cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Business-Like: The Supreme Court's 2009-2010 Labor and Employment Decision

The 2009-10 Term at the Supreme Court was a relatively quiet one for labor and employment law. While the Justices were in the news for decisions on corporate political donations and the Second Amendment, the Court’s work-related docket grabbed no headlines. In fact, though, the Court considered 7 work law cases this Term, in areas ranging from standards for arbitration agreements to employee privacy rights in new technology to time limitations for filing Title VII disparate impact claims. This article discusses the Court’s labor and employment cases for the Term. While they may not have made much news, several of the decisions divided the Court sharply. And, as has been true throughout Chief Justice John Roberts’ tenure, the decisions overall reflect a powerful deference to business interests.
Virus-induced alterations of lymphoid tissues: I. Modification of the recirculating pool of small lymphocytes by Newcastle disease virus

Abstract Intravenous inoculation of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) altered the character of the recirculating pool of small lymphocytes. In mice severe lymphocytopenia and depletion of small lymphocytes from the deep cortex of lymph nodes and from the periarteriolar lymphoid sheaths of the spleen were found 24 hr after virus challenge. By 72 hr the concentration of blood lymphocytes was normal and the areas in the lymph nodes and spleens which were depleted at the earlier interval showed an increased concentration of lymphocytes. In virus-treated rats it was also shown that depletion and repopulation of blood with lymphocytes were paralleled by similar changes in the output of small lymphocytes from the thoracic duct. Thus, a marked deficit of small lymphocytes in the thoracic duct lymph was observed when rats were cannulated at the time of virus challenge; the output of small lymphocytes in the lymph was normal when rats when cannulated 72 hr after virus inoculation. Evidence was obtained that the ability of NDV to modify the recirculating lymphocyte population was independent of its capacity for complete viral replication and independent of functioning adrenal gland tissue. Possible mechanisms that may account for these abrupt and marked shifts in the concentration of recirculating lymphocytes in the blood, lymph, and lymphoid tissues are discussed.
The Role Of Vorticity In The Formation Of Tribomaterial During Sliding

The formation of tribomaterial during sliding is well documented for a wide range of materials. Transfer, adhesion, mechanical mixing and formation of nanocrystals are commonly reported, but the mechanisms involved have not been well understood. Recently, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed to obtain new information on the response of materials to sliding interactions. The results help to explain experimental observations on simple metals such as copper, bulk metallic glasses and multi-component nanocomposite coatings. When the sliding speed is sufficiently high, the strain rate allows vorticity to develop. It is suggested that the resulting eddies are largely responsible for frictional energy dissipation and mechanical mixing in both crystalline and amorphous materials and for the shear mixing of soft embedded particles in nanocomposite coatings. Similarities of flow behavior with that of fluids are noted.
Statistical Significance and Reporting Test Results

Presenting the results of experiments as either statistically significant or not significant often ignores useful information for decision making. A more useful figure may be the probability of mak...
Fibrogenesis. III. Posttranscriptional regulation of type I collagen.

There are several independent metabolic steps that determine the level of a protein in eukaryotic cells. The steady-state level of the mRNA encoding the specific protein is determined by rate of transcription, percentage of transcripts that are ultimately processed and transported to the cytoplasm, and half-life of the mRNA in cytoplasm. The amount of protein that accumulates from a particular transcript is influenced not only by the amount of mRNA present in the cytoplasm but also by the rate of translation of the mRNA and stability of the protein product. There is compelling evidence that the steady-state level of many proteins is regulated at multiple steps, and when there is a large change in the amount of either mRNA or protein it is likely that multiple steps in the metabolism of the mRNA and protein have been altered. In the case of type I collagen production in the fibrotic liver, recent work has shown that there is regulation of multiple steps resulting in an ∼70-fold increase in collagen production by the hepatic stellate cells. In addition to the well-documented relatively small effect on transcription, there are effects on processing/transport of the mRNA, translation of the mRNA, and stability of the mRNA. Large changes of protein levels are produced by altering the rates or efficiency of multiple steps. The molecular details of some of these posttranscriptional regulatory events are currently being elucidated. Here we review the various potential steps for regulation in the synthesis of a protein and discuss how the synthesis of type I collagen may be regulated in the fibrotic liver.
Functional and cytoskeletal changes induced by sublethal injury in proximal tubular epithelial cells

Mouse proximal tubular (MPT) cells in culture were subjected to ATP depletion by incubating them with cyanide in the absence of dextrose for 1 h. This insult resulted in marked alterations in the actin cytoskeleton. These changes were not associated with a decrease in cell viability and thus reflected sublethal injury. The effect of sublethal injury on the functional integrity of the intercellular tight junction (TJ) was then examined in MPT cell monolayers grown on permeable supports. During chemical anoxia, monolayer permeability to the paracellular marker mannitol progressively increased to 297 +/- 62% of baseline after 1 h. Chemical anoxia also caused a reversible loss in cell-substrate adhesion when MPT cells were studied as confluent monolayers or as single cells. Thus disruption of the actin cytoskeleton in nonlethally injured cells results in important reversible alterations in renal epithelial function characterized by impairment of the "gate" function of the TJ as well as impaired cell-substrate adhesion. We hypothesize that sublethal epithelial cell injury without accompanying necrosis may contribute to the decrement in renal function characteristic of ischemic renal injury.
A Comparative Study of TRANPLAN, CUBE and TransCAD: the Case of Irvine, Southern California

TransCAD and CUBE are two major transportation modeling software packages to replace TRANPLAN in the U.S. Both TransCAD and CUBE possess strong modeling and geographic information system capabilities with their respective strengths and weaknesses. Though TRANPLAN is expected to be replaced by TransCAD in Southern California region and several counties in the near future, CUBE remains to be a popular software package being used by several other U.S. regions including the State of Florida and the Atlanta metropolitan area, which suggests that both TransCAD and CUBE have their distinctive markets and customers. The case study of the Irvine transportation modeling software evaluation in Southern California indicates that, though the characteristics of software packages are vital in the modeling software evaluation process, other relevant factors should also be taken into consideration with a care as well, such as local modeling policies, modeling requirements, surrounding modeling environment, compatibility with data structures and computer network system, by the means of utilizing multifaceted evaluation criteria.
B-cell growth factor receptor expression and B-cell growth factor response of leukemic B cell precursors and B lineage lymphoid progenitor cells

The purpose of this study was to analyze the expression of B cell growth factor (BCGF) receptors and to elucidate the biologic effects of biochemically purified natural BCGF at the B cell precursor stage of human B lineage lymphoid differentiation. The specific binding of radioiodinated high-mol-wt BCGF (125I-HMW-BCGF) and low-molecular-wt BCGF (125I-LMW-BCGF) to fresh marrow blasts from B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients was initially investigated. The estimated number of radioiodinated BCGF molecules bound per blast ranged from undetectable to 24.3 X 10(3) for HMW-BCGF, and from 11.5 X 10(3) to 457.8 X 10(3) for LMW-BCGF. In 3H-TdR incorporation assays, 75% of cases showed a significant response to LMW-BCGF with a median stimulation index of 9.3. By comparison, only 33% of cases showed a significant response to HMW-BCGF with a median stimulation index of 2.4. Subsequently, B cell precursor colony assays were performed to assess and compare the biologic effects of BCGF on leukemic B lineage lymphoid progenitor cells. Among 28 cases studied, 57% responded to both HMW-BCGF and LMW-BCGF, 21% responded only to LMW-BCGF, and the remaining cases showed no proliferative response to either growth factor. The response patterns of virtually pure populations of FACS- sorted leukemic B cell precursors were essentially identical to the proliferative responses of unsorted leukemic B-cell precursors. Synergistic effects between HMW-BCGF and LMW-BCGF were observed in 80% of the cases that responded to both. The numbers of cell-bound radioiodinated BCGF molecules, the stimulation indices, as well as the number of B cell precursor colonies in BCGF-stimulated cultures showed a marked interpatient variation. Patients with structural chromosomal abnormalities (SCAs) involving 12p11–13 or patients with a Philadelphia chromosome showed a greater HMW-BCGF response at the level of leukemic progenitor cells than did other patients (P = .02). The LMW-BCGF response was significantly greater for patients with SCA than for patients without SCA (P = .04). The response of leukemic progenitor cells to HMW-BCGF or LMW-BCGF did not correlate with sex, age, disease status, FAB morphology, WBC at diagnosis, or immunophenotype. To our knowledge, this study represents the first detailed analyses of BCGF receptor expression and BCGF effects in B cell precursor ALL. The data presented provide direct evidence for the expression of functional receptors for both HMW-BCGF and LMW-BCGF in B cell precursor ALL.
SU-F-J-07: Evaluating the Adequacy of Biopsy Specimens for Genetic Signature Assessment by Measuring the Metabolic Activity in Specimens Obtained Under 18F-FDG PET/CT Guidance

Purpose: Genetic profiling of biopsied tissue is the basis for personalized cancer therapy. However biopsied materials may not contain sufficient amounts of DNA needed for analysis. We propose a method to determine the adequacy of specimens for performing genetic profiling by quantifying metabolic activity. Methods: We measured the response of two radiation detectors to the activity contained in the minimum amount of tumor cells needed for genetic profiling in biopsy specimens obtained under 2-deoxy-2-(18F)fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT guidance. The expected tumor cell concentration in biopsy specimens was evaluated from the amount of DNA needed (∼100 µg) and the number of pathology sections typically used for the analysis. The average 18F-FDG uptake per cell was measured by incubating KPC-4662 pancreatic tumor cells and HT-29 colorectal adenocarcinoma tumor cells in 18F-FDG containing solution (activity concentrations between 0.0122 and 1.51 MBq/mL and glucose concentrations of 3.1 and 1 g/L) for 1 to 1.75 hours and then measuring the activity of a known number of cells. Measurements of surrogate specimens obtained using 18G needle biopsies of gels containing these cells in expected concentrations (∼104 µL−1) were performed using an autoradiography CCD based device (up to 20 min exposure) and a scintillation well counter (∼1 min measurements) about 3 and 5 hours after the end of incubation respectively. Results: At start of autoradiography there were between 0.16 and 1.5 18F-FDG molecules/cell and between 1.14 and 5.43×107 18F-FDG molecules/mL. For the scintillation well counter, sample to minimum-detectable-count rate ratios were greater than 7 and the counting error was less than 25% for ≤80 s measurement times. Images of the samples were identifiable on the autoradiograph for ∼10 min and longer exposure times. Conclusion: Scintillation well counter measurements and CCD based autoradiography have adequate sensitivity to detect the tumor burden needed for genetic profiling in 18G core needle biopsies. Supported in part through the NIH/NCI Cancer Center Support Grant P30 CA008748 and by a sponsored research agreement with Biospace Lab S.A.
Multi-formalism Modelling of Human Organization

The modelling of a human organization for the analysis of its behaviour in response to external stimuli is a complex problem and requires development and interoperation of a set of several models. Each model, developed using different modelling languages but the same data, offers unique insights and makes specific assumptions about the organization being modelled. Interoperation of such models can produce a more robust modelling and simulation capability to support analysis and evaluation of the organizational behaviour. The meta-modelling analysis based on concept maps and ontologies indicates what types of interoperation are valid between models expressed in different modelling languages. The approach is illustrated through several examples focusing on the use of social networks, Timed Influence Nets (a variant of Bayes Nets) and Colored Petri nets.
A New Species of Flamella (Amoebozoa, Variosea, Gracilipodida) Isolated from a Freshwater Pool in Southern Mississippi, USA

We isolated and identified a freshwater amoebozoan species that belongs to the genus Flamella Schaeffer, 1926 by single cell isolation and light microscopy. Our specific strain was isolated from a water sample obtained on the cover of a swimming pool in Petal, Mississippi, USA collected during the winter of 2015. Morphologically, our isolate is a fan-shaped amoeba with a large, frontal hyaloplasm and distinctive granuloplasm. It is capable of encystment and trophozoites occasionally have two nuclei. The isolate (GFP151sc) is phylogenetically sister to but unique from the freshwater environmental flamellid clone from Borok, Yaroslavl region, Russia originally published in 2006. Here we describe and place this isolate into a new species, Flamella piscinae n. sp.
Testosterone and immune-reproductive tradeoffs in healthy women

Abstract Although testosterone (T) has been characterized as universally immunosuppressive across species and sexes, recent ecoimmunology research suggests that T's immunomodulatory effects (enhancing/suppressing) depend on the organism's reproductive context. Very little is known about the immune effects of T in healthy females, and even less about how reproductive effort modulates the immune effects of T in humans. We investigated how the interaction between endogenous T and sexual activity predicted menstrual cycle-related changes in several measures of immunity: inflammation (indexed by interleukin-6, IL-6), adaptive immunity (indexed by immunoglobulin A, IgA), and functional immunity (indexed by bactericidal assay). Thirty-two healthy women (sexually abstinent, N = 17; sexually active with one male partner, N = 15) provided saliva samples at four points in the menstrual cycle: menses, follicular, ovulation, and luteal phases. Among sexually abstinent women, T was positively associated with IL-6 across the cycle; for sexually active women, however, T was positively associated with IL-6 in the luteal phase only, and negatively associated with IL-6 at ovulation. High T predicted higher IgA among women who reported infrequent intercourse, but lower IgA among women who reported very frequent intercourse. Finally, across groups, T was positively associated with greater bacterial killing at menses, but negatively associated in the luteal phase. Overall, rather than being universally immunosuppressive, T appeared to signal immunomodulation relevant to reproduction (e.g., lowering inflammation at ovulation, potentially preventing immune interference with conception). Our findings support the hypothesis that the immunomodulatory effects of endogenous T in healthy females depend on sexual and reproductive context.
Industrial knowledge design: an approach for designing information artefacts

ABSTRACTIn this paper, the authors define a new approach that addresses the challenge of efficiently designing informational artefacts for optimal knowledge acquisition, an important issue in cognitive ergonomics. Termed Industrial Knowledge Design (or InK'D), it draws from information-related (e.g. informatics) and neurosciences-related (e.g. neuroergonomics) disciplines. Although it can be used for a broad scope of communication-driven business functions, our focus as learning professionals is on conveying knowledge for purposes of training, education, and performance support. This paper discusses preliminary principles of InK'D practice that can be employed to maximise the quality and quantity of transferred knowledge through interaction design. The paper codifies tacit knowledge into explicit concepts that can be leveraged by expert and non-expert knowledge designers alike.
A novel approach to London: Infusing ethnography and the study abroad experience

Courses: Qualitative Research Methods, Ethnographic Research Methods.Objective: This purpose of this activity is to document the enculturation process through which students begin to understand a new culture during a study abroad experience. To accomplish this, we created a new pedagogical approach for study abroad experiences that involved a combination of academic and fictional readings to help students make sense of and perform ethnographic research techniques.
The Bible on William Blake's Proverbs of Hell (An Interpetive Gloss by Citation to The King James Version)

Cardozo Law School, New York. 1 Ezekiel 16: 44: “Behold, everyone that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee. . . .” 2 Psalm 126: 6: “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” 3 Proverbs 1: 5–6: “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: to understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.” 4 Isaiah 17: 11: “. . .the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.” 5 1 John 2: 27: “. . .ye need not that any man teach you. . . .” 6 John 10: 20–22: “And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.” 7 Ecclesiastes 3: 22: “Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?” 8 Amos 2: 13: “Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.” 9 Luke 9: 62: “. . . No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” 10 Matthew 23: 27: “Woe unto you . . . hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” 11 Matthew 5: 44: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” 12 1 Chronicles 29: 1: “. . . the palace is not for man . . . .” 13 2 Samuel 11: 15: “And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.”
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000

This chapter sets the stage for a genealogy of anti-trafficking politics in the United States. From 1998 to 2000, members of Congress, senior officials in the Clinton administration, and a wide range of highly active members of civil society attempted to craft a comprehensive federal response to human trafficking both within the United States and abroad. The chapter finds that trafficking and anti-trafficking were constructed in gendered and racialized terms. Trafficking—understood primarily as the international transportation of women and children for forced prostitution—was characterized as a uniquely deplorable abuse of human rights, and allusions to the historic trans-Atlantic slave trade underscored demands for the United States to take leadership of global efforts to eradicate the problem. The resultant Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 set the parameters for the anti-trafficking initiatives of not only the next two presidential administrations, but also for the host of countries pressured by the US government and transnational civil society to improve their standing in the TVPA-mandated annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report’s ranking of international anti-trafficking efforts.
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Mathematical Proof of the Unequivocal Guilt of Margot Macomber in Ernest Hemingway’s THE SHORT HAPPY LIFE OF FRANCIS MACOMBER

The case of Margot Macomber is, taken at face value, a pretty simple one. As we are told, “Mrs. Macomber, in the car, had shot at the buffalo with the 6.5 Mannlicher as it seemed about to gore Maco...
Japan’s resilient, renewable cities: how socioeconomics and local policy drive Japan’s renewable energy transition

Japan experienced a surge in renewable power plant construction since adopting the Feed-in Tariff policy in 2012. But why did some municipalities choose to adopt more renewables than others? Do tec...
“Stonde Manlyche Togedyr in Trewthe”: Lyric and Rebellion Among Late Medieval Men

This chapter examines the ways by which two of the Rebel Letters, the Miller lyrics from the Littera Johannis Balle (BL Royal MS 13 E ix fol 287r.) and the Addresses of the Commons (BL Cotton Tiberius C. VII fols 174v–174r), represent vernacular poetry as a performative political medium. Brief, multimodal lyrics, the Rebel Letters are preserved in several historiographic chronicles, and thus have been primarily read by their contemporaries and by later critics through an evidentiary, material lens. Historicist approaches to the Letters have perceived them as actual letters or as mass-produced broadsides, yet the Letters themselves corral the sonic, metrical effects of lyric to make clear their political aims. This chapter deploys, therefore, an approach that Marjorie Levinson has described as “activist new formalist,” a critical method that considers the production of aesthetics and literary forms as inseparable from the historical moments in which they were made. It argues the Miller lyrics are performative representations of noise designed to produce a community of men who might “stonde manlyche togedyr in trewthe.”
A Nursing Workforce Initiative: Increasing the Latino/Hispanic BSN Workforce.

Of the 3 million nurses in the United States, only 5.4% of registered nurses are Latinos. This is a grave concern since the U.S. Census’ projected increase of Latinos in the United States is expect...
The pediatric patient and future fertility: optimizing long-term male reproductive health outcomes

Globally, male factor infertility accounts for 20%–70% of couples struggling to conceive. Certain male pediatric developmental conditions, such as cryptorchidism, hypospadias, testicular and other childhood cancers, infections, and pediatric varicocele have been associated with future infertility. Early fertility preservation, especially in those with pending chemotherapy or genetic conditions such as Klinefelter syndrome, should be strongly considered in patients expected to experience testicular loss. Although optimal treatment timing may be unknown owing to a paucity of long-term prospective studies, early diagnosis and targeted treatment may optimize fertility potential in adulthood.
Optimal Network Topology for Node-Breaker Representations With AC Power Flow Constraints

It has been demonstrated that network topology optimization (NTO) may change the topology of power system networks, and consequently, provide additional flexibility to reduce network congestion and violations. Most NTO problems are formulated based on the bus-branch model in which it is challenging to represent a realistic picture of all substation configurations. In this paper, we explore advantages of substation reconfiguration modeling based on node-breaker representations for NTO problem with full nonlinear alternating current power flow. It also proposes a tailored solution algorithm to solve this nonconvex mixed-integer nonlinear programming through the outer approximation method. The proposed solution approach iterates between a mixed-integer linear programming and a nonlinear subproblem. Additional enhancements to further accelerate the iteration process are illustrated. Numerical case studies demonstrate the relative economic and operational impact of optimal network topology with node-breaker representations.
Prey exclusion combined with simulated fire increases subsequent prey-capture potential in the pale pitcher plant, Sarracenia alata.

Premise The association of carnivory (an adaptation to nutrient-poor soils) with fire has been described as a paradox, given increases in nutrient availability that often accompany fire. The nutrients that increase in availability following fire, however, may not be the same as those provided by prey and may not reduce nutrient limitation if accompanied by even greater increases in light. Methods Using a factorial experiment in the field, we examined how simulated fire (clipping plus nitrogen-free fertilizer addition) and prey-derived nutrient availability (prey exclusion) interacted to influence carnivorous potential in Sarracenia alata and belowground competition with its neighbors (manipulated via trenching). We hypothesized that simulated fire combined with prey exclusion would (1) increase the potential for prey capture relative to shade avoidance, hereafter, relative prey-capture potential (RPCP), and/or (2) increase belowground competition with neighboring plants. Results Sarracenia alata increased RPCP in response to the combination of simulated fire and prey exclusion, despite increases in phosphorus and other nutrients associated with the simulated fire treatment, suggesting that prey capture potential increases in response to increased nitrogen limitation resulting from increases in light and/or phosphorus after fire. We found no evidence of belowground competition. Conclusions The potential importance of carnivory in Sarracenia alata increases following fire. This result helps to explain the paradoxical association of carnivorous plants with fire by demonstrating the potential for prey-derived nutrient limitation to increase rather than decrease in response to increases in light and nutrients other than nitrogen following fire.
Unsupervised phenotyping of sepsis using nonnegative matrix factorization of temporal trends from a multivariate panel of physiological measurements

Sepsis is a highly lethal and heterogeneous disease. Utilization of an unsupervised method may identify novel clinical phenotypes that lead to targeted therapies and improved care. Our objective was to derive clinically relevant sepsis phenotypes from a multivariate panel of physiological data using subgraph-augmented nonnegative matrix factorization. We utilized data from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database of patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit with sepsis. The extracted data contained patient demographics, physiological records, sequential organ failure assessment scores, and comorbidities. We applied frequent subgraph mining to extract subgraphs from physiological time series and performed nonnegative matrix factorization over the subgraphs to derive patient clusters as phenotypes. Finally, we profiled these phenotypes based on demographics, physiological patterns, disease trajectories, comorbidities and outcomes, and performed functional validation of their clinical implications. We analyzed a cohort of 5782 patients, derived three novel phenotypes of distinct clinical characteristics and demonstrated their prognostic implications on patient outcome. Subgroup 1 included relatively less severe/deadly patients (30-day mortality, 17%) and was the smallest-in-size group (n = 1218, 21%). It was characterized by old age (mean age, 73 years), a male majority (male-to-female ratio, 59-to-41), and complex chronic conditions. Subgroup 2 included the most severe/deadliest patients (30-day mortality, 28%) and was the second-in-size group (n = 2036, 35%). It was characterized by a male majority (male-to-female ratio, 60-to-40), severe organ dysfunction or failure compounded by a wide range of comorbidities, and uniquely high incidences of coagulopathy and liver disease. Subgroup 3 included the least severe/deadly patients (30-day mortality, 10%) and was the largest group (n = 2528, 44%). It was characterized by low age (mean age, 60 years), a balanced gender ratio (male-to-female ratio, 50-to-50), the least complicated conditions, and a uniquely high incidence of neurologic disease. These phenotypes were validated to be prognostic factors of mortality for sepsis patients. Our results suggest that these phenotypes can be used to develop targeted therapies based on phenotypic heterogeneity and algorithms designed for monitoring, validating and intervening clinical decisions for sepsis patients.
What Is Theorizing

The distinction between “theory” and “theorizing,” according to Swedish sociologist Richard Swedberg (2016), offers a simple lesson in Grammar 101. Whereas theory is a noun (or theories, a plural noun), theorizing functions as a verb. Theorizing is an action, a process, a dynamism whether by trial-and-error or accident, which produces a heightened or enlightened interpretation of a phenomenon under study (i.e., a theory). Swedberg’s attention to theorizing for the purposes of generating a theory is as much an intellectual exercise as it is a pedagogical one. “I use the term ‘theorizing’,” he (2016: 6) explains, “as a short-hand for a better understanding of how a theory is put together; how it is handled in empirical research–and how it can be taught in an effective manner.” To theorize properly, he continues, one must: observe; identify empirically supported facts; name the phenomenon indicated by those facts; draw on or develop a concept to aid in analysis of the named phenomenon; fine-tune the concept by introducing metaphors, analogies, or typologies; and craft an explanation. In this book, and with Swedberg’s how-to in mind, I theorize bioarchaeology.
Abstract 140: Vascular Structure in Brain: Lack of Small Vessel Recovery Following Hypertension

Vascular remodeling is a feature of small vessel disease (SVD), predictive of vascular events, brain injury, and cognitive decline. Hypertension alters vascular structure including diameter and cro...
Creating a Proficiency-based Remote Laparoscopic Skills Curriculum for the COVID-19 Era.

OBJECTIVE Social distancing restrictions due to COVID-19 challenged our ability to educate incoming surgery interns who depend on early simulation training for basic skill acquisition. This study aimed to create a proficiency-based laparoscopic skills curriculum using remote learning. DESIGN Content experts designed 5 surgical tasks to address hand-eye coordination, depth perception, and precision cutting. A scoring formula was used to measure performance: cutoff time - completion time - (K × errors) = score; the constant K was determined for each task. As a benchmark for proficiency, a fellowship-trained laparoscopic surgeon performed 3 consecutive repetitions of each task; proficiency was defined as the surgeon's mean score minus 2 standard deviations. To train remotely, PGY1 surgery residents (n = 29) were each issued a donated portable laparoscopic training box, task explanations, and score sheets. Remote training included submitting a pre-test video, self-training to proficiency, and submitting a post-test video. Construct validity (expert vs. trainee pre-tests) and skill acquisition (trainee pre-tests vs. post-tests) were compared using a Wilcoxon test (median [IQR] reported). SETTING The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas PARTICIPANTS Surgery interns RESULTS Expert and trainee pre-test performance was significantly different for all tasks, supporting construct validity. One trainee was proficient at pre-test. After 1 month of self-training, 7 additional residents achieved proficiency on all 5 tasks after 2-18 repetitions; trainee post-test scores were significantly improved versus pre-test on all tasks (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS This proficiency-based curriculum demonstrated construct validity, was feasible as a remote teaching option, and resulted in significant skill acquisition. The remote format, including video-based performance assessment, facilitates effective at-home learning and may allow additional innovations such as video-based coaching for more advanced curricula.
Are the satellite-observed narrow, streaky chlorophyll filaments locally intensified by the submesoscale processes?

Based on observations and modeling studies we have evaluated the impact of submesoscale processes on the development and intensification of offshore narrow (5-10km wide) phytoplankton filaments during summer time in the Monterey Bay, CA. We have demonstrated that, submesoscale processes (surface frontogenesis and nonlinear Ekman transport) lead to the development of very productive phytoplankton patches along the edges between the cold jet and warm anticyclonic eddy. Our results illustrate that during persistent upwelling favorable winds, submesoscale processes can modulate the development and intensification of offshore narrow (5-10km wide) phytoplankton filaments. These processes can incubate the phytoplankton population offshore (as for example, bioluminescent dinoflagellates during August 2003). These offshore phytoplankton filaments can migrate onshore during relaxed winds following the upwelling, and be an additional source of phytoplankton bloom development in and around Monterey Bay. Therefore, the discussed offshore phytoplankton filaments may be a factor in the Bay ecosystem health, as for example, in the development of such events as harmful algae blooms (HABs). All these emphasize the importance of further observational and modeling studies of these submesoscale processes which impact the development and intensification of offshore phytoplankton filaments.
Simultaneous isolation and characterization of chicken supernatant and mitochondrial isoenzymes of aspartate transaminase

Abstract A procedure, without prior fractionation of the subcellular components, has been developed for the simultaneous isolation of supernatant and mitochondrial aspartate transaminase (EC 2.6.1.1) from chicken heart or liver tissue homogenates. The procedure includes initial heat and ammonium sulfate fractionation. The two enzymes can then be separated by chromatography in hydroxylapatite. The supernatant enzyme elutes with 0.1 m potassium phosphate buffer, pH 6.9, and the mitochondrial enzyme with 0.3 m of the same buffer. The separated fractions can be further purified by ion exchange chromatography in carboxymethyl-Sephadex. The purified enzymes (isoenzymes) differ in amino acid composition and electrophoretic mobility. At pH 9.3 the supernatant enzyme is anionic and the mitochondrial is cationic. Antibodies against one isoenzyme fail to cross-react with the other protein in either Ouchterlony-type diffusion experiments or in the highly sensitive complement fixation test. Both enzymes contain pyridoxal phosphate as their prosthetic group at the active site which can be utilized to determine the substrate interactions with this site. The values for the substrate dissociation constants are: supernatant isoenzyme aspartate, 2 mm; oxalacetate, 35 µm; glutamate, 5 mm; α-ketoglutarate, 0.3 mm; mitochondrial isoenzyme aspartate, 0.6 mm; oxalacetate, 15 µm; glutamate, 11 mm; α-ketoglutarate, 1.2 mm. In addition, the values for the abortive complexes pyridoxal enzyme-keto acid are: oxalacetate, 62 µm, and α-ketoglutarate, 25 µm, for the supernatant enzyme, and oxalacetate, 50 µm, and α-ketoglutarate, 162 µm, for the mitochondrial transaminase. The absorption spectra of active site-bound pyridoxal phosphate at pH 8 differ in both isozymes, 355 nm maximal in the mitochondrial and 365 nm in the supernatant enzyme. The isozymes are present in chicken liver and heart. Amino acid composition, spectral properties, electrophoretic migration, and immunological reactivity, established identity among any given isozyme of the same cytological localization independent of tissue origin. Both the supernatant and mitochondrial aspartate transaminases contain multiple forms which are electrophoretically detectable. All the subforms possess catalytic activity.
Optimum temperature gradients in tubular reactors—I: General theory and methods

Abstract In this paper the mathematical techniques necessary for the determination of the optimum temperatures profile in a tubular reactor to insure maximum yields or minimum contact times are developed, and applications are made to reversible and consecutive reaction systems. The problem is shown to be reducible to a system of ordinary non-linear differential equations. The solution of these differential equations can be made by conventional numerical methods, and will allow the specification of the temperatures in the reactor. In a succeeding paper numerical calculations obtained with an analogue computer (REAC) will be presented. The problem of two consecutive reactions A → B → C, in which the reactions are of first or second order, is discussed in detail. The method of attack on more complicated problems is sketched. It is shown in general that appreciable gains in the yield may be obtained if the optimum temperature distribution is used.
Redflag: a framework for analysis of Kernel-level concurrency

Although sophisticated runtime bug detection tools exist to root out several kinds of concurrency errors, they cannot easily be used at the kernel level. Our Redflag framework and system seeks to bring these essential techniques to the Linux kernel by addressing issues faced by other tools. First, other tools typically examine every potentially concurrent memory access, which is infeasible in the kernel because of the overhead it would introduce. Redflag minimizes overhead by using offline analysis together with an efficient in-line logging system and by supporting targeted configurable logging of specific kernel components and data structures. Targeted analysis reduces overhead and avoids presenting developers with error reports for components they are not responsible for. Second, other tools do not take into account some of the synchronization patterns found in the kernel, resulting in false positives. We explore two algorithms for detecting concurrency errors: one for race conditions and another for atomicity violations; we enhanced them to take into account some specifics of synchronization in the kernel. In particular, we introduce Lexical Object Availability (LOA) analysis to deal with multi-stage escape and other complex order-enforcing synchronization. We evaluate the effectiveness and performance of Redflag on two file systems and a video driver.
Are Truth and Reference Quasi-Disquotational?

In a number of influential papers, Hartry Fieldhas advanced an account of truth and referencethat we might dub quasi-disquotationalism. According to quasi-disquotationalism, truth and reference are to be explained in terms of disquotationand facts about what constitute a goodtranslation into our language. Field suggeststhat we might view quasi-disquotationalism aseither (a) an analysis of our ordinarytruth-theoretic concepts of reference andtruth, or (b) an account of certain otherconcepts that improve upon our ordinaryconcepts. In this paper, I argue that (i) ifthe view is understood along the lines of (a)it fails, and (ii) if it is construed along thelines of (b) it is, at best, under-motivated.
Credit default swaps, strategic default, and the cost of corporate debt

In this paper, I provide the evidence of credit default swaps (CDS, hereafter) playing new economic roles as a commitment device for the borrower (i.e. the firm) to repay its debt to the lender (i.e. the creditors). When the firm writes incomplete debt contracts, its limited ability to commit not to default strategically in the future incurs the cost of contracting that will be ultimately paid by the firm. CDS can reduce this cost ex ante by strengthening creditors’ bargaining power in distressed debt renegotiation. I identify, both theoretically and empirically, the benefit of CDS reducing the contracting cost arising from the possibility of strategic default. More specifically, I show that firms a priori most likely to face the limited commitment problem (i.e. firms with high strategic default incentives) experience a relatively larger reduction in their corporate bond spreads following the introduction of CDS.
Residential property values predict prevalent obesity but do not predict 1-year weight change.

Objective Lower socioeconomic status (SES) has been linked with higher obesity rates but not with weight gain. This study examined whether SES can predict short-term weight change.
Configuration control of rover-mounted manipulators

This paper presents a simple online approach for motion control of rover-mounted manipulators. An integrated kinematic model of the rover-plus-manipulator system is derived which incorporates the nonholonomic rover constraint with the end-effector task. The redundancy introduced by the rover mobility is exploited to perform a set of user-specified additional tasks during the end-effector motion. The configuration control approach is utilized to satisfy the nonholonomic rover constraint, while accomplishing the end-effector motion and the redundancy resolution goals simultaneously. This framework allows the user to assign weighting factors to the rover movement and manipulator motion, as well as to each task specification. The computational efficiency of the control scheme makes it particularly suitable for real-time implementation. The proposed method is applied to a planar two-jointed arm mounted on a rover, and computer simulation results are presented for illustration.
An equation for calculating the number of chain scissions in the photochemical degradation of solid polymers

An equation is developed for calculating the fractures/chain link from the change in weight-average molecular weight for the case of the photochemical degradation of a polymer with an initial random molecular weight distribution. From calculations made on the degradation of cellulose with 2537 A. light, it appears that the formation of aldehyde groups and the evolution of hydrogen are in part due to reactions not involving chain scission.
The role of the epithelium in control of corneal hydration.

Abstract A study has been made, in vitro, of the thickness of corneas whose epithelial surfaces were exposed to a variety of aqueous solutions. Corneas were isolated and mounted in such a way that damage to the endothelium by wrinkling or stretching was virtually eliminated. It was found, when freshly isolated corneas were perfused on the endothelial surface with a Ringer-type medium and the epithelium was covered with either the same mediu,, or with 0·15 m NaCl, that the normal thickness of the cornea could be maintained for periods of up to 6 hr. Under the same conditions, pre-swollen corneas (obtained by storing the enucleated eye at 5°C for 18 hr) deturgesced over a 3–4-hr period and maintained normal thickness for a further 3–4 hr. Identical results were obtained when the medium bathing the epithelial surface was substituted by solutions of sucrose, mannitol, urea, LiCl, MgSo 4 or choline chloride. The results confirm that the epithelium behaves as a semipermeable membrane, but provide no support for the postulate that the control of corneal thickness is dependent upon active transport of sodium ions by the epithelium from the tear film to the stroma. It is concluded that the primary role of the epithelium in regard to corneal hydration is as a barrier preventing access of the tear fluid to the stroma and that the site of active metabolic control of hydration is in the endothelium.
MRI-guided radiofrequency thermal ablation of implanted VX2 liver tumors in a rabbit model: demonstration of feasibility at 0.2 T.

Successful radiofrequency (RF) thermal ablation was performed on VX2 tumors implanted in 23 rabbit livers under magnetic resonance (MR) guidance using a C-arm-shaped low-field 0.2 T system. RF application and immediate postprocedure MRI of all animals was performed [T2-weighted, turbo short tau inversion recovery (STIR), T1-weighted before and after gadopentetate dimeglumine administration). Follow-up MRI with a superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) contrast medium was performed in nine rabbits at 2 weeks and in four rabbits at 1 month post RF ablation. All livers were harvested for pathologic examination. T2-weighted and turbo-STIR images demonstrated the highest tumor-to-RF-thermal lesion contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs; means 4.5 and 3.8, respectively) on postprocedure images; this was redemonstrated at 2- and 4-week follow-up imaging. T2-weighted imaging never overestimated pathologic lesion size by more than 2 mm, and the radiologic-pathologic correlation coefficient was not less than 0.90. In conclusion, MRI-guided RF thermal ablation in implanted liver tumor is feasible using a C-arm-shaped low-field 0.2 T system. The thermal lesion size can be most accurately monitored with T2-weighted and turbo-STIR images. Magn Reson Med 42:141–149, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Expression of Panza, an α2-macroglobulin, in a restricted dorsal domain of the primitive gut in Xenopus laevis

Abstract α2-Macroglobulin is a major serum protein with diverse functions, including inhibition of protease activity and binding of growth factors, cytokines, and disease factors. We have cloned and characterized Panza, a new Xenopus laevis α2-macroglobulin. Panza has 56-60% amino acid similarity with previously identified Xenopus, mouse, rat and human α2-macroglobulins, indicating that Panza is a new member of the α2-macroglobulin family. Panza mRNA is first detected at the beginning of neurulation in the dorsal endoderm lining the primitive gut (archenteron roof). At the completion of neurulation and continuing through the late tadpole stage, Panza is restricted to a dorsal domain of the gut endoderm adjacent to the notochord and extending along the entire anterior–posterior axis. With outgrowth of the tailbud, Panza expression persists in the chordaneural hinge at the posterior end of the differentiating notochord and extends into the floor plate of the posterior neural tube. As gut coiling commences, Panza expression is initiated in the liver, and the dorsal domain of Panza expression becomes limited to the midgut and hindgut. With further gut coiling, strong Panza expression persists in the liver, but is lost from other regions of the gut. The expression of Panza in endodermal cells adjacent to the notochord points to a potential role for Panza in signal modulation and/or morphogenesis of the primitive gut.
The use of extrapolation for calculating elementary transcendental and Bessel functions

Abstract This paper investigates the use of extrapolation for calculating elementary transcendental and Bessel functions. Although extrapolation can speed the convergence of series used to calculate these functions, it is found that the improvement is not worth the cost computationally.
Domain structure and functional activity of the recombinant human fibrinogen γ-module (γ148-411)

Human fibrinogen γ-module comprising residues γ148−411 was expressed in Escherichia coli and refolded in vitro. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed that in addition to the two previously ide...