cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Constitution of the Italian Republic

At the beginning of 1948, Italy's first republican constitution went into effect. After exactly a century, the Statuto of 1848 was finally and formally superseded. History will record that the Statuto proved a powerful instrument in the formation of Italian unity and in the development of Italy's freedoms and parliamentary system until 1922, just as it will also be a witness to its rejection and nullification in the course of the subsequent twenty-five years. The new republican constitution represents the first deliberate effort by the Italian people as a whole to guarantee their freedom and common welfare within a constitutional framework. The influences of many lands are visible in the document. One can see in the rebirth of regionalism the native historical tradition of municipal freedom; the French fear of Caesarism reflected in election of the president by Parliament rather than by the people; British reliance on a balance of power between executive and legislature translated into the almost unlimited executive power of dissolution of the chambers; the time-honored American principle of bicameralism accepted with the creation of two legislative houses of equal power; and the equally famous American doctrine of judicial review tentatively imitated through the establishment of a Constitutional Court. Of Eastern constitutionalism there are only scant traces, the new social and economic rights reflecting rather the general trends of the times than any overt allegiance to the tenets of the Soviet constitution. Indeed, the acceptance of the new has been tempered by a strong restatement of what is valid in the individualistic and liberal traditions of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Asian American parents' attributions of children with Down syndrome: connections with child characteristics and culture.

Abstract This study explores cultural differences between European American (n = 26) and Asian American (n = 17) parents' attributional ratings of children with Down syndrome. Links were examined among parents' attributions, reactions, and behaviors regarding their child's jigsaw-puzzle performance. Although the children's puzzle abilities did not differ, compared with European American parents, Asian American parents judged their child as less successful and had lower expectations for future success. Asian American parents also attributed the child's performance to lower ability and lower effort. Affectively, they indicated less sympathy and more anger and blame toward the child. Despite striking ethnic differences, parents in both groups judged their older children as more successful and reported offering them less encouragement and help. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Almost Everywhere Domination

AT uring degreea is said to be almost everywhere dominating if, for almost all X 2 2 ! with respect to the \fair coin" probability measure on 2 ! ,a nd for allg : ! ! ! Turing reducible to X ,t here existsf : ! ! ! of Turing degree a which dominates g. We study the problem of characterizing the almost everywhere dominating Turing degrees and other, similarly dened classes of Turing degrees. We relate this problem to some questions in the reverse mathematics of measure theory.
Testing for Toxic Elements: A Focus on Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury

Toxic elements (“heavy metals”) are common to the environment and are responsible for both intentional poisonings and unintentional exposures that can lead to adverse health effects and potentially death. Dangerous exposures can be prevented by recognizing and minimizing common sources of toxic elements in our diet, water, workplace, and homes. Laboratory testing is an important tool for detecting and managing toxic element exposure; several analytical methods are available. However, the clinical value of elemental testing is dependent upon collecting an appropriate specimen at an appropriate time, with consideration of many pre-analytical variables that can compromise testing. In this review, toxicokinetics and pre-analytical variables associated with toxic element testing are discussed, with emphasis on arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.
On-chip Integration of Microfluidic Channels with Ultra-high Q Silicon Microdisk Resonators for Lab-on-a-Chip Sensing Applications

This study demonstrates the design, fabrication, and characterization of a sensing platform based on the on-chip integration of such silicon-based microdisk resonators (with ultra high Q > 106) with microfluidic channels for sample delivery. Tuning of the resonance features using fluid in upper-cladding as well as applications in lab-on-a-chip sensing are reported.
A network-based approach to integrated supply chain design

The inherent complexity of supply chains, combined with their economic importance, has prompted research in supply chain management. While there has been a significant amount of work reported in modelling supply chains, the effectiveness of these models in addressing the complex area of supply chain management is questionable. What is giving added urgency to the need for research in this area are the recent developments in communications that offer the promise of connecting suppliers, assemblers and customers in a seamless network of information that can form integrated supply chain management. This paper aims to address the deficiency in modelling by proposing a methodology that models the integrated supply chain as an abstracted network, called a Trans-Net. The Trans-Net approach offers three main potential advantages. First, the multiple participants in a supply chain can be modelled without undue complexity. Second, it is an approach that allows users to examine the interactions between different cons...
Democracy, Autocracy and Bureaucracy

Democratic and autocratic rulers alike must use a bureaucracy to implement policy. In each case the optimal policy is a second-best solution to this agency problem, giving the bureaucrat some economic rent for information revelation and effort incentive. This paper argues that autocrats are less willing to sacrifice rents, and therefore accept a worse second-best (here less of a public good) than democrats. It also finds a synergistic matching between a democratic ruler and an altruistic bureaucrat who internalizes the citizens' welfare. This synergy is absent for autocrats, but they can gain by extorting from highly altruistic agencies like NGOs.
Hierarchical Metallic and Ceramic Nanostructures Produced via a Hybrid Approach Combining Laser Interference Ablation and Block Co-Polymer Phase Separation

We report on the formation of hierarchical nanostructures of Au, Pt, Fe 2 O 3 and PdO 2 using a hybrid technique combining laser interference patterning (LIP) and block copolymer phase separation (BCPS). By varying the loading time of the block copolymer with metallic salts and the laser interference technique, different types of hierarchical square, triangular, linear and circular arrays can be formed. Such a robust method can be applied to other metallic and ceramic materials and has potential for use in the large-scale production of nano-catalysts, photonics, optoelectronics, MEMS devices and bio-sensors.
SCALE ROBUST HEAD POSE ESTIMATION BASED ON RELATIVE HOMOGRAPHY TRANSFORMATION

Head pose estimation has been widely studied in recent decades due to many significant applications. Different from most of the current methods which utilize face models to estimate head position, we develop a relative homography transformation based algorithm which is robust to the large scale change of the head. In the proposed method, salient Harris corners are detected on a face, and local binary pattern features are extracted around each of the corners. And then, relative homography transformation is calculated by using RANSAC optimization algorithm, which applies homography to a region of interest (ROI) on an image and calculates the transformation of a planar object moving in the scene relative to a virtual camera. By doing so, the face center initialized in the first frame will be tracked frame by frame. Meanwhile, a head shoulder model based Chamfer matching method is proposed to estimate the head centroid. With the face center and the detected head centroid, the head pose is estimated. The experiments show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed algorithm.
Depressive Symptoms, Pain, and Quality of Life among Patients with Nonalcohol-Related Chronic Pancreatitis.

and quality of life among patients with nonalcohol-related chronic pancreatitis. Methods. The research design was cross-sectional, and self-report data was collected from 692 patients with nonalcohol-related, intractable pancreatitis. The mean age of the sample was 52.6 (SD = 14.7); 41% of the sample were male. Participants completed the MOS SF12 Quality of Life Measure, the Center for Epidemiological Studies 10-item Depression Scale (CESD), and a numeric rating scale measure of “pain on average” from the Brief Pain Inventory. Results. Depressive symptoms were significantly related to participants’ reports of increased pain and decreased quality of life. The mean CESD score of the sample was 10.6 (SD = 6.5) and 52% of the sample scored above the clinical cutoff for the presence of significant depressive symptomology. Patients scoring above the clinical cutoff on the depression screening measure rated their pain as significantly higher than those below the cutoff ( P< 0.0001) and had significantly lower physical quality of life ( P< 0.0001) and lower mental quality of life ( P< 0.0001). Conclusion. Although causality cannot be determined based on cross-sectional, correlational data, findings suggest that among patients with nonalcoholic pancreatitis, the presence of depressive symptoms is common and may be a risk factor associated with increased pain and decreased quality of life. Thus, routine screening for depressive symptomology among patients with nonalcoholic pancreatitis may be warranted.
Actomyosin organization in mitotic Dictyostelium amoebae.

Immunofluorescence localization of actin and myosin during mitosis indicates the significant roles of these cytoskeletons for cytokinesis. High frequency mitosis was induced by synchronous culture using temperature shift (T. Kitanishi-Yumura and Y. Fukui, 1987), and high resolution fluorescence microscopy was performed by the agar-overlay method (S. Yumura and Y. Fukui, 1984). It was shown that actin and myosin are dissociated from the cortex in prophase and reassembled in anaphase to form unique cortical structures: the contractile ring and/or polar lamellipodial network. Conventional myosin (myosin-II) is only localized in the contractile ring, whereas a low-molecular weight isozyme (myosin-I) is localized in the polar leading edge (Y. Fukui, T. Lynch, H. Brzeska, and E. Korn, 1989). Actin is localized in both structures and also forms a unique array in the furrow oriented perpendicular to the plane of constriction (Y. Fukui and S. Inoue, manuscript in preparation). The study suggests that conventional myosin provides the major force of constriction, whereas myosin-I participates in projecting lamellipodia, and actin is involved in several different functions in different regions of the cytoplasm.
The herbal medicine black cohosh increases the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin to breast cancer cells by inhibiting doxorubicin efflux

2303 Despite the lack of rigorous studies examining the efficacy and safety of black cohosh (BC), many breast cancer patients use this herbal alternative medicine while receiving chemotherapy. We showed previously that BC increases the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin to breast cancer cells in vitro (Breast Cancer Res Treat, 90:233-239, 2005); this sensitization increased with the BC dose but was significant at BC doses in the range used by some women. The studies presented here test the hypothesis that BC modulates the effect of doxorubicin by altering the uptake or efflux of this drug. All studies were performed using EMT6 mouse mammary tumor cells. A standardized liquid commercial extract of BC (Gaia) was used at a concentration estimated to be equivalent to 100x the human dose; control cultures were treated with the vehicle for this extract. For transport studies, suspension cultures were preincubated for 6 h with BC extract or vehicle, then doxorubicin (10 or 100 µg/mL) was added and cells were incubated for an additional 2 h. Cells were collected at frequent intervals during doxorubicin treatment, spun through oil, collected, washed and lysed; the released cell-associated doxorubicin was measured by spectrofluorometry. Doxorubicin levels in cells were calculated using cell counts assessed with a Coulter Counter. At the end of the 2 h uptake period, cells were collected by centrifugation, washed and resuspended in culture medium containing BC or vehicle. Cell-associated doxorubicin was measured at frequent intervals over the next 3 h to assess drug efflux. The concentration of cell-associated doxorubicin increased progressively throughout the 2 h incubation; uptake was indistinguishable in BC treated and control cells. However, BC decreased the efflux of doxorubicin, resulting in about 40% higher levels of cell-associated drug at the end of efflux. Cytotoxicity studies were performed to test the hypothesis that changes in efflux were responsible for the sensitizing effect of BC. Cells were incubated with BC (or vehicle) before, during, or after treatment with 1.6 μg/mL doxorubicin then assayed for survival using a clonogenic assay. Preincubation with BC for 2-24 h before doxorubicin treatment or co-incubation with BC during doxorubicin treatment had no significant effects on doxorubicin cytotoxicity. However, incubation with BC after doxorubicin treatment markedly reduced cell survival; this effect increased as the duration of BC treatment increased from 2 to 24 h. These studies indicate that the increased sensitivity of BC-treated cells to doxorubicin reflects BC-induced changes in drug efflux. Further studies are in progress to elucidate the mechanism underlying the effect and to examine its potential clinical implications using doxorubicin-sensitive and -resistant human and murine cell lines. Supported by grant BCT R0503838 from the Susan G. Komen Cancer Foundation
Selective neuronal vulnerability during experimental scrapie infection: insights from an ultrastructural investigation.

Abstract The goal was to test whether all neurons are equally susceptible to degeneration in response to PrPSc scrapie infection. We tested this by immunogold GABA labeling. Our ultrastructural results indicates that GABAergic neurons are less vulnerable than other neuronal populations. This conclusion is supported by our findings: (1) reversal of the normal ratio of non-GABAergic to GABAergic neurons in the terminal stages, which implies that non-GABAergic neurons degenerated earlier, and (2) that the degeneration of GABAergic neurons occurs late in the disease after reactive astrogliosis, a response to nerve cell death.
Circadian rhythms of thermoregulation in the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus)

Phase or amplitude differences between rhythms in heat production (HP) and heat loss (HL) have been suggested to account for the circadian rhythm in body temperature (Tb). To describe the relationships among these rhythms in a primate, five unrestrained squirrel monkeys (1.0-1.3 kg) were studied using combined direct and indirect calorimetry, with telemetry of Tb and activity, in a 24-h light-dark cycle (LD 12:12) at 25 +/- 0.5 degrees C. Dry (D; sensible) HL, evaporative (E) HL, HP (oxygen consumption and CO2 production), Tb, and activity were measured at 10-min intervals for a week. Tb, activity, HP, and HL displayed daily rhythms, peaking during the light period. Although the timing of peaks was not significantly different, the diurnal increase in Tb was seen to result from a delayed increase in DHL, and possibly, EHL, relative to increased HP. The nocturnal decrease in Tb was due to different time courses of decrease in HP and HL, with no clear lag in HL. The rhythm in Tb therefore resulted from both phase and time course differences in HP and HL rhythms.
Determining the prevalence of cytomegalovirus infection in a cohort of preterm infants.

Background Preterm birth is a global public health problem that is a significant cause of infant morbidity and mortality. Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has been proposed as a risk factor for preterm birth, but the rate of CMV in infants born preterm is unclear. CMV is the leading infectious cause of sensorineural hearing loss, which will affect 15% - 20% of congenitally infected infants later in their childhood. 90% of infected infants are asymptomatic at birth and are not recognized as at risk for CMV-associated deficits. Objective To determine the prevalence of CMV infection in a large cohort of preterm infants. Methods DNA was extracted from cord blood, peripheral blood, saliva, and buccal swab samples collected from preterm infants. A total of 1200 unique DNA samples were tested for CMV using a nested PCR protocol. The proportions of preterm infants with CMV was compared by sample collection type, race, gender, and gestational age. Results A total of 37 infants tested positive for CMV (3.08%). After excluding twins, siblings, and infants older than two weeks at the time of sample collection, two out of 589 infants were CMV positive (0.3%), which was lower than the proportion of CMV observed in the general population. All positive samples came from buccal swabs. Conclusions Our work suggests that while CMV infection may not be greater in preterm infants than in the general population, given the neurologic consequences of CMV in preterm infants, screening of this population may still be warranted. If so, our results suggest buccal swabs, collected at pregnancy or at birth, may be an ideal method for such a program.
The Use of a Diagnosis-Based Model to Predict Five-Year Health Care Costs

Objective: This paper examined individual characteristics associated with having higher costs in a five year period. Methods: Florida Medicaid claims data from 2005-2010 were used to examine the characteristics, diagnoses and services (in 2005) associated with individual costs in five future years (2006-2010). The data were divided into estimation and prediction samples with regression models estimated using diagnoses and service use in 2005 to predict future costs. Predictive power was assessed by applying the model results to the prediction sample, and comparing predicted costs to actual costs. Results: Demographics, service use and diagnosis in 2005 were associated with costs in the following five years. Models were predictive of future costs with a significant relationship between the predicted costs and actual costs. Conclusion: Diagnosis-based models in conjunction with prior costs can predict future costs. Individuals predicted to have higher costs may be candidates for case management to potentially avoid reduce costs.
The Implementation of Medicaid Managed Care for Pregnant Women in Ohio: A Case Study

This case study examines Ohio's implementation of mandatory HMO enrollment for pregnant women in Medicaid from 1995 to 2000. Findings indicate that the two-step process of determining Medicaid eligibility and HMO enrollment may discourage early care initiation among women new to Medicaid at the time of their pregnancy. HMOs took extensive steps to identify and link pregnant women to services. State requirements for monitoring quality forced plans to invest in data systems, and allowed better refinement of capitation rates. Ohio's new Preferred Option program automatically assigning enrollees to a plan may encourage plan participation in the Medicaid market. (Sommers, Anna S., Howell, Embry M. October 2003. The Implementation of Medicaid Managed Care for Pregnant Women in Ohio: A Case Study. Managed Care Interface, 16(10): 27-31,34.)
A case study in evolutionary contingency.

Biological evolution is a fundamentally historical phenomenon in which intertwined stochastic and deterministic processes shape lineages with long, continuous histories that exist in a changing world that has a history of its own. The degree to which these characteristics render evolution historically contingent, and evolutionary outcomes thereby unpredictably sensitive to history has been the subject of considerable debate in recent decades. Microbial evolution experiments have proven among the most fruitful means of empirically investigating the issue of historical contingency in evolution. One such experiment is the Escherichia coli Long-Term Evolution Experiment (LTEE), in which twelve populations founded from the same clone of E. coli have evolved in parallel under identical conditions. Aerobic growth on citrate (Cit(+)), a novel trait for E. coli, evolved in one of these populations after more than 30,000 generations. Experimental replays of this population's evolution from various points in its history showed that the Cit(+) trait was historically contingent upon earlier mutations that potentiated the trait by rendering it mutationally accessible. Here I review this case of evolutionary contingency and discuss what it implies about the importance of historical contingency arising from the core processes of evolution.
Measurements of a Discrete Upwash Gust Passing Through a Linear Flat Plate Cascade, and Comparisons with Linearized Theory

An experimental study has been conducted to determine the low frequency behavior of an unstaggered flat plate cascade. The cascade was excited by a discrete upwash gust with most of its energy below a reduced frequency of 2. The results of this test are compared with predictions made using a cascade response theory presented by Glegg 2 . The experiments show a significant reduction of upwash velocity through the cascade, and slight amplification of streamwise, and spanwise fluctuations. The theory correctly predicts these behaviors especially in the near blade region. However, the experimental study also reveals a higher order passage mode in the streamwise velocity that was excited by the gust. This mode is not modeled in the theory leading to a significant under-prediction of streamwise velocity fluctuations in the passage.
Optimal Allocation of Superconducting Fault Current Limiters Based on Sensitivity Method

A new method for optimally allocating superconducting fault current limiters(SFCLs) is presented.By calculating short circuit,the branches with SFCLs capable of starting up reliably can be determined.Subsequently,by analyzing the influences of SFCLs on impedance matrix,sensitivities of the self-impedance of over-standard substations with respect to impedances of these branches are obtained.Based on the sensitivity values,a few candidate branches can be chosen from these branches.Finally,by using multi-objective optimization algorithm called non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-Ⅱ(NSGA-Ⅱ),these candidate branches can be optimized,and thus searching for the optimal location and the smallest SFCLs capacity can be achieved.Simulation results of a 6-bus system and the IEEE 39-bus system are employed to verify the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed method,respectively.With the proposed method the searching space of solutions can be greatly reduced.The optimal allocation of SFCLs is realized and the short circuit current of over-standard substations is restrained successfully.
Newer imaging techniques in pediatric practice.

Each technologic advance has an impact not only on diagnosis but on prognosis and treatment. The improvements in imaging capability necessitate continuing reassessment of the uses of ultrasonography and other modalities. The youngest of them—agnetic resonance imaging—is expected to provide a range of information unequaled by techniques currently in clinical use.
Development of quantitative mass spectrometric immunoassay for serum amyloid A.

AbstractObjective: Proteins can exist as multiple proteoforms in vivo that can have important roles in physiological and pathological states.Methods: We present the development and characterization of mass spectrometric immunoassay (MSIA) for quantitative determination of serum amyloid A (SAA) proteoforms.Results: Intra- and inter-day precision revealed CVs <10%. Against existing SAA ELISA, the developed MSIA showed good correlation according to the Altman–Bland plot. Individual concentrations of the SAA proteoforms across a cohort of 170 samples revealed 7 diverse SAA polymorphic types and 12 different proteoforms.Conclusion: The new SAA MSIA enables parallel analysis of SAA polymorphisms and quantification of all expressed SAA proteoforms, in a high-throughput and time-efficient manner.
Promoting student engagement: what can computer science faculty learn from other stem disciplines?

The dire need for information technology professionals is well documented. By most projections, the growth of jobs will outpace the production of computing graduates through 2018. The computing profession also has among the lowest participation of women and underrepresented groups of any Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) field. How can we encourage more students to choose computing as a career?
A novel slug-containing negative-feedback loop regulates SCF/c-Kit-mediated hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal

The stem cell factor (SCF)/c-Kit pathway has crucial roles in controlling hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) renewal. However, little is known about the intracellular regulation of the SCF/c-Kit pathway in HSCs. We report here that Slug, a zinc-finger transcription repressor, functions as a direct transcriptional repressor of c-Kit in HSCs. Conversely, SCF/c-Kit signaling positively regulates Slug through downstream c-Myc and FoxM1 transcription factors. Intriguingly, c-Kit expression is induced by SCF/c-Kit signaling in Slug-deficient HSCs. The balance between Slug and c-Kit is critical for maintaining HSC repopulating potential in vivo. Together, our studies demonstrate that Slug functions in a novel negative-feedback regulatory loop in the SCF/c-Kit signaling pathway in HSCs.
Hereditary Orotic Aciduria and the Excretion of Orotidine

Objective Orotic aciduria and deficiency of uridine monophosphate synthetase have been observed in a patient, studied over 10 years, who had no megaloblastic anemia. Excretion of orotic acid and orotidine were 8.24 and 0.52 mmol/mol of creatinine. The ratio of 15.85 differed appreciably from that of 6 patients reported with no megaloblastic anemia. Methods The analysis of orotidine by gas chromotography mass spectrometry was conducted. Conclusion Patients with orotic aciduria with and without megaloblastic anemia cannot be distinguished by ratio of orotic acid to orotidine.
Competition for substrate and space in biofilms

Competition for substrate and space in biofilms was studied using a microelectrode technique and a micro-slicing technique. Three different kinds of biofilms were cultured using laboratory-scale, rotating drum biofilm reactors fed with synthetic wastewater. The measured concentration profiles provide direct experimental evidence of the competition in multispecies biofilms for substrates. Increases in organic loading or ammonium-nitrogen loading cause more consumption of oxygen, which results in competition for oxygen between heterotrophs and nitrifiers. Even in a pure nitrification system, heterotrophs, supported by soluble microbial products or metabolic products, could exist in the nitrification biofilm. Nitrifiers, however, have difficulty existing in the heterotrophic biofilms, and their populations were always 4 or 5 orders lower than those ofheterotrophs. It was found that the value of criterion for transition between oxygen and ammonium in nitrifying biofilms (S N /S DO ) was between 0.77 and 1.2, and the value decreased with an increase ofglucose loading. The competition for substrate in biofilms resulted in a stratified structure with nonuniform spatial distributions of biofilm properties, such as density, porosity, and effective diffusivity. This stratified structure in turn affects the substrate transfer and substrate competition within the biofilm. It was found that a certain biofilm system may not have only one penetration depth, corresponding to the critical thickness, for the whole range of biofilm thicknesses.
Effect of prednisone and rituximab prephase on early toxicity in older DLBCL patients (pts) receiving RCHOP within a NHL specific comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) trial.

8571 Background: Older pts with DLBCL are increasing in the US and are most vulnerable to treatment related toxicities and mortality (TRM). Effective tools to predict and mitigate toxicity are esse...
Recovery of rat muscle size but not function more than 1 year after a single botulinum toxin injection.

Introduction: Neurotoxin injection is used to treat a wide variety of neuromuscular disorders. The purpose of this study was to measure the functional and structural properties of Botulinum toxin-injected adult rat skeletal muscle over nearly the entire rat lifespan. Methods: Ten groups of animals were subjected to either neurotoxin injection (Botox®, Type A, Allergan, Irvine, CA, USA; BT-A) or saline solution injection. Neurotoxin-injected animals (n=90) were analyzed at different time points: 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, or 18 months. Results: In spite of the recovery of structural features such as muscle mass and fiber area by 12-months after neurotoxin injection, dorsiflexion torque production remained significantly depressed by 25% even at this time point. Discussion: These data demonstrate that, after a single BT-A injection, while gross muscle morphology recovers over a 12-month time period, loss of contractile function does not. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Computational high-throughput microscopy using coded illumination

I will present recent advancements in computational microscopy based on coded illumination and nonlinear phase retrieval, which enables wide field-of-view and high-resolution Gigapixel and 3D phase microscopy capability, breaking the limit of space-time-bandwidth product in traditional systems.
Developing course materials for technology-mediated Chinese language learning

ABSTRACTThis article discusses principles involved in developing course materials for technology-mediated Chinese language learning, with examples from a new course designed to take into account the needs of distance and independent learners. Which learning environment is most efficient for a given learning activity needs to be carefully considered. It turns out that many of the activities involved in language learning can effectively be undertaken by learners working independently with printed materials, audio, video, computer software, and online teachers. Carefully designed audio drills can be useful as enabling devices to help learners attain the goal of communicative competence. Detailed advice should be provided on learning strategies and how to identify and work with native-speaking tutors. Though new technologies can enable learners and instructors to make more efficient use of time by moving certain language learning activities out of the classroom, it is important to design and implement a pedag...
Investigation of Polymer/Surfactant Interactions and Their Impact on Itraconazole Solubility and Precipitation Kinetics for Developing Spray-Dried Amorphous Solid Dispersions.

Methods were developed to systematically screen different polymer–surfactant combinations for the purpose of enhancing amorphous active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) solubility while maintaining its physical stability. Itraconazole (ITZ) was chosen as the model API mostly due to its low aqueous solubility. Special attention was paid to determine the effect of a reduction in the critical micelle concentration (CMC) by specific polymer/surfactant combinations on the ITZ solubility and physical stability. However, only a slight correlation was actually found. Only the polymer/surfactant combinations with the smallest effect on CMC improved solubility and stability of ITZ in simulated intestinal fluids (SIF). Surfactants were found to negate the stabilizing effects of polymers. ITZ crystallization tendency generally depended on the degree of supersaturation and the type of polymer/surfactant combinations used. In general, we found that instead of focusing solely on reducing the CMC, a systematic screening o...
Efficient, nonlinear phase estimation with the nonmodulated pyramid wavefront sensor

The sensitivity of the pyramid wavefront sensor (PyWFS) has made it a popular choice for astronomical adaptive optics (AAO) systems. The PyWFS is at its most sensitive when it is used without modulation of the input beam. In nonmodulated mode, the device is highly nonlinear. Hence, all PyWFS implementations on current AAO systems employ modulation to make the device more linear. The upcoming era of 30-m class telescopes and the demand for ultra-precise wavefront control stemming from science objectives that include direct imaging of exoplanets make using the PyWFS without modulation desirable. This article argues that nonlinear estimation based on Newton’s method for nonlinear optimization can be useful for mitigating the effects of nonlinearity in the nonmodulated PyWFS. The proposed approach requires all optical modeling to be pre-computed, which has the advantage of avoiding real-time simulations of beam propagation. Further, the required real-time calculations are amenable to massively parallel computation. Numerical experiments simulate a PyWFS with faces sloped 3.7° to the horizontal, operating at a wavelength of 0.85 μm, and with an index of refraction of 1.45. A singular value analysis shows that the common practice of calculating two “slope” images from the four PyWFS pupil images discards critical information and is unsuitable for the nonmodulated PyWFS simulated here. Instead, this article advocates estimators that use the raw pixel values not only from the four geometrical images of the pupil, but from surrounding pixels as well. The simulations indicate that nonlinear estimation can be effective when the Strehl ratio of the input beam is greater than 0.3, and the improvement relative to linear estimation tends to increase at larger Strehl ratios. At Strehl ratios less than about 0.5, the performances of both the nonlinear and linear estimators are relatively insensitive to noise since they are dominated by nonlinearity error.
Integrating Data On Social Determinants Of Health Into Electronic Health Records

As population health becomes more of a focus of health care, providers are realizing that data outside of traditional clinical findings can provide a broader perspective on potential drivers of a patient’s health status and can identify approaches to improving the effectiveness of care. However, many challenges remain before data related to the social determinants of health, such as environmental conditions and education levels, are as readily accessible and actionable as medical data are. Key challenges are a lack of consensus on standards for capturing or representing social determinants of health in electronic health records and insufficient evidence that once information on them has been collected, social determinants can be effectively addressed through referrals or other action tools. To address these challenges and effectively use social determinants in health care settings, we recommend creating national standards for representing data related to social determinants of health in electronic health ...
Social Justice and the Myth of Fairness: A Communal Defense of Affirmative Action

This Article shall examine the characteristics of the current analytical framework by first examining some harmful effects resulting from the prioritization of fairness: excessive generalization, formalism and superficiality, and materialism. The Article will then examine in detail the Supreme Court's resolution of modern affirmative action issues. The Court has generated confusion and discord by applying simplistic concepts to complex problems and by adhering to the primacy of fairness in a context in which all interested parties claim that fairness favors their result. Finally, this Article will critique the Court's inability to provide a consistent doctrinal basis for discussing affirmative action issues and will propose a framework for the resolution of affirmative action issues based on a societal dedication to implement communal values. Although a vibrant community must frequently redefine and reassess its values, the moral and philosophical traditions of American society provide a foundation for the shared understanding of these values. Such commonality is essential for any group that considers itself a community. Such a communal value system will also restore trust - trust in others and trust in government. The primacy of fairness is, in many ways, the product of a society that has lost faith in trust.
SOME ASPECTS OF THE STRUCTURE AND CONFORMATIONAL PROPERTIES OF SERUM ALBUMIN

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the structure and conformational properties of serum albumin. The functional properties of serum albumin, other than from its possibly coincidental importance in the maintenance of proper osmotic balance, relate to its unusual and versatile liganding ability. Well-known are its ability to bind such diversified substances as fatty acids, bilirubin, tryptophan, various metal ions, most anions, some hormones, and numerous drugs. Undoubtedly serum albumin serves a role in transporting such substances, but also it may serve an equally vital role in buffering or regulating the concentrations of various low molecular weight substances. Two general aspects of serum albumin structure and function are considered: (1) the heterogeneity and microheterogeneity of the protein and (2) the conformational transformations that the protein undergoes in solution.
Imaging of Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Survival rates and cosmesis in patients with soft tissue sarcomas have markedly improved owing to the combined advancement of surgical technique, availability of pre- and postoperative chemotherapy, and sophistication of radiation therapy. The success of this multimodality management depends on accurate imaging of the disease. Imaging plays an integral role in: (a) identification, (b) staging, (c) biopsy guidance, (d) surgical planning, and (e) post-therapeutic surveillance of soft tissue sarcomas. The following is a discussion of the advantages and limitations of various imaging modalities, the appropriateness of each technique in the workup algorithm (Fig. 1), the identification and imaging characteristics of soft tissue sarcomas, and the goals and difficulties in post-therapeutic follow-up.
Clinicopathologic features of breast cancer in the Texas-Mexico border city of El Paso.

e11549 Background: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Hispanic women in Texas. El Paso, TX is a large border city of 900,000, 85% Hispanic. Very limited research has been published on this population. Methods: After IRB approval, we analyzed the variables at initial diagnosis of 111 consecutive patients with breast cancer treated at a single academic institution in El Paso, in 2011. Descriptive statistics were utilized. Results: Mean age was 54 years; 101 were Hispanics (91%), 4 White non-Hispanic, 4 African-Americans and 2 Middle Eastern. Six patients (5%) had stage 0, 61 (55%) localized (stages I and II), 32 (29%) loco-regional (stage III), and 12 (11%) stage IV disease. Histology was: 104 ductal (94%), 6 lobular (5%) and 1 neuroendocrine. Sixty two patients (59%) had Estrogen Receptor (ER) positive tumors versus 32 (31%) ER negative. 79 patients (75%) had HER2 negative and 25 (24%) HER2 positive tumors, 1 had unknown HER2. Sixty two (59%) invasive tumors were ER / PR positive/HER2 ne...
Demography: History Since 1900

For an intellectual activity to become a discipline, certain things are needed: a significant interaction among those performing the activity; an organization that directs its investigation and teaching; and entities outside itself who value and use its findings. Using this definition, demography lacked the status of a discipline for the first half of the twentieth century. It became a discipline in the second half of the twentieth century largely as a result of a confluence of events that took place at mid-century, the most notable of which was the rise of an international population control movement that expanded vastly the resources available for demographic research on problems associated with population growth in developing countries. These resources helped to establish demography within the academy and to shape its contours, but also worked to politicize the discipline for several decades. Currently, demography possesses a disciplinary cohesiveness that arises from its well-defined subject matter and methodology, and from a common set of policy concerns. Certain twenty-first century trends, however, are likely to erode that cohesiveness.
METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN VIRTUAL ORGANIZATIONS

In each organization, the goal of human resource management (HRM) is to form, employ and develop human resources. The massive spread of Internet technologies and the globalization of the economy in the late twentieth century have allowed the enterprises to form a temporary partnership, and subsequently have led to the formation and expansion of virtual organizations (VO) by establishing these relationships over the Internet. Unquestionably, the success of VO depends on appropriate organization of HRM and selection, deployment, socialization, motivation and evaluation of employees and partners. In this regard, this paper analyzes the features of HRM in VO and proposes methods for the recruitment and assessment of the performance of virtual employees (contractors). The article analyzes the specific features of HRM in VO. The issues of HRM in VT are characterized as decision-making in fuzzy environment. Based on the peer comparison of expert estimates for the alternatives, including on the hierarchical analysis method, detection of the contradictions in the expert estimates and multiplicative aggregation methods, a decision making technique is proposed for the recruitment of the employees. Assessment of the virtual employees’ performance to achieve overall objective of the organization is formulated as a decision-making process in distributed environment and appropriate decision-making methods are proposed. The proposed approach is a methodological framework for decision support for human resources management in virtual organizations. This system can support more objective and scientifically justified decision-making on presented task. It can also enable VO to be more "reliable" in relation to the "trust" component for the formation of VO, which is the key point for the increase of the effectiveness of VO.
Social anxiety is associated with BNST response to unpredictability.

Background Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and cause substantial suffering and impairment. Whereas the amygdala has well-established contributions to anxiety, evidence from rodent and nonhuman primate models suggests that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) may play a critical, and possibly distinct, role in human anxiety disorders. The BNST mediates hypervigilance and anticipatory anxiety in response to an unpredictable or ambiguous threat, core symptoms of social anxiety, yet little is known about the BNST's role in social anxiety. Methods Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure neural responses during a cued anticipation task with an unpredictable, predictable threat, and predictable neutral cues followed by threat or neutral images. Social anxiety was examined using a dimensional approach (N = 44 adults). Results For unpredictable cues, higher social anxiety was associated with lower BNST-amygdala connectivity. For unpredictable images, higher social anxiety was associated with greater connectivity between the BNST and both the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the posterior cingulate cortex and lower connectivity between the BNST and postcentral gyrus. Social anxiety moderated the BNST-amygdala dissociation for unpredictable images; higher social anxiety was associated with BNST > amygdala response to unpredictable threat relative to unpredictable neutral images. Conclusions Social anxiety was associated with alterations in BNST responses to unpredictability, particularly in the BNST's interactions with other brain regions, including the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. To our knowledge, these findings provide the first evidence for the BNST's role in social anxiety, which may be a potential new target for prevention and intervention.
Sirtuins as regulators of the cellular stress response and metabolism in marine ectotherms

The effects of climate change are altering the environmental landscape of marine habitats and exposing organisms to stressful conditions that may exceed their tolerance limits. Marine intertidal organisms are well adapted to fluctuating environments by adjusting energy metabolism and inducing the cellular stress response (CSR). Recent studies have shown that food availability can influence stress tolerance of marine ectotherms where a well-fed organism is more "robust" and more likely to survive a stressor than an animal under a low-food regime. We propose that the link between food availability and stress tolerance in marine ectotherms may be regulated by sirtuins, NAD+-dependent deacylases. In model organisms sirtuins act as energy sensors and are active under calorie restricted states where they target and regulate cellular metabolism, minimize oxidative stress, and influence the CSR. However, we know little regarding sirtuins in marine ectotherms. Herein we review the current literature on sirtuins in marine ectotherms including marine teleosts, limpets, and mussels. We show that the role of sirtuins in marine ectotherms is conserved from model organisms in regulating the CSR and energy, but the direct connection to NAD+ status under fed and starved conditions requires more attention. Although there is a beginning foundation of research regarding sirtuins in marine organisms, it is limited and would benefit from targeted studies investigating sirtuin activity in various tissues and animals under multiple stressors, NAD+/NADH levels under various fed states, and by using known sirtuin inhibitors and activators to elucidate the potential targets of sirtuins in marine animals.
Class numbers in cyclotomic Zp-extensions

Abstract For any prime p and any positive integer n, let B p , n denote the nth layer of the cyclotomic Z p -extension over the rationals. Based on the heuristics of Cohen and Lenstra, and refined by new results on class numbers of particular B p , n , we provide evidence for the following conjecture: For all primes p and positive integers n, the ideal class group of B p , n is trivial.
On the pedagogical and practical values of community-engaged storytelling

This essay offers a reflection on Julie Ann Scott’s essay “(Re)Directing a University Storytelling Troupe for At-risk Elementary Students for Course Credit: A Story of Embodied Empathy, Literacy an...
Determinants of Internal Audit Quality Post Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002

In this study we utilize responses from 386 chief audit executives (CAEs) of public companies located in Anglo-culture countries, to identify and test the determinants of internal audit quality (IAQ). We then use external quality assessment and improvement programs as an objective dependent variable in a regression where test variables are (1) internal quality assessment and improvement programs, (2) determinants of internal audit quality, (3) measures of internal audit performance, (4) audit committee involvement, and (5) internal audit function age. We test multiple other variables as control variables, including the six variables that U.S. and international standards have identified for the external auditors to consider when deciding on whether to rely on the work of internal auditors. We find strong statistical support for our five test variables, but not control variables, where only one of the SAS 65/128/IAS 610 determinants of IAQ, CIA certification of the CAE, is positively associated with our dependent variable, and only marginally.