cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Consideration of FE Exam for Program Assessment

Many schools are being required to consider methods to assess the effectiveness of their programs. It has been suggested that student performance on the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination can serve as an assessment tool of engineering programs. A case study is presented, which documents the attempt by one institution to use the exam to assess engineering programs. When student pass rates were perceived to be unacceptably low, a total quality management (TQM) action team was formed to investigate how student performance might be improved. The team discovered that factors besides the knowledge of engineering fundamentals can significantly influence pass rates, the greatest of which appears to be a student's level of motivation to pass. Although these other factors are difficult to quantify, they must be addressed before the exam can be used effectively and fairly as an assessment tool of engineering programs.
Dual Chamber Pacing for Patients With Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy: A Clinical Perspective in 2000

In some patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstructive gradient results in exercise-limiting symptoms of dyspnea, angina, and syncope. Dual chamber pacing has been proposed as a widely available alternative treatment for a subset of patients with symptomatic hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. Initial studies showed a reduction in gradient and an improvement in symptoms in almost 90% of patients with severe symptoms. We report the Mayo Clinic experience with dual chamber pacing in 38 patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy who had permanent pacemakers implanted for limiting symptoms intractable to medical therapy. After a mean ± SD follow-up of 24±14 months, subjective improvement was reported in 47% of patients. However, there was no statistical difference between the maximal oxygen consumption at last follow-up and AAI pacing (atrial sensing and atrial pacing) (18.6±1.1 mL·kg −1. min −1 ) (ie, when the pacemaker was implanted but not pacing continuously). This article discusses the clinical perspective on the utility of dual chamber pacing for patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.
Detection Probability of Cliff-Nesting Raptors During Helicopter and Fixed-Wing Aircraft Surveys in Western Alaska

Abstract We conducted repeated aerial surveys for breeding cliff-nesting raptors on the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR) in western Alaska to estimate detection probabilities of Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus), Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), Rough-legged Hawks (Buteo lagopus), and also Common Ravens (Corvus corax). Using the program PRESENCE, we modeled detection histories of each species based on single species occupancy modeling. We used different observers during four helicopter replicate surveys in the Kilbuck Mountains and five fixed-wing replicate surveys in the Ingakslugwat Hills near Bethel, AK. During helicopter surveys, Gyrfalcons had the highest detection probability estimate (; = 0.79; SE 0.05), followed by Golden Eagles ( = 0.68; SE 0.05), Common Ravens ( = 0.45; SE 0.17), and Rough-legged Hawks ( = 0.10; SE 0.11). Detection probabilities from fixed-wing aircraft in the Ingakslugwat Hills were similar to those from the helicopter in the Kilbuck Mountains for Gyrfalcons a...
Lightweight Computational Steering of Very Large Scale Molecular Dynamics Simulations

We present a computational steering approach for controlling, analyzing, and visualizing very large scale molecular dynamics simulations involving tens to hundreds of millions of atoms. Our approach relies on extensible scripting languages and an easy to use tool for building extensions and modules. The system is extremely easy to modify, works with existing C code, is memory efficient, and can be used from inexpensive workstations and networks. We demonstrate how we have used this system to manipulate data from production MD simulations involving as many as 104 million atoms running on the CM-5 and Cray T3D. We also show how this approach can be used to build systems that integrate common scripting languages (including Tcl/Tk, Perl, and Python), simulation code, user extensions, and commercial data analysis packages.
Sleep, Memory & Brain Rhythms

Sleep occupies roughly one-third of our lives, yet the scientific community is still not entirely clear on its purpose or function. Existing data point most strongly to its role in memory and homeostasis: that sleep helps maintain basic brain functioning via a homeostatic mechanism that loosens connections between overworked synapses, and that sleep helps consolidate and re-form important memories. In this review, we will summarize these theories, but also focus on substantial new information regarding the relation of electrical brain rhythms to sleep. In particular, while REM sleep may contribute to the homeostatic weakening of overactive synapses, a prominent and transient oscillatory rhythm called "sharp-wave ripple" seems to allow for consolidation of behaviorally relevant memories across many structures of the brain. We propose that a theory of sleep involving the division of labor between two states of sleep-REM and non-REM, the latter of which has an abundance of ripple electrical activity-might allow for a fusion of the two main sleep theories. This theory then postulates that sleep performs a combination of consolidation and homeostasis that promotes optimal knowledge retention as well as optimal waking brain function.
The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor modulator GLYX-13 enhances learning and memory, in young adult and learning impaired aging rats.

NMDA receptor (NMDAR) activity has been strongly implicated in both in vitro and in vivo learning models and the decline in cognitive function associated with aging and is linked to a decrease in NMDAR functional expression. GLYX-13 is a tetrapeptide (Thr-Pro-Pro-Thr) which acts as a NMDAR receptor partial agonist at the glycine site. GLYX-13 was administered to young adult (3 months old) and aged (27–32 months old) Fischer 344 X Brown Norway F1 rats (FBNF1), and behavioral learning tested in trace eye blink conditioning (tEBC), a movable platform version of the Morris water maze (MWM), and alternating t-maze tasks. GLYX-13 (1 mg/kg, i.v.) enhanced learning in both young adult and aging animals for MWM and alternating t-maze, and increased tEBC in aging rats. We previously showed optimal enhancement of tEBC in young adult rats given GLYX-13 at the same dose. Of these learning tasks, the MWM showed the most robust age related deficit in learning. In the MWM, GLYX-13 enhancement of learning was greater in the old compared to the young adult animals. Examination of the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD) at Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses in hippocampal slices showed that aged rats showed marked, selective impairment in the magnitude of LTP evoked by a sub-maximal tetanus, and that GLYX-13 significantly enhanced the magnitude of LTP in slices from both young adult and aged rats without affecting LTD. These data, combined with the observation that the GLYX-13 enhancement of learning was greater in old than in young adult animals, suggest that GLYX-13 may be a promising treatment for deficits in cognitive function associated with aging.
PPMexe: PPM for compressing software

With the emergence of software delivery platforms such as Microsoft's .NET, code compression has become one of the core enabling technologies strongly affecting system performance. We present PPMexe - a set of compression mechanisms for executables that explores their syntax and semantics to achieve superior compression rates. The fundament of PPMexe is the generic paradigm of prediction by partial matching (PPM). We combine PPM with two pre-processing steps: instruction rescheduling to improve prediction rates and partitioning of a program binary into streams with high auto-correlation. We improve the traditional PPM algorithm by using: an additional alphabet of frequent variable-length super-symbols extracted from the input stream of fixed-length symbols and a low-overhead mechanism that enables decompression starting from an arbitrary instruction of the executable, a feature pivotal for run-time software delivery. PPMexe was implemented for x86 binaries and tested on several large Microsoft applications. Binaries compressed using PPMexe were 16-23% smaller than files created using PPMD, the best available compressor.
Application of the “4R” Nutrient Stewardship Concept to Horticultural Crops: Selecting the “Right” Nutrient Source

ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. fertilizer source, fertilizer use efficiency, nutrient use SUMMARY. Nutrient management practices must be tailored to the crop, environment, and production system if nutrient efficiency and environmental water quality protection are to be achieved. This requires consideration of fertilizer choice, placement, applicationrate,andtiming.Thesefactorshave beencharacterizedasthe ‘‘4Rs’’ of nutrient stewardship—right material, right placement, right rate, and right timing. The factors affecting the choice of fertilizer material have been described previously for agronomic crops, and include plant nutritional requirements, soil conditions, fertilizer delivery issues, environmental risks, product price, and economic constraints. Although those factors are applicable to all crops, the unique features of intensive horticultural production systems affect their interactions. This article discusses fertilizer choice as it affects productivity, profitability, sustainability, and environmental impact of intensive horticultural crop production. Diverse fertilizer materials are available for specialized application to provide nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other plant nutrients for different horticulturalneeds.Thesefertilizersourcescanbeformulatedasdryorliquidblends,but increasingly highersolubility materials areusedto target plant growth needseven in field operations. Composts can have useful applications—particularly for certified organic production—but their high cost, bulk, and relatively low efficiency limit their use. Profitability can be affected by fertilizer cost—typically a relative small percentage of overall costs in intensive production systems—and the improved efficiency of these specialized materials often improves profitability. There are also sustainability issues with the manufacture, transport, and efficient use of different fertilizer sources. Such factors as soil chemical reaction changes, effects on soil salinity, and lossoforganic matteralsocanadversely affectsustainability, but systems are available to maintain soil quality while using more efficient fertilizer sources.
Discussion: The Effects of Government Programs on Southern Cotton Production Since 1945

Professor Blakley has presented a fairly wide-ranging survey of data and information relating to recent developments in the cotton industry and thus to the assigned topic. He reviews some temporary situations and programs and makes some judgments regarding their impact, including the Korean incident, the Acreage Reserve program, the Choice B program, and the export subsidy or two-price plan (which wasn't so temporary). He reviews the demand situation and makes some judgments regarding the characteristics of demand and their implications for the cotton industry and government programs. Perhaps the most novel portion of his paper is where he presents some provocative ideas and analyses based on results from the Southern Regional Farm Management Research Project S-42. It appears to this discussant, however, that Blakley never quite comes to grips with the assigned topic. In this sense his analysis is not completely satisfying. This is not particularly surprising. A completely satisfactory analysis of the "Effects of Government Programs on Southern Cotton Production Since 1945" requires an answer to the question of what would have happened in the absence of government programs. It is true, of course, that the required data and relationships needed to answer this type of question satisfactorily are very difficult indeed to come by. Nevertheless, I believe that Blakley's analysis would have been strengthened considerably if he had stated straightaway the question(s) to be answered and outlined the data and relationships required and the analysis to be applied to answer them. If he had done this, I suspect that the particular results of S-42 that he used would have assumed a less important role in his analysis than he apparently assigns them. But more about this later. I am not going to make a detailed analysis of Blakley's paper, although there are several points in the draft made available to me with which I would take issue. I resist, however, because I did not have an opportunity to discuss these points with Blakley prior to this time (through no fault of his, since I received his paper on schedule) and because I fully expected his final version to be substantially revised from the early draft. Instead, I want to emphasize an objection to his paper and suggest an alternative approach to the assigned topic. My main objection to Blakley's paper is the use of the measures derived
Effect of Bismuth Subsalicylate on Fecal Microflora

Several studies have documented the efficacy of bismuth subsalicylate (BSS) for the prophylaxis and treatment of bacterial diarrhea. It is not known what effect, if any, BSS has on the normal bowel flora. We quantitated the fecal flora in healthy volunteers before and after they took BSS. In the first group, 8 ounces of BSS was given on two successive days. In the second group, a standard oral intestinal lavage preparation (GoLYTELY) was used to clean the colon and then 8 ounces of BSS was given during a 4-hour period. There were no changes in total microbial counts or in counts of individual groups such as enteric bacteria, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Bacteroides, or Clostridium difficile. On day 2 the yeast counts rose 2.4 log10 colony-forming units/g in the group taking 16 ounces of BSS but did not increase in the group taking 8 ounces of BSS plus GoLYTELY. The counts returned to pretreatment levels by day 7. These results show that a 1- or 2-day course of BSS, even with an oral intestinal lavage preparation, did not have significant effects on the normal microbial populations in the fecal microflora.
Growth of Silicon-Germanium Alloys by Atmospheric-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition at Low Temperatures

Dichlorosilanc and germane were used to grow silicon-germanium alloys at temperatures as low as 550°C at atmospheric pressure. Germanium mole fractions as high as 44% were obtained and the layers exhibit smooth surface morphology. Silicon-gcrmanium/silicon multilayers with abrupt hctero-intcrfaccs have been achieved. Cross Section Transmission Electron Microscopy, (XTEM) and High Resolution X-Ray Diffraction, (HRXRD) characterization of the hetero-interface abruptness will be presented. Recent results on two-dimensional (2-D) hole mobility structures grown by this technique will also be reported. Selective growth of silicon-germanium on oxide patterned silicon wafers was also demonstrated. A significant feature of the selective deposition is the lack of faceting at the oxide sidcwall, which has been commonly observed in high temperature silicon growth.
An endogenously bursting neuron in the gastropod mollusc,Helisoma trivolvis: Characterization of activityin vivo

Intracellular records were obtained from the identified neuron, Pal-B, in a relatively intact preparation ofHelisoma trivolvis (Figs. 1 and 2). This neuron displayed a characteristic patterned activity. 1. The activity in Pal-B consists of bursts of action potentials alternating with periods of quiescence (Figs. 4, 6, and 9). 2. The characteristic burst pattern is endogenous (Fig. 4). 3. The major portion of the variability in burst pattern observed in Pal-B is accounted for by synaptic inputs to this cell (Figs. 6, 8, and 9). 4. The bursting pattern in Pal-B can be modulated by tactile, vibratory, osmotic, and possibly photic stimuli.
Individualism and vision theory

Individualism in psychology is the claim that psychological states are taxonomized without essential reference to the environment of the subject possessing them; in other words, they supervene on the subject's intrinsic, physically specifiable, states. Whether or not David Marr's theory of early vision1 is individualistic is a question that has attracted a good deal of attention from philosophers. I have argued ([3], [4]) that Marr's theory is individualistic, despite seemingly persuasive arguments ([1], [2], [7]) to the contrary. Peter Morton, in a recent paper ([9]), disagrees. In this note I defend my interpretation of Marr's theory against Morton's criticisms, and argue that he fails to make a case for a non-individualistic construal of the theory. Marr's theory treats vision as the construction and manipulation of a series of data structures, culminating in a 3-D representation of the distal scene. The view that the theory is non-individualistic depends in part on the claim that (most of) these structures represent features of the subject's normal environment (for example, depth and surface reflectance). The argument from this fact to the claim that the theory taxonomizes visual states by reference to the subject's environment (i.e. non-individualism) depends on a further assumption that visual states and processes are taxonomized by reference to their representational contents. Let us say that the theory is intentional just in case this assumption is true. Interpreters of Marr, individualists and non-individualsts alike, have assumed that the theory is intentional in this sense (see [1], [2], [7], [10], [11]). If they are right, then the individualism issue can be settled by determining whether the contents assigned to the structures posited by the theory are wide (environment-specific) or narrow (supervening on the subject's intrinsic physical states, and hence shared by doppelgangers in any environment). Since the case for wide content is the stronger of the two, the non-individualist construal of the theory appears compelling.2 But if the theory is not intentional, then the dispute about content, while interesting in itself, leaves the individualism issue unresolved. In [3] I argued that Marr's theory of vision is not intentional.3 In his informal exposition of the various visual processes Marr typically charac-
The Frequent Fliers of New Mexico: Hospital Readmissions among the Homeless Population

It is estimated that there are 1.7 million homeless individuals in the United States; 36% are families with children under the age of 18. Due to lack of resources, individuals who are homeless frequent emergency departments for immediate health care needs. The aim of this study was to examine a homeless population over a 3-year time period who were admitted to an Albuquerque area hospital at any time during the time period. A comparison of demographic characteristics as well as hospitalization characteristics between two populations was analyzed: individuals who were homeless and had a 30-day readmission compared to those that did not have a 30-day readmission. There were 850 unique homeless patients that were admitted to an Albuquerque area hospital during the 3-year time period. The mean age was 43.8 years with the majority of the population being male. The 3-year average 30-day readmission rate was 30.1%. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that homeless patients older than 19 years, individuals with more than 1 admission during the time period, and individuals who left against medical advice had increased odds of a 30-day readmission. Individuals who were homeless who were admitted for respiratory conditions or cardiovascular disease had decreased odds of a 30-day readmission compared to patients admitted for neuropsychiatric conditions. In New Mexico, patients who were homeless experienced a high 30-day readmission rate. These results suggest a need for further research into the healthcare needs of this population and how to improve discharge protocols to prevent future readmissions.
Evalution on current status of lab equipment allocation and test capacity among centers for disease control and prevention in county in Zibo

Objective:To understand the laboratory resources allocation status and capacity level in County CDC in Zibo.Methods:Questionnaire was carried out with items as qualifications of test,assets revenue and expenditure,human resources,laboratory area,instrumentation allocation and test capacity among 8 county CDC.Results:Allocation rates of instrumentation of group A,group B and group C in county CDC were 48.7%,42.2%,and 16.2%;the rates of group A and group B test items that carried out were 45.8% and 14.9%.Conclusion:General level of equipments allocation and test capacity is lower and unbalanced development among county CDC in Zibo,which could not meet the referent standard issued from Ministry of Health,many things need to do in the laboratory construction.
Inhibition of Jv by ANF in rat proximal straight tubules requires angiotensin

The effects of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) on fluid absorption (Jv) by isolated perfused proximal straight tubules of rats were investigated. ANF alone (10(-8) M) added to the bath had no significant effect on absorption. In contrast, when tubules were first treated with 1.6 X 10(-10) M angiotensin II, this same concentration of ANF lowered fluid absorption from 0.99 +/- 0.03 to 0.69 +/- 0.02 nl.mm-1.min-1. A lower dose of ANF, 2 X 10(-10) M, reduced fluid absorption in the presence of angiotensin II from 1.13 +/- 0.06 to 0.65 +/- 0.05 nl.mm-1.min-1, an inhibition of 40%. Since guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) is reportedly part of the second messenger system of ANF, the effects of dibutyryl-cGMP (DBcGMP) on fluid absorption were studied. This membrane-permeant form of cGMP mimicked the effects of ANF, reducing fluid absorption from 1.15 +/- 0.18 to 0.54 +/- 0.08 nl.mm-1.min-1. These studies suggested the following: 1) ANF can regulate fluid absorption in the proximal nephron; 2) this inhibition occurs only in the presence of angiotensin; and 3) cGMP is part of the second messenger system of ANF in the rat proximal straight tubule, as it is in other tissues.
Financial Services for the Poor: The Case for a Catholic Bank

“Poverty is the worst kind of disease to have” is a literal translation of an African proverb. However, the ravages of poverty are not limited to Africa. Poverty is a world-wide problem that is being fought with tools such as economic aids to developing countries (Daud and Nor Azam Abdul 2012; Ekanayake and Dasha 2010), programs against world hunger (Mowbray 2007), and several other micro-finance programs (Halvorson-Quevedo 1991/1992). In this chapter, I argue for yet another tool in fighting poverty, using the principles of services marketing, religion, and an established church—the Catholic Church.
Elements of Scientific Thinking: Skepticism, Careful Reasoning, and Exhaustive Evaluation Are All Vital

Science is more universal and reliable than other disciplines because it must present a valid description of Nature. Deep in its core is the inductive method of forming hypotheses and testing them against experiment and observation. Since we have not observed all of Nature, theories that describe it cannot ever be proven completely true. Evaluation of scientific hypotheses is assisted by simplification (Ockham’s razor) and careful definition of terms. Their validity can be judged by the accuracy of their predictive power and verification by others.
Ethical issues in the management of patients with impaired consciousness.

Publisher Summary Optimal management of patients with disorders that impair consciousness requires proper decision making about life-sustaining treatment. This chapter explores the ethical issues underlying the care of patients with acute and chronic disorders that impair consciousness. The ethical principles and concepts that form the foundation of medical practice are discussed in the chapter. The physician–patient relationship has elements of both a contract and a fiduciary trust. The hospital ethics committee, a multidisciplinary group of professionals within a hospital, helps to analyze the elements of ethical conflicts, to identify the ethically acceptable choices, and to work with physicians, patients, and families to implement the optimal course of action. If life-sustaining treatment cannot help the patients regain acceptable functioning, most patients and surrogates ultimately refuse it. Such patients should receive optimum palliative care. Most authorities in clinical ethics accept that competent patients and the surrogates of incompetent patients have a right to refuse artificial hydration and nutrition along with all other therapies. According to the medical futility rationale, because physicians have no ethical obligation to order futile treatment, they may therefore withhold or withdraw any treatment they deem futile. For disorders of consciousness, the ethical questions arising are brain death, coma, persistent vegetative state, minimally conscious state, dementia, and locked-in syndrome. The patient's decision to discontinue life-sustaining treatment should be stable over time and not impulsive. Depression should be considered and treated if present. Ideally, the patient's family should agree with and support the decision to discontinue life-sustaining treatment.
Chapter 64 Striatal adrenal medulla/sural nerve cografts in hemiparkinsonian monkeys

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the developments in laboratory over the past two years using adrenal chromaffin cell implants and the evolution of the way in which the chromaffin cell transplants may interact with the host brain. Some chromaffin cells do survive when transplanted intraparenchymally into the rat models of Parkinson's disease but exhibit very poor survival in other mammalian species. Chromaffin cells survive capriciously and continue to exhibit their endocrine phenotype when cultured in the absence of nerve growth factor (NGF). However, the addition of NGF to the culture medium induces a phenotypic change in chromaffin cells that results in the extension of neuritic processes and a decrease in the size of their cytoplasmic dense-core vesicles. If chromaffin cell survival augments the trophic action of implant surgery and continues to provide a source of trophic molecules for a host sprouting response, then it might still be important to achieve the maximum amount of chromaffin cell survival possible. Several laboratories have demonstrated in rodent models that the addition of NGF or NGF-producing cells with implanted chromaffin cells will significantly enhance behavioral improvement. The advantage of NGF-producing cells is that they potentially may provide a continuous source of NGF, thus eliminating the need to administer NGF exogenously. One such source of species-specific NGF is the host's Schwann cells that ensheath peripheral nerve fibers. Schwann cells synthesize NGF and express an increase in NGF receptors following transection of a peripheral nerve, a response that facilitates survival and regeneration in the peripheral axons.
Youth unemployment and terrorism in the MENAP (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) region

Abstract This paper builds on existing research investigating the root causes of terrorism by considering youth unemployment as a measure of economic deprivation. In particular, the study focuses on terrorism in Middle Eastern and North African (MENAP) countries and features terrorism incident count data for the period 1998–2012 using negative binomial regression models. In our exogenous model, we find that while youth unemployment tends to increase domestic terrorism, it does not have any significant effect on transnational terrorism. Given concerns about endogeneity of youth unemployment in these models, we use two kinds of corrections-instrumental variables and lagged variables. We control for endogeneity by using military expenditure, under-five mortality rate and foreign direct investment as instruments. We are not able to reject the null hypothesis that youth unemployment is exogenous. Using lagged variables, we find a similar result as noted in the exogenous specifications with regard to the effect of youth unemployment on domestic and transnational terrorism. We also find evidence that domestic terrorism tends to have a positive relationship with press freedom, religious and linguistic fractionalization, and area of the country. Transnational terrorism has a positive association with the quality of democracy and a negative association with political stability and regulatory quality. The amount of natural resources tends to be negatively associated with domestic terrorism and positively associated with transnational terrorism.
A case for climate justice education: American youth connecting to intragenerational climate injustice in Bangladesh

In this paper, I present evidence for framing climate change education around social justice. More specifically, I provide empirical support for framing climate change education around intragenerat...
Expect Surprises: I-O and the Global Business Environment

Global business has expanded dramatically over the past decades, and it provides unique opportunities for research and practice by organizational psychologists. Organizational psychology doctoral programs provide little preparation for international practice or research, however. What is uncertain is how to internationalize, and indeed, whether to do so is a question that is just coming to the fore. Progress in organizational psychology can be accelerated if we learn to expect surprises. Internationalization of learning and teaching in organizational psychology will provide a consistently richer vein of surprises than would business-as-usual in our already overcrowded curricula. Global economic development provides the context for this chapter about how to stimulate the education and development of the next generation of organizational scientists. Beginning with an examination of culture, the chapter investigates language and communication, learning and habituation, and knowledge and comprehension of paradigm shifts as superordinate viewpoints, and then proceeds to consideration of some tactics for internationalization and some of the academic barriers we will encounter as we seek to broaden and deepen our curricula simultaneously.
Retinoblastoma Protein (pRB)

Retinoblastoma protein (pRB) is the product of the retinoblastoma tumor susceptibility gene (RB1), the first identified tumor suppressor. It is conserved in plants and animals, and in mammalian cells it belongs to the pocket protein family of proteins. The pRB pathway is critical in cell cycle regulation. The disruption of this pathway and inactivation of pRB are found in most human tumor cells. The most well-characterized function of pRB is its ability to repress E2F-dependent transcription at the G1/S transition of the cell cycle, though this is only one of several known interactions. Numerous pRb-binding partners have been identified, of which many have been proposed to contribute to its tumor-suppressing properties.
A Synthesis of Thermodynamics and Bioenergetics in Plant Physiology: The Investigation of a Moody Apprentice

On a dark and wintry day in 1883, the St. Petersburg Society of Naturalists met to hear the conclusions of a 3-year investigation in plant physiology. To grow normally, the audience learned, fungi require magnesium and an abundance of oxygen. This news, likely seen by the Russian naturalists in attendance as a mundane contribution to plant physiology, meant much more for its bearer, Sergei Nikolaevich Vinogradskii. His oral presentation marked the completion of a long and tedious apprenticeship, one he had entered into reluctantly at best, and which offered him no apparent job opportunities. Depressed and frustrated by his seemingly futile efforts, he returned home to his Ukrainian estate in an attempt to leave as much of this experience behind him. The investigation, however, had left an indelible mark on Vinogradskii’s intellectual profile.
Thin Plates and Shells

The distribution of displacement and stress fields throughout a generally loaded structure is very complicated and only computational methods can give effective solutions. The key to the finite element method is discretizing the structure into a collection of small regions that are easier to handle. Figure 2.1 shows some examples of thin-walled structures modeled as a collection of many triangular subregions. This chapter considers the formulation of these triangular elements.
Normative Economic Analysis of Trademark Law

Aside from the benefits that trademarks provide society, nothing inherently special about them warrants granting an exclusive in them interest to users. Trademarks benefit society by providing information about and identification of the products that consumers wish to buy. This informational and identificatory role of trademarks is the source of their value and the policy basis for according the first user protection against others’ concurrent use of the same or similar mark. The law should protect the source of a trademark’s value, not other attributes that merely reflect that a trademark has value. The informational and identificatory roles of trademarks can cost-effectively facilitate interbrand competition. Interbrand competition, in turn, maximizes value for consumers. Protection of trademark interests beyond their informational and identificatory roles protects more than their value to consumers. Such broadened protection creates property interests in trademarks that benefit only the first user of the mark at the expense of consumers’ interest in competitive markets. Protecting consumers’ interest in competitive markets creates more value than protecting the naked property interests of trademark users. This Article examines basic assumptions about competitive markets and the positive roles that recognition of exclusive trademark interests plays in promoting interbrand competition in such markets. The Article also examines various existing trademark doctrines and recent amendments to the Lanham Act against these standards.
Choosing a Good Scientific Mentor and Being a Good Mentee

Being a good mentor is complicated requiring time and effort. The benefits gained from serving as a mentor should not be understated as many times, the mentor is credited for the success of mentees. However, this should not discount the role of the mentee. Being a good mentee also requires time, effort, and thought. Here we will describe the critical elements of being a mentor and mentee.
Prediction of Decompensation in Patients in the Cardiac Ward

This study focuses on detecting deterioration of acutely ill patients in the cardiac ward at the University of Virginia Health System. Patients in the cardiac ward are expected to recover from a variety of cardiovascular procedures, but roughly 5% of patients deteriorate and have to be transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Previous work has shown that early warning scores utilizing vitals signs and common lab results greatly lower morality for high risk patients. To build upon these results, data were collected over the course of two years from 71 beds in three cardiac-related wards at the University of Virginia Health System. In addition to information commonly collected for early warning scores, these data also contained continuous electrocardiography (ECG) telemetry data for all patients. Given that only one percent of observations are labeled as events, the F1 score was used as the primary metric to assess the performance of each model; area under the curve (AUC) was also considered. Previous work includes the development of logistic regression models with these data resulting in an AUC of 0.73. In this work, a super learner was built to further the study by stacking logistic regression, random forest, and gradient boosting models. Furthermore, a denoising auto-encoder was created to generate computer-derived features, the results of which were fed to machine learning models mentioned previously to predict patient deterioration. The logistic regression model built on existing and computer-generated features resulted in an F1 score of 0.1 and AUC of 0.7, which is comparable to previous models built on the same patient data set. The super learner had an improvement over existing logistic regression models, with an F1 score of 0.24 and AUC of 0.79.
The Cambridge Introduction to the Novel: Time and history

For many scholars of the early novel, a distinctively new concern with place was accompanied by an unprecedentedly extensive attention to the temporal aspect of human existence: how people change over time, how one time differs from another. Although modern readers tend to take the time component in fiction for granted, “Shakespeare … had been dead for thirty years before the word ‘ anachronism’ first appeared in English.” This was how Ian Watt argued that pre-novelistic literary forms prioritized what was understood as the timeless and universal over the time-bound and contingent, a hierarchy that the novel would completely reverse; Fielding had used an almanac to ensure historical accuracy in the treatment of 1745 (the year in which Tom Jones is set), while Richardson had meticulously dated Clarissa's letters as if to say that it matters when, very precisely, they were written. The novel's concern with human life in time and history is the subject of this chapter, which begins by looking at the panoramic and long-range historical novel and novel sequence, and ends by describing some of the important transformations of narrative time undertaken by twentieth-century writers. History and story The eighteenth-century critic James Beattie railed against how earlier romances conflated different historical modes for the sake of an exciting story: All facts and characters, real and fabulous; and all systems of policy and manners, the Greek, the Roman, the Feudal and the modern, are jumbled together and confounded: as if a painter should represent Julius Caesar drinking tea with Queen Elizabeth, Jupiter and Dulcinea El Toboso, and having on his head the laurel wreaths of antient Rome, a suit of Gothick armour on his shoulders, laced ruffles at his wrist, a pipe of tobacco in his mouth, and a pistol and tomahawk stuck in his belt.
Neuroendocrine Correlates of Infectious Disease: Implications for Sleep

The optimal outcome of an infection is elimination of the pathogen, recuperation, and survival. Achieving this outcome requires a host response that is both effective and controlled. For example, an inadequate immune response can permit excessive microbial proliferation and damage and perhaps result in death, whereas an excessive or unregulated host immune response can result in unnecessary inflammatory tissue damage, as well as potential disability or death
Heat transfer enhancement in cryogenic quenching process

This paper reports a heat transfer advancement in the cryogenic quenching process. An experiment was performed to evaluate the enhancement of quenching heat transfer by the use of metal tubes with low thermal conductivity coating layers. Four coating thicknesses with various coolant mass flow rates of liquid nitrogen were investigated. The results indicated that the tube inner surface coating greatly enhanced the quenching efficiency. The quenching efficiency was found to increase with increasing number of coating layers, and the efficiency also increased with decreasing mass flow rates. In general, the efficiencies cover a range between 40.6% and 80%. Comparing to the bare surface case, the percentage increase in the quenching efficiency was the minimum at 4.2% for a single coated layer at the highest flow rate and the maximum of 109.1% for four coated layers at the lowest flow rate. The coated tubes could save up to 53% in the amount of cryogen consumption.
Determining worst-case eye height in low BER channels using Bayesian optimization

Eye diagram simulation and bit error rate (BER) estimation is an essential task in signal integrity. A lengthy time domain simulation is required for non-LTI systems where statistical methods are generally inaccurate. However, with the BER reaching less than 10−12, and with exponential increase in bandwidth, this task is expected to become more challenging and exorbitantly time consuming. In particular, the concern is with inter-symbol interference (ISI) effect, which can be caused by the state of several earlier bits. Therefore, this paper suggests an optimization method to find the bit patterns causing the lowest received high symbol, and the highest received low symbol, at the sampling time point. Difference of these values can be used to estimate the worst-case eye height. The proposed approach is based on a mapping method and Bayesian optimization, which provides a significant speedup compared to the traditional transient eye. This optimization technique is capable of solving both non-linear and non-convex problems. A numerical example is provided to show performance of the proposed approach.
A Pilot Project for Provider Satisfaction with Contrasting Communication Strategies for the Vaccine-Hesitant Parent

Background: Despite the tremendous public health success of childhood immunization programs, parental concerns about vaccine safety and necessity have led to increasing vaccine hesitance. Various suggestions on how to communicate with the vaccine-hesitant parent have been proposed, but none have been validated in any prospective study. The AAP suggests using a presumptive approach, the CASE method (Corroborate parents concern, talk About me, describe the Science, and Explain/Advise why they should vaccinate), and motivational interviewing (MI) as potential tools to garner vaccine acceptance. Yet these strategies differ significantly in their approach. (Table 1) Objectives: This pilot study assessed these approaches in a small …
Challenges and opportunities of information and communication technologies for dissemination of agricultural information in Ethiopia

This review paper analyses the challenge and opportunities of information and communication technologies for dissemination of agricultural information in Ethiopia. Understanding the challenges and opportunities of information and communication technologies enables to solve the problem of information problem to smallholder farmers. The data was collected, assessed and reviewed from recent secondary data sources from Central statistical agency, and scholarly articles published on the issue of information and communication technology in agriculture (ICT 4 Ag).Compared to the other sector like governance, health and education sectors, ICT-adoption in the agricultural sector has started relatively late in Ethiopia. Even though it is in infant stage, there are many agricultural ICT related service and application in Ethiopia. The current radical penetration of ICTs like mobile phone, website, social media and other internet/online services brings an immense prospect to farmers to create, share, store, process, interpret and preserve agricultural information and knowledge. ICT related agricultural extension system is the solely choice for dissemination of agricultural knowledge and information. Ethiopia is the country which has more than 65000 extension personnel for agricultural extension. But this extension system is not sustainable since it is very costly and inefficient. Thus, agricultural extension policy and intervention should focus on ICT based extension system.
Outcomes of Percutaneous Trans-Right Atrial Access to the Left Ventricle for Catheter Ablation of Ventricular Tachycardia in Patients With Mechanical Aortic and Mitral Valves.

Importance In patients with mechanical valves in the aortic and mitral positions, percutaneous access to the left ventricle (LV) via a transfemoral approach for catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) has been considered infeasible. Objective To describe the outcomes of a novel percutaneous trans–right atrial (RA) access to the LV via a femoral venous approach for catheter ablation of VT in patients with mechanical aortic and mitral valves. Design, Setting, and Participants This observational study included consecutive patients with mechanical valves in the aortic and mitral positions and recurrent monomorphic drug-refractory VT associated with an LV substrate. Percutaneous LV access was performed from a transfemoral venous route with the aid of a deflectable sheath and a radiofrequency wire by creating an iatrogenic Gerbode defect with direct puncture of the inferior and medial aspect of the RA, adjacent to the inferior-septal process of the LV (ISP-LV), under intracardiac echography guidance. Once the wire crossed to the LV, balloon dilatation of the ventriculotomy site (with a noncompliant balloon; diameter, 8 to 10 mm) was performed to facilitate passage of the sheath within the LV. Exposures Percutaneous trans-RA access to the LV via puncture of the ISP-LV to perform catheter ablation of VT in patients with mechanical aortic and mitral valves. Main Outcomes and Measures Feasibility and safety of a trans-RA access to the LV for catheter ablation of VT. Results A total of 4 patients (mean [SD] age, 60 [7] years; mean [SD] LV ejection fraction, 31% [9%]) with recurrent VT associated with an LV substrate (ischemic cardiomyopathy, 3 patients; nonischemic cardiomyopathy, 1 patient) and mechanical valves in the aortic and mitral position underwent trans-RA access through the ISP-LV for catheter ablation of VT. The time to obtain LV access ranged from 60 minutes (first case) to 22 minutes (last case) (mean [SD], 36 [15] minutes). No complications associated with the access occurred. In particular, in the 3 patients with preserved atrioventricular conduction at baseline, no new conduction abnormalities were observed after the access. Complete VT noninducibility at programmed ventricular stimulation was achieved in 3 cases, and no patient had VT recurrence at a median follow-up of 14 months (range, 6-21 months). Conclusions and Relevance A percutaneous trans-RA access to the LV via a femoral venous approach for catheter ablation of VT in patients with mechanical aortic and mitral valves is feasible and appears safe. This novel technique may allow for catheter ablation of VT in a population of patients in whom conventional LV access via retrograde aortic or atrial transseptal routes is not possible.
Antibody-Mediated Rejection Management Following Lung Transplantation:

BackgroundAlthough antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) is described in other solid organ transplant populations, the literature describing the management following lung transplantation is limited.Obj...
Digital Rocks Portal

Digital Rocks Portal (www.digitalrocksportal.org) Digital Rocks is a data portal for fast storage and retrieval of images of varied porous micro-structures. It has the purpose of enhancing research resources for modeling/prediction of porous material properties in the fields of Petroleum, Civil and Environmental Engineering as well as Geology. This platform allows managing and preserving available images of porous materials and experiments performed on them, and any accompanying measurements (porosity, capillary pressure, permeability, electrical, NMR and elastic properties, etc.) required for both validation on modeling approaches and the upscaling and building of larger (hydro)geological models.