cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cold sintering of a Li-ion cathode: LiFePO4-composite with high volumetric capacity

Abstract Cold Sintering Process (CSP) is a new emerging technique to consolidate ceramic particulates and ceramic-based composites at ultralow temperatures with assistance of pressures and transient aqueous phases. In consideration of the low-temperature advantage that bridges the sintering conditions of different types of materials (e.g. ceramics and polymers), it thus opens up a new route to integrate materials and devices, as well as to enable the fabrication of novel composites particularly with the ceramic material as matrix. In this communication, we demonstrated the feasibility of applying CSP to achieve dense LiFePO4-based cathode composites at an extraordinary low-temperature ~240 °C. The cold-sintered composite cathodes exhibited ~89% of its theoretical density. A half-cell was subsequently assembled, and a good electrochemical performance was manifested by a high volumetric capacity ~340 mAh/cm3 and a gravimetric capacity ~158 mAh/g. Furthermore a good rate performance and capacity retention during cycling test at 0.2 C was observed on these composites.
Acute Myocardial Infarction and Stress Cardiomyopathy Are Not Mutually Exclusive

Abstract Background Stress cardiomyopathy is a transient cardiac syndrome characterized by reversible left ventricular systolic dysfunction precipitated by emotional or physiologic stress. The presence of obstructive coronary artery disease has been noted in stress cardiomyopathy. Methods We describe 3 case reports of patients with acute coronary syndrome and transient wall motion abnormalities not usually seen in the distribution of coronary artery disease. Results In these 3 cases of acute myocardial infarction, the distribution of the culprit coronary occlusion was not concordant with the territory of transient wall motion abnormality. Follow-up demonstrated resolution of the wall motion abnormalities without intervention in these territories. Conclusion We believe that the physiologic stress of the acute coronary syndrome may have precipitated the stress cardiomyopathy as presented by these patients. This is the first demonstration that stress cardiomyopathy may be precipitated by acute coronary syndrome.
Primary breast diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: treatment strategies and patterns of failure*

Treatment strategies and outcomes were assessed in 25 patients with primary breast diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (PB-DLBCL) treated between 1995 and 2016. We specifically investigated the timing of...
In absence of an explicit judgment, action-specific effects still influence an action measure of perceived speed.

Abstract Action-specific effects, such as a fish appearing faster when it is harder to catch, have been primarily demonstrated using explicit perceptual judgments. These sorts of judgments rely on the cognitive or “what” visual pathway. An open question is whether action-specific effects also influence the action pathway. If fish look faster when the net is small, the net should be released earlier than when the net is big. Previously, this action measure was always paired with an explicit measure of fish speed, which is known to evoke the cognitive visual pathway. Here, net release time was examined without any explicit judgments. The action-specific effect of net size still emerged. Assuming net release time taps into the action pathway, the current studies provide support that action-specific effects occur within both the cognitive and action pathways, possibly because these effects operate on early visual processes prior to the split between the two pathways.
Short Paper: Psychosocial Aspects of New Technology Implementation

New technology is dramatically changing the workplace by allowing companies to increase efficiency, productivity, quality, safety, and overall profitability. An effective new technology implementation is required for companies to compete successfully in the marketplace. Time and money wasted on unsuccessful and improper new technology implementation is contrary to the overall goal of improving the competitiveness and profitability of the company. Teams and teamwork have been recommended as a way to improve efficiency, productivity, quality, safety, profitability, and employee satisfaction. New technology challenges the current implementation methods and techniques. To effectively utilize these new technologies it is best to consider all the factors involved in the implementation process; most importantly the individual human elements involved. It is recommended to utilize a cooperative team oriented approach to new technology implementation, which relies heavily on obtaining employee input and participation throughout the entire process. By doing this; it is hoped that the new technology can be implemented in the most effective way possible.
A Metallographic Study of Cavitation During Superplastic Deformation of CDA 638 Alloy

ABSTRACT Cavitation has been studied in the superplastic copper-based alloy CDA 638 using optical microscopy. Void size distributions, volume fractions of voids and numbers of voids per unit volume have been measured as a function of strain at strain-rates of 2 × 10 –4 s –1 and 1 × 10 –5 s -l corresponding to deformation in the superplastic region II and region I respectively. At the highest strain-rate cavity growth occurs by plastic hole growth whilst at the lower strain rate there is a substantial contribution to growth by void coalescence.
In the Third World and the Quartier: African Youth Activism after National Independence in Francophone Africa

During the 1960s youth and student activists from Francophone Africa actively participated in building new international solidarity networks rooted in Cold War variants of Marxism, ongoing anti-colonial struggles, and the Black Power movement. When most of France’s sub-Saharan colonies gained formal independence in 1960, “youth” had already become a substantial political force, largely defined by student organizations in the imperial metropole. Using interviews and archival materials from Senegal and Congo-Brazzaville, I will examine two changes in the wake of independence: First, the focal point of youth activism began to shift toward local demands raised by emerging student and youth organizations within newly established African nations. Second, while African students in France continued to play an important role in providing international connections, students and other youth leaders began to engage more directly with transnational and international networks beyond the former imperial framework. My paper examines how young radicals in Senegal and the Congo insisted that national independence had not been achieved in practice, and tried to link the term to a broader conception of emancipation. In doing so, highly localized demands became intimately tied to ideas of Third World Marxism and Black Internationalism that always threatened to spill beyond the bounds of national politics.
Coupling Experimental and Analytical Substructures with a Continuous Connection Using the Transmission Simulator Method

The transmission simulator method of experimental dynamic substructuring has the capability to couple substructures with continuous connections. A hardware example with continuous connections is presented in which the method is used to couple an experimental substructure with a finite element substructure to predict full system response. The predicted response is compared with frequency response functions measured on the full system hardware. The experimental substructure captures the motion of a component packed in foam. This is coupled to a finite element model of a cylindrical metal case which contains the foam and is attached through a flange to a plate and beam structure.
Trimetaphosphate Activates Prebiotic Peptide Synthesis across a Wide Range of Temperature and pH.

The biochemical activation of amino acids by adenosine triphosphate (ATP) drives the synthesis of proteins that are essential for all life. On the early Earth, before the emergence of cellular life, the chemical condensation of amino acids to form prebiotic peptides or proteins may have been activated by inorganic polyphosphates, such as tri metaphosphate (TP). Plausible volcanic and other potential sources of TP are known, and TP readily activates amino acids for peptide synthesis. But de novo peptide synthesis also depends on pH, temperature, and processes of solvent drying, which together define a varied range of potential activating conditions. Although we cannot replay the tape of life on Earth, we can examine how activator, temperature, acidity and other conditions may have collectively shaped its prebiotic evolution. Here, reactions of two simple amino acids, glycine and alanine, were tested, with or without TP, over a wide range of temperature (0–100 °C) and acidity (pH 1–12), while open to the atmosphere. After 24 h, products were analyzed by HPLC and mass spectrometry. In the absence of TP, glycine and alanine readily formed peptides under harsh near-boiling temperatures, extremes of pH, and within dry solid residues. In the presence of TP, however, peptides arose over a much wider range of conditions, including ambient temperature, neutral pH, and in water. These results show how polyphosphates such as TP may have enabled the transition of peptide synthesis from harsh to mild early Earth environments, setting the stage for the emergence of more complex prebiotic chemistries.
Science gateways: Sustainability via on-campus teams

Abstract The challenges for creators of specific science gateways are manifold, and the expertise needed for well-designed science gateways is very diverse. The sustainability of science gateways is crucial to serve communities effectively, efficiently and reliably. One measure to achieve greater sustainability of science gateways is establishing on-campus teams. Researchers are served more efficiently since the support by experienced developers reduces individual project investments, and a team can bring the diversity of required expertise for a well-designed science gateway. This paper goes into detail about the challenges and the benefits of on-campus groups and of sharing resources across a campus. We provide four successful cases, describe the services of the Science Gateways Community Institute (SGCI) to support the process in building such groups, and recommend strategies for using free campus resources.
Attitudes and beliefs about musculoskeletal pain and its association with pain neuroscience knowledge among physiotherapy students in Israel

Physiotherapy has a vital role in helping patients manage and overcome musculoskeletal pain. Healthcare providers’ beliefs about pain are associated with the beliefs of their patients. This study evaluated the attitudes, beliefs and level of pain neuroscience knowledge among Israeli Bachelor-level physiotherapy students. First-year (n = 29, before pain course), second-year (n = 28, immediately after pain course and before clinical placements), and fourth-year (n = 28, post-clinical placements) physiotherapy students completed the Health Care Providers’ Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS, range 15–105, lower scores indicate a more positive attitude) to assess pain attitudes and beliefs. The Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (NPQ, range 0–19, higher scores indicate more pain-related knowledge) was also completed to measure pain neuroscience knowledge. Two separate one-way ANOVAs with post hoc analyses were used to compare HC-PAIRS and NPQ results between the three groups of students. Pearson correlations were determined between HC-PAIRS and NPQ. HC-PAIRS scores of the first-year students were significantly higher than those of second- and fourth-year students (p = 0.011, p < 0.001, respectively), with no difference between second- and fourth-year students; indicating that first-year students had less-positive attitudes toward the ability of individuals with musculoskeletal pain to function. Similarly, NPQ scores showed that first-year students differed from second- and fourth-year students (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). The HC-PAIRS and NPQ correlation among the fourth-year students yielded a moderately negative association (r = − 0.462, p = 0.01), indicating that pain neuroscience knowledge was associated with less belief that chronic pain justifies disability. A specific curriculum about pain during physiotherapy undergraduate education contributes to a more positive evidenced-based attitude to musculoskeletal pain and patient function. The association between pain neuroscience knowledge and positive attitudes and beliefs regarding pain were enhanced after clinical placements, demonstrating that learning improves when integrated into practice. Due to the impact of pain training and the expected benefits to patient care, health policy decision makers and educators should verify that the pain curriculum is current with the best research evidence. Future studies with larger samples that include students from other healthcare disciplines, including medicine are warranted.
Assessment of the mitogenic potential of the alkaloids produced by endophyte (Acremonium coenophialum)-infected tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) on bovine vascular smooth muscle in vitro.

The objective of these experiments was to test the hypothesis that the major alkaloid classes found in endophyte-infected tall fescue could act as growth promoters for vascular smooth muscle. Bovine vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from the dorsal metatarsal artery were grown in vitro and exposed to five concentrations (10(-6), 10(-8), 10(-9), 10(-11) and 0 M) of ergonovine, alpha-ergocryptine, ergovaline, and N-acetyl loline for 48 h. The mitogenic potential of the alkaloids was tested on both actively growing cells (serum fed, 10% fetal bovine serum) and quiescent cells (serum starved, 0.1% serum) to assess the need for serum constituents for alkaloid induced growth or toxicity. Ergonovine stimulated (P < .07) VSMC growth at 10(-6) M concentration in growing and quiescent culturs and at 10(-8) M concentration in quiescent cultures. alpha-Ergocryptine stimulated (P < .01) growth at 10(-6) M concentration in growing cultures and at 10(-8) and 10(-9) M concentrations in quiescent cultures. Ergovaline exhibited a dual activity on the growth of VSMC in culture, stimulating (P = .06) growth of quiescent cells at 10(-9) M concentration but inhibiting (P < .05) growth of growing cultures at concentrations of 10(-6) and 10(-9) M. This duality of activity was also noted for N-acetyl loline: N-acetyl loline stimulated (P < .05) growth of quiescent cultures at concentrations of 10(-8), 10(-9), and 10(-11) M but inhibited (P < .05) growth of growing cultures at concentrations of 10(-8) and 10(-9) M. The growth effects of the alkaloids in vitro on VSMC support in part the hypothesis that the alkaloids may contribute to the vascular complications noted in cattle grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue through hyperplasia of the intima. This would result in a decreased luminal diameter of the blood vessels and a resultant decrease in blood flow to the afflicted tissues. The diminished blood flow to tissues would result in tissue death and reduced ability to dissipate heat.
Some Thoughts on Teaching Secure Programming

Some Thoughts on Teaching Secure Programming Matt Bishop Dept. of Computer Science University of California at Davis Davis, CA 95616-8562 email : bishop@cs.ucdavis.edu February 2, 2012 Teaching students, developers, and others to “program securely” raises many issues, several of which I consider misconceptions or hindering, rather than helping, such efforts. This short note discusses them. It is based on my experience teaching and practicing this material for over 30 years, as a graduate student, company employee, research scientist, and a university faculty member. I teach “secure programming” in my programming and computer security classes, and have presented numerous tutorials to conferences (like SANS and USENIX), several companies, and other forums. I have also written on this topic (see for example [1–9]). To be precise, my concern is for teaching people how to write programs that are reliable, in the sense that they perform the tasks they are supposed to, and handle any unexpected inputs or events in a reasonable manner. Here, I call this “secure programming”. 1 The good reader will note I do not criticize what has, and has not, been done. That would be counterproductive at best. Efforts to blame, or foist problems off on others, generally hinder solving a problem. Readers who interpret or use this document to assess blame or “point fingers” misuse this note. The point of this note is to help fix the problem. The Myths Myth #1. There is no room in the curriculum for a course on secure programming. This statement assumes that a separate course is required. A different approach would be far more effective. Introductory and second programming classes teach the basics of secure programming: how to check for bad inputs, to do bounds checking, check return values, catch and handle exceptions, and so forth. When students program for more advanced classes, the focus is on the class material and not on the mechanics of programming. 2 That students will write secure programs is assumed, and rarely checked. When checked, the effects are salutary. In my operating systems class, I had my grader (a student in the Computer Security Lab) check the students’ programs. When grading the first assignment, he told the students he would deduct 20% of their score if he saw code that non-secure It’s actually “robust” programming, which deals with more than security. Similarly, in industry, the usual focus is on shipping the product, not on the security of the programing.
Values and the Future

The chapter details the relationship between values on the one hand and concepts of the future on the other. Values guide the actions an individual or a company decides upon for pursuing goals and objectives. Goals and objectives, unlike values, can be adjusted.
A Molecular Cascade Underlying Articular Cartilage Degeneration

Preserving of articular cartilage is an effective way to protect synovial joints from becoming osteoarthritic (OA) joints. Understanding of the molecular basis of articular cartilage degeneration will provide valuable information in the effort to develop cartilage preserving drugs. There are currently no disease-modifying OA drugs (DMOADs) available to prevent articular cartilage destruction during the development of OA. Current drug treatments for OA focus on the reduction of joint pain, swelling, and inflammation at advanced stages of the disease. However, based on discoveries from several independent research laboratories and our laboratory in the past 15 to 20 years, we believe that we have a functional molecular understanding of articular cartilage degeneration. In this review article, we present and discuss experimental evidence to demonstrate a sequential chain of the molecular events underlying articular cartilage degeneration, which consists of transforming growth factor beta 1, high-temperature requirement A1 (a serine protease), discoidin domain receptor 2 (a cell surface receptor tyrosine kinase for native fibrillar collagens), and matrix metalloproteinase 13 (an extracellularmatrix degrading enzyme). If, as we strongly suspect, this molecular pathway is responsible for the initiation and acceleration of articular cartilage degeneration, which eventually leads to progressive joint failure, then these molecules may be ideal therapeutic targets for the development of DMOADs.
Cerebral Venous Thrombosis and Intracerebral Hemorrhage due to Pegaspargase Therapy for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (P5.3-014)

Objective: To report an adult patient with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and delayed-onset of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) after pegaspargase therapy for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL.) Background: Asparaginase in treatment of ALL has been associated with venous thromboembolism, including CVT. Pegaspargase is a modified form of L-asparginase created by conjugation with polyethylene glycol, prolonging both half-life and decreasing immunogenicity. Pegaspargase might therefore cause late thrombosis and/or bleeding. Design/Methods: Case Report. Results: A 46 year-old-female with ALL underwent intrathecal methotrexate administration followed after four days by intravenous pegaspargase. Two days later she developed a new generalized tonic-clonic seizure and was found to have a large right intracranial hemorrhage with thrombocytopenia. MRI and MR venogram did not reveal CVT or cause of hemorrhage. Two and a half weeks later she developed sudden headache and aphasia due to contralateral parietal ICH. Evaluation revealed a new thromboses of the left cerebral transverse sinus and a deep vein in the calf. She was not thrombocytopenic at this time, nor did she have further chemotherapy between the first and second ICH. The second ICH was attributed to CVT due to the single dose of pegaspargase. Anticoagulation was started but she transitioned to hospice care. Conclusions: Pegaspargase-related coagulation disorders can be associated with ICH and late CVT despite pegaspargase discontinuation. Disclosure: Dr. Scarsella has nothing to disclose. Dr. Brown has nothing to disclose. Dr. Migdady has nothing to disclose. Dr. Uchino has nothing to disclose.
The Contemporary Salience of Deprivation Theory: Prison Personnel Perceptions of Inmates and the Pains of Solitary Confinement:

In recent decades, long-term solitary confinement has become a mainstay of prison systems. Critiques and research of this confinement typically have focused on its potential harms. Few studies have...
Childhood Maltreatment and Eating Disorders: A Prospective Investigation:

Objectives:To determine whether childhood maltreatment is a risk factor for two eating disorders (anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa) using objective and subjective case definitions.Methods:Using...
Prostate and tumor segmentation on PET/CT using Dual Mask R-CNN

We propose a learning-based method to automatically segment prostate and its dominant intraprostatic lesions (DILs) from positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) images. A dual attention mask R-CNN is introduced to enable end-to-end segmentation. To avoid the effect of useless region, mask R-CNN is used to get rid of non-tumor regions via fist locate the tumor region-of-interest (ROI) and then segment tumor within that ROI. Dual attention networks are used as backbone in mask R-CNN to extract comprehensive features from both CT and PET images. The binary mask of tumor of an arrival patient’s CT and PET image is generated by the well-trained network. To evaluate the proposed method, we retrospectively investigate 25 PET/CT datasets. On each dataset, prostate and DILs were delineated by physicians and was served as ground truth and training target. The proposed method was trained and evaluated by a Five-fold cross validation strategy. The average centroid distance, volume difference and DSC value for prostate/DIL among all 25 patients are 0.83±0.91mm, -0.01±0.79 and 0.84±0.09, respectively. The proposed method has great potential in improving the efficiency and mitigating the observer-dependence in prostate and DIL contouring for DIL focal boost radiation therapy
Using a monocopper-superoxo complex to prepare multicopper-peroxo species relevant to proposed enzyme intermediates.

Abstract With the goal of generating a (peroxo)tricopper species analogous to the Peroxy Intermediate proposed for multicopper oxidases, solutions of the copper-superoxide complex [K(Krypt)][LCuO2] (L = N,N′-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-2,6-pyridinedicarboxamide, Krypt = 4,7,13,16,21,24-hexaoxa-1,10-diazabicyclo[8.8.8]hexacosane) were reacted with the dicopper(I) complex [(TPBN)Cu2(MeCN)2][PF6]2 at −70 °C (TPBN = N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis-(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,4-diaminobutane). A metastable intermediate formed, which on the basis of UV–vis, EPR, and resonance Raman spectroscopy was proposed to derive from reaction of two equivalents of the copper-superoxide with one equivalent of the dicopper(I) complex to yield a complex with two (peroxo)dicopper moieties rather than the desired (peroxo)tricopper PI model. A similar intermediate formed upon reaction of [K(Krypt)][LCuO2] with [(BPMA)Cu(MeCN)][PF6] (BPMA = N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-methyl-amine), which contained the same donor set as provided by TPBN. Comparison of resonance Raman data and consideration of structural preferences for LCuX species led to hypothesis of a μ-η1:η2-peroxo structure for both intermediates.
Co-culture model of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia recapitulates a transcription signature of chemotherapy-refractory minimal residual disease

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is characterized by accumulation of immature hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow, a well-established sanctuary site for leukemic cell survival during treatment. While standard of care treatment results in remission in most patients, a small population of patients will relapse, due to the presence of minimal residual disease (MRD) consisting of dormant, chemotherapy-resistant tumor cells. To interrogate this clinically relevant population of treatment refractory cells, we developed an in vitro cell model in which human ALL cells are grown in co-culture with human derived bone marrow stromal cells or osteoblasts. Within this co-culture, tumor cells are found in suspension, lightly attached to the top of the adherent cells, or buried under the adherent cells in a population that is phase dim (PD) by light microscopy. PD cells are dormant and chemotherapy-resistant, consistent with the population of cells that underlies MRD. In the current study, we characterized the transcriptional signature of PD cells by RNA-Seq, and these data were compared to a published expression data set derived from human MRD B-cell ALL patients. Our comparative analyses revealed that the PD cell population is markedly similar to the MRD expression patterns from the primary cells isolated from patients. We further identified genes and key signaling pathways that are common between the PD tumor cells from co-culture and patient derived MRD cells as potential therapeutic targets for future studies.
Biomarkers for Nonexudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Relevance for Clinical Trials: A Systematic Review

The purpose of the review was to identify structural, functional, blood-based, and other types of biomarkers for early, intermediate, and late nonexudative stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and summarize the relevant data for proof-of-concept clinical trials. AMD is a leading cause of blindness in the aging population, yet no treatments exist for its most common nonexudative form. There are limited data on the diagnosis and progression of nonexudative AMD compared to neovascular AMD. Our objective was to provide a comprehensive, systematic review of recently published biomarkers (molecular, structural, and functional) for early AMD, intermediate AMD, and geographic atrophy and to evaluate the relevance of these biomarkers for use in future clinical trials. A literature search of PubMed, ScienceDirect, EMBASE, and Web of Science from January 1, 1996 to November 30, 2020 and a patent search were conducted. Search terms included “early AMD,” “dry AMD,” “intermediate AMD,” “biomarkers for nonexudative AMD,” “fundus autofluorescence patterns,” “color fundus photography,” “dark adaptation,” and “microperimetry.” Articles were assessed for bias and quality with the Mixed-Methods Appraisal Tool. A total of 94 articles were included (61,842 individuals). Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography was superior at highlighting detailed structural changes in earlier stages of AMD. Fundus autofluorescence patterns were found to be most important in estimating progression of geographic atrophy. Delayed rod intercept time on dark adaptation was the most widely recommended surrogate functional endpoint for early AMD, while retinal sensitivity on microperimetry was most relevant for intermediate AMD. Combinational studies accounting for various patient characteristics and machine/deep-learning approaches were best suited for assessing individualized risk of AMD onset and progression. This systematic review supports the use of structural and functional biomarkers in early AMD and intermediate AMD, which are more reproducible and less invasive than the other classes of biomarkers described. The use of deep learning and combinational algorithms will gain increasing importance in future clinical trials of nonexudative AMD.
Influence of Resonator Configuration on Band Gap Range in Acoustic Metamaterials

In recent years study acoustic metamaterials have found great attention due to its enormous ability to guide and manipulate elastic wave in a medium. Frequency bandgap is a great feature that can be achieved by acoustic metamaterials. The bandgap is the frequency range at which the elastic wave doesn’t propagate through the medium. In another word, the frequency band gap offers wave isolation ability for a structure. An acoustic metamaterial usually consists of resonators and a host media. The frequency bandgap is mainly the result of brag scattering in the structure. The orientation and geometry of resonators in a unit cell possess a great influence on brag scattering. This study is dedicated to understanding the influence of resonators volume percentage in the frequency bandgap. Several resonator geometries of two different combinations are studied. Finally, comparing the outcome from both the combinations, a claim is made regarding the effect of volume fraction on frequency band gaps.
Intranasal metoclopramide for acute and recurrent diabetic gastroparesis in adults

Metoclopramide is a prokinetic agent used to promote gastrointestinal motility. It is available for intramuscular, intravenous, subcutaneous and oral administration. In June 2020, metoclopramide nasal spray (MNS) 15 mg (administered 30 min before each meal and at bedtime for 2–8 weeks), received FDA-approval for the acute and chronic management of diabetic gastroparesis (DG) in adults. Four studies that evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of MNS in patients with DG were identified, but none evaluated MNS 15 mg. Of the four studies, one found MNS more effective than metoclopramide tablets: per-protocol patients receiving MNS 10 mg and 20 mg experienced a statistically significant reduction in total symptom scores at six weeks, versus metoclopramide 10 mg tablets. In three placebo-controlled 4-week studies, DG symptom improvements seen with MNS 10 mg or 14 mg were statistically insignificant in men but were statistically significant in women. Adverse events of mild-to-moderate severity included headache, cough, nasal discomfort and dysgeusia. Further research is needed to assess the efficacy (e.g., individual and combined symptom scores, hospitalizations due to acute flares), tolerability, pharmacokinetics and cost-effectiveness of MNS 15 mg over 8–12 weeks in patients with DG.
A study of real-world micrograph data quality and machine learning model robustness

Machine-learning (ML) techniques hold the potential of enabling efficient quantitative micrograph analysis, but the robustness of ML models with respect to real-world micrograph quality variations has not been carefully evaluated. We collected thousands of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs for molecular solid materials, in which image pixel intensities vary due to both the microstructure content and microscope instrument conditions. We then built ML models to predict the ultimate compressive strength (UCS) of consolidated molecular solids, by encoding micrographs with different image feature descriptors and training a random forest regressor, and by training an end-to-end deep-learning (DL) model. Results show that instrument-induced pixel intensity signals can affect ML model predictions in a consistently negative way. As a remedy, we explored intensity normalization techniques. It is seen that intensity normalization helps to improve micrograph data quality and ML model robustness, but microscope-induced intensity variations can be difficult to eliminate.
Democratizing Gubernatorial Succession

In most states, lieutenant governors operate as built-in governors-in-waiting. But in the early days of the United States, relatively few lieutenant governors existed—and in the states without them, governors were usually succeeded by legislative, or quasi-legislative, officers. The adoption of lieutenant governorships, which primarily took place during the nineteenth century, reflects the culmination of a long trend in state constitutional law toward the democratization of state institutions. The story of gubernatorial succession is primarily the story of how lieutenant governors were created. But it is more than that—it is the story of how state separation-of-powers systems evolved over time, how legislators lost their perch in the line of gubernatorial succession, how other state officers were created and positioned as gubernatorial successors, and how small features of state constitutional law became polarizing issues in constitutional development. It is also a story of incompletion. Many states today lack lieutenant governors, or provide for a method of lieutenant-gubernatorial election that defies the logic for establishing such an office in the first place. This Article tells each of these stories, recounting in detail the history of gubernatorial succession, using that history to extract a narrative of democratization, and arguing that there remain undemocratic vestiges in current gubernatorial succession provisions that ought to be reformed.
Biogenic Amines in the Pituitary Gland: What is Their Origin and Function? Pituitary Indolamines

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the occurrence of indole amines in the pituitary proper of mammals, excluding the median eminence region. The localization of the serotonin in pituitary cells is not established yet, but a new fluorigenic substance, which was not identical with either catecholamines or serotonin, was recently found. This compound has some similarities to the fluorescence characteristics of peptides with tryptophan in the NH,-terminal position. The possible functional significance of local monoamines in the control of pituitary secretion is also discussed. Investigations undertaken to clarify this question showed that peptides with tryptophan in the NH,-terminal position react in the formaldehyde-ozone procedure to give an intense fluorescence spectrally similar to that of tryptamine. It remains to be determined whether N-terminal tryptophyl peptides actually exist in the pituitary and whether these peptides are responsible for the pituitary fluorescence. At present there are no experimental data relating the piuitary stores of serotonin, tryptamine, or histamine to the secretion of pituitary hormones.
Evidence for early B-cell activation preceding the development of Epstein-Barr virus-negative acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related lymphoma

To investigate the origin and pathogenesis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related lymphoma (ARL), we studied 14 cases in which Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection was not an etiologic factor. By histology, 8 of the specimens were of the small noncleaved cell type and 6 consisted of the large diffuse cell type. Southern analysis using a J(H) probe was consistent with a monoclonal B-cell tumor in 13 cases. To characterize the expressed Ig genes, we performed reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and direct sequencing of PCR products. Eight cases expressed IgM and 1 case expressed IgG. V(H)3 genes were found in 5 cases, V(H)4 genes in 3 cases, V(H)1 genes in 2 cases, and a V(H)7 gene in 1 case. The nucleotide homology to known germline V(H) genes ranged from 80% to 97%, suggesting significant somatic diversification of expressed V(H) genes. The large proportion of V(H)3-expressing lymphomas in this series corresponds to the frequency of V(H)3-expressing B cells in the peripheral blood from healthy and (recent) human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositve individuals and contrasts with the V(H)3 clonal deficit observed in late stages of HIV infection. Similar to the Ig heavy chain genes, the corresponding Ig light chain genes showed significant deviation from known germline gene sequences. The large proportion of V(H)3-expressing lymphomas as well as the high degree of somatic deviation from germline suggest that these EBV-negative lymphomas might arise from antigen-selected expanded B-cell clones before transformation. Further support for this hypothesis is provided by sequential Ig sequence analysis in 1 patient with large-cell lymphoma. It was shown that 3 years before the diagnosis of axillary lymphoma, there existed several B-cell clones in this patient's bone marrow. One of these clones present in the bone marrow expressed the same rearranged V(H) gene as the axillary lymphoma. Taken together, the current findings from Ig gene analyses suggest that activation of B cells in the early phase of HIV infection may be a predisposing factor for subsequent B-cell transformation.
"entre cuatro paredes": lenguaje y personajes

Presenta un resumen de la obra Entre cuatro paredes del escritor guatemalteco Manuel Galich donde relata la vida y los milagros de la familia Paredes. Ademas, habla del lenguaje femenino y del lenguaje masculino, de los regionalismos empleados, los centroamericanismos y los guatemaltequismos.
Indigenous community benefits from a de-centralized approach to REDD+ in Brazil

Successful efforts of indigenous groups to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD+) will likely vary with how the initiatives are designed and implemented. Whether REDD+ initiatives are carried out by national governments or decentralized to sub-national or project-level institutions with a nested approach could be of great consequence. I describe the Surui Forest Carbon Project in Amazonian Brazil, one of the first REDD+ pilot projects implemented with indigenous people in the world. I emphasize (1) how enfranchisement of community members in the policy-planning process, fund management, and carbon baseline establishment increased project reliability and equity, and (2) how the project's quality would have likely been diminished if implemented under a centralized REDD+ scheme.Policy relevanceThis article explores a decentralized REDD+ intervention established in an indigenous land in Brazil. It expands the theoretical discussions on REDD+ governance and h...
Performance Isn’t Everything: The Importance of Conceptual Competence in Outcome Assessment of Experiential Learning

The ABA is on the brink of a seismic shift in its law school accreditation standards. The new standards would require law schools to identify, pursue and assess goals for student learning outcomes. This change in focus has been heavily influenced by the Carnegie Report’s recommendations for reform of American legal education. This report has been hailed in numerous law review articles but has been subject to little critical analysis.This article scrutinizes — and ultimately rejects — the recommendations of the Carnegie Report for outcomes and assessment in the area of experiential education. The Carnegie Report argues that practical education should focus on teaching students to follow expert protocols, procedures, rules and checklists to deal effectively with lawyering situations — to mimic the actions of expert lawyers as they face a lawyering task. An extensive body of cognitive science and neuroscience research on the development of expertise, however, questions the theoretical underpinnings of the Report and suggests that educators should not focus on what experts are doing but what they are thinking as they deal with a lawyering problem. Therefore, the authors assert that outcome assessments in experiential legal education should be focused primarily on students learning to reason in practice, rather than to mimic the techniques of expert lawyers. Ultimately, this critique has significant implications for the drafting of the final ABA standards on outcome assessments which are likely to be adopted in late 2012 or early 2013 .This article concludes by presenting an experimental assessment technique designed to evaluate student reasoning in practice.
Do Constitutional Amendments Matter

Article V of the Constitution specifies how the Constitution may be amended. Notwithstanding all the attention that constitutional amendments receive, however, our constitutional order would look little different if a formal amendment process did not exist. At least since the first few decades of the Republic, constitutional amendments have not been an important means by which the Constitution, in practice, has changed. Many changes have come about without amendments. In some instances, amendments were rejected, but the law changed in the way the failed amendment sought anyway. Several amendments, thought to be important, in fact had little effect until the society changed by other means. Other amendments did little more than ratify changes that had already come about in other ways. If this thesis is correct, it suggests that the text of the amended Constitution is much less important than is generally thought; that political activity, in general, should not be focused on proposed constitutional amendments; and that American constitutional law should be thought of as the result of a complex, evolutionary process, not of discrete, self-consciously political acts by a sovereign People.
The Anthranilate Synthetase-Anthranilate 5-Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate Phosphoribosyltransferase Aggregate CATALYTIC AND REGULATORY PROPERTIES OF AGGREGATED AND UNAGGREGATED FORMS OF ANTHRANILATE 5-PHOSPHORIBOSYLPYROPHOSPHATE PHOSPHORIBOSYLTRANSFERASE

Abstract Anthranilate 5-phosphoribosylpyrophosphate phosphoribosyltransferase (PR transferase) catalyzes the second specific reaction in the tryptophan biosynthetic pathway. This protein is aggregated to anthranilate synthetase Component I, which functions in the catalysis of the preceding reaction in Salmonella tryphimurium. Catalytically active preparations of unaggregated PR transferase had a molecular weight of approximately 87,000. The denatured polypeptide chain had a molecular weight of approximately 63,000, suggesting that the unaggregated enzyme is a single polypeptide chain. Aggregated and unaggregated forms of PR transferase activity were inhibited by tryptophan and required saturating concentrations of substrates for maximal inhibition. Chorismate, a substrate for anthranilate synthetase Component I, antagonized the inhibition of aggregated PR transferase activity by tryptophan but not the tryptophan inhibition of the unaggregated form of the enzyme. Indications of negative cooperativity for anthranilate were observed for aggregated PR transferase in the presence of tryptophan. A partial requirement for Mg2+ was shown for the enzymatic activity and tryptophan inhibition of aggregated PR transferase but not for the unaggregated enzyme. The pH profiles for inhibition by tryptophan differed for the two forms of the enzyme although the pH optima for enzyme activity were similar. The Km values for 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate and anthranilate were 6.7 µm and 8.3 µm, respectively, for the aggregated enzyme and they deviated less than 2-fold for the unaggregated PR transferase. Initial velocity patterns for saturation by substrates of aggregated PR transferase activity appeared parallel but a "ping-pong" mechanism was excluded by the pattern of PPi product inhibition and lack of exchange of 32PPi into 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate. The patterns of product inhibition by PPi differed for the two forms of PR transferase. It was concluded from presently available evidence that the native anthranilate synthetase-PR transferase aggregate has the composition (anthranilate synthetase)2 (PR transferase)2 and that the PR transferase polypeptide chains, similar to the anthranilate synthetase polypeptide chains, contain sites for substrates and end product inhibitor.
Foundations of Business Ethics – Considerations on the Methodology of Business Ethics and the Roles of Philosophy and Economics Within

The paper discusses the subject matter and approach of business ethics, and reflects on the roles of philosophy and economics in this field. I argue that, although established economics and ethics seem to be obvious reference points for business ethics, the methods of business ethics cannot just be based on both. Neither a simple reference to the concepts of modern economics nor a simple application of established ethical theory is sufficient for the analysis of ethical issues of modern business and the modern global economy. Established economics offers a rather specific understanding of the economy and, moreover, entails an implicit inherent ethics, neither of which is appropriate to the complex ethical challenges of current business. Traditional philosophical ethics, on the other hand, is not equipped to fully recognize and analyze the specific ethical dimension and the ethical challenges of the modern economy. Business ethics must strive for an enhanced understanding of the economy, identify the specific ethical challenges of modern business, and develop a distinctive ethical approach if it is to adequately analyze the ethical dimension of modern business and to provide a fruitful normative framework for the economy of the future. Philosophy is challenged by the ethical dimension of modern business to contribute to the development of such an encompassing business ethics within an inter- and transdisciplinary discourse with economics, other social sciences, and practitioners.
A Generative Expert System for the Design of Building Layouts

Starting with [Grason 70] and [Steadman 70] and continued through [Mitchell et al. 76] and [Flemming 78], work on the exhaustive enumeration of solutions to layout problems has produced a particular approach which, by now, has established itself as a fully developed paradigm. This paradigm achieves great conceptual clarity by drawing a clean distinction between, on the one hand, the quantitative and continuous properties of a solution (such as the dimensions of the spaces allocated) and, on the other hand, some of its qualitative or discrete properties (particularly the geometric or spatial — not necessarily topological — relations between the allocated spaces). The paradigm stresses the importance of using a formalized representation for properties of the second type and calls for an explicit specification of the necessary and sufficient conditions under which such representations are to be considered well-formed or syntactically correct; that is, every representation of a solution satisfies these conditions and every object that satisfies these conditions represents a solution. In the enumeration of solution sets, these representations play a crucial role in two ways: (1) Each representation is an abstraction since it supresses certain properties of the solution it describes. Different solutions can therefore have the same representation, and each representation consequently describes not a single solution, but an entire class or subset of solutions. Under a suitably selected representation, the (possibly infinite) set of solutions is divided into a finite set of subsets which can be enumerated by generating all well-formed representations as objects.
Foreign Banks in the Pacific: Some History and Policy Issues

Foreign banks now dominate retail banking in the territories, commonwealths, and nations of the Pacific Islands. Generally, banking is highly concentrated, with two Australian banks dominating the Australian sphere of influence, and three French banks dominating the French sphere. The situation in the U.S. sphere is a little more diverse, though in all three spheres there are situations of monopoly. The foreign banks have certain desirable attributes but also limitations. Locally-owned banks have complementary strengths, but also over-riding weaknesses. Government-owned banks have had a particularly unsuccessful history as political lending has frequently led to the banks’ failure. On balance, banking in the region calls out for innovative responses.