cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A cost comparison of the diagnostic modalities used in the detection of urothelial carcinoma in patients undergoing evaluation for hematuria

1432 We have developed a new method for the detection of specific glycans on multiple proteins and have used this method to identify pancreatic-cancer-associated glycan alterations on serum proteins. Serum samples are incubated on antibody microarrays to capture multiple different proteins, and the levels of specific glycans on the captured proteins are detected using biotinylated lectins. Chemical blocking of the carbohydrate groups on the spotted antibodies prevents lectin binding to the capture antibodies. This method was used to profile specific glycan levels, using the lectins Aleuria Aurantia (AAL) and Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA), on 40 different cancer-related proteins in serum samples from 112 pancreatic cancer patients, 99 patients with benign pancreatic disease, and 106 healthy controls. Several antibodies bound proteins with glycan levels associated with both benign and malignant disease, and some glycan levels were unique to cancer. ELISA and western blot methods confirmed the glycosylation status of some of the proteins. Higher AAL binding, reflecting increased fucose levels, were seen on proteins such as clusterin, haptoglobin, alpha-1-antitrypsin, and kininogen, and lower fucose levels were seen on alpha-2-macroglobulin. AAL binding on proteins captured by antibodies targeting sialyl-Lewisx and O-linked N-acetyl glucosamine (O-GlcNAc) was elevated in cancer but not in benign disease. WGA binding revealed cancer-specific glycosylation on proteins containing the sialyl-Lewisa, Lewisa, and O-GlcNAc structures. About 60% of the cancer patients showed elevations in WGA-reactive sialyl-Lewisa protein, compared to almost no elevation among the control subjects or the patients with benign pancreatic disease. Glycan levels measured using additional lectins are being used to identify other alterations associated with disease, and the use of combined measurements from multiple antibodies and lectins are being used for the diagnostic classification of samples. This method provides rapid and reproducible profiling of specific glycan structures on multiple proteins, which should be valuable for biomarker development and the study of variation in glycan levels.
Investigation of phosphorous doping effects on polymeric carbon dots: Fluorescence, photostability, and environmental impact

Abstract Carbon dots have arisen as a potential alternative to traditional quantum dots since they fluoresce but are synthesized from sustainably sourced green chemicals. Herein, fluorescent nitrogen-doped polymeric carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized by using citric acid (CA) or malic acid (MA) as carbon precursors and ethylenediamine as the nitrogen precursor. Additionally, phosphoric acid was used as a doping agent for each type of CDs to evaluate the impact of incorporating phosphorus into the nanoparticles. Thus, four kinds of doped CDs (N-doped or N, P co-doped) were obtained and named as CACDs, CA-P-CDs, MACDs, and MA-P-CDs. Quantum yield and fluorescence lifetime analysis indicate that phosphorus doping of up to c.a. 10 wt% does not induce a remarkable influence on CD photoluminescence. The photostability of the N, P co-doped MACDs (MA-P-CDs), however, was observed to increase compared to the N-doped MACDs under 350 nm UV (UV-B) exposure. Lastly, to assess the impact of this emerging nanoparticle on prokaryotes, the bacterial toxicity of these CDs was tested using Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 as a model microorganism. Interestingly, the CDs exhibited no toxicity in most cases, and in fact facilitated bacteria growth. Hence, this work suggests that CDs are potentially eco-friendly fluorescent materials.
When the Devil Knocks: The Congo Tradition and the Politics of Blackness in Twentieth-Century Panama by Renée Alexander Craft

When the Devil Knocks provides an insightful view into the Congo tradition (s) that coincides with Carnival in Portobelo, Panama and surrounding Atlantic-based Afro-Colonial Panamanian communities. Reminiscent of the Peruvian ethnography Yo soy negro due to its Afro-diasporic focus, Renee Alexander Craft demonstrates an exhaustive maneuvering of knowledge pertaining to a nuanced understanding of blackness in contemporary Panama.
Seminario Euraca. L/E/N/G/UA/J/E/o: Dispositivo transatlántico de publicación & republicación de textos del Seminario Euraca

Seminario Euraca. L/E/N/G/UA/J/E/o: Dispositivo transatlantico de publicacion & republicacion de textos del Seminario Euraca . Septiembre 2017 (1), Madriz. Web: seminarioeuraca.wordpress.com/revista-lenguajeo/
Systems of Singular Integral Equations

Systems of singular integral equations appear in many branches of scientific fields [1–6], such as microscopy, seismology, radio astronomy, electron emission, atomic scattering, radar ranging, plasma diagnostics, X-ray radiography, and optical fiber evaluation. Studies of systems of singular integral equations have attracted much concern in applied sciences. The use of computer symbolic systems such as Maple and Mathematica facilitates the tedious work of computation. The general ideas and the essential features of these systems are of wide applicability.
The Poisson-Jensen Formula

The material we present in this chapter is a specialization of some general results of potential theory. Our presentation is in the context of analytic function theory.
Percutaneous Ablation: Safe, Effective Treatment of Bone Tumors

Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of osteoid osteomas has replaced surgical excision as the preferred method for treatment of these benign lesions, due to high effectiveness and low morbidity. Both RFA and cryoablation are safe and effective for palliation of pain due to metastatic disease in patients who have failed conventional therapies. These image-guided treatments can be performed precisely, allowing safe treatment of complex metastatic tumors. A single ablation treatment is effective in most patients, is well tolerated, and provides a long duration of pain relief.
Special Vanishing Theorems

In this chapter we consider some important special cases. First we prove a comprehensive vanishing theorem for line bundles on projective space. In Chapters V and VI, we use part of this theorem to extend the vanishing theorems of Chapters II and III to vector bundles. We then discuss line bundles on projective hypersurfaces, in particular quadrics, and on complete intersections. Finally, we state a vanishing theorem of Le Potier for Grassmannians.
Comparing Honduran and United States Consumers’ Sensory Perceptions of Honduran and U.S. Beef Loin Steaks

The objective of this study was to compare the eating quality characteristics of beef from the United States and Honduras and to assess the willingness of Honduran and U.S. consumers to pay for these products. All U.S. sourced strip loins from grain-finished cattle, aged 21 d, were selected to equally represent USDA Select (SEL; n = 6) and upper 2/3 (Top) Choice (TC; n = 6) quality grades. Additionally, strip loins (n = 6) from Honduran grass-finished (HGRASS) cattle and grain-finished (HGRAIN) cattle (n = 6) were collected from a commercial abattoir in Siguatepeque, Honduras and aged 21 d. Samples were evaluated on 8-point hedonic scales for flavor, tenderness, juiciness, and overall liking by 240 consumers in each country. Consumers indicated if each trait was acceptable, and willingness to pay for each sample was rated in U.S. dollars (or the Honduran Lempiras equivalent): $0, 3, 6, and 10 per 0.45 kg. Chemical composition and Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) were also determined. The TC had greater (P 0.05) from HGRAIN. The HGRAIN had greater WBSF values than TC and SEL, which did not differ (P > 0.05); however, HGRASS was similar (P > 0.05) to all other treatments. The TC had greater tenderness and flavor liking scores (P < 0.05) than all other treatments, followed by SEL, HGRASS, and HGRAIN, with a significant difference between each treatment. Honduran consumers assigned greater ratings for tenderness and flavor liking when compared to U.S. consumers. The lowest rated treatment in both countries was Honduran grain-finished followed by Honduran grass-finished. Consumers in Honduras were willing to pay more for samples when compared to U.S. consumers. Consumers were also willing to pay a premium for products with greater palatability, regardless of the country of origin.
Identifying adherence barriers to oral endocrine therapy among breast cancer survivors.

Approximately 70–80% of breast cancers are hormone receptor-positive (HR+). OET, including tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors, is considered standard adjuvant therapy for HR+ breast cancer. Despite demonstrated benefits, nearly half of patients are non-adherent and over two-thirds discontinue therapy before the recommended 5 years. Our objective was to identify and summarize literature-reported barriers associated with non-adherence/non-persistence to OET among breast cancer survivors. A PUBMED literature search was conducted using the following terms: ‘breast cancer,’ ‘oral endocrine therapy’ or ‘Tamoxifen’ or ‘Aromatase Inhibitors,’ ‘adherence,’ or ‘barriers.’ The search was restricted to past six years. The abstracts of each result were reviewed and categorized as either patient-reported or physician-reported. All patient- and physician-reported factors that affected adherence and persistence were listed and grouped together into the three main categories: Socio-demographic and medical parameters, general psychosocial parameters, and psychosocial parameters related to OET. A total of 320 articles were identified, of which 19 met inclusion criteria. Adverse drug reactions were the most commonly reported barrier but were generally underreported among physicians. Among patient-reported barriers, common social-demographic and medical parameters were age, comorbidity, and financial status. General psychosocial variables were lack of patient–provider communication, depressive symptoms, and lack of perceived self-efficacy. Treatment toxicity was the most commonly reported psychosocial parameter related to OET. The determinants of non-adherence and non-persistence are multi-dimensional and influenced by several factors. The three categories of adherence barriers should be evaluated and considered when designing future interventions to enhance OET adherence for a tailored approach.
Early Life Influences on Health and Mortality in Adulthood

Conditions present early in a person's life are potentially important for explaining adult mortality risks. Many questions remain about which early life conditions contribute to these health and longevity differentials. In this article, we examine several key early life conditions that connect prenatal and early childhood factors to adult mortality risks with special attention given to the events proximate to the individual's birth and during childhood. Challenges and themes for future research that arise from this work are also presented.
O-035 Outcomes of basilar artery occlusion (BAO) in different healthcare facilities: a nationwide descriptive study

Basilar artery occlusion (BAO) in the posterior circulation is associated with high morbidity and mortality. It is anticipated that early recanalization with intra-arterial thrombectomy (IAT) is associated with improved outcome in BAO, as is true for anterior circulation stroke. Disease burden and outcome measures among BAO patients in rural, urban non-academic and academic centers is not well studied. This is the first ever study reporting clinical outcome in BAO patients who underwent IAT vs no IAT, presenting at academic versus non-academic centers. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study using data from the National Inpatient Sample database (Jan 2014-Sep 2015). We ICD-9 codes to identify the diagnosis of basilar artery occlusion (433.01) and IAT (39.74) procedure. Multiple regression with complex design was used to evaluate total hospital charge, length of stay (LOS) and disposition. Statistical analysis performed by the SAS version 9.4, Cary, NC, USA. We identified 1120 patients (40% females) with BAO. Majority of the patients (82%) with BAO were managed in academic Hospitals, with one-fourth (250/919) of these BAO patients being accepted transfers. Basic demographics, worse outcome indicators, and vascular risk factors of BAO are described in table 1. We compared LOS, cost of care (total charge of stay) and disposition of patients as shown in table 2. Sixteen percent (184/1120) patients received IAT with longer LOS, worse outcome (mortality ˜40%) in this group compared to the medical management group (mortality ˜18%). There is a trend towards a worse outcome in BAO patients receiving IAT, compared to those receiving medical management. This may be due to the bias that critical patients were offered IAT or due to delays in transfers. Further large-scale prospective studies are needed. Disclosures A. Zafar: None. A. Ikram: None. F. Qeadan: None. P. Bzdyra: None. J. Nunez-Gonzalez: None. C. Calder: None. S. Ortega-Gutierrez: None.
Perimeters, margins and borders: a developing mosaic

In her book "Finding Beauty in a Broken World," environmental and ecosystems writer Terry Tempest Williams (2008) described the art of creating mosaics. She discussed the process of cutting and placing small colored tiles called tesserae to form the work’s images. Cut, color and placement work together to move light across the piece, illuminating and bringing the completed mosaic to life. Intentional, subtle variations in the hue of individual tesserae accent and give depth to the work, often blending to suggest a consistency of color that is not really there. Perception varies depending on the position of the viewer—the mosaic is seen differently up close than from a distance and again differently from varied angles. Spaces between the tesserae contribute to this. In the play of light and definition of images, interstices and irregular edges are as important as the tesserae themselves. In Tempest Williams’s words, the “gaps between the tesserae speak their own language,” and “there is a perfection in imperfection.” Readers are reminded often that "the play of light is the first and last rule of mosaic."
The Risks of Election Observation: International Condemnation and Post-Election Violence

Research on international election observation shows that observation reduces fraud, encourages participation, and boosts confidence in the election. However, this conventional account misses the negative, violence-inducing potential of observer criticism. This is the first study examining how observer criticism influences post-election violence. Democracy depends on the loser’s consent, and the willingness of election losers to be governed by the winners can be influenced by observer criticism. When reputable observers criticize the credibility of an election, they can encourage losers to challenge the result. Observer criticism strengthens the electoral loser by legitimizing a challenge and serving as a focal point for mobilization. Using data on post-election violence in thirty-eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa since 1990, I show that internationally condemned elections are more likely to turn violent than not-condemned elections. These results are robust to various control variables (including observer presence and election fraud) and accounting for potential selection, spuriousness, endogeneity, and omitted variables.
Terbium ion binding to Limuluspolyphemus hemocyanin

Abstract Terbium ion binds to calcium-free Limulus hemocyanin at pH 7.0 and 8.9, and promotes the aggregation of hemocyanin subunits, a phenomenon associated with calcium binding. An excitation maximum for the bound terbium at 293 nm and the results of treating the hemocyanin with N-bromosuccinimide indicate that energy transfer from tryptophan to the bound terbium is responsible for the enhancement of terbium fluorescence. At pH 8.9, addition of calcium to hemocyanin containing bound terbium results in only a partial loss of terbium fluorescence, suggesting heterogeneity in the terbium binding sites. Titration of hemocyanin with terbium also indicates multiple binding sites.
Cost-sensitive support vector machines

Abstract Many machine learning applications involve imbalance class prior probabilities, multi-class classification with many classes (often addressed by one-versus-rest strategy), or “cost-sensitive” classification. In such domains, each class (or in some cases, each sample) requires special treatment. In this paper, we use a constructive procedure to extend SVM’s standard loss function to optimize the classifier with respect to class imbalance or class costs. By drawing connections between risk minimization and probability elicitation, we show that the resulting classifier guarantees Bayes consistency. We further analyze the primal and the dual objective functions and derive the objective function in a regularized risk minimization framework. Finally, we extend the classifier to the with cost-sensitive learning with example dependent costs. We perform experimental analysis on class imbalance, cost-sensitive learning with given class and example costs and show that proposed algorithm provides superior generalization performance, compared to conventional methods.
Industrial statistics and manifold data

Complex and not only big data exist everywhere in industry and how to control and optimize systems based on these data types is an important aspect of modern Quality Engineering. One fundamental ty...
Centers of excellence: Are there standards?

Abstract Introduction Centers of Excellence (CoEs) are intended to label hospitals that have met certain quality, process, volume and infrastructure guidelines. However, there are largely no standardized metrics to designate what qualifies as a CoE, leading to entities across the healthcare spectrum creating their own designations. Empirical studies on the impact of CoEs on quality do not consistently show improved care. Given the variability in definitions and outcomes for CoEs, the study evaluated the current status of defining and using CoE designations. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with executives from 10 healthcare organizations (including hospitals, insurers, employers, and benefits managers) who have a role in determining or using CoE designations to make decisions for their organizations. The interviews were conducted in 2016 and 2017. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and de-identified for thematic analysis. Results We found that there is significant variability in the process for defining CoEs. There are also many operational challenges that hinder the success of a CoE program, including how patients access care at a CoE, the right geographical distribution of CoEs in a network, and coordinating care between the CoE and local providers. Conclusions The lack of standardization for designating CoEs not only prevents CoEs from fully achieving their intended effects of signaling “excellent” hospitals, but also causes confusion for patients, employers and payers, which dilutes the meaning of the CoE label. Implications We suggest that the designation and implementation of CoEs should be standardized in healthcare.
A Pathoconnectome of Early Neurodegeneration

Connectomics has demonstrated that synaptic networks and their topologies are precise and directly correlate with physiology and behavior. The next extension of connectomics is pathoconnectomics: to map neural network synaptology and circuit topologies corrupted by neurological disease in order to identify robust targets for therapeutics. In this report, we characterize the first pathoconnectome, in this case, generated from a retina with photoreceptor degeneration. We observe aberrant connectivity in the rod-network pathway and novel synaptic connections deriving from neurite sprouting. These observations reveal principles of neuron responses to the loss of network components and can be extended to other neurodegenerative diseases.
Particle and volatile organic compound emissions from a 3D printer filament extruder.

Abstract Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM®), also known as Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), 3D printers have been shown in numerous studies to emit ultrafine particles and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Filament extruders, designed to create feedstocks for 3D printers, have recently come onto the consumer market for at-home hobbyists as an alternative to buying 3D printer filaments. These instruments allow for the creation of 3D printer filaments from raw plastic pellets. Given the similarity in processes and materials used by 3D printers and filament extruders, we hypothesized that filament extruders may also release ultrafine particle emissions and VOCs. An off-the-shelf filament extruder was operated in a 2 m3 chamber using three separate feedstocks: acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) pellets, pulverized poly-lactic acid (PLA), and PLA pellets. Ultrafine particle emissions were measured in real-time using a scanning mobility particle sizer and thermal desorption tubes were used for both non-targeted and targeted analysis of VOCs present in emissions. Ultrafine particle number emission rates were comparable to those found in 3D printer studies with the greatest to least emission rates from ABS pellets, pulverized PLA, and PLA pellets, respectively. In addition, the majority of particles released were found to be ultrafine (1–100 nm), similar to 3D printer studies. A variety of VOCs were identified using the ABS feedstock, including styrene and ethylbenzene, and PLA feedstock. Styrene average mass concentration amounts were found to be near the EPA Integrated Risk Information System Reference Concentration for Inhalation Exposure for 3 min and 5 min samples. Further studies will be needed to determine the impact on emissions of environmental volume, air exchange rate, and extruder settings such as extrusion speed and temperature. The results support the hypothesis that use of a filament extruder may present an additional exposure risk to 3D printer hobbyists.
Destabilization of an urban subsystem by a virtual collapse in its space–time structure:

It is shown that a virtual collapse in the space–time structure of a geographically distributed system may induce changes in the information flow field of the system and lead to instability. A case...
Measurement of the 160Gd(p,n)160Tb excitation function from 4-18 MeV using stacked-target activation.

The 160Gd(p,n)160Tb excitation function was measured between 4-18 MeV using stacked-target activation at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's 88-Inch Cyclotron. Nine copper and eight titanium foils served as proton fluence monitor foils, using the natCu(p,x)65Zn, natTi(p,x)48V, and natTi(p,x)46Sc monitor standards, respectively. Variance minimization using an MCNP v.6.2 model reduced the systematic uncertainties in proton energy and fluence. A priori predictions of the 160Gd(p,n) reaction using ALICE, CoH, EMPIRE, and TALYS, as well as the TENDL database, are compared to the experimentally measured values.
Overhearing Brief Negative Messages Has Lasting Effects on Children’s Attitudes Toward Novel Social Groups

Societies are rife with out-group discrimination and mistreatment. One way that children might acquire social biases that lead to such outcomes is by overhearing derogatory or disparaging comments about social groups. Children (n = 121) overheard a video call between a researcher and an adult or child caller who made negative claims (or no claims) about a novel social group. Immediately and following a 2-week delay, older children (7-9 years) who overheard the message demonstrated stronger negative attitudes toward the group than children who heard no message. Younger children's (4- to 5-year-olds') attitudes were generally unaffected by these claims. Thus, overhearing brief, indirect messages from children or adults had robust and lasting effects on the social biases of children 7 years and older.
Development of Clean Snowmobile Technology for Operation on High-Blend Ethanol for the 2008 Clean Snowmobile Challenge

Clean snowmobile technology has been developed using methods which can be applied in the real world with a minimal increase in cost. Specifically, a commercially available snowmobile using a two cylinder, four-stroke engine has been modified to run on highblend ethanol (E-85) fuel. Additionally, a new exhaust system which features customized catalytic converters and mufflers to minimize engine noise and exhaust emissions has developed. Finally, a number of additional improvements have been made to the track to reduce friction and diminish noise. The results of these efforts include emissions reductions of 94% when compared with snowmobiles operating at the 2012 U.S. Federal requirements.
Assessing licensed nurses COVID-19 vaccine attitudes and intentions: a cross-sectional survey in the state of Hawaii.

Nurses are the largest single occupation of health care providers and at greatest risk for exposure to and acquisition of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). In December 2020, nurses in Hawaii were recruited for an online survey that measured perceived risk/threat of COVID-19, vaccine attitudes, and perceived safety of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as level of intention: primary, secondary (i.e., delayed), or no intention to vaccinate. The final sample consisted of 423 nurses. Participants were primarily Asian (27.9%) and White (45.2%). The majority were 18-50 years (65.5%) and female (87.0%), held an RN license (91.7%), and identified as a staff nurse (57.7%) in the hospital setting (56.7%). Among participants, 52.3% indicated primary intention, 27.9% secondary intention, and 19.9% no intention to vaccinate. The strongest predictors of any level of intention were greater positive attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination and lower concerns related to COVID-19 vaccine safety. Findings can guide interventions to support vaccine acceptance for those who initially decline vaccination.
Activated B Cells and Plasma Cells Are Resistant to Radiation Therapy.

Purpose B cells play a key role in outcomes of cancer patients and responses to checkpoint blockade immunotherapies. However, the effect of radiation therapy on B cell populations is poorly understood. Here we characterize the effects of radiation on the development, survival, and phenotype of physiological B-cell subsets. Methods and Materials Naive and immunized tumor bearing and nontumor bearing mice were treated with large-field or focal stereotactic radiation and distinct B-cell subsets of varying developmental stages were analyzed by flow cytometry and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results We first report that focal stereotactic radiation is highly superior to large-field radiation at inducing tumor infiltration of B cells, CD8+ T cells, and macrophages. We observed that radiation affects B cell development in the bone marrow, increasing frequencies of early pro-B cells and late pro-B cells while inducing upregulation of programmed cell death protein 1. We then demonstrate that class switched B cells and plasma cells are highly resistant to radiation therapy compared with naive B cells and upregulate activation markers programmed cell death 1 ligand 2 and major histocompatibility complex class II) after radiation. Mechanistically, radiation upregulates Xbp1 and Bcl6 in plasma cells, conferring radioresistance. Furthermore, using an immunization approach, we demonstrate that radiation enhances activation-induced cytidine deaminase mediated class switching and somatic hypermutation in primed B cells. Conclusions These data demonstrate that stereotactic radiation is superior to large-field radiation at inducing infiltration of immune cells into tumors and that plasma cells and class switched B cells are highly resistant to radiation therapy. These results represent the most comprehensive analysis of the effects of radiation on B cells to date and identify novel mechanisms by which radiation modulates immune cells within the tumor microenvironment.
Transcription factor Rex in regulation of pathophysiology in oral pathogens

Summary The NAD+ and NADH-sensing transcriptional regulator Rex is widely conserved across gram-positive bacteria. Rex monitors cellular redox poise and controls the expression of genes/operons involved in diverse pathways including alternative fermentation, oxidative stress responses, and biofilm formation. The oral cavity undergoes frequent and drastic fluctuations in nutrient availability, pH, temperature, oxygen tension, saliva, and shear forces. The oral streptococci are major colonizers of oral mucosa and tooth surfaces and include commensals as well as opportunistic pathogens, including the primary etiological agent of dental caries, Streptococcus mutans. Current understanding of the Rex regulon in oral bacteria is mostly based on studies in S. mutans and endodontic pathogen Enterococcus faecalis. Indeed, other oral bacteria encode homologs of the Rex protein and much is to be gleaned from more in-depth studies. Our current understanding has Rex positioned at the interface of oxygen and energy metabolism. In biofilms, heterogeneous oxygen tension influences the ratio of intracellular NADH and NAD+, which is finely tuned through glycolysis and fermentation. In S. mutans, Rex regulates the expression of glycolytic enzyme NAD+-dependent glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and NADH-dependent fermentation enzymes/complexes lactate dehydrogenase, pyruvate dehydrogenase, alcohol-acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, and fumarate reductase. In addition, Rex controls the expression of NADH oxidase, a major enzyme used to eliminate oxidative stress and regenerate NAD+. Here, we summarize recent studies carried out on the Rex regulators in S. mutans and E. faecalis. This research has important implications for understanding how Rex monitors redox balance and optimizes fermentation pathways for survival and subsequent pathogenicity.
Correcting Race and Gender: Prison Regulation of Social Hierarchy Through Dress

This Article examines the enforcement of racialized gender norms through the regulation of dress in prisons. Dress, including hair and clothing, is central to the ways government and other institutions enforce hierarchical social norms based on the intersection of race and gender, as well as religion, sexuality, class, age, and disability. For many people, dress is a way to express identity, exercise autonomy, practice religion, participate politically, experience pleasure, preserve health, and/or avoid violence. My review of prison dress regulations shows that prison systems commonly impose penalties including solitary confinement for deviations from dominant social norms, such as wearing hair in an Afro, covering hair with a headscarf, or having long hair if incarcerated as a man. I situate prison rules in the historical context of dress regulation and prison evolution in the United States. The justifications that prison officials offer for these rules, including repression of homosexuality and group affiliation, prevention of attacks and escapes, and promotion of hygiene and rehabilitation, raise normative and instrumental concerns. Nonetheless, courts frequently diminish individual and community interests in dress while deferring to prison regulations that lack a complete or credible justification. I propose an integrated approach to change through policy amendments, doctrinal shifts, and broader grassroots efforts for social transformation consistent with a goal of prison abolition.
Hybrid controller design for multi-agent systems

A design and verification methodology for hybrid dynamical systems, based on optimal control and game theory, is presented. The hybrid design is seen as a game between two players. One is the disturbances that enter the dynamics. The disturbances can encode the actions of other agents (in a multi-agent setting), the actions of high level controllers or the usual unmodeled environmental disturbances. The second player is the control, which is to be chosen by the designer. The two players compete over a cost function that encodes the properties that the closed loop hybrid system needs to satisfy (e.g. safety). The control “wins” the game if it can keep the system “safe” for any allowable disturbance. The solution to the game theory problem provides the designer with continuous controllers as well as sets of safe states where the control “wins” the game. The sets of safe sets can be used to construct an interface that guarantees the safe operation of the combined hybrid system.
The Processive Degradation of Individual Polyribonucleotide Chains II. MICROCOCCUS LYSODEIKTICUS POLYNUCLEOTIDE PHOSPHORYLASE

Abstract The experiments reported here indicate that polynucleotide phosphorylase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus degrades a given polyribonucleotide chain to completion before releasing a small, resistant oligonucleotide and initiating hydrolysis of another chain. This mode of attack has been termed processive degradation. Two types of experiments support this hypothesis. First, during the phosphorolysis of polynucleotides, the only materials present at all stages of degradation are intact polynucleotide, nucleoside diphosphate, and very short oligonucleotides. Second, in the course of the phosphorolysis of polynucleotides that are radioactively labeled at one or the other end of the chain, the percentage of radioactive product released is equivalent to the over-all percentage of hydrolysis at all stages of the reaction. A procedure which leads to the preparation of polynucleotide phosphorylase (M. lysodeikticus) of a high degree of purity is also described.
Broken genitals function as mating plugs and affect sex ratios in the orb-web spider Argiope aurantia

Background: To curtail competition with their own sperm, males of several spider and insect species mutilate their genitals or sacrifice themselves entirely using their genital parts or their whole dead bodies as mating plugs. The orb-web spider, Argiope aurantia, is a species characterized by both male self-sacrifice and extreme female-biased sexual size dimorphism. Plugs may reduce female mating frequency and hence the availability of females to males as mates. Questions: Do male genital tips that break off during copulation function as mating plugs in A. aurantia? Does plugging of females affect sex ratios? Methods: A series of mating trials to test the mating plug hypothesis and to determine the mating frequencies. I compare experimental results with data from field-collected individuals and estimate the effect on sex ratios. Results: Genital tips that are broken off do function as mating plugs. However, although males plug females, re-mating by females does occur and females mate on average with 1.6 males. Partly as a consequence of plugging, the operational sex ratio (sexually active males to females) is strongly male-biased in A. aurantia. Because males typically insert both pedipalps into the same female, the effective sex ratio (males to females that mate at least once) is also male biased, which supports a recent model for the evolution of monogynous mating systems (males mating with only one female).
TALKING AMONG THEMSELVES

The character of youth civic engagement on the internet has emerged as a productive topic of study in communication research. Concurrently, a number of recent studies of online forums have found that technological design features can powerfully influence both the form and content of civic discussion. The present study integrates these previously unacquainted literatures, contributing to each by comparing the user content of two online youth engagement forums: one of which tightly manages communication between participants and the other of which grants them far more expressive latitude. The results indicate that technical design matters: significantly more topics of a traditionally civic character were raised in the former than in the latter. Further, the expressive forum elicited twice the number of total posts than its counterpart, although the highly regulated forum attracted significantly more unique users. Notably, the populations posting in the two spaces were almost completely mutually exclusive, wi...
A Comparison of Tokamak Burn Cycle Options

Experimental confirmation of noninductive current drive has spawned a number of suggestions as to how this technique can be used to extend the fusion burn period and improve the reactor prospects of tokamaks. Several distinct burn cycles, which employ various combinations of Ohmic and noninductive current generation, are possible, and we will study their relative costs and benefits for both a commercial reactor as well as an INTOR-class device. We begin with a review of the burn cycle options.
Licensing Health Care Professionals: Has the United States Outlived the Need for Medical Licensure?

With an expanding market for what is now known as "complimentary and alternative" medicine (CAM), states are increasingly facing the issue of who can and who should be allowed to practice medicine. Of necessity, this question also concerns whom patients may see to treat their ailments.This paper will argue that the struggle to define who is and who is not licensed to practice medicine is rather fruitless and will always leave patients with less choice than they desire. Part II will review the history of licensure in the United States. Parts III and IV will focus on benefits and problems of restrictive modes of licensure prevalent in most states, respectively. Part V will briefly outline recent developments in CAM. Part VI will develop and critique several alternatives to restrictive licensure, and Part VII will briefly touch on how informed consent plays into the potential change in accreditation that this paper proposes.
Developing a Third-year Emergency Medicine Medical Student Curriculum: A Syllabus of Content

Emergency medicine (EM) educators have published several curricular guides designed for medical student rotations and experiences. These guides primarily provided brief overviews of opportunities to incorporate EM into all 4 years of the medical student curriculum, with one specific to the fourth year. However, there are no published guidelines specific to third-year medical students rotating in EM. Given the differences between third-year and fourth-year students in terms of clinical experience, knowledge, and skills, the Clerkship Directors in Emergency Medicine (CDEM) established the Third-year EM Medical Student Curriculum Work Group to create a third-year curriculum. The work group began this process by developing consensus-based recommendations for the content of a third-year medical student EM rotation, which are presented in this syllabus.
Identification and properties of a sterol-binding polysaccharide isolated from Saccharomyces Cerevesiae

Abstract A sterol-solubilizing polysaccharide isolated from yeast has been described (Adams, B. G. and Parks L. W. (1967) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 28,490–494) which greatly simplifies the addition of sterolsto aqueous media. The polysaccharide has now been identified by gas-liquid chromatography and carbazole reactions as yeast cell wall mannan. The cell wall mannan has been purified and binding constants for several sterols have been determined. Binding of sterols is a biphasic function of mannan concentration and is independent of pH over a range of 5 to 8.
Financial Development and Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan African Countries: Evidence from Time Series Analysis

Abstract: This paper seeks to empirically explore the causal link between the level of financial development and economic growth in 13 sub-Saharan African countries. The empirical investigation is carried out in a vector autoregression (VAR) framework based on the theory of cointegration and error-correction representation of cointegrated variables. The results of the cointegration analysis provide evidence of the existence of a long-run relationship between financial development and economic growth in almost all (12 out of 13) of the countries. With respect to the direction of long-term causality, the results show that financial development plays a causal role on economic growth, again in eight of the countries. At the same time, evidence of bidirectional causal relationships is found in six countries. The findings imply that African countries can accelerate their economic growth by improving their financial systems.
Quantum information processing with diamond nitrogen-vacancy centers coupled to microcavities

Scalable quantum information processing using nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond will be difficult without the ability to couple the centers to optical microcavities and waveguides. Here we present our preliminary result of coupling a single NV center in a nanoparticle to a silica microdisk at cryogenic temperatures. The cavity-coupled NV photoluminescence is coupled out of the cavity through a tapered fiber. Although the current system is limited by the spectral properties of the NV center and the Q of the cavity, efficient particle-cavity and cavity-waveguide coupling should lead to the realization of a "one-dimensional atom" as needed for CQED, enable single-shot electron-spin readout, and increase the probability of success in entanglement schemes based on single-photon detection.
Critical regularity for elliptic equations from Littlewood-Paley theory

Using simple facts from harmonic analysis, namely Bernstein inequality and Plansherel isometry, we prove that the pseudo differential equation \( \Delta^\alpha u + Vu = 0 \) improves the Sobolev regularity of solutions provided the potential V is integrable with the critical power \( n/2 \alpha > 1 \).
The Diffusible Organic Blood-Clotting Factor

SummaryThe diffusible substance present in blood acted as a thromboplastin in accelerating coagulation. The prolonged dialysis required to demonstrate this action produced destructive changes in the plasma factors involved in coagulation.
Critical determinants of the G protein γ subunits in the Gβγ stimulation of G protein-activated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channel activity

Abstract The βγ subunits of G proteins modulate inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels through direct interactions. Although GIRK currents are stimulated by mammalian Gβγ subunits, we show that they were inhibited by the yeast Gβγ (Ste4/Ste18) subunits. A chimera between the yeast and the mammalian Gβ1 subunits (ymβ) stimulated or inhibited GIRK currents, depending on whether it was co-expressed with mammalian or yeast Gγ subunits, respectively. This result underscores the critical functional influence of the Gγ subunits on the effectiveness of the Gβγ complex. A series of chimeras between Gγ2 and the yeast Gγ revealed that the C-terminal half of the Gγ2 subunit is required for channel activation by the Gβγ complex. Point mutations of Gγ2 to the corresponding yeast Gγ residues identified several amino acids that reduced significantly the ability of Gβγ to stimulate channel activity, an effect that was not due to improper association with Gβ. Most of the identified critical Gγ residues clustered together, forming an intricate network of interactions with the Gβ subunit, defining an interaction surface of the Gβγ complex with GIRK channels. These results show for the first time a functional role for Gγ in the effector role of Gβγ.
Comparative testing and evaluation of hard-surface disinfectants

The activity of eleven disinfectants againstStaphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, andSaccharomyces cerevisiae was determined using a method based on the A.O.A.C. germicidal and detergent sanitizer assay. Based on the activity against the test organisms after 30-and 60-s exposures to each disinfectant, the disinfectant containing chlorine dioxide had the highest biocidal activity in this assay, on a mg/l basis. In addition, a disinfectant containing sodium hypochlorite and a disinfectant containing sodium chlorite performed well, at concentrations below label specifications. The results illustrate the importance of testing disinfectants in the context of their intended use.
Median filters: Some modifications and their properties

Some modifications of the median filter are given and their properties are derived. In addition, some results for standard median filters are given. It is shown that for nonmedian nth ranked-order operations, repeated application of the operation will reduce any signal to a constant. Also, it is proved that the output of a recursive median filter is invariant to subsequent passes by the same filter.
Morphological change in machines accelerates the evolution of robust behavior

Most animals exhibit significant neurological and morphological change throughout their lifetime. No robots to date, however, grow new morphological structure while behaving. This is due to technological limitations but also because it is unclear that morphological change provides a benefit to the acquisition of robust behavior in machines. Here I show that in evolving populations of simulated robots, if robots grow from anguilliform into legged robots during their lifetime in the early stages of evolution, and the anguilliform body plan is gradually lost during later stages of evolution, gaits are evolved for the final, legged form of the robot more rapidly—and the evolved gaits are more robust—compared to evolving populations of legged robots that do not transition through the anguilliform body plan. This suggests that morphological change, as well as the evolution of development, are two important processes that improve the automatic generation of robust behaviors for machines. It also provides an experimental platform for investigating the relationship between the evolution of development and robust behavior in biological organisms.
MIXING WITH DIFFUSION AND FAST CHEMICAL REACTION IN SIMPLE SHEAR FLOW: A COMPARISON OF STRETCH MODEL TO TWO-DIMENSIONAL DIFFUSION WITH PERIODIC BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

The lamellar stretch model for describing mixing with simultaneous diffusion and fast chemical reaction is evaluated for simple shear flow between two parallel plates by comparing the predicted concentration profiles to those computed from the governing partial differential equation. A direct algorithm is devised to solve the sparse matrix originating from the discretization of the PDE. Under conditions where initial striation thickness equals the characteristic dimension of the flow geometry, the lamellar stretch model turns out to be quite accurate for k ≥ 106 or k ≤ 1, where k is the product of the Reynolds number and the Schmidt number. In the intermediate range of k values, where mechanical and diffusional mixing are of comparable importance, the model is less accurate
Phase separated droplets: Light scattering and size distribution

Abstract Light scattering properties and particle size distributions for phase separated droplets in a polymer matrix are investigated. The matrix materials are polyethyl methacrylate and a styrene-methyl methacrylate copolymer. Precipitated phases are polystyrene and docosane. Effects of molecular weight, concentration, and kinetics of phase separation are investigated. A theory is developed which predicts the droplet size distribution to be an exponentially decreasing function with increasing droplet radius. The scattering intensity varies as 1 sin 4 ( θ 2 ) at large θ. It is found that the data can be represented by the theory.
Best laid plans: Gender and the MBA completion rates of GMAT registrants

Abstract Evidence suggests that while women are more likely to go to college than men, they are less likely to go to graduate school. Moreover, in fields like science and engineering, women who do pursue advanced degrees are less likely than men to complete them. This paper compares MBA completion rates for women and men who registered to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). We find that female test registrants are about 30% less likely than men to complete the MBA. This difference in completion rates seems only partly due to gender disparity in family responsibilities.