cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aging exo-enzymes can create temporally shifting, temperature-dependent resource landscapes for microbes

The rate at which catalytic capacity of microbial exo-enzymes degrades post-exudation will influence the time during which return on microbes’ investment in exo-enzyme production can be realized. Further, if exo-enzyme degradation rates vary across exo-enzymes, microbial investment returns may vary by element across time. We quantify how aging of two soil organic matter (SOM)-decaying enzymes (β-D-cellobioside, BGase; and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminide, NAGase) influences enzyme-substrate V max at multiple temperatures (5, 15, 25 °C), and compute how enzyme age influences relative availabilities of C and N. Both BGase and NAGase exhibited similar, exponential declines in catalytic rate with age at 25 °C (0.22 ± 0.02 and 0.36 ± 0.14 d−1, respectively). At 15 °C, NAGase exhibited exponential declines in catalytic rates with age (0.79 ± 0.31 d−1), but BGase exhibited no decline. Neither enzyme exhibited a decline in catalytic rate over 72 h at 5 °C. At 15 °C, the amount of C liberated from cellulose and chitin analogues relative to N increased, on average, by more than one order of magnitude. The ratio of C:N liberated from the two substrates remained constant across enzyme age at 25 and 5 °C, but for different reasons: no differences in decay rate across enzymes at 25 °C, and no observed decay at 5 °C. Thus, temperature-dependent decreases of catalytic activity over time may influence microbial resource allocation strategies and rates of SOM decomposition. Because the enzyme decay rates we observed differ considerably from values assumed in most models, such assumptions should be revisited when parameterizing microbial process models.
Porting an extensible natural language interface: a case history

The KING KONG linguistic interface was developed at MITRE to be a portable natural language interface for expert systems. It is possible to port KING KONG from one expert system to another without writing more than a modest amount of code, regardless of backend architecture. We describe porting it from its original expert system backend to another expert system which was radically different in domain and representation.
The Outcomes of Policies in Higher Education Institutions

This chapter follows from Chap. 6’s examination and discussion of national and state policies for higher education institutions. Three colleges within the states of California, Washington, and Hawai’i and one college and three universities within the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta are the focus for examination and explanation of organizational responses to policy at the national, state, and provincial levels. Attention is given to specific alterations in each organization over the period of 2000–2014. The chapter addresses not only organizations’ responses but also the outcomes of these responses.
Structural Studies of Molybdenum Complexes

Molybdenum-containing enzymes are vitally important in nitrogen uptake, nitrogen metabolism and several biochemical reactions.1,2 The detailed coordination environment about the molybdenum atoms of such enzymes is still unknown because no molybdoenzyme has had its structure determined by x-ray crystallography. However, the molybdenum centers of several enzymes have been probed directly by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy1 and by x-ray absorption spectroscopy (EXAFS).3–5 Comparison of the spectral data from enzymes with spectral data from coordination compounds suggests that sulfur atoms are coordinated to molybdenum in the enzymes. EXAFS data from xanthine oxidase4 and sulfite oxidase5 in their oxidized forms also indicate the presence of terminal oxo groups attached to the molybdenum. In order to effectively interpret the spectral results from enzymes, it is important to have available a series of compounds whose stoichiometry and stereochemistry have been definitively established by x-ray structure determination. Of particular interest are compounds of sulfur donor ligands and oxomolybdenum(V) species.
Insights into the Adsorption of Carbon Dioxide in the Presence of Water Vapor Utilizing a Low Molecular Weight Polyethylenimine-Impregnated CARiACT Silica Sorbent

Thermogravimetric analysis was employed to investigate the CO2 and H2O adsorption rates and water vapor equilibrium on anhydrous and prehydrate linear polyethylenimine (LPEI) sorbent impregnated within a commercially functional CARiACT G10 (HPV) silica support. Water vapor experiments utilizing specific humidities of 2%, 8%, and 16% in contact with an anhydrous PEI sorbent resulted in proportional quantities of water vapor uptake. Subsequently, both anhydrous and prehydrated PEI-impregnated sorbents were made available to identical humidified gaseous streams containing a CO2 concentration of 10% at 60 °C. CO2 capacity increased dramatically in the presence of different levels of humidity. Various kinetic models were systematically employed to interpret the experimental data including single- and multiple-step models. The rate data was best represented by a reaction mechanism pathway involving the interplay of CO2 with PEI-impregnated sorbents exhibiting a quick adsorption phase followed by a slow approach...
Corruption in the Bidding, Construction and Organisation of Mega-Events: An Analysis of the Olympics and World Cup

Corruption in the processes required to host a sports mega-event has been common throughout history. This has often led to unnecessary costs that have ultimately been borne by the host government’s taxpayers. Little progress has been made in the prevention of such behaviour. In this chapter, we examine the history of corruption in sports mega-events, namely the Olympics and World Cup, to identify parts of the bidding and preparation processes that are vulnerable to illicit behaviour. We propose potential solutions to be implemented at various levels in order to prevent further corruption.
Review of Educational Research Methods in Desktop Virtual World Environments: Framing the Past to Provide Future Direction

This article describes educational research methodologies being used in the investigation and evaluation of desktop virtual world environments (DVWEs) as used to teach a variety of subjects in higher education. Ellis’ research framework on innovations (2005) and Reeves and Hedberg’s research goals (2003) were used as lenses to examine the state of educational research methods within DVWEs. An extensive search that resulted in 127 peer-reviewed papers chosen, was carried out to locate journal articles in the fields of educational technology, computer science and information systems, virtual reality/virtual worlds/gaming, science and health education, human-computer interaction, media and communications, psychology, social science, cognitive science, and library science. Results showed that while small scale research is common, research with broader goals (i.e. program evaluation, developmental research) is lacking. Implications include the need for signature developmental researchers to make their virtual world applications open source, and for DVWE researchers to explore collaborative research opportunities with postmodern, education researchers in order to shed more light on important issues of equity, gender, politics, and culture that impact education.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia in ischemic heart disease

Background Patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) are at risk for ventricular tachycardia (VT). Catheter ablation (CA) may reduce this risk. Objective To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of CA of VT in patients with IHD. Methods Literature searches of MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) were performed from January 2000 through April 2018 to identify RCTs comparing a strategy of CA vs no ablation in patients with IHD and an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Outcomes of interest included appropriate ICD therapies, appropriate ICD shocks, VT storm, recurrent VT/ventricular fibrillation (VF), cardiac hospitalizations, and all-cause mortality. Using an inverse variance random-effects model, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for each endpoint. Results A total of 5 RCTs (N = 635 patients) were included, with a duration of follow-up ranging from 6 months to 27.9 months. Patients who underwent CA experienced decreased odds of appropriate ICD therapies (OR 0.49; 95% CI 0.28–0.87), appropriate ICD shocks (OR 0.52; 95% CI 0.28–0.96), VT storm (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.43–0.95), and cardiac hospitalization (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.46–0.97) vs those who did not undergo ablation. There was no evidence of a benefit for recurrent VT/VF (OR 0.87; 95% CI 0.41–1.85), although this endpoint was not reported in all trials, or for all-cause mortality (OR 0.89; 95% CI 0.60–1.34). Conclusion In this systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs, CA was associated with a significant reduction in the odds of appropriate ICD therapies, appropriate ICD shocks, VT storm, and cardiac hospitalizations in patients with IHD.
RISK PREMIUM FACTOR and EXCHANGE RATE FORECASTING

I estimate a dynamic factor from the risk premium of carry trading of bilateral US Dollar against 15 OECD countries and use that factor to augment the macro fundamentals suggested by the Taylor rule, monetary and purchasing power parity models. Meese and Rogoff (1983) show economic models of exchange rates do not outperform the random walk forecast. I find evidence of short term predictability of bilateral exchange rates between 1991 and 2012 with factor augmented macro fundamentals.
Chapter Nine The Truth of Nature: Environmental Theology and the Epistemology of Asceticism

Modern science and technology, despite their contribution to human weal, have brought us to a point where we see nature as infinitely malleable. But this directly contradicts the ancient understanding of “nature” or physis as the realm of things that have a nature, in contrast to things that exist by artifice or technē. Science and technology do indeed reveal certain truths of nature, seeing it respectively in its objectivity or in its character as a resource. But these are relatively shallow, derivative truths of nature, as is indicated by our willingness to violate our own nature in matters of sexuality, reproduction, and human compassion, as well as our related willingness to violate the integrity of the natural environment. There are deeper truths of nature, however, more original ways of revealing the nature of nature, and these rest upon asceticism, or the purification of the soul, as a prerequisite to seeing nature as creation, i.e. as rooted in the energies of its own Creator.
Consumer Pleasures and Hindi Cinema’s En-gendered Distribution of Moral Capital in Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994) and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)

The figure of the consuming woman enables us to investigate Bombay cinema’s fissured relationship with globalization, and especially its anxiety around the ways in which consumer culture causes women to turn “bad.” The anxiety, as explored in this chapter, is, in fact, twofold. On the one hand, the film industry reveals a preoccupation with what liberalization/commodity culture does to women themselves. But accompanying that is another anxiety: how “bad” women sabotage the true/real purpose of liberalization—to produce the ideal male consumer. Two films—Hum Aapke Hain Koun and Zindagi Na Milegi—are studied and it is argued that they present the female consumer as whittled down remnants of the erstwhile filmic vamp, insisting that such bad-women-consumers be tamed-through-punishment. Or, failing that, the women must be forsaken by men for prioritizing self-care and exercising a self-referential commodity consumption, outside/independent of their identity as wives and mothers.
Pharmacotherapeutic considerations and options for the management of osteoarthritis in women

Introduction: Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease that leads to the destruction of articular cartilage and joints. As the most common joint disorder, osteoarthritis poses a great burden to the healthcare system. Most importantly, osteoarthritis is a heterogeneous disease characterized by a wide range of clinical features, phenotypes, and treatments. The burden of osteoarthritis is not equally distributed between men and women. Women have an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis, with worse symptoms, and poorer outcomes.Areas covered: In this paper, the authors discuss pathophysiological considerations such as the wide spectrum of OA phenotypes. Women share many OA phenotypes with men including genetics, age, and trauma. Specific phenotypes from metabolic, anatomical, and hormonal influences vary greatly between the two sexes. This paper discusses the various current pharmacological treatment options for osteoarthritis including NSAIDs, Acetaminophen, Opioids, Duloxetine, SYSADOAs, monoclonal antibodies, intra-articular injections and hormonal therapy.Expert opinion: Further investigations of the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis are necessary to improve treatment options specific to women. As our understanding of the complex biology of osteoarthritis and the information surrounding it improves, newer and more effective treatments may decrease the suffering of osteoarthritis in a more efficient and less costly way.
Abstract WP324: Blocking Pro-Inflammatory Platelet-Activating Factor-Receptors and Activating Cell-Survival Pathways Leads to Neuroprotection After Experimental Ischemic Stroke

Objective: Acute ischemic stroke triggers complex neurovascular, neuroinflammatory, and synaptic alterations. Our study tested the prediction that blocking platelet-activating factor-receptors (PAF...
Chapter 42 – Migraine

Migraine is a neurological pain condition that affects millions of people. It is the most common neurological disease that has significant effects on the brain and consequently on behaviors associated with repeated migraine attacks. The stress of migraine is associated with premigraine, intermigraine, and postmigraine processes. Understanding of migraine includes how normally non-painful stimuli such as light may exacerbate the pain of migraine and how the migraine headache may produce changes in skin sensitivity (allodynia) that can involve the whole body. Alterations in the brain's function and structure, as revealed by advanced imaging techniques, have provided new insights into the mechanisms of the disease. Migraine can be studied in the context of multiple stressors contributing to abnormal homeostasis or allostatic load.
The sensorimotor strategies and neuronal representations of tactile shape discrimination in mice

Humans and other animals can identify objects by active touch, requiring the coordination of exploratory motion and tactile sensation. The brain integrates movements with the resulting tactile signals to form a holistic representation of object identity. We developed a shape discrimination task that challenged head-fixed mice to discriminate concave from convex shapes. Behavioral decoding revealed that mice did this by comparing contacts across whiskers. In contrast, mice performing a shape detection task simply summed up contacts over whiskers. We recorded populations of neurons in the barrel cortex, which processes whisker input, to identify how it encoded the corresponding sensorimotor variables. Neurons across the cortical layers encoded touch, whisker motion, and task-related signals. Sensory representations were task-specific: during shape discrimination, neurons responded most robustly to behaviorally relevant whiskers, overriding somatotopy. We suggest a similar dynamic modulation may underlie object recognition in other brain areas and species.
LSTM-based Short-term Electrical Load Forecasting and Anomaly Correction

The Emergence of the Ubiquitous Power Internet of Things(UPIoT) facilitates data sharing and service expansion for the power system. Based on the architecture of the UPIoT and combined with deep learning technology, short-term electrical load forecasting and anomaly correction could be used to improve the overall performance. Since short-term electrical loads are non-linear and non-stationary [1] and could be easily affected by external interference, traditional load forecasting algorithms cannot recognize the correlation between the time sequence thus rendering low prediction accuracy. In this article, a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) based algorithm is proposed to improve the prediction accuracy by utilizing the correlation between the hourly load sequence. Then, the real-time forecasting outputs are compared to the raw data in order to detect and dynamically repair the anomaly so as to further improve the performance. Experiment results show that the proposed approach outputs low Mean Square Error (MSE) of around 0.2 and could still hold it at around 0.3 with corrected data when the anomaly is detected, which proves the accuracy and robustness of the algorithm.
3-D ribbon beams for gyrotrons

Three dimensional codes, developed to simulate high density, high energy ribbon beams to be used in gyrotrons are presented. A 3-D Pierce type gun using plane boundaries and a MIG type gun with arbitrary boundary electrodes are analyzed by solving the three dimensional Poisson's equation subject to the given geometrical boundary conditions using finite difference technique. Results of the numerical solutions as well as some initial experimental results are presented.
Gastrointestinal malignancies and supportive care trials: a snapshot of the last two decades.

Background Patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers experience a high symptom burden due to the effects of both cancer and treatment. As such, trials assessing symptom burden and supportive interventions are crucial. Here, we characterise the landscape of phase III GI cancer clinical trials and explore study outcomes centred on the patient’s quality of life (QoL). Methods We searched ClinicalTrials.gov for phase III randomised controlled trials (RCTs) registered between 2000 and 2017 that are assessing a therapeutic intervention in adult patients with cancer and grouped trials by GI disease sites. Results Overall, we identified 76 phase III trials specific to GI cancers that enrolled a total of 53 725 patients. When analysing the primary outcomes measured, the vast majority of studies (n=71, 86%) measured disease-related endpoints such as progression-free survival or overall survival. All trials had a secondary endpoint that measured adverse events, but only 30 trials (39%) included QoL measures as secondary endpoints. Of the 30 trials that included QoL secondary endpoints, only 16 (53%) reported these results. Only five trials (7%) assessed interventions aimed at supportive measures impacting disease-related or treatment-related toxicity. None of the supportive trials included QoL as a primary endpoint and only two of these trials (40%) included QoL as a secondary endpoint. Conclusions Most GI cancer trials failed to incorporate patient-centred outcomes or QoL measures when studying new interventions. These findings call for greater integration of patient-reported metrics, which may lead to better care and outcomes for patients with GI malignancies.
Partisanship in Loan Pricing

Do partisan perceptions influence the way investors price securities? Using voter registration data of bankers originating large corporate loans, we show that misaligned bankers, i.e., whose party differs from that of the U.S. President, charge 7\% higher loan spreads than aligned bankers. This effect is amplified during periods of intense partisan conflicts, when left- and right-wing media strongly disagree over economic conditions, and for borrowers with limited outside options. Bankers and borrowers do not seem to match on political affiliations. Our results are not driven by bank or borrower fundamentals, but suggest misaligned bankers have more pessimistic outlook than aligned bankers.
Religious bonds, low self-control, and deviant behavior: a fixed-effects approach

Prior scholarship has raised concerns over potential selection effects with religion-deviant behavior relationships. Yet, few studies have attempted to account for selection beyond incorporating co...
Diffusion Theory and Knowledge Dissemination, Utilization, and Integration in Public Health

Legislators and their scientific beneficiaries express growing concerns that the fruits of their investment in health research are not reaching the public, policy makers, and practitioners with evidence-based practices. Practitioners and the public lament the lack of relevance and fit of evidence that reaches them and barriers to their implementation of it. Much has been written about this gap in medicine, much less in public health. We review the concepts that have guided or misguided public health in their attempts to bridge science and practice through dissemination and implementation. Beginning with diffusion theory, which inspired much of public health’s work on dissemination, we compare diffusion, dissemination, and implementation with related notions that have served other fields in bridging science and practice. Finally, we suggest ways to blend diffusion with other theory and evidence in guiding a more decentralized approach to dissemination and implementation in public health, including changes in the ways we produce the science itself.
Trajectories of fatigue in a population-based sample of older adult breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer survivors: an analysis using the SEER-MHOS data resource.

Fatigue is one of the most common and distressing symptoms experienced by cancer survivors. Understanding fatigue trajectories from pre- to post-diagnosis could inform fatigue prevention and management strategies. We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (SEER-MHOS) linked data resource to characterize fatigue trajectories and their predictors 1214 older adult survivors of breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer. Fatigue was measured prior to the cancer diagnosis (T0) and at two timepoints after diagnosis (T1: mean = 20 months and T2: mean = 39 months post-diagnosis). Latent growth curve modeling and mixed effects models for repeated measurements were used to investigate fatigue experiences before and after a cancer diagnosis. Overall, mean fatigue T-scores declined (T0 = 50, T1 = 46, and T2 = 45) indicating worsening fatigue over time. Four latent trajectory subgroups were identified: severe fatigue worsening over time (8.2% of sample), severe fatigue persisting over time (14.4%), no fatigue pre-diagnosis and mild fatigue post-diagnosis (44.4%), and not fatigued (33%). Age, cancer stage, comorbidities, and depressed mood predicted membership in the two trajectory groups experiencing severe fatigue that persisted or that worsened post-diagnosis. Older age, advanced cancer stage at diagnosis, and depressed mood were significantly associated with worsening fatigue from T1 to T2 (all p < 0.0001). Evaluating cancer patients for depressive symptoms and considering prior fatigue levels, age, comorbid conditions, and cancer stage may help providers anticipate fatigue trajectories and implement pre-emptive strategies to lessen fatigue impact.
Acceptability of violence, gender, and dating violence

Several studies have reported what seems to be a counter-intuitive finding, that dating violence perpetration increases with relationship commitment. A variable closely associated with relationship commitment, jealousy, has also been related to dating violence perpetration. Acceptability of violence, another variable related to violence perpetration, may moderate the influence of both relationship commitment and jealousy on dating violence perpetration. Specifically, for relationships characterized by high levels of acceptability of violence, it was expected that the greater the commitment and jealousy the greater likelihood that dating violence perpetration would occur. In contrast, in relationships where high acceptability of violence was not present, relationship commitment and jealousy were expected to have weaker relationships with dating violence perpetration. Using a sample of 155 male and 417 female college students, t-tests showed that women reported higher perpetration levels than men. Hierarchical regression analyses found that only jealousy was associated with dating violence perpetration and only for women. Neither relationship commitment nor acceptability of violence was predictive of dating violence perpetration for either men or women. Additionally, acceptability of violence did not emerge as a significant moderator between relationship commitment and dating violence or jealousy and dating violence perpetration for men or women. However, the three-way interaction of acceptability of violence, relationship commitment, and jealousy for dating violence perpetration was
A Test By Any Other Name: The Influence of Justice Breyer's Concurrence in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.

In Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., the Supreme Court applied the presumption against extraterritorial application to the Alien Tort Statute (“ATS”). In doing so, the Court undermined the generally accepted view of the ATS: that it could apply to actions abroad. Applying this presumption severely limited the factual circumstances that could produce a viable ATS claim. The majority opinion carved an exception, permitting extraterritorial ATS claims that “touch and concern” the United States, but declined to set more specific guidelines. In the absence of such guidelines, lower courts have applied the presumption in an overbroad fashion, barring claims that the Court might have intended to fall within its exception. However, concurring in Kiobel, Justice Breyer offered an alternative three-pronged test to determine jurisdiction. Though Justice Breyer reached the same conclusion as the Court—that jurisdiction did not lie—his test is more specific than the majority’s and also provides lower courts with a proper means of assessing ATS extraterritoriality. This Note first extensively discusses the rich and colorful history of the ATS, tracking its outgrowth from the Articles of Confederation to its use in the eighteenth century to bring pirates to justice. It then discusses the modern line of ATS cases, including the various procedural elements that courts have read into the Statute. Turning to Kiobel, it examines the impact of the Court’s reversal of precedent by applying a presumption against extraterritorial application to the ATS, specifically focusing on the majority standard’s lack of clarity. This
Hepatocellular Carcinoma in the Absence of Cirrhosis in United States Veterans is Associated With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background & Aims Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can develop in individuals without cirrhosis. We investigated risk factors for development of HCC in the absence of cirrhosis in a U.S. population. Methods We identified a national cohort of 1500 patients with verified HCC during 2005 to 2010 in the U.S. Veterans Administration (VA) and reviewed their full VA medical records for evidence of cirrhosis and risk factors for HCC. Patients without cirrhosis were assigned to categories of level 1 evidence for no cirrhosis (very high probability) or level 2 evidence for no cirrhosis (high probability), which were based on findings from histologic analyses, laboratory test results, markers of fibrosis from noninvasive tests, and imaging features. Results A total of 43 of the 1500 patients with HCC (2.9%) had level 1 evidence for no cirrhosis, and 151 (10.1%) had level 2 evidence for no cirrhosis; the remaining 1203 patients (80.1%) had confirmed cirrhosis. Compared with patients with HCC in presence of cirrhosis, greater proportions of patients with HCC without evidence of cirrhosis had metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), or no identifiable risk factors. Patients with HCC without evidence of cirrhosis were less likely to have abused alcohol or have hepatitis C virus infection than patients with cirrhosis. Patients with HCC and NAFLD (unadjusted odds ratio, 5.4; 95% confidence interval, 3.4–8.5) or metabolic syndrome (unadjusted odds ratio, 5.0; 95% confidence interval, 3.1–7.8) had more than 5-fold risk of having HCC in the absence of cirrhosis, compared with patients with HCV-related HCC. Conclusions Approximately 13% of patients with HCC in the VA system do not appear to have cirrhosis. NAFLD and metabolic syndrome are the main risk factors for HCC in the absence of cirrhosis.
Who Is Providing Social Services to Today's Older Adults?

Abstract Characteristics of personnel who provide services to a rapidly growing and increasingly diverse population of older adults were examined through a statewide survey of Area Agencies on Aging and county adult and aging services departments in California. Substantial gaps were found in the professional education and training of current aging services personnel, with only 42% of adult protective service workers, 36% of case managers, and fewer than 10% of other personnel having masters degrees in social work. Key barriers to hiring aging services personnel included a lack of qualified and properly educated applicants, inadequate salaries, and insufficient numbers of ethnically diverse applicants. Results illustrate the lack of professional training among aging services workers and the need to develop programs and incentives for increasing the number of social workers with adequate knowledge and skills in aging services.
The Rise of Choice in the U.S. University and College: 1910–20051

Over the twentieth century, the curriculum in U.S. universities and colleges was restructured around the individual rather than a set body of knowledge. This is evidenced in the shift from a prescribed curriculum often classical in orientation to the elective system. This article explores these changes and tests whether broader economic factors or institutional cultural factors affect these changes. I argue that the shift from prescribed to elective curricula is due to the institutionalization of the individual in society, the process in which the individual person is increasingly culturally defined and legitimated as the primary actor of reality. I use longitudinal regression models to identify the broader social sources of curricular change for a sample of 30 universities between 1910 and 2005. The findings support my argument that a key condition that led to the decline of prescription and the rise of choice is the institutionalization of the individual. I also find that student enrollment has a significant effect on the structure of the curriculum. I find some support that the socioeconomic status of students matters in affecting the university discourse on the centrality of the student. Little support is given to explanations that emphasize interorganizational competition and economic differentiation.
Accretion disk electrodynamics

Accretion disk electrodynamic phenomenae are separable into two classes: 1) disks and coronae with turbulent magnetic fields; 2) disks and black holes which are connected to a large-scale external magnetic field. Turbulent fields may originate in an α - ω) dynamo, provide anomalous viscous transport, and sustain an active corona by magnetic buoyancy. The large-scale field can extract energy and angular momentum from the disk and black hole, and be dynamically configured into a collimated relativistic jet.
A novel α-conotoxin MII sensitive nicotinic acetylcholine receptor modulates [3H]-GABA release in the superficial layers of the mouse superior colliculus

J. Neurochem. (2012) 122, 48–57. Abstract Mouse superficial superior colliculus (SuSC) contains dense GABAergic innervation and diverse nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes. Pharmacological and genetic approaches were used to investigate the subunit compositions of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) expressed on mouse SuSC GABAergic terminals. [125I]-Epibatidine competition-binding studies revealed that the α3β2* and α6β2* nicotinic subtype-selective peptide α-conotoxin MII-blocked binding to 40 ± 5% of SuSC nAChRs. Acetylcholine-evoked [3H]-GABA release from SuSC crude synaptosomal preparations is calcium dependent, blocked by the voltage-sensitive calcium channel blocker, cadmium, and the nAChR antagonist mecamylamine, but is unaffected by muscarinic, glutamatergic, P2X and 5-HT3 receptor antagonists. Approximately 50% of nAChR-mediated SuSC [3H]-GABA release is inhibited by α-conotoxin MII. However, the highly α6β2*-subtype-selective α-conotoxin PIA did not affect [3H]-GABA release. Nicotinic subunit-null mutant mouse experiments revealed that ACh-stimulated SuSC [3H]-GABA release is entirely β2 subunit-dependent. α4 subunit deletion decreased total function by >90%, and eliminated α-conotoxin MII-resistant release. ACh-stimulated SuSC [3H]-GABA release was unaffected by β3, α5 or α6 nicotinic subunit deletions. Together, these data suggest that a significant proportion of mouse SuSC nicotinic agonist-evoked GABA-release is mediated by a novel, α-conotoxin MII-sensitive α3α4β2 nAChR. The remaining α-conotoxin MII-resistant, nAChR agonist-evoked SuSC GABA release appears to be mediated via α4β2* subtype nAChRs.
A general class of current mode filters

A new class of nonlinear analog filters with linear input-output response is proposed. These filters are an extension of the recently introduced 'log filter' class. By virtue of the small node voltage excursions, these filters share the current mode characteristic of log filters. It is shown that the equations for the filter are obtained by using hyperbolic functions for mappings on the state space in linear systems. The resulting exponential state space filters are then given circuit implementations. >
The anti-ganglioside monoclonal antibody AA4 induces protein tyrosine phosphorylations, but not degranulation, in rat basophilic leukemia cells.

Abstract The monoclonal antibody AA4 (mAb AA4) recognizes novel alpha-galactosyl derivatives of GD1b on rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells. The binding of mAb AA4 induced protein tyrosine phosphorylations without histamine release. Several of the same proteins including Fc epsilon RI beta, Fc epsilon RI gamma, p72syk, and phospholipase C-gamma 1 were tyrosine-phosphorylated by mAb AA4 binding and by the activation of the high affinity IgE receptor, Fc epsilon RI. There was also activation of the p53/56lyn and p72syk protein-tyrosine kinases, but compared to direct Fc epsilon RI activation, mAb AA4 did not result in increased tyrosine phosphorylation of pp105-115 or pp125FAK, and the receptor subunits (Fc epsilon RI beta and Fc epsilon RI gamma) were more heavily phosphorylated. Furthermore, the time course of the phosphorylations with mAb AA4 was slower than that induced by Fc epsilon RI aggregation. By immunofluorescence, the tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins after mAb AA4 stimulation were localized in patches at the cell membrane and in areas of cell-cell contact, whereas after Fc epsilon RI activation, there was a reticular cytoplasmic pattern. There were no protein tyrosine phosphorylations either when Fc epsilon RI was saturated with IgE or when F(ab')2 fragments of mAb AA4 were used, although the F(ab')2 fragments still induced morphological changes. There was also coprecipitation of the beta and gamma subunits of Fc epsilon RI with the anti-ganglioside antibody. These data strongly suggest the involvement of Fc epsilon RI in the antiganglioside-induced protein tyrosine phosphorylations. Moreover, phosphorylations of these proteins including the beta and gamma chains of Fc epsilon RI and activation of p53/56lyn and p72syk did not result in histamine release.
On measuring flexural properties of ice using cantilever beams

Tests have been performed on fine-grained, columnar, freshwater ice sheets 40 to 70 mm thick grown in a refrigerated model basin. Cantilever beams of various geometries were tested for lengths ranging from 200 to 2 000 mm and widths of 50 to 250 mm. Analysis of the results in terms of simple elastic beam theory indicated that modulus increased with increasing beam length and decreasing bean width. An analytical model for beam deflection was developed, taking into account the effects of buoyancy, shear, and rotation and deflection at the root. This model satisfactorily explained the observed deflection behaviour and the apparent geometry dependence of the modulus. Flexura! strength was independent of beam length, but decreased with increasing beam width. Flexural strength was independent of loading rate, whereas modulus decreased with increased loading time.
Application of a Wall-Solar Chimney for Passive Ventilation of Dwellings

The solar chimney is a natural ventilation technique that has the potential to save energy use in buildings as well as maintain comfortable indoor quality. The objective of the current study was to examine the effects of the wall-solar chimney on airflow distribution and thermal conditions in a room. In the current work, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to model a solar chimney. The solar chimney was modeled three-dimensionally for a more realistic simulation of fluid and thermal conditions. Experimental and numerical data from literature were used to validate the current model, and the results agreed very well. The current study showed that the flow in the solar chimney system can be either laminar or turbulent depending on the parameters of the system, and that the effect of the chimney inlet was more significant than that of the chimney width (air gap between the glass and absorber) on the flow regime. This study also developed a new characteristic Rayleigh number (Ra*) relating the chimney inlet and width, which showed good consistency with the prediction of the flow regime. The investigations of Ra* and the flow regime indicated that the flow becomes turbulent for Ra* ∼ 0.8 × 108. Finally, the potential improvements of the designs were discussed by observing the flow and thermal conditions of the room.
Design and packaging of antennas for wireless systems

Mobile RF systems may consist of single or multiple links between stationary base units, and mobile remote units. The stationary base and mobile remote antennas are almost always mounted on the chassis which contains the radio and/or other electronics. The remote tends to be compact in size, and aside from form factor constraints for the remote antenna, one of the key specifications is that it radiate omnidirectionally in the horizontal plane, so that a stable communication link can be established with a base unit in any direction. An omnidirectional pattern may or may not be a requirement for the base antenna, depending on how base station "cells" are structured. EMC and EMI considerations require that packaging for the remote and base have adequate shielding, for inner electronics and prevent radiation leakage outside the chassis. Consequently the chassis are coated with a conductive paint, and/or conductive shields are present. The external packaging can cause "shadowing", in which the radiation pattern to becomes directive or has deep nulls, or call "detune" the antenna, in which the impedance seen at the antenna input terminals is altered, or can significantly effect antenna gain. Simultaneously meeting antenna and package goals presents an interesting challenge from an antenna and package design point of view. In this paper, antenna design is discussed with a focus on the impact of packaging on radiation characteristics, and physical design of antennas in order to best meet specifications.
Formation of monovalent nickel in NiCa−X zeolite and its interaction with various inorganic and organic adsorbates. Electron spin resonance studies

Synthesis of MCM-22 zeolite has been achieved without agitation. MCM-22 samples prepared with and without agitation were characterized by various physical methods. With all synthesis parameters except agitation during crystallization remaining the same, MCM-22 zeolite prepared without agitation contains a lower Si/Al ratio and larger crystallite size than MCM-22 obtained with agitation. After exchange by Ni(II), Ni(I) is stabilized in Na−MCM-22 zeolite by thermal and hydrogen reduction and characterized by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. NiNa−MCM-22 heated under vacuum at temperatures above 673 K for prolonged periods produces a weak isolated Ni(I) species with g⊥ = 2.106. When dehydrated and oxidized NiNa−MCM-22 is reduced with hydrogen, two isolated Ni(I) species are observed, depending on the reduction temperature. The two Ni(I) species interconvert thermally. Adsorption of D2O on reduced NiNa−MCM-22 leads to the formation of a Ni(I)−(D2O)n complex. Adsorption of ammonia on reduced NiNa−MCM-22 le...
Primary care of adolescents: Issues in program development and implementation

Recent reviews of adolescent primary care urge the development of a dynamic program evaluation strategy. An action research evaluation model that combines service, training, and research to foster the development and implementation of primary care services is presented. The strategy includes description of patient populations, determination of patient health care needs, specification of service objectives, assessment of health care resources, and evaluation of service procedures and outcomes. Elements of the action research strategy are applied to evaluate two current issues in adolescent primary care: family-oriented versus adolescent-limited services and "new morbidity."
Physiological evidence of hypermasculinization in boys with the inattentive type of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Abstract Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is more common in boys than in girls, suggesting that prenatal androgen exposure may play a role in etiology. Click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs) and relative finger length are measures known to exhibit sex differences early in life, also suggesting that prenatal androgen exposure plays a contributing role. CEOAEs and the lengths of the fingers were measured in boys and girls aged 7–15 who were diagnosed as having different types of ADHD. All six possible pairwise length ratios were calculated for the four fingers of each hand. The CEOAEs measured in boys diagnosed as ADHD/Inattentive were substantially smaller than those of either the boys diagnosed as ADHD/Combined or the Control boys, whose mean CEOAEs were alike. Similarly, most of the finger-length ratios (FLRs) were smaller for boys diagnosed as ADHD/Inattentive than for either ADHD/Combined or Control boys. Both of these outcomes represent a hypermasculinization of the boys diagnosed as ADHD/Inattentive. Thus, two quite different physiological measures suggest that these boys diagnosed as ADHD/Inattentive may have been exposed to higher-than-normal levels of androgens at some stage early in development. In accord with both Cantwell's proposal for validating psychiatric disorders and previous suggestions in the literature, these findings support the hypothesis that the Combined and Inattentive groups represent different disorders, not versions of a single disorder.
A phase 2 pilot trial of low-dose, continuous infusion, or “metronomic” paclitaxel and oral celecoxib in patients with metastatic melanoma

Background Tumor angiogenesis has been associated with poor prognosis in patients with metastatic melanoma (MM). Microtubule stabilizers and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors, alone and in combination, have shown inhibitory effects on endothelial cells and tumor angiogenesis. Angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels, is necessary for tumor growth and progression. Thus, we tested the safety and efficacy of a low dose of paclitaxel and celecoxib in patients with MM.
Diabetes mellitus and risk of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. The Washington, DC Dilated Cardiomyopathy Study.

Abstract An epidemiologic study was carried out to examine the possible role of diabetes mellitus and other factors in the development of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Possible associations with diabetes and other factors were examined by comparing newly diagnosed case patients (n = 129) ascertained from five Washington, DC area hospitals with neighborhood control subjects (n = 258) identified using a random-digit dialing technique. The case patients and control subjects were matched by sex and 5-year age intervals and were compared in the analysis using conditional logistic regression methods. A statistically significant association was observed between idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and history of diabetes (relative odds = 2.2; 95% confidence interval: 1.5 to 3.3). The association with diabetes was not explained by race, income, cigarette usage, or hypertension. A total of 28.7% ( 37 129 ) of the case patients had a reported history of diabetes, as compared with 13.6% ( 35 258 ) of the control subjects (P 0.05). These findings support the view that diabetics, particularly those with a history of hypertension, may be at increased risk of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.
MicroRNA let-7c is downregulated in prostate cancer and suppresses prostate cancer growth

Purpose Prostate cancer (PCa) is characterized by deregulated expression of several tumor suppressor or oncogenic miRNAs. The objective of this study was the identification and characterization of miR-let-7c as a potential tumor suppressor in PCa. Experimental Design Levels of expression of miR-let-7c were examined in human PCa cell lines and tissues using qRT-PCR and in situ hybridization. Let-7c was overexpressed or suppressed to assess the effects on the growth of human PCa cell lines. Lentiviral-mediated re-expression of let-7c was utilized to assess the effects on human PCa xenografts. Results We identified miR-let-7c as a potential tumor suppressor in PCa. Expression of let-7c is downregulated in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells. Overexpression of let-7c decreased while downregulation of let-7c increased cell proliferation, clonogenicity and anchorage-independent growth of PCa cells in vitro. Suppression of let-7c expression enhanced the ability of androgen-sensitive PCa cells to grow in androgen-deprived conditions in vitro. Reconstitution of Let-7c by lentiviral-mediated intratumoral delivery significantly reduced tumor burden in xenografts of human PCa cells. Furthermore, let-7c expression is downregulated in clinical PCa specimens compared to their matched benign tissues, while the expression of Lin28, a master regulator of let-7 miRNA processing, is upregulated in clinical PCa specimens. Conclusions These results demonstrate that microRNA let-7c is downregulated in PCa and functions as a tumor suppressor, and is a potential therapeutic target for PCa.
Developments in cucumber fermentation

Cucumbers may be used as a fermentation substrate by lactic acid bacteria in a solution of sodium chloride. Successful fermentation is dependent upon interactions among the microbiological, chemical and physical factors associated with suspension of a solid, porous vegetable in a liquid. Maintenance of structural integrity of the cucumbers is very important, and this introduces complexities not encountered in fermentation of liquid materials. This review summarises recent efforts to understand and control the critical factors associated with cucumber fermentations. New and emerging technologies that have evolved from fundamental studies included in the review are: reduction in sodium chloride concentration for brining; purging of CO2 from fermenting brines to prevent gaseous deterioration of the cucumbers; gas exchange of fresh cucumbers to influence their brining properties; development of new and valuable cultures of lactic acid bacteria for use in fermentations, and development of an anaerobic tanking system for cucumber fermentations.