cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A framework and analysis for cooperative search using UAV swarms

We design and analyze the performance of cooperative search strategies for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) searching for moving, possibly evading, targets in a hazardous environment. Rather than engaging in independent sensing missions, the sensing agents (UAVs with sensors) "work together" by arranging themselves into a flight configuration that optimizes their integrated sensing capability. If a UAV is shot down by enemy fire, the team adapts by reconfiguring its topology to optimally continue the mission with the surviving assets. We presetn a cooperative search methodology that integrates the multiple agents into an advantageous formation that distinctively enhances the sensing and detection operations of the system while minimizing the transmission of excessive control information for adaptation of the team's topology. After analyzing our strategy to determine the performance tradeoff between search time and number of UAVs employed, we present an algorithm that selects the minimum number of UAVs to deploy in order to meet a targeted search time within probabilistic guarantees.
Unitary space-time codes and the Cayley transform

A recently proposed method for communicating with multiple antennas over block fading channels is unitary space-time modulation (USTM), so-called because the transmitted signals form a matrix with orthonormal columns. Since channel knowledge is not required at the receiver, USTM schemes are suitable for use on wireless links where channel tracking is undesirable or infeasible. Recent results have shown that, if suitably designed, USTM schemes can achieve full channel capacity at high SNR. While all this is well recognized, what is not clear is how to generate good performing constellations of (non-square) unitary matrices, that lend themselves to efficient encoding/decoding. The schemes proposed so far either exhibit poor performance, especially at high rates, or have no efficient decoding algorithms. In this paper, we propose to use the Cayley transform to design USTM constellations. This work is a generalization, to the non-square case, of the Cayley codes that have been proposed for differential USTM. The codes are designed based on an information-theoretic criterion, and lend themselves to polynomial-time (often cubic) near-maximum-likelihood decoding using a sphere decoding algorithm.
Transplantation of Young Ovaries to Old Mice Increased Life Span in Transplant Recipients

Previously we reported that prepubertally ovariectomized mice that received young transplanted ovaries at a postreproductive age showed a 40% increase in life expectancy. To study this phenomenon in greater detail, 11-month-old ovariectomized and ovary-intact CBA/J mice underwent ovarian transplantation with 60-day-old ovaries or a sham surgery. Results from observations on transplant recipients in the current study extended our previous results. Whereas intact control mice lived an average of 726 days, transplant recipients lived an average of 770 days (i.e., 780 days for intact recipients and 757 days for ovariectomized recipients). If intact recipients had ceased reproductive cycling by the time of transplant, we observed a further increase in mean life span to 811 days. These results demonstrate that young ovaries enhanced longevity when transplanted to old mice and that ovarian status, examined by means of ovariectomy and ovarian transplantation, clearly influenced the potential of young transplanted ovaries to positively impact longevity.
Audio and video reflections to promote social justice

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how 15 graduate students enrolled in a US school leadership preparation program understand issues of social justice and equity through a reflective process utilizing audio and/or video software.Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on the tradition of grounded theory. The researcher collected 225 weekly audio/video reflections in addition to field notes and participants' written narratives.Findings – Findings from the data analysis indicate participants perceive the use of audio and video as a valuable tool to increase their awareness and responses to addressing oppressive school practices as leaders for social justice.Originality/value – Those who prepare school leaders might consider the use of audio/video reflections as an effective tool to examine the evolution of school leadership identities in an effort to interrupt oppressive school practices.
Dimensional Color: Theoretical Background

The dimensions of color can be regarded as a function of vision itself. Fascinating as they are, theories of perception or an understanding of the physiology of the eye, are issues apart from those of visual invention. Central to this study is that the perception of color is integral with the perception of form. Therefore a brief discussion of some theories may illuminate the experiments that follow.
Tratados de libre comercio al estilo chino: los TLC Chile-China y Perú-China

Resumen Los tratados de libre comercio al estilo chino en America del Sur han demostrado ser unicos en tres aspectos: en primer lugar, debido a la duradera clasificacion de China como economia de mercado en desarrollo por parte de la Organizacion Mundial del Comercio (OMC), los tratados de libre comercio Chile-China y Peru-China tecnicamente clasifican como acuerdos Sur-Sur. Sin embargo, la naturaleza del intercambio entre China y estos dos paises sudamericanos se basa en un modelo tradicional de ventaja comparativa mas afin a las relaciones comerciales Norte-Sur de comienzos del siglo XX, en el cual los paises de America del Sur exportan materias primas a China e importan bienes manufacturados de este pais. Por el contrario, hoy en dia los acuerdos NorteSur se orientan mas hacia el acceso a los mercados para los productos manufacturados y a la aplicacion de nuevas normas en el ambito de los servicios, la inversion y la propiedad intelectual. En segundo lugar, fue este modelo mas tradicional de intercambio, y el apetito de China por las materias primas minerales que Chile y Peru poseen en abundancia, lo que dicto las condiciones de ambos tratados de libre comercio desde la perspectiva china. En tercer lugar, para asegurarse el suministro de estas materias primas, China concedio sin reparos numerosas restricciones de acceso al mercado en ambos tratados de libre comercio. Este analisis sugiere que tanto Chile como el Peru iniciaron estas negociaciones en busca de una mayor inversion extranjera directa (IED) no minera de parte de China, y de aumentar las exportaciones no tradicionales al mercado chino. Sin embargo, hasta ahora China ha mostrado poco interes fuera del sector minero en ambos paises. A la luz de estos tres puntos, estos tratados de libre comercio con China desafian las explicaciones actuales sobre
A model study of a thin plate in free space for the EM37 transient electromagnetic system

The computer program PLATE, developed at the University of Toronto, models the electromagnetic (EM) response of an inductively thin plate in free space. We used PLATE to compute two components of the time derivative of the magnetic field for a range of models for the EM37 fixed-source transient system (300 X 600 m loop). Analysis of the response curves produced methods of interpretation for obtaining plate geometry and conductance.The overall width of an anomaly, the distance between peaks and the width of the updip lobes, can provide an estimate of depth. Dip has the dominant effect on the ratio of the peak amplitudes. A rough estimate of plate size and the position in time (early or late) of the currents is essential before proceeding with interpretation.Strike length is not obviously reflected in the shape of the curves, but depth extent is indicated by the rate at which the downdip tail returns to the baseline, except for vertical plates. For vertical plates, curve matching may be the only method of obtaining an estimate of depth extent.Varying conductance for a particular model in free space affects whether a channel represents an early, intermediate, or late time response. The shape of a profile varies with the time of measurement. The estimated time constant can be used to calculate the conductance, provided an estimate of the shortest dimension of the plate is available.Extinction angles appear frequently for plates of small depth extent but do not occur for plates which are of infinite strike and depth extent with respect to the size of the transmitting loop.
Simulations of a Centrifuge Test with Lateral Spreading and Void Redistribution Effects

AbstractNumerical simulations of a centrifuge test, in which dissipation patterns, lateral spreading, and shear strain localization were measured and recorded, are performed for validation of the numerical modeling approach and insight on the deformation mechanisms. The constitutive model calibration process is performed based on available laboratory data and is described in detail. The model container and construction sequence are simulated to provide good approximations of the boundary conditions and initial stress distributions. Two approaches for simulating successive shaking events are presented and compared. The key observations and mechanisms from the centrifuge test, namely (1) the dynamic response and onset of liquefaction, (2) the amount and pattern of surface deformation, (3) the patterns of pore pressure dissipation and void ratio redistribution, and (4) the difference in response between a sand profile treated and not treated with liquefaction drains, are all reasonably captured and bounded b...
Covalent Bonding of Organic Molecules to Cu and Al Alloy 2024 T3 Surfaces via Diazonium Ion Reduction

Cu surfaces and polished aluminum alloy 2024 T3 substrates were derivatized at open-circuit potential with aryl diazonium salts in both aprotic and aqueous media. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the presence of a derivatized film on the substrates before and after exposure to boiling water and sonication in acetone. Two different Cu substrate surfaces were prepared and used for X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of the derivatization results. One surface was native oxide Cu, predominantly in the form of Cu 2 O, and one surface was predominantly Cu 0 . Results of the XPS analysis indicate the presence of both a Cu-O-C linkage and a Cu-C covalent bond between the aryl ring and the Cu substrate, and a high coverage of the organic layer. XPS results also indicate the formation multilayers on both types of Cu surfaces with different percentages of azo coupling within the multilayers on the two surfaces. Applications of a covalently bonded organic film on copper and alloy surfaces include adhesion promotion, corrosion protection, and possibly inhibition of oxygen reduction.
Real-Time GPS and LORAN-C Dynamical Performance for Critical Marine Applications

With system biases removed both LORAN-C and GPS can provide excellent real time position fixing for low-dynamics platforms. Nevertheless it is wise to understand the fundamental limitations which exist for each system in real-time applications. In addition to emitter geometry, the receiver/navigator architecture and user platform model must be incorporated. In this paper a new statistical error analysis approach is employed which accounts for these factors, and which allows determination of error dynamics experienced during signal faults. The approach enables a direct comparison of LORAN-C and GPS under identical dynamical conditions. A brief overview of the analytical technique is given, and normal and signal fault results presented for aided and unaided rho-rho LORAN-C processors, and for sequential and parallel GPS processors. GPS performance is based on the 6 \times 3 18 satellite GPS constellation. LORAN-C performance is for the Northeast chain.
Middle Level Crises in Students, Staffing, And Computers

Middle level administrators must take the leadership role in dealing now with future prob lems if middle level education is to sur vive, warns this writer.
Multi-turn high frequency co-axial winding power transformers

Three methods of attaining multiturn outer windings in coaxial winding power transformers were proposed and evaluated. Two of the methods utilize solid tube windings; the first employs concentric, series connected tubes, and the second uses a single tube split into uniformly spaced arc segments. The concentric tube winding allows use of additional winding material and, if the tube thicknesses are chosen close to the optimal values, results in the lowest AC resistance increases and ultimately exceeds that of the split tube winding. The split tube winding with n turns results in an AC resistance which is n/sup 2/ times the resistance of the original unsplit tube. Unlike the concentric tube winding, the frequency dependence of the resistance is identical to the single tube case which can be advantageous when the current has a large harmonic content. The third technique utilizes litz wire for the outer as well as the inner winding. By employing a number of wires arranged in a cylindrical pattern, a reasonable approximation to a coaxial outer winding can be produced. A prototype transformer having a 10-turn outer winding was constructed and tested. >
On-line fault detection in DSP circuits using extrapolated checksums with minimal test points

In this paper, we propose a novel concurrent error detection scheme for linear digital variable systems that significantly reduces the hardware overhead of the detection circuitry. A new theory of extrapolated checksums has been developed. A novel test point selection algorithm has been proposed to select the minimal set of test points without compromising fault coverage. Techniques for selecting code vectors (to compute checksums) and designing error detection circuitry have been discussed. Experimental results indicate significant hardware reduction in the error detection circuitry.
Unit Dose Factors for Transportation of Radioactive Materials

It will be necessary in the future to transport spent nuclear fuel on a large-scale basis from nuclear power plant sites to interim storage and/or a repository. Shipments of radioactive material are required to comply with regulations limiting the dose rate to no more than 0.1 mSv (10 mrem) per hour at 2 meters from the sides of the vehicle transporting the package. Determining the resulting dose to the public will be necessary for a number of reasons (e.g., stakeholder concerns, environmental impact statements). In order to understand the dose consequence of such a transportation system, this paper describes a method for determining unit dose factors. These are defined as the dose to the public per unit distance traveled along a road, rail, or waterway from one shipment assuming unit values for the other route specific parameters. The actual dose to the public is calculated using unit dose factors, the dose rate due to the radiation field emanating from the package, and characteristics of the route itself. Route specific parameters include the speed of the conveyance, the population density, and characteristics of the environment surrounding the route; these are provided by a routing tool. Using these unit dose factors, in conjunction with a routing tool, it will be possible to quantify the collective dose to the public and understand the ramifications of choosing specific routes.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Quorum Sensing: Bacteria Talk Sense

Cell communication in bacteria occurs through a vernacular of small diffusible chemical signals that impact gene regulation during times of high cell density. This form of intercellular signaling, known as quorum sensing, optimizes the metabolic and behavioral activities of a community of bacteria for life in close quarters. Quorum sensing is best characterized as a means of communication within a bacterial species, whereas competitive or cooperative signaling can occur between groups of bacteria or between bacteria and the host. These systems are often integrated into complex, multilayered signal transduction networks that control numerous multicellular behaviors, including biofilm formation and other virulence traits. In addition, quorum signals, sensors, and signaling pathways are increasingly recognized as having biological properties that extend beyond cell communication. The deeper understanding of microbial cell communication promises to shed light on the complexities of the host-microbe relationship and may lead to novel therapeutic applications.
Effect of Mg2+ on stress, myosin phosphorylation, and ATPase activity in detergent-skinned swine carotid media

Smooth muscle contraction has a relatively high requirement for free magnesium (Mg2+). In this study we examined the effect of Mg2+concentration ([Mg2+]) on Ca2+-dependent stress development and st...
Genetic and Epigenetic Alterations in Testicular Tumors

Molecular alterations in cancer are gaining increasing importance as indicators of therapeutic response and prognosis. Abnormality in multiple loci in the genetic architecture and epigenetic factors could play a role in development of testicular germ cell tumors. The only recurrent cytogenetic alteration detected in testicular germ cell tumors is the gain of the short arm of chromosome 12. However, no single high-susceptibility gene has yet been found to play a major role. Genetic alterations involving chromosomes and genes, and epigenetic alterations including methylation, chromatin remodeling, and microRNA regulation are discussed.
Clinical Application of Growth Factors in Cutaneous Wound Healing

Growth factors are polypeptides that regulate cell proliferation, synthesis, and differentiation. Growth factors are now believed to play an important role in mediating tissue repair. Initial clinical trials of growth factors as pharmacological agents in the treatment of cutaneous wounds have demonstrated only modest therapeutic efficacy. However, improved understanding of growth factor synergy, dosage requirements and interactions with other elements of the wound environment may one day lead to the routine use of growth factors in the therapy of cutaneous wounds.
A Comparison of Actual and Perceived Sexual Risk Among Older Adults

Sexual risk among older adults (OAs) is prevalent, though little is known about the accuracy of sexual risk perceptions. Thus, the aim was to determine the accuracy of sexual risk perceptions among OAs by examining concordance between self-reported sexual risk behaviors and perceived risk. Data on OAs aged 50 to 92 were collected via Amazon.com’s Mechanical Turk. Frequency of sexual risk behaviors (past six months) were reported along with perceived risk, namely, sexually transmitted infection (STI) susceptibility. Accuracy categories (accurate, underestimated, overestimated) were established based on dis/concordance between risk levels (low, moderate, high) and perceived risk (not susceptible, somewhat susceptible, very susceptible). Approximately half of the sample reported engaging in vaginal (49%) and/or oral sex (43%) without a condom in the past six months. However, approximately two-thirds of the sample indicated they were “not susceptible” to STIs. No relationship was found between risk behaviors ...
Radiosyntheses and preclinical evaluation of two N-(3-[11C]methylthiophenyl)-2-picolinamide ([11C]ML128) derivatives as radiotracers for mGlu4

1169 Objectives Metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 4 (mGlu4) has been considered a therapeutic target for Parkinson’s disease and L-DOPA treatment induced dyskinesia to control synaptic glutamate transport. We have developed several allosteric modulators as PET imaging ligands for mGlu4. Now we introduce two derivatives of [11C]ML128, a previously reported PET imaging ligand. We hypothesize that introduction of methylthio functional group instead of methoxy group might improve pharmacokinetic properties and binding properties to mGlu4. Methods We prepared the mercaptophenyl precursors for two derivatives of N-(3-[11C]methylthiophenyl)-2-picolinamide, [11C]KALB012 and [11C]KALB016, by five step syntheses, and nonradioactive standards by methylation of the mercaptophenyl precursors. Subsequently, [11C]KALB012 and [11C]KALB016 were obtained using [11C]iodomethane mediated by 5 M potassium carbonate solution. Dynamic PET imaging (60 min) was done in six male Sprague-Dawley rats for baseline studies followed by blocking studies with N-(3-difluoromethoxyphenyl)-2-picolinamide hydrochloride salt (10 mg/kg i.v.) administered 1 min before the radiotracer. Results [11C]KALB012 and [11C]KALB016 were obtained with 27% and 44% radiochemical yield respectively and 98% radiochemical purities. The micro-PET images of [11C]KALB012 and [11C]KALB016 showed highest accumulation of both ligands in thalamus, hippocampus, striatum, and some accumulation in cerebellum. However, those images also showed fast uptake and washout in brain within 20 minutes. Of these two ligands [11C]KALB012 indicated better blocking effect than [11C]KALB016. Conclusions Although the pharmacokinetic properties were not improved from the previously reported [11C]ML128, [11C]KALB012 clearly indicated better specificity as a PET radiotracer than [11C]KALB016 or [11C]ML128. Research Support NIBIB-R01EB012864 and NIMH-R01MH91684 to ALB
Dental ceramics: a current review.

Abstract Ceramics are used for many dental applications and are characterized in various ways, including by their hardness, brittleness, thermal and electrical insulation, and biocompatibility. The ceramics most commonly used in dentistry are oxides, particularly silicon dioxide (SiO2), or silica; aluminum oxide (Al2O3), or alumina; and zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), or zirconia. This article reviews the microstructure of current dental ceramic materials and how it relates to their mechanical properties, clinical techniques, and optical properties. Typical ceramics currently in use are described, and their clinically relevant properties such as strength, fracture, polishability, and wear are compared. Cementation methods are also discussed.
The interaction between lysozyme and penicillin.

The hydrolytic action of lysozyme (muramidase) was inhibited 50% by benzylpenicillin (24 mM) in 0.1 M phosphate buffer at pH 7.0. 7-(Thiophene-2-acetamido)cephalosporin (cephalothin) exerted a similar inhibitory action. Modification of some of the functional groups of these molecules, with a resultant decrease in their structural similarity to N-acetylmuramic acid, destroyed their inhibitory activity. Integrity of the lactam ring was not essential for activity. Fluorescence measurements and ultraviolet difference spectroscopy indicated the formation of an enzyme-inhibitor complex. Penicillin and N-acetylglucosamine produced a perturbation peak at 293 mµ when mixed with the enzyme. N-Bromosuccinimide oxidation of the tryptophan residue in position 62, one of six tryptophan units in the enzyme molecule, destroyed enzymatic activity. This modification reduced the size of the perturbation peak induced by penicillin and eliminated the peak caused by N-acetylglucosamine. The experimental results agree with previous indications that penicillin bears a structural resemblance to a portion of the bacterial cell wall, N-acetylmuramic acid. In these studies, lysozyme has been used as a model for demonstrating the interaction between penicillin and an enzyme protein. The concentrations of penicillin required for inhibition of lysozyme are far greater than the level of the drug required for the inhibition of sensitive microorganisms.
Sarah Tindal Kareem, Eighteenth-Century Fiction and the Reinvention of Wonder

Review by Katherine Ding (University of California, Berkeley) of Sarah Tindal Kareem, Eighteenth-Century Fiction and the Reinvention of Wonder . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. Pp. 228. £55. ISBN 9780199689101.
Vicente Lombardo Toledano y su cruzada obrera continental: entre colaboraciones y conflictos, 1927-1938

Este articulo proporciona antecedentes nuevos, y en algunos casos ineditos, sobre la colaboracion y conflictos que enfrento Vicente Lombardo Toledano, en su cruzada por alcanzar la unificacion de la clase obrera a nivel continental. La participacion de Lombardo Toledano, como dirigente e intermediario de los intereses obreros, se sustenta en este trabajo con fuentes de archivo no trabajadas con anterioridad, por tanto presentamos a lo largo del articulo perspectivas nuevas y complementarias a las existentes, que van a contracorriente de la historiografia del movimiento obrero.
Immunomodulation in Horses

Nonspecific immunomodulators are substances that induce non-antigen-specific enhancement of the body's native or acquired defense mechanisms. Immunomodulant preparations are most often used for treatment of chronic, viral, or bacterial infection with evidence of secondary immunosuppression. The proposed mechanism of action of these products is macrophage activation and subsequent release of cytokines that enhance humoral and cell-mediated immunity. In equine medicine, nonspecific immunostimulant products are used for prevention and treatment of infectious respiratory disease and treatment of sarcoid skin tumors.
Investigating Correlates of Hypersexual Behavior in Religious Patients

abstractThe current study investigated correlates of hypersexuality in a sample of religious (n = 52) and non-religious (n = 105) men assessed for hypersexual disorder as part of the DSM-5 Field Trial. Our results indicate that religiosity was unrelated to self-reported levels of hypersexuality as measured by the Hypersexual Behavior Inventory and the Hypersexual Behavior Consequences Scale. Patients who reported being highly religious had comparable levels of problematic solo-sex behaviors (e.g., pornography use and masturbation) as non-religious patients, but significantly less relational sexual behaviors as measured by the number of life-time sex partners and sex partners in the previous 12-month period. Further, the religious hypersexual group showed significantly lower levels of alcohol and drug abuse, as well as anxiety, compared to the non-religious hypersexual patients. Interestingly, we did not observe group differences on indices of shame, life satisfaction, impulsivity, or stress proneness. Rel...
Cell Migration within Three-Dimensional Matrices

Cell migration is an important process that is involved in the major developmental stages of all complex organisms and results in the arrangement of cells into a precise architecture, the organization of the nervous system, and the generation of specialized organs and tissues. For example, cell migration in the adult allows the immune cells to traffic through tissues and to arrive at wounds to facilitate the healing process. Cells migrate along extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins using cell-surface receptors composed of integrins and proteoglycans. In various pathological conditions, such as cancer metastasis, cells restructure the ECM and reacquire the ability to migrate, but to detrimental effect. For several years cell migration has been largely studied in the context of glass or plastic surfaces coated with ECM proteins, which has allowed an abundance of information about the events in cell migration and the signaling pathways involved. More recently, the field has moved toward the more complex problem of understanding cell migration in three-dimensional matrices, both in in vitro culture conditions and in whole tissues and organisms. This article presents recent findings on cell migration in the context of three dimensions and focuses on cancer cell invasion as an example allowing us to highlight aspects of cell migration in vivo .
The release of thrombin, using acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV), from perfluoropentane double emulsions

Acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV), a process whereby liquid droplets are vaporized into gas bubbles using ultrasound, has been studied in vivo as a method to generate vascular occlusion. This work focuses on the development of a double emulsion that releases a chemical embolic agent, thrombin, upon ADV — thereby potentially extending the duration of ADV-induced occlusion. Micron-sized, double emulsions were formulated, using a two-step process, with the following structure: water-in-perfluoropentane-in-water (W 1 /PFP/W 2 ). Thrombin was contained in the W 1 phase. Emulsions produced using low shear techniques during the second emulsification step yielded the highest thrombin encapsulation (> 95%). The ability of ADV to release the thrombin was tested by exposing the emulsions to acoustic pulses from a 3.5 MHz single-element transducer (4.7 MPa peak rarefactional pressure) while in an OptiCell™ chamber. ADV caused the activated clotting time (ACT) of citrated blood to decrease, in a statistically significant manner (p < 0.01), compared to blood incubated with emulsions not exposed to ultrasound.
Population pharmacokinetics and site of action exposures of veliparib with topotecan plus carboplatin in patients with haematological malignancies.

Aims Veliparib is a potent inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) enzyme. The objectives of the analysis were to evaluate the effect of baseline covariates and co-administration of topotecan plus carboplatin (T + C) on pharmacokinetics of veliparib in patients with refractory acute leukaemia, and compare veliparib concentration in various biological matrices. Methods A population pharmacokinetic model was developed and effect of age, body size indices, sex, creatinine clearance (CrCL) and co-administration of T + C on the pharmacokinetics of veliparib were evaluated. The final model was qualified using bootstrap and quantitative predictive check. Linear regression was conducted to correlate concentrations of veliparib in various biological matrices. Results A two compartment model with first-order absorption with Tlag described veliparib pharmacokinetics. The apparent clearance (CL/F) and volume (Vc/F) were 16.5 l h−1 and 122.7 l, respectively. The concomitant administration of T + C was not found to affect veliparib CL/F. CrCL and lean body mass (LBM) were significant covariates on CL/F and Vc/F, respectively. While a strong positive relationship was observed between veliparib concentrations in plasma and bone marrow supernatant, no correlation was observed between plasma and peripheral blood or bone marrow blasts. Conclusions Consistent with veliparib's physiochemical properties and its elimination mechanism, LBM and CrCL were found to affect pharmacokinetics of veliparib while concomitant administration of T + C did not affect veliparib's CL/F. Plasma concentrations were found to be a reasonable surrogate for veliparib concentrations in peripheral blood and bone marrow supernatant but not blasts. The current model will be utilized to conduct exposure-response analysis to support dosing recommendations.
Tipping the Scales: Classroom Feasibility of the Radix Endeavor Game

The Radix Endeavor is an inquiry-based educational game designed to encourage exploration and experimentation. Its design deeply integrates STEM practices as core game mechanics, enabling students to learn by doing in authentic contexts that are distributed across people, places, and time. Radix is a large-scale game that is not primarily designed to directly teach students math and science facts, but rather to serve as a foundational experience that teachers can integrate into their teaching in personalized and meaningful ways. Teachers have a difficult choice each time they consider implementing a unit of game-based curriculum. They must weigh the educational and pedagogical benefits on the one hand, and the barriers to implementation on the other, in order to decide whether the game is worth implementing in their classroom. In this chapter we discuss the feasibility of implementing the game in the classroom, teacher perceptions of student learning with the game, and the interaction between these two factors.
Evidence of evolutionary selection for co-translational folding

Recent experiments and simulations have demonstrated that proteins can fold on the ribosome, but the importance of co-translational folding for the fitness of an organism remains an open question. Here we report a genome-wide analysis that uncovers evidence of evolutionary selection for co-translational folding. We describe a robust statistical approach to identify conserved loci within genes that are significantly enriched in slowly translated codons. Surprisingly, we find that domain boundaries can explain only a small fraction of these conserved loci. Instead, we propose that regions enriched in slowly translated codons are associated with co-translational folding intermediates, which may be smaller than a single domain. We show that the intermediates predicted by a native-centric model of co-translational folding account for the majority of these loci across more than 500 E. coli proteins. By making a direct connection to protein folding, this analysis provides strong evidence that many synonymous substitutions have been selected to optimize translation rates at specific locations within genes. More generally, our results indicate that kinetics, and not just thermodynamics, can significantly alter the efficiency of self-assembly in a biological context.
S037) An Overview of Disparities Research in Access to Radiation Oncology Care

Introduction In the twenty-first century, the field of radiation oncology has markedly increased its role in patient care. Consequently, any disparity in access to radiation oncology treatment may prove more deleterious than at any time in the past. We performed the following review of published series to assess the pervasiveness of health disparities in access to radiation oncology treatment.
'Yes-Man' Firms: Government Campaigns and Policy Positioning of Businesses in China

We advance a theory of strategic preference expression in authoritarian systems, where business elites express dissent or conformity to the government based on material incentives. Their position-taking strategies vary depending on whether firms have the bargaining power to extract benefits or avoid punishment from the government. Using survey experiments with firm executives in China, we show that a government campaign treatment — a preface that signals the government’s commitment to opening further to inward foreign direct investment (FDI) — increases the percentage of firms reporting “benefit” from inward FDI between 14 and 36 percentage points. The executives of politically vulnerable firms (private owned) conform to the government’s position the most. Private firms with higher financial dependence on government conform more than their non-private counterparts. The executives of powerful firms (state-owned and foreign-owned) change their responses the least to induce policy concessions. We demonstrate a material origin of political desirability bias in autocracies.
Relative potencies of two phenylalkylamines found in the abused plant Catha edulis, khat

Abstract Cathinone and d-norpseudoephedrine are closely related phenylalkylamines isolated from Catha edulis (khat), a plant much abused for its stimulant properties. We have compared the potency of these two compounds on an operant behavioral procedure in rats. Both suppress fixed ratio 20 responding for food in a dose related manner. Cathinone was 7–10 times more potent and had a more rapid onset of action than d-norpseudoephedrine, although the duration of action of cathinone was shorter. The ability of these two compounds to produce amphetamine-like stereotyped movements was in concordance with this same relative potency and difference in duration of action. Comparison of the behavioral effects in rats with the pattern of stimulation reported for khat use by man suggests that cathinone may be the major CNS active component of Catha edulis .
Biogeography, Local Adaptation, Vavilov, and Genetic Diversity in Soybean

It is the purpose of this paper to illustrate the impact of geography, climate, and humankind in shaping the present-day genetic diversity in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. Examination of soybean germplasm collections around the globe reveals that an enormous phenotypic range in genetic traits exists in soybean, which is well beyond the phenotypic range observed in the wild progenitor (Glycine soja Seib. et Zucc.). Maturity date, seed coat color, plant height, seed size, and seed yield are noted examples of traits which have a wider phenotypic range in G. max than in the wild G. soja. The diversity found in domesticated soybean is the result of over 3,000 years of cultivation in which Chinese farmers selected more than 20,000 landraces (defined as cultivars that predate scientific breeding). The extensive range in phenotype embodied in landraces today is the result of the slow spread of soybean throughout geographically diverse Asia (China first, then Korea and Japan), the continual occurrence of natural mutations in the crop, and both conscious and unconscious selection for local adaptation. The more recent spread of soybean out of Asia in the past 250 years, coupled with modern breeding efforts of the past 70, has intensified and globalized the process of local adaptation and increased the phenotypic range in soybean beyond that of landraces. The increased range in phenotype for modern cultivars includes increases in seed yield, elevation of seed protein/oil concentration, and development, only within the past 20 years, of commercial cultivars that are sufficiently tall and adapted to be grown profitably near the equator. The phenotypic range and distribution observed in modern cultivars and antecedent landraces have clear biogeographical interpretations which relate primarily to genetic alteration of photoperiod response (a prerequisite to adaptation to diverse latitudes) and tolerance to climate extremes.
Resistance to peer influence moderates the relationship between perceived (but not actual) peer norms and binge drinking in a college student social network.

Abstract Introduction Adolescent and young adult binge drinking is strongly associated with perceived social norms and the drinking behavior that occurs within peer networks. The extent to which an individual is influenced by the behavior of others may depend upon that individual's resistance to peer influence (RPI). Methods Students in their first semester of college (N = 1323; 54.7% female, 57% White, 15.1% Hispanic) reported on their own binge drinking, and the perceived binge drinking of up to 10 important peers in the first-year class. Using network autocorrelation models, we investigated cross-sectional relationships between participant's binge drinking frequency and the perceived and actual binge drinking frequency of important peers. We then tested the moderating role of RPI, expecting that greater RPI would weaken the relationship between perceived and actual peer binge drinking on participant binge drinking. Results Perceived and actual peer binge drinking were statistically significant predictors of participant binge drinking frequency in the past month, after controlling for covariates. RPI significantly moderated the association between perceptions of peer binge drinking and participant's own binge drinking; this association was weaker among participants with higher RPI compared to those with lower RPI. RPI did not interact with the actual binge drinking behavior of network peers. Conclusions RPI may function to protect individuals from the effect of their perceptions about the binge drinking of peers, but not from the effect of the actual binge drinking of peers.
Thresholds and Double Spaces in "Crime and Punishment"

Images of thresholds, doorways, passages, and double spaces constitute a prominent, recurring motif in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. These images undergird another metaphorical or possibly metaphysical threshold, providing a passage connecting doubled spaces, and transitions, which on a fundamental level is a way of characterizing the theme of the entire novel. The main focus here will be on the nexus of references to physical thresholds and passageways that pervade the novel. In particular, Dostoevsky frequently repeats the image of characters standing in thresholds, so the image was significantly lodged in the writer’s head. Following this observation, I will offer a selective sampling of these references and, in the end, will indicate what, collectively, they might mean. Reinforced by the imagery of physical thresholds, what emerges in the course of a novel saturated with doubles and double spaces is the ambiguous threshold between sin and salvation, or between solitude and Sonya. The very title of Crime and Punishment succinctly captures this, and Siberia is the penultimate threshold for Raskolnikov, who would like to wait at the threshold of existence until life is shaped into the kind of state he approves of, while not directly or consciously acknowledging that he has already entered, as is evident from beginning to end.
Deep neural networks for automatic detection of osteoporotic vertebral fractures on CT scans

Osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) are prevalent in older adults and are associated with substantial personal suffering and socio-economic burden. Early diagnosis and treatment of OVFs are critical to prevent further fractures and morbidity. However, OVFs are often under-diagnosed and under-reported in computed tomography (CT) exams as they can be asymptomatic at an early stage. In this paper, we present and evaluate an automatic system that can detect incidental OVFs in chest, abdomen, and pelvis CT examinations at the level of practicing radiologists. Our OVF detection system leverages a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to extract radiological features from each slice in a CT scan. These extracted features are processed through a feature aggregation module to make the final diagnosis for the full CT scan. In this work, we explored different methods for this feature aggregation, including the use of a long short-term memory (LSTM) network. We trained and evaluated our system on 1432 CT scans, comprised of 10,546 two-dimensional (2D) images in sagittal view. Our system achieved an accuracy of 89.2% and an F1 score of 90.8% based on our evaluation on a held-out test set of 129 CT scans, which were established as reference standards through standard semiquantitative and quantitative methods. The results of our system matched the performance of practicing radiologists on this test set in real-world clinical circumstances. We expect the proposed system will assist and improve OVF diagnosis in clinical settings by pre-screening routine CT examinations and flagging suspicious cases prior to review by radiologists.
The Hospital Antimicrobial Use Process: From Beginning to End.

Hospital antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs are responsible for ensuring that all antimicrobials are utilized in the most appropriate and safe manner to improve patient outcomes, prevent adverse drug reactions, and prevent the development of antimicrobial resistance. This Perspectives article outlines the hospital antimicrobial use process (AUP), the foundational system that ensures that all antimicrobials are utilized in the most appropriate and safe manner. The AUP consists of the following steps: antimicrobial ordering, order verification, preparation and delivery, administration, monitoring, and discharge prescribing. AMS programs should determine how each step contributes to how an antimicrobial is used appropriately or inappropriately at their institution. Through this understanding, AMS programs can integrate stewardship activities at each step to ensure that every opportunity is taken to optimize antimicrobial use during a patient’s treatment course. Hence, approaching AMS through the framework of a hospital’s AUP is essential to improving appropriate antimicrobial use.
Afro-American Slave Culture

Publisher Summary It is known that slave-owners were the major obstacle to slave wellbeing; however, an understanding of slave systems controls and oppression is not sufficient for understanding the goals and values of slaves and the institutions they built to accomplish them. This chapter focuses on the history of two interrelated aspects of Jamaican slave culture and society — the transformation of various African ethnic groups into a pan-African society and the role religion played in that process. The existence of strong ethnic solidarity among African slaves, and even their descendants, led to self-defeating disunity that hindered their ability to mount a united front against their common oppressors. That striking feature of many slave societies has puzzled scholars. Most scholars of the African diaspora have had to grapple with the phenomenon of African and Afro-American or Afro-Caribbean religions. It used to be quite common and still is to a disappointing extent to interpret African religion as the emotional resort of frustrated and marginal people, emphasizing its escapist or cathartic or spiritually comforting functions almost entirely to the exclusion of its socio-political functions. Therefore, it is encouraging to see scholars, especially the historians of North American slavery, (preceded, for the most part, by their Caribbeanist and Brazilianist colleagues) recognize African religion's holistic approach to human existence and pay particular attention to the significance of sorcery beliefs and anti-sorcery practices in North American slave society.
Varieties of analysis in instructional development

If one is satisfied with present performance, development can legitimately be dismissed as unnecessary. On the other hand, if qualitative improvement is an objective, concern with development is by definition imperative. Both internal and external pressure places education in the second category (Schutz, 1970). The process of development may be regarded as an activity involving "the systematic use of scientific knowledge directed toward the production of useful materials, devices, systems or methods, including design and development of prototypes and processes" (National Science Foundation, 1965). Ins t ruct ional development is that same activity when it results in useful instructional materials, devices, systems, methods, prototypes, and processes. Specifically, instructional development is concerned with the design, validation, revision, dissemination, installation, operation, and evaluation of instructional products or systems. In all its phases, development is a decision process. From the total population of components which potentially comprise the ideal learning environment for a given learner and learning task, the developer makes his selections, testing them with actual learners. He performs a similar task with a multitudinous set of potential dissemination mechanisms, and with a set of plausible evaluation instruments, and so on
Status Report: Ongoing Studies of the Susceptibility of Stone Consolidants to Microbiologically Induced Deterioration

Over a 35-day period a testing methodology was employed to assess the biodeterioration susceptibility of thin films of 15 stone consolidants that had been or are being used in the stone conservation field. The program utilized inoculation of mixed fungal cultures onto thin films of the consolidants alone, without added substrates. A visual scoring regimen was employed to assess the biodeterioration of each consolidant. The initial results of our ongoing investigations are discussed in the context of determining the most microbiologically resistant of the consolidants studied. The utility of the testing methodology employed as an initial screening tool prior to a full scale in-situ test is discussed.
Compressible laminar motion with fluctuation in free stream temperature

Impulse motion of a flat plate in a compressible medium having fluctuating temperature was studied. Results show that the friction factor is unaffected by the temperature fluctuation, but the Nusselt number is affected. Conditions for two-dimensional laminar motion with fluctuating free stream temperature was discussed.