cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Narrative review of palliative hypofractionated radiotherapy for high grade glioma

High grade gliomas (HGG) include World Health Organization (WHO) grade III anaplastic astrocytoma (AA) and WHO grade IV glioblastoma (GBM). As genomic alterations are prognostic, even WHO grade II, IDH-wildtype gliomas may be considered as HGG. Current management of HGG include best supportive care (BSC), surgery, radiation therapy (RT), chemotherapy, and a combination. Elderly patients (defined here as age ≥65) with GBM have significantly worse survival compared to younger patients. Similarly, patients with poor performance status [defined as Karnofsky performance status (KPS) 2], regardless of age have worse outcomes. The standard of care for treatment of HGG involves surgery and chemoradiation. However, the optimal treatment in terms of efficacy, safety and maintaining quality of life (QoL), remains a matter of debate in the elderly and/or poor performing patients due to their worse prognosis. Less aggressive interventions are usually reserved for these patients despite surgery providing a survival and neurologic benefit. Improved survival has been noted in elderly patients treated with RT in comparison with those receiving best supportive care (BSC) alone, with similar survival for patients undergoing standard RT (60 Gy/30 fractions) and hypofractionated RT (25-40 Gy in 5-15 daily fractions). An alkylating agent, temozolomide (TMZ), represents a safe and effective option in select patients with promoter methylation of O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) gene. A recent phase III randomized trial for GBM patients (age ≥65 years, ECOG PS 0-2) demonstrated a significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) with hypofractionated RT (40 Gy/15 fractions) with concurrent and adjuvant TMZ vs. RT alone, without adversely impacting either QoL or functional status. Despite chemoradiation becoming the recommended treatment in GBM patients who are elderly but fit, several questions remain unanswered. This includes the survival impact of chemoradiation in patients with severe comorbidities or with ECOG PS >2 or a combination of poor prognostic features such as male gender, poor neurocognition, biopsy only and lack of MGMT methylation. Personalized management of patients with HGG is warranted in the modern era as we attempt to balance the benefit of efficacious treatment with potential toxicity while appreciating the many nuances associated with multiple prognostic factors on anticipated survival. Here, we aim to review the palliative management options available for HGG patients with an emphasis on the role of RT.
Evaluating the Performances of Memristor, FinFET, and Graphene TFET in VLSI Circuit Design

There are limitations in CMOS transistor as the technology scales down. The problem of short channel effects (SCE) has become dominant, which causes the malfunction and failure of CMOS circuits. Various devices are proposed to continue extending Moore's law and the roadmap in semiconductor industry. Memristor is a two terminal passive device, which has proven to be compatible with MOSFET microfabrication processes and also offers some distinctive features. It is a nano-dimensional device, so it saves a lot of die area and consumes less power. Similarly, FinFET structure has aided in better electrostatic control of transistor channel. The leakage current and power are reduced, thus, it shows better performance than MOS transistor. FinFET exhibits temperature effect inversion (TEI) because its I ON increases even at the superthreshold region. The integration of graphene nanoribbon (GNR) FET into IC design has shown a lot of improvements in terms of speed and power. In this work, we present the characteristics of GNRFET and design an inverter circuit using Cadence/Spectre. Following this, a three-stage ring oscillator (RO) is designed, and the results show that its center frequency is 30.2 GHz with a phase noise of −125.2dBc/Hz. In addition, it consumes 0.15 mW power, which makes it suitable for high frequency and low power applications. More so, the RO has a very good phase noise performance.
Fate of environmental pollutants

The purpose of the present literature review is to cover studies published during the calendar year 2008 on the fate of environmental pollutants in the atmosphere, soil, groundwater and surface waters. Studies related to soil remediation, water quality and sources of environmental pollution as well as reaction kinetics and modeling are reviewed. Included in the coverage of the present review is research on pollutants, such as: nutrients, xenobiotics, metals, pathogens, and nanomaterials.
Generalizations of the Kermack-McCrea Identity

An identity for exponentials of operators, which has been of use in quantum mechanics, was proved in 1931 by Kermack and McCrea. Let X be a real or complex Banach space; and let A , B ∈ L ( X ) be such that A and B commute with [ A , B ]= AB - BA . Then exp( A + B )=exp( A /2)exp( B )exp( A /2). The objective of this paper is to obtain similar formulas for exp ( A + B ) in case A and B do not commute with [ A , B ], but do commute with higher order commutators. Exp ( A + B ) will then be expressed as a palindromic product of exponentials of operators. For example, if A and B commute with [[ A , B ], A ] and [[ A , B ], B ], and if λ=(1-3√4) -1 ≅-1.7024, then exp( A + B )=exp(1-λ/4 A )exp(1-λ/2 B )exp(1+λ/4 A )exp(λ B )exp(1+λ/4 A )exp(1-λ/2 B )exp(1-λ/4 A ).
Law, Environment, and the "Nondismal" Social Sciences

Over the past 30 years, the influence of economics over the study of environmental law and policy has expanded considerably, becoming in the process the predominant framework for analyzing regulations that address pollution, natural resource use, and other environmental issues. This review seeks to complement the expansion of economic reasoning and methodology within the field of environmental law and policy by identifying insights to be gleaned from various “nondismal” social sciences. In particular, three areas of inquiry are highlighted as illustrative of interdisciplinary work that might help to complement law and economics and, in some cases, compensate for it: the study of how human individuals perceive, judge, and decide; the observation and interpretation of how knowledge schemes are created, used, and regulated; and the analysis of how states and other actors coordinate through international and global regulatory regimes. The hope is to provide some examples of how environmental law and policy re...
Negative relationship between thermal tolerance and plasticity in tolerance emerges during experimental evolution in a widespread marine invertebrate.

Whether populations can adapt to predicted climate change conditions, and how rapidly, are critical questions for the management of natural systems. Experimental evolution has become an important tool to answer these questions. In order to provide useful, realistic insights into the adaptive response of populations to climate change, there needs to be careful consideration of how genetic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity interact to generate observed phenotypic changes. We exposed three populations of the widespread copepod Acartia tonsa (Crustacea) to chronic, sublethal temperature selection for 15 generations. We generated thermal survivorship curves at regular intervals both during and after this period of selection to track the evolution of thermal tolerance. Using reciprocal transplants between ambient and warming conditions, we also tracked changes in the strength of phenotypic plasticity in thermal tolerance. We observed significant increases in thermal tolerance in the Warming lineages, while plasticity in thermal tolerance was strongly reduced. We suggest these changes are driven by a negative relationship between thermal tolerance and plasticity in thermal tolerance. Our results indicate that adaptation to warming through an increase in thermal tolerance might not reduce vulnerability to climate change if the increase comes at the expense of tolerance plasticity. These results illustrate the importance of considering changes in both a trait of interest and the trait plasticity during experimental evolution.
Traffic control for air quality management and congestion mitigation in complex urban vehicular tunnels

Urban vehicular tunnels, generally connected to the ground road network via on- and off-ramps, are geometrically complex with multiple entrances and exits. They are designed with in-tunnel ventilation systems and multiple pollutant discharge points for air quality control. In addition to traditional mechanical ventilation tools, traffic control has been recognized as a useful approach for air quality management and congestion mitigation in tunnels. This study aims to develop quantitative system analytic models for optimal traffic control considering both traffic and air quality improvement goals for complex urban tunnels. Moving vehicles inside the tunnel are not only the emission source, but also a key factor affecting aerodynamics in the tunnel. For a control cycle, steady-state traffic flow, aerodynamics, and pollutant dispersion models are established by tunnel segment, in which the air flow speed under a given mechanical ventilation scheme is mainly affected by tunnel traffic. An optimal time-of-day ramp traffic metering and mainline inlet traffic control model is proposed using nonlinear programming (NP) techniques to meet multiple air quality/emission as well as traffic throughput requirements. In-tunnel air quality requirements and emission limits at discharge points are modeled as nonlinear constraints for traffic control decisions. For illustration, the model was applied to an urban tunnel in Hangzhou, China for optimal traffic control to (1) assist the tunnel ventilation to meet environmental requirements under varying traffic demand; (2) provide a mechanism for tunnel air pollution control when fan operation alone is not enough during peak traffic period; and (3) maintain traffic efficiency by preventing recurrent congestion in the tunnel. The proposed tunnel traffic control method proves a useful complementary strategy to traditional mechanical tunnel ventilation for the improvement of urban tunnel transportation environment.
Towards Live Informing and Automatic Analyzing of Student Learning: Reporting in ASSISTment System

Limited classroom time available in middle school mathematics classes forces teachers to choose between assisting students’ development and assessing students’ abilities. To help teachers make better use of their time, we are integrating assistance and assessment by utilizing a web-based system (“ASSISTment”) that will offer instruction to students while providing a more detailed evaluation of their abilities to the teacher than is possible under current approaches (refer to (Razzaq et al., 2005) for more details about the ASSISTment system). In this paper we describe the types of reports that we have designed and implemented that provide real time reporting to teachers in their classrooms. And experiment analysis tools are available to facilitate researchers to carry out randomized controlled learning experiments so that they are able to compare different tutoring strategies. Additionally, reports to principals are in progress. This reporting system is robost enough to support the 2000 students currntly using our system. Feng, M., Heffernan, N.T. (in press). Towards Live Informing and Automatic Analyzing of Student Learning: Reporting in the Assistment System. Accepted by Usage Analysis in Learning Systems: Existing Approaches and Scientific Issues. Special Issue of Journal of Interactive Learning Research (JILR), 18(2). scheduled to be published in 2007.
Bacterial metabolism of thiamine. I. The isolation and characterization of the initial intermediates in the oxidation of thiamine.

Abstract The first intermediates in the metabolism of thiamine by a microorganism isolated from soil are 2-methyl-4-amino-5-hydroxymethylpyrimidine and 5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methyl-thiazole. The pyrimidine is further metabolized, first to 2-methyl-4-hydroxy-5-hydroxymethylpyrimidine followed by 2-methyl-4-hydroxy-5-pyrimidine-carboxylic acid. The thiazole metabolites 4-methylthiazole-5-acetic acid and 2-oxy-4-methylthiazole-5-acetic acid also accumulate in the incubation medium but it is not known as yet whether they are derived directly from 5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methylthiazole.
Immunology of Corneal Allografts: Insights from Animal Models

Corneal transplantation stands alone as the most common and successful form of solid organ transplantation. Even though HLA matching and systemic antirejection drugs are not routinely used, 90% of the first time corneal allografts will succeed. By contrast, all other major categories of organ transplantation require HLA matching and the use of systemically administered immunosuppressive drugs. This remarkable success of corneal transplants under these conditions is an example of “immune privilege” and is the primary reason for the extraordinary success of corneal transplantation. A number of dogmas have emerged over the past century to explain immune privilege and the immunobiology of corneal transplantation. Many of these dogmas have been based largely on inferences from clinical observations on keratoplasty patients. The past 30 years have witnessed a wealth of rodent studies on corneal transplantation that have tested hypotheses and dogmas that originated from clinical observations on penetrating keratoplasty patients. Rodent models allow the application of highly sophisticated genetic and immunological tools for testing these hypotheses in a controlled environment and with experiments designed prospectively. These studies have validated some of the widely held assumptions based on clinical observations and in other cases, previous dogmas have been replaced with new insights that could only come from prospective studies performed under highly controlled conditions. This review highlights some of the key dogmas and these widely held assumptions that have been scrutinized through the use of rodent models of penetrating keratoplasty. This review also makes note of new immunological principles of corneal immunology that have emerged from rodent studies on corneal transplantation that most likely would not have been revealed in studies on corneal transplantation patients.
Militarizing Class Warfare: The Historical Foundations of the Neoliberal/ Neoconservative Nexus.

Given the vacuity of political metaphors in the USA, most Americans might assume neoliberalism and neoconservatism to be at odds with one another. This article argues to the contrary. Neoconservatism has provided a solution to a crisis in neoliberalism – the crisis of how to manufacture the public's support for an agenda that was so decidedly contrary to the public's larger interests. Aided in large part by the political philosophy of Leo Strauss, neoconservatism has emboldened neoliberals to embrace the heteronomy always implicit within the capital relation by recognizing their own ‘natural right’ to rule by virtue of their demonstrated superiority. Hence, the advancement of the neoliberal agenda has demanded more than the economic disenfranchisement of the population. To fulfill its desires to return America to nineteenth-century conditions, when capital dominated, neoliberalism has formed an alliance with neoconservatives to effect an equally devastating political disenfranchisement of American citizens.
Absorption of Fructose by Isolated Small Intestine of Rats is Via a Specific Saturable Carrier in the Absence of Glucose and by the Disaccharidase-Related Transport System in the Presence of Glucose

Previous studies have shown that the absorption of fructose is aided by simultaneous ingestion of glucose. The aim of the present study was to reproduce this finding in vitro to better understand the mechanism of the effect of glucose on absorption of fructose. The phenomena could not be reproduced with everted sleeves of rat intestine or brush border vesicles. In a perfused segment of isolated intestine, it was possible to demonstrate that the transport of fructose was accelerated when glucose was present in the perfusion medium. The enhanced transport was inhibited by sucrose and also by acarbazone, an inhibitor of intestinal alpha-disaccharidases. Phlorizin had no effect on the transport of fructose. The results of these studies indicate that there is a specific carrier for fructose saturated with a low concentration of the sugar, and that in the presence of glucose there is joint absorption of the two sugars by the disaccharidase-related transport system.
The stigma of childhood mental disorders: a conceptual framework.

Objective To describe the state of the literature on stigma associated with children's mental disorders and highlight gaps in empirical work. Method We reviewed child mental illness stigma articles in (English only) peer-reviewed journals available through Medline and PsychInfo. We augmented these with adult-oriented stigma articles that focus on theory and measurement. A total of 145 articles in PsychInfo and 77 articles in MEDLINE met search criteria. The review process involved identifying and appraising literature convergence on the definition of critical dimensions of stigma, antecedents, and outcomes reported in empirical studies. Results We found concurrence on three dimensions of stigma (negative stereotypes, devaluation, and discrimination), two contexts of stigma (self, general public), and two targets of stigma (self/individual, family). Theory and empirics on institutional and self-stigma in child populations were sparse. Literature reports few theoretic frameworks and conceptualizations of child mental illness stigma. One model of help seeking (the FINIS) explicitly acknowledges the role of stigma in children's access and use of mental health services. Conclusions Compared with adults, children are subject to unique stigmatizing contexts that have not been adequately studied. The field needs conceptual frameworks that get closer to stigma experiences that are causally linked to how parents/caregivers cope with children's emotional and behavioral problems, such as seeking professional help. To further research in child mental illness, we suggest an approach to adapting current theoretical frameworks and operationalizing stigma, highlighting three dimensions of stigma, three contexts of stigma (including institutions), and three targets of stigma (self/child, family, and services).
A structural transition of Sn impurities in monovalent metallic solvents

Abstract Sn impurities are found to undergo a sharp transition with decreasing solvent electron density in monovalent liquid host materials. The transition is detected by an abrupt and large increase of impurity dimagnetism that probably originates in the formalism of sharp virtual p levels.
Cross-talk between E. coli strains and a human colorectal adenocarcinoma-derived cell line

Although there is great interest in the specific mechanisms of how gut microbiota modulate the biological processes of the human host, the extent of host-microbe interactions and the bacteria-specific metabolic activities for survival in the co-evolved gastrointestinal environment remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate a comprehensive comparison of the host epithelial response induced by either a pathogenic or commensal strain of Escherichia coli using a multi-omics approach. We show that Caco-2 cells incubated with E. coli display an activation of defense response genes associated with oxidative stress. Indeed, in the bacteria co-culture system, the host cells experience an altered environment compared with the germ-free system that includes reduced pH, depletion of major energy substrates, and accumulation of fermentation by-products. Measurement of intracellular Caco-2 cell metabolites revealed a significantly increased lactate concentration, as well as changes in TCA cycle intermediates. Our results will lead to a deeper understanding of acute microbial-host interactions.
Infectivity and pathogenicity of three isolates of Ostertagia ostertagi in cattle

Two laboratory-maintained isolates of Ostertagia ostertagi and 1 recently isolated from grazing cattle, were compared for their infectivity and pathogenicity in Holstein-Friesian calves. Calves were inoculated with 200 000 and 300 000 infective larvae in 2 experiments. Calves in both experiments developed anorexia and diarrhea; generally calves were more severely affected by the larger inoculum. Patent infections and clinical signs developed later in the calves inoculated with the field isolate. Despite decades of laboratory passage of 2 of the isolates and the geographic diversity of all 3 isolates studied, there were no significant differences among them in their infectivity as measured by numbers of nematodes and percentage of arrested development at necropsy and by pathogenicity in calves.
Comparison of Surgical Outcomes and Implant Wear Between Ceramic-Ceramic and Ceramic-Polyethylene Articulations in Total Hip Arthroplasty

The results of a prospective multicenter trial comparing 357 hips randomized to total hip arthroplasty with either ceramic-ceramic or ceramic-polyethylene couplings are presented. No statistically significant difference in clinical outcomes scores between the ceramic-ceramic and ceramic-polyethylene groups was observed at any time interval. The mean linear rate was statistically lower (P < .001) in the ceramic-ceramic group (30.5 μm/year) when compared with the ceramic-polyethylene group (218.2 μm/year). The rates of ceramic implant fracture (2.6%) and audible component-related noise (3.1%) were statistically higher in the ceramic-ceramic group when compared with the ceramic-polyethylene group (P < .05). Lastly, there was no statistically significant difference in the dislocation or revision rate between the groups at the time of last clinical follow-up.
Phylogeny of minute carabid beetles and their relatives based upon DNA sequence data (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechitae)

The phylogeny of ground beetles of supertribe Trechitae is inferred using DNA sequences of genes that code for 28S ribosomal RNA, 18S ribosomal RNA, and wingless. Within the outgroups, austral psydrines are inferred to be monophyletic, and separate from the three genera of true Psydrina (Psydrus, Nomius, Laccocenus); the austral psydrines are formally removed from Psydrini and are treated herein as their own tribe, Moriomorphini Sloane. All three genes place Gehringia with Psydrina. Trechitae is inferred to be monophyletic, and sister to Patrobini. Within trechites, evidence is presented that Tasmanitachoides is not a tachyine, but is instead a member of Trechini. Perileptus is a member of subtribe Trechodina. Against Erwin’s hypothesis of anillines as a polyphyletic lineage derived from the tachyine genus Paratachys, the anillines sampled are monophyletic, and not related to Paratachys. Zolini, Pogonini, Tachyina, and Xystosomina are all monophyletic, with the latter two being sister groups. The relationships of the subtribe Bembidiina were studied in greater detail. Phrypeus is only distantly related to Bembidion, and there is no evidence from sequence data that it belongs within Bembidiina. Three groups that have been recently considered to be outside of the large genus Bembidion are shown to be derived members of Bembidion, related to subgroups: Cillenus is related to the Ocydromus complex of Bembidion, Zecillenus is related to the New Zealand subgenus Zeplataphus, and Hydrium is close to subgenus Metallina. The relationships among major lineages of Trechitae are not, however, resolved with these data.
Does God know what it's like not to know?

The topic of divine omniscience is well-trodden ground, with philosophers and theologians having asked virtually every question there is to ask about it. The questions regarding God's omniscience to be addressed here are as follows. First, is omniscience best understood as maximal propositional knowledge along with maximal experiential knowledge (both to be defined shortly)? I argue that it is. Second, is it possible for God to be essentially omniscient? I argue that it is not.
ANALYSIS OF LATENT DIMENSIONALITY OF DICHOTOMOUSLY AND POLYTOMOUSLY SCORED TEST DATA

Three closely related latent space dimensionality assessment procedures are surveyed. They are DIMTEST (called POLY-DIMTEST in the polytomous case), HCA/PROX, and DETECT. Each procedure works for both dichotomous and polytomous scoring. These procedures form a conceptual unity because they all estimate item pair conditional covariances given latent ability. As such, they are nonparametric and weak local independence based procedures. DIMTEST assesses for dichotomously scored items whether a test’s latent space is unidimensional or not. POLY-DIMTEST does the same for polytomously scored items. HCA/PROX does a hierarchical cluster analysis of items based on the Roussos dimensionality-sensitive proximity measure, thereby searching for item clusters that are dimensionally homogeneous within cluster and heterogeneous between clusters. When such approximate simple structure holds, DIMTEST is used in conjunction with HCA/PROX to identify which level of the HCA/PROX cluster partition hierarchy best describes the multidimensional simple structure driving the data. DETECT, with the aide of Zhang’s genetic algorithm based optimization procedure, counts the number of dominant dimensions, measures the size of the departure from unidimensionality, and searches for dimensionally homogeneous item clusters when approximate simple structure holds. All three procedures are described and judged effective based on a blend of simulation studies and real data analyses, using studies in the literature as well as some studies reported herein. Finally, an overview of some work in progress is given. This includes enhancements of the above procedures as well as some new procedures.
Ultrasonic wave propagation in human cortical bone--II. Measurements of elastic properties and microhardness.

Abstract The microtextural symmetry of dry human cortical bone was found to be consistent with hexagonal symmetry, based on microstructural observations as well as on the ultrasonic velocity measurements at 5 MHz and at room temperature using a pulse transmission method. Five independent elastic stiffness constants were obtained therefrom and are (in 10 10 N/m 2 ): c 11 = 2.34, c 33 = 3.25, c 44 = 0.871, c 12 = 0.906, c 13 = 0.911. Microhardness measurements on the cross section of the bone show that it is ‘intrinsically’ uniform from the endosteal to the periosteal side and for the four quadrants. The dependence of the elastic stiffnesses on the polar angle is plotted to show how the elastic stiffnesses are interrelated to the orientations in the bone. Characteristics of ultrasonic wave propagation in the bone were shown to be somewhat analogous to those in a fiber-reinforced composite material; the bone filters and polarizes ultrasonic waves.
Clobazam therapeutic drug monitoring: a comprehensive review of the literature with proposals to improve future studies.

Background:Clobazam was recently approved for Lennox–Gastaut syndrome in the United States. There is no published review article focused on clobazam therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in English.Methods:More than 200 clobazam articles identified by a PubMed search were carefully reviewed for informat
Atopic Asthma: T-Cell Response to Corticosteroids

Atopic asthma is associated with diminished cell-mediated immunity and elevated levels of IgE, both of which may be caused by imbalances of T-lymphocyte subsets. We analyzed the response of peripheral blood T-cell subsets to two commonly used corticosteroid preparations as a probe of T-cell subset regulation. We administered prednisone (P) 60 mg or 20 mg, beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) aerosol, 336 μg, placebo, or BDP vehicle in a double-blind protocol to 15 atopic asthmatic patients and ten nonatopic subjects. No difference was found between the groups of the baseline number of T-cells with T4, T8, M1, and Ia antigens, nor the ratio of T4+ (helper) to T8+ (suppressor) cells. Five hours after administration of BDP aerosol, BDP vehicle, and oral placebo, there was no change of these values in either the atopic or in the nonatopic group. In contrast, P, 20 and 60 mg, caused a fall of T4/T8 ratio in the atopic, but not in the nonatopic population. Atopic asthma is not associated with baseline imbalances of peripheral blood T-cell subsets, but is associated with an abnormal response to systemic, but not inhaled corticosteroid.
Helicobacter pylori: Genomic Insight into the Host-Pathogen Interaction

The advent of genomic analyses has revolutionized the study of human health. Infectious disease research in particular has experienced an explosion of bacterial genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data complementing the phenotypic methods employed in traditional bacteriology. Together, these techniques have revealed novel virulence determinants in numerous pathogens and have provided information for potential chemotherapeutics. The bacterial pathogen, Helicobacter pylori, has been recognized as a class 1 carcinogen and contributes to chronic inflammation within the gastric niche. Genomic analyses have uncovered remarkable coevolution between the human host and H. pylori. Perturbation of this coevolution results in dysregulation of the host-pathogen interaction, leading to oncogenic effects. This review discusses the relationship of H. pylori with the human host and environment and the contribution of each of these factors to disease progression, with an emphasis on features that have been illuminated by genomic tools.
Individual Versus Group Decision Making: Social Comparison in Goals for Individual Task Performance

This experiment compares the decisions of individuals and groups on goals for the performance expected from individuals on a problem-solving or an error-checking task. For both tasks, two versions were constructed to reflect low and high levels of task difficulty. Predictions from two different social comparison of abilities approaches were formulated, with the social comparison based on success approach predicting that group goals would be easier than individual goals, while social comparison based on performance predicted the opposite pattern. Consistent with the social comparison based on success predictions, group goals were observed to be significantly less difficult than individual goals for both tasks, both levels of task difficulty, and for both an initial and a second goal-setting occasion. Of particular interest was a finding that the easier group goals reflected group member preferences for easy goals in anticipation of group decision making. It is proposed that social factors such as evaluation apprehension and social comparison may be responsible for the differences observed in group and individual goal decisions, and that social factors may have an important role in a variety of goal-setting situations.
PS2-42: Developing High-Quality Laboratory Results for the Virtual Data Warehouse: The Importance of Single-site Quality Assessment

2 Kaiser Permanente Northwest Background/Aims: Assessment of data incorporated into the Virtual Data Warehouse (VDW) is crucially important when building a new content area such as laboratory results. At KPCO, we identified two main challenges while constructing tables of laboratory results for the VDW. The first was ensuring that we constructed clinically meaningful laboratory test types. The second was confirming that we identified and classified the correct set of records from source data repositories. The aim of our work was therefore to ensure that these two challenges were successfully met Methods: Initial priority tests were broadly categorized as chemistry, hematology, microbiology, or challenge tests. Many laboratory results could be characterized into a single test type. Other laboratory results required one or more of the following characteristics to differentiate subtypes: assay method; test subtypes such as isoenzymes; result type; fasting status; specimen site; and challenge dose and time since dose. Laboratory results were extracted from two data repositories. The first database includes records from 1999-2004. The second database stores records since 2005 with partial backfill of records from 2004 and earlier. Variable names and values did not follow a common naming convention between the two data sources. Extraction and classification rules were based on Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINCs), test names, result units, and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. Results: We identified numerous issues while developing the VDW laboratory content area: incomplete clinical information; distinct laboratory types with similar names; missing, incorrect, obsolete, or site-specific component codes; incorrect sample collection times; changes in source data streams; clinical practices that differ from guidelines; and little background knowledge of laboratory tests among those processing the data. Each challenge and the approach to addressing each issue will be illustrated with an example. Conclusions: A systematic approach to collection and processing of laboratory results can yield high-quality, clinically useful data. Key elements of this systematic approach include a logical and flexible taxonomy of laboratory types and careful consideration of identifier codes and supplemental information to categorize laboratory results. Developers
The interplay among gestures, discourse, and diagrams in students’ geometrical reasoning

This study explores interactions with diagrams that are involved in geometrical reasoning; more specifically, how students publicly make and justify conjectures through multimodal representations of diagrams. We describe how students interact with diagrams using both gestural and verbal modalities, and examine how such multimodal interactions with diagrams reveal their reasoning. We argue that when limited information is given in a diagram, students make use of gestural and verbal expressions to compensate for those limitations as they engage in making and proving conjectures. The constraints of a diagram, gestures and linguistic systems are semiotic resources that students may use to engage in geometrical reasoning.
Molecular description of two-electron atoms

Abstract It is shown how potential curves can be obtained for two-electron states of atoms by scaling calculations on the H + 2 molecular ion. For doubly excited states the curves show a strong similarity to adiabatic hyperspherical potential curves and thus explain certain features in hyperspherical calculations in terms of molecular symmetries. The connection with the Wannier description of near-threshold excitation is also considered.
New techniques for the next far-ultraviolet spectroscopic mission

The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) has been a great success, and has addressed many critical scientific questions (Moos, et al, 2000). However, it has also highlighted the need for even more powerful instrumentation in the 900- 1200 A, regime. In particular, significantly increased effective area will permit the pursuit of additional scientific programs currently impractical or impossible with FUSE. It is unlikely that FUSE will last more than a few more years. Nor is it likely that any large scale UV-optical follow-on to HST (such as SUVO) will include the 900-1200 A, bandpass. However, FUSE remains well oversubscribed and continues to perform excellent science. Therefore, a MIDEX class mission in the next 4-6 years that could significantly improve on the FUSE capabilities would be a powerful scientific tool that would be of great utility to the astronomical community. It would open up new scientific programs if it can improve on the sensitivity of FUSE by an order of magnitude. We have identified a powerful technique for efficient, high-resolution spectroscopy in the FUV (and possibly the EUV) that may provide exactly what is needed for such a mission To achieve a factor of 10 improvement in effective area, we propose using a large (meter class), low-cost, grazing incidence metal optics. This would produced in a manner similar to the EUVE mirrors (Green, et al, 1986), using diamond turning to create the optical figure followed by uncontrolled polishing to achieve a high quality surface. This process will introduce significant figure errors that will degrade the image quality. However, if a holographic grating is employed, which has utilized the actual telescope in the recording geometry, all wavefront errors will be automatically corrected in the end-to-end spectrometer, and high quality spectroscopy will be possible with low quality (and low-cost) optics. In this way a MIDEX class FUSE can be proposed with 10 times the effective area of the current instrument.
A neural basis for gyroscopic force measurement in the halteres of Holorusia

Dipteran flight requires rapid acquisition of mechanosensory information provided by modified hindwings known as halteres. Halteres experience torques resulting from Coriolis forces that arise during body rotations. Although biomechanical and behavioral data indicate that halteres detect Coriolis forces, there are scant data regarding neural encoding of these or any other forces. Coriolis forces arise on the haltere as it oscillates in one plane while rotating in another, and occur at oscillation frequency and twice the oscillation frequency. Using single-fiber recordings of haltere primary afferent responses to mechanical stimuli, we show that spike rate increases linearly with stimulation frequency up to 150 Hz, much higher than twice the natural oscillation frequency of 40 Hz. Furthermore, spike-timing precision is extremely high throughout the frequency range tested. These characteristics indicate that afferents respond with high speed and high precision, neural features that are useful for detecting Coriolis forces. Additionally, we found that neurons respond preferentially to specific stimulus directions, with most responding more strongly to stimulation in the orthogonal plane. Directional sensitivity, coupled with precise, high-speed encoding, suggests that haltere afferents are capable of providing information about forces occurring at the haltere base, including Coriolis forces.
Jet Fuel Kerosene is not Immunosuppressive in Mice or Rats Following Inhalation for 28 Days

Previous reports indicated that inhalation of JP-8 aviation turbine fuel is immunosuppressive. However, in some of those studies, the exposure concentrations were underestimated, and percent of test article as vapor or aerosol was not determined. Furthermore, it is unknown whether the observed effects are attributable to the base hydrocarbon fuel (jet fuel kerosene) or to the various fuel additives in jet fuels. The present studies were conducted, in compliance with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) regulations, to evaluate the effects of jet fuel kerosene on the immune system, in conjunction with an accurate, quantitative characterization of the aerosol and vapor exposure concentrations. Two female rodent species (B6C3F1 mice and Crl:CD rats) were exposed by nose-only inhalation to jet fuel kerosene at targeted concentrations of 0, 500, 1000, or 2000 mg/m(3) for 6 h daily for 28 d. Humoral, cell-mediated, and innate immune functions were subsequently evaluated. No marked effects were observed in either species on body weights, spleen or thymus weights, the T-dependent antibody-forming cell response (plaque assay), or the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response. With a few exceptions, spleen cell numbers and phenotypes were also unaffected. Natural killer (NK) cell activity in mice was unaffected, while the NK assessment in rats was not usable due to an unusually low response in all groups. These studies demonstrate that inhalation of jet fuel kerosene for 28 d at levels up to 2000 mg/m(3) did not adversely affect the functional immune responses of female mice and rats.
A Learning Community of University Freshman Design, Freshman Graphics, and High School Technology Students: Description, Projects, and Assessment

A learning community was developed to enhance the teamwork and communication components of a freshman design course. The learning community was comprised of students from a freshman design course, a freshman graphics course, and a high school technology course. Design teams were formed by combining three to four students from each of these courses. These teams were required to research, design, build, and test a specified product. The high school and university students communicated only using e-mails and Internet conferencing. This paper outlines how the learning community is implemented, describes three design projects, and presents the assessment methods. Assessment reveals that university students who participate in the learning community have a better understanding and confidence in the technical aspects of the design project than the students who do not participate in the learning community. It also reveals that high school participants display notable interest in the engineering design process.
Space-polarization MIMO testbed

Space-polarization multiple input multiple output (SP-MIMO) communication systems can provide improved reliability, increased data rates, and higher energy efficiency as compared to conventional co-polarized MIMO (CP-MIMO) systems. To achieve these gains relative to CP-MIMO arrays, SP-MIMO architectures employ a dual-polarized (DP) antenna at each of the antenna locations, effectively doubling the number of ports without substantially increasing the footprint of antenna arrays. CP-MIMO schemes have been explored rigorously in literature, however very few results are available for DP-MIMO and SP-MIMO systems, particularly over realistic and imperfect channels. In this paper, we present the design of a state-of-the-art 4×4 SP-MIMO wireless communications system testbed to enable comparative performance studies. The testbed incorporates baseband generators, MIMO channel emulators, a coherent multi-channel receiver, and a host computer for signal processing. We consider full spatial multiplexing schemes involving the simultaneous transmission of either two or four data streams through emulated physical channels for CP-MIMO and SP-MIMO, respectively. Operation, control and signal processing are performed on a host computer within a Matlab environment, giving a powerful, flexible, and efficient platform for analyzing MIMO algorithms in emulated channels. Examples show that SP-MIMO architectures achieve performance shifts in capacity (bit/s/Hz), bit-error-rate (BER), packet-error-rate (PER) and energy efficiencies (Joule/bit) relative to CP-MIMO systems.
Religious Belief Transformation: A Study of This Worldly Religion

The controversy over contemporary this worldly religious beliefs’social effects is reviewed. Critics of cultic religious degenerations and eroding moral consensus disagree with cultural relativists on the central themes of today's this worldly religions, their relation to more classical other worldly religious themes, and the appropriate group for evaluating this worldly religions’effects. These general issues are addressed through a content analytic study of the Transcendental Meditation Movement's belief system. Over a twenty-year span, other worldly Hindu themes were displaced by familiar this worldly religious themes, including this worldly benefits, practical utilitarianism, instrumentalized techniques, scientific authority, and God's accessibility for humanity's purposes. Religious belief transformation advanced as an integrated process interacting with movement organizational developments. Still, it is argued that criticisms of contemporary this worldly religions as causes of classical other worldly religious decline are spurious and obscure the integrative potential of minority religious beliefs.
Using state level employment thresholds to explain Okun's Law

In this paper we implement a non-dynamic panel threshold model for fifty U.S. states to better understand the factors determining changes in Okun’s Law. We test for asymmetries in Okun’s Law controlling for changes in industry employment. We find changes in output on unemployment are least sensitive for states with relatively large employment within government, construction, and natural resources sectors and lower employment levels in financial, professional and business services and manufacturing sectors. States with lower manufacturing employment have a less sensitive output to unemployment relationship, but the reverse does not apply. States with larger shares of employment within manufacturing sectors do not have a significantly more sensitive relationship compared to the national average. E3; R1; J6
Inferring Surface Solar Absorption from Broadband Satellite Measurements

An atmospheric solar radiation model and surface albedo models that include wavelength dependence and surface anisotropy are combined to study the possibility of inferring the surface solar absorption from satellite measurements. The model includes ocean, desert, pasture land, savannah, and bog surface categories. Problems associated with converting narrowband measurements to broadband quantities are discussed, suggesting that it would be easier to infer surface solar absorption from broadband measurements directly. The practice of adopting a linear relationship between planetary and surface albedo to estimate surface albedos from satellite measurements is examined, showing that the linear conversion between broadband planetary and surface albedos is strongly dependent on vegetation type. It is suggested that there is a linear slope-offset relationship between surface and surface-atmosphere solar absorption.
Activated RhoA Is a Positive Feedback Regulator of the Lbc Family of Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor Proteins

The monomeric Rho GTPases are essential for cellular regulation including cell architecture and movement. A direct mechanism for hormonal regulation of the RhoA-type GTPases is their modulation by the G12 and G13 proteins via RH (RGS homology) containing RhoGEFs. In addition to the interaction of the G protein α subunits with the RH domain, activated RhoA also binds to the pleckstrin homology (PH) domain of PDZRhoGEF. The latter interaction is now extended to all seven members of the homologous Lbc family of RhoGEFs which includes the RH-RhoGEFs. This is evinced by direct measurements of binding or through effects on selected signaling pathways in cells. Overexpression of these PH domains alone can block RhoA-dependent signaling in cells to various extents. Whereas activated RhoA does not modulate the intrinsic activity of the RhoGEFs, activated RhoA associated with phospholipid vesicles can facilitate increased activity of soluble RhoGEFs on vesicle-delimited substrate (RhoA-GDP). This demonstrates feasibility of the hypothesis that binding of activated RhoA to the PH domains acts as a positive feedback mechanism. This is supported by cellular studies in which mutation of this binding site on PH strongly attenuates the stimulation of RhoA observed by overexpression of five of the RhoGEF DH-PH domains. This mutation is even more dramatic in the context of full-length p115RhoGEF. The utilization of this mechanism by multiple RhoGEFs suggests that this regulatory paradigm may be a common feature in the broader family of RhoGEFs.