cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Time-Finite Element Method for the Constrained Dynamics of a Rigid Body

Currently, there is a renewed interest in the study of multi-body-dynamics and its application in many fields of engineering. The mathematical model of a rigid body is useful whenever the overall motion, involving large rigid rotation, is of interest. The nonlinear dynamic equations of motion, in their explicit form, appear quite complex due to the expression for the absolute accelerations.
Uptake and Metabolism of Dietary Proanthocyanidins

Proanthocyanidins, abundant dietary polyphenols made of oligomers and polymers of (epi)catechin units, have strong antioxidant activity and may contribute to reductions in chronic diseases in humans, although their oral bioavailability is incompletely defined. To define pharmacological and toxicological properties of these compounds, there has been considerable interest in the bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of proanthocyanidins present in the diet. Based on LC-MS/MS analysis, we and others have shown that unconjugated proanthocyanidins up to trimers are bioavailable in both plasma and urine after oral feeding of proanthocyanidin-rich extracts. While proanthocyanidin dimer B2 is rapidly absorbed into human plasma as early as 30 minutes after consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa, the highest plasma concentration of the compound by 2 hours is very low (41±4 nM). However, after oral administration of [14C] proanthocyanidin B2 to rats, about 60% of the 14C-dose was recovered in the urine within 4 days, suggesting that much of proanthocyanidins administrated orally is degraded by the gut microbiota before absorption. Taken together, the major portion of proanthocyanidins undergo bacterial metabolism in the gut leading to phenolic acids and therefore they may be responsible for health beneficial effects of proanthocyanidins.
The Mean Upper-Layer Flow in the Central Gulf of Mexico by a New Method

AbstractPrevious studies have found a puzzling disagreement between two large datasets and the results of numerical models in the central Gulf of Mexico. The observations suggest an upper-layer mean flow to the west of order 10 cm s−1, while the numerical models find no such mean flow. A new technique is used here, using 23 yr of satellite-derived sea surface height data, to estimate the mean flow. This third, independent set of data yields the same westward flow found in previous studies. These findings require that there be sinking in the western Gulf. The details of the return flow remain an intriguing problem.
Legal Concerns When Considering Social Media Data in Selection

This chapter examines the current state of the law in the United States on the use of social media data in the employee selection process. We begin by reviewing existing legal protections that could be violated when organizations use social media data, and we discuss recent case law involving social media and selection. We highlight various federal laws that have been used by the courts in social media selection cases, and we examine state laws that ban employers from asking applicants to provide social media user names and passwords as a condition of employment. We then review three examples of laws in other countries that could impact the use of social media data in selection both practically and legally. We conclude by suggesting practical guidelines for employers in their use of social media data in selection.
Genome-wide quantification of rare somatic mutations in normal human tissues using massively parallel sequencing

We present the bottleneck sequencing system (BotSeqS), a next-generation sequencing method that simultaneously quantifies rare somatic point mutations across the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. BotSeqS combines molecular barcoding with a simple dilution step immediately before library amplification. We use BotSeqS to show age- and tissue-dependent accumulations of rare mutations and demonstrate that somatic mutational burden in normal human tissues can vary by several orders of magnitude, depending on biologic and environmental factors. We further show major differences between the mutational patterns of the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes in normal tissues. Lastly, the mutation spectra of normal tissues were different from each other, but similar to those of the cancers that arose in them. This technology can provide insights into the number and nature of genetic alterations in normal tissues and can be used to address a variety of fundamental questions about the genomes of diseased tissues.
Relating interaural difference sensitivities for several parameters measured in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners

Just-noticeable differences (JNDs) in interaural time delay (ITD), interaural level difference (ILD), and interaural cross-correlation (ICC) were measured with low- and high-frequency noise bands over multiple sessions for 10 normal-hearing (NH) and 11 hearing-impaired (HI) listeners. Individual subject thresholds tended to improve with training then stabilize. Measured JNDs varied over these experienced listeners, for both subject groups and all tasks. Group JNDs were seldom predictable from hearing level. Individual listeners' JNDs were highly correlated across frequency for each task and group, except for ICC in the HI listeners. Further, ITD JNDs almost always significantly correlated with ILD JNDs within a group. Finally, although the ICC JNDs always significantly correlated with the ITD or ILD JNDs for the NH listeners, they often did not for the HI listeners. These findings suggest that little information about binaural sensitivity is added for NH listeners with multiple ITD, ILD, and ICC measures. For HI listeners, however, while ITD and ILD measures are well correlated, information is added with ICC measures. In general, the results suggest that less information is added with JND measures for NH listeners (15 significant correlations) than for HI listeners (six significant correlations).
Potential Therapeutic Strategies for Hypertension-Exacerbated Cardiotoxicity of Anticancer Drugs

Despite their recognized cardiotoxic effects, anthracyclines remain an essential component in many anticancer regimens due to their superior antitumor efficacy. Epidemiologic data revealed that about one-third of cancer patients have hypertension, which is the most common comorbidity in cancer registries. The purpose of this review is to assess whether anthracycline chemotherapy exacerbates cardiotoxicity in patients with hypertension. A link between hypertension comorbidity and anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (AIC) was first suggested in 1979. Subsequent preclinical and clinical studies have supported the notion that hypertension is a major risk factor for AIC, along with the cumulative anthracycline dosage. There are several common or overlapping pathological mechanisms in AIC and hypertension, such as oxidative stress. Current evidence supports the utility of cardioprotective modalities as adjunct treatment prior to and during anthracycline chemotherapy. Several promising cardioprotective approaches against AIC pathologies include dexrazoxane, early hypertension management, and dietary supplementation of nitrate with beetroot juice or other medicinal botanical derivatives (e.g., visnagin and Danshen), which have both antihypertensive and anti-AIC properties. Future research is warranted to further elucidate the mechanisms of hypertension and AIC comorbidity and to conduct well-controlled clinical trials for identifying effective clinical strategies to improve long-term prognoses in this subgroup of cancer patients.
EyeSLAM: Real-time simultaneous localization and mapping of retinal vessels during intraocular microsurgery.

Background Fast and accurate mapping and localization of the retinal vasculature is critical to increasing the effectiveness and clinical utility of robot-assisted intraocular microsurgery such as laser photocoagulation and retinal vessel cannulation. Methods The proposed EyeSLAM algorithm delivers 30 Hz real-time simultaneous localization and mapping of the human retina and vasculature during intraocular surgery, combining fast vessel detection with 2D scan-matching techniques to build and localize a probabilistic map of the vasculature. Results In the harsh imaging environment of retinal surgery with high magnification, quick shaky motions, textureless retina background, variable lighting and tool occlusion, EyeSLAM can map 75% of the vessels within two seconds of initialization and localize the retina in real time with a root mean squared (RMS) error of under 5.0 pixels (translation) and 1° (rotation). Conclusions EyeSLAM robustly provides retinal maps and registration that enable intelligent surgical micromanipulators to aid surgeons in simulated retinal vessel tracing and photocoagulation tasks.
Creep of Al-Cu alloys during age hardening

High-purity polycrystalline alloys of aluminum with 1 to 4 pct Cu were tested in creep over a temperature range of 200° to 540°C. Hardness, X-ray, and tensile data supplemented the creep results. Starting with alloys in the quenched, single-phase condition, creep tests were performed both within the single-phase and two-phase region of the equilibrium diagram. Aging under stress was initiated by enclosing the specimen with the hot furnace at the same time that the load was applied. The effects of aging on the minimum creep rate were determined by comparison of two types of creep curves; 1) the curves obtained when creep is accompanied by aging, and 2) the curves obtained under identical circumstances but without aging. The first curves were determined experimentally, while the second were obtained by extrapolation of the high-temperature single-phase creep data into the two-phase field. At the intermediate stresses, precipitation resulted in stronger alloys. Inversions in the relative strengths of the two-phase and single-phase alloys were predicted at the higher and lower stresses, whereby the single-phase alloys became stronger than the two-phase alloys. Low stress (high temperature) inversions have been reported by other investigators.
The Evolving Collaborative Relationship between Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRNs) and Clinical and Translational Science Awardees (CTSAs)

Purpose Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs) and Practice-based Research Networks (PBRNs) have complementary missions. We replicated a 2008 survey of CTSA-PBRN leaders to understand how organizational relationships have evolved. Methods We surveyed 60 CTSA community engagement (CE) Directors and 135 PBRN Directors and analyzed data using between and within-group comparisons. Results Forty-three percent of CTSA CE Directors (26/60) and forty-two percent of PBRN Directors (57/135) responded. Quantitative responses revealed growing alignment between CTSA/PBRN perceptions, with a few areas of discordance. CE Directors noted declining financial support for PBRNs. PBRN Directors identified greater CTSA effectiveness in PBRN engagement, consultation, and collaborative grant submissions. Qualitative data revealed divergent experiences across CTSA/PBRN programs. Conclusions Relationships between CTSAs and PBRNs are maturing; for some that means strengthening and for others a growing vulnerability. Findings suggest a mutual opportunity for PBRNs and CTSAs around applied research. Studies to characterize exemplar CTSA-PBRN collaborations are needed.
On Groups Satisfying the Golod—Shafarevich Condition

In [2], E. S. Golod and I.R. Shafarevich found a sufficient condition for a pro-p Groups presented by generators and relators to be infinite. In the same volume of Izvestia, this criterion was applied to the solution of two outstanding problems: the construction of an infinite tower of class fields (by I. R. Shafarevich) and the construction of a counterexample to the General Burnside Problem (by E. S. Golod).
Management of Recurrent and Metastatic Sarcoma

Even following optimal local therapy of soft-tissue sarcomas, about half of all patients will experience treatment failure and ultimately succumb. The recurrence may be local/regional or at distant metastatic sites, but either problem will often require a therapeutic effort to achieve patient comfort. These patterns of treatment failure will be addressed individually.
Design of Simple DC Resistance Thermometer Bridges for Wide Range Temperature Control

This paper is concerned with the design of simple resistance thermometer bridges for the control of temperature over very wide ranges.
Determination of the iodine value of oils and fats: summary of collaborative study

Two collaborative studies were conducted using the Wijs method for determining the iodine value in a wide range of vegetable and animal oils and fats. The results obtained when using carbon tetrachloride were compared to those obtained when using a substitute solvent mixture of cyclohexane and glacial acetic acid. The values reported for the iodine values indicate that the cyclohexane and acetic acid mixture can be used in place of carbon tetrachloride without loss of precision. The method has been adopted first action by AOAC INTERNATIONAL as an IUPAC/AOCS/AOAC method.
Effects of gases on E-glass fibers

The effects of selected gases such as water vapor and CF^ on E-glass fibers at high and low temperature were investigated. Fine E-glass fibers (3.5-5.8 wm diameter) drawn in these atmospheres were aged in a controlled humidity atmosphere (36% R.H.) for certain periods of time from one-half day up to 30 days and the tensile strengths were measured. Losses of strengths of fibers drawn in both high humidity and CF^ atmosphere were observed. The initial strength of E-glass fibers fluorinated bv CF. in the drawing atmosphere was lower than that for 4 fibers drawn in humidity atmospheres. However, the fibers drawn in the CF^ atmosphere showed greater resistance to attack by water during aging in a humid atmosphere.
Automatic Clustering in Large Sets of Time Series

To study large sets of interacting time series, we combine spectral analysis of graph Laplacians with simulated annealing to automatically generate optimized clustering of time series, by minimization of cost functions characterizing clustering quality. We apply these techniques to evaluation of connectivity between cortex regions, via analysis of cortex activity recordings by sequences of 3-dimensional fMRI images.
Elysium: RNA-seq Alignment in the Cloud

RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) is currently the leading technology for genome-wide transcript quantification. Mapping the raw reads to transcript and gene level counts can be achieved by a variety of aligners and pipelines. The diversity of processing options reduces interoperability. In addition, the alignment step requires significant computational resources and basic programming knowledge. Elysium enables users of all skill levels to perform a uniform and free RNA-seq alignment in the cloud. The Elysium infrastructure is comprised of four components: A file upload API that enables storage of FASTQ files on Amazon S3 without Amazon credentials; an API to handle the cloud alignment job scheduling for uploaded files; and a graphical user interface (GUI) to provide intuitive access to users that do not have command-line access skills. The Elysium source code is available under the Apache Licence 2.0 on GitHub at: https://github.com/maayanlab/elysium. The service of cloud-based RNA-seq alignment is freely accessible through the Elysium GUI at: http://elysium.cloud.
Interval estimators of relative potency in toxicology and radiation countermeasure studies: comparing methods and experimental designs

ABSTRACTThe relative potency of one agent to another is commonly represented by the ratio of two quantal response parameters; for example, the LD50 of animals receiving a treatment to the LD50 of control animals, where LD50 is the dose of toxin that is lethal to 50% of animals. Though others have considered interval estimators of LD50, here, we extend Bayesian, bootstrap, likelihood ratio, Fieller’s and Wald’s methods to estimate intervals for relative potency in a parallel-line assay context. In addition to comparing their coverage probabilities, we also consider their power in two types of dose designs: one assigning treatment and control the same doses vs. one choosing doses for treatment and control to achieve same lethality targets. We explore these methods in realistic contexts of relative potency of radiation countermeasures. For larger experiments (e.g., ≥100 animals), the methods return similar results regardless of the interval estimation method or experiment design. For smaller experiments (e.g...
Measurement of Real-Time Nitric Oxide (NO) Release from Macrophages, Fibroblasts and Keratinocytes to Direct the Development of Smart Dressings for Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are the leading cause of lower extremity amputation in the United States, and the prognosis after an initial amputation is fairly grim. Many advanced wound healing therapies are currently available for the treatment of DFUs, including growth factor therapy, bioengineered skin substitutes, and autologous platelet solutions. Under current treatment guidelines, these advanced treatments can be used after 4 weeks of non-healing with standard wound care; however, studies have shown that DFU healing times averaged 128 days, even with the use of advanced therapies. A key player in the dysregulation of wound healing is the inappropriate production of nitric oxide (NO). This free radical gas is a potent signaling molecule in many cellular processes and has been reported to be both beneficial and pathological in the same cell populations when delivered at different doses and for different durations. We have developed a novel measurement system that allows the direct, real-time, continuous measurement of NO produced from cells under conventional culturing conditions. We are using this system to specifically elucidate the level of NO produced by macrophages, fibroblasts and keratinocytes and what quantify the temporal production of NO from these cells is under normal and high glucose conditions. Understanding how these cells interact with each other and respond to precisely delivered doses and durations of NO will allow the engineering of smart wound dressings which addresses a significant and growing global health problem. Quantitative data regarding the cellular production of NO under normal and high glucose conditions specifically elucidating real-time NO production, deposition of ECM, protein expression and migration behavior of cells involved in wound healing; will be presented. Our goal is to ultimately achieve wound closure of diabetic foot ulcers in 14-21 days.
A novel mutation in the glucocorticoid receptor gene as a cause of severe glucocorticoid resistance complicated by hypertensive encephalopathy.

Background Glucocorticoid resistance syndrome (GRS) is caused by mutations of the glucocorticoid receptor (coded by the NR3C1 gene) and presents with signs of mineralocorticoid and/or androgen excess. Patient A female patient presented at the age of almost 3 years with hypertensive and hypoglycemic seizure. She was diagnosed with GRS and was treated with antihypertensive medications and dexamethasone. She was later found to have MRI findings of punctuate microinfarcts at the basal ganglia, left thalamus and pons, possibly associated with uncontrolled hypertension. Increase of the dexamethasone dose up to 14 mg/day resulted in sufficient control of her symptoms. Results Two mutations in the NR3C1 gene were identified: a novel mutation in exon 2 (p.E198X), and a previously described mutation in exon 8 (p.R714Q). Conclusion GRS may present with life-threatening complications; this is the first report of hypertensive encephalopathy in association with GRS. Successful management of patients might require high doses of dexamethasone to control blood pressure.
Strategies of a Boring Teacher

There are many different ways to teach well; finding a way that complements one’s personality and reflects one’s talents takes practice, and requires not only reflecting on one’s own teaching, but building a community of colleagues who are engaged in and work on pedagogy. I am not a charismatic lecturer, so the techniques that work best for me are those that encourage students to interact with each other, rather than focus on me. One such technique that I’ve found to be effective is small group exercises. This chapter both discusses in general how to do these and provides an example about negotiating international water treaties that illustrates the difference between commons and directional issues.
More than a cultural experience: Assessing the impact of a medical-surgical international clinical on nursing students' academic performance

Abstract A review of the extant literature suggests that there remains a dearth of evidence regarding the evaluation of well-defined outcomes related to international nursing clinical experiences. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between students' clinical experience (traditional versus international) and a number of academic outcomes including final medical-surgical course grades, performance on relevant Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) proctored exams, and National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) pass rates. A non-experimental design was implemented using retrospective data obtained from a small university in the Midwest. Students complete a medical-surgical clinical in India during the interim of their third semester in the nursing program. Results of the t-tests show a statistically significant difference in final grades for Adult Health II theory when comparing students who completed a traditional clinical (M = 83.1, SD = 3.8) with those who completed an international clinical (M = 81.6, SD = 5.2); t(100) = 2.0, p = .043. The difference in mean scores for traditional clinical students (M = 70.3, SD = 6.6) versus international clinical students (M = 66.2, SD = 7.2) for the Adult Medical-Surgical proctored exam reached statistical significance, t(119) = 4.5, p ≤ .001. In contrast, there was no significant difference in means scores between the two groups with regard to scores on the Comprehensive Predictor proctored exam (traditional clinical, M = 76.1, SD = 5.9; international clinical, M = 75.2, SD = 6.4); t(121) = 1.0, p = .316. Finally, a chi square test of independence found that the relationship between clinical status and performance on NCLEX was not statistically significant, χ2 (1, N = 197) = 0.132, p = .716. Further research is needed to examine the impact of international clinicals on a broader range of outcomes including academic, cultural competency, and clinical performance measures.
Redo Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy for Remnant Cholecystitis

Abstract Introduction: Gallbladder remnant cholecystitis is a known complication of subtotal cholecystectomy, particularly after operative intervention for acute calculous disease. Postcholecystect...
Beyond the dermis—high-risk invasive squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective review

Objective: Most cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCC) are low risk and can be treated with simple excision or ablation. High-risk cSCC require invasive treatment, including radical surgery. We ...
Kinetic modeling of [18F]FES PET in patients with metastatic ER+ breast cancer

547 Introduction: 16α-[18F]-fluoro-17β-estradiol ([18F]FES) is a positron emission tomography (PET) tracer, developed for in vivo visualization of the estrogen receptor (ER). [18F]FES PET appears to be a powerful imaging tool for diagnosis, staging and prediction of response to endocrine therapy. Currently, standardized uptake values (SUV) derived from static [18F]FES PET scans at 60 min post-injection are used for predicting response to endocrine therapy. However, prior to its use in clinical practice validation against the gold standard for quantification (i.e. full kinetic modeling with blood sampling and metabolite correction) is essential. The aim of this study was to describe the optimal kinetic model for the quantification of [18F]FES uptake and to assess the validity of simplified quantitative parameters of [18F]FES uptake in patients with metastatic ER+ breast cancer. Methods: Eight patients with metastatic ER+ breast cancer were included in this prospective study (sub study of a phase I trial: NCT03455270), consisting of a 50-min dynamic [18F]FES PET/CT scan which started directly after intravenous administration of 200 MBq [18F]FES (±15%). Volumes of interest (VOIs) were defined on PET scans for tumor lesions (40% iso-contour of max using the last frames) and aorta ascendens (early frames) for extraction of tumor time-activity curves (TACs) and image derived input functions (IDIFs), respectively. Input functions were corrected for calibration, plasma-to-blood ratio and metabolites (determined with radio-high performance liquid chromatography) using discrete collected venous samples over various time points. Single tissue (1T2k), two-tissue irreversible (2T3k) and -reversible (2T4k) plasma input compartment models, all including a blood volume fraction fit parameters, were evaluated. Tested simplified measures consisted of SUV, tumor to whole-blood and metabolite corrected plasma ratio (TBR) calculated over various time intervals. Results: A total of 52 tumor lesions (bone: 31, lymph nodes: 13, subcutaneous fat: 7, lung: 1,) could be analyzed in all patients. The Akaike criterion and visual analysis of the fits preferred 2T3k model (40% preference). Three lesions from one patient were excluded due to a small k3 rate (<0.02). The net influx rate (2T3k Ki) correlated well with SUV and whole blood and metabolite corrected TBRs at 20-40 min (R2 = 0.77, 0.86, 0.82, respectively) and 30-50 min post-injection (R2 = 0.82, 0.89, 0.85, respectively). Conclusions: The 2T3k model is the most optimal model to describe the kinetics of the [18F]FES tracer in tumor lesions. The simplified measures SUV and TBR can be used for reliably assessing tracer uptake, preferably at the latest evaluated uptake interval. Yet, TBR using whole blood showed highest correlations with full quantitative results. Key words: [18F]FES, PET, estrogen receptor, breast cancer, kinetic modeling
A leitura schmittiana de “Hamlet”: a desmitificação de Hamlet e a hamletização do jurista

Qual e a leitura schmittiana de Hamlet? O presente artigo analisara o texto Hamlet ou Hecuba: a irrupcao do tempo no jogo do drama , de Carl Schmitt, com o objetivo de entender a interpretacao que pelo jurista a tragedia Hamlet , de Shakespeare. Apos explicar as ideias contidas nesse ensaio de Schmitt, segue-se com uma reflexao critica da leitura que o filosofo alemao faz da obra de Shakespeare. Propoe-se que Schmitt busca ressaltar a figura de Claudio e desmitificar a de Hamlet. Com isso, mitifica-se a politica ao mesmo tempo que se desmitifica o direito.
A Transient Metabolic State In Melanoma Persister Cells Mediated By Chemotherapeutic Treatments

ABSTRACT Persister cells are defined as the small fraction of quiescent cells in a bulk cancer cell population that can tolerate unusually high levels of drugs. Persistence is a transient state that poses an important health concern in cancer therapy. The mechanisms associated with persister phenotypes are highly diverse and complex, and many aspects of persister cell physiology remain to be explored. We applied a melanoma cell line and panel of chemotherapeutic agents to show that melanoma persister cells are not necessarily preexisting dormant cells or stem cells; in fact, they may be induced by cancer chemotherapeutics. Our metabolomics analysis and phenotype microarray assays further demonstrated that the levels of Krebs cycle molecules are significantly lower in the melanoma persister subpopulation than in the untreated bulk cell population due to increased utilization rates in persisters. Our data indicate that this observed metabolic remodeling is transient, as the consumption rates of Krebs cycle metabolites are significantly reduced in the progenies of persisters. Given that the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) is more active in the persister subpopulation than in the bulk cancer cell population, we also verified that targeting ETC activity can reduce melanoma persistence. The reported metabolic remodeling feature seems to be a conserved characteristic of melanoma persistence, as it has been observed in various melanoma persister subpopulations derived from a diverse range of chemotherapeutics. Elucidating a global metabolic mechanism that contributes to persister survival and reversible switching will ultimately foster the development of novel cancer therapeutic strategies.
Circuit Techniques for Efficient Acceleration of Deep Neural Network Inference with Analog-AI (Invited)

By performing parallelized multiply-accumulate operations in the analog domain at the location of weight data, crossbar-array "tiles" of analog non-volatile memory (NVM) devices can potentially accelerate the forward-inference of deep neural networks. To be successful, such systems will need to achieve two related but challenging goals. First is the achievement of high neural network classification accuracies, indistinguishable from those achieved with conventional approaches, despite the difficulties of programming NVM devices accurately in the presence of significant device-to-device variability. Towards this first goal, we describe row-wise Phase-Change Memory (PCM) programming schemes for rapid yet accurate weight- programming. The second goal is highly energy-efficient forward- inference of multi-layer neural networks, requiring efficiency in both the massively-parallel analog-AI operations performed at each tile, as well as efficiency in how the resulting neuron-excitation data vectors get conveyed from tile to tile. Towards this second goal, micro-architectural design ideas including source-follower-based readout, array segmentation, and transmit-by- duration are described.
Spin states, bonding and magnetism in mixed valence iron(0)–iron(II) complexes

We report the synthesis of two complexes featuring unsupported Fe–Fe bonds between a diketiminate/dialdiminate-coordinated iron site and a cyclopentadienyl dicarbonyl iron site. Mossbauer spectroscopy, SQUID magnetometry and computational analysis indicate that the most accurate electronic structure description is with the Fe(CO)2Cp site as low spin iron(0), and it acts as a Lewis base toward the high spin iron(II) of the LFe fragment which is a Lewis acid. In both compounds, the three-coordinate high-spin iron(II) site has large zero-field splitting (zfs), up to D = –50 cm–1.
Democratic Militarism: Voting, Wealth, and War

1. Introduction: sources of democratic military aggression 2. Cost distribution and aggressive grand strategy 3. Analyses of public opinion 4. Analyses of arming and war 5. British electoral reform and imperial overstretch 6. Vietnam and the American way of small war 7. Becoming a normal democracy: Israel 8. Conclusion: strategy wears a dollar sign.
Improved Renal Revascularization Outcomes in Pigs Using Stem Cells

The incidence of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) rises as the age of the population increases, and is accompanied with an increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Although the available data are limited and in part conflicting, they suggest renal angioplasty offers no additive benefit for preservation of renal function compared with antihypertensive therapy alone, which establishes the need for new therapeutic interventions in addition to revascularization to avoid consequences of disease progression. The therapeutic potential of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) demonstrated in cardiovascular tissues motivated development of novel treatments in a number of kidney diseases. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a concise overview of the main characteristics of EPC and MSC and to summarize published data regarding their role in renal repair in experimental ARAS.
Medication beliefs mediate the association between medical mistrust and antiretroviral adherence among African Americans living with HIV/AIDS

Medical mistrust is a significant barrier to medication adherence among African Americans living with HIV. In this study 380 African American people receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a southern US city completed computerized measures at a community-based research site. Multiple mediation modeling showed that medical provider mistrust was associated with medication beliefs and ART adherence. Also, medication beliefs predicted adherence. The indirect effects of medical mistrust on adherence via medication beliefs was significant; the indirect effect was significant for medication concerns beliefs, but not medication necessity beliefs. Medication concerns beliefs therefore mediate the association between medical mistrust and ART adherence.
Generalized do-calculus with testable causal assumptions

A primary object of causal reasoning concerns what would happen to a system under certain interventions. Specifically, we are often interested in estimating the probability distribution of some random variables that would result from forcing some other variables to take certain values. The renowned do-calculus (Pearl 1995) gives a set of rules that govern the identification of such post-intervention probabilities in terms of (estimable) pre-intervention probabilities, assuming available a directed acyclic graph (DAG) that represents the underlying causal structure. However, a DAG causal structure is seldom fully testable given preintervention, observational data, since many competing DAG structures are equally compatible with the data. In this paper we extend the do-calculus to cover cases where the available causal information is summarized in a so-called partial ancestral graph (PAG) that represents an equivalence class of DAG structures. The causal assumptions encoded by a PAG are significantly weaker than those encoded by a full-blown DAG causal structure, and are in principle fully testable by observed conditional independence relations.
Instrumentation and Trace Analysis for Ad-Hoc Python Workflows in Cloud Environments

Knowledge of structure is critical to map legacy workflows to environments suitable to run on the cloud. We present a method which characterizes a workflow structure with the execution trace produced by instrumented logging functionality. The method generates the structure of workflows to support their reuse by permitting their transformation into modern execution environments. The method presented in the paper is implemented for Python workflows and demonstrated in the context of several legacy scientific workflows.
Assessing Shona and Ndebele

This chapter deals with first language assessment in two major African languages of Zimbabwe, isiNdebele and chiShona, focusing mainly on assessment and teaching, assessment and learning, and assessment and accountability under the two broad categories of “formative” and “summative” assessment. Given the technological advancements of recent years, the use of technology in assessment is also commented on in the discussion. Starting with a general description of the two languages and how they have been taught over the years, the chapter considers the issue of assessment as it applies to the teaching of isiNdebele and chiShona classes in primary schools, secondary schools, and universities. It concludes by highlighting some challenges and future directions, especially taking into account the many changes that took place in Zimbabwe's education system after Independence and the turbulent economic and political situation that prevailed the country in the last decade. Keywords: Classroom assessment; Language teaching; Southern Africa
A Natural Experiment to Determine the Crowd Effect Upon Home Court Advantage

Spectator effects represent a central concept in (behavioral) sports economics. A thorough understanding of the phenomenon promises to further our understanding as to the nature of performance prod...
Impact of Bioreactor Environment and Recovery Method on the Profile of Bacterial Populations from Water Distribution Systems

Multiple rotating annular reactors were seeded with biofilms flushed from water distribution systems to assess (1) whether biofilms grown in bioreactors are representative of biofilms flushed from the water distribution system in terms of bacterial composition and diversity, and (2) whether the biofilm sampling method affects the population profile of the attached bacterial community. Biofilms were grown in bioreactors until thickness stabilized (9 to 11 weeks) and harvested from reactor coupons by sonication, stomaching, bead-beating, and manual scraping. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA amplicons was used to profile bacterial populations from flushed biofilms seeded into bioreactors as well as biofilms recovered from bioreactor coupons by different methods. β diversity between flushed and reactor biofilms was compared to β diversity between (i) biofilms harvested from different reactors and (ii) biofilms harvested by different methods from the same reactor. These analyses showed that average diversity between flushed and bioreactor biofilms was double the diversity between biofilms from different reactors operated in parallel. The diversity between bioreactors was larger than the diversity associated with different biofilm recovery methods. Compared to other experimental variables, the method used to recover biofilms had a negligible impact on the outcome of water biofilm analyses based on 16S amplicon sequencing. Results from this study show that biofilms grown in reactors over 9 to 11 weeks are not representative models of the microbial populations flushed from a distribution system. Furthermore, the bacterial population profile of biofilms grown in replicate reactors from the same flushed water are likely to diverge. However, four common sampling protocols, which differ with respect to disruption of bacterial cells, provide similar information with respect to the 16S rRNA population profile of the biofilm community.
Cultural Comparison of the United States and China from the Project Manager's Perspective

Knowledge of cultural impacts helps project managers understanding of cultural perspectives of all stakeholders. Since cultural differences can become organizational performance barriers, it is important to consider how cultural dimensions can affect decision making. This paper uses the model developed by Professor Geert Hofstede to make a cultural comparison of the major cultural dimensions that influence how work can be planned and executed in China, as compared to the U.S. Several Chinese cultural norms and value systems are found to be relevant and must be considered when planning project tasks to be performed by Chinese team members. The Chinese Doctrine of Mean (DoM) emphasizes that harmony is “most precious” in relationships and encourages contending parties to compromise. Recent U.S. management practices tend to advocate the use of horizontal organizational structures to facilitate project communications, in contrast to the strong superior-subordinate relationships emphasized by Chinese vertical management structures. Complexity in U.S. projects is handled by forming cross-function integrated product teams (IPTs) so subject matter experts in different disciplines can collaborate. The Chinese culture, in contrast, stresses family and kinship relationships when conducting business. Group members are linked by close personal relationships to work with Chinese organizations. Also, the evaluation of people based on their standing in the family, as opposed to how well they perform, is not consistent with U.S. project management practices. Finally, in the U.S. project managers tend to be task-oriented, rather than boss-oriented. To the Chinese, the most important criterion for evaluating and respecting other people is the person’s hierarchical position. Thus, an obligation to a project manager to complete a task would be a subsidiary consideration. This paper concludes that cultural training may be required to get Chinese team members to overcome these institutional norms and fully participate in project strategy sessions, as well as for task execution. U.S. team members similarly need cultural training to understand the significance of the cultural differences so they can adapt their communication approaches accordingly. By defining the industry standard for conducting project management activities, the Project Management Institute (PMI) is facilitating international adoption of a set of consistent project management methodologies. This makes other countries, such as China, aware of acceptable practices, and even helps them to overcome cultural barriers that interfere with effectively implementing the adopted management processes.
CAN WE MAKE SMART CHOICES BETWEEN OLS AND CONTAMINATED IV METHODS

In the outcomes research and comparative effectiveness research literature, there are strong cautionary tales on the use of instrumental variables (IVs) that may influence the newly initiated to shun this premier tool for casual inference without properly weighing their advantages. It has been recommended that IV methods should be avoided if the instrument is not econometrically perfect. The fact that IVs can produce better results than naive regression, even in nonideal circumstances, remains underappreciated. In this paper, we propose a diagnostic criterion and related software that can be used by an applied researcher to determine the plausible superiority of IV over an ordinary least squares (OLS) estimator, which does not address the endogeneity of a covariate in question. Given a reasonable lower bound for the bias arising out of an OLS estimator, the researcher can use our proposed diagnostic tool to confirm whether the IV at hand can produce a better estimate (i.e., with lower mean square error) of the true effect parameter than the OLS, without knowing the true level of contamination in the IV.
Source scanning holography

Abstract Ultrasonic holograms and optical reconstructions are obtained by scanning either the receiver or the source. The effective “window” through which one views the reconstruction is formed by the scanned aperture. A mathematical analysis is included.
Neoplastic transformation in the planarian: I. Cocarcinogenesis and histopathology.

Although several investigators have reported that exposure to mammalian carcinogens induces abnormal tumorlike growths and teratogenic remodeling in planarians, there is no general agreement that these, or comparable responses in any other invertebrates, model mammalian carcinogenesis. To investigate this question, freshwater planarians of the species Dugesia dorotocephala were exposed to culture water containing an initiator and a promoter, either alone or in combination. Cadmium, a potent carcinogen, was used as an initiator in the protocol. Treatment with sublethal concentrations of cadmium sulfate produced a benign, but persistent, tumor in a small percentage of the planarians. The addition of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a phrobol ester and well-known promoter, to the cadmiumcontaining solutions resulted in the induction of a progressive, potentially lethal, transplantable tumor in a large proportion of the treated flatworms. Light and electron microscopy revealed this particular tumor to be composed both of immature cells and of a single mature cell type: newly differentiated, but transformed, reticular cells. Further examination of the infiltrating tissue formations elucidated the profile of differentiation, from a population of mitotically active transformed stem cells through the transitional stages in the associated reticuloma. These results suggest that (1) the freshwater planarian displays the major phenomenology of mammalian cocarcinogenesis and that (2) the planarian reticuloma models several important features of a neoplastic stem cell disease.
Criterion‐Related Validity of Statistical Operationalizations of Group General Cognitive Ability as a Function of Task Type: Comparing the Mean, Maximum, and Minimum1

The objective of the present study was to investigate the comparative criterion-related validity of different statistical operationalizations of group general cognitive ability (i.e., mean, maximum, and minimum) as a function of task type based on Steiner’s (1966, 1972) task typology. In contrast to recent investigations, we hypothesized that, regardless of task type, the mean of group members’ general cognitive ability would predict group performance as well as or better than other statistical operationalizations of group general cognitive ability. We conducted a laboratory study where 157 four-person groups worked on 4 tasks that conformed to Steiner’s typology (additive, compensatory, conjunctive, and disjunctive). The results indicate that the mean was the strongest predictor of group performance across all 4 task types and, in particular, was significantly stronger than the maximum and minimum on both the disjunctive and conjunctive tasks. Researchers have used different statistical operationalizations (e.g., mean, maximum, and minimum) in investigations of how group general cognitive ability and personality are related to group performance (e.g., Barrick, Stewart, Neubert, & Mount, 1998; Barry & Stewart, 1997; Neuman, Wagner, & Christiansen, 1999; Neuman & Wright, 1999). In these investigations, researchers frequently discuss the importance of task type to the operationalization of group ability. In contrast, ‘Portions ofthe data were collected as part of Bruce Miyashiro’s doctoral dissertation, completed at Texas A&M University and directed by Winfred Arthur. Data for this study were collected when Eric Day was a visiting professor at Ohio State University. Bryan Edwards is now at Tulane University.
Shape-Constrained Estimation Using Nonnegative Splines

We consider the problem of nonparametric estimation of unknown smooth functions in the presence of restrictions on the shape of the estimator and on its support using polynomial splines. We provide a general computational framework that treats these estimation problems in a unified manner, without the limitations of the existing methods. Applications of our approach include computing optimal spline estimators for regression, density estimation, and arrival rate estimation problems in the presence of various shape constraints. Our approach can also handle multiple simultaneous shape constraints. The approach is based on a characterization of nonnegative polynomials that leads to semidefinite programming (SDP) and second-order cone programming (SOCP) formulations of the problems. These formulations extend and generalize a number of previous approaches in the literature, including those with piecewise linear and B-spline estimators. We also consider a simpler approach in which nonnegative splines are approxi...
Associative mediation in paired-associate learning with multiple controls

A paired-associate learning experiment was performed to investigate the effects of associative mediation in second-list learning as compared to the effects of warm-up and other general transfer phenomena. The study also manipulated the kinds of interference present in second-list learning to discover the relative magnitude of mediated interference. The prediction that mediated facilitation per se exists was sutained, and it was discovered that associatively mediated interference can be as potent an interfering process as re-pairing stimuli and responses during second-list learning and more interfering than use of the same stimuli and new responses. The results were taken to support a mediational or multi-stage learning process.