cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cartogram Visualization for Bivariate Geo-Statistical Data

We describe bivariate cartograms , a technique specifically designed to allow for the simultaneous comparison of two geo-statistical variables. Traditional cartograms are designed to show only a single statistical variable, but in practice, it is often useful to show two variables (e.g., the total sales for two competing companies) simultaneously. We illustrate bivariate cartograms using Dorling-style cartograms, yet the technique is simple and generalizable to other cartogram types, such as contiguous cartograms, rectangular cartograms, and non-contiguous cartograms. An interactive feature makes it possible to switch between bivariate cartograms, and the traditional (monovariate) cartograms. Bivariate cartograms make it easy to find more geographic patterns and outliers in a pre-attentive way than previous approaches, as shown in Fig. 2 . They are most effective for showing two variables from the same domain (e.g., population in two different years, sales for two different companies), although they can also be used for variables from different domains (e.g., population and income). We also describe a small-scale evaluation of the proposed techniques that indicates bivariate cartograms are especially effective for finding geo-statistical patterns, trends and outliers.
Science and Critique: The Evolution of the German Perspective from Kant to Marx

The recognized wisdom over the past few years has been that there have been fundamental breaks, divisions, and stages within the overall writings of Karl Marx. They have been characterized as epistemological breaks by Althusser or as the divisions between the young and old Marx, the split between the critique of ideology and historical materialism (Wellmer), or between the critical philosophy of praxis and scientific materialism (Gouldner). However, this chapter was designed to trace the development of the critical method from German idealism to historical materialism in order to show and stress the continuities within the German intellectual tradition and the epistemological and methodological continuities in Marx’ own works. This is not to deny the discontinuities and radical breaks between Kant, Hegel, and Marx and the transformations that Marx’ own works had undergone, but there is a transcending interest in the critical perspective, which is more powerful than any of their individual differences. By centering on the ‘critique’ many extraneous aspects of Marx’ thought will be pushed aside in order to give central focus to this powerful methodological concept. The result will be a deeper awareness of the connections between idealism and materialism, the overall continuity in Marx’ writings, and the necessity to rethink Marx’ concept of ‘theory and practice’.
Convolutional neural networks for functional classification of opcode sequences

Traditional malware detection is performed by pattern matching files against a database of known signatures. There are several limitations to this approach including zero-day attacks and encryption. We envision an alternative strategy whereby machine learning (ML) models are trained to classify malware on dynamically-derived CPU instruction streams. Many ML algorithms have the potential to recognize code fragments not explicitly seen before. Furthermore, the analysis of dynamic instruction streams (vs. static disassembly) potentially defeats encryption, as encrypted malware must decrypt itself before being operational. In this work, we begin to assess the viability of our vision by using convolution neural networks to classify the function of various types of small programs from their stream of CPU instructions. Intriguingly, we find that a model comprised of a few layers of convolutional filters performs on par with a shallow single-layer convolutional network.
Abstract 17880: Dynamic Changes in Cardiac Mechanics in AL Amyloidosis and Its Relationship to Immunologic Response to Chemotherapy

Background: Cardiac involvement is common in patients with Light Chain (AL) Amyloidosis and portends a poor prognosis. Little is known about the changes in cardiac mechanics following chemotherapy. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that immunologic response to chemotherapy is associated with improvement in cardiac mechanics. Methods: We identified 41 consecutive patients from the Stanford AL Amyloidosis database who had Echocardiograms and free light chain (FLC) values before and after chemotherapy. Echocardiographic assessment included global longitudinal strain (GLS), LV diastolic function metrics, and left atrial (LA) stiffness. Forty age and sex-matched controls were included. Immunologic response to chemotherapy was defined as ≥50% reduction in the difference between the involved and uninvolved FLC. Structural and functional improvement was defined as >10% improvement in cardiac parameters based on the inter-reader variability in our laboratory. Results: The mean age was 66.9 ± 8.4 years and 66% were male. Compared to controls, atrial and ventricular mechanics were significantly impaired in patients with cardiac amyloidosis. Higher Mayo stage was associated with worse GLS, E/e’ and LA stiffness. The average time to post-chemotherapy Echocardiogram was 9.2 ± 3.6 months. There was no significant change in myocardial remodeling and functional parameters following chemotherapy in the cohort overall, however individual responses showed considerable variability. Immunologic response was seen in 30 (73%) of patients. Improvement in E/e’ and LA stiffness was associated with immunologic response to chemotherapy (p = 0.028, p = 0.006 respectively) while there was a trend for GLS (p = 0.056). Conclusion: Improvement in diastolic parameters and LA stiffness are associated with immunologic response. Further studies with longer follow-up intervals are needed to explore the full range of atrial and ventricular remodeling following chemotherapy.
Wesleyan Theological Methodology as a Theory of Integration

The central claim of this article is that debates over the integration of psychological theories and findings, on the one hand, and Christian doctrine, on the other, largely boil down to difference...
Minimization of GPIS

Given all the GPIs, one must select a minimum encodeable subset of them that covers each minterm of the original FSM in the next state variables and in the proper output variables asserted by the minterm.
Heliocentrism: Hypothesis or Truth?

In 1543, Copernicus published On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. In this treatise, dedicated to Pope Paul III, Copernicus presented his heliocentric model of the world. To be sure, Copernicus was not the first to argue that the earth was itself moving in a circle around the center of the world; the Pythagoreans had famously done so many years before Ptolemy and Aristotle offered their strident defense of geocentrism. So what set Copernicus apart from the Pythagoreans?
Interpretation in Konkurrenz mit Medien und Politik

Der Demograph RAINER MUNZ sucht die Themen, die seinen Wissenschaftszweig mit aktueller Relevanz aufladen. Er findet sie in der politischen Entwicklung in Europa, unter anderem vor seiner Haustur in Berlin, und pladiert fur Substanz statt Formalem.
Kinetic Measurement of Serpin Inhibitory Activity by Real-Time Fluorogenic Biochemical Assay

Biochemical fluorogenic and chromogenic assays facilitate real-time study of enzyme function. Based on the principle of enzymatic inhibition, these kinetic assays can be adapted to measure the function of serpins. Compared to traditional, electrophoretic study of serpin inhibitory complex formation, kinetic assays allow for finer temporal resolution as well as more quantitative comparisons between different conditions. This chapter describes methodology for performing real-time, kinetic measurement of serpin inhibitory activity by fluorogenic substrate conversion assay. Specifically, the methods covered include measurement of alpha-1-antitrypsin inhibitory activity against trypsin and heparin-dependent anti-thrombin III inhibitory activity against thrombin. These methods are scalable to small-volume, high-density format and can be applied for high-throughput screening of serpin activity modulators.
Genetics of Hypertension in African Americans and Others of African Descent

Hypertension is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease in the United States, affecting up to one-third of adults. When compared to other ethnic or racial groups in the United States, African Americans and other people of African descent show a higher incidence of hypertension and its related comorbidities; however, the genetics of hypertension in these populations has not been studied adequately. Several genes have been identified to play a role in the genetics of hypertension. They include genes regulating the renin-aldosterone-angiotensin system (RAAS), such as Sodium Channel Epithelial 1 Beta Subunit (SCNN1B), Armadillo Repeat Containing 5 (ARMC5), G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinase 4 (GRK4), and Calcium Voltage-Gated Channel Subunit Alpha1 D (CACNA1D). In this review, we focus on recent genetic findings available in the public domain for potential differences between African Americans and other populations. We also cover some recent and relevant discoveries in the field of low-renin hypertension from our laboratory at the National Institutes of Health. Understanding the different genetics of hypertension among various groups is essential for effective precision-guided medical therapy of high blood pressure.
d-cluster-free sets with a given matching number

Abstract Let 3 ≤ d ≤ k and ν ≥ 0 be fixed. Let F ⊂ [ n ] k . The matching number of F , denoted by ν ( F ) , is the maximum number of pairwise disjoint sets in F . F is d -cluster-free if it does not contain d sets with union of size at most 2 k and empty intersection. In this paper, we give a lower bound and an upper bound for the maximum size of a d -cluster-free family with a matching number at least ν + 1 . In particular, our result of the case ν = 1 settles a conjecture of Mammoliti and Britz. We also introduce a Turan problem in hypergraphs that allows multiple edges, which may be of independent interest.
Program forms and program form analysers for high-level structured design

Structured programming is the single most important technique currently used in developing software which is both reliable and inexpensive. 11 , 27 It has been observed by various researchers that programmer productivity can be vastly improved if the development of software is split into two, equally important phases.
Development of an Imine Chaperone for Selective C-H Functionalization of Alcohols via Radical Relay

The design of a radical relay chaperone to promote selective C-H functionalizations is described. A saccharin-based imine was found to be uniquely suited to effect C-H amination of alcohols via an in situ generated hemiaminal. This radical chaperone facilitates the mild generation of an N-centered radical while also directing its regioselective H atom transfer (HAT) to the β carbon of an alcohol. Upon β C-H halogenation, aminocyclization, and reductive cleavage, an NH2 is formally added vicinal to an alcohol. The development, synthetic utility, and chemo-, regio-, and stereoselectivity of this imine chaperone-mediated C-H amination is presented herein.
Adsorption and desorption of DNA-functionalized beads in glass microfluidic channels.

Integrated microfluidic devices for the purification, amplification, and detection of nucleic acids are a prevalent area of research due to their potential for miniaturization, assay integration, and increased efficiency over benchtop assays. These devices frequently contain micrometer-sized magnetic beads with a large surface area for the capture and manipulation of biological molecules such as DNA and RNA. Although magnetic beads are a standard tool for many biological assays, beads functionalized with biological molecules can adhere to microchannel walls and prevent further manipulation of the beads within the channel. Here, we analyze the effects of solution composition, microchannel hydrophobicity, and bead surface hydrophobicity on DNA-functionalized bead adhesion in a borosilicate glass microfluidic device. Bead adhesion is primarily a result of adsorption of the bead-linked DNA molecule to the microchannel wall; >81% of beads are consistently removed when not functionalized with DNA. Hydrophobicities of both the microchannel walls and the microbead surface are the primary determinants of bead adhesion, rather than electrostatic interactions and ion bridging. Surprisingly, DNA-functionalized bead adhesion in a standard RNA amplification solution was virtually eliminated by using hydrophobic microbeads with hydrophobic microchannel walls; under such conditions, 96.6 ± 1.6% of the beads were removed in one 43 nl/s, 10-min wash. The efficiency of a downstream RNA amplification reaction using DNA-functionalized beads did not appear to be affected by the hydrophobicity of the microbead surface. These findings can be applied to assays that require the efficient use of magnetic beads in DNA-based microfluidic assays.
Transcultural nostalgia for the colonial past: intersecting memories among Okinawans and the Northern Mariana Islanders

This study examines how different cultural groups forge a shared longing for the past, or transcultural nostalgia. The article suggests that each group’s past and present political-economic conditi...
Nurses and nursing support matter: interpreting the evidence

To the editors, In their editorial commenting on our paper ‘Association of registered nurse and nursing support staffing with inpatient hospital mortality’,1 Aiken and Sloane present our study results, conclusions and implications as if we examined the impact of substituting nursing support staff for professional nurses or registered nurses (RNs). We did not examine substitution of support staff for RNs (commonly called skill mix) in this study and, as Aiken and Sloane acknowledge, we stated our findings should not be interpreted to mean that nursing aides can safely substitute for RNs. Nonetheless, Aiken and Sloane discuss our current paper as though it is about skill …
Chapter 8 – Natural Gas

Although natural gas is a nonrenewable resource, it is included for discussion because its sudden growth from fracking will impact the development and use of renewable fuels. Firms who are engaged in the development of processes that employ synthesis gas as an intermediate have concluded that the synthesis gas is more economically obtainable by steam reforming of natural gas than by gasification of waste cellulose. In some instances, firms have largely abandoned the effort to produce a renewable fuel as such, and in others firms are developing hybrid processes that employ natural gas in combination with a fermentation system. Moreover, natural gas itself is an attractive fuel for internal combustion engines since it can be the least expensive option on a cost per joule basis. It is also aided by its high octane number of 130.
Cell Line Authentication in Vision Research and Beyond: A Tale Retold

We live in an age where new technologies, and organizations involved in the distribution of biological materials, such as cell culture lines, have eased accessibility to a variety of in vitro models, developed, and/or harvested from different sources. In translational and basic ophthalmology research, in vitro assays are an essential component to discovery and preclinical studies. It is, therefore, of utmost importance for vision researchers to be cognizant of the risks surrounding the use of newly developed cell culture models and how scientific integrity could be impacted when standard operating procedures are not followed for cell line validation and identification. Herein, we discuss authentication challenges we faced when we obtained a newly marketed human choroidal endothelial cell line for vision research, and outline our process of validating and characterizing primary human choroidal endothelial cell lines in the laboratory.
Incorporating Literature into an Organic Chemistry Laboratory Class: Translating Lab Activities Online and Encouraging the Development of Writing and Presentation Skills

After Wesleyan University moved all classes online because of the global outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, the organic chemistry laboratory course adjusted its curriculum to fit the circumstances. A symposium project with several components was introduced, allowing students to develop their scientific writing, presentation, and critical thinking skills through the assigned quiz, reading questions, discussion forum, article summary, and oral presentation. A paper published in ACS Omega about compounds in garlic essential oil as a potential treatment for SARS-CoV-2 was chosen for literature review; many techniques used in the paper, such as distillation and GC–MS analysis, were familiar to students, and the content was relevant to both the course and current events. Presentations were given through Zoom, and all of the assignments were handed in electronically. This symposium-style project can be easily formatted for in-classroom or online learning and, on the basis of student survey data, was greatly beneficial to helping students improve key skills necessary for upper-level science courses at Wesleyan and beyond.
A little shot of humility: Intellectual humility predicts vaccination attitudes and intention to vaccinate against COVID-19.

Vaccinations remain a critical, albeit surprisingly controversial, health behavior, especially with the promise of widely available COVID-19 vaccine. Intellectual humility, a virtue characterized by nonjudgmental recognition of one's own intellectual fallibility, may counter rigidity associated with anti-vaccination attitudes and help promote vaccine-related behaviors. This study investigated whether intellectual humility is related to anti-vaccination attitudes and intentions to vaccinate against COVID-19, and whether intellectual humility can predict unique variance in these outcomes beyond participant demographic and personal factors. Participants (N = 351, 57.23% male, mean age = 37.41 years, SD = 11.51) completed a multidimensional measure for intellectual humility, the anti-vaccination attitudes (VAX) scale, and a two-item COVID-19 vaccination intention scale. Bivariate correlations demonstrated that intellectual humility was negatively related with anti-vaccination attitudes overall, r(349) = -.46, p < .001, and positively related to intentions to vaccinate against COVID-19, r(349) = .20, p < .001. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that intellectual humility predicted all four types anti-vaccination attitudes, overall anti-vaccination attitudes, and COVID-19 vaccination intentions above and beyond demographic and personal factors (i.e., sex, race/ethnicity, age, education, socioeconomic status, and political orientation), ΔR 2 between .08 and .18, ps < .001. These results bolster intellectual humility as a malleable psychological factor to consider in efforts to combat anti-vaccination attitudes and promote COVID-19 vaccination uptake.
Gold-like activity copper-like selectivity of heteroatomic transition metal carbides for electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction reaction.

An overarching challenge of the electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (eCO2RR) is finding an earth-abundant, highly active catalyst that selectively produces hydrocarbons at relatively low overpotentials. Here, we report the eCO2RR performance of two-dimensional transition metal carbide class of materials. Our results indicate a maximum methane (CH4) current density of -421.63 mA/cm2 and a CH4 faradic efficiency of 82.7% ± 2% for di-tungsten carbide (W2C) nanoflakes in a hybrid electrolyte of 3 M potassium hydroxide and 2 M choline-chloride. Powered by a triple junction photovoltaic cell, we demonstrate a flow electrolyzer that uses humidified CO2 to produce CH4 in a 700-h process under one sun illumination with a CO2RR energy efficiency of about 62.3% and a solar-to-fuel efficiency of 20.7%. Density functional theory calculations reveal that dissociation of water, chemisorption of CO2 and cleavage of the C-O bond-the most energy consuming elementary steps in other catalysts such as copper-become nearly spontaneous at the W2C surface. This results in instantaneous formation of adsorbed CO-an important reaction intermediate-and an unlimited source of protons near the tungsten surface sites that are the main reasons for the observed superior activity, selectivity, and small potential.
Biologics for Immune-Mediated Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Immune-mediated hearing losses include autoimmune inner ear disease, sudden sensorineural hearing loss, and Meniere's disease. Standard therapy for an acute decline in hearing is timely use of corticosteroids. Although 60% to 70% of patients are initially corticosteroid-responsive, that responsiveness is lost over time. In corticosteroid-resistant patients, increased expression of interleukin (IL)-1 is observed, and these patients may benefit from IL-1 inhibition. Autoinflammatory diseases are characterized by dysregulation of the innate immune response, clinically include sensorineural hearing loss, and benefit from IL-1 inhibition, thereby further establishing the relationship of IL-1 with immune-mediated sensorineural hearing loss.
It's Better To Be Lucky Than Smart.

Bacterial cytoplasmic membrane vesicles provide a unique experimental system for studying active transport. Vesicles are prepared by lysis of osmotically sensitized cells (i.e., protoplasts or sphe...
Defective Efferocytosis in a Murine Model of Sjögren's Syndrome Is Mediated by Dysfunctional Mer Tyrosine Kinase Receptor.

Sjogren's syndrome (SjS) is a chronic autoimmune disease primarily involving the exocrine glands in which the involvement of the innate immune system is largely uncharacterized. Mer signaling has been found to be protective in several autoimmune diseases but remains unstudied in SjS. Here, we investigated the role of Mer signaling in SjS. Mer knockout (MerKO) mice were examined for SjS disease criteria. SjS-susceptible (SjSS) C57BL/6.NOD-Aec1Aec2 mice were assessed for defective Mer signaling outcomes, soluble Mer (sMer) levels, A disintegrin and metalloprotease 17 (ADAM17) activity, and Rac1 activation. In addition, SjS patient plasma samples were evaluated for sMer levels via ELISA, and sMer levels were correlated to disease manifestations. MerKO mice developed submandibular gland (SMG) lymphocytic infiltrates, SMG apoptotic cells, anti-nuclear autoantibodies (ANA), and reduced saliva flow. Mer signaling outcomes were observed to be diminished in SjSS mice, as evidenced by reduced Rac1 activation in SjSS mice macrophages in response to apoptotic cells and impaired efferocytosis. Increased sMer was also detected in SjSS mouse sera, coinciding with higher ADAM17 activity, the enzyme responsible for cleavage and inactivation of Mer. sMer levels were elevated in patient plasma and positively correlated with focus scores, ocular staining scores, rheumatoid factors, and anti-Ro60 levels. Our data indicate that Mer plays a protective role in SjS, similar to other autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, we suggest a series of events where enhanced ADAM17 activity increases Mer inactivation and depresses Mer signaling, thus removing protection against the loss of self-tolerance and the onset of autoimmune disease in SjSS mice.
Purification and cryo-EM structure determination of Arabidopsis thaliana GLR3.4.

Summary Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) are ligand-gated ion channels that play crucial roles in the central nervous system. iGluR homologs, termed glutamate receptor-like channels (GLRs), have been found in plants. Investigating the structural and functional relationship between iGluRs and GLRs was limited by GLR protein expression, purification, and structural characterization. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for Arabidopsis thaliana GLR3.4 (AtGLR3.4) expression in a mammalian cell line and purification for structure determination by cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM). For the complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Green et al. (2021) .
Abstract 15687: Loss of Tribbles 3 (TRIB3) Attenuates Pressure-Overload Induced Myocardial Hypertrophy

Introduction: Tribbles 3 (TRIB3) is a pseudokinase that regulates several biological functions such as cell proliferation and differentiation through its role in cellular metabolism. TRIB3 expression is modulated by various signals such as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, nutrient availability, and insulin. The exact function of TRIB3 in the heart is largely unknown. We hypothesized that loss of TRIB3 protects against cardiac hypertrophy through its role in the regulation of cellular metabolism. Results: To elucidate the role of TRIB3 loss in the heart, we generated TRIB3 knock-out (KO) mice. The animals were then subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC) and sham-surgery control. In the sham operation groups, there was no hypertrophy in both TRIB3-/- and Wild type (WT) age matched control mice. WT mice subjected to TAC (WT-TAC) showed cardiac hypertrophy evidenced by increased heart weight/body weight, increased left ventricular wall thickness and increased cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area. These hypertrophic findings were significantly reduced in TRIB3 KO-TAC hearts (P Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that TRIB3 expression is promoted in hypertrophied hearts. TRIB3 deletion suppresses cardiac pressure overload-induced hypertrophy. Thus, TRIB3 is a novel target that plays a role in cardiac hypertrophy and maladaptation following pressure overload.
Genetics of the Heme Pathway and Its Regulation

In the spring of 1984, the author decided to study the regulation of heme biosynthetic enzymes and thereby contribute in a peripheral way to the B12 project. This review presents a personal view of the pathway for heme biosynthesis and its regulation in the enteric bacteria Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli. The chapter emphasizes the genetic aspects with some historical perspective. It discusses what is known about regulation of the heme pathway in these bacteria. The HemA protein is quite unstable in cells growing normally, but it is stabilized by more than 10-fold specifically under conditions of heme limitation. The chapter suggests three simple models for HemA regulation. In the first model, the ATP concentration in vivo is postulated to decrease during heme-limited growth to a point that ATP becomes limiting for energy-dependent proteolysis. Second, when the Lon and ClpAP proteases act on HemA, the Km for ATP might be higher than for other substrates. Finally, the third model supposes that the protease-sensitive conformation is stabilized by formation of a disulfide bond, which is favored when the cell has excess oxidation capacity.
The Scratchboard Project

"Draw Shanice?" Mrs. Sharpe said through the screen door, wiping her hands on a towel. She glanced down at the sketchpad under my arm. Behind her, shirtless little black kids were hopping around. They opened the screen door themselves and flooded around me on the porch. "Everyone, this is Josh." They looked up, and in that instant, as I looked down at all of them, I saw for the first time the world in X-ray?black and white shapes floating before my eyes like objects tied to a mobile, just as my art teacher Mr. Thompson wanted us to see for the scratchboard project. The scratchboard project. An exercise in negative and positive relationships. You started with a piece of board with black coating on it, and you had to take your etcher and etch out a drawing, make a white image out of solid blackness. Essentially, you had to draw in reverse. You left what you ordinarily drew in and took away what you ordinarily left white. The rules for the project were simple: 1) pick someone in school you don't know 2) go to their house and study them "gesturally" 3) then turn them inside out, through sketches, later to be used as templates for transfers to the stratchboard. Naturally I had procrastinated, and now everybody I halfway knew from every decent house in town had been taken. I ended up here, in the next town, Bolivar, on this god-forsaken porch. Shanice Sharpe was the meanest black militant bitch in school. Her little brothers stood gazing up at me with placid faces that I was sure would turn inside out and hiss like demons.
Are You Making Fun of Me: Notes on Market Failure and the Parody Defense in Copyright

Robert P. Merges*The Supreme Court granted certiorari in an important case last spring,Campbell v. Acuff-Rose,' which raises a series of fundamental issues of copy-right doctrine. Equally important, however, it presents a unique opportunityfor the Court to expand on the emerging "economic" theory of copyrightwhich it has endorsed in a series of recent cases and which noted copyrightcommentators have refined in an important series of scholarly articles. ThisNote describes the case and ties together the doctrinal issues in the case andthe emerging economic or "market-centered" view of copyright.The Campbell case arose when popular music group "2 Live Crew" re-leased a rap version of Roy Orbison's 1964 pop hit "Oh, Pretty Woman."Acuff-Rose, a music publisher holding the copyright to the song, sued thegroup (of whom defendant Campbell is a member) for copyright infringe-ment, seeking past damages and an injunction barring further sale of thealbum that includes the song. The group won at trial, where the court heldthat their version of the song was a parody of the original Orbison composi-tion, and hence subject to the "fair use" defense against copyright infringe-ment.
Students' experiences in associate degree nursing programs: A qualitative study looking at moral distress

Abstract This qualitative study aimed to describe experiences of moral distress among students enrolled in associate degree nursing programs. Four themes emerged during analysis: (a) dealing with the inherent stress of nursing school; (b) learning and working in an unjust culture; (c) disempowerment and status; (d) moral residue and regret. Strategies to help nurse educators mediate and support students through challenging situations are discussed.
Motor Evoked Potential Response Latencies Demonstrate Moderate Correlations with Height and Limb Length in Healthy Young Adults

The purposes of this study were to determine 1) if motor evoked potential (MEP) response latencies and central motor conduction time (CMCT) are significantly correlated with lower extremity (LE) length or height, and 2) determine if MEP response latencies and CMCT are different between sexes among healthy adults. A cross-sectional, descriptive laboratory design was used. MEPs were recorded from 106 subjects (60 females, 46 males; age 20.1 +/- 2.4 years) by applying transcranial magnetic stimulation over the primary motor cortex. MEP response latencies were recorded using electromyography (EMG) responses from the tibialis anterior; CMCT was calculated from cortical and spinal-evoked MEP latencies. MEP latencies were significantly different between males (29.53 +/- 3.02 msec) and females (27.69 +/- 2.81 msec). Height accounted for greater variability (eta2 = .369 or approximately 37%) between genders and demonstrated a good-to-moderate correlation with MEP latency (r = .595, p = < .0001). Accounting for height as a confounding variable in the analyses, no significant differences between genders was observed (F1,103 = 2.45, p = .21). MEP latency should be adjusted to each subjects' height to account for the unwanted variability associated with the varied heights of subjects being tested, thereby permitting an accurate comparison and meaningful interpretation of MEPs between subjects or patients.
Micro and macro sociological causes of violent atrocities

One form of cruelty arises from ritually bounded social groups, where altruistic morality does not extend beyond the boundaries of one’s own enclave, and deliberate public cruelty to enemies is a ritual of group solidarity. Ritualized public displays of cruelty upon helpless victims are most strongly institutionalized in societies which combine hierarchic stratification with strongly ritualized group membership. Cruelty returns in its second form, bureaucratic callousness, through the impersonal structure of modern warfare and the exercise of organizational power.
Efficient Acoustic Uncertainty Estimation for Transmission Loss Calculations

Abstract : The overall long-term goal for this project is to enhance the Navy's predictive capabilities in uncertain ocean environments. This project is a collaboration with Dr. Robert Zingarelli at the Naval Research Laboratory - Stennis Space Center (NRL-SSC). At the time of this project's proposal, the long-term goal was the integration of the existing field-shifting algorithm [1,2] with uBand. However, for the uncertain variables of greatest interest to NRL-SSC, alternative reciprocity-based or calculation-statistics- based techniques are likely to provide more accurate results with greater computational efficiently than the field-shifting approach. At present, the long-term goal for this project is to produce techniques and algorithms that improve the performance of uBand for predicting TL uncertainty in underwater environments of interest to the US Navy. The specific objectives of this project are: a) fully explore the applicability and utility of the reciprocity and calculation-statistics approaches for TL uncertainty estimation for uncertain source depth throughout the parameter ranges of interest, b) integrate the better of these two techniques into the existing uBand algorithm, c) develop other techniques (possibly including FS) for uncertain variables or environments where uBand performs sub-optimally.
A Review of Obesity and Its Relationship with the Built Environment: Implications for Health Educators.

Obesity is an important worldwide public health problem. Obesogenic environments have been associated with increasing rates of overweight and obesity. The relationship between obesity and the built environment, along with its implications for health education are discussed in this article.
Yeast nucleotide excision repair proteins Rad2 and Rad4 interact with RNA polymerase II basal transcription factor b (TFIIH).

The Rad2, Rad3, Rad4, and Ss12 proteins are required for nucleotide excision repair in yeast cells and are homologs of four human proteins which are involved in a group of hereditary repair-defective diseases. We have previously shown that Rad3 protein is one of the five subunits of purified RNA polymerase II basal transcription initiation factor b (TFIIH) and that Ss12 protein physically associates with factor b (W.J. Feaver, J.Q. Svejstrup, L. Bardwell, A.J. Bardwell, S. Buratowski, K.D. Gulyas, T.F. Donahue, E.C. Friedberg, and R.D. Kornberg, Cell 75:1379-1387, 1993). Here we show that the Rad2 and Rad4 proteins interact with purified factor b in vitro. Rad2 (a single-stranded DNA endonuclease) specifically interacts with the Tfb1 subunit of factor b, and we have mapped a limited region of the Rad2 polypeptide which is sufficient for this interaction. Rad2 also interacts directly with Ss12 protein (a putative DNA helicase). The binding of Rad2 and Rad4 proteins to factor b may define intermediates in the assembly of the nucleotide excision repair repairosome. Furthermore, the loading of factor b (or such intermediates) onto promoters during transcription initiation provides a mechanism for the preferential targeting of repair proteins to actively transcribing genes.
Creating a Calamity

This essay is part of a symposium where the contributors were asked to identify their "favorite" commercial calamity. It takes a lot to create a calamity in the commercial arena. Transactional attorneys spend a good deal of their time drafting around the calamities of the past. The Supreme Court's decision in Till v. SCS Credit Corp., 541 U.S. 465 (2004), nevertheless deserves the label. The issue before the Court was straight-forward - how should bankruptcy courts ascertain the appropriate interest rate in a Chapter 13 plan. At one level the case is a calamity in that the Court failed to produce a majority opinion. This issue simply called for a clear rule. While some rules may be better than others, the overriding concern should have been to provide definitive guidance on this oft recurring issue. Here, the Court simply failed. Till bids for calamity status on a second score as well. The opinions show little regard for commercial law. To be sure, Justice Scalia's opinion demonstrates that he at least understood the basic functioning of bankruptcy law and credit practices. The same cannot be said for the remaining opinions. Justice Thomas, accusing all of textual infidelity, authored an opinion which adopted a measure that no court of appeals had endorsed. He argued that, though virtually unnoticed, the Bankruptcy Code mandated that Chapter 13 debtors pay the same rate of interest as the country's most solvent financial institutions. Justice Stevens did little better. His opinion suggests that, for those in Chapter 13 who are seeking to repay their secured debts over time, one should start with the prime rate, and then add 1% to 3%. To be sure, one could articulate a rational for this formula approach that comports with the dynamics of Chapter 13. (We need an easy-to-implement rule; we know that collateral tends to be valued too high, so a rule that sets interest too low may achieve a rough balance.) Unfortunately, this is not the tact that Justice Stevens took. His opinion rests on the assertion that Chapter 13 provides sufficient safeguards so that a modest increase in the prime rate represents the true risk to creditors. This reasoning cannot be squared with what we know about Chapter 13 practice. Moreover, by suggesting that courts can provide a more accurate assessment of default risk than markets, Justice Stevens's opinion creates the possibility for mischief across the Bankruptcy Code.
Gabriella Coleman, Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous

Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy is the culmination of more than six years of online anthropological work, detailing the evolution of the group Anonymous from a loose assortment of “kids screwing around on the Internet as lulz-drunk trolls” to “principled dissidents” (p. 3). Author Gabriella Coleman is widely regarded as the preeminent expert on Anonymous, and this book makes it obvious why this is the case. The book is organized chronologically, allowing the reader to follow Coleman’s journey alongside—and at times among— Anonymous.
Spatial modal control of two-dimensional photonic crystal Bragg lasers

We investigate the modal losses and field distributions of different order transverse modes supported by the photonic crystal Bragg structure using a transfer matrix method. We find that only the fundamental transverse mode has a single-lobed near field and far field and there exists a trade-off between ensuring lasing in the fundamental transverse mode and reducing the threshold. Employing these design principles, we experimentally demonstrate a large-area, edge-emitting, and single-mode semiconductor photonic crystal Bragg laser with a single-lobed, diffraction-limited far field under continuous wave condition.
Gut-wrenching Choices and Blameworthiness

While there is no shortage of disagreement about what is required for blameworthiness, it has traditionally been assumed that freely doing what you know to be wrong all things considered, despite being aware that it is within your power to do the right thing instead, suffices. Let us refer to this traditional assumption as the sufficiency thesis. The sufficiency thesis is plausible, but it is not beyond dispute. Reflection on certain situations in which a person can do the right thing but only at great personal sacrifice highlights some particularly pressing difficulties for it. My principal aim in this article is to show that those difficulties are not insuperable. Along the way, I also make some observations about the sorts of considerations that can limit the amount of blame of which a person is worthy without rendering the person entirely blameless.
Torsion subgroups of Brauer groups and extensions of constant local degree for global function fields

Abstract We show that, for all characteristic p global fields k and natural numbers n coprime to the order of the non-p-part of the Picard group Pic 0 ( k ) of k, there exists an abelian extension L / k whose local degree at every prime of k is equal to n. This answers in the affirmative in this context a question recently posed by Kisilevsky and Sonn. As a consequence, we show that, for all n and k as above, the n-torsion subgroup Br n ( k ) of the Brauer group Br ( k ) of k is algebraic, answering a question of Aldjaeff and Sonn in this context.
Action of adrenalcortical steroids on cultured cells.

A correspondence exists between the direct action of adrcnocortical hormones on cultured cells and their action in the organism. Inhibition of growth and depression of respiration and of production of mucopolysaccharide in tissue culture by hydrocortisone in high concentration appear to be related to the inhibition of wound healing by excess hydrocortisone. The growth-inhibitory action of meticortelone on cultured cells is, as in the whole organism, about 3 times greater than that of hydrocortisone. Hydrocortisone in low concentration stimulates respiration thus increasing energy production. In the organism, this appears to be the cause of the increase of work efficiency under the influence of hydrocortisone. In high concentrations, hydrocortisone depresses respiration and increases aerobic glycolysis. The present finding that excess hydrocortisone stimulates anaerobic metabolism provides a basis for analyzing the role of the adrenal cortex in the performance of strenuous work in states of emergency, for ...
A seven day actigraphy-based study of rumination and sleep disturbance among young adults with depressive symptoms

Abstract Objectives Trait ruminators exhibit significantly higher levels of sleep disturbance than those without this cognitive vulnerability. However, support for the sleep disruptive effects of state rumination, especially in the pre-sleep period, is rare, and hindered by methodological drawbacks such as self-report and single night assays of sleep. Finally, despite the pervasiveness of the ruminative response style among individuals with depression, the association between rumination and sleep disturbance has not been explored in this population. The present study employed a week-long daily sampling approach to examine the effects of naturally occurring pre-sleep rumination on self-reported and actigraphy-based sleep among individuals with high depressive symptomatology. Methods Forty-two university students (19.6 ± 3.2 yo;73.8% female), all of whom reported at least moderate levels of depressive symptoms, completed a short questionnaire after waking each morning for seven days. On this questionnaire, they self-reported sleep indices from the previous night and levels of engagement in pre-sleep rumination. Sleep was also monitored throughout this period via wrist actigraphy. Hierarchical-linear-modeling was used to examine the association between nightly rumination and sleep. Results Nightly variations in pre-sleep rumination were predictive of significantly longer actigraphy- and diary-based sleep onset latency (SOL). Notably, a 1 SD increase on the pre-sleep rumination scale was associated with an approximately 7 minute increase in actigraphy-based SOL, even after controlling for baseline sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms. Conclusions These data offer compelling evidence for the impact of pre-sleep rumination on sleep onset, providing insight into one potential mechanism that triggers sleep disturbance among individuals with depressive symptoms.
Estrogen therapy for unstable angina: another bump for the bandwagon.

Unstable angina and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MI) accounted for 1,433,000 hospitalizations in the U.S. in 1996 [(1)][1]. Nearly 60% of those with unstable angina were >65 years and 46% were women. Women comprise a larger proportion of the unstable angina population than of the MI
Effect of drugs on high-density lipoprotein

Abstract The National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III found evidence for raising high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) to reduce coronary artery disease (CAD) events supports use of HDL-C to help modify low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)−lowering goals, but not to establish new HDL-C−focused treatment recommendations. However, the HDL-C−raising clinical trials provide important lessons to help guide clinical management of dyslipidemic patients. The fibrate outcome trials demonstrate that these drugs reduce CAD events, but not death. Their greatest benefit is in patients with atherogenic dyslipidemia characterized by high triglycerides, small LDL particles, and low HDL-C. Unfortunately, there is no information on whether these drugs extend risk reduction when added to a statin. The niacin outcome trials also demonstrate a reduction in CAD events, both with niacin monotherapy and in combination with a statin. Unfortunately, most of the trials are too small to address the impact of niacin on mortality. In the clinic, statins are most useful for their LDL-C−lowering efficacy, although their modest HDL-C−raising effects can be important in CAD risk reduction. In most cases, other therapies will need to be added to a statin to augment HDL-C−raising, and the most effective drug for achieving this is niacin. The greatest challenge with the use of niacin is managing the vasodilatory side effects, but this can be effectively done in the majority of patients. Fibrates can also be added to a statin for management of atherogenic dyslipidemia. These drugs are among the most effective triglyceride-lowering drugs, and they also increase HDL-C levels, but not as much as niacin. The biggest concern with combining a fibrate with a statin is the enhanced risk of severe muscle toxicity, but this appears to be a problem unique to gemfibrozil, and not fenofibrate. In the research center, new approaches are under development for enhancing the availability of apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) and nascent HDL particles to promote enhanced reverse cholesterol transport, increasing the production of transport molecules, in particular, ATP-binding cassette A-I, to facilitate delivery of cholesterol within the macrophage cell to the cell surface, where it can be taken up by nascent HDL particles for transport to the liver, and inhibiting the cholesteryl ester transport protein to promote retention of cholesteryl esters within the HDL core for delivery back to the liver. In addition, new insights into the role of prostaglandin D 2 in the niacin flush and discovery of the niacin receptor has led to a search for a more efficacious and "flushless" niacin.
The Contribution of Extratropical Waves to the MJO Wind Field

AbstractA method for capturing the different dynamical components of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is presented. The tropical wind field is partitioned into three components using free-space Green’s functions: 1) a nondivergent component, 2) an irrotational component, and 3) a background or environmental flow that is interpreted as the influence on the tropical flow due to vorticity and divergence elements outside of the tropical region. The analyses performed in this study show that this background flow is partly determined by a train of extratropical waves. Space–time power spectra for each flow component are calculated. The strongest signal in the nondivergent wind spectrum corresponds to equatorial Rossby, mixed Rossby–gravity, and easterly waves. The strongest signal in the irrotational winds corresponds to Kelvin and inertia–gravity modes. The strongest signal in the power spectrum of the background flow corresponds to the wave band of extratropical Rossby waves. Furthermore, a coherence analy...