cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A New Mathematical Metric for Inclusive Excellence in Teaching Applied Before and During the COVID-19 Era

In this paper a novel metric for evaluating inclusive excellence in teaching is introduced and applied to students' performance in classes before and during the COVID-19 era. The novel metric, named the Inclusive Excellence Ratio (IER), is designed to simultaneously reflect the two desirable characteristics embraced by inclusive excellence teaching: strong student performance and low variation in performance across all students. The computation of the IER given student test score data is simple and straightforward: it is the statistical sample mean divided by the sample standard deviation. Consequently, the IER is high when the students' test scores are high and variance is low, suggesting it may provide a useful quantitative measure for those educational innovators seeking to experiment with new, effective teaching methodologies that boost inclusive excellence. The IER is applied to evaluate a posteriori student performance taken from cumulative aggregate data from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) undergraduate math finance classes involving 378 students over two academic years (2018 to 2020), spanning five quarters before and one quarter during the COVID-19 era of remote teaching at UCI. Conclusions are drawn and discussed comparing the quality of in-person teaching environments to remote teaching environments.
Evidence-Based Perioperative Analgesia for Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery

Perioperative pain management has been a major discussion topic as narcotic abuse and overdose deaths have dramatically increased over recent decades. Otolaryngologists have a duty to provide adequate postoperative pain relief in a responsible manner. Analgesic regimens are dependent on patient factors including age, gender, pre-procedural pain, and, most importantly, surgical site and type of procedure. A majority of procedures in otolaryngology are appropriately managed through non-opioid alternatives, and there are high levels of evidence supporting local anesthetics, acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and gabapentin use. These multimodal regimens enable effective pain control and decrease the number of opioids prescribed to patients.
Critical Pedagogy and Children’s Beneficial Development:

Ongoing controversy debates whether public schools should implement critical pedagogy—curricula centering on the perspectives of marginalized peoples. Despite much contention, students (particularl...
El parto de la democracia brasilena

El 15 de marzo de 1987 Brasil celebro el segundo aniversario de la Nova Repu'blica, expresion con que se conoce popularmente al nuevo gobierno civil encabezado por Jose Sarney.' Si bien es cierto que conmemorar el retorno a una politica mas abierta y competitiva a la que precedieron veintiu'n aiios de regimenes autoritarios justifica ciertamente el surgimiento de un orgullo civico nacional, el empeoramiento de la crisis economica y el aumento de los conflictos sociales, politicos e institucionales provoca evidentemente una profunda inquietud en muchos brasileiios acerca del futuro de la incipiente democracia en su pais. De acuerdo con los patrones convencionales, Brasil se ubica actualmente en las filas de las democracias politicas consumadas. Sin embargo, desde un punto de vista m{is exigente que atendiera al contenido y calidad de las instituciones politicas en juego, en realidad la transicion brasilefia a partir del autoritarismo ha entrado tan solo en una fase nueva y, hasta cierto punto, meas compleja y problem'atica, en la cual la democratizacion genuina apenas empieza a manifestarse. El nuevo regimen democratico enfrenta hoy el reto de ir mas alla de su autocomplacencia por los cambios politicos e institucionales, para atender a los problemas fundamentales de justicia social v crecimiento economico mas equilibrado, mismos que se descuidaron durante las dos decadas de gobiernos autoritarios. De este modo, la Nova RepuTblica se halla, en su segundo aniversario, en una coyuntura crucial de su breve historia. La encrucijada que
Random Factor Loading Model (for Portfolio Credit)

We provide an overview of various flavors of the random factor loading (RFL) framework for credit portfolio loss modeling. Keywords: portfolio loss; factor model; conditional independence; RFL model
Crime, Punishment and Prevention

The criminal justice system has traditionally been seen as in the business of doing justice: punishing offenders for crimes committed. Yet, the past decade has brought a shift from punishing past crimes to preventing future crimes through the incarceration and control of dangerous offenders. Habitual offender statutes, like three strikes laws, sentence repeat offenders to life imprisonment. Jurisdictional reforms lower the age at which juveniles may be tried as adults, increasing the available terms of imprisonment beyond those of juvenile court. Gang membership and recruitment are criminalized. Megan's Law statutes require community notification of a convicted sex offender. Sexual predator statutes provide for civil detention of offenders who remain dangerous at the conclusion of their criminal term. Sentencing guidelines increase the sentence of offenders who have a prior criminal history, for these offenders are seen as the most likely to commit future crimes. The shift from punishment toward prevention has not been accompanied by a corresponding change in how the system advertises itself. It still presents itself as a system of criminal justice that imposes punishment. It is impossible, of course, to punish dangerousness, within the meaning of those terms. To punish is to cause a person to undergo pain, loss, or suffering for a crime or wrongdoing. Punishment can only exist in relation to a past harm or evil. Dangerous means likely to cause injury, pain, etc., that is, a threat of future harm. One can restrain or detain or incapacitate a dangerous person, but one cannot logically punish dangerousness. Yet our current criminal justice system increasingly fosters ambiguity between punishment and prevention , as if one could punish dangerousness. Why the shift to preventive detention? Why the wish to keep the old criminal justice window dressing?
The storage and release of hydrogen from magnesium alloy hydrides for vehicular applications

The optimum hydride for “on-board” vehicular storage of hydrogen depends upon numerous parameters, such as rapid discharge kinetics at a temperature low enough to use exhaust-gas waste heat (about 220-250°C), a high hydrogen density (to minimize the “carrier” weight), and resistance to fragmentation. Magnesium alloys exhibit some outstanding features but are deficient in other characteristics. The research program involved the study of numerous alloying additions, single-phase versus two-phase alloys, and binary versus ternary alloys in order to find the optimum alloy for hydrogen storage. Dilute solid solutions of Mg with 1 a/o Ag, Al, Cd, In, Pb, Y, and Zn were hydrided (−25 + 42 mesh chips) at 400°C to 800 psi H2. Alloys containing Ag, Al, In, and Y exhibited the most rapid hydriding kinetics, ∼5-6 w/o in 24 hours (7.6 w/o theoretical for 100% MgH2). Dehydriding at 300 and 330°C was most rapid for Mg-1Y, followed in order by Mg-1Al, Mg-1Ag, and Mg-1In. Only the Mg-1Y alloy appeared promising at 300°C. Two-phase, binary and ternary alloys were investigated. Mg-5 a/oY was subjected to numerous hydriding and dehydriding cycles in a closed system and was found to release about 3% hydrogen in six hours at 270°C. The best alloy studied was the ternary Mg-5Ni-5Y which released over 3% hydrogen in 4 hours at 250°C. This alloy came the closest to fulfilling the program objectives and is a viable storage medium for vehicular applications. Mechanistic studies were performed on both slabs and chips. Hydriding of single-phase alloys and those with small amount of second phase resulted in very rapid nucleation of hydrides internally. The hydrides grew as spheres within the alloy suggesting that hydrogen diffusion was extremely rapid and the rate-controlling step was the interface movement of the hydride as it consumed the alloy. Alloys containing large amounts of second phase hydrided preferentially in the primary magnesium, the hydrides growing as a front both from the edges and within the interior. Dehydriding of solid-solution alloys or those containing a small volume fraction of second phase, e.g., Mg-5Y, had high activation energies, on the order of 28 kcal/mol, which suggests that the rate-controlling step was the interface movement of the reformed magnesium as it advanced into and consumed the hydride. The Mg-5Ni-5Y alloy has an activation energy of 13.1 kcal/mol which is attributed to mixed kinetics involving both interfacial migration and hydrogen diffusion.
Applications of robust stability results to the analysis of multidimensional discrete-time systems

Investigates the problem of asymptotic stability for a class of linear time-invariant multidimensional discrete systems. We establish the equivalence of the present problem and the problem of robust stability for a class of linear time-varying one-dimensional discrete systems with the matrix uncertainty set defined by the coefficient matrices of the original multidimensional system. On the basis of this equivalence, by using the variational method and the Lyapunov second method, necessary and sufficient conditions for asymptotic stability are obtained in different forms for the class or multidimensional systems considered in the present paper. The parametric classes of Lyapunov functions which define the necessary and sufficient conditions of asymptotic stability are determined. We use the piecewise linear polyhedral Lyapunov functions of the infinity vector norm type to derive an algebraic criterion for asymptotic stability of the given class of multidimensional systems in the form of solvability conditions of a set of matrix equations.
Inhibition of mammalian polyadenylation by ATP analogs

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 14-18, 2007; Los Angeles, CA 3203 Cancers such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are replicationally quiescent, and thus are not amenable to traditional DNA-targeting agents. However, these cells still actively synthesize mRNA transcripts for physiological processes and cell survival. Pre-mRNA transcripts must be polyadenylated to become mature transcripts, and poly(A) tails are required for the functional maintenance of these transcripts. Polyadenylation is catalyzed by poly(A) polymerase (PAP), which is a template-independent RNA polymerase that adds poly(A)-tails using ATP to the 3′-end of pre-mRNA. Hence, PAP is a viable therapeutic target in replicationally quiescent cancer cells. Two agents, 8-chloroadenosine (8-Cl-Ado) and 8-aminoadenosine (8-amino-Ado) induce cell death in quiescent CLL lymphocytes. We have previously shown that the corresponding triphosphates of these analogs, 8-Cl-ATP and 8-amino-ATP, inhibit polyadenylation by yeast PAP ( J Biol Chem 279: 40405, 2004). Both these analogs resulted in the reduction of poly(A)-tail length, and the site-specific incorporation of a 8-Cl-AMP residue into the 3′-terminus of RNA primers blocked primer extension with ATP by yeast PAP. To further elucidate the potential RNA-directed mechanisms of 8-Cl-Ado and 8-amino-Ado, we have extended our polyadenylation studies to include mammalian systems. Recent studies have solved the three-dimensional structure of yeast PAP and bovine PAP ( EMBO J 19: 4193, 2000, Science 289:1346, 2000). Based on the structural similarities between these polymerases, we hypothesized that mammalian PAP will behave similarly as yeast PAP with these ATP analogs. To test this hypothesis, we have extended our previous findings in the yeast polyadenylation model by conducting similar experiments with bovine PAPII (obtained from the laboratory of Professor James Manley, Columbia University) and 32P-labeled RNA primers to examine the effects of adenosine analogs on mammalian polyadenylation. Our results with bovine PAPII are summarized as follows. First, both 8-Cl-ATP and 8-amino-ATP in the absence of ATP served as substrates for this enzyme. Second, incorporation of these ATP analogs resulted in chain termination in RNA primer extension assays. Third, in complete reaction conditions with ATP, both 8-Cl-ATP and 8-amino-ATP resulted in RNA primers with shorter poly(A)-tails compared with full length primer extensions with ATP alone, suggesting that these analog triphosphates were able to compete with the natural substrate, ATP. Finally, reactions were performed using synthetic RNA primers containing either 8-Cl-AMP or AMP at the 3′-termini. The halogenated modification of adenine blocked the ability of bovine PAPII to extend the RNA primer with ATP, while the AMP-terminated primer resulted in full-extension. Taken together, our results suggest that the substrate specificity and inhibitory potential of these C8-modified ATP analogs are similar between yeast and bovine PAP.
Habitat use of cownose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus) in a highly productive, hypoxic continental shelf ecosystem

Highly productive surface waters and hypoxic (dissolved oxygen, DO ≤ 2.0 mg L−1) bottom waters develop seasonally on the northwestern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf due to nutrient and freshwater inputs from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River system. We investigated the spatial distribution of the cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus), a highly mobile, bentho-pelagic species that is a seasonal resident of the shelf, in relation to surface chlorophyll, bottom-water hypoxia, and other environmental variables (salinity, temperature, depth). We used synoptic trawl and aerial surveys to investigate ray distributions at both shelfwide (100–1000s km) and local (5–50 km) spatial scales. Shelfwide sampling indicated that rays were associated with regions of high surface chlorophyll and low bottom salinity and DO, conditions characterizing the Mississippi-Atchafalaya plume region. Local sampling in and around the hypoxic zone indicated that rays preferred habitats where bottom waters were hypoxic but they primarily occupied normoxic (DO > 2.0 mg L−1) waters above the bottom hypoxic layer. Stomach fullness and diet composition were similar between rays sampled in habitats with hypoxic versus normoxic bottom waters. These results indicate that cownose rays are strongly associated with riverine-influenced regions of the shelf and preferentially use habitats with hypoxic bottom waters, perhaps for benthic foraging. Collectively, our results highlight the importance of considering the responses of mobile species to enhanced productivity and to hypoxia-induced habitat degradation, which are both the products of coastal eutrophication.
Sunlight as an ultraviolet source.

ABSTRACTAn understanding of the spectral composition of sunlight is necessary if the effects of human exposure and protection criteria are to be meaningful. Also provided is a brief review of data for the ultraviolet UV solar spectrum in space and on earth that have been related to ocular damage. In
A physicochemical study of peanut protein in urea solutions

Abstract Sedimentation and other physicochemical measurements were carried out on peanut protein dissolved in aqueous urea solutions. In 1–3 M urea solutions three sedimenting species were observed; in 4–6 M , two; in 7 M urea, only one sedimenting species. Further studies indicate a molecular weight of about 21,000 for the protein in 7 M urea solutions. This molecular species may be the “basic unit” of peanut storage globulin.
Ovariectomy increases vascular calcification via the OPG/RANKL cytokine signalling pathway.

Background Observational studies suggest a strong relationship between menopause and vascular calcification. Receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) are critical regulators of bone remodelling and modulate vascular calcification. We assessed the hypothesis that ovariectomy increases vascular calcification via the OPG/RANKL axis. Materials and methods Age-matched sexually mature rabbits were randomized to ovariectomy (OVX, n =1 2) or sham procedure (SHAM, n = 12). One month post-procedure, atherosclerosis was induced by 15 months 0·2%-cholesterol diet and endothelial balloon denudations (at months 1 and 3). Aortic atherosclerosis was assessed in vivo by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at months 9 and 15. At sacrifice, aortas were harvested for ex vivo microcomputed tomography (μCT) and molecular analysis of the vascular tissue. Results Vascular calcification density and calcific particle number were significantly greater in OVX than SHAM (8·4 ± 2·8 vs. 1·9 ± 0·6 mg cm -3 , P = 0·042, and 94 ± 26 vs. 33 ± 7 particles cm -3 , P = 0·046, respectively). Calcification morphology, as assessed by the arc angle subtended by the largest calcific particle, showed no difference between groups (OVX 33 ± 7° vs. SHAM 33 ± 5°, P = 0·99). By Western blot analysis, OVX increased the vascular OPG:RANKL ratio by 66%, P = 0·029, primarily by decreasing RANKL (P = 0·019). At month 9, MRI demonstrated no difference in atheroma volume between OVX and SHAM, and no significant change was seen by the end of the study. Conclusions In contrast to bone, vascular OPG:RANKL ratio increased in response to ovariectomy with a corresponding fourfold increase in arterial calcification. This diametrical organ-specific response may explain the comorbid association of osteoporosis with calcifying atherosclerosis in post-menopausal women.
Understanding mathematical models for breast cancer risk assessment and counseling.

Chemoprevention and prophylactic surgery are effective interventions for lowering breast cancer incidence. However, these approaches are associated with risks of their own. Accurate individualized breast cancer risk assessment is an essential component of the risk/benefit analysis that must take place prior to implementing either of these strategies. Several mathematical models for estimating individual breast cancer risk have been proposed over the last decade. The Gail model is the most generally applicable model; however, it neglects family history information in second-degree relatives, treats pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer the same, and ignores personal histories of lobular neoplasia. The Claus model is a better family history model, but it does not assign any special relevance to histories of bilateral breast cancer or ovarian cancer, and neglects all of the nonfamily history information accounted for by the Gail model. BRCAPRO is a Bayesian family history model that calculates individual breast cancer probabilities based on the probability that a family carries a mutation in one of the BRCA genes. Though its treatment of family history information is more thorough than the other models, it neglects the nonfamily history risk factors accounted for by the Gail model and may not appreciate familial clustering unrelated to BRCA gene mutation. A thorough understanding of the principles of risk analysis and the available mathematical models is essential for anyone wishing to perform intervention counseling. This review describes the basic components of risk analysis, explains how the mathematical models work and compares the strengths and weaknesses of the various models. CancerGene is a software tool for running all of these models. It may be obtained without charge at http://www.swmed.edu/home_pages/cancergene.
Controlled addition of aged mother liquor to zeolite NaA synthesis solutions

A systematic study was conducted in which aged aluminosilicate solutions, which were known to produce zeolite NaA at elevated temperatures, were added to fresh unaged solutions having the same composition to attempt to control the number of crystals that ultimately formed at synthesis temperatures. The principle parameters in this study were the amount of aged solution added to the fresh solution and the duration of aging of the former solution. Results showed that additions of aged solutions resulted in the formation of a population of crystals that in some cases was clearly discernible from the population nucleated by the fresh solution. It was apparent that nuclei, or some nucleation catalyst, formed while aging the aluminosilicate solution at room temperature and began to grow once that solution was introduced into the fresh solution and heated. Nucleation in the fresh solution could be suppressed with sufficient addition of aged solution, which to our knowledge has not been demonstrated previously. Agglomeration occurred early in the process with excessive amounts of added aged solution. Zeolite NaX could be precipitated from a different aluminosilicate solution using the same aged solution that precipitated zeolite NaA in the standard solution.
OUTCOME MEASURES FOR STUDYING PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN

There is growing recognition in the treatment of back pain that patient perspectives are essential in judging the results of treatment. Improving the patient's "quality of life" is often the main goal of therapy. Thus, although clinical research in the past has focused on physiologic outcomes, such as range of motion, muscle strength, or neurologic deficits, increasing attention is being given to the rigorous measurement of symptoms, functional status, role function, satisfaction with treatment, and health care costs. In many cases, these so-called "soft" outcomes can be measured with a level of reproducibility similar to more conventional clinical data such as imaging test results. Because symptoms and functional outcomes are sometimes only loosely associated with physiologic phenomena, the former outcomes should be measured directly. Modern questionnaires for measuring patient quality of life combine the expertise of social scientists and clinicians and have demonstrated validity. Furthermore, they have some important advantages over simple ratings of "excellent, good, fair, and poor" outcomes, or work status alone. Several modern instruments for measuring health-related quality of life in patients with low back pain are reviewed briefly, describing their content and length. Wider use of these instruments would help to increase clinician familiarity with their meaning and avoid duplication of effort in questionnaire development.
Embryology of Ceratopteris richardii (Pteridaceae, tribe Ceratopterideae), with emphasis on placental development

This comprehensive study of early embryology in Ceratopteris richardii combines light microscopy with the first ultrastructural evaluation of any pteridophyte embryo. Emphasis is placed on ontogeny of the foot and placental transfer cells. The embryology of C. richardii shares many similarities with that of other polypodiacious ferns while exhibiting distinctive division patterns. Formative embryonic stages have been reconstructed into three-dimensional models for ease of interpretation. The zygote divides perpendicular to the gametophyte plane and anterioposterior axis. This division establishes a prone embryological habit that maximizes rapid independent establishment of a leaf-root axis in a cordate gametophyte. After the formation of a globular eight-celled stage, initials of the first leaf, and root and shoot apical meristems are defined early by discrete formative divisions. Concomitantly, the foot expands and differentiates to transport nutrients from the gametophyte for the developing embryonic organs. Transfer cell wall ingrowth deposition begins in the gametophyte placental cells before the adjacent sporophyte cells just after the eight-celled stage. These observations provide an anatomical framework for future comparative developmental genetic studies of embryogenesis in free-sporing plants.
Mental health status and use of general medical services for persons with human immunodeficiency virus.

Background: Serious medical illness often is accompanied by psychological distress. Individuals experiencing mental disorders or symptoms have higher rates of morbidity and mortality, worse social functioning, and use of general medical services. Objectives: We sought to examine the association between mental health and use of general medical services for persons in care for HIV. Design and Participants: We used longitudinal data from the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS), a nationally representative sample of 2267 HIV+ adults receiving care and who completed all 3 interviews during an 18-month period. Main Outcome Measures: Probability of use and general medical expenditures, by type of service. Results: HIV+ individuals who screened positive for depression or had 5 or more mental health symptoms at baseline spent 20% to 25% more for general medical services in the following 12 months than HIV+ adults without mental health symptoms, after adjusting for disease severity and patient characteristics. Higher spending was largely the result of greater use of inpatient and emergency services. Conclusions: Psychological distress remains an independent predictor of general medical service use, although the magnitude of effect diminishes with better controls for physical well-being and previous service use. Identifying HIV patients with symptoms of affective or anxiety disorders may reduce overall treatment costs modestly.
Cognitive Systems and the Extended Mind

Robert D. Rupert, New York: Oxford University Press, 2009, 288 pages, $55.00, ISBN: 0195379454 (hbk) In an agenda setting paper, Andy Clark and David Chalmers argued that “beliefs can be constitute...
Alumina Nanoparticle Pre-Coated Tubing Enhancing Subcooled Flow Boiling Critical Heat Flux

Nanofluids are engineered colloidal dispersions of nano-sized particle in common base fluids. Previous pool boiling studies have shown that nanofluids can improve critical heat flux (CHF) up to 200% for pool boiling and up to 50% for subcooled flow boiling due to the boiling induced nanoparticle deposition on the heated surface. Motivated by the significant CHF enhancement of nanoparticle deposited surface, this study investigated experimentally the subcooled flow boiling heat transfer of pre-coated test sections in water. Using a separate coating loop, stainless steel test sections were treated via flow boiling of alumina nanofluids at constant heat flux and mass flow rate. The pre-coated test sections were then used in another loop to measure subcooled flow boiling heat transfer coefficient and CHF with water. The CHF values for the pre-coated tubing were found on average to be 28% higher than bare tubing at high mass flux G = 2500 kg/m2 s. However, no enhancement was found at lower mass flux G = 1500 kg/m2 s. The heat transfer coefficients did not differ much between experiments when the bare or coated tubes were used. SEM images of the test sections confirm the presence of a nanoparticle coating layer. The nanoparticle deposition is sporadic and no relationship between the coating pattern and the amount of CHF enhancement is observed.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
AGENCY COSTS AND DIVIDEND PAYOUT RATIOS

Although dividend payout ratios vary widely among corporations, a complete explanation of such variability has yet to be developed. The objective of this research is to replicate and expand the work of Rozef f [ 10] , which models the dividend decision using agency costs as an important determinant of payout ratios. More specifically, the expansion of Rozef fTs model directly addresses the question of whether agency cost variables serve as proxies for size. The conclusions reached support and strengthen the results of Rozef f.
Swift amorphization of a supersaturated titanium solution by mechanical milling

Most studies of solid-state vitrification via mechanical milling use elemental powders or intermetallic compounds as starting materials. The authors report that a bcc supersaturated solid solution with the composition Ti{sub 65}Cr{sub 13}Cu{sub 16}Mn{sub 4}Fe{sub 2} can be almost fully transformed to an amorphous state after just 3 hours of milling. The formability of the amorphous phase is found to depend strongly on composition and it improves significantly from the binary to the five component alloys. The findings are attributed to the interaction of atomic species, which results in the narrowing of the free energy difference between the bcc solid solution and the amorphous phase in the starting materials. For a specific solid solution in which the critical time for amorphization obtained by MM is less than a certain threshold value, partial amorphization by annealing of the {beta} alloy ingot is observed.
Inherited Isolated Dystonia: Clinical Genetics and Gene Function

Isolated inherited dystonia-formerly referred to as primary dystonia-is characterized by abnormal motor functioning of a grossly normal appearing brain. The disease manifests as abnormal involuntary twisting movements. The absence of overt neuropathological lesions, while intriguing, has made it particularly difficult to unravel the pathogenesis of isolated inherited dystonia. The explosion of genetic techology enabling the identification of the causative gene mutations is transforming our understanding of dystonia pathogenesis, as the molecular, cellular and circuit level consequences of these mutations are identified in experimental systems. Here, I review the clinical genetics and cell biology of three forms of inherited dystonia for which the causative mutation is known: DYT1 (TOR1A), DYT6 (THAP1), DYT25 (GNAL).
The moral education of medical students

The author begins his essay by discussing George Eliot's novel Middlemarch, in which a doctor, early in his career, wanders from his idealistic commitment to serving the poor. Although he establishes a prominent practice, he considers himself a failure because "he had not done what he once meant to do." The essay explores how many of us (physicians included) forsake certain ideals or principles--not in one grand gesture, but in moment-to-moment decisions, in day-to-day rationalizations and self-deceptions, until we find ourselves caught in lives whose implications we have long ago stopped examining, never mind judging. Medical education barrages students with information, fosters sometimes ruthless competition, and perpetuates rote memorization and an obsession with test scores--all of which stifle moral reflection. Apart from radically rethinking medical education (doing away with the MCAT, for example, as Lewis Thomas proposed), how can we teach students to consider what it means to be a good doctor? Calling upon the work of Eliot, Walker Percy, and others, the author discusses how the study of literature can broaden and deepen the inner lives of medical students and encourage moral reflectiveness.
Inhibition of herpesvirus-induced thymidine kinase and DNA polymerase by β-hydroxynorvaline

Abstract Treatment of HSV-infected cells with 5–10 mM β-hydroxynorvaline (Hnv), a threonine analog, specifically affects herpesvirus DNA replication: both the rate of and total DNA synthesis are reduced, the former ∼ 15-fold by Hnv (6 h post-infection) and the latter by 12-fold (between 3 and 12 h post-infection). The effect on DNA replication was due to inhibition of HSV-1 thymidine kinase (TK) and DNA polymerase (DP) activities; the former is reduced by 75% and whereas DP returns to baseline levels (when compared to untreated and/or uninfected cells). Host cell TK and DP activities are unaffected. It is suggested that β-hydroxynorvaline is incorporated into these enzyme(s), either close to or at the active site thus perturbing viral DNA synthesis. β-Hydroxynorvaline should have unique utility as a targeted antiviral compound, acting on both membrane-mediated phenomena (fusion, penetration and attachment) and DNA replication.
Secular Variation in Atlantic Coast Extratropical Cyclones

Abstract To define spatial and temporal variations in annual cyclone frequencies, principal components were calculated from a matrix of annual frequencies for 74 grid cells covering eastern North America and the western North Atlantic and the years 1885 to 1978. The first principal component contrasts cyclone frequencies in continental versus marine areas. Since the early years of this century, there has been a trend toward increased cyclone frequency over marine areas and a decline in frequencies over the continent. This trend peaked in the 1960's. The second principal component is interpreted as an east coast cyclogenesis function. Like the first component, it exhibits a century-long secular variation with increasing coastal cyclogenesis in recent decades and a maximum in the 1950's. The first two components explain 45% of the oral variance. Higher order vectors (3rd and 4th) explained 12% of the variance and geographically depict variance in the Gulf coast and Great Lakes regions, respectively. Secular...
Evidence that L1AD3, an apoptosis-inducing cyclic peptide, binds a leukemic T-cell membrane protein receptor.

Abstract Human leukemic T-lymphocytes undergo extensive and rapid apoptosis in the presence of L1AD3, a small cyclic peptide derivative of cobra cardiotoxin. The first step in this process involves its binding to membranes of susceptible cells. By the use of a biotin “handle” synthetically incorporated at the N-terminus of L1AD3, we show that binding is saturable and selective: normal human peripheral blood lymphocytes do not bind this peptide. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiments indicate that the binding sites are separated by at least 55 A. Loss of binding occurs if membrane proteins are enzymatically degraded, suggesting that L1AD3’s target is a cell-membrane surface protein receptor. Finally, crosslinking of cyclic BTNL1AD3 peptide to a leukemic T-cell membrane surface receptor, as examined using a biotin–avidin blot, indicated a molecular weight of approximately 34,400.
Gauging the effects of sampling failure in biogeographical analysis

Aim Various methods are employed to recover patterns of area relationships in extinct and extant clades. The fidelity of these patterns can be adversely affected by sampling error in the form of missing data. Here we use simulation studies to evaluate the sensitivity of an analytical biogeographical method, namely tree reconciliation analysis (TRA), to this form of sampling failure. Location Simulation study. Methods To approximate varying degrees of taxonomic sampling failure within phylogenies varying in size and in redundancy of biogeographical signal, we applied sequential pruning protocols to artificial taxon–area cladograms displaying congruent patterns of area relationships. Initial trials assumed equal probability of sampling failure among all areas. Additional trials assigned weighted probabilities to each of the areas in order to explore the effects of uneven geographical sampling. Pruned taxon–area cladograms were then analysed with TRA to determine if the optimal area cladograms recovered match the original biogeographical signal, or if they represent false, ambiguous or uninformative signals. Results The results indicate a period of consistently accurate recovery of the true biogeographical signal, followed by a nonlinear decrease in signal recovery as more taxa are pruned. At high levels of sampling failure, false biogeographical signals are more likely to be recovered than the true signal. However, randomization testing for statistical significance greatly decreases the chance of accepting false signals. The primary inflection of the signal recovery curve, and its steepness and slope depend upon taxon–area cladogram size and area redundancy, as well as on the evenness of sampling. Uneven sampling across geographical areas is found to have serious deleterious effects on TRA, with the accuracy of recovery of biogeographical signal varying by an order of magnitude or more across different sampling regimes. Main conclusions These simulations reiterate the importance of taxon sampling in biogeographical analysis, and attest to the importance of considering geographical, as well as overall, sampling failure when interpreting the robustness of biogeographical signals. In addition to randomization testing for significance, we suggest the use of randomized sequential taxon deletions and the construction of signal decay curves as a means to assess the robustness of biogeographical signals for empirical data sets.
Gatekeeper's response: A rejoinder

(1986). Gatekeeper's response: A rejoinder. Sociological Spectrum: Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 221-223.
Hodgkin's disease of spine: Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging

Early recognition of spinal block in a young man by magnetic resonance imaging and immediate surgical decompression of the spinal cord by removing the epidural mass, which proved to be Hodgkin's disease, was a determining factor in the complete neurologic recovery of the patient. Postoperative and postchemotherapy repeat magnetic resonance imaging showed complete resolution of the compressing mass. We believe that magnetic resonance imaging has a prominent role in the diagnosis and follow-up studies of spinal lesions without the inherent risks of other neurologic diagnostic procedures.
The sacramental significance of the coronation

The Queen remains in robust health but, inevitably, as she gets older there is speculation about the form and content of the next coronation service, whenever it may be needed.
Affordances and infant learning: A reply to Horowitz

Abstract We reply to three major points made by F. Horowitz (1983, Developmental Review , 3 , 405–409) in her commentary on the ecological approach to infant knowing presented by E. Goldfield (1983, Developmental Review , 3 , 371–404). We first clarify the relation between perceiving and acting from an ecological perspective, and distinguish between affordances as environmental properties scaled to the perceiver/performer and representations as mental structures. We then present a critique of the process of association offered by Horowitz as an explanation of infant learning. Association fails to specify the constraints on what is learned, while the ecological process of noticing affordances, presented by Goldfield, considers such constraints. We conclude by presenting operational criteria for measuring affordances and evidence that perception is scaled to the perceiver/performer.
Optimum temperatures for soil respiration along a semi-arid elevation gradient in southern California

Abstract Soil respiration (R) has not been adequately studied at temperatures above 35 °C, which are common temperatures for soils in the southwestern United States and may be important for C dynamics in semi-arid regions. While frequently excluded from ecosystem models or set to 35 °C, the optimum temperature for soil R is poorly understood. Optimum temperatures are likely controlled by substrate availability, soil moisture content, and previous climate. To quantify the optimal temperature for soil R and hypothesized relationships, we collected soils from beneath and between plant canopies at three sites along a semi-arid elevation gradient. Processed soil samples were incubated at three soil moisture contents and soil R was measured at 6 temperatures, successively (25–55 °C). From these data, an activation energy for reaction kinetics and deactivation energy for enzyme functionality model was used to generate soil R curves from which two parameters were derived: Rmax, the maximum rate of soil R and Topt, the optimum temperature for soil R. Rmax was significantly greater for soils at the highest elevation and at medium soil moisture content. Topt was greater than 35 °C at all locations. In addition, Topt was significantly greater for soils with greater amounts of SOM but not significantly different along the elevation gradient or at different moisture contents. These results support inclusion of much higher optimum temperatures than currently used in many ecosystem and land-surface models and provide support for explaining variation in Topt as regulated by substrate quantity within a site and general insensitivity across climate differences.
Interdisciplinary communication in a literature and medicine course: Personalizing the discourse of medicine

To provide modest insight into whether or not reading literature helps medical students communicate more effectively in the physician‐patient encounter, I conducted an ethnographic study of medical students taking a required three‐hour literature and medicine course. This article will demonstrate that although these medical students were embedded in the discourse of medicine, reflective writing enabled them to conceive medicine as an interpretive, personal, and idiosyncratic activity rather than as a stagnant diagnosis‐based process.
The Detection of Modification in Animal Fibers II. Tensile Recovery at 65 % R. H

Methods are described for measuring parameters of the tensile recovery of animal fibers. The effects of fiber crimp on these measurements, and the interpretation of the data obtained with crimpy fibers, are discussed.Data are presented on the fiber-to-fiber variation in tensile recovery and on the effects of various chemical treatments.For wool fibers from a common source there is very little fiber-to-fiber variation in tensile recovery.
Is the Rule of Law an Essentially Contested Concept (In Florida)

One of the remarkable features of the turmoil surrounding the counting and recounting of votes in the State of Florida in the 2000 US Presidential Election was the frequency with which "the Rule of Law" was invoked. Whether the antagonists in Florida knew it or not, they are in fact aspects of a venerable heritage of contestation that comes down to us as part and parcel of the Rule-of-Law tradition. The fact that "the Rule of Law" has always evoked this contestation has led some to surmise that an old article by a linguistic philosopher, W.B. Gallie, entitled, "Essentially Contested Concepts" might afford the most fruitful basis for approaching the analysis of the term. The Rule of Law is clearly an appraisive concept: it is deployed by almost all of its users to enter a favorable evaluation of the regimes or situations to which it applies.
Global optimization of linear hybrid systems with explicit transitions

The global optimization of hybrid systems described by linear time-varying ordinary differential equations is examined. A method to construct convex relaxations of general, nonlinear Bolza-type objective functions or constraints subject to an embedded hybrid system with explicit transitions is presented. The optimization problem can be solved using gradient-based algorithms in a branch and bound framework that is shown to be infinitely convergent when the implied state bounds are employed.
Fried-Yennie gauge in dimensionally regularized QED.

The Fried-Yennie gauge in QED is a covariant gauge with agreeable infrared properties. That is, the mass-shell renormalization scheme can be implemented without introducing artificial infrared divergences, and terms having spuriously low orders in [alpha] disappear in certain bound-state calculations. The photon propagator in the Fried-Yennie gauge has the form [ital D][sub [beta]][sup [mu][nu]]([ital k])=([minus]1/[ital k][sup 2])[[ital g][sup [mu][nu]]+[beta][ital k][sup [mu]][ital k[nu]]/[ital k][sup 2]], where [beta] is the gauge parameter. In this work, I show that the Fried-Yennie gauge parameter is [beta]=2/(1[minus]2[epsilon]) when dimensional regularization (with [ital n]=4[minus]2[epsilon] dimensions of spacetime) is used to regulate the theory.
Certification of a null corrector via a diamond-turned asphere: design and implementation

We discuss the design of diamond turned mirror to be used to certify a refractive null corrector to test a 6.5 meter, F/1.25 paraboloidal mirror. Practical details of the certification implementation will also be presented.
Characterization of the interaction between prostacyclin and human serum albumin using a fluorescent analogue, 2,6-dichloro-4-aminophenol iloprost

We synthesized a fluorescent probe, 2,6-dichloro-4-aminophenol iloprost or dichlorohydroxyphenylamide of iloprost (DCHPA-iloprost) by reacting the stable prostacyclin analog, iloprost (ZK 35 374), with 2,6-dichloro-4-aminophenol with a yield of 60%. This probe exhibited an optical spectrum which overlapped with the emission spectrum of the sole tryptophan of human serum albumin (HSA). Energy transfer from the tryptophan residue to the phenol moiety of DCHPA-iloprost was observed. We utilized this donor-quenching phenomenon to quantitate the binding stoichiometry and affinity as well as the association rate of DCHPA-iloprost binding to HSA. As DCHPA-iloprost showed similar binding characteristics similar to those of iloprost and prostacyclin and competed with iloprost for HSA binding sites, we used DCHPA-iloprost as a probe to locate the binding domain of prostacyclin (PGI2) in HSA. The distance between the tryptophan indole and the phenol group of DCHPA-iloprost was estimated to be 15-18 A. Because iloprost binding to HSA was competitive with warfarin and not with free fatty acid, we propose that PGI2 binds to the 'domain 2' of HSA was competitive with warfarin and not with free fatty acid, we propose that PGI2 binds to the 'domain 2' of HSA molecules. A possible molecular mechanism by which HSA reduces the chemical degradation of PGI2 and stabilizes its activity could be derived from this model.
Investigation of the supercritical deposition of platinum nanoparticles into carbon aerogels

Abstract The preparation of platinum/carbon aerogel (CA) nanocomposites by the supercritical deposition method was investigated. CAs were impregnated with dimethyl(cyclooctadiene)platinum, CODPtMe 2 , from supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2 ) solutions and the resulting CODPtMe 2 /CA composites were converted to Pt/CA composites. The adsorption isotherms of CODPtMe 2 on CAs were measured and could be represented by the Langmuir model. The results indicated a strong interaction between CODPtMe 2 molecules and the CA surface and that a substantial fraction of the surface of the CAs was covered with CODPtMe 2 molecules at relatively low concentrations. Four different reduction methods were used to convert the CODPtMe 2 impregnated CAs which were: (1) thermal reduction at atmospheric pressure in an inert atmosphere; (2) thermal reduction in scCO 2 ; (3) chemical reduction in scCO 2 with hydrogen; and (4) chemical reduction at atmospheric pressure with hydrogen. Method 1 gave highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles (1–3 nm) at loadings ranging from 10 to 40 wt.%. The use of hydrogen in Method 4 increased the average particle size by a factor of 2 over Method 1 at the same Pt loading, but the particles still had a narrow unimodal size distribution. When the thermal reduction was carried out in scCO 2 , loadings as high as 73% could be obtained. Method 3 generated a composite having a disordered columnar Pt coating and equiaxed particles ≈1 μm in diameter on the external surface of the monolith and dispersed Pt nanoparticles in the interior. The analysis of the reaction products in scCO 2 indicated an autocatalytic reaction. Increasing the Pt loading was found to decrease the surface area of the CA, primarily through blockage of the micropores.
Evaluating Elevated Bilirubin Levels in Asymptomatic Adults

A 57-year-old white man presents for evaluation of an asymptomatic elevation in bilirubin detected on a chemistry panel during an annual physical examination. Thirty years ago, he had abnormal liver function tests attributed to use of an unknown medication that resolved when the drug was discontinued. He reports no jaundice, pruritus, or family history of liver disease and takes no medications. He drinks 1 alcoholic beverage daily (≈100 g/week). On physical examination, blood pressure was 108/63 mm Hg, pulse rate was 61 beats per minute, and body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) was 23.4. His liver was 7.0 cm by percussion and nontender, sclera were anicteric, there was no stigmata of chronic liver disease, and splenomegaly was absent. The examination was otherwise unremarkable. His laboratory values are reported in the Table. Table Simultaneously Obtained Serum Laboratory Tests