cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Feedback in a Digital Badge Learning Experience: Considering the Instructor’s Perspective

There is growing interest in how various technical tools can be used to leverage the instructional process for both teaching and learning. Digital badges are a visual representation of learning and skills. Digital badges have been used as a way to reduce gaps in knowledge (Bowen and Thomas Change, 46(1), 21-25, 2014; Guskey Journal of Advanced Academics, 19(1), 8–31, 2007), increase engagement (Abramovich et al. Educational Technology Research and Development, 61, 217–232, 2013; Glover and Latif 2013), and develop mastery in key concepts (Academic Medicine, 88(10), 1418–1423, 2013). One challenge for educators in using digital badge systems is in how to provide detailed and specific assessment and feedback to students. A potential solution is to pair digital badges with Mastery Learning strategies. In order to examine the types and ways in which instructors provide feedback, individual instructor case studies were developed. Each case was investigated and analyzed holistically as a single entity representing the distinct evaluation style of that instructor. The coding schema used a deductive process based on feedback and Mastery Learning research including the functions of feedback (e.g. task, cognitive, and functional validity information) (Balzer et al. Psychological Bulletin, 106(3), 410, 1989; Butler and Winne Review of Educational Research, 65(3), 245–281, 1995), principles of feedback (e.g. principles supporting self-regulated learning) (Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 199–218, 2006), framework of effective feedback (e.g. content, social and interpersonal negotiation, organization and management) (Yang and Carless Teaching in Higher Education, 18(3), 285–297, 2013), and essential elements of Mastery Learning (e.g. feedback, correctives, enrichment) (Guskey Journal of Advanced Academics, 19(1), 8–31, 2007). Instructors’ feedback fell within six categories: 1) Outcome Feedback; 2) Clarification; 3) Decreasing Gaps in Knowledge; 4) Motivation and Interaction; 5) Opportunities to Further Knowledge; 6) Promotes Overall Learning and Cognitive Development. Based on the results, specific categories of feedback are discussed.
Conceptions of Security in Global Environmental Discourses: Exploring the Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus

Given the crucial transformations environmental change brings to the structure of contemporary global politics and security, it is necessary to understand how emerging conceptions of environmental ...
Human Object Recognition: Appearance vs. Shape

In recent years, there has been a decided effort among many in the computer vision community to achieve object recognition by mapping images and regions of images directly onto basic-level object classes, such as chairs, cars, and cows (e.g., Serre et al. in Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 104:6424–6429, 2007; Ullman in Trends Cogn. Sci. 11:58–64, 2007; Oliva and Torralba in Prog. Brain Res. 155:23–36, 2006). In these efforts, termed “appearance based,” no attempt is made to make shape explicit or to distinguish shape from surface properties, such as color, texture, albedo, or direction of illumination. Whatever the success of such efforts in achieving classification into object categories, they do not appear to correspond well to either the behavior nor the neural coding evident in human and macaque object recognition. We will first consider a summary of the cortical stages mediating object recognition in humans and primates. We will then review research that indicates that the cortical loci critical for shape representation differs from those for the perception of surface properties, such as color and texture. Importantly, the tuning to shape can be largely engaged by a line drawing of the object. Last, we will consider the tuning properties of individual cells as well as fMRI cortical activity in those regions that do specify shape with respect to what do they tell us about how shape is represented. The extraordinary competence of humans to achieve object recognition can be largely understood as deriving from those properties.
Regulation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase gene expression by hypoxia. Role of nitric oxide in respiratory adaptation to low pO2.

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) catalyzes the formation of nitric oxide (NO) in mammalian cells. Three isoforms of NOS have been isolated that include inducible (i), endothelial (e) and neuronal (n) NOS. We have previously reported the distribution of nNOS in carotid bodies as well as in brain stem neurons that process peripheral chemoreceptor inputs (Prabhakar et al 1993, 1995a). Physiological studies have further shown that endogenous NO modulates the ventilatory response to hypoxia by acting both at peripheral chemoreceptors and central neurons. Chronic hypoxia is known to trigger expression of several genes including erythropoietin (Goldberg et al, 1988); tyrosine hydroxylase (Czyzyk-Krzeska et al, 1994), c-fos protoncogene (Prabhakar et al, 1995b). The objective of the present study is to examine whether chronic hypoxia also regulates nNOS gene expression, and if so to assess the role of NO in ventilatory adaptations to hypoxia.
An Analysis of Academic Performance of Working and Non-Working Students on Academic Probation at Northern Illinois University.

The relationship or effect, if any, of part-time employment to the academic performance of full-time, undergraduate students who are on academic pro­ bation at Northern Illinois University (NIU) is currently of considerable importance to the Committee on Student Employment and the Office of Student Financial Aids at that institution. The Committee on Student Employment is composed' of administrators, fac­ ulty, and students, and is directly responsible for establishing policy and regulations pertaining to on-campus employment for students. The Office of Student Financial Aids is responsible for implementation of policy and ad­ ministering the on-campus student employment program.
Tradeoffs in Depth and Breadth: The Development of a Church-Based Organizing Project in Detroit

In the past two decades theories of regionalism have inspired community organizers to build broader alliances, drawing in particular from diverse religious institutions. Yet building political constituencies for metropolitan equity is a slow process, in part because of the limitations of the very contexts that activists attempt to change. This research describes challenges for community organizing observed in archival research and during three years of participant observation and interviews in Detroit. Organizers, clergy, and lay participants chose a metropolitan-wide organizing strategy in response to their own experiences trying to change policy at the local level, and from consultation with regionalist scholars. The organization’s evolution led to tradeoffs between addressing structural sources of inequality and maintaining parochial engagement.
Baum's Textbook of Pulmonary Diseases, 7th Edition

Many years ago, longer than I may care to admit, I had to take my Board Exam in Pulmonary Medicine. I decided to prepare for the exam by reading a reference textbook cover-to-cover. Since Dr. Gerald Baum had been one of my favorite teachers while a medical student in Cleveland, I naturally felt inclined towards an earlier edition of Baum's Textbook of Pulmonary Medicine. It was a most fortunate decision, since not only did I pass the Board Exam, but I much enjoyed the concise yet comprehensive style of the textbook that help me fill several lacunae of knowledge left over from my years in training.
Packing of 70 S Ribosomes in dimers formed at low ionic strength. Images of an unusual ribosome projection.

Abstract A ribosome projection observed in 100 S dimers is shown to be orthogonal to the frequently observed “non-overlap projection”. This unusual projection argues in favor of the “exterior stalk” model for the 70 S ribosome.
Fiduciary Duties of Officers and Directors of Corporations Operating in the Vicinity of Insolvency

In a recent case, the Delaware Court of Chancery held that directors of corporations operating in the vicinity of insolvency owe a fiduciary duty "to the community of interest that sustain[s] the corporation, to . . . maximize the corporation's long-term wealth creating capacity." Most recently, another court has held that this duty can be affirmatively enforced by creditors. The quoted rule of law was the product of the application of the familiar conclusion that corporations that incur debt have incentives to overinvest, and that those incentives are exacerbated by financial distress. This paper examines the benefits that this developing rule of corporation law may provide, as well as economic harms that may result from its adoption. This paper first reviews recent empirical evidence, which suggests that the overinvestment by nearly insolvent firms, predicted by theory, occurs to only a modest extent. This paper then examines two undesirable aspects of the rule: that the time-horizon selected is one that can be modified by contract only with significant difficulty, whereas other time-horizons could be more easily modified by contract, and that the rule creates substantial, unwarranted risks of personal liability for directors of nearly insolvent firms. This paper concludes that the costs associated with these aspects of corporation law exceed the contemplated benefits.
Solar Total Irradiance: A Reference Value for Solar Minimum

Simultaneous solar total irradiance observations performed by absolute radiometers on board satellites during the quiet-Sun period between solar cycles 21 and 22 (1985–1987), are analyzed to determine the solar total irradiance at 1 AU for the solar minimum. During the quiet-Sun period the total solar irradiance, UV irradiance, and the various solar activity indices show very little fluctuation. However, the absolute value of the solar total irradiance derived from the observations differ within the accuracy of the radiometers used in the measurements. Therefore, the question often arises about a reference value of the solar total irradiance for use in climate models and for computation of geophysical, and atmospheric parameters. This research is conducted as a part of the Solar Electromagnetic Radiation Study for Solar Cycle 22 (SOLERS22). On the basis of the study we recommended a reference value of 1367.0 ± 0.04 W m-2 for the solar total irradiance at 1 AU for a truly quiet Sun. We also find that the total solar irradiance data for the quiet-Sun period reveals strong short-term irradiance variations.
The S2 Gene of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Is Dispensable for Viral Replication In Vitro

Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) contains the simplest genome among lentiviruses in that it encodes only three putative regulatory genes (S1, S2, S3) in addition to the canonical gag, pol, and env genes, presumably reflecting its limited tropism to cells of monocyte/macrophage lineage. Tat and Rev functions have been assigned to S1 and S3, respectively, but the specific function for the S2 gene has yet to be determined. Thus, the function of S2 in virus replication in vitro was investigated by using an infectious molecular viral clone, EIAVUK. Various EIAVUK mutants lacking S2 were constructed, and their replication kinetics were examined in several equine cell culture systems, including the natural in vivo target equine macrophage cells. The EIAV S2 mutants showed replication kinetics similar to those of the parental virus in all of the tested primary and transformed equine cell cultures, without any detectable reversion of mutant genomes. The EIAVUK mutants also showed replication kinetics similar to those of the parental virus in an equine blood monocyte differentiation-maturation system. These results demonstrate for the first time that the EIAV S2 gene is not essential and does not appear to affect virus infection and replication properties in target cells in vitro.
High‐Speed Streams, Coronal Mass Ejections, and Interplanetary Shocks: A Comparative Study of Geoeffectiveness

Corotating high-speed solar wind streams, coronal mass ejections, and interplanetary shocks are common causes of geomagnetic disturbances in Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere. This paper examines the geoeffectiveness of the different types of interplanetary structures. Several ionospheric electrodynamic parameters as well as geomagnetic indices are used to assess quantitatively the effectiveness of the various solar-driven interplanetary structures on the ionosphere and magnetosphere, including the polar-cap potential drop, Joule and auroral energy dissipation, and the AE and Dst indices. Epoch analysis is performed for three types of events associated with the different interplanetary structures, including 17 events of high-speed streams (HSSs), 18 events of shocks followed by complex ejecta, and 18 events of shocks followed by magnetic clouds. On average, the HSS events resembles a weak geomagnetic storm, with a minimum Dst value of -40 nT. The average behavior of the shock/ejecta and shock/cloud events displays the characteristics of a two-step main phase storm, showing the first Dst dip in the sheath region and the second Dst dip in the following cloud or ejecta. In addition to a positive excursion in Dst, solar wind dynamic pressure enhancement associated with interplanetary shocks also induces a prompt increase in ionospheric electric potentials, Joule heating, auroral precipitation, as well as the AE index. There are 8 superstorms with the minimum Dst < -250 nT amongst the events studied here. Four of them are caused by the sheath region and 4 by magnetic clouds and ejecta combined, making the sheath region as "geoeffective" as the cloud and ejecta in producing superstorms. The average ratio of the solar wind electromagnetic power as represented by the e parameter to the magnetospheric energy dissipation is 1.80 for the HSS events, 1.10 for the shock/ejecta events, and about 0.80 for the shock/cloud events. By comparison, the ratio of solar wind kinetic power to the magnetospheric energy dissipation is only around 0.05 for all types of events.
A novel triple reuptake inhibitor with rapid antidepressant properties identified by virtual screening (1144.1)

A continuing challenge in treating depression is therapeutic delay and resistance to available treatments. Hence, the growing interest in developing antidepressants (AD) with rapid onset (hours to days) and novel mechanisms of action. For example, the glutamatergic antagonist ketamine has rapid AD efficacy but is limited by poor bioavailability, short duration of effect, and potential for abuse. Here we report MI-4, identified through virtual screening targeting the human dopamine transporter, inhibited the human monoamine transporters of dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and serotonin (5-HT) in vitro. In vivo administration of MI-4 in mice induced robust, dose-dependent AD-like behaviors in acute models of learned helplessness (tail suspension test and forced swim test). Moreover, 21-day administration of MI-4 reduced drinking latency times comparable to fluoxetine in the novelty-induced hypophagia test, which requires chronic treatment to produce AD effects. Interestingly, like ketamine, MI-4 also exh...
GENETIC MODIFIERS OF STREPTOMYCIN RESISTANCE IN PNEUMOCOCCUS

Abstract Bryan, Betty E. (University of Rochester, Rochester, N. Y.). Genetic modifiers of streptomycin resistance in pneumococcus. J. Bacteriol. 82:461–470. 1961.—Streptomycin-resistant mutants arising spontaneously in pneumococcus vary widely with respect to the maximal concentrations of streptomycin which they resist. A small random sample of these mutations tested for linkage are allelic or closely linked. One single-step mutant resisting a relatively low level of streptomycin undergoes the following changes: (i) replacement (by a secondary mutation) of the original mutation by an allele conferring a high level of resistance; (ii) reversion to complete sensitivity by back mutation at the originally mutated site; (iii) enhancement by an unlinked modifier gene which confers no resistance by itself but raises the level of resistance of the mutant strain approximately 10-fold. This modifier may have some specificity in its action on the different mutations occurring at a gene locus. The possibility is discussed that multi-step resistance may often originate by acquisition of modifiers.
Compact CMOS circuits for high-speed continuous-time linear weighted voltage addition

Linear weighted addition is one of the basic operations in linear systems. A simple scheme for the weighted addition of voltage signals in CMOS technology is described here. The scheme is characterized by high bandwidth, high linearity, accurate gain and gain bandwidth products close to 1 GHz in 0.5 /spl mu/m CMOS technology. Experimental results are shown that verify functionality of the proposed approach.
Motivations for Self-Employment: The Case of Maori in New Zealand

This article adds to the knowledge of ethnic entrepreneurship by examining differences between Maori and non-Maori in New Zealand.
Laser printers as powerful tools for the scientific visualization of behavior

Laser printers are powerful tools for the scientific visualization of behavior. Because of their broad software support and their 300 dot per inch resolution, they are not only more cost-effective than plotters and cumulative recorders, but also capable of producing visualizations that would otherwise be impossible.
Alignment of multiple non-overlapping axially symmetric 3D datasets

An axially-symmetric surface is broken into disjoint pieces along a set of break-curves, i.e., the curves along which the surface locally breaks into two pieces. A subset of the pieces is available and for each of them we obtain noisy 3D measurements of its surface and break-curves. Using the piece measurements and knowledge of which pieces share a common break-curve, we propose a stochastic method for automatically estimating the unknown axially-symmetric global surface. Surface and break-curve estimation is then an alignment problem where we must estimate the unknown axially-symmetric surface and break-curves while simultaneously estimating the Euclidean transformation that positions each measured piece with respect to the a-priori unknown surface. Parameter estimation is implemented as maximum likelihood estimation where we seek the global pot geometry which best explains the measured fragment data. This new approach is robust, fast, and accurate. Experimental results are presented which solves an application of interest, specifically the reconstruction of archaeological pots from subsets of their surface pieces.
Relationships Between Laterality of Congenital Upper Limb Reduction Defects and School Performance

Eighty children (34 males, 46 females) with congenital upper limb reduction defects who attended a regional amputee clinic between 1956 and 1986 were classified as to whether they exhibited learning difficulties in school, as indicated by grade failure or by placement in learning disability classrooms. Children with right-sided defects were more likely to encounter learning difficulties than were children with left-sided defects (Chi-square = 6.8; df = 1; p < 0.01). Children with right-limb defects also were more likely than children with left-limb defects to experience reading problems (Chi-square = 5.9; df = 1; p < 0.05). These results suggest the need for neuropsychological and neurophysiological study of children with limb reduction defects.
Tests of the multiperiod two-parameter model

Abstract Although investors face multiperiod decision problems, there are conditions under which the results of the one-period two-parameter model apply period by period. In addition to the assumptions made in the development of the two-parameter model itself (a perfect capital market, investor risk aversion, and normal distributions of one-period portfolio returns), the critical assumption in a multiperiod context is that, for any t, returns on portfolio assets from t−1 to t are independent of stochastic elements of the state-of-the-world at time t that affect investor tastes for given levels of wealth to be obtained at t. One such element of the state-of-the-world is the nature of investment opportunities to be available at t. For example, if the level of expected returns on investment portfolios to be available at time t is uncertain at time t−1, and if the returns from t−1 to t on some investment assets are more strongly related to the level of expected returns at t than returns on other assets, then the former assets are better vehicles for hedging against the level of expected returns at t. This can affect the demands for assets and their prices in such a way that the simple results of the one-period two-parameter model do not hold. The empirical tests of this paper reveal no evidence of measurable relationships between the returns on portfolio assets from t−1 to t and the level of expected returns to be available at t. Indeed, in our opinion there is no reliable evidence that the level of expected returns changed during the 1953–1972 period.
Limit theorems for the square integral of Brownian motion and its increments

Abstract Strassen's functional law of the iterated logarithm can be used to prove limit results about Brownian motion, but the limiting constants are given implicitly in many cases. In this paper, we provide a probabilistic method that can give the limiting constants explicitly for the square integral of Brownian motion and its increments.
Weibull Variances and Confidence Limits by Maximum Likelihood for Singly Censored Data

This note presents a table of the large sample covariance matrix of the maximum likelihood (ML) estimates of parameters of a smallest extreme value distribution. The table can be used to obtain approximate large-sample confidence intervals when a Weibull (or smallest extreme value distribution) is fitted by ML to singly censored data. Use of the table is illustrated with such data on the life of locomotive controls.
Evolution of nanoparticle size and mixing state near the point of emission

Abstract This study examines the evolution of the size distribution and mixing state of soot and background particles near a point and line source of emission. This evolution occurs invariably at a spatial scale smaller than that of the grid scale of urban through global atmospheric models, and the evolved distribution is that which is properly the source distribution “emitted” into such models. A recent set of field data showed that, within minutes of emission, the soot particle size distribution evolved substantially, and it was hypothesized that Brownian coagulation was the main cause of the evolution. Here, it is found that Brownian coagulation, alone, may be insufficient to account for the observed rapid evolution of the size distribution. Enhancement of Brownian coagulation due to van der Waals forces offset by viscous forces and fractal geometry may account for a greater share of the evolution. These coagulation processes are represented together with aerosol emissions, nucleation, condensation, dissolution, hydration, and chemistry among 10 aerosol classes in a high-resolution three-dimensional numerical simulation. Dilution is found to be more important than coagulation at reducing the total number concentration of particles near the source of emission, but the relative importance of dilution versus coagulation varies with concentration. It is also found that heterocoagulation of emitted soot with background particles produces new mixtures in increasing concentration with increasing distance from the emission source. However, self-coagulation of emitted soot reduces particle number concentration by an order of magnitude more than does heterocoagulation of emitted soot with background particles in the first few minutes after emission. Heterocoagulation increases in relative importance as emitted particles age.
Abstract PR3: Considering alternate signaling mechanisms models in extrinsic apoptosis using programmatic modeling approaches

Experiments often result in observations that suggest conflicting biochemical mechanisms in signaling networks. Mathematical modeling of biological systems is a method used to probe such experimental observations and provide a consensus among seemingly discordant observations. However, probing multiple mechanistic hypotheses in biological modeling often involves the instantiation of complex systems of equations, which despite their usefulness, makes model revision, extension, and sharing extremely challenging. To address these modeling barriers, we have developed a modeling framework that brings a process-based approach to biological modeling. In our approach, biological models are written as programs that encode biological functions as needed. Our modeling framework, developed in the Python language, offers access to a large set of existing numerical and programming methods to biological systems modeling. Given our choice of programming language, the resulting models are easier to share, distribute, extend, and revise, adding transparency to the model-creation and execution process. We demonstrate our approach by exploring three competing mechanisms that describe the interactions among the Bcl-2 family of proteins and their contributions to mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization in extrinsic apoptosis. We used our modeling framework to systematically explore these three proposed mechanisms resulting in the instantiation of sixteen biochemical model topologies for numerical exploration. Our preliminary results, based on simulations calibrated to experimental data, suggest that the so-called indirect mechanism does not accurately reproduce experimental observations. Results from simulations suggest that the so-called embedded model more seems to better align with existing experimental data. Despite these observations, further topology- and numerical-based characterization of the model topology and parameter-space is being carried out to more accurately understand the role of these Bcl-2 proteins in apoptosis. We aim to formulate hypotheses, testable through experiments, about the interaction among these proteins and their role in Bcl-2 cancer biology. This proffered talk is also presented as Poster A9. Citation Format: Carlos F. Lopez, Jeremy L. Muhlich, John J. Bachman, Peter K. Sorger. Considering alternate signaling mechanisms models in extrinsic apoptosis using programmatic modeling approaches [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Chemical Systems Biology: Assembling and Interrogating Computational Models of the Cancer Cell by Chemical Perturbations; 2012 Jun 27-30; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(13 Suppl):Abstract nr PR3.
Laparoscopic evaluation in pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer continues to carry a poor overall prognosis. The majority of patients have advanced disease at the time of presentation. Dynamic, contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) has become the radiographic study of choice in the pre-operative staging of patients with pancreatic cancer. While it has been shown to be highly sensitive in determining unresectability of peri-ampullary tumors, the ability of CT to predict accurately which tumors can be safely resected is still limited. Laparoscopic staging of peri-ampullary tumors is superior to dynamic CT in visualizing small liver and peritoneal metastases. The addition of laparoscopic ultrasound during laparoscopic staging enhances the ability of laparoscopy to determine resectability of these tumors and approaches the accuracy of open exploration without increasing significant morbidity or mortality. Patients who are deemed unresectable at the time of laparoscopy can undergo palliative biliary and/or gastric bypass procedures laparoscopically and further minimize the morbidity of laparotomy. Semin. Surg. Oncol. 15:155–165, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A neural circuitry analysis of maternal behavior in the rat

This article reviews work that shows that the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus plays a crucial role in controlling the occurrence of maternal behavior in rats. A primary goal of this report is to fit the medial preoptic area into a larger neural circuitry, examining its critical inputs and outputs. Lesions of the medial preoptic area disrupt maternal behavior and estradiol and prolactin injections into this region activate maternal behavior. The medial amygdala, which is located in the limbic telencephalon, sends a neural projection to the preoptic region. Research indicates that this projection influences maternal behavior by relaying olfactory input to the medial preoptic area. The output of the preoptic area influences maternal behavior through descending projections to the brain stem. One of the influences of such projections might be to regulate neural circuits involved in controlling specific maternal responses, such as retrieval (carrying of pups) behavior.
Synthesis of hydrogen permselective silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, aluminum oxide, and boron oxide membranes from the chloride precursors

Hydrogen-permselective membranes were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition of SiO_2, TiO_2, Al_2O_3, and B_2O_3 layers within the pores of Vycor tubes. The deposition involved reaction of SiCl_4, etc., with water at 100-800 °C depending on the chloride and the reaction geometry. Permselective SiO_2 layers could be formed in either the one-sided or the two-sided (opposing reactants) geometry, while deposition of TiO_2 and Al_2O_3 layers was achieved only in the two-sided geometry. The permeation coefficients at 450 °C were 0.3 and 0.1 cm^3/(cm^2•min•atm) for SiO_2 membranes produced in the one-sided and two-sided geometries, respectively. The H_2:N_2 permeation ratios were 1000-5000. The TiO_2 and Al_2O_3 membranes had somewhat lower permeation coefficients and H_2:N_2 ratios. The membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron microprobe analysis (EMA). A reaction mechanism is suggested involving heterogeneous reactions of chloride and water molecules with hydroxyl and chloride groups in the growing deposit layer.
Intraseasonal Variability in MERRA Energy Fluxes over the Tropical Oceans

AbstractThis paper investigates intraseasonal variability as represented by the recent NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) reanalysis, the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA). The authors examine the behavior of heat, moisture, and radiative fluxes emphasizing their contribution to intraseasonal variations in heat and moisture balance integrated over the tropical oceans. MERRA successfully captures intraseasonal signals in both state variables and fluxes, though it depends heavily on the analysis increment update terms that constrain the reanalysis to be near the observations. Precipitation anomaly patterns evolve in close agreement with those from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) though locally MERRA may occasionally be smaller by up to 20%. As in the TRMM observations, tropical convection increases lead tropospheric warming by approximately 7 days. Radiative flux anomalies are dominated by cloud forcing and are found to replicate the top-...
Racial/Ethnic Variations in the Consequences of Religious Participation for Academic Achievement at Elite Colleges and Universities

Research has not investigated how much of the previously documented positive association between high school religious service attendance and college grades is mediated by campus religious group participation. Nor do we know whether campus religious group involvement is an important mediator for black and Hispanic students who experience grade-lowering stereotype threat at historically white institutions. Path analyses conducted on a racially diverse sample of students at 28 elite institutions indicate that religious group involvement in college mediates the positive relationship between high school service attendance and college grades for Hispanic and to some extent black students. For Asian and white students, high school service attendance is positively associated with grades net of religious group involvement on campus. Asians frequently attending high school services on average earn a grade-point average of 0.12 points above Asians who never attended, net of controls.
Electrosynthesis in hydroxide melts

Abstract The utility of the electrosynthesis method in hydroxide melts is discussed as one route to preparing high valent transition and main group metal oxides in single crystal form. The synthesis of a number of highly oxidized late transition and main group metal oxides, KBiO 3 , NaNiO 2 , Na 0.75 CoO 2 , Sr 1.75 Cu 3 O 5.13 , NaBa 2 Cu 3 O 5 , and Sr 3 NiPtO 6 , are described. Some general observations and trends seen in these systems are discussed and comparisons are made between electrolysis and the flux method for crystal growth.
Hierarchy of Breast Cancer Cells: Key to Reverse Dormancy for Therapeutic Intervention

An understanding of how cancer cells adapt dormancy would allow for targeted treatment. The current literature suggests that the cancer stem cells might be the major cells with the ability to become quiescent and to resist current drug treatment. The properties of cancer stem cells and healthy stem cells are functionally similar, thereby posing a challenge to target the dormant cells. The bone marrow is particularly a challenge because the dormant breast cancer cells are close to the endosteum, which is also home to the endogenous hematopoietic stem cells. Here we discuss how research studies could bring an understanding of the cellular and molecular interactions between the cancer stem cells and cells within the bone marrow microenvironment. This will allow for intervention to reverse dormancy for targeted treatment. The treatment will require studies within the normal organ functions to ensure treatment without toxicity.
The effect of growth pause on the composition of InGaP/GaAs Heterointerfaces

Abstract Molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) growth of InGaP/GaAs quantum-well structures requires switching of the arsenic and phosphorus molecular beams at each heterointerface. Using in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction and ex-situ X-ray diffraction, the effects of a growth pause on the interfacial abruptness and composition during gas-source MBE growth of InGaP/GaAs superlattices were determined. Under conditions of a smooth growth front, the InGaP-to-GaAs and GaAs-to-InGaP interfaces were found to contain well-defined, thin regions of altered growth-V composition. For long pause times, the growth front became rough and the superlattice exhibited random fluctuations in layer thickness.
The Fidelity Index provides a systematic quantitation of star activity of DNA restriction endonucleases

Restriction endonucleases are the basic tools of molecular biology. Many restriction endonucleases show relaxed sequence recognition, called star activity, as an inherent property under various digestion conditions including the optimal ones. To quantify this property we propose the concept of the Fidelity Index (FI), which is defined as the ratio of the maximum enzyme amount showing no star activity to the minimum amount needed for complete digestion at the cognate recognition site for any particular restriction endonuclease. Fidelity indices for a large number of restriction endonucleases are reported here. The effects of reaction vessel, reaction volume, incubation mode, substrate differences, reaction time, reaction temperature and additional glycerol, DMSO, ethanol and Mn(2+) on the FI are also investigated. The FI provides a practical guideline for the use of restriction endonucleases and defines a fundamental property by which restriction endonucleases can be characterized.
Mathematical studies of capillary-tissue exchange

A mathematical model of capillary-tissue exchange is presented and the method of solution of the resulting equations is described. The model includes the mutual interaction of fluid movement across the capillary wall and the convection and diffusion of a number of solutes. A variety of solutions for situations of physiological interest are obtained and discussed.
MEK Inhibitor–Induced Dusky Erythema: Characteristic Drug Hypersensitivity Manifestation in 3 Patients

Importance MEK inhibitors are being evaluated in clinical trials for treatment of different malignant neoplasms; trametinib dimethyl sulfoxide was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for melanoma in 2013. We present 3 cases of patients receiving MEK inhibitors who developed an atypical eruption. Observations Three patients who were receiving different MEK inhibitors (selumetinib, cobimetinib, and trametinib) developed an eruption, all associated with unique duskiness. Drug hypersensitivity was confirmed by histopathologic testing in 2 of the 3 cases. The skin eruption responded well to corticosteroids and did not recur when treatment with the MEK inhibitor was restarted in 2 of the patients. Conclusions and Relevance The typical skin reaction associated with MEK inhibitors is a papulopustular eruption. To our knowledge, the dusky erythema that occurred in the 3 patients described here has not previously been reported for this drug class.
Tunably-Oblivious Memory: Generalizing ORAM to Enable Privacy-Efficiency Tradeoffs

We consider the challenge of providing privacy-preserving access to data outsourced to an untrusted cloud provider. Even if data blocks are encrypted, access patterns may leak valuable information. Oblivious RAM (ORAM) protocols guarantee full access pattern privacy, but even the most efficient ORAMs to date require roughly L log2 N block transfers to satisfy an L-block query, for block store capacity N.We propose a generalized form of ORAM called Tunably-Oblivious Memory (lambda-TOM) that allows a query's public access pattern to assume any of lambda possible lengths. Increasing lambda yields improved efficiency at the cost of weaker privacy guarantees. 1-TOM protocols are as secure as ORAM.We also propose a novel, special-purpose TOM protocol called Staggered-Bin TOM (SBT), which efficiently handles large queries that are not cache-friendly. We also propose a read-only SBT variant called Multi-SBT that can satisfy such queries with only O(L + log N) block transfers in the best case, and only O(L log N) transfers in the worst case, while leaking only O(log log log N) bits of information per query. Our experiments show that for N = 2^24 blocks, Multi-SBT achieves practical bandwidth costs as low as 6X those of an unprotected protocol for large queries, while leaking at most 3 bits of information per query.
Fluorescence lifetime imaging of physiological free Cu(II) levels in live cells with a Cu(II)-selective carbonic anhydrase-based biosensor

Copper is a required trace element that plays key roles in a number of human enzymes, such that copper deficiency or genetic defects in copper transport lead to serious or fatal disease. Rae, et al., had famously predicted that free copper ion levels in the cell cytoplasm were extremely low, typically too low to be observable. We recently developed a variant of human apocarbonic anhydrase II for sensing metal ions that exhibits 25-fold better selectivity for Cu(II) over Zn(II) than the wild type protein, enabling us to accurately measure Cu(II) in the presence of ordinary cellular (picomolar) concentrations of free zinc. We inserted a fluorescent labeled Cu(II)-specific variant of human apocarbonic anhydrase into PC-12 cells and found that the levels are indeed extremely low (in the femtomolar range). We imaged the free Cu(II) levels in living cells by means of frequency-domain fluorescence lifetime microscopy. Implications of this finding are discussed.
The content of the General Social Survey discussion networks : an exploration of General Social Survey discussion name generator in a Chinese context

This study focuses on the discussion network name generator used in the 1985 General Social Survey (GSS). Based on the data from a Chinese survey, it explores the content of the discussion networks by examining the overlapping of names generated by the GSS discussion name generator and the exchange name generators. It finds that the GSS discussion question has generated a range of social ties, which accounts for an important part of a Chinese personal network. Specifically, the people with whom the Chinese respondents discussed important matters are also likely to spend leisure time with the respondents and to be the confidants for personal matters. Some of them are expected to offer substantial help or to possess important social resources; however, they are least involved in what are considered family affairs.
New potentials for Si2

Abstract The ab initio ground state 2 Σ g − of Si 2 + is studied at the Cl level. The ion is found to be bound by 2.48 eV and the state lies 7.0 eV above the ground state of the neutral dimer. Three model potential functions are fitted to the ab initio data and the pertaining parameters are reported.
The shared memory hypercube

Abstract We investigate the use of a hypercube packet switching network as a shared memory server for vector multiprocessors. Using the generalization of a high performance switch node introduced in an earlier paper, we develop a packet switched memory server capable of providing high bandwidth vector access to a shared memory. The network exhibits adaptive behavior, absorbing conflicts as a vector operation proceeds, and delivers full vector bandwidth to all processors simultaneously. In addition to its vector performance, the hypercube has another feature that makes it attractive as a shared memory server. The memory words are not equidistant from the processors. A hierarchy of distances occurs. By taking advantage of this one can provide segments of fast access memory within the global shared memory environment. This makes the shared memory hypercube very promising as a general purpose parallel computer.
Characterization and modeling of low temperature surface passivation for interdigitated back contact silicon hetero-junction solar cell

Low process temperature (&#60;300°C) surface passivation has been proposed for interdigitated back contact silicon hetero-junction (IBC-SHJ) solar cell. A quantitative knowledge of the interface properties of various passivation structures is essential to understand the device physics of IBC-SHJ solar cells, and thus to guide device design and process optimization. In this work, surface passivation of n-type crystalline silicon (c-Si) using the stack structure which consists of an intrinsic amorphous silicon (a-Si) layer capped by a silicon nitride (a-SiN x ) layer or by a doped a-Si layer was investigated. A positive fixed charge of ∼1011cm−2 was measured in a-SiN x film from high frequency capacitance-voltage characteristics of the metal-insulator-semiconductor device. Surface recombination velocity (SRV) measured as a function of injection level, was modeled to extract the interface properties via extended Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) formalism. The model analysis indicates that mid-gap interface defect levels range from 4.4×1010cm−2eV−1 to 2.4×1011cm−2eV−1 in the IBC-SHJ solar cell. 2D simulation of the IBC-SHJ solar cell further confirms the characterization and modeling of the interfaces developed in this work.
Sexual Fantasies and Sexual Satisfaction: An Empirical Analysis of Erotic Thought

This empirical investigation explored the meaning and/or function of sexual fantasizing for married women and whether any differences exist between married women who are: satisfied, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, or dissatisfied with their current sex life. From a structural‐functionalism perspective, a questionnaire was developed and pretested for this exploratory study of sexual fantasies. The questionnaire was subsequently administered to 212 married undergraduate and graduate female volunteers at a midwestern commuter university. Although many professionals have argued that engaging in sexual fantasies may be undesirable, our findings do not support that view. No statistically significant relationships were found between ever having experienced a sexual fantasy and satisfaction with current sex life nor between frequency of sexual fantasizing and satisfaction with current sex life. These results also strongly indicate that sexual fantasies help many married women to achieve sexual arousal and/or ...
The use of picture programs in teaching direct care staff

Direct care staff were taught via picture programs to transfer nonambulatory, severely mentally retarded men between their beds and wheelchairs. Still color photographs illustrated essential details of the complex behavior sequences. Staff transferring performance improved markedly over that shown on a pretest. Study guide questions increased the effectiveness of the programs, perhaps because the questions encouraged accurate observation of the pictures. The procedures may suggest cost effective alternatives to traditional forms of inservice training.
Egoism, Parochialism, and Universalism: Experimental Evidence from the Layered Prisoners' Dilemma

In the standard n-Prisoners' Dilemma (nPD), defection is generally interpreted as evidence of egoistic or self-interested motives. Cooperation, however, is compatible with (at least) two motives: universalism, a generalized norm that one should restrain one's selfish impulses to benefit humanity, and parochialism, the norm that one owes cooperation to one's “solidarity group.” In contrast to research supporting the parochial explanation of cooperation, this article presents experimental evidence in support of what is called here “discriminating universalism.” Groups of interacting individuals will restrain their parochial tendencies if they perceive the outgroup affected by their choices as worthy of their help. The findings suggest that, for a group of interacting individuals, neither general normative appeals nor individually based material incentives will mitigate parochial choices. Instead, strategies to limit parochialism must directly confront the comparative worthiness of specific groups.
TIPs Are Tension-Responsive Proteins Involved in Myogenic versus Adipogenic Differentiation

Stretch induces lung embryonic mesenchymal cells to follow a myogenic pathway. Using this system we identified a set of stretch-responsive factors, which we referred to as TIPs (tension-induced/inhibited proteins). TIPs displayed signature motifs characteristic of nuclear receptor coregulators and chromatin remodeling enzymes. A genomic BLAST search suggested that the three TIPs identified were isoforms originated by alternative splicing from a single gene. Functional studies revealed that TIP-1 and TIP-3 were involved in the cell's selection of the myogenic or the adipogenic pathway. TIP-1, induced by stretch, promoted myogenesis, while TIP-3, inhibited by stretch, stimulated adipogenesis. The selection involved TIP-mediated chromatin remodeling via a histone acetylation process and depended on TIP-1 and TIP-3 nuclear receptor binding boxes (NRBs). This study, therefore, suggests a new developmental mechanism linking the presence or absence of tension with divergent differentiation pathways.
Corporate moral agency: A case from literature

I analyze a well-known and moving passage from John Steinbeck's novelThe Grapes of Wrath. This passage provides an excellent illustration of one of the central questions about corporate moral agency: Is corporate moral agency anything over and above the agency of individual human beings? The passage in question is a debate about whether or not the actions of a particular company are anything over and above the actions of individual human beings.