cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The New Left and Health Care Reform in El Salvador

After a decade of civil war and four consecutive conservative administrations, El Salvador's leftist FMLN won its first presidential election in 2009. How has public policy changed under this New Left government, and why? This article addresses the question in the area of public health care. An alliance of health sector leaders with both technocratic and diplomatic abilities capitalized on the policy window opened by the FMLN's electoral victory and worked within the parameters set by President Mauricio Funes, the FMLN, and civil society to universalize health care. The new minister of health, a professional highly esteemed inside and outside the country, was able to engage both a large social movement protesting neoliberal policy and an energetic health diplomat sent by the Pan American Health Organization. In designing its reform, this alliance benefited from international as well as “bottom-up” policy diffusion.
Internet use and human values

We use Schwartz's model to explore the impact of values on individual internet use.Study 1 uses 49 developed and emerging nations based on World Value Survey data.Study 2 uses 8 nations developed and emerging based on European Social Survey data.From Study 1 Schwartz-like value types are significant on Internet use in both groups.Study 2: tradition and security are most relevant and different impact in each group. In this study, we use Schwartz's value framework to explore the impact of values on internet use at an individual level. This approach differs from many of the previous studies that report on national level analyses. The gap in the literature arising from the absence of Schwartz's value types in information and communication technologies (ICT) studies calls for investigation of the impact of individual values on ICT use at the individual level. For study 1, we use the set of developing and developed nations, based on World Values Survey data. For study 2, we use eight nations grouped into two economic/cultural clusters (developed and developing) based on the data from the European Social Survey. Study 1 findings indicate that 4 out of 8, 6 out of 8 and 7 out of 8 Schwartz-like human value types are significant for Internet use for developed, developing and all nations respectively, with robust effect sizes. The study 2 findings indicate that for developed nations, Schwartz value types such as conformity, tradition, security, and power are relevant in at least two or more out of the four nations. In the case of the developing nations, achievement, stimulation, self-direction, tradition and security are relevant in at least two or more out of four nations. Tradition and security are the two value types that are most relevant in both groups of nations. These results indicate that value types have different as well as similar impacts in developed and developing nations. Similarities and differences also exist within developed and developing nations. The results show that value types in general and Schwartz's value types in particular, are useful in explaining Internet use. The implications of these findings are discussed and future studies suggested.
Deriving Relative Weights from Ratio Comparisons

As it was mentioned in Chapter 3, an important issue in MCDM methods is to be able to determine the relative weights of importance of a collection of entities (such as the alternatives to be studied in terms of a single decision criterion). This task is similar and closely related to the problem of determining the degree of membership of the elements of a fuzzy set. Usually, such values are between 0 and 1 and they add up to 1. Such weights of degrees of membership are supposed to be a good model of the way people perceive categories [Dubois and Prade, 1980]. Often, the most representative members in the set are assigned to the value of 1 and non-members to the value of 0. Then, the main problem is to determine the degree of membership (i.e., a number between 0 and 1) of the between members. Psychologists [Lakoff, 1973] have found that people can easily identify representative members in a fuzzy set, while they have difficulties in identifying the other members. The importance of evaluating the membership degrees in applications of fuzzy set theory in engineering and scientific fields is best illustrated in the more than 1,800 references given in [Gupta, et al., 1979] (see also Chapter 12 for discussions on some related problems).
Tax Policy and House Price Dynamics

In this paper I examine the determinants of the user cost of housing, including house price inflation expectations and tax policy. I derive estimates of the user cost of housing for several U.S. metropolitan areas over the period 1995-2008 and I decompose those estimates into user cost component elasticities. In general, I find that the user cost tax elasticities are relatively small while the expected house price inflation elasticity is substantially larger and therefore plays a greater role in affecting housing market demand.
Molecular subtyping and improved treatment of neurodevelopmental disease

The next-generation sequencing revolution has substantially increased our understanding of the mutated genes that underlie complex neurodevelopmental disease. Exome sequencing has enabled us to estimate the number of genes involved in the etiology of neurodevelopmental disease, whereas targeted sequencing approaches have provided the means for quick and cost-effective sequencing of thousands of patient samples to assess the significance of individual genes. By leveraging such technologies and clinical exome sequencing, a genotype-first approach has emerged in which patients with a common genotype are first identified and then clinically reassessed as a group. This approach has proven a powerful methodology for refining disease subtypes. We propose that the molecular characterization of these genetic subtypes has important implications for diagnostics and also for future drug development. Classifying patients into subgroups with a common genetic etiology and applying treatments tailored to the specific molecular defect they carry is likely to improve management of neurodevelopmental disease in the future.
Advanced ACTPol Multichroic Polarimeter Array Fabrication Process for 150 mm Wafers

Advanced ACTPol (AdvACT) is a third-generation cosmic microwave background receiver to be deployed in 2016 on the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT). Spanning five frequency bands from 25 to 280 GHz and having just over 5600 transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers, this receiver will exhibit increased sensitivity and mapping speed compared to previously fielded ACT instruments. This paper presents the fabrication processes developed by NIST to scale to large arrays of feedhorn-coupled multichroic AlMn-based TES polarimeters on 150-mm diameter wafers. In addition to describing the streamlined fabrication process which enables high yields of densely packed detectors across larger wafers, we report the details of process improvements for sensor (AlMn) and insulator (SiN(sub x)) materials and microwave structures, and the resulting performance improvements.
Sex Pheromones of Noetuid Moths. XXV. Effects of Temperature and Photoperiod on Circadian Rhythms of Sex Pheromone Release by Females of Trichoplusia ni

The nightly time of mating among adults of Trichoplusia ni (Hubner), the cabbage looper moth, appears to be regulated by an endogenous circadian rhythm of females pheromone release. The results of variable photoperiod experiments indicate that this rhythm may be reentrained at the initiation of the light period each day. The mean time of sex pheromone release is advanced at cool temperatures, occurring earlier in the dark period than it does at moderate or warm temperatures. Warm day :cool night conditions result in a time-of-pheromone-release curve which approximates a time-of-mating curve obtained from caged moths held under field conditions.
Formation in a Mycobacterium of an adaptive enzyme for oxidation of phloroglucinol.

SummaryThe rate of formation of the enzyme which oxidizes phloroglucinol is not affected by factors which alter the rate of formation of the enzymes which oxidize benzoic acid and inoistiol. Some of the characteristics of the phloroglucinol oxidation are described.
Determination of tilmicosin in bovine milk by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection.

A method is described for determining tilmicosin in bovine milk by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet (UV) detection. Samples are defatted by centrifugation. The lower skim layer Is cleaned on a C 18 solid-phase extraction cartridge. The extract Is concentrated and analyzed with a reversed-phase phenyl column with UV detection at 280 nm. The method was validated with control milk fortified at 50, 100, and 200 ng/mL. Average recoveries (and intralaboratory coefficients of variation) were 97% (9%), 98% (5%), and 101% (3%), respectively. The limit of quantitation is approximately 20 ng/mL, and the limit of detection is approximately 13 ng/mL. The method was tested on milk from a cow dosed with tilmicosin.
Transdisciplinary and Powerful Learning

Powerful social studies for peace engages students in all aspects of life. Transdiciplinarity combines different forms of knowledge through inquiry across disciplines and cultures. It is distinct from interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary work in that it enables new areas of specialization, like peace studies, gender studies and multicultural education. The National Council for the Social Studies in the USA described powerful teaching and learning as outcomes of: integrative, meaningful, value-based, challenging, and active instruction. Visioning about the near and far future enhances powerful social studies by orienting students toward a future without harm as a response to conflict.
Threats to the International Trade Regime: Economic and Legal Challenges Arising from Anti-Offshoring Measures Across the Globe

The stability and growth of the international trade regime is threatened by the emergence and proliferation of anti-offshoring measures by governments worldwide. The business practice of offshoring transfers domestic production of goods and services abroad as a means of achieving optimal use of a firm’s resources and capitalizing on comparative advantage. While companies have relocated manufacturing activities for centuries, the emergence and growth of services offshoring in recent decades has not only contributed significantly to greater global economic growth and prosperity, but also ignited a fluctuating frenzy of protectionist fears and measures at national and sub-national levels against offshoring that continues to the present day. Such a backlash is based on concerns that offshoring results in domestic job losses, wage reduction and inequality, and disruption of business innovation and productivity. This motivates examination of the legitimacy of these perceptions and the legality of governmental actions in the offshoring arena, as such measures undercut and potentially violate the commitments made by nations to the World Trade Organization and various other trade agreements. In the United States, the majority of state governments have proposed anti-offshoring bills, several of which have been enacted. The US Constitution empowers the federal government with exclusive authority over the areas of interstate commerce, foreign affairs and foreign trade. All these constitutional principles are arguably violated when state governments enact anti-offshoring legislation. The US experience is not singular, as similar policies are being considered and/or implemented in other nations or nation-groups. In particular, the European Union (EU) and a host of other countries have adopted discriminatory measures relating to personal data protection that place foreign service suppliers at a disadvantage compared to their domestic counterparts. These countries and the EU are strong proponents of free trade and have signed onto a variety of trade agreements. Adherence to these commitments means accepting that free trade is a two-way street, and comes with benefits and constraints. Furthermore, countries must look beyond restrictive approaches to embrace a combination of pro-business policies that promote labor market flexibility and investment as well as employment security initiatives around worker retraining and mobility to resolve the short-term distributional effects of globalization. These issues are analyzed with respect to the current situation.
The Ethics of Accounting Faculty Mobility at Undergraduate Universities: A Comment on Smith

This paper comments on an article by Sheldon Smith, who discussed the ethical issues facing doctorally qualified accounting faculty members who are employed by small, undergraduate teaching schools but who also wish to develop vitae that will allow for future mobility. The present article goes beyond the issues Smith raises to include a discussion of the relevance of the PhD degree at teaching institutions and the relevance of research as a measure of competence.
Economics of Multiple Forest Values and Life Cycle Analysis

As climate mitigation efforts transform the value of carbon with institutions creating incentives as well as regulating markets, avoiding unintended consequences becomes challenging. Life Cycle Inventory and Analysis (LCI/LCA) research tracks carbon and other services from the forest to products including displacement of fossil emissions when wood substitutes for fossil fuels or fossil intensive products. Incentives that do not target uses that displace the most emissions will likely steal the feedstock from less effective uses, increasing rather than decreasing emissions. We apply life cycle research to identify leverage points in reducing carbon emissions and their impact on old forest habitat as the ecosystem value most likely threatened by carbon mitigation incentives. Ethanol subsidies, forest carbon credits, and renewable energy standards steal the feedstock from higher leverage uses, while a carbon tax effectively penalizes the largest emitters. Either carbon taxes or incentives will affect the cost of sustaining critical habitat. Institutions need to consider life cycle implications to sustain forests and their multiple values. While a carbon tax provides the proper price signal with the highest reward for the greatest carbon emission reduction, increasing habitat values may be justified to support the production, maintenance and restoration of important habitat.
Effectiveness of Polymer Composite-Induced Passive Radiation Cooling in Thermal Management of LED Emitters and Modules: Impact on Hotspot Elimination

Effectiveness of polymer composite-induced passive radiation cooling in thermal management of LED emitters and modules is elucidated by numerical simulations coupled with key experimental observations. Specifically, various polymer-filler composites coated on the board of LED emitters and modules are investigated for their effectiveness in reducing the board as well as junction temperature. It is demonstrated that a maximum temperature drop of 11 °C can be achieved for the single chip-on-board LED emitter with 10-W input power. Moreover, for the linear LED module, a reduction of 14.53 °C is observed in the peak junction temperature of LED emitters with 1-W input power in the light bar. The polymer composite coating is also demonstrated to significantly boost the uniformity of temperature distribution and to reduce the risk of hotspot. Some of the key simulation results are further examined to be consistent with analytical modeling. Significant implications of the present polymer composite-induced passive radiation cooling results to the challenging thermal design of electronic devices with limited space are also discussed.
Thermo-element geometry optimization for high thermoelectric efficiency

Abstract The figure of merit of thermoelectric materials is temperature dependent, and thus the local compatibility factor changes significantly along the thermo-element length. A local optimization method to maximize the efficiency of a function graded thermoelectric generator was proposed and discussed in this paper. By adjusting the cross-sectional area and segment's thickness, the reduced current equaled the compatibility factor of the material at every local thermo-element layer. This method can use the full potential of existing materials by maximizing the efficiency at every local thermo-element segment. For such a TEG working in a temperature range of 300–1100 K, the efficiencies of P-type segmented Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3/BiSbTe/-PbTe/FeNbSb thermo-element and a N-type segmented Bi2Te2.79Se0.21/Bi2Te2.9Se1.1/SnSe/SiGe thermo-element were 25.70% and 21.73%, respectively, much higher than the conventional segmented thermo-elements. The overall efficiency of the device was more than 23.72%, making it a promising technology to harvest energy from medium and high-temperature industrial components. The optimized TEG can be fabricated by SLS/SLM technology.
When I saw me standing there: first-person and third-person memories and future projections, and how they relate to the self

We studied visual perspective of three autobiographical memories and three projected future events (i.e. whether the events were experienced from a first-person or third-person perspective, or in b...
An evaluation of a college campus emergency preparedness intervention

Abstract Introduction Given the range of emergencies that beset postsecondary institutions, university administrators must take a multimodal approach to prepare campus stakeholders for safety threats. One such strategy is emergency preparedness communication. Methods In the present investigation, we tested the efficacy of a professionally produced video that uses the federally endorsed slogan, Run-Hide-Fight(r). Undergraduate students participated in a quasi-experiment with a pretest-posttest-delayed posttest control group design. Results Using the theory of planned behavior as our guiding framework, we found that video exposure increased attitudes, perceived norms, perceived behavioral control, intentions, as well as knowledge of recommended behavioral responses. Favorable attitudes and injunctive norms positively predicted intentions at the initial and delayed posttests. Importantly, the video's effects on most of the outcomes endured two weeks after video exposure. Conclusions A brief emergency preparedness video using the Run-Hide-Fight(r) theme can have immediate and lingering effects on psychosocial predictors of appropriate emergency response behaviors. Practical Applications Administrators at higher education institutions should consider showing emergency preparedness messages to increase the likelihood that stakeholders will take appropriate action in case of a campus threat. In particular, these messages should aim to promote favorable attitudes toward appropriate response behaviors and instill beliefs that appropriate responses ought to be performed.
The Asymmetrical Effects of Economic Development on Consumption-based and Production-based Carbon Dioxide Emissions, 1990 to 2014:

The authors examine the potentially asymmetrical relationship between economic development and consumption-based and production-based CO2 emissions. They decompose economic development into economi...
Dichroism-sensitive photoacoustic computed tomography.

Photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT), a fast-developing modality for deep tissue imaging, images the spatial distribution of optical absorption. PACT usually treats the absorption coefficient as a scalar. However, the absorption coefficients of many biological tissues exhibit an anisotropic property, known as dichroism or diattenuation, which depends on molecular conformation and structural alignment. Here, we present a novel imaging method called dichroism-sensitive PACT (DS-PACT), which measures both the amplitude of tissue’s dichroism and the orientation of the optic axis of uniaxial dichroic tissue. By modulating the polarization of linearly polarized light and measuring the alternating signals through lock-in detection, DS-PACT can boost dichroic signals from biological tissues. To validate the proposed approach, we experimentally demonstrated the performance of DS-PACT by imaging plastic polarizers and ex vivo bovine tendons deep inside scattering media. We successfully detected the orientation of the optic axis of uniaxial dichroic materials, even at a depth of 4.5 transport mean free paths. We anticipate that the proposed method will extend the capability of PACT to imaging tissue absorption anisotropy.
The Essential Role of Theory in the Science of Treating Children: Beyond Empirically Supported Treatments

Abstract The central tenet of this article is that theory plays an essential role in the development and evaluation of interventions for children's psychosocial problems. Recent efforts to identify efficacious treatments have paid insufficient attention to the role of psychological theory in intervention development, evaluation, and application. Six principles of developmental psychopathology (defined as a broad framework that incorporates diverse theoretical principles and orientations) are applied to the development, evaluation, and application of interventions for the prevention and treatment of dysfunction in children and adolescents. Specific benefits of incorporating theoretical and empirical findings from developmental psychopathology in school consultation research and practice are delineated. A view of empiricism as equivalent to science and a distrust of theory as a basis for intervention research and practice will hinder the development of a science of treating children.
Linear and Nonlinear Propagation of Short Light Pulses

Over the pat decades techniques for the production and manipulation of short optical pulses have progressed at an accelerated rate, reducing the time interval accessible to measurements from the millisecond in ∼1949 to the femtosecond regime in ∼1985. In particular, in the last ten years, major developments have included versatile and stable laser sources with wide spectral coverage, and new methods for shaping and controlling light pulses. This contribution presents some of the background necessary for the treatment of the subject of the book, by considering the basic physical principles and phenomena.
Monitoring Crop Growth in the Us Corn Belt with SMOS Level 2 Tau

The European Space Agency's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite has recently been shown to measure variables containing information relevant to agronomists. SMOS was initially intended to monitor the water content of soil. However, a combination of SMOS's antenna technology and data processing algorithms make it possible to estimate the mass of water contained in vegetation tissue. Recent work by Hornbuckle et al. shows this new variable Τ roughly mirrors the growth and senescence of crops [1]. In this paper we analyze SMOS data from an intensively cultivated agricultural region in the Midweset to provide new information about crop phenology. In addition to modeling the seasonal pattern of crop growth, we estimate the day of the year when Τ reaches its peak. Because SMOS has a fine temporal resolution, the ability to model Τ during a growing season could be useful to understanding changes in crop development, climate conditions, as well as forecasting future growth cycles.
Local and Systemic Metabolic Responses during Light-Induced Rapid Systemic Signaling

Plants evolved multiple signaling pathways that transduce light-related signals between leaves. These are thought to improve light stress acclimation in a process termed systemic acquired acclimation. Although responses to light stress have been studied extensively in local leaves, and to a lesser degree in systemic leaves, little is known about the responses that occur in the different tissues that connect the local to the systemic leaves. These could be important in defining the specificity of the systemic response as well as in supporting the generation of different systemic signals. Here, we report that local application of light stress to one rosette leaf of bolting Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants resulted in a metabolic response that encompassed local, systemic and transport tissues (stem tissues that connect the local to the systemic tissues), demonstrating a high degree of physical and metabolic continuity between different tissues throughout the plant. Our results further indicate that the response of many of the systemically altered metabolites is associated with the function of the reactive oxygen species wave and that the levels of eight different metabolites are altered in a similar manner in all tissues tested (local, systemic, and transport). These compounds could define a core metabolic signature for light stress that propagates from the local to the systemic leaves. Our findings suggest that metabolic changes occurring in cells that connect the local and systemic tissues play an important role in systemic acquired acclimation and could convey specificity to the rapid systemic response of plants to light stress.
Measuring the Economic Impact of Pennsylvania Youth in Transition: Linking Information from Education, Training, and Social Programs to Unemployment Insurance Records

Measuring employment status, wages, geographic and wage mobility, and education and training program impacts in youth labor markets is difficult. Locating and maintaining contact with youth for measurement is problematic. Geographic mobility and the difficulty and expense of survey–based approaches to collecting school participation and labor market information from youth are plagued by non–response as well as response errors and biases. Described in this report are opportunities for using Unemployment Insurance (UI) administrative records to solve the difficult problem of collecting information about the labor market experiences of youth in transition from school to work.Administrative records from the UI program provide microdata about a state’s employers and employees. Self–employed individuals, military personnel, federal government employees, railroad employees, and independent contractors are excluded from these data and are not part of the UI system. Employers provide a Quarterly Contribution Report for each month of every quarter that contains a summary of the number of employees, total wages paid to these employees, and contributions made to the UI system at a worksite. Employers also provide a separate document, called a wage record report, that contains information about individual employees. Listed in the wage record report are each employee’s name, social security number, and wages for the quarter. The social security number is a major linking identifier.Beyond the primary administrative uses of these data for the UI program, the linked records can constitute an important resource for labor market researchers. Aided by improved information technology and by procedures for protecting the confidentiality of employers and employees, linked wage records are being mined by researchers to, for example, document training successes, examine job retention rates, explore wages of new hires, and follow the geographic mobility of workers.Pennsylvania makes limited use of UI data for labor market research. In general, though, using these data to conduct research on the labor force dynamics of Pennsylvania youth would entail four steps: (a) obtaining data about the youth cohort; (b) providing data to Pennsylvania’s Center for Workforce Information & Analysis (CWIA) for linking; (c) conducting record linking through the CWIA; and (d) delivery of linked data from the CWIA to researchers.
The Origin of Positive Ions and Excited Neutrals in Electron Stimulated Desorption from Alkali Halides

The interaction of electron and photon beams with insulating materials is of substantial current interest. Alkali halides are the most ionic of the ionic insulators, and they have comparatively simple geometric and electronic structures, thus they are useful prototypes for basic studies. When energetic electrons or photons are incident on alkali halides, particles are desorbed with high efficiency. The flux of particles leaving the bombarded region includes ground-state neutrals, excited-state neutrals, and positive ions. The vast majority of the desorbed particles are ground-state neutral atoms and molecules, which are ejected via bulk-defect mediated processes [l]. The ground-state yields can be remarkably large - for 1 keV electrons incident on NaCl at T=300 C, roughly 5 Na atoms and 5 CI atoms are desorbed per incident electron [2,3]. The desorption mechanisms for the ground-state particles have been qualitatively understood for some time. The initial excitation caused by the incident radiation is electron-hole generation in the bulk. The holes (neutral halogen atoms) are incorporated into stable defects called H centers which can diffuse to the surface, where neutral halogen atom desorption can occur. Neutral alkali atoms can be formed on the surface by re-combination of electrons and alkali ions, and these neutral atoms can then thermally desorb. This process appears to be limited by the diffusion of electrons (as F centers) to the surface [4]. The very large yields of ground state neutrals are related to the fact that the initial excitation results in a stable defect in the bulk, and desorption can occur much later after defect diffusion to the surface. The time delay due to the diffusion of defects to the surface has been directly observed in experiments using pulsed electron beams [4,5].
Electrical cardioversion for atrial fibrillation in the emergency department: A large single-center experience.

Abstract Objective Electrical cardioversion of ED patients is a well-described treatment strategy for certain patients presenting with atrial fibrillation (AF). The objective of this study was to describe the safety and outcomes of this practice in a cohort of patients undergoing ED electrical cardioversion for AF. Methods This retrospective health records survey investigated a 5-year cohort of consecutive ED patients presenting with AF who underwent electrical cardioversion in an academic, tertiary ED. Electronic and manual abstraction strategies were used, extracting data on demographics, clinical features, interventions, complications, and return visits within 1 month. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and agreement between trained abstractors on key variables was excellent (k = 0.94–0.98). Results Data from 887 patients were analyzed. Electrical cardioversion was successful in 781 (88%) encounters. There were 3 major complications (3/887; 0.3%) and 123 minor complications (123/887; 14%). Major complications included one post-cardioversion stroke (1/887; 0.1%), one jaw thrust maneuver for hypoxia (0.1%), and one overnight observation for hypotension (0.1%). 741 patients (84%) were discharged following cardioversion with a mean ED LOS of 218 min (95% CI: 206–231 min). 57 (6.4%) patients returned to the ED within 30 days; 43 (4.8%) returned with in AF or flutter. Conclusions In this cohort of ED patients with atrial fibrillation, ED electrical cardioversion followed by discharge to home was largely safe and effective. Most complications were transient and mild. There were remarkably few serious complications.
Carbamazepine Toxicity Masquerading as Complex Febrile Seizures in a Pediatric Patient.

Carbamazepine is an antiepileptic drug that can cause seizures in overdose. In certain patient populations, this may be misdiagnosed as a seizure disorder. We describe a case of a 20-month-old female who presented with fever and seizure-like activity who was initially thought to have complex febrile seizures. Further historical information prompted carbamazepine level to be checked, which was found to be 29 mcg/ml (therapeutic range of 4-12 mcg/ml). Her carbamazepine levels downtrended with multidose activated charcoal. Her condition improved, and she was discharged without evidence of permanent neurologic sequelae. This case illustrates that xenobiotic exposure should often be considered, even if historical clues are not present, as they can often present as other conditions leading to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment.
The environment-sensing aryl-hydrocarbon receptor inhibits the chondrogenic fate of modulated smooth muscle cells in atherosclerotic lesions

Introduction: Smooth muscle cells (SMC) play a critical role in atherosclerosis. The Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is an environment-sensing transcription factor that contributes to vascular development, and has been implicated in coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. We hypothesized that AHR can affect atherosclerosis by regulating phenotypic modulation of SMC. Methods: We combined RNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq, ATAC-Seq and in-vitro assays in human coronary artery SMC (HCASMC), with single-cell RNA-Seq (scRNA-Seq), histology, and RNAscope in an SMC-specific lineage-tracing Ahr knockout mouse model of atherosclerosis to better understand the role of AHR in vascular disease. Results: Genomic studies coupled with functional assays in cultured HCASMC revealed that AHR modulates HCASMC phenotype and suppresses ossification in these cells. Lineage tracing and activity tracing studies in the mouse aortic sinus showed that the Ahr pathway is active in modulated SMC in the atherosclerotic lesion cap. Furthermore, scRNA-Seq studies of the SMC-specific Ahr knockout mice showed a significant increase in the proportion of modulated SMC expressing chondrocyte markers such as Col2a1 and Alpl, which localized to the lesion neointima. These cells, which we term 9chondromyocytes9 (CMC), were also identified in the neointima of human coronary arteries. In histological analyses, these changes manifested as larger lesion size, increased lineage-traced SMC participation in the lesion, decreased lineage-traced SMC in the lesion cap, and increased alkaline phosphatase activity in lesions in the Ahr knockout compared to wild-type mice. We propose that AHR is likely protective based on these data and inference from human genetic analyses. Conclusion: Overall, we conclude that AHR promotes maintenance of lesion cap integrity and diminishes the disease related SMC-to-CMC transition in atherosclerotic tissues.
Evaluating Auditory Neural Activities and Information Transfer Using Phase and Spike Train Correlation Algorithms

The coherence of neural activities among different areas in the brain has received great attention because it is valuable in understanding the functional mechanism of brain structures. While many methodologies, such as time-frequency and entropy analysis, have been applied to evaluate relations between neural signals, these techniques haven’t been effective in assessing neural communication in order to reach conclusions. Considering various measurements, the results analyzed by the above-mentioned algorithms may be influenced by the types of neural signals and their amplitudes, which affect their reliability and consistency. In this study, we introduced two new methods, phase-phase and spike train correlations, to analyze the neural signals communications among various areas of the brain, aiming to decipher neural information communications between different brain structures of normal rats and those with noise-induced tinnitus, a ringing condition in the ear or head. To test the proposed methodologies, a set of electrophysiological recordings of tinnitus-related spontaneous activities were conducted in the auditory cortex (AC), inferior colliculus (IC), and dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN). The results using the two proposed algorithms were demonstrated and compared to those obtained by the transfer entropy (TE) method using the same experimental data set. Both algorithms yielded a result in a consistent scale of zero to one indicating the strength of correlation and showed a similar trend to results by TE. The experimental results on rats have shown information flow within and between most structures with a stronger correlation at lower frequencies.
The Islamic Intellectual Tradition of Sudanic Africa, with Analysis of a Fifteenth-Century Timbuktu Manuscript

The chapter shows how African Muslim scholarly voices demonstrate the continent’s depth of intellectual inquiry, and an engagement with global Islamic discourses in a variety of disciplinary specializations. It shows how scholarly lineages sometimes became associated with renowned centers of learning, like Timbuktu, but more often they are dispersed as the bearers of Islam throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The textual tradition nonetheless remained a referent for the vibrancy of Islamic intellectual exchange in the region and beyond. The chapter focuses on the work of the fifteenth-century Timbuktu scholar Muḥammad al-Kābarī who left an important summary of theology, asceticism, and esotericism—“The Garden of Secrets” (Bustān al-Fawāʾid)—that offers enduring insight into the formation of African Muslim identities.
How do I…perform therapeutic phlebotomy?

Background Therapeutic phlebotomy (TP) is a well-established medical intervention that evolved from the historical practice of bloodletting. Methods Patients who require TP are not infrequently told by their health-care providers to "just go donate blood," but TP should always be offered in the context of a prescribed course of therapy. Providers can prescribe a course of TP for a number of indications, including hereditary hemochromatosis, polycythemia vera, iron overload, and testosterone replacement therapy. Results A course of prescribed TP specifies that patients can be phlebotomized more frequently than volunteer blood donors and reassures patients that TP is being performed per the orders of their provider. Prescribed TP also facilitates two-way communication between the referring provider and the transfusion medicine (TM) physician overseeing the TP. The College of American Pathologists TM checklist describes several requirements regarding the documentation and performance of TP, and electronic medical record systems can be used to demonstrate compliance with these requirements. Conclusions TM physicians should discuss the advantages of prescribing TP with providers who mutually care for patients requiring this intervention.
Static State Estimation Without Topology Processor

A state estimation framework that eliminates the need for a topology processor is presented in this paper. By retaining switching devices (SDs) in the network model, this approach allows estimation of their statuses. Consequently, topology error detection becomes part of the SE process. Since this approach requires expansion of bus-branch models with SDs, the conventional state estimation formulation is accordingly modified to avoid numerical issues due to extremely small (large) impedance values of open (closed) switching devices. The scalability of the proposed framework is achieved by parallel processing, which is implemented after partitioning the system into zones. The measurement overhead is kept minimal by utilizing two optimal measurement placement algorithms and taking advantage of KCL-based virtual measurements. Case studies presented show that the proposed method can identify concurrent bad data and topology errors. The improvements in computation times due to parallel processing are demonstrated through simulations on the IEEE 300-bus system with and without zone-partitioning.
The Mobile Genetic Element RD2 Affects Colonization Potential of Different GAS Serotypes.

M-type 28 (M28) Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus [GAS]) strains are highly associated with life-threatening puerperal infections. Genome sequencing has revealed a large mobile genetic element, RD2, present in most M28 GAS isolates but not found widely in other serotypes. Previous studies have linked RD2 to the ability of M28 GAS to colonize the vaginal tract. A new study by Roshika and colleagues (R. Roshika, I. Jain, J. Medicielo, J. Wachter, J. L. Danger, P. Sumby, Infect Immun 89:e00722-20, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1128/IAI.00722-20) used gain-of-function mutants in three different GAS serotypes to help determine why RD2 appears to have a serotype preference and what that could mean for GAS mucosal colonization and pathogenesis.
Mechanism of Action in NaHS-Induced Increase in Aqueous Humor Outflow

Previous studies from our laboratory demonstrate that the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) donor, sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) can increase aqueous humor (AH) outflow facility in porcine trabecular meshwork ti...
FOUR Rs OF PROFITABILITY: RENTS, RESOURCES, ROUTINES, AND REPLICATION

This paper seeks to connect related strands of thought in evolutionary economics and the resource-based view of the firm. Although conceived primarily as an approach to the descriptive analysis of the firm and industry, evolutionary economics offers a distinctive view of the firm that is adaptable for the purposes of normative analysis (Winter 1987). The resource-based view, as it has been developed in the strategy literature, seeks to derive normative guidance for business decision making from a deeper understanding of the sources of interfirm profitability differences (Wernerfelt 1984; Rumelt 1984). It interprets these as reflections of differences in streams of rents and quasi-rents accruing to firms, which in turn are attributed to differences in the control and management of strategic resources.
Application of a Macsyma Program for the Painlevé Test to the Fitzhugh-Nagumo Equation

A Macsyma program for the Painleve test is applied to the Fitzhugh-Nagumo equation. An auto-Backlund transformation and solitary wave solutions are derived.
A study of the characteristics of microstrip reflectarrays as a function of the number and type of basis functions

In the design and analysis of large microstrip reflectarrays one often uses the infinite array model as a good approximation. The objective of this work is to understand the effects of the number and type of basis functions of the moment method on the reflection phase of the microstrip reflectarrays. An infinite array of microstrip patch elements on a grounded substrate layer was analyzed using the moment method.
Intracerebroventricular CRF inhibits cold restraint-induced c-fos expression in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus and gastric erosions in rats.

Acute exposure to cold-restraint induces vagal-dependent gastric erosions associated with activation of neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMN) in rats. The influence of intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) (10 μg) on c-fos expression in the brain and gastric erosions induced by 3 h cold-restraint was investigated in conscious rats. In cold-restraint exposed rats, CRF injected i.c.v. inhibited gastric erosions and the number of Fos positive neurons in the DMN by 93 and 72%, respectively, while Fos labelling in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) was increased by 5-fold compared with vehicle group. c-fos expression was also induced in the central amygdala by i.c.v. CRF, unlike the vehicle-injected group exposed to cold-restraint. c-fos expression induced by cold-restraint in the raphe pallidus (Rpa) and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus was not altered by i.c.v. CRF. These data indicate that central CRF-induced gastric protection results from the inhibition of DMN neuronal activity enhanced by cold-restraint. CRF action on DMN neurons may be related to the increase in the NTS and central amygdala inputs leading to inhibition of DMN neurons rather than to the decrease in the excitatory input from the caudal raphe projections to the DMN.
On constitutive relations for elastic rods

This paper explores the relationships among several existing procedures for specifying linear and nonlinear constitutive relations for hyperelastic Cosserat or directed curves from three-dimensional considerations. These procedures are designed to ensure that exact solutions of the balance laws of the directed curve are in approximate agreement with the corresponding exact solutions of classical continuum mechanics. The particular case of the linearized Bernoulli-Euler beam theory is also examined. In addition a new procedure is proposed in this paper. This procedure is used to facilitate comparisons among various existing procedures. Although it is conceptually simple, it illustrates the inherent arbitrariness in specifying constitutive relations for elastic rods.
Understanding Clinical Anger and Violence: The Anger Avoidance Model

Although anger is a primary emotion and holds clear functional necessities, the presence of anger and its behavioral manifestations of aggression/violence can have serious emotional, health, and social consequences. Despite such consequences, the construct of clinical anger has to date suffered from few theoretical and treatment advancements and has received insufficient research attention. Thus, the purpose of this article is to introduce the Anger Avoidance Model, which is a new conceptualization of clinical anger and its behavioral manifestations. The Anger Avoidance Model suggests that among anger patients, a chronic early aversive history leads to information processing biases and emotion regulation deficits, which in turn result in intense efforts to avoid the experience of anger. This avoidance takes the form of hostile rumination (cognitive avoidance) and aggressive and violent behavior (behavioral avoidance). This model holds clear implications for research and treatment of this challenging clinical phenomenon.
Organizational response to environmental regulation: punctuated change or autogenesis?

Theory predicts that when faced with threatening new conditions, managers often attempt to preserve the status quo by creating a buffer between the organization and the outside world. This paper presents evidence that in response to new water pollution regulation, managers indeed created buffers of technology and personnel, but in some organizations this very equipment and personnel initiated a process of incremental change that led to better environmental protection, more efficient production, and in a few cases, entirely new product and production strategies. For public policy, this research suggests that environmental regulators should allow companies time and flexibility to learn and experiment. For organizational theory, this research suggests a link between punctuated-equilibrium models of organizational dynamics (Tushman and Romanelli, 1985) and theories of self-organizing systems (Drazin and Sandelands, 1992). That is, management may respond to external changes by attempting to preserve the status quo, but in so doing influence internal deep structures that then cause organizations to gradually evolve to different behaviours and shapes. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment
Transforming gender scripts: Life after you just don't understand

This paper examines how working collaboratively through improvisational performance offers a means of exploring the dominant culture's gender scripts and transforming them into scripts of possibility. Deborah Tannen's You Just Don't Understand offers useful examples of the dominant script, hut students need to realize they are not confined to these options. Augusto Boal's forum theatre provides a framework for disrupting dominant scripts and generating alternatives. Improvisation taps the reflexive power of performance to analyze and at times transform scripts from everyday life. The collaborative nature of this process both supports students in their attempts to try out other scripts and augments what any individual can understand or experience with the group's insight. The playful nature of the process allows students to “desacralize” the status quo, demonstrate the contingency of identity, discover and recreate themselves while transforming script possibilities.
A luer lock afterloading device for iridium-192 brachytherapy

Abstract This manuscript describes a Luer lock afterloading system that was developed at the Massachusetts General Hospital. This system facilitates loading and unloading of 192 Ir tubings. It improves seed placement, security in afterloading angiocatheters, and handling ease.