cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The synthesis and butyllithium catalyzed polymerization of 9‐acrylylcarbazole

9-Acrylylcarbazole was synthesized and its polymerization with n-butyllithium studied. It was found that in toluene at temperatures below 0°C. high conversions were realized, but above 0°C. the yields rapidly decreased. The polymers were high melting and insoluble, indicating that stereoregular polymers were formed. Solubility, polymer melt temperature, and infrared studies suggested that the stereoregularity increases with increasing polymerization temperature. Similar polymerizations in tetrahydrofuran produced only nonstereoregular polymers. X-ray diffraction studies indicated a very low degree of crystallinity. Glass transition temperatures and densities of a series of polymers were measured and the results interpreted by assuming that the polymers have stereoregular sequences of differing length and that these sequences affect both chain stiffness and chain packing efficiencies. 9-Acrylcarbazol wurde hergestellt und seine Polymerisation mit n-Butyllithium untersucht. In Toluol werden bei Temperaturen unter 0°C hohe Unsatze erzielt; uber 0°C fallen die Ausbeuten jedoch rasch ab. Die Polymeren besitzen einen hohen Schmelzpunkt und sind unloslich, was darauf hinweist, das stereoregulierte Polymere gebildet werden. Loslichkeit, Schmelzpunkt und IR-Untersuchungen lassen vermuten, das die Stereoregularitat mit steigender Polymerisationstemperatur zunimmt. Polymerisation in Tetrahydrofuran ergibt nur ataktische Polymere. Rontgenographische Untersuchungen zeigen einen sehr geringen Kristallinitatsgrad an. Bei einer Reihe von Polymeren wurden der Glasumwandlungspunkt und die Dichte bestimmt; die Ergebnisse werden unter der Annahme interpretiert, das die Polymeren stereoregulare Sequenzen unterschiedlicher Lange besitzen und das diese Sequenzen die Kettensteifheit und die Packungsdichte beeinflussen.
Langerhans' cell histiocytosis--still an unsolved problem.

(1999). LANGERHANS' CELL HISTIOCYTOSIS - STILL AN UNSOLVED PROBLEM. Pediatric Hematology and Oncology: Vol. 16, No. 6, pp. 489-493.
The status of the name Alysium holtingii C. Agardh, a red alga described from Brazil, and a depiction of the type specimen

The type specimen of the red alga Alysium holtingii C. Agardh, described from Brazil, is located in the Lund Herbarium, and it is depicted for the first time in a publication. It is taxonomically identical to Dichotomaria obtusata (J. Ellis and Solander) Lamarck and thus can be treated as a later taxonomic synonym. Alysium is regarded as congeneric with Dichotomaria.
On the use of packet classes in communication networks to enhance congestion pricing based on marks

This note explores the use of packet classes to enhance Internet congestion pricing based on marks in the framework of Kelly et al. (1997). Two packet classes are used in order to exploit differences in the multidimensional quality-of-service (QoS) requirements within the population of users. Simple scenarios for a link with a finite buffer with and without burstiness are investigated. It is concluded that the use of packet classes provides a margin for error in provisioning and operating a packet network with congestion pricing.
Looking a gift horse in the mouth: the ethics of gift-giving in psychiatry.

The first time a patient offered me a gift was just before Christmas, 6 months into my residency in psychiatry. When she arrived for her weekly psychotherapy hour, she handed me a medium-sized box wrapped with Christmas paper and said, “This is just a little something for you and your family to help celebrate the holiday.” I remember feeling my anxiety level rise as I decided how to respond. Part of this was the usual reaction to finding oneself in a new clinical situation. But I must admit that quite a bit of my anxiety stemmed from the context of my role as a resident under supervision. I had “inherited” this patient from a graduating resident 3 years ahead of me who was in training to become a psychoanalyst. The case had been billed as one of my “psychodynamic psychotherapy” cases; each week following the therapy session I met for an hour with a supervisor, who used the process of the session to help me understand psychoanalytically oriented treatment, paying considerable attention to both transference...
New England Faculty and College Students Differ in Their Views About Evolution, Creationism, Intelligent Design, and Religiosity

Public acceptance of evolution in Northeastern U.S. is the highest nationwide, only 59%. Here, we compare perspectives about evolution, creationism, intelligent design (ID), and religiosity between highly educated New England faculty (n = 244; 90% Ph.D. holders in 40 disciplines at 35 colleges/universities) and college students from public secular (n = 161), private secular (n = 298), and religious (n = 185) institutions: 94/3% of the faculty vs. 64/14% of the students admitted to accepting evolution openly and/or privately, and 82/18% of the faculty vs. 58/42% of the students thought that evolution is definitely true or probably true, respectively. Only 3% of the faculty vs. 23% of the students thought that evolution and creationism are in harmony. Although 92% of faculty and students thought that evolution relies on common ancestry, one in every four faculty and one in every three students did not know that humans are apes; 15% of the faculty vs. 34% of the students believed, incorrectly, that the origin of the human mind cannot be explained by evolution, and 30% of the faculty vs. 72% of the students was Lamarckian (believed in inheritance of acquired traits). Notably, 91% of the faculty was very concerned (64%) or somehow concerned (27%) about the controversy evolution vs creationism vs ID and its implications for science education: 96% of the faculty vs. 72% of the students supported the exclusive teaching of evolution while 4% of the faculty vs. 28% of the students favored equal time to evolution, creationism and ID; 92% of the faculty vs. 52% of the students perceived ID as not scientific and proposed to counter evolution or as doctrine consistent with creationism. Although ≈30% of both faculty and students considered religion to be very important in their lives, and ≈20% admitted to praying daily, the faculty was less religious (Religiosity Index faculty = 0.5 and students = 0.75) and, as expected, more knowledgeable about science (Science Index faculty = 2.27 and students = 1.60) and evolution (Evolution Index faculty = 2.48 and students = 1.65) than the students. Because attitudes toward evolution correlate (1) positively with understanding of science/evolution and (2) negatively with religiosity/political ideology, we conclude that science education combined with vigorous public debate should suffice to increase acceptance of naturalistic rationalism and decrease the negative impact of creationism and ID on society’s evolution literacy.
Early representations of ownership

To navigate a world filled with private property, children must be able to assign ownership information to objects and update that information when appropriate. In this chapter, the authors propose that children include ownership as an attribute of their object representations. Children can learn about ownership attributes either by witnessing owners acting on their property, a visual source, or by receiving information from the testimony of others, a verbal source. The authors consider the differences between these two forms of information and how they might conflict at the representational level, leading to difficulties in learning about ownership.
Learning architectures with enhanced capabilities and easier training

Although discovery of the Error Back Propagation (EBP) learning algorithm was a real breakthrough, this is not only a very slow algorithm, but it also is not capable of training networks with super compact architecture. The most noticeable progress was done with an adaptation of the LM algorithm to neural network training. The LM algorithm is capable of training networks with 100 to 1000 fewer iterations, but the size of the problems are significantly limited. Also, the LM algorithm was adopted primarily for traditional MLP architectures. More recently two new revolutionary concepts were developed: Support Vector Machine and Extreme Learning Machines. They are very fast, but they train only shallow networks with one hidden layer. It was shown that these shallow networks have very limited capabilities. It has already demonstrated much higher capabilities of super compact architectures having 10 to 100 times more processing power than commonly used learning architectures For example, such a shallow MLP architecture with 10 neurons can solve only a Parity-9 problem, but a special deep FCC (Fully Connected Cascade) architecture with the same 10 neurons can solve as large a problem as a Parity-1023. Unfortunately, with the vanishing gradient problem), deep architectures are very difficult to train. By introducing additional connections across layers it was possible to efficiently train deep networks using the powerful NBN algorithm. Our early results show that there is a solution for this difficult problem.
The real difficulty in improving concordance of clinical practice with guidelines

The degree to which patient care is concordant with guidelines is widely used to assess the quality of health care. Compliance with guidelines is very high for certain cancers and procedures but not for others. For example, patients with stage I-III colon cancer routinely undergo bowel resection, with very little variation in rates between regions or institutions (1).
Evidence Law and Ethics Rules

One issue raised, but not resolved, by the recent Restatement of the Law Governing Lawyers is the extent to which state legal ethics codes are 'law.' The reporters for the Restatement refer to the codes as part of the construct of lawyer regulation. But that conceptualization does not answer the question of the extent to which courts should, and do, recognize the codes as having force in litigation. A subset of this issue is the degree to which trial courts, in promulgating or implementing standards of evidence, ought to pay deference to professional rules that cover the same ground as evidentiary principles. The most commonly discussed rules of this type are provisions governing attorney-client confidentiality, which parallel evidentiary privilege principles. Numerous observers have noted the difference in the way courts and bar associations have protected attorney-client secrecy, with most observers concluding that judges and rule-making bar associations simply have different, and inconsistent, visions. If that conclusion is true, it has important ramifications for the legal effect the code provisions should have. This article compares some of the pertinent code provisions to their counterparts in evidence law and considers whether and when judicial and bar standards diverge. It then attempts to identify the possible reasons why, and the significance of those reasons for treating the codes' evidence provisions as law. Ultimately, the reasons for the divergences appear to stem more from the context in which judges and bar associations establish standards than with a difference in normative outlook. Consequently, the decision of whether particular code provisions should influence legal standards necessarily varies, making it impossible to categorically characterize the codes as legal or non-legal in nature.
Abnormalities in hyperpolarized 129Xe magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy in two patients with pulmonary vascular disease

The diagnosis of pulmonary vascular disease (PVD) is usually based on hemodynamic and/or clinical criteria. Noninvasive imaging of the heart and proximal vasculature can also provide useful information. An alternate approach to such criteria in the diagnosis of PVD is to image the vascular abnormalities in the lungs themselves. Hyperpolarized (HP) (129)Xe magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a novel technique for assessing abnormalities in ventilation and gas exchange in the lungs. We applied this technique to two patients for whom there was clinical suspicion of PVD. Two patients who had significant hypoxemia and dyspnea with no significant abnormalities on computed tomography imaging or ventilation-perfusion scan and only mild or borderline pulmonary arterial hypertension at catheterization were evaluated. They underwent HP (129)Xe imaging and subsequently had tissue diagnosis obtained from lung pathology. In both patients, HP (129)Xe imaging demonstrated normal ventilation but markedly decreased gas transfer to red blood cells with focal defects on imaging, a pattern distinct from those previously described for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or obstructive lung disease. Pathology on both patients later demonstrated severe PVD. These findings suggest that HP (129)Xe MRI may be useful in the diagnosis of PVD and monitoring response to therapy. Further studies are required to determine its sensitivity and specificity in these settings.
Notes from the Low Vision Gallery

The author describes some experiences as a blind visitor to The Prado in Madrid, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and elsewhere. Key words: blindness, blind museum access, Prado, Museum of Modern Art
Improving Nuclear Security—One Summit at a Time

In the spring of 2016, the United States, will welcome more than fifty world leaders to cap off a series of summits focused on reducing the threat of nuclear terrorism. Begun by President Obama in 2010, the Nuclear Security Summits (NSS) have repeatedly tested these leaders’ ability to make ambitious national and collective pledges to secure nuclear materials and radiological sources. This article offers a background on the three past NSS, highlights some of the notable achievements of the NSS process, and discusses the remaining difficult tasks that still lie ahead.
Socioeconomic Inequalities in Low Birth Weight in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

Objectives. To compare associations between socioeconomic status and low birth weight across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, countries that share cultural features but differ in terms of public support and health care systems.Methods. Using nationally representative data from the United States (n = 8400), the United Kingdom (n = 12 018), Canada (n = 5350), and Australia (n = 3452) from the early 2000s, we calculated weighted prevalence rates and adjusted odds of low birth weight by income quintile and maternal education.Results. Socioeconomic gradients in low birth weight were apparent in all 4 countries, but the magnitudes and patterns differed across countries. A clear graded association between income quintile and low birth weight was apparent in the United States. The relevant distinction in the United Kingdom appeared to be between low, middle, and high incomes, and the distinction in Canada and Australia appeared to be between mothers in the lowest income quintile and h...
Mimicry in the Butterflies of North America.

Within a few weeks of the hundredth anniversary of Darwin’s birth, and nearly midway between the fiftieth anniversaries of the publication of Natural Selection on July 1 last and the Origin of Species on Nov. 24 next, it seemed to me specially appropriate to select for this address a subject that is closely associated with Darwinian teachings. Although he did not publish it during his lifetime, we now know from his correspondence that Darwin independently originated the interpretation of Mimicry which was afterwards suggested by H. W. Bates. Its development in the mind of the naturalist of the amazons and the rival theory afterwards suggested by Fritz Muller were both of them the direct outcome, in Bates’s case the very speedy outcome, of the Origin . The deep interest which Darwin took in the hypotheses of both naturalists is proved by many a letter in his published correspondence. All this forms a peculiarly fascinating chapter of ancient history, – nevertheless ancient history; but if we desire to choose a subject because of the light it can throw today and is certain to throw tomorrow upon evolution and its causes, there is no study which for promise as well as performance can be set on a higher level than Mimicry.
Analysis of traces of surfactants in water with anion-exchange resin and polymeric adsorbent

Determination of traces of anionic and non-ionic surfactants in water has been based on the quantitative separation of sodium alkylbenzene sulphonate (LAS) from polyoxyethylenealkylphenyl ether (APE) with a weak base anion-exchange resin, and adsorption of APE in filtrate with Amberlite XAD-2 resin. LAS is adsorbed on the anionexchange resin, eluted with hydrochloric acid-methanol and determined spectrophotometrically by methylene blue or UV absorption. APE in the filtrate is adsorbed on XAD-2 resin, eluted with methanol and determined spectrophotometrically by cobalt thiocyanate or UV absorption. Recoveries of surfactants were about 90∼100%. As little as 0.02 ppm can be determined. In a river water sample 0.06 ppm of LAS and 0.05 ppm of APE and in another case, 0.12 ppm of LAS and 0.07 ppm of APE were found.
ED-35PRIMARY SPINAL CORD MELANOMA (PSCM): A CASE REPORT AND LITERATURE REVIEW.

INTRODUCTION: PSCM is exceedingly rare, comprising 1% of all melanomas. Unlike their cutaneous counterparts; the origin and clinical characteristics of these malignancies is poorly characterized. Mutations in GNAQ have been implicated in non-cutaneous melanocytic tumors. We present a case of PSCM and review the literature, with a focus on intramedullary PSCMs. CASE REPORT: A 64-year-old woman presented with patchy dysesthesias in the right leg from L1-S3 followed by weakness in the left lower extremity. Spinal MRI showed a large intramedullary mass at T9-T10. Biopsy confirmed PSCM. Clinical examination and whole-body PET were unremarkable for systemic malignancy. GNAQ mutation analysis pending. METHODS: The patient's clinical, radiographic, and pathologic evaluation led to a detailed exploration of the topic, including a review of the case literature and their references. Cases that met Hayward's criteria and were intramedullary, from the first report in 1906 to the present, were included. REVIEW: 34 cases were consistent with PSCM. 21 (63%) were female. The median age was 62. Symptoms were progressive over months. The median duration of symptoms prior to presentation was 12 months. Survival from the time of presentation varied greatly from <1 month to 13 years, with a median of 12 months. The anatomic distribution was predominantly thoracic (25, 74%), with the remainder of lesions in the cervical spine (9, 26%). A consistent pattern of imaging is evident; almost all tumors demonstrated hyperintensity on T1 weighted imaging. T2 imaging demonstrated more heterogeneous characteristics. CONCLUSION: Presentation of this disease is insidious in nature and presents with months of progressive neurologic deficits. Tumors are typically located in thoracic spine with characteristic imaging findings. GNAQ oncogene testing is pending and may indicate a distinct underlying biology to PSCM compared to cutaneous melanoma. Awareness may encourage surgical intervention, which is often delayed given the high risk of operation.
Spectral and Performance Analysis for the Propagation and Retrieval of Signals from Modulated Chaos Waves Transmitted through Modified von Karman Turbulence

A transfer function formalism is applied to track propagation of modulated chaos waves through modified von Karman phase turbulence; the demodulated signal is examined vis-a-vis performance relative to turbulence strength in comparison with non-chaotic propagation.
Cadmium and Secondary Structure-dependent Function of a Degron in the Pca1p Cadmium Exporter *

Protein turnover is a critical cellular process regulating biochemical pathways and destroying terminally misfolded or damaged proteins. Pca1p, a cadmium exporter in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is rapidly degraded by the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) system via a cis-acting degron that exists at the 250-350 amino acid region of Pca1p and is transferable to other proteins to serve as a degradation signal. Cadmium stabilizes Pca1p in a manner dependent on the degron. This suggested that cadmium-mediated masking of the degron impedes its interaction with the molecular factors involved in the ERAD. The characteristics and mechanisms of action of the degron in Pca1p and most of those in other proteins however remain to be determined. The results presented here indicate that specific cysteine residues in a degron of Pca1p sense cadmium. An unbiased approach selecting non-functional degrons indicated a critical role of hydrophobic amino acids in the degron for its function. A secondary structure modeling predicted the formation of an amphipathic helix. Site-directed mutagenesis confirmed the functional significance of the hydrophobic patch. Last, hydrophobic amino acids in the degron- and cadmium-binding region affected the interaction of Pca1p with the Ssa1p molecular chaperone, which is involved in ERAD. These results reveal the mechanism of action of the degron, which might be useful for the identification and characterization of other degrons.
Sociology at Play, or Truth in the Pleasant Disguise of Illusion 2006 Presidential Address to the Pacific Sociological Association

Teaching sociology can involve the creative use of play, illusion, and truth. Building on ideas of Postman and Weingartner's Teaching as a Subversive Activity and Paolo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, this presidential address illustrates how making meaning out of play, using illusions and myths in courses, and seeking truth through praxis in advocacy research and public sociology can challenge our students to higher levels of critical thinking.
Information Quality in Information Fusion and Decision Making with Applications to Crisis Management

Designing fusion systems for decision support in complex dynamic situations such as crises requires fusion of a large amount of multimedia and multispectral information coming from geographically distributed sources to produce estimates about objects and gain knowledge of the entire domain of interest. Information to be fused and made sense of includes but is not limited to data obtained from physical sensors, surveillance reports, human intelligence reports, operational information, and information obtained from social medial, opportunistic sensors and traditional open sources (internet, radio, TV, etc.). Successful processing of this information may also demand information sharing and dissemination, and action cooperation of multiple stakeholders. Decision making in such environment calls for designing a fusion-based human–machine system characterizing constant information exchange between all nodes of the processing. The quality of decision making strongly depends on the success of being aware of, and compensating for, insufficient information quality at each step of information exchange. Designing the methods of representing and incorporating information quality into such processing is a relatively new and a rather difficult problem. The chapter discusses major challenges and suggests some approaches to address this problem.
The influence of pH and temperature on some physical properties of normal erythrocytes and erythrocytes from patients with hereditary spherocytosis.

Abstract The influence of pH and temperature on the volume and surface area of erythrocytes and the relationship of volume and surface area changes to rheological properties of erythrocytes were studied. Contrary to previous studies, temperature was found to influence the surface area of the membrane and not the volume of cells. pH influenced both the volume of cells and the surface area of the membrane. The effects of pH and temperature on various kinds of osmotic lysis were observed as a means of estimating the surface area of the cell membrane. Changes in surface area to volume relationships altered viscosity and filterability of erythrocytes. The viscosity of normal blood was increased when pH was lowered from 8.0 to 6.8, and the filterability of normal erythrocytes was decreased with similar pH changes. Blood from patients with hereditary spherocytosis showed a greater increase in viscosity and a marked decrease in filterability at the lower pH levels as compared to normal erythrocytes. These differences for hereditary spherocytes suggest that the mechanism of splenic sequestration in hereditary spherocytosis is due to the abnormal rigidity or decreased deformability of the spherocyte at pH's less than 7.4.
Non-LTE time-dependent plasma chemistry model of E-beam NOx remediation from surrogate flue gas mixtures

We have developed a non-equilibrium time-dependent plasma chemistry model to describe NOx remediation from flue gas (82% N2, 6% O2, and 12% CO2) using the NRL Electra e-beam facility. Currently, this is a single shot model, in which the pulse width varies between 70 ns to 1.5 μs and the power deposition vary from 0.005 J/cm3 to 0.5 J/cm3. During the e-beam irradiation, the energetic electrons generate chemically active species, which then react with NOx to form harmless substances. The created plasma strongly deviates from thermodynamic equilibrium: after the beam is terminated a new equilibrium state is established in which the NOx amount have been substantially reduced. The relaxation process is due to a large number of plasmo-chemical reactions and proceeds on a time-scale from nanoseconds to tens of seconds. It was found that short (ns) e-beam pulses are the most efficient for NOx removal. Removal efficiency over 95% NOx with initial concentration of 200–1000 ppm range in a balance of 1.16 atm N2 was achieved [1]. In a simulated flue mixture at 1.2 atm, the initial 100 ppm NOx content has been reduced below the required level of EPA regulations [2]. Additional study is required on NOx reduction at elevated temperatures (> 500 C) and increased water vapor concentration.
13. Post-Symptomatic Intrathecal Infusion of AAV1 Results in Reversal of Storage Lesions Throughout the Brain in the Cat Model of Alpha-Mannnosidosis Leading To Clinical Improvement

Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) are debilitating neurometabolic disorders for which long-term effective therapies have not been developed for most. A critical barrier to progress in the successful treatment of LSDs is an approach that will allow sustained delivery of the missing lysosomal enzyme to the brain in a quantity sufficient to prevent neuropathology. Intrathecal injection of AAVs has been shown to mediate transduction of neuronal and glial cells in the brain and spinal cord of large animals, and it has recently been reported that AAV9 infusion into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of MPS I cats improves histopathological lesions, but no evidence of improvement in clinical signs were reported. We tested the efficacy of post-symptomatic intrathecal delivery of AAV1 to the brain via the cisterna magna in alpha-mannosidosis (AMD) affected cats. Lysosomal alpha-mannosidase (LAMAN) activity in the CSF was consistently above untreated AMD cat control values. The lifespan of the treated cats was significantly extended compared to untreated cats and the onset of clinical symptoms were delayed and reduced in severity. We have previously shown that magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) detects a large peak of accumulated oligosaccharides in the AMD brain of live animals, and it was significantly decreased in the treated cat brains. Post-mortem histopathology showed resolution of lysosomal storage lesions in most regions of the brain, including the cerebral cortex, caudate nucleus, hippocampus, cerebellum and choroid plexus, and LAMAN enzymatic activity was above levels of untreated tissues. Our results demonstrate that a single intrathecal injection of AAV1 expressing feline alpha-mannosidase gene (fMANB) into the CSF was able to mediate widespread neuronal transduction of the brain and meaningful clinical improvement. Thus, intrathecal gene delivery by AAV1 appears to be a viable strategy for a long lasting treatment for the whole brain in AMD and, based on the widespread gene distribution, should be applicable to many of the neurotropic LSDs as well as other neurogenetic disorders.
When Dad Stays Home Too: Paternity Leave, Gender, and Parenting

Drawing from 85 semi-structured interviews with fathers and mothers in three cities (Montreal, Toronto, and Chicago), I argue that when fathers in heterosexual couples experience the transition to parenthood in ways that are structurally comparable to mothers, they come to think about and enact parenting in ways that are more similar to mothers. I consider the specific role played by extended time off immediately after the birth of a child in structuring that experience. By drawing fathers into the daily realities of child care, free of workplace constraints, extended time off provides the space necessary for fathers to develop the parenting skills and sense of responsibility that then allows them to be active co-parents rather than helpers to their female partners. This shift from a manager-helper dynamic to that of coparenting creates the opportunity for the development of a more gender-equitable division of labor.
Modality: Logic, Semantics, Annotation and Machine Learning

Up to rather recently Natural Language Processing has not given much attention to modality. As long as the main task was to determined what a text was about (Information Retrieval) or who the participants in an eventuality were (Information Extraction), this neglect was understandable. With the focus moving to questions of natural language understanding and inferencing as well as to sentiment and opinion analysis, it becomes necessary to distinguish between actual and envisioned eventualities and to draw conclusions about the attitude of the writer or speaker towards the eventualities referred to. This means, i.a., to be able to distinguish ‘John went to Paris’ and ‘John wanted to go to Paris’. To do this one has to calculate the effect of different linguistic operators on the eventuality predication.
Do Gender Differences in Perceived Prototypical Computer Scientists and Engineers Contribute to Gender Gaps in Computer Science and Engineering

Women are vastly underrepresented in the fields of computer science and engineering (CS&E). We examined whether women might view the intellectual characteristics of prototypical individuals in CS&E in more stereotype-consistent ways than men might and, consequently, show less interest in CS&E. We asked 269 U.S. college students (187, 69.5% women) to describe the prototypical computer scientist (Study 1) or engineer (Study 2) through open-ended descriptions as well as through a set of trait ratings. Participants also rated themselves on the same set of traits and rated their similarity to the prototype. Finally, participants in both studies were asked to describe their likelihood of pursuing future college courses and careers in computer science (Study 1) or engineering (Study 2). Across both studies, we found that women offered more stereotype-consistent ratings than did men of the intellectual characteristics of prototypes in CS (Study 1) and engineering (Study 2). Women also perceived themselves as less similar to the prototype than men did. Further, the observed gender differences in prototype perceptions mediated the tendency for women to report lower interest in CS&E fields relative to men. Our work highlights the importance of prototype perceptions for understanding the gender gap in CS&E and suggests avenues for interventions that may increase women’s representation in these vital fields.
A reflecting, steepening, and breaking internal tide in a submarine canyon

Submarine canyons are common features of the coastal ocean. Although they are known to be hotspots of turbulence that enhance diapycnal transport in their stratified waters, the dynamics of canyon mixing processes are poorly understood. Most studies of internal wave dynamics within canyons have focused on a handful of canyons with along-axis slopes less steep than semidiurnal (D2) internal wave characteristics (subcritical). Here, we present the first tidally-resolving observations within a canyon with a steeply sloping axis (supercritical). A process study consisting of two 24-hour shipboard stations and a profiling mooring was conducted in the La Jolla Canyon off the coast of La Jolla, CA. Baroclinic energy flux is oriented up-canyon and decreases from 182 ± 18 W m−1 at the canyon mouth to 46 ± 5 W m−1 near the head. The ratio of horizontal kinetic energy to available potential energy and the observed group speed of each mode are lower than expected for freely propagating D2 internal waves at each station, indicating partial reflection. Harmonic analysis reveals that variance is dominated by the D2 tide. Moving up-canyon, the relative importance of D2 decreases and its higher harmonics are needed to account for a majority of the observed variance, indicating steepening. Steep internal tides cause large isopycnal displacements (∼50 m in 100m water depth) and high strain events. These events coincide with enhanced O(10−7 -10−5 m2 s−3) dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy at mid-depths.
ATTITUDES TOWARD GENETIC COUNSELING AND TESTING IN PATIENTS WITH INHERITED ENDOCRINOPATHIES.

ABSTRACT Objective: Inherited endocrinopathies are rare tumor predisposition syndromes associated with significant morbidity and mortality and have implications for both patients and their families. Prior studies suggest that early diagnosis of inherited endocrinopathies may reduce morbidity and mortality. Although genetic counseling and testing can help inform the appropriate management of at-risk relatives, barriers to care still exist. We explored patient perceptions to identify barriers and promote the uptake of genetic counseling. Methods: An anonymous survey of patients from a multidisciplinary inherited endocrinopathy clinic at a tertiary care, university-based medical center was conducted. Data collected and analyzed included demographics, socioeconomic status, perceived risks, benefits, and both motivating and dissuading factors to genetic counseling and testing. Results: Our study suggests barriers to genetic testing include concerns regarding cost and the potential for discrimination with respe...
Chemical Sensor Based Upon Stress-Induced Changes in the Permeability of a Magnetoelastic Wire

We introduce a chemical sensing technology, named ChIMES (Chemical Identification through Magneto-Elastic Sensing), that can detect a broad range of targets and that has the capability of untethered communication through a metallic or nonmetallic barrier. These features enable many applications in which penetrations into the sampled environment are unwanted or infeasible because of health, safety, or environmental concerns, such as following the decomposition of a dangerous material in a sealed container. The sensing element is passive and consists of a target response material hard-coupled to a magnetoelastic wire. When the response material encounters a target, it expands, imposing mechanical stress on the wire and altering its magnetic permeability. Using a remote excitation-detection coil set, the changes in permeability are observed by switching the magnetic domains in the wire and measuring the modifications in the Faraday voltage as the stress is varied. Sensors with different response materials ca...
Factors Influencing Use of Hormone Therapy for Ductal Carcinoma In Situ: A National Cancer Database Study.

Adjuvant hormonal therapy (HT) reduces breast cancer recurrence risk in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). We assessed national practice patterns and influence of surgery and pathology on HT use in DCIS. Data on DCIS patients diagnosed from 2004 to 2014 were extracted from the National Cancer Database, and patients were classified according to ER status and whether HT was received. Factors associated with HT use were assessed using Chi square tests for univariate analysis and logistic regression for multivariate analysis. Overall, 207,738 patients were evaluable as follows: ER+ (69.3%), ER− (13.7%), and ER unknown (17.0%). Among ER+ DCIS patients, 46.5% received HT, and HT use increased over time (42.3% in 2004 to 50.6% in 2014; p < 0.001). In contrast, 7.8% of ER− DCIS patients received HT, decreasing from 10.7% in 2004 to 5.9% in 2014 (p < 0.001). HT use varied by surgery type (BCS, 53.9%; unilateral mastectomy, 31.5%; and bilateral mastectomy, 8.1%; p < 0.001) and use was higher in BCS patients receiving adjuvant radiation than those not receiving radiation (62.7 vs. 29.1%; p < 0.001). Males treated with BCS were less likely to receive HT than females (43.2 vs. 54.0%; p < 0.001). In the BCS subset, higher use of HT was associated with more recent calendar year, age between 40 and 80 years, female sex, positive progesterone receptor status, and radiation use. Adjuvant HT use in ER+ DCIS has increased over time, with the highest rates in patients treated with BCS and radiation. While inappropriate HT use was observed in ER− and bilateral mastectomy patients, the frequency of use in these categories decreased over time.
Identification of Novel Growth Regulators in Plant Populations Expressing Random Peptides

The use of chemical genomics approaches allows the identification of small molecules that integrate into biological systems, thereby changing discrete processes that influence growth, development, or metabolism. Libraries of chemicals are applied to living systems, and changes in phenotype are observed, potentially leading to the identification of new growth regulators. This work describes an approach that is the nexus of chemical genomics and synthetic biology. Here, each plant in an extensive population synthesizes a unique small peptide arising from a transgene composed of a randomized nucleic acid sequence core flanked by translational start, stop, and cysteine-encoding (for disulfide cyclization) sequences. Ten and 16 amino acid sequences, bearing a core of six and 12 random amino acids, have been synthesized in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants. Populations were screened for phenotypes from the seedling stage through senescence. Dozens of phenotypes were observed in over 2,000 plants analyzed. Ten conspicuous phenotypes were verified through separate transformation and analysis of multiple independent lines. The results indicate that these populations contain sequences that often influence discrete aspects of plant biology. Novel peptides that affect photosynthesis, flowering, and red light response are described. The challenge now is to identify the mechanistic integrations of these peptides into biochemical processes. These populations serve as a new tool to identify small molecules that modulate discrete plant functions that could be produced later in transgenic plants or potentially applied exogenously to impart their effects. These findings could usher in a new generation of agricultural growth regulators, herbicides, or defense compounds.
Zero commitment: commentary on Zwetsloot et al., and Sherratt and Dainty

This paper discusses the literature that shows that declaring a zero vision for everything bad (including unsafe behaviours, incidents, injuries) does not prevent fatalities or major accidents. In ...
Threshold based segmentation method for hyperspectral images

Superpixel algorithms attempt to group contiguous image pixels which are in homogeneous regions into seg-ments(superpixels). For hyperspectral images the pixels contained in a segment must exhibit spectral uniformity, namely they must have similar spectral shapes. Superpixel representation have been used to improve the performance of unmixing algorithms on hyperspectral images. Superpixel algorithms applied to hyperspectral images provide no guarantees on the uniformity inside each segment. The absence of such guarantees requires an over segmentation of the image to maintain spectral variablity. We introduce a graph based agglomerative approach for superpixel segmentation that will provide some basic guarantees on the uniformity inside a segment, which can be used to push the segmentation. We will show that these segmentations with uniformity guarantees can be used to generate mineralogical summaries for images in the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer(CRISM) data-set and the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer(AVIRIS) data set.
Frontline Science: Anti-PD-L1 protects against infection with common bacterial pathogens after burn injury

Burn patients are susceptible to infections due, in part, to immune dysfunction. Upregulation of programmed death-1 (PD-1) receptor on T cells and programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) on myeloid cells contribute to immune dysfunction in nonburn-related sepsis. We hypothesized that PD-1/PDL1 interactions contribute to immune dysfunction after burn injury. To determine the impact of burn injury and infection on PD-L1, PD-1 and costimulatory receptor expression by leukocytes and its relationship to T cell functions. The efficacy of anti-PD-L1 antibody was evaluated in a clinically relevant mouse model of burn injury and bacterial infection. Mice underwent 35% scald burn followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus infection on day 4 postburn. Anti-PD-L1 was administered on day 3 postburn. Numbers and phenotype of leukocytes, plasma cytokine concentrations, bacterial clearance, organ injury, and survival were assessed. Burn injury and infection with P. aeruginosa caused a significant upregulation of PD-L1 on myeloid cells, along with a decrease in T cell numbers and function, significant multiorgan injury, and decreased survival. Treatment with anti-PD-L1 antibody improved bacterial clearance, reduced organ injury, and enhanced survival during Pseudomonas burn wound infection. Furthermore, anti-PD-L1 effectively protected against multiorgan injury, and improved bacterial clearance and survival following systemic S. aureus infection after burn injury. Blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 interactions might represent a viable treatment to improve outcomes among critically ill burn-injured subjects and increased leukocyte PD-L1 expression could serve as a valuable biomarker to select appropriate patients for such treatment.
Hermínio Martins: Memoir of a Colleague

To the best of my recollection, I first met Herminio Martins in a dark, gloomy building not far from the centre of Leeds in late October 1961. This was the building in which the Department of Social Studies was at that time located. This first meeting with Herminio gave me some immediate comfort that I had not left the London School of Economics for the academic ‘sticks’. (I had been constrained to move from London to Leeds for rather private reasons and been encouraged by the offer of a postgraduate scholarship from the University of Leeds.)
China’s long game in techno-nationalism

The passage of China’s national cybersecurity law in June 2017 has been interpreted as an unprecedented impediment to the operation of foreign firms in the country, with its new requirements for data localization, network operators’ cooperation with law enforcement officials, and online content restrictions, among others. Although the law’s scope is indeed broader than that of any previous regulation, the process through which it was drafted and eventually approved bears similarities to three previous cases from the past two decades of Chinese information technology policy-making. In comparing these four cases, we argue that economic concerns have consistently overshadowed claims of national security considerations throughout laws directed at foreign enterprises.
Researchers’ risk-smoothing publication strategies: Is productivity the enemy of impact?

In the quest for balance between research productivity and impact, researchers in science and engineering are often encouraged to adopt a play-it-safe research and publication strategy that allows them to maintain high publication productivity and accelerate their career advancement but may reduce the likelihood of high impact or breakthrough research outcomes. In this paper, we analyze bibliometric data from Scopus and present results for the relationship between publication strategies, publishing productivity and citation-based publication impact for 227 full professors of chemistry and 148 professors of mechanical engineering at ten research-intensive universities in the United States. The results indicate some evidence for the “productivity as the enemy of impact” hypothesis in chemistry, where publishing at the higher margin of productivity leads to a stagnant or declining publication impact. Findings differ for mechanical engineering, where higher publishing productivity consistently leads to higher publication impact. We attribute the differences in findings between the disciplines to a higher propensity for productivity-focused publication strategies in chemistry than in mechanical engineering.
Cell-mediated immune response and stability of intraocular transgene expression after adenovirus-mediated delivery.

Purpose To evaluate the role of cell-mediated immunity in the stability of ocular adenovirus-mediated transgene expression. Methods Adenovirus (4 x 10(6) pfu) containing lacZ (Ad.CMVlacZ) was injected intravitreally or subretinally into one or both eyes of immunocompetent (+/+) and immunocompromised (nu/nu) CD-1 mice. Control eyes received injections of saline. Additional +/+ mice received subretinal injections of Ad.CMVlacZ with coadministration of 200 microg of human immunoglobulin (Ig) G or CTLA4Ig by intraperitoneal, intravitreal, or subretinal injection. The mice were killed at various times after injection, and their eyes were examined histologically and immunohistochemically. Results LacZ expression was extended from 1 week to more than 5 weeks in the corneal endothelium, iris, and trabecular meshwork of nu/nu mice compared with time of expression in +/+ mice when adenovirus was administered intravitreally. In contrast, subretinal injection resulted in only a minimal increase in transgene stability in nu/nu mice compared with that in +/+ mice. Neither systemic nor intraocular administration of IgG or CTLA4Ig affected the stability of lacZ expression in the retina or retinal pigment epithelium after subretinal injection in +/+ mice. Immunoglobulin G and CTLA4Ig enhanced the stability of transgene expression in the trabecular meshwork. Conclusions A T-cell-mediated immune response appears to play a role in the loss of adenovirus-mediated lacZ expression after intravitreal but not after subretinal injection. This result implies that the subretinal space is an immune-privileged site and a favorable site for gene transfer.
The Vicissitudes of Theocracy in Israel

Some peoples have entrusted the supreme political power to monarchies, others to oligarchies, yet others to the masses. Our lawgiver [Moses], however…gave to his constitution the form of what—if a forced expression be permitted—may be termed a “theocracy,” placing all sovereignty and authority in the hands of God. —Josephus Flavius, Against Apion
The Environmental Setting

The purpose of this chapter is to provide the framework of the physical environment that is necessary for the study of East African glaciers. To this end, the gross physiographic structure, large-scale circulation and climate, altitudinal zonation of vegetation and subnival soil forms, and vegetation and lake history, are discussed in particular.
A Novel Ciliate (Ciliophora: Hypotrichida) Isolated from Bathyal Anoxic Sediments

Oxygen-depleted to anoxic regions of marine environments similar to those found in the Cariaco Trench and the deep Black Sea occur globally and have likely persisted throughout the Earth’s history. Such anaerobic environments have no doubt played an important role in the early formation and evolution of the known biosphere. It is likely that eukaryotes originated prior to the formation of an oxygenated atmosphere (Fenchel and Finlay 1995) and that similar extant anoxic environments may still harbor unknown ancestral lineages. Recent rRNA gene-based surveys of modern anoxic habitats have uncovered diverse communities of anaerobic and aerotolerant organisms that include many novel microscopic eukaryotes (e.g., Dawson and Pace 2002; Stoeck et al. 2003).