cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pathogenesis of Bacterial Meningitis

In the preantimicrobial era, acute pyogenic meningitis was almost always fatal and neurological sequelae were common in most survivors.7,18 Despite major advances in antimicrobial chemotherapy, rapid diagnostic techniques, and the development of effective pneumococcal and meningococcal vaccines, the annual incidence and mortality rates for bacterial meningitis have remained essentially unchanged over the past decade. In 1978, more than 4000 cases of acute bacterial meningitis were reported to the Centers for Disease Control, representing a rate of 0.19 cases/ 100,000 population with an overall case-fatality rate of 13.6%.23
Staged microstructural study of flash sintered titania

Abstract Flash sintering offers more control of microstructure owing to its additional sintering conditions compared to conventional sintering, including electric field, current density limit and holding time. A systematic study of flash sintered TiO2 is presented to investigate the effects of flash sintering conditions on the asymmetrical microstructure and defect structure across the two electrodes of the samples. Grain growth has been found to be more prominent near the positive electrode and significantly influenced by the current density limit. Extended defects, including dislocations and stacking faults, have been observed near the positive electrode and the defect density is highly dependent on the strength of electric field. Lowering the current density and holding time could maximize the defect density in TiO2 for improved properties.
Assessment of contraceptive curricula in US pharmacy programs.

Abstract Introduction Pharmacists prescribe contraception in some states following expansions in scope of practice. Adequate education on contraception in pharmacy curricula is crucial to effectively deliver these services. Methods A 26-item survey assessing contraception curricula regarding was administered by email to instructors and administrators at 139 pharmacy schools in the United States. The survey assessed teaching methods, hours taught, topic content, and opinion of adequacy of contraceptive education provided by the program. Results The survey achieved a response rate of 40% (n = 56). All programs that responded offer emergency contraception and hormonal contraception content, 96% offer non-hormonal over-the-counter contraception content, and 91% offer long-acting reversible hormonal contraception content. Average number of hours taught were as follows: non-hormonal over-the-counter contraception 2.0 hours, emergency contraception 0.9 hours, hormonal contraception 3.0 hours, long-acting reversible hormonal contraception 0.8 hours, and non-reversible hormonal contraception 0.5 hours. Patient cases were most used to supplement didactic content in all topics. Standardized patient interviews were used less frequently for both hormonal contraception (25%) and emergency contraception (7%). About 68% of programs agreed or strongly agreed that the contraceptive education provided by the program was adequate. A majority (70%) indicated interest in a standardized contraceptive curriculum. Conclusions Contraceptive education is broadly covered in didactic curricula within pharmacy education. Further assessment and development of curricula standards may be warranted to assess quality and adequacy of contraceptive education in pharmacy.
Immigrant Fertility in Comparative Perspective: South Africa and the United States

Because immigrant fertility is situated within two societies, the resultant childbearing patterns reflect a culmination of selectivity into migration alongside blended experiences of origin-destination contexts around fertility norms. We analyze the ways that national origin shapes patterns of childbearing within fertility covariates. We use data from Statistics South Africa and the United States Census Bureau harmonized in the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, International for a disaggregated analysis of the odds of a birth in the past year among the three most prominent immigrant groups compared with native-born women in each receiving country. Interacted logistic regression analyses and margins results demonstrate significant nativity-based differences in the odds of childbearing across age, previous childbearing, and marital status, but not across educational attainment. We attribute variation in the covariates of fertility across nativities to demographic composition and the contexts of migration unique to each group.
Towards Fine-Grained Access Control in Enterprise-Scale Internet-of-Things

Scalable, fine-grained access control for Internet-of-Things is needed in enterprise environments, where tens of thousands of users need to access smart objects which have a similar or larger order of magnitude. Existing solutions offer all-or-nothing access, or require all access to go through a cloud backend, greatly impeding access granularity, robustness and scale. In this paper, we propose Heracles, an IoT access control system which achieves robust, fine-grained access control and responsive execution at enterprise scale. Heracles adopts a capability-based approach using secure, unforgeable tokens that describe the authorizations of users, to either individuals or collections of objects in single or bulk operations. It has a 3-tier architecture to provide centralized policy and distributed execution desired in enterprise environments. Extensive analysis and performance evaluation on a testbed prove that Heracles achieves fine-grained access control and responsive execution at enterprise scale. Compared with systems using access control list, Heracles eliminates or reduces by 10x–100x the updating overhead under frequent changes of subject memberships and policies. Besides, Heracles achieves responsive execution: it takes 0.57 second to access 18 objects which are scattered 1–9 hops away, and execution on a 1-hop or 2-hop object needs only 0.07 or 0.13 second respectively.
How the Spread of User-Generated Contents (UGC) Shapes International Tourism Distribution: Using Agent-Based Modeling to Inform Strategic UGC Marketing:

While user-generated contents (UGC) are recognized as increasingly important to destination marketing, many DMOs are uncertain how to strategically manage them to their best advantage, largely due ...
Do Women Seek “Women of Color” for Public Office? Exploring Women’s Support for Electing Women of Color:

Scholars frequently invoke the term “women of color” (WOC) in their research, and, increasingly, the media make reference to WOC in news stories. Despite this common usage, researchers have failed ...
Status Construction During COVID-19: Antibody Positive People's Rising Prestige

The protracted COVID-19 crisis provides a new social niche in which new inequalities can emerge We provide predictions about one such new inequality using the logic of Status Construction Theory (SCT) SCT, rooted in Expectations State Theory and from there developed by Ridgeway and colleagues, proposes general hypotheses about how new inequalities arise through process of interaction at the individual level: an unordered categorical difference becomes attached to a cultural value that gives one category more value than the other;social scripts concerning it emerge;small elements of assertion and deference creep into more and more encounters that an individual participates in, hears about through networks, and learns about via social and conventional media The categorical difference begins to morph into a hierarchical status distinction Through these mechanisms, individuals develop “status beliefs” that most people in their communities endorse the status distinction Although they may or may not endorse the distinction personally, they believe that most people do so and they find that the path of least resistance socially is to enact the scripts that affirm the higher status/prestige of the favored group We apply Status Construction Theory to the categorical difference between Antibody Positives (who have been tested for IgG antibodies) and Others (everybody else) Using the general logic of SCT and specifically developing applications of its key propositions, we predict that the categorical difference between Antibody Positives and Others will transition to a status distinction and propose testable, falsifiable hypotheses about each step of the process © Copyright © 2020 Evans, Kelley and Kelley
Psychiatric risk and resilience: Plasticity genes and positive mental health.

Objective The at-risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis has long played a key role in diathesis-stress models of schizophrenia. More recent studies, however, have called for extending the boundaries of the ARMS construct beyond attenuated psychosis in nonhelp-seeking samples to include not only other vulnerability indicators but also protective factors related to genotype, mental health, personality, and cognition. Method Accordingly, we assessed in a sample of 100 college students, the ARMS construct with the Brief Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ-B) for psychosis, in conjunction with measures of positive mental health, childhood adversity, psychiatric symptoms, personality traits, social cognition, and genetic variables derived from assays of the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Results Higher PQ-B scores correlated positively with vulnerability indicators of childhood adversity and heightened levels of a wide variety of psychiatric symptoms but correlated negatively with protective factors of better overall mental health, social cognition as well as with a distinct NEO profile marked by reduced neuroticism and elevated agreeableness and conscientiousness. Multivariate analyses indicated that a composite ARMS measure comprised of PQ-B scores plus anxiety and depression symptoms revealed significant genotype differences, with lowest risk and highest resilience for allelic carriers of 5-HTTLPR-short and BDNF Met polymorphisms. Conclusions Results provided support for extending the ARMS construct, pointing to important contributions of personality, social cognition, and genes that support neural plasticity in mitigating vulnerability and enhancing resilience and well-being.
The Myth of the Super-Team

This chapter discusses whether or not the super-team phenomenon is real. Some NBA fans argue that Kevin Durant going to the Golden State Warriors in 2016, or Lebron teaming up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosch was an easy “cop-out” by forming a super-team. However, does the super-team really exist, or have championship teams always had more than one superstar? This chapter empirically investigates this question with a series of analyses of variance between super-teams and non-super-teams with regard to regular season winning percentage, number of games it took to get to the finals, and number of games won in the finals.
Transposition of intracisternal A-particle genes.

Publisher Summary Murine intracisternal A-particles (IAPs) are defective retrovirions abundantly expressed in neoplastic cells. To define some of the factors involved in IAP element transposition, this chapter examines two myeloma cell lines—MOPC-315 and MOPC-104E—in which the type-IIB subclass of IAP elements has undergone a marked amplification as compared with embryonic cells and other myelomas. These elements contain an extensive deletion encompassing the gag and polymerase genes, but have an intact endonuclease-coding region. Endonuclease activity in IAP fractions from both myelomas, as demonstrated by the conversion of supercoiled plasmid DNA to relaxed and linear forms, have been found. DNA molecules consistent in structure with a linear type-IIB IAP provirus were present in the cytoplasm of MOPC-315 cells. Rabbits were immunized with an oligopeptide predicted from the nucleotide sequence of the endonuclease gene in a full-length genomic IAP element. The antisera reacted on Western blots with a protein present in gradient-purified IAPs from MOPC-104E cells. The weakness of the reaction suggested that the concentration of this protein was extremely low. The antisera also reacted with a fusion protein produced in bacteria transfected with a randomly selected genomic type-IIB IAP element, demonstrating that the endonuclease reading frame was open in this otherwise defective endogenous provirus.
Making Security Manifest Security and Autonomy for End Users

With the increased concern over national security there has been increased debate over reliability and security of communications and computer systems. (Bush, 2001). One element of this effort has been on the need for reliable data on computer security risks and incidents. Information is necessary for a functioning market, and transparency (requiring information) is necessary for functional governance. Despite the consensus on the need for better information, there is a significant divergence about the nature and distribution of security information. Security infrastructures can be mechanisms of user control (Anderson, 2003) or mechanisms to empower the user (Clark and Blumenthal, 2000). End user security is critical. Distributed denial of service attacks illustrate how the capacity to create zombies (machines under the control of a malicious external agent) at many small nodes creates risks for the largest and most hardened targets. Proposals to address failures in the market for computer security include the establishment of a liability regime for computer security, insurance markets for security risks or even creating tradable permits (Camp & Wolfram, 2000). Yet the solutions assume that the end user will be able to avail themselves of the legal or commercial mechanisms for security with little or no cost. For security to function at the end points, there must be reliable data for the end user. Such data must be communicated clearly and there must be feasible mechanisms for the end user to respond to security breaches. In this work we illustrate that all the necessary technical components exist. What is needed is a vision and a national commitment to integrate the components. Developing the system that enables Internet users to protect themselves is a more powerful, more democratic and more resilient system for protecting our national information assets.
New insights into insulin action and resistance in the vasculature

Two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight or obese, and another 26 million have type 2 diabetes. Decreased insulin sensitivity in cardiovascular tissue is an underlying abnormality in these individuals. Insulin metabolic signaling increases endothelial cell nitric oxide (NO) production. Impaired vascular insulin sensitivity is an early defect leading to impaired vascular relaxation. In overweight and obese persons, as well as in those with hypertension, systemic and vascular insulin resistance often occur in conjunction with activation of the cardiovascular tissue renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). Activated angiotensin II type 1 receptor and mineralocorticoid receptor signaling promote the development of vascular insulin resistance and impaired endothelial NO-mediated relaxation. Research in this area has implicated excessive serine phosphorylation and proteasomal degradation of the docking protein insulin receptor substrate and enhanced signaling through hybrid insulin/insulin-like growth factor receptor as important mechanisms underlying RAAS impediment of downstream vascular insulin metabolic signaling. This review will present recent evidence supporting the notion that RAAS signaling represents a potential pathway for the development of vascular insulin resistance and impaired endothelial-mediated vasodilation.
A radiolabeled antiglobulin test for crossmatching platelet transfusions

Despite the use of HLA-matched platelets for alloimmunized recipients, transfusion failures occur. In order to reduce these failures, we investigated the use of a radiolabeled antiglobulin technique for platelet crossmatching. The principle of the test is that of an indirect Coombs test using 125I labeled goat anti-human IgG. Incompatibility is determined by calculating a radioactivity antiglobulin test (RAGT) index. Using this technique, we performed 89 crossmatches on 19 leukemic or aplastic patients who were refractory to random donor platelets and receiving varying degrees of HLA-matched platelets. Effectiveness of the transfusion was assessed from the posttransfusion corrected platelet count increment (CCI) determined at 1 and 20 hr. When the RAGT index was 1.9 or less, the mean CCI at 1 lhr was 17,570 +/- 7003/cu mm, n = 55. When the RAGT index was 2.0 or greater, the mean CCI was 4237 +/- 4100/cu mm, n = 34. At 20 hr when the RAGT index was 1.9 or less, the mean CCI was 8722 +/- 3143/cu mm, n = 33, and when the index was 2.0 or greater, the mean CCI was 571 +/- 1286/cu mm, n = 23. Using this technique, one false negative resulted. Nine positive crossmatches with good increments at 1 hr were found; at 20 hr, however, the survival of these units was zero. These data suggest that this method is a useful adjunct in the selection of platelets in the refractory patient.
Stable Isotope Signatures for Microbial Forensics

The isotopic composition of biomolecules synthesized by all living organisms is determined by metabolic exchange with their surrounding environments. The primary source of elemental C, N, O, and H in heterotrophic microorganisms is their growth substrate or culture medium; therefore, the isotopic signatures in a microorganism are a function of substrate and can be used to associate samples with potential culture media and also with one another. When a microorganism dies or enters a dormant state (i.e., there is no further substrate consumption, biosynthesis, or molecular decomposition), its stable isotopic signatures become fixed. These signatures can then be used for sample matching, to associate cultures with a specific growth medium, to predict characteristics of the medium used to produce a culture, and could potentially be used to distinguish organisms that occurred naturally in a given location from organisms that had been cultured in a laboratory and deliberately introduced.
RESPONSE TO PAPERS FOR “ETHNOGRAPHY, ANTHROPOLOGY, AND COMPARATIVE RELIGIOUS ETHICS” FOCUS

The Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) project represented here through papers by Thomas Lewis, Aaron Stalnaker, Hans Lucht, and Lee Yearley (with responses) was motivated by the judgment that the trend toward a focus on virtue ethics, with attendant concern for techniques of forming selves, creates an opportunity for a dialogue with ethnographers. I argue that the CSWR essays neglect social and institutional considerations, as well as overdrawing the distinction between “formalist” and virtue approaches to the study of comparative ethics.
Beyond the genome: recent advances in Toxoplasma gondii functional genomics

Recent years have witnessed an explosion in the amount of genomic information available for Toxoplasma gondii and other closely related pathogens. These data, many of which have been made publicly available prior to publication, have facilitated a wide variety of functional genomics studies. In this review, we provide a brief overview of existing database tools for querying the Toxoplasma genome and associated genome-wide data and review recent publications that have been facilitated by these data. Topics covered include strain comparisons and quantitative trait loci mapping, gene expression analyses during the cell cycle as well as during parasite differentiation, and proteomics.
Defect and fault tolerance of reconfigurable molecular computing

Fault detection and diagnosis techniques that are essential for defect tolerance, fault tolerance and self-repair of reconfigurable molecular computing systems are discussed. These techniques enable robust molecular computing system design protected from manufacturing defects and run-time errors in the underlying hardware. In this paper, we demonstrate how test and diagnosis techniques originally developed for FPGAs can be used in the context of molecular computing.
Towards a new conceptualization of depression in older adult cancer patients: a review of the literature

Objectives: Identifying depression in older adults with cancer presents a set of unique challenges, as it combines the confounding influences of cancer and its treatment with the developmental changes associated with aging. This paper reviews the phenomenology of depression in older adults, and individuals diagnosed with cancer.Method: PsychInfo, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched for English-language studies addressing the phenomenology, symptoms, or assessment of depression in older adults and those with cancer.Results: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria that appear to be relevant to both older adults and cancer patients are anhedonia, concentration difficulties, sleep disturbances, psychomotor retardation/agitation, and loss of energy. Possible alternative criteria that may be important considerations included constructs such as loss of purpose, loneliness, and irritability in older adults. Among cancer patients, tearfulness, social...
Evolution and emergence of Bordetella in humans

Two highly infectious bordetellae, Bordetella pertussis and B. parapertussis, have emerged in historical times as co-dominant in human populations. Both of these cause acute disease (whooping cough), whereas their progenitor, B. bronchiseptica, is of variable virulence in a wide variety of animals. The remarkably close phylogenetic relatedness of these three bordetellae and the two independent jumps to humans provide a unique opportunity to examine the evolution and genetics involved in the emergence of acute human pathogens. We hypothesize that the more virulent strains in humans reflects how acutely infectious pathogens might be favored in communities with large contact networks. Furthermore, we suggest that the differential expression of the various virulence factors by the two human pathogens can be explained by immune-mediated competition between the strains. The evolutionarily favored strategies of both of the human bordetellae result in immunizing infections and acute epidemics.
Nonzero-Concentration Boundary Condition for Advection-Diffusion Aerosol-Transport Modeling.

This Brief Communication presents recent results related to advection-diffusion transport modeling of nanoparticle aerosols. While discussed elsewhere in detail (Gallis et al. 2008; Torczynski et a...
Immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis and the kidney

Immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis and the kidney. Amyloidosis (AL) is a common cause of nephrotic syndrome in nondiabetic, nonhypertensive adults. All adult patients with nephrotic syndrome should have immunofixation of serum and urine as a screen. The finding of a monoclonal protein, particularly of lambda type, should lead to a subcutaneous fat aspirate or bone marrow biopsy to search for amyloid deposits. When the result of either test is positive, a kidney biopsy is unnecessary. The prognosis of patients who have renal amyloidosis depends on the concentration of serum creatinine at presentation and whether an echocardiographic evaluation demonstrates infiltrative cardiomyopathy. Most therapies are directed against the plasma cell dyscrasia present in all patients with AL and can include melphalan and prednisone, high-dose dexamethasone, and, most recently, peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.
The Effect of Nonnutritive Sucking on Bottle‐Feeding Stress in Preterm Infants

Objective To examine the effects of nonnutritive sucking on the physiologic and behavioral stress reactions of preterm infants at early bottle feedings and to examine the effect of nonnutritive sucking on the feeding performance of preterm infants at early bottle feedings. Design Quasi‐experimental with a matched sample Setting A Level III neonatal intensive‐care unit in a large medical center. Participants Twenty preterm infants whose gestational ages at birth ranged from 26 to 54 weeks. Interventions Ten infants were provided nonnutritive sucking for 5 minutes before and 5 minutes after an early bottle feeding. Ten infants served as controls. Main Outcome Measures Physiologic stress was measured by heart rate and oxygen saturation rate. Behavioral stress was measured by observation of behavioral state. Feeding performance was measured by duration, percentage of formula taken by bottle, and behavioral state after feeding. Results/Conclusions Infants who received nonnutritive sucking before and after bottle feedings were more likely to be in a quiescent behavior state 5 minutes after the feeding (p = .01) and had higher feeding performance scores (p = .01) than infants who did not receive nonnutritive sucking.
The motional mass of the electron : A reconsideration of present views supporting the lorentz and einstein equations

A new approach is offered to aid in the understanding of the physical phenomenon of the interaction of a moving electron and a deflecting electric field. Issue is taken with classical theory and proof is advanced to show that the mass of an electron is constant and independent of velocity but the inertia and elasticity of the electric field cannot be neglected. This material is scheduled for presentation as a conference paper for discussion at the AIEE winter meeting, New York, N. Y., January 27–31, 1947. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING presents this material to stimulate debate on an important and controversial topic. Comments are invited.
Potassium-39 NMR of K+ interaction with the gramicidin channel and NMR-derived conductance ratios for Na+, K+ and Rb+.

A potassium-39 NMR study of potassium ion interaction with the gramicidin transmembrane channel in phospholipid bilayers at high ion activity is reported which allows determination of a weak binding constant, Kbw ≃8.3/m, and an off-rate constant for the weak site,koffw≃2.6×107/sec. These values are interpreted with the aid of additional NMR data as the binding constant for formation of the doubly occupied channel state and the rate constant for an ion leaving the doubly occupied state. Considering the singly occupied channel state for the potassium ion to be “electrically silent” at 1 molar ion activity, as with the sodium ion, the single-channel conductance for 100 mV and 30°C calculated to be 29 pS, and using the same approximation with previous NMR results on the sodium and rubidium ions, reasonable conductance ratios were calculated. Further experimental estimates of the other three constants with the experimental location of binding sites and Eyring rate theory to introduce voltage dependence allowed a more complete calculation of the two-site channel. The single-channel conductance for potassium ion is calculated to be 24 pS at 1m activity and 26 pS at 0.6m activity, which compares for diphytanoyl phosphatidylcholine membranes to an experimental most probable single-channel conductance of 25 pS and a mean channel conductance of 20 pS. The calculated conductance ratios using NMR-derived constants were γ(K)/γ(Na)=2.0 and γ(Rb)/γ(Na)=4.3. These results are close to the experimental values and provide further basis for the use of NMR of quadrupolar ions to provide information on the ionic mechanism of channel transport.
Retrieving skin properties from in vivo spectral reflectance measurements

A previously developed inverse method was applied to in vivo normal-hemispherical spectral reflectance measurements taken on the inner and outer forearm as well as the forehead of healthy white Caucasian and black African subjects. The inverse method was used to determine the thickness and melanin concentration in the epidermis, dermal blood volume fraction and oxygen saturation, and skin's spectral scattering coefficient. It was established that changes in melanin concentration due to racial difference and tanning, and differences in epidermal thickness and blood volume with anatomical location were detectable. The retrieved values were also consistent with independent measurements reported in the literature. The same method could be used for optical diagnosis of pathologies affecting the structure and pigmentation of human skin.
The political economy of local governance: findings from an Indonesian field study

Abstract Why do some local governments perform well, while others perform badly? The rapid shift from centralised–authoritarian to decentralised–democratic rule in Indonesia has been accompanied by a large variation in sub-national government policies across districts. Based on eight district case studies comprising 1,000 business surveys and 120 in-depth interviews, this paper argues that demand-side pressures from local firms, associations and district councils are less significant than supply-side pressures from local government leaders in explaining variations in taxation, licensing and corruption practices. In Indonesia's early transition to democratic decentralisation, societal pressures have been constrained by collective action problems and perverse political incentives. Local government leaders, on the other hand, have strong powers and new incentives for policy reform. In response to the good governance debate, this study's findings suggest that government leadership is an important, often under...
The nearly universal merger rate of dark matter haloes in ΛCDM cosmology

We construct merger trees from the largest data base of dark matter haloes to date provided by the Millennium Simulation to quantify the merger rates of haloes over a broad range of descendant halo mass (10 12 ≤ M 0 ≤ 1015 M ⊙ ), progenitor mass ratio (10 -3 ≤ ξ ≤ 1), and redshift (0 ≤ z ≤ 6). We find the mean merger rate per halo, Bin, to have very simple dependence on M 0 , ξ, and z, and propose a universal fitting form for B/n that is accurate to 10-20 per cent. Overall, B/n depends very weakly on the halo mass (oc M 0 0 .08) and scales as a power law in the progenitor mass ratio (oc ξ -2 ) for minor mergers (ξ ≤ 0.1) with a mild upturn for major mergers. As a function of time, we find the merger rate per Gyr to evolve roughly as (1 + z) nm with r m = 2-2.3, while the rate per unit redshift is nearly independent of z. Several tests are performed to assess how our merger rates are affected by e.g. the time interval between Millennium outputs, binary versus multiple progenitor mergers, and mass conservation and diffuse accretion during mergers. In particular, we find halo fragmentations to be a general issue in merger tree construction from N-body simulations and compare two methods for handling these events. We compare our results with predictions of two analytical models for halo mergers based on the extended Press-Schechter (EPS) model and the coagulation theory. We find that the EPS model overpredicts the major merger rates and underpredicts the minor merger rates by up to a factor of a few.
SOSA ON EPISTEMIC CIRCULARITY AND REFLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE

: Ernest Sosa has done important work on epistemic circularity, epistemic virtue, and reflective knowledge. He holds that epistemic circularity need not be vicious and need not prevent us from knowing that our ways of forming beliefs are reliable. In this article, I briefly explore Sosa's defense of this view and raise some questions about what is required for reflective knowledge.
On the uniform closure of a linear space of bounded real-valued functions

Let X be a topological space and let F*(X) be the algebra of all bounded real-valued functions on X. The subset of F*(X) consisting of all bounded continuous functions is denoted by C*(X). In this paper we characterize the uniformly dense linear subspaces of C*(X) by means of a separation condition of certain subsets of X. This condition enable us to identify the linear subspaces of F*(X) whose uniform closure is a subring or a sublattice containing all the real constant functions.
STRATEGIES FOR PROCESSING LOW-GRADE IRON ORE MINERALS

The conventional routes for making iron and steel require that the ore be upgraded through a series of physical separation processes in sequence. The unit operations involved include crushing, grinding, separation, dewatering, pelletization, blast furnace processing, and basic oxygen furnace processing. This complex sequence is not cost effective for many low-grade ores that are resistant to physical concentration. For example, many ores contain iron oxide in a nonmagnetic form and are so fine-grained that it is uneconomical to grind them to a fine enough size to separate the iron oxides from the gangue. Exploitation of these iron minerals needs to take a different approach, using fewer process steps than are required for conventional ironmaking. Results are presented showing that it is possible to produce metallic iron directly from low-grade ores. The metal is in a form that can be easily separated to produce a high-grade iron product, and the iron recovery is greater than can be achieved from difficult...
Competition for Breeding Sites Between Monogamous Pairs of Convict Cichlids (Cichlasoma Nigrofasciatum): Asymmetries in Size and Prior Residence

When pairs of convict cichlids (Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum) were forced to compete for breeding sites, intruding pairs were not able to displace residents when the intruding pair was the same size as the resident pair. This prior resident asymmetry was over-ridden when each individual of the intruding pair was larger than its same-sex counterpart in the resident pair. When only one member of the resident pair (of either sex) was the same size as its same-sexed counterpart while its mate was smaller than its counterpart in the intruding pair, the residents were able to retain control of the breeding site. Thus, only one member of the resident pair needed to be similar in size to its same-sex counterpart for the residents to retain control. Single residents, of either sex, were either displaced by the intruding pair, or formed a pair with an intruder and then remained on the site.
Locking plates improve torsional resistance in the stabilization of three-part proximal humeral fractures.

This study quantified the torsional resistance provided by locking plates and angled blade plates used to stabilize proximal humeral fractures. Three-part proximal humeral fractures were created in 6 pairs of cadaveric humeri. One specimen of each pair was reconstructed with a proximal humeral locking plate, whereas the other specimen was reconstructed with an angled blade plate. An external rotation torque, varying from 0 to 5 N-m, was applied to the humeral head until the head rotated 30° or 10,000 loading cycles were applied. The mean initial torsional stiffness was significantly larger for the locking plates (0.99 N-m/degree) than for the blade plates (0.59 N-m/degree). For each pair, the maximum rotation was larger for the blade plate than for the locking plate. For this in vitro model of a reconstructed 3-part proximal humeral fracture, the locking plate provided better torsional fatigue resistance and stiffness than the blade plate.
Model-independent representation of electroweak data

General model-independent expressions are developed for the polarized and unpolarized cross sections for e{sup +}e{sup {minus}}{r_arrow}f{bar f} near the Z{sup 0} resonance. The expressions assume only the analyticity of S-matrix elements. Angular dependence is included by means of a partial wave expansion. The resulting simple forms are suitable for use in fitting data or in Monte Carlo event generators. A distinction is made between model-independent and model-dependent QED corrections and a simple closed expression is given for the effect of initial-final state bremsstrahlung and virtual QED corrections. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Bioturbation and sedimentation rate control of benthic microfossil taxon abundances in surface sediments: A theoretical approach to the analysis of species microhabitats

Abstract Theoretical consideration of micro-organism shell production in depth stratified habitats within the bioturbated layer of the sediments shows that microfossil taxon abundances need not be constant throughout the sediment mixed layer. Rather, each taxon will have an abundance profile, through the mixed layer, whose shape will depend on taxon depth zonation in life and on sedimentation and bioturbation rates. A computer model integrating depth stratified taxon production with varying sedimentation and mixing rates yields the following observations: (1) For experiments run with sedimentation rates ranging from 20 to 2 cm/kyr. and mixing rates ranging from 40 to 150 cm2/kyr., significant assemblage variation through the mixed layer results from taxon depth stratification in the sediments. (2) (2) Infaunal taxon fossil abundances increase non-linearly with depth in the bioturbated zone, down to the level of the taxon habitat, below which abundance is constant. (3) Surface sediment assemblages of benthic microfossils will rarely accurately represent total taxon production in the life zone of the sediments. Instead, surface sediment assemblages can be strongly affected by sedimentation rate and sediment mixing rate. The best assemblage representation of total taxon production occurs at the base of the bioturbated zone. (4) Sediment abundances of each taxon's shells can be used to determine long term taxon depth zonation within the sediments. This is because each taxon's shell abundance increases down to the life habitat depth horizon and then is constant below it. The model results are supported by data from a high sedimentation rate section collected in the western Mediterranean. Benthic foraminiferal taxon abundance profiles resemble those generated from theoretical calculations.
Racial and ethnic disparities in the primary care experiences of children: a review of the literature.

Substantial racial and ethnic disparities persist in children’s health and use of health services in the United States. Although equitable access to primary care services is widely promoted as one of the most feasible remedies to reduce health disparities, there has only recently been an effort to assess its quality, particularly for children. Racial and socioeconomic differences in access to care have been previously well documented, but recent research has begun to elucidate differences in more qualitative experiences in the receipt of primary care. This article presents a synthesis and critique of the existing research according to the core attributes of primary care: first-contact care, longitudinality, comprehensiveness, and coordination. Finally, the article proposes an agenda for further research into the pathways by which racial and ethnic disparities in primary care exist.
Pigments of miracle fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum, Schum, as potential food colorants.

The red anthocyanin pigments of Miracle fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum, Schum were extracted, purified by ion exchange, and concentrated for use as a food colorant. The pigment preparation, when added to carbonated water and carbonated sugar solutions, provided an orange red solution with stability comparable to that of anthocyanins from other sources. At pH 1.0, in water, the ratio of the extinction coefficient of the pigment preparation compared to that of FD&C Red No. 2 was 2.03. At pH 2.8 and 3.0 the ratios were 1.2 and 0.85, respectively. When the pigment preparation was added to model systems containing acetic, tartaric, citric and malic acids, pigment degradation was most rapid with malic acid.
The thermodynamics of Pd-Cr-H solid solutions

Abstract The equilibrate-quench-analyze method has been used to measure solubility isobars at a pressure of 10 5 N m −2 in the Pd-Cr-H system over the temperature range 976–1280 K. These data have been used to derive the dependence upon Cr content of the partial molar enthalpy and excess entropy of the H atoms in the limit of “infinite dilution”. The experimentally-determined thermodynamic functions are in good accord with values calculated using the cell model and cell energy levels derived from previous H-diffusivity measurements.
Sound and Motion in Goethe's "Magic Flute"

In his fragmentary sequel (published 1802) to Mozart's Die Zauberflote , Goethe—a self-described Augenmensch and Ton- und Gehorloser whose preoccupation with vision has been a staple of scholarship—chooses not to maintain the universal opposition between light and dark so central to the original libretto, as one might expect, but develops a thematics of sound and movement, relegating the conflict between light and dark to a mere generative mechanism resulting in the awakening of voice. I explore how sound is given utopian implications, focusing on the infant son of Tamino and Pamina. The boy's awakening into consciousness, marked by his beginning to speak and to fly, resonates with Friedrich Kitt ler's account of pedagogy around 1800, but in its agonistic dimension and its depiction of a rupture-like event of metamorphosis it maintains a strangeness that Kittler's work cannot account for—and that Goethe himself, it seems, could not bring to completion.
The future of higher education

This article provides an overview of a segment of discussions on this topic and includes: factors responsible for this major transformation in higher education; themes that are needed in the transformed system of higher education and learning; how traditional universities are trying to change; brief view of an alternative higher education structure; core values of the traditional system that need to be retained; and challenge to microwave educators.
The resilience of the northwest forest plan: green drift?

This paper explores the resilience of the controversial Northwest Forest Plan against a range of attacks, a resilience that is surprising given the initial controversies surrounding the Plan and its failure to deliver harvests at levels that seemed possible under the initial terms of the Forest Plan. Opponents of the Forest Plan have launched aggressive attacks following many of the non-legislative pathways so common in modern environmental policymaking, including appropriation riders, administrative actions, and settlements of controversial lawsuits. For the most part, however, these attacks have failed to crack the Forest Plan. The paper argues that the resilience of the Forest Plan is an example of a larger phenomenon of “green drift” in American environmental policymaking. Despite constant challenges, the environmental laws adopted in the 1960s and 1970s—including the Endangered Species Act, which has been critical in shaping forest policy in the northwest—define the basic political terrain on which policy struggles take place, and that terrain favors environmentalists. In the Pacific Northwest, there is simply no going back to anything remotely resembling the logging policies of the 1980s or before; indeed, there is continuing pressure to accommodate ecosystem values. The Endangered Species Act has ground hard against older policy commitments, and has proven itself to be hard enough and powerful enough to slowly erode them and to create new operational premises for policymaking in the forests.
A Social Network-based serendipity recommender system

The appearing of the internet brings a large amount of information, this makes searching and filtering difficult. Therefore, a kind of special data mining technique appeared, it called Recommender System. Most research of recommender system always provides the most relevant items for users or items. However, recommendations from traditional recommender system may not satisfy the new human beings because users may already know these relevant items from other information sources. We believe that there are still some unsearched but less relevant items useful for users. On the other hand, because social network has grown very quickly, we think that there are some very useful interactive information that recommender systems can use to provide recommendations. Therefore, we propose a Social Network-based Serendipity (SNS) recommender system that uses interactive information from the social network to find out which items are interesting for users but hard to discover by themselves.
Preliminary study of in vitro aflatoxin B1 metabolism by human liver

[14C]Aflatoxin B1 (ring labeled) was incubated for 6.5 hr with 9000 g supernatant of human liver homogenate of tissue obtained from biopsy and at autopsy. The chloroform-extractable metabolites, after purification and identification by thin layer chromatography, were quantitated by liquid scintillation counting. The sample from biopsy yielded, as percent of the initial concentration: aflatoxin B1, 15.4%; aflatoxin M1, 0.6%; and aflatoxin P1 (free phenol), 1.3%. The sample from autopsy yielded: aflatoxin B1, 11.9%; aflatoxin M1, 1.1%; aflatoxin P1 (free phenol), undetected; and 2 aflatoxin metabolites less polar than aflatoxin B1, 0.9% and 1.7%.
Managed care and women's health: access, preventive services, and satisfaction.

Abstract This paper examines insured women’s access to health care, receipt of preventive services, and satisfaction with care by the types of health plans in which they are enrolled. Three types of plans are compared: managed care (HMOs and PPOs), fee-for-service with utilization controls, and traditional fee-for-service. For women who have been enrolled in their plans for at least one year, we find the same or better access to care in managed care plans as compared with other plans; receipt of more gender-specific clinical preventive services in managed care plans, but no differences among types of plans for non-gender-specific preventive services or counseling services; and lower satisfaction with care in managed care plans. The implications for practice and policy are discussed.
"Supercharged Cells" for delivery of recombinant human iduronate-2-sulfatase.

Expression of iduronate-2-sulfatase (IDS) from three different promoters in four retroviral vectors was studied in peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with Hunter syndrome (PBL(MPS)), i.e., the LTR in vectors L2SN and L2, avian beta-actin promoter in LB2, and the CMV early promoter in LNC2. PBL(MPS) were exposed to packaging cell supernatant resulting in transduction frequencies ranging 10-fold from 5 to 49%. Surprisingly, IDS activities were equally high in all transduced lymphocyte populations: 515 U/mg/h in PBL(MPS)-L2SN, 734 in PBL(MPS)-LB2, 352 in PBL(MPS)-L2, and 389 in PBL(MPS)-LNC2 compared to controls (<10 in PBL(MPS)-LXSN or PBL(MPS)). The half-life of endocytosed IDS in PBL(MPS) was 1.9 days. However, the level of lymphocyte IDS activity from proviral expression was found to be only a fraction of the total, a large portion being derived from reuptake of enzyme from murine packaging cells, i.e., a "second source" of enzyme. Therefore, measurement of transgene lysosomal enzyme soon after exposure of target cells to vector supernatant may yield a gross overestimate of long-term transgene expression by transduced cells. Nevertheless, patient fibroblasts cocultured with transduced PBL(MPS) had reduced (35)SO(4)-GAG accumulation, levels similar to those of normal fibroblasts. These studies revealed a broadly applicable phenomenon: cells can be charged with a lysosomal enzyme to levels much higher than those found in nature. By "supercharging" cells with a lysosomal protein (or other molecule bearing the mannose-6-phosphate ligand), such cells may be exploited as vehicles for systemic delivery of therapeutic or diagnostic agents.
Spontaneous action potentials due to channel fluctuations

A theoretical and numerical analysis of the Hodgkin-Huxley equations with the inclusion of stochastic channel dynamics is presented. It is shown that the system can be approximated by a one-dimensional bistable Langevin equation. Spontaneous action potentials can arise from the channel fluctuations and are analogous to escape by a particle over a potential barrier. The mean firing rate can be calculated using Kramers' classic result for barrier escape. The probability density function of the interspike intervals can also be estimated. The analytical results compare favorably with numerical simulations of the complete stochastic system.