cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advances and Challenges in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections: the Need for Diagnostic Stewardship

Urinary tract infections (UTIs), including catheter-associated UTIs, are among the most common bacterial infections in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Diagnosis of true UTI remains a clinical challenge, and excessive antimicrobial treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) or contaminated urine cultures is common. Challenges with the appropriate diagnosis of UTIs include the lack of specific signs and symptoms, no definitive diagnostic criteria, high incidence of ASB, contamination of samples, and frequent lack of indications for ordering urine cultures. Promising interventions include education and feedback, indication requirements when ordering cultures, and use of reflex culture policies that limit urine cultures. Antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship interventions can work synergistically to decrease ordering of urine cultures without clear indication and prevent excessive antimicrobial administration in patients without clearly defined UTI.
Yield of Emergent Computed Tomography in Epilepsy Patients Presenting with a Seizure (P3.289)

Objective: To determine how often head computed tomography (CT) scans are obtained in patients with known epilepsy presenting with seizure, how often acute abnormalities are found, evaluate predictors of an acutely abnormal scan and determine the frequency with which the scans change acute management. Background: Patients with epilepsy are frequently seen in the emergency department for seizures. Acute neuroimaging is often considered to exclude a new structural lesion but the frequency and utility of these scans in patients with known epilepsy presenting with seizure is unknown. Design/Methods: This multicenter retrospective cohort study was performed in the emergency department at two academic medical centers, one of which is a level 1 trauma center. The primary outcomes were percentage of visits where a CT scan was obtained, whether CT findings represented acute abnormalities and whether these findings changed acute management. Results: Of the 396 visits included, CT scans were obtained in 39% and 8% of these scans demonstrated acute abnormalities. Patients who were older, had status epilepticus, a brain tumor, head trauma, or an abnormal exam were all significantly more likely to undergo acute neuroimaging (p Conclusions: Obtaining an emergent CT scan for the patient with epilepsy presenting with a seizure may be indicated for patients with a history of brain tumor or head trauma as a result of seizure. Study Supported by: NA Disclosure: Dr. Kvam has nothing to disclose. Dr. Douglas has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for SAGE Publishing, as editor in chief of The Neurohospitalist. Dr. Whetstone has nothing to disclose. Dr. Josephson has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for JAMA Neurology and Continuum Audio. Dr. Betjemann has nothing to disclose.
Mechanical reinforcement of protein L from Finegoldia magna points to a new bind-and-search mechanism

Abstract Several significant bacterial pathogens in humans secrete surface proteins that bind antibodies in order to protect themselves from the adaptive immune response and have evolved to operate under the mechanical sheer generated by mucus flow, coughing or urination. Protein L is secreted by Finegoldia magna and has several antibody-binding domains. These domains have two antibody-binding sites with vastly different avidity and the function of the second weaker binding interface is currently unknown. Here we use magnetic tweezers and covalent attachment via HaloTag and SpyTag to expose Protein L to unfolding forces in the absence and presence of antibody-ligands. We find that antibody binding increases the mechanical stability of protein L. Using the change in mechanical stability as a binding reporter, we determined that the low-avidity binding site is acting as a mechano-sensor. We propose a novel mechanism where the high-avidity binding site engages the tether, while the low-avidity binding site acts as a mechano-sensor, allowing bacteria to sample the antibody surface concentration and localize its search during successful binding under strain. Significance It is well known that bacteria have an arsenal of tools to invade and to avoid dislocation. Based on the molecular response of a protein used by anaerobic bacteria to attach to antibodies and disrupt the immune system, here we report on a force-sensor-like behavior, triggered by antibody clusters and force. This pseudo-catch bond between bacteria and antibodies is activated through a second binding site which has lower avidity to antibodies, and which acts as a mechanical sensor, potentially regulating the search radii of the bacterium. Understanding of the bacteria attachment mechanism is of great importance toward developing new antibiotics and mechano-active drugs.
Global W2,1+ε estimates for Monge-Ampère equation with natural boundary condition

Abstract For the Monge-Ampere equation with a right-hand side bounded away from 0 and infinity, we show that the solution, subject to the natural boundary condition arising in optimal transport, is in W 2 , 1 + e up to the boundary.
A non‐parametric projection‐based estimator for the probability of causation, with application to water sanitation in Kenya

Current estimation methods for the probability of causation ‘PC’ make strong parametric assumptions or are inefficient. We derive a non‐parametric influence‐function‐based estimator for a projection of PC, which allows for simple interpretation and valid inference by making weak structural assumptions. We apply our estimator to real data from an experiment in Kenya. This experiment found, by estimating the average treatment effect, that protecting water springs reduces childhood disease. However, before scaling up this intervention, it is important to determine whether it was the exposure, and not something else, that caused the outcome. Indeed, we find that some children, who were exposed to a high concentration of bacteria in drinking water and had a diarrhoeal disease, would probably have contracted the disease absent the exposure since the estimated PC for an average child in this study is 0.12 with a 95% confidence interval of (0.11, 0.13). Our non‐parametric method offers researchers a way to estimate PC, which is essential if we wish to determine not only the average treatment effect, but also whether an exposure probably caused the observed outcome.
From Liberalism to Positivism: Gil Fortoul and Vallenilla Lanz

The political and intellectual figures who emerged in the first decades of Venezuela’s twentieth century conceived of their projects both within and against the logic of textual custodianship and possession established in the nineteenth century by Felipe Larrazabal, the O’Learys (father and son), and the state. Individuals who sought to direct the political course of Venezuela came to view themselves in relationship to Bolivar and to his writings, and understood the labor before them as one of bringing his figure forth to steer intellectual and political discourse. They performed this function in the context of Venezuela, particularly as this was concerned with the country’s history of civil war, military insurrections, and dictatorship, as well as in the context of Latin America, the United States, and Europe, where interest in independence and Bolivar surged subsequent to the Spanish-Cuban-American war of 1898.
Liquid Biopsies Using Circulating Tumor DNA in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Liquid biopsies for the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer have developed rapidly, driven primarily by technical advances in sensitivity to detect circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). Still, technical limitations such as the challenge of detecting low-level ctDNA variants and distinguishing tumor-related variants from clonal hematopoiesis remain. With further technical advancements, new applications for ctDNA analysis are emerging including detection of post-treatment molecular residual disease (MRD), clinical trial selection, and early cancer detection. This chapter reviews the current state of ctDNA testing in NSCLC, the underlying technological advances enabling ctDNA detection, and the potential to expand ctDNA analysis to new applications.
Analysis of Mission Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT) Services Over Public Safety Networks

In this letter, we investigate Mission Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT) communications used by emergency first responders that are currently migrating from legacy trunked digital Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems to Fourth Generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. Following the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) proposed by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) for performance evaluation of public safety networks. We provide a comparative study for the two networks, and highlight the trade-offs as a function of the respective system parameters.
VCC Ceres: Challenges and Lessons Learned in an Undergraduate CubeSat Project

This paper describes challenges and lessons learned throughout the assembling, integrating, and testing for hardware and software of VCC Ceres, the first Virginia Tech CubeSat built and designed by undergraduates. The project started in 2016 as part of the Virginia CubeSat Constellation (VCC), Virginia Tech (VT), Old Dominion University (ODU), University of Virginia (UVA), and Hampton University in collaboration with the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC). In July of 2019, the three CubeSats were successfully launched from the International Space Station (ISS). The project's mission is to obtain measurements of properties of the Earth's atmosphere in low earth orbit as well as to collect orbital data throughout their lifespan to develop a drag profile for CubeSats launched from the ISS. To develop the Virginia Tech's spacecraft, VCC Ceres, over 50 different undergraduate students participated. In this process, they reached many breaking points and tough decisions. This paper builds the challenges and lessons learned from assembling, integrating, and testing hardware and software. Furthermore, it describes the initial period of the operations phase, right after deployment, where the students had the opportunity to attempt contact with their satellite. This study comprises of an analytical point of view from the senior monitoring group and other engineers that work at the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research, known as (Space@VT), summarizing the experience from an undergraduate CubeSat project. The outcome of this paper is to share an experience that leads to bolster future CubeSat missions at Virginia Tech and other institutions.
Comparison of Speech Performance in Bimodal versus Bilateral Cochlear Implant Users.

Objective To assess whether listening with two cochlear implants (bilateral) offers significant benefits in terms of speech perception over listening with one cochlear implant and one hearing aid (bimodal). Methods Retrospective review of bilateral cochlear implant recipients (24 pediatric and 26 adult). Bimodal listening was compared to bilateral listening in terms of speech perception performance at 1-year post second implant under three listening conditions: 50 dBHL, 35 dBHL, and 50 dBHL+5 SNR. Changes in speech performance from bimodal (before second implant) to bilateral (after second implant) listening were determined within subjects and compared to a separate control group of bimodal users matched for age of first implantation who never received a second implant (10 pediatric and 20 adult). Results In the pediatric group, compared to bimodal listening prior to a second implant, speech perception scores with bilateral implants increased significantly when measured at 50 dBHL, 35 dBHL, and 50 dBHL+5 SNR. By contrast, pediatric bimodal controls who never received a second implant failed to demonstrate similar improvement over 1 year's time. In the adult group, compared to bimodal listening prior to a second implant, speech perception scores with bilateral implants increased when measured at 50 dBHL, but were not significantly different at 35 dBHL and 50 dBHL + 5 SNR. Adult bimodal controls who never received a second implant failed to demonstrate significant improvement in all conditions over 1 year's time. Conclusion Bilateral listening with two cochlear implants improved speech perception performance relative to bimodal listening in the pediatric population. Improvement in the adult population was not as significant. Level of evidence 4, Retrospective Chart Review. Laryngoscope, 131:E1322-E1327, 2021.
U.S. Banking in the Post-Crisis Era: New Results from New Methods

This paper examines the performance of U.S. bank holding companies before, during, and after the 2007–2012 financial crisis. Fully nonparametric methods are used to estimate technical, cost, and input allocative efficiencies. Recently developed statistical results are used to test for changes in efficiencies as well as productivity over time, and to test for changes in technology over time. I find evidence of non-convexity of banks’ production set is found. In addition, the data reveal that mean technical efficiency declined during the financial crisis, but recovered in the years after, ending higher in 2016 than in 2006, while both cost and input allocative efficiencies declined from 2006 to 2016. Statistical tests indicate that technology shifted downward throughout the period 2006–2016.
A Systematic Review on the Timing of Surgical Intervention for Benign Prostatic Enlargement (BPE)

Surgical intervention for benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) is typically reserved for those who fail medical therapy (i.e., α-blocker or 5-α reductase inhibitor treatment). We conducted a systematic review to determine whether timing of surgical intervention for BPE affects patient outcomes. The studies we reviewed suggested that patients who undergo surgical intervention for BPE after failing medical therapy may have worse outcomes. Increased age, worsened bladder function, and worse overall health may contribute to worsened outcomes. To date, there are few high-quality studies on the timing of surgical intervention for BPE in the literature. Further prospective trials are needed to determine ideal timing for intervention.
Fertility, economic development, and suicides among women in India

Indian states at greater levels of economic development report more suicides. This relation appears stronger among women relative to men. We test the hypothesis, suggested in the literature, that conflict between rapid economic growth and inadequate female autonomy (approximated using total fertility rate) varies positively with female suicides. We used state-level data on female suicides for all 35 Indian states and union territories, from 2001 to 2011, from the National Crime Records Bureau. We specified, as our outcome, age-adjusted female suicides per 100,000 population per state-year. We retrieved data on key covariates, namely, gross state domestic product (GSDP) per capita, total fertility rate (TFR), and other control variables from multiple national surveys and publicly available data sources. We examined whether and to what extent age-adjusted female suicides (per 100,000 population) correspond with total fertility rate (lower TFR indicates greater female autonomy and vice versa) within the context of greater economic development (GSDP per capita). Linear longitudinal mixed effect regressions controlled for state-specific random intercepts, son preference (male:female sex ratio at birth), literacy gap (percentage difference between literate males and females), access to health systems (institutional deliveries), female to male employment ratio, and linear time trends. At constant levels of GSDP per capita, a one unit decline in TFR corresponds with 0.27 fewer female suicides per 100,000 population (P value = 0.008). Sensitivity tests indicate that this relation does not hold for male age-adjusted suicides (per 100,000 population). Our findings, if replicated, indicate that at constant levels of economic development, lower TFR (indicating greater female autonomy) may reduce suicide risk among women.
Transition Care for Adolescents and Young Adults with Neuromuscular Disease and Chronic Pulmonary Care Needs

The care of adolescents and young adults with neuromuscular disease and chronic pulmonary care needs is an involved and complex experience for providers, patients, and families. This population is best served by a multidisciplinary team model, if at all possible, including subspecialists, primary care providers, allied health professionals, and social work or care managers. In addition to managing medical complexity, special attention needs to be dedicated to addressing the psychosocial and developmental needs of these patients as they enter adulthood and work to maximize their functional, social, and economic independence. Additionally, issues such as guardianship and aging caregivers need to be addressed for many patients. There are many tools available to help guide patients, families, and providers during this time, including the gottransition.org model and several disease-specific programs. However, there remains a paucity of objective data to guide evidence-based models of care. Providers and programs can and should utilize their strengths to build comprehensive care structures for these transitioning patients, though more evidence is needed to better identify best practices to maximize patient outcomes and satisfaction during this critical phase of their disease experience and life journey. Expanding life expectancy in this patient population is a new and evolving challenge to the healthcare system, offering new opportunities for care optimization and research.
Deviation of mechanical behavior in microforming from continuum scaling: A geometrically necessary dislocation storage perspective

Abstract Meso-/micro-scale metal forming offers problems in which the characteristic deformation length scale can approach the grain size of the material being formed. In this regime, the mechanical response of the deformed material exhibits various deviations from conventional continuum plasticity. This paper shows two such examples involving polycrystalline Cu with different grain sizes. In mesoscale axisymmetric reverse extrusion, Cu with a larger grain size requires a higher scaled pressure to extrude. In microscale double-punch molding, Cu with a larger grain size flows less into micron sized gaps as compared to Cu with a smaller grain size. In both cases, the trend expected from ranking of the bulk flow stress is reversed. To understand these phenomena, we quantitatively analyze crystallographic orientation data obtained from electron backscatter diffraction scans on thin material slices extracted from as-extruded and as-molded Cu specimens. The results show that, for both deformation geometries, Cu with the larger grain size stored more geometrically necessary dislocations under the same deformation geometry. The influence of grain size on geometrically necessary dislocation storage during forming offers a unified, structure-based rationale for the observed anomalous mechanical behavior. This storage is likely influenced by an interplay between the deformation geometry, the characteristic deformation length scale, and the grain size.
How large is the design space for stratospheric aerosol geoengineering

Abstract. Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), as a possible supplement to emission reduction, has the potential to reduce some of the risks associated with climate change. Adding aerosols to the lower stratosphere results in global cooling. However, different choices for the aerosol injection latitude(s) and season(s) have been shown to lead to significant differences in regional surface climate, introducing a design aspect to SAI. Past research has shown that there are at least three independent degrees of freedom (DOF) that can be used to simultaneously manage three different climate goals. Knowing how many more DOFs there are, and thus how many independent climate goals can be simultaneously managed, is essential to understanding fundamental limits of how well SAI might compensate for anthropogenic climate change, and evaluating any underlying trade-offs between different climate goals. Here we quantify the number of meaningfully-independent DOFs of the SAI design space. This number of meaningfully-independent DOFs depends on both the amount of cooling and the climate variables used for quantifying the changes in surface climate. At low levels of global cooling, only a small set of injection choices yield detectably different surface climate responses. For a cooling level of 1–1.5 °C, we find that there are likely between 6 and 8 meaningfully-independent DOFs. This narrows down the range of available DOF and also reveals new opportunities for exploring alternate SAI designs with different distributions of climate impacts.
Elevations of CK-MB following pulmonary embolism. A manifestation of occult right ventricular infarction.

To determine the frequency and etiology of elevations of CK-MB in patients with pulmonary emboli, we studied 52 patients with well-documented emboli and the absence of known ischemic heart disease or ECC changes suggestive of acute infarction. All patients were evaluated with serial CK-MB determinations at 8-h intervals. All patients with elevations of CK-MB had noninvasive cardiac evaluations. Four (7.7 percent) of the 52 patients had a rising and falling pattern of CK-MB that satisfied enzyme criteria of acute infarction. Three of these four also manifested classic echocardiographic features of right ventricular infarction. None of the four had evidence of left ventricular regional wall motion abnormalities or dysfunction. Of the 48 patients without elevations of CK-MB, only two had segmental right ventricular dysfunction. These findings suggest that pulmonary emboli can induce right ventricular infarction in some (7.7 percent) patients even when patients with a history of coronary artery disease and/or ECG changes of infarction are excluded. Conversely, the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism should be considered in patients when right ventricular infarction is diagnosed.
Republic 2, 3, 4 (Excerpts)

Translation of books 2, 3 and 4 of Plato's Republic, concerning the virtues, and especially justice, in the city and in the soul; excluding the discussion of education from 377 to 411.
Continuous-moment sum rules and regge parameters

A new form of continuous-moment sum rules have been suggested and has been applied to determine the P, P′ and ρ Regge residues in case of \(\pi \mathcal{N}\) and K\(\mathcal{N}\) scattering. The values have improved over previous determinations. The consistency of the sum rules demands a unique high-energy behavior of the elastic widths. This also throws some light on the origin of the Pomeranchukon.
ORNITHOPHILIA: THOUGHTS ON GEOGRAPHY IN BIRDING

The deeper motives of bird‐watchers have rarely been subjected to geographical inquiry. Birders are sometimes dismissed as hobbyists bent on compensating for feelings of inadequacy and lack of cont...
Cellular basis for the nonlinear constitutive properties of brain tissue

Brain tissue is characterized as a nonlinear viscoelastic material. One intriguing property of brain tissue is material softening at finite strains. In this study, we examine the individual motion of neural and glial cells in slices of brain tissue subjected to a controlled equibiaxial deformation. We compare the cellular motions to the kinematics of nuclei movement in astrocyte monolayers exposed to the same strain field, and to the patterns of bead movement for beads entrapped within a silicone gel surrogate. We find (a) not all cell nuclei in tissue move in response to an applied deformation, (b) the relative fraction of displaced nuclei is sensitive to the applied deformation, but not the distance of the cell from the stretched membrane, and (c) the strains computed from tracking the nuclei of moving cells is not significantly different than the strains computed from astrocyte monlayers or silicone gel surrogates. Together, these suggest a cellular mechanism underlying the strain softening behavior measured for brain tissue. Separately, these developed relationships will help determine the relative number of cells experiencing a deformation under an applied macroscopic strain field.
Locating clusters in noisy data: a genetic fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm

The paper investigates the use of a genetic algorithm to locate fuzzy clusters embedded in noisy data. The partitioning of data into clusters is an important problem with many applications. Typically, one locates partitions using an iterative fuzzy c-means algorithm. To overcome some of the shortcomings of fuzzy c-means, a genetic c-means clustering algorithm is implemented and evaluated. It was discovered that this genetic c-means algorithm performs well in the absence of noise. When the clusters are embedded in noise, the genetic algorithm is not as robust as the validity guided robust fuzzy clustering algorithm. The paper concludes with a discussion of what factors contribute to the performance and what modifications may increase the robustness of the genetic c-means algorithm.
A ~25 ka Indian Ocean monsoon variability record from the Andaman Sea

Recent paleoclimatic work on terrestrial and marine deposits from Asia and the Indian Ocean has indicated abrupt changes in the strength of the Asian monsoon during the last deglaciation. Comparison of marine paleoclimate records that track salinity changes from Asian rivers can help evaluate the coherence of the Indian Ocean monsoon (IOM) with the larger Asian monsoon. Here we present paired Mg/Ca and d 18 O data on the planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber (white) from Andaman Sea core RC12-344 that provide records of sea-surface temperature (SST) and d 18 O of seawater (d 18 Osw) over the past 25,000 years (ka) before present (BP). Age control is based on nine accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates on mixed planktic foraminifera. Mg/Ca-SST data indicate that SST was � 31C cooler during the last glacial maximum (LGM) than the late Holocene. Andaman Sea d 18 Osw exhibited higher than present values during the Lateglacial interval ca 19–15 ka BP and briefly during the Younger Dryas ca 12 ka BP. Lower than present d 18 Osw values during the BOlling/AllerOd ca 14.5–12.6 ka BP and during the early Holocene ca 10.8–5.5 ka BP are interpreted to indicate lower salinity, reflect some combination of decreased evaporation–precipitation (E–P) over the Andaman Sea and increased Irrawaddy River outflow. Our results are consistent with the suggestion that IOM intensity was stronger than present during the BOlling/AllerOd and early Holocene, and weaker during the late glaciation, Younger Dryas, and the late Holocene. These findings support the hypothesis that rapid climate change during the last deglaciation and Holocene included substantial hydrologic changes in the IOM system that were coherent with the larger Asian monsoon. r 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Incorporation of p-fluorophenylalanine into proteins of Lactobacillus arabinosus☆

Abstract For the earlier suggested incorporation of p -fluorophenylalanine into the proteins of Lactobacillus arabinosus further evidence has been obtained. The cytolyzate of cellular products of culture in the presence of the unnatural amino acid have been partially hydrolyzed, treated with phenylisothiocyanate and totally hydrolyzed. The amino acid has been found and assessed in the hydrolytic product. The significance of these results has been discussed.
Do childhood experiences of neglect affect delinquency among child welfare involved-youth?

Abstract Child neglect, which is the most common form of maltreatment in the United States, has been repeatedly linked to an increased risk of delinquency. However, the existing literature lacks studies that simultaneously investigate how distinct types of neglect differentially influence delinquency among child welfare involved-youth. In addition, few studies of the relationship between neglect and delinquency include measures of ADHD, peer deviance or community violence, even though these variables have been strongly associated with delinquency. This study uses data from 784 11 to 17 year old youth who participated in Wave I of the Second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Wellbeing (NSCAW II) to examine whether supervisory neglect, physical neglect and parental substance abuse affect delinquency after controlling for ADHD, peer deviance, exposure to community violence, and out-of-home placements. We conducted a negative binomial regression to account for the low rates of delinquency among NSCAW II participants. We did not find significant main effects for supervisory neglect, physical neglect or parental substance abuse. Our study found that as youth age the count of delinquency acts increases. Black and Hispanic youth had higher counts of delinquency than youth with White, multi-racial, or “other” racial identities. Youth in out-of-home care had nearly double the rate of delinquency. Youth with more deviant peer affiliations and youth who had been exposed to community violence engaged in more delinquent behaviors. Our findings underscore the importance of the environment surrounding the youth, and the peers with whom the youth affiliates.
Production of Prolactin by Cultures of Cells from Human Decidua

Human decidual tissue has been reported to secrete human PRL in vitro. Decidua scraped from fetal membranes delivered at term was treated with collagenase, and cultures of the dispersed cells were examined 7 days after plating. These cultures were firboblastic in appearance and secreted insignificant amounts of PRL to the medium (<12 ng/ml). However, PRL-producing cells could be selected by taking advantage of the slowness of their attachment to the plastic dishes. Cultures of cells that did not attach during the first 48 h after cell dispersion produced, after attachment, about 100 μg PRL/mg DNA in 2 days. This rate is much higher than rates observed during batch incubations or superfusions of minced decidual preparations (∼0.2–0.3 μg PRL/mg DNA·day). PRL production rates declined after the seventh day of culture, probably as a consequence of overgrowth of cells that did not secrete PRL. Cultures enriched in PRL-secreting cells may be used to study the regulation of decidual production of PRL and other b...
Role of metal substitution in lanthanum zirconate pyrochlores (La2Zr2O7) for dry (CO2) reforming of methane (DRM)

Dry (CO2) reforming of methane (DRM) produces syngas with H2/CO ratio of ≤1. In this work, we report the use of pyrochlores (A2B2O7) as catalysts for this reaction. Here, we examine lanthanum zirconate pyrochlores, LZ, with lanthanum and zirconium occupying the A and B sites, respectively. Three catalysts are tested: LZ and two pyrochlores in which the B-site has been isomorphically substituted with (a) Ru (2 wt%) (designated LRuZ) and (b) Pt (3.78 wt%) (designated LPtZ). These levels of substitution by weight correspond to identical atomic levels of substitution at the B-site. The effect of isomorphic substitution of Ru and Pt on the structure and activity of the pyrochlores in DRM is studied in this work. ICP-OES, XRD, H2 and CH4 TPR were used to characterize the structure of the catalysts. XRD results confirmed the formation of the La2Zr2O7 phase in the bulk of the pyrochlores. H2 TPR showed higher reduction temperatures for LPtZ compared to LRuZ, suggesting a less reducible, stable Pt in the pyrochlore structure compared to Ru. Quantitative analysis showed that LRuZ consumed 0.534 mg H2/gcat, whereas LPtZ consumed only 0.161 mg H2/gcat corresponding to much greater extent of reduction for LRuZ compared to LPtZ. CO formation during CH4 TPR showed that both materials have reactive lattice oxygen which helps in reducing carbon formation during DRM. Temperature programmed oxidation studies of the catalyst immediately after CH4 TPR showed greater carbon formation over LPtZ (1.67 gc/gcat) compared to LRuZ (1.17 gc/gcat) suggesting that Pt activates CH4 to a greater extent compared to Ru. Temperature programmed DRM surface reaction showed that the light off temperature for LRuZ was about 45 °C lower than that of LPtZ. These are novel results and constitute the first report of which we are aware for Pt and Ru substituted pyrochlores for DRM.
Immiscible sulfide droplets in pseudotachylyte: Evidence for high temperature (> 1200 °C) melts

Abstract In the North Cascade Mountains, Washington, rocks that underwent friction melting commonly contained sulfide minerals, mostly pyrrhotite and pyrite. During pseudotachylyte melt formation, sulfides melted to form immiscible sulfide droplets present in five distinct textural settings. The largest droplets formed through melting of lithic clasts, whereas micron-scale sulfide droplets are common in many of the pseudotachylytes veins. Microprobe analysis indicates that nearly all droplets are pyrrhotite. The disappearance of pyrite indicates that melt temperatures must have exceeded 750 °C, but other indications suggest that the melt temperature must have been much higher. The extremely common presence of pyrrhotite droplets suggests that pyrrhotite from the protolith melted, requiring a minimum melt temperature of ∼ 1200 °C. In some samples, evidence for fluid-rich bubbles, and possible silicate spherules indicates three coexisting immiscible phases within the silicate melt. The presence of sulfide droplets appears to be common, especially in relatively low oxygen-fugacity melts that formed at shallow crustal levels. This can provide a good textural marker of melting and therefore of pseudotachylyte formation, especially where other indications of melting (i.e., high temperature microlites, vesicles, etc.) are lacking, and illustrates the extreme temperatures possible along frictionally sliding surfaces during seismic events.
A case study of KGAY: The rise and fall of the first gay and Lesbian radio network

This case study will explore the rise, and more importantly the reasons for the fall, of the KGAY Radio Network. Based in Denver, KGAY was the first daily radio network to air music, news, and information via satellite to gay and lesbian listeners in North America, Canada, and the Caribbean. To date, there are no radio stations serving gay and lesbian listeners 24 hours a day. This paper also provides an overview of gay and lesbian programming on commercial and noncommercial radio stations.
Conflict as a Foundation for Consensus: Contradictions of Industrial Capitalism in Book III of Durkheim's Division of Labor:

In The Division of Labor in Society (1893) Durkheim stresses the role of shared practice and spontaneous regulation in modern social forms, proposing that the modern division of labor is organized differently from traditional society, and thus that traditional solutions to problems of social justice and social disorganization are not appropriate in a modern context. He contrasts modern solidarities based on shared practice with the shared community of beliefs and strong external constraints characteristic of more traditional societies. It is Durkheim's position that because modern social forms are organized differently they require a different type of moral foundation. Specifically, Durkheim argues that justice is necessary in an advanced division of labor and that any such society that does not achieve justice stands in a state of self-contradiction. While Durkheim's reasons for arguing that modern industrial capitalism stands in a state of self-contradiction are somewhat different from those of Marx, th...
Relationship-Focused Child Care Practices: Quality of Care and Child Outcomes for Children in Poverty

Research Findings: Child care delivery practices promoting continuous, primary caregiver–child relationships (relationship-focused child care) were evaluated for 223 preschool-age children (45% African American, 55% Latino) attending child care centers serving low-income children. Both relationship-focused and non-relationship-focused centers were accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Children in relationship-focused programs received more sensitive, involved, and affectionate caregiving and were more engaged with their caregivers than children in comparison centers, but some differences were greater for African American children. Outcomes associated with relationship-focused care included greater parent-reported child compliance and closer parent–caregiver relations, but no consistent benefits for cognitive school readiness, receptive language, or child behavior problems were found. Follow-up assessments were completed 1 year later for 119 children who remained in th...
Eradicating World Poverty Requires More than Facebook Likes: The Academic Commitment to Educate Socially Responsible Leaders

What are the principles and practices that academic management programs need to educate Millennials on social responsibility and sustainability? What can universities do to instruct managers to solve complex ethical problems such as world poverty? The article suggests theoretical and practical insights for higher education management programs based on the principles and practices of developing socially responsible leaders. Through a review of The Principles of Responsible Management Education PRME, the research invites academics and institutions to commit toward business ethics and poverty alleviation. The author suggests how the process of adopting the principles and developing appropriate educational opportunities in line with these principles provides a space for ethical education for current generations. Participating academic institutions enter into a network of scholars and programs acting as positive agents for world benefit. The current world challenges of poverty, ethics and sustainability require committed academic institutions and rooted in the principles and practices of social and global responsibility for the 21st century.
Assessment of the Tongue-Drive System Using a Computer, a Smartphone, and a Powered-Wheelchair by People With Tetraplegia

Tongue-Drive System (TDS) is a wireless and wearable assistive technology that enables people with severe disabilities to control their computers, wheelchairs, and smartphones using voluntary tongue motion. To evaluate the efficacy of the TDS, several experiments were conducted, in which the performance of nine able-bodied (AB) participants using a mouse, a keypad, and the TDS, as well as a cohort of 11 participants with tetraplegia (TP) using the TDS, were observed and compared. Experiments included the Fitts’ law tapping, wheelchair driving, phone-dialing, and weight-shifting tasks over five to six consecutive sessions. All participants received a tongue piercing, wore a magnetic tongue stud, and completed the trials as evaluable participants. Although AB participants were already familiar with the keypad, throughputs of their tapping tasks using the keypad were only 1.4 times better than those using the TDS. The completion times of wheelchair driving task using the TDS for AB and TP participants were between 157 s and 180 s with three different control strategies. Participants with TP completed phone-dialing and weight-shifting tasks in 81.9 s and 71.5 s, respectively, using tongue motions. Results showed statistically significant improvement or trending to improvement in performance status over the sessions. Most of the learning occurred between the first and second sessions, but trends did suggest that more practice would lead to increased improvement in performance using the TDS.
Taking back taste: feminism, food and visceral politics

Despite much thoughtful agro-food scholarship, the politics of food lacks adequate appreciation because scholars have not developed a means to specify the links between the materialities of food and ideologies of food and eating. This article uses feminist theory to enliven a discussion of what the authors call visceral politics, and thus initiates a project of illustrating the mechanisms through which people's beliefs about food connect with their everyday experiences of food. Recent work on governed eating and material geographies is brought together with poststructural feminism in order to move towards a non-dualistic, visceral understanding of (everyday) socio-political life. In showing how the mind–body whole can be conceived as a singular, albeit ambiguously-unified agent, the article prefigures a more complete disclosure of the play of power in food systems. Food is shown as a means to trace power through the body in order to understand the making of the political (eating) subject. Specifically, re...
The Angiostatic Activity of Interferon-Inducible Protein-10/CXCL10 in Human Melanoma Depends on Binding to CXCR3 but Not to Glycosaminoglycan

Human interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10; HGMW-approved gene symbol CXCL10) is an ELR− CXC chemokine that contains binding domains for both the chemokine receptor CXCR3 and glycosaminoglycans. IP-10 has been recently demonstrated to be a potent angiostatic protein in vivo. Whether IP-10 exerts its angiostatic function through binding to CXCR3, glycosaminoglycans, or both, is not clear. To clarify this issue, we created expression constructs for mutants of IP-10 that exhibit partial (IP-10C) or total (IP-10C22) loss of binding to CXCR3 or loss of binding to glycosaminoglycans (IP-10H and IP-10C22H). The A375 human melanoma cell line was transfected with these expression vectors, and stable clones were selected and inoculated subcutaneously into nude mice. As expected, tumor cells secreting wild-type IP-10 showed remarkable reduction in tumor growth compared to control vector-transfected tumor cells. Surprisingly, mutation of IP-10 resulting in partial loss of receptor binding (IP-10C), or loss of GAG binding (IP-10H), did not significantly alter the ability to inhibit tumor growth. This tumor growth inhibition was associated with a reduction in microvessel density, leading to the observed increase in both tumor cell apoptosis and necrosis. In contrast, expression of the IP-10C22 mutant failed to inhibit melanoma tumor growth. These data suggest that CXCR3 receptor binding, but not glycosaminoglycan binding, is essential for the tumor angiostatic activity of IP-10. We conclude that the arginine 22 amino acid residue of IP-10 is essential for both CXCR3 binding and angiostasis.
Debunking the fallacy of the individual decision-maker: An experiential pedagogy for sustainability ethics

Existing pedagogical approaches to ethics education in engineering and science reinforce what this paper terms “the fallacy of the individual decision-maker” by suggesting an oversimplified, individualistic model of ethical decision-making, rather than recognizing the organizational, cultural, or group deliberative context of an ethical dilemma. Consequently, students fail to develop the group deliberative and ethical reasoning skills necessary to properly recognize and resolve ethical questions. This paper critiques existing approaches and presents an alternative pedagogy that emphasizes active, participatory, and experiential learning that is intended to more deeply immerse students in questions of fairness, justice, and equity in the context of sustainability by playing the Externalities Game. Preliminary testing supports the hypotheses that game play results in deeper consideration of ethical issues, more emotionally engaged students, fosters greater deliberative discourse, and encourages experimentation with different ethical strategies. The Externalities Game may be an appropriate piece of a larger course in sustainability ethics when combined with traditional reading and pedagogical strategies.
Residence histories and electoral success in the Arizona legislature

Abstract This article examines the relationship between residence histories of political candidates and electoral success using a state level election in Arizona as a case study. We develop and test a model that predicts electoral outcomes (win or lose) among candidates seeking election to the Arizona House of Representatives in 1988. The model includes a measure of incumbency, political party affiliation, demographic characteristics, and four residence history measures. The central findings is that duration of residence in the legislative district affects the probability of electoral success over and above other explanatory variables. Duration of residence is particularly crucial in differentiating successful and unsuccessful nonincumbent candidates. We argue that duration of residence is a significant predictor of electoral outcomes because it serves as a surrogate for the accumulation of political capital and support. We conclude by raising questions about the role of migration and residence histories in the electoral process in the United States.
High-tech start-ups, better off with government contracts than with subsidies: new evidence in Canada

A study analyzing the relationship between early growth and the type of government support/contract received by a firm at start-up is reported. It is based on the observation of 73 microelectronics and communication high-tech firms founded between 1965 and 1980 in various parts of Canada. The main conclusion is that firms starting as government suppliers do significantly better than firms receiving other types of government support at start-up. These firms tend to be better organized than firms receiving grants or subsidiaries, and they are more export-oriented and generally use technologies and serve markets similar to those of a previous employer. Government contracts for goods and services are more important to the future growth and success of the firms than contracts for R&D and R&D support mechanisms. >
The influence of hydrothermal fluid composition and advection rates on black smoker chimney mineralogy: Insights from modeling transport and reaction

Abstract A detailed study of black smoker chimneys was carried out by drawing together mineralogical observations and measured fluid compositions. The modeling technique, which establishes a link between vent fluid chemistry and vent deposit mineralogy, is used to examine the influence of the physical environment on transport across short length scales (centimeters) which are subject to steep thermal ( ∼350°C) and chemical gradients, and to predict saturation states of minerals as functions of position within chimney walls. Owing to short length scales, steep gradients, and constancy of bounding fluid compositions, concentration profiles are controlled by transport; the effect of reaction rates on profiles is assumed to be negligible. Precipitation at points within the chimney wall is thus kinetically controlled; local equilibrium does not apply, and precipitation must be suppressed when calculating distributions of species and saturation states of minerals. Model calculations are performed in a series of four steps. The first is speciation of measured fluid compositions at in situ temperature and pressure conditions. Results of calculations are plotted on stability diagrams of log fO2 - log f S2 and log fO2 - log [ (a Fe 2+ ) (a cu + ) 2 ] to examine how closely the predicted saturation states fit with observations of minerals coexisting with the hydrothermal fluid at the vent sites. The second step is calculation of heat and mass transport across the chimney wall, the third is speciation of the pore fluid compositions calculated to exist in the wall subsequent to transport, and the fourth is comparison of calculated mineral saturation states to observations of naturally occurring chimney samples. Application of the modeling technique to five vent sites which exhibit distinct fluid compositions allows reproduction of observed mineralogy. Model results demonstrate the sensitivity of geochemical processes to the physical environment (porosity, tortuosity, permeability, mineral composition), to rates of advection of seawater inward or hydrothermal fluid outward across chimney walls, and to endmember fluid composition.