cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Analysis of Narrative and Figurative Language within Online Alcoholism Discussion Forums

This study examined lay individuals’ use of narrative and figurative language for communicating biomedical and psychosocial concepts in online alcoholism discussion forums. We performed quantitative and qualitative analyses of content, narrative, and figurative language on 311 opening forum posts. Linguistic patterns indicated a distinction between narrative and figurative functions of language in communication that is sensitive to the concreteness of the content. Individuals were more likely to use narrative to convey concrete psychosocial content, and figurative language to convey abstract psychosocial content. Individuals did not use narrative or figurative language to communicate abstract, technical biomedical content. Although they belong to the biomedical model, concrete physical symptoms receive treatment in a manner more similar to concrete psychosocial content than more abstract, technical biomedical content. Our findings suggest that individuals’ use of narrative and figurative language is largely driven by the concreteness or perceptibility of the underlying content rather than the content domain.
Can the rolling cross-sectional survey design be used to estimate the effectiveness of influenza vaccines?

Abstract Introduction Observational studies of influenza vaccine effectiveness often study persons seeking medical care for acute respiratory infection (ARI). We conducted a pilot study to determine if vaccine effectiveness could be estimated in the general population with a novel rolling cross-sectional survey sampling design and laboratory confirmation of influenza. Methods Cross-sectional samples were selected weekly from defined populations in Marshfield, Wisconsin and Monroe County, New York from January through April, 2011 (12 weeks). Persons were telephoned and asked about the occurrence of ARI in the past week. Nasal and throat swabs were obtained from consenting individuals with ARI and tested by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Vaccine effectiveness (VE) was defined as (100 × [1 − OR]) for vaccination in a logistic regression model that adjusted for age, calendar week, and site. The comparison group included all study participants without RT-PCR confirmed influenza, including those who were not ill. Results Study personnel contacted 9537 (62%) of 15,303 persons sampled; the primary analysis included 5678 subjects. Of these, 193 (3%) reported an ARI and agreed to be tested for influenza; 13 (7%) were influenza positive. The adjusted effectiveness of the influenza vaccine was 1% (95% confidence limits −239–70%). Conclusions The rolling cross-sectional design is methodologically feasible and may be useful as a complement to clinic-based VE studies. This pilot study did not have sufficient power to detect significant vaccine effectiveness during a mild influenza season, but this approach may facilitate rapid estimation of VE in a pandemic setting when normal patterns of health care utilization are disrupted.
Interaction of deletion mutants of troponins I and T: COOH-terminal truncation of troponin T abolishes troponin I binding and reduces Ca2+ sensitivity of the reconstituted regulatory system.

The interaction between troponin I (TnI) and troponin T (TnT) remains the least understood binary interaction among the regulatory proteins of vertebrate striated muscle. To identify the specific b...
Effect of chloroquine and phenobarbital on morphine glucuronidation and biliary excretion in the rat.

Abstract The relationship between morphine glucuronidation and biliary excretion was studied in rats pretreated with saline (control), chloroquine (CQ) or phenobarbital (PB) by determining the conversion of morphine to morphine-3-glucuronide (MG) in vitro and the biliary excretion of intravenously administered morphine and MG in vivo . For the biliary excretion studies. 14 C-morphine or 14 C-MG was administered intravenously and excretion measured in anesthetized renal-ligated rats in which the common bile ducts were cannulated. The effect of PB treatment on the biliary excretion of morphine and MG was complex and it was found that: (1) PB pretretment did not alter the proportions of morphine and MG in bile; (2) the rate of biliary excretion of morphine (as MG) was decreased in PB-pretreated rats even though MG formation was increased in vitro ; (3) the plasma disappearance of 14 C after 14 C-morphine administration was also decreased by PB pretreatment; (4) the biliary excretion of administered MG was significantly decreased by PB pretreatment; and (5) the 14 C plasma disappearance after 14 C-MG administration was not changed by PB pretreatment. Several interpretations can be derived from these results. One possibility is that MG formation is not a rate-limiting step in the biliary excretion of morphine. An alternate interpretation would be that PB pretreatment may have an inhibitory effect on the biliary excretion of morphine and MG that is unrelated to metabolism. Chloroquine pretreatment produced only a slight effect on the biliary excretion of morphine and no effect on the biliary excretion of administered MG. Using studies in vitro , we could not demonstrate that CQ induced an increase in MG formation.
Recursive node creation in back-propagation neural networks using orthogonal projection method

The authors present the derivations of a novel approach for recursive weight adaptation and node creation in multilayer perceptron neural networks. The method uses time and order update formulations in the orthogonal projection method to derive a recursive weight updating procedure for the training process of the neural network and a recursive node creation algorithm for weight adjustment of a layer with added nodes after the training process. The proposed approach allows optimal dynamic node creation in the sense that the mean-squared error is minimized for each new architecture. >
Biophysical Characterization of Human Protamine-1 as a Responsive CEST MR Contrast Agent

The protamines are a low-molecular-weight, arginine-rich family of nuclear proteins that protect chromosomal DNA in germ cells by packing it densely using electrostatic interactions. Human protamine-1 (hPRM1) has been developed as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) reporter gene, based on a sequence that is approximately 50% arginine, which has a side chain with rapidly exchanging protons. In this study, we have synthesized hPRM1 and determined how its CEST MRI contrast varies as a function of pH, phosphorylation state, and upon noncovalent interaction with nucleic acids and heparin (as antagonist). CEST contrast was found to be highly sensitive to phosphorylation on serine residues, intra- and intermolecular disulfide bridge formation, and the binding of negatively charged nucleotides and heparin. In addition, the nucleotide binding constants (Keq) for the protamines were determined through plotting the molar concentration of heparin versus CEST contrast and compared between hPRM1 and salmon protamine. Taken together, these findings are important for explaining the CEST contrast of existing arginine-rich probes as well as serving as a guideline for designing new genetic or synthetic probes.
Use of computed tomography in diagnosis of equine dental and sinonasal disease

ABSTRACT:Computed tomography (CT) is a form of ‘cross-sectional’ imaging. Techniques for a diverse range of equine orthopaedic and medical conditions, of both the head and distal limbs of adult horses and thorax and abdomen of foals, have been described over the last decade. Recently, a few referral centres have installed a new system capable of scanning the head under standing sedation. A CT scan enables precise evaluation of the teeth and their relationships to structures around them. As more CT scanners become available, these exquisite images may well become the gold standard of care in a number of equine diseases.
Integrating Geospatial Technologies in an Energy Unit

Abstract This article presents a design-based research study of the implementation of an energy unit developed for middle school students. The unit utilized Google Earth and a geographic information system (GIS) to support student understanding of the world's energy resources and foster their spatial thinking skills. Findings from the prototype study revealed that students increased their energy content knowledge, and the use of geospatial technologies to analyze data promoted students’ spatial thinking skills. Revision of instructional materials to support both teachers and learners and recommendations for designing and implementing geospatial learning materials are discussed.
Fine Particulate Matter Emissions Inventories: Comparisons of Emissions Estimates with Observations from Recent Field Programs

Abstract Emissions inventories of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were compared with estimates of emissions based on data emerging from U.S. Environment Protection Agency Particulate Matter Supersites and other field programs. Six source categories for PM2.5 emissions were reviewed: on-road mobile sources, nonroad mobile sources, cooking, biomass combustion, fugitive dust, and stationary sources. Ammonia emissions from all of the source categories were also examined. Regional emissions inventories of PM in the exhaust from on-road and nonroad sources were generally consistent with ambient observations, though uncertainties in some emission factors were twice as large as the emission factors. In contrast, emissions inventories of road dust were up to an order of magnitude larger than ambient observations, and estimated brake wear and tire dust emissions were half as large as ambient observations in urban areas. Although comprehensive nationwide emissions inventories of PM2.5 from cooking sources and biomas...
Achievement Motivation in Mexican-American Eighth Grade Students

120 eighth grade students of two ethnic groups in South Texas, Mexican-American and Anglo-American, were administered an instrument to assess their achievement motivation and a measure of socioecon...
Role of Massive Stars in the Evolution of Primitive Galaxies

An important factor controlling galaxy evolution is feedback from massive stars. It is believed that the nature and intensity of stellar feedback changes as a function of galaxy mass and metallicity. At low mass and metallicity, feedback from massive stars is mainly in the form of photoionizing radiation. At higher mass and metallicity, it is in stellar winds. IZw 18 is a local blue, compact dwarf galaxy that meets the requirements for a primitive galaxy: low halo mass greater than 10(exp 9)Msun, strong photoionizing radiation, no galactic outflow, and very low metallicity,log(O/H)+12=7.2. We will describe the properties of massive stars and their role in the evolution of IZw 18, based on analysis of ultraviolet images and spectra obtained with HST.
Measuring Accessibility for People with a Disability

This paper discusses some of the inherent problems associated with measuring accessibility for people on a landscape of surfaces, barriers, and travel modes. Along with this discussion we propose a new perspective for measuring accessibility with a focus on people with differing abilities. Even though our focus is on people with a physical disability, such an approach can be easily extended and is able to be generalized to other needs and differences. Traditional measurements of accessibility are flawed, as they fail to directly account for mobility and physical differences among people. They ignore structural barriers and individual mobility limitations that affect travel time, effort, and even successful completion. To make sense of this dilemma, we propose an accessibility measurement framework that includes measures of absolute access, gross access, closest assignment access, single and multiple activity access, probabilistic choice access, and relative access. Most of these measures of access have been proposed by others, but our framework attempts to codify an approach that helps to overcome weaknesses in using only the absolute access measurement currently used in ADA compliance. Such measures can be used to map accessibility as well as to help select the mitigation or renovation projects that yield the greatest increase in accessibility for people with disabilities. We argue that for many urban and building design problems providing absolute access for people with physical disabilities should be accompanied by the use of a relative access measurement, so that removing barriers can be done in the order that provides the greatest improvement in access for a given level of expenditure.
H.M.'s personal crossword puzzles: Understanding memory and language

The amnesic patient H.M. has been solving crossword puzzles nearly all his life. Here, we analysed the linguistic content of 277 of H.M.'s crossword-puzzle solutions. H.M. did not have any unusual difficulties with the orthographic and grammatical components inherent to the puzzles. He exhibited few spelling errors, responded with appropriate parts of speech, and provided answers that were, at times, more convincing to observers than those supplied by the answer keys. These results suggest that H.M.'s lexical word-retrieval skills remain fluid despite his profound anterograde amnesia. Once acquired, the maintenance of written language comprehension and production does not seem to require intact medial temporal lobe structures.
Determinants of Local Government Workforce Planning

This article evaluates the utilization of workforce planning by municipalities across the United States with data derived from a survey of local government human resource professionals. The research demonstrates that certain aspects of workforce planning such as assessments of employee retirement, long-term recruitment and retention, and training and development have been integrated into the human resource functions of several municipalities. The authors also find that local governments that recognize the importance of training and development, information management, managing diversity, unions, and council–manager forms of government are more progressive in their implementation of workforce planning initiatives. However, many local governments still fail to recognize the opportunities that comprehensive workforce planning presents in developing and achieving the strategic goals of their organizations and managing human capital, especially given the political and economic climates.
Phosphatase inhibition prevents the activity-dependent trafficking of GABAA receptors during status epilepticus in the young animal.

Summary Objectives To determine if the activity-dependent trafficking of γ2 subunit–containing γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABAARs) that has been observed in older animals and posited to contribute to benzodiazepine pharmacoresistance during status epilepticus (SE) is age-dependent, and to evaluate whether blockade of protein phosphatases can inhibit or reverse the activity-dependent plasticity of these receptors. Methods The efficacy and potency of diazepam 0.2–10 mg/kg administered 3 or 60 min after the onset of a lithium/pilocarpine-induced seizure in postnatal day 15–16 rats was evaluated using video–electroencephalography (EEG) recordings. The surface expression of γ2 subunit–containing GABAARs was assessed using a biotinylation assay, and GABAAR-mediated miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs) were recorded using whole-cell patch-clamp recording techniques from dentate granule cells in hippocampal slices acutely obtained 60 min after seizure onset (SE-treated). The effect of the protein phosphatase inhibitors FK506 and okadaic acid (OA) on the surface expression of these receptors was determined in organotypic slice cultures exposed to high potassium and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) or in SE-treated slices. Results Diazepam terminated seizures of 3 min but not 60 min duration, even at the highest dose. In the SE-treated slices, the surface expression of γ2 subunit–containing GABAARs was reduced and the amplitude of the mIPSCs was diminished. Inhibition of protein phosphatases prevented the activity-induced reduction of the γ2 subunit–containing GABAARs in organotypic slice cultures. Furthermore, treatment of SE-treated slices with FK506 or OA restored the surface expression of the γ2 subunit–containing GABAARs and the mIPSC amplitude. Significance This study demonstrates that the plasticity of γ2 subunit–containing GABAARs associated with the development of benzodiazepine resistance in young and adult animals is similar. The findings of this study suggest that the mechanisms regulating the activity-dependent trafficking of GABAARs during SE can be targeted to develop novel adjunctive therapy for the treatment of benzodiazepine-refractory SE.
Ribosome profiling reveals an important role for translational control in circadian gene expression

Physiological and behavioral circadian rhythms are driven by a conserved transcriptional/translational negative feedback loop in mammals. Although most core clock factors are transcription factors, post-transcriptional control introduces delays that are critical for circadian oscillations. Little work has been done on circadian regulation of translation, so to address this deficit we conducted ribosome profiling experiments in a human cell model for an autonomous clock. We found that most rhythmic gene expression occurs with little delay between transcription and translation, suggesting that the lag in the accumulation of some clock proteins relative to their mRNAs does not arise from regulated translation. Nevertheless, we found that translation occurs in a circadian fashion for many genes, sometimes imposing an additional level of control on rhythmically expressed mRNAs and, in other cases, conferring rhythms on noncycling mRNAs. Most cyclically transcribed RNAs are translated at one of two major times in a 24-h day, while rhythmic translation of most noncyclic RNAs is phased to a single time of day. Unexpectedly, we found that the clock also regulates the formation of cytoplasmic processing (P) bodies, which control the fate of mRNAs, suggesting circadian coordination of mRNA metabolism and translation.
DEVELOPING CUMULATIVE AND PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE THROUGH METATHEORIZING

A particular strategy for metatheorizing is proposed. This strategy is designed to produce better theory and is to be distinguished from alternative types of metatheorizing that do not generate testable proposi- tions. This strategy involves extracting the key processes, and their rela- tions, from existing theories in order to create analytical models that ex- press the dynamic processes contained in each theory. Then, these models are reconciled and used to produce abstract principles which, it is argued, can produce testable hypotheses guiding empirical research. This strategy is illustrated by an analysis of three theories of geopolitics. META-ANALYSIS AND OVER-REFLECTION I would hypothesize that the level of self-reflection in a scientific discipline is greatest at the extremes. Those sciences that have developed considerable cu- mulative knowledge are secure enough to examine themselves or, as is more often the case, let others look over their shoulder. Those sciences that have failed to develop cumulative knowledge are sufficiently anxious about their failings to ponder what went wrong. As a most immature science, sociology has become somewhat obsessive in its self-reflection. Indeed, thinking about ourselves has become a viable career path for many sociologists who devote their time and energy to "meta" analysis of the discipline as a whole (metasociology) or its theoretical corpus (metatheory). While this kind of reflection is, at times, useful and productive, it can also become a self-sustaining and self-escalating exercise with little payoff for the cumulation of knowledge. To state the matter in the extreme: the more we talk about ourselves and our theories, the more uncertain we become about what it is that we are supposed to do; and the more uncertain we are, the more we create academic markets for metasociologists and metatheorists. We are not as bad as some disciplines, such as social anthropology, which appear to have become so philosophical and relativistic that they now have little faith in the possibilities of social science. Within sociology, there are many who continue to seek theoretical cumulation, but there are growing numbers who appear con-
Development of thin layer polymers to concentrate and detect aquatic contaminants

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and a poly(DMS-styrene) block copolymer were compared as extraction and optical detection media for hydrophobic compounds in water and water/ethanol solutions. Partitioning to both polymers increased exponentially with increased percent water in ethanol. Partition coefficients to the copolymer were 10–30-fold higher than to PDMS. Ultraviolet absorbance spectra of pyrene showed a 4-nm red-shift in copolymer versus PDMS, providing evidence of π–π interactions, accounting for greater partitioning. The extinction coefficient coefficient of pyrene at 334 nm was twice as high in the copolymer as in PDMS. The combination of higher affinity for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with higher absorbance make poly(DMS-styrene) copolymers promising material for extraction and in situ detection of hydrophobic aromatic compounds in water. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Some covering concepts in graphs

Abstract A family of concepts involving maximum independent sets which have been under recent study are introduced. Interrelations among the concepts are pointed out and some recent relevant work is discussed.
Mechanism and kinetics of peptide partitioning into membranes from all-atom simulations of thermostable peptides.

Partitioning properties of transmembrane (TM) polypeptide segments directly determine membrane protein folding, stability, and function, and their understanding is vital for rational design of membrane active peptides. However, direct determination of water-to-bilayer transfer of TM peptides has proved difficult. Experimentally, sufficiently hydrophobic peptides tend to aggregate, while atomistic computer simulations at physiological temperatures cannot yet reach the long time scales required to capture partitioning. Elevating temperatures to accelerate the dynamics has been avoided, as this was thought to lead to rapid denaturing. However, we show here that model TM peptides (WALP) are exceptionally thermostable. Circular dichroism experiments reveal that the peptides remain inserted into the lipid bilayer and are fully helical, even at 90 °C. At these temperatures, sampling is ∼50−500 times faster, sufficient to directly simulate spontaneous partitioning at atomic resolution. A folded insertion pathway ...
How should you further evaluate an adult with a testicular mass

Perform a scrotal ultrasonography immediately to determine whether emergency surgery is necessary for patients with an exam or history that suggests testicular torsion or rupture (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, based on cohort trials of patient oriented outcomes). In less urgent cases, ultrasound is also useful for verifying diagnoses made by physical exam, and to exclude conditions such as neoplasm, for which further workup is indicated (SOR: C, based on expert opinion). In those cases in which ultrasound and clinical exam are inconclusive or confl icting, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide additional information to improve management and decrease unnecessary surgery (SOR: B, based on cohort trials of patient-oriented outcomes).
The effect of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon on the microstructure and compression properties of titanium foams

This paper presents the effect of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon concentration on the microstructure and properties of titanium foams produced with a powder metallurgy process. Oxygen and nitrogen reduce the ductility and increase the compression yield strength of CpTi foams. The effect of nitrogen appears to be similar to the effect of oxygen, a trend different from the ones reported in the literature for dense titanium in tension, where the effect of nitrogen is recognized to be significantly more important than the effect of oxygen. For carbon, the levels investigated were above the room temperature solubility limit of carbon in α-Ti and titanium carbides were observed in the microstructure. The volume fraction of carbides observed in the microstructure increased with carbon content. The effect of the carbides on the compression properties and ductility of the titanium foams is, however, small compared to the effect of oxygen and nitrogen.
The Temporal Distribution and Carbon Storage of Large Oak Wood in Streams and Floodplain Deposits

We used tree-ring dating and 14C dating to document the temporal distribution and carbon storage of oak (Quercus spp.) wood in trees recruited and buried by streams and floodplains in northern Missouri, USA. Frequency distributions indicated that oak wood has been accumulating in Midwest streams continually since at least the late Pleistocene, about 14,000 calibrated radiocarbon years before present (cal. BP). The median residence time of an oak bole in the study streams was 3,515 years (n = 200). More than 30% of sampled oak wood entered the floodplain sediments and stream waters within the last 1,000 years, though very few samples dated to the last 150 years. Temporal variability in the record of oak recruitment to streams suggests a potentially strong influence from shifts in climate and fluvial processes, although other possible influences are addressed. Recent human impacts on streams have altered the dynamics of oak input and sequestered carbon with unknown long-term consequences. The long duration of carbon storage (mean age = 1,960 years) in this waterlogged environment appears to be strongly limited by decreasing wood density resulting from reductions in cell wall thickness. Lack of evidence of biotic degradation may imply that wood loss is largely due to abiotic hydrolyses. These findings document a continuous and long-term form of carbon storage that is sensitive to changes in climate and anthropogenic alteration of fluvial processes.
Quantum critical dynamics of the two-dimensional Bose gas

The dilute, two-dimensional Bose gas exhibits a novel regime of relaxational dynamics in the regime k_B T > |\mu| where T is the absolute temperature and \mu is the chemical potential. This may also be interpreted as the quantum criticality of the zero density quantum critical point at \mu=0. We present a theory for this dynamics, to leading order in 1/\ln (\Lambda/ (k_B T)), where \Lambda is a high energy cutoff. Although pairwise interactions between the bosons are weak at low energy scales, the collective dynamics are strongly coupled even when \ln (\Lambda/T) is large. We argue that the strong-coupling effects can be isolated in an effective classical model, which is then solved numerically. Applications to experiments on the gap-closing transition of spin gap antiferromagnets in an applied field are presented.
Governance Structures in Cross-Boundary Information Sharing: Lessons from State and Local Criminal Justice Initiatives

Governments are increasingly using collaborative, cross-boundary strategies to face complex social problems. Many of these cross-boundary initiatives have at their core the use, and in many cases, the sharing of information and communication technologies. In fact, government managers and researchers alike are now recognizing the value and great opportunities offered by cross-boundary information sharing, in particular. Current research has identified important factors that affect these cross-boundary information sharing initiatives. Governance structures are among those factors found to be important in cross-boundary information sharing. However, there is little research about the determinants of an effective governance structure in these multi-organizational settings. Based on semi- structured interviews with participants in four state and local government criminal justice initiatives, this paper systematically identifies the determinants of governance structures for cross-boundary information sharing initiatives. By doing so, this study contributes to theory, but also supports the development of more specific guidelines for public managers and other individuals involved in cross- boundary information sharing.
Excretion of organic matter by marine phytoplankton: Do healthy cells do it?1

It is widely accepted that marine phytoplankton lose appreciable photoassimilated carbon into seawater as organic compounds; the phenomenon is usually referred to as excretion. Two lines of evidence for excretion are found in the literature: measurements in field studies of “organic 14C” in productivity experiments and the appearance of organic matter in laboratory culture filtrates. Laboratory experiments and a literature review lead to the suggestion that the evidence for excretion is marred by two procedural artifacts, inadequate assessment of control blanks in the 14C field measurements and the results of cultural shock in laboratory studies. Evidence of extensive excretion by phytoplankton is not good.
Training in academic radiation oncology in the U.S.: a report to the Inter Society Council for Radiation Oncology.

Abstract This paper will discuss the need for research oriented training of physician scientists in Radiation Oncology, possible training program structure and curricula, likely need for changes in accreditation of training programs and certification of trainees, potential sources of support for trainees and junior faculty, and a suggested plan of action.
The effect of adhesive surface chemistry and morphology on package cracking in tapeless lead-on-chip (LOC) packages

The increasingly severe demands of concurrently increasing die size, while reducing package size, have made the mechanical stability of novel tapeless lead-on-chip (LOC) packaging technologies a grave concern. The dominant issue is device failure, due to package cracking, caused by interfacial delamination between the adhesive-coated chip surface and the epoxy molding compound. To investigate the effect of adhesive surface morphology and chemistry on the epoxy molding compound, devices were fabricated with different types of adhesives. The samples were characterized with scanning acoustic tomography (SAT), X-ray photo emission spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), attenuated total reflection (ATR), peel tests, and various package-level reliability tests. The results of the characterization and an explanation of the primary factors affecting interfacial adhesion are presented in this paper.
Morphology in the contemporary landscape of systematics: learning from the trilobite

Fossils, Phylogeny, and Form: An Analytical Approach. Edited by Jonathan M. Adrain, Gregory D. Edgecombe, and Bruce S. Lieberman. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press, New York. 2001. 402 pages. Cloth $130.00. ### Morphological Characters and Contemporary Systematics Circumscribing morphological characters in contemporary systematics research, and doing this with efficiency on a large scale, is a topic of paramount importance to practicing systematists. The enormous infusion of data from the relatively young field of molecular systematics has transformed the entire landscape of systematics research because thousands of molecular sequence characters can be generated quickly, efficiently, and with little ambiguity. This facilitates the rapid growth of enormous molecular sequence data matrices. Although most morphological systematists employ modern methods of phylogenetic analysis, the mechanics of collecting morphological data (which present a variety of complex problems) have not been transformed to keep pace with the developments in molecular systematics. Morphological data remain difficult to collect, hard to convert to discrete characters, and poorly archived. There remains, for example, no morphological equivalent of GenBank, the public-access molecular sequence database that systematists use to deposit and retrieve raw data. Without equivalent infrastructural support, many morphological systematists find themselves recollecting data that have been published only as text descriptions and often publishing their own work without thoroughly documenting their characters through labeled illustrations. Morphological systematics thereby advances relatively slowly. That morphological data (and by this I mean any phenotypic character) should be included in phylogenetic analysis is not in serious dispute. The need to include such data is subsumed by arguments that more data are better than fewer data (Kluge 1989; Nixon and Carpenter 1996) when reconstructing phylogeny, and each year combined analyses of fossils, extant taxa, and molecular and phenotypic data appear. However, until morphological matrices can come to include the hundreds or thousands of characters necessary to describe an organism's phenotype, collected …
Interactions Between Phosphate Transport and Oxidative Metabolism in the Rabbit Proximal Tubule

In proximal renal tubules, inorganic phosphate is both a transported solute and a substrate for intracellular metabolism. While these two functions may involve separate pools of phosphate, it is more likely that there is some interaction between phosphate transport and the metabolic processes which use inorganic phosphate. Within the proximal tubular cell, several types of metabolic processes involve inorganic phosphate. Glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation utilize inorganic phosphate in the production of ATP. On the other hand, gluconeo-genesis and the sodium-potassium ATPase hydrolyze ATP to generate inorganic phosphate. Furthermore, the intracellular concentration of inorganic phosphate may contribute to the phosphorylation potential, i.e. [ATP]/[ADP]·[Pi], which regulates the rates of these metabolic processes.
The Aporias of Democracy: Grasping for the Shadows

(2011). The Aporias of Democracy. Administrative Theory & Praxis: Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 459-463.
Case Management in Health Care

Case management in health care currently is increasing as a result of intentions to lower or control health care costs and to facilitate client access to services. The author examines case management, identifies the issues that it raises for social workers, and discusses case management trends. Several strategic actions that social workers can take in response to this expanding form of health care delivery also are proposed.
Survival in Mesenchymal Chondrosarcoma Varies Based on Age and Tumor Location: A Survival Analysis of the SEER Database.

Background Studies suggest that mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is associated with a poorer prognosis and a higher proportion of extraskeletal tumors than conventional chondrosarcoma. However, these investigations have been small heterogeneous cohorts, limiting analysis of prognostic factors.
Disraeli on Jewish Disabilities: Another look

This paper examines a speech given by Benjamin Disraeli during the early debates on the Jewish Disabilities Bill. In light of Disraeli's previous successes in adapting his discourse to the House of Commons his “Jewish Disabilities” speech stands out as an anomaly. The author finds, however, that by examining the Judaic theses in Disraeli's literary works, it is possible to argue that Disraeli deliberately ignored the rhetorical goal of persuading his political cohorts. His speech, moreover, seems to function as a “display” of Disraeli's esoteric claims, assuming the role of the auditor as that of a passive observer.
Ethnic media as communities of practice: The cultural and institutional identities:

In an increasingly multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual media environment, ethnic media are an important part of the public sphere, and the process in which ethnic discourse is produced des...
Carbamazepine-Induced Skin Rash

Of 335 children who were treated with carbamazepine at the Department of Paediatrics, Toyama Medical University, Japan, 33 (10%) developed a skin rash.
Hybrid inorganic–organic proton exchange membranes containing 1H-1,2,3-triazole moieties

Abstract Hybrid inorganic–organic polymer electrolyte membranes (PEM) were synthesized from a combination of 1 H -1,2,3-triazole grafted alkoxy silanes, tetraethoxy silane (TEOS), polyethylene glycol (PEG) and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) or phosphoric acid. The resulting hybrid inorganic–organic proton exchange membranes were self-supporting and thermally stable up to 180 °C. Evaluation of proton conductivity as a function of temperature indicates that by using sol–gel chemistry, it is possible to achieve mechanically robust membranes having proton conductivity comparable to uncrosslinked, liquid-like 1 H -1,2,3-triazole functionalized polysiloxane homopolymer. Mechanical properties of these hybrid inorganic–organic membranes were investigated using nanoindentation.
New Horizons in Antifungal Therapy

Recent investigations have yielded both profound insights into the mechanisms required by pathogenic fungi for virulence within the human host, as well as novel potential targets for antifungal therapeutics. Some of these studies have resulted in the identification of novel compounds that act against these pathways and also demonstrate potent antifungal activity. However, considerable effort is required to move from pre-clinical compound testing to true clinical trials, a necessary step toward ultimately bringing new drugs to market. The rising incidence of invasive fungal infections mandates continued efforts to identify new strategies for antifungal therapy. Moreover, these life-threatening infections often occur in our most vulnerable patient populations. In addition to finding completely novel antifungal compounds, there is also a renewed effort to redirect existing drugs for use as antifungal agents. Several recent screens have identified potent antifungal activity in compounds previously indicated for other uses in humans. Together, the combined efforts of academic investigators and the pharmaceutical industry is resulting in exciting new possibilities for the treatment of invasive fungal infections.
Vision-guided humanoid footstep planning for dynamic environments

Despite the stable walking capabilities of modern biped humanoid robots, their ability to autonomously and safely navigate obstacle-filled, unpredictable environments has so far been limited. We present an approach to autonomous humanoid walking that combines vision-based sensing with a footstep planner, allowing the robot to navigate toward a desired goal position while avoiding obstacles. An environment map including the robot, goal, and obstacle locations is built in real-time from vision. The footstep planner then computes an optimal sequence of footstep locations within a time-limited planning horizon. Footstep plans are reused and only partially recomputed as the environment changes during the walking sequence. In our experiments, combining real-time vision with plan reuse has allowed a Honda ASIMO humanoid robot to autonomously traverse dynamic environments containing unpredictably moving obstacles
Anthracene Bioadsorption from Simulated Wastewater by Chemically-Treated Unripe Plantain Peel Bioadsorbent: Batch Kinetics and Isothermal Modeling Studies

ABSTRACTThe main purpose of this study was to investigate and evaluate the bioadsorption potential of a chemically-treated unripe plantain peel in the removal of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) from its wastewater using anthracene as a model contaminant. The effects of physical factors such as initial anthracene concentration, agitation time, and pH and bioadsorbent dosage on the anthracene removal process were investigated. Results showed that the bioadsorption process was physical factors dependent. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model gave the best correlation of the bioadsorption kinetic data (R2 > 0.998), whereas the bioadsorption mechanism was diffusion controlled. Both the Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm models gave the best fit to the batch experimental equilibrium bioadsorption data. The maximum monolayer bioadsorption capacity (Qmax ) was found to be 27.70 mg/g. The bioadsorption process suggests to be of dual nature, physisorption and chemisorption; however, the chemisorpt...
Is Profit Status of Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities Independently Associated With 30-Day Unplanned Hospital Readmission for Medicare Beneficiaries?

Abstract Objective To investigate the effects of facility-level factors on 30-day unplanned risk-adjusted hospital readmission after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs). Design Study using 100% Medicare claims data, covering 269,306 discharges from 1094 IRFs between October 2010 and September 2011. Setting IRFs with at least 30 discharges. Participants A total number of 1094 IRFs (N=269,306) serving Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Risk-standardized readmission rate (RSRR) for 30-day hospital readmission. Results Profit status was the only provider-level IRF characteristic significantly associated with unplanned readmissions. For-profit IRFs had a significantly higher RSRR (13.26±0.51) than did nonprofit IRFs (13.15±0.47) ( P P =.005 for both). Conclusions Our findings support the inclusion of profit status on the IRF Compare website (a platform including IRF comparators to indicate quality of services). For-profit IRFs had a higher RSRR than did nonprofit IRFs for Medicare beneficiaries. The South had a higher RSRR than did other regions. The RSRR difference between for-profit and nonprofit IRFs could be due to the combined effects of organizational and regional factors.
Memories of Raoul Bott

In 1973–74 I had the good fortune to be introduced to topology by Raoul Bott. Let me try to convey something of what that was like and how the experience has stayed with me over the last forty years. Twice a week we would take our seats in the classroom, and there he would be: standing tall in front of us with a piece of chalk in his hand and a bit of a twinkle in his eye. He had a commanding presence, but never a formidable one. Above all it was a presence: he was so much with us! His love of the subject was unmistakable. Not that he talked about the power and the glory and the beauty of mathematics: he simply talked about mathematics, and it was beautiful and glorious and powerful.
Macunaíma, um malandro alegórico

Pretende-se demonstrar, neste artigo, que Macunaima e um malandro. Para isso, e feita uma apresentacao de tal conceito, de acordo com a obra de Roberto DaMatta, Carnavais, malandros e herois , cotejando-o com as definicoes de renunciador e de caxias, igualmente apresentadas pelo antropologo. Extrai-se as caracteristicas essenciais do malandro e verifica-se se Macunaima as possui. Chega-se a uma resposta afirmativa, o que leva a conclusao de que o personagem marioandradiano e um malandro. Passa-se a um breve estudo da alegoria e a uma analise do carater alegorico de Macunaima, buscando-se compreender o que pretendeu o autor do classico modernista ao criar um protagonista que e uma alegoria de um trickster mitologico, qual seja, Makunaima. Ao final do artigo, espera-se que reste demonstrado que Macunaima nao e o ansiado heroi nacional, pois tal funcao redentora cabera a um renunciador, nao a um malandro, pelas razoes que serao apresentadas.
Alterations of Human Erythrocyte Membranes Due to Infection with Plasmodium Falciparum

Membranes of erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium falciparum develop protrusions called knobs. An 80,000 molecular weight protein, which is synthesized by the parasite, is correlated with the formation of knobs. Indirect experimental evidence has suggested homology between the knob protein and a peculiar histidine-rich protein that was previously characterized from Plasmodium lophurae. In addition to the knob protein, during schizogony a glycoprotein of parasite origin also becomes apparent on the membrane of infected erythrocytes.
Automatic Analysis of Color Fundus Photographs and Its Application to the Diagnosis of Diabetic Retinopathy

Medical image processing is the meeting of two sciences that behave in completely different ways. While medicine is a science where experience plays a majors role and where the practical use is evident, image processing—as a derivative of applied mathematics—is a more theoretical discipline. Hence, the conditions of this meeting need to be analyzed sophisticatedly; not everything possible to implement is useful, and not everything useful is possible to implement.
Genetic search for accurate feature sets

This abstract describes a feature selection system, INDiGENT. INDiGENT has been to designed to enhance knowledge based neural networks by genetically searching the set of input features for an optimum subset. This search is designed to enable INDiGENT to make more accurate classifications. Signifigantly, INDiGENT has shown that it can obtain similar increases in accuracy as more complicated theory revision systems. Expert systems have proven themselves effective decision makers for many types of problems. However, the accuracy of such systems is highly dependent upon the accuracy of the human expert’s domain theory. To escape this dependency, many machine learning systems have been developed to automatically refine and correct an expert’s domain theory. Classification systems rely heavily upon having the best (i.e., most relevant) set of input data. Many domains havie a vary input features. Therefore, choosing the appropriate set of inputs is critical to the performance of any expert system, and specifically in this case, to the creation of accurate neural networks. There are a number of systems which use neural network encodings to refine a variety of rule bases including finite state automata (Maclin & Shavlik 1993), certainty-factor rule bases (Mahoney 1996) and firstorder horn clause logic (Towell, Shavlik, & Noordewier 1990).
Using Case Work as a Pretest to Measure Crisis Leadership Preparedness

Today’s leaders must thrive in a world of turbulence and constant change. Unstable conditions frequently generate crises, emphasizing the need for crisis leadership preparedness, which is missing f...
Convective clouds

A new technique for rendering convective clouds is suggested. The technique uses two lattice-Boltzmann (LB) models, one for generating the spatial and temporal distribution of water density and the other for photon transport, that is, lighting the water density with correct anisotropic scattering. The common LB structure is easily mapped to parallel execution environments such as a GPU or multiple CPUs connected via the Message Passing Interface (MPI), thereby providing sub-minute execution times on commodity hardware.
Imaging of Abdominal Postoperative Complications

We present a case-based review of abdominal postoperative complications, organized by organ system affected, including wound/superficial, hepatobiliary, pancreatic, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and vascular complications. Both general complications and specific considerations for certain types of operations are described, as well as potential pitfalls that can be confused with complications. Representative cases are shown using all relevant imaging modalities, including CT, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, MRI, and nuclear medicine. Management options are also described, highlighting those that require radiologist input or intervention.