cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does Collaborative Learning Influence Persistence to the Second Year of College

The purpose of this study was to determine whether engaging in collaborative learning influences persistence to the 2nd year of college among 2,987 college freshmen at 19 institutions. Considering ...
Bioeffect Dosimetry in Radiation Therapy

Interest in understanding and manipulating time, dose, and fractionation in an attempt to find the “optimal” therapy began on Wednesday, January 29, 1896, less than three months after the discovery of X rays. This was the day that Emil Grubbe initiated the first of several 1-h daily treatments to a Mrs. Rose Lee, who had an advanced carcinoma of the breast. The choice of technique was relatively simple. Grubbe placed the X-ray tube in direct contact with the lesion and treated for the maximum time period he considered reasonable for the comfort of the patient. Since the output of the X-ray tube was so low, it was necessary to deliver multiple daily treatments in order to produce a marked effect. Grubbe had discovered fractionated radiotherapy. It apparently worked to a limited extent, since Grubbe reported marked tumor regression. Little did he realize that he had started a long, tortuous trail in search of the “ideal” treatment technique, a trail which was to take many sudden twists and turns, even on occasions going backwards. We are still on this trail today, although, hopefully, we are progressing mainly in a forward direction.
A novel use of light guides and wavelength shifting plates for the detection of scintillation photons in large liquid argon detectors

Abstract Scintillation light generated as charged particles traverse large liquid argon detectors adds valuable information to studies of weakly-interacting particles. This paper uses both laboratory measurements and cosmic ray data from the Blanche dewar facility at Fermilab to characterize the efficiency of the photon detector technology developed at Indiana University for the single phase far detector of DUNE. The efficiency of this technology was found to be 0.48% at the readout end when the detector components were characterized with laboratory measurements. A second determination of the efficiency using cosmic ray tracks is in reasonable agreement with the laboratory determination. The agreement of these two efficiency determinations supports the result that minimum ionizing muons generate N p h o t = 40,000 photons/MeV as they cross the LAr volume.
Some Homotopy and Shape Calculations for C*-Algbbras

Suppose that a C*-algebra A is isomorphic to the direct limit \(\underrightarrow {\lim }\,\text{A}_\text{n} \) An of a system of C*-algebra and injections $$\text{A}_\text{1} \xrightarrow{{\varphi _1 }}\text{A}_\text{2} \xrightarrow{{\varphi _2 }} \ldots \ldots $$ (1.1) The goal of shape theory |EK1| is to extract invariants for the C*-algebra A from the homotopy diagram $$\text{A}_\text{1} \xrightarrow{{[\varphi _1 ]}}\text{A}_\text{2} \xrightarrow{{[\varphi _2 ]}} \ldots \ldots $$ (1.2)
Response to “Redesigning Systems of School Accountability”: Addressing Underlying Inequities

As Bae (2018) suggests, one way to fill gaps between a holistic view of student learning and accountability policy implementation is to use multiple measures that reflect diverse perspectives of learning. The purpose of this commentary is to provide a discussion of issues, which need to be considered in order to achieve the desired outcomes of greater equity and transparency through these broader accountability efforts. In this commentary, we address equity issues related to Bae’s argument and propose that taking action regarding existing inequities in terms of access to resources, and including traditionally excluded voices are crucial to ensuring that new accountability systems meet their intended goal of shared responsibility for deeper learning and continuous improvement.
AIDS, Sterile Needles, and Ethnocentrism

A (1986) Institute of Medicine/National Academy of Sciences report concluded that purely medical approaches to combating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or controlling its spread would be insufficient—at least prior to the time that an effective vaccine or treatment could be developed (which appears to be always five years from the time its possibility is discussed). The major ways in which HIV is contracted and spread were well known by the time of that report: Sexual contact with an infected person or exposure to contaminated blood, such as occurs during the sharing of needles or “the works” in illicit intravenous drug use. Specifically, members of both the gay and heterosexual populations who have sex with people who might be infected should use latex condoms, and people injecting drugs intravenously should take great care not to share either the drugs themselves or any equipment that might be contaminated.
Inhomogeneous Quantum Liquids: Many-Body Theory on the Testbench

This contribution reports on recent progress in the development of a uniform picture for non-uniform quantum many-body systems. It is shown how the optimized Hypernetted-Chain (HNC/EL) theory is applied to a number of non-uniform quantum systems of physical interest: Films of 4He atoms adsorbed to a substrate, quantum solids, and electrons in atoms and ions.
The Positive Political Economy of Public Debt: An Empirical Examination of the OECD Postwar Experience

The volume of theoretical literature seeking to explain public-debt accumulation has exploded in recent years as debt crises have emerged in many nations. However, empirical evaluation of political-economy theories has, unfortunately, lagged somewhat that of the standard taxsmoothing/economic-conditions model (0). This paper joins those beginning to redress the imbalance, operationalizing and testing eight political-economy-of-public-debt theories: (1a) an influence and (1b) a veto-actor conception of the political fractionalization, polarization, and delayed stabilization argument, (2) the wealth and age distributions and the inter- and intragenerational transfer functions of debt argument, the (3a) electoral and (3b) partisan political budget-cycles argument, (4) the debt as a commitment device argument, (5) the distributive politics and multiple-constituencies argument, (6) the tax-structure and fiscally-illuded voters argument, and (7) the central bank independence as a debt-financing constraint argument. The evidence strongly supports 0, 1b, 3a, and 6, favoring 1b over 1a unequivocally. Evidence regarding 3b, 5, and 7 is weaker and/or more mixed while 2 and 4 are flatly rejected. For these last five, the results suggest interesting avenues for further theoretical advancement and refinement.
Narrative Persuasion in a New Media Environment: The Impact of Binge-Watching and Second-Screening

The study explored the role of second-screen use and binge-watching in moderating entertainment education (EE) effects. A pretest/posttest experiment of 273 viewers of East Los High measured the ef...
Circulatory, Reticuloendothelial, and Hematopoietic Disorders

Abstract This chapter reviews a wide array of diseases linked loosely by the structure, function, and constituents of the circulatory and immune systems. As with many diseases, but especially with those classified as vascular, the causes of disruption vary appreciably, extending from genetic to infectious etiologies. Hence, while a wide range of conditions are included within this chapter, some, such as osteochondrosis dissicens or hypertrophic osteoarthopathy, could comfortably fit within other disease categories. Furthermore, because of the circulatory link between most of the disorders in this chapter, determining the exact etiology of a particular lesion is often difficult, if not impossible. In paleopathological contexts, rigorous differential diagnosis must be employed, as careful attention to the location and anatomical details of the pathological bone and nearby tissue will be crucial in formulating a diagnosis.
Tierexperimentelle Untersuchungen zur Chlorverarmung des Organismus

An drei Kaninchen wurden Chlorbilanzen in einer normalen Vor- und in einer Diuretinperiode durchgefuhrt und gleichzeitig die Wasser- und Stickstoffeinfuhr in der Nahrung und die Wasser- und Stickstoffausfuhr im Urin bestimmt. In der Diuretinperiode wurden die Chlorbilanzen stark negativ. Wenn sie einen Fehlbetrag von 10–12 mM auf 1 kg Tiergewicht erricht hatten, gingen die Tiere zugrunde. Der Wasserbestand der Tiere verringerte sich nicht, d. h. die Chlorausfuhr fand unabhangig vom Wasserhaushalt statt. Die Stickstoffausfuhr in der Diuretinperiode ubertraf ebenfalls die Einfuhr, wahrend in der Normalperiode die Einfuhr die Ausfuhr ubertraf. Besonders stark uberwog die Ausfuhr, wenn der schon an Chlor verarmte Organismus erneut gezwungen wurde, Chlor herauszugeben. Nach Ausschlus anderer Faktoren, die bekanntermasen den N-Stoffwechsel beeinflussen und einer Steigerung der Nierentatigkeit selbst wurde angenommen, das die vermehrte Chlorauscheidung — als die Giftwirkung des Diuretins — und die Zerstorung von Korpergewebe, deren Ausdruck die vermehrte Stickstoffauscheidung ist, in direkter Beziehung miteinander stehen. Ferner wurde darauf hingewiesen, das die am Tier gewonnenen Ergebnisse gut mit den klinischen Beobachtungen und der Annahme ubereinstimmen, das Chlorarmut mit erhohtem Eiweiszerfall einhergeht.
Microglia: Lifelong patrolling immune cells of the brain

Microglial cells are the predominant parenchymal immune cell of the brain. Recent evidence suggests that like peripheral immune cells, microglia patrol the brain in health and disease. Reviewing these data, we first examine the evidence that microglia invade the brain mesenchyme early in embryonic development, establish residence therein, proliferate and subsequently maintain their numbers throughout life. We, then, summarize established and novel evidence for microglial process surveillance in the healthy and injured brain. Finally, we discuss emerging evidence for microglial cell body dynamics that challenge existing assumptions of their sessile nature. We conclude that microglia are long-lived immune cells that patrol the brain through both cell body and process movements. This recognition has significant implications for neuroimmune interactions throughout the animal lifespan.
The CCP Recovery Game: The Default Auction as a Stag Hunt

In this article, we use game theory to study crisis dynamics at derivatives clearinghouses (CCPs). The mandate to clear standardized derivatives through CCPs has been a pillar of post-crisis reforms. Since the resilience of CCPs is now crucial to financial stability, regulators, academics and practitioners are at work designing an adequate framework for CCP recovery and resolution. So far, however, few have studied the behavior of a CCP’s clearing members during crisis. Doing so requires both a formal economic model and an understanding of the legal and institutional features of CCP default auctions – the latter traditionally the domain of practitioners. Our paper is the first to unite these fields, providing a model that is rigorous and institutionally grounded. We analyze clearing members’ behavior at the auction that follows a clearing member default. We find that the auction works as a “stag hunt” game with two equilibria: a cooperative equilibrium, where clearing members bid boldly and avert crisis, and an uncooperative equilibrium where they bid timidly and the auction fails. The potential for a CCP to reach the uncooperative equilibrium suggests that a key goal of recovery planning should be to tilt clearing members’ incentives towards the socially optimal cooperative equilibrium.
Downsizing for downtown: limb lengths, toe lengths, and scale counts decrease with urbanization in western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis)

Urbanization-induced habitat loss and alteration causes significant challenges for the survival of many species. Identifying how species respond to urbanization can yield insights for the conservation of wildlife, but research on reptiles has been narrowly-focused. We compared morphology among four populations of western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis) to determine whether a common native species affected by urbanization exhibits morphological differences consistent with habitat use. We quantified habitat differences across four sites in Los Angeles County, California, USA that varied in level of urbanization, measured how lizards used microhabitats, and assessed variation in body size, limb length, toe length, and scalation of lizards collected from each site. Urban and suburban populations of fence lizards mostly used human-made substrates while lizards from more natural areas mostly used natural woody substrates. Lizards from the most urban site also exhibited the widest breadth of substrates used, indicating that urban sites might offer more variable microhabitats. Urban lizards had reduced limb lengths and toe lengths consistent with how they used microhabitats and other habitat characteristics (e.g., percent impervious surface cover). Urban lizards also had fewer dorsal scales, which might be associated with changes in ambient temperature (e.g., urban heat island effect), given that lizards with fewer and larger scales typically have reduced evaporative water loss. Our results uniquely differ from past studies on lizard responses to urbanization, indicating that work on diverse taxa is necessary to assess the potential varied pathways of morphological adaptations to urban environments.
Metabolic diseases in Andean paleopathology: Retrospect and prospect

Abstract John Verano’s 1997 synthesis of Andean paleopathology guided two decades of research and was instrumental in establishing modern Andean paleopathology. This paper reviews the current state and new directions in the study of skeletal metabolic disorders in the Central Andean archaeological record. Key historical, ecological, methodological, and contextual issues intersect with the study of metabolic bone diseases in Andean paleopathology. This paper further examines known temporal and spatial distribution of these disorders, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the record of linear enamel hypoplasias, cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, scurvy, and rickets. Many other metabolic bone diseases have yet to be documented such as pellagra, hypophosphatasia, osteomalacia, and mucopolysaccharidosis among others. This work closes with considerations in the search for these undocumented diseases, but such an effort is only one part of new wave of advancements just on the horizon. The study of metabolic diseases in Andean paleopathology can lead the development of more sophisticated approaches to data collection, analysis, and interpretation – especially regarding theoretical interpretations from various bodies of social theory to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis, life history approaches, and phenotypic adaptive plasticity and constraint.
A novel predictive model of intraoperative blood loss in patients undergoing elective lumbar surgery for degenerative pathologies.

Abstract BACKGROUND CONTEXT Intraoperative blood loss (IOBL) is unavoidable during surgery; however, high IOBL is associated with increased morbidity and increased risk for requiring allogenic blood transfusion, itself associated with poorer outcomes. PURPOSE Here we sought to develop and validate a predictive calculator for IOBL that could be used by surgeons to estimate likely blood loss. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Retrospective cohort. PATIENT SAMPLE Series of consecutive patients who underwent elective lumbar spine surgery for degenerative pathologies over a 27-month period at a single tertiary care center. OUTCOME MEASURES Primary outcome was IOBL. Secondary outcome was the occurrence of “major intraoperative bleeding,” defined as IOBL exceeding 1 L. METHODS Charts of included patients were reviewed for medical comorbidities, preoperative laboratory data, surgical plan, and anesthesia records. Univariate linear regressions were performed to find significant predictors of IOBL, which were then subjected to a multivariate analysis to identify the final model. Model training was performed using 70% of the included cohort and external validation was performed using 30% of the cohort. Results of the model were deployed as a freely available online calculator. RESULTS We identified 1,281 patients who met inclusion/exclusion criteria. Mean age was 60±15 years, mean Charlson Comorbidity score was 1.1±1.6, and 51.8% were male. There were no significant differences between the training and validation cohorts with regard to any of the demographic variables or intraoperative variables; tranexamic acid use and surgical invasiveness were also similar in both cohorts. Multivariate analysis identified body mass index (βₙ=7.14; 95% confidence interval [3.15, 11.13]; p CONCLUSION Here we identify and validate a model for predicting IOBL in patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery. The model was a moderately strong predictor of absolute IOBL and was demonstrated to predict the occurrence of major IOBL with a high degree of accuracy. We propose it may have future utility when counseling patients about surgical morbidity and the probability of requiring transfusion.
The Archives Made Me Do It

This paper is a reflection on the power of archives in driving research. Just as much as informants draw the attention of researchers to social patterns, archives do, too. Both archival and ethnographic research depends on the authority of written documents like field notes and official papers—even in the sociology of art. Archives consist mainly of papers about objects and property. I argue that the material turn in my work and the study of logistics as a form of power became important to me because of my archival experience. Sociologists recognize the importance of property as a driver of social relations of power, but they rarely study logistical power. I do, but only because the archives demonstrated its importance.
Running up the Hills – Die Designtransformation der IBM

Seit 2012 durchlauft der IBM-Konzern unter Fuhrung der CEO Virginia „Ginni“ Rometty eine beispiellose Designtransformation, die das gesamte Unternehmen verandert. Der Blick zuruck auf die IBM-Designgeschichte zeigt, dass IBM sich mit der aktuellen Designtransformation auf Werte der Vergangenheit zuruckbesinnt. 1966 verteilte der damalige IBM Chef Thomas Watson Jr. ein Memo an alle Mitarbeitenden mit dem Betreff: „The Design Program – Good Design is good business“. (Unternehmensweites Memo #123 vom 20. Dezember 1966. Vgl. dazu z. B. die Ausfuhrungen bei IBM (o.J.d.)
In patients at high CV risk receiving simvastatin, the Myopathy Risk Score predicted statin-related myopathy.

SOURCE CITATION Hopewell JC, Offer A, Haynes R, et al. Independent risk factors for simvastatin-related myopathy and relevance to different types of muscle symptom. Eur Heart J. 2020;41:3336-42. 32702748.
Matrix compliance permits NF-κB activation to drive therapy resistance in breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are associated with poor survival mediated by treatment resistance. TNBCs are fibrotic, yet little is known regarding how the extracellular matrix (ECM) evolves following therapy and whether it impacts treatment response. Analysis revealed that while primary untreated TNBCs are surrounded by a rigid stromal microenvironment, chemotherapy-resistant residual tumors inhabit a softer niche. TNBC organoid cultures and xenograft studies showed that organoids interacting with soft ECM exhibit striking resistance to chemotherapy, ionizing radiation, and death receptor ligand TRAIL. A stiff ECM enhanced proapoptotic JNK activity to sensitize cells to treatment, whereas a soft ECM promoted treatment resistance by elevating NF-κB activity and compromising JNK activity. Treatment-resistant residual TNBCs residing within soft stroma had elevated activated NF-κB levels, and disengaging NF-κB activity sensitized tumors in a soft matrix to therapy. Thus, the biophysical properties of the ECM modify treatment response, and agents that modulate stiffness-dependent NF-κB or JNK activity could enhance therapeutic efficacy in patients with TNBC.
Renal tubular acidosis and acute kidney injury secondary to cemiplimab

Immune therapies have transformed the landscape of oncology. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are group of medications, which activate T-Cells to fight against cancer cells. Acute tubulointrestitial ne...
Hugin+ neurons provide a link between sleep homeostat and circadian clock neurons.

Sleep is controlled by homeostatic mechanisms, which drive sleep after wakefulness, and a circadian clock, which confers the 24-h rhythm of sleep. These processes interact with each other to control the timing of sleep in a daily cycle as well as following sleep deprivation. However, the mechanisms by which they interact are poorly understood. We show here that hugin+ neurons, previously identified as neurons that function downstream of the clock to regulate rhythms of locomotor activity, are also targets of the sleep homeostat. Sleep deprivation decreases activity of hugin+ neurons, likely to suppress circadian-driven activity during recovery sleep, and ablation of hugin+ neurons promotes sleep increases generated by activation of the homeostatic sleep locus, the dorsal fan-shaped body (dFB). Also, mutations in peptides produced by the hugin+ locus increase recovery sleep following deprivation. Transsynaptic mapping reveals that hugin+ neurons feed back onto central clock neurons, which also show decreased activity upon sleep loss, in a Hugin peptide–dependent fashion. We propose that hugin+ neurons integrate circadian and sleep signals to modulate circadian circuitry and regulate the timing of sleep.
Colloquium 2 Plato on the Good of the City-state in the Republic

This paper argues that in Plato’s utopia the good of the ideal city-state is not identical with the good of the citizens, but it is nevertheless not independent of the good of the citizens. And similarly with the happiness of the city-state and the happiness of the citizens in it, something that can be more clearly seen once the happiness of the city and the happiness of the individual are analyzed in terms of the goods appropriate to each. Plato’s principle of social justice distributes such goods proportionately so as to promote the good of the city as a whole. Popper and others have been mostly correct in criticizing Plato for his severe restrictions of various freedoms, but not correct in claiming that Plato’s ideal city-state is an organic super-entity with a good of its own separate and independent of the good of the citizens.
Cell survival effects of an mTOR-binding protein Tel2 in cardiomyocytes (LB682)

Recent studies including ours suggest that the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is sufficient and necessary to prevent cardiomyocyte (CM) cell death against pathological stresses such as myocardial infarction. We also showed that the expression level of mTOR increases in patients and mice with heart failure. However, a mechanism of regulating mTOR expression in the heart remains unknown. Recent reports showed that telomere maintenance 2 (Tel2) interacts with mTOR and regulates its stability and abundance in other tissues. To assess the role of Tel2 in CMs, we examined whether Tel2 is sufficient to stabilize cardiac mTOR and prevent cell death against hypoxic stress. CM cell line HL-1 cells were transiently overexpressed with Tel2 and then subjected to 24-hour hypoxia. Cell survival was assessed by morphological changes and Cell Death Detection ELISA (Roche). The necessity of Tel2 was examined by the treatment of CMs with Tel2-specific siRNA. Western blotting showed overexpression of Tel2 increased t...
Diversity in attitudes toward farming and patterns of work among farm women: A regional comparison

Attention to diversity in women's attitudes toward farming and in women's patterns of farm work activity expands our understanding of the linkage between agrarian structure, regional history, and the behavior and values of individual farm women. We combine several disciplinary and methodological approaches to reveal patterns in work and values in a Southern case and then verify the existence of similar patterns in the Midwest. Two divergent conceptions of women's relationship to farm and marital partnership were found in a Georgia study, the agrarian and the industrial, and we explore how they emerged in the context of the political and economic history of the South. We find these marital models are linked today to different patterns of farm work. We then extend the Georgia analysis to a statewide survey of Ohio farm women, where attitudinal diversity is not as marked, due to the stronger agrarian traditions of the Midwest and its distinct political economy. We find similar patterns, however, in Ohio farm women's work and affirm the validity of Carbert's categorization of Rosenfeld's survey items. Attention to diversity in the work patterns, values, and attitudes of farm women highlights that the term “traditional” is a misnomer when applied to Southern women and reinforces the value of multi-disciplinary approaches and regional comparisons.
Thermal Inactivation of Newcastle Disease Virus

The rate of destruction of hemagglutinins and infectivity of Newcastle disease virus was determined over a temperature range of 37.8 to 60 C. From the calculated values of δH and δS, it was concluded that inactivation of the hemagglutinating activity and viral infectivity was due to protein denaturation.
Undertaking data analysis of student outcomes as professional development for teachers

The study reports on collaborations with practitioners to examine the results of students’ performances on high stakes tests as a means to strengthen practitioners’ knowledge of probability and statistics and to empower their conduct of investigations on student performance. Four issues are summarized: the development of their statistical reasoning, their understanding of the meaning of and relationships among the concepts of validity, reliability and fairness as applied to testing, their introduction to the history of testing and its relationship to science, society and cultural inequality, and their reports of independent inquiries. Data on performance on pre- and post-tests demonstrate growth in teacher reasoning and in their professionalism in raising important issues about testing
Effects of phenytoin on cocaine self-administration in humans

The goal of this pilot study was to determine the effects of phenytoin on cocaine self-administration in a human laboratory model. Subjects were randomized to either phenytoin (n=6) or placebo (n=7). Those assigned to phenytoin treatment received a single oral loading dose of 20 mg/kg. The phenytoin and placebo treatment groups did not differ in the number of tokens, valued at $5, exchanged for cocaine. Similarly, the cardiovascular and subjective response to cocaine administration did not show a statistically significant treatment effect. In this laboratory model, phenytoin did not alter either the self-administration or effects of cocaine.
Prurigo nodularis after acupuncture

Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a difficult-to-treat, chronic skin disorder characterized by the eruption of pruritic, hyperkeratotic nodules of the extensor surfaces.1 Here, we describe a patient who presented to our clinic with symptomatic, biopsy-proven PN shortly after acupuncture therapy.
Performance characterization of an active attenuator using two cascaded MOSFETs

The practical performance characteristics of an active voltage attenuator suitable for analog integrated circuit applications are presented. The attenuator has attractive performance characteristics including high input impedance, low power consumption, small circuit area, low noise, low THD, and precisely controllable attenuation ratio over a wide range. It can replace conventional resistor attenuators in many monolithic applications. The analysis, design, and performance of the attenuator and an amplifier employing the attenuator in the feedback loop are discussed. An attenuator which has signal to THD ratio of 61.8 dB at 100 mV input voltage, dynamic range of 75.0 dB at 1% THD, and power consumption of 106 /spl mu/W for an attenuation ratio of 1:10 is readily designable with two transistors smaller than 10/spl times/10 /spl mu/m/sup 2/. Employing the attenuator in the feedback loop of an amplifier of gain 10, the amplifier has a signal to THD ratio of 81.5 dB at 10 mV input voltage and dynamic range of 79.3 dB at 0.168% THD. >
Geomagnetism and induced voltage

Introductory physics laboratories have seen an influx of conceptual integrated science over time in their classrooms with elements of other sciences such as chemistry, biology, Earth science, and astronomy. We describe a laboratory to introduce this development, as it attracts attention to the voltage induced in the human brain as it is initiated by the change in the magnetic flux due to the Earth's magnetic field and movement. This simple and enjoyable experiment will demonstrate how basic concepts in physics and geology can help us think about possible health effects due to the induced voltage.
Hypergeometric integrals and arrangements

Abstract This is an outline of the Aomoto–Gelfand theory of multivariable hypergeometric integrals and Varchenko's formula for the determinant of the period matrix of the hypergeometric pairing. A significant feature of this work is the use of the theory of arrangements of hyperplanes to transform a problem in analysis into one in combinatorics.
A matrix Euclidean algorithm induced by state space realization

An efficient algorithm is developed for determining the greatest common left divisor (GCLD) of two polynomial matrices. Knowing this divisor allows for several immediate applications. In coding theory, a noncatastrophic convolutional encoder can be derived from an arbitrary one. In systems theory, irreducible matrix fraction descriptions of transfer function matrices can be found. In linear algebra, the greatest common divisor can be seen as a basis for a free module generated by the columns of the matrices. The approach taken is based on recent ideas from systems theory. A minimal state space realization is obtained with minimal calculations, and from this the controllability matrix is analyzed to produce the GCLD. It will be shown that the derived algorithm is a natural extension of the Euclidean algorithm to the matrix case.
Normalization of auditory sensory gating in schizophrenic patients after a brief period for sleep

Diminished suppression of the P50 component of the evoked potential following repeated auditory stimuli is one example of a deficit in elementary sensory processing in schizophrenia. Normal subjects suppress the P50 evoked potential to the second of two paired auditory stimuli. Although normal P50 suppression is occasionally observed in schizophrenic patients, it generally disappears with subsequent testing. The object of this experiment was to determine conditions for the reproducible normalization of P50 suppression in schizophrenic patients. After baseline recordings, 12 schizophrenic subjects were allowed to sleep for 10 minutes. The depth of sleep obtained was assessed by electroencephalography (EEG). Normalization of P50 suppression was observed for approximately 3 minutes in all subjects who entered slow wave sleep, but not in those whose EEG records remained desynchronized. Some change was even observed in subjects who had only persistent alpha waves. The amount of normalization was correlated with the deepest stage of sleep reached. Normal control subjects did not show this phenomenon but instead had a transient decrease in sensory gating after waking from sleep. The results suggest that schizophrenic patients may have a defect that causes a neuronal mechanism critical to sensory gating to fail after brief use, although its activity can be transiently restored by a short period of inactivity. A rapidly desensitized neurotransmitter receptor is one possible mechanism of such an effect.
Conference Report: Seventh IUdin Readings, Krasnoiarsk, Siberia, October 9–12, 2012

The article describes a conference held in Krasnoiarsk, Siberia, Russia, October 9–12, 2012, devoted to Russian bibliography, book studies, and the library collections of Gennadii Vasil'evich IUdin (1840–1912).
The use of immune complex vaccines to enhance antibody responses against neutralizing epitopes on HIV-1 envelope gp120

The capacity of immune complexes to augment antibody (Ab) responses is well established. The enhancing effects of immune complexes have been attributed mainly to Fc-mediated adjuvant activity, while the ability of Abs to induce antigenic alterations of specific epitopes as a result of immune complex formation has been less well studied. Previously we have shown that the interaction of anti-CD4-binding site (CD4bs) Abs with HIV-1 gp120 induces conformation changes that lead to enhanced antigenicity and immunogenicity of neutralizing epitopes in the V3 loop. The present study shows that significant increases in the antigenicity of the V3 and C1 regions of gp120 were attained for several subtype B gp120s and a subtype C gp120 upon immune complex formation with the anti-CD4bs monoclonal Ab (mAb) 654-D. Such enhancement was observed with immune complexes made with other anti-CD4bs mAbs and anti-V2 mAbs, but not with anti-C2 mAbs, indicating this activity is determined by antigen specificity of the mAb that formed the immune complex. When immune complexes of gp120(LAI)/654-D and gp120(JRFL)/654-D were tested as immunogens in mice, serum Abs to gp120 and V3 were generated at significantly higher titers than those induced by the respective uncomplexed gp120s. Notably, the anti-V3 Ab responses had distinct fine specificities; gp120(JRFL)/654-D stimulated more cross-reactive anti-V3 Abs than gp120(LAI)/654-D. Neutralizing activities against viruses with heterologous envelope were also detected in sera of mice immunized with gp120(JRFL)/654-D, although the neutralization breadth was still limited. Overall this study shows the potential use of gp120/Ab complexes to augment the immunogenicity of HIV-1 envelope gp120, but further improvements are needed to elicit virus-neutralizing Ab responses with higher potency and breadth.
The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and vascular remodeling.

Cardiac fibrosis can be accompanied initially by diastolic and ultimately by systolic ventricular dysfunction. Clinical and experimental evidence suggests a clear association between such adverse structural remodeling and activation of the circulating renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). Infusion of either of two RAAS effector hormones, angiotensin II and aldosterone, in rats evokes perivascular fibrosis of arteries and arterioles of the heart and kidneys. Additionally, increasing evidence indicates locally produced angiotensin II and aldosterone have important paracrine and autocrine actions that play a role in vascular remodeling. Both angiotensin II and aldosterone receptor antagonists have been shown to attenuate the appearance of cardiac and renal fibrosis.
An electrical and microstructural study of composite films of a carbon black in polyimide

Abstract The electrical and microstructural properties of films of Printex 200 (a carbon black) in polyimide have been studied. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the particles of Printex 200 were roughly spherical. The theory developed by Scarisbrick to predict the resistivity of composite films of spherical conducting particles in an insulator was used to analyze the electrical results. The analysis gave the specific resistivity of the carbon black as 1 x 5 Ωm .
Chemical synthesis of hydroxyapatite/poly(ε-caprolactone) composites

Abstract Hydroxyapatite (Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 )—biodegradable polymer composites as bone replacement scaffolds were synthesized by a colloidal non-aqueous precipitation technique at room temperature. The starting materials used for synthesizing hydroxyapatite (HA) were Ca(NO 3 ) 2 ·4H 2 O and H 3 PO 4 with a Ca/P ratio of 1.67 while poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) was used as the biodegradable polymer. The composites were prepared containing up to 34.5 wt.% HA and PCL polymer without any evidence of phase separation. This paper describes, the synthesis and structure of the HA/PCL composites. In addition, the pH changes during precipitation, the yield of the chemical reaction, and the possible existence of any bond between the ceramic and the polymer including the microstructure of the composites were studied. Finally, the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites were investigated. The results of these studies are described and discussed.
Orthogonal polynomials and higher order singular Sturm-Liouville systems

In addition to the classic orthogonal polynomials which satisfy second order differential equations, there are a number of orthogonal polynomials which satisfy differential equations of orders four or six. Like the classic sets, they have distributional weight functions, are the eigenfunctions for certain self-adjoint boundary-value problems, and sometimes are involved with indefinite boundary-value problems. The purpose of this survey is to summarize the work of the last decade and to exhibit the state of the art as it now stands. Of particular interest is the development of the theory of singular Sturm-Liouville systems, which is so necessary in order to describe the boundary-value problems associated with these polynomials.
The plasminogen activator and esterase activities of the two forms of urokinase.

Abstract High and low mol. wt. urokinase (UK) purified to homogeneity by affinity chromatography, and partially purified commercial preparations with varying ratios of high to low mol. wt. forms were assayed for plasminogen activator activity by: physiologic clot lysis time using varying amounts of native and degraded plasminogen; plasminogen activator activity by protamine assay; and esterase activity on the synthetic peptide ester N-Ac-Gly-Lys-O-Me (AGLMe); as well as by active-site titration using p-nitrophenyl-p′-guanidino-benzoate (NPGB). The molar activity of both high and low mol. wt. UK by the three rate assays was about 1 × 10 13 IU/mole active site and was not affected by molecular size or low mol. wt. impurities. Depending on the particular UK preparation and the type of plasminogen, one or more impurities may affect the fibrinolytic assay at limiting substrate concentrations. Gel filtration or affinity chromatography abolishes the effect. NPGB titration provides another rapid and simple means of estimating UK activity and relating all three rate assays to molar activities. Correlation of the results of protamine and AGLMe assays with those of the fibrinolytic assays was generally good, except for the tissue culture UK which showed at least 25% higher values by both the protamine and AGLMe assays. The protamine assay proved a useful alternative to fibrinolytic and synthetic substrate.
Transmission electron microscopy as a tool to image bioinorganic nanohybrids: the case of phage-gold nanocomposites.

In recent years, bioinorganic nanohybrids composed of biological macromolecules and functional inorganic nanomaterials have revealed many unique properties that show promise for the future. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a popular and relatively simple tool that can offer a direct visualization of the nanomaterials with high resolutions. When TEM is applied to visualize bioinorganic nanohybrids, a treatment of negative staining is necessary due to the presence of biological molecules in the nanohybrids except for those with densely packed inorganic materials. However, the conventional negative-staining procedure for regular biological samples cannot be directly applied to such bioinorganic nanohybrids. To image a specific bioinorganic nanohybrid, negative-staining factors such as negative stain type, working pH, staining time, and drying method, should be identified. Currently, no detailed studies have been done to investigate how to adjust negative-staining factors based on specific bioinorganic nanohybrids. In this study, bacteriophage-gold nanoparticle hybrids were chosen as a model to systematically study the effects of each factor on the negative staining of the nanohybrids. The best staining conditions for gold nanoparticle-phage nanohybrids were obtained and the effects of each factor on the negative staining of general nanohybrids were discussed. This work indicates that with proper staining it is possible to use TEM to visualize directly both biological and inorganic components without introducing any artifact. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Skin conductance, heart rate, and attention to the environment in two stressful situations

Physiological and behavioral responses to two stressful situations were studied in the context of an experiment on affiliation, Male Ss were threatened with either the prospect of electric shock or the prospect of sucking on infantile oral objects. The threat of shock was associated with an increase in both skin conductance and heart rate and in a decrease in looking around the room. The threat of sucking on infantile objects was associated with an increase in skin conductance, heart-rate deceleration, and an increase in the duration of looking around the room.
A meta-analysis of single subject design writing intervention research.

There is considerable concern that students do not develop the writing skills needed for school, occupational, or personal success. A frequent explanation for this is that schools do not do a good job of teaching this complex skill. A recent meta-analysis of true- and quasi-experimental writing intervention research (S. Graham & D. Perin, 2007a) addressed this issue by identifying effective instructional writing practices. The current review extends this earlier work by conducting a meta-analysis of single subject design writing intervention studies. The authors located 88 single subject design studies where it was possible to calculate an effect size. They calculated an average effect size for treatments that were tested in 4 or more studies, using a similar outcome measure in each study. This resulted in the identification of 9 writing treatments that were supported as effective. These were strategy instruction for planning/drafting, teaching grammar and usage, goal setting for productivity, strategy instruction for editing, writing with a word processor, reinforcing specific writing outcomes, use of prewriting activities, teaching sentence construction skills, and strategy instruction for paragraph writing.
Mechanisms of perceptual timing: Beat-based or interval-based judgements?

What is the nature of the human timing mechanism for perceptual judgements about short temporal intervals? One possibility is that initial periodic events, such as tones, establish internal beats which continue after the external events and serve as reference points for the perception of subsequent events. A second possibility is that the timer records the intervals produced by events. Later, the stored intervals can be reproduced or compared to other intervals. A study by Schulze (1978) provided evidence favoring beat-based timing. In contrast, our two experiments support an interval theory. The judgements of intervals between tones is not improved when the events are synchronized with internal beats established by the initial intervals. The conflict between the two sets of results may be resolved by the fact that an interval timer can recycle from one interval to the next, thus operating in a beat-like mode. However, a timer of this sort is just as accurate when comparing intervals that are off the beat.
State Regulation of Employee Drug Testing Laboratories

A recent survey by the General Accounting Office reveals that nearly half of the states have no regulation of laboratories thatperform employee drug testing and that only eleven states have specific provisions regulating employee drug testing procedures. Analysis indicates that politically liberal states are more likely to have specific regulatory provisions and that politically conservative states tend to have no regulations at all.
Spontaneous emission and the noise figure of maser amplifiers

Abstract The Nyquist-Johnson formulation of the noise in circuits arising from thermal agitation is applied to circuit elements equivalent to and representing simple resonant absorption, such as occurs in paramagnetic materials or others having r-f line spectra. Such a model for a circuit resistance directly demonstrates the origin of the noise as spontaneous emission by excited particles, in complete analogy to black body radiation in free space. Extension of the conventional theorem to the domain of negative resistances at negative temperatures, as encountered in Maser amplifiers, is valid under circumstances of practical significance. Amplifiers of small noise figure can be made for frequencies ν such that hν kT 0 , where T 0 is the effective temperature of the signal source, is not large compared to unity. For example, an amplifier of high gain and noise figure less than 2 can be built if use is made of a medium describable by a negative effective temperature smaller, in absolute value, than T 0 .
A supplementary behavioral program to improve deficient reading performance.

A behavioral program was designed to deal with certain skill and attentional problems of a group of below-grade-level readers. Fourteen 7–12-year-old problem readers were already enrolled in an on-campus behavioral tutoring program. From This group, seven Ss (experimental group) were placed into the supplementary program, which basically consisted of a point system to reward attention to and identification of letter and word combinations. The remaining seven problem readers (yoked-control group) were given the same materials but without a specific task or reinforcement. After seven to ten 30-minute sessions over a 7-week period, the experimental group had improved significantly more than had the control group, based on a comparison of standardized reading test scores.
The Two Most Useful Approaches to Estimating Criterion‐Referenced Test Reliability in a Single Test Administration

In criterion-referenced tests (CRTs), the traditional measures of reliability used in norm-referenced tests (NRTs) have often proved problematic because of NRT assumptions of one underlying ability or competency and of variance in the distribution of scores. CRTs, by contrast, are likely to be created when mastery of the skill or knowledge by all or most all test takers is expected and thus little variation in the scores is expected. A comprehensive CRT often measures a number of discrete tasks that may not represent a single unifying ability or competence. Hence, CRTs theoretically violate the two most essential assumptions of classic NRT re liability theory and they have traditionally required the logistical problems of multiple test administrations to the same test takers to estimate reliability. A review of the literature categorizes approaches to reliability for CRTs into two classes: estimates sensitive to all measures of error and estimates of consistency in test outcome. For single test administration of CRTs Livingston's k2is recommended for estimating all measures of error, Sc is proposed for estimates of consistency in test outcome. Both approaches compared using data from a CRT exam and recommendations for interpretation and use are proposed.