cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment of patients with advanced cancer using multiple long-term cultured lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell infusions and recombinant human interleukin-2.

Escalating doses of recombinant human interleukin-2 (rIL-2) were combined with long-term cultured rIL-2 activated killer cells to treat patients with disseminated melanoma, renal cell cancer, and colon cancer. Twenty-four patients were entered, 12 with renal cell cancer, 8 with colon cancer, and 4 with melanoma; 23 were evaluable for efficacy and toxicity. The (dose-related) toxicities were moderate to severe and consisted of fever, chills, rigors, weight gain, hypotension, mild confusion, elevation of liver enzymes and serum creatinine, thrombocytopenia, and eosinophilia. No cardiac events (arrhythmias or myocardial infarction) were recorded. None of the patients were admitted to the intensive care unit, and no deaths occurred. Two partial responses were observed, one at relatively low doses of rIL-2 in a patient with renal cell carcinoma and one at the highest dose level in a patient with malignant melanoma. The maximally tolerated dose level of rIL-2 for this study was 6 X 10(6) U/m2 i.v./day. The recommended dose for further studies is 3 X 10(6) U/m2 i.v./day in three divided doses.
Effects of phosphodiesterase inhibitors on cyclic nucleotide levels and relaxation of pig coronary arteries.

A series of xanthine derivatives and papaverine have been studied to determine their abilities to alter tissue levels of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP, inhibit phosphodiesterase activities, and cause relaxation of pig coronary arteries. The agents selected for this study exhibited a wide range of potencies to inhibit phosphodiesterase activities in the coronary artery supernatant fraction. In addition, some of these agents were up to 10 times more potent as inhibitors of cyclic GMP hydrolysis than of cyclic AMP hydrolysis, while others were 2-4 times more potent as inhibitors of cyclic AMP than of cyclic GMP hydrolysis. The rank order of potencies of these agents to cause relaxation of coronary artery strips was similar to the rank order of potencies to inhibit cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activities. There were, however, some notable exceptions to the correlation between inhibition of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activities and relaxation. 1-Isoamyl-3-isobutylxanthine was a more potent relaxing agent than might be expected from its relatively low potency to inhibit cyclic nucleotide hydrolysis in tissue extracts. On the other hand, 1-methyl-3-isobutyl-7-(3-chlorobenzyl)-xanthine was one of the more potent inhibitors of cyclic nucleotide hydrolysis but was not as potent in causing relaxation as might have been expected. Exposure of the coronary artery strips to inhibitors caused increases in tissue levels of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP and there was a statistically significant multiple linear regression of cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP levels on percent relaxation after 5 min of exposure to the agents. Cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP levels made approximately equal contributions to the regression of changes in percent relaxation, as determined by analysis of variance methods. While 1-isoamyl-3-isobutylxanthine did not fit the correlation between phosphodiesterase inhibition and potency to relax the arterial strips as well as the other agents, this agent also was found to cause unexpectedly large increases in cyclic AMP levels. Some agents caused relaxation accompanied by significant elevation of cyclic GMP levels and no significant change in cyclic AMP levels while other agents caused relaxation accompanied by significant increases in cyclic AMP but not cyclic GMP. These data offer some support for a hypothesis that both cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP are involved in the relaxation processes of pig coronary arteries.
Hybrid Histograms of Oriented Gradients-compressive sensing framework feature extraction for face recognition

Face recognition is still a challenge in many applications especially in surveillance and security systems. In almost all applications of face recognition, large data sets are used, creating challenges with real time processing and efficiency. In this paper, we propose a hybrid feature extraction method to enhance speed and recognition efficiency. We propose to use features obtained using Histograms of Oriented Gradients (HOG) within a compressive sensing (CS) framework. A HOG feature descriptor algorithm will allow us to extract the face features vector with the advantage of being invariant to changes in appearance or to illumination variations while compressive sensing is used to reduce the density of the resulting face features. This reduction will improve the performance and the computational cost of the system. The classification process is executed using K-Nearest Neighbors algorithm and Probabilistic Neural Network classifier. Our initial experimental results show that the proposed framework is capable of identifying and recognizing faces with different expressions, poses, illumination, and backgrounds in real time.
The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins

In the face of a dual crisis of climate change and economic uncertainty, humanists and social scientists have actively integrated the concept of nature into their analyses. They reframe existing as...
Neurocognitive Function and Suicide in U.S. Army Soldiers

This prospective cohort study used administrative data from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers to examine associations between neurocognitive functioning and subsequent suicidal events among Regular Army enlisted soldiers during the years 2004–2009. Cases were all soldiers who completed the Army's Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) computerized testing battery prior to documented suicide attempt (n = 607), ideation (n = 955), or death (n = 57). Controls were an equal-probability sample of 9,893 person-months from other soldiers. Exploratory factor analysis of five ANAM tests identified a general neurocognitive factor that excluded the mathematic processing test (MTH). When examined separately in logistic regression analyses that controlled for sociodemographics and prior mental health diagnosis, both the general neurocognitive factor (logit [β] = −.197 to −.521; p < .01) and MTH (β = −.024 to −.064; p < .05) were associated with all outcomes. When both predictors were examined simultaneously, the general neurocognitive factor continued to be associated with all outcomes (β = −.164 to −.417; p < .05) and MTH continued to be associated with suicide attempt (β = −.015; p = .046) and ideation (β = −.014; p = .018). These small but robust associations suggest that future research must continue to examine the extent to which objective neurocognitive tests may enhance understanding and prediction of suicide risk.
Informal Training Experiences and Explicit Bias against African Americans among Medical Students

Despite the widespread inclusion of diversity-related curricula in U.S. medical training, racial disparities in the quality of care and physician bias in medical treatment persist. The present study examined the effects of both formal and informal experiences on non-African American medical students’ (N = 2,922) attitudes toward African Americans in a longitudinal study of 49 randomly selected U.S. medical schools. We assessed the effects of experiences related to medical training, accounting for prior experiences and attitudes. Contact with African Americans predicted positive attitudes toward African Americans relative to white people, even beyond the effects of prior attitudes. Furthermore, students who reported having witnessed instructors make negative racial comments or jokes were significantly more willing to express racial bias themselves, even after accounting for the effects of contact. Examining the effects of informal experiences on racial attitudes may help develop a more effective medical tr...
MOS capacitors on epitaxial Ge-Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ with high-/spl kappa/ dielectrics using RPCVD

We report the successful growth of MOS capacitor stacks with low temperature strained epitaxial Ge or Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/(x=0.9) layer directly on Si substrates, and with HfO/sub 2/(EOT=9.7 /spl Aring/) as high-/spl kappa/ dielectrics, both using a novel remote plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition technique. These novel MOS capacitors, which were fabricated entirely at or below 400/spl deg/C, exhibit normal capacitance-voltage and current-voltage characteristics.
Advanced Topics in ANSYS

Selected advanced topics are discussed in this chapter. First, coupled degrees of freedom and constraint equations are explained. Discussions on submodeling and superelements are included next, with one example problem for each. Finally, a brief section on how to interact with external files from within the ANSYS environment is followed by a section on modification of the ANSYS GUI.
RNA-seq analysis of amygdala tissue reveals characteristic expression profiles in schizophrenia

The amygdala brain region has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia through emotion processing. However, transcriptome messages in the amygdala of schizophrenia patients have not been well studied. We used RNA sequencing to investigate gene-expression profiling in the amygdala tissues, and identified 569 upregulated and 192 downregulated genes from 22 schizophrenia patients and 24 non-psychiatric controls. Gene functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that the downregulated genes were enriched in pathways such as 'synaptic transmission' and 'behavior', whereas the upregulated genes were significantly over-represented in gene ontology pathways such as 'immune response' and 'blood vessel development'. Co-expression-based gene network analysis identified seven modules including four modules significantly associated with 'synaptic transmission', 'blood vessel development' or 'immune responses'. Taken together, our study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanism of schizophrenia, suggesting that precision-tailored therapeutic approaches aimed at normalizing the expression/function of specific gene networks could be a promising option in schizophrenia.
Rilke's “Kinderstube”: Phenomenology in Childhood Spaces

The detail and care with which Rilke renders everyday objects of experience issues from his well-documented concern for the significance of visual perception. In contrast to existing Rilke scholarship, which has largely concentrated on the motif of schauen in his poetry, this article addresses how his prose texts on childhood (Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge and Notizen zur Melodie der Dinge) develop a complex theory about the interaction between the child's visual experience of space and corresponding mental acts. I argue that Rilke mobilizes ambivalent imagery of the home to connect childlike misrecognition to the poetic impulse. Reconsidering more recent work on the subject, I show that Rilke, like Husserl, was indeed a phenomenologically “technical” thinker of ordinary experience, whose prose celebrates the revisionary power of the child as the poet-subject of the domestic sphere.
Age-related hearing loss: Unraveling the pieces

Author(s): Tu, Nathan C; Friedman, Rick A | Abstract: Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is the most common cause of hearing loss in the world. The development of ARHL in each individual is multifactorial, involving both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This review highlights several of the key findings in the ARHL literature and discusses future directions. Level of Evidence:NA.
High-Power Integrated Indium Phosphide Transmitter for Free Space Optical Communications

An integrated indium phosphide transmitter is demonstrated for free space optical communications. The transmitter tunes from 1521 nm to 1565 nm, demonstrates performance up to 5 Gbps, and includes an output high-power semiconductor optical amplifier.
Software Testing Management: Life on the Critical Path

Leads software testers through a test program that aims to meets two critical goals - finding errors and proving that the program works, and doing both within reasonable time and cost restraints. This text is designed for the software tester and anyone involved in software test management.
Monte Carlo Methods for Statistical Inference

Monte Carlo methods are experiments. Monte Carlo experimentation is the use of simulated random numbers to estimate some functional of a probability distribution. A problem that does not have a stochastic component can sometimes be posed as a problem with a component that can be identified with an expectation of some function of a random variable. This is often done by means of a PDF decomposition. The problem is then solved by estimating the expected value by use of a simulated sample from the distribution of the random variable. Monte Carlo methods use random numbers, so to implement a Monte Carlo method it is necessary to have a source of random numbers. On the computer, we generally settle for pseudorandom numbers, that is, numbers that appear to be random but are actually deterministic. Generation of pseudorandom numbers is the topic of Chapter 7. Often, our objective is not to simulate random sampling directly, but rather to estimate a specific quantity related to the distribution of a given sample. In this case, we may want to ensure that a chosen sample closely reflects the distribution of the population we are simulating. Because of random variation, a truly random sample or a pseudorandom sample that simulates a random sample would not necessarily have this property. Sometimes, therefore, we generate a quasirandom sample, which is a sample constrained to reflect closely the distribution of the population we are simulating, rather than to exhibit the variability that would result from random sampling. Because in either case we proceed to treat the samples as if they were random, we will refer to both pseudorandom numbers and quasirandom numbers as “random numbers”, except when we wish to emphasize the “pseudo” or “quasi” nature. In this chapter, we discuss various ways random numbers are used in statistical inference. Monte Carlo methods are also used in many of the techniques described in other chapters.
Reactive Wetting and Intermetallic Formation

Despite its apparent simplicity, the spreading of molten solder on copper or on solder-coated copper to form a solder joint involves many complex physical processes. Poor solderability of electronic components, while infrequent in absolute numbers, can cause significant manufacturing difficulties when acceptable performance requires less than one failure in 106 joints. An assessment of solderability involves consideration of the entire soldering process including the details of the soldering equipment, the design of the joint geometry, and the wettability of the surfaces to be joined. Wettability involves consideration of the intrinsic rate and extent that solder can spread on a particular surface and is the primary focus of this chapter. Thus we need only consider macroscopically simple geometries of wetting; we will focus on the fundamental physical processes involved in solder wetting and spreading. The ultimate goal is to determine those processes that are most important in order to provide a scientific basis for the analysis of engineering problems in solder technology.
Commentary by George G. Kaufman

In his chapter, Richard Nelson attempts to identify the causes of commercial bank failures. This is obviously a very important public policy topic in today’s environment of the largest number of bank failures since the Great Depression, and represents an area where our knowledge is not what it should be. Nelson divides the potential causes of bank failures into two broad classifications: (1) internal management (which he refers to as ex ante) and (2) external market factors or states of nature (which he refers to as ex post). To test his hypotheses empirically, Nelson constructs a regression model with eight independent variables, although it is likely that there is some degree of collinearity among these variables and thus some double counting.
A Teacher’s View – Broadening Our Conceptions of Assessment to Improve Our Practice

In this chapter, I delve into the idea of assessment as being about much more than measuring student achievement. Instead, I argue that assessment is a process that involves eliciting, attending to, interpreting, and responding to student thinking. This process can serve formative, summative, and interpersonal functions, depending on the circumstances of the classroom. First, I establish a practical definition of assessment, drawing from the literature on assessment and noticing. I then elaborate on this definition by considering how student thinking can be elicited, attended to, interpreted, and responded to in secondary mathematics. Classroom examples from my own practice are used to illustrate statements and connections. I then discuss the summative functions of assessment, since these are often a source of particular concern for teachers. I conclude by reiterating that assessment processes are embedded in all aspects of teacher practice that involve interaction with student thinking, and that an expansion of our definition of assessment may subsequently support student learning.
Automatic Permittivity Characterization of a Weak Dielectric Attached to Human Body Using Wideband Radar Image Processing

This paper presents a new method for automatically determining the dielectric permittivity and thickness of a penetrable dielectric affixed to the human body by processing radar image responses. This is an important problem for explosives detection with body security scanners, with the potential for reducing the false alarm rate. Starting with reconstructed multistatic mm-wave images of a conductive surface partially covered with a weak dielectric bar, the algorithm determines the nominal conductive surface, identifies the position of the surface-attached dielectric anomaly, finds the front and back dielectric surface reflection responses, and then determines the permittivity and thickness of the dielectric bar.
Revision of Cyrtandra tempestii (Gesneriaceae) and the description of Cyrtandra tuiwawai from Taveuni, Fiji

Cyrtandra tempestii, a species endemic to the southeast coast of Taveuni, Fiji, is reevaluated in light of recent field collections and a thorough examination of herbarium specimens. A revised description of this species based on observations and morphological measurements from the field is presented here. Cyrtandra tuiwawai sp. nov. was formerly included under C. tempestii based on similarities in floral morphology and is described here as a new species endemic to the montane forests of Taveuni. Habitat preference, as well as morphological characters, distinguish the two species from one another. The addition of C. tuiwawai brings the total number of Cyrtandra species in Fiji to 42, and supports the need for continued fieldwork in the region.
A Real-Time Dynamic Simulator and an Associated Front-End Representation Format for Simulating Complex Robots and Environments

Robot Dynamic Simulators offer convenient implementation and testing of physical robots, thus accelerating research and development. While existing simulators support most real-world robots with serially linked kinematic and dynamic chains, they offer limited or conditional support for complex closed-loop robots. On the other hand, many of the underlying physics computation libraries that these simulators employ support closed-loop kinematic chains and redundant mechanisms. Such mechanisms are often utilized in surgical robots to achieve constrained motions (e.g., the remote center of motion (RCM)). To deal with such robots, we propose a new simulation framework based on a front-end description format and a robust real-time dynamic simulator. Although this study focuses on surgical robots, the proposed format and simulator are applicable to any type of robot. In this manuscript, we describe the philosophy and implementation of the front-end description format and demonstrate its performance and the simulator’s capabilities using simulated models of real-world surgical robots.
Abyssal Circulation Driven By Near-Boundary Mixing: Water Mass Transformations and Interior Stratification

The emerging view of the abyssal circulation is that it is associated with bottom enhanced mixing, which results in downwelling in the stratified ocean interior and upwelling in a bottom boundary layer along the insulating and sloping seafloor. In the limit of slowly-varying vertical stratification and topography, however, boundary layer theory predicts that these up- and down-slope flows largely compensate, such that net watermass transformations along the slope are vanishingly small. Using a Planetary-Geostrophic Circulation Model that resolves both the boundary-layer dynamics and the large-scale overturning in an idealized basin with bottom-enhanced mixing along a mid-ocean ridge, we show that vertical variations in stratification become sufficiently large at equilibrium to reduce the degree of compensation along the mid-ocean ridge flanks. The resulting large net transformations are similar to estimates for the abyssal ocean and span the vertical extent of the ridge. These results suggest that boundary flows generated by mixing play a crucial role in setting the global ocean stratification and overturning circulation, requiring a revision of abyssal ocean theories.
Transcellular Model for Neutral and Charged Nanoparticles Across an In Vitro Blood–Brain Barrier

The therapeutic drug-loaded nanoparticles (NPs, 20–100 nm) have been widely used to treat brain disorders. To improve systemic brain delivery efficacy of these NPs, it is necessary to quantify their transport parameters across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and understand the underlying transport mechanism. Permeability of an in vitro BBB, bEnd3 (mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells) monolayer, to three neutral NPs with the representative diameters was measured using an automated fluorometer system. To elucidate the transport mechanism of the neutral NPs across the in vitro BBB, and that of positively charged NPs whose BBB permeability was measured in a previous study, we developed a novel transcellular model, which incorporates the charge of the in vitro BBB, the mechanical property of the cell membrane, the ion concentrations of the surrounding salt solution and the size and charge of the NPs. Our model indicates that the negative charge of the surface glycocalyx and basement membrane of the BBB plays a pivotal role in the transcelluar transport of NPs with diameter 20-100 nm across the BBB. The electrostatic force between the negative charge at the in vitro BBB and the positive charge at NPs greatly enhances NP permeability. The predictions from our transcellular model fit very well with the measured BBB permeability for both neutral and charged NPs. Our model can be used to predict the optimal size and charge of the NPs and the optimal charge of the BBB for an optimal systemic drug delivery strategy to the brain.
Novice and Experienced Elementary General Music Teachers’ Classroom Management Self-Efficacy:

The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary general music teachers’ classroom management self-efficacy. Targeted participants were novice and experienced elementary general music teache...
Statement by Michael A. Carrier to House Energy & Commerce Committee (Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce)

Drug companies have engaged in "product hopping," reformulating a drug so a generic can't be substituted while encouraging doctors to prescribe the new version. My statement (1) defines the activity, (2) reveals harms suffered by consumers, (3) offers concerning examples, (4) shows how product hopping harms innovation, and (5) provides solutions.
Keynes's Anti Marshallian, General Theory Analysis Against the Marshallians, Robertson and Pigou, in 1937: Pigou' 'Money Wages in Relation to Unemployment'

In August 1937, Keynes discovered that Pigou, with the very explicit and rabid support of Dennis Robertson, was planning on publishing a paper in the Economic Journal which deployed the same type of Marshallian, partial equilibrium,ceteris paribus (constant money income) analysis with functions containing only one independent variable that he had used in his 1933 "The Theory of Unemployment". In 1937, Pigou argued that there were two separate theories of interest rate determination. The first was that M=L(r), so that the demand and supply of money alone determined the rate of interest. The second was that M=L(Y), so that only aggregate income determined the rate of interest. Of course, there are no such functions in Aggregate Income-rate of interest (Y,r) space. Keynes correctly pointed out that the missing equation in Pigou’s paper was Keynes’s Liquidity Preference Function M=L(Y,r). Only this function exists in (Y,r) space. A subsidiary point in Pigou’s 1937 paper was that Pigou also argued that the rate of interest was equal to a constant rate of time preference. This, of course, is consistent with the deployment of a Marshallian ceteris paribus assumption about constant money income. Kaldor apparently believed that this was the central issue involved and the more important. Now Keynes knew better,but he,as the referee, allowed Kaldor to proceed because Kaldor correctly deployed Keynes’s IS-LP(LM), although Kaldor believed that it was Hicks’s model, to prove decisively in a diagram relegated to a footnote near the end of the article, that money wage cuts could only work by shifting the LP(LM) curve, which Hicks had renamed the LL curve ,to the right, so that Mw ,money in terms of wage units, would increase Y and lower as LP (LM) shifted to the right. Pigou’s 1938 comment in a note, that “I have not been able to follow the reasoning of Mr. Keynes’s short note, which preceded Mr. Kaldor’s”, demonstrates that Pigou, and Robertson, were still not able to break away from the Marshallian, partial equilibrium,ceteris paribis type of analysis that was worthless at the macro level. Pigou and Robertson could not deal with a function that had two independent variables. Pigou never mentioned Kaldor’s graphical summary in his 1938 reply because he could not understand what was being done in Keynes’s IS-LP(LM) model. Keynes used the 1937 Kaldor comment on the erroneous assumptions and analysis of Pigou,who was fully supported by D. Robertson (see letter from A. Robinson to Keynes, CWJMK, vol.14,p.239), to set up a test for the Pseudo Keynesians. Keynes offered them publications in the EJ if they would reply to Pigou’s 1938, March article by simply deploying Keynes’s LP function from p.199 of the GT to show that Pigou’s model was completely misspecified. The Pseudo Keynesian response was to reject Keynes’s extraordinarily favorable offer and attempt to sabotage the Keynesian revolution in order to advance their own false, petty, and opportunistic claims.
The Effect of Reducing Intravenous Push Opioid Use on Hospital Medicine Patients' Pain Experience during Hospitalization.

Objective To determine the efficacy of a program to limit the use of the IV push route for opioids on the experience of pain by inpatients and on associated safety events. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Two inpatient general medicine floor units at an urban tertiary care academic medical center. Subjects 4752 inpatient opioid recipients. Methods Patients on one unit were exposed to a multidisciplinary intervention to limit prescription of opioids via the IV push route, with the other unit used as a control unit. The primary study outcome was mean numeric pain score per patient during the hospital stay. Secondary measures included hospital length of stay and post-discharge patient satisfaction. Fidelity measures included percentage of patient population exposed to each opioid administration route and amount of opioid administered per route. Safety measures included patient disposition, transfer to intensive care, and incidence of naloxone administration. Results The intervention was successful in decreasing both percentage of patients exposed to IV push opioids and amount of opioid administered via the IV push route, but no associated changes in other study outcomes were identified. Conclusions For treatment of acute pain in medical inpatients, no evidence of benefit or harm was identified in relation to increase or decrease in use of the IV push opioid route.
Applying user-centered design in the development of nudges for a pragmatic trial to reduce no-shows among veterans.

Abstract Objective To incorporate user-centered design processes into the refinement of nudges designed to reduce no-shows among healthcare appointments for military veterans in the Veterans Health Administration (VA). Methods We developed candidate nudges as brief messages based on four broad concepts in behavioral science. We then conducted iterative waves of multi-stage interviews (N = 27) that included a pile sorting task, a “think-aloud” review of each message, and prototype letter reviews. Rapid consensus analysis of each wave’s feedback iteratively refined message language. Results Veterans rejected several theoretically plausible messages focusing on avoiding the burden of rescheduling missed appointments or the monetary cost of no-shows. Participants suggested framing calling to cancel an appointment as helping other veterans and emphasized a new motivational theme: expressing personal concern for the veteran. Conclusion Use of iterative UCD methods allowed for early identification of both messages inappropriate for veterans and new veteran-generated nudges around non-judgmental validation that could be incorporated in the design of our pragmatic trial. Practice implications Rapid team-based qualitative analysis, iterative material design, and space in the study design to incorporate entirely new insights from participants into study materials are all approaches that can improve communications of what matters most to a specific population.
Seromas: How to Prevent and Treat Them: Our 20 Year Experience.

Seromas are a common complication in plastic surgery. In this article we describe our approach to the prevention and treatment of seromas and include a discussion of the evolution of our techniques. We provide specific technical details for many body contouring operations, including abdominoplasty, belt lipectomy, brachioplasty, and thighplasty. Many of our techniques question the traditional dictums of plastic surgery and we hope to encourage others to consider novel techniques for the treatment and prevention of seromas.
The biosynthesis of cytidine 5'-monophospho-n-acetylneuraminic acid by an enzyme from Neisseria meningitidis.

In the accompanying paper (2) it was shown that Neisseria meningitidis, strain 1908 (Group C), forms N-acetylneuraminic acid by the condensation of N-acetyl-n-mannosamine and phosphoenolpyruvate with elimination of the phosphate group. In a preliminary communication we have reported a neK type of reaction carried out by another enzyme of Ncisserio meningitidis, strain 1998, which might be considered the activation of N-acetylneuraminic acid (1). In this irreversible reaction, cytidine triphosphate condenses with N-acetylneuraminic acid to form cytidine 5’-monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid (Diagram 1)’ and inorganic pyrophoaphate (Equation 1).
The Institutional Effects of Executive Scandals

Watergate, Iran-Contra, Lewinsky, Enron, Bridgegate: according to the popular media, executive scandals are ubiquitous. Although individual scandals persist in the public memory and as the subject of academic study, how do we understand the impacts of executive indiscretion or malfeasance as a whole? What effect, if any, do scandals have on political polarization, governance, and, most importantly, democratic accountability? Recognizing the important and enduring role of scandals in American government, this book proposes a common intellectual framework for understanding their nature and political effects. Brandon Rottinghaus takes a systematic look the dynamics of the duration of scandals, the way they affect presidents and governors' capacity to govern, and the strategic choices executives make in confronting scandal at both the state and national levels. His findings reveal much about not only scandal, but the operation of American politics.
Amicus Curiae Brief of Interested Energy Law Scholars in Support of the Petitioners (FERC v. Electric Power Supply Association, U.S. Supreme Court)

This amicus brief was filed in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission v. Electric Power Supply Association energy law demand response case (and companion case brought by EnerNOC and others), which the U.S. Supreme Court will hear in fall 2015. It was co-authored by Joel Eisen (University of Richmond School of Law), Emily Hammond (The George Washington University Law School), Richard Pierce (Counsel of Record; The George Washington University Law School), and Jim Rossi (Vanderbilt University Law School). Amici curiae are 26 law professors who have significant research and teaching experience in the field of energy law, with a particular focus on electric power markets. The brief was filed in support of petitioners (FERC and demand response firms), and raises two different arguments in support of reversing the decision of the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals (Electric Power Supply Ass’n v. FERC, 753 F.3d 216 (D.C. Cir. 2014)). Both arguments are based on what Amici believe are fundamental misinterpretations of the Federal Power Act and applicable precedents. Amici believe that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit made serious errors when it held that FERC lacked authority to regulate operators’ rules for demand response (DR) in the wholesale electricity markets. That holding is contrary to the text, history, and structure of the Federal Power Act (FPA), which mandates that FERC must remedy “practices . . . affecting” wholesale electricity rates to ensure such rates are just and reasonable. Moreover, it ignores FERC’s reasonable interpretation of its statutory authority. Amici direct their arguments to the jurisdictional issue only, and take no position on the second issue for which the Supreme Court has granted certiorari.
Extrinsic Versus Intrinsic Control of Avian Communication Based on Colorful Plumage Porphyrins

Studies of avian visual communication are often approached from the perspective of adaptation-based hypotheses couched in an ecological framework. Despite their exceptional ecological diversity, however, birds express relatively few pigment categories in their visual signals or receptors. The mismatch between ecologic and pigment diversity suggests the operation of non-ecological constraints on avian visual communication. Colorful plumage porphyrins (turacoverdin and turacin) were examined to determine if both signal and receptor pigment absorption patterns co-vary with ecology, if only plumage pigment absorption varies with ecology, or if plumage and receptor pigment absorption are tied to each other’s physicochemical, physiological, and phylogenetic characteristics rather than to ecology. Physicochemical constraints on signal form were suggested by the persistence of the plumage pigments’ diagnostic spectral structure across lineages despite dramatic ecological differences. Physiological constraints on communication were suggested by the occurrence of colorful porphyrins only in birds with violet-sensitive (VS) vision, whose receptor sensitivities aligned to colorful porphyrin spectral structure much more strongly than did receptors of alternative visual systems. Phylogenetic constraints on these associations were evidenced by restriction of colorful plumage porphyrins to just a few lineages, all non-passerines (galliforms, musophagiforms, and charadriiforms). Synthesis of these patterns indicated that VS visual systems always evolved prior to colorful plumage porphyrins, suggesting a sensory bias for plumage pigments based on signal-receptor alignment. Patterns for colorful porphyrins and violet-sensitive systems reinforce the functional coupling between signal and receptor pigments observed for carotenoid plumage pigments in ultraviolet-sensitive birds, but the pairings differ in details of their alignments.
Analysis of subthreshold swing in multichannel tunneling carbon nanotube field effect transistor (MT-CNTFET)

Tunnel Field Effect Transistor (TFET) based on Band-to-Band tunneling mechanism is a revolutionary device technology that has a very strong potential to break the thermodynamic barrier of conventional FETs and provide a very steep subthreshold slope. However, TFETs in general suffer from low on-state current (I ON ). We propose a new TFET structure to increase the drain-to-source current of the tunneling device. The design is based on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The idea is to provide multiple SWCNTs as tunneling path. We have demonstrated the concept with three SWCNTs. By having three tunneling paths in a single device higher ON current can be achieved while keeping the subthreshold swing lower than 60mV/decade. In this study, the diameter of the tubes and the gate oxide thickness are adjusted to obtain a higher I on and steeper subthreshold slope.
Factors associated with medication warning acceptance for hospitalized adults.

BACKGROUND Computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems can warn clinicians ordering medications about potential allergic or adverse reactions, duplicate therapy, and interactions with other medications. Clinicians frequently override these warnings. Understanding the factors associated with warning acceptance should guide revisions to these systems. OBJECTIVE Increase understanding of the factors associated with medication warning acceptance. DESIGN Retrospective study of all single-medication warnings generated in a CPOE system from October 2009 through April 2010. SETTING Academic medical center. PATIENTS All adult non-intensive care unit patients hospitalized during the study period. RESULTS A total of 40,391 medication orders generated a single-medication warning during the 7-month study period. Of these warnings, 47% were duplicate warnings, 47% interaction warnings, 6% allergy warnings, 0.1% adverse reaction warnings, and 9.8% were repeated for the same patient, medication, and provider. Only 4% of warnings were accepted. In multivariate analysis, warning acceptance was positively associated with male patient gender, admission to a service other than internal medicine, caregiver status other than resident, parenteral medications, lower numbers of warnings, and allergy or adverse reaction warning types. Older patient age, longer length of stay, inclusion on the Institute for Safe Medication Practice's List of High Alert Medications, and interaction warning type were all negatively associated with warning acceptance. CONCLUSIONS Medication warnings are rarely accepted. Acceptance is more likely when the warning is infrequently encountered, and least likely when it is potentially most important. Warning systems should be redesigned to increase their effectiveness for the sickest patients, the least experienced physicians, and the medications with the greatest potential to cause harm. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2015;10:19–25. © 2015 Society of Hospital Medicine
Votes and Violence: THE CONSOCIATIONAL EXPLANATION FOR HINDU-MUSLIM VIOLENCE

We have seen that “state capacity” explanations seem to tell us very little about which states successfully prevent Hindu-Muslim violence and which do not. This chapter now turns to one of the other main explanations for patterns of Hindu-Muslim violence: Arend Lijphart's “consociational” power-sharing theory. Lijphart argues in an important 1996 article that India has since independence been a de facto consociational state, by which he means a state with a political “grand coalition” that includes representatives of all the main ethnic groups, a minority veto over important legislation, and minority proportionality in government and employment. Although India's Constitution does not require that minorities such as the Muslims and Sikhs will be included in government, he argues that the dominance of the Congress Party for most of the postindependence period nevertheless allowed these groups to gain effective representation and a veto over decisions harmful to their interests. India's consociational character, he claims, explains the country's relatively low level of ethnic violence, especially during the two decades immediately following independence, when Congress was dominant in Indian politics. Lijphart argues that the level of Hindu-Muslim violence in India has risen since the mid-1960s, however, as India has become “less firmly consociational,” the dominant multiethnic Congress Party has lost power in many states, and Indian governments have become much less ethnically representative and respectful of minority rights.
The impact of enterprise resource planning systems on firm performance

Debate exists regarding the contribution of information technology to firm performance. Prior research has examined technology and firm performance in the aggregate. This study, however, focuses on a specific technology—enterprise resource planning (ERP)—and its impact on firm performance. Economic and industrial organization theories are used to predict how ERP technology should affect firm coordination and transaction costs. ERP is expected to (1) reduce costs by improving efficiencies through computerization and (2) enhance decision making by providing accurate and timely enterprise-wide information. These effects should be associated with improved firm performance. This issue is examined empirically using archival financial data of COMPUSTAT firms that have implemented ERP systems compared to control firm counterparts. Results indicate a significant increase in costs as a percentage of revenue but a decrease in the number of employees as a percentage of revenue the year after ERP implementation. However, control firms experience a greater reduction in employees. Results indicate a paradox where firms having fewer employees supporting more revenue simultaneously experience higher cost to revenue ratios after their ERP implementation.
Three-dimensional inversion of large-scale EarthScope magnetotelluric data based on the integral equation method: Geoelectrical imaging of the Yellowstone conductive mantle plume

[1] Interpretation of the EarthScope MT (magnetotelluric) data requires the development of a large-scale inversion method which can address two common problems of 3D MT inversion: computational time and memory requirements. We have developed an efficient method of 3D MT inversion based on an IE (integral equation) formulation of the MT forward modeling problem and a receiver footprint approach, implemented as a massively parallel algorithm. This method is applied to the MT data collected in the western United States as a part of the EarthScope project. As a result, we present one of the first 3D geoelectrical images of the upper mantle beneath Yellowstone revealed by this large-scale 3D inversion of the EarthScope MT data. These images show a highly conductive body associated with the tomographically imaged mantle plume-like layer of hot material rising from the upper mantle toward the Yellowstone volcano. The conductive body identified in these images is west-dipping in a similar way to a P-wave low-velocity body.
Purification and properties of methyl coenzyme M methylreductase from acetate-grown Methanosarcina thermophila.

Abstract Methyl coenzyme M methylreductase from acetate-grown Methanosarcina thermophila TM-1 was purified 16-fold from a cell extract to apparent homogeneity as determined by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Ninety-four percent of the methylreductase activity was recovered in the soluble fraction of cell extracts. The estimated native molecular weight of the enzyme was between 132,000 (standard deviation [SD], 1,200) and 141,000 (SD, 1,200). Denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed three protein bands corresponding to molecular weights of 69,000 (SD, 1,200), 42,000 (SD, 1,200), and 33,000 (SD, 1,200) and indicated a subunit configuration of alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 1. As isolated, the enzyme was inactive but could be reductively reactivated with titanium (III) citrate or reduced ferredoxin. ATP stimulated enzyme reactivation and was postulated to be involved in a conformational change of the inactive enzyme from an unready state to a ready state that could be reductively reactivated. The temperature and pH optima for enzyme activity were 60 degrees C and between 6.5 and 7.0, respectively. The active enzyme contained 1 mol of coenzyme F430 per mol of enzyme (Mr, 144,000). The Kms for 2-(methylthio)ethane-sulfonate and 7-mercaptoheptanoylthreonine phosphate were 3.3 mM and 59 microM, respectively.
Bright Insight into Bacterial Gliding

A tank tread-like motion of successive adhesions provides the force needed to propel a rod-shaped bacterium.
Psychological impact of HIV disease and implications for intervention

The stress associated with HIV infection and the psychological impact of that stress have been documented. The complex issues that HIV-positive individuals encounter in managing their disease were described. The existing research on behavioral interventions designed to provide strategies to assist HIV-positive individuals cope with their disease was reviewed, and one particularly cognitive-behavioral intervention (Coping Effectiveness Training) was outlined. Given the evidence of the psychological distress that can accompany HIV disease and the consequences that accrue from this distress in terms of delayed access to care, nonadherence to treatment regimens, and quality of life, recommendations were made for health professionals interested in intervening to assist those who are living with the complex challenges of HIV disease.
Femtosecond pulse diagnostic with use of two-photon conductivity in semiconductors

Autocorrelation measurements of ultrashort laser pulses are most commonly obtained with use of second-harmonic generation (SHG) technique.
Reverse engineering industrial applications

Abstract Reverse Engineering is being applied to generate CAD files. Specialized software is used with CMM and a touch probe in two demonstration experiments. Advantages of the technique include immediate feedback, data reduction, direct generation of geometry and higher precision of the final product.
Unification and coherence as methodological objectives in the biological sciences

In this paper I respond to Wim van der Steen's arguments against the supposed current overemphasis on norms ofcoherence andinterdisciplinary integration in biology. On the normative level, I argue that these aremiddle-range norms which, although they may be misapplied in short-term attempts to solve (temporarily?) intractable problems, play a guiding role in the longer-term treatment of biological problems. This stance is supported by a case study of apartial success story, the development of the one gene — one enzyme hypothesis. As that case shows, thegoal of coherent interdisciplinary integration not only provides guidance for research, but also provides the standard for recognizingfailed integrations of the sort that van der Steen criticizes.
Teaching the biopsychosocial model to medical residents in an outpatient clinic

Abstract A program for teaching a biopsychosocial approach to medical residents was implemented in a medical outpatient clinic. Teaching interventions consisted of a physician-centered focus emphasizing interviewing techniques, a patient-centered focus emphasizing diagnosis and management of psychosocial aspects of the patient's problems, and a physician-patient focus emphasizing the mutually influencing behaviors in the interaction between physician and patient. The effectiveness of the program depended heavily on the active collaboration of the medical attending physicians.