them as marital partners, whereas the model also accounts for variation of preferences around the means and for limitations in men's and women's information about members of the opposite sex. By assuming that each individual chooses freely from the set of potential partners that he or she finds available, we estimate preferences without having to observe these...
Technical considerations on intra-arterial papaverine hydrochloride for cerebral vasospasm

Intra-arterial infusion of papaverine hydrochloride for subarachnoid hemorrhage-induced cerebral vasospasm has become an adjunctive endovascular therapy along with cerebral angioplasty. Our knowledge concerning the mechanism of action, method of administration and potential side effects of this therapeutic alternative are reviewed.
EEG and intelligence: relations between EEG coherence, EEG phase delay and power.

Objective: There are two inter-related categories of EEG measurement: 1, EEG currents or power and; 2, EEG network properties such as coherence and phase delays. The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of these two different categories of EEG measurement to predict performance on the Weschler Intelligence test (WISC-R). Methods: Resting eyes closed EEG was recorded from 19 scalp locations with a linked ears reference from 442 subjects aged 5–52 years. The Weschler Intelligence test was administered to the same subjects but not while the EEG was recorded. Subjects were divided into high IQ (R120) and low IQ (%90) groups. EEG variables at P!.05 were entered into a factor analysis and then the single highest loading variable on each factor was entered into a discriminant analysis where groups were high IQ vs. low.Q. Results: Discriminant analysis of high vs. low IQ was 92.81–97.14% accurate. Discriminant scores of intermediate IQ subjects (i.e. 90! IQ!120) were intermediate between the high and low IQ groups. Linear regression predictions of IQ significantly correlated with the discriminant scores (rZ0.818–0.825, P!10 K6 ). The ranking of effect size was EEG phaseOEEG coherenceOEEG amplitude asymmetryOabsolute powerOrelative power and power ratios. The strongest correlations to IQ were short EEG phase delays in the frontal lobes and long phase delays in the posterior cortical regions, reduced coherence and increased absolute power. Conclusions: The findings are consistent with increased neural efficiency and increased brain complexity as positively related to intelligence, and with frontal lobe synchronization of neural resources as a significant contributing factor to EEG and intelligence correlations. Significance: Quantitative EEG predictions of intelligence provide medium to strong effect size estimates of cognitive functioning while simultaneously revealing a deeper understanding of the neurophysiological substrates of intelligence. q 2005 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Enterobacteriaceae isolated from foraging worker honey bees, Apis mellifera

Abstract Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Shigella sp., and Klebsiella pneumoniae were isolated from the intestinal contents of healthy foraging adult worker honey bees, Apis mellifera, in Tucson, Arizona. Three cultures could not be identified. Pseudomonadaceae and Erwinia organisms were not found.
Recent trends in the acid-base status of surface waters in Maine, USA

Data from the EPA Long Term Monitoring Program lakes at the Tunk Mountain Watershed, Maine, indicate that decreases of ≤1 Μeq L−1 yr−1 in SO4, and increases of ≤2 Μeq L−1 yr−1 in ANC occurred in the 1980s. The sum of base cations also increased. These changes in aquatic chemistry were coincident with decreased concentrations of all solutes in precipitation during the 1980s. Other data on lakes and streams in Maine collected between the 1930s and 1990 generally confirm these trends and further indicate that larger increases in ANC may have occurred in some lowland lakes since 1940. Paleolimnologic studies indicate that decreases of 0.1 to 0.5 pH units occurred in a few small mountain lakes during the past 20 to 70 yr. However, ongoing acidification of lakes is indicated based on available data. Only lakes that were already at least marginally acidic (pH ≤5.8, ANC approximately 0) appear to have acidified.
Tailoring PKI for the battlespace

A Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) can provide useful communication protections for friendly forces in the battlespace. The PKI would be used in conjunction with communication facilities that are accorded physical and Type-1 cryptographic protections. The latter protections would safeguard the confidentiality and (optionally) the integrity of communications between enclaves of users, whereas the PKI protections would furnish identification, authentication, authorization and privacy services for individual users. However, Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) and most Government-Off-the-Shelf (GOTS) PKI solutions are not ideally tailored for the battlespace environment. Most PKI solutions assume a relatively static, high-bandwidth communication network, whereas communication links in the battlespace will be dynamically reconfigured and bandwidth-limited. Most enterprise-wide PKI systems assume that users will enroll and disenroll at an orderly pace, whereas the battlespace PKI “enterprise” will grow and shrink abruptly as units are deployed or withdrawn from the battlespace. COTS and GOTS PKIs are seldom required to incorporate temporary "enterprise mergers", whereas the battlespace “enterprise” will need to incorporate temporary coalitions of forces drawn from various nations. This paper addresses both well-known and novel techniques for tailoring PKI for the battlespace environment. These techniques include the design of the security architecture, the selection of appropriate options within PKI standards, and some new PKI protocols that offer significant advantages in the battlespace.
Nondictatorially independent pairs and Pareto

Suppose a social welfare function f has complete and transitive values and the set X of outcomes has size m>3. If the domain D of f has the free quadruple property then the fraction of pairs on which f satisfies nondictatorship, independence, and Pareto is less than or equal to \(\).
Application of sum rules to heavy baryon masses

Model-independent sum rules are applied to recent measurements of heavy c-baryon and b-baryon masses. The sum rules are generally satisfied to the same degree as for the light (u,d,s) baryons. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Induction of parturition in conjunction with antibiotic treatments

Abstract Parturicion was induced in pregnant beef cows and heifers with 15 mg of flumethasone to test: 1) the effects of an orally active antibiotic on flumethasone induction of parturition success rate and incidence of retained placenta and 2) the effects of injectable long acting and orally active antibiotics on subsequent fertility and offspring performance. Gestation length and birth weight were not significantly changed. There were no significant differences among calving ease scores even though induction significantly improved vigor. Induction caused a significant increase in the incidence of retained placental membranes. Pregnancy rate (P
Noninformative Bayesian priors for large samples based on Shannon information theory

We consider the problem of producing noninformative prior distributions for Bayesian analysis. The definition of "noninformative" adopted here is based on maximizing an intuitively appealing information measure derived from Shannon information theory. Based on large-sample (asymptotic) considerations, we show how the resulting generally intractable optimization problem can be significantly simplified. This differs from the authors' previous work on noninformative priors, which considered finite-samples and showed how a tractable suboptimal solution could be obtained.