cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Training for Effective Patient Communication

In a recent report, Dr Curtis and colleagues1 found that simulation-based education did not improve patient-reported quality of communication. We disagree with the authors’ conclusion that “these findings raise questions about skills transfer from simulation training to actual patient care and the adequacy of communication skills assessment.” Instead, we propose a different explanation: the educational intervention was neither powerful nor assessed rigorously, which would prevent transfer of training outcomes to measured patient care practices or patient outcomes.
Sieve Areas in Fossil Phloem

Phloem tissue of the Pennsylvanian fern Etapteris is described from permineralized specimens. Sieve elements possess regularly aligned sieve areas containing pores on the radial walls. The presence of these structures provides a basis for comparison with the phloem of living ferns.
Limb-size proportions in Australopithecus afarensis and Australopithecus africanus.

Previous analyses have suggested that Australopithecus africanus possessed more apelike limb proportions than Australopithecus afarensis. However, due to the errors involved in estimating limb length and body size, support for this conclusion has been limited. In this study, we use a new Monte Carlo method to (1) test the hypothesis that A. africanus had greater upper:lower limb-size proportions than A. afarensis and (2) assess the statistical significance of interspecific differences among these taxa, extant apes, and humans. Our Monte Carlo method imposes sampling constraints that reduce extant ape and human postcranial measurements to sample sizes comparable to the fossil samples. Next, composite ratios of fore- and hindlimb geometric means are calculated for resampled measurements from the fossils and comparative taxa. Mean composite ratios are statistically indistinguishable (a ¼ 0.05) from the actual ratios of extant individuals, indicating that this method conserves each sample’s central tendency. When applied to the fossil samples, upper:lower limb-size proportions in A. afarensis are similar to those of humans (p ¼0.878) and are significantly different from all great ape proportions (p � 0.034), while Australopithecus africanus is more similar to the apes (p � 0.180) and significantly different from humans and A. afarensis (p � 0.031). These results strongly support the hypothesis that A. africanus possessed more apelike limb-size proportions than A. afarensis, suggesting that A. africanus either evolved from a more postcranially primitive ancestor than A. afarensis or that the more apelike limb-size proportions of A. africanus were secondarily derived from an A. afarensis-like ancestor. Among the extant taxa, limb-size proportions correspond with observed levels of forelimb- and hindlimb-dominated positional behaviors. In conjunction with detailed anatomical features linked to arboreality, these results suggest that arboreal posture and locomotion may have been more important components of the A. africanus behavioral repertoire relative to that of A. afarensis.
Child‐Care Subsidies: Do They Impact the Quality of Care Children Experience?

The federal child-care subsidy program represents one of the government’s largest investments in early care and education, but little is known about whether it increases low-income children’s access to higher quality child care. This study used newly available nationally representative data on 4-year-old children (N = 750) to investigate whether subsidy receipt elevates child-care quality. Results indicate that subsidy recipients use higher quality care compared to nonrecipients who use no other publicly funded care, but lower quality care compared to nonrecipients who instead use Head Start or public pre-k. Findings suggest that subsidies may have the potential to enhance care quality but that parents who use subsidies are not accessing the highest quality care available to low-income families.
Probabilistic parse scoring with prosodic information

Prosodic patterns provide important cues for resolving syntactic ambiguity, and can be used to improve the accuracy of automatic speech understanding. With this goal, the authors propose a method of scoring syntactic parses in terms of observed prosodic cues, which can be used in ranking sentence hypotheses and associated parses. Specifically, the score is the probability of a hypothesized word sequence and associated syntactic parse given acoustic features, based on acoustic and language (prosody/syntax) models that represent probabilities in terms of abstract prosodic labels. Experimental results on a corpus of ambiguous sentence pairs indicate that the algorithm achieve ambiguity resolution performance close to that of human listeners. >
Teaching Interpersonal Skills: A Model for Instruction in the Schools

Peer relationships contribute in an important manner to a child's social-emotional development. The present paper describes a training programme that was designed to improve children's interpersonal functioning with peers. This social skills training programme covers eight skill areas found to be important for successful peer relationships. The training procedures and content of the sessions are delineated, and suggestions for implementing the programme in a school setting are offered.
Gold(I)-Mediated Inhibition of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases: A Detailed in Vitro and Cellular Study

Gold(I) complexes containing N-heterocyclic carbene ligands were synthesized, characterized, and along with the antiarthritic drug, auranofin, tested as inhibitors of the cysteine-dependent protein tyrosine phosphatases, which are implicated in several disease states. These compounds exhibit potencies in the low micromolar range against the enzymes in vitro. At therapeutically relevant concentrations, all compounds inhibit PTP activity in Jurkat T leukemia cells with some selectivity. In addition, the gold-carbene compounds inhibit phosphatase activity in primary mouse thymocytes.
CLEAR AS GLASS : A COMBINED LIST OF PRINT AND ELECTRONIC JOURNALS IN THE KNOWLEDGE BASE

The non-standard practice at Cowles Library at Drake University has been to display electronic journals and some print journals in the Knowledge Base while simultaneously listing print journals and some electronic journals in the online public access catalog (OPAC). The result was a system that made it difficult for patrons to determine our journal holdings while not providing any benefits to our technical services department. Whether or not to display electronic holdings with print holdings in the OPAC is a frequently debated question. For institutions that do not have the cataloging or technical services staff to keep up with constantly changing electronic holdings, a better question is whether or not to add the print holdings to the list of electronic resources (a knowledge base). The library has listed all journal holdings (print and electronic) in the knowledge base. At the same time, Cowles Library reevaluated its procedure regarding the display of electronic journals in the OPAC. By addressing thes...
Delay analysis in synchronous circuit-switched delta networks

Multistage interconnection networks (MINs) provide a cost-effective alternative to a full crossbar connection for processor-processor or processor-memory communication in a tightly coupled multiprocessor system. Delta networks, a class of blocking type MIN with unique path property, have been studied extensively for their self-routing capability. A probabilistic analysis of the blocking and its effect on the delay is presented here, for such a network operated in a synchronous circuit-switched mode. Under the assumption of uniformly distributed access requests independently generated at each unblocked source, an upper bound on the expected latency has been established. The bound has been compared with simulation results. >
Double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase mediates virus-induced apoptosis: A new role for an old actor

Eukaryotic viruses and their multicellular hosts have coevolved complex interrelationships to permit virus reproduction without destruction of the host. The IFN-induced cellular antiviral response is the first line of defense against viral infection within an animal host. On viral infection, the expression of IFN is induced at the transcriptional level. The IFN is secreted to protect adjacent cells from secondary infection, thereby limiting viral spread. Type I IFNs are composed of the different types of IFN-α that are produced in leukocytes and the IFN-β that is produced in fibroblasts and epithelial cells. Type I IFNs bind to their receptors and activate a signaling cascade that culminates in the transcriptional induction of at least 30 genes (1). Two of these genes encode latent enzymes requiring activation by binding to double-stranded (ds)RNA that is produced as a replication intermediate in the viral life cycle. First, latent 2′-5′-oligoadenylate synthetase is activated by dsRNA to increase synthesis of 2′-5′ oligoadenylates that are required to activate 2′-5′-A-dependent RNase L (2). Activated RNase L nonspecifically degrades single-stranded RNAs and thus limits virus production. Second, the dsRNA-activated protein kinase (PKR), the most well characterized IFN-induced gene product, mediates the antiviral actions of type I IFNs. In studies reported in this issue of PNAS, Lau and coworkers (3) show that reduction in PKR level acts to delay cell death and thereby converts a lytic infection by encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) into a persistent infection. These studies as well as those from other laboratories support the idea that viral pathogenesis may be mediated by PKR-induced cell death and suggest that modification of PKR function in vivo may be a feasible approach to influence viral pathogenesis. In addition, the study presents a model system that may be applied to study mechanisms responsible for the establishment of persistent infections for other viruses such as HIV and hepatitis C virus.
Method for the Simultaneous Extraction and Analysis of Two Current Use Pesticides, Atrazine and Lambda-Cyhalothrin, in Sediment and Aquatic Plants

It has been estimated that 375,000 tons of pesticides are used for agriculture annually in the Midwest area of the United States, where approximately 65% of this total is used for production of corn and soybean crops (Clark et al., 1999). Within the Mississippi River Basin, greater than 100,000 tons of herbicides are used annually (Clark et al., 1999). Triazine herbicides (e.g. atrazine) and synthetic pyrethroids insecticides (e.g. λ−cyhalothrin) are two classes of pesticides currently used in this agricultural area. These two types of pesticides are very dissimilar, due to their differences in structural and physical properties. A major difference between these pesticides is polarity, where triazines are relatively more polar than pyrethroids.
GMPLS-Based Hybrid 1+N Link Protection Over p-Cycles: Design and Performance

In [1], the author introduced a strategy to use network coding on p-Cycles in order to provide 1+N protection for straddling connections and links against single link failures in mesh optical networks. In this paper we extend the work in [1] and introduce a GMPLS-based implementation of this strategy for link protection, that is also used to protect on-cycle links. We refer to this scheme as hybrid 1+N protection, since some data units are transmitted without being combined with other data units. The strategy uses a combination of GMPLS standard label switched paths (LSP) for protecting on-cycle links, and modified LSPs, which we refer to as label switched cycles (LSC), for protecting straddling links. The strategy does not have to explicitly detect failures, but rather detects the absence of data units. Destinations receive backup copies of packets within no more than the p-Cycle propagation delay for on-cycle link failures, and no more than the sum of the propagation delays of the p-Cycle and the longest straddling link for straddling link failures. The implementation details of this strategy are presented, and the cost of implementation, in terms of link usage is evaluated and is shown to be modest. This scheme can therefore provide protection at higher layers, at a speed that is comparable to that achieved at the physical layer, but at a much reduced cost, while being flexible, and requiring less involvement from the management and control planes.
Constrained least squares in adaptive, imperfect arrays

Two new constrained deterministic least-squares algorithms are presented which are capable of enabling a narrow-band zero-order generalized sidelobe canceller (SLC), in the presence of array imperfections, to null out jammers while preserving the friendly look-direction signal with minimal a priori knowledge of the signal environment. The algorithms are capable of solving deterministic least-squares optimization problems subject to an equality constraint in an iterative, adaptive manner by imposing a 'soft' constraint via the quadratic penalty function optimization method. The first algorithm is based on the matrix inversion lemma while the second is obtained by means of QR-decomposition using new three-dimensional Givens (1958) rotations and implemented with a systolic array architecture. These new constrained algorithms improve system performance when an artificial injection of a receiver noise vector is introduced. >
Regional Distribution of the Histamine Metabolite, tele‐Methylimidazoleacetic Acid, in Rat Brain: Effects of Pargyline and Probenecid

: tele-Methylimidazoleacetic acid (t-MIAA), a major brain histamine metabolite, was measured in nine rat brain regions by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometric method that also measures the precursor amine, tele-methylhistamine (t-MH). The t-MIAA concentration of cerebellum, medulla-pons, midbrain, caudate nucleus, hypothalamus, frontal cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus varied 15-fold, hypothalamus showing the highest level (2.21 nmol/g) and cerebellum the lowest (0.15 nmol/ g). The concentrations of t-MIAA and t-MH were significantly correlated in all regions except midbrain, which had relatively more t-MIAA. Probenecid did not alter whole-brain t-MIAA levels. Treatment with pargyline, an inhibitor of monoamine oxidase, lowered the t-MIAA levels in all regions.
Beamline smoothing of the Advanced Photon Source

This paper outlines a general beamline smoothing concept based on the use of First Principle Component analysis. Beamline smoothing is commonly used for the detection of blunders in the positioning of beam elements and to provide a smooth particle beam path with the fewest adjustments to individual beam components. It also provides the data for assessment of the achieved positioning quality.
Let Them Use Laptops: Debunking the Assumptions Underlying the Debate Over Laptops in the Classroom

Law professors have struggled with the issue of laptops in the classroom since students started bringing laptops to class almost fifteen years ago. Some believe they are a powerful educational tool while others believe that they inhibit learning. Many balance these competing thoughts when deciding how to handle the issue; some decide to ban laptops altogether.What has troubled me about this debate is that both sides make arguments based on untested assumptions about student laptop use and without taking account of existing knowledge about today’s law student learners. Thus, I decided to survey law students about how they use their laptops to support their learning. The results, when combined with knowledge about how today’s law students learn, show that many of our assumptions are incorrect and that laptops provide a tremendous opportunity to enhance student learning in an age of changing classroom dynamics.Thus, I conclude that law professors should allow students to use laptops in lecture courses. In the article, I analyze five assumptions that arise in the laptop debate — what I call “laptop myths.” I first set forth the arguments commonly made in the laptop debate. I then provide background on generational research, including the modern law student’s relationship with technology. I then summarize my survey and use the survey data and learning theory to challenge some of the assumptions that underlie the laptop debate. Ultimately, I conclude that students’ self-directed learning makes good use of laptops and therefore laptops should not be completely banned from law school classrooms. Finally, I offer some thoughts and examples of alternatives to all-out laptop bans.
Modification of the bicinchoninic acid protein assay to eliminate lipid interference in determining lipoprotein protein content

The bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay method for the determination of protein has been investigated for its utility in measuring the protein content of plasma lipoproteins. Although other methods, principally those based on the method of Lowry et al. (1951, J. Biol. Chem. 193, 265-275) have been extensively used for this purpose, the tolerance of the BCA method to many commonly encountered detergents and buffers offers a definite advantage over the Lowry-based methods. In this study, lipoprotein protein values obtained by the BCA method were compared to a standard modification of the Lowry et al. procedure since this assay forms the basis of much of the relevant literature. The standard BCA assay was found to overestimate the protein content of very low density lipoprotein by approximately 70% and low density lipoprotein by approximately 30%; high density lipoprotein values compared favorably. Overestimations by the BCA assay paralleled the relative phospholipid content of the lipoprotein fractions. This apparent lipid effect was eliminated by the addition of 2% sodium dodecyl sulfate to samples prior to the analysis. In the presence of this detergent, BCA assay measurements for these three lipoprotein fractions were 97, 90, and 98%, respectively, of the reference assay values.
Novel applications for hospital epidemiology.

This column marks the first appearance of a new section in our Journal: "Novel Applications for Hospital Epidemiology." Of course, given the diversity and sophistication of our readers, the editors recognize that few ideas will reach us that have not passed through-and been shaped bymany of you. Thus, applications novel to us may be routine for you. Our hope, though, is that, at least occasionally, we can trigger the "Aha!" response in enough of our colleagues that none will begrudge us the ink and paper. For many of us, our principle professional orientation has been toward infectious/communicable diseases or microbiology; our focus has been infection control. However, the hospital environment in which we work has been undergoing dramatic evolution in recent years. Increasingly, governmental and private third-party payers scrutinize every admission and treatment decision, demand rigorous quality assurance programs, compile and release mortality and other statistics, and insist on the central reporting of physician quality issues. Scrutiny by private and public accrediting agencies is similarly intensifying. Administrators must meet all these demands in an era of shrinking reimbursements and fierce economic competition. The title "hospital epidemiologist" or "nurse epidemiologist" that many of us carry implies a domain much broader than infection control; a domain that includes experience, technical skills, and-most importantlyways of thought that can be of great benefit to our hospitals in their responses to these changes (Table).1 Indeed, the Association for Practitioners in Infection Control
Molecular mechanics (MM4) calculations on alkenes

The MM4 force field has been extended to alkenes. It retains most of the formalism and computational schemes that were present in MM3. Several additional cross-terms have been added in MM4 that were not present in MM3, mainly to improve vibrational frequencies but also to improve structures and energies. About 100 molecules have been examined, many in multiple conformations. Geometries are fit for the most part to within the following ranges: 0.004 A for bond lengths, 1° for bond angles, 4° for torsion angles, and 0.5% for moments of inertia (r2). Conformational energy differences/barriers are generally fit to within 0.5 kcal/mol unless they are very large. The vibrational frequency rms error for 7 alkenes is 25 cm−1. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Perfluorocarbon emulsions as a promising technology: a review of tissue and vascular gas dynamics

Perfluorocarbon (PFC) emulsions are halogen-substituted carbon nonpolar oils with resultant enhanced dissolved respiratory gas (O2, N2, CO2, nitric oxide) capabilities. In the first demonstration o...
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and the Pediatric Hospitalist

Adult diseases cause significant pediatric morbidity. Eleven percent of women of childbearing age are current illicit drug users, and 5% of pregnant women self-report drug use during pregnancy, which is no doubt an underestimate of the true prevalence. Opiates are the second most common class of abused drugs, after marijuana. Despite the commonly held belief that most opiates are street drugs, the majority of abusers obtain prescription narcotics from physicians, family members, or friends.1 In utero opiate exposure has major negative health consequences for children, including neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). A recent national analysis revealed a near tripling of NAS over the last decade, to 3.39 cases per 1000 hospital births. NAS begets significant health care expenditures, with total US hospital charges increasing from $190 to $720 million between 2000 and 2009.2 In this issue of Hospital Pediatrics , Forbes et al3 report findings from a national survey of …
Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray data for Escherichia coli GlmU: a bifunctional acetyltransferase/uridyltransferase.

Crystals of Escherichia coli GlmU, a bifunctional enzyme catalyzing the acetylation of glucosamine-1-phosphate and uridylylation of N-­acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate to produce UDP-GlcNAc, have been prepared in complex with coenzyme A and UDP-GlcNAc. These crystals belong to space group R32, with unit-cell parameters a = 104.5, c = 648.2 A, diffract to at least 2.1 A resolution and may contain two subunits of the trimeric enzyme per asymmetric unit.
Effects of hydration and hydrophilicity on Na‐Clay‐supported aqueous‐phase catalysis for atom transfer radical polymerization

Hydrated sodium montmorillonite (Na-clay) has been used as a catalyst support for the heterogeneous atom transfer radical polymerization of benzyl methacrylate in the presence of various concentrations of water, reducing agent, and CuBr2 in anisole at ambient temperature. The polymerization was promoted via reduction of CuII to CuI through the addition of sodium ascorbate (NaAsc) as a reducing agent in aqueous solution. The polymerizaton proceeded in a controlled manner and produced poly(benzyl methacylate) with moderately narrow molecular weight distribution (MWD) when performed under optimum conditions of hydration (10 wt % ≤ H2O/Na-clay ≤ 21 wt %) and reducing agent (0.15 ≤ [NaAsc]/[I] ≤ 0.23). The polymerization was uncontrolled if hydration and NaAsc exceed above their optimum range of concentrations. Apparent rate of the polymerization (kapp) increased in the presence of decane–anisole (1/3, v/v) mixture solvent. Selective adsorption of decane at the interfaces of the hydrated clay was attributed for the rate enhancement due to increased polymer and hydrophobic interface interaction. The polymerization progressed in a controlled manner as confirmed by the first-order time-conversion plot, linear increase in molecular weights, and moderately narrow MWDs over conversion. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011
Expression pattern of oxidative stress and antioxidant defense-related genes in the aging Fischer 344/NHsd rat cochlea.

The biological mechanisms that give rise to age-related hearing loss (ARHL) are still poorly understood. However, there is growing recognition that oxidative stress may be an important factor. To address this issue, we measured the changes in the expression of cochlear oxidative stress and antioxidant defense-related genes in young (2 months old), middle-aged (12 months old), and old (21–25 months old) Fischer 344/NHsd (F344/NHsd) rats and compared gene expression changes with ARHL. A quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction array revealed a significant age-related downregulation of only 1 gene, stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase 1, and upregulation of 12 genes: 24-dehydrocholesterol reductase; aminoadipate-semialdehyde synthase; cytoglobin; dual oxidase 2; glutathione peroxidase 3; glutathione peroxidase 6; glutathione S-transferase, kappa 1; glutathione reductase; nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD(P)H) dehydrogenase, quinone 1; solute carrier Family 38, Member 5; thioredoxin interacting protein; and vimentin. Statistical analyses revealed significant correlations between gene expression and auditory function in 8 genes. Our results identified specific subsets of oxidative stress genes that appear to play an important role in ARHL in the Fischer 344/NHsd rat.
Applications of XML and customizable components in building virtual places on the Web

The demand for the systems that facilitate human interactions over the World Wide Web is growing. Shared Place is a technology for building collaboration environments tightly integrated with the Web and customized for specific user needs. XML-based Shared Place Definition Language, designed to describe collaboration functionality of the configurable components, can be merged with ordinary Web page content to create specifications of virtual places. This paper discusses basic concepts of the Shared Placed technology, the model developed to describe functionality of virtual places, Shared Place documents and the architecture of the system. The discussion is illustrated with the examples of the applications.
A Quantitative High Throughput in vitro Splicing Assay Identifies Inhibitors of Spliceosome Catalysis

Despite intensive research, there are very few reagents with which to modulate and dissect the mRNA splicing pathway. Here, we describe a novel approach to identify such tools, based on detection of the exon junction complex (EJC), a unique molecular signature that splicing leaves on mRNAs. We developed a high-throughput, splicing-dependent EJC immunoprecipitation (EJIPT) assay to quantitate mRNAs spliced from biotin-tagged pre-mRNAs in cell extracts, using antibodies to EJC components Y14 and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4aIII (eIF4AIII). Deploying EJIPT we performed high-throughput screening (HTS) in conjunction with secondary assays to identify splicing inhibitors. We describe the identification of 1,4-naphthoquinones and 1,4-heterocyclic quinones with known anticancer activity as potent and selective splicing inhibitors. Interestingly, and unlike previously described small molecules, most of which target early steps, our inhibitors represented by the benzothiazole-4,7-dione, BN82685, block the second of two trans-esterification reactions in splicing, preventing the release of intron lariat and ligation of exons. We show that BN82685 inhibits activated spliceosomes' elaborate structural rearrangements that are required for second-step catalysis, allowing definition of spliceosomes stalled in midcatalysis. EJIPT provides a platform for characterization and discovery of splicing and EJC modulators.
A Review of “Sari: Indian Women at Work in New Zealand”

Edwina Pio's book focusing on the “work lives” of Indian immigrant women in New Zealand provides new insights into the challenges and opportunities of multiculturalism in the 21st century. Using a ...
Cross-Sectional Inflation Risk in Menu Cost Models with Heterogeneous Firms

We show that firms in models with menu costs, when calibrated to have the empirically observed frequency and size of individual-goods price adjustments, have stock returns that are always positively correlated with inflation. The cross-sectional dispersion in this correlation is almost negligible, even though firms have very diverse micro-level pricing behavior. Because in this class of models positive nominal shocks are good states of nature and the correlation between stock returns and inflation is positive, agents are willing to pay a premium to hold assets whose returns covary negatively with inflation. In contrast, we empirically find that the dispersion in the correlation between stock returns and inflation is about 100 times larger than in the model, and that correlations are negative about half the time. Furthermore, and also at odds with sticky-price models, investors require a premium to hedge against states of high inflation. Because firms’ heterogeneity is the key mechanism that generates a high degree of monetary non-neutrality in the models, our results suggest that we do not yet have a full account of the monetary transmission mechanism, and that asset prices can provide important information about it.
Characterizing pseudoentropy

We provide a characterization of “pseudoentropy” in terms of hardness of sampling: Let (X;B) be jointly distributed random variables such that B takes values in a polynomial-sized set. We show that no polynomial-time algorithm can distinguish B from some random variable of higher Shannon entropy given X if and only if there is no probabilistic polynomial-time S such that (X; S(X)) has small KL divergence from (X;B). As an application of this characterization, we show that if f is a one-way function (f is easy to compute but hard to invert), then (f(U n );U n ) has “next-bit pseudoentropy” at least n + log n, establishing a conjecture of Haitner, Reingold, and Vadhan (STOC '10). Plugging this into the construction of Haitner et al., we obtain a simpler construction of pseudorandom generators from one-way functions.
Fatal Group B Streptococcal Pneumonia in Neonates. Effects of Antibiotics

Prophylactic penicillin has been suggested to prevent neonatal group B streptococcal infections (GBS). However, there is a concern that the antibiotics may conceal significant bacteremia if post-treatment blood cultures were used to recover the etiologic agent. To clarify this point, the autopsy records of 111 cases of fatal neonatal pneumonias is infants less than one week of age for the period 1974-1978 were reviewed. Nineteen documented cases of group B streptococcal infections were uncovered. Review of antibiotic therapy in these infants indicate that such therapy can indeed conceal the etiologic agent of pneumonia if one uses post treatment blood (or other normally sterile body fluids) cultures as the basis of diagnosis. On the other hand, review of 41 cases with morphologic evidence of pneumonia and no identifiable etiologic agent reveal that the majority of these were referral cases from outlying hospitals who received antibiotics prior to any diagnostic work-up.
Abstract 5353: Comprehensive Ggnomic analysis of diffuse hyperplastic perilobar nephroblastomatosis (DHPLN)

Background: Wilms tumors (WT) commonly arise in the setting of precursor lesions known as nephrogenic rests. DHPLN is characterized by a continuous rind-like involvement of all or part of the kidney by nephrogenic rest. Patients with DHPLN are often difficult to manage clinically. This study investigates DHPLN in order to better understand the pathogenesis and to determine potential therapeutic targets. Methods: Five DHPLN were compared with 5 WT that developed from perilobar nephrogenic rests and with 3 fetal kidney samples. The following platforms were used: Illumina Human 610-Quad Beadchip, Affymetrix U133 plus 2 arrays, Illumina Infinium Human Methylation 27 DNA Analysis BeadChip, Illumina 96-sample Universal Matrix Array for miRNA analysis. In addition, key signaling pathway component analysis was performed using Reverse Phase Protein Array (RPPA) analysis. Lastly, we compared the gene expression of the above samples with 242 WT samples previously reported. Results: The five DHPLN samples showed 1, 1, 2, 3, and 10 small regions of low-level gain or loss. In contrast, the WT samples all showed larger and more numerous areas of gain or loss. The normal copy number for loci on chromosome 11p was present in all DHPLNs, although 2/5 showed allelic imbalance of distal 11p, consistent with uniparental isodisomy, confirmed by methylation analysis of H19DMR and KvDMR1. The remaining 3 DHPLN showed loss of imprinting with 100% methylation of H19DMR. The gene expression of several key inhibitors of the Wnt pathway were upregulated in DHPLN (Axin-10 GSK-3, WISP3, and APC). TCF21 (POD1), a potential tumor suppressor gene, was down-regulated in DHPLN compared with fetal kidney. Lastly, PLAG1, a transcription factor that positively regulates IGF2, was highly elevated in fetal kidney, down-regulated in DHPLN, and upregulated in most WT. Several significant genes were shown to be both highly methylated and down-regulated, including TCF21, and the Wnt-related genes ITGA6, SFRP1, and PLAGL2. Significantly increased expression of miRNAs overall was identified within DHPLN compared with WT, including the Let-7 miRNA cluster. Upregulation of miR135 may be the mechanism for down-regulation of PLAG1 in DHPLN. Finally, RPPA revealed up-regulation of multiple members of the mTOR pathway in both DHPLN and WT compared with fetal kidney. Conclusions: This data suggests the following hypotheses: DHPLN may arise due to biallelic expression of IGF2. Down-regulation of TCF21 may contribute to the formation of DHPLN. Clonal increased expression of PLAG1 may contribute to the development of WT within DHPLN. Potential therapeutic targets for both DHPLN and Wilms tumors developing with DHPLN include mTOR inhibitors and related cyclin-D1 inhibitors. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5353. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-5353
Opening the Black Box of Replication Strategy: The Role of Enabling Bureaucracy

Replication, also known as the McDonald's Approach, entails the creation and operation of a number of similar outlets that deliver a product or service. This strategy has grown in importance, with ...
Emerging investigators series: virus mitigation by coagulation: recent discoveries and future directions

Waterborne viruses are widespread and persistent in the environment. Coagulation is an effective process for mitigating viruses in drinking water. This review examines recent studies of virus mitigation by coagulation processes in the context of the latest scientific advances. Virus sorption is impacted by electrostatic forces, as well as the hydrophobic effect, steric hindrance, hydrodynamics and interactions with the water matrix. Organic matter in the water may hinder or enhance sorption, depending on virus structure and environmental factors. In addition to physical separation in flocs, coagulation processes have been shown to inactivate viruses. This review evaluates reports of virus inactivation due to coagulation processes from both a process and experimental perspective. The use of bacteriophages as surrogates for human viruses is discussed, and future research needs relevant to virus coagulation are identified.
Knowing and Learning as Creative Action

This chapter frames Bildung in terms of knowing and learning as a form of creative action. In doing so, it argues that learning is not merely a form of cognition, but an act of making which takes artistic production as its paradigmatic case. The result is a view of learning which is deeper than brute cognition and closer to what artistic communities have termed maker’s knowledge—a phrase which attempts to draw together cognitive knowings, moral, and aesthetic meanings under a form of habit: a capacity to act. Here knowing and learning are not simple cognition, but is the capacity to enlarge experience through making and doing.
Thoughts on Dynamic Scoring of Fiscal Policies

Former CBO director Doug Elmendorf recently argued that Congress should account for macroeconomic feedback when scoring major tax and spending policies. In this brief, Donald Marron agrees, arguing that CBO and JCT can implement such dynamic scoring in an objective, nonpartisan manner. Dynamic scoring will neither live up to the hopes of it proponents nor down to the fears of its detractors. Instead, Marron argues, it will modestly improve the budget estimates that inform policymakers and the public. This brief originally appeared as a comment on Elmendorf’s paper in the Fall 2015 Brookings Papers on Economic Activity.
Difference in Effectiveness of Medication Adherence Intervention by Health Literacy Level

Context There is little research investigating whether health information technologies, such as interactive voice recognition, are effective ways to deliver information to individuals with lower health literacy. Objective Determine the extent to which the impact of an interactive voice recognition-based intervention to improve medication adherence appeared to vary by participants' health literacy level. Design Promoting Adherence to Improve Effectiveness of Cardiovascular Disease Therapies (PATIENT) was a randomized clinical trial designed to test the impact, compared with usual care, of 2 technology-based interventions that leveraged interactive voice recognition to promote medication adherence. A 14% subset of participants was sent a survey that included questions on health literacy. This exploratory analysis was limited to the 833 individuals who responded to the survey and provided data on health literacy. Main outcome measures Adherence to statins and/or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and/or angiotensin II receptor blockers. Results Although intervention effects did not differ significantly by level of health literacy, the data were suggestive of differential intervention effects by health literacy level. Conclusions The differences in intervention effects for high vs low health literacy in this exploratory analysis are consistent with the hypothesis that individuals with lower health literacy may derive greater benefit from this type of intervention compared with individuals with higher health literacy. Additional studies are needed to further explore this finding.
Non-intrusive detection of combustion intermediates by photoionization via Rydberg states and microwave backscattering

Abstract A non-intrusive, in-situ detection technique for combustion intermediates in flame environments yields highly resolved spectra that are largely insensitive to molecular vibrations and thus temperature. The technique is based on laser photoionization of target compounds via Rydberg states, followed by detection of the laser-induced plasma with microwave radiation. The feasibility of this approach is tested on methyl radicals that are detected in methane, propane, and hexane fuel-rich flames. The methyl radicals are prepared in the 3s Rydberg state using photoexcitation at 216.4 nm. Using tunable VIS/IR radiation, the molecules are promoted from 3s to the 3pxy and 3pz Rydberg states. Photoionization out of the 3p states with 355 nm photons results in a small-volume plasma that is detected by microwave backscattering. The previously unobserved 3pxy state is found to have a binding energy of 2.57 eV.
Decentralized Detection with Correlated Observations

We study the problem of decentralized detection when the observations are dependent conditioned on the hypothesis. The optimal rule for fusing the quantized versions of the observations received from the individual sensors requires complete statistical information about the quantized observations. Since such a fusion rule may not be easy to implement in practice, we propose a suboptimal detector that optimizes a deflection metric in the class of linear-quadratic detectors. Using simulations it is shown that when the observations are correlated the deflection-optimal detector outperforms the detector that ignores the correlation information completely.
DD89: Wendungen über Glauben und Bratkartoffeln (April 2009)

„Dieser Kaktus bluht nur im April. Man darf ihn nicht anruhren, nicht drehen – nichts! Einfach warten, bis sich die handtellergrose Blute entfaltet und zu duften beginnt. Einen Tag lang will ich sie bewundern und ihren Anblick geniesen. Ich habe der ganzen Familie eingescharft, den Kaktus nicht anzuruhren. Ich habe sie davor gewarnt, die Putzfrau heranzulassen, die heute kommen sollte. Als ich nach Hause komme, haben sie Fenster geputzt und die Pflanzen weggestellt. Jetzt bluht er nicht mehr.“ Und er weinte bitterlich. Ich beruhigte ihn, das sei mit Bratkartoffeln auch so.
Newton’s Universe

In his monumental Principia, Newton formulated the general laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation. He then applied these laws to explain the motion of planets and comets, projectile trajectories, and the marine tides, among other things.
Induction of condensed determinations

In this paper we suggest determinations as a representation of knowledge that should be easy to understand. We briefly review determinations, which can be displayed in a tabular format, and their use in prediction, which involves a simple matching process. We describe CONDET, an algorithm that uses feature selection to construct determinations from training data, augmented by a condensation process that collapses rows to produce simpler structures. We report experiments that show condensation reduces complexity with no loss of accuracy, then discuss CONDET'S relation to other work and outline directions for future studies.
Cyclic GMP Receptor Proteins: Role in Nervous System and Other Tissues

Publisher Summary Cyclic GMP (cGMP) kinases are serine/threonine protein kinases, which belong to the very large protein kinase family. cGMP kinase contains within the amino-terminal domain an autoinhibitory site whose function it is to bind to and inhibit the catalytic domain. A cerebellar-specific protein substrate for cGMP kinase has been identified and termed the G-substrate. The G-substrate and cGMP kinase are colocalized in Purkinje cells suggesting that this protein substrate may be physiologically important in this cell type. cGMP analogs are more potent than the corresponding cAMP analogs, suggesting that cGMP kinase may be the preferred kinase in DARPP-32 phosphorylation in the intact cell. cGMP kinase may mediate DARPP-32 phosphorylation in the intact cell in response to either cAMP or cGMP elevations, much in the same manner that cGMP kinase may mediate vascular smooth muscle relaxation in response to both cyclic nucleotides.
The Tradition of Subsidy: Art and Cultural Perfection

This chapter examines the most prevalent justification of government funding for the arts, the appeal to cultural perfection. This appeal argues that government funding is justified because art has intrinsic value. The chapter begins by presenting the basic perfectionist argument, while subsequent sections each examine a distinct mode of criticizing that argument. One sort of criticism focuses on perfectionism as a political principle, including the charge it disrespects autonomy. A second criticism focuses on the perfectionist view of art. Here I argue that perfectionist assumptions about art conflict with the thought and practice of many contemporary artists. By making both the political and aesthetic criticisms explicit, the chapter demonstrates the potential benefits of constructing a nonperfectionist justification. Constructing such an alternative is then the task of the remaining chapters.
A review of the Scenopinidae (Diptera) of Africa south of the Equator and neighboring islands, with descriptions of two new species

The Scenopinidae of Africa, south of the equator and its neighboring islands, have never been treated in a single reference readily available to entomologists of the area. The fauna presently comprises 31 species, many of which are represented only by the type specimens housed in foreign museums and unavailable for study. This paper presents provisional keys to the species, illustrations of the key characters of all species, notes on type location, specimens examined and a brief descriptionption of key characters. Complete descriptionptions and illustrations of the two new species, Scenopinus stuckenbergi and Propebrevitrichia quadrispina, are given.
Stoneflies (Plecoptera) in the diet of brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis Mitchell) in Libby Creek, Wyoming, USA

The stonefly component of a naturally reproducing population of brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis) was studied by analyzing 216 stomach pump samples collected between May 15 and August 10, 1991 and 1992, from Libby Creek, an alpine stream in the Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming. Stoneflies constituted 10.3% of the total items recovered and were the second most abundant order in the samples. Nineteen species of Plecoptera representing five families were identified. Approximately 43% of all stoneflies were Sweltsa lamba; the next most prevalent species was Zapada haysi (12%). The other prevalent insect orders in the samples were Diptera (57.2%), Ephemeroptera (8.4%) and Trichoptera (6.1%). Terrestrial Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Hemiptera were most common in July and August.
Adaptive planning and prediction in agent-supported distributed collaboration

Agents that act as user assistants will become invaluable as the number of information sources continue to proliferate. Such agents can support the work of users by learning to automate time-consuming tasks and filter information to manageable levels. Although considerable advances have been made in this area, it remains a fertile area for further development. One application of agents under careful scrutiny is the automated negotiation of conflicts between different user's needs and desires. Many techniques require explicit user models in order to function. This dissertation explores a technique for dynamically constructing user models and the impact of using them to anticipate the need for negotiation. Negotiation is reduced by including an advising aspect to the agent that can use this anticipation of conflict to adjust user behavior.
Supporting the Scientific Practices through Epistemologically Responsive Science Teaching

Meaningfully engaging students in the NGSS scientific practices requires that student ideas become the driving force of classroom activity. However, in order for student ideas to take on this new r...
Public Perceptions of Private Space Initiatives: How Young Adults View the SpaceX Plan to Colonize Mars

Abstract Elon Musk has sought to position his private aerospace company, SpaceX, as the future of space exploration, even as the feasibility of its initiatives remains to be seen. Although the level of support for public space programs has been well established by previous research, we know less about how people perceive private space travel initiatives, particularly those—like the SpaceX Mars colonization proposal—that involve civilian participation. Today's young people are the first generation who may find themselves or their children deciding whether to leave Earth for another planet. In this study, we compare the case Musk is making for the SpaceX colonization plan to young adults' perceptions of that plan, using data gathered from 81 college students who participated in interviews and focus groups on this topic. We argue that the rhetoric of private space initiatives has the potential to create new visions of our spacefaring future, but also new points of resistance for the civilians needed to support these initiatives. Our analysis revealed doubts regarding feasibility, concerns related to cost, and an individualized sense of risk that outweighed more generalized benefits. We conclude with implications for those seeking public support for private space initiatives, as well as plans for tracking public sentiment regarding private space travel as it changes over time.