cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using Professional Development to Move Toward a Guided Discovery Approach in the Classroom (Abstract Only)

In this research, I studied two enactments of a professional development course designed to help teachers learn how to program games and teach programming to middle school students using a guided discovery approach. In the first PD course (n=58), a wholly teacher-directed approach was used. In the other PD course (n=54), a guided discovery approach was employed. I found three major differences between the groups. First, the descriptions of the games varied significantly based on the type of instruction, leading us to believe that teachers were taking more ownership of their creations. Second, the teachers who were taught with a guided discovery approach were able to work at a quicker pace, with less assistance, and ultimately were able to more quickly apply those skills to more complex games and simulations within the course of the professional development. Third, it also appears that this guided discovery teaching methodology is similarly impacting changes in pedagogy when these newly trained teachers use Scalable Game Design in the classroom. Students in classrooms where teachers were taught using guided discovery methods were more likely to go beyond the curricular materials when building their own games. This appears to indicate that these approaches to training will translate to changes in classroom practice, enabling teachers to more readily employ a guided discovery approach in their own teaching efforts
High-resolution anoscopy: Procedure and findings

Abstract High-resolution anoscopy (HRA) using a colposcope or operating microscope with 5% acetic acid and Lugol׳s solutions was developed to identify abnormal epithelial changes such as high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and other lesions associated with human papillomavirus (HPV). It is hypothesized that targeted treatment of HSIL will prevent progression to cancer. HRA has become more accepted in clinical practice especially for populations considered at risk for anal cancer including those who are immunocompromised and men who have sex (MSM). While data from prospective clinical trials designed to determine the effectiveness of HRA in preventing cancer are still pending, the procedure is now available in 200 clinics worldwide. This article describes the procedure and identification of lesions for potential treatment.
Study on the Influence of Solar Contributions on the Total Energy Consumption for an Education Building

Abstract Since with the majority of educational buildings the glass area surface is generally bigger than in the rest of civilian buildings, the authors presented in the paper a case study on the influence of this area on the energy performance of an educational building by a comparative analysis of the annual energy consumption, taking into consideration the following parameters: the cardinal orientation of the building, its thermal compliance and its type and the quality of the glazing. For the research carried out in this paper, we had as support for the study the building of the Civil Engineering Faculty in Brasov, a building with a height regime of B (basement) + GF (ground floor) + 7F(floors).
New Records of a European Psyllid, Arytainilla spartiophila (Foerster) (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), in the Southeastern United States

Abstract. Arytainilla spartiophila (Foerster) is native to central and western Europe and a specialist herbivore on Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius [L.] Link; Fabaceae). This psyllid has been released for biological control and become established in exotic habitats where Scotch broom is invasive (Australia, New Zealand). Accidentally introduced into North America, it is known in the Pacific Northwest from California, Oregon, and Washington, and in Canada from British Columbia. Virginia has remained the only eastern North American record. Based on fieldwork in 2015 and 2016, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina are added to the psyllid's known eastern distribution. Its syntopy with Arytaina genistae (Latreille) at a site in western North Carolina represents the first eastern North American locale where both immigrant Palearctic psyllids of Scotch broom have been found. Adults (mainly males) of this univoltine species appeared in mid-April, numbers declined by mid- to late May when populations became...
Optical pattern recognition with nonlinear joint transform correlation

We review the nonlinear joint transform correlator (JTC) including the kth law nonlinear JTC, and the binary nonlinear JTC. Multiple objects detection using binary joint transform correlation are presented. An optimum threshold function is computed to maximize the light intensity of the correlation peak and to eliminate the even order harmonic terms. The correlation performance of the binary JTC is determined for different thresholding methods. The binary JTC produces large peak to sidelobe ratio and narrow peak for the multiple targets. The optimum threshold function produces better correlation performance compared with the median thresholding.
Social media: How the next generation can practice argumentation

AbstractIn this article the authors share how social media, paired with gaming and in-class supports, can facilitate the practice of scientific argumentation and report data that show how students can learn and practice argumentation through these highly interactive and engaging mediums. Social media will continue to evolve and fluctuate in popularity, but no matter the service or software, there will continue to be online spaces for communication, collaboration, learning, and future career growth. Since the role of education is to prepare students to be college and career ready, the use of social media as a component of schooling should be explored. This work has parsed out specific strategies and methods to support higher order thinking through gaming and social media.
QUALITATIVE SPATIAL REASONING VIA 3-VALUED HETEROGENEOUS LOGIC

Systems for qualitative spatial reasoning (QSR) are usually formulated as relation algebras, and reasoning in such systems is performed by constraint-satisfaction techniques. While this is often adequate, it is a rather inexpressive framework that cannot model and solve many spatial reasoning problems; it can also complicate the combination of different spatial formalisms, e.g., the combination of topological with metric primitives, or absolute orientation with relative orientation. Here we suggest an alternative approach, whereby spatial information is expressed in a rich quantified 3-valued logic, equipped with a novel semantics for dealing with incomplete information. Decidability is ensured by a systematic compilation into propositional logic and the use of SAT solvers. To illustrate, we define and implement a new system for two-dimensional positional reasoning that combines Frank’s cardinal-direction calculus, the flip-flop calculus for reasoning about relative orientation, and various new positional primitives. Unlike previous work, the system uses diagrams as well as symbolic formulas. In particular, the logic we introduce is heterogeneous, meaning that it combines symbolic and diagrammatic representation and inference. 1 A Hybrid System For Reasoning
Geometrical frustration as a potential design principle for peptide-based assemblies

Two-dimensional peptide and protein assemblies have been the focus of increased scientific research as they display significant potential for the creation of functional nanomaterials. Soluble subunits derived from a variety of protein motifs have been demonstrated to self-assemble into structurally defined nanosheets under environmentally benign conditions in which the components often retain their native structure and function. These types of two-dimensional assemblies may have an advantage for nanofabrication in that their extended planar shapes can be more straightforwardly incorporated into the current formats of nanoscale devices. However, significant challenges remain in the fabrication of these materials, particularly in devising methods to control the size, shape and internal structure of the resultant materials. Geometrical frustration may be envisioned as a possible mechanism to exert control over these structural parameters through rational design. While this objective has yet to be realized in practice, we discuss in this article the potential role of geometrical frustration as a principle to rationalize unusual self-assembly behaviour in several examples of two-dimensional peptide assemblies.
Case-Based Reasoning in the Health Sciences: Foundations and Research Directions

Case-based reasoning (CBR) is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) approach with broad applicability to building intelligent systems in health sciences domains. It represents knowledge in the form of exemplary past experiences, or cases. It is especially well suited to health sciences domains, where experience plays a major role in acquiring knowledge and skill, and where case histories inform current practice. This chapter provides a broad overview of CBR in the Health Sciences, including its foundations and research directions. It begins with introductions to the CBR approach and to health sciences domains, and then explains their synergistic combination. It continues with a discussion of the relationship between CBR and statistical data analysis, and shows how CBR supports evidence-based practice. Next, it presents an in-depth analysis of current work in the field, classifying CBR in the Health Sciences systems in terms of their domains, purposes, memory and case management, reasoning, and system design. Finally, it places CBR with respect to other AI approaches used in health sciences domains, showing how CBR can complement these approaches in multimodal reasoning systems.
Die Grundtatsachen der Mendelschen Vererbungsgesetze

Wir wissen nun schon einiges uber die sichtbaren Erbeigenschaften der Lebewesen und ebenso einiges uber die Geschlechtszellen, die im Beginn der Entwicklung ja in sich die Fahigkeit enthalten mussen, die Erbeigenschaften der Eltern bei dem neu entstehenden Kind wieder hervorzubringen. So ist es nun unsere nachste Aufgabe, die Beziehungen zwischen den einzelnen Erbeigenschaften der Eltern und denen der Kinder zu verfolgen, mit anderen Worten zu studieren, in welcher Art die erbliche Ubertragung von Eigenschaften auf die Nachkommenschaft erfolgt. Versuchen wir nun einmal einen Weg auszudenken, auf dem wir zu einer Einsicht gelangen konnen. Nehmen wir einmal an, wir haben zwei Eltern, die erblich vollstandig gleich sind, also genau die gleichen Erbeigenschaften auf ihre Nachkommen zu ubertragen imstande sind. Es ist ohne weiteres klar, das die Nachkommen dieses Paares wieder ganz genau ihren Eltern gleichen werden. Uber diese einfache Aussage werden wir so nicht hinauskommen. Nehmen wir nun an, es habe sich um ein Negerpaar gehandelt, und wir wollen wissen, wie gerade die Erbeigenschaften, die den Neger auszeichnen, sich auf seine Nachkommen ubertragen; wir schranken also bereits unsere Frage auf eine ganz bestimmte Gruppe von Eigenschaften ein.
Oscillatory inertial focusing in infinite microchannels

Inertial microfluidics (i.e., migration and focusing of particles in finite Reynolds number microchannel flows) is a passive, precise, and high-throughput method for microparticle manipulation and sorting. Therefore, it has been utilized in numerous biomedical applications including phenotypic cell screening, blood fractionation, and rare-cell isolation. Nonetheless, the applications of this technology have been limited to larger bioparticles such as blood cells, circulating tumor cells, and stem cells, because smaller particles require drastically longer channels for inertial focusing, which increases the pressure requirement and the footprint of the device to the extent that the system becomes unfeasible. Inertial manipulation of smaller bioparticles such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens or blood components such as platelets and exosomes is of significant interest. Here, we show that using oscillatory microfluidics, inertial focusing in practically "infinite channels" can be achieved, allowing for focusing of micron-scale (i.e. hundreds of nanometers) particles. This method enables manipulation of particles at extremely low particle Reynolds number (Rep ∼10-1). Using this technique, we demonstrated that synthetic particles as small as 500 nm and a submicron bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus, can be inertially focused. Furthermore, we characterized the physics of inertial microfluidics in this newly enabled particle size and Rep range using a Peclet-like dimensionless number (α). We experimentally observed that α >> 1 is required to overcome diffusion and be able to inertially manipulate particles.
Gatekeepers: Changing Roles and Responsibilities for Primary Care Physicians with Aging Family Systems

For primary care physicians to adjust to the dramatic challenges brought about by an aging society, it is first necessary for them to recognize that many traditional aspects of “front line” medical practice are in a state of virtual revolution. Although modern medical history has been frequently changed due to technical or scientific progress, the demographic consequences of such incremental events are now confronting us with the most fundamental changes since the advent of antibiotics. This demographic imperative, as stated by Califano in 1978, has sweeping implications for primary care medical practice in terms of which patients are to be served, which disease processes will dominate our attention, and even what attitudes we bring to our work regarding the ultimate objectives of medical practice. Such professional objectives as prevention of death and extension of life are in conflict with more appropriate geriatric objectives of quality of life and quality of terminal care. As the practice of primary care medicine becomes increasingly geriatric, the inevitability of death will become a more constant theme in all aspects of daily practice.
Medical Uses of the Rare Earths

Metals have been used medicinally since antiquity; the ancient Chinese, for instance, ascribed therapeutic properties to gold. It is likely that Ekeberg, in 1797, was the first to suggest such an application for a rare earth. As Pyykko and Orama describe in Chapter 1 of this volume, after repeating Gadolin’s isolation of the new earth yttria Ekeberg noted that it had a sweet taste “almost like that of lead compounds but not so repulsive but rather contracting” and suggested that it could be “medically potent”.
Design of Clinical Trials Relating to Medical Emergencies

The purpose of any clinical trial is to evaluate treatment(s) in an at-risk population. Clinical trial design principles are the same regardless of the setting. Three very readable books that cover fundamentals and specifics of clinical trial design are those by Friedman, Furberg, and DeMets (1); Meinert (2); and Pocock (3). Clinical trial design is much more than inclusion/exclusion criteria, sample size, randomization to treatment arm, and counting endpoints. Defining and monitoring data collection, monitoring and maintaining compliance, and monitoring and reporting potential adverse events are often the most demanding design aspects.
Optimization of the Eddy-Diffusivity/Mass-Flux Shallow Cumulus and Boundary-Layer Parameterization Using Surrogate Models

Author(s): Langhans, W; Mueller, J; Collins, WD | Abstract: Physical parameterizations in global atmospheric and ocean models typically include free parameters that are not theoretically or empirically constrained. New methods are required to determine the optimal parameter combinations for such models in an objective, exhaustive, yet computationally feasible manner. Here we propose to apply computationally inexpensive radial basis function (RBF) surrogate models to minimize a “cost,” or error, function of an atmospheric model or a physical parameterization. The RBF is iteratively updated as more input-output pairs are obtained during the optimization. The approach is used to optimize the eddy-diffusivity/mass-flux boundary-layer parameterization of the convective boundary-layer in a single-column model framework. The optimization based on surrogate models is able to identify parameter combinations that reduce the error of the untuned default setting by 41%. The probability to detect a low-error solution increases rapidly especially over the first tens of single-column model evaluations. In comparison, a quadratic polynomial model only yields an error reduction of 17% since (a) high-order parameter interactions are not accounted for and (b) the construction of the polynomial is not based on an iterative sampling approach. The RBF surrogate models achieve this 17% error reduction for 40% of the polynomial model's cost. Interestingly, one of the emerging optimal settings describes a pure mass flux parameterization without eddy-diffusivity component. A second optimal solution is characterized by a plume fractional area of 20–30% and an eddy-mixing time scale of ∼700ns.
Development and Cross-Validation of High-Resolution Melting Analysis-Based Cardiovascular Pharmacogenetics Genotyping Panel.

Aims: This study was designed to develop a high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis-based cardiovascular (CV) pharmacogenetics (PGx) genotyping panel for the Canon DNA Genetic Analyzer multiplex geno...
Quality Management and Supply Chain Resilience: Establishing a Missing but Important Link

This research argues that through the implementation of Quality Management Systems, organizations acquire resources and capabilities that may enhance resilience in their supply chain operations. Using the relevant literature that advances the conceptual understandings of both the Quality Management and the Supply Chain Resilience domains, and utilizing the theoretical arguments of the Cumulative Capabilities framework, six research propositions are developed that link the conceptual elements of Quality Management Systems with key Supply Chain Resilience elements. Thus, this study provides an alternative and novel way to conceptualize supply chain resilience by linking two literature steams that have hitherto existed in non-converging domains.
Collaboration detection that preserves privacy of students’ speech

Collaboration is a 21st Century skill as well as an effective method for learning, so detection of collaboration is important for both assessment and instruction. Speech-based collaboration detection can be quite accurate but collecting the speech of students in classrooms can raise privacy issues. An alternative is to send only whether or not the student is speaking. That is, the speech signal is processed at the microphone by a voice activity detector before being transmitted to the collaboration detector. Because the transmitted signal is binary (1 = speaking, 0 = silence), this method mitigates privacy issues. However, it may harm the accuracy of collaboration detection. To find out how much harm is done, this study compared the relative effectiveness of collaboration detectors based either on the binary signal or high-quality audio. Pairs of students were asked to work together on solving complex math problems. Three qualitative levels of interactivity was distinguished: Interaction, Cooperation and Other. Human coders used richer data (several audio and video streams) to choose the code for each episode. Machine learning was used to induce a detector to assign a code for every episode based on the features. The binary-based collaboration detectors delivered only slightly less accuracy than collaboration detectors based on the high quality audio signal.
The Reality of Health Promotion: The Perspective of Clinical Nurse Leader Students

This pilot project examined the value of health promotion activities in clinical practice and the personal lives of 28 master’s entry Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) students in their last semester of education. Data collection involved an open-ended questionnaire and focus group discussion. Students expressed concern about finding time for health promotion and noted that patients were often too sick to be appropriate for health promotion. Participants believed that health promotion was better situated in community-based care. Of great concern to students was the lack of role models for health promotion among faculty and staff. Students also noted a decreased ability to attend to their own health while enrolled in the nursing program.
High risk behaviors of HIV/AIDS in man-man sex and its influencing factors in 1 000 men in a city

Objective:To analyze the high risk behaviors of HIV/AIDS and its influencing factors in men who have sex with man(MSM)in a city,so as to provide evidence for the targeted intervention.Methods:Between July 2006 and October 2006,1000 MSM were sampled by snowball sampling and had a face to face interview by well trained investigators with informed consent.Questions on age,education background,and sex orientation were designated and 3 ml blood samples were obtained for examination of HIV and syphilis.χ2 test and logistic regression analysis were used for statistical analysis.Results:The average age of the 1 000 MSM was 27.8±9.1 years old.In the past 6 months,43.6% of them had 3 or more male sex partners,53.6% had unprotected anal intercourse with men,8.0% had commercial sex with men,and 24.3% had sex with women.Elder subjects had a higher ratio of unprotected anal intercourse and male-female sex;subjects with lower educational background had more sex partners and male-female sex.Subjects working in the bathhouse had a higher ratio of commercial sex and male-female sex.Subjects with a male-female sex orientation or undetermined sex orientation had a higher ratio of commercial sex.Syphilis was detected in 93(9.3%)subjects and HIV was detected in 104(10.4%)subjects;among them 18 subjects had both syphilis and HIV.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the aged(OR=3.5,95%CI 1.7-7.1),the number of male sex partners(OR=3.8,95%CI 1.9-7.6),the behavior of unprotected anal intercourse(OR=1.9,95%CI 1.0-3.5)and the infection of syphilis(OR=2.1,95%CI 1.4-3.4)were independently associated with the risk of HIV/AIDS prevalence;the knowledge of AIDS was the protective factor of HIV/AIDS prevalence(OR=0.5,95%CI 0.3-0.7).Conclusion:High risk behaviors of HIV exist in MSM population in the researched city;there is local epidemic of HIV.Interventions should be given according to age,educational background,sex orientation,etc.
Surgery, Surgical Pathology, and Postoperative Management of Patients With Hirschsprung Disease:

Endorectal pullthrough surgery is integral in the treatment of patients with Hirschsprung disease. Several different surgical procedures exist, which share as common goals to excise the aganglionic segment and upstream transition zone and attach ganglionic bowel just proximal to the anal canal. The operation requires collaboration between surgeon and pathologist to localize ganglionic bowel and prevent retention of transition zone. Intraoperative frozen sections are extremely important, first to establish that ganglion cells are present and subsequently to exclude features of transition zone (partial circumferential aganglionosis, myenteric hypoganglionosis, and submucosal nerve hypertrophy) at the proximal surgical (anastomotic) margin. Postoperative histopathological analysis of resection specimens should be tailored to document distal aganglionosis, document the length of the aganglionic segment and its proximity to the anastomotic margin, and confirm that transition zone has been resected completely. Adherence to the recommendations described in this review will reduce the likelihood of transition zone pullthrough and should decrease the incidence of persistent postoperative obstructive symptoms.
EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE MECHANISMS AND PERFORMANCE OF ACTIVE AUXETIC AND SHEARING TEXTILES

Anisotropic textiles are commonly used in wearable applications to achieve varied bi-axial stress-strain behavior around the body. Auxetic textiles, specifically those that exhibit a negative Poisson's ratio (v), likewise exhibit intriguing behavior such as volume increase in response to impact or variable air permeability. Active textiles are traditional textile structures that integrate smart materials, such as shape memory alloys, shape memory polymers, or carbon nanotubes, to enable spatial actuation behavior, such as contraction for on-body compression or corrugation for haptic feedback. This research is a first experimental investigation into active auxetic and shearing textile structures. These textile structures leverage the bending- and torsional-deformations of the fibers/filaments within traditional textile structures as well as the shape memory effect of shape memory alloys to achieve novel, spatial performance. Five textile structures were fabricated from shape memory alloy wire deformed into needle lace and weft knit textile structures. All active structures exhibited anisotropic behavior and four of the five structures exhibited auxetic behavior upon free recovery, contracting in both x- and y-axes upon actuation (v = -0.3 to -1.5). One structure exhibited novel shearing behavior, with a mean free angle recovery of 7°. Temperature-controlled biaxial tensile testing was conducted to experimentally investigate actuation behavior and anisotropy of the designed structures. The presented design and performance of these active auxetic, anisotropic, and shearing textiles inspire new capabilities for applications, such as smart wearables, soft robotics, reconfigurable aerospace structures, and medical devices.
Using Machine Learning Methods to Develop a Short Tree-Based Adaptive Classification Test: Case Study With a High-Dimensional Item Pool and Imbalanced Data.

This study explores advanced techniques in machine learning to develop a short tree-based adaptive classification test based on an existing lengthy instrument. A case study was carried out for an a...
Tactile active sensing in an insect plant pollinator.

The interaction between insects and the flowers they pollinate has driven the evolutionary diversity of both insects and flowering plants, two groups with the most numerous species on earth. Insects use vision and olfaction to localize host plants, but we know relatively little about how they find the tiny nectary opening in the flower, which can be well beyond their visual resolution. Especially when vision is limited, touch becomes crucial in successful insect-plant pollination interactions. Here, we study the remarkable feeding behavior of crepuscular hawkmoths Manduca sexta that use their long, actively controlled, proboscis to expertly explore flower-like surfaces. Using machine vision and 3D printed artificial flower-like feeders, we reveal a novel behavior that shows moths actively probe surfaces, sweeping their proboscis from the feeder edge to its center repeatedly until they locate the nectary opening. Moreover, naive moths rapidly learn to exploit these flowers, and they adopt a tactile search strategy to more directly locate the nectary opening in as few as three to five consecutive visits. Our results highlight the proboscis as a unique active sensory structure and emphasize the central role of touch in nectar foraging insect plant pollinator interactions.
Editorial Comment: Intergenerational Issues in a Changing Society of South Korea

South Korea officially became an aged society in 2017. It took only 17 years for the country to transition from society that was aging to an aged society, which is the fastest such transition on re...
NNK-Means: Dictionary Learning using Non-Negative Kernel regression.

An increasing number of systems are being designed by first gathering significant amounts of data, and then optimizing the system parameters directly using the obtained data. Often this is done without analyzing the dataset structure. As task complexity, data size, and parameters all increase to millions or even billions, data summarization is becoming a major challenge. In this work, we investigate data summarization via dictionary learning, leveraging the properties of recently introduced non-negative kernel regression (NNK) graphs. Our proposed NNK-Means, unlike competing techniques, such askSVD, learns geometric dictionaries with atoms that lie in the input data space. Experiments show that summaries using NNK-Meanscan provide better discrimination compared to linear and kernel versions of kMeans and kSVD. Moreover, NNK-Means has a scalable implementation, with runtime complexity similar to that of kMeans.
Automated test data generation for distributed software

A novel approach to automating test data generation for distributed programs is presented. The approach is based on actual execution of the program under test, a run-time scheduler, function minimization methods, and dynamic dataflow analysis. Test data are developed for the program using actual values of the input variables. When the program is executed, the program execution flow is monitored. If during program execution an undesirable execution flow is observed then function minimization search algorithms are used to automatically locate the values of input variables for which the selected path is traversed. In addition, dynamic dataflow analysis is used to determine those input variables responsible for the undesirable program behavior, which can lead to significant speed-up of the search process. >
Early language processing efficiency predicts later receptive vocabulary outcomes in children born preterm

As rates of prematurity continue to rise, identifying which preterm children are at increased risk for learning disabilities is a public health imperative. Identifying continuities between early and later skills in this vulnerable population can also illuminate fundamental neuropsychological processes that support learning in all children. At 18 months adjusted age, we used socioeconomic status (SES), medical variables, parent-reported vocabulary, scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (third edition) language composite, and children’s lexical processing speed in the looking-while-listening (LWL) task as predictor variables in a sample of 30 preterm children. Receptive vocabulary as measured by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (fourth edition) at 36 months was the outcome. Receptive vocabulary was correlated with SES, but uncorrelated with degree of prematurity or a composite of medical risk. Importantly, lexical processing speed was the strongest predictor of receptive vocabular...
Informational Feedback, Adverse Selection, and Optimal Disclosure Policy

Faceless trading in a secondary stock market not only redistributes wealth among investors but also generates information that feeds back to real decisions. Using this observation we re-evaluate the �leveling-the-playing-field� rationale for disclosure to secondary stock markets. By partially preempting traders' information advantage established from information acquisition, disclosure reduces private incentives to acquire information, resulting in two opposite effects on firm value. On one hand, this narrows the information gap between informed and uninformed traders and improves liquidity of firm shares. On the other hand, this reduces the informational feedback from the stock market to real decisions. This tradeoff determines the optimal disclosure policy. The model explains why firm value can be higher in an environment that simultaneously promotes disclosure and private information production and why growth firms are endogenously more opaque than value firms.
OB-Rb gene transfer to leptin-resistant islets reverses diabetogenic phenotype

In obese Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats with mutant leptin receptors, pancreatic islets have an ≈50-fold increase in fat (TG), overproduce nitric oxide (NO), and lack a normal proinsulin mRNA response to fatty acids. We overexpressed the wild-type full-length “b” isoform of the leptin receptor (OB-Rb) in ZDF islets by perfusing ZDF pancreata with recombinant adenovirus containing the cDNA encoding OB-Rb. In cultured islets isolated from these animals, leptin lowered islet TG by 87% and completely blocked TG formation from free fatty acids. Overproduction of NO was reduced, and the preproinsulin mRNA response to free fatty acids was restored. This establishes defective leptin action as the proximate cause of lipotoxic diabetes in ZDF rats.
Analysis of 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring: The effect of state of consciousness

This review addresses current advances in the diagnosis of sleep-related gastroesophageal reflux using ambulatory esophageal pH monitoring and laboratory monitoring, which includes polygraphic assessment of the state of consciousness. This 24-hour pH monitoring uses a new strategy of interpretation that characterizes acidic reflux events and specifically assesses the patient’s position and state of consciousness. Thus, the recognition of reflux events during waking and sleep will add to the overall assessment of gastroesophageal reflux and its severity and clinical relevance. The pH testing, together with overnight polysomnography, offers an opportunity to link nighttime reflux with disease severity. The application of multichannel impedance with pH monitoring allows detection of acidic and nonacidic reflux events during sleep and also helps to elucidate the physiologic response of the esophagus to these events during sleep. The significance of these findings will increase our knowledge of esophageal physiology and the pathologic mechanisms underlying gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Concentration–Duration–Frequency Curves for pH in a Stream in the Great Smoky Mountains

Multiparameter monitors (sondes) were installed at four sites in a stream in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. These sondes recorded pH, turbidity, and other parameters every 15 min. The data were analyzed to determine the time-connected duration of excursions below various pH levels (pH 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 6.5). The durations for excursions below each pH level were assigned probability quantiles and plotted. This created a concentration—duration—frequency curve similar to precipitation intensity—duration—frequency curves. The pH excursion events appear to follow a Poisson arrival process and were fitted to a corresponding exponential distribution. The mean event duration for each pH level is the fitting parameter, μ, for the exponential distribution, and μ followed an exponential trend with pH. The characteristics of the concentration—duration—frequency family of curves capture the information contained in the original data and potentially allow comparisons with toxicity data as well as a temporal and spatial comparison.
Vertical integration: Model for success in the managed care environment?

A managed care organization consists of a health system with the specific task of managing the delivery of care in a cost-effective manner. A health maintenance organization is a method of delivering care to a defined populatio'n of voluntary subscribers. The subscribers are required to use designated providers. The organization agrees to provide this care on the basis of a prepaid fixed monthly charge. It shares the risk with the physician providers. Payment is in the form of a negotiated discounted fee for service or according to a growing trend whereby the provider accepts a capitated monthly fee agreeing to provide full-range services to the subscriber. Capitation clearly reverses the logic for all players. Prevention of illness rather than the delivery of episodic health care becomes the driving force. It is expected that by the end of 1995 approximately 56 million Americans will elect to receive their health care within the frame'work of a health maintenance organization. In a managed care environment, the financial incentive to reduce the number of hospital admissions is clear. Hospital occupancy rates are inversely related to the proportion of the population receiving its care in a managed environment. Because referrals to specialists represent a cost, referrals will decrease. With the thought that the generalist is a more effective manager of health care resources, a movement toward reversing the current specialist-to-generalist ratio of 60:40 will occur. As the proportion of the population receiving care in a managed care system increases, the demand for physicians will decrease. These factors all have an effect on the number of postgraduate positions available and, I suspect, on the quality of the candidates applying. Some are concerned that life as a radiologist will be less attractive from a financial and job satis-
Classical simulation of nuclear systems

Abstract With a view towards nuclear collisions at intermediate energies, we develop a microscopic nuclear model based on classical nucleons interacting via a momentum-dependent Pauli repulsion, a modified Lennard-Jones nuclear interaction, and a standard Coulomb repulsion. The ensuing model approximates well the energy per nucleon in nuclear matter over a broad range of temperatures and densities (including the saturation energy and density and the compressibility), as well as the sizes and binding energies of finite nuclei.
Successful Completion: An Examination of Factors Influencing Drug Court Completion for White and Non-White Male Participants

This research examines the influence of demographic and legal factors on the successful completion of the Seahawk Drug Treatment Court Program for White and Non-White male participants. Located in a medium-size city, the program targets male felony offenders and has been in operation for more than 10 years. The research sample is comprised of 526 participants with a program disposition between January 1, 2005 and September 30, 2010. Using race-specific logistic regression models, results reveal both similarities and differences among these groups. The implications and limitations of this research are discussed, as well as avenues for future research.
Dilemmas and choices in infection management of the cancer patient

Dilemmas related to fever and infection in the granulocytopenic cancer patient demand management choices frequently in the face of inadequate data to assure confidence in the decision taken. Key elements to decision-making include: recognition of the types of infections which tend to occur in these patients within one's own institution and the usual antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of the common pathogens within one's own institution. Second, one must differentiate the moderately granulocytopenic patient from one likely to have profound, persistent granulocytopenia and, hence, a high risk of mortality from gram-negative rod bacteremia. This information will assist in the selection of an initial empiric regimen. The same information in conjunction with the results of surveillance cultures and especially the results of repeat daily history and physical examination will assist in decisions related to discontinuation of the initial antibiotics, alterations in the original regimen, and decisions related to possible superinfections.
Caution with curves: Caveats for using the species–area relationship in conservation

Abstract Conservation biologists use the species–area relationship for a variety of purposes, including upscaling diversity from small plots to regions, predicting species loss, and for identifying biodiversity hotspots and prioritizing actions to protect them. Despite its widespread use, several complications that affect the accuracy of its application are often overlooked. First, interpretation of the species–area relationship is a function of the census design used to construct it. Nested census designs guarantee only that one individual each of a given number of species is within the sampled area, but we are almost always concerned with the loss or protection of more than one individual of each species. Census designs using non-contiguous plots are useful for sampling large regions, but their interpretation is not straightforward because species number is a function of the spatial extent of the landscape and the size of the sample units. Second, power function behavior is often assumed, even though the species–area relationship often displays curvilinearity on log–log plots across scale ranges pertinent to conservation. Finally, applications of the species–area relationship often assume that the area of interest is contiguous while in practice it seldom is, and so calculations using the species–area relationship need to account for beta diversity between disjunctive areas.
JAIN D and ELSON D (Eds). 2011. Harvesting Feminist Knowledge for Public Policy. (SAGE Publications; International Development Research Centre, New Delhi, India; Ottawa, ON. ISBN: 978-8-132-10741-5, UK£39.99, pp. 396).

__Abstract__ BOOK REVIEW JAIN D and ELSON D (Eds). 2011. Harvesting Feminist Knowledge for Public Policy. (SAGE Publications; International Development Research Centre, New Delhi, India; Ottawa, ON. ISBN: 978-8-132-10741-5.
Evolutionary diversification of the vertebrate transferrin multi-gene family

In a phylogenetic analysis of vertebrate transferrins (TFs), six major clades (subfamilies) were identified: (a) S, the mammalian serotransferrins; (b) ICA, the mammalian inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase (ICA) homologs; (c) L, the mammalian lactoferrins; (d) O, the ovotransferrins of birds and reptiles; (e) M, the melanotransferrins of bony fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals; and (f) M-like, a newly identified TF subfamily found in bony fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. A phylogenetic tree based on the joint alignment of N-lobes and C-lobes supported the hypothesis that three separate events of internal duplication occurred in vertebrate TFs: (a) in the common ancestor of the M subfamily, (b) in the common ancestor of the M-like subfamily, and (c) in the common ancestor of other vertebrate TFs. The S, ICA, and L subfamilies were found only in placental mammals, and the phylogenetic analysis supported the hypothesis that these three subfamilies arose by gene duplication after the divergence of placental mammals from marsupials. The M-like subfamily was unusual in several respects, including the presence of a uniquely high proportion of clade-specific conserved residues, including distinctive but conserved residues in the sites homologous to those functioning in carbonate binding of human serotransferrin. The M-like family also showed an unusually high proportion of cationic residues in the positively charged region corresponding to human lactoferrampin, suggesting a distinctive role of this region in the M-like subfamily, perhaps in antimicrobial defense.
A Critical Review of the E-Satisfaction Literature:

User satisfaction is essential to the success of any Web site. Satisfaction with electronic environments, or e-satisfaction, drives traffic to Web sites and encourages repeated use of a site. However, the e-satisfaction literature has not been critically examined to assess e-satisfaction scales that currently exist in an effort to determine potential gaps or opportunities for future research. The present study is intended to critically review the existing e-satisfaction literature. We identify problems in defining and measuring e-satisfaction and offer directions for future research.
Effect of the Structural Water on the Mechanical Properties of Collagen-like Microfibrils: A Molecular Dynamics Study

The objective of this paper is to investigate the role played by the structural water on the intermolecular sliding between collagen-like 1QSU peptides in a microfibril under deformation. Three modes of deformation are used to generate intermolecular sliding: forced axial stretching (case I) or sliding (case II) of a central peptide monomer (while other surrounding monomers are fixed); and cantilever bending (case III) under a terminal lateral load. The force–displacement curve of each deformation mode is derived using a module called Steered Molecular Dynamics (SMD) in a molecular dynamics package NAMD under the CHARMM22 force field. Each calculation is carried out twice, one in the presence of structural water, one without. It is found that the structural water is a weak “lubricant” in forced axial stretching (case I), but it functions as a “glue” in forced axial sliding (case II) and cantilever bending (case III). A change in the pulling speed does not significantly alter the force–displacement behavior in axial stretching (case I) and sliding (case II), but it does in cantilever bending (case III). The additional resistance contributed by the structural water is attributed to the additional energy cost in breaking the water-mediated hydrogen bonds (water bridges).
Rhenium promotion of Ag and Cu-Ag bimetallic catalysts for ethylene epoxidation

Abstract Rhenium remains the least understood promoter of silver catalysts for the epoxidation of ethylene. While a large number of patents can be found claiming the use of rhenium to yield ethylene oxide selectivities over 80%, very little is present in the open literature to explain these results. In this work we report initial studies of rhenium promoted Ag and Cu–Ag bimetallic catalysts under chlorine-free operating conditions. Rhenium addition improves the selectivity of both the monometallic and bimetallic catalysts, while decreasing activity in each case. Optimization of preparation procedures shows maximum ethylene oxide selectivities are obtained with rhenium loadings of 25 ppm for the monometallic catalysts and between 50 and 100 ppm for Cu–Ag bimetallic catalysts. The reaction kinetics for rhenium-promoted Ag and unpromoted Ag catalysts suggest that the catalysts containing rhenium present a more uniform distribution of sites for oxygen adsorption than do unpromoted catalysts, thus enhancing the ethylene oxide selectivity.
Amelioration of carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic necrosis by post-toxicant treatment with cystamine.

Abstract A quantitative animal model was developed to study amelioration of carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic injury by post-toxicant administration of cystamine. Amelioration of CCl 4 -induced injury by post-toxicant cystamine treatment was compared to prevention of injury by cystamine pretreatment and possible mechanisms of the post-toxicant cytoprotective effect were investigated. Pretreatment of rats with cystamine dihydrochloride (300 mg/kg, p.o.) 30 min prior to CCl 4 (0.25 ml/kg, i.p.) prevented CCl 4 -induced hepatic necrosis, plasma enzyme elevations, and hepatic calcium accumulation. When administered up to 12 h after CCl 4 , a single oral dose of cystamine inhibited necrosis in a dose-dependent manner, but did not reduce CCl 4 -induced plasma enzyme elevation or hepatic calcium accumulation. Cystamine post-treatment, therefore, does not appear to inhibit toxicant-induced influx of extracellular calcium into toxicant-damaged cells. This also suggests that the influx of extracellular calcium does not necessarily constitute an irreversible event leading to cell death. The mild hypothermia induced by post-toxicant treatment with cystamine did not delay the apperance of the lesion. Evidence for a slightly earlier regeneration of hepatic tissue was noted when cystamine was administered 12 h after CCl 4 . However, this effect was observed too long after exposure to the toxicant to account for the protection from necrosis observed 24 h after CCl 4 .
Internal membrane junctions and unusual T-tubules in cultured chick cardiac muscle cells

Specialised, internal membrane junctions are described on the walls of plasma-lemmal invaginations within single chick cardiac muscle cells in vitro. These internal junctions occur most frequently within single cells isolated from neighbouring cells. They include desmosomes and intercalated discs at various stages of differentiation. Internal membrane junctions are interpreted as the product of de novo synthesis and it is proposed that internal intercalated discs contribute to myofibril formation in isolated cells. The presence of specialised membrane couplings between cisternae of sarcoplasmic reticulum and the invaginated plasma membranes suggests the invaginations are involved in excitation-contraction coupling and they are interpreted as an unusual form of T-tubule. The study proposes that T-tubular proliferation and the formation of internal membrane junctions are related events occurring in isolated cardiac muscle cells.