cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantifying Scientific Merit: Is it Time to Transform the Impact Factor?

> Thus ornament is but the guiled shore To a most dangerous sea; the beauteous scarf Veiling an Indian beauty; in a word, The seeming truth which cunning times put on To entrap the wisest. > > —William Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice, Act III, Scene 2 1596–97 Use of impact factor (IF) to quantify scientific merit is severely flawed. Three changes are recommended to strengthen the assessment of journals that primarily report basic research: (1) calculate IF based on original scientific contributions; (2) use the 5-year IF; and (3) eliminate self-citation. For journals reporting clinical trials and population research, an index of readership, such as downloads, would better reflect true influence. For journals that report both basic and clinical research, a hybrid measure would assess both research quality and influence. The time has come for the scientific community to transform IF. Quantification is the bedrock of science. Yet, when it comes to mathematically estimating the relative merit of scientific articles and the journals in which they are published, the scientific community has struggled with significant challenges. Surprisingly, despite over a half-century of study and application of quantitative methods to rate scientific impact, consensus has still not been achieved on the best way to measure the true quality and influence of a scientific contribution or a journal. This conundrum is not because of a lack of available measurement tools, for many have been developed. Rather, it is the reluctant acceptance by the science and publishing world of one of them, IF, as the appropriate gauge of scientific quality. IF, a citation-based tool, was developed in 1955 by Eugene Garfield and has been released annually since 1975 for those journals indexed in Journal Citation Reports .1,2 IF is defined as the mean number of citations received per article published in a specific …
A Method for the Measurement of Cooperative Behavior in Albino Rats

5 pairs of albino rats were given the opportunity to bar press in a two-compartment box for food reinforcement. Pairs of Ss were connected by a restraining cable so that only one S of each pair could bar press at a given time. The Ss, thus, had to alternate positions in the apparatus in order to feed and to maintain body weight. Data indicated that all pairs met a maintenance of body weight criterion of cooperation.
Abstract P328: β-Blockers Can Enhance Short-Term Receptor Sensitivity in Silico and in Vitro

A key feature of heart failure is the chronic elevation of circulating catecholamines which desensitizes the β-adrenergic receptor signaling pathway, rendering patients incapable of increasing cardiac output in response to acute stress (eg. exercise). β-adrenergic receptor blockers (β-blockers) are commonly used to treat this condition, but precisely how they work is still controversial and poorly understood. Two opposing theories are that β-blockers work by 1) blocking the harmful consequences of chronic signaling or 2) paradoxically increasing receptor sensitivity. To investigate whether β-blockers function by increasing receptor sensitivity, we extended a published computational model of the β 1 -adrenergic receptor signaling pathway developed in our lab by using a ternary complex receptor module. This receptor model includes the spontaneous switching between the active and inactive conformations of the receptor that is crucial for accurate representation of β-blockers. Parameter values were determined from literature to model 11 agonists and 10 β-blockers. The new receptor model was validated against ligand binding studies and adenylyl cyclase assays from literature. Chronic and acute stresses were modeled as low and high (100X greater) concentrations of the agonist isoproterenol. Simulations indicate that when the β-blocker propranolol is present during chronic stress, cAMP levels are increased upon application of an acute stress, elevating intracellular calcium levels and contractility. This suggests that in addition to blocking the harmful consequences of chronic signaling, β-blockers may sensitize the response to acute stress. Preliminary data from calcium imaging experiments in isolated cardiac ventricular cells confirm this prediction. Simulations with a range of commonly used β-blockers indicate that individual drugs differ significantly in their ability to enhance receptor sensitivity. In addition, simulation of the Gly389Arg polymorphism suggests that the Arg389 variant has reduced sensitization to acute stress in the presence of propranolol. These simulations are a first step towards evaluating personalized β-blocker therapies with computational models.
Enhanced intermediate-temperature CO2 splitting using nonstoichiometric ceria and ceria-zirconia.

CO2 splitting via thermo-chemical or reactive redox has emerged as a novel and promising carbon-neutral energy solution. Its performance depends critically on the properties of the oxygen carriers (OC). Ceria is recognized as one of the most promising OC candidates, because of its fast chemistry, high ionic diffusivity, and large oxygen storage capacity. The fundamental surface ion-incorporation pathways, along with the role of surface defects and the adsorbates remain largely unknown. This study presents a detailed kinetics study of CO2 splitting using CeO2 and Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 (CZO) in the temperature range 600–900 °C. Given our interest in fuel-assisted reduction, we limit our study to relatively lower temperatures to avoid excessive sintering and the need for high temperature heat. Compared to what has been reported previously, we observe higher splitting kinetics, resulting from the utilization of fine particles and well-controlled experiments which ensure a surface-limited-process. The peak rates with CZO are 85.9 μmole g−1 s−1 at 900 °C and 61.2 μmole g−1 s−1 at 700 °C, and those of CeO2 are 70.6 μmole g−1 s−1 and 28.9 μmole g−1 s−1. Kinetic models are developed to describe the ion incorporation dynamics, with consideration of CO2 activation and the charge transfer reactions. CO2 activation energy is found to be −120 kJ mole−1 for CZO, half of that for CeO2, while CO desorption energetics is analogous between the two samples with a value of ∼160 kJ mole−1. The charge-transfer process is found to be the rate-limiting step for CO2 splitting. The evolution of CO32− with surface Ce3+ is examined based on the modeled kinetics. We show that the concentration of CO32− varies with Ce3+ in a linear-flattened-decay pattern, resulting from a mismatch between the kinetics of the two reactions. Our study provides new insights into the significant role of surface defects and adsorbates in determining the splitting kinetics.
Examination of Cross-Sectional Associations of Neighborhood Deprivation and Alcohol Outlet Density With Hazardous Drinking Using a Twin Design

Objective:The purpose of this study was to examine whether neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation and alcohol outlet density are associated with hazardous drinking using a co-twin design to control for confounding because of genetic and shared environmental factors.Method:The study sample included cross-sectional data from 1,996 same-sex adult twin pairs (mean age = 36.6; 65.9% female) from the Washington State Twin Registry. The Singh Index was used to characterize neighborhood social deprivation for participants’ census tract of residence. Geocoded alcohol outlet data were used to create a measure of census tract alcohol outlet density. The three-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test–Consumption scale (AUDIT-C) was used to measure the level of hazardous drinking. Poisson mixed-effects models were used to examine associations between neighborhood factors and AUDIT-C score. Covariates included household income, level of education completed, non-White race, sex, and rurality of residence.Results:A...
Low Boiling Point Solvent Additives for Improved Photooxidative Stability in Organic Photovoltaics

The efficiency of organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells is rapidly increasing. However, many of the highest performance OPV devices are also the most unstable, including the two widely used benzodithiophene-co-thieno[3,4-b]thiophene polymers, PTB7 and PTB7-Th. Here it is shown that both the choice of pendant side chain, and solvents used for film deposition, have an important effect on active layer stability. Specifically, polymers with alkylthienyl side chains are found to be less stable than polymers with alkoxy side chains. Secondly, high boiling point solvent additives such as 1,8-diiodooctane are found to dramatically accelerate photooxidation unless they are removed fully during device processing, which may be attributed to increased oxygen diffusion in films containing residual solvent. Replacing these higher boiling point solvent additives with lower boiling additives can greatly enhance the polymer stability without requiring high vacuum treatment, making these systems more scalable and compatible with roll-to-roll printing. Based on this finding, the non-halogenated solvent system o-xylene with 2% N-methylpyrrolidone is explored as a route to achieving higher active layer stability, while maintaining the favorable, intermixed morphology achieved with higher boiling point, halogenated solvent additives. This result offers a promising way forward in the development of scalable, stable, and high-efficiency organic solar cells.
The Racial Subject in Legal Theory

For the better part of the twentieth century, neither the subject of race, nor its racialized subjects, played a significant role in legal scholarship. Only recently have legal scholars began seriously to engage matters of race and the experiences of people of color in the United States. This chapter, which will appear in the 2008 version of the Oxford Manual of Law and Politics, tracks why, and when, race moved from being virtually nonexistent to occupying the margins and finally assuming a prominent place in legal scholarship. It critically maps the ways in which scholars have addressed the problem of race in legal theory in an attempt to provide context for ongoing debates about the persistence of racial inequality, to underscore the limitations of early theories about race and discrimination, and, finally, to highlight the promise of engagement with "traditional" legal theories for understanding the nature of racial subordination. Part I explores legal discourse on race in the years preceding the groundbreaking U.S. Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education. Part II considers Brown and its aftermath, tracking the origins of the legal process theory embraced by scholars during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Part III discusses the rejection of legal process theory that characterized the 1980s and 1990s, and charts the emergence of Critical Race Theory (CRT), a movement that made race and the experiences of racial minorities the subject of legitimate intellectual discourse in American legal scholarship. Finally, Part IV looks at recent scholarly work in the area of race, documenting, among other things, the multiple understandings of race, identity, and subordination now prevalent in many legal communities. The chapter ends by identifying fruitful areas of future study regarding the place of race in American law.
Global Encounters and the Evangelical Left

Global encounters pushed American evangelicalism leftward in the twentieth century. Missionary work in India provoked E. Stanley Jones to crusade for civil rights in the United States. Initiatives in the Majority World by World Vision fed progressive evangelical sensibilities at home. More recently, immigrants to the United States have been lobbying for more government action against poverty and the death penalty. While evangelical immigrants may push left on certain issues, however, they also preach traditionalist religious convictions on the supernatural and sexuality that offend secular progressives. Whatever the prospects of future coalitions, analyses of the American left must reckon with dense and growing religious networks that span the world.
Tasting the Kingdom: Wine-Drinking and Audience Inference in Mark 15.36:

This article explores ancient and modern reflection on inference generation and its implications for potential audience inferences concerning the Markan Jesus and whether he drinks the wine the bystander offers him while crucified (15.36). By examining this logical possibility from the perspective of hearing, rather than silent reading, this article sets forth previously underappreciated evidence that Mark’s narrative is intentionally vague at this point, prompting listeners to decide the matter for themselves. Moreover, I argue that the flow and rhetoric of the narrative both suggest that hearers were meant to infer that Jesus does indeed drink – and in so doing enjoy an ironic foretaste of Mark’s vision for the kingdom of God.
Greater Baseline White Matter Disease Burden Does Not Predict Increased Risk of Dementia 90 Days after Ischemic Stroke (P06.031)

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the whether greater burden of periventricular white matter disease (PVWMD) on baseline MRI predicts poorer cognitive outcome 3 months after ischemic stroke. BACKGROUND: Higher burden of PVWMD is frequently reported to have a strong correlation with incident cognitive decline. Our previous work demonstrated that greater PVWMD is a strong predictor of poor functional motor outcome 3 months after ischemic stroke. DESIGN/METHODS: Within the GCNKSS population-based epidemiology study, we prospectively enrolled a cohort of 693 patients with acute ischemic stroke in 2010. PVWMD on baseline imaging was classified using the Fazekas scale. An outcomes interview was conducted 90 days post-stroke, which included the modified Rankin (mRS), Six-Item Screener (SIS), and 1-minute word list generation. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess PVWMD in predicting abnormal post-stroke cognitive function. RESULTS: Of the 590 who completed the follow-up interview, 42 were excluded due to pre-existing dementia. At 90 days, 126 subjects were impaired on the SIS and 410 on the word count. Those having abnormal SIS at 90 days post-stroke had significantly (p CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest increased risk of dementia with advanced age and higher stroke severity. Unlike the case for motor outcomes, our data find poor correlation between 3-month cognitive impairment and baseline PVWMD. This supports the view that cognitive outcome needs to be considered independent of functional motor outcome in ischemic stroke survivors. Supported by: NIH/NINDS Grant NS30678. Disclosure: Dr. Kelley has received personal compensation for activities with Lilly as a consultant. Dr. Sucharew has nothing to disclose. Dr. Alwell has nothing to disclose. Dr. Moomaw has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rademacher has nothing to disclose. Dr. Embi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Khoury has nothing to disclose. Dr. Woo has nothing to disclose. Dr. Flaherty has received personal compensation for activities with CSL Behring. Dr. Flaherty has received research support from the NINDS and Novo Nordisk. Dr. Khatri has received personal compensation for activities with Janssen Pharmaceuticals as a consultant. Dr. Khatri has received research support from Penumbra Inc. Dr. Kleindorfer has received personal compensation for activities with Genentech, Inc and for medicolegal case review. Dr. Kissela has received personal compensation for activities with Allergan and Medicolegal Review. Dr. Kissela has received research support from NexStim and Reata Pharmaceuticals.
Mazur Distance and Normal Structure in Banach Spaces

Let X be a Banach space and X be class of spaces isomorphic to X. Using the concepts of supporting functionals in dual space X the condition on Δ(X, Y) is obtained, where Y e X; and Δ(X, Y) denotes the distance between X and Y in X; which guarantees uniform normal structure.
Benefits of additional cardiologic examination in patients admitted for differential diagnosis to the Epilepsy Center Bethel.

Abstract Additional cardiologic examination for syncope is used for patients admitted for diagnostic reasons in the Epilepsy Center Bethel if, after epileptologic examination, the etiology of seizures remains uncertain and a cardiologic etiology is suspected. Therefore, we retrospectively analyzed all patient data from the diagnostic department between 02/2011 and 07/2015 to evaluate the benefits to patients of additional cardiologic examination for syncope. 78 out of 1567 patients underwent additional cardiologic examination for syncope. Syncope was confirmed in 50 cases (25 neurocardiogenic, 4 orthostatic hypotension, 6 rhythmogenic, 2 others, 13 unknown). The previous diagnosis of epilepsy made before admission to the Epilepsy Center Bethel was rejected in 25 out of 30 cases. Loop recorders were implanted in 26 patients. In 8 out of 26 cases the loop recorder helped to provide a definite diagnosis of a cardiac arrhythmia (n = 6) or to rule out a cardiac cause (n = 2). In conclusion, patients benefit from a close cooperation between epileptology and cardiology.
Multilevel critical stenosis with minimal functional deficits: a case of cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

Introduction We present a case of a previously asymptomatic and highly functional individual whose critical degenerative stenosis was exacerbated by recent trauma (motor vehicle accident), resulting in cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Case presentation A 57-year-old African-American man with no significant past medical history presented to the Orthopaedic Surgery outpatient clinic with mild neck discomfort, stiffness, and bilateral hand numbness 4 days after being involved in a motor vehicle accident. He ambulated without assistive devices and displayed a tandem gait pattern with normal cadence. He was minimally tender to palpation at the posterior cervical midline and paraspinal musculature with motor and sensory function intact bilaterally. Reflexes were hypoactive at C5, C6, C7, L4, and S1 bilaterally with positive Babinski signs bilaterally. Imaging revealed degenerative changes, spinal stenosis, and cord compression. The patient eventually underwent posterior cervical decompression and fusion from the C3 to the C6 level, with the only reported complication being transient loss of somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) signals intra-operatively. In the postoperative period, the patient complained of stiffness in his left shoulder, elbow, and hand, as well as left hand palmar numbness and an inability to make a full fist. His complaints were managed with medication and physical therapy. Discussion This case report highlights the point that stenosis that occurs slowly over time is often well compensated, and patients are commonly asymptomatic at first glance. Often times, acute events tip patients from being asymptomatic to symptomatic, generally warranting invasive intervention to prevent further insults from causing permanent damage.
Deep Profiling of the Aggregated Proteome in Alzheimer’s Disease: From Pathology to Disease Mechanisms

Hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disease causing dementia, include protein aggregates such as amyloid beta plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles in a patient’s brain. Understanding the complete composition and structure of protein aggregates in AD can shed light on the as-yet unidentified underlying mechanisms of AD development and progression. Biochemical isolation of aggregates coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) provides a comprehensive proteomic analysis of aggregates in AD. Dissection of these AD-specific aggregate components, such as U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein complex (U1 snRNP), provides novel insights into the deregulation of RNA splicing in the disease. In this review, we summarize the methodologies of laser capture microdissection (LCM) and differential extraction to analyze the aggregated proteomes in AD samples, and discuss the derived novel insights that may contribute to AD pathogenesis.
A Noise-Shaped VCO-Based Nonuniform Sampling ADC With Phase-Domain Level Crossing

This paper introduces a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO)-based nonuniform sampling (NUS) analog-to-digital converter (ADC), which shifts the conventional voltage-domain level crossing to the phase domain, thus eliminating the need for any continuous-time (CT) comparator or reference generator. It increases the signal bandwidth and reduces the implementation costs of both analog and digital circuitries compared to the existing voltage-domain NUS ADCs. The signal-to-quantization-noise ratio (SQNR) is improved by the first-order noise shaping and inherent dithering via the free-running oscillation of VCO. The quantization error of the proposed architecture is analyzed, and a phase-domain calibration on the VCO nonlinearity is proposed. Due to the mostly digital architecture and time-based nature of the proposed architecture, the performance and figure of merit (FOM) are expected to improve with the scaled technology. This prototype achieves 200-MHz bandwidth with 60-dB dynamic range (DR) and consumes 19.7 mW of power with an active area of 0.13 mm2 in 65-nm complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS), where the nonuniform digital signal processing (DSP) is performed off chip. The estimated power and area of the nonuniform DSP including the calibration and decimation filter are 30 mW and 0.114 mm2, respectively.
Process improvement in SMEs: The impact of harmonious passion for entrepreneurship, employee creative self-efficacy, and time spent innovating

Harmonious passion, creative self-efficacy, and time spent innovating are examined as antecedents to innovative process improvement suggestions in a field study of 213 employees in an SME. Results show that time spent innovating, or thinking about and experimenting with new ideas, predicts the number of process improvement suggestions. Time spent innovating is, itself, influenced by the employee’s level of harmonious passion for entrepreneurship, moderated by creative self-efficacy. Counter to expectations, the moderation was negative; such that the positive relationship between harmonious passion and time spent innovating became weaker as creative self-efficacy became stronger. The results provide insight into the complex relationships between passion, competency, and entrepreneurial behavior and suggest the need for additional focus on the processes employees follow to engage in workplace innovation. In doing so, this study makes three specific contributions. First, it provides a fundamental step toward understanding the role harmonious passion plays in innovation in an SME context. Second, it begins to explain the relationship between individuals’ thoughts, behaviors, and outcomes in the nascent stages of innovation in SMEs. Finally, it provides insight into the heretofore unexplored link between passion and creative self-efficacy in fostering innovative behavior.
Profiles of Appraisal, Motivation, and Coping for Positive Emotions

We used a retrospective survey (N = 346) to model the patterns of appraisal, motivation, and coping that uniquely correspond with 12 positive emotions (affection/love, amusement, awe, challenge/det...
Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) growth and defense in response to mountain pine beetle outbreaks

Abstract Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is a critical forest species of Northern Rocky Mountain upper subalpine ecosystems, yet little is known about the physiological response of whitebark pine to disturbance (e.g. fire, bark beetles, and pathogens) across a range of diverse environmental gradients. Resin-based defenses have long been recognized as the primary mechanism by which conifers respond to attack by bark beetles and pathogens and several studies have linked resin duct properties to survivorship during periods of increased beetle activity. However, to our knowledge, no studies have compared axial resin ducts in the secondary xylem of whitebark pine across pairs of living and dead whitebark pine trees to better understand survivorship following multiple disturbances including mountain pine beetle and white pine blister rust. We found a clear distinction in growth and defense characteristics between live and dead whitebark pine. Across our study sites on the Flathead Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana, live whitebark pine produced larger resin ducts with a greater annual investment in resin-based defenses than whitebark pine that died. Resin duct size, duct area, and relative duct area were all greater in live whitebark pine (by 56%, 48%, and 57%, respectively) and these were the most important variables influencing whitebark pine survivorship. In contrast, whitebark pine that had died grew faster over time (22% larger ring widths) than their live counterparts and also produced more resin duct structures (20% more ducts on average). Whitebark pine at our study sites exhibit differing strategies in the allocation of resources toward growth and defense, with the majority of survivors of recent disturbance investing more in defensive structures than growth. Our results support the idea that maintaining genetic variability and the associated suite of differing physiological traits promotes diverse response strategies to a complex array of biophysical and biological stressors that might leave a species vulnerable to extinction across its range.
Thermo-/pH-responsive chitosan-cellulose nanocrystals based hydrogel with tunable mechanical properties for tissue regeneration applications

Abstract In this study, we developed and characterized an injectable hydrogel with physical and mechanical properties that can mimic the bone microenvironment and promote bone regeneration. The injectable hydrogel was prepared with thermogelling biopolymers, chitosan and cellulose nanofibers/nanocrystals (CNFs/CNCs)). The chitosan solution can undergo sol-gel transition at body temperature, and CNFs/CNCs were used as an additive nanomaterial to enhance the mechanical properties of the chitosan gel and mimic bone tissue properties. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) can significantly improve the gelation kinetics (from ~24 s to 7 s) and mechanical properties of the injectable chitosan hydrogel (from ~28 kPa to ~379 kPa). An increase in percent gel fraction corresponding to the weight percent of CNCs incorporated in the hydrogel demonstrated that the incorporated CNCs were completely reacted into the chitosan network, resulting in a high density of crosslinked network as shown by SEM imaging. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis used to probe the reinforcement effect of CNCs showed an increase of hydrogen bonding due to the presence of CNCs within the chitosan networks. The hydrogel formulations were biocompatible as demonstrated by high cell viability in the LIVE-DEAD cell staining analysis. Presence of CNCs in the chitosan gel altered cell morphology by inducing spreading morphology due to higher mechanical sensing from the CNCs. The versatility of this formulation to exhibit strong mechanical properties combined with its ability to support cell encapsulation makes it attractive as a biomaterial for bone regeneration. Statement of significance Bone grafting has increasingly been used in surgery with more than two million times per year worldwide to promote bone regeneration. However, bone grafting failures remain the main constraints in this treatment option. In the past decade, the use of cell-based biomaterials has been extensively investigated as alternatives for bone grafting procedures. Yet, biomaterials that can effectively promote bone fracture healing with a minimally invasive procedure remain in high demand. Herein we describe a novel injectable tunable biomaterial using cellulose nanocrystals-hybridized chitosan-based hydrogel that can safely encapsulate pre-osteoblast cells and can potentially use as an injectable bone graft substitute. This research will establish a novel concept for the use of cell-based biomaterials in bone tissue engineering and other regenerative medicines.
Online Medical Control for EMS: A Lecture and Case-Based Teaching Module.

Introduction The provision of real-time medical direction to emergency medical services (EMS) providers is a core skill for the emergency physician, yet it is one with a wide variability of trainin...
Performance Evaluation of Reflective Crack Mitigation Techniques for Soil-Cement Bases:

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), U.S., has been using chip seal as an interlayer over cement stabilized base courses over the last several years to mitigate the re...
Leveraging Collaborative Expertise: Social Studies Teachers’ Perspectives of Disciplinary Literacy Instruction

This study aims to augment the current understanding of how practicing teachers perceive and implement disciplinary literacy and in what ways they collaborate with researchers in a disciplinary lit...
Bayesian Random Tomography of Particle Systems

Random tomography is a common problem in imaging science and refers to the task of reconstructing a three-dimensional volume from two-dimensional projection images acquired in unknown random directions. We present a Bayesian approach to random tomography. At the center of our approach is a meshless representation of the unknown volume as a mixture of spherical Gaussians. Each Gaussian can be interpreted as a particle such that the unknown volume is represented by a particle cloud. The particle representation allows us to speed up the computation of projection images and to represent a large variety of structures accurately and efficiently. We develop Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms to infer the particle positions as well as the unknown orientations. Posterior sampling is challenging due to the high dimensionality and multimodality of the posterior distribution. We tackle these challenges by using Hamiltonian Monte Carlo and a global rotational sampling strategy. We test the approach on various simulated and real datasets.
Prediction of Pancreatic Cancer in Diabetes Patients with Worsening Glycemic Control.

Background: Worsening glycemic control indicates elevated risk of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We developed prediction models for PDAC among those with worsening glycemic control after diabetes diagnosis. Methods: In 2000–2016 records within the Veterans Affairs Health System (VA), we identified three cohorts with progression of diabetes: (i) insulin initiation (n = 449,685), (ii) initiation of combination oral hypoglycemic medication (n = 414,460), and (iii) hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥8% with ≥Δ1% within 15 months (n = 593,401). We computed 12-, 36-, and 60-month incidence of PDAC and developed prediction models separately for males and females, with consideration of >30 demographic, behavioral, clinical, and laboratory variables. Models were selected to optimize Akaike9s Information Criterion, and performance for predicting 12-, 36-, and 60-month incident PDAC was evaluated by bootstrap. Results: Incidence of PDAC was highest for insulin initiators and greater in males than in females. Optimism-corrected c-indices of the models for predicting 36-month incidence of PDAC in the male population were: (i) 0.72, (ii) 0.70, and (iii) 0.71, respectively. Models performed better for predicting 12-month incident PDAC [c-index (i) 0.78, (ii) 0.73, (iii) 0.76 for males], and worse for predicting 60-month incident PDAC [c-index (i) 0.69, (ii) 0.67, (iii) 0.68 for males]. Model performance was lower among females. For subjects whose model-predicted 36-month PDAC risks were ≥1%, the observed incidences were (i) 1.9%, (ii) 2.2%, and (iii) 1.8%. Conclusions: Sex-specific models for PDAC can estimate risk of PDAC at the time of progression of diabetes. Impact: Our models can identify diabetes patients who would benefit from PDAC screening.
Stratification in Hard Times

This essay reviews current research on the relationship between economic inequality and social stratification. Stratification, that is, the intergenerational reproduction of the distribution of incomes and socioeconomic advantage, is likely to be related to the level of economic inequality because parental incomes and wealth are important resources in families' investment in children's earnings capacity. The relationship is likely to be moderated, however, by the fact that monetary resources are not the sole family resource of importance, and by counterbalancing effects of progressive policy, notably as far as educational policy is concerned. Also, the relationship between inequality and stratification is likely to exhibit considerable time lags, and empirical analyses of contemporaneous correlations are unlikely to be informative in consequence. Owing to the substantial data requirements, few convincing empirical studies on the inequality–stratification relationship are available at present. More reliable evidence is available from studies of the relationship between inequality and educational attainment, arguably the key interim process in stratification. Here, empirical results suggest rising inequality to cause rising inequality of educational achievement, notably because well-off families are able to increase children's attainment in the face of rising economic incentives, whereas lower income families are less able to do so. The essay concludes by suggesting key areas of future research, likely to be spurred by the increasing sophistication of analytical models and the increasing quality of available intergenerational data on earnings, incomes and socioeconomic standing. Keywords: equality of opportunity; social stratification; social reproduction; income inequality; unemployment; intergenerational mobility; educational attainment
Property Rights and Property Rules for Commercializing Inventions

Several recent commentators have criticized trends in the patent system by suggesting that the goals of the system can be better achieved through a variety of approaches that avoid or mitigate the monopoly-type impact of property rights. Suggested alternatives include the use of cash rewards, buy-outs, and liability rules, as distinct from property rules. This paper uses the important contributions made by these commentators to reveal shortcomings in any view of the patent system that focuses only on incentives to engage in inventive activity. The paper offers a new view of the patent system that embraces property rights and property rules as core elements of the patent system. According to this view, property treatment is essential for the subsequent commercialization activity that is necessary to get embodiments of nascent inventions into the hands of consumers and for efficiently identifying which inventions are worth the costs of government intervention in the first instance. The recently suggested alternatives fail to address these important goals of the patent system and would actually frustrate them. In addition, the current system already addresses many of the concerns raised by such commentary. The paper reveals how property rights and commercialization motivated the creation of our current patent system and explains many controversial trends in the system, including those that sparked the recent critical commentary, as well as those in other intellectual property regimes such as trademarks.
A novel bacterial signalling system with a combination of a Ser/Thr kinase cascade and a His/Asp two‐component system

Prokaryotes and eukaryotes have long been thought to use very different types of kinases (the His kinases of the 'bacterial' two-component systems versus the 'eukaryotic' Ser/Thr/Tyr kinases) to carry out signal transduction. This paradigm no longer holds true, because both systems are now found together in an increasing number of prokaryotic organisms and 'two-component' His kinase are present in eukaryotes. Pioneering work on bacterial protein serine threonine kinases (PSTKs) has been performed in Myxococcus xanthus, a soil bacterium with a complex life cycle that possesses orthologues of signalling-related kinases 'typical' of both the prokaryotic and the eukaryotic kingdoms. In the work reported in this volume of Molecular Microbiology, Nariya and Inouye describe a PSTK cascade that modulates the biochemical activity of MrpC, a CRP-like transcriptional regulator for essential developmental signalling pathways in M. xanthus whose transcription is under the control of a two-component system. This is the first report of both a functional PSTK cascade in bacteria and the use of both PSTK and two-component systems to control a single complex bacterial signalling event.
PLAQUE FORMATION BY PSITTACOSIS VIRUS.

Abstract : The production of plaques by psittacosis virus on monolayers of McCoy cells is described in this preliminary report. Plaques appeared in five to seven days and ranged in diameter from 0.2 to 0.5 millimeter. Formation of plaques was inhibited by psittacosis antiserum, which confirmed their virus specificity. The relationship between plaque numbers and virus concentration was linear.
Surface Contamination and Corrosion in Pyrotechnic Actuators

Accelerated aging studies of pyrotechnic actuators containing a mixture of titanium metal and potassium Perchlorate powders have revealed that extensive corrosion of the metal pins and bridgewires used to ignite the device occurs in relatively short times. Analyses suggest that the corrosive process is associated with chlorine and organic contaminants. These can trigger corrosion by attacking the passivating oxide layer on the surface of metal alloys, thereby promoting reaction between the pyrotechnic and the metal. The contaminants may also react directly with the pyrotechnic to cause decomposition to corrosive species. Residual moisture in the pyrotechnic powder tends to enhance corrosion rates when contaminants are present. Tests run on several metal alloys have verified the corrosive action of certain organic solvent mixtures. Specifically, Tophet A®, Tophet C®, and Alloy 52 were corroded when exposed to combinations of alcohols and chlorinated organic liquids.
Factored MDP elicitation and plan display

The software suite we will demonstrate at AAAI'06 was designed around planning with factored Markov decision processes (MDPs). It is a user-friendly suite that facilitates domain elicitation, preference elicitation, planning, and MDP policy display. The demo will concentrate on user interactions for domain experts and those for whom plans are made.
Roles of Bcl6 and Blimp1 in CD4 T follicular helper (Tfh) lineage commitment

A distinct CD4 effector T cell subset, called T follicular helper cells (Tfh), is required for proper B cell responses in vivo. The mutually antagonistic transcription factors Bcl6 and Blimp1 play central but opposing roles in Tfh differentiation (Johnston et al., Science 2009). Bcl6 is both necessary and sufficient for in vivo Tfh differentiation, while Blimp1 specifically inhibits it. Expression of both Bcl6 and Blimp1, controlled temporally and spatially by cell-cell contact and multiple cytokines, is necessary for a normal CD4 T cell response. Naive CD4 T cells express Bcl6 mRNA prior to, and independent of, commitment to the Tfh lineage. Bcl6 contains multiple functional domains and can affect different transcriptional outcomes depending on the local chromatin and co-repressor environment. Bcl6 repression of Blimp1 requires the co-repressor MTA3, which binds the Bcl6 RDII domain. We show that a loss of function mutation in the Bcl6 RDII domain results in a total failure of CD4 T cells to proliferate in vivo following infection with LCMV. We posit that this proliferation defect is a result of the failure to control expression of Blimp1, a strongly anti-proliferative protein, immediately following activation. Conversely, failure to attain adequate Blimp1 expression also results in an abnormal antiviral CD4 T cell response. Taken together, our findings suggest that the roles of Bcl6 and Blimp1 in CD4 T cells extend beyond Tfh lineage commitment.
Multi-directional impedance control with electromyography for compliant human-robot interaction

Compliant human-robot interaction is necessary for the seamless integration of robotic devices into everyday life. Surface electromyography (sEMG) provides a potential interface for compliant control due to the natural relationship between muscle activity and joint stiffness. Previous works have used sEMG to predict and control impedance along a single degree-of-freedom (DOF). However, humans interacting in unstable environments tune both the magnitude and direction of their impedance. This paper proposes a framework for multi-directional impedance control with sEMG to enhance compliant interactions. The framework allows subjects to simultaneously control both the direction of motion and primary stiffness axis of a robot, enabling stable behavior with controlled compliance to external forces. The efficacy of the approach is shown in a five day experiment with a 3-DOF virtual environment. Subjects displayed significant performance enhancements consistent with motor skill learning as they learned to follow paths and stay at desired targets while compensating for external forces. The framework is also demonstrated with compliant simultaneous and proportional control of a robot arm, suggesting the approach as a natural interface for enhancing capabilities of compliant human-robot interaction.
Selection and Preliminary Characterization of Temperature-Sensitive Mutants of Type 5 Adenovirus

Eight temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants that replicate normally at 32 C but poorly, if at all, at 39.5 C have been isolated from mutagenized stocks of a wild-type strain of type 5 adenovirus. Three mutagens were employed: nitrous acid, hydroxylamine, and nitrosoguanidine. Ts mutants were isolated from mutagenized viral stocks with frequencies between 0.01 and 0.1%. All eight mutants had reversion frequencies of 10(-5) or less. Complementation experiments in doubly infected cultures at the nonpermissive temperature separated the mutants into three nonoverlapping complementation groups. Complementation yields ranged from a 2.3- to a 3,000-fold increase over the sums of the yields from the two singly infected controls. Genetic recombination was also demonstrated; approximate recombination frequencies ranged from 0.1 to 15%. Preliminary biochemical and immunological characterization of the mutants indicated that: (i) the single mutant in complementation group I did not replicate its deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or synthesize late proteins at the nonpermissive temperature but did inhibit host DNA synthesis to 25% of an uninfected control; (ii) the four group II mutants replicated viral DNA, shut off host DNA synthesis, synthesized penton base and fiber, but did not synthesize immunologically detectable hexon; the three mutants in complementation group III synthesized viral DNA, shut off host DNA synthesis, and made immunologically reactive capsid proteins (hexon, penton base, and fiber).
Mining of cis-Regulatory Motifs Associated with Tissue-Specific Alternative Splicing

Alternative splicing (AS) is an important post-transcriptional mechanism that can increase protein diversity and affect mRNA stability and translation efficiency. Many studies targeting the regulation of alternative splicing have focused on individual motifs; however, little is known about how such motifs work in concert. In this paper, we use distribution-based quantitative association rule mining to find combinatorial cis -regulatory motifs and to investigate the effect of motif pairs. We also show that motifs that occur in motif pairs typically occur in clusters.
Laser-Excited Fluorescence, Photoacoustic, and Photoionization Detection of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons and Drugs

Methods of enhancing the spectral selectivity for identification and quantitation of molecules in complex systems, such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in environmental samples or drugs in biological materials, are mentioned. The major emphasis concerns the description of the instrumentation and analytical figures of merit for a three-mode cuvette and a three-mode flow cell detection system based upon fluorescence, photoacoustic, and photoionization detection. The instrumental system consisting of a laser (nitrogen (N/sub 2/) laser or N/sub 2/-dye laser), the cell assembly, and the detection system is briefly described for all three modes for each type of cell. Limits of detection for the three modes are given and compared forseveral selected molecules. A model five-compound mixture is separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and detected with the three-mode flow detector. The mechanism of the photoionization detection is briefly discussed.
Conditions that may affect the results of susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to pyrazinamide

Pyrazinamide (PZA) is an important front-line anti-tuberculosis drug that is active only at acid pH. However, acid pH causes significant difficulty for PZA susceptibility testing. A common problem in PZA testing is false resistance caused by large bacterial inocula. This study investigated the relationship of false resistance to numbers of bacilli, pH and other factors that potentially affect susceptibility to PZA. Large inocula (107−−8 bacilli/ml) of M. tuberculosis H37Ra caused significant increase in medium pH from 5.5 towards neutrality, and thus produced false resistance results. The increase in medium pH was determined to be a function of live bacilli; heat-killed bacilli had little or no effect. Susceptibility to PZA and its active derivative pyrazinoic acid (POA) was comparable on 7H11 agar medium, but POA was less active than PZA in liquid medium containing bovine serum albumin (BSA), suggesting that susceptibility to PZA or POA was reduced in the presence of BSA, because of its neutralising effect on medium pH and significant POA binding. A 3-month-old H37Ra culture was shown to be more susceptible to PZA exposure than a 4-day log-phase culture, suggesting that PZA is more active for non-growing bacilli. Finally, reserpine, an inhibitor of POA efflux pump, increased susceptibility to PZA even near neutral pH 6.8, with an MIC of 400 mg/L compared with 1000 mg/L without reserpine. These findings should have implications for understanding the mode of action of PZA and for PZA susceptibility testing.
The role of shear instability in amorphization of cold-rolled NiTi

Abstract Alloy sheets of Ni–49·2at% Ti were cold rolled at room temperature. The microstructure of a 60% reduced sample showed the formation of amorphous bands within the finely twinned crystalline matrix. Sample fracture was observed for reductions of more than 65%. The fracture surface extended straight and inclined 30° to 50° to the compression direction. Similarities in morphology to the shear bands observed in heavily cold-rolled metals suggest that an amorphous phase forms in the shear band, caused by the mechanical instability against shear stress.