cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Practice-Teaching Parallel in Educating the Micropractitioner

Social workers have long perceived the worker-client relationship as a dynamic process through which systems change occurs. The interaction between teacher and student in the micropractice classroom also represents a dynamic process for change. Drawing on common precepts from microlevel social work practice, the author examines the parallels in creating a context for change between the worker-client interaction and the teacher-student exchange, and also explores the application of practice skills, knowledge, and techniques in the classroom setting. She concludes that theories, skills, and the techniques for working with clients can be applied to the teaching of students because the dynamics of human change are the same and because, like the dynamic worker-client interaction, the teacher-student relationship is the medium through which active learning takes place.
X-ray microscopy: Beyond ensemble averages

Imaging the dynamics of local phenomena in materials with resolution down to the individual grain level is poised to transform our understanding of material behaviour.
Magnetic, Microplate-Format Plasmid Isolation Protocol for High-Yield, Sequencing-Grade DNA

We have developed a rapid, microplate-format plasmid isolation procedure to purify sequencing-grade DNA templates for high-throughput DNA sequencing operations. A modified lysozyme/boiling method is used to produce a plasmid-containing supernatant that is then purified by iron bead capture. After binding, the beads are pelleted in a magnetic field, washed and the DNA eluted in water. The method yields up to 10 micrograms plasmid DNA from a 1-mL overnight culture in a deep-well microplate. The procedure is suitable for large-scale experiments, amenable to automation and does not require expensive reagents or equipment. The entire protocol can be completed in as little as 2 h, and one technician with a 96-well pipetting station can process up to 48 plates per day. This protocol is ideal for any high-throughput operation in which template quantity, quality and reproducibility are of primary importance.
Abstract W MP86: Improving the Accuracy of the ABC/2 Estimation Technique in Spontaneous Supratentorial Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Introduction: The ABC/2 formula is the most common, rapid, and effective method to estimate intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) volumes. However, ABC/2 overestimates clot volume with increasing error for larger hematomas. We used linear and nonlinear regressions to find if adjusting C, adjusting the denominator, or adjusting both would improve ICH volume estimation. Materials and methods: We assessed the diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scans of 373 patients enrolled in the MISTIE II (N=100) and CLEAR III (N=273) clinical trials using a standard central laboratory ABC/2 technique compared with planimetry volumetric calculations. Linear and nonlinear regressions were used to find optimal adjustments for C and the denominator, both individually and jointly. Results were stratified by study population to determine generality. Results: In MISTIE II (M2) patients, mean hematoma volume was 45.72 ± 27.1 (SD) cm3 using ABC/2 vs. 39.48 ± 19.58 cm3 using planimetry. In CLEAR III (C3) patients, mean hematoma volume wa...
Changes in vasomotor function following mitochondria-targeted antioxidant treatment depend on baseline antioxidant capacity in hypercholesterolemic mice (1076.3)

Reduced antioxidant enzyme activity and subsequent impairments in endothelial function are major contributors to progression of atherosclerosis. We previously reported that endothelium-dependent re...
Message race detection for web services by an SMT-based analysis

The success of the cloud computing initiative is heavily dependent on realizing trustworthy Web Services. The trustworthiness of a Web Service is judged by four factors: security, privacy, reliability and business integrity. Web Services use message-passing for communication which opens the door for messages races. Messages race with each other when their order of arrival at a destination is not guaranteed and is affected non-deterministically by factors such as network latencies and scheduling variations. Message races are dangerous to Web Services because they can be unforeseen consequences of bugs, causing messages to arrive in an unexpected ordering. In this paper we present a novel approach for improving the reliability of Web Services by detecting message races using SMT-based analysis. We model a BPEL process as a Web Service Modeling Graph (WSMG). A WSMG model is then encoded into a set of SMT constraints. The satisfiability of these constraints means that message races will occur during the actual execution of the Web Service. Hence, we reduce the message race detection problem to constraint solving problem based on satisfiability modulo theories (SMT).
PSD95 scaffolding of the Shaker-type K+ channel enables PKA-dependent phosphorylation and vasodilation of cerebral arteries (1057.7)

Postsynaptic density-95 (PSD95) is a membrane-associated scaffolding protein in rat cerebral vascular smooth muscle cells (cVSMC), which associates with voltage-gated, Shaker-type K+ (KV1) channels...
Offenses Involving Morality and Decency

"Offenses Involving Morality and Decency" include consensual sexual acts, including adultery, fornication, prostitution and related offenses, offenses related to obscenity, offenses that take place within the family setting, including bigamy, polygamy, incest, and abortion. Some acts, such as murder, burglary, arson, and theft are so obviously wrong that punishment is provided in practically all societies. There are other acts where there is no consensus regarding punishment. Within this category are offenses designated as offenses against the public health, safety, and morals, or offenses against morality and decency. Today, adultery and fornication statutes are largely anachronistic. The elements of adultery are voluntary sexual intercourse between parties not lawfully married to each other, with at least one of the parties being married to another person. Fornication is voluntary sexual intercourse between unmarried persons.
Divergence Behaviour of the Successive Geometric Mean Method of Pairwise Comparison Matrix Generation for a Multiple Stage, Multiple Objective Optimization Problem

This paper focuses on the divergence behaviour of the successive geometric mean (SGM) method used to generate pairwise comparison matrices while solving a multiple stage, multiple objective (MSMO) optimization problem. The SGM method can be used in the matrix generation phase of our three-phase methodology to obtain pairwise comparison matrix at each stage of an MSMO optimization problem, which can be subsequently used to obtain the weight vector at the corresponding stage. The weight vectors across the stages can be used to convert an MSMO problem into a multiple stage, single objective (MSSO) problem, which can be solved using dynamic programming-based approaches. To obtain a practical set of non-dominated solutions (also referred to as Pareto optimal solutions) to the MSMO optimization problem, it is important to use a solution approach that has the potential to allow for a better exploration of the Pareto optimal solution space. To accomplish a more exhaustive exploration of the Pareto optimal solution space, the weight vectors that are used to scalarize the MSMO optimization problem into its corresponding MSSO optimization problem should vary across the stages. Distinct weight vectors across the stages are tied directly with distinct pairwise comparison matrices across the stages. A pairwise comparison matrix generation method is said to diverge if it can generate distinct pairwise comparison matrices across the stages of an MSMO optimization problem. In this paper, we demonstrate the SGM method's divergence behaviour when the three-phase methodology is used in conjunction with an augmented high-dimensional, continuous-state stochastic dynamic programming method to solve a large-scale MSMO optimization problem. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The legal regime governing transfer of persons in the fight against terrorism

The practice of rendition - the involuntary transfer of an individual across borders without recourse to extradition or deportation proceedings - is not new. Indeed, the practice has been used by governments for more than a century. Famous renditions include that of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann from Argentina to Israel, and terrorist Carlos “the Jackal” (Ilich Ramirez Sanchez) from Sudan to France. Although such renditions have been controversial in human rights circles, they have been celebrated by many as crucial in the fight against impunity for grave crimes and are sometimes called “rendition to justice.”The administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush was criticized for the new practice of “extraordinary rendition” - the transfer of suspects to countries known for the systematic use of torture. U.S. officials at the time defended the practice, relying on justifications developed to support “rendition to justice” and arguing that the practice was legal. Despite these justifications, international human rights bodies and intergovernmental bodies have determined that the extraordinary form of rendition is unlawful under human rights law. Although individuals have faced significant legal hurdles in fighting the practice in the U.S. legal system (most prominently in the form of the state secrets doctrine), there is little doubt among international law experts that extraordinary rendition is prohibited. Despite this clear consensus, there is no similar agreement concerning the practice of informal transfers - renditions of the non-“extraordinary” kind - more generally in the context of counter-terrorism efforts. This article fills the void in the literature by examining the legal norms governing such transfers and setting out a minimum standard that must be upheld whenever a state transfers an individual. As a threshold matter, formal processes for transfer may not be intentionally bypassed and the transferring state must have a valid legal basis for apprehending the individual in contemplation of transfer. Substantive rules protect individuals against transfer to a real risk of: torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; persecution; enforced disappearance; or arbitrary deprivation of life. Procedural rules guarantee the individual the ability to challenge the basis for his or her apprehension/detention in advance of transfer before an independent decision-maker on the grounds provided for in international law. Where diplomatic assurances are used, they must be accompanied by rigorous safeguards including judicial review and effective post-return monitoring by the transferring state.
The Roles of Innovators and Labor in a Schumpeterian Factor Endowments Based Model of Intra-industry Trade

This paper builds a model of Schumpeterian innovation and trade that emphasizes endowments of innovators and labor as a key factor in determining the pattern of trade. The model suggests a strong complementarity between intra-industry and inter-industry trade. The pattern of inter-industry vs intra-industry trade is analyzed using the Grubel–Lloyd index. The theoretical model predicts that the prominence of intra-industry trade is a nonlinear function of the ratio of the proportion of world knowledge domestically generated to the domestic share of the world labor supply. Strong empirical evidence for this key result is presented and implications are discussed.
Altered NMDA receptor function in primary cultures of hippocampal neurons from mice lacking the Homer2 gene

N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptors are inhibited during acute exposure to ethanol and are involved in changes in neuronal plasticity following repeated ethanol exposure. The postsynaptic scaffolding protein Homer2 can regulate the cell surface expression of NMDA receptors in vivo, and mice with a null mutation of the Homer2 gene exhibit an alcohol-avoiding and -intolerant phenotype that is accompanied by a lack of ethanol-induced glutamate sensitization. Thus, Homer2 deletion may perturb the function or acute ethanol sensitivity of the NMDA receptor. In this study, the function and ethanol sensitivity of glutamate receptors in cultured hippocampal neurons from wild-type (WT) and Homer2 knock-out (KO) mice were examined at 7 and 14 days in vitro (DIV) using standard whole-cell voltage-clamp electrophysiology. As compared with wild-type controls, NMDA receptor current density was reduced in cultured hippocampal neurons from Homer2 KO mice at 14 DIV, but not at 7 DIV. There were no genotype-dependent changes in whole-cell capacitance or in currents evoked by kainic acid. The GluN2B-selective antagonist ifenprodil inhibited NMDA-evoked currents to a similar extent in both wild-type and Homer2 KO neurons and inhibition was greater at 7 versus 14 DIV. NMDA receptor currents from both WT and KO mice were inhibited by ethanol (10-100 mM) and the degree of inhibition did not differ as a function of genotype. In conclusion, NMDA receptor function, but not ethanol sensitivity, is reduced in hippocampal neurons lacking the Homer2 gene.
Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract Objective.—Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) is a useful marker in the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (French-American-British [FAB] L1 and L2) and is most useful in distinguishing ALL from mature B-lymphoid neoplasms, such as Burkitt lymphoma (FAB L3) and other lymphoid malignancies. The frequency of TdT-negative ALL is not known. Here we report 3 TdT-negative ALL cases that met the criteria for T-cell ALL. Design.—We reviewed approximately 200 cases of ALL retrieved from the database at our institution. All cases were evaluated using Wright-Giemsa, myeloperoxidase, butyrate, and TdT staining; immunophenotyped using flow cytometry; and studied using Southern blot analyses for T-cell receptors and immunoglobulin gene rearrangement. Results.—All ALL cases (L1 and L2) were TdT-positive, except for 3 cases that were of early T-cell lineage. None of the 3 cases demonstrated positivity for TdT in immunofluorescence staining with polyclonal antibodies or flow cytometry with m...
A novel one-pot palladium-mediated synthesis of N-[(2-hydroxyphenyl)methyl]-N-(4-phenoxy-3-pyridinyl) acetamide, the precursor to [11C]PBR28, a PET biomarker for the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor

Abstract Due to an urgent need to image the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR) in living human subjects using positron emission tomography imaging, we had cause to prepare N-[(2-hydroxyphenyl)methyl]-N-(4-phenoxy-3-pyridinyl) acetamide (desmethyl-PBR28 (1)), the precursor to [11C]PBR28. Herein, we report a new synthesis of the precursor in which palladium-mediated reduction of the nitro pyridine to the corresponding amino pyridine, and subsequent reductive amination, can be achieved with decaborane in a convenient one-pot procedure. This procedure is operationally simpler than the current alternatives and provides high quality precursor suitable for use in clinical applications.
An Improved Carbon Disulfide Emulsion for the Control of Larvae of the Japanese Beetle and Other Insects

A carbon disulfide emulsion has been prepared in which rosin, C. P. sodium hydroxide and U. S. P. oleic acid are used to form the emulsifying agent. In this way variation in the composition of the emulsifying agent is cut to a minimum. At present this emulsion is the one recommended for the treatment of turf and of nursery stock for the control of Japanese beetle larvae. This emulsion has also given good results against the larvae of the Asiatic beetle, Anomaia orientalis Waterh., and of the green June beetle, Cotinus nitida .
Vibrational Spectra and Assignments for Series of Mono- and Dihalonaphthalenes

Infrared and Raman spectra have been measured, and a complete vibrational assignment has been made for the following molecules: α-C10H7X and β-C10H7X where X = F, Cl, Br and I, 2,3-dibromonaphthalene, 2,3-dichloroquinoxaline, 1,4-dichloronaphthalene, and 1,4-dibromonaphthalene. The very low energy in-plane and out-of-plane halogen bending modes for these molecules were identified and assigned based on a comparison and correlation of halogen mass effect, band shapes and intensities, infrared and Raman selection rules, and Raman depolarization data. These vibrations were found to be relatively free from coupling with other vibrational modes of the molecule. The halogen stretching modes, on the other hand, were found to be strongly coupled with naphthalene skeletal modes to the extent that in several compounds no predominant halogen stretching mode could be identified. In several instances, supporting evidence is given which favors a particular assignment of a disputed vibrational assignment in naphthalene.
Wetland plant decomposition under different nutrient conditions: what is more important, litter quality or site quality?

Plants in nutrient poor environments are often characterized by high nutrient resorption resulting in poor litter quality and, consequently, slow decomposition. We used oligotrophic, P-limited herbaceous wetlands of northern Belize as a model system, on which to document and explain how changes in nutrient content along a salinity gradient affect decomposition rates of macrophytes. In 2001 we established a nutrient addition experiment (P, N, and N&P) in 15 marshes of a wide range of water conductivities (200–6000 μS), dominated by Eleocharis spp. To determine what is more important for decomposition, the initial litter quality, or site differences, we used reciprocal litter placement and cellulose decomposition assay in a combined “site quality” and “litter quality” experiment. Our prediction of the positive effects of P-enrichment on decomposition rate due to both the quality of litter and the site was confirmed. The site effect was stronger than the litter quality although both were highly significant. Strong site quality effect was apparently the result of more active decomposer community in P-enriched plots as supported by finding of higher microbial biomass in litter decomposing there. The strong effect of site quality on decomposition was further confirmed by the cellulose assay. The cellulose decomposition was significantly slower at high salinity sites indicating lower decomposer microbial activity. Litter nutrient N and P content and nutrient ratios were well correlated with decomposition with the best fit found for log C/P. At C/P mass ratio of >4000 decomposition processes were extremely slow. We hypothesize that in a long run, the increased decomposition will compensate the increase in primary production resulting from increased nutrient loading and there will be no differences in accumulation of organic material between the controls and nutrient enriched plots.
Helping learners become reflective practitioners.

Context: In too many schools in the health professions, students are given little or no opportunities to reflect systematically on their simulated or real experiences practicing the sk ills they need as clinicians ( e.g. eliciting information and solving problems ). In addition, they are given little or no help in learning the skills that are central to being reflective practitioners. Rationale : Reflecting alone or with the help of educators or others, students and residents can learn to identify and build on their existing knowledge, identify their biases and assumptions, integrate new understandings, and formulate generaliz ations that will enable them to mak e positive changes in what they do in future situations. Put another way, they can derive lessons from their experiences that will enhance their skills and enable them to provide better patient care. When learners reflect aloud on their insights and their strengths and de® ciencies before their teachers give them advice or feedback , learners can mak e their own discoveries and have the dignity of identifying what they need to work on. The learners' self-disclosures provide educators with "diagnostic" information that can enable them to tailor their teaching to the learners' interests and needs. Suggestions: Educators can help learners become reflective practitioners by taking such steps as ensuring learners have worthy experiences on which to reflect; observing learners in action; scheduling times and places for reflection; building trust; determining the learners' prior experiences, comfort with, and attitudes toward reflection; ensuring learners understand the rationale and strategies for reflection; modeling reflection; clarifying the learning goals; encouraging learners to have questions to ask themselves; helping learners reflect on their thoughts, feelings, biases, and assumptions; helping learners consider other approaches; inviting learners to identify the lessons they've learned; and ask ing them to discuss how they intend to use these new understandings.
Amino acid imbalance, a nutritional model: serotonin3 mediation of aversive responses.

Abstract The feeding responses to essential dietary amino acid (AA) disproportion have been useful in nutritional studies. These responses involve first: recognition of the imbalance and second: rejection of the diet, likely via development of a learned aversion. In the rat, we have studied the role of the limiting AA and protein synthesis in the recognition phase by replacement of the limiting AA into a brain area essential for the initial depressed feeding response. We have also reported a reciprocal relationship between serotonin (5HT) activity and intake of imbalanced diets. High doses of the 5HT 3 receptor antagonist, ICS 205–930 (ICS; 9 mg/kg IP), restored food intake to 85% or more of control intake. In the present experiments, similar treatment with ICS blocked the classical conditioned taste aversion to a saccharin solution paired with lithium chloride. These results suggest that the increased intake of AA imbalanced diets after ICS may be due to 5HT-mediated blockade of a learned aversion.
Reactions of Zirconacyclopentadienes with Nitrosobenzene. Characterization of Zirconacycle Intermediates and Formation of N-Phenylpyrroles

Nitrosobenzene inserts into the Zr−C bond of zirconacyclopentadienes to give seven-membered zirconacyclic rings. The resulting insertion products are readily converted to N-phenylpyrroles and (in one case) a 3,3-spiroindole derivative.
Using developer-interaction trails to triage change requests

The paper presents an approach, namely iHDev, to recommend developers who are most likely to implement incoming change requests. The basic premise of iHDev is that the developers who interacted with the source code relevant to a given change request are most likely to best assist with its resolution. A machine-learning technique is first used to locate source code entities relevant to the textual description of a given change request. Ihdev then mines interaction trails (i.e., Mylyn sessions) associated with these source code entities to recommend a ranked list of developers. Ihdev integrates the interaction trails in a unique way to perform its task, which was not investigated previously. An empirical study on open source systems Mylyn and Eclipse Project was conducted to assess the effectiveness of iHDev. A number of change requests were used in the evaluated bench-mark. Recall for top one to five recommended developers and Mean Reciprocal Rank (MRR) values are reported. Furthermore, a comparative study with two previous approaches that use commit histories and/or the source code authorship information for developer recommendation was performed. Results show that iHDev could provide a recall gain of up to 127.27% with equivalent or improved MRR values by up to 112.5%.
Positive selection of γδ T cells

The issue of T-cell repertoire selection has been addressed recently by several laboratories. While evidence has been provided for both negative and positive selection of CD4+ and CD8+ alpha beta T cells, the molecular basis of positive selection remains unclear. In this article Juan Lafaille and colleagues describe molecular features of gamma delta T-cell selection in the fetal thymus. These features were deduced from extensive junctional sequence data of gamma delta T-cell receptor genes in fetal thymocytes. Their data suggest the active participation of a self peptide in the positive selection of gamma delta T cells.
Effects of Nickel on Interface Morphology during Oxidation of Fe-Cu-Ni Alloys

Steel produced in Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF) contain a high amount of copper that causes a detrimental surface cracking phenomenon called hot shortness. Studies have found that nickel can alleviate hot shortness by increasing copper solubility in the Fe phase, decreasing oxidation rate and promoting occlusion [1-3]. Occlusion is a phenomenon whereby the copper-rich phase becomes incorporated into iron oxides. Nickel promotes occlusion by causing an uneven interface and increasing the number of internal oxides. The uneven interface is likely a result of the two concentration fields resulting from ternary diffusion of nickel, copper and iron in the Fe phase. This work is aimed at explaining why nickel causes wavy oxide/liquid-Cu and liquid-Cu/Fe interfaces. Constitutional super-saturation criterion [4] was applied to explain uneven interfaces caused by nickel. A model simulating diffusion behaviors of copper and nickel in Fe was developed by coupling Comsol Multiphysics® and Matlab®. Interface concentrations of copper and nickel and perturbation criterion values were calculated as a function of time. Modeling results show that (i) the nickel interface concentration first increases to a peak value then decreases slowly during oxidation process as a result of the change in oxidation rates, and (ii) the alloys with higher nickel contents have more potential for interface breakdown and this occurs within the initial linear oxidation regime.
Trends in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Seroprevalence among Injection Drug Users Entering Drug Treatment Centers, United States, 1988–1993

National unlinked sentinel surveillance data were used to describe trends in prevalent human immunodeficiency virus infection among injection drug users entering drug treatment programs in the United States from 1988 through 1993. During this 6-year period, unlinked testing was performed on 70,882 specimens from injection drug users at 60 sentinel sites. The annual change in seroprevalence was estimated for each site by odds ratios obtained from logistic regression models fit within site-specific age and race/ethnicity subgroups. Overall trends for age and race/ethnicity subgroups across sites were described by summary odds ratios calculated using the inverse variance method. A decrease was observed among younger (age less than 30 years) whites both in areas with high (10% or higher) and low (less than 10%) prevalence, although this decrease was significant only in high-prevalence areas (odds ratio = 0.90, 95% confidence interval 0.81-0.99). Seroprevalence also decreased among older whites in high-prevalence areas, although this decrease was not significant (odds ratio = 0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.89-1.00). Seroprevalence remained stable among all other age and race/ethnicity subgroups. Stable seroprevalence among the dynamic population of injection drug users entering treatment suggests continued transmission among these individuals in both high- and low-prevalence areas of the United States.
Experimental Evaluation of Posttensioned Precast Concrete Coupling Beams

This paper describes the results from eight half-scale experiments of unbonded posttensioned precast concrete coupling beams under reversed-cyclic lateral loading. Each test specimen includes a coupling beam and the adjacent concrete wall pier regions at a floor level. Under lateral loads, the nonlinear displacements of unbonded posttensioned coupling beams are governed by the opening of gaps at the beam-to-wall joints. Steel top and seat angles are used at the beam ends to yield and provide energy dissipation. The test parameters include the beam posttensioning tendon area and initial stress, initial beam concrete axial stress, angle strength, and beam depth. The results demonstrate the lateral stiffness, strength, and ductility of the coupling beams under cyclic loading, with considerable energy dissipation concentrated in the angles. It is shown that the residual displacements of the structure upon unloading are small due to the restoring effect of the posttensioning force. The sustained chord rotation capacities of the test specimens are compared with those from previous tests of monolithic coupling beams.
Microwave absorption in high-T c superconductors

We have investigated the 9- and 10-GHz microwave properties of bulk samples of strontium and barium substituted La2CuO4 and YBa2Cu3O7 and one YBa2Cu3O7 MBE film on SrTiO3. Anomalous microwave absorption is seen especially for poorly compacted bulk ceramic samples. Transitions were generally broadened nearT c and the residual losses were high. The real part of the surface impedance could be fit belowT c to the empirical equation with an added term linear in temperature. The microwave response of the film was masked by paraelectric absorption and acoustic resonances in the substrate.
Angiographic outcomes contradict platelet data in the PLATO trial: confusion over official trial substudies.

Major indication-seeking phase 3 clinical trials usually include numerous subanalyses and substudies designed to facilitate the interpretation of results, often providing putative mechanisms that might explain clinical outcomes. Such subanalyses and/or substudies may focus on socioeconomic implications, cost-effectiveness, biomarker applicability, subgroup analyses, etc. Novel antiplatelet agents may benefit from substudies aimed at elucidating the effects on platelets, while angiographic data are also essential for the adequate assessment of coronary flow. Ideally, the data yielded from substudies should correlate well with the main results of the trial. However, in the PLATO (PLATelet Inhibition and Clinical Outcomes) trial, official angiographic data (PLATO-A) contradict platelet (PLATO-P) substudy results. While the large (n = 2,616) PLATO-A concluded that coronary flow and myocardial perfusion were almost identical after ticagrelor or clopidogrel, the small (n = 24) single-center PLATO-P suggested that ticagrelor achieved a highly significantly greater antiplatelet effect compared to clopidogrel after loading in patients enrolled in the same trial and at similar time points. In contrast to PLATO-P, PLATO-A corresponds well with clinical outcomes including the early percutaneous coronary intervention ‘ticagrelor death paradox' in PLATO-USA patients and the lack of an early ticagrelor benefit in the overall invasive PLATO cohort reported by the FDA. The discrepancy between PLATO-A and PLATO-P is obvious and lacks a reasonable explanation: platelet activity and coronary flow are generally inversely related, as consistently shown for other antiplatelet regimens, and should be particularly matched when assessed in the frame of the same trial.
Bayesian model diagnostics using functional Bregman divergence

It is crucial to check validation of any statistical model after fitting it for a given set of data. In Bayesian statistics, a researcher can check the fit of the model using a variety of strategies. In this paper we consider two major aspects, first checking that the posterior inferences are reasonable, given the substantive context of the model; and then examining the sensitivity of inferences to reasonable changes in the prior distribution and the likelihood. Here we consider functional Bregman divergence between posterior distributions for model diagnostics, which produce methods for outlier detection as well as for prior sensitivity analysis. The methodology is exemplified through a logistic regression and a circular data model.
An uncommon cause of chronic diarrhea

Clinical presentation: A 48 year old African American female was referred to our GI clinic after undergoing an exhaustive series of tests for the work up of chronic diarrhea, upper abdominal pain and microcytic anemia for 2 years. Workup performed by her physicians included negative stool studies, normal ultrasound and MRI of abdomen, upper endoscopy (EGD) that revealed nonerosive gastritis, and a colonoscopy that revealed diverticulosis. She was then referred to our GI clinic for her chronic symptoms and recent abnormal liver enzymes. Her past medical history was significant only for dysmenorrhea. She was not on any medications. She was neither an alcoholic nor a tobacco user. She denied any pertinent family history, nausea, vomiting, hematochezia, or melena. She did report an involuntary weight loss. The physical exam was benign except for a palpable, nontender liver and mild epigastric tenderness. No lymphadenopathy or stigmata of chronic liver disease were appreciated. Laboratory findings included mild microcytic anemia, elevated transaminases (ALT/AST=55/63 iu/l), alkaline phosphatase (501 iu/l) and GGT (495 iu/l). Further laboratory testing revealed a negative HIV test, negative Hepatitis serology, negative autoimmune markers and negative IBD serology panel. However, ACE level (104 iu/l) and ESR (64 mm) were elevated. Chest X-Ray revealed bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy. A repeat colonoscopy was unremarkable and random biopsies were non-diagnostic. A repeat EGD revealed mild gastritis. Biopsies of the gastric mucosa revealed multiple non-caseating granulomas and marked acute and chronic pititis. It also revealed H. pylori organisms. AFB and GMS stains were negative for acid fast and fungal organisms, respectively. In the presence of high ACE levels, cholestatic liver enzyme pattern, gastric noncaseating granulomas and hilar lymphadenopathy, a diagnosis of gastric sarcoidosis was made.
Reflections on Poverty: A Film Review and Interview with Film Producer Keith Kilty

The article reviews the new documentary film Ain't I a Person* with apologies to Sojourner Truth, directed by Keith Kilty. The review focuses on the issues of domestic poverty and its effect on various individuals. The review also considers the various explanations and potential ideas for the eradication of poverty presented in the film.
The 1997 fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra, Indonesia : Gaseous and particulate emissions

Extensive and widespread vegetation and peat fires swept throughout Kalimantan and Sumatra, Indonesia, from August 1997 through March 1998. The fires resulted from routine burning for land clearing and land-use change. However, the severe drought conditions resulting from El Nino caused small land-clearing fires to become large uncontrolled wildfires. Analysis of SPOT images indicate that a total of 45,600 km² burned between August and December 1997. In this paper, the gaseous and particulate emissions resulting from the 1997 fires are estimated. On a daily basis, the calculated emissions of CO2, CO, CH4, NOx, and particulates from the Kalimantan and Sumatra fires of 1997 significantly exceeded the emissions from the Kuwait oil fires of 1991.
Wild or domesticated? An ancient DNA approach to canid species identification in South Africa's Western Cape Province

The fragmentary remains typical of archaeological fauna can prove impossible to identify when confronted with closely related sympatric species. In southern Africa domesticated dogs (Canis familiaris) and black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) pose just such a problem, rendering difficult an accurate assessment of the timing of arrival of domesticated dogs in the region. Contextual evidence has suggested that canid remains from four Later Stone Age archaeological sites were likely to be domesticated dogs rather than jackals, and were subjected to ancient DNA analyses to determine species. Every tested specimen proved to derive from black-backed jackals. These data provide not only an unexpected window on southern African prehistory, but also highlight the value in applying ancient DNA techniques to archaeological species identification.
Relationship between perceived parental monitoring and young adolescent girls' sexual and substance use behaviors

Abstract Study Objective The purpose of the study was to examine the independent effects of perceived parental monitoring on sexual experience, contraceptive, and substance use. Design, Setting, and Participants Adolescent females at an urban-based adolescent clinic (N = 174; 41% sexually experienced) rated the extent to which they were directly and indirectly monitored by their parents. Main Outcome Measures These perceptions were compared with reported contraceptive use as well as substance use. Direct parental monitoring was best described using two dimensions: direct monitoring and direct monitoring when with peers. Results Direct monitoring was found to be associated with the use of hormonal birth control methods at last intercourse. Direct parental monitoring when with peers was found to be associated with less use of alcohol and cigarettes. Conclusions These data suggest that parental monitoring is a relevant factor for primary care physicians to explore during treatment.
Descartes's Watch Analogy

In earlier articles I have advocated a hylomorphic interpretation of Descartes's account of the union of mind and body.1 Opponents of the hylomorphic interpretation have pointed to Descartes's watc...
Reading Dielectric Track Detectors Using Transmitted Particles

A new technique for measuring the number of tracks per unit area in a Dielectric Track Detector uses the energy spectrum of alpha particles transmitted through the detector. The spectrum contains two components. One is a low-energy peak due to alpha particles transmitted through the bulk material. The other is due to higher energy alphas that are transmitted through craters and lose less energy. The ratio of the number of higher energy alphas to the total number of alphas in the spectrum gives the fraction of area occupied by craters and hence the track density.
Contribution of intrinsic properties and synaptic inputs to motoneuron discharge patterns: A simulation study

Motoneuron discharge patterns reflect the interaction of synaptic inputs with intrinsic conductances. Recent work has focused on the contribution of conductances mediating persistent inward currents (PICs), which amplify and prolong the effects of synaptic inputs on motoneuron discharge. Certain features of human motor unit discharge are thought to reflect a relatively stereotyped activation of PICs by excitatory synaptic inputs; these features include rate saturation and de-recruitment at a lower level of net excitation than that required for recruitment. However, PIC activation is also influenced by the pattern and spatial distribution of inhibitory inputs that are activated concurrently with excitatory inputs. To estimate the potential contributions of PIC activation and synaptic input patterns to motor unit discharge patterns, we examined the responses of a set of cable motoneuron models to different patterns of excitatory and inhibitory inputs. The models were first tuned to approximate the current- and voltage-clamp responses of low- and medium-threshold spinal motoneurons studied in decerebrate cats and then driven with different patterns of excitatory and inhibitory inputs. The responses of the models to excitatory inputs reproduced a number of features of human motor unit discharge. However, the pattern of rate modulation was strongly influenced by the temporal and spatial pattern of concurrent inhibitory inputs. Thus, even though PIC activation is likely to exert a strong influence on firing rate modulation, PIC activation in combination with different patterns of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs can produce a wide variety of motor unit discharge patterns.
The Low-Birth-Weight Infant — Evolution of a Changing Outlook

IMPROVED survival of neonates at high risk, particularly those with a very low birth weight (less than 1500 g), has now been described in this country and abroad.1 , 2 A major concern persists, how...
Searle’s Wall

In addition to his famous Chinese Room argument, John Searle has posed a more radical problem for views on which minds can be understood as programs. Even his wall, he claims, implements the WordStar program according to the standard definition of implementation because there is some “pattern of molecule movements” that is isomorphic to the formal structure of WordStar. Program implementation, Searle charges, is merely observer-relative and thus not an intrinsic feature of the world. I argue, first, that analogous charges involving other concepts (motion and meaning) lead to consequences no one accepts. Second, I show that Searle’s treatment of computation is incoherent, yielding the consequence that nothing computes anything: even our standard personal computers fail to run any programs on this account. I propose an alternative account, one that accords with the way engineers, programmers, and cognitive scientists use the concept of computation in their empirical work. This alternative interpretation provides the basis of a philosophical analysis of program implementation, one that may yet be suitable for a computational theory of the mind.
Effect of phenobarbital treatment on carbon tetrachloride-mediated cytochrome P-450 loss and diene conjugate formation.

Abstract The effect of phenobarbital treatment on the linkage between carbon tetrachloride-mediated cytochrome P-450 loss and lipid peroxidation in rat liver microsomes was studied. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, pretreated with 3 daily i.p. doses of phenobarbital (50 mg/kg) or saline, were orally dosed with carbon tetrachloride (0.01–2.5 ml/kg), with liver microsomes prepared at 7.5–180 min after carbon tetrachloride treatment. In vivo cytochrome P-450 loss displayed pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the initial rates of diene conjugate formation were saturable with dose. Phenobarbital pretreatment decreased the in vivo t 0.5, max from 27.0 to 15.6 min, and increased the K d , app from 0.78 to 1.30 ml/kg for carbon tetrachloride mediated cytochrome P-450 loss. Phenobarbital had no effect on the in vivo V max (1.03 to 1.04 Δ OD 232 nm/min/mg phospholipid) for carbon tetrachloride mediated diene conjugate formation, but decreased the K m , app from 0.22 to 0.10 ml/kg. These results are consistent with destruction of cytochrome P-450 heme resulting from a metabolite which does not leave the site of generation, and with phenobarbital pretreatment enhancing the initiation of lipid peroxidation.
Viscous boundary layers in rotating fluids driven by periodic flows

The paper analyzes the boundary layers formed in a rotating fluid by an oscillating flow over an infinite half plate, with particular attention paid to the effects of unsteadiness, the critical latitude effect and the structure of the solution to the boundary layer equations at resonance. The Navier-Stokes boundary layer equations are obtained through an asymptotic expansion with the incorporation of the Rossby and Ekman numbers and are analyzed as the sum of a nonlinear steady solution and a linearized unsteady solution. The solution is predominantly composed of two inertial wave vector components, one circularly polarized to the left and the other circularly polarized to the right. The problem considered here has relevance in oceanography and meteorology, with special reference to the unsteady atmospheric boundary layer.
Television News and Candidate Fortunes in Presidential Nomination Campaigns The Case of 1984

This article examines how three potential effects of television news affect the public's perceptions of candidates. Data are used from the networks' nightly news coverage of each candidate during the 1984 Democratic primary campaign and from the National Election Study's 1984 Continuous Monitoring Survey. The analysis provides support for the existence of candidate-specific attention, horse race, and tone effects on (1) the mass public's assessment of a candidate's attractiveness, (2) people's willingness to vote for a candidate, and (3) judgments about a candidate's likelihood of garnering the nomination. Television coverage of candidates matters but in different ways and to different degrees across candidates. Finally, there is evidence for the power of strong indirect media effects, a testimony to the rapid diffusion of media messages into the wider political culture.
Sequential Treatments for Severe Phobia.

Abstract Sequential treatment involving systematic desensitization and relaxation, symbolic (film), live, and participant modeling were employed in the successful alleviation of a severe snake phobia. Implications are discussed regarding the utility of programs attuned to the needs of individual patients.
An empirical study on configuration errors in commercial and open source systems

Configuration errors (i.e., misconfigurations) are among the dominant causes of system failures. Their importance has inspired many research efforts on detecting, diagnosing, and fixing misconfigurations; such research would benefit greatly from a real-world characteristic study on misconfigurations. Unfortunately, few such studies have been conducted in the past, primarily because historical misconfigurations usually have not been recorded rigorously in databases. In this work, we undertake one of the first attempts to conduct a real-world misconfiguration characteristic study. We study a total of 546 real world misconfigurations, including 309 misconfigurations from a commercial storage system deployed at thousands of customers, and 237 from four widely used open source systems (CentOS, MySQL, Apache HTTP Server, and OpenLDAP). Some of our major findings include: (1) A majority of misconfigurations (70.0%~85.5%) are due to mistakes in setting configuration parameters; however, a significant number of misconfigurations are due to compatibility issues or component configurations (i.e., not parameter-related). (2) 38.1%~53.7% of parameter mistakes are caused by illegal parameters that clearly violate some format or rules, motivating the use of an automatic configuration checker to detect these misconfigurations. (3) A significant percentage (12.2%~29.7%) of parameter-based mistakes are due to inconsistencies between different parameter values. (4) 21.7%~57.3% of the misconfigurations involve configurations external to the examined system, some even on entirely different hosts. (5) A significant portion of misconfigurations can cause hard-to-diagnose failures, such as crashes, hangs, or severe performance degradation, indicating that systems should be better-equipped to handle misconfigurations.
An extensive comparison of feature ranking aggregation techniques in bioinformatics

Univariate feature rankers have been frequently used to order genes (features) in terms of their importance to a given bioinformatics challenge. Unfortunately, the resulting feature subsets tend to differ when applied to related (but distinct) datasets, or when applied to datasets which have been varied or corrupted in some fashion. As a result, a research focus has recently been on methods to measure or improve the stability of these feature subsets. One such method is called rank aggregation. Rank aggregation is the process of combining the information from several ranked lists (or in this case ordered gene lists) into a single more stable list. While there has been work on the creation of these methods, very little work has gone into comparing the lists generated by these techniques. Such a comparison allows for grouping the techniques into families, both for understanding how the families affect rank aggregation and for using less-computationally-expensive members of a given family. This paper is an extensive study on nine rank aggregation techniques across twenty-six bioinformatics datasets. Our results show that certain aggregation techniques are very similar to each other, while others are quite unique in that they are not similar to the other techniques. Additionally, it was found that as the size of the feature subset increases, the similarity between the techniques increases. To our knowledge this is the first study which examines this many rank aggregation techniques within the domain of bioinformatics.