cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Deweyan Defense of Ethical Naturalism

For some time now, sociologists have largely evaded metatheoretical questions, no more so than those pertaining to the relationship between fact and value and the role of values within the social sciences. This is not because such issues have faded in importance. On the contrary, the central questions of social theory remain as relevant today as they were during the earliest days of the discipline. Luckily, some members of the guild continue to pursue them. Philip S. Gorski’s exploration of terrain “beyond the fact/value distinction” makes an important contribution. His essay challenges the orthodox claim of fact/value dualism and utilizes neoAristotelian ethical naturalism (hence forward “Aristotelian naturalism”) to defend the idea that the social sciences can contribute to knowledge of the good life and the good society. As a fellow traveler also seeking a space for moral inquiry within the discipline, I am encouraged by this effort. However, I question whether the neo-Aristotelian notion of human flourishing provides an optimal starting point. Aristotelian naturalism depends upon antecedent notions of human functioning, which veer closely towards foundationalism. As a result, it seems to favor the viewpoint of the scientific observer and therefore remains somewhat distant from the moral dilemmas of social and political life. My commentary aims to extend the current dialogue by considering some weaknesses of the Aristotelian position and proposing an alternative based within the pragmatist tradition. To justify my observations, I outline the philosophical underpinnings of this approach in more detail. Next, I point to some weakness of Aristotelian naturalism with respect to the translation of scientific knowledge to moral questions. I consider how insights from the ethical theory of John Dewey might serve as a corrective by clarifying how abstract notions of “human flourishing,” rather than ends in themselves, serve as standards that orient ongoing moral inquiries and deliberations. I conclude by contemplating what this might mean for scientific practice and the future of social theory.
Determination of Molecular Parameters by Fitting Sedimentation Data to Finite-Element Solutions of the Lamm Equation

Abstract A method for fitting experimental sedimentation velocity data to finite-element solutions of various models based on the Lamm equation is presented. The method provides initial parameter estimates and guides the user in choosing an appropriate model for the analysis by preprocessing the data with the G ( s ) method by van Holde and Weischet. For a mixture of multiple solutes in a sample, the method returns the concentrations, the sedimentation ( s ) and diffusion coefficients ( D ), and thus the molecular weights (MW) for all solutes, provided the partial specific volumes ( v ¯ ) are known. For nonideal samples displaying concentration-dependent solution behavior, concentration dependency parameters for s ( σ ) and D ( δ ) can be determined. The finite-element solution of the Lamm equation used for this study provides a numerical solution to the differential equation, and does not require empirically adjusted correction terms or any assumptions such as infinitely long cells. Consequently, experimental data from samples that neither clear the meniscus nor exhibit clearly defined plateau absorbances, as well as data from approach-to-equilibrium experiments, can be analyzed with this method with enhanced accuracy when compared to other available methods. The nonlinear least-squares fitting process was accomplished by the use of an adapted version of the "Doesn't Use Derivatives" nonlinear least-squares fitting routine. The effectiveness of the approach is illustrated with experimental data obtained from protein and DNA samples. Where applicable, results are compared to methods utilizing analytical solutions of approximated Lamm equations.
Ouachita Orogenic Complex, Central Texas--Geophysical Measurements and Basement Offset: ABSTRACT

The outline of the buried Ouachita orogenic belt in Texas follows an ancient continental edge that has been involved in lithosphere plate interaction since late Precambrian time. Gravity and magnetic measurements along the central Texas part of the trend, combined with limited seismic and well information, indicate that the complex has been offset along a persistent zone of weakness during its history. The offset relationship of the gravity and magnetic anomaly patterns and their relationship, in turn, to the geology of this zone of weakness indicate a series of basement displacements through time. A broad negative gravity anomaly is related to the overthrust package developed during the collision phase. Broad magnetic anomalies are related to slivers of basement caught u in the collision. A belt of positive gravity anomalies is related to a concentration of dense rocks created during the collision phase, or to a mantle welt created during the pull-apart phase. Short-wavelength dipole magnetic anomalies are related to shallow volcanics extruded during this pull-apart phase. The detail in these patterns may provide a framework for interpretation of basement uplift and fracture patterns involved in the offset zone. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1427------------
Top Criminals/Top Criminologists The Most-Cited Authors and Works in White-Collar Crime

Numerous studies recently have appeared that identify the most-cited authors and works in the general criminology and criminal justice literature and in several specialty areas, although no previou...
Impedance Characteristics of Amine Modified Single Glass Nanopores

Mass transport through an interfacial area at nanometer scale is a key process to be addressed in research and applications employing nanostructured electrodes, nanofluidic devices, and high surface area materials. Ionic transport through single glass nanopores is investigated by multifrequency impedance techniques. The conical glass nanopores display current rectification under controlled experimental conditions in voltammetric studies. Being inaccessible by conductivity and DC voltammetry, phase sensitive capacitive and “inductive” components in the two-dimensional impedance spectrum reveal dynamic ionic transport information. The nanopore impedance responses are strongly influenced by the concentration of electrolytes and are correlated with current rectification. Multitime-constant impedance loops are detected in different frequency ranges. The multitime-constant features are attributed to the negative charges at the glass−solution interface. The impedance data are interpreted by designed equivalent c...
LEUKOCYTE TRANSMIGRATION ACROSS ENDOTHELIAL AND EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX PROTEIN BARRIERS IN LIVER ISCHEMIA/REPERFUSION INJURY

Purpose of review Hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) linked to leukocyte recruitment and subsequent release of cytokines and free radicals remains a significant complication in organ transplantation. The aim of this review is to bring attention to advances made in our understanding of the mechanisms of leukocyte recruitment to sites of inflammatory stimulation in liver IRI. Recent findings Leukocyte transmigration across endothelial and extracellular matrix barriers is dependent on adhesive events, as well as on focal matrix degradation mechanisms. Whereas adhesion molecules are critical for the successful promotion of leukocyte transmigration by providing leukocyte attachment to the vascular endothelium, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important for facilitating leukocyte movement across vascular barriers. Among different MMPs, MMP-9, an inducible gelatinase expressed by leukocytes during hepatic IRI, is emerging as an important mediator of leukocyte traffic to inflamed liver. Summary It is generally accepted that the understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in leukocyte recruitment will lead to the development of novel targeted therapeutic approaches for hepatic IRI and liver transplantation. Here, we review mechanisms of leukocyte traffic in liver IRI and the role of some of the proteins that are thought to be important for this process.
Synthesis and structural properties of type I potassium SiGe alloy clathrates

Abstract We report on the synthesis and structural characterization of type I SiGe alloy clathrates, with potassium as the guest species, synthesized by thermal decomposition and kinetically controlled thermal decomposition from K4(Si1−xGex)4 precursor phases with x=0.1, 0.3, and 0.75. The K8(Si1−xGex)46 clathrates were structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction. Rietveld refinement on the XRD data indicated that Ge preferentially occupies the 24k and 6c sites for x 0.5.
Translational invariance and the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background

Primordial quantum fluctuations produced by inflation are conventionally assumed to be statistically homogeneous, a consequence of translational invariance. In this paper we quantify the potentially observable effects of a small violation of translational invariance during inflation, as characterized by the presence of a preferred point, line, or plane.We explore the imprint such a violation would leave on the cosmic microwave background anisotropy, and provide explicit formulas for the expected amplitudes of the spherical-harmonic coefficients.
Organochlorine pesticides and human health

Summary In autopsy specimens of body fat from non-occupationally exposed residents of Dade County, Florida, the mean concentrations of DDT-derived material were 9·7 ppm in 42 cases of accidental death, 9·4 ppm in 31 individuals who used pesticides in home or garden only sparingly, 19·4 ppm in 65 moderate users and 27 ppm in 22 individuals who used pesticides with little regard for safety. Aldrin and dieldrin (20–50 ppm), and endrin (2–12 ppm) fed for a lifetime to Osborne-Mendel rats were neither tumorigenic nor carcinogenic. In rats fed aldrin and dieldrin (but not in those fed endrin), the overall tumour incidence was significantly lower than that in the control rats, a finding probably related to modification of corticosteroid metabolism as a result of the stimulation of microsomal-enzyme activity by aldrin and dieldrin. In a six-generation test in which Swiss mice were fed combinations of aldrin (3–25 ppm), dieldrin (3–25 ppm), chlordane (50–100 ppm) or DDT (100–250 ppm), viability and lactation indices were the most sensitive indicators of subtle adverse effects. In dogs fed DDT and aldrin, singly or in combination, DDT and dieldrin concentrations in blood and fat not associated with signs of intoxication adversely affected fertility, viability, mammary development and lactation. At the time of breeding their total DDT and dieldrin concentrations in blood and body fat were within the ranges encountered in some human volunteers and pesticide formulators who showed no signs or symptoms of DDT or aldrin (dieldrin) toxicity. The concentrations of both DDT and dieldrin in the blood and fat reached much higher peak concentrations when these compounds were fed to dogs as a mixture than when either was fed singly. Thus, in the dog, the fate of absorbed DDT is influenced considerably by the presence of aldrin (or dieldrin) and vice versa . In adult rats fed DDT and dieldrin singly or in combination, the loss in body weight was accompanied in males by a lowering of total DDT and dieldrin levels in the blood and an increase in the concentrations in body fat. In females, these changes were more marked and differed from those in the males in that the blood level of total DDT was increased rather than decreased. In both sexes, but particularly in females, starvation increased the N -demethylation of aminopyrine, O -demethylation of p -nitroanisole and detoxication of phosphonothioate (EPN).
Children's avoidance responses to three probabilities of threatened consequences

Abstract Children's avoidance responses were conditioned and then extinguished in a laboratory analog of a social threat situation. Aversive events (story interruptions) were programmed to follow either 100% (group E100) of the signals (threats), 60% (group E60) of the signals, or 20% (group E20) of the signals during acquisition. The subjects could avoid the signal and/or the aversive event by responding with lever presses above criterion level. Results indicated that groups E100 and E60 were generally not different from each other but avoided significantly more interruption and signals and responded at a higher rate than group E20. Groups E100 and E60 both shifted their responding from approximately equivalent probabilities of signal and interruption avoidance to relatively greater avoidance of interruptions during acquisition, and then shifted back to equivalent probabilities of signal and interruption avoidance during extinction. Results were discussed in terms of the function of threats as discriminative stimuli.
Mechanism for Stimulated Acoustic Events associated with Partial Discharge

A mechanism is proposed for Stimulated Acoustic Events (SAE) observed as associated with Partial Discharge (PD) events. The mechanism is based on the formation of a transverse horizontal wave within a dielectric gap and propagating along the high voltage electrode — dielectric interface. The excitation of an extensional wave in the electrode and a large acoustic impedance mismatch at the electrode — dielectric interface are required (as first described at the 2006 IPMHVC). The frequencies in the ultrasound of both the fundamental and first harmonic components of the observed SAE are explained. The spatial shear displacement due to the transverse horizontal wave has been estimated and will be described. The maximum displacement is predicted in the dielectric, close to the high voltage electrode. The possibility that cyclic displacement resulting from SAE could nucleate voids that could then excite PD under voltage stress is explored.
Equity and Ethical Environmental Influences on Regulated Business-to-Consumer Exchange:

Macromarketing has traditionally accounted for the influences of political, social, technological, legal, and economic forces on marketing. Equally powerful and prevalent, the ethical and equitable...
Systems conceptualization and treatment of anger

Clinicians, researchers, and patients tend to view anger as attributable to immediate circumstances and current thoughts. In contrast, systems-oriented thinking approaches anger as a contextual and dynamic phenomenon. Personal dispositional systems of anger (cognitive, physiological, and behavioral) are embedded in an interdependent network of interpersonal and environmental systems. Anger coevolves with and is in equilibrium with these systems. The more adaptive and embedded it is within a system, the greater will be its inertia or resistance to change. The automaticity of anger further challenges its regulation, as does its transfer across domains. Other troublesome systems phenomena associated with anger and aggression are escalation and threshold effects. Anger arousal, as a deviation from homeostasis, is inhibited and counteracted by various negative feedback loops that are properties of internal, interpersonal, and environmental systems. Treatment augments anger-regulatory mechanisms. Interventions aimed at anger reduction should consider the systems in which anger is embedded and the adaptive functions anger serves within those systems. These and other systems concepts are explicated and are illustrated with material from two clinical cases.
Demanding medical excellence

This work seeks to reveal in an accessible fashion how a revolution that owes as much to laptops as lab coats is transforming medical care. The author, Michael L. Millenson, a three-times Pulitzer Prize nominee as a reporter for the "Chicago Tribune", combines the experiences of real people and evidence from the scientific literature to tell the story of the information explosion and the application of quality-measurement techniques to medicine. Balancing criticism and praise, he illustrates serious flaws and errors in contemporary American medical practice, and shows ways in which care can be improved and many thousands of lives saved. The current debate over health care generally focuses on finance: how do we contain the cost of care, and how do we ensure that all citizens can afford access to it? The most important issue - the quality of treatment - is too often ignored. Millenson shows that while American medicine may be the most sophisticated in the world, treatment is alarmingly inconsistent. Medicare data, for example, show that in 1996 an elderly man or woman was four times as likely to undergo surgery for back pain living in Fort Meyers, Florida, as a patient with the same symptoms living in Manhattan. Yet Millenson balances similar disturbing stories with optimistic, inspiring accounts of recent improvements in patient care. For example, a new computer-based programme in a Utah hospital has dramatically reduced treatment-caused deaths, while in another hospital a database is being created to give all doctors access to the latest medical treatments. The book concludes that the major barriers to protecting and systematically improving medical care are cultural, not technical. Patients will not receive the consistently excellent care they deserve until physicians and health care plans are given the proper financial incentives to change, have the clinical information to guide them, and most important, accept the moral responsibility to implement change and make it work.
Fear of Recurrence and Perceived Survival Benefit are Primary Motivators for Choosing Mastectomy over Breast-Conservation Therapy Regardless of Age

Introduction Recent studies have reported increases in the rate of mastectomy and contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM). We hypothesized that there would be different reasons for choosing mastectomy for women aged <50 compared with those aged ≥50 years.
Thermodynamic properties of model CdTe/CdSe mixtures

We report on the thermodynamic properties of binary compound mixtures of model groups II–VI semiconductors. We use the recently introduced Stillinger–Weber Hamiltonian to model binary mixtures of CdTe and CdSe. We use molecular dynamics simulations to calculate the volume and enthalpy of mixing as a function of mole fraction. The lattice parameter of the mixture closely follows Vegard's law: a linear relation. This implies that the excess volume is a cubic function of mole fraction. A connection is made with hard sphere models of mixed fcc and zincblende structures. The potential energy exhibits a positive deviation from ideal soluton behaviour; the excess enthalpy is nearly independent of temperatures studied (300 and 533 K) and is well described by a simple cubic function of the mole fraction. Using a regular solution approach (combining non-ideal behaviour for the enthalpy with ideal solution behaviour for the entropy of mixing), we arrive at the Gibbs free energy of the mixture. The Gibbs free energy ...
Pseudo-appeals to conscience

Pseudo-appeals to conscience stress that the dictates of conscience are always either morally obligatory or at least not morally wrong. These appeals are untenable. They result in an indefensible moral relativism. They should be abandoned.
Sustained influence of previous estradiol or testosterone treatments on sexual behaviors of female pigs

Abstract Two studies were conducted to determine the consequences of extended treatment with estradiol or testosterone on sexual behavior in postpubertal, female pigs. After ovariectomy, either steroid was administered for 6 weeks at dosages sufficient to maintain serum concentrations similar to those observed in mature male pigs. Behavioral evaluations were initiated 2 months after the last steroid treatment. These treatments reduced receptivity (immobile stance when placed with a mature male) and proceptivity (preference to remain near a mature male) in association with an increase in aggressive behavior. In females treated previously with both estradiol and progesterone, sexual behaviors 2 months later were similar to those of control females. When evaluations were repeated 5 months after extended estradiol treatment had ceased, receptivity and proceptivity had returned to that of control pigs and aggressive behavior had diminished greatly. Interpretation of these changes in behavior is that extended periods of estradiol or testosterone treatment sustain activational influences for a considerable amount of time after treatments cease and progesterone antagonizes estradiol's effect on these behaviors. In a companion study, pubertal and postpubertal females were similar for receptivity but pubertal females spent less time near a mature male. This difference in proceptivity likely reflects a maturational change associated with sexual development in female pigs. Collectively, these observations in postpubertal, female pigs document that prolonged estrogen treatment will activate aggressive behaviors in association with reduced proceptivity and receptivity. Because these behavioral changes are reversible by 5 months after cessation of treatment, they are not the result of sexual differentiation.
CARDIOLOGY PATIENT PAGES. THE SURGEON GENERAL’S CALL TO ACTION TO PREVENT DEEP VEIN THROMBOSIS AND PULMONARY EMBOLISM

On September 15, 2008, the US Surgeon General, Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, MD, MPH, issued the first Call to Action to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism.1 What is a “call to action” and why should we heed the recommendations of the highest ranking physician in the nation? A call to action is a science-based document to stimulate action nationwide to solve a major public health problem. Over the years, the Surgeon General has issued several calls to action. The first and most important document was the Report on Smoking and Health issued in 1964.2 This warning about the health risks of cigarettes was issued by the Surgeon General at a time when smoking was common and fashionable. It caught the attention of the general public and set the groundwork for the subsequent 40 years of research and awareness that resulted in the lowest smoking rates in history. Now, 44 years later, the alarm has been sounded on another equally disabling and deadly disease, deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism, collectively known as venous thromboembolism (VTE). DVT refers to blood clots forming most commonly in the deep veins of the legs that can break off and travel to the heart, ultimately lodging in the arteries of the lungs, a condition known as pulmonary embolism, causing death and disability. Healthcare providers have recognized for many years that VTE may occur in their …
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide kinase from Azotobacter vinelandii cells. Reversible inactivation of the enzyme.

Abstract NAD+ kinase (EC 2.7.1.23) from Azotobacter vinelandii cells was partially inactivated by dialysis. The inactivated enzyme could be reactivated by incubation with NAD+ and, to a greater extent, with a combination of NAD+ and 2-mercaptoethanol. 2-Mercaptoethanol by itself did not reactivate the enzyme. Treatment of the enzyme with o-iodosobenzoate, which oxidizes protein sulfhydryl groups to the disulfide state, resulted in an almost complete loss of catalytic activity. The o-iodosobenzoate-treated enzyme could be reactivated partially by incubation with 2-mercaptoethanol and NAD+. NAD+ and 2-mercaptoethanol, when used separately, were only very slightly effective in restoring the activity of the o-iodosobenzoate-treated enzyme. The sedimentation behavior of a reduced and inactive enzyme preparation, obtained by dialysis against phosphate buffer and 2-mercaptoethanol, was compared with that of the same preparation which had been reactivated by incubation with NAD+ and that of the original undialyzed enzyme. The data indicated that the reduced enzyme has a sedimentation constant of 4.6 S and that the reactivated enzyme and the original enzyme had sedimentation constants of 6.1 S and 5.9 S, respectively. The experimental data suggest that NAD+ kinase can exist in several forms: (a) An inactive reduced form, (b) an active form induced by NAD+ and which contains intact sulfhydryl groups and (c) an inactive oxidized form which can be reactivated by incubation with 2-mercaptoethanol and NAD+.
Gurania lobata (Cucurbitaceae), a new combination for an overlooked Linnaean name

The new combinationGurania lobata (Cucurbitaceae) is made forAnguria lobata, an overlooked Linnaean name published in the original edition ofPlantae Surinamenses, andG. spinulosa is treated as synonymous with this species.
Transport anisotropy and percolation in exciton dynamics

Abstract I discuss some applications of a recent dynamical theory of excitation transport for highly anisotropic disordered solids. Particular attention is paid to a discussion of anisotropic percolating lattice, for which the vanishing anisotropy of the diffusion tensor at the critical point is studied in some detail. It is predicted that systems which are very nearly 2-dimensional in the pure crystal limit exhibit a crossover to isotropic 3-dimensional transport in the neighborhood of the transition point. This could have important implication for anisotropic solids which have been interpreted in terms of isotropic model systems of reduced dimensionality.
Beam combining of ytterbium fiber amplifiers (Invited)

Fiber lasers are well suited to scaling to high average power using beam-combining techniques. For coherent combining, optical phase-noise characterization of a ytterbium fiber amplifier is required to perform a critical evaluation of various approaches to coherent combining. For wavelength beam combining, we demonstrate good beam quality from the combination of three fiber amplifiers, and we discuss system scaling and design trades between laser linewidth, beam width, grating dispersion, and beam quality.
Apoptosis and hepatobiliary disease

In this review we have attempted to summarize recent information on the role of apoptosis in normal liver biology and as a pathophysiological mechanism of cell death during hepatobiliary disease. Apoptosis is an important mechanism of cell injury and death in pathogenic settings as diverse as cell-mediated cytotoxicity, drug and chemical toxicity, carcinogenesis, viral disease, and autoimmune disease. Several factors account for the widespread attention and flurry of investigative activity into the phenomenon of apoptosis including the following: (1) realization that apoptosis is an important component of the behavior of all cells; (2) increasing evidence supporting a role for apoptotic cell death in diverse pathological settings; (3) elucidation of the biochemical pathways and insight into the genetic and molecular regulation of the process; and (4) development of new techniques to identify cells undergoing apoptosis. Recognition of the importance and role of apoptosis in hepatobiliary disease should stimulate interest and promote basic research toward understanding the mechanisms involved. Subsequent investigation into defining the cellular regulatory mechanisms and biochemical processes involved will be fertile ground for future research that may ultimately lead to novel therapeutic approaches for autoimmune diseases, malignancies, and viral disease.
Cystic Focal Liver Lesions in the Adult: Differential CT and MR Imaging Features

Cystic lesions of the liver in the adult can be classified as developmental, neoplastic, inflammatory, or miscellaneous. Although in some cases it is difficult to distinguish these entities with imaging criteria alone, certain cystic focal liver lesions have classic computed tomographic (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging features, which are important for the radiologist to understand and recognize. Lesions with such features include simple (bile duct) cyst, autosomal dominant polycystic liver disease, biliary hamartoma, Caroli disease, undifferentiated (embryonal) sarcoma, biliary cystadenoma and cystadenocarcinoma, cystic subtypes of primary liver neoplasms, cystic metastases, pyogenic and amebic abscesses, intrahepatic hydatid cyst, extrapancreatic pseudocyst, and intrahepatic hematoma and biloma. Specific CT and MR imaging findings that are important to recognize are the size of the lesion; the presence and thickness of a wall; the presence of septa, calcifications, or internal nodules; the enhancement pattern; the MR cholangiographic appearance; and the signal intensity spectrum. In addition, access to critical clinical information remains extremely important. The most important clinical parameters defined include age and gender, clinical history, and symptoms. An understanding of the classic CT and MR imaging appearances of cystic focal liver lesions will allow more definitive diagnosis and shorten the diagnostic work-up.
Identification and quantification of gaseous organic compounds emitted from biomass burning using two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Abstract. The current understanding of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation within biomass burning (BB) plumes is limited by the incomplete identification and quantification of the non-methane organic compounds (NMOCs) emitted from such fires. Gaseous organic compounds were collected on sorbent cartridges during laboratory burns as part of the fourth Fire Lab at Missoula Experiment (FLAME-4) and analyzed by two-dimensional gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC–ToFMS). The sensitivity and resolving power of GC × GC–ToFMS allowed the acquisition of the most extensive data set of BB NMOCs to date, with measurements for 708 positively or tentatively identified compounds. Estimated emission factors (EFs) are presented for these compounds for burns of six different vegetative fuels, including conifer branches, grasses, agricultural residue, and peat. The number of compounds meeting the peak selection criteria ranged from 129 to 474 among individual burns, and included extensive isomer groups. For example, 38 monoterpene isomers were observed in the emissions from coniferous fuels; the isomeric ratios were found to be consistent with those reported in relevant essential oils, suggesting that the composition of such oils may be very useful when predicting fuel-dependent terpene emissions. Further, 11 sesquiterpenes were detected and tentatively identified, providing the first reported speciation of sesquiterpenes in gas-phase BB emissions. The calculated EFs for all measured compounds are compared and discussed in the context of potential SOA formation.
Religion and Child-Rearing Values in Turkey

Numerous studies have examined the connection between religion and child-rearing values—operationalized in terms of the importance placed on specific traits in children—in the United States and other mainly Christian societies. Much of this work involves the relative priority placed on “intellectual heteronomy” (obedience to authority) versus “intellectual autonomy” (thinking for oneself). Here, we augment this work focusing on Turkey, a predominantly Muslim society. Using data from the World Values Survey (n = 3,401), findings indicate that religious factors are strong positive predictors of the emphasis on (a) obedience to authority and (b) good manners, but inversely associated with an emphasis on (a) intellectual independence and (b) imagination. The estimated net effects of religion are strongest and most consistent for intellectual autonomy. Furthermore, the links between religious variables and child-rearing orientation are robust across age/cohort, gender, and educational categories. Implications ...
Health as human capital: synthesis and extensions 1

The first major collection of articles on human capital (Schultz, 1962) contained discussions of education, on the job training, migration, and health. While literally thousands of articles and books followed on human capital dimensions of education and training, there have been many fewer discussions of health as human capital. This is partly because the contribution on health in this volume is not particularly insightful, but it is also because the concept of health as human capital relies on somewhat different concepts than does education or training. A major step forward occurred with Grossman’s work (Grossman, 1972) that modeled optimal investment in increasing longevity. This article stimulated a large literature, but nevertheless, articles on health as human capital have been only a small fraction of those on education and training. In fact, most of the economics literature on health discusses ways to improve the delivery of health care services, such as HMO’s or health savings accounts. Health care delivery is an important topic that interacts with considerations of health as human capital, but it is mainly a different topic. The emerging field of health as human capital builds on three interrelated developments to create a dynamic and evolving field. These developments are (i) The analysis of optimal investments in health by individuals, drug companies, and to a lesser extent by governments that follows on Grossman’s analysis, and also on the discussions in the insurance literature of self protection (see Ehrlich and Becker, 1972; and Ehrlich, 2000), and the literature on investments by pharmaceuticals. (ii) The value of life literature that analyzes how much people are willing to pay for improvements in their probabilities of surviving different ages (see, especially, Usher 1973; Rosen, 1988; and Murphy and Topel, 2006). (iii) The importance of complementarities in linking health to education and other types of human capital investments, and in linking investments in health to discount rates, to progress
Multi-scale Hyper-time Hardware Emulation of Human Motor Nervous System Based on Spiking Neurons using FPGA

Our central goal is to quantify the long-term progression of pediatric neurological diseases, such as a typical 10-15 years progression of child dystonia. To this purpose, quantitative models are convincing only if they can provide multi-scale details ranging from neuron spikes to limb biomechanics. The models also need to be evaluated in hyper-time, i.e. significantly faster than real-time, for producing useful predictions. We designed a platform with digital VLSI hardware for multi-scale hyper-time emulations of human motor nervous systems. The platform is constructed on a scalable, distributed array of Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) devices. All devices operate asynchronously with 1 millisecond time granularity, and the overall system is accelerated to 365x real-time. Each physiological component is implemented using models from well documented studies and can be flexibly modified. Thus the validity of emulation can be easily advised by neurophysiologists and clinicians. For maximizing the speed of emulation, all calculations are implemented in combinational logic instead of clocked iterative circuits. This paper presents the methodology of building FPGA modules emulating a monosynaptic spinal loop. Emulated activities are qualitatively similar to real human data. Also discussed is the rationale of approximating neural circuitry by organizing neurons with sparse interconnections. In conclusion, our platform allows emulating pathological abnormalities such that motor symptoms will emerge and can be analyzed. It compels us to test the origins of childhood motor disorders and predict their long-term progressions.
Educational Java applets in solid state materials

WWW-based coursewares will benefit from libraries of subject-specific software objects that are embeddable in HTML documents. Development of libraries of Java applet programs in various subject areas is timely and important. The developed applet library should enable educators to include these applet programs in their HTML-based multimedia courseware. This paper discusses the development and utilization of Java applet programs in the area of solid state materials and devices. The applet programs developed so far, with the purpose of providing a dynamic visual simulation of solid-state material concepts and device principles, are included in the courseware section.
Professionalising motherhood: Cora Millet-Robinet and the maternal as profession:

This article presents the contributions of Cora Millet-Robinet to the education of women in their motherly role. Millet-Robinet, a well-noted published scientist of her period, broke many barriers ...
Effect of mass transfer on laminar jet breakup: Part I. Liquid jets in gases

The instability and breakup of laminar liquid jets in gaseous surroundings is investigated for conditions under which a solute is transferring across the jet interface rendering the system susceptible to Marangoni convection. Linear hydrodynamic stability analysis reveals that solute transfer out of the jet is stabilizing (produces longer jets) while transfer into the jet is destabilizing and promotes breakup. Solute adsorption, including as a limiting case the presence of a spread surfactant monolayer, may strongly counteract the stabilizing or destabilizing effects of mass transfer but has only a negligible effect on jet stability in the absence of interphase mass transfer. Qualitative experimental results for water jets in air with acetone as the transferring solute corroborate both the stabilizing and destabilizing mass transfer effects predicted by the theory.
Validation of a Scale for Network Therapy: A Technique for Systematic Use of Peer and Family Support in Addiction Treatment

Substance abuse treatments are increasingly employing standardized formats. This is especially the case for approaches that utilize an individual psychotherapy format but less so for family-based approaches. Network therapy, an approach that involves family members and peers in the patient's relapse prevention efforts, is theoretically and clinically differentiated in this paper from family systems therapy for addiction. Based on these conceptual differences, a Network Therapy Rating Scale (NTRS) was developed to measure the integrity and differentiability of network therapy from other family-based approaches to addiction treatment. Seven addictions faculty and 10 third- and fourth-year psychiatry residents recently trained in the network approach used the NTRS to rate excerpts of network and family systems therapy sessions. Data revealed the NTRS had high internal consistency reliability when utilized by both groups of raters. In addition, network and nonnetwork subscales within the NTRS rated congruent therapy excerpts significantly higher than noncongruent therapy excerpts, indicating that the NTRS subscales measure what they are designed to measure. Implications for research and training are discussed.
Crystal structures of ferrous horse heart myoglobin complexed with nitric oxide and nitrosoethane

The interactions of nitric oxide (NO) and organic nitroso compounds with heme proteins are biologically important, and adduct formation between NO-containing compounds and myoglobin (Mb) have served as prototypical systems for studies of these interactions. We have prepared crystals of horse heart (hh) MbNO from nitrosylation of aqua-metMb crystals, and we have determined the crystal structure of hh MbNO at a resolution of 1.9 A. The Fe-N-O angle of 147° in hh MbNO is larger than the corresponding 112° angle previously determined from the crystal structure of sperm whale MbNO (Brucker et al., Proteins 1998;30:352–356) but is similar to the 150° angle determined from a MS XAFS study of a frozen solution of hh MbNO (Rich et al., J Am Chem Soc 1998;120:10827–10836). The Fe-N(O) bond length of 2.0 A (this work) is longer than the 1.75 A distance determined from the XAFS study and suggests distal pocket influences on FeNO geometry. The nitrosyl N atom is located 3.0 A from the imidazole Nϵ atom of the distal His64 residue, suggesting electrostatic stabilization of the FeNO moiety by His64. The crystal structure of the nitrosoethane adduct of ferrous hh Mb was determined at a resolution of 1.7 A. The nitroso O atom of the EtNO ligand is located 2.7 A from the imidazole Nϵ atom of His64, suggesting a hydrogen bond interaction between these groups. To the best of our knowledge, the crystal structure of hh Mb(EtNO) is the first such determination of a nitrosoalkane adduct of a heme protein. Proteins 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Oral fluid collection: The neglected variable in oral fluid testing

The potential to use oral fluid as a drug-testing specimen has been the subject of considerable scientific interest. The ease with which specimens can be collected and the potential for oral fluid (OF) drug concentrations to reflect blood-drug concentrations make it a potentially valuable specimen in clinical as well as forensic settings. However, the possible effects of the OF collection process on drug detection and quantification has often been over looked. Several studies have documented that drug-contamination of the oral cavity may skew oral fluid/blood drug ratios and confound interpretation when drugs are smoked, insufflated or ingested orally. OF pH is predicted to have an effect on the concentration of drugs in OF. However, in a controlled clinical study, the effect of pH was less than that of collection technique. Mean codeine OF concentrations in specimens collected a non-stimulating control method were 3.6 times higher than those in OF collected after acidic stimulation. Mean codeine concentrations were 50% lower than control using mechanical stimulation and 77% of control using commercial collection devices. Several factors should be considered if a commercial OF collection device is used. In vitro collection experiments demonstrated that the mean collection volume varied between devices from 0.82 to 1.86 mL. The percentage of the collected volume that could be recovered from the device varied from 18% to 83%. In vitro experiments demonstrated considerable variation in the recovery of amphetamines (16-59%), opiates (33-50%), cocaine and benzoylecgonine (61-97%), carboxy-THC (0-53%) and PCP (9-56%). Less variation in collection volume, volume recovered and drug recovery was observed intra-device. The THC stability was evaluated in a common commercial collection protocol. Samples in the collection buffer were relatively stable for 6 weeks when stored frozen. However, stability was marginal under refrigerated conditions and poor at room temperature. Very little has been published on the efficacy of using IgG concentration, or any other endogenous marker, as a measure of OF specimen validity. Preliminary rinsing experiments with moderate (50 mL and 2 x 50 mL) volumes of water did not reduce the OF IgG concentration below proposed specimen validity criteria. In summary, obvious and more subtle variables in the OF collection may have pronounced effects on OF-drug concentrations. This has rarely been acknowledged in the literature, but should to be considered in OF drug testing, interpretation of OF-drug results and future research studies.
Localized optimized orbitals, coupled cluster theory, and chiroptical response properties.

The impact of orbital localization on the efficiency and accuracy of the optimized-orbital coupled cluster model is examined for the prediction of chiroptical properties, in particular optical rotation. The specific rotations of several test cases—(P)-[4]triangulane, (S)-1-phenylethanol, and chiral conformers of 1-fluoropentane, heptane, and nonane—were computed using an approach in which localization is enforced throughout the orbital optimization and subsequent linear response computation. This method provides a robust local-correlation scheme for future production-level implementation. Although the cross-over point between the canonical and localized coupled cluster approach lies at larger molecules than for ground-state energies, the scheme presented should still provide reduced scaling sufficient to investigate much larger molecules than are presently accessible.
Butadiene-induced intrastrand DNA cross-links: a possible role in deletion mutagenesis.

To initiate studies designed to identify the mutagenic spectrum associated with butadiene diepoxide-induced N2-N2 guanine intrastrand cross-links, site specifically adducted oligodeoxynucleotides were synthesized in which the adducted bases were centrally located within the context of the human ras 12 codon. The two stereospecifically modified DNAs and the corresponding unmodified DNA were ligated into a single-stranded M13mp7L2 vector and transfected intoEscherichia coli. Both stereoisomeric forms (R,R and S,S) of the DNA cross-links resulted in very severely decreased plaque-forming ability, along with an increased mutagenic frequency for both single base substitutions and deletions compared with unadducted DNAs, with the S,Sstereoisomer being the most mutagenic. Consistent with decreased plaque formation, in vitro replication of DNA templates containing the cross-links by the three major E. coli polymerases revealed replication blockage by both stereoisomeric forms of the cross-links. The same DNAs that were used for replication studies were also assembled into duplex DNAs and tested as substrates for the initiation of nucleotide excision repair by the E. coliUvrABC complex. UvrABC incised linear substrates containing these intrastrand cross-links with low efficiency, suggesting that these lesions may be inefficiently repaired by the nucleotide excision repair system.
Pod shatter-resistant Brassica fruit produced by ectopic expression of the FRUITFULL gene

Arabidopsis has proven to be extremely useful as a reference organism for studies in plant biology, and huge efforts have been employed to unravel various mechanisms of Arabidopsis growth. A major challenge now is to demonstrate that this wealth of knowledge can be used for global agricultural and environmental improvement. Brassica species are closely related to Arabidopsis and represent ideal candidates for model-to-crop approaches as they include important crop plants, such as canola. Brassica plants normally disperse their seeds by a pod-shattering mechanism. Although this mechanism is an advantage in nature, unsynchronized pod shatter constitutes one of the biggest problems for canola farmers. Here, we show that ectopic expression of the Arabidopsis FRUITFULL gene in Brassica juncea is sufficient to produce pod shatter-resistant Brassica fruit and that the genetic pathway leading to valve margin specification is conserved between Arabidopsis and Brassica. These studies demonstrate a genetic strategy for the control of seed dispersal that should be generally applicable to diverse Brassica crop species to reduce seed loss.
Constraints on the primordial helium abundance from the optical emission spectra of dwarf galaxies

At present, the best estimate of the primordial helium abundance (Y p ) comes from helium abundances that have been derived from the emission spectra of dwarf galaxies. The mean Y p deduced from the abundances in the 26 best observed dwarf galaxies is ca . 0.24. Individual galaxies may show a somewhat smaller Y p ( ca. 0.22) but the errors are uncertain and confirming observations are needed. It is important to search for more dwarf galaxies like IZw18 (with very low metal abundances) for further determinations of helium abundance.
A recursive T-matrix approach for the solution of electromagnetic scattering by many spheres

The generalized recursive aggregate T-matrix algorithm (RATMA) is used to solve for the multiple scattering solution for over 6000 spheres. The solution is valid for all angles of incidence. An efficient method is used to calculate the coefficients for the vector addition theorem. This, together with the use of the generalized RATMA, makes calculation possible for many-particle scattering. The theory can be used for Monte Carlo simulation in remote sensing and geophysics applications. >