cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Processes of Similarity Judgment

Similarity underlies fundamental cognitive capabilities such as memory, categorization, decision making, problem solving, and reasoning. Although recent approaches to similarity appreciate the structure of mental representations, they differ in the processes posited to operate over these representations. We present an experiment that differentiates among extant structural accounts of similarity in their ability to account for patterns of similarity ratings. These data pose a challenge for transformation-based models and all but one mapping-based model, the Similarity as Interactive Activation and Mapping (SIAM) model of similarity.
Evolution of nanoscale precipitates in Al microalloyed with Sc and Er

Abstract The coarsening kinetics of nanoscale, coherent Al 3 ( Sc 1 - x Er x ) precipitates in α-Al during aging of a supersaturated Al–0.06 Sc–0.02 Er (at.%) alloy at 300 °C are studied using transmission electron microscopy and local-electrode atom-probe tomography. Erbium and Sc segregate at the precipitate core and shell, respectively. The matrix supersaturations of Er and Sc, as well as the mean precipitate radius and number density evolve in approximate agreement with coarsening models, allowing the determination of the matrix/precipitate interfacial free energy and solute diffusivities. At 300 °C, the α -Al / Al 3 ( Sc 1 - x Er x ) interfacial free energy due to Sc is about twice as large as for α -Al / Al 3 Sc . The diffusivity of Er in the ternary alloy is about three orders of magnitude smaller than that of Er in binary Al–0.045 at.% Er and about two orders of magnitude smaller than the diffusivity of Sc in binary Al–Sc. The measured Sc diffusivity is consistent with the literature values.
The Rehabilitation Act and Federal Employment: The Courts' Application of the Law

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 includes Section 501 which, while not prohibiting discrimination against individu als with disabilities, calls for affirmative action in their "hiring, placement, and...
Transcriptional regulation of human 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphosulphate synthase 2

Sulphonation is a fundamental process that is essential for normal growth and development as well as maintenance of the internal milieu. The universal sulphonate donor molecule essential for all sulphoconjugation reactions is adenosine 3'-phosphate 5'-phosphosulphate (PAPS), which is produced from ATP and inorganic sulphate by the action of bifunctional PAPS synthase. There are two isozymes encoded by genes located on chromosome 4 (PAPS synthase 1) and chromosome 10 (PAPS synthase 2). The promoter for PAPS synthase 2 contains neither a TATAAA nor a CCAAT box, although a consensus initiator motif is present. Three human cell lines were used to examine promoter activity after transfection with various lengths of the 5'-flanking region of the PAPS synthase 2 gene fused to a reporter gene. Proximal promoter activity was located between bp -84 and bp -124 upstream of the purported transcription start site. This region contains two GC/GT boxes that are essential for full promoter activity, as indicated by deletion analysis and supported further by mutagenesis. A nuclear extract of SW13 cells, which highly express PAPS synthase 2, contained proteins that bound to probes possessing promoter-specific GC/GT boxes. Furthermore, the presence of specificity protein (Sp) 1, Sp2 and Sp3 proteins in the nuclear extract was confirmed by supershift analysis. Co-transfection experiments using SL2 cells yielded additional support for the involvement of Sp1 in transcriptional regulation of the PAPS synthase 2 gene; the involvement of Sp2 and/or Sp3 remains to be clarified further.
Use of Support Groups with Adult Female Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

Adult survivors of child sexual abuse suffer from a variety of interpersonal and intrapersonal problems. The support group, with its emphasis on self-help and mutuality, represents a potentially powerful form of intervention to assist survivors in dealing with their sexual abuse and the problems resulting from it. In this article, the author explores the use of this form of group work, including the unique role of the group leader, the value of a time-limited approach, the stages of group development, and treatment themes. Language: en
Mentorship, Leadership, and Teamwork: Harnessing the Power of Professional Societies to Develop Nonclinical Competencies

The movement toward competency-based medical education is well under way in cardiology. In 1999, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) identified 6 core competencies designed to guide the training of tomorrow’s physicians [(1)][1]. More recently, the ACGME proposed the
Topiramate and motivational enhancement therapy for cannabis use among youth: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot study.

Cannabis misuse accounts for nearly all of the substance abuse treatment admissions among youth in the United States. Most youth do not experience sustained benefit from existing psychosocial treatments; however, medication development research for treating adolescent cannabis misuse is almost nonexistent. We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study to test the potential efficacy of topiramate plus motivational enhancement therapy (MET) for treating cannabis use among adolescents. Sixty-six heavy cannabis users, ages 15 to 24 years, were randomized to one of two 6-week treatment conditions: topiramate plus MET or placebo plus MET. Topiramate was titrated over 4 weeks then stabilized at 200 mg/day for 2 weeks. MET was delivered biweekly for a total of three sessions. Only 48 percent of youths randomized to topiramate completed the 6-week trial (n = 19), compared with 77 percent of youths in the placebo condition (n = 20). Adverse medication side effects were the most common reason for withdrawal among participants in the topiramate group. Latent growth models showed that topiramate was superior to placebo for reducing the number of grams smoked per use day, but it did not improve abstinence rates. The same pattern of results was found when values for missing outcomes were imputed. We show that topiramate combined with MET demonstrated efficacy for reducing how much cannabis adolescents smoked when they used but did not affect abstinence rates. The magnitude of this effect was modest, however, and topiramate was poorly tolerated by youths, which calls into question the clinical importance of these findings.
The Hydrogen Ion Concentration of Human Vaginal Discharge

Summary The available literature on vaginal acidity is reviewed. A quinhydrone microelectrode for the determination of the pH of undiluted vaginal discharge is described and its operation detailed. The pH of the vaginal discharge varies directly with the character of the vaginal flora, higher acidities being associated with a preponderance of the vaginal bacilli of Doderlein which are normally present in pure culture but may be entirely absent in certain infections (gonorrhea). The vaginal discharge is normally quite acid (pH 4.0 to 4.5) during the intermenstrual period but approaches or exceeds neutrality during the early days of menstrual bleeding. During gestation the acidity is somewhat less than in the nonpregnant, irrespective of the bacterial character of the discharge. The pH of the upper (posterior) vagina is usually slightly lower than that of the lower (anterior) portion. Dilution of the vaginal discharge with neutral water tends to raise the pH although the acidity of vaginal washings may be higher than that of the undiluted discharge.
Characterization of 3 H-labeled supercoiled mitochondrial DNA from tobacco suspension culture cells

Mitochondrial DNA of tobacco supension culture cells labeled in vivo with 3H-thymidine was isolated from purified mitochondria. It has a density of 1.707±0.002 g/cm3 unique from both nuclear and chloroplast DNA. Approximately 25–45% of the mtDNA molecules from several preparations from suspension culture cells were isolated as supercoiled molecules from ethidium bromide-cesium chloride gradients. Electron microscopic examination of nicked supercoiled molecules revealed a heterogenous population of molecules ranging in size from 0.5 to 42 μm. The most abundant size class of 365 molecules measured was 9 μm. Restriction endonuclease digests of both supercoiled and open circular/linear molecules were essentially identical and yielded a minimum size estimate of 76 μm. The availability of large amounts of labeled covalently closed circular molecules will facilitate the resolution of the different size classes and allow, for the first time, a direct analysis of the relationships among the heterogenous population of DNA molecules found in plant mitochondria.
Image Contrast in Sum Frequency Generation Microscopy Based on Monolayer Order and Coverage

Sum frequency generation imaging microscopy (SFGIM) was used to study a binary system of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on evaporated gold. A two-step process that consists of microcontact printing (μCP) and the solution backfilling method is used to generate a sample surface with two distinct SAMs domains. The high contrast chemical identification and the homogeneity map of the SAMs for two different head groups are revealed by processing the three-dimensional images (xy-surface and infrared wavenumbers) obtained from SFGIM. For conformation order analysis, the amplitude ratios of the methylene and methyl symmetric resonance obtained by a nonlinear curve fit of the spatially and spectrally resolved SFG images are used to reconstruct spatial image maps. The conformation order map shows the distribution of gauche defects in SAMs with improved contrast across monodentate and bidentate alkanethiol monolayer regions. The results show that variation of the head group attached on the surface dominantly influe...
Protein Content of Rabbits' Aqueous Humor Following Intravenous Injection of E. coli toxin.

SummaryIntravenous injection of coli toxin produced in rabbits a rise in protein content of the aqueous humor. Above 500 mg % protein the aqueous coagulated. The protein content of the secondary aqueous of toxin-treated animals was higher than in normal controls, even when that of the primary aqueous had been normal.A previous dose of coli toxin partially or completely prevented a rise in the protein content after a second injection.Electrophoresis of the aqueous humor of toxin treated rabbits indicated albumin, beta and gamma globulin, and fibrinogen, with an A:G ratio of 3.44.
Picture the Music: Performing Arts Library Planning with Photo Elicitation

ABSTRACTPhoto elicitation, a form of ethnographic journaling, provided insights into university music and dance student needs in library and campus spaces and services. In this case study, subjects took a photo for each of 20 prompts related to their daily lives as students and performing artists, then discussed their own photos in a one-hour individual interview. Researchers qualitatively analyzed the gathered data. This article reports findings related to discovering and obtaining music and dance works, study spaces and sound levels, forces of habit and the implications for student library use, and library-related findings regarding practice rooms and classrooms.
Surveillance of Occupational Hazard Factors in Middle and Small-sized Enterprises in Guanghan City in 2012

Objective To investigate the occupational hazard factors in middle and small-sized enterprises in Guanghan city so as to take effective preventive and control countermeasures.Methods Data derived from surveillance cards of occupational hazard factors in workplaces were statistically analyzed.Results The average qualification rate of occupational hazard factors in the 63 enterprises was 77.17%.The qualification rate of dust and physical factors was respectively70.35% and 74.43%.Conclusion The qualification rate of dust and physical factors is relatively low and thus the enterprises should increase input to improve the workplace environment and strengthen personal protection.Meanwhile,administrative departments should intensify the management measures and health education,as well as occupational health monitoring to decrease the occurrence of occupational disease.
On the VC-Dimension of Visibility in Monotone Polygons

We show that the VC-dimension of visibility on the boundary of a monotone polygon is exactly 6. Our lower bound construction matches the best known lower bound for simple polygons.
Generalized method of moments estimation

Generalized method of moments (GMM) refers to a class of estimators constructed from the sample moment counterparts of population moment conditions (sometimes known as orthogonality conditions) of the data generating model. GMM estimators have become widely used, for the following reasons: 1. GMM estimators have large sample properties that are easy to characterize. A family of such estimators can be studied simultaneously in ways that make asymptotic efficiency comparisons easy. The method also provides a natural way to construct tests which take account of both sampling and estimation error. 2. In practice, researchers find it useful that GMM estimators may be constructed without specifying the full data generating process (which would be required to write down the maximum likelihood estimator). This characteristic has been exploited in analysing partially specified economic models, studying potentially misspecified dynamic models designed to match target moments, and constructing stochastic discount factor models that link asset pricing to sources of macroeconomic risk.
Relics to artifacts and monuments to assemblages: Changing conceptual frameworks

This chapter focuses on the changing conceptual frameworks of relics to artifacts and monuments to assemblages. The relic and monument phase of archaeological investigation came first and in many ways changed the ideas of the past most drastically. The intellectual procedures used in accomplishing this were based on two propositions: (a) the definition of man as a manufacturer of tools and (b) the definition of tools manufactured by man as designed or manufactured to a plan—in short, exhibiting patterned redundancy in form. The early procedures were based on assumptions characteristic of the era in which archaeology began to emerge. However, during these early years of the relic and monument era, the role of God as divine Creator of nature was severely questioned. Researchers of the relic and monument phase worked with several basic ideas and a metaphysical position that viewed the subject of study as things, specifically relics, which are movable and monuments, which are not movable. These things were recognizable as relevant to man's past by virtue of their demonstrable organization of properties betraying a design or plan that must have been in the minds of their makers.
A Pilot Trial of Imatinib, Low-Dose Cytarabine (ara-C) and Idarubicin (Ida) in Patients (pts) with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) in Myeloid Blastic Phase (BP).

Although imatinib is the single most effective agent in CML BP, only approximately 30% to 50% of pts achieve a hematologic response, and it is complete (CHR) and durable in 5% or less. Regimens including high-dose ara-C and daunorubicin are associated with remission rates of 20% to 25% in CML BP, a median survival of 3 months, and significant morbidities. Imatinib is additive or synergistic in vitro with ida and ara-C, particularly in imatinib-resistant cell lines. We thus investigated the efficacy of the combination of imatinib 600 mg daily, ara-C 10 mg daily subcutaneous, and Ida 12 mg/m 2 IV every 14 days in pts with CML in myeloid BP. Nineteen pts were treated, including 6 who had BP as their first manifestation of CML. Seventeen pts had failed prior imatinib as a single agent and had received a median of 5 prior therapies (range, 1 to 9). Median age was 54 yrs (range, 27–81) and the median WBC was 28.6 x 10 9 /L (range, 3.7 to 240.5), peripheral blood blasts 18% (range, 0 to 82), and bone marrow blasts 36% (range, 2 to 84). Four pts had extramedullary disease. Pts were treated for a median of 10.5 weeks (range, 4 to 124), receiving a median of 2 cycles (range 1 to 28). Fourteen (74%) pts responded, including 9 (47%) who achieved CHR, and 5 (26%) who returned to chronic phase. Four of the pts who achieved CHR also had a cytogenetic response (CGR) (3 complete, 1 minor). Responses lasted for a median of 10 weeks (range, 2 to 89 weeks). Two of 5 pts who failed to respond had a transient hematological improvement (>50% reduction of blasts in peripheral blood). Six pts were able to receive allogeneic BMT (4 in CHR, 1 in CP and 1 still in BP). Treatment was well tolerated and administered on an outpatient basis. Grade 3–4 non-hematological toxicities consisted of fatigue (n=4), vomiting (n=1), bone pain (n=1) and hyperbilirubinemia (n=1). Sixteen (84%) pts required brief hospitalization for neutropenic fever (n=8), bleeding (n=7), pneumonia (n=6), cellulitis (n=2) and CNS disease (n=2). Thirteen pts died: 4 after BMT and 9 due to disease progression. Among these, 4 had achieved CHR and 2 complete CGR. The median survival was 23 wks and 1 year survival rate 26%. In conclusion, the combination with imatinib + low-dose ara-C + Ida is an outpatient, well tolerated regimen that can induce responses in patients with CML BP who have failed imatinib and can be considered as an option to improve patient’s condition, and as a bridge to allogeneic BMT.
A modelling approach for evaluating the effects of design variables on bridge condition ratings

AbstractWhile routine inspections are commonly used to assess the structural integrity, safety and maintenance needs of individual highway bridges, data from these inspections can also be used to study performance of bridges at the inventory level. This paper presents a novel method by which inspection data can be used to evaluate design variables and inform future designs. In particular, inspection data from prestressed concrete bridges in south-eastern United States were used to develop artificial neural networks models for estimating the condition rating of bridge decks and superstructures as a function of skew angle and span length, as well as, bridge age, width and traffic level. Once developed and validated, the neural network models were used for an array of simulations that were designed using a full factorial approach. The objective of the simulations was to identify skew angles and span lengths that correlate with the highest inspection ratings. It was determined that deck ratings are highest fo...
Singlet Fission within Diketopyrrolopyrrole Nanoparticles in Water

Nanoparticles (NPs) of the singlet fission chromophore 3,6-bis(5-phenylthiophen-2-yl)pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4(2H,5H)-dione (PhTDPP) having average hydrodynamic diameters of 63–193 nm were prepared by rapidly injecting variable concentrations of PhTDPP solutions in tetrahydrofuran into water. These PhTDPP NPs are stable over months in water and exhibit fluorescence quantum yields ≪1%. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy shows that singlet fission is more rapid in smaller NPs, likely reflecting their greater surface area-to-volume ratio and consequent exposure of more molecules to the high dielectric aqueous environment. These observations suggest that charge transfer states, whose energy is sensitive to the dielectric constant of the surrounding medium, serve as virtual intermediates in PhTDPP NP singlet fission. However, the lifetime of the triplet excitons produced by singlet fission is longest in the larger NPs having greater long-range order, which allows the triplet excitons to diffuse furt...
Machiavelli and the Antiquarians

The chapter focuses on a group of texts, written by sixteenth-century antiquarians, that developed the comparison between the Roman (pagan) and Christian religions put forward by Machiavelli in his Discourses on Livy. During the French wars of religion, people like the Lyonese noble Guillaume Du Choul and his Florentine translator Gabriele Simeoni turned Machiavelli’s bold comparison into a tool for deciphering not only the religious fragmentation of Reformation Europe and the complex reshaping of the Islamic world under its rising empires, but also the unknown systems of rites and beliefs in the New World, which was hard to fit into the European category of “religion”. It is a chapter in Machiavelli’s contribution to the emergence of a comparative approach to religion in the early modern world.
A rapid GPU-based Monte-Carlo simulation tool for individualized dose estimations in CT

The rising awareness towards the risks associated with CT radiation has pushed forward the case for patient- specific dose estimation, one of the prerequisites for individualized monitoring and management of radiation exposure. The established technique of using Monte Carlo simulations to provide such dose estimates is computationally intensive, thus limiting their utility towards timely assessment of clinically relevant questions. To overcome this impediment, we have developed a rapid Monte Carlo simulation tool based on the MC-GPU frame- work for individualized dose estimation in CT. This tool utilizes the multi-threaded x-ray transport capability of MC-GPU, scanner-specific geometry and voxelized patient-specific models to produce realistic estimates of radiation dose. To demonstrate its utility, we utilized this tool to provide scanner-specific (LightSpeed VCT, GE Healthcare) organ dose estimates in abdominopelvic CT for a virtual population of 58 adult XCAT patient models. To gauge the accuracy of these estimates, the organ dose values from this new tool were compared against those from a previously published tool based on PENELOPE framework. The comparisons demonstrated the capability of our new simulation tool to produce dose estimates that agree with the published data within 5% for organs within primary field while simultaneously providing speedups as high as 70x over a CPU cluster-based execution model. This high accuracy of dose estimates coupled with the demonstrated speedup provides a viable model for rapid and personalized dose estimation.
Exploiting on-chip power management for side-channel security

The high-performance and energy-efficient encryption engines have emerged as a key component for modern System-On-Chip (SoC) in various platforms including servers, desktops, mobile, and IoT edge devices. A key bottleneck to secure operation of encryption engines is leakage of information through various side-channels. For example, an adversary can extract the secret key by performing statistical analysis on measured power and electromagnetic (EM) emission signatures generated by the hardware during encryption. Countermeasures to such side-channel attacks often come at high power, area, or performance overheads. Therefore, design of side-channel secure encryption engines is a critical challenge for high-performance and/or power-/energy efficient operations. This paper reviews that although low-power requirement imposes critical challenge for side-channel security, but circuit techniques traditionally developed for power management also present new opportunities for side-channel resistance. As a case study, we review the feasibility of using integrated voltage regulator and dynamic voltage frequency scaling normally used for efficient power management, for increasing power-side-channel resistance of AES engines. The hardware measurement results from test-chip fabricated in 130nm process are presented to demonstrate the impact of power management circuits on side-channel security.
A circuit motif in the songbird basal ganglia for computing predicted performance quality

Ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons contribute to reinforcement learning by signaling prediction error, the difference between actual and predicted outcome, but it remains unclear how error is computed. Here we identify in songbirds that a VTA-projecting ventral basal ganglia (vBG) region outside the classic song system is required for song learning and sends prediction error signals to VTA. vBG neurons, including identified VTA-projectors, recorded during singing heterogeneously encoded song timing, predicted error, actual auditory error, and the difference between the two (prediction error). Viral tracing revealed novel inputs to vBG from auditory and vocal motor thalamus, auditory and vocal motor cortex, and VTA. Our findings reveal a classic actor-critic circuit motif, previously unrecognized in the songbird BG, in which a ventral critic learns the prediction component of a prediction error signal that is relayed by dopaminergic midbrain to a dorsal actor (the vocal motor BG nucleus Area X). Thus a circuit motif with established utility in foraging for reward in mammals is ancestral and can be repurposed for computing predicted performance error during motor sequence learning.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in trauma: A single institution experience and review of the literature:

Introduction:Limited options exist for cardiovascular support of the trauma patient in extremis. This patient population offers challenges that are often considered insurmountable. This article ide...
National population-based study of racial variation in characteristics and outcomes of young breast cancer patients: Analysis of temporal trends.

e18068Background: Breast cancer outcomes correlate with racial and socioeconomic status. Efforts to reduce disparities in breast cancer among vulnerable populations has had limited success. We soug...
A Distributed Adaptive Coordination Protocol to Enhance Manual Order Picking Operations

Abstract This paper proposes a distributed adaptive coordination protocol for efficient management of manual order picking operations in the presence of unexpected delays and process disruptions. In manual order picking operations, multiple pickers work concurrently to retrieve inventory from aisles in response to customer orders. The lack of pickers coordination often leads to congestion incidents and high non-value added time as pickers attempt to locally optimize their routing decisions. In this research, pickers are modeled as a collaborative network in which they share their work and traffic information, and accordingly adjust their routes to avoid congestion and manage aisle competition. An adaptive coordination protocol is developed to enable pickers efficiently reach consensus (i.e., agreement) state on route adjustments. The proposed protocol is compared using simulation against the baseline case, and the experimental results indicate that it minimizes total order picking time and pickers congestion by 10.4% and 62.6%, respectively.
Collaboration in mitigating spatial and skills mismatch: Exploring shared understandings between transit planners and workforce professionals

Transit-dependent workers frequently find themselves caught between spatial mismatch (a lack of transportation options to reach jobs one is qualified for) and skills mismatch (a lack of needed qualifications for jobs one can reach). Historically, policy responses to these twin problems have essentially been siloed, with some responses focused on improving disadvantaged workers’ mobility and others on skills training. Using the Twin Cities as an example of a healthy regional economy with areas of persistent disadvantage, this paper addresses the following research question: How do transit planners and workforce development professionals perceive the issues of spatial and skills mismatch and collaboration? This analysis explores this question through in-depth interviews with 16 transit planners and workforce development providers involved with one or more of seven study areas. The authors create an explanatory typology of areas to address with integrated transit planning and workforce development, interpret informants’ intersubjective understandings of the state of efforts, and apply Innes and Booher’s Diversity-Interdependence-Authentic Dialogue (DIAD) model of collaborative rationality to explore opportunities for deepening collaboration. The paper concludes with policy recommendations to connect marginalized workers with broader opportunities through transit planning and workforce development collaboration.
Correlates of Opioid Use Disorders among People with Severe Mental Illness in the United States.

Background/Objectives: The number of Americans with opioid use disorders (OUDs: prescription painkillers or heroin) has increased dramatically, yet little is known about OUD among people with sever...
Machine Learning Based Directed Self Study in Calculus with CalcTutor

In this Innovative Practice, Work-in-Progress paper we present a new version of our web-based problem solving learning environment called CalcTutor. The key feature of the new CalcTutor system is that it organizes Mathematics problems based on the skills that they require and uses a machine learning technique (Performance Factors Analysis) to provide a difficulty estimate for each problem, personalized for each student in the system. This facility allows students to effectively engage in self- study by searching the library for problems that require specified skills. It ranks the problems found in the search by their difficulty for that particular student (the probability the student will solve them correctly on the first attempt). The current version of CalcTutor makes creating problems easy as well. It provides a simple and powerful question authoring tool which allows teachers to build both multiple choice questions and questions where the answers are mathematical functions of one variable.
Becoming the Story: War Correspondents Since 9/11

As journalism studies scholars grapple with the question of how technology is changing the field, they often look to power centers for guidance, assessing how prominent news organizations and journ...
A simple method to quantify proteins from one thousand cells

ABSTRACT Recent developments in single-cell transcriptomics have created an urgent need for similar approaches to map the proteome in samples from a minimal number of cells. We optimized multiple steps in the mass spectrometry protocol to develop such a method, MinPut, with improved sensitivity to quantify proteins from as few as 1,000 mammalian cells. Min-Put uses chemical peptide labeling and does not require specific equipment, antibodies, or other materials. MinPut quantifies >2,500 proteins with high reproducibility. We established and validated the method by comparing mouse embryonic stem cells and in vitro differentiated motor neurons. MinPut correctly identifies differentially expressed proteins with small fold-changes, and a dynamic range in abundance similar to that of standard methods. Protein abundance measurements obtained with MinPut compare well to corresponding transcript abundance and to measurements using standard inputs. Therefore, MinPut offers a robust and accurate method to acquire proteomics data from minimal input samples.
Neuroimaging of Patients in the Intensive Care Unit: Pearls and Pitfalls

A brief introduction is provided of the different imaging modalities encountered in the intensive care unit (ICU). The spectrum of intracranial pathology as well as potential postsurgical complications is reviewed, with a focus on pearls and pitfalls. A brief overview also is provided of imaging of the spine in an ICU patient.
Attitudes Toward Water Allocation: Segmenting the Public on Beliefs toward Water Conservation

The population in the American West has been increasing at a rapid rate and is predicted to continue growing. As a result, the availability, use, and allocation of water throughout the West have become the source of conflict and contention. This growing conflict emphasizes the need to understand the diversity of values, beliefs, and attitudes that members of the general public throughout the West hold about the allocation of water resources. Using data collected from an internet-based survey, dimensions for basic beliefs about water conservation were developed. Respondents from the state of Colorado were clustered based on their level of agreement to these basic belief dimensions. These clustered respondents were then compared on attitudinal preferences regarding priorities for water allocation and municipal strategies for water conservation. Results supported the existence of distinct segments based on value-laden basic beliefs about water conservation and the connection of these segments with preferences toward specific water management strategies. Values-based segmentation, when connected with specific preferences for management actions, can help inform water managers when making future water conservation and policy decisions.
The Prediction of Long-Term Academic Performance after the Completion of a Study Skills Course.

For one year after the completion of a study skills course 61 participants were followed to determine the (a) attrition rate of students who differed in personality type and previous academic achie...
Chapter 3 - The Econometrics of Randomized Experimentsa

In this chapter, we present econometric and statistical methods for analyzing randomized experiments. For basic experiments, we stress randomization-based inference as opposed to sampling-based inference. In randomization-based inference, uncertainty in estimates arises naturally from the random assignment of the treatments, rather than from hypothesized sampling from a large population. We show how this perspective relates to regression analyses for randomized experiments. We discuss the analyses of stratified, paired, and clustered randomized experiments, and we stress the general efficiency gains from stratification. We also discuss complications in randomized experiments such as noncompliance. In the presence of noncompliance, we contrast intention-to-treat analyses with instrumental variables analyses allowing for general treatment effect heterogeneity. We consider, in detail, estimation and inference for heterogenous treatment effects in settings with (possibly many) covariates. These methods allow researchers to explore heterogeneity by identifying subpopulations with different treatment effects while maintaining the ability to construct valid confidence intervals. We also discuss optimal assignment to treatment based on covariates in such settings. Finally, we discuss estimation and inference in experiments in settings with interactions between units, both in general network settings and in settings where the population is partitioned into groups with all interactions contained within these groups.
A Brief Guide to Ministry with LGBTQIA Youth: by Cody J. Sanders, Louisville, KY, Westminster/John Knox Press, 2017, 106 pp., $17.00 (Softcover), ISBN 978-0664262501

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA) communities have historically faced double exclusion in mainstream society and from many religious communities. Even as m...
Informing Cyber Threat Intelligence through Dark Web Situational Awareness: The AZSecure Hacker Assets Portal

To increase situational awareness, major cybersecurity platforms offer Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) about emerging cyber threats, key threat actors, and their modus operandi. However, this intel...
Do Antitrust Laws Chill Corporate Disclosure

I study how antitrust concerns arising from product markets inﬂuence corporate disclosure in capital markets. While securities regulators encourage disclosure, product-market regulators discourage disclosure of competitively sensitive information. Thus, ﬁrms may refrain from disclosing such information when antitrust regulators and private plaintiﬀs use corporate disclosure to infer collusion. Using peer ﬁrms’ announcements of product price increases as a shock to antitrust concerns, I ﬁnd that companies with more antitrust concerns reduce their disclosure of competitively sensitive information, such as information on future strategies, sales, production, and product markets. Additional analyses suggest that ﬁrms with more antitrust concerns may also raise their product prices without issuing explicit press releases. To avoid further attention from antitrust regulators and plaintiﬀs, these companies limit their disclosure of competitively sensitive information. Overall, my ﬁndings suggest that antitrust considerations from product markets can spill over into capital markets.
A data simulation system using YSINC polynomial higher order neural networks

In this paper a new data simulation system, based on the y and sin(x)/x functions, called YSINC Polynomial Higher Order Neural Network (YSINCPHONN) has been developed. The YSINCPHONN model provides one more opportunity to find the optimal neural network model for simulation and prediction. This paper also proves that YSINCPHONN models can converge when simulating XOR data. This study also tests rainfall data. Based on the test results, YSINCPHONN model is 0.6562% better than Polynomial Higher Order Neural Network (PHONN) model and 0.62368% batter than trigonometric Polynomial Higher Order Neural Network (THONN) model in simulating rainfall. Moreover, foreign exchange rate simulation has been tested by using YSINCPHONN models. Test results show that YSINCPHONN models are about 0.7143% to 3.3243% better than PHONN, THONN, Sigmoid Polynomial Higher Order Neural Network (SPHONN), and SINC Polynomial Higher Order Neural Network (SINCHONN) models.
Effects of Phospholipase A2 Digestion on the Electricfield Sensing Carotenoids in Photosynthetic Membranes of Rhodobacter Sphaeroides

The intracytoplasmic membrane (ICM) of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides contains two light-harvesting bacteriochlorophyll a (BChl)-carotenoid-protein complexes designated as B800–850 and B875 which function as peripheral and core antennae, respectively. Phospholipase digestion has proved useful in studying the structural organization of these integral membrane proteins [1]. When ICM vesicles (chromatophores) were treated with phospholipase A2, the spectral response of the carotenoids to electric field alterations disappeared [1]; these field-sensing pigments are associated exclusively with B800–850 [2]. It is shown here that this effect of the phospholipase does not merely reflect a loss of the ability of the treated chromatophores to sustain a field, but instead, is exerted upon the electrochromically active carotenoid species and is correlated with degradation of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) at the membrane surface.
In vivo studies of myelinated nerve fibers.

Publisher Summary From the standpoint of both structure and function the myelinated nerve fiber is a highly specialized component of the nervous system. It represents a very intimate association of a nerve cell process with a satellite myelinating cell. In the peripheral nervous system the myelinating cell is the sheath cell of Schwann (neurilemma cell) ; in the central nervous system it is a glial cell (oligodendrocyte probably). The entire history of nerve fiber growth and myelination could be satisfactorily studied in vivo. Correlation of results of in vivo histories of myelinated fibers with ultrastructural data obtained by electron microscopy has been very fruitful in some ways. The minute details revealed by good electron micrographs are absolutely essential for a clear picture of the exact relationship of the sheath cell to the axon and for the various modifications and adjustments exhibted by these during the processes of myelination, growth, injury, and repair. The chapter also discusses the observations and experiments on cutaneous nerves, and observations and experiments on the lateral-line system.
Patient controlled opioid analgesia versus conventional opioid analgesia for postoperative pain.

Background Patients may control postoperative pain by self-administration of intravenous opioids using devices designed for this purpose (patient controlled analgesia or PCA). A 1992 meta-analysis by Ballantyne found a strong patient preference for PCA over conventional analgesia but disclosed no differences in analgesic consumption or length of postoperative hospital stay. Although Ballantyne's meta-analysis found that PCA did have a small but statistically significant benefit upon pain intensity, Walder's review in 2001 did not find a significant differences in pain intensity and pain relief between PCA and conventionally treated groups. Objectives To evaluate the efficacy of PCA versus conventional analgesia (such as a nurse administering an analgesic upon a patient's request) for postoperative pain control. Search methods Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2004, Issue 3), MEDLINE (1966 to 2004), and EMBASE (1994 to 2004). Additional reports were identified from the reference lists of retrieved papers. Selection criteria RCTs of PCA versus conventional analgesia that employed pain intensity as a primary or secondary outcome were selected. These trials included RCTs that compared PCA without a continuous background infusion versus conventional parenteral analgesic regimens. Studies that explicitly stated they involved patients with chronic pain were excluded. Data collection and analysis Trials were scored using the Oxford Quality Scale. Meta-analyses were performed of outcomes that included analgesic efficacy assessed by a Visual Analog Scale (VAS), analgesic consumption, patient satisfaction, length of stay and adverse effects. A sufficient number of the retrieved trials reported these parameters to permit meta-analyses. Main results Fifty-five studies with 2023 patients receiving PCA and 1838 patients assigned to a control group met inclusion criteria. PCA provided better pain control and greater patient satisfaction than conventional parenteral 'as-needed' analgesia. Patients using PCA consumed higher amounts of opioids than the controls and had a higher incidence of pruritus (itching) but had a similar incidence of other adverse effects. There was no difference in the length of hospital stay. Authors' conclusions This review provides evidence that PCA is an efficacious alternative to conventional systemic analgesia for postoperative pain control.
Capernaum and the Lame and the Blind: A Complex Metaphor

That the label attached to the key is not merely a reference to the jumbled state of a storeroom becomes apparent when we review the "medical" career of the fatuous and pedantic Homais. Homais would, in imitation of Jesus, cure the lame and blind. He can do neither. It is he, in pursuit of his own advantage and interests, who suggests to Emma, and she to C^harles (in pursuit of her own interests) the p>ossibility of effecting an operation on Hipf)olyte which would benefit all. In one facile stroke (and literally the operation was, indeed, one stroke, a "snap" and it was over) all would profit; Charles would win renown as a surgeon, Emma would find cause for admiring her husband, Homais would gain fame by proclaiming to the world (via his "journal") the success of such an operation, and Hippwlyte would be cured of his clubfoot. Ignorance, ambition, and pride join in crippling HippK)lyte further, in shaming Charles, infuriating Emma, and momentarily checking though not harming the oppKjrtunistic Homais.
Compression of digital elevation maps for fast and efficient search and retrieval

In this paper we consider the use of nonlinear max- and min-lifted integer wavelets encoded using set partitioning in hierarchical trees (SPIHT) for the compression and efficient data-retrieval of digital elevation maps (DEMs). Max- and min-lifted integer wavelets losslessly code data such that the regional maxima and minima are preserved at the coarsest scale, which facilitates efficient multiresolutional elevation searches. Of particular interest in this application are the effects of maxima/minima propagation between resolution scales, as well as the effects of the bit-plane layering of wavelet coefficients inherent in the SPIHT coder. This implementation of a DEM browsing system will be compared to one utilizing a standard 5/3 wavelet, such as is used in JPEG2000.
Industrial Engineering and Human Factors

Eye tracking offers a unique measure of human attentional behavior. This is particularly important in evaluating present and future environments in which humans do and will work. The examination of human interaction and behavior within their environments, particularly ones in which humans often perform functions critical to safety, is one topic studied by human factors and industrial engineers.
Endocannabinoid signalling: has it got rhythm?

Endogenous cannabinoid signalling is widespread throughout the body, and considerable evidence supports its modulatory role in many fundamental physiological processes. The daily and seasonal cycles of the relationship of the earth and sun profoundly affect the terrestrial environment. Terrestrial species have adapted to these cycles in many ways, most well studied are circadian rhythms and hibernation. The purpose of this review was to examine literature support for three hypotheses: (i) endocannabinoid signalling exhibits brain region-specific circadian rhythms; (ii) endocannabinoid signalling modulates the rhythm of circadian processes in mammals; and (iii) changes in endocannabinoid signalling contribute to the state of hibernation. The results of two novel studies are presented. First, we report the results of a study of healthy humans demonstrating that plasma concentrations of the endocannabinoid, N-arachidonylethanolamine (anandamide), exhibit a circadian rhythm. Concentrations of anandamide are threefold higher at wakening than immediately before sleep, a relationship that is dysregulated by sleep deprivation. Second, we investigated differences in endocannabinoids and congeners in plasma from Marmota monax obtained in the summer and during the torpor state of hibernation. We report that 2-arachidonoylglycerol is below detection in M. monax plasma and that concentrations of anandamide are not different. However, plasma concentrations of the anorexigenic lipid oleoylethanolamide were significantly lower in hibernation, while the concentrations of palmitoylethanolamide and 2-oleoylglycerol were significantly greater in hibernation. We conclude that available data support a bidirectional relationship between endocannabinoid signalling and circadian processes, and investigation of the contribution of endocannabinoid signalling to the dramatic physiological changes that occur during hibernation is warranted. This article is part of a themed issue on Cannabinoids. To view the editorial for this themed issue visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1476-5381.2010.00831.x
A catalytically impaired mutant of the rice Xa21 receptor kinase confers partial resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae

The rice Xa21 gene that confers resistance against Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae encodes a receptor-like kinase protein consisting of a presumed extracellular domain, a transmembrane domain and a cytoplasmic protein kinase. To determine if the XA21 kinase domain is essential for transducing the defense response, we mutated the Lysine 736 of Xa21 to Glutamic acid (K736E) to construct XA21K736E. Transgenic lines expressing XA21K736E display partial resistance to Xoo PR6. Bacterial growth in the XA21K736E mutants is intermediate to that of transgenic lines expressing the wild type Xa21 gene and the susceptible control, Taipei 309. The partial resistance phenotype was transmitted to the progeny of two independent lines. Thus, although catalytic activity of XA21 is essential for wild type resistance levels, the catalytically impaired mutant maintains partial resistance activity. q 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.