cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Levinas, social vulnerability, and the logic of South African racism

The philosopher Emmanuel Levinas was at the forefront of the promotion of the idea of vulnerability in philosophy. For Levinas, my primary vulnerability concerns not my pain, but my pain at the other’s pain. Vulnerablity also has an ambiguous character in so far as it is not easily separated from my self-absorption in enjoyment. In this paper I show how Levinas’s account can illuminate the way that the idea of vulnerability sometimes operates within racist societies to maintain existing divisions. In particular I focus on the Carnegie Commission’s 1932 study The Poor White Problem in South Africa where concern for the vulnerability of poor whites concealed a tendency to naturalize the vulnerability of South African Blacks. Keywords: Carnegie commission, poor whites, racism, vulnerability, Emmanuel Levinas,South Africa
Serial bipolar androgen therapy (sBAT) using cyclic supraphysiologic testosterone (STP) to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

During prostate carcinogenesis, molecular changes occur in prostate epithelial cells such that their Androgen Receptor (AR) protein expression increases significantly (i.e. >5 fold).
MIR-Vehicle: Cost-Effective Research Platform for Autonomous Vehicle Applications

This paper illustrates the MIR (Mobile Intelligent Robotics) Vehicle: a feasible option of transforming an electric ride-on-car into a modular Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) powered autonomous platform equipped with the capability that supports test and deployment of various intelligent autonomous vehicles algorithms. To use a platform for research, two components must be provided: perception and control. The sensors such as incremental encoders, an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), a camera, and a LIght Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) must be able to be installed on the platform to add the capability of environmental perception. A microcontroller-powered control box is designed to properly respond to the environmental changes by regulating drive and steering motors. This drive-by-wire capability is controlled by a GPU powered laptop computer where high-level perception algorithms are processed and complex actions are generated by various methods including behavior cloning using deep neural networks. The main goal of this paper is to provide an adequate and comprehensive approach for fabricating a cost-effective platform that would contribute to the research quality from the wider community. The proposed platform is to use a modular and hierarchical software architecture where the lower and simpler motor controls are taken care of by microcontroller programs, and the higher and complex algorithms are processed by a GPU powered laptop computer. The platform uses the Robot Operating System (ROS) as middleware to maintain the modularity of the perceptions and decision-making modules. It is expected that the level three and above autonomous vehicle systems and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) can be tested on and deployed to the platform with a decent real-time system behavior due to the capabilities and affordability of the proposed platform.
Coregulated assembly of actin-like FtsA polymers with FtsZ during Z-ring formation and division in Escherichia coli

In Escherichia coli, the actin homolog FtsA localizes the cell division machinery, beginning with the Z-ring, to the cytoplasmic membrane through direct interaction with FtsZ. FtsZ polymers are first to assemble at the Z-ring at midcell, where they direct constriction and septation. While FtsZ polymerization is critical for establishing a functional Z-ring that leads to constriction, the assembly state of FtsA and the role of FtsA ATP utilization during division in E. coli remain unclear. Here, we show that ATP hydrolysis, FtsZ interaction, and phospholipid vesicle remodeling by FtsA are impaired by a substitution mutation at the predicted active site for hydrolysis. This mutation, Glu 14 to Arg, also impairs Z-ring assembly and division in vivo. To further investigate the role of phospholipid engagement and ATP utilization in regulating FtsA function, we characterized a truncated E. coli FtsA variant, FtsA({Delta}MTS), which lacks the region at the C-terminus important for engaging the membrane and is defective for ATP hydrolysis. We show that E. coli FtsA({Delta}MTS) forms ATP-dependent actin-like filaments and assembly is antagonized by FtsZ. Polymerization of FtsZ with GTP, or a non-hydrolyzable analog, blocks inhibition of ATP-dependent FtsA assembly, and instead favors coassembly of stable FtsA/FtsZ polymers. In the cell, FtsA/FtsZ coassembly is favored at midcell, where FtsZ polymerizes, and inhibited at regions where FtsZ polymers are destabilized by regulators, such as MinC at the poles or SlmA at the nucleoid. We show that MinC prevents recruitment of FtsZ, via FtsA, to phospholipids, suggesting that local interactions of MinC with FtsZ block membrane tethering and uncouple the Z-ring from its major membrane contact. During Z-ring formation, the coassembly of FtsZ polymers with FtsA is coordinated and is a critical early step in division. This step also serves as a checkpoint by responding to the suite of FtsZ assembly regulators in the cell that modulate Z-ring position and dynamics prior to initiating cell wall synthesis.
30143 Asymptomatic Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Growth Rates and Predicting Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

ABSTRACT IMPACT: Through conducting this systematic review and meta-analysis, we will elucidate which factors influence thoracic aortic aneurysm growth, which will further help clinicians to properly stratify and manage their patients with TAAs. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) are an indolent but fatal disease, and the patient characteristics that predict both overall growth and growth rate are still not well characterized. Our goal is to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis in other to better describe different patient characteristics that predict TAA growth. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: M.M. conducted a search of Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus to identify articles. Inclusion criteria were any longitudinal study reporting asymptomatic TAA growth, growth rates, or clinical proxies for growth such as dissection, rupture, emergency surgery, and death. M.H and P.B. independently applied the criteria to the results of the search. Conflicts were resolved by N.B. Data was extracted and risk of bias assessed independently by M.H. and P.B. Summary estimates of the outcome variables are combined across studies using standard meta-analysis methods. Heterogeneity is assessed via forest plots, chi2 test (Q test), and I2 statistic. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to assess robustness of the findings. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The literature search resulted in 3,419 abstracts, of which 176 were included and thus require a full text review. Cohen’s Kappa coefficient was 0.64, indicating substantial agreement and high inter-rater reliability. We describe four categories of patient characteristics influencing the growth of asymptomatic TAAs: demographics, genetic or inheritable conditions, hemodynamic or biomechanical factors, and serum biomarkers. We describe the measure of effect for all variables. We anticipate there is a significant level of heterogeneity between studies, and potentially moderate risk of bias for many of the included studies as they are retrospective and observational in nature. Furthermore, we anticipate publication bias and evaluate it with funnel plots. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: Understanding the factors that influence the growth of asymptomatic thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) is paramount, as the size and growth rate of TAAs dictates the clinical course. Little is understood about the degree to which different characteristics influence growth. This meta-analysis will help elucidate factors that promote TAA growth.
Hepatitis B and D: a forecast on actions needed to reduce incidence and achieve elimination

Abstract Background Viral hepatitis negatively affects the health of millions, with the worst health outcomes associated with the hepatitis D virus (HDV). Fortunately, HDV is rare and requires prior infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) before it can establish infection and transmit. As such, public health officials have opted to indirectly control HDV by reducing HBV incidence, primarily through hepatitis B vaccination, which has dramatically reduced HBV incidence since its rollout in the 1980s. However, investigations into the consequences of hepatitis B vaccination on both the control and evolution of HDV remain limited. Methods We developed a mathematical model of HBV and HDV transmission to investigate the effects of hepatitis B vaccination on both HBV and HDV. We calibrated our model to the HBV and HDV transmission scenarios occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa, and estimate HBV vaccination thresholds that cause HBV and HDV elimination, inhibit the spread of virulent HDV strains, and achieve the targets set by public health authorities for reducing all viral hepatitis incidence by 90%. Results Our findings illustrate hepatitis B vaccination rates above 0.0096 year−1 and 0.018 year−1 will likely achieve HDV and HBV elimination, respectively. Furthermore, in the majority of transmission settings, scaling-up vaccination rates to at least 0.009 year−1 or 0.02136 year−1 will achieve the 90% reduction in hepatitis D and B, respectively, called for by health authorities. Conclusion Our results suggest a scale-up of hepatitis B vaccination is required to achieve the targets set by public health officials for reducing all viral hepatitis by 90%. Furthermore, the scale-up required to achieve such targets would bring HBV and HDV to the brink of the vaccination threshold required for their elimination. Thus, with sufficient investments to scale up global hepatitis vaccination, prevention, testing, and treatment services, the eradication of both HBV and HDV are likely feasible endeavors, especially once the 90% reduction goal is reached.
SOX transcription factors direct TCF-independent WNT/beta-catenin transcription.

WNT/{beta}-catenin signaling regulates gene expression across numerous biological contexts including development, stem cell homeostasis and tissue regeneration, and dysregulation of this pathway has been implicated in many diseases including cancer. One fundamental question is how distinct WNT target genes are activated in a context-specific manner, given the dogma that most, if not all, WNT/{beta}-catenin responsive transcription is mediated by TCF/LEF transcription factors (TFs) that have similar DNA-binding specificities. Here we show that the SOX family of TFs direct lineage-specific WNT/{beta}-catenin responsive transcription during the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into definitive endoderm (DE) and neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs). Using time-resolved multi-omics analyses, we show that {beta}-catenin association with chromatin is highly dynamic, colocalizing with distinct TCFs and/or SOX TFs at distinct stages of differentiation, indicating both cooperative and competitive modes of genomic interactions. We demonstrate that SOX17 and SOX2 are required to recruit {beta}-catenin to hundreds of lineage-specific WNT-responsive enhancers, many of which are not occupied by TCFs. At a subset of these TCF-independent enhancers, SOX TFs are required to both establish a permissive chromatin landscape and recruit a WNT-enhanceosome complex that includes {beta}-catenin, BCL9, PYGO and transcriptional coactivators to direct SOX/{beta}-catenin-dependent transcription. Given that SOX TFs are expressed in almost every cell type, these results have broad mechanistic implications for the specificity of WNT responses across many developmental and disease contexts.
Spinning gold: The financial returns to stakeholder engagement

We provide direct empirical evidence in support of instrumental stakeholder theory's argument that increasing stakeholder support enhances the financial valuation of a firm, holding constant the objective valuation of the physical assets under its control. We undertake this analysis using panel data on 26 gold mines owned by 19 publicly traded firms over the period 1993�2008. We code over 50,000 stakeholder events from media reports to develop an index of the degree of stakeholder conflict/cooperation for these mines. By incorporating this index in a market capitalization analysis, we reduce the discount placed by financial markets on the net present value of the physical assets controlled by these firms from 72 percent to between 37 and 13 percent.
SONORITY AND SYLLABLE STRUCTURE IN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the internal structure of syllables in ASL, the language of deaf communities in the United States and most of Canada. The argument for ASL syllable structure is based primarily on distributional evidence for the distinction between the syllable nucleus and onsets and codas. The chapter explains the distribution of two phenomena—secondary movements and handshape changes—in strings of segments of the form, PMP, MP, PM, M, and P, where P is position and M is movement. Their distribution provides evidence for analyzing these five sign types as syllables. Each syllable has a nucleus. Those in PMP and PM have a P as onset, while those in PMP and MP have a P as coda. The way Ms and Ps are organized into syllables can be accounted for by positing a sign language analogue of the sonority hierarchy in which Ms are more sonorous than Ps. Sonority peaks are then syllable nuclei. This also provides evidence that sign language phonology has the analogue of vowels and consonants: Ms correspond to vowels and Ps to consonants. This follows from their relative sonority—from the fact that they play analogous roles in the organization of the phonological string into syllables.
Selection of a Mutant of Escherichia coli Which Has High Mutation Rates

Abstract A mutation which causes high mutation rates in all other loci tested was induced with nitrosoguanidine and was selected through the ability of the progeny of such mutant cells to mutate to streptomycin resistance at a higher rate than the wild-type cells. This mutation (mut-2) and the Treffers' mutation (mutT1) mapped at approximately the same position to the right of leu. Specificity studies showed that the two mutations differ in rates of mutation produced.
The membrane-bound proteins of periplasmic permeases form a complex. Identification of the histidine permease HisQMP complex.

Abstract The membrane-bound proteins of periplasmic transport systems have been hypothesized to form a complex with relatively little experimental support. Here we present experimental evidence that HisQ, HisM, and HisP, the membrane-bound proteins of the periplasmic histidine transport system of Salmonella typhimurium, form such a complex. We have developed antibodies specific to each of these proteins to aid in their characterization. Extractions with urea, alkaline pH, or Triton X-114 show that HisQ and HisM are integral membrane proteins. By these tests HisP displays an unusual behavior, being associated with the membrane whether or not HisQ and HisM are present and despite its hydrophilic sequence. However, the nature of HisPs interaction with the membrane is shown to vary depending on the presence of HisQ and HisM. In their absence, HisP is somewhat peripherally associated with the membrane, while in their presence it binds much more tightly, indicating that it forms a complex in association with HisQ and HisM. This is demonstrated by the coimmunoprecipitation of all three proteins by antibodies directed against any one of them. Chemical cross-linking allowed the characterization of the subunit stoichiometry of the complex as two HisPs to one HisQ and one HisM. Within this complex all three proteins probably contact each other and the two HisPs form a dimer. We hypothesize that HisQ and HisM with their multiple membrane-spanning segments form a "channel" within which the HisP subunits are located.
Interrelationships between parasites and their hosts. IV. Cytochrome c oxidase thermal-acclimation patterns in à larval trematode and its host.

Abstract Cytochrome c oxidase activity has been determined at different temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 °C) for sporocysts of Zoogonus lasius , for digestive gland tissue from its host Nassarius obsoleta which was infected with Z. lasius , and for the digestive gland tissue of uninfected N. obsoleta . Preparations from cold- (10 °C) and warm-acclimated (25 °C) sporocysts and snails were utilized. Q 10 Patterns were differentially distinctive for sporocysts, infected and noninfected tissues. Enzymatic activity of Z. lasius sporocysts was lower at each assay temperature than that of the host tissues, and the pattern of acclimation was unlike that of either infected or noninfected host tissue. The level of activity in warm-acclimated tissue from infected snails was significantly greater at intermediate to higher temperatures than in tissue from noninfected snails. Following cold-acclimation, the activity of the noninfective tissue was greater than the tissue from infected snails. Thus, the thermal-acclimation pattern of cytochrome c oxidase from the digestive gland, as well as the rate of activity, is clearly altered with parasitism.
Mitoxantrone as a substitute for daunorubicin during induction in newly diagnosed lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoma.

Background Daunorubicin, a component of the four-drug induction chemotherapy regimen for de novo pediatric high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphoblastic lymphoma (LLy), was unavailable in 2011 due to a national drug shortage. During this time, our institution substituted mitoxantrone 6.25 mg/m2 for daunorubicin 25 mg/m2 on induction Days 1, 8, 15, and 22. While mitoxantrone has been shown to be effective for relapsed ALL, it has not been studied in de novo pediatric ALL/LLy.
A high-power and high-efficiency CMOS VCO for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system

This paper presents CMOS VCO circuit, as a part of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transmitter, operating at 978 MHz, delivers highest output power with highest efficiency ever reported to the best of authors' knowledge. The 0.738 mm × 0.606 mm VCO chip fabricated using 0.18 um CMOS technology, exhibits the differential peak output power of 2.54 dBm at 1 GHz, with the frequency tuning range from 954.3 MHz to 1009.4 MHz and phase noise of −109 dBc/Hz @ 1 MHz offset centered at 978 MHz, consuming 35 mW power from 1.8V supply, thus, showing state-of-the-art-performances.
Quality Assurance of Engineering Software

Current implementation of quality assurance criteria to computer codes is based on extensive record keeping and comparison with existing similar software. This is a procedure fraught with danger, as there are no benchmark standards or guidelines that provide an unambiguous basis for quality control and thus quality assurance. It is the thesis of this paper that current quality assurance practices for computer programs are not sufficient to fully assure the major aspects of computer program quality. Also, that methods and computer-based techniques exist or can be developed which will enhance current quality assurance procedures. The paper describes these methods and computer-based techniques that can provide the user of computer programs with a higher level of quality assurance of these programs, and thus, indirectly, a higher overall quality assurance of the final system or component analyzed or designed with the aid of such programs.
Assessing resident's knowledge and communication skills using four different evaluation tools

Purpose This study assesses the relationship between 4 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) outcome project measures for interpersonal and communication skills and medical knowledge; specifically, monthly performance evaluations, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), the American Board of Family Practice in-training examination (ABFP–ITE) and the Davis observation code (DOC) practice style profiles. Methods Based on previous work, we have DOC scoring for 29 residents from the University of California, Davis Department of Family and Community Medicine. For all these residents we also had the results of monthly performance evaluations, 2 required OSCE exercises, and the results of 3 American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) ITEs. Data for each of these measures were abstracted for each resident. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to assess the presence or lack of correlation between each of these evaluation methods. Results There is little correlation between various evaluation methods used to assess medical knowledge, and there is also little correlation between various evaluation methods used to assess communication skills. Conclusion The outcome project remains a ‘work in progress’, with the need for larger studies to assess the value of different assessment measures of resident competence. It is unlikely that DOC will become a useful evaluation tool.
FLT3 in lineage specification and plasticity

// Sarah Greenblatt 1 and Donald Small 1,2 1 Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 2 Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD Correspondence: Donald Small , email: // Keywords : FLT3, B220, leukemia, lineage, differentiation Received : May 14, 2012, Accepted : May 26, 2012, Published : May 27, 2012 Abstract FLT3 is a receptor tyrosine kinase that is expressed in CD34 + hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) and is important for both normal myeloid and lymphoid differentiation. FLT3 expression in Pax5 negative lymphoid precursors coincides with a window of multilineage differentiation potential in mice and humans. Recent work has shown that FLT3 activating mutations can collaborate with a Nup98-HoxD13 mutation to induce an aggressive acute leukemia. The leukemic initiating population in this model displayed properties of both lymphoid and myeloid precursors, making it a useful tool to study the role of FLT3 in lineage plasticity. Through a variety of assays, the leukemic initiating population was shown to be restricted to myeloid differentiation, suggesting that the B-lineage properties in these cells are due to the priming of lymphoid transcription programs in multipotent progenitors rather than a true capacity for B-cell maturation. The development of an undifferentiated myeloid leukemia in this model, also has implications for the role of FLT3 in the inhibition of myeloid differentiation. Here we discuss the insights gained from this model.
Error estimates resulting from the norms of certain noise covariance matrices

Abstract Precise estimates were previously obtained for the error in the optimum gain of an antenna array arising from errors in the measured noise covariance matrix. It was observed that the error estimates are functions of the character and spatial distribution of the noise field. The purpose of the work reported in what follows is to analyze this dependence of the previous results upon the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the noise field.
L2 bounds in some non-standard nonlinear problems in partial differential equations

Abstract A priori bounds are determined for certain energy expressions for a class of semi-linear parabolic and hyperbolic initial-boundary value problems when a combination of the values of the solution initially and at a later time is prescribed.
What Do We Know When We Know a Person

Individual differences in personality may be described at three different levels. Level I consists of those broad, decontextualized, and rela- tively nonconditional constructs called "traits," which provide a dispositional signature for personality description. No description of a person is adequate without trait attributions, but trait attributions themselves yield little beyond a "psychology ofthe stranger." At Level II (called "personal concems"), per- sonality descriptions invoke personal strivings, life tasks, defense mechanisms, coping strategies, domain-specific skills and values, and a wide assortment of other motivational, developmental, or strategic constructs that are contextual- ized in time, place, or role. While dispositional traits and personal concerns appear to have near-universal applicability. Level III presents frameworks and constructs that may be uniquely relevant to adulthood only, and perhaps only within modern societies that put a premium on the individuation of the self. Thus, in contemporary Western societies, a full description of personality commonly requires a consideration of the extent to which a human life ex- presses unity and purpose, which are the hallmarks of identity. Identity in adulthood is an inner story of the self that integrates the reconstmcted past, perceived present, and anticipated future to provide a life with unity, purpose, and meaning. At Level III, psychologists may explore the person's identity as an internalized and evolving life story. Each of the three levels has its own geography and requires its own indigenous nomenclatures, taxonomies, theories, frameworks, and laws.
Relevance ranking is not relevance ranking or, when the user is not the user, the search results are not search results

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the significance of the differences between the actual technical principles determining relevance ranking, and how relevance ranking is understood, described and evaluated by the developers of relevance ranking algorithms and librarians.Design/methodology/approach – The discussion uses descriptions by PLWeb Turbo and C2 of their relevance ranking products and a librarian's description on her blog with the responses which it drew, contrasting these with relevancy as it is indicated in studies of the ISI citation record reported by White.Findings – The study finds that product descriptions and librarians consistently use the term “relevance ranking” to mean both the artificial relevance ranking by statistical methods using various surrogates assumed to reliably indicate relevance and the real relevance as determined by the searcher. The paper indicates the misunderstandings arising from this terminological confusion and its consequences in the context of the...
Know thine enemy.

The malaria and mosquito genomes will allow us to find new drug and vaccine targets, says Daniel Carucci.
Kinetics of catalyst loss during potassium-catalysed CO2 gasification of carbon

Abstract A significant fraction of the potassium catalyst can be lost by vaporization during catalysed carbon gasification. The extent of this loss depends primarily on the reaction start-up procedure. Temperature programmed experiments show that, under inert atmospheres, both KOH and K2CO3 react with carbon to give a reduced form of potassium-carbon complex. The formation of this complex appears to be a prerequisite for the vaporization of potassium. The rate of vaporization at 800 °C follows a first-order expression. Under gasification conditions, only a fraction of the catalyst is in this reduced form; therefore, the rate of catalyst loss during gasification is lower than that under inert atmospheres. The effect of catalyst loss on both the initial gasification rate and the variation in rate with conversion has been determined.
The Changing Political Participation of Postcommunist Citizens

This article focuses on participation in the postcommunist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Representative national surveys conducted in a large number of countries shortly after they acquired independence and replicated almost a decade later make possible empirical analyses of trends in membership in associations of civil society, involvement in several types of conventional political activities, and attitudes toward different protest behaviors. The analyses confirm the widely noted decline in associational membership and show some of the reasons for the decline. They document the slow increase in conventional involvements in countries that are closer to Western Europe in economic growth and historical experiences. Resources of education, income, and age are associated with higher rates of participation in associations and in conventional political activities, replicating patterns familiar in older democracies. These citizens are also following the general trend of endorsing forms of political pr...
Effective core potential modeling of Group IVA-Group IVB chemical vapor deposition

An effective core potential study of a model chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reaction is reported. Compounds studied are those in which a Group IVA (E=C, Si, Ge, SN) main group element is directly bonded to a Group IVB (M=Ti, Zr, Hf) transition metal. Model reactants (H{sub 3}M-EH{sub 3}) possess Group IVA-Group IVB single bonds while products (H{sub 2}M = EH{sub 2}, formed by H{sub 2} elimination from reactants) have Group IVA-Group IVB multiple bonds. The main findings of this research are as follows: First, a single-determinant (RHF) description is appropriate for singly bonded Group IVA-Group IVB complexes. Agreement between experimental and calculated M-E single-bond lengths is very good at all levels studied. Second, electron correlation is of much greater importance for describing the ME {pi} bond than the ME {sigma} bond. Third, analysis of calculated double-to-single bond ratios (R{sub double}/R{sub single}) suggest that {pi}-bonding remains nearly constant over the entire series of compounds studied and is weaker than in the main group-main group analogs, suggesting a reason for the lack of reported examples with a Group IVA-Group IVB double bound. Fourth, barriers to elimination of H{sub 2} from H{sub 3}M-EH{sub 3} show two significant trends. We propose that the trendsmore » as a function of transition metal (Ti Si > Ge > Sn) are due to trends in M-H and E-H bond energies. 37 refs., 2 figs., 7 tabs.« less
Mechanisms of ignition of thermally irradiated cellulose

The experimentally determined dependence of spontaneous ignition of radiantly heated cellulose on atmospheric variables is presented and compared with calculated responses based on an idealized model of thermal autoignition in the gas phase. The atmospheric variables are: total pressure (subatmospheric to 4 atm), oxygen concentration (pure diluent to pure oxygen), and diluent replacement (helium and carbon dioxide substituted for nitrogen). As both total pressure and oxygen concentration are increased from their ignition-limiting values (e.g., air at 0.15 atm pressure and 16% oxygen in nitrogen-oxygen mixtures at 1 atm), the times required for ignition fall monotonically from large values (relative to ignition time in air) to values that are substantially less than ignition times in air. The effect of diluent changes is similarly profound. These data render untenable previously reported speculation regarding initiation by the sudden appearance of active species among the pyrolysis products. They are shown to be consistent with the classical processes of thermal autoignition. A simplified model incorporating these processes has been developed. Details of the model and results obtained with it are reported.
Leading by learning, learning by leading

Data from a study of 81 exemplary secondary school teachers across the United States provide a portrait of how these teachers have become leaders whose influence and partnerships extend well beyond their classrooms and schools. Propelled by a deep personal desire to learn and a commitment to help students learn, the teachers are learners first, leaders second: their leadership occurs as a by-product of their learning. As teachers, they become pedagogical innovators in their quest to learn what helps students learn. They develop deep knowledge of students, curricula and pedagogy, in part by changing grade levels and schools, observing and learning from students, and consulting with parents. They seek specific professional development, internal and external colleagues and partnerships, professional organisations, and opportunities to team teach and observe peers. As they learn, they refine who they are as a person. Over time, the teachers find, accept or create ways to help colleagues by sharing innovations...
EINSTEIN and MICHELSON The Context of Discovery and the Context of Justification

The philosopher of science is not much intersted in the thought processes which lead to scientific discoveries; he looks for a logical analysis of the completed theory, including the relationships establishing its validity. That is, he is not interested in the context of discovery, but in the context of justification … it appears amazing to what extent the logical analysis of relativity coincides with the original interpretation by its author, as far as it can be constructed from the scanty remarks in EINSTEIN's publications. In contradistinction to some developments in quantum theory, the logical schema of the theory of relativity corresponds surprisingly with the program which controlled its discovery.
Pain management following major intracranial surgery in pediatric patients: a prospective cohort study in three academic children's hospitals

Introduction Pain management following major intracranial surgery is often limited by a presumed lack of need and a concern that opioids will adversely affect postoperative outcome and interfere with the neurologic examination. Nevertheless, evidence in adults is accumulating that these patients suffer moderate to severe pain and this pain is often under-treated. The purpose of this prospective, clinical observational cohort study was to assess the incidence of pain, prescribed analgesics, methods of analgesic delivery, and patient/parent satisfaction in pediatric patients undergoing cranial surgery at 3 major university children’s hospitals.
The Lost Meaning of Classical Architecture, Speculation on Ornament from Vitruvius to Venturi, Bearers of Meaning. The Classical Orders in Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

(1990). The Lost Meaning of Classical Architecture, Speculation on Ornament from Vitruvius to Venturi, Bearers of Meaning. The Classical Orders in Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Journal of Architectural Education: Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 41-42.
Treatment of Autoimmune Neuromuscular Diseases with High-Dose Intravenous Immune Globulin

ABSTRACT: The majority of autoimmune neuromuscular diseases fall into three groups: 1) The autoimmune neuropathies, which include the acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (Guillain-Barre syndrome), the chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, the paraproteinemic polyneuropathies, and the anti-GM1-associated motor neuropathies with conduction block; 2) the inflammatory myopathies, which include the dermatomyositis and polymyositis complex; and 3) the autoimmune neuromuscular junction defects, which include myasthenia gravis, and the Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome. Laboratory and clinical evidence suggests that circulating antibodies or sensitized lymphocytes are operating in the pathogenesis of these conditions. Current immunotherapies include treatment with plasmapheresis, high-dose steroids, or immunosuppressive drugs. Although all of these therapies are effective in a number of patients and for some period of time, they often result in serious side effects that necessitate their discontinuation. The need for safer and more effective therapies in the treatment of these conditions prompted the use of high-dose i.v. immune globulin (IVIG). A number of small trials and a few reports suggest that IVIG is safe and effective in the treatment of patients with autoimmune neuropathies, inflammatory myopathies, and myasthenia gravis unresponsive to conventional therapies. We will present current experience with IVIG in the abovementioned autoimmune neuromuscular diseases, and we will stress the need for long-term controlled studies. The possible immunomodulatory action of IVIG in these conditions will also be discussed.
Language Learning in Relation to Focus.

Learning a language while living in that language area can be accelerated if the student is in focus, that is, if he interacts with the people. If, however, the people of the area do notselect the learner as one for attention, it is difficult to get into focus and difficult to learn the language. It is a sociological problem. This article discusses socially acceptable ways of getting into focus. It suggests ways that the colleagues of the student can help to put him into focus and to give him opportunity for conversational practice. It suggests activities whereby the learner can interact with people in situations in which he can carry on a conversation within a controlled context. It suggests activities which provide opportunities for conversation and topics for casual conversation. It also suggests profitable language learning ways of spending out-of-focus time.
Laparoscopic Transperitoneal Pyeloplasty

Laparoscopic pyeloplasty is a first-line option for the management of ureteropelvic junction obstruction. It has a greater success rate than endopyelotomy and is associated with a shorter and less intense convalescence than open surgical pyeloplasty. The technique is well established and reproducible, although the procedure is more difficult in certain situations, such as after a previous pyeloplasty. Because laparoscopic suturing is needed, it is considered an advanced laparoscopic procedure. Suturing devices can facilitate suturing, but they are not optimal for all repairs. This article and the accompanying video summarize the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative considerations for laparoscopic pyeloplasty.
Peroxynitrite-mediated oxidative protein modifications

Proteins are targets of reactive species and detection of oxidatively modified proteins is often used as an index of oxidative stress. Peroxynitrite is a strong oxidant formed by reaction of nitric oxide with superoxide. Using fatty acid-free bovine serum albumin as a model we examined peroxynitrite-mediated protein modifications. The reaction of protein with peroxynitrite resulted in the oxidation of tryptophan and cysteine, in the nitration of tyrosine, in the formation of dityrosine, in the production of 2,4 dinitrophenylhydrazine-reactive carbonyls and in protein fragmentation. The formation of 3-nitrotyrosine represents a specific peroxynitrite-mediated protein modification that is different from modifications mediated by reactive oxygen species.
Synthesis of a functionalized furan via ozonolysis—further confirmation of the Criegee mechanism

Abstract A new method for the synthesis of a tetrahydrofuran ring is described which involves ozonolysis of a diene possessing a free hydroxy group in the γ-position. The reaction proceeds via ozone attack on the terminal double bond, cleavage, and intramolecular cyclization through the free hydroxy group. The cyclization event can be rationalized through formation of Criegee’s carbonyl oxide, but not through the ‘unified’ mechanism, thereby lending support to the Criegee mechanism as a method of producing oxygen-containing heterocycles.
LABORATORY ISSUES IN THE DETECTION AND REPORTING OF ANTIBACTERIAL RESISTANCE

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance among several common bacterial pathogens requires that clinical microbiology laboratories have the ability to promptly and accurately recognize resistance in patients' isolates. Laboratories have several options for performing routine susceptibility testing, including the broth microdilution procedure (with or without instrumentation for test reading), automated instrument systems that provide rapid results, antibiotic gradient diffusion, and disk diffusion procedures. In addition, there are definitive screening tests capable of recognizing resistance to drugs of choice among several common bacterial species based on single drug concentration tests or rapid spot tests. The likely emergence of still newer resistance mechanisms will provide a challenge to clinical microbiologists to devise accurate, yet cost-effective strategies for use in the future.
Infrared Absorption Spectra Of Cured Epdxy Resin And Human Corneal Tissue At Temperatures Up To 450 °C

High temperature (up to 450 °C) infrared absorption spectra of a cured epoxy resin (CER) and human corneal tissue (HCT) have been measured to identify changes in absorption coefficients due to the dehydration and decomposition of polymeric materials. The observed spectral changes are analyzed and related to thermogravimetric measurements and pulsed laser ablation experiments.
The effects of unilateral and multifocal lesions on the WAIS-R: A factor analytic study of stroke patients

Abstract An exploratory maximum likelihood factor analysis of the inter-correlations among the 11 subtests of the WAIS-R was undertaken for 167 patients who had a primary diagnoses of cerebrovascular accident (right hemisphere, n = 79; left hemisphere, n = 55; diffuse or multifocal, n = 33). On the WAIS-R, this sample performed below normative standards (average scaled score = 7.1), but demonstrated a pattern of variability among subtests similar to the normative groups. Interestingly, VIQ-PIQ discrepancy analyses revealed V > P profiles for patients with lesions in either or both hemispheres. The best fit for the WAIS-R matrix was an oblique two-factor model comprised of the Verbal and Performance subtests. This factor solution, which was moderately correlated (.52), accounted for 58.8% of the total variance. The stability of a two-factor structure in this neurologic impaired population suggests that the WAIS-R is a robust measure, even when used within such a rehabilitation population. Only two of the eleven subtests (i.e., Comprehension and Picture Arrangement), however, were related to lesion site. Rehabilitation settings may need to rely more on neuropsychological procedures that measure the more “fluid” areas of neurocognitive ability, in contrast to the WAIS-R which appears less sensitive to the neurological impairment associated with stroke.
Nonparametric Function Estimation for Clustered Data When the Predictor is Measured without/with Error

Abstract We consider local polynomial kernel regression with a single covariate for clustered data using estimating equations. We assume that at most m < ∞ observations are available on each cluster. In the case of random regressors, with no measurement error in the predictor, we show that it is generally the best strategy to ignore entirely the correlation structure within each cluster and instead pretend that all observations are independent. In the further special case of longitudinal data on individuals with fixed common observation times, we show that equivalent to the pooled data approach is the strategy of fitting separate nonparametric regressions at each observation time and constructing an optimal weighted average. We also consider what happens when the predictor is measured with error. Using the SIMEX approach to correct for measurement error, we construct an asymptotic theory for both the pooled and the weighted average estimators. Surprisingly, for the same amount of smoothing, the weighted a...
Numerical solution of quadratic boundary value problems

A new finite-difference scheme for both singularly perturbed and unperturbed quadratic boundary value problems is proposed, and its stability and convergence analyzed. Numerical results are given for some application problems.
Biological data mining

Biological data mining purports to extract useful knowledge from massive datasets gathered in biology, and in other related life sciences areas such as medicine and neuroscience. In the recent past, we have witnessed major transformations of these applied sciences into data-driven endeavors. For instance, the study of even a focused aspect of cellular activity, such as gene action, now benefits from multiple highthroughput data acquisition technologies such as microarrays, genome-wide deletion screens, and RNAi assays. Consequently, analysis and mining techniques, especially those that provide data reduction down to manageable quantities, have become a mainstay of these application domains. This special issue presents novel research in biological data mining applications. The selected submissions went through two rounds of reviews by at least three reviewers. We are very grateful to the anonymous reviewers in helping us select the following papers for this special issue. The first paper, Semi-supervised learning for classification of protein sequence data, by Brian King and Chittibabu Guda, presents a com-
Structurally ordered intermetallic platinum–cobalt core–shell nanoparticles with enhanced activity and stability as oxygen reduction electrocatalysts

To enhance and optimize nanocatalyst performance and durability for the oxygen reduction reaction in fuel-cell applications, we look beyond Pt-metal disordered alloys and describe a new class of Pt-Co nanocatalysts composed of ordered Pt(3)Co intermetallic cores with a 2-3 atomic-layer-thick platinum shell. These nanocatalysts exhibited over 200% increase in mass activity and over 300% increase in specific activity when compared with the disordered Pt(3)Co alloy nanoparticles as well as Pt/C. So far, this mass activity for the oxygen reduction reaction is the highest among the Pt-Co systems reported in the literature under similar testing conditions. Stability tests showed a minimal loss of activity after 5,000 potential cycles and the ordered core-shell structure was maintained virtually intact, as established by atomic-scale elemental mapping. The high activity and stability are attributed to the Pt-rich shell and the stable intermetallic Pt(3)Co core arrangement. These ordered nanoparticles provide a new direction for catalyst performance optimization for next-generation fuel cells.
Output compression for IC fault detection using compressive sensing

The process of detecting logical faults in integrated circuits (ICs) due to manufacturing variations is bottlenecked by the I/O cost of scanning in test vectors and offloading test results. Traditionally, the output bottleneck is alleviated by reducing the number of bits in output responses using XOR networks, or computing signatures from the responses of multiple tests. However, these many-to-one computations reduce test time at the cost of higher detection failure rates, and lower test granularity. In this paper, we propose an output compression approach that uses compressive sensing to exploit the redundancy of correlated outputs from closely related tests, and of correlated faulty responses across many circuits. Compressive sensing's simple encoding method makes our approach attractive because it can be implemented on-chip using only a small number of accumulators. Through simulation, we show that our method can reduce the output I/O bottleneck without increasing failure rates, and can reconstruct higher granularity results off-chip than current compaction approaches.
A snapshot of the status of problem-based learning in U. S. medical schools, 2003-04

Purpose Although the use of problem-based learning (PBL) is widespread in U.S. medical schools, its true prevalence is unknown. This study examined the prevalence of PBL in preclinical curricula. Method In 2003, a Web-based questionnaire was sent to education deans or directors of medical education at the 123 Liaison Committee on Medical Education-accredited medical schools in the United States. The respondents indicated whether or not they were using PBL and what percentage of faculty-student contact hours in the preclinical years used PBL. Result All 123 schools responded. Of them, 70% used PBL in the preclinical years. Of schools using PBL, 45% used it for less than 10% of their formal teaching, while 6% used it for more than half of their formal teaching. Of the 30% of schools not using PBL, 22% had used it in the past, and 2% had plans to incorporate it in the future. Conclusions Use of PBL is widespread in the preclinical curricula of U.S. medical schools. That use is limited, however, since fewer than 6% of programs use it for more than 50% of their instruction.
Rectal methohexital causing apnea in two patients with meningomyeloceles.

Induction of anesthesia with rectal methohexital is a common practice in pediatric anesthesia. We present two children with meningomyeloceles in whom apnea developed following the administration of rectal methohexital