cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Knowing Thyself: Paradox, Self-Deception, and Intersubjectivity

At the time of Socrates, those who approached the Oracle of Delphi seeking knowledge were struck in turn with the great and seemingly impossible demand for self-knowledge, for the command “Know thyself” was etched in stone above the entrance to the Oracle. Those who asked the sage Socrates for insight would soon discover that they were instead scrutinized for the very knowledge they sought. Indeed, it was the Oracle of Delphi that declared Socrates to be the wisest of all men. Was it because Socrates knows himself? Not immediately accepting the idea, Socrates accepts the Oracle’s declaration with the stipulation that he is wisest for knowing that he does not know. If Socrates knew that he did not know, then he did not know himself, for he maintained that absolute knowledge is innate, that, as Plato wrote, it is written on the soul. If knowledge is written on the soul, then Socrates is correct in claiming that we must attend to our souls and examine them. Knowing becomes a process of knowing the self. The Socratic method intends to bring to awareness that which each person knows without knowing it. It is therefore no accident that this method is a dialectical process. In particular, it can only be a lived dialogue (Socrates committed nothing to writing with good reason). Lived dialogue, between two active and engaged interlocutors, can reveal the innate knowledge that lies within the soul of each speaker. They can arrive at true propositions only in the encounter of one soul questioning another, and only in the present, as it depends on an experience of the presence of the other. Although it may seem paradoxical, it is nevertheless probable that self-knowledge can only be achieved through the awareness of another. Awareness both in the sense of recognizing a Thou (a wholly other subject) and depending upon the other’s consciousness for manifesting one’s own unconscious content, that is to say, the knowledge that is written on the soul unbeknownst to the ego.
Application of Instant Freezer in the Filtration of Yellow Rice Wine

Instant freezer was used to freeze yellow rice wine based on its mechanism of double-stages freezing and progressive cooling and the freezer configuration was as follows in the production: the intake wine temperature at 25 ℃, then the primary outlet wine temperature at 8 ℃, and the secondary outlet wine temperature at -5 ℃. The production practice suggested that each index was in accord with equipment set-up parameters and design requirements and the freezer had the following advantages: instant freezing, evident energy-saving effects, and safe and convenient. Yellow rice wine had better filtration effects by diatomite after freezing. Besides, the precipitate separating quantity and separating time reduced evidently, which could prolong wine shelf period and improve wine quality. (Tran. by YUE Yang)
Impaired epidermal growth factor production in genetically obese ob/ob mice

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a potent inhibitor of adipose differentiation in vitro and delays adipose tissue development in vivo. Here we show that in the homozygous male obese mice the level of EGF in the submaxillary gland and plasma is significantly lower than in the glands and plasma of age-matched control littermates. This EGF deficiency in ob/ob mice was observed as early as 5 wk of age when obesity had just become apparent and was also found in adult mice. The level of prepro-EGF mRNA expression in the submaxillary gland was also lower in obese mice than in control littermates. However, the level of kidney prepro-EGF mRNA was the same in mice with both phenotypes, suggesting that the regulation of prepro-EGF mRNA expression is different in both tissues. These results indicate that genetic obesity in mice is accompanied by a decrease in the production of EGF.
Deprotonations in the Reaction of Flavin-Dependent Thymidylate Synthase.

Many microorganisms use flavin-dependent thymidylate synthase (FDTS) to synthesize the essential nucleotide 2′-deoxythymidine 5′-monophosphate (dTMP) from 2′-deoxyuridine 5′-monophosphate (dUMP), 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate (CH2THF), and NADPH. FDTSs have a structure that is unrelated to the thymidylate synthase used by humans and a very different mechanism. Here we report nuclear magnetic resonance evidence that FDTS ionizes N3 of dUMP using an active-site arginine. The ionized form of dUMP is largely responsible for the changes in the flavin absorbance spectrum of FDTS upon dUMP binding. dUMP analogues also suggest that the phosphate of dUMP acts as the base that removes the proton from C5 of the dUMP-methylene intermediate in the FDTS-catalyzed reaction. These findings establish additional differences between the mechanisms of FDTS and human thymidylate synthase.
HELMINTH INFECTIONS IN NORTHERN BOBWHITES (COLINUS VIRGINIANUS) FROM A LEGACY LANDSCAPE IN TEXAS, USA

Abstract The Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) has declined across its range. The primary cause of this decline is thought to be habitat loss and fragmentation. However, there is speculation that factors such as parasites may play a role. South Texas recently was designated a Legacy Landscape of National Significance for Northern Bobwhite Conservation and is a region with some of the highest bobwhite densities in the US. Limited studies on bobwhite parasites have been conducted in this crucial landscape. We documented helminth parasites infecting bobwhites in South Texas, identified those that are known to be pathogenic to quail, documented pathologic responses to infection, and evaluated infections related to host intrinsic and extrinsic factors. We examined 209 bobwhites and found nine species of helminths including two known to cause tissue damage in bobwhites: Tetrameres pattersoni and Oxyspirura petrowi. The cecal nematode Aulonocephalus pennula was numerically dominant and had the greatest pre...
The Boltzmann sequence-structure channel

We rigorously study a channel that maps binary sequences to self-avoiding walks in the two-dimensional grid, inspired by a model of protein statistics. This channel, which we also call the Boltzmann sequence-structure channel, is characterized by a Boltzmann/Gibbs distribution with a free parameter corresponding to temperature. In our previous work, we verified experimentally that the channel capacity has a phase transition for small temperature and decays to zero for high temperature. In this paper, we make some progress towards explaining these phenomena. We first upper bound the conditional entropy between the input sequence and the output which exhibits a phase transition with respect to temperature. Then we derive a lower bound on the conditional entropy for some specific set of parameters. This lower bound allows us to conclude that the mutual information tends to zero for high temperature.
Polymer-plasticizer coatings for shear horizontal-surface acoustic wave sensors for long-term monitoring of BTEX analytes in liquid-phase

This work investigates polymer-plasticizer blends to develop a new class of sensor coatings for long-term groundwater monitoring of organic compounds. Detection limits of 35 μg/L for benzene are reported, and data on long-term repeatability of the SH-SAW sensor response are presented.
Dynamic Maintenance of a Deteriorating System Under Uncertainty

The problem of maintaining productive systems is gaining more and more attention of late. As productive machinery becomes more sophisticated and complex (and expensive), it behooves a manager to ensure that the system functions as often as possible, and, if it does break down, to repair it as quickly as possible. In modern Just-In-Time-based systems, preventive maintenance is considered a vital production function. Generally, a part of each worker’s day is set aside to perform such duties on the machinery and equipment that he or she operates. The extent to which productive systems are properly maintained affects both productivity and quality.
Collateral damage to marine and terrestrial ecosystems from Yankee whaling in the 19th century

Yankee whalers of the 19th century had major impacts on populations of large whales, but these leviathans were not the only taxa targeted. Here, we describe the “collateral damage,” the opportunistic or targeted taking of nongreat whale species by the American whaling industry. Using data from 5,064 records from 79 whaling logs occurring between 1840 and 1901, we show that Yankee whalers captured 5,255 animals across three large ocean basins from 32 different taxonomic categories, including a wide range of marine and terrestrial species. The taxa with the greatest number of individuals captured were walruses (Odobenus rosmarus), ducks (family Anatidae), and cod (Gadus sp.). By biomass, the most captured species were walruses, grampus (a poorly defined group within Odontoceti), and seals (family Otariidae). The whalers captured over 2.4 million kg of nongreat whale meat equaling approximately 34 kg of meat per ship per day at sea. The species and areas targeted shifted over time in response to overexploitation of whale populations, with likely intensive local impacts on terrestrial species associated with multiyear whaling camps. Our results show that the ecosystem impacts of whaling reverberated on both marine and coastal environments.
New approaches to non-surgical sterilization for dogs and cats: Opportunities and challenges

Contents Over the last 40 years, researchers have explored methods to non-surgically suppress fertility in animals. Immunocontraception has been used to control wildlife populations but does not confer long-term immunity. The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist deslorelin, formulated as an implant to provide 6-month to 1-year suppression of fertility in male dogs, is available commercially in some countries. Neither of these approaches provide permanent sterility. A single-dose, permanent treatment would be a valuable tool in dog and cat population control. The Michelson Prize and Grants (MPG) programme was initiated “to eliminate shelter euthanasia of healthy, adoptable companion animals and reduce populations of feral and free-roaming cats and dogs” offering a $25 million US prize for a non-surgical sterilant that is effective as a single treatment in both male and female dogs and cats. Michelson Prize and Grants programme has offered US $50 million in grant money for research and has attracted scientists worldwide. Approaches under study include gene therapy, small interfering RNA to inhibit reproductive targets and delivery of cytotoxins to pituitary gonadotrophs or GnRH producing neurons in the hypothalamus. Research in implant technology that could deliver compounds over an animal's lifetime is also underway. Details of funded grants and results to date can be found at: http://www.michelsonprizeandgrants.org/michelson-grants/research-findings. The next steps are translating the most promising research into products. The Alliance for Contraception of Cats and Dogs (ACC&D) is helping to research practical methods of marking sterilized animals to avoid costly retreatment and population modelling that will help guide field workers in use of resources for sterilization programmes.
Anisotropy beta functions.

The flow of couplings under anisotropic scaling of momenta is computed in ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\varphi}}}^{3}$ theory in six dimensions. It is shown that the coupling decreases as momenta of two of the particles become large, keeping the third momentum fixed, but at a slower rate than the decrease of the coupling if all three momenta become large simultaneously. This effect serves as a simple test of effective theories of high energy scattering, since such theories should reproduce these deviations from the usual logarithmic scale dependence. \textcopyright{} 1995 The American Physical Society.
THE EFFECTS OF HEMORRHAGE AND HORMONES ON THE PARTITION OF BODY WATER. III. THE EFFECTS OF HEMORRHAGE AND CORTICOSTEROIDS ON FLUID PARTITION IN THE ADRENALECTOMIZED DOG.

Summary o 1. In the adrenalectomized animal without support, hemorrhage promoted a transcapillary refilling of the plasma volume in excess of normal as a result of poor blood pressure maintenance. 2. Within six hours of their administration, hydrocortisone and aldosterone caused an expansion of extracellular fluid volume by mobilization of cell water. 3. Under the influence of hydrocortisone plasma volume expansion also occurred. With aldosterone no change in plasma volume was observed. The plasma volume change with hydrocortisone was attributed to the effects of this hormone on the peripheral vasculature rather than to primary changes in extracellular fluid volume.
Yoga, Meditation and Mind-Body Health: Increased BDNF, Cortisol Awakening Response, and Altered Inflammatory Marker Expression after a 3-Month Yoga and Meditation Retreat.

Thirty-eight individuals (mean age: 34.8 years old) taking part in a 3-month yoga and meditation retreat were assessed before and after the intervention for psychometric measures, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) circadian salivary cortisol levels, pro- and anti- inflammatory cytokines. Participation in the retreat was found to be associated with decreases in self-reported anxiety and depression as well as increases in mindfulness. As hypothesized, increases in the plasma levels of BDNF and increases in the magnitude of the cortisol awakening response were also observed. The normalized change in BDNF levels was inversely correlated with BSI-18 anxiety scores at both the pre-retreat (r=0.40, p<0.05) and post-retreat (r=0.52, p<0.005) such that those with greater anxiety scores tended to exhibit smaller pre- to post-retreat increases in plasma BDNF levels. In line with a hypothesized decrease in inflammatory processes resulting from the yoga and meditation practices, we found that the plasma level of the anti-inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-10 was increased and the pro-inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-12 was reduced after the retreat. Contrary to our initial hypotheses, plasma levels of other pro-inflammatory cytokines, including Interferon Gamma (IFN-γ), Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF-α), Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Interleukin-8 (IL-8) were increased after the retreat. Given evidence from previous studies of the positive effects of meditative practices on mental fitness, autonomic homeostasis, and inflammatory status, we hypothesize that these findings are related to the meditative practices throughout the retreat; however, some of the observed changes may also be related to other aspects of the retreat such as physical exercise-related components of the yoga practice and diet. We hypothesize that the patterns of change observed here reflect mind-body integration and well-being. The increased BDNF levels observed is a potential mediator between meditative practices and brain health, the increased cortisol awakening response is likely reflection of increased dynamic physiological arousal, and the relationship of the dual enhancement of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine changes to healthy immunologic functioning is discussed.
Music training and child development: a review of recent findings from a longitudinal study

Evidence suggests that learning to play music enhances musical processing skills and benefits other cognitive abilities. Furthermore, studies of children and adults indicate that the brains of musicians and nonmusicians are different. It has not been determined, however, whether such differences result from pre-existing traits, musical training, or an interaction between the two. As part of an ongoing longitudinal study, we investigated the effects of music training on children's brain and cognitive development. The target group of children was compared with two groups of children, one involved in sports and another not enrolled in any systematic afterschool training. Two years after training, we observed that children in the music group had better performance than comparison groups in musically relevant auditory skills and showed related brain changes. For nonmusical skills, children with music training, compared with children without music or with sports training, showed stronger neural activation during a cognitive inhibition task in regions involved in response inhibition despite no differences in performance on behavioral measures of executive function. No such differences were found between music and sports groups. We conclude that music training induces brain and behavioral changes in children, and those changes are not attributable to pre-existing biological traits.
Natriuretic Peptides: Their Structures, Receptors, Physiologic Functions and Therapeutic Applications

Natriuretic peptides are a family of three structurally related hormone/ paracrine factors. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) are secreted from the cardiac atria and ventricles, respectively. ANP signals in an endocrine and paracrine manner to decrease blood pressure and cardiac hypertrophy. BNP acts locally to reduce ventricular fibrosis. C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) primarily stimulates long bone growth but likely serves unappreciated functions as well. ANP and BNP activate the transmembrane guanylyl cyclase, natriuretic peptide receptor-A (NPR-A). CNP activates a related cyclase, natriuretic peptide receptor-B (NPR-B). Both receptors catalyze the synthesis of cGMP, which mediates most known effects of natriuretic peptides. A third natriuretic peptide receptor, natriuretic peptide receptor-C (NPR-C), clears natriuretic peptides from the circulation through receptor-mediated internalization and degradation. However, a signaling function for the receptor has been suggested as well. Targeted disruptions of the genes encoding all natriuretic peptides and their receptors have been generated in mice, which display unique physiologies. A few mutations in these proteins have been reported in humans. Synthetic analogs of ANP (anaritide and carperitide) and BNP (nesiritide) have been investigated as potential therapies for the treatment of decompensated heart failure and other diseases. Anaritide and nesiritide are approved for use in acute decompensated heart failure, but recent studies have cast doubt on their safety and effectiveness. New clinical trials are examining the effect of nesiritide and novel peptides, like CD-NP, on these critical parameters. In this review, the history, structure, function, and clinical applications of natriuretic peptides and their receptors are discussed.
Polymerase Chain Reaction Diagnosis of Varicella Zoster Virus

Primary infection of humans by varicella zoster virus (VZV) results in chickenpox (varicella). Virus establishes latency in sensory ganglia and reactivates decades later to produce shingles (zoster). Disseminated zoster and postherpetic neuralgia are the two major complications of VZV reactivation in the elderly. There is increasing evidence that VZV can reactivate subclinically (zoster without skin rash), particularly in immunocompromised patients. Thus, the clinical import of rapid diagnosis and use of antiviral drugs in these patients is clear. Although most clinical assays are restricted by their dependence on an adequate host immune response, and by their limited sensitivity and specificity, PCR technology enables the detection of minute amounts of a specific viral DNA sequence in a large excess of background DNA. The availability of the complete DNA sequence of the viral genome has facilitated the diagnosis of VZV by PCR during acute and latent infections. VZV DNA has already been detected by PCR in DNA isolated from human blood MNCs, throat swabs, vesicles and crusts obtained at different times during viral infection, and in latently infected human ganglia. In addition, PCR has also been used to study the early site of viral replication and the mode of transmission of VZV infection. Lastly, the use of nested-primers and quantitative PCR will enhance the sensitivity of detection and permit determination of virus burden in biological specimens. These findings will aid in studies of VZV pathogenesis.
Behavioral Entropy of a Cellular Phone User

The increase of advanced service offered by cellular networks draws lots of interest from researchers to study the networks and phone user behavior. With the evolution of Voice over IP, cellular phone usage is expected to increase expo- nentially. In this paper, we analyze the behavior of cellular phone users and identify behavior signatures based on their calling patterns. We quantify and infer the re- lationship of a person’s randomness levels using information entropy based on the location of the user, time of the call, inter-connected time, and duration of the call. We use real-life call logs of 94 mobile phone users collected at MIT by the Real- ity Mining Project group for a period of nine months. We are able to capture the user’s calling behavior on various parameters and interesting relationship between randomness levels in individual’s life and calling pattern using correlation coeffi- cients and factor analysis. This study extends our understanding of cellular phone user behavior and characterizes cellular phone users in forms of randomness level.
Measurement Electrodes for Biology and Medicine

Principles are considered for researching measurement electrode characteristics. Block diagrams are proposed for determining the electrical parameters of these electrodes, and the circuits are analyzed.
Applicable Federal and State Policy, Law, and Legal Considerations in Gifted Education

This chapter provides an overview of the history of federal legislation that has influenced gifted education and presents the current status of gifted education policies in the USA. The legal processes that parents can use in seeking appropriate identification and services for their children are discussed along with a synthesis of case law pertaining to gifted education. The chapter concludes with an examination of the role of the Office for Civil Rights in resolving disputes and the presentation of several issues that may shape the future of gifted education policy.
The perils of plurality rule and the major(itarian) effect of cabinet composition on human rights in presidential democracies

I argue that when presidents are able (or forced) to cobble together broad-based coalitions to win an absolute majority, their administrations are less likely (and less able) to violate human right...
Approximate Communication Strategies for Energy-Efficient and High Performance NoC: Opportunities and Challenges

With the advancement and miniaturization of transistor technology, hundreds of cores can be integrated on a single chip. Network-on-Chips (NoCs) are the de facto on-chip communication fabrics for multi/many core systems because of their benefits over the traditional bus in terms of scalability, parallelism, and power efficiency. However, relative power consumption of NoC has been increasing with the increase in the number of cores on a chip, as communication costs much more time and energy than that of computation. Approximating computing concept can be applied in the NoC to reduce power consumption by approximating the communication data of emerging data-intensive applications, such as machine learning and big data analytics, that can tolerate errors. In this paper, we present an architecture for NoC approximation, and also provide preliminary results (which shows significant improvement) to support the importance of approximate communication solution for energy-efficient and high-performance NoC. Then we present various approximate communication solutions for reducing data movement in NoC. Finally, we discuss about the challenges and software and hardware overheads to adapt approximate technique in NoC, and also provide tentative solutions to address those challenges.
A free spectroscopic databank of optical constants for use in optics education and modeling: complex refractive index data n and k from 1.0 to 25 μm

The reflectance spectra of solid and liquids can be complicated since they depend not only on absorption, but also on the refraction, reflection, and scattering of light, all of which are wavelength dependent. The physical form and morphological effects associated with solid and liquid samples are thus known to affect their reflectance spectra in a non-linear fashion, particularly in the infrared. Measuring the optical constants n(ν) and k(ν) represents an alternative approach, allowing one to model these many effects and thus requiring fewer laboratory measurements. In this paper an overview is presented of the protocols used to measure the n/k optical constants, particularly for liquids. For the liquids, a multiple path length measurements approach is employed, and in this paper we demonstrate the method to determine the complex optical constants n(ν) and k(ν) of squalene. The resultant calculated spectra of 1 μm and 100 μm thick layers of squalene on an aluminum substrate as derived from the experimental n(ν) and k(ν) values are shown to demonstrate such effects. The public availability of the n(ν)/k(ν) data as well as solids hemispherical reflectance data are also discussed.
Parsi Legal Culture, Constitutionalism, and the Rule of Law

Parsi legal culture has played an important role in the constitutional life of modern India, helping nationalists pivot from extra-legal resistance to the business of running a state. This article suggests that Parsi legal culture reinforced constitutionalism and the rule of law in India. As ideals, the latter two concepts impose restraints on the exercise of power. During the late colonial period, elite Parsis led the early 'constitutionalist' phase of the Indian National Congress movement (1885-1919) and insisted on working for change through existing state processes and structures. Early Congress leaders Dadabhai Naoroji, Pherozeshah Mehta, and Dinsha Wacha were products of Parsi legal culture. They were turning outward"for the benefit of all Indians"the law-focused strategy that had worked so well during the preceding half-century for their own community. Their approach was abandoned as the nationalist movement became a mass movement circa 1920 under Gandhi's leadership. The values of Parsi legal culture and the Congress constitutionalists were relegated to the back burner from the 1920s until the late 1940s. However, they were brought back to life upon independence, particularly in the Constituent Assembly that created the Indian Constitution (1947-50) and in the interpretation of the Indian Constitution after 1950. The early Congress model of 'constitutional agitation' fed into what B. R. Ambedkar would call India's 'constitutional morality.' Both required the relinquishment of 'the bloody methods of revolution' and of Gandhian civil disobedience alike. Early independent India could re-activate constitutionalism and the rule of law as ideals because these ideas were preserved readymade within a particular politico-legal tradition, albeit one that had fallen out of favor in the decades before independence. This tradition was heavily influenced by Parsi legal culture. This article also answers the question of whether rule-of-law values were inescapably colonial: they were not. A history of tension within the colonial state highlights the distinction between those who believed there had to be restraints on the exercise of power, and those who wanted to rule without law. Debates among colonial state actors and the harnessing of rule-of-law values by the early constitutionalists reflected the distinction between the projects of colonialism and the rule of law. The British initially used the rule of law to justify colonialism because it was there, neatly packaged and ready to ship, in metropolitan thought and political culture. They underestimated the concept's autonomy and its potential to eat away at the foundations of empire. This insight also addresses the question: how did a population that achieved such affluence and success under British rule reposition itself in decolonisation mode? In fact, there was no necessary contradiction between Parsi legal culture and the rejection of colonial rule. Through its embrace of rule-of-law values and constitutionalism, Parsi legal culture helped build a solid foundation for the newly independent polity.
Understanding the Check of Nines.

The check of nines for the four arithmetic operations is a useful device not only for the check that it gives, but also for the extra computational practice (without calling it that) that it furnishes. Students generally react much more favorably to this kind of drill than to straight adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Teachers may be familiar with the check without understanding why it works. Without going through a formal proof, the following exposition will attempt to make clear, in as simple a way as possible, why the check works. Of course, the check will be used without explanation as to why it works for the majority of students, with only the statement that mathematicians have shown that it works. The explanation given here could be understood by some of the brighter students.
A Comparative Study of Interface Techniques for Transmission and Distribution Dynamic Co-Simulation

Transmission and distribution (T&D) dynamic co-simulation is a practical and effective approach to leverage existing simulation tools for transmission and distribution systems to simulate dynamic stability and performance of T&D systems in a systematic manner. Given that these tools are developed as stand-alone programs and there are inherent differences between them, interface techniques become critical to "bridge" them. Two important unsolved questions are: 1) which interface technique is better and should be used, and 2) how the modeling and simulation capabilities in these tools that are available and can be exploited for co-simulation should be considered when selecting an interface technique. To address these questions, this paper presents a comparative study for different interface techniques that can be employed for T&D dynamic co-simulation. The study provides insights into the pros and cons of each interface technique, and helps researchers make informed decisions on choosing the interface techniques.
Modified external approach to the pediatric cricopharyngeal myotomy: A case series.

Abstract Objective To assess the success of a modified approach to external pediatric cricopharyngeal myotomy in children with inappropriate upper esophageal sphincter relaxation as determined by video fluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) and pediatric manometry findings. Methods This is a case series in which hospital records of all patients who underwent a modified external approach to pediatric cricopharyngeal myotomy 2017 to 2019 were reviewed at a single institution. The primary outcome measure was post-operative diet and presence of aspiration/penetration on post-operative VFSS. Results A total of 7 patients underwent modified external approach to pediatric cricopharyngeal myotomy. The average age of the child at the time of surgery was 5.6 (±3.7) years. The average duration (SD) of surgery was 90 (±30) minutes and no complications were observed. 6 of 7 patients (86%) demonstrated an improvement in swallow function after the procedure. The single child who did not was suffering from a posterior fossa tumor which was resected and radiated, which likely made their dysphagia multi-factorial. Although no pediatric normative data exists for upper esophageal sphincter pressure, we observed an average decrease in UES residual pressure of 8.5 (±15.1) mmHg and an average decrease in mean UES pressure of 21.2 (±35.1) mmHg. Conclusions The modified external approach to the pediatric cricopharyngeal myotomy appears to be a safe and efficient procedure with no apparent complications to date. However, further longitudinal data is needed to formally evaluate the efficacy of this procedure when treating pediatric cricopharyngeal achalasia
An Exploratory Study of the Process of Coaching Early Head Start Home Visitors

The Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) have mandated that Early Head Start (EHS) programs implement coaching experiences for education staff (§ 1302.93, ACF 2016). Therefore, coaching in EHS with the home visitor-as-coachee warrants further attention. Despite multiple calls for coaching home visitors, there remains a lack of research on the delivery of coaching. In this study, five home visitors from one Early Head Start-Home-Based Option (EHS-HBO) site participated in coaching. All participants each completed seven (and one participant completed eight) individualized coaching sessions across 4 months for a total of 36 coaching sessions. Of these, 15 sessions were analyzed (beginning, middle, and end sessions for each home visitor). Guided by transformative learning theory and coaching phases in the extant literature, the aim of this study was to examine the processes that took place within individual sessions and across time. Results show that home visitors accomplished their goals and that there were variations within processes, including reflective thinking, questioning, and supportive talk.
Recent advances in understanding the hepatotoxicity associated with protein kinase inhibitors.

Introduction: As of October 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved 53 small molecule kinase inhibitors (KI), which account for about 10% of all FDA-approved new molecular en...
Building a High-Dose-Rate Prostate Brachytherapy Program With Real-Time Ultrasound-Based Planning: Initial Safety, Quality, and Outcome Results.

Abstract Purpose Growing evidence supports the efficacy and safety of high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy as a boost or monotherapy in prostate cancer treatment. We initiated a new HDR prostate brachytherapy practice in April 2014. Here, we report the learning experiences, short-term safety, quality, and outcome. Methods and Materials From April 2014 to December 2017, 164 men were treated with HDR brachytherapy with curative intent. Twenty-eight men (17.1%) underwent HDR brachytherapy as monotherapy, receiving 25 to 27 Gy in 2 fractions. Men treated with HDR brachytherapy as a boost received 19 to 21 Gy in 2 fractions. Fifty-two men (31.7%) had high-risk disease. HDR procedure times, dosimetry, and response were recorded and analyzed. Genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) toxicities were recorded according to the toxicity criteria of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. Results Mean HDR procedure times decreased yearly from 179 minutes in 2014 to 115 minutes in 2017. Median follow-up was 18.6 months (range, 3-55 months). At last review, 79% of patients reported returning to baseline GU status, and 100% of patients noted no change in GI status from their baseline. Four patients experienced acute urinary retention. Treatment planning target volume (PTV) was defined as prostate with margins. Dosimetrically, 97.5% of all HDR implants had PTV D90 ≥100%, 81.5% had PTV V100 ≥95%, 73.6% had maximal urethral doses ≤120%, and 77.5% had rectal 1 mL dose ≤70% (all but one ≤10.8 Gy). The estimated 3-year overall survival was 98.7% (95% confidence interval, 91.4%-99.8%), and disease-free survival was 96.2% (95% confidence interval, 89.5%-98.7%). Conclusions The low incidence of GU and GI complications in our cohort demonstrates that a HDR brachytherapy program can be successfully developed as a treatment option for patients with localized prostate cancer.
WaySafe : improving decisionmaking around health risk behaviors for prisoners transitioning back to the community

Many individuals enter the U.S. prison system with a history of high-risk drug and sexual practices, which are two primary contributors to the high rates of HIV and hepatitis cases among this population. As these individuals return to the community, they are likely to continue high-risk behaviors, making it critical that decisionmaking programs designed to reduce risky behaviors be instituted during incarceration close to their release. Prior research on Texas Christian University (TCU) Mapping-Enhanced Counseling (included in the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices as an evidence-based practice) has identified its utility for improving decisionmaking, communication, problem exploration, and personal planning through the use of graphical representations designed to help clients “see” the links and relationships among thoughts, ideas, feelings, and behaviors. It serves as an important tool for helping move traditional, public health-focused educational efforts toward a more comprehensive approach that addresses the challenges of personal decisionmaking around sex and drug use behaviors. The TCU Disease Risk Reduction (DRR-1) project developed and tested an intervention, WaySafe, designed to increase positive decisionmaking skills among offenders for healthy living, including skills for reducing disease risk behaviors. WaySafe uses TCU Mapping-Enhanced Counseling to focus on the cognitive aspects of risky sexual and drug use behaviors during re-entry to improve problem recognition, commitment to change, and strategies for avoiding behavioral risks of infections. WaySafe includes six 1-hour, highly interactive sessions to increase motivation and planning. A total of 1398 incarcerated offenders from eight different correctional facilities in two states participated in the study during the last phase of their in-prison substance abuse treatment prior to transition back to the community. All participating offenders completed baseline surveys and then were randomly assigned to the WaySafe intervention or treatment as usual (TAU). At the completion of the 6-week WaySafe curriculum, participating offenders completed follow-up surveys. Baseline and follow-up surveys included measures of knowledge, confidence, and motivation regarding general HIV information, risky sex and drug use, what to do if exposed, and general life skills. Results supported hypotheses that offenders in WaySafe improved significantly more than TAU clients on knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions to avoid risks. Finding new methods to reinforce the lessons learned in the community is a critical next step, because these changes in attitudes and intentions will degrade over time with the stress and pressures of transitioning from prison to the community. Reinforcing lessons learned while offenders are currently facing risky situations may be helpful.
Envisioning TESOL through a Translanguaging Lens in the Era of Post–multilingualism

While the arrival of the post-multilingualism era has catalyzed linguistic diversity and fluidity across physical and ideological borders, the profession of TESOL continues to promote English teaching and learning with entrenched monolingual bias across language-minoritized communities and diasporas. To counteract this trend, we, as the editors of this volume, offer one possibility – envisioning TESOL through a translanguaging lens. We explicate translanguaging as a multifaceted lens in three interrelated aspects: a descriptive, theoretical, and pedagogical lens with strong social justice implications; we see that it could provide a promising path to dismantle “English” as a monolithic entity, “native-speakerism” as a pervasive ideology, and “English-only” as a pedagogical orientation. Built around this theme, this volume invites scholars from five continents offering complex global perspectives on theorizing, integrating, and implementing translanguaging in TESOL teacher education and classroom instruction and assessment. It consists of 15 chapters (organized into three parts) and brings theory, practice, and pedagogy together to reimagine a “translanguaged TESOL profession”. Through this volume, we aim to call upon different educational stakeholders to jointly reflect on the opportunities and challenges of applying a translanguaging lens in TESOL.
The dynamics of injunctive social norms

Injunctive social norms are behaviours that one is expected to follow and expects others to follow in a given social situation; they are maintained by the threat of disapproval or punishment and by the process of internalization. Injunctive norms govern all aspects of our social life but the understanding of their effects on individual and group behaviour is currently rather incomplete. Here I develop a general mathematical approach describing the dynamics of injunctive norms in heterogeneous groups. My approach captures various costs and benefits, both material and normative, associated with norm-related behaviours including punishment and disapproval by others. It also allows for errors in decision-making and explicitly accounts for differences between individuals in their values, beliefs about the population state, and sensitivity to the actions of others. In addition, it enables one to study the consequences of mixing populations with different normative values and the effects of persuasive interventions. I describe how interactions of these factors affect individual and group behaviour. As an illustration, I consider policies developed by practitioners to abolish the norms of footbinding and female genital cutting, to decrease college students’ drinking, and to increase pro-environmental behaviours. The theory developed here can be used for achieving a better understanding of historical and current social processes as well as for developing practical policies better accounting for human social behaviour.
My Shadow Is My Skin: Voices from the Iranian Diaspora: Katherine Whitney and Leila Emery (eds.), Austin: University of Texas Press, 2020, ISBN 978-1-4773-2027-3 (hbk), 296 pp.

The recently published anthology My Shadow Is My Skin: Voices from the Iranian Diaspora, edited by Katherine Whitney and Leila Emery, boasts a uniquely heterogenous collection of diasporic writing....
Robust Control Design Procedure and Simulation of PRES Controller having Phase-Locked Loop(PLL) control technique in Grid-Tied Converter

This research paper will deal with robust control design procedure of PRES(Proportional RESonant) Controller having phase locked loop control technique and its simulation on MATLAB in Grid-Tied Converter (GTC). The Purpose of Incorporating PRES controller is to eliminate the steady state error and to fast up the dynamic response. In order to maintain Synchronization of grid voltage with reference signal Phase lock loop technique is used. A systematic approach will be provided in computing the proportional and resonant gain and coefficient needed for PRES controller. With this PRES controller, low THD can be achieved which will be less than 1%, and will be depicted in this research paper. Bode-Plot technique will be used in analyzing the output of PRES controller used in Grid-Tied Converter. Further, a case study is conducted at last to design and Implement PRES controller in GTC
J M Keynes Was Very Clear in 1936 in His General Theory and His Correspondence with Joan Robinson That His Theory of the Rate of Interest Was Not a Monetary Theory of the Rate of Interest: J M Keynes Against Joan Robinson and the Pseudo Keynesians

Keynes was extremely clear in Section Four of Chapter 21 of the General Theory that his theory of the rate of interest depended on three elements -The Liquidity Preference function, the m.e.c. schedule, and the consumption function-investment multiplier. All three elements determine the rate of interest. Keynes called this model the IS-LP(LM) model. This is, of course, Keynes’s major contribution to economic theory and monetary economics. It is supported my another related model, which Keynes called the D-Z model. Keynes’s section four of chapter 21 follows section three, where Keynes heavily criticized the Marshallian, partial equilibrium approach because it did not include the feedback impacts of the interdependences between the multiple independent variables. Opposing Keynes’s work in the General Theory and his February, 1937, QJE article, where Keynes again showed that there was an equation missing from the erroneous, neoclassical theory of the rate of interest, is Joan Robinson and a group of supporters whom Hutchison termed “the Pseudo” Keynesians. Joan Robinson and her Post Keynesian supporters, Robert Skidelsky and Victoria Chick, continue to claim, in direct contradiction to Keynes’s clearcut mathematical analysis of his three equation, three element IS-LP(LM) model in chapters 15 and 21 of the General Theory, that Keynes’s theory of the rate of interest is a purely monetary theory of the rate of interest. The evidence, especially Keynes’s own demonstration in the time period between September and November, 1936, that Joan Robinson’s written work, in her proposed 1937 book, on liquidity preference was “nonsense”, will support the conclusion that Keynes was correct in stating that his theory of the rate of the interest was determined by the intersection of the IS equation and the LP equation in (r,Y) space.
In the Driver’s Seat: Course Coordinators as Change Agents for Active Learning in University Precalculus to Calculus 2

Mounting evidence of the effectiveness of active learning strategies has prompted many mathematics departments to start engaging in transformational change efforts. Change, however, especially change in instructional practice, is a challenging endeavor. Some departments are using coordination of multi-section courses as a vehicle to enact changes and have designated or hired course coordinators to oversee efforts to transform instruction via active learning. This study explores the role of coordinators as instructional change agents for active learning using data collected from five university mathematics departments, all of which are successfully sustaining such efforts. We use Shadle et al.’s drivers for change as a framework for examining data from five retrospective case studies of change. Specifically, we investigate how these speculative drivers connect to coordinators’ roles as change agents in each story. We argue that coordinators are positioned to leverage three key drivers for change: providing materials and tools, encouraging collaboration and communication, and encouraging (and providing) professional development. Coordinators must also understand the local contexts and culture in order to engage in effective processes for supporting departmental change. To conclude, we discuss implications of this research for departments seeking to transform instruction.