cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Activation of PKC decreases myocardial O2consumption and increases contractile efficiency in rats

The effect of protein kinase C (PKC) activation on cardiac mechanoenergetics is not fully understood. To address this issue, we determined the effects of the PKC activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) on isolated rat hearts. Hearts were exposed to PMA with or without pretreatment with the PKC inhibitor chelerythrine. Contractile efficiency was assessed as the reciprocal of the slope of the linear myocardial O2consumption (V˙o 2) pressure-volume area (PVA) relation. PMA decreased contractility (E max; −30 ± 8%; P < 0.05) and increased coronary perfusion pressure (+58 ± 11%;P < 0.01) without altering left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. Concomitantly, PMA decreased PVA-independentV˙o 2 [nonmechanical energy expenditure for excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling and basal metabolism] by 28 ± 8% (P < 0.05) and markedly increased contractile efficiency (+41 ± 8%; P < 0.05) in a manner independent of the coronary vascular resistance. Basal metabolism was not affected by PMA. Chelerythrine abolished ...
Clinical Pharmacology: Clinical Uses of Pharmacokinetic Principles in Prescribing Cardiac Drugs

Drug disposition is the sum of the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination. Knowledge of the factors affecting the rates and extent of these processes facilitates the design of dosing regimens, including calculation of loading dose, maintenance dose, and infusion rate. This information is especially useful in treating patients with low cardiac output, or with intrinsic hepatic or renal disease.
Defining Relapse Patterns in Primary CNS Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: A Multicenter Study (P6.282)

Objective: To describe relapse patterns in patients with primary CNS diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Background: Primary CNS lymphoma is a rare, malignant extra-nodal lymphoma confined to the brain, spinal cord, leptomeninges, and eyes. It accounts for less than 3[percnt] of primary brain tumors; over 90[percnt] are histologically DLBCL. Survival is inferior to other forms of extra-nodal DLBCL with relapse rates of > 50[percnt], historically within two years of diagnosis. Post-remission surveillance is currently based on consensus opinion, and a better understanding of relapse patterns is required to determine optimal surveillance. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with primary CNS DLBCL seen at three tertiary hospitals. Survival estimates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: A total of 146 immunocompetent patients with primary CNS DLBCL achieved radiographic CR to induction therapy. Median age at diagnosis was 62.8 years (26.1-84.6), with median Karnofsky Performance Score at diagnosis of 80 (40-100). 127 patients were treated with chemotherapy alone at time of diagnosis, while 15 received chemoradiation and 4 radiation only. Median follow-up was 5.2 years with median overall survival of 11.7 years (0.9 months-18.5 years). The relapse rate was 54.1[percnt] at a median interval of 3.1 years from diagnosis (2.4 months-10.9 years). Method of relapse detection was clinical in 55.7[percnt], radiographic in 31.6[percnt], and combined in 10.1[percnt]. The first relapse was at a remote CNS site in the majority (65.8[percnt]), with 22.8[percnt] local and 19[percnt] systemic relapse. The 2, 5, and 10-year progression-free survival proportions were 78.7[percnt], 51[percnt], and 26.2[percnt], respectively. Conclusions: We found that late and systemic relapse were more common than previously reported. The majority of relapses were identifiable clinically, although approximately one third were only detected on routine surveillance imaging. These results support current consensus guidelines of clinical and radiographic surveillance up to 10 years after diagnosis. Disclosure: Dr. Wang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Fadul has received research support from Serono, Inc. Dr. Davis has nothing to disclose. Dr. Nayak has received personal compensation for activities with Amgen Inc. Dr. Batchelor has received personal compensation for activities with Merck, Roche, Foundation Medicine, Proximagen/Upsher, Oxigene, Oakstone Publishing, Champtions Biotechnology as a presenter, consultant and lecturer. Dr. Batchelor has received personal
Neuromuscular Relaxants in the Neonate

Neuromuscular blockade frequently is employed to facilitate mechanical ventilation and other therapeutic interventions in adults and children. In recent years it has been suggested that the use of neuromuscular blockade in the management of premature infants who are ventilated for respiratory distress will reduce the incidence of barotrauma and intracranial hemorrhage. Subsequently, neuromuscular blocking agents have become some of the most commonly used medications in the intensive care nursery. A discussion of these drugs is included in this article to improve the understanding of their pharmacology, the indications and consequence of their use, and their potential side effects. Additionally, the recent introduction of new, shorter-acting agents warrants a review of current practice.
Abstract C29: Racial disparities in endometrial cancer epidemiology and mortality-to-incidence ratios in South Carolina

Background: Endometrial cancer (EC) exhibit striking racial disparities with higher mortality in African Americans (AA) compared to European Americans (EA). The mortality-to-incidence rate ratio (MIR) gives a population based measure for survival which accounts for incidence. The objective of this study was to map EC MIRs by race for eight health regions within South Carolina (SC) and chart EC incidence by race and grade across the four cancer stages. Methods: Data on EC incidence and deaths were obtained from the South Carolina Central Cancer Registry, and Vital Registry respectively to construct MIRs. ArcGIS 10.1 software was used to map EC MIRs by race for eight health regions within South Carolina. Four classes of MIR were derived using the national MIR for EC among EAs as the reference. Results: When stratified by tumor stage, AAs had higher levels of poorly differentiated tumors across all stages. The incidence and mortality were consistently higher among AAs. Striking racial differences were observed with incidence and mortality consistently higher among AAs. In all eight health regions, AAs were in the highest MIR category. By contrast, EA MIRs were more evenly represented over the 4 classes. Conclusions: The MIR proved useful for identifying disparities in EC incidence, mortality and virulence among AA and EA women in SC. Cancer surveillance programs may use the MIR to monitor disparities across racial/ethnic groups and geographic regions going forward. MIRs have the potential to serve as an indicator of the long-term success of cancer surveillance programs. Citation Format: Oluwole Adeyemi Babatunde, Swann Arp Adams, Jan M. Eberth, Michael D. Wirth, Seul Ki Choi, James R. Hebert. Racial disparities in endometrial cancer epidemiology and mortality-to-incidence ratios in South Carolina. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eighth AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 13-16, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2016;25(3 Suppl):Abstract nr C29.
CME Planning Series: article one of five, conducting a needs assessment.

-Conducting a needs assessment is the first step in the process ot planning a CME " activity or program. Performing a needs assessment requires a clear sense of one's target audience. Having more than one perspective, with at least one data source being subjective and another being objective, helps educators offer a program that is meaningful and relevant to participants. A root cause analysis represents an additional step of needs assessmentthat offers critical details about the educational needs of the target audience.
A 5.8 GHz 54 Mb/s Backscatter Modulator for WLAN With Symbol Pre-Distortion and Transmit Pulse Shaping

This letter discusses the implementation of microwave backscatter links in CMOS technology which are similar to existing systems at mid-UHF for RFID, but intended for use at the 5.8 GHz ISM band for supporting future low-power WLAN applications. In order for backscatter links to operate in highly channelized environments we introduce a pulse-shaping technique to reduce out-of-band emissions as well as a symbol pre-distortion technique to improve the constellation spacing. Both techniques are introduced into a 65 nm prototype backscatter modulator chip and are shown to operate with QPSK modulation at 54 Mb/s (typical of WLAN standards). The backscatter modulator chip was shown to consume 1.61 mW of power.
Abstract 2922: Development of Bcl2 BH4 antagonist for cancer therapy

The BH4 domain of Bcl2 is required for its antiapoptotic function, thus constituting a promising anticancer target. We identified a novel small molecule Bcl2-BH4 domain-antagonist (BDA-366) that binds BH4 with high affinity and selectivity. BDA-366-Bcl2 binding induces conformational change in Bcl2 that abrogates its antiapoptotic function, converting it from a survival to a cell death inducer. BDA-366 induces regression of lung cancer xenografts derived from cell line and patient without significant normal tissue toxicity at effective doses. mTOR inhibition up-regulates Bcl2 in lung cancer cells and tumor tissues from clinical trial patients. Combined BDA-366 and RAD001 treatment exhibits strong synergy against lung cancer in vivo. Development of this Bcl2-BH4 antagonist may provide a novel strategy to improve lung cancer outcome. Citation Format: Bingshe Han, Dongkyoo Park, Rui Li, Maohua Xie, Taofeek Owonikoko, Gabriel Sica, Chunyong Ding, Jia Zhou, Andrew Magis, Suresh Ramalingam, Fadlo Khuri, Walter Curran, Xingming Deng. Development of Bcl2 BH4 antagonist for cancer therapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2922. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2922
Optics in Nanotechnology

This article presents how nanotechnology impacts optics, namely how miniaturization of matter impacts the interaction and propagation of light in matter, especially and most interestingly in metal and semiconductors. In a nanometal medium, light can be guided, confined, and focused far beyond what conventional dielectric technology offers. Whereas in a dielectric medium, focusing is wavelength-limited (diffraction-limited) to ~300 nm at best, in a nanometal medium it is independent of the incoming wavelength, with no limit as it is only limited by the size of the nanostructure, practically confining light into super intense “hot-spots.” Moreover, nanometal shows strong color change and becomes hot and highly interactive with the environment upon light illumination. On the other hand, upon miniaturization, semiconductors provide strong size-dependent luminescence covering the full range of the RGB colors of light; becoming much brighter and may turn material from dull to glowing nature; and upon functionalization can be made highly selective in its interaction with the environment. Finally synergetic functionalities have been observed upon integration of the functionalities of nanometal and semiconductor. As to application, these novel and unprecedented functionalities have the potential to enable exciting applications in service of fields as diverse as electronics, opto- and photo-electronics, elementary particles, biomedicine, nanolithography and fabrication, and energy harvest and lighting. Finally the article presents a brief discussion of the use of nanometal lighting effects in ancient stained glass and lusterware pottery as well as a historical perspective on the development of light–matter interaction since the pioneering work of Alhazen, a millennium ago.
Intelligent control & supervision for autonomous system resilience in uncertain worlds

As autonomous systems are increasingly employed in high-criticality applications, their safe and reliable operation is an overarching concern. Existing applications rely on extensive system characterization and contingency planning for operating within known and anticipated circumstances. Human intervention and ingenuity is often required in operational environments and contexts for which available knowledge, if any, is incomplete and/or inaccurate (defined by authors as uncertain worlds). As system complexity increases, the validity of this strategy diminishes and is infeasible for many applications precluding human support. Self-managing systems are sought to provide reliable and fully autonomous operation in virtually all operational contexts. This paper presents an adaptive and automated decision-engine for improving autonomous systems' inherent resilience in uncertain worlds. The concept is applied to aviation industry Free Flight initiatives to enhance air traffic management (ATM) system safety with increased autonomous technologies and procedures. The paper concludes with discussion of an agent-based model (ABM) in development to benchmark the concept against (1) RTCA DO-185B / TCAS II - an international standard for airborne collision avoidance and (2) the D* Lite algorithm - the de-facto standard for autonomous vehicle navigation and dynamic planning.
Gods' intervention and epiphany in Sophocles

As I have illustrated in three recent papers, the Iliad and the Odyssey use different emphases in presenting the physical figure of the gods when the divine beings intervene among mortals and are perceived as being there (epiphany). It is difficult to summarize a complex matter in a few words, but I may safely say that the Iliad does not invite its reader to imagine the shape and the form of the divine bodies and does not claim to describe them in their visible appearance, but either presents the divine beings in disguised human figures or covers their physical presence with extreme reticence. With a very few exceptions, the text lets us imagine nothing of the semblance of the epiphanic god. We confront, so to speak, a blank figure. Often the hero recognizes only the voice of the god: this is the only way through which Odysseus receives and recognizes the presence of Athena (II. 2.282, 6 6e ^vve,xE 0eFag 6ojn ()ov0oVTorag, and 10.512). Gods have a special voice that sometimes makes them recognizable even when they appear in disguise. The invisibility of the gods is not an easy concept. It is representable by language as the negative speech act that declares that their full manifestation is intolerable for human senses and unutterable. At the sight of the goddess's luminous beauty Metaneira remains without voice (aphthongos) (Hymn to Demeter 275-80). Accordingly, it is starting from their invisibility that their visibility becomes thinkable and imaginable, but it becomes so in the mode of its unutterability, in the mode of the unsayable. When in the Iliad the gods are imagined as presenting themselves disguised, they generally assume the aspect of a familiar figure, one that the hero to whom the god presents himself or herself easily recognizes. When the Iliad presents an anonymous disguise, as in 21.285, we know only that Poseidon and Athena look like men (andressi eikten) and nothing more. Tie Odyssey practically ignores the technique of the blank figure, and the recognition by the mere voice. This poem prefers the disguised epiphany that is staged in a lavish way. We have Athena in the disguised figure of Mentor, traveling with Telemachos through the Mediterranean
Estimating the Manufacturing Employment Impact of Eliminating the Tangible Personal Property Tax: Evidence From Ohio:

Proponents of eliminating the tangible personal property tax often argue that doing so will boost employment in capital-intensive industries, presumably because businesses will invest some portion ...
Comment on “Resistance Circuits and Things Synthesized by Number Theory”

(1961). Comment on “Resistance Circuits and Things Synthesized by Number Theory”. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 233-233.
Properties of the Atmosphere in Assisting and Hindering Animal Navigation

Airborne birds, bats, and insects carry out some of the animal world’s most spectacular migrations, migrations often supported by complex behavioral-navigational mechanisms. As aerial navigators, these animals must confront potentially disastrous wind conditions that can carry them far from their migratory route. But the same aerial migrators, as well as aerial residents, can also extract spatial information from the atmosphere to support navigation or just locating a goal across a range of spatial scales. The goal of our chapter is to first highlight some of the physical challenges associated with extracting navigational, principally olfactory, information from the air. We then go on to look at the complex role wind plays as a factor influencing navigation in the air and the documented occurrence of both short- and long-distance navigation and goal localization reliant on atmospheric chemicals/odors. The new field of aeroecology offers an exciting opportunity to revisit some of the classic questions examining the relationship among airborne migrations, wind, wind drift, and the need to carry out corrective reorientations, as well as opening up new investigations into the relationship between the properties of atmospheric stimuli and their potential use in supporting navigation.
A novel association of campomelic dysplasia and hydrocephalus with an unbalanced chromosomal translocation upstream of SOX9

Campomelic dysplasia is a rare skeletal dysplasia characterized by Pierre Robin sequence, craniofacial dysmorphism, shortening and angulation of long bones, tracheobronchomalacia, and occasionally sex reversal. The disease is due to mutations in SOX9 or chromosomal rearrangements involving the long arm of Chromosome 17 harboring the SOX9 locus. SOX9, a transcription factor, is indispensible in establishing and maintaining neural stem cells in the central nervous system. We present a patient with angulation of long bones and external female genitalia on prenatal ultrasound who was subsequently found to harbor the chromosomal abnormality 46, XY, t(6;17) (p21.1;q24.3) on prenatal genetic testing. Comparative genomic hybridization revealed deletions at 6p21.1 and 17q24.3, the latter being 2.3 Mb upstream of SOX9 Whole-exome sequencing did not identify pathogenic variants in SOX9, suggesting that the 17q24.3 deletion represents a translocation breakpoint farther upstream of SOX9 than previously identified. At 2 mo of age the patient developed progressive communicating ventriculomegaly and thinning of the cortical mantle without clinical signs of increased intracranial pressure. This case suggests ventriculomegaly in some cases represents not a primary impairment of cerebrospinal fluid dynamics, but an epiphenomenon driven by a genetic dysregulation of neural progenitor cell fate.
36: Herpes simplex virus type 1 selectively blocks development of neuronal precursors derived from neural progenitor cell

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a common human pathogen and one of the leading causes of encephalitis (HSE). HSE patients that survive encephalitis often display severe and permanent neurological impairment. Our previous results in an animal model of HSE revealed HSV-1 infects cells in the subventricular zone (SVZ) where neural stem cells (NSCs) reside. We hypothesize the neurological sequelae observed in encephalitic patients is the result of altering the course of NSC differentiation as a consequence of HSV-1 infection of these cells. In order to test this hypothesis, mouse GFP-expressing NSCs were cultured and infected with different concentrations of HSV-1 (McKrae strain). NSCs were susceptible to HSV-1 as shown by plaque assay and immunohistochemistry. HSV-1 infection of NSC cultures resulted in the specific loss of the neuronal precursors (doublecortin+) with no significant changes in the percentage of astrocytes (GFAP+) or oligodendrocytes (GALC+). The addition of microglia or microglia/NSC conditioned media to the NSC cultures prevented the loss of neurons. Analysis of a number of transcription factors from these cultures identified phosphorylated Stat3 as correlative with protection. Suspension array analysis or ELISA of analytes including IL-1 α , IL-1 β , IL-6, IL-10, TNF- α , CXCL10, IFN- α , IFN- β , CSF, and IGF-1 detected IL-6, TNF- α , and CXCL10 in the conditioned media. The addition of neutralizing antibody to IL-6 was found to block the protective effect of the microglia in the NSC cultures. In vivo , HSV-1 infected mice presenting with encephalitis showed a 30–50% reduction in NSCs levels in the SVZ as determined by flow cytometry. We conclude NSCs are susceptible to HSV-1 which impacts specifically on neuronal survival without affecting the differentiation process of other NSC-derived cells. It is tempting to speculate that this loss contributes to cognitive impairment in the host.
Treatment Effect Decomposition and Bootstrap Hypothesis Testing in Observational Studies

Causal inference with observational data has drawn attention across various fields. These observational studies typically use matching methods which find matched pairs with similar covariate values. However, matching methods may not directly achieve covariate balance, a measure of matching effectiveness. As an alternative, the Balance Optimization Subset Selection (BOSS) framework, which seeks optimal covariate balance directly, has been proposed. This paper extends BOSS by estimating and decomposing a treatment effect as a combination of heterogeneous treatment effects from a partitioned set. Our method differs from the traditional propensity score subclassification method in that we find a subset in each subclass using BOSS instead of using the stratum determined by the propensity score. Then, by conducting a bootstrap hypothesis test on each component, we check the statistical significance of these treatment effects. These methods are applied to a dataset from the National Supported Work Demonstration (NSW) program which was conducted in the 1970s. By examining the statistical significance, we show that the program was not significantly effective to a specific subgroup composed of those who were already employed. This differs from the combined estimate—the NSW program was effective when considering all the individuals. Lastly, we provide results that are obtained when these steps are repeated with sub-samples.
What stories should a ‘National Nature Monument’ tell? Lessons from the German Green Belt:

For four decades, Germany was ground zero of the Cold War, cut in two by an 870-mile-long wall and sophisticated military infrastructure that separated the capitalist west and the communist east. T...
Telerehabilitation for Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Patients: A Pilot Series with High Patient Satisfaction:

BackgroundThe demand for total hip and total knee arthroplasty in the USA is projected to increase significantly. Traditionally, face-to-face physical therapy has been an essential component of rec...
Progress in Metal-Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers with Symmetric Metal Supports and Infiltrated Electrodes

The LBNL metal-supported solid oxide cell architecture contains zirconia electrolyte and porous backbones co-sintered between porous stainless steel supports. Advantages of this design include low-cost structural materials, mechanical ruggedness, excellent tolerance to redox cycling, and extremely fast start-up capability. With infiltrated catalysts, high performance is also achieved: 1.5 W/cm2 with hydrogen fuel and 1.3 W/cm2 with internal reforming of ethanol fuel at 700 °C; 2.6 A/cm2 electrolysis current density at 1.3V and 50% steam/50% hydrogen at 700°C. Recent approaches to mitigating catalyst coarsening and Cr deposition within the cathode stabilize the microstructure during operation. The degradation rate is improved to 2.3% kh-1 at 700°C in fuel cell mode. Electrolysis operation, however, results in higher degradation rate. Preliminary effort to fabricate metal-supported cells with proton conducting electrolyte is successful for La0.99Ca0.01NbO4 electrolyte, and specific challenges for BaZr0.7Ce0.2Y0.1O3-δ electrolyte are determined.
Validity of Vocal Communication and Vocal Complexity in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

To identify valid measures of vocal development in young children with autism spectrum disorder in the early stages of language learning, we evaluated the convergent validity, divergent validity, and sensitivity to change (across 12 months) of two measures of vocal communication and two measures of vocal complexity through conventional coding of communication samples. Participants included 87 children with autism spectrum disorder (M = 23.42 months at entry). All four vocal variables demonstrated consistent evidence of convergent validity, divergent validity, and sensitivity to change with large effect sizes for convergent validity and sensitivity to change. The results highlight the value of measuring vocal communication and vocal complexity in future studies.
Improving Patient Care: The Role of Effective Simulation

Simulation has transformed medical education and the broader field of healthcare. The previous decades have seen tremendous growth in the adoption and endorsement of simulation-based initiatives, driven in large part by persistent reports of medical error and an emphasis on patient safety. Fortunately, researchers and practitioners are able to draw from the successful implementation of simulation-based methods in similar high-reliability contexts (e.g., aviation, military). Lessons learned have informed the application of simulation for education and training, evaluation and assessment, performance support, innovation and exploration, and system-level culture change.
An epidemiology-inspired, large-scale analysis of mobile app accessibility

My research explores large-scale analysis of mobile application accessibility, with a goal of expanding the types of accessibility barriers for which applications are tested and the ways in which results are presented. I am basing my research in a novel epidemiology-inspired framework that we developed for structuring the examination of mobile application accessibility. It frames accessibility as a product of diverse factors within the rich ecosystem in which applications are created, maintained, and used. The framework proposes large-scale analysis as a method for understanding the state of accessibility. My completed work applies this framework by conducting a large-scale analysis of an existing dataset of Android applications, assessing them for label-based accessibility barriers on image-based buttons. My future work will extend this research to analyze current applications at scale and expand the accessibility barriers that are tested for.
Pronoun interpretation in Mandarin Chinese follows principles of Bayesian inference.

Successful natural language understanding requires that comprehenders be able to resolve uncertainty in language. One source of potential uncertainty emerges from a speaker’s choice to use a pronoun (e.g., he, she, they), since pronouns often do not fully specify the speaker’s intended referent. Nevertheless, comprehenders are typically able to interpret pronouns rapidly despite having limited cognitive resources. Here we report three pronoun interpretation experiments that investigate whether comprehenders reverse-engineer a speaker’s referential intentions based on Bayesian principles, as documented in previous studies for English. Using Mandarin Chinese, we test the generality of the Bayesian pronoun interpretation theory, and further evaluate the predictions of the theory in ways that are not possible in English. Our results lend both qualitative and quantitative support to a cross-linguistically general Bayesian theory of pronoun interpretation.
Which Models Best Explain How Changes in Loanable Funds Offset Crowd Out

This chapter notes that the growth in the loanable funds pool necessary to offset crowd out may occur for three reasons: increased Fed purchases of securities, growth in the economy which increases incomes, and therefore savings, and by foreign borrowing. Where models best test these methods simply modifying the size of the deficit variable to reflect available loanable funds, or by using a separate loanable funds variable are tested. Results indicate that for consumption, there are two separate effects of a growth in loanable funds which operate in different directions, the stimulus effect of an increase in saving and the negative effect when there is an increase in the mps. Hence, two variables are needed to capture all loanable funds effects. For investment, one variable is usually enough, because an increase in the mps has the same signed effect as the increase in saving.
Want to Hookup?: Sex Differences in Short-term Mate Attraction Tactics

While a great deal of psychological research has been conducted on sex-specific mate choice preferences, relatively little attention has been directed toward how heterosexual men and women solicit short-term sexual partners, and which acts are perceived to be the most effective. The present research relied on an act nomination methodology with the goal of determining which actions are used by men and women to solicit a short-term “hook-up” partner (study 1) and then determine which of these actions are perceived as most effective by men and women (study 2). Using sexual strategy theory, we hypothesized that actions that suggest sexual access would be nominated most often by women whereas actions that suggest a willingness to commit were expected to be nominated most often by men. Additionally, men and women were predicted to rate actions by men that suggest a willingness to commit as most effective and actions by women that suggest sexual access as most effective. The results were consistent with these hypotheses. These findings are discussed in the context of both short- and long-term mating strategies and mate solicitation. The relationship between motivation, sexual strategies, and sexual behavior are examined, along with the need for research on the hookup tactics and motivations of self-identifying gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals.
Good Enough? The Minimally Good Life Account of the Basic Minimum

What kind of basic minimum do we owe to others? This paper defends a new procedure for answering this question. It argues that its minimally good life account has some advantages over the main alte...
The Tao of Urease

This chapter describes the role of bacterial urease in infection, the structure of urease, and the genetic organization and regulation of urease genes. When urease is produced by uropathogens in an infected urinary tract, the hydrolysis of urea increases the ammonia concentration in the urine, and there is a subsequent elevation of the urine pH. The exact mechanism responsible for the increased level of survival of the pathogen and the damage associated with urease can only be inferred. Increased bacterial colonization of the urinary tract might result from the generation of an easily assimilated nitrogen source and/or from alkalinization of the urine to a more favorable pH for growth. Urease is produced in abundance by Helicobacter pylori, a gram-negative curved or spiral bacterium that lives in the mucous layer overlaying the gastric epithelium. H. pylori-infected gastric mucosa is characterized by a predominant neutrophil accumulation, and ammonia is thought to enhance a neutrophil-dependent cytocidal activity. The Bacillus species urease gene cluster appears to code for more accessory polypeptides than are found in Klebsiella and Proteus species urease gene clusters. Expression of the plasmid-encoded urease genes appears to be regulated by a transcriptional activator termed UreR. Analysis of the chromosomal Escherichia coli locus indicates that it contains only seven of the urease genes, ureD, ureA, ureB, ureC, ureE, ureF, and ureG. Therefore, in contrast to the inducible gene clusters, no additional gene products are required for the constitutive expression of urease in E. coli.
Un gobernador maderista: José María Maytorena y la Revolución en Sonora

This article examines the Sonoran governorship of Jose Maria Maytorena during the maderista period of the Revolution. Further, it attempts to shed light on the issue of whether the Maytorena governorship was a popular social revolution, an instance of elite replacement of Porfirian office holders, or an attempt to implement “progressive” principles such as other northern governors, Francisco I. Madero, and Francisco Leon de la Barra attempted to do. Because Maytorena and his collaborators supported demobilization of the popular rebels, proposed little or no labor reform, and advocated against redistributing land to the Yaquis, the article concludes that Maytorena does not deserve the label of progressive reformer, but instead was the most conservative of all the northern governors during this period.
National Flood Insurance: Crisis and Renewal

While the magnitude of 2005's hurricane-related flood losses may have been improbable, the eventual bankruptcy of the NFIP was not. The program was never designed to charge full risk-based rates or to build the reserves necessary to meet its financial commitments. By failing to charge prices that reflect the value of the flood insurance in-force, the NFIP has been accumulating unfunded liabilities that eventually would have to be financed by taxpayers, and eventuality that has arrived. If the NFIP is to remain in operation without exposing taxpayers to undue burdens, then dramatic programmatic reforms are necessary. In the process of designing a sustainable NFIP, Congress should also look at other problems with the program, including its potential to induce commercial and residential development in areas prone to flooding, its low participation rates, and its often contradictory interaction with other federal disaster assistance programs. Specifically, Congress should phase out explicit subsidies, expand mandatory flood-insurance purchase requirements, grant FEMA more flexibility to increase NFIP rates, and investigate ways to increase property owners' compliance with mandatory purchase requirements.
The Community Prosecutor: Questions of Professional Discretion

This Article examines community prosecuting from an ethics perspective. Our focus is not on prosecutors’ compliance with the disciplinary rules, however. The strategies that have been said to exemplify community prosecuting are almost invariably compliant with disciplinary rules and other aspects of the law governing prosecutors. Rather, we take a broader perspective. Our focus is on how prosecutors exercise discretion in the context of adopting community prosecution strategies. We examine this question from both normative and procedural perspectives. We propose that the addition of community-based defense lawyers could help mitigate concerns about prosecutorial discretion in community justice programs by broadening community participation and helping inform the community about an array of potential solutions and their implications.
Simulated environments for learning real world contexts in chemical engineering

The goal of DEVICE (Dynamic Environment for Visualization in Chemical Engineering) is to facilitate student learning through construction of models and evaluation of the models executing as simulations. In DEVICE, students solve real world problems in a simulated environment with visualizations that help establish the realistic context. The model underlying the simulation is visible, manipulable, and represented in a form that easily connects with the students' theoretical understanding. Students construct their own models to explain the behavior of the system. With DEVICE, we hope to find a middle ground between merely viewing a simulation and building one from scratch where the students are able to actually complete and learn through modeling tasks. The first version of DEVICE allowed students to view, but not manipulate, the model. User tests showed that the models need to be malleable at the modeling level, not just the simulation level.
The Flora of Beavers' Meadow, Barbour County, West Virginia, Revisited after a Quarter Century

ABSTRACT Since the early 1980s, Beavers' Meadow in Barbour County, West Virginia, has been well known for large populations of the orchids Cleistes bifaria and Platanthera ciliaris. Seven taxa of special concern in West Virginia were present at that time: Andropogon glomeratus var. glomeratus, Athyrium filix-femina subsp. angustum, C. bifaria, Rhynchospora recognita, Sericocarpus linifolius, Scleria triglomerata, and Xyris torta. We present a description of the 7.4-ha meadow today, an inventory of its species, and some comparisons to the flora as it was reported 26 years ago. Collections were first made in June 2007; parallel transects approximately every 3–5 m were walked once each in May and June 2009, twice monthly in July through September 2009, and once each in May and June 2010. Additional specimens were collected in 2011, 2013, and 2014. We identified 320 vascular plant taxa in 192 genera and 67 families. The taxon list includes 31 county records and one state record, Scleria verticillata. All sev...
A Simple Approach for Boundary Improvement of Euler Diagrams

General methods for drawing Euler diagrams tend to generate irregular polygons. Yet, empirical evidence indicates that smoother contours make these diagrams easier to read. In this paper, we present a simple method to smooth the boundaries of any Euler diagram drawing. When refining the diagram, the method must ensure that set elements remain inside their appropriate boundaries and that no region is removed or created in the diagram. Our approach uses a force system that improves the diagram while at the same time ensuring its topological structure does not change. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach through case studies and quantitative evaluations.
Some Comparisons between Touch and Hearing

The skin can be used for sound localization with accuracy nearly as good as that for hearing. However, auditory sound localization is based on the utilization of both intensive-difference and temporal-difference cues while cutaneous sound localization is based almost entirely on the utilization of only intensive-difference cues. Furthermore, the time interval necessary for resolving two temporally separated pulses was found to be 2.0 ms for binaural and monaural stimulation and, at best, 10 ms for stimulation of the skin. The superior temporal acuity of the ears over the skin was again demonstrated by the finding that pairs of auditory pulses separated by less than 30 ms were perceived as more separated in time than pairs of cutaneous stimuli separated by the same time interval. A series of experiments was conducted to measure inhibitory interaction between touch and hearing. When absolute thresholds were measured by a tracking method in which the subject was free to vary his judgment criterion, auditory stimulation by a click was found to increase tactile thresholds for mechanical pulses by as much as 5.0 dB. Intense tactile pulses slightly increased the auditory click threshold. Subsequent experiments using signal-detection methodology revealed that auditory-tactile masking is caused by a slight reduction in stimulus detectability accompanied by a corresponding increase in the subject's criterion.
The k-factor conjecture is true

A sequence , [email protected][email protected]?n, is called graphical if there exists a graph whose i^t^h vertex has degree d"i for all i. It is shown that the sequences and are graphical only if there exists a graph G whose degree sequence is and which has a regular subgraph with k lines at each vertex. Similar theorems have been obtained for digraphs. These theorems resolve comjectures given by A.R. Rao and S.B. Rao, and by B. Grunbaum.
Partially testing a process model for understanding victim responses to an anticipated worksite closure

Abstract This study partially tested a recent process model for understanding victim responses to worksite/function closure (W/FC) proposed by Blau [Blau, G. (2006). A process model for understanding victim responses to worksite/function closure. Human Resource Management Review, 16 , 12–28], in a pharmaceutical manufacturing site. Central to the model are the Kubler-Ross [Kubler-Ross, E. (1969). On death and dying . New York: Macmillan] grieving stages, which have not been formally measured and applied to downsizing research. Following Blau (2006), individual grieving stages were successfully measured and clustered into more general grieving categories, i.e., negative (denial, anger, bargaining depression) and positive (exploration, acceptance). Across four waves of data 53 respondents constituted the complete data sample. The Time 1 personal factors had minimal impact on any type of response. However, Time 1 situational factors did have an impact, paced by higher perceived contract violation leading to greater strain, work incivility, organizational deviance, and intent to sue employer, and lower transactional obligations and employer endorsement. Earlier Time 2 grieving stages were used as individual antecedents in regression analyses to explain Time 3 ( N = 77) victim responses (general strain, work incivility, interpersonal deviance, organizational deviance, transactional obligations, relational obligations) and also Time 4 ( N = 53) prior to closure responses (intent to sue employer, employer endorsement). Within negative grieving, results indicated that greater anger was the most influential grieving stage, since it led to greater strain, work incivility, organizational deviance, and intent to sue, as well as lower transactional obligations and lower endorsement. Within positive grieving acceptance was the most influential, since it led to lower strain, lower work incivility, lower organizational deviance, and lower intent to sue. Study limitations and future research issues are discussed.
Attitudes Toward Economic Globalization: Does Knowledge Matter?

Previous research has found that higher educational attainment is consistently associated with more positive attitudes toward globalization. This result has been interpreted as evidence of a skill-...
History, Collective Memory, and the Supreme Court: Debating “the People” through the Dred Scott Controversy

This essay explores the relationship of rhetoric to history, collective memory, and the law through a case study examining Scott v. Sandford (1857). While, through its rhetoric, the Supreme Court attempted to persuade the public to accept its history of “the people,” thereby defining the relationship of African Americans to citizenship, northerners and abolitionists offered an alternate collective memory that challenged the Court's ruling. This analysis shows how rhetoric gives voice to history, collective memory, and the law. Attention is paid to the potential distance that may exist between a history offered in a legal decision and the collective memory of a people articulated in public discourse. Ultimately, I argue that collective memories held by a vocal segment of the population led to the rejection of Chief Justice Taney's argument from history.
Diffraction phase microscopy: monitoring nanoscale dynamics in materials science [Invited]

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) utilizes the fact that the phase of an imaging field is much more sensitive than its amplitude. As fields from the source interact with the specimen, local variations in the phase front are produced, which provide structural information about the sample and can be used to reconstruct its topography with nanometer accuracy. QPI techniques do not require staining or coating of the specimen and are therefore nondestructive. Diffraction phase microscopy (DPM) combines many of the best attributes of current QPI methods; its compact configuration uses a common-path off-axis geometry which realizes the benefits of both low noise and single-shot imaging. This unique collection of features enables the DPM system to monitor, at the nanoscale, a wide variety of phenomena in their natural environments. Over the past decade, QPI techniques have become ubiquitous in biological studies and a recent effort has been made to extend QPI to materials science applications. We briefly review several recent studies which include real-time monitoring of wet etching, photochemical etching, surface wetting and evaporation, dissolution of biodegradable electronic materials, and the expansion and deformation of thin-films. We also discuss recent advances in semiconductor wafer defect detection using QPI.
Muscle injury following experimental intraoperative irradiation

The paraaortic region of beagle dogs was irradiated to 15 to 55 Gy intraoperative irradiation, 10 to 47.5 Gy intraoperative irradiation following 50 Gy external beam irradiation in 25 fractions, or 50 to 80 Gy external beam irradiation in 30 fractions. Six MeV electrons were used for intraoperative irradiation, and external beam irradiation was done using photons from a 6 MV linear accelerator. The psoas muscle in the irradiation field was examined histomorphometrically 2 or 5 years after irradiation. The percentage of muscle fibers and capillaries decreased, whereas the percentage of connective tissue increased with increased dose for both intraoperative irradiation only and intraoperative irradiation plus external beam irradiation. The dose causing a 50% decrease in the percentage of muscle fibers was 21.2 Gy and 33.8 Gy at 2 and 5 years, respectively, after intraoperative irradiation alone, and 22.9 Gy and 25.2 Gy at 2 and 5 years, respectively, after intraoperative irradiation combined with 50 Gy external beam irradiation. The ED50 for severe vessel lesions was 19.2 Gy and 25.8 Gy at 2 and 5 years, respectively, after intraoperative irradiation alone and 16.0 Gy and 18.0 Gy at 2 and 5 years, respectively, after intraoperative irradiation combined with 50 Gy external beam irradiation. External beam irradiation alone caused a slight decrease in percentage of muscle fibers with increased dose, and vessel lesions were infrequent or mild. Radiation-induced muscle injury was characterized by loss of muscle fibers, decreased fiber size, severe vessel lesions, hemorrhage, inflammation, coagulation necrosis, and fibrosis. These histopathologic characteristics distinguish this muscle injury from that caused by neurogenic atrophy. These data indicate that radiation-induced muscle injury most likely was caused by injury of the supporting vasculature. The lesions produced were largely a function of the single intraoperative dose rather than the external beam fractionated doses. Furthermore, it appears that 20 to 25 Gy intraoperative irradiation combined with 50 Gy external beam irradiation may be near the maximum tolerated dose by sublumbar musculature and its supporting vasculature.
A solitaire game played on 2-colored graphs

We introduce a solitaire game played on a graph. Initially one disk is placed at each vertex, one face green and the other red, oriented with either color facing up. Each move of the game consists of selecting a vertex whose disk shows green, flipping over the disks at neighboring vertices, and deleting the selected vertex. The game is won if all vertices are eliminated. We derive a simple parity-based necessary condition for winnability of a given game instance. By studying graph operations that construct new graphs from old ones, we obtain broad classes of graphs where this condition also suffices, thus characterizing the winnable games on such graphs. Concerning two familiar (but narrow) classes of graphs, we show that for trees a game is winnable if and only if the number of green vertices is odd, and for n-cubes a game is winnable if and only if the number of green vertices is even and not all vertices have the same color. We provide a linear-time algorithm for deciding winnability for games on maximal outerplanar graphs. We reduce the decision problem for winnability of a game on an arbitrary graph G to winnability of games on its blocks, and to winnability on homeomorphic images of G obtained by contracting edges at 2-valent vertices.