cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Equity in Selection--Where Psychometrics and Political Philosophy Meet.

Among measurement specialists, thinking about bias in selection has advanced rapidly in the past few years. The papers of 1971-1973 generated a healthy intellectual tension. More recent papers (Gross & Su, 1975; Petersen & Novick, 1976; Sawyer, Cole, & Cole, 1975) use decision theory to state positions more precisely and so carry the tension to a more productive level. If we are not close to solving the puzzle, we have at least figured out what puzzle we are working on. In particular, it is now evident that we must discuss bias in the selection rule, and not bias in the test as such. Here I propose to sketch a perspective in which most of the current ideas can be lined up for comparison. Further work would be needed to produce a formal framework for mathematical, philosophical, legal, and political discourse. Make no mistake. The issues will not be settled by mathematical specialists. Utility theory cannot be expected to crank out a just answer to a question of resource allocation, if the parties with conflicting interests do not agree on the payoff matrix to be used or if payoffs of the parties cannot be averaged (Arrow, 1963). Utility analysis can trace the implications of any one payoff matrix, and so can illuminate the negotiations between the parties. It provides a basis for criticizing a formula, and for showing that certain proposals are contrary to the interests of all parties. To pave the way for a politically acceptable resolution of contending forces, the courts and the public should hear advocates. The papers now appearing direct the attention of the several advocates and audiences to crucial dilemmas. The Petersen-
Visual activity before and after the onset of juvenile myopia.

An association between near work and juvenile-onset myopia has long been theorized, but data in support of the association have shown small effects. Conflicting results have also been reported among studies and within individual studies using various measures of near work,1–4 leaving the issue unresolved. For example, the Singapore Cohort Study of Risk Factors for Myopia (SCORM) reported a significant difference in the number of books read per week by high myopes compared with low myopes and nonmyopes; however, the number of hours of reading per day did not differ among the three groups.1 An earlier cross-sectional report from the Orinda Longitudinal Study of Myopia (OLSM) found that more time was spent in near work (diopter-hours) by myopic children.3 Interestingly, while both SCORM and OLSM reported significant associations between various forms of near work and myopia in cross-sectional analyses of prevalent myopes, neither found any significantly increased risk of myopia onset associated with any form of near work in longitudinal analyses.5,6 The question arises as to whether children's near work activities change near or at the time of myopia onset, with different levels of activity for the premyope compared with that of the prevalent myope. There has not been a year-by-year longitudinal analysis of visual activity data before and after the onset of myopia. This question is relevant because selecting a single point in time, while informative, may miss pertinent information or a trend that depends on the time point(s) selected. Recent work showing less outdoor/sports activity in those who become myopic and in those whose myopia progresses makes assessing visual activity in this manner informative.6–8 Using methodology that we have applied in studying ocular component growth and myopia,9,10 we investigated differences in the visual activity profile between data from myopes and emmetropes before, at, and after the onset of myopia, by using growth curve models.
Frozen objects: Small airways, big breaths, and asthma

Airway hyperresponsiveness is one of the cardinal features of asthma but remains largely unexplained. The new concept of perturbed myosin binding within airway smooth muscle sheds light on the question of why airway narrowing is limited in the healthy lung and not in the asthmatic lung and points to unanticipated mechanisms through which lung development and allergic status may be major modulators of airway hyperresponsiveness.
A case of selective immunoglobulin M deficiency and autoimmune glomerulonephritis.

Immunodeficiency states have been implicated in autoimmune diseases. Early recognition of these states is important because prophylaxis can prevent morbidity and mortality. The following is a case report of a 57-year-old male who presented with recurrent infections. He was found to have IgM deficiency. All of his infections were treated appropriately with successful responses. He developed glomerulonephritis, which was read by the pathologist as post-infectious glomerulonephritis. Despite antibiotic therapy, his renal function never recovered, leading to permanent hemodialysis. The patient’s renal biopsy exhibited histological features compatible with a membrano-proliferative glomerulonephritis. Retrospectively, it is likely that this patient had autoimmune glomerulonephritis, explaining his failure to respond to antimicrobials.
THE INACTIVATION OF DILUTE SOLUTIONS OF CRYSTALLINE TRYPSIN BY X-RADIATION II. EFFECTS OF ENZYME CONCENTRATION, MEDIUM, PH, AND TEMPERATURE

The activity of dilute solutions of crystalline trypsin is destroyed by x-rays. The inactivation is an exponential function of the radiation dose. The reaction yield of inactivation is independent of the intensity at which the radiation is delivered or the quality of the x-rays. The reaction yield increases with increasing concentration of trypsin, varying from 0.06 to 0.7 micromoles per liter per 1000 r for trypsin solutions ranging from 1 x 10–7 to 2 x 10–4 M.
Anomalous coarsening behavior of small volume fractions of Ni3Al precipitates in binary NiAl alloys

Abstract The kinetics of coarsening of γ′ precipitates in binary NiAl alloys containing nominally 5.72, 5.74 and 5.78 wt% Al and aged at 630°C were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and magnetic analysis. The alloys were each pre-aged at a temperature just below its solvus prior to re-aging at 630°C. The volume fractions of γ′ were low between 0.02 and 0.03. the pre-aging treatment produced microstructures containing precipitates that nucleated heterogeneously on dislocations and grain boundaries, leaving empty matrix areas in which coherent γ′ precipitates subsequently nucleated and coarsened. Measurements were made only on these precipitates. The coarsening kinetics are anomalous in that the rate constant decrease with increasing volume fraction, in contradiction with all the theories of this process. Furthermore, the increase is quite large, exceeding a factor of four over a range of volume fractions that increased by less than 40%. Additionally, the rate constants exceed the values expected from the literature by factors of 10–40. The distributions of particles sizes were measured, and with few exceptions were found to agree with those of earlier investigations. It is suggested that elastic interactions among the γ′ precipitates play a pivotal role in decelerating the kinetics of coarsening, overpowering the expected accelerating effect of increasing volume fraction.
Health Care Delivery System in the United States: Lessons for Africa

[ABSTRACT: This paper examines how an African country, Zambia, reproduces patterns of health care delivery system of the West characterized by U.S. The replication of pattern of health discriminates against the poor, and rural in habitants.First, a brief theoretical analysis of underdevelopment is provided. Secondly, the structure of the present U.S health care delivery system is provided high lighting t'he role of the academic-medical component.The analysis shows how health care resources are distributed among socio- economic, racial groups and between urban and rural areas. 'The major part of the paper examines health care delivery system in Zambia, outlining those areas that are replicated. The paper emphasizes that this should serve as lessons for Africa.This replication is made possible by the indigenous African middle class through which Western values are transmitted. This class (elites) is in control of state machinery and makes decisions on the distribution, and consumption of health resources.In...
Data Enrichment Using Web APIs

As businesses seek to monetize their data, they are leveraging Web-based delivery mechanisms to provide publically available data sources. Also, as analytics becomes a central part of many business functions such as customer segmentation, competitive intelligence and fraud detection, many businesses are seeking to enrich their internal data records with data from these data sources. As the number of sources with varying degrees of accuracy and quality proliferate, it is a non-trivial task to effectively select which sources to use for a particular enrichment task. The old model of statically buying data from one or two providers becomes inefficient because of the rapid growth of new forms of useful data such as social media and the lack of dynamism to plug sources in and out. In this paper, we present the data enrichment framework, a tool that uses data mining and other semantic techniques to automatically guide the selection of sources. The enrichment framework also monitors the quality of the data sources and automatically penalizes sources that continue to return low quality results.
Revisiting the association between metabolic syndrome and depressive symptoms.

The reported co-occurrence of depression with diabetes and cardiovascular disease, along with an increase in the population prevalence of depression, obesity, and metabolic disorders, has sparked interest in the connection between depressive symptoms and the recently introduced metabolic syndrome (MetS) construct (1–4), which is a constellation of metabolic risk factors, including hyperlipidemia, waist circumference, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose (5). Evaluating the link between depressive disorder and MetS could shed light on the etiology of both disorders as well as inform clinical treatment. Although multiple cross-sectional and prospective analyses have been conducted to assess the association between MetS and depressive symptoms, the overall relationship remains unclear (6–17), which may be attributable to incomplete and inconsistent adjustment for potentially confounding variables (including multiple dimensions of social, economic and behavioral factors) across studies (18). We examined the relationship betweenMetS (and its individual components) with depressive symptoms while adjusting for a wide range of covariates.
Impact of lipofuscin on the retinal pigment epithelium: electroretinographic evaluation of a protease inhibition model

With aging, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) becomes increasingly congested with residual debris called lipofuscin. Little is known about the impact of lipofuscin on retinal function, and this was addressed in the present study by examining the influence of RPE debris on electroretinographic (ERG) parameters utilizing an experimental model of lipofuscin accumulation. Pigmented rats were injected intravitreally with the protease inhibitor leupeptin, and examined 1 week later by electroretinogram (ERG) recording and light and electron microscopy. Relative to vehicle-injected controls, leupeptin-treated retinas showed abundant accumulation throughout the RPE cytoplasm of inclusions that resembled lipofuscin. RPE cells filled with this debris showed a marked increase in height and a displacement of melanin from their apical border. Morphological changes in the RPE had no influence on retinal function since ERG threshold, a- and b-wave maximum amplitude, latency and implicit time were not significantly different between leupeptin-treated eyes and controls. Furthermore, leupeptin-induced RPE inclusions did not alter either the rate or extent of ERG dark adaptation. These findings suggest that filling of the RPE cytoplasm with residual debris is not in itself likely to be the cause of functional alterations in the aging eye.
Exploring the unique and interactive roles of distress tolerance and negative urgency in obsessions

Abstract Recent research has implicated relationships between emotion dysregulation and obsessions. Evidence suggests low distress tolerance and greater tendency to act impulsively in the face of negative affect (or negative urgency) are strongly related to obsessions. The current study sought to examine the unique and interactive roles of distress tolerance and negative urgency in the prediction of obsessions. A large non-clinical sample (N = 238) was administered a range of self-report measures. Results revealed that both poor distress tolerance and greater negative urgency were uniquely associated with obsessions but not other obsessive–compulsive symptoms, even when controlling for gender, depression, anxiety, and generalized anxiety disorder symptoms. Additionally, low distress tolerance and high negative urgency interacted with each other in the prediction of greater obsession symptoms. Overall, the findings help clarify the emerging literature linking emotion dysregulation to obsessions.
Push─pull triarylamine additives that enhance dye sensitized solar cell performance

A new strategy was developed for improving basic dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) performance, using push–pull organic triarylamines with tunable frontier energy levels as additives in the DSSC electron shuttling electrolyte solution. A significant improvement in the device performance was observed and attributed to improved dye regeneration and hole transport.
Imperial Airs: Leo Amery, Air Power and Empire, 1873–1945

In January 1904, at a lecture by a famous geographer, only a few weeks after the first flight of the Wright brothers, a young journalist named Leo Amery argued that air power would become a major ingredient of world power. His prescient comment is often quoted, but only to be glossed over. This article elaborates on it. The origins of Amery's views on air power lay in his childhood, his experience covering the South African War and the ‘national efficiency’ movement of Edwardian Britain. His views developed through his service in a variety of government appointments, including Lloyd George's Cabinet in the First World War and Churchill's Cabinet in the Second World War, and he occasionally managed to get his ideas turned into actions. Thus contextualised, Amery's views on air power illuminate both the man and the times through which he lived.
The reset hypothesis: lactation and maternal metabolism.

For maternal metabolism, pregnancy ends not with delivery, but with weaning. In several recent epidemiological studies, authors have reported an association between duration of breast-feeding and reduced maternal risk of metabolic disease. These findings parallel data from animal models showing favorable changes in metabolism associated with lactation. During gestation, visceral fat accumulates, and insulin resistance and lipid and triglyceride levels increase. These changes appear to reverse more quickly, and more completely, with lactation. In this article, we review animal and human studies regarding the effects of lactation on adiposity, lipid, and glucose homeostasis. We hypothesize that lactation plays an important role in “resetting” maternal metabolism after pregnancy.
Phosphoinositide-dependent pathways in mouse sperm are regulated by egg ZP3 and drive the acrosome reaction

Sperm of many animals must complete an exocytotic event, the acrosome reaction, in order to fuse with eggs. In mammals, acrosome reactions are triggered during sperm contact with the egg extracellular matrix, or zona pellucida, by the matrix glycoprotein ZP3. Here, we show that ZP3 stimulates production of phosphatidylinositol-(3,4,5)-triphosphate in sperm membranes. Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase antagonists that prevent acrosome reactions and fertilization in vitro, while generation of this phosphoinositide in the absence of ZP3 triggered acrosome reactions. Downstream effectors of phosphatidylinositol-(3,4,5)-triphosphate in sperm include the protein kinases, Akt and PKCζ. These studies outline a signal transduction pathway that plays an essential role in the early events of mammalian fertilization.
Complexes of the Group 5 Elements

2.1 General Remarks Paddlewheel compounds having two dimetal units, each with a square planar confi guration, and each group parallel to the other are relatively new in group 5. With other transition metal atoms, this type of atom arrangement is commonly found for M2 n+ units where n = 4, 5 or 6. This means that the oxidation state for each metal atom is between 2 and 3. It has been generally thought that when the formal oxidation numbers are higher the atoms shrink so much that good orbital overlap necessary for metal–metal bond formation is not attained. Oxidation numbers of less than two are not common in inorganic compounds of the fi rst transition series, with the exception of Cu or when compounds are stabilized by -donors such as carbonyl groups which are not generally covered in this monograph. Therefore only a few examples of compounds with values of n outside the range 4-6 are known. For the group 5 elements, compounds in which the metal atom has an oxidation number of three are commonly found forming edge-sharing bioctahedra, not paddlewheel compounds. Lower oxidation numbers such as two give rise to only a few coordination complexes for vanadium; an even lesser number is known for niobium and tantalum. Therefore part of the challenge in synthesizing metal–metal bonded paddlewheel compounds of the group 5 elements is the development of appropriate synthetic procedures that produce precursors in low oxidation states. Most of the compounds of the paddlewheel type for vanadium and niobium have the metal atom in the divalent state in a d electronic confi guration. The overlap of these d–d atoms give triply bonded dimetal units with an expected electronic confi guration of 2 4 or a variation thereof.
Development of HoBCO coated conductor by PLD method

Abstract We have developed RE-123 (RE: rare earth element) thin films using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method, and adopted HoBa2Cu3Oy (HoBCO) as a RE-123 superconducting layer. HoBCO shows stable and high critical current density (Jc) over 3 MA/cm2 in the case deposited on single crystal substrates such as sapphire and LAO. In this work, based on our PLD technique, HoBCO coated conductors have been developed on flexible metal textured substrates. Structure of oxide multi-buffer layers was investigated and fine crystal orientation of delta phi value below 10° was obtained by hetero-epitaxial growth. Furthermore, 10 m long multi-buffer tape was fabricated by continuous reel-to-reel system, and the uniformity of crystal alignment and surface flatness was confirmed. Fabricated HoBCO tape also showed excellent in-plane alignment and smooth surface morphology. Jc at 77 K, in self-field of HoBCO superconducting films were around 1 MA/cm2.
A model for vortex ring formation in a starting buoyant plume

Vortex ring formation in a starting axisymmetric buoyant plume is considered. A model describing the process is proposed and a physical explanation based on the Kelvin–Benjamin variational principle for steady vortex rings is provided. It is shown that Lundgren et al.'s (1992) time scale, the ratio of the velocity of a buoyant plume after it has travelled one diameter to its diameter, is equivalent to the time scale (formation time) proposed by Gharib et al. (1998) for uniform-density vortex rings generated with a piston/cylinder arrangement. It is also shown that, similarly to piston-generated vortex rings (Gharib et al. 1998), the buoyant vortex ring pinches off from the plume when the latter can no longer provide the energy required for steady vortex ring existence. The dimensionless time of the pinch-off (the formation number) can be reasonably well predicted by assuming that at pinch-of the vortex ring propagation velocity exceeds the plume velocity. The predictions of the model are compared with available experimental results.
Detection of general anesthetics using a fluorescence-based sensor: incorporation of a single-fiber approach

A fiber-optic sensor for general anesthetics based on the phase transition of phospholipid vesicles has been developed and reported previously. The instrumentation and optics have been designed using two fibers and constructed in a portable configuration to allow multi-site testing. Because the phase transition is highly dependent on the surrounding temperature, it is necessary to obtain a temperature reference signal; use of a single-fiber configuration for both sample and reference permits the addition of a temperature transducer in the optrode without increasing its size. Because of the extreme turbidity of the liposomes, current theory does not predict whether a two-fiber or one-fiber approach will provide superior signal strength. The signal efficiency of the original dual-fiber configuration has been compared to that of a second dual-fiber configuration and a single-fiber system incorporating a fiber-optic coupler. Despite the reduced excitation power reaching the optrode, the single-fiber configuration produces a superior signal intensity. The addition of a custom-made Y-shaped fiber coupler enables switching from a dual-fiber design to the single-fiber optrode design without sacrificing portability.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Long-Term Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Psychological Outcomes☆☆☆

Abstract Background . Although the literature on increased physical fitness and psychological outcomes has grown large, a number of methodological limitations remain unaddressed. The present study was designed to address a number of these limitations while examining the short- and long-term psychological effects following completion of a 12-week aerobic fitness program using bicycle ergometry (and confirmed increases in fitness). Method . Following completion of a 12-week aerobic fitness program (and through 12 months of follow-up), 82 adult participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory, Profile of Mood States, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale. Physiological measures used to assess changes in aerobic fitness were maximal work load, submaximal heart rate at a standard work load, predicted maximum oxygen uptake, and resting heart rate. Results . Exercise participants experienced a positive fitness change and psychological improvement over the initial 12-week program compared to a control group. At 1 year follow-up, physiological and psychological benefits remained significantly improved from baseline. Conclusions. Overall, results indicate that exercise-induced increases in aerobic fitness have beneficial short-term and long-term effects on psychological outcomes. We postulate that participants in the exercise group did not increase the amount of weekly exercise they performed over the 12-month follow-up period and thus the maintenance of the psychological improvements occurred concurrent with equal or lesser amounts of exercise.
The Nurturant Fathering Scale: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis With an African American Sample of College Students

Objective: The objective of this study was to test the factor structure of the Nurturant Fathering Scale (NFS) among an African American sample in the mid-Atlantic region that have neither Caribbea...
Incorporating Sustainability into an American Government Course: The Problems, the Progress, the Promise

This article evaluates the incorporation of issues of sustainability as a central orienting theme into an American Government course. Issues of sustainability are at the forefront of the American political agenda and are intricately linked to our ability as a nation to prosper economically, socially, and physically. In this course, students are challenged to consider: What is sustainability? How is it about more than just the environment? What is my role as a citizen in addressing sustainability issues? How do various institutions from the Congress to the media to interest groups address the issue of sustainability? This article will offer lessons the instructor has learned in incorporating this theme as well as suggestions and guidelines for other instructors. In addition, this article will include both a quantitative and qualitative assessment of student learning outcomes as a result of participation in the course.
CD44 expression in benign and neoplastic human prostates

Background: CD44, a major cell surface receptor for hyaluronic acid, is a family of ubiquitous cell surface glycoproteins. Altered levels of CD44 expression, seen in many epithelial neoplasms, have prognostic implications. Expression of standard and variant isoforms of CD44 was assessed in normal and neoplastic human prostate tissue and culture cells to evaluate as a marker for malignant transformation. Methods and Results: Expression of CD44s, CD44R, v5, v6, v7/8 and v10 was assessed in prostate tissue (benign and malignant) and cell lines (DU-145, PC-3, LNCaP, p69) and primary cultures of normal prostates and adenocarcinoma cells obtained from prostatectomies using reverse transcriptor polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence. No CD44 expression was seen in LNCaP cells. p69, DU-145, and PC-3 cells expressed CD44s and CD44R. p69 cells demonstrated a 1000-bp-long form of CD44 mRNA, unique to this normal cell line. Both normal and neoplastic prostatic tissue demonstrated CD44s on Western blotting. Conclusions: In agreement with previous studies, prostatic adenocarcinoma cells, except LNCaP, expressed CD44s. Different patterns of CD44 expression were seen in benign and neoplastic prostate. Benign prostate exhibited higher v5 protein levels, whereas neoplastic prostates demonstrated higher CD44s expression. CD44s expression was identified in all neoplastic prostates as compared with only 50% of the benign prostates. No significant difference in expression of the other variants assessed (v6, v7, v7/8, and v10) was observed in the benign and neoplastic prostates.
A Longitudinal Study Examining Prediction of Doctoral Success: Grade Point Average as Criterion, or Graduation vs. Non-Graduation as Criterion.

AbstractA comparison of two different criteria of doctoral success is made using the criterion of doctoral grade point average (GPA) and the criterion of whether or not the student received a doctoral degree. The study is longitudinal in nature, and was restricted to one department (Education) at the University of North Dakota over a 7- year period. The GRE Quantitative correlated .34 with the graduated-not-graduated criterion, and −.01 with the doctoral GPA. Other variables had even more divergent results: the multiple correlation coefficient for the graduated-not-graduated criterion was .650, and the multiple correlation coefficient for the doctoral GPA criterion was .506. Hence, it was concluded that the two measures of doctoral success were in fact different.
Water flow influences the mechanisms and outcomes of interactions between massive Porites and coral reef algae

Negative interactions between corals and algae often are implicated in preventing the recovery of coral-depauperate reefs. However, few studies have explored the effects of environmental conditions on the mechanisms underlying the outcomes of coral–algal interactions. We examined the influence of water flow, a pervasive feature of reefs that is known to affect both coral and algal physiology, on massive Porites–algal interactions at different spatial and temporal scales with two types of algal competitors. Outcomes of coral–algal interactions were influenced by both water flow and algal type. Algal turfs outcompeted corals more frequently in low flow conditions, where microbial concentrations were higher, than in higher flow areas. Turbinaria ornata outcompeted massive Porites more often in higher flow and consistently was associated with lower microbial concentrations. This study highlights that outcomes of coral–algal interactions are microhabitat dependent and that water flow limits the effectiveness of some mechanisms of coral–algal competition.
Paired Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor B (PIR-B) Negatively Regulates Macrophage Activation in Experimental Colitis

Background & Aims Innate and adaptive immune responses are regulated by cross talk between activation and inhibitory signals. Dysregulation of the inhibitory signal can lead to aberrant chronic inflammatory diseases such as the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Little is known about negative regulation of innate intestinal immune activation. We examined the role of the inhibitory receptor paired immunoglobulin-like receptor B (PIR-B) in the regulation of macrophage function in innate intestinal immunity. Methods We examined the susceptibility of Pirb −/− and wild-type (WT) mice to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis. We assessed proinflammatory cytokine release and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) activation in Pirb −/− and WT macrophages following Escherichia coli stimulation. Macrophage transfer experiments were performed to define the role of PIR-B in the negative regulation of macrophage function in DSS-induced colitis. We also assessed expression of PIR-B human homologues (immunoglobulin-like transcript [ILT]-2 and ILT-3) in colon biopsy samples from healthy individuals (controls) and patients with IBD. Results Pirb −/− mice had increased susceptibility to DSS-induced colitis. In vitro analysis showed increased production of proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6, interleukin-1β, and tumor necrosis factor α) and activation of MAPK and NF-κB in Pirb −/− macrophages following bacterial activation. Adoptive transfer of bone marrow–derived Pirb −/− macrophages into WT mice was sufficient to increase disease susceptibility. ILT-2 and ILT-3 were expressed on CD68 + and CD68 − mononuclear cells and intestinal epithelium in colon biopsy samples from patients and controls. Conclusions PIR-B negatively regulates macrophage functions in response to pathogenic bacteria and chronic intestinal inflammatory responses. Inhibitory receptors such as PIR-B might be used as therapeutic targets for treatment of patients with IBD.
Cloning and expression of a common Legionella outer membrane antigen in Escherichia coli.

Abstract A genomic library of Legionella pneumophila was constructed by inserting L. pneumophila knoxville-1 strain (LPK-1) chromosome fragments into cosmid vector pHC79. Screening of the library with antibodies directed against a major outer membrane protein/lipopolysaccharide complex from LPK-1 resulted in the identification of six clones that reacted with the antiserum. Western blot analysis indicated that a 19 000 dalton (19 kDa) component was the reactive antigen in all of the clones. Western blot analysis of outer membranes from L. pneumophila serogroups and other Legionella species revealed that the cloned 19 kDa antigen was common to all serogroups and all but one of the five other Legionella species examined. One of the 19 kDa expressing clones was used as an immunoabsorbent to recover antibody to the 19 kDa antigen thus confirming the surface localization of this L. pneumophila antigen in E. coli.
Typology and empiricism in taxonomy

The term typology has been used in taxonomy to imply procedures and philosophies of somewhat diverse meanings. Not all typological work meets every criterion suggested for such work by various authors. Some of these criteria are untenable when viewed in the context of modern biological theory, while others seem eminently reasonable in the light of present day knowledge. Mere reference to a work as typological will not convey to the reader or listener a clear idea why a reviewer has decided that it merits the term. Similarly, it would be improper to attach automatic derogatory implications to the adjective “typological”, since it is only those aspects of typological procedure which cannot be defended or maintained today that would merit such a connotation. The classificatory philosophy of many proponents of typology is based on a platonic idealism. To consider a taxonomic type as an abstract idea seems of doubtful utility at best and is certainly beyond the realm of scientific inquiry. The method by which types are obtained must be indicated without ambiguity. In classical typological work this is generally not done, and reconstructions relying on the metamorphosis of parts are often rather vague and controversial. Similarly, abstractions relying either on weighted or unweighted averages of the characters in the taxa to be studied are of questionable value. It would appear that character variation of individuals within taxa or of taxa within higher taxa must in some way be accounted for, if types are to be defined which will represent the natural order in the system. The choice of characters must also be clearly defined and defensible. A priori weighting or preference of some characters over others, based on either presumed phylogenetic importance or logical or functional primacy, is an unjustifiable procedure. Equal weighting and use of all characters leads directly into an empirical approach, which attempts to classify organisms on the basis of all available evidence, without preconceived notions about their arrangement. Such a procedure also arrives at a classification from which types may be abstracted, but does so by clearly defined and previously determined criteria, and does not rely on hypotheses based on certain preliminary conclusions in order to reinforce its argument. The empirical approach, the most notable example of which in recent years has been the development of numerical taxonomy, has definite typological aspects which, however, appear to this writer to be of value and preferable to the phylogenetic method. Smirnov's statistical method of constructing types is contrasted with results obtained by numerical taxonomy. The latter appear preferable from several points of view.
Evaluating Educational Practices for Positively Affecting Student Perceptions of a Sales Career.

Despite demand for new graduates seeking a sales position, student reticence toward pursuing a sales career remains. While all students will not choose a sales career, diminishing the existence of sales-related misconceptions among the student population should establish sales as a viable career path for a larger number of students. We test six educational interventions in large Principle of Marketing classes from three different universities (n = 1,355) to help identify educational practices for reducing student reticence toward a career in sales. Our results show that while all six educational approaches raise students’ perceptions and interest in a selling career, the utilization of experienced salespeople to present classroom materials and to discuss their sales career was the most effective. Classroom lecture and role-plays by university sales students had the second highest intent to pursue intervention scores. We offer recommendations for how to best present sales material to these large, lecture-based courses.
Effect of the order of the finite element and selection of the constrained modes in deformable body dynamics

Finite elements with different orders can be used in the analysis of constrained deformable bodies that undergo large rigid body displacements. The constrained mode shapes resulting from the use of finite elements with different orders differ in the way the stiffness of the body bending and extension are defined. The constrained modes also depend on the selection of the boundary conditions. Using the same type of finite element, different sets of boundary conditions lead to different sets of constrained modes. In this investigation, the effect of the order of the element as well as the selection of the constrained mode shapes is examined numerically. To this end, the constant strain three node triangular element and the quadratic six node triangular element are used. The results obtained using the three node triangular element are compared with the higher order six node triangular element. The equations of motion for the three and six node triangular elements are formulated from assumed linear and quadratic displacement fields, respectively. Both assumed displacement fields can describe large rigid body translational and rotational displacements. Consequently, the dynamic formulation presented in this investigation can also be used in the large deformation analysis. Using the finite element displacement field, the mass, stiffness, and inertia invariants of the three and six-node triangular elements are formulated. Standard finite element assembly techniques are used to formulate the differential equations of motion for mechanical systems consisting of interconnected deformable bodies. Using a multibody four bar mechanism, numerical results of the different elements and their respective performance are presented. These results indicate that the three node triangular element does not perform well in bending modes of deformation.
Preparation of donor-sigma-acceptor molecules using arene-ruthenium chemistry.

Several donor-σ acceptor (D-σ-A) molecules with thioalkyl side chains have been prepared by ruthenium-activated nucleophilic aromatic substition (SNAr) reactions. Selective substitution of chloride from cyclopentadienyl(1,4-dichlorobenzene)ruthenium by using piperazine derivatives as nucleophiles is addressed. This selectivity, in combination with further manipulation of the complexes, allows the preparation of unsymmetrically functionalized tetraalkyl-p-phenylenediamine (TAPD) units which are difficult to synthesize by traditional organic SNAr conditions. Phenanthroline-assisted decomplexation of the product arene−RuCp systems under UV irradiation is described.
Effects of Prescribed Fire on Nutrient Pools and Losses from Glades Occurring Within Oak-Hickory Forests of Central Kentucky

Forest openings, also known as glades, arise through a variety of mechanisms including disturbance (fire and blow downs) and local variation in soil or bedrock geology. They are common in many forest types and are often dominated by locally rare herbaceous species. Prescribed burning is increasingly used as a management approach for maintaining glades although little is known about the effects of fire on these habitats. Of particular concern is the potential for nutrient loss during and after fire because glades are often characterized by nutrient-poor soils. We quantitated nutrient losses through combustion and leaching for glade and adjacent forest habitats subjected to a prescribed burn. Our findings suggest that spring burns do not result in appreciable loss of nutrient capital from glades in comparison with those observed in the surrounding forest. Fire resulted in a substantial loss of litter mass (37%) in the forest but no measurable loss in the glade. Nitrogen losses through combustion were significant in the forest and were equivalent to 4.5 years of atmospheric inputs. Fire significantly increased soil nitrate pools in forest but not in glade plots. No detectable increases in nitrogen, phosphorus, or base cation leaching were observed in either forest or glade habitats within 4 months after the burn. These findings suggest that plant and microbial nutrient uptake rapidly reestablish control over leaching losses when burns are conducted at the start of the growing season. Biotic retention minimizes fire impacts on nutrient loss from the ecosystem.
Subaperture testing of a large flat mirror

A variation of the Ritchey-Common configuration was applied to the subaperture testing of a 29-in diameter flat at about 65 degrees oblique incidence in the 12-in collimated beam of a Fizeau interferometer, yielding an elliptical beam footprint spanning the full diameter of the mirror under test. A set of subaperture samples was built up in a 'flower petal' pattern symmetric about the mirror center by in-plane rotation of the mirror in 30-degree increments. A key advantage of this method of sampling over raster methods is that the synthesis of the full surface map is greatly simplified by not having to keep track of individual piston and tilt terms because of the symmetry. An advantage over the Ritchey-Common configuration is that the cavity length can be made much shorter, thus greatly reducing atmospheric effects. The data reduction and surface synthesis processes simply consisted of fitting Zernike polynomial expansions to the (digitized) individual interferograms, subtracting the piston and tilt terms, then applying rotation and scaling transformations to the pupil coordinate grid to map the (circular) pupil surface data into the appropriate elliptical footprints.
Assessing opportunities for diversification—An analytical approach

A company on a diversification exercise is like a man searching for a mate. He can rely on chance meetings and the immediate attractions of visual appeal and hope for love at first sight. But will he enjoy living with her 10 years later? Or he can rely on a computer dating service and search for the perfect match with similar interests and preselected characteristics. But when he meets her, will he be able to stand an evening with her?
The FOUR Score Predicts Outcome in Patients After Traumatic Brain Injury

Background The most widely used and most studied coma score to date is the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), which is used worldwide to assess level of consciousness and predict outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Our aim was to determine whether the Full Outline of UnResponsiveness (FOUR) score is an accurate predictor of outcome in TBI patients and to compare its performance to GCS.
The feasibility of welding irradiated materials

Abstract Helium was implanted into solution-annealed (SA) 316 stainless steel, 20% cold-worked (CW) 316 stainless steel and titanium-modified Primary Candidate Alloy (PCA) through tritium decay to levels ranging from 0.18 to 256 appm. Full penetration welds were then made on helium-doped materials using gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) under fully constrained conditions. Intergranular heat-affected zone (HAZ) cracking was observed in all of the materials containing greater than 1 appm He. Electron microscopy showed that the HAZ cracking originated from the growth and coalescence of grain boundary (GB) helium bubbles. Bubble growth kinetics in the HAZ is explained by stress-enhanced diffusive cavity growth. Results suggest that the propensity for HAZ cracking can be reduced by the pre-existing cold-worked structure and by finely-distributed MC precipitates that refine the distribution of helium bubbles and minimize the flow of vacancies in grain boundaries.
Abstract LB-204: Somatic mutations in DROSHA and DICER1 impair microRNA biogenesis in Wilms tumors

Wilms tumor is the most common pediatric kidney cancer and the fourth most common childhood cancer overall. It is treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, and while most children are cured, survival remains poor in those with advanced-stage disease. Known driver mutations (in WT1 , WTX , and CTNNB1 ) account for only one-third of Wilms tumor cases. To better define the genomic landscape of Wilms tumor, we performed whole-exome sequencing of 44 Wilms tumors. We also sequenced matched germline DNA by whole-exome sequencing (15 cases) or targeted Sanger sequencing (29 cases) to identify somatic mutations. Through this approach, we identified recurrent somatic mutations in MYCN , DROSHA , and DICER1 , which were mutually exclusive with known Wilms tumor mutations in WT1 and CTNNB1 . The ribonucleases DROSHA and DICER1 perform two key steps in the biogenesis of microRNAs (miRNAs), which are ∼22-nt non-coding RNAs that regulate the stability and translation of target mRNAs. DROSHA and DICER1 mutations occurred at or near conserved metal-binding residues in their ribonuclease (RNase) IIIB domains. In vitro processing assays modeling these mutations showed that they partially or completely disrupted the ribonuclease activity of DROSHA and DICER1. In addition, next-generation sequencing of small RNAs in these tumors revealed that the DICER1 mutations preferentially impaired processing of miRNAs derived from the 5′ arm of pre-miRNA hairpins, including the let-7 tumor suppressor miRNA family. Processing of 5′-derived miRNAs is specifically dependent on DICER1 RNase IIIB activity. Although DROSHA -mutant tumors did not exhibit skewed expression of 5′ vs. 3′-derived miRNAs, expression of let-7 and other putative tumor suppressor miRNAs was reduced in these tumors as well. While germline and somatic mutations in DICER1 have been reported in some cancers, this is the first report of recurrent DROSHA mutations in any human tumor type. Moreover, these results suggest that impairment of miRNA processing by somatic mutation of DROSHA and DICER1 defines a novel subclass of Wilms tumor. Citation Format: Dinesh Rakheja, Kenneth S. Chen, Yangjian Liu, Abhay A. Shukla, Sara Hildebrand, Vanessa Schmid, Xiaoyong Sun, Xin Feng, Tsung-Cheng Chang, Shama Khokhar, Nitin J. Karandikar, James S. Malter, Joshua T. Mendell, James F. Amatruda. Somatic mutations in DROSHA and DICER1 impair microRNA biogenesis in Wilms tumors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pediatric Cancer at the Crossroads: Translating Discovery into Improved Outcomes; Nov 3-6, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;74(20 Suppl):Abstract nr A22.
Investigations Of Isotropy In Earth Background Clutter

In addition to the one-dimensional, narrowband infrared data generated by the DARPA Background Mea-surements Program (BMP), collateral two-dimensional visible light data were also obtained. System designs require two-dimensional background models, but in the absence of the requisite data, isotropy has been assumed to exist in the backgrounds, so that the one-dimensional BMP infrared data can be utilized directly. We test the validity of this critical assumption for a variety of background types. The scenes along the aircraft flight paths in several visible light data frames have been scanned and digitized for comparison with the infrared radiance scans. To the extent that the visible light and infrared data correlate along one dimension, the degree of anisotropy measured in the visible light data is inferred to apply to the infrared data also. Sample scenes exhibiting two-dimensional anisotropy are presented.© (1978) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Response of gamma delta T-lymphocytes to heat stress in Bos taurus and Bos indicus crossbred cattle

1. 1. Three experiments were conducted to measure the migration of bovine γδ T-lymphocytes in crossbred Bos taurus and Bos indicus cattle during thermoneutral and hot environmental conditions. In the first experiment γδ T-lymphocytes were initially reduced and then elevated in peripheral blood following heat stress. 2. 2. In experiment 2 skin biopsies were obtained from the tail head on 4 consecutive days to determine the distribution of γδ T-lymphocytes in epithelial tissue. Epithelial γδ T-lymphocytes were increased following heat stress. 3. 3. In experiment 3, crossbred steers showed a reduction in the numbers of circulating γδ T-lymphocytes following heat stress, although the time course of the response was delayed for this group.