cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative Study of Predictive Analytics Algorithms and Tools on Property and Casualty Insurance Solvency Prediction

The Insurance Regulatory Information System (IRIS) is a collection of 13 financial ratios used primarily by regulators to determine the solvency of an insurance company. Predicting the IRIS values can help companies to stay compliant with the IRIS regulation. Knowing ahead of time, the company can take actions to prevent potential IRIS unusual values and ensure its financial health. In this article, we compare the prediction accuracy and calculation speed of the current mainstream machine learning algorithms and libraries in predicting the IRIS ratios. Based on the best models selected from the comparison of the algorithms, we develop a Shiny R web APP for companies to predict their IRIS ratios for future years.
Assessment of PrEP Awareness, PrEP Discussion with a Provider, and PrEP Use by Transmission Risk Group with an Emphasis on the Southern United States.

The number of new HIV diagnoses is highest in the South. Many persons who might benefit from pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are not engaged in the HIV PrEP continuum of care. We analyzed National HIV Behavioral Surveillance data to assess engagement in the PrEP continuum of care among persons with increased HIV risk. We compared PrEP awareness, discussion with a clinical provider, and use among persons living in the South to those living elsewhere in the United States. PrEP awareness was lowest among heterosexual persons (7%), highest among men who have sex with men (85%), and 26% among persons who inject drugs. PrEP use was low among each population (≤ 35% for all cycles). There was limited evidence of differences in PrEP use between persons in southern and non-southern U.S. Efforts are needed to increase use of PrEP among each of the groups with increased HIV risk.
Perinatal CBD or THC Exposure Results in Lasting Resistance to Fluoxetine in the Forced Swim Test: Reversal by Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Inhibition

Introduction: There is widespread acceptance of cannabis for medical or recreational use across the society, including pregnant women. Concerningly, numerous studies find that the developing centra...
Simulations Research in Political Science Pedagogy: Where is Everyone?

Anecdotal evidence suggests pedagogy research on simulations in political science is dominated by two subfields: International Relations and Comparative Politics. This belief may stem from the wide...
Financing inventories with an investment efficiency objective: ROI-maximising newsvendor, bank loans and trade credit contracts

Our work offers an understanding of how capital efficiency metrics, such as Return-on-Investment (ROI), affect orders at a stand-alone single stocking stage under demand uncertainty or within bilat...
Consultation Case Study

From our earlier chapters, one can see that the school consultant’s effectiveness depends a great deal on his or her strategic interpersonal communication (Daly & Wiemann, 1994). We therefore consider the study of messages that are exchanged in consultation to be an extremely important means for learning how to consult. The strength of this belief leads us to devote an entire chapter to a single example of school consultation. Seeing many of the concepts discussed thus far carried out may enable readers to incorporate more readily aspects of the contemporary practice of school consultation into their daily work.
Shadows for bump-mapped surfaces

Bump mapping produces realistic shading by perturbing normal vectors to a surface, but does not show the shadows that the bumps cast on nearby parts of the same surface. In this paper, these shadows are found from precomputed tables of horizon angles, listing, for each position entry, the elevation of the horizon in a sampled collection of directions. These tables are made for bumps on a standard flat surface, and then a transformation is developed so that the same tables can be used for an arbitrary curved parametrized surface patch. This necessitates a new method for scaling the bump size to the patch size.
Beyond Standard Lectures: Supporting the Development of Critical Thinking in Cognitive Psychology Courses

As cognitive psychologists, we have a keen interest in understanding how people learn. We also love teaching, as well as thinking and studying about how best to educate people. We believe that student learning is best facilitated through the careful and principled design of learning environments that foster the development of discipline-specific knowledge and skill, that increase student interest and motivation to study the discipline, and that support the development of lifelong learning skills and critical thinking. We base design decisions on principles of learning and cognition and by co-ordinating teaching strategies (i.e., pedagogy), domain content (e.g., memory and cognition), and assessment techniques. The cognitive literature indicates that students learn best when they are motivated, interested in the content, and challenged (e.g., Donovan, Bransford, & Pellegrino, 1999). To make content meaningful, faculty should also challenge students to relate class material to their lives and experiences. They should learn to think critically and evaluate claims made by professors, scientists, textbooks, and the media. To succeed, students must take responsibility for their education and learn to approach academic tasks strategically. Effective students are aware of the strategies they use and the extent to which they have understood material that they have just learned, listened to, or read. Research on memory and cognition has shown that effective learning occurs when people: ● build new understanding by adding onto and revising pre-existing knowledge ● distribute study over longer durations of time (instead of cramming the night before an exam, for instance) ● revisit the same material multiple times and from multiple perspectives ● analyze new knowledge for meaning and relevance ● link abstract concepts to concrete examples and experiences ● reflect on their thinking and learning and attempt to try new learning strategies.
A Method for Systematic Artifact Selection Decision Making

Artifact selection decisions typically involve the selection of one from a number of possible/candidate options (decision alternatives). In order to support such decisions, it is important to identify and recognize relevant key issues of problem solving and decision making (Albers, 1996; Harris, 1998a, 1998b; Jacobs & Holten, 1995; Loch & Conger, 1996; Rumble, 1991; Sauter, 1999; Simon, 1986). Sauter classifies four problem solving/decision making styles: (1) left-brain style, (2) right-brain style, (3) accommodating, and (4) integrated (Sauter, 1999). The left-brain style employs analytical and quantitative techniques and relies on rational and logical reasoning. In an effort to achieve predictability and minimize uncertainty, problems are explicitly defined, solution methods are determined, orderly information searches are conducted, and analysis is increasingly refined. Left-brain style decision making works best when it is possible to predict/control, measure, and quantify all relevant variables, and when information is complete. In direct contrast, right-brain style decision making is based on intuitive techniques—it places more emphasis on feelings than facts. Accommodating decision makers use their non-dominant style when they realize that it will work best in a given situation. Lastly, integrated style decision makers are able to combine the left- and right-brain styles—they use analytical processes to filter information and intuition to contend with uncertainty and complexity.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of venlafaxine for the treatment of depressed cocaine-dependent patients.

Division on Substance Abuse, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons,Columbia University, New York, New YorkObjective: This study tested the hypothesis that the antidepressantvenlafaxine would be an effective treatment for cocaine abusers withconcurrent depressive disorders.Methods: This was a randomized, 12‐week, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial of outpatients (N ¼ 130) meeting DSM‐IIIR criteriaforcocainedependenceandmajordepressionordysthymia(bySCIDinterview). Participants were treated with venlafaxine, up to 300 mg/day versus placebo. All patients received weekly individual manual‐guided relapse prevention therapy. Weekly outcome measuresincluded Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI), self‐reportedcocaine use, urine toxicology and the Hamilton Depression Scale(Ham‐D).Results: Mood response, deﬁned as a 50% reduction in the Ham‐Dbetween randomization and end of study, was 41% (26/64) onvenlafaxine, and 33% (22/66) on placebo (p ¼ .39). Measures ofdepression (Ham‐D and CGI) improved more rapidly on venlafaxinethan placebo, but these differences disappeared by weeks 6–8.Cocaine outcomes did not differ between treatment groups, and theproportion of patients achieving three or more consecutive weeks ofurine‐conﬁrmed abstinence was low (venlafaxine: 16%; placebo:15%). Reduction in cocaine use was associated with mood response.Conclusions: Overall, venlafaxine was not superior to placebo oneither mood or cocaine use outcomes. Mood improvement wasassociatedwithimprovementincocaineuse.However,placebomoodresponse was only moderate, and the proportion of patients achievingsustained abstinence was low. This suggests that the subgroup ofcocaine‐dependent patients with depressive disorders is relativelytreatment resistant, and that further research is needed to improveoutcomes for these patients. (Am J Addict 2014;23:68–75)
Psychology and spirituality: is there a place on the couch for transcendence?

Even though psychology and spirituality may appear at first glance as two quite different fields, it is possible to find innumerous points of convergence and ways of integration in these fields. From a clinical perspective it seems a worthwhile endeavor to explore spirituality and its interweaving with mental health to have a more integrative comprehension of clients’ functioning and to deliver psychotherapy in a more holistic way. This approach may allow individuals to overcome a rooted Western tendency of viewing human beings as having compartmentalized or dualistic dimensions. The goal of this paper is to approach spirituality through object relations theory and to propose one possible way to integrate spirituality in the psychotherapeutic setting, considering ego developmental stages and discussing a developmental model of spirituality. Finally, some possible clinical implications and benefits are pointed out as a result of making room available for transcendence on the “couch”. Key-words: Object relations; Spirituality; Attachment; Transcendence; Ego development.
Reference Point Theory and Pursuit of Deals

Target and bidder reference points have separate and joint effects on merger deals. A firm whose stock price is more distant from its 52-week high reference point is less likely to attract bids but has a greater likelihood of being acquired by its own managers (vs unaffiliated bidders). Firm propensity to submit a bid increases if its prevailing stock price is closer to its 52-week high. When both parties’ reference points are close to their current stock prices, they are more willing to complete a deal. Hostile deals result when the bidder's stock price is closer to its reference point.
Dynamic surface tension measurements of molten Sn/Pb solder using oscillating slender elliptical jets

Abstract The present study investigates the dynamic surface tension of molten 63%Sn–37%Pb eutectic solder at timescales 1–3 ms applicable to solder jetting applications in microelectronics manufacturing. The oscillating jet method is employed to measure the surface tension of the melt when ejected into nitrogen atmospheres containing controlled amounts of oxygen from 15 ppm to 21% (mol). Typical jet ejection conditions correspond to We =0.16, Re =49, and Fr =165. The molten solder is steadily forced through an elliptical capillary (aspect ratio of ∼2), thus forming a stationary oscillating jet. The shape evolution of the jet is affected by the liquid/gas interface properties and is used, along with an existing theoretical model, to determine the surface tension of the liquid metal as a function of distance (likewise, surface age) from the orifice. The experimental data reveals dynamic surface tension behavior at 3700 ppm O 2 concentration, and indicates a characteristic time below 1 ms for the molten-metal surface to be saturated by adsorbed oxygen at ambient O 2 concentrations of 1% or higher. Mass diffusion in the gas phase is found to be the rate limiting process controlling oxygen adsorption on the solder melt surface. The results provide crucial information needed to reduce solder surface degradation, which hampers the successful implementation of solder jetting technology.
Endoscopic treatment of inverted papilloma: safety and efficacy.

Purpose: Inverted papillomas of the nose and paranasal sinuses are uncommon neoplasms, characterized by their tendency to recur and by their association with malignancy. Over the past 25 years, the standard surgical treatment of inverted papillomas has involved extranasal, en bloc resections because of high recurrence rates with less extensive surgery. The past decade has witnessed an increasing number of reports documenting the successful treatment of inverted papilloma with endoscopic approaches. This investigation examines the role of endoscopic procedures in treating inverted papilloma. Materials and Methods: The present article presents a thorough review of the literature relating to the history, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment of inverted papillomas of the nose and paranasal sinuses. It also provides a systematic review of the pertinent medical literature with pooled statistical analysis of data from 33 studies involving 1,426 patients. Results and Conclusions: The findings suggest that many cases of inverted papilloma can be treated successfully with low recurrence rates and less morbidity through endoscopic surgery, with results comparable to extranasal procedures. Less aggressive approaches to the sinuses and nonendoscopic intranasal procedures, such as the Caldwell-Luc, have unacceptable rates of recurrence and should be abandoned. A staging system for inverted papilloma and a logical approach to treatment are presented. (Am J Otolaryngol 2001;22:87-99. Copyright © 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company)
Edging toward Entelechy in Motor Control

The organization and functional logic of corticospinal motor neurons and their target connections remains unclear, despite their evident influence on movement. Spinal interneurons mediate much of this influence, yet we know little about the way in which corticospinal neurons engage spinal interneurons. This is perhaps not surprising given that the principles of organization of local spinal microcircuits remain elusive—we have glimpses of an underlying order but lack a comprehensive view of their functional architecture. In this brief essay we make a case that a new focus on the intersection of cortical and spinal circuits may provide clarity to the interpretation of corticospinal motor neuron firing patterns and help specify the logic of corticospinal motor neuronal function.
Polymorphic gene for human carbonic anhydrase II: a molecular disease marker located on chromosome 8.

Abstract A panel of 28 mouse-human somatic cell hybrids of known karyotype was screened for the presence of the human carbonic anhydrase II (CA II) gene, which encodes one of the three well-characterized, genetically distinct carbonic anhydrase isozymes (carbonate dehydratase; carbonate hydro-lyase, EC 4.2.1.1). The human and mouse CA II genes can be clearly distinguished by Southern blot analysis of BamHI-digested genomic DNA with a mouse CA II cDNA hybridization probe. The two major hybridizing fragments in mouse were 15 and 6.0 kilobase pairs, and in human they were 15 and 4.3 kilobase pairs. Analysis of the somatic cell hybrids by this technique identified those containing human CA II gene sequences. Segregation analysis of the molecular marker and chromosomes in cell hybrids indicated a clear correlation between the presence of chromosome 8 and the human CA II gene (CA2). This finding provides the second polymorphic marker for human chromosome 8 and, moreover, a molecular disease marker, because human CA II deficiency has recently been linked to an autosomal recessive syndrome of osteopetrosis with renal tubular acidosis and cerebral calcification.
Nucleic acid model building: the multiple backbone solutions associated with a given base morphology.

Abstract A constrained model building procedure is used to generate nucleic acid structures of the familiar A-, B-, and Z-DNA duplexes. Attention is focused upon the multiple structural solutions associated with the arrangements of nucleic acid base pairs rather than the optimum sugar-phosphate structure. The glycosyl (χ) and sugar torsions (both the ring puckering and the exocyclic C5′-C4′ (ψ) torsion) are treated as independent variables and the resulting O3′…O5′ distances are used as closure determinants. When such distances conform to the known geometry of phosphate chemical bonding, an intervening phosphorus atom with correct C-O-P valence angles can be located. Four sequential torsion angles- φ,ω,ω,ω and φ about the C3′-O3′-P-O5′-C5′ bonds are then obtained as dependent variables. The resulting structures are categorized in terms of conformation, ranked in potential energy, and analyzed for torsional correlations. The numerical results are quite interesting with implications regarding nucleic acid m...
Xenon Irradiation-Induced Changes In CrSi 2 Thin Films

T. C. Banwell, and M -A. NicoletMail Stop 116 -81, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125AbstractMeasurements of electrical resistivity are used to monitor changes in CrSi2 thin filmsinduced by Xe irradiation over a fluence range of ti 1010 - 1014 cm-2. Behavior associatedwith defect generation and recombination are evident at high fluences. A temperaturedependence at low fluences is reported and tentatively identified.IntroductionThe merger of ion implantation and metal silicide contact and interconnect technologieshas motivated investigation of irradiation damage in silicides.1-3 Recent studies showthat the electrical conductivity of CoSi2, NiSi2 and Pd2Si films are lowered by ion irradia -tion1,2, presumably due to the reduction in carrier mobility. In contrast, the conductivityof CrSi2 can be increased by ion irradiation.2,3 The details of the damage process arerelatively unknown.CrSi2 is particularly interesting since it is a narrow (ti 0.3 eV) band -gap semiconductor.4Thermally grown CrSi2 films typically show degenerate p -type conductivity with carrierdensities of > 1020 cm-3. Electron and hole mobilities are ti 0.15 and ti 15 cm2 /Vsec,respectively.4We report on preliminary investigations of changes in electrical transport in CrSi2 filmsassociated with Xe irradiation.ExperimentalCrSi2 films were produced on several types of substrates. Approximately 1 um thick Si02layers were thermally grown on 0.01 Qcm n -type Si wafers by wet oxidation. Followingoxidation,
Designing matrix models for fluorescence energy transfer between moving donors and acceptors

A recipe is given for designing theoretical models for donor-acceptor systems in which fluorescence energy transfer and motion takes place simultaneously. This recipe is based on the idea that a system exhibiting both motion and fluorescence energy transfer can be modeled by specifying a number of "states" and the rates of transitions between them. A state in this context is a set of specific coordinates and conditions that describe the system at a certain moment in time. As time goes on, the coordinates and conditions for the system change, and this evolution can be described as a series of transitions from one state to the next. The recipe is applied to a number of example systems in which the donors and/or acceptors undergo either rotational or translational motion. In each example, fluorescence intensities and anisotropies for the donor and acceptor are calculated from solutions of eigensystems. The proposed method allows for analyzing time-resolved fluorescence energy transfer data without restrictive assumptions for motional averaging regimes and the orientation factor. It is shown that the fluorescence quantities depend on the size of the motional step (i.e., on the number of states), only if fluorescence energy transfer occurs. This finding indicates that fluorescence energy transfer studies may reveal whether the dynamics of a system (e.g., a protein) is better described in terms of transitions between a relatively small number of discrete states (jumping) or a large number of dense states (diffusion).
Nursing and Service Learning Partnerships: Implementation Of a Community Breast Cancer Awareness Outreach

Women’s Health Poster Presentation Purpose for the Program Service learning is a method to connect nursing students to their community by assessment of an identified health need. The nursing students engaged community participants with health education material and formed mutually beneficial partnerships. This collaboration instills a sense of civic engagement because nursing students serve as advocates for health promotion within their communities. Proposed Change A community needs assessment was used to identify a high rate of breast cancer in the state and parish. The purpose of the service-learning project was to provide education to women of all ages on breast cancer awareness (BCA). A community-wide approach to reach all age groups was implemented. This community outreach proposal was enabled by a grant funded from the Northeast Louisiana Affiliate (NELA) of the Susan G. Komen foundation. The purpose of this grant was to provide funding of educational materials from the Komen foundation to enable nursing students to engage the community in a variety of settings that utilized service learning. Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation BCA educational materials that targeted women of all ages, race, and ethnicities were used. Nursing students engaged women in a variety of settings: the parish medical center allowed nursing students to participate in a BCA event, area churches sponsored health and wellness fairs in which BCA booths were present, and community-based awareness outreaches were planned to target adult women. For students enrolled in the Maternal Newborn Nursing course the service-learning project was a clinical component that targeted nursing peers in the annual university campus health symposium, which emphasized the "know your normal" focus on self-awareness for young women. New mothers on the postpartum unit received BCA materials as part of nursing students' clinical experiences. The largest outreach by students was the "Bulldogs Tackling Breast Cancer" football game. Nursing students hosted educational booths at each stadium entrance, and engaged the community with educational displays, BSE models, and distribution of the Komen educational materials. These activities attained success as service-learning endeavors, and met the overall objective: to improve the health of citizens of the community in which these nursing students live and will serve as registered nurses. Service-learning evaluations completed by students and agency partners positively validate this partnership success. Implications for Nursing Practice Nursing students gain awareness of breast cancer, commit to make a positive health impact on the community, commit to a plan of action to implement health education for women, and engage the community through implementation of their service.
The Surprisingly Weak Effect of Gravity in Retarding Hot-Star Wind Acceleration

The overall scale for both the radiative force and the terminal speed in a line-driven wind in the Castor, Abbot, & Klein (CAK) theory is set by gravity. Thus, it could be said that gravity plays a fundamental role in hot-star winds. However, this paper will show that gravity only asserts an important influence close to the star where the mass-loss rate is set; its influence becomes virtually negligible a surprisingly small distance away from the surface. Thus, although it is well known that the maximum mass-loss rate is achieved when the acceleration near the surface is tightly scaled to gravity, it is demonstrated here that this is the only fundamentally important way that gravity enters the physics of hot-star wind acceleration. If the mass-loss rate were an external parameter instead, gravity could be completely neglected with only a small loss of accuracy in the details of the velocity curve. Since the presence of gravity seriously complicates the solution of the nonlinear force equation, its limited quantitative importance suggests alternate approximations that neglect gravity once the mass-loss rate is obtained. Using this approach, quite simple analytic expressions can be derived that approximate the velocity driven by single-line scattering of a radiation field emitted by a finite stellar disk. In the process, the importance of an effect termed radiative leveraging, due to the dynamical feedback inherent in line driving, is explored. This is an effect whereby any external forces, such as gravity, are effectively dressed by the radiative force, such that any variations in the former are strongly multiplied by the latter in the self-consistent, time-steady solution. Interestingly, this dynamical feedback implies that increases in the efficiency of the radiative force are also leveraged, and this self-leveraging produces a steep line-force gradient that dwarfs gravity over most of the wind.
Analysis of amino acids as their tert.-butyldimethylsilyl derivatives by gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.

Abstract A gas—liquid chromatographic procedure is described which will separate and quantitate the seventeen amino acids typically found in protein acid hydrolyzates. If present, trytophan, cysteine and carboxymethylcysteine can also be simultaneously assayed via this method. The amino acids, as their tert. -butyldimethylsilylated derivatives, are readily separable on SE-30 (wall-coated open-tabular) and OV-17 (bonded) capillary columns, as well as on packed gas—liquid chromatographic columns coated with the same liquid phases. Retention times and responses for all amino acids and internal standards are given. Mass spectral analysis of all tert. -butyldimethysilylated amino acids is presented and displays a characteristic and unique [M - 57]fragment ion for each amino acid which often dominates the mass spectrum. Application of this method is demonstrated using four well characterized proteins.
Demonstration of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase activity in human jejunal mucosa☆

Abstract A quantitative study of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) activity of human jejunal, gastric, and colonie mucosa is reported. This enzyme, which probably plays an important role in the transport of amino acids across cell membranes and possibly also in peptide-nitrogen storage in the intact cell, in protein synthesis, and in the regulation of tissue glutathione levels, was found to be present in relatively high concentrations in the jejunal epithelium as compared to low levels in the stomach and colon. Failure of most previous investigators to find such high jejunal mucosal concentrations was probably due to differences in the techniques employed. Determination of enzyme activity was based on the colorimetric measurement of β-naphthylamine released enzymatically from an artificial substrate, namely N-(γ- l -glutamyl)-β-naphthylamide. Methods used for the preparation of tissue specimens and for the biochemical determination of enzyme activity have been described in detail. Leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), an enzyme known to be present in intestinal epithelial cells and localized primarily in the brush border, was determined simultaneously in jejunal specimens as a reference enzyme. Results of the LAP studies were in agreement with those previously reported for normal human jejunal epithelium. Histochemical studies showed GGT activity to be localized in both the nucleus and the apical portion of the surface epithelial cells covering the jejunal villi. No activity was found in the lining cells of the crypts. Differential centrifugation of homogenized jejunal epithelial cells demonstrated that enzyme activity was about equally distributed between the crude sediment of nuclei and the soluble supernatant subfractions. The physiologic significance of the relatively high levels of GGT activity in jejunal mucosa is as yet conjectural.
Chemical anchoring of palladium by Fe oxo ions in zeolite ZSM-5

Zeolite supported mono- and bimetallic catalysts Pd/ZSM-5 and PdFe/ZSM-5 were prepared by exchanging Pd from a dilute aqueous solution of [Pd(NH3)4](NO3)2 into either H/ZSM-5 or Fe/ZSM-5. The Fe/ZSM-5 was prepared by sublimation; it contains a major part of the Fe as dinuclear oxygen-bridged Fe3+ ions. Significant differences between Pd/ZSM-5 and PdFe/ZSM-5 are revealed after calcination: in Pd/ZSM-5 the Pd is present as large PdO particles, but in PdFe/ZSM-5 it is highly dispersed over the zeolite cavities and invisible in TEM. Evidently, the Fe ions and/or Fe oxo ions act as very effective chemical anchors. It is argued that Pd0 is formed by autoreduction of [Pd(NH3)4]2+ ions even under calcination conditions. The Fe ions promote nucleation and limit growth of Pd0n clusters, which are subsequently converted to PdO.
Women in Mathematics

At various times, US citizens have attempted to increase the supply of people trained in scientific and technical subjects. Before the Civil War, the expansion of elementary schools encouraged the founding of seminaries for teachers, while the opening of engineering schools offered an alternative to apprenticeships. High schools, colleges, state universities, and research institutions grew. Demands for trained personnel both during the Second World War and again after the Soviet Union launched 'Sputnik' in 1957 led to further attempts to increase the nation's scientific 'manpower'. Since the 1970s, feminism and related Federal legislation fostered careers for women in mathematics and the sciences. By the 1980s, fears of a decline in population of native-born white men led to other ways of encouraging careers in mathematics and the sciences. This volume, specifically intended to encourage young women to enter mathematics, is a remarkably open discussion of the practices of a profession, prepared largely by participating women. It grew from a conference held in 1999 at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute at Berkeley, California, to honour the Austriantrained number theorist and algebraist Olga Tausskey Todd. To the conference papers, the editors have added a number of articles, many from the Newsletter of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM). The book is divided into five sections. The first, 'Inspiration', contains brief biographical essays, eight on twentieth-century women and eight on nineteenth-century women in mathematics. The second, 'Joining Together', describes the activities of women in professional societies, particularly the AWM, from its beginnings in 1971, and the activities of women at the International Congress of Mathematicians. It also contains brief reports on women in
Optical backscattering measurements off the coast of Hawaii

In a recent sea test, measurements of the volume scattering function (VSF) of clear sea water in situ at several angles were made. These measurements used the APL backscattering sensor, which measures the VSF at 170 degree(s); the SRI Beta Pi sensor, which measures the VSF from 179 degree(s) to 180 degree(s); and the SRI backscattering sensor, which measures the VSF at a mean scattering angle of 150 degree(s). The intention of the testing was to quantify the enhanced backscattering feature at 180 degree(s) relative to the scattering at more traditionally measured angles of the VSF. Measurements were made in both clear ocean water and Hawaiian coastal waters. Analysis of the data has been combined with subsequent laboratory instrument intercomparisons to demonstrate that in clear ocean water there is relatively little enhanced backscattering, whereas in more turbid coastal water the feature is pronounced and is clearly higher than the VSF at 170 degree(s). Field data, including vertical profiles of optical backscatter in clear and coastal waters, are shown.
Integrating task parallelism with actors

This paper introduces a unified concurrent programming model combining the previously developed Actor Model (AM) and the task-parallel Async-Finish Model (AFM). With the advent of multi-core computers, there is a renewed interest in programming models that can support a wide range of parallel programming patterns. The proposed unified model shows how the divide-and-conquer approach of the AFM and the no-shared mutable state and event-driven philosophy of the AM can be combined to solve certain classes of problems more efficiently and productively than either of the aforementioned models individually. The unified model adds actor creation and coordination to the AFM, while also enabling parallelization within actors. This paper describes two implementations of the unified model as extensions of Habanero-Java and Habanero-Scala. The unified model adds to the foundations of parallel programs, and to the tools available for the programmer to aid in productivity and performance while developing parallel software.
The Cerebellum and Pain: Passive Integrator or Active Participator?

The cerebellum is classically considered to be a brain region involved in motor processing, but it has also been implicated in non-motor, and even cognitive, functions. Though previous research suggests that the cerebellum responds to noxious stimuli, its specific role during pain is unclear. Pain is a multidimensional experience that encompasses sensory discriminative, affective motivational, and cognitive evaluative components. Cerebellar involvement during the processing of pain could thus potentially reflect a number of different functional processes. This review will summarize the animal and human research to date that indicates that (1) primary afferents conduct nociceptive (noxious) input to the cerebellum, (2) electrical and pharmacological stimulation of the cerebellum can modulate nociceptive processing, and (3) cerebellar activity occurs during the presence of acute and chronic pain. Possible functional roles for the cerebellum relating to pain will be considered, including perspectives relating to emotion, cognition, and motor control in response to pain.
Normal Variation in Intraepithelial Lymphocytes of the Terminal Ileum

The number of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) is often increased in the terminal ileum of patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases of the colon. However, data regarding their number in normal ileal mucosa of asymptomatic patients are lacking. We aimed to establish the acceptable range of IELs in biopsy specimens of normal ileal mucosa. Ileal mucosal biopsy specimens obtained during colonoscopy of 61 asymptomatic patients without endoscopic or pathologic evidence of colitis were immunostained for CD3 to assess the number of IELs present in each specimen. CD3+ lymphocytes were counted in 3 well-oriented villi and results expressed as the average for each biopsy specimen. The study group included 25 males and 36 females, ranging in age from 10 to 84 years (mean, 44.4 years). The mean +/- SD number of ileal CD3+ cells per 100 enterocytes for the group was 3.8 +/- 2 (median, 3; range, 0-9). In addition, there was a significant inverse relationship between the number of villus IELs and increasing age. Occasional IELs (approximately 4/100 villus enterocytes) are normally present in ileal biopsy specimens from asymptomatic patients without colitis. One should avoid overinterpreting the importance of occasional IELs in ileal biopsy specimens from asymptomatic patients.
The Contractile Potency of Adenosine Triphosphate and Ecto-adenosine Triphosphatase Activity in Guinea Pig Detrusor and Detrusor From Patients With a Stable, Unstable or Obstructed Bladder

ABSTRACTPurpose: We compared the potency of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and its nonhydrolyzable analogue α,β-methylene ATP for generating contractions in human detrusor smooth muscle from patients with a stable, unstable and obstructed bladders. The different ATP potencies were compared with the ecto-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) of these samples.Materials and Methods: Contractile experiments were done in vitro by superfusing samples with purines and dose-response curves were generated. Ecto-ATPase activity was measured from the rate of ATP hydrolysis sensitive to the ecto-ATPase inhibitor ARL 67156 with a luciferin-luciferase assay.Results: ATP generated contractions with a mean EC50 of 933 μM. in tissue from stable bladders and was significantly more potent in tissue from unstable and obstructed bladders (EC50 141 and 172 μM., respectively). α,β-methylene ATP was more potent in tissue from stable and unstable bladders (mean combined EC50 3 μM.). In guinea pig detrusor the mean EC50 for ATP and α,β-...
Literature and German Reunification

Acknowledgments Introduction: locating the nation 1. Searching for Germany in the 1980s 2. A third path? 3. Literature and politics 4. Literature and the Stasi 5. The rebirth of tragedy? 6. The defense of childhood and the guilt of the fathers 7. The time and the place of the nation Notes Works cited Index.
Queer of Color Agency in Educational Contexts: Analytic Frameworks From a Queer of Color Critique

Although queer students of color face multiple obstacles to safe and full participation in numerous educational contexts, cultural and scholarly narratives that emphasize their vulnerabilities can lead educational stakeholders to overlook, and thus miss opportunities to capitalize on, the agency that these students possess to negotiate the barriers to their academic success. To counterbalance discourses on youth as at risk or in crisis, this article explores how a body of critical scholarship known as a queer of color critique can serve as a heuristic for educational research on the agentive practices of queer students of color. Situated largely outside of educational studies, a queer of color critique—much like critical race theories, disability studies, and similar discourses on difference—can organize analytic works across subfields of educational scholarship into a more coherent educational research agenda on queer of color difference while also contributing to broader critiques of homophobia, racism,...
Galvano and thermomagnetic measurements using a squid system

Abstract We have adapted a SQUID system for measuring transport properties of metals in high magnetic fields, and have used the system to determine the transport coefficients of bismuth at high fields and low temperatures, with special emphasis on quantum oscillations.
Terminal synthesis of xanthommatin in Drosophila melanogaster. II. Enzymatic formation of the phenoxazinone nucleus.

Xanthommatin, the brown eye pigment of Drosophila melanogaster is a phenoxazinone compound formed by the bimolecular oxidative condensation of 3-hydroxykynurenine. Evidence is presented in this report for an enzyme system in drosophila which catalyzes the formation of the phenoxazinone chromophore of xanthommatin. This enzyme system, which is separable from the interfering activities of phenol oxidase and cytochrome oxidase, is relatively inactive in crude extracts but can be activated either by heat treatment or by passage through Sephadex G-50. The preliminary characterization of several properties of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction and their biological significance are discussed.
Regional trends and the impact of various patient and hospital factors on outcomes and costs of hospitalization between academic and nonacademic centers after deep brain stimulation surgery for Parkinson's disease: a United States Nationwide Inpatient Sample analysis from 2006 to 2010

Object The aim of this study was to analyze the incidence of adverse outcomes, complications, inpatient mortality, length of hospital stay, and the factors affecting them between academic and nonacademic centers after deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery for Parkinson's disease (PD). The authors also analyzed the impact of various factors on the total hospitalization charges after this procedure. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2006 to 2010. Various patient and hospital variables were analyzed from the database. The adverse discharge disposition and the higher cost of hospitalization were taken as the dependent variables. Results A total of 2244 patients who underwent surgical treatment for PD were identified from the database. The mean age was 64.22 ± 9.8 years and 68.7% (n = 1523) of the patients were male. The majority of the patients was discharged to home or self-care (87.9%, n = 1972). The majority of the procedures was performed at high-...
5.6.1 System Engineering Enabling Transformational Change: Engineering a New Healthcare Ecosystem

The healthcare industry is approaching a tipping point, which could lead to a radical transformation from closed system medical devices to a fully interconnected and integrated healthcare ecosystem. In fact, the change catalyst, an engineered future-state system architecture, is currently under development through the MD PnP program's NIH-funded Quantum Medical Device Interoperability (QMDI) project. The healthcare industry will require the support and input of systems engineers in the coming years more than ever before. Shared cross industry learning will be crucial for success. This paper provides a perspective on the need for transformative change and outlines the industry's progression towards evolution, including the planned outcomes of the Quantum project.
Structural asymmetry in the closed state of mitochondrial Hsp90 (TRAP1) supports a two-step ATP hydrolysis mechanism.

Summary While structural symmetry is a prevailing feature of homo-oligomeric proteins, asymmetry provides unique mechanistic opportunities. We present the crystal structure of full-length TRAP1, the mitochondrial Hsp90 molecular chaperone, in a catalytically active closed state. The TRAP1 homodimer adopts a distinct, asymmetric conformation, where one protomer is reconfigured via a helix swap at the m iddle: C -terminal d omain (MD:CTD) interface. This interface plays a critical role in client binding. Solution methods validate the asymmetry and show extension to Hsp90 homologs. Point mutations that disrupt unique contacts at each MD:CTD interface reduce catalytic activity and substrate binding and demonstrate that each protomer needs access to both conformations. Crystallographic data on a dimeric NTD:MD fragment suggests that asymmetry arises from strain induced by simultaneous NTD and CTD dimerization. The observed asymmetry provides the potential for an additional step in the ATPase cycle, allowing sequential ATP hydrolysis steps to drive both client remodeling and client release.
Volumetric CT measurement of the ischial tuberosities for designing analytical models of decubitus ulcers

Decubitus ulcers can have a deleterious effect on the quality of life for some patients, particularly those prone to chronic development of skin ulcerations. The bones of the pelvis are particularly relevant as nearly half of all ulcerations observed in the hospital are in the pelvic region. This research focuses on the development of methods to extract the ischium and adjacent anatomy from volumetric CT data of the pelvis which will be used for patient-specific modeling of high-pressure regions and the treatment of associated ulcers. Six volumetric CT scans were evaluated to determine the size and shape of the ischial tuberosities. Using oblique images computed from the CT data, cross-sectional measurements (approximately Superior-Inferior, Anterior-Posterior, and Left-Right) were made to estimate the size of the ischial tuberosities. Similar measurements were made on the ischial ramus. The mean length of the ischial tuberosities (S-I direction) is 12.35 cm. The mean dimension in the L-R and A-P directions are 2.97 cm and 3.78 cm, respectively. For the ischial ramus, the S-I, L-R, and A-P mean lengths are 6.57 cm, 1.72 cm, and 1.49 cm. Due to a limited field of view for the CT datasets, the thickness of the soft tissue (i.e. Gluteus Maximus and subcutaneous fat) could not be measured. Using the bony measurements and adjacent soft tissue measurements, an investigator would be able estimate the posterior pelvis forces for calculations of pressure on the proximal skin, which could then be used to predict ulcerations in patients, or to design new ulcer-inhibiting seating devices. Current efforts are focused on collecting a large cohort of data with both bony and soft tissue measurements. Future work will incorporate the physical properties of the soft tissue to specifically predict high-pressure regions.
Vibration of a Segmented Heavy Column

The vibration of a standing (or hanging) segmented column, affected by its own weight, is studied. The governing difference equations are solved numerically. The results tend to those of the continuous column as the number of segments tends to infinity. For the finite number of segments, the linear relation between frequency squared and self weight does not hold as in the continuous case.
The benzoin condensation: Charge tagging of the catalyst allows for tracking by mass spectrometry

Abstract A novel thiazolium with a sulfonate charge tag was synthesized to test the feasibility of tracking the progress of a thiazolylidene-catalyzed benzoin condensation reaction using electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI–MS). Intermediates in the benzoin condensation were “fished” out of a reaction mixture and detected using MS. Tandem MS and calculations were used to support structural assignments. The results are consistent with the Breslow mechanism. These data show the viability of synthesizing negatively charged compounds that will both catalyze and track reactions involving N -heterocyclic carbene organocatalysis, which are becoming increasingly prevalent in organic synthesis.
Changes in Serum Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-κB Ligand, Osteoprotegerin, and Interleukin-6 Levels in Patients with Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis Treated with Human Parathyroid Hormone (1–34)

Changes in biochemical markers of bone turnover following intermittent injections of human (h)PTH (1–34) suggest that bone formation is initially favored over bone resorption. hPTH (1–34) is also known to influence osteoclast maturation and activity through modulation of osteoblast-derived cytokines, such as receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), IL-6, and IL-6 soluble receptor (IL-6sR). In this experiment, we investigated the changes in serum levels of soluble RANKL (sRANKL), OPG, IL-6, and IL-6sR in patients with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis treated with hPTH (1–34). Fifty-one postmenopausal women with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis were randomized to receive 12 months of 400 U hPTH (1–34) (∼40 μg) daily and standard hormone replacement therapy, or hormone replacement therapy alone. Serum levels of sRANKL, OPG, IL-6, and IL-6sR were measured at baseline, 1 month, and every 3 months thereafter for a total of 24 months. hPTH (1–34) caused a rapid and sig...
It's a Wonderful Gift

Contesting the generally accepted models of predator-prey dynamics, Arditi and Ginzburg marshal evidence for their ratio-dependent alternative.
Patch Repair of the Left Ventricular Free Wall Following Aneurysmectomy

A technique of reconstruction of a left ventricular free wall defect, which has been used in 7 patients, is described. Situations in which its use may be appropriate are discussed.