cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Motivate Teams, Maximize Success: Effective Strategies for Realizing Your Goals

(2005). Motivate Teams, Maximize Success: Effective Strategies for Realizing Your Goals. Quality Management Journal: Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 64-64.
Root cause analysis of diagnostic and surgical failures in the treatment of suspected Cushing's disease.

Abstract Cushing’s disease (CD) is a condition characterized by excess glucocorticoid from an ACTH pituitary adenoma. Identifying surgical candidates represents a major diagnostic challenge. We performed a root cause analysis (RCA) of treatment failures for patients with suspected CD. The present study aims to categorize failures in treatment. Medical records were reviewed from 2008 to 2017 for all patients treated surgically for suspected CD. Demographics, past medical history, endocrine outcomes, imaging findings, laboratory studies and clinical features were collected. Eighty-five patients were identified with pre-operative suspicion for CD. Thirty-four (40.0%) had undergone prior surgery confirming ACTH adenoma, leaving 51 (60.0%) for analysis. The average length of follow-up was 18.3 ± 24.1 months, 42 (82.4%) patients had postoperative biochemical remission of hypercortisolism. Forty-three (84.3%) had histologically confirmed CD, two (3.9%) were diagnosed with extracranial ACTH-secreting tumors, four (7.8%) had no obvious tumor upon intraoperative exploration, one (1.9%) had suspected pituitary ACTH hyperplasia, and one (1.9%) had no identifiable pathologic tissue despite apparent gross tumor observed during surgery. Thirty-four (66.7%) patients had remission following surgery alone, four (7.8%) after reoperation, and four (7.81%) after radiosurgery. One patient (1.9%) was found to have an ectopic source of ACTH, and one (1.9%) had immunohistochemically confirmed adrenal tumors. On RCA, we identified six categories of treatment failures. CD is a diagnostic challenge that can be difficult to distinguish from other forms of hypercortisolism. Surgical efficacy can be improved with more accurate patient selection, and perhaps with improved imaging methods.
Night-Vision Equipment, Reproductive Biology, and Nocturnal Behavior: Importance to Studies of Insect Flight, Dispersal, and Migration

The adults of well over one-half of our insect pests are active during dark or crepuscular periods and most species are highly mobile. Their mobility, along with our limited night vision, has resulted in a large void in our knowledge of their nocturnal behavior. Nevertheless, in recent years, a number of technologies and techniques have emerged that are adaptable for studying nocturnal behavior of insects in their natural environment. The technologies include the use of various forms of visible light such as flashlights, lanterns, Aldis lamps, and 6-V headlamps (Lingren et al. 1977; Rose and Dewhurst 1979); night-vision devices using natural-light intensification and amplification (Lingren et al. 1978; Greenbank et al. 1980); infrared-optical devices including video (Conner and Master 1978; Lingren et al. 1982; Riley et al. 1983; Schaefer and Bent 1984); and radar (Schaefer 1976; Wolf 1978; Riley 1980).
Solid-state 15N NMR studies of the effects of penicillin on cell-wall metabolism of Aerococcusviridans (Gaffkyahomari)

Abstract Lyophilized whole cells and isolated cell walls from Aerococcus viridans ( Gaffkya homari ) grown on a synthetic medium containing benzylpenicillin, and either L-[e-15N]lysine or 15N-ammonium ion as the only source of label, have been studied using cross-polarization magic-angle spinning 15N nuclear magnetic resonance. The lysine is incorporated directly into protein and cell-wall peptidoglycan and was used to measure cell-wall cross-links. The ammonium ion acts as a non-specific label monitoring general metabolism. Inhibition of cell-wall cross linking by penicillin occurs, but may not be the exclusive cause of cell death and lysis in this microorganism. Instead, the disruption of the mechanism for control of peptidoglycan synthesis probably is a contributing factor.
Lipid Raft-Redox Signaling Platforms in Plasma Membrane

Membrane lipid rafts (LRs) have been demonstrated to be importantly involved in transmembrane signaling in a variety of mammalian cells. Many receptors can be aggregated within the LR clusters to form signaling platforms. Currently, LRs were reported to be clustered to aggregate, recruit, and assemble NADPH oxidase subunits and related proteins in various cells in response to various stimuli, forming redox signaling platforms. These LR signaling platforms may play important roles in the regulation of cellular activity and cell function, and also in the development of cell dysfunction or injury associated with various pathological stimuli. This LRs clustering-mediated mechanism is considered to take a center stage in redox signaling associated with death receptors. In this chapter, some basic methods and procedures for characterization of LR-redox signaling platforms formation and for determination of the function of these signaling platforms are described in detail, which include identification of LR-redox signaling platforms in cell membrane by using fluorescent or confocal microscopy of LR-redox signaling platforms and fluorescent resonance energy transfer analysis, isolation of LR-redox signaling platforms by flotation of detergent-resistant membranes, and function measurement of LR-redox signaling platforms by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. It is expected that information provided here will help readers to design necessary experiments in their studies on LR signaling platforms and redox regulation of cell function.
Antiviral RNA interference in mammals

Infection of plants and insects with RNA and DNA viruses triggers Dicer-dependent production of virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs), which subsequently guide specific virus clearance by RNA interference (RNAi). Consistent with a major antiviral function of RNAi, productive virus infection in these eukaryotic hosts depends on the expression of virus-encoded suppressors of RNAi (VSRs). The eukaryotic RNAi pathway is highly conserved, particularly between insects and mammals. This review will discuss key recent findings that indicate a natural antiviral function of the RNAi pathway in mammalian cells. We will summarize the properties of the characterized mammalian vsiRNAs and VSRs and highlight important questions remaining to be addressed on the function and mechanism of mammalian antiviral RNAi.
What Is the Hierarchy of Clinical Evidence

Any clinical question can be investigated in more than one way. The method by which a hypothesis is tested not only affects the results and format of presentation, but it also serves to provide varying degrees of evidence in support of (or against) the examiner’s question. In addition, based on how they were obtained, study results may be more equipped to imply causation (over simple correlation) and be more (or less) vulnerable to error. In order to clearly stratify results based on the strength of evidence they provide, a hierarchy of clinical evidence has been developed. A robust explanation of this hierarchy is essential to any discussion of evidence-based medicine and clinical research design. Using an example-based analysis of a clinically relevant orthopedic medicine topic, this chapter will serve to elucidate how the scientific question and goals of the investigator are used to select the appropriate study design. Furthermore, it will highlight the principles, benefits, and limitations of these various study designs. And finally, this chapter will introduce how to hierarchically organize the relative strength of results to ensure that scientific evidence is presented and interpreted in a clinically relevant manner.
Melatonin Secretion — A Biological Marker for Human Pineal Adrenergic Function

Spanning the last 20 years, hundreds of anatomical and pharmacological studies have indicated that melatonin secretion by the mammalian pineal gland is an ideal “biological marker” for adrenergic function, the endogenous circadian pacemaker, and the effects of light. Nighttime beta-adrenergic stimulation of melatonin synthesis provides the theoretical basis for using the pineal as a model of adrenergic function. The biochemical steps resulting in melatonin synthesis appear to be intricately coordinated.
On the Lower Boundaries in Learning Rules from Examples

The paper studies multi-concept learning from inconsistent examples. The main assumption is that knowledge is acquired in the form of production rules, while induced rules represent minimal discriminant description. The paper presents an approach to the elimination of irrelevant attributes in the concept description, or, to be more specific, a new method for determining coverings, the minimal sets of relevant attributes. This method is based on a new tool created within rough set theory. In the presented approach to learning rules from examples, methods of rough set theory are used twice: first, in defining lower boundaries, and then, to deal with inconsistencies. Inconsistent representation of examples is a kind of uncertainty in input data, resulting from gathering information from inconsistent experts or lack of sufficient number of attributes to describe input data.
Refractory gout in primary myelofibrosis

![Figure][1] A 66-year-old man from the Dominican Republic presented to the Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Clinic at Mount Sinai with a 10-year history of untreated JAK2V617F- positive primary myelofibrosis (PMF). Bone marrow biopsy confirmed a hypercellular bone marrow with granulocytic
Outcomes of Vocal Fold Motion Impairment and Dysphagia after Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery: A Systematic Review

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to systematically review the literature regarding vocal fold motion impairment (VFMI), respiratory outcomes, and swallowing outcomes in children following c...
Between Activism, Religiosity, and the Public Sphere: the Intellectual Insurgency of bell hooks

In the collaborative project Breaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life (1991) with Cornel West, when interviewing West, bell hooks traces “the roots of (her) own critical consciousness” to her early experiences in the Black church and with religion in general, to the extent that her role as an intellectual is predicated on “spiritual practice.” It is through this practice that hooks perceives her role as an intellectual as one that “links religiosity to solidarity with the poor,” in a measured effort that avoids what she refers to as “the commodification of religion.” To be sure, this form of commodification limits what an intellectual can and should do, when she views that role within the intersectionality of meaningful activism, critical religiosity, and the engaging of the public sphere. For hooks, an intellectual must be deeply invested in “the kind of compassion, love, and openness” necessary for inclusiveness in the face of increasingly exclusive practices of the Black community, ultimately employed in how larger society devalues and degrades Black women and Black womanhood. Because of this, hooks ascribes to an insurgent intellectualism that, while recognizing her own situatedness between activism, religiosity, and the public sphere, is contingent on a kind of process thought: her intellectual insurgency is always “becoming” and contains a phenomenological intendedness with moving beyond her ontological blackness and epistemological womanhood towards a metaphysical intellectualism and a deontology fundamentally inherent in it. She presents a Black feminist/Womanist thinking into an insurgent Heideggerian-like question of the meaning of being, as both a Black woman and a Black intellectual. To do this, her insurgency in the role of the public intellectualism is grounded on both Frederick Douglass’ notion of “a heavy and cruel hand” (1853) and James Baldwin’s belief that being relatively conscious means “to be in rage almost all the time” (1969).
IgEvolution: clonal analysis of antibody repertoires

Abstract Constructing antibody repertoires is an important error-correcting step in analyzing immunosequencing datasets that is important for reconstructing evolutionary (clonal) development of antibodies. However, the state-of-the-art repertoire construction tools typically miss low-abundance antibodies that often represent internal nodes in clonal trees and are crucially important for clonal tree reconstruction. Thus, although repertoire construction is a prerequisite for follow up clonal tree reconstruction, the existing repertoire reconstruction algorithms are not well suited for this task. Since clonal analysis has the potential to reveal errors in the constructed repertoires and contribute to constructing more accurate repertoires, we advocate a tree-guided construction of antibody repertoires that combines error correction and clonal reconstruction as interconnected (rather than independent) tasks. We developed the IgEvolution algorithm for simultaneous repertoire and clonal tree reconstruction and applied it for analyzing multiple immunosequencing datasets representing antigen-specific immune responses. We demonstrate that analysis of clonal trees reveals highly mutable positions that correlate with antigen-binding sites and light-chain contacts in crystallized antibody-antigen complexes. We further demonstrate that this analysis leads to a new approach for identifying complementarity determining regions (CDRs) in antibodies.
Promoting Higher Quality of Care Through Education of Pediatric Residents on the Medical Home Model

The objective of this project was to present educational modules to pediatric residents and to assess if the modules improved residents' understanding of the patient- and family-centered medical home model. Eighteen residents participated in 3 separate training sessions taught by fellow residents, which covered a total of 5 modules. Pretests and posttests were administered for each module. All modules showed improved scores from pretest to posttest, but only one module showed statistically significant improvement. The modules also incorporated discussion sessions that led to clinical practice change. These results revealed that resident-administered education using predeveloped modules can be effective in increasing knowledge related to the medical home model and in changing resident clinical practice.
Mycobacterium bolletii Osteomyelitis of the Metaphyseal Distal Radius Treated With Amikacin Antibiotic Beads.

Mycobacterium bollettii, a subset of the group M. abscessus, is a slow-growing, nontuberculous mycobacterium that was first characterized in the early 2000s. We report a case of M. bollettii infection in an otherwise healthy 49-year-old man who sustained an open fracture of the right distal radius. After his initial surgery, the patient presented 1 month later with wound drainage requiring hardware removal and was treated with intravenous antibiotics. However, there was a persistent infection. We treated his osteomyelitis with debridement and placement of amikacin antibiotic beads. We selected this particularly uncommon antibiotic cement specifically to address the nontuberculous mycobacterium. The purpose of this report is to alert treating providers to the possibility of nontuberculous mycobacterium infections when an inflammatory process persists and to provide guidelines for the use of amikacin solution to produce antibiotic beads.
Angled Microcatheter Assisted Antegrade Dissection Re-Entry Technique for Tortuous Totally Occluded Coronary Arteries.

Abstract Background Subacute total occlusion in the setting of a tortuous vessel can be a therapeutic challenge. we demonstrate a safe and successful approach to deploy drug eluting stent of this complex lesion by using angled microcatheter Case Presentation A 61-year-old male with multiple atherosclerotic risk factors diagnosed with NSTEMI secondary to subacute total occlusion of the mid right coronary artery (RCA) with collaterals filling from septal perforators arising from mid left anterior descending artery. Due to severe tortuosity of RCA, the wire inside of Corsair microcatheter kept directing away from the lumen. Therefore, Corsair was exchanged for 90-degree SuperCrossTM angled microcatheter that was rotated to direct its opening towards the lumen. A Confianza pro 12 wire was used to puncture into the lumen from the subinitimal position. SuperCrossTM microcatheter was advanced over the wire into the lumen and eventually drug eluting stents were deployed successfully. Conclusion While facing subacute total occlusion with proximal end in a tortuous artery, SuperCrossTM microcatheter assisted dissection reentry could be attempted after failure of antegrade wire escalation technique. Learning Objective Facilitate the use of SuperCrossTM microcatheter assisted dissection reentry as a successful approach for subacute total occlusion in tortuous vessels.
Drafting Memoranda for the Uniform Law Commission's Automated Operation of Vehicles Act

The compendium collects key memoranda prepared by the reporter for the Uniform Law Commission's Uniform Automated Operation of Vehicles Act (UAOVA), which offers model statutory language for adapting US state vehicle codes to automated driving.
Cardiomyopathy and Death Following Chikungunya Infection: An Increasingly Common Outcome.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is vectored by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes and is found throughout tropical and sub-tropical regions. While most infections cause mild symptoms such as fever and arthralgia, there have been cases in which cardiac involvement has been reported. In adults, case reports include symptoms ranging from tachycardia and arrythmia, to myocarditis and cardiac arrest. In children, case reports describe symptoms such as arrythmia, myocarditis, and heart failure. Case reports of perinatal and neonatal CHIKV infections have also described cardiovascular compromise, including myocardial hypertrophy, ventricular dysfunction, myocarditis, and death. Myocarditis refers to inflammation of the heart tissue, which can be caused by viral infection, thus becoming viral myocarditis. Since viral myocarditis is linked as a causative factor of other cardiomyopathies, including dilated cardiomyopathy, in which the heart muscle weakens and fails to pump blood properly, the connection between CHIKV and the heart is concerning. We searched Pubmed, Embase, LILACS, and Google Scholar to identify case reports of CHIKV infections where cardiac symptoms were reported. We utilized NCBI Virus and NCBI Nucleotide to explore the lineage/evolution of strains associated with these outbreaks. Statistical analysis was performed to identify which clinical features were associated with death. Phylogenetic analysis determined that CHIKV infections with cardiac symptoms are associated with the Asian, the East Central South African, and the Indian Ocean lineages. Of patients admitted to hospital, death rates ranged from 26–48%. Myocarditis, hypertension, pre-existing conditions, and the development of heart failure were significantly correlated with death. As such, clinicians should be aware in their treatment and follow-up of patients.
Methods for Measuring Geodiversity in Large Overhead Imagery Datasets

Geographic variation in the appearance of objects on Earth is readily observable in remotely sensed imagery (RSI) and somewhat intuitive to understand for most people – many classes of objects (houses, vehicles, crop fields etc.) simply look different depending on their location. This variation has recently been shown to have important implications when training machine learning models on geotagged image datasets for specific object detection and classification tasks. For example, models trained on datasets with ethnocentric biases in image content have been shown to misclassify objects in under-sampled regions, particularly in least-developed countries. The need to evaluate the growing corpus of RSI datasets for representativeness, heterogeneity and geodiversity is therefore high; yet scalable methods for measuring these concepts are absent in the remote sensing domain. This paper introduces the first dataset analysis methods for detecting and assessing geodiversity problems in large RSI datasets, based on geospatial adaptations of the Frechet Inception Distance and Inception Score in the deep learning framework. Geospatial Frechet Distance is proposed as a dissimilarity measure for image features of an object class across geographic regions – useful for comparing differences in object class appearance in different locations and/or spatial scales. A complementary Geospatial Inception Score is proposed to quantify heterogeneity of geographic context present in dataset labels within particular regions/locations, taking into account the labels themselves as well as their immediate surroundings. Rigorous tests of these methods on simulated RSI datasets demonstrate their stability, sensitivity, and the broad range of dataset analyses to which they can be applied.
Videos, Views, and Vaccines: Evaluating the Quality of COVID-19 Communications on YouTube.

OBJECTIVES As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is introduced, it is critical to recognize that public opinion on vaccines is largely influenced by health communications, with YouTube being a major source of information and misinformation. This analysis graded the accuracy, quality, and reliability of the most viewed YouTube videos depicting COVID-19 and vaccinations over a 6-mo period. METHODS We collected hyperlinks for the 150 most viewed YouTube videos discussing COVID-19 from January through June 2020. Closed captioning data were searched for the term "vaccine," yielding 32 videos. This sample was evaluated for quality, accuracy, and reliability using a rubric that incorporated existing instruments: Global Quality Scale (GQS), JAMA Benchmark Criteria, and DISCERN. RESULTS These 32 videos had 139,764,188 views at the time of data collection. The majority of videos received low scores, with network news sources receiving the lowest scores overall. CONCLUSIONS The overall quality of COVID-19 YouTube videos related to vaccines may be low and raises a precautionary alert for the public consuming these videos and for health-care providers working to provide the best information to their patients. Existing scoring tools may not capture the complexities of social media. New tools could allow for a better understanding of the modern landscape of health communications.
Unique Games hardness of Quantum Max-Cut, and a vector-valued Borell's inequality.

The Gaussian noise stability of a function $f:\mathbb{R}^n \to \{-1, 1\}$ is the expected value of $f(\boldsymbol{x}) \cdot f(\boldsymbol{y})$ over $\rho$-correlated Gaussian random variables $\boldsymbol{x}$ and $\boldsymbol{y}$. Borell's inequality states that for $-1 \leq \rho \leq 0$, this is minimized by the halfspace $f(x) = \mathrm{sign}(x_1)$. In this work, we generalize this result to hold for functions $f:\mathbb{R}^n \to S^{k-1}$ which output $k$-dimensional unit vectors. Our main result shows that the expected value of $\langle f(\boldsymbol{x}), f(\boldsymbol{y})\rangle$ over $\rho$-correlated Gaussians $\boldsymbol{x}$ and $\boldsymbol{y}$ is minimized by the function $f(x) = x_{\leq k} / \Vert x_{\leq k} \Vert$, where $x_{\leq k} = (x_1, \ldots, x_k)$. As an application, we show several hardness of approximation results for Quantum Max-Cut, a special case of the local Hamiltonian problem related to the anti-ferromagnetic Heisenberg model. Quantum Max-Cut is a natural quantum analogue of classical Max-Cut and has become testbed for designing quantum approximation algorithms. We show the following: (1) The integrality gap of the basic SDP is $0.498$, matching an existing rounding algorithm. Combined with existing approximation results for Quantum Max-Cut, this shows that the basic SDP does not achieve the optimal approximation ratio. (2) It is Unique Games-hard (UG-hard) to compute a $(0.956+\varepsilon)$-approximation to the value of the best product state, matching an existing approximation algorithm. This result may be viewed as applying to a generalization of Max-Cut where one seeks to assign $3$-dimensional unit vectors to each vertex; we also give tight hardness results for the analogous $k$-dimensional generalization of Max-Cut. (3) It is UG-hard to compute a $(0.956+\varepsilon)$-approximation to the value of the best (possibly entangled) state.
Understanding Purchasing Behavior in Public Sector Markets: A Call for Research

Using a broad literature base and numerous case histories, the author identifies a public sector purchasing process containing four generic components universal to all government purchasing situations. A number of propositions relating to each component are made, each in need of field testing. Scholars are called to a program of research necessary to test the propositions and validate the process components.
A Paradox of Secessionism: Slavery and the Confederate Security State

Drawing upon insights from public choice political economy and an examination of historical records, this paper posits an explanation for the causes of secession by the original seven members of the Confederacy in 1860-61. Secession is examined as a Hirschman exit, intended primarily to shore up and secure the waning federal subsidies and enforcement expenditures that had been afforded to plantation slavery in previous decades. Fears over the impending decline of these subsidies and protections explain the decision to withdraw from the Union, even though slavery itself was, legally, "much more secure in the Union than out of it," to quote Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens. The premises of secession are most evident in southern declarations complaining of the non-enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act, the instigation of slave insurrections, and the decline of southern political clout. These emphases suggest the perceived threat to slavery was more readily realized in its legal enforcement than in the oft-emphasized territorial question.
Sexual Abuse of Males: The SAM Model of Theory and Practice

Introduction. The Development of the Sam Model. Assumptions of the Sam Model. The Sam Model of Dynamics and Effects. Application of the Sam Model. The Sam Model of Philosophy and Practice. Preparatory Empathy. The Sam Model Treatment and Objectives. The Sam Practice Model: An Analogy. Interventions for Sam. From Sam. References. Additional Resources. Index
Should or Must?: Nature of the Obligation of States to Use Trade Instruments for the Advancement of Environmental, Labour, and Other Human Rights

This article examines whether customs, treaties, and historical facts have caused the ethical human rights obligations of economically powerful states to assume a legal quality. The author argues that the legal quality of these obligations may arise from the global harm principle of international law and human rights obligations found in treaties. As a consequence, states may be held accountable for the human rights violations of transnational corporations. Further, the author examines the possibility of pursuing claims under the U.S. Alien Tort Statute for torts committed in violation of international treaties as another avenue for enforcing human rights obligations.
Cross-Lingual Pseudo-Relevance Feedback Using a Comparable Corpus

We applied a Cross-Lingual PRF (Pseudo-Relevance Feedback) system to both the monolingual task and the German->English task. We focused on the effects of extracting a comparable corpus from the given newspaper data; our corpus doubled the average precision when used together with a parallel corpus made available to participants. The PRF performance was lower for the queries with few relevant documents. We also examined the effects of the PRF first-step retrieval in the parallel corpus vs. the entire document collection.
Hepatotoxicity of salicylates in monolayer cell cultures.

Abstract The influence of graded doses of sodium salicylate on rat liver cells cultured in monolayers was assessed by measuring lactic dehydrogenase activity in a culture media after incubation. Morphological alterations were studied by electron microscopy. The influence of different albumin concentrations in the media on toxicity was also evaluated. Lactic dehydrogenase concentrations rose with increasing doses of salicylate up to 40 mg per dl. High concentrations of albumin were associated with reduced salicylate toxicity. These findings suggest that salicylate-induced hepatic injury is dose related and may be influenced by serum albumin levels.
Exploitation of Mammalian Host Cell Function by Shigella spp.

Shigella species are the causative agents of shigellosis (a form of bacillary dysentery) and lead to an estimated 1.1 million deaths per annum, most notably in developing world countries where nutrition and hygiene are suboptimal. The pathogenicity of Shigella depends upon a complex series of molecular events that are mediated by factors expressed on the large 220-kilobase virulence plasmid. This chapter describes the detailed molecular events involved in these interactions of shigellae with the host cell. Shigellae invade human colonic epithelial cells. The initial step in the pathogenesis of shigellosis most likely involves specific interactions of the organism, with the mucin associated with the apical surface of colonic epithelial cells. In vitro studies demonstrate that shigellae are unable to enter polarized colonic epithelial cells at the apical pole, but rather can enter only at the basolateral surfaces. Entry of Shigella at the basolateral face of colonic epithelial cells involves a complex set of molecular reactions. The SSRRASS phosphorylation consensus sequence in IcsA contains the site for processing by the IcsP (SopA) outer membrane protease. Genetic and biochemical studies demonstrate that IcsA is an autotransported protein and therefore can be included in the family of proteins that use the Type IV secretion pathway. VirF (a protein expressed on the virulence plasmid) is the global regulator of the virulence genes on the large 220-kb plasmid. Most of the genes known to be regulated by VirF have been discussed in the chapter.
Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education

Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education (MCBRE) MCBRE was a business-public education partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) that promoted cross-sector knowledge sharing and academic excellence. Its suite of core student programs, such as 720, where business leaders addressed nearly half of the ninth grade class about the importance of achievement in high school, and the Young Professionals Conference, an event for juniors that highlighted exciting business practices, allowed businesses to connect with students at the individual level. At the same time, the creation of platforms for business-education learning brought system-level improvements. In particular, MCBRE's board of advisor's meetings brought together top executives from companies such as Lockheed Martin, NASDAQ, and PricewaterhouseCoopers with MCPS leaders to learn about management and leadership practices. After leading MCBRE for the past five years, first as executive director, and now as board chair, Jane Kubasik was leaving. While the newly hired executive director, Heather Schwager, was more than qualified to take over, there were some concerns. Kubasik had planned and implemented most of MCBRE's current initiatives, and single-handedly recruited nearly all of MCBRE's current members. Would MCBRE be able to retain its impressive membership without Kubasik? With its selective invite-only criteria for new members, would MCBRE be able to continue to grow? Should growth even be a goal?
Confucius on Educational Failure: Three Types of Misguided Students

In this essay David Black claims that, if one pieces together the many sketches of educational decorum found in the Confucian Analects, one will discover three types of misguided student; that is, one will come to recognize that Confucius admonishes three types of insensitive learners who, due to the lure of personal advantage and social rhetoric, begin to mismanage the exchanges of respect particular to the educational process. These students misappropriate key rituals of decorum and dialogue, and consequently create a degree of disorder that, for Confucius, actually threatens the existence of civil society.
Natural selection drives Drosophila immune system evolution.

Evidence from disparate sources suggests that natural selection may often play a role in the evolution of host immune system proteins. However, there have been few attempts to make general population genetic inferences on the basis of analysis of several immune-system-related genes from a single species. Here we present DNA polymorphism and divergence data from 34 genes thought to function in the innate immune system of Drosophila simulans and compare these data to those from 28 nonimmunity genes sequenced from the same lines. Several statistics, including average K A / K S ratio, average silent heterozygosity, and average haplotype diversity, significantly differ between the immunity and nonimmunity genes, suggesting an important role for directional selection in immune system protein evolution. In contrast to data from mammalian immunoglobulins and other proteins, we find no strong evidence for the selective maintenance of protein diversity in Drosophila immune system proteins. This may be a consequence of Drosophila’s generalized innate immune response.
Variation in pediatric outpatient adenotonsillectomy costs in a multihospital network

Objectives/Hypothesis Identify hospital costs for same-day pediatric adenotonsillectomy (T&A) surgery, and evaluate surgeon, hospital, and patient factors influencing variation in costs, and compare relationship of costs to complications for T&A. Study Design Observational retrospective cohort study. Methods A multihospital network's standardized activity-based accounting system was used to determine hospital costs per T&A from 1998 to 2012. Children 1 to 18 years old who underwent same-day T&A surgery were included. Subjects with additional procedures were excluded. Mixed effects analyses were performed to identify variation in mean costs due to surgeon, hospital, and patient factors. Surgeons' mean cost/case was related to subsequent complications, defined as any unplanned visit within 21 days in the healthcare system. Results The study cohort included 26,626 T&As performed by 66 surgeons at 18 hospitals. Mean cost per T&A was $1,355 ± $505. Mixed effects analysis using patient factors as fixed effects and surgeon and hospital as a random effect identified significant variation in mean costs per surgeon, with 95% of surgeons having a mean cost/case between 67% and 150% of the overall mean (range, $874–$2,232/case). Similar variability was found among hospitals, with 95% of the facilities having mean costs between 64% to 156% of the mean (range, $1,029–$2,385/case). Severity of illness and several other patient factors exhibited small but statistically significant associations with cost. Surgeons' mean cost/case was moderately associated with an increased complication rate. Conclusions Significant variation in same-day pediatric T&A surgery costs exists among different surgeons and hospitals within a multihospital network. Reducing variation in costs while maintaining outcomes may improve healthcare value and eliminate waste. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 125:1215–1220, 2015
Fatigue Microdamage in Bovine Trabecular Bone

Microdamage, in the form of small cracks, may accumulate in trabecular bone loaded in fatigue. Specimens of bovine trabecular bone were loaded in compressive fatigue at one of four normalized stresses and loading was stopped after the specimens reached one of six maximum strains. Microdamage was identified using a fluorochrome staining technique, and microdamage parameters, including the number of damaged trabeculae and the damaged area fraction, were measured. No microdamage was observed during loading to strains below the yield strain; at higher strains, all microdamage parameters increased with increasing maximum compressive strain. Few significant differences were observed in the type or amount of microdamage accumulation between specimens loaded to the same maximum strain at different normalized stresses; however, more trabecular fractures were observed at high numbers of cycles, which corresponded to low normalized stresses.
Incorporation of radiocarbon into organic compounds

A single pass of a ternary gas mixture containing 14CO2, H2 and hydrocarbon (methane, ethylene, or acetylene) through a microwave-induced plasma can give rise to labeled propene, cyclopropane (or propane), C4Hn, C5Hn, benzene and toluene. By varying the plasma conditions and the composition of the feed gas, formation of the labeled product(s) can be selective. The technique has potential use in rapid synthesis of 11C-labeled compounds.
Elevated cyclic adenosine monophosphate ameliorates ischemia-reperfusion injury in rat cardiac allografts.

Abstract Background: Oxidative stress after ischemia and reperfusion leads to leukocyte activation, the production of injurious cytokines, and increased expression of inflammatory adhesion molecules. This initial event is one of the most important alloantigen-independent factors associated with graft coronary artery disease (GCAD). Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is an important second messenger that inhibits the expression of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), and endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule 1 (ELAM-1) in vitro. Its levels decrease during organ preservation. We hypothesized that augmenting allograft cAMP levels with the water-soluble adenylate cyclase activator, NKH477, could decrease ischemia–reperfusion injury and inhibit the progression of GCAD. Methods: PVG to ACI rat heterotopic cardiac allografts, treated with NKH477 solution or vehicle, were reperfused for 4 hours or 90 days after 60 minutes of ischemia. We analyzed grafts for intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), VCAM-1, and ELAM-1 mRNA expression; TNF-α and interleukin-6 (IL-6) protein expression; and myeloperoxidase activity. We also performed immunohistochemical analysis for ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 protein expression. At post-operative Day 90, the progression of GCAD had increased morphometrically. Results: NKH477-treated grafts had significantly decreased levels of myeloperoxidase activity compared with controls. In this group, TNF-α, IL-6, and VCAM-1 protein expression was inhibited; however, ICAM-1 and ELAM-1 expression did not alter. We found no differences in the degree of development of GCAD between groups. Conclusion: Although augmented intracellular cAMP prevented acute reperfusion injury, it was insufficient to prevent the development of GCAD. Intracellular adhesion molecule 1 and ELAM-1, whose expression NKH477 does not inhibit, may play important roles in the development of GCAD.
A note on compounded conservatism

Compounded conservatism (or {open_quotes}creeping safety{close_quotes}) describes the impact of using conservative, upper-bound estimates of the values of multiple input variates to obtain a conservative estimate of risk modeled as an increasing function of those variates. In a simple multiplicative model of risk, for example, if upper p-fractile (100th percentile) values are used for each of several statistically independent input variates, the resulting risk estimate will be the upper p{prime}-fractile of risk predicted according to that multiplicative model, where p{prime} > p. The amount of compounded conservatism reflected by the difference between p{prime} and p may be substantial, depending on the number of inputs, their relative uncertainties, and the value of p selected. Particular numerical examples of compounded conservatism are often cited, but an analytic approach may better serve to conceptualize and communicate its potential quantitative impact. This note briefly outlines such an approach and illustrates its application to the case of risk modeled as a product of lognormally distributed inputs. 11 refs, 1 fig.
On time: contributions from the social sciences

Abstract This paper provides a brief review of the anthropology and psychology literature as it relates to time, an important variable in finance. First, the paper discusses ways that individuals represent time, and introduces cultural variations in the perception of time. Then the experience of time passing, and behavioral pace, is discussed. The succession of time and the orientation toward past, present, and future, are described. The paper may provide implications for academics whose finance research is related to behavior over time.
Posted Warning Placard: Effects on College Students Knowledge of Alcohol Facts and Hazards

Federal legislation requires a warning label on all alcoholic beverage containers sold in the U.S. However, this method of communicating the hazards of alcohol consumption is lacking because (a) it is not designed to reach the underage population, (b) the warning label is small and contains limited information, and (c) the information is not communicated when alcoholic beverages are not served in their original container (e.g., by the glass). The present study was conducted to determine if a posted placard would effectively convey alcohol-related information to college students. A warning sign containing this information was field-tested in eight fraternities assigned to conditions of a Solomon four-group (pre-post) design. In the warning intervention conditions, signs were posted at various locations in fraternity houses. A questionnaire was distributed that assessed knowledge of five categories of hazards associated with alcohol consumption. Results indicated that, in general, students were knowledgeabl...
Mapping City Crime and the New Aesthetic of Danger

This article investigates the recent proliferation of crime-mapping software applications provided by police departments in dozens of US cities. In these maps, urban space is rendered according to ...
Active Control of Sound Reflection, Absorption and Transmission Using Thin Panels:

This study explores the development of thin panels that can be controlled electronically so as to provide surfaces with desired reflection coefficients. Such panels can be used as either perfect reflectors or absorbers. They can also be designed to be transmission blockers that block the propagation of sound. The development of the control system is based on the use of wave separation algorithms that separate incident sound from reflected sound. In order to obtain a desired reflection coefficient, the reflected sound is controlled to appropriate levels. The incident sound is used as an acoustic reference for feedforward control and has the important property of being isolated from the action of the control system speaker. In order to use a panel as a transmission blocker, the acoustic pressure behind the panel is driven to zero. Detailed experimental results are presented showing the efficacy of the algorithms in achieving real-time control of reflection or transmission. The panels are able to effectively...
Synthesis of Periodonaphthalene, C10I8: Permercuration and Subsequent Iododemercuration of Naphthalene in a Triiodide Solution

Periodonaphthalene was synthesized in 12.6% yield by permercuration of naphthalene, followed by iododemercuration in a solution of potassium triiodide. MS and elemental analyses established the compound's identity and purity, respectively. We propose two potential applications for periodonaphthalene.
WE‐D‐330A‐03: PO2 Measurements in Animal Tumors Using An Image‐Guided Robotic System

Purpose: To develop and evaluate an image‐guidedrobotic system for measuring pO2 in animal tumors.Method and Materials: The robot consists of an X‐Y horizontal platform holding the rodent bed, a dual‐axis vertical arm for positioning the measurement probe and cannula, and fiducial markers for registering the coordinates of the imaging and robotic systems. Anesthesized and immobilized tumor‐bearing rats are injected with the hypoxia tracer 18F‐FMISO and imaged in the rodent bed using an animal PET scanner. The reconstructedPETimages are then uploaded into the robot computer, the rodent bed affixed to the X‐Y platform, and the coordinates of the robot and PET registered. Based on the tumor hypoxia image displayed on the robot computer, motion of the robotic X‐Y platform and vertical arm are coordinated to guide the positioning and percutaneous insertion of a probe (OxyLite‐Optronix) to measure pO2 at various locations in the tumor. The pO2 readings (cps/voxel) are then compared to the respective image intensity of the measurement points. Results: The registration accuracy between the robot and image coordinate system was better than 0.2mm. Although the 18F‐FMISO in the bladder produced characteristic starburst artifacts in the surrounding, low‐intensity regions, we successfully measured the pO2 for three tracks. The 18F‐FMISO image voxel values were found to be inversely correlated with the intra‐tumoral pO2 of the three tracks with (Pearson product moment) correlation coefficients of −0.899, −0.420 and −0.857. The scatter plot of pO2 vs. image intensity resembled a sigmoidal, rather than a linear relationship. Conclusion: PET‐guided pO2measurement is feasible using this prototype image‐guidedrobot system. To our knowledge, this is the first system of its kind — allowing direct point‐by‐point correlation of physiological probe measurements and image voxel values or, more generally, a physical action at a set of anatomic points identified on a preoperative image.
Effect of starting powders on the control of microstructural development of Al-Cu-Fe quasi-crystalline plasma-sprayed coatings

Powders and plasma-sprayed coatings of an Al63Cu25Fe12 alloy containing a quasi-crystalline phase were characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and differential thermal analysis. The relationships between powder and coating microstructures were examined. Powders were produced by casting and crushing and by gas atomization. Both techniques produced powders with multiple phases; cubic and monoclinic ternary structures were formed along with the face-centered icosahedral quasi-crystalline phase. These phases were also produced in the plasma-arc-sprayed coatings formed using different starting powders. Cooling rates during powder processing greatly affected the phase equilibria and scale of segregation of this alloy. Finer grain sizes in the plasma-sprayed coatings were obtained from the more chemically homogeneous gas-atomized powders.
The Reliability of Informal Reading Inventories: What Has Changed?

Over time, criticisms related to the technical rigor of informal reading inventories (IRIs) have led many to question using these assessment instruments for high- or low-stakes purposes. In this article, I examine reliability evidence reported in 11 new and updated IRIs and make comparisons with Spector's earlier analysis that revealed fewer than half of the IRIs reported reliability. Based on the findings, I discuss ways in which IRIs have changed and use criteria recommended by Nitko, Salvia and Ysseldyke, and Spector to consider various educational uses of IRI data.
Penicillin-binding proteins and cell shape in E. coli

β-LACTAM antibiotics (penicillins and cephalosporins) have attracted considerable attention as probes of cell growth and division1,2. Although extensive studies have been made on both penicillin-sensitive enzymes and penicillin binding proteins3, there has been no clear indication of the role of any of these components in the effects of β-lactam antibiotics on cell growth. We report the identification of a minor penicillin binding protein which we believe to be the target at which the amidinopenicillanic acid designated FL1060 (ref. 4) acts to affect the shape of Escherichia coli. This is the first example of the identification of a penicillin binding protein with an essential and defined role in bacterial cell growth.