cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patient Stakeholder Versus Physician Preferences Regarding Amyloid PET Testing.

BACKGROUND Patient and caregiver perspectives on amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) use are largely unexplored, particularly as compared with clinician views. METHODS We surveyed clinicians, patients, caregivers, and dementia advocates on topics relating to an evidence-based guideline on amyloid PET use. Topic importance was rated on a 9-point scale. Patient stakeholder and clinician views were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS Patient representatives (n=107) rated all survey topics as equal to or more important than clinicians (n=114) except 1 item discussing potential harms of false-positive diagnoses. Differences between patient representative and clinician populations were greatest when comparing the competing values of false-positive and false-negative diagnoses and the value of testing asymptomatic individuals. CONCLUSIONS Patients and caregivers emphasized the importance of having a dementia diagnosis and placed more value on testing and outcomes for asymptomatic populations than clinicians. This underscores the importance of research investigating the effect of amyloid PET results on asymptomatic individuals and the need for amyloid PET ordering and disclosure standards.
Experimental Investigation of the Thermal Performance of Vacuum Tube Solar Collectors (VTSC) Using Alumina Nanofluids

The enhancement of the thermal performance of Vacuum Tube Solar Collectors (VTSC) was studied by using alumina nanofluid as working fluid. VTSC is a simple and commonly utilized type of collector. This study established the heat transfer experimental model of all glass VTSCs used in a forced-circulation solar water heating system using alumina nanofluid as base fluid. Al2O3 (with an average particle size of 15 nm) nanoparticles were provided and utilized to prepare nanofluids at a low mass concentration (0.5–1 wt.%). The thermal performances of VTSC were 15.3%, 25.7%, and 27.2% for the deionized water and Al2O3/water nanofluids with 0.5 and 1.0 wt. % as the working fluid, respectively. Generally, for Al2O3/water nanofluids with mass concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0 wt. %, the thermal performance increased by 67.9% and 77.7%, respectively, superior to that of vacuum tube using deionized water as the working fluid. Experimental results also showed that, for all three experimental tests, the thermal efficiency of the VTSC would increase by enhancing the average solar radiation.
Plane Curves with Pseudo-Rhamphoid Cusps

A necessary condition that the parametric equations x = f(T), y = g(T) (1) represent the plane algebraic curve U(x, y) = 0 is that U [f(T), g(T)] = 0 in the parameter T. This condition merely states that the points given by the equations (1) are points of the curve U(x, y) = 0, and does not imply that to every point of the curve there corresponds a value of T.
Obesity trends in developing countries: Evaluation of a rural clinic population in the Dominican Republic

Background: In the 1980s, the United States (US) and Europe experienced rising rates of obesity, attributed to higher-calorie diets and decreases in physical activity, while developing nations continued to struggle with undernutrition and starvation. Now, the prevalence of obesity is increasing in developing countries as well. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight in 2014, with 600 million of them being obese; in addition, 41 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese. Consequently, the world is also experiencing increasing rates of obesity-related comorbidities, such as …
Sizing and dispatch of an islanded microgrid with energy flexible buildings

Abstract Deregulation of the electricity sector, the rise of distributed generation, and a growing interest in local resilience have led to increasing attention on microgrids. In this paper, we present an approach for sizing the microgrid components that accounts for the load flexibility available in buildings with model predictive control. As buildings are becoming smarter, the use of building control systems to regulate building load for different strategies, such as peak demand limiting or load shifting, is becoming increasingly prevalent. When sizing microgrid components under islanded operation, it becomes critical to consider the dynamic nature of the building load, since the intelligent control systems can use the building response to help balance energy flows. An optimal sizing and dispatch model of the microgrid with model predictive control is developed. Simulations are carried out for representative days for a building-level microgrid serving a medium-sized commercial building. Results show that savings in first costs and operational costs can be realized if advanced controls are considered during design and component selection.
Early to Middle Holocene Estuarine Shellfish Collecting on the Islands and Mainland Coast of the Santa Barbara Channel, California, USA

Terminal Pleistocene to Middle Holocene sea level rise resulted in a number of changes to coastal ecosystems around the world, providing new challenges and opportunities for coastal peoples. In California, glacial to interglacial sea level rise resulted in some reductions in rocky shore kelp forests, but it also resulted in the formation of estuaries. Estuaries were important for terminal Pleistocene peoples in the Santa Barbara Channel region (SBC), a pattern that persisted through the Early to Middle Holocene, and sometimes later. While paleoestuaries appear to have been relatively common along the SBC mainland coast, they were rare to absent on the Channel Islands. The Abalone Rocks Paleoestuary on Santa Rosa Island is the only well documented island estuary. However, questions remain about the size and productivity of this estuary and its importance for human subsistence and settlement relative to the more extensive mainland estuaries. Faunal data from two previously unreported site components and synthesis of shellfish data from other Abalone Rocks sites and similarly aged sites near mainland estuaries illustrate the importance of SBC mainland versus island estuaries. Estuarine shellfish were considerably more abundant at most Early and Middle Holocene mainland sites, with the Abalone Rocks Paleoestuary largely supplementary to rocky shore habitats. At island estuary sites, taxonomic richness was fairly consistent during the Early to Middle Holocene, although diversity and evenness decline slightly through time, with estuarine shellfish largely disappearing from island assemblages prior to 5000 years ago. These data demonstrate the power of archaeological research to evaluate the relationships between past environmental change and human behavior.
Correlates of affective empathy, perspective taking, and generativity among a sample of adults

Previous research suggests that empathy can be cultivated by social ideals and relationships with people. The current study examines family importance and religious importance as correlates of affective empathy, perspective taking, and generativity among a sample of adults aged 18 to 35 (N = 722). Given the ethnic and racial diversity represented by Millennials and Generation Z, the moderating role of racial group membership is explored as well. Results indicate that family importance is positively associated with affective empathy, perspective taking, and generativity for the overall sample, though the relationship is particularly strong for non-Hispanic whites. Religious importance is significantly related to affective empathy and generativity (not perspective taking), primarily among Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color. Due to the increasing visibility of victimization towards socially vulnerable groups, it is important to understand how attitudes oriented towards helping and empathizing with others are fostered. Implications for further research are discussed.
Aircraft trajectory prediction and synchronization for air traffic management applications

Abstract Commercial aircraft operating today are faced with an air traffic management (ATM) system operating with methods that have been developed for a paper- and voice-based system. Important information can be both different and unavailable to the various automation systems supporting decision makers. The consequence of such an environment is that automation systems suffer from inconsistency and inaccuracy. Faced with such a basis for decision making, the ATM environment is highly tactical by necessity. Aircraft operators may plan to optimize their operations in the face of uncertain or unknown information, but these plans are superseded as the tactical situation evolves. In response to these limitations, ATM research and modernization programs are underway across multiple regions of the world. While differences exist between these programs, these align with a single global vision as articulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization's Global Air Traffic Management Operational Concept. One key aspect is the migration to Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO) under which each flight is represented with a trajectory that is shared, managed, and used as a common plan for the flight. Decision-support automation for both the aircraft operator and air navigation service providers can use the same trajectory information for planning and tactical decision making, leveraging System Wide Information Management (SWIM). Achieving TBO requires more accurate trajectory prediction and synchronization across participants. This paper reviews research applicable to trajectory prediction throughout the trajectory prediction process, addresses differences in decision-making structures, and considers trajectory synchronization research applicable to TBO. Where possible, operational realities are identified concluding with future research and validation needs for TBO across the entire process from inputs to a synchronized trajectory.
Lay Victims’ Conceptions of Environmental Crime and Environmental Injustice: The Case of the Chem-Dyne Superfund Site

This project explores lay victims’ conceptions of environmental crime and environmental injustice through in-depth interviews with a snowball sample of people affected by, and former employees of, the Chem-Dyne Superfund site in Hamilton, Ohio, USA. Qualitative content analysis revealed that participants used the following criteria to define both environmental crime and environmental injustice: illegality, intentionality, harm and safety, and unfairness. These findings have important implications for studies of environmental crime and environmental injustice: (1) Lay victims’ conceptions of environmental crime and environmental injustice are multidimensional concepts; (2) lay victims’ conceptions of environmental crime and environmental injustice are mostly anthropocentric; (3) there is significant conceptual overlap between environmental crime and environmental injustice in lay victim accounts; and (4) lay victims’ conceptions of environmental crime and environmental injustice are similar to, yet distinct from, formal and academic definitions.
A transient heritable memory regulates HIV reactivation from latency

Summary Reactivation of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) from latently infected T cells is a critical barrier to cure patients. It remains unknown whether reactivation of individual latent cells occurs stochastically in response to latency reversal agents (LRAs) or is a deterministic outcome of an underlying cell state. To characterize these single-cell responses, we leverage the classical Luria-Delbruck fluctuation test where single cells are isolated from a clonal population and exposed to LRAs after colony expansion. Data show considerable colony-to-colony fluctuations with the fraction of reactivating cells following a skewed distribution. Modeling systematic measurements of fluctuations over time uncovers a transient heritable memory that regulates HIV-1 reactivation, where single cells are in an LRA-responsive state for a few weeks before switching back to an irresponsive state. These results have enormous implications for designing therapies to purge the latent reservoir and further utilize fluctuation-based assays to uncover hidden transient cellular states underlying phenotypic heterogeneity.
Learning to Breathe Again: Found Poems and Critical Friendship as Methodological Tools in Self-Study of Teaching Practices

This self-study demonstrates how crafting found poems and critical friendship facilitated unstitching and (re)stitching narrative understanding for purposes of learning from pedagogy for improving ...
Erratum to: Kauffman bracket skein module of a connected sum of 3-manifolds

This note is an erratum pointing out an error in Theorem 7.1 in the paper [4] which was published in Manuscripta Math. in the year 2000.
Risk of malignancy associated with diagnostic categories of the proposed World Health Organization International System for Reporting Pancreaticobiliary Cytopathology.

BACKGROUND The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed an updated international classification system for reporting pancreaticobiliary cytology. Substantial changes to the prior Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology (PSC) system have been recommended. Chiefly, the "neoplastic: benign" and "neoplastic: other" categories have been replaced by 2 new categories-"pancreatic neoplasia-low-grade" (PaN-Low) and "pancreatic neoplasia-high-grade" (PaN-High)-stratifying neoplastic mucinous cysts by cytological atypia. Low-grade malignancies are placed in the "malignant" category and benign serous cystadenoma in the "benign/negative" category. Risk of malignancy (ROM) associated with the diagnostic categories of the WHO system has yet to be defined. METHODS All patients who underwent endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) for a pancreatic lesion at a single institution from January 2016 to December 2016, prospectively classified using the PSC system, were reclassified using the WHO system. Absolute ROM was determined by histologic outcome and/or clinical follow-up of at least 6 months. RESULTS A total of 334 EUS-FNA samples from 322 patients were reviewed and reclassified. Absolute ROM for the WHO system was 7.7% for "insufficient/inadequate/nondiagnostic" category, 1.0% for "benign/negative for malignancy," 28.0% for "atypical," 4.8% for "PaN-Low," 60.0% for "PaN-High," 100% for "suspicious for malignancy," and 100% for "malignant;" the absolute ROM for the same cohort using the PSC system was 7.7% for "nondiagnostic" category, 1.0% for "negative (for malignancy)," 28.0% for "atypical," 0.0% for "neoplastic: benign," 30.3% for "neoplastic: other," 100% for "suspicious (for malignancy)," and 100% for "positive or malignant." CONCLUSIONS The WHO international system achieves improved stratification by associated ROM compared to the PSC system.
Legal Argumentation and AI

A mainstay of lawyers is their ability to undertake legal argumentation. This is a skill taught in law school and matured over the course of a legal career. AI is going to up the game, so to speak, by providing legal argumentation enablement. Attorneys need to ready themselves.
Impact of Underwriting on Residential Foreclosures in Chicago Communities

Residential mortgage foreclosures have risen sharply since 2006 prompting deeper analysis of underwritings’ impact. This study contributes insight by examining underwriting characteristics: interest rate premiums, loan to value (LTV) ratios and housing debt to income (DTI) ratios at the Chicago community level.
War From the Ground Up: Twenty-First-Century Combat as Politics, by Simpson, Emile

Of all the books written about war and strategy since September 2001, how many will be remembered and studied years from now? To rise above the multitude of volumes with glossy covers, complex name...
Development of Cathodic Silence in an Oxide Film on a Gold Electrode

ABSTRACT The anodic growth and open-circuit decomposition of an oxide layer on a gold electrode were studied using a combination of in situ ellipsometric, potentiometric, and coulometric measurements. Application of an anodic potential of 1.2 V (vs. Ag/AgNO 3 ) for 5 min in aqueous sulfuric acid produced an oxide film with a thickness of approximately 1 nm. Removal of the applied potential resulted in an immediate drop in potential to that characteristic of the Au/Au oxide redox couple and gradual loss of ∼80% of the oxide-film thickness. This potential and the residual thickness persisted for a period of time and then abruptly dropped together to values close to those expected for bare gold. Surprisingly, reduction of the oxide by linear sweep voltammetry during this “rest” period of constant potential and thickness involved a steadily decreasing amount of cathodic charge. In fact, the film eventually became non-reducible during this period.
Effects of carbohydrate supplementation on muscle glycogen and substrate oxidation during extended exercise in females

PURPOSE: To determine the effects of CHO feeding during 10-hours of moderate exercise on muscle glycogen and substrate utilization in females. METHODS: Six moderately trained females (age 23±3 yr, eumenorrheic and not taking oral contraceptives) completed a double blind, random crossover design protocol. Subjects ingesting either a CHO (0.6g CHO/kg fat free mass (FFM) of a 20% maltodextrin solution) or placebo (PLA) drink each hour for 10 hours of exercise. Each hour included 9 minutes on an arm ergometer, 19 minutes on a cycle ergometer (CE) and 20 minutes on a treadmill (TM), each at 70% of mode specific ventilatory threshold (VT) with 10minute rest and feeding. A standardized lunch was provided (5.5 g/kg FFM CHO, and 1.3 g/kg FFM protein) during both trials after the fifth hour. Muscle biopsies were obtained preand post-exercise from the vastus lateralis, and metabolic gases were collected every other hour on the TM. Blood glucose was continuously measured with an indwelling glucose sensor, and total urine void was collected. RESULTS: Whole body CHO oxidation was significantly higher during the CHO trial (269.1±64.1g) compared to PLA (209.6±45.8g, p 0.05). CONCLUSION: These data indicate that regular CHO feedings maintain whole body CHO oxidation and markedly reduces muscle glycogenolysis during 10 hours of moderate intensity intermittent exercise in females.
Critical Theory and Medical Care in America: Changing Doctor–Patient Dynamics

This paper examines the potential for theory to adapt to changing contexts of health in the western world. The commoditization of health and the ideology of biomedicine affects social life in creating dependency, social control, and vast inequalities. At the same time, increased access and diversity of consumer health knowledge as evidenced by the use of the Internet and the sharp rise in alternative medicine point to a different dialectic between doctor and patient and the potential for transforming diagnostic, treatment, and economic components of health care. Recent trends suggest increasing patient autonomy and the possibility of a re-emergence of medical pluralism. New theoretical directions should be considered by social scientists in order to more fully understand these changes.
Application of Optimal Data Assimilation Techniques in Oceanography

Application of optimal data assimilation methods in oceanography is, if anything, more important than it is in numerical weather prediction, due to the sparsity of data. Here, a general framework is presented and practical examples taken from the author’s work are described, with the purpose of conveying to the reader some idea of the state of the art of data assimilation in oceanography. While no attempt is made to be exhaustive, references to other lines of research are included. Major challenges to the community include design of statistical error models and handling of strong nonlinearity.
Extracellular matrix-mediated endothelial differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (1152.4)

Over 8 million Americans are suffering from Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD), which is due to atherosclerotic occlusion of the peripheral arteries of the limbs. Recent studies suggest that human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived endothelial cells (iPSC-ECs) can serve as a promising source for treatment of PAD. However, the low differentiation efficiency of iPSC-ECs is a major limitation to their clinical use. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell-ECM interactions in endothelial differentiation of iPSCs utilizing high throughput ECM microarray technique. We developed a high-throughput ECM microarray that contains circular printed areas of ECMs on glass slides using a robotic DNA microarrayer. Multi-component mixtures of purified ECMs components (gelatin, fibronectin, laminin, heparin sulfate proteoglycans, collagen IV, and matrigel) were deposited onto glass slides at fixed distances. A total of 280 spotted matrix features were fabricated w...
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in VA Services Utilization as a Partial Pathway to Mortality Differentials Among Veterans Diagnosed With TBI.

OBJECTIVE: Primary: To examine Veterans Administration (VA) utilization and other potential mediators between racial/ethnic differentials and mortality in veterans diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN: A national cohort of veterans clinically diagnosed with TBI in 2006 was followed from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2009 or until date of death. Utilization was tracked for 12 months. Differences in survival and potential mediators by race were examined via K-Wallis and chi-square tests. Potential mediation of utilization in the association between mortality and race/ethnicity was studied by fitting Cox models with and without adjustment for demographics and co-morbidities. Poisson regression was used to study the association of race/ethnicity with utilization of specialty services potentially important in the management of TBI. SETTING: United States (US) Veterans Administration (VA) Hospitals and Clinics. PARTICIPANTS: 14, 690 US veterans clinically diagnosed with TBI in 2006. INTERVENTIONS: Not Applicable. The study is a secondary data analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mortality, Utilization. RESULTS: Hispanic veterans were found to have significantly higher unadjusted mortality (6.69%) than Non-Hispanic White veterans (2.93%). Hispanic veterans relative to Non-Hispanic White were found to have significantly lower utilization of all services examined, except imaging. Neurology was found to be the utilization mediator with the highest percent of excess risk (3.40%) while age was the non utilization confounder with the highest percent of excess risk (31.49%). In fully adjusted models for demographics and co-morbidities, Hispanic veterans relative to Non-Hispanic Whites were found to have less total visits (IRR 0.89), TBI clinic (IRR 0.43), neurology (IRR 0.35), rehabilitation (IRR 0.37), and other visits (IRR 0.85) with only higher mental health visits (IRR 1.53). CONCLUSIONS: We found evidence that utilization is a partial mediator between race/ethnicity and mortality, especially neurology utilization. We also found that Hispanic veterans receive significantly less TBI clinic, neurology, rehabilitation and other types of utilization. The use of innovative system factors (decision aids, information tools, patient activation, and adherence support interventions) could be valuable in enhancing utilization of specific TBI related services, especially among ethnic minorities.
Fas ligand is responsible for CXCR3 chemokine induction in CD4+ T cell-dependent liver damage.

Immune-mediated hepatic damage has been demonstrated in the pathogenesis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and other hepatotrophic infections. Fas/Fas ligand (FasL) interaction plays a critical role in immune-mediated hepatic damage. To understand the molecular mechanism(s) of FasL-mediated liver inflammation, we examined the effect of CD4 + T cells expressing high levels of FasL on the initiation of hepatic damage through analysis of chemokine and chemokine receptor expression in HCV core × TCR (DO11.10) double-transgenic mice. In vivo antigenic stimulation triggers a marked influx of core-expressing Ag-specific CD4 + T cells into the liver of the immunized core + TCR mice but not their core − TCR littermates. Strikingly, the inflammatory process in the liver of core + TCR mice was accompanied by a dramatic increase in IFN-inducible protein 10 and monokine induced by IFN-γ production. The intrahepatic lymphocytes were primarily CXCR3-positive and anti-CXCR3 Ab treatment abrogates migration of CXCR3 + lymphocytes into the liver and hepatic damage. Importantly, the blockade of Fas/FasL interaction reduces the expression of IFN-inducible protein 10 and monokine induced by IFN-γ and cellular infiltration into the liver. These findings suggest that activated CD4 + T cells with elevated FasL expression are involved in promoting liver inflammation and hepatic damage through the induction of chemokines.
Monoclonal antibodies selective for the inner portion of the chick retina

Five monoclonal antibodies were selected by immunizing mice with embryonic chick optic nerve and screening the resultant hybridoma antibodies by immunofluorescence on sections of the retina. The optic nerve was chosen as the immunizing tissue since it is presumably enriched in ganglion cell-specific antigens. These antibodies bind to antigens which are largely localized to the inner part of the retina. Two of the antibodies, RET1 and RET2, show highly selective binding to the optic fiber layer. Another, RET3, stains the optic fiber layer, ganglion cell layer, and inner plexiform layer. Antibody RET4 stains the optic fiber layer, ganglion cell layer, inner plexiform layer, and the inner one-half of the inner nuclear layer; this antibody binds to an antigen on or associated with the plasma membrane. Antibody RET5 stains the retinal ganglion cell layer faintly and the inner and outer plexiform layers strongly. The potential utility of these antibodies for future studies on retinal development is discussed.
Oral Argument: Practice Makes (Nearly) Perfect

This article discusses an exercise to help students prepare for oral argument by having them identify questions a judge may ask during oral argument and then actually practicing answering those questions in front of their classmates.
Modernidad y diferencia

Resumen es: En este articulo se busca ofrecer una problematizacion de la forma como ha sido entendida la modernidad, no solo por quienes la han defendido y hablado a...
Social Motivation, Justice, and the Moral Emotions: An Attributional Approach

Contents: Preface. Prologue. A Theory of Social Motivation and Justice: Logic and Development. Testing the Theory and Incorporating Cultural and Individual Differences. The Moral Emotions and Creating Positive Moral Impressions. Reward and Punishment. A Visit to the Courtroom Settings: Is the Theory Useful? Epilogue.
Comparative Literary History as an Elitist Metanarrative

It is an ambiguous comfort to know that we are still debating the grand issues that were in the foreground when the International Comparative Literature Association was founded half a century ago as an offshoot from the Federation Internationale des Langues et Litteratures Modernes. FILLM’s Fifth Congress in 1951, focusing then exclusively on the European, considered modern literatures “in their relations with the fine arts” over a series of supposed great cultural and/or stylistic periods starting from the late Middle Ages. FILLM’s Sixth Congress in 1954, the birth year of ICLA, dealt with “Literature and Science” over a comparable series of supposed epochs in intellectual and technological history. Noticeable on the methodological front in 1954 are the decline of positivistic historicism and, in juxtaposition, the triumph of newer psychology and anthropology plus the first inroads of linguistic structuralism. FILLM’s Ninth Congress in 1963 grappled with the task of relating “Literary History and Literary Criticism”, pursued all the basic epistemological questions therefrom resultant, and introduced the comparison of Asian and European approaches, while giving some consideration to the particularities of other regions. This expansion of horizons by FILLM occurred just four year’s before the daughter organization ICLA approved the creation of the series A Comparative History of Literatures in European Languages. Does all this sound familiar? And here we are again, in the aftermath of postmodernism and poststructuralism, and constructivism, various -isms and post-isms which have meanwhile come and gone; but we are generally unable to believe in the death of literature, the arts, history, or even science – dyings often proclaimed in recent decades in European and Euro-American circles. ICLA has sailed on despite America’s and Europe’s postmodern and other doubts and pioneered the investigation of huge intraand inter-regional complexes of cultural and literary life; and the CHLEL series has acted as the ice-breaker of the ICLA flotilla, ploughing forward to demonstrate how much can be achieved in actual practice. But despite evident pride in these advances we do feel certain misgivings. Scholars involved in the CHLEL series are perhaps foremost among
On S. Saitoh’s Characterization of the Range of Linear Transforms

It is shown that the characterization of the range of linear transforms, given by S. Saitoh, is not a solution of the characterization problem.
The Essentials Of Cross Training: The Benefits Of Delegation And The Role Of Education

Bob Hunter is the operations manager for a medium sized manufacturing plant that produces after market automobile parts. The line of products includes: alternators, starters, rebuilt air-conditioner compressors, disk-brake pads and replacement kits, and electric motors for power windows and seats. Bob has been having difficulty meeting deadlines due to increased orders and he met with his boss, the director of operations saying: “Mr. Conner, I am pushing my crew to the limits, I seem to be running around from department to department since I lost my assistant, and meeting production deadlines is becoming difficult. Can I hire at least two more employees to increase production? “Sorry Bob, but the budget will not allow it and you will have to increase efficiency. Our raw materials costs have increased and the competition is not raising their costs.” “Do you have any suggestions that can help me?” asked Bob. “First I have a couple of questions for you; are your employees cross trained and how much work do you delegate? If not, you should give it some serious consideration. As you know Bob, changes in management are essential in order for us to remain competitive. When you hired your employees, did you give any thought to how flexible they were?” No organization can survive today without employees that can meet the challenge of rapid change. This paper is not to discuss change, but how cross training employees can increase efficiency, and how education is helping to prepare future employees.
1-O-2′-hydroxyalkyl and 1-O-2′-ketoalkyl glycerols

1-O-2′-Hydroxyalkyl glycerols were synthesized from 1,2-alkanediols and, alternatively, from 1,2-epoxyalkanes. Their 2,3-isopropylidene derivatives, 2′-acetoxy-2,3-isopropylidene derivatives and 2′,2,3-triacetoxy derivatives were prepared. 1-O-2′-Ketoalkyl-2,3-isopropylidene glycerols were prepared from the corresponding 2′-hydroxy derivatives; they were hydrolyzed to 1-O-2′-ketoalkyl glycerols. The compounds were characterized by thin-layer and gas-liquid chromatography, by infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.
Detection of an endogenous urinary biomarker associated with CYP2D6 activity using global metabolomics

Aim: We sought to discover endogenous urinary biomarkers of human CYP2D6 activity. Patients & methods: Healthy pediatric subjects (n = 189) were phenotyped using dextromethorphan and randomized for candidate biomarker selection and validation. Global urinary metabolomics was performed using liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Candidate biomarkers were tested in adults receiving fluoxetine, a CYP2D6 inhibitor. Results: A biomarker, M1 (m/z 444.3102) was correlated with CYP2D6 activity in both the pediatric training and validation sets. Poor metabolizers had undetectable levels of M1, whereas it was present in subjects with other phenotypes. In adult subjects, a 9.56-fold decrease in M1 abundance was observed during CYP2D6 inhibition. Conclusion: Identification and validation of M1 may provide a noninvasive means of CYP2D6 phenotyping.
A ritual garment, the synagogue, and gender questions

ABSTRACTJewish women in some synagogues have recently taken to wrapping themselves in a prayer shawl, tallit. For women to use this ritual garment is a historic change in custom because for almost 2,000 years the prayer shawl, tallit, was worn by men only. Jewish tradition placed women in a gender-segregated space in the synagogue, denied women all synagogue roles such as rabbi, cantor, and Torah reader and excluded them from wearing ritual garments such as tallit. In the last thirty years in synagogues of the Conservative branch of Judaism women have taken on all these ritual roles including wrapping themselves in tallit in the synagogue. I examine the context in which this historic change is taking place and the meaning that change has for women, the tallit itself, and the synagogue. I raise the following gender questions: Has the tallit been feminized? Are women worshipers simply incorporated/co-opted into a traditional (male) custom? Has the gender of the synagogue changed?
Steady streaming flows near spheroids oscillated at multiple frequencies

The results of flow visualization and particle image velocimetry (PIV) studies of steady streaming flows near oscillating spheroids (aspect ratios of 0.75, 1, and 1.33) are reported for normalized amplitudes of 0.025–0.15 and Reynolds numbers of 27–89. The oscillations are described by either a single-frequency sine wave or the sum of two such sine waves with different frequencies. For normalized amplitudes of 5% or less, the PIV data suggest that steady streaming flow fields superpose. In other words, the time-independent portion of the velocity field created by forcing the spheroid simultaneously at two different frequencies is found to be the sum of the two steady streaming velocity fields created by forcing the body individually at each of the two frequencies.
Performance evaluation of a microchannel plate based x-ray camera with a reflecting grid

Summary form only given. Microchannel plates (MCPs) are used in a variety of imaging systems as a means of amplifying the incident radiation. Using a microchannel plate mount recently developed at the University of Michigan, the effects of a metal reflecting grid are explored. Employing the reflecting grid, we create a potential difference above the MCP input surface that forces ejected electrons back into the pores, which may prove to increase the quantum efficiency of the camera. Using a characterized X-ray source, we investigate the changes in the pulse height distribution, modular transfer function, and quantum efficiency of MCPs caused by the introduction of the reflecting grid
Zinc up‐regulates NF‐κB activation via phosphorylation of IκB in HUT‐78 (Th0) cells

Nuclear factor of kappaB (NF-kappaB) is a major transcription factor regulating the expression of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-2 receptor-alpha (IL-2Ralpha) in Th(1) cells. We previously demonstrated that zinc increased IL-2 and IL-2Ralpha production via NF-kappaB activation in HUT-78 (Th(0)) cells. However, the molecular mechanism is not well understood. In this study, we found that zinc increased phosphorylated IkappaB-alpha, NF-kappaB translocation and activation, as well as the production of IL-2 and IL-2Ralpha in wild type IkappaB gene transfected zinc-sufficient HUT-78 cells, compared to zinc-deficient HUT-78 cells. However, dominant negative IkappaB gene expression decreased these parameters in zinc-sufficient cells, suggesting that zinc increased NF-kappaB activation via IkappaB pathway.
On the generation of oceanic surface waves by underwater volcanic explosions

Abstract The oceanic surface waves generated by submarine volcanism are modeled as the response of a compressible ocean to an underwater point explosion at an arbitrary depth over an elastic half-space. We generalize the work of Kajiura and Miyoshi by allowing the elastic sea floor to influence both the sound and surface gravity waves. The classic work of Press and Ewing is extended to allow for the movement of the oceanic free surface. From numerical inversion techniques, we find that most of the energy is radiated away as surface gravity waves. A mixture of direct and reflected P- (compressional) and S-type (distortional) head waves may produce high-frequency, large-amplitude oscillations in the sea surface.
Legal Protection of Databases: Feist v. Rural Telephone Service

Abstract The rapid development of database software and information- gathering techniques has led to a reassessment of the traditional concepts of intellectual property law. Advanced technology has changed our methods of gathering, distributing, and retrieving news, research materials, and even telephone numbers. Databases are often provided at little or no cost on the Internet in real time. They provide accurate access to telephone books, dictionary definitions, driving directions, news, sports scores, stock quotations and many sources of information from all over the world. Databases are an expanding multi-billion dollar industry in the United States.
Psychological and sexual functioning among outpatient sexual offenders against children: A Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) cluster analytic study

Multivariate clustering procedures were used to identify homogeneous subgroups of outpatient sex offenders against children (n=110)on the basis of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Results indicated a five-subgroup solution. Two within-normal-limits and two clinically elevated profile subgroups replicated subtypes found in previous cluster analytic studies of child sex offenders. The fifth subgroup appeared similar in MMPI profile pattern and elevation to a previously identified subtype of rapists. Discriminant analyses showed that subgroups differed along dimensions of cognitive disturbance and sexual functioning. Furthermore, levels of psychopathology corresponded with levels of sexual pathology. Results are discussed with reference to previous MMPI cluster analytic studies of sex offenders and theories of sexual aggression.
The astrorhizae of fossil stromatoporoids closely approximate an energetically optimal fluid transport system

Direct measurements on 375 million year old stromatoporoid sponges show that the astrorhizal canals (excurrent flow channels) have a near-optimal architecture; they are configured such that the energetic costs to construct and operate these fluid transport systems averaged only 2.54% above those of equivalent Murray's Law systems, the theoretical minimum. The average cost incurred by the fluid transport system in stromatoporoids was a factor of three closer to the Murray's Law optimum than are vessel networks in the circulatory system of mammals.
Stakeholders' influence on the adoption of energy-saving technologies in Italian homes

The instability and fragmentation of the temporary aggregations of many stakeholders in construction processes are barriers to adopting new technologies. This paper investigates the influence of different stakeholders on the adoption of mature energy-saving technologies in new residential buildings. Recent literature about the influence of different stakeholders on construction processes is reviewed focusing in their interest for energy saving technologies. To gain an insight into the specific roles played by stakeholders (general contractors, construction firms, architects, users and public governments) in different projects, a case study methodology was used. The influence on the adoption of energy-saving technologies of stakeholders was assessed through semi-structured interviews. These interviews focused on the interest and power for the adoption of several energy-saving technologies. Having recognized that the interest in adoption is often expressed late in the construction processes, the time of introduction of this interest was assessed. This paper provides an empirical insight into significant barriers for the adoption of energy saving technologies which are the low influence of highly motivated stakeholders on the decision of adoption, and the delay at which the interest in energy-saving technologies emerges. Finally, policies to overcome these barriers are suggested.
Analytical studies of the environment.

ABSTRACT Analytical studies of the environment have dealt primarily with toxic materials that may affect the health of man. Studies may also be made to evaluate nuisance effects and economic factors associated with corrosion, staining and damage to plant and animal life. It is important to note that many so-called pollutants are also essential trace elements. Analytical studies of the environment, therefore, should provide a broad background of knowledge for a true evaluation of the nature of the environment and changes that are taking place. A brief review of toxic and carcinogenic materials reveals that there are many hazards to man that are present in the environment. Analytical methods for studying water quality and ambient atmospheres are of critical importance. The analytical problems are very complex and there is great need for a concerted effort to develop suitable analytical procedures and to collect reliable analytical data. It may surprise many to learn that although waters have been analysed for many centuries, no one has yet truly determined the nature and amount of all inorganic species in natural waters, let alone the various organic species that must be present. The study of air pollution is similarly deficient in methodology. A review of the current status of analytical chemistry as applied to air and water pollution studies is made. Some important deficiencies in our present knowledge are pointed out.
Arrested development or the queerness of savages: Resisting evolutionary narratives of difference

(2000). Arrested development or the queerness of savages: Resisting evolutionary narratives of difference. Postcolonial Studies: Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 133-158.
CD*: a real-time resolution optimal re-planner for globally constrained problems

Many problems in robotics and AI, such as the find-path problem, call for optimal solutions that satisfy global constraints. The problem is complicated when the cost information is unknown, uncertain, or changing during execution of the solution. Such problems call for efficient re-planning during execution to account for the new information acquired. This paper presents a novel real-time algorithm, Constrained D* (CD*), that re-plans resolution optimal solutions subject to a global constraint. CD* performs a binary search on a weight parameter that sets the balance between the optimality and feasibility cost metrics. In each stage of the search, CD* uses Dynamic A* (D*) to update the weight selection for that stage. On average, CD* updates a feasible and resolution optimal plan in less than a second, enabling it to be used in a real-time robot controller. Results are presented for simulated problems. To the author's knowledge, CD* is the fastest algorithm to solve this class of problems.
Abstract A14: Can mutation profile be of help to define the cellular origin of ampullary adenocarcinoma?

Ampullary adenocarcinomas are located and expand out of the ampulla of Vater. Their exact cellular origin is often hard to determine due to the diverse cellular constitution of the ampulla itself. The ampulla is the site where the bile and the pancreatic ducts unite and then open by a common orifice into the duodenum creating a diversified environment from which the adenocarcinoma can arise. We hypothesize that the cellular origin of ampullary adenocarcinomas might be elucidated with genetic profiling. DNA was isolated from 6 ampullary adenocarcinomas classified as periampullary by the pathologist and from the matched patient blood. Coding sequences of the tumor and normal matched samples were enriched by capture on a Nimblegen system and sequenced on a SOLiD platform. All mutations identified were validated on a 454 platform. Sixteen ductal pancreatic adenocarcinomas were studied in parallel and their genetic profile was compared with the ampullary adenocarcinoma profile. We identified a total of 492 and 458 somatic events in the ductal and ampullary tumor groups, respectively. Whereas the mutation distribution profile was similar in the 2 tumor types, their mutation spectrum was different with the T-to-G transitions being up to 6 fold more common in the ampullary than in the ductal adenocarcinomas suggesting that the development of each of these tumors was initiated by different mechanisms. The ampullary and the ductal adenocarcinoma shared several mutated genes and pathways defined by point mutations such as KRAS signaling, apoptosis, DNA repair, MAPK Wnt signaling, focal adhesion, and calcium signaling pathways and the axon guidance gene group. However, 4 of the periampullary adenocarcinoma had a distinct mutation landscape with mutations found in the significant mutated TCGA gene list of colon cancer and/or in the Catalog of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC) for gastric cancer. In conclusion, distinct mutation spectrum and mutation profile can be identified in ampullary tumors that might help in the determination of their cellular origin. Citation Format: Marie-Claude Gingras, David A. Wheeler, Donna M. Muzny, Sally E. Hodges, William E. Fisher, Richard A. Gibbs. Can mutation profile be of help to define the cellular origin of ampullary adenocarcinoma? [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges; Jun 18-21, 2012; Lake Tahoe, NV. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A14.
Folded chromosomes of mating-factor arrested yeast cells: comparison with G0 arrest

Folded chromosomes of haploid a or diploid aa cells arrested by α-factor are characterized by a heterogeneous sedimentation distribution, distinguishable from the corresponding g 0and g 1 structures. The extent of heterogeneity appears to depend in part on the extent of the characteristic schmoe morphology. Under conditions where a and α mating-type cells are mixed together without conjugation, folded chromosomes characteristic of α-factor arrested a and aa cells appear in both cell types in a synchronous manner. Attempts to order G0 and α-factor arrest suggest that these two arrest stages represent two different branch pathways out of the cell cycle. These two branch pathways may have a common branch point, or they may be characterized by two different branch points.
Latex immunoagglutination assay for a vasculitis marker in a microfluidic device using static light scattering detection

Abstract We have developed a microfluidic immunoassay device using fiber optics to detect static light scattering (SLS) of latex microsphere agglutination. A 400-μm silica fiber was used to deliver blue light emitting diode (LED) or red laser light sources. A miniature, portable spectrometer was used to measure forward light scattering intensity collected by the same type of multi-mode fiber. To first show feasibility, anti-mouse IgG were used as target biomolecules and highly carboxylated polystyrene latex microspheres (510 nm) coated with mouse IgG were used as probes. Next, we tested for the vasculitis marker, anti-PR3, using the same type of microspheres coated with PR3 proteins. No false negatives or positives were observed. A limit of detection (LOD) of 50 ng mL−1 was demonstrated for the vasculitis marker, anti-PR3. (Plasma samples from patients with vasculitis exhibited anti-PR3 at a median level of 380 ng mL−1.) The optical detection system works without any fluorescence or chemiluminescence markers. The entire system proposed here is cost effective, small in size, and re-usable with simple rinsing. This may eventually lead to a portable, low-cost, re-useable, microfluidic, point of care immunoassay device.