cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Commentary: Children With Pediatric Conditions: Can Peers' Impressions Be Managed? And What About Their Friends?

section. The two articles included in this special section of JPP add to our accumulating knowledge about the interplay of peer relations and pediatric conditions. First, the study by Guite, Walker, Smith, and Garber has some good news. Knowing that a child has somatic symptoms (recurrent abdominal pain), and that these symptoms are medically based, apparently had little or no impact on preadolescent children’s liking for the hypothetical child. Nor did the presence of a life-stressor (parental fighting) have an impact on the hypothetical child’s likeability. In fact, the main determinant of liking for the hypothetical child was being of the same gender, a finding that is consonant with a substantial literature on peer relations in middle childhood (Hartup, 1983). For children of this age, peer networks are primarily “all girl” or “all boy,” and cross-sex friendships are relatively rare. For this reason, the additional finding of Guite and colleagues that disease status may be a factor in girls’ liking for boys has limited practical relevance. Overall, then, the findings of Guite and colleagues are positive in suggesting that children with recurrent abdominal pain (a relatively “invisible” ailment) should not be at any particular disadvantage with peers just because of their illness. In contrast, the information provided here by Bell and Morgan paints a less rosy picture. This study focused on children’s reactions to hypothetical peers who were obese. As these authors note, obesity is known to be a stigmatizing condition Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Vol. 25, No. 3, 2000, pp. 147–149
Marcus and Substitutivity

The paper discusses Marcus's formulation of the principle of substitutivity. She relied on a notion of log- ical form in which certain problematic kinds of context are analyzed away. I defend a variant formulation of the principle in which the problematic contexts are accommodated in their own right.
Beyond Structural Realism: pluralist criteria for theory evaluation

In this paper I argue that singularist approaches to solving the Pessimistic Induction, such as Structural Realism, are unacceptable, but that when a pluralist account of methodological principles is adopted this anti-realist argument can be dissolved. The proposed view is a contextual methodological pluralism in the tradition of Normative Naturalism, and is justified by appeal to meta-methodological principles that are themselves justified via an externalist epistemology. Not only does this view provide an answer to the Pessimistic Induction, it can also accommodate our strongest intuitions regarding the progress of science.
Spot Me if You Can: Uncovering Spoken Phrases in Encrypted VoIP Conversations

Despite the rapid adoption of Voice over IP (VoIP), its security implications are not yet fully understood. Since VoIP calls may traverse untrusted networks, packets should be encrypted to ensure confidentiality. However, we show that when the audio is encoded using variable bit rate codecs, the lengths of encrypted VoIP packets can be used to identify the phrases spoken within a call. Our results indicate that a passive observer can identify phrases from a standard speech corpus within encrypted calls with an average accuracy of 50%, and with accuracy greater than 90% for some phrases. Clearly, such an attack calls into question the efficacy of current VoIP encryption standards. In addition, we examine the impact of various features of the underlying audio on our performance and discuss methods for mitigation.
HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF B-VITAMINS IN RICE AND RICE PRODUCTS

A comparative study was carried out on rice and rice products for chemical evaluation of three water soluble vitamins namely, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin using two different methods of determination (High Performance Liquid Chromatography vs. Wet Chemistry Procedures). The high performance liquid chromatographic method proved to be rapid and accurate. Statistical data showed no significant differences between the two methods of determination for thiamine and riboflavin, but a significant difference was observed for niacin. The rapid analytical procedure is accurate enough to warrant the collaborative work needed for quality assurance and nutritional labeling of food products.
Adaptive integration for controlling speed vs. accuracy in multi-rigid body simulation

Most current approaches for simulating robots in 3D with rigid body dynamics and contact operate by taking fixed, first order integration steps. In this paper, we investigate the viability of various integration approaches (semi implicit and fully explicit first-order, fourth order Runge Kutta, and variable step first order) for maximizing computational efficiency (accuracy and stability vs. running time) on typical robotics manipulation and locomotion applications. After arguing that first-order accuracy to the dynamics models is sufficient for most manipulator and locomotion robotics applications, we focus our investigation on methods for efficient, stable dynamic simulations. We describe a novel algorithm that attempts to provide smooth convergence to the true dynamics solution, which allows us to estimate the error in kinetic energy around an integration step size (as a proxy for the simulation stability). We use this algorithm to evaluate multiple hypotheses using simulation-based experiments with two virtual robot models toward developing methods for faster dynamic simulations.
Creating a 'Model' Utility Model Patent System: A Comparative Analysis of the Utility Model Patent Systems in Europe and China

Although it is difficult to create an optimal "model" of the exact types of every aspect of every country’s utility model patent system, this study illustrates that it is possible to create a useful legal, policy, and institutional framework based upon an understanding of the statutory, procedural, and institutional composition of utility model systems in Austria, China, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, and Italy; reasons behind the composition, including any revisions to, these systems; and usage of the systems. It also briefly discusses relevant experiences of Belgium and the Netherlands.
Adhesion in Metal-Ceramic Systems

The adhesion of Pt thin films to NiO substrates has been studied using the continuous microscratch technique. Films of Pt ranging from 65 to 1080 nm in thickness were sputter deposited onto single crystals of NiO. Continuous microscratch experiments were performed by driving a conical diamond indenter, with a nominal radius of 5 p.m. simultaneously into and across the film until a load drop was observed indicating that the film had delaminated. The practical work of adhesion was calculated using a theoretical model developed for metal-ceramic systems. The practical work of adhesion increases from 0.03 to 4.7 J/m2 as the film thickness increases from 65 to 1080 nm. The practical work of adhesion includes the true work of adhesion — the energy to produce two new surfaces — and terms involving the plastic deformation of the film and substrate. Extrapolation of the practical work of adhesion versus film thickness data to zero thickness yields a first order estimate of the true work of adhesion. The true work of adhesion for the as-sputtered Pt/NiO system is determined to be 0.025 J/m2, a value of the same order as the Van der Waal’s energy.
Fueling Normal and Diseased Hearts: Myocardial Bioenergetics

Cardiac contractile performance depends upon: (1) the delivery of carbon substrates and oxygen present in the blood to the cardiac extracellular space (via the coronary circulation), (2) the ability of the cardiomyocytes to efficiently extract these substrates from the extracellular space, and (3) the pathways via which the chemical energy stored within the carbon substrates is transferred to adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an energy storage molecule that can be directly utilized by most chemical energy driven processes. Importantly, ATP synthetic capacity must be sufficient to support a wide range of energy demands with high rates of ATP generation and must not be associated with destabilization of cytosolic and intra-organelle chemical milieus. The latter characteristic is crucial if the performance of the contractile apparatus and intracellular organelles is to remain optimal over the broad range of cardiac work states required by a physically active organism. Hence, even a high rate of myocardial energy expenditure must not induce the fatigue that is known to develop in heavily working skeletal muscle. This chapter describes the ways in which the chemical energy stored in ingested carbon substrates (glucose, fatty acids, and, to a modest extent, proteins) is transferred to ATP and reviews some of the regulatory systems which integrate the function of these pathways and make them responsive to changes in ATP demand without destabilizing the intracellular chemical milieu. The generation of toxic by-products of the metabolic processes and mechanisms that limit their adverse effects are also reviewed. Last of all, the effects of several physiological states and diseases on these processes are briefly discussed, and the concept that the diseased heart may be energy limited is presented.
Youth Concussion Laws across the Nation: Implications for the Traveling Team Physician.

There are an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million sports and recreation-related concussions annually in the United States, with an average annual increase in incidence of 15.5% from 1998 to 2007. From 2009 to 2014, all 50 states enacted youth concussion legislation. This study clarifies core elements common to state concussion legislation and State Interscholastic Athletic Association (SIAA) implementation. A concussion literature, legislative, and SIAA concussion bylaw review was performed for all 50 U.S. states. Mandated concussion education varies in the frequency of certification and method of education. Student athletes and their parents/guardians in a majority of states are required to sign annual educational information sheets. Forty-nine states specifically mandate removal from play. Return-to-play protocols vary with regard to the timeline, content, and health care professional that can provide written clearance. In conclusion, it is important for sports medicine clinicians to stay abreast of current and revised concussion legislation in the jurisdictions in which they provide care. Language: en
Brave new worlds

• According to the nebular hypothesis, the Sun and planets formed out of a single collapsing, rotating cloud of interstellar gas and dust called the solar nebula. This hypothesis provides a natural explanation for the highly regular pattern of the planet and satellite orbits. • Conservation of angular momentum in gravitational collapse suggests that the Sun initially rotated much more rapidly than it does now. • Spiral nebulae were once thought to be young stars enveloped by nascent planetary systems, but they are now known to be distant galaxies, each containing roughly 100 billion stars. • The youngest stars in our Milky Way Galaxy are surrounded by dusty planet-forming disks, initially discovered by their infrared radiation, and detected in large numbers and great detail by the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope . • Vast interstellar clouds of gas and dust are the incubators of large numbers of newborn stars, many of them embedded in the material from which they arose and surrounded by flattened, rotating planet-forming disks. • At least two planets with a mass comparable to that of the Earth were discovered orbiting a cold, dark pulsar. • The first unseen planets circling ordinary Sun-like stars were inferred from the tiny, periodic Doppler wavelength shifts of their parent star's spectral lines, caused by the motion of the orbiting planet. They became known as “hot Jupiters”, since they revolve unexpectedly close to their star and have masses comparable to that of Jupiter. […]
Semantic Nominalism: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Universals

Aldo Antonelli offers a novel view on abstraction principles in order to solve a traditional tension between different requirements: that the claims of science be taken at face value, even when involving putative reference to mathematical entities; and that referents of mathematical terms are identified and their possible relations to other objects specified. In his view, abstraction principles provide representatives for equivalence classes of second-order entities that are available provided the first- and second-order domains are in the equilibrium dictated by the abstraction principles, and whose choice is otherwise unconstrained. Abstract entities are the referents of abstraction terms: such referents are to an extent indeterminate, but we can still quantify over them, predicate identity or non-identity, etc. Our knowledge of them is limited, but still substantial: we know whatever has to be true no matter how the representatives are chosen, i.e., what is true in all models of the corresponding abstraction principles. This view is backed up by an “austere” conception of universals, according to which these are first-order objects, i.e., ways of collecting first-order objects. Antonelli thus claims that second-order logic does not import any novel ontological commitment beyond ontology of first-order, naturalistically acceptable, objects. Moreover, in the case of arithmetic, even if Hume’s Principle is construed as described above, Frege’s Theorem goes through unaffected, since there is nothing in its proof that depends on an account of the “true nature” of numbers. A viable construal of logicism is then given by the combination of semantic nominalism and a naturalistic conception of abstraction. [Editors note]
Kunst und ästhetische Erziehung

Die Texte kreisen um die Frage nach dem Verhaltnis von Kunst, Wirklichkeit und Wahrheit bzw. Wahrhaftigkeit. Schutz entwickelt auf der Grundlage einer Phanomenologie des (Kunst-)Bildes und einer kritischen Erkenntnistheorie der ‚Wirklichkeit‘ der Kunst eine Verhaltnisbestimmung von Bild und Bildung. Dabei insistiert er auf den eigenstandigen Wirklichkeits- und Wahrheitsbezug des Bildes. Das „Transsubjektive“ (Adorno) in der asthetischen Erfahrung gilt als Hinweis auf eine kunstlerische Werkwelt und ihren eigentumlichen Wahrheitsanspruch, in dem sich Welterfahrung als asthetische Erfahrung kundtut. Kunst als Grenzerfahrung und Grenzgangertum zeigt ein existenziales „Exil“ an, das den Menschen als in Nicht-Ubereinstimmung mit sich selbst und mit der Welt bestimmt.
Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy and Coronary Artery Disease: A Meaningful Coincidence?

Since its initial description[1][1], Takotsubo cardiomyopathy has generated much debate and interest. Over the past 25 years, much progress has been made in understanding this syndrome. While the clinical presentation and characteristics have been well described and agreed upon, the etiology is a
Salmonella Persistence in Tomatoes Requires a Distinct Set of Metabolic Functions Identified by Transposon Insertion Sequencing.

Human enteric pathogens, such as Salmonella and verotoxigenic E. coli , are increasingly recognized as causes of gastroenteritis outbreaks associated with the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Persistence in plants represents an important part of the life cycle of these pathogens. The identification of the full complement of Salmonella genes involved in the colonization of the model plant (tomato) was carried out using transposon insertion sequencing analysis. With this approach, 230,000 transposon insertions were screened in tomato pericarps to identify loci with reduction in fitness, followed by validation of the screen results using competition assays of the isogenic mutants against the wild type. A comparison with studies in animals revealed a distinct “plant-associated” set of genes, which only partially overlaps those required to elicit disease in animals. De novo biosynthesis of amino acids was critical to persistence within tomatoes, while amino acid scavenging was prevalent in animal infections. Phenotypes of the Salmonella amino acid synthesis mutants were generally more severe in the tomato rin mutant that hyper-accumulates certain amino acids, suggesting that these nutrients remain unavailable to Salmonella within plants. Salmonella LPS was required for persistence in both animals and plants, exemplifying some shared pathogenesis-related mechanisms in animal and plant hosts. Similarly to phytopathogens, Salmonella required biosynthesis of amino acids, LPS and nucleotides to colonize tomatoes. Overall, however, it appears that while Salmonella shares some strategies with phytopathogens and taps into its animal virulence-related functions, colonization of tomatoes represents a distinct strategy, highlighting this pathogen9s flexible metabolism. Importance Outbreaks of gastroenteritis caused by human pathogens have been increasingly associated with foods of plant origin, with tomatoes being one of the common culprits. Recent studies also suggest that these human pathogens can use plants as alternate hosts as a part of their lifecycle. While dual (animal/plant) lifestyles of other members of the Enterobacteriaceae family are well-known, strategies with which Salmonella colonizes plants are only partially understood. Therefore, we undertook a high-throughput characterization of the functions required for Salmonella persistence within tomatoes. The results of this study were compared with what is known about genes required for Salmonella virulence in animals and interactions of plant pathogens with their hosts to determine whether Salmonella repurposes its virulence repertoire inside plants, or whether it behaves more as a phytopathogen during plant colonization. Even though Salmonella utilized some of its virulence-related genes in tomatoes, plant colonization required a distinct set of functions.
Management of T2 Rectal Cancer

What’s “best” for the cancer, may not always be “best” for the patient. This is particularly true for T2 rectal cancer; more specifically for patients with rectal cancer. More radical treatments may in certain circumstances, result in higher disease free survival, but not in improvements in overall survival, and certainly not a better functional result or enhanced quality of life. In selecting treatment options one must understand multiple important factors regarding the tumor and the patient in whom it resides.
Factors and trends in cancer screening in the United States from 2004 to 2010.

1565 Background: Understanding the prevalence of cancer screening in the US and the factors associated with its accessibility is important for public health promotion. Methods: The 2004 and 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Systems were used to ascertain cancer screening rates among populations indicated for each test by age, gender, and the American Cancer Society recommendation for cancer screenings [fecal occult blood test (FOBT) or endoscopy for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, digital rectal examination (DRE) or prostate specific antigen (PSA) for prostate cancer screening, clinical breast examination (CBE) or mammogram for breast cancer screening, and Papanicolaou (Pap) test for cervical cancer screening]. Results: Over this period, CRC and breast cancer screening rates significantly increased (15.9%, 13.9%) while prostate and cervical cancer screening rates significantly decreased (1.2%, 5.2%). Race/ethnicity might be an influence in CRC and cervical cancer screening accessibility. Prostat...
Overcoming Imatinib resistance using CAI, a calcium-mediated signal transduction inhibitor: A new therapeutic strategy for chronic myelogenous leucemia

2821 Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disorder characterized by the (9;22) reciprocal chromosomal translocation that produces the so-called Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome. This rearrangement results in the production of the chimeric bcr-abl oncoprotein, p210, with a constitutive tyrosine kinase activity. Although imatinib mesylate (IM) has revolutionized the treatment of CML, some patients develop resistance with progression of leukemia. There is an urgent need for new anticancer agents and combinations that could improve responses and survival rates for CML. Carboxyamidotriazole (CAI), an inhibitor of calcium-mediated signal transduction, is one of the first cytostatic signal inhibitory anti-cancer drugs; it has been tested in solid tumor patients in Phase I and II clinical trials at the NCI/NIH. Exposure to CAI concentrations of 1-10 µM has anti-tumor activity, inhibiting tumor cell calcium-mediated signal transduction, proliferation and invasion in vitro and tumor metastasis in vivo. Our preclinical work was aimed to test the possible use of CAI to treat IM-resistant CML. Our results, carried out on three IM-resistant cell lines (LAMA84R, K562R and KCL22R), show that CAI induces a 50% dose-dependent reduction of proliferation rate and a negative modulation of phosphotyrosine protein pattern. All three CML-resistant cell lines displayed a reduction in levels of phosphorylated bcr-abl after CAI exposure. Moreover, CAI is able to inhibit both Bcr/Abl-dependent (e.g. Stat5 and CrkL) and independent signaling pathways (e.g. MAPKs pathway) and to increase (up to 3 fold) the cell death. On the basis of these results, we started to dissect the molecular mechanisms of action of CAI on IM-resistant CML cells. Therefore, we studied the effects of CAI on three myeloid murine cell lines (32D) transfected with plasmids encoding for BCR/ABL-p210 (full length), BCR/ABL-T315I and BCR/ABL-E255K mutants. T315I and E255K are two BCR/ABL mutations often associated with IM-resistance; the T315I mutation, located in the ATP-binding pocket, makes Imatinib unable to bind the kinase; the E255K mutation, located in the P-loop, maintains the kinase in an inactive conformation. Our results show that CAI is able to reduce the proliferation rate in a dose and time-dependent manner: 61% inhibition for T315I mutant (p value
PD-1/PD-L1 pathway inhibitors in advanced prostate cancer

Introduction: Pharmacological inhibition of immune checkpoint receptors or their ligands represents a transformative breakthrough in the management of multiple cancers. However, immune checkpoint i...
Time Dependent Responses at Disk Electrodes

The application of Neumann’s integral theorem of two parameters is presented as a general method of solving time dependent problems at disk electrodes. Specific application to linear sweep voltammetry for an irreversible reaction is considered. Numerical results for the evaluation of the resulting integral equation are presented.
Peer Learning in the Classroom

Collaborative peer-learning environments have received increased attention in classrooms due to the potential for improving student learning. This article explores social–behavioral, cognitive, and developmental mechanisms by which working with other students is thought to benefit student learning, and the detrimental processes that may occur during peer collaboration. It describes the many ways in which small-group work may be orchestrated to bring about learning benefits and prevent debilitating effects, such as preparing students to work collaboratively, structuring peer interaction in specific ways, and addressing the instructional practices of teachers.
The Use of Lethal Drones in the War on Terror

I evaluate one intuitive argument for, and one against, the use of lethal drones by the United States in its War on Terror. The Lesser Evil Argument appeals to those who think it perverse to reject weapons that enable a more limited use of force. But if harms on all sides and longer term consequences are considered, the argument is much less persuasive. The Targeted Killing Argument is intuitive to those who consider drone strikes against terrorist suspects named in intelligence reports to violate the rules of war. I reject the claim that it would be acceptable to carry out targeted killings because of necessity. Finally, I consider how radical asymmetry encourages terrorism against civilians and how drone operators have the status of executioners, not warriors.
A Natural First Step

Starting from first principles, this chapter follows a chain of common sense logic to construct an initial model. Beginning from a sequence of independent Bernoulli trials, a binomial default-loss distribution emerges. A critical assumption of this introductory approach, however, is statistical independence between the default of various obligors in one’s portfolio. While of great mathematical convenience, this is an indefensible supposition. Not only is it economically questionable, imposition of modest amounts of default dependence has dramatic effects on risk estimates. It thus lacks conservatism. All realistic and reasonable credit-risk models, therefore, place the dependence structure at the centre of their methodology. That said, many lessons can still be drawn from this simple approach, which underpins many extant default-risk models. Maintaining the presumption of independence of default, the following discussion thus walks through its implementation—both numerically and analytically—in the context of our concrete portfolio example. It also explores its asymptotic properties and provides an alternative entry point, which will aid in expanding this foundation in the following chapters.
The Devil In Disguise

For generations, Mexican and American Indian populations reciprocally and ritualistically took captives from one another’s societies in what are today the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. These captive-taking wars breached the expansion of the American state into the west (1850s) and tested the ability of the American state to enforce law and policy in a frontier environment. This intriguing history, however, has yet to be addressed in legal and social science research on race. Our goal in this article is two-fold: (1) to determine whether the captive status of individuals taken in these endemic borderland wars is visible within surviving U.S. administrative materials (e.g., census); and (2) to determine whether close analysis of census materials can be used to ascertain whether federal liberators were able to abolish the captive-taking trade relative to their official mandate. The authors analyze a core sample of 1860s-era census materials from the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico—which has a documented history of Indian captivity and enslavement—as well as church records to determine whether these materials indicate the continuance of captivity even after federal liberators had the opportunity to abolish the trade.
Applications of spectral image quality equation for longwave infrared hyperspectral imagery

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technologies span the electro-optical and infrared domains. Longwave infrared (LWIR) HSI is particularly well suited for chemical and material identification in both day and night conditions due to the fact that longwave signals depend on thermal emission and material composition. However, exploitation performance is impacted by spectral data quality, which is driven by fundamental sensor noise characteristics, focal plane array health, spectral and radiometric calibration accuracy, and weather conditions. Previous algorithms have focused on quantifying spectral quality in the visible, near infrared, and shortwave infrared domains. More recently, we developed a spectral image quality equation (SIQE) based on Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) for quantifying spectral quality of LWIR HSI data. Here, we further develop the algorithm to provide a more intuitive interpretation of the resulting BIC scores by transforming the scores into a metric that more closely resembles target detection scores. In addition to showing how SIQE is correlated with noise-equivalent spectral radiance, we illustrate several applications of SIQE, including the impact of atmospheric/environmental interferences and calibration errors. Our results reveal that SIQE is an effective metric for quantifying hyperspectral data quality, and thus, can be used for filtering data cubes prior to implementing exploitation algorithms.
Electrochemical Synthesis of Individual Core@Shell and Hollow Ag/Ag2S Nanoparticles.

This letter presents an electrochemical methodology for structure-tunable synthesis, characterization, and kinetic monitoring of metal–semiconductor phase transformations at individual Ag nanoparti...
Electronic properties of III-nitride materials and basics of III-nitride FETs

Abstract The material characteristics of GaN, AlN and InN are first reviewed, with primary focus on parameters important for electronic device applications. The structure and performance characteristics of nitride-based heterostructure FETs are then summarized, illustrating how the unique nitride material characteristics lead to performance advantages and limitations. Differences in crystal structure, band gap and breakdown electric field between the nitrides and more conventional GaAs- and InP-related materials are highlighted. Spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization, and their influence on FET design and characteristics are described. Electron transport properties are described along with their influence on FET performance. Crystal defects, and the challenges associated with the lack of low cost substrate materials are discussed. An approximate formulation is presented to estimate FET drain current vs drain-source and gate-source voltage, as well as to estimate high frequency performance of the FETs. The impact of source resistance on the characteristics of GaN FETs is discussed. The virtual gate model to describe the behavior of FETs with large gate-drain separation is presented, and the motivation for introducing field plates is described. Transient effects such as gate- and drain-lag and dynamic on-resistance are introduced. Advantages of nitride-based FETs for microwave and mm-wave power amplifiers, high voltage analog circuits and power electronic devices are outlined.
High-Efficiency Silicon Carbide (SiC) Converter Using Paralleled Discrete Devices in Energy Storage Systems

Energy storage (ES) systems are key enablers for high penetration of renewables. Silicon carbide (SiC) devices can benefit ES converters as well as the whole ES system. This paper focuses on the development of a high-efficiency SiC-based ES converter. First, topologies for ES converter considering system requirement and device rating/availability are discussed with pros and cons of each candidate summarized. Two-level voltage source converter with paralleled discrete SiC devices in mature packages (e.g. TO-247) is selected due to lower converter complexity, increased device availability and shorter lead time. Then, gate drive and layout design for current sharing between paralleled devices are presented. The impact of device parameter mismatch (e.g. threshold voltage) on switching loss is also evaluated. Moreover, design consideration on thermal management for paralleled devices is discussed. Finally, a 60 kW ES converter with four GE 1700 V SiC MOSFETs is prototyped and experimentally demonstrated with around 99% efficiency in wide operating conditions.
Can ‘Southernized’ Science have Authority?: Science and the Environment in Chile. The Politics of Expert Advice in a Neoliberal Democracy, by Javiera Barandiarán, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2018, 261 pp., $32 (paperback).

Should Science and Technology Studies (STS) as Wang (2011) puts it, ‘bring the State back in’ and study the ways in which science is supported, or not supported, by the State? It has been argued by...
Implementation and comparison of topic modeling techniques based on user reviews in e-commerce recommendations

These days users are able to save their time and effort by purchasing products online via various e-commerce websites. Their experience with a product exists in the form of textual reviews/feedbacks provided by them. Recommender systems offer personalized choices to users by capturing their interests and preferences. Through this paper identification of underlying topics using existing topic modeling techniques in user provided reviews of Moto e5 mobile on e-commerce website Amazon has been done and these techniques contrasted. Topic modeling is unsupervised learning technique used to identify hidden topics from a document (all the reviews of a product in this paper’s context). Coherence score, a measure of goodness of a topic reflecting the quality of human judgment compares these techniques. The higher the coherence score, the topic is more coherent. Experiments performed reveal that LDA technique performed better on the scrapped dataset.
Predictors of genetic testing uptake in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Many newly diagnosed breast cancer patients do not receive genetic counseling and testing at the time of diagnosis. We examined predictors of genetic testing (GT) in this population. METHODS Within a randomized controlled trial of proactive rapid genetic counseling and testing vs usual care, patients completed a baseline survey within 6 weeks of breast cancer diagnosis but before a definitive survey. We conducted a multinomial logistic regression to identify predictors of GT timing/uptake. RESULTS Having discussed GT with a surgeon was a dominant predictor (χ2 (2, N = 320) = 70.13; P < .0001). Among those who discussed GT with a surgeon, patients who had made a final surgery decision were less likely to receive GT before surgery compared with postsurgically (OR [odds ratio] = 0.24; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.12-0.49) or no testing (OR = 0.28; 95% CI = 0.14-0.56). Older patients (OR = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.91-0.99) and participants enrolled in New York/New Jersey (OR = 0.22; 95% CI = 0.07-0.72) were less likely to be tested compared with receiving results before surgery. Those with higher perceived risk (OR = 1.02; 95% CI = 1.00-1.03) were more likely to receive results before surgery than to not be tested. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the role of patient-physician communication about GT as well as patient-level factors that predict presurgical GT.
The Role of Diagenesis in Shaping the Geochemistry of the Marine Carbonate Record

Carbonate sediments and rocks are valuable archives of Earth's past whose geochemical compositions inform our understanding of Earth's surface evolution. Yet carbonates are also reactive minerals a...
87. OPPORTUNITIES FOR MITIGATING BIAS IN THE PROCESS AND PRIORITIES FOR PEDIATRIC CHIEF RESIDENT SELECTION

Background The number of residents who self-identify as underrepresented minorities in medicine (URM) is low, and this pipeline becomes even leakier as training progresses, with URM rates at 8.7% for academic pediatric faculty in the US. Chief residents (CR) potentially have an advantage in securing academic positions and play a vital role in recruitment and education of residents. It is unknown what the current URM representation in CRs is and what strategies are used to recruit and select more chief residents who are URM. Methods An online survey was developed by pediatric PDs/APDs with content expertise and piloted with active pediatric PDs. Questions focused on resident and CR demographics and processes and priorities for CR selection. It was IRB and APPD-approved and distributed to all pediatric PDs in late 2019. Summary statistics were used to report the percent of CRs who identify with underrepresented groups, characteristics of CR position, whether formal criteria for CR selection are used, and identification of the people who have influence on selection. We will conduct a content analysis of written comments of PD priorities in CR selection. Results The survey was sent out three times, with final data expected in mid-January. 79 of 198 (40%) PDs have responded to date. Preliminary analysis indicates that 18% of residents identify as URM, compared with 15% of PD and APD leadership and 15% of CRs. The average number of CRs per program is 2.4, with a range of 1-4 per year. Only 6% of CRs are paid a faculty salary. No programs report using USMLE scores in the selection of CRs, but 24% use ITE results. 17% report having a specific method to mitigate bias in CR selection. Conclusions The anticipated insights into the demographics and potential sources of bias in the process and priorities for chief resident selection are relevant to PDs, CRs, all APPD members, and other stakeholders outside of APPD, including leadership in UME and governing bodies in pediatrics, who are invested in improving URM representation in academic pediatrics at the resident and faculty levels.
Additively Manufacturing Nitinol as a Solid-State Phase Change Material

This study reports the use of Additively Manufactured nitinol as a high-performance metallic solid-solid phase change material. Compared to standard phase change materials, which offer point solutions, it’s shown here that latent heat, thermal conductivity, and transformation temperature can be tuned in additively manufactured nitinol by adjusting the chemistry, processing parameters, and heat treatment. Leveraging these results, a 28% reduction in peak temperature during a simulated transient electronic application is demonstrated. It’s anticipated that these perennial results, combined with future optimization efforts, will encourage new phase change material development and architecture designs.
Efficient LRP1-Mediated Uptake and Low Cytotoxicity of Peptide L57 In Vitro Shows Its Promise as CNS Drug Delivery Vector.

Abstract Although an abundance of drug candidates exists which are aimed at the remediation of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, the utility of some are severely limited by their inability to cross the blood brain barrier. Potential drug delivery systems such as the Angiopep family of peptides have shown modest potential; however, there is a need for novel drug delivery candidates that incorporate peptidomimetics to enhance the efficiency of transcytosis, specificity, and biocompatibility. Here, we report on the first in vitro cellular uptake and cytotoxicity study of a peptidomimetic, cationic peptide, L57. It binds to cluster 4 of the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) receptor which is expressed in numerous cell types, such as brain endothelial cells. We used early-passage-number brain microvascular endothelial cells and astrocytes harvested from rat pup brains that highly express LRP1, to study the uptake of L57 versus Angiopep-7 (A7). Uptake of L57 and A7 showed a concentration-dependent increase, with L57 being taken up to a greater degree than A7 at the same concentration. Additionally, peptide uptake in LRP1-deficient PEA 10 cells had greatly reduced uptake. Furthermore, L57 demonstrated excellent cell viability versus A7, showing promise as a potential drug delivery vector for CNS therapeutics.
Global BEEHIVE: developing good practice for multilateral, scalable, and sustainable virtual exchange

In preparing students for life beyond the university, higher education must develop graduates who are culturally competent and understanding of the world beyond their own region. An appropriate context to address this area of need is Virtual Exchange (VE). Following the Global Partners in Education (GPE) model, this practice report presents the process used by a collaborative international project design team to develop two ‘Global Understandings’ (GU) courses; one in business and one in education. It further presents an extension of an established general education multilateral (more than two international partners) VE GU course by using it as a model to develop topic specific VE courses in high interest and high capacity areas within the partner institutions. After undertaking the initial steps for developing topic specific VE courses in business and education, program designers found that planning workshops, team leadership, clear organizational documents and processes, clear communication policies, logistical support, and faculty enthusiasm and buy-in were key factors in effective course design and implementation in the initial project stages. In addition to sharing the project design process, this practice report also presents the lessons learned along with considerations for future implementation.
Clindamycin-Resistant Clostridium difficile

In light of subsequent data regarding clindamycin use as a risk factor for disease caused by clindamycin-resistant strains of Clostridium difficile, it is also tempting to speculate that an outbreak was caused by clindamycin-resistant C. difficile. Overall, 21% of the 308 C. difficile isolates were resistant to clindamycin, yet by serogrouping, the researchers were able to show that clindamycin resistance was concentrated in specific groups of strains of C. difficile. Studies from the United States, Canada, and Europe confirm the widespread presence of clindamycin resistance among C. difficile isolates during the first 10 years following the discovery that the organism was the cause of pseudomembranous colitis (PMC). The accepted breakpoint for clindamycin resistance based on drug concentrations in serum is an MIC of >4 μg/ml. The current best explanation of this is that the disruption of normal intestinal flora is likely the determining antibiotic event that makes patients susceptible to infection with C. difficile. The Belgium study was important in showing not only the relationship of clindamycin use and clindamycin resistance but also the possible clonal nature of clindamycin-resistant strains. Although the researchers did not correlate risk of infection with the strain with the use of clindamycin, they did place clindamycin use under restriction and observed in retrospect an associated decline in C. difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) rates, suggesting that clindamycin resistance and clindamycin use were important risk factors in the outbreak.
Role of antizyme inhibitor proteins in cancers and beyond

Polyamines are multivalent organic cations essential for many cellular functions, including cell growth, differentiation, and proliferation. However, elevated polyamine levels are associated with a slew of pathological conditions, including multiple cancers. Intracellular polyamine levels are primarily controlled by the autoregulatory circuit comprising two different protein types, Antizymes (OAZ) and Antizyme Inhibitors (AZIN), which regulate the activity of the polyamine biosynthetic enzyme ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). While OAZ functions to decrease the intracellular polyamine levels by inhibiting ODC activity and exerting a negative control of polyamine uptake, AZIN operates to increase intracellular polyamine levels by binding and sequestering OAZ to relieve ODC inhibition and to increase polyamine uptake. Interestingly, OAZ and AZIN exhibit autoregulatory functions on polyamine independent pathways as well. A growing body of evidence demonstrates the dysregulation of AZIN expression in multiple cancers. Additionally, RNA editing of the Azin1 transcript results in a "gain-of-function" phenotype, which is shown to drive aggressive tumor types. This review will discuss the recent advances in AZIN's role in cancers via aberrant polyamine upregulation and its polyamine-independent protein regulation. This report will also highlight AZIN interaction with proteins outside the polyamine biosynthetic pathway and its potential implication to cancer pathogenesis. Finally, this review will reveal the protein interaction network of AZIN isoforms by analyzing three different interactome databases.
Thermodynamic non-ideality in charge regulation of weak polyelectrolytes

Polymer ionization differs from that for their monomeric counterparts due to intramolecular correlations. Such effects are conventionally described in terms of the site-binding model that accounts for short-range interactions between neighboring sites. With an apparent equilibrium constant for each ionizable group and the nearest-neighbor energy as adjustable parameters, the site-binding method is useful to correlate experimental titration curves when the site–site interactions are insignificant at long ranges. This work aims to describe the electrostatic behavior of weak polyelectrolytes in aqueous solutions on the basis of the intrinsic equilibrium constants of the individual ionizable groups and solution conditions underlying the thermodynamic non-ideality. A molecular thermodynamic model is proposed for the protonation of weak polyelectrolytes by incorporating classical density functional theory into the site-binding model to account for the effects of the local ionic environment on both inter-chain and intra-chain correlations. By an extensive comparison of theoretical predictions with experimental titration curves, we demonstrate that the thermodynamic model is able to quantify the ionization behavior of weak polyelectrolytes over a broad range of molecular architectures and solution conditions.
The role of predictability of the magnitude of a perturbation in control of vertical posture when catching an object

Abstract The predictability of perturbation magnitude plays an important role in control of standing posture. The aim of the study was to examine anticipatory (APAs) and compensatory (CPAs) postural adjustments in response to catching objects of uncertain mass. Twenty adults caught the same object with either light or heavy weight placed in it. Electromyographic activity of eight trunk and leg muscles, displacements of the center of pressure, and angular displacement of the shoulder joint were recorded and analyzed during the APAs and CPAs intervals. When the subjects experienced repeated catching of the object with the same weight, they estimated the object mass beforehand and generated APAs more precisely. When the object mass changed unpredictably, they generated APAs based on the most recent catch and needed four to six trials to optimize APAs and CPAs. The muscle co-contraction was a primary pattern for catching the object of uncertain mass. The results of the study suggest that catching the object of uncertain mass is a challenging task that involves co-contraction of postural muscles to maintain balance.
Understanding German Idealism

Understanding German Idealism provides an accessible introduction to the philosophical movement that emerged with the publication of Kants monumental Critique of Pure Reason and ended fifty years later with Hegels death. The thinkers of this period and the themes they developed revolutionized almost every area of philosophy and had an impact that continues to be felt across the humanities and social sciences today. Notoriously complex, the central texts of German Idealism have confounded the most capable and patient interpreters for more than 200 years. Understanding German Idealism aims to convey the significance of this philosophical movement while avoiding its obscurity. Readers are given a clear understanding of the problems that motivated Kant, Fichte, Schelling and Hegel and the solutions that they proposed. Dudley outlines the main ideas of transcendental idealism and explores how the later German Idealists attempted to carry out the Kantian project more rigorously than Kant himself, striving to develop a fully self-critical and rational philosophy, in order to determine the meaning and sustain the possibility of a free and rational modern life.
Chapter VIII Isolation, Growth and Requirements of Halophilic Bacteria

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the isolation and growth requirements of halophilic bacteria. Sodium chloride (NaCl) is needed by all warm-blooded animals, and its availability or scarcity has affected the patterns of settlement of vast areas and influenced the course of history. For centuries it provided the main means of preserving food and remains an important preservative in many areas. Much salt for this purpose was obtained by evaporating sea water, and many centuries ago bacteria, presumably from the sea, adapted to life in the strong brines of the salt ponds. Marine bacteria have been distinguished from terrestrial bacteria by their sodium requirement and they might, thus, be considered the beginning of a series of organisms with increasing sodium and/or chloride requirements. One definition of halophiles is that they are organisms that require more than the usual physiological concentration of salt (0.9%) for growth and survival.