cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two 2015 Summer Conferences

ABSTRACTThe author reports on two conferences she attended during the summer of 2015. The first was the annual conference of the British Slavic (Slavonic) librarians’ organization, the Council for Slavonic and East European Library and Information Services (COSEELIS) in Cambridge, England. The second was the ninth World Congress of the International Council for Central and East European Studies (ICCEES), in the Makuhari convention center in Chiba city, outside of Tokyo.
Overview and recent advances in the treatment of neuroblastoma

Introduction: Children with neuroblastoma have widely divergent outcomes, ranging from cure in >90% of patients with low risk disease to <50% for those with high risk disease. Recent research has s...
Baseline Survey of the Neuroradiology Work Environment in the United States with Reported Trends in Clinical Work, Nonclinical Work, Perceptions of Trainees, and Burnout Metrics.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Neuroradiologists have faced continuously increasing clinical workloads. Our aim was to establish and report a baseline survey of the current neuroradiology work environment in the United States and of experiential changes in recent years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A voluntary survey was sent to practicing and out-of-training members of the American Society of Neuroradiology in the United States. Selected measures included workday volume and length, burnout symptoms, participation in academic and practice-building duties; effects on perceived interpretation quality, communication of abnormal results, and consideration of early retirement or career changes, among others. RESULTS: Four hundred thirty-two respondents across a broad range of experience reported the following: 52.8% (224/424) with teaching responsibilities; 93% (399/430) with workdays extending at least 1 hour past expected, in 45% (193/430) frequently or always; 71.9% (309/430) reading more cases per hour compared to previous years; 79.5% (341/429) sometimes-to-always interpreting cases faster than comfortable for optimal interpretation; and 67.8% (292/431) sometimes or more often with inadequate time to discuss abnormal results. Burnout symptoms ranged between 49% and 75% (211/428 to 322/428) across 4 indices. For academic activities of teaching, mentoring, and research/publications, a mean of 94.3% reported cut-backs during the past few years. For practice-building activities, 92% reported cut-backs, 51.6% (222/429) considered early retirement, and 38.8% (167/429) considered changing careers. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing clinical demands have coincided with destructive effects in the work environment and the ability and desire of neuroradiologists in the United States to perform academic or practice-building duties with a substantial incidence of burnout symptoms. While this survey does not prove causation, the trends and the correlations should be concerning to the leaders of radiology and warrant further monitoring.
Depression and Marijuana Use Disorder Symptoms among Current Marijuana Users

Abstract Background Depression is one of the most consistent risk factors implicated in both the course of escalating substance use behaviors and in the development of substance dependence symptoms, including those associated with marijuana use. In the present study, we evaluate if depression is associated with marijuana use disorder symptoms across the continuum of marijuana use frequency. Methods Data were drawn from six annual surveys of the National Survey of Drug Use and Health to include adults who reported using marijuana at least once in the past 30 days (N = 28,557). Results After statistical control for sociodemographic characteristics and substance use behaviors including marijuana use, alcohol use, smoking, and use of illicit substances other than marijuana, depression was positively and significantly associated with each of the marijuana use disorder symptoms as well as the symptom total score. Adult marijuana users with depression were consistently more likely to experience marijuana use disorder symptoms and a larger number of symptoms, with the magnitude and direction of the relationship generally consistent across all levels of marijuana use frequency from 1 day used in the past month to daily marijuana use. Conclusions Depression is a consistent risk factor for marijuana use disorder symptoms over and above exposure to marijuana suggesting that depressed individuals may represent an important subgroup in need of targeted substance use intervention.
The influence of polarizability and charge transfer on specific ion effects in the dynamics of aqueous salt solutions.

The diffusion rates for water molecules in salt solutions depend on the identity of the ions, as well as their concentration. Among the alkali metal ions, cesium and potassium increase and sodium strongly decreases the diffusion constant of water. The origin of the difference can be understood by examining the simulation results using different potential models. In this work, aqueous solutions of salts are simulated with a variety of models. Commonly used non-polarizable models, which otherwise reproduce many experimental properties, do not capture the trend in the diffusion constant, while models which include polarization and/or charge transfer interactions do. For the non-polarizable models, the diffusion constant decreases too strongly with salt concentration. The changes in the water diffusion constant with increasing salt concentration match the diffusion constant of the ion. The ion diffusion constant is dependent on the residence time for water in the ion solvation shell. The non-polarizable model...
Understanding How Patients Fare: Insights Into the Health Status Patterns of Patients With Coronary Disease and the Future of Evidence-Based Shared Medical Decision-Making

See Article by Sajobi et al When I get diagnosed with obstructive coronary disease, and face a decision about whether to be treated medically, surgically, or percutaneously, I will want to know how I am likely to do—what my symptoms, function, and quality of life will be—with each treatment. I do not want to know the mean differences reported from clinical trials in which I would have likely been excluded, nor do I want to know what the guidelines say. What I want to know is how patients like me did, particularly with respect to their health status recovery, with each treatment. Only then will I have the information I need to make an informed decision as to whether the benefits of treatment warrant the risks. This vision, first articulated by Paul Ellwood 40 years ago in his 1988 Shattuck lecture,1 through the current era of funding by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute,2 has been at the forefront of my research interests. Early in the course of my career I worked to develop the means to quantify the health status of patients with coronary disease by developing the Seattle Angina Questionnaire.3 …
NICU Hospitalization: Long-Term Implications on Parenting and Child Behaviors.

Parents of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience psychological distress, loss of the parenting role, and disruptions to parent-infant bonding. The inclusion of evidence-based practices to address these challenges in the NICU has largely been based upon short-term improvements in parent and infant functioning. However, less is known regarding the extent to which family-based interventions may also be associated with longer-term parenting behaviors and children’s neurobehavioral outcomes. Comprehensive family-based NICU interventions demonstrate consistent links with later parental mental well-being, sensitive parenting behaviors, and children’s cognitive and socioemotional development. Dyadic co-regulation activities implemented inconsistently and/or in isolation to other components of NICU interventions show mixed associations with outcomes, highlighting the need for multifaceted wrap-around care. Further research is needed to delineate associations between NICU interventions and children’s neurological and language development, with follow-up beyond very early childhood in larger samples. Long-term associations may reflect the stability of early parental responses to NICU interventions and the extent to which parents continue to implement mental health and sensitive parenting techniques in the home. However, the transition of parental psychiatric care from hospital to community-based services upon NICU discharge remains a pertinent need for high-risk families. Remaining issues also concern the extent to which NICU interventions incorporate sociodemographic differences across families, and whether interventions are generalizable or feasible across hospitals. Despite variation across interventions and NICUs, supporting, educating, and partnering with parents are crucial to strengthen longer-term family functioning and alter the developmental trajectories of high-risk infants.
ROM mapping of ligamentous constraints on avian hip mobility: implications for extinct ornithodirans.

Studies of soft tissue effects on joint mobility in extant animals can help to constrain hypotheses about joint mobility in extinct animals. However, joint mobility must be considered in three dime...
The West African Economic and Monetary Union: Optimality Revisited

The debate has been reignited in recent months by both defenders and opponents of the CFA franc, about its benefits or the lack thereof. The objective of this paper is to join the conversation in an objective, and quantifiable way, by investigating the optimality of the currency area. A trivariate SVAR comprising world output, domestic output for each one of the eight countries that make up the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), and changes in their price levels, represented by their respective CPIs was estimated. Annual data ranging from 1980 to 2017 was obtained from the IMF 2017 World Outlook. I also investigated endogeneity within the Union, by dividing the data into two samples, one from 1980 to 1993, a period that predates the WAEMU, and one from 1994 to 2017. The results show more synchronization of business cycles during the second period than during the first. I examined the role of trade in the near perfect synchronization of business cycles in the WAEMU, and found it to be the driving force behind the symmetry.
El exilio dentro y fuera: La Ciudad de Gonzalo Millán, 1979 y 1994

Este articulo analiza algunas diferencias y particularidades de las dos ediciones del poemario La Ciudad de Gonzalo Millan, de 1979 y 1994 respectivamente, demostrandose importantes cambios en la ultima version. Se explica como el poeta reconstruye, a traves de la escritura, la patria que ha perdido a causa del exilio. Esta obra se vuelve, entonces, un mecanismo de sobrevivencia. La edicion de los noventa da cuenta de un nuevo contexto social y politico tras el retorno de la democracia a Chile, pero tambien de su latente permeabilidad textual, por lo que exilio y regreso se constituyen como un modo de constante reinvencion.
Designing humans: A human rights approach

Advances in genomic technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9, mitochondrial replacement techniques, and in vitro gametogenesis may soon give us more precise and efficient tools to have children with certain traits such as beauty, intelligence, and athleticism. In this paper, I propose a new approach to the ethics of reproductive genetic engineering, a human rights approach. This approach relies on two claims that have certain, independent plausibility: (a) human beings have equal moral status, and (b) human beings have human rights to the fundamental conditions for pursuing a good life. I first argue that the human rights approach gives us a lower bound of when reproductive genetic engineering would be permissible. I then compare this approach with other approaches such as the libertarian, perfectionist, and life worth living approaches. Against these approaches, I argue that the human rights approach offers a novel, and more plausible, way of assessing the ethics of reproductive genetic engineering.
Antiproliferative Effects of a Triterpene-Enriched Extract from Lingzhi or Reishi Medicinal Mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum (Agaricomycetes), on Human Lung Cancer Cells

Ganoderma lucidum, a mushroom that has been used to treat disease in East Asia for centuries, has been shown to be effective against many types of tumors, but the exact cellular mechanism of action is unknown. In this study we examined proliferation of a lung cancer cell line after treatment with 12 concentrations of powdered G. lucidum for 24, 48, and 120 hours. Based on half-maximal inhibitory concentrations values, proliferation of the H1793 cell line seemed to be sensitive to the extract in a time- and dose-dependent manner. We used immunoblot analysis to examine the amounts of cell cycle proteins (cyclin D, Cdk4, and Cdc2) and apoptotic proteins (Bcl-xL and Bax) after treatment with a range of G. lucidum concentrations. Changes in amounts of proteins that regulate the cell cycle were consistent with longer G1 and G2 phases. Proapoptotic protein (Bax) levels increased 6.5-fold, with a commensurate increase in the Bax-to-Bcl ratio, especially at 48 and 120 hours. These results suggest that the decrease in cellular proliferation correlated with a change in both cell cycle progression and apoptosis, and that the triterpenoid in G. lucidum is the bioactive component. Further biochemical characterization of this ancient herbal remedy could hold promise for treating lung cancer.
Big Data and Social Netbanks: Are You Ready to Replace Your Bank?

This Article directs scholarly and regulatory attention to an overlooked sub-category within online and mobile entities that offer financial services – big data and social netbanks. Recently, big data companies like Google, Amazon and Apple, as well as social networks like Facebook and Twitter, have been making forays into the financial services market, capitalizing on their massive troves of user data and social information. Providing the first in-depth study of big data and social netbanks, this Article analyzes these players’ entry into the financial services market and surveys the current regulatory framework for those new bank-like entities. Despite the large numbers of technology companies offering financial services and their massive pool of subscribers, regulation of online nonbanks currently consists of a hodgepodge of statutes and regulations. In particular, as this Article shows, existing regulation does not differentiate between this recently emerging form of bank-like services and other online/mobile nonbanks. As big data and social netbanks increasingly eat at the edges of the traditional banking market, this Article makes a key descriptive contribution by presenting a comprehensive analysis of the new entrants. This Article also makes a significant normative contribution by listing the distinctive characteristics of big data and social netbanks and other issues that regulators should be mindful of when designing an appropriate regulatory scheme. These characteristics and issues include consumers’ access to financial services, social consequences, competition in the financial market, cybersecurity, privacy, and specific consumers’ rights.
Patterns and Perceptions of "Away" Rotations Among Radiation Oncology Residency Applicants.

Purpose Medical students often complete clinical rotations at other institutions (away rotations). This study assesses the number of away rotations undertaken by radiation oncology residency applicants and their value from the applicants’ perspective. Methods and Materials A survey was sent to applicants to a single radiation oncology program from 2015 to 2017. Questions addressed away rotation frequency, funding, motivations, barriers, and match results. A χ2 test was used to assess the correlation between number of away rotations and matching to an away program. Binary logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with undertaking >2 away rotations. Results The response rate was 39% (n = 194); 89% of respondents completed ≥1 away rotation (median, 2; interquartile range, 2-3), of whom 39% (n = 67) matched to an away program. The number of away rotations completed did not differ between those who did and did not match (P = .29). Furthermore, the number of away rotations did not correlate with matching at an away program (P = .40). Factors associated with completing more away rotations included male sex and high loan burden (P Conclusions Away rotations are common and often result in students matching to an away program, although benefits of ≥2 away rotations appear limited and have associated costs. Limiting the number of away rotations in radiation oncology may decrease costs without sacrificing one’s chances of matching.
Effect of Long Term Isothermal Exposure on Underfill Material Properties

The flip chip packages when exposed to high temperature develop a bending of the structure (thus die) due to CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) mismatch between the die and the substrate. The presence of underfill encapsulants reduces the solder joint strains and thus improves the fatigue life of the joints. Owing to the emergence of automotive electronics applications, many of which reside underhood, it has become important to study the properties of underfill materials when exposed to high temperature, specially at or above the Tg (glass transition temperature) of the material. In this work, the changes in material dynamic mechanical properties were studied for isothermal aging at three different temperatures which are above, near, and below the glass transition temperature of the material. Long term exposure of different underfill materials were investigated at three different isothermal aging temperatures, those are 100 °C, 125 °C, and 150°C. A simple method has been developed to prepare test specimens for DMA testing. The properties of underfill materials such as storage modulus, loss modulus, and Tg were investigated using DMA (Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer). DMA test was done in a three point bending mode with a frequency of 1 Hz and a heating rate of 3°C/min. The storage modulus, loss modulus, and tan δ were determined by the instrument software (PerkinElmer DMA 8000). The Tg of the samples can be found as the peak of the loss modulus plot, peak of the tan δ plot, and slop of the storage modulus plot at the transition phase.
One-Step Protein–Polymer Conjugates from Boronic-Acid-Functionalized Polymers

Polymer-protein conjugates are hybrid materials with interesting and useful properties. Methods to prepare diverse diblock materials of this sort often struggle to deal with the complexity and size of reagents, and so polymer-protein conjugation represents a stringent testing ground for nontraditional bioconjugation methods, such as metal-catalyzed arylation. This work demonstrates a simple Ni2+-promoted arylation of cysteine residues with end-functionalized polymer-boronic acid reagents, and explores some molecular and physical properties possible in these hybrid structures.
Implementation of distortion symmetry for the nudged elastic band method with DiSPy

The nudged elastic band (NEB) method is a commonly used approach for the calculation of minimum energy pathways of kinetic processes. However, the final paths obtained rely heavily on the nature of the initially chosen path. This often necessitates running multiple calculations with differing starting points in order to obtain accurate results. Recently, it has been shown that the NEB algorithm can only conserve or raise the distortion symmetry exhibited by an initial pathway. Using this knowledge, symmetry-adapted perturbations can be generated and used as a tool to systematically lower the initial path symmetry, enabling the exploration of other low-energy pathways that may exist. Here, the group and representation theory details behind this process are presented and implemented in a standalone piece of software (DiSPy). The method is then demonstrated by applying it to the calculation of ferroelectric switching pathways in LiNbO3. Previously reported pathways are more easily obtained, with new paths also being found which involve a higher degree of atomic coordination.
Evaluation of the Role of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in Patients with Suspected Paraneoplastic Syndrome

1423 Objectives Paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS) are a diverse and uncommon group of diseases related to indirect effects of malignancy. Symptoms are likely immune-mediated and often precede detection of the underlying malignancy. Patients may undergo extensive (and possibly low-yield) evaluations, including FDG PET/CT, to detect the primary tumor. However, the usefulness of FDG PET/CT in this setting is not well established. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of FDG PET/CT in suspected PNS. Methods We performed a retrospective review of the results of 204 FDG PET/CTs performed at our institution for suspected PNS from 2006-2014. Study reports were classified into 3 categories - suggestive of malignancy (positive) / abnormal but not specific for malignancy (indeterminate) / no evidence of malignancy. Clinical chart review was performed for those in the first two categories. Results Of these studies, 25 (12.3%) showed findings suggestive of malignancy, 56 (27.4%) demonstrated findings indeterminate for malignancy, and 123 (60.3%) showed no evidence of malignancy. Further clinical evaluation of the 25 patients with positive studies yielded 14 cases (56%) of pathology-confirmed malignancy. Of the 56 patients in the indeterminate category, 9 patients (16%) had pathology-confirmed malignancy. Lung cancer (including histological subtypes of squamous cell, small cell, and adenocarcinoma) and lymphoma (including B and T cell histology) represented the most common malignancies detected. Conclusions In the setting of suspected PNS, FDG PET-CT had a relatively low rate of detection of primary malignancy (11.2%). Still, the cancer detection rate in patients with PNS is greater than in screening programs utilizing FDG PET/CT to detect occult cancer in the general population (1-2%). Further studies are necessary to determine whether FDG PET-CT may be of greater yield for particular subpopulations of patients with PNS (such as those with positive paraneoplastic antibodies).
The impact of nurse practitioner and physician assistant workforce supply on Medicaid-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations.

Background New York State (NYS) has approximately 4.7 million Medicaid beneficiaries with 75% having at least one or more chronic conditions. An estimated 10% of Medicaid beneficiaries seek emergency department (ED) services for nonurgent matters. It is unclear if an increased supply of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) impact utilization of ED and subsequent hospitalizations for chronic conditions. Purpose To investigate the relationship between NYS workforce supply (physicians, NPs, and PAs) and 1) ED use and 2) in-patient hospitalizations for chronically ill Medicaid beneficiaries. Methods A cross-sectional study design was employed by calculating total workforce supply per NYS county and the proportion of physicians, NPs, and PAs per total number of Medicaid beneficiaries. We extracted the frequencies of all NYS Medicaid beneficiary chronic condition-related ED visits and in-patient admissions. Medicaid beneficiaries were considered to have a chronic condition if there was a claim indicating that the beneficiary received a service or treatment for this specific condition. We calculated the proportion of ED visits/beneficiary for each chronic disease category and the proportion of category-specific in-patient hospitalizations per the number of beneficiaries with that diagnosis. Results As the NP/beneficiary proportion increased, ED visits for dual and nondual eligible beneficiaries decreased (p = .007; β = -2.218; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -3.79 to -0.644 and p = .04; β = -2.698; 95% CI: -5.268 to -0.127, respectively). Implications for practice Counties with a higher proportion of NPs and PAs had significantly lower numbers of ED visits and hospitalizations for Medicaid beneficiaries.
‘More like a person than reading text in a machine’: Characterizing User Choice of Embodied Agents vs. Conventional GUIs on Smartphones

Embodied conversational agents (ECAs) provide an interface modality on smartphones that may be particularly effective for tasks with significant social, affective, reflective, and narrative aspects, such as health education and behavior change counseling. However, the conversational medium is significantly slower than conventional graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for brief, time-sensitive tasks. We conducted a randomized experiment to determine user preferences in performing two kinds of health-related tasks—one affective and narrative in nature and one transactional—and gave participants a choice of a conventional GUI or a functionally equivalent ECA on a smartphone to complete the task. We found significant main effects of task type and user preference on user choice of modality, with participants choosing the conventional GUI more often for transactional and time-sensitive tasks.
Learner Presence Matters: A Learner-Centered Exploration into the Community of Inquiry Framework

In the present study we explored the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, a theoretical structure identifying processes leading to effective online learning, within one particular learning context. Drawing from research supporting the significance of three presences—teaching, social, cognitive presence—we add to a line of research on a potential fourth presence, learner presence. We employed a mixed-method approach to investigate learner perceptions, thoughts, and actions in MBA online/blended courses. Stimulated recall interviews with individual learners regarding their course experience highlighted three qualities of the learners’ presence in their courses: intentions, metacognition, and peer monitoring. They also pointed to ways in which certain facets of the three CoI presences supported these qualities. The findings prompted questions for further CoI research investigating learner presence and suggested implications for learner-centered course design and online instruction.
A Spectral Approach to Off-Policy Evaluation for POMDPs.

We consider off-policy evaluation (OPE) in Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes, where the evaluation policy depends only on observable variables but the behavior policy depends on latent states (Tennenholtz et al. (2020a)). Prior work on this problem uses a causal identification strategy based on one-step observable proxies of the hidden state, which relies on the invertibility of certain one-step moment matrices. In this work, we relax this requirement by using spectral methods and extending one-step proxies both into the past and future. We empirically compare our OPE methods to existing ones and demonstrate their improved prediction accuracy and greater generality. Lastly, we derive a separate Importance Sampling (IS) algorithm which relies on rank, distinctness, and positivity conditions, and not on the strict sufficiency conditions of observable trajectories with respect to the reward and hidden-state structure required by Tennenholtz et al. (2020a).
A Review of Nonmagnetic Nonreciprocal Electronic Devices: Recent advances in nonmagnetic nonreciprocal components

Reciprocity is an underlying symmetry within a physical system that dates back to the work of Green in electrostatics in 1828 [1] . Later on, through the works of Helmholtz, Rayleigh, and Lorentz, reciprocity theorems were developed in different fields, such as optics, acoustics, elastodynamics, and electromagnetics [2] , [3] . The electromagnetic reciprocity theorem states that, for a system with symmetrical permittivity and permeability tensors, which is passive, linear, and time invariant, the transmission and reception between two points in space are identical in opposite directions regardless of any spatial asymmetry within the channel between them.
Enhancing valuation: the impact of self-congruence with a brand on the endowment effect

Abstract The endowment effect states that individuals are more likely to overvalue objects that they own, an effect that has been demonstrated repeatedly across numerous experiments under a variety of boundary conditions. Research, however, has yet to examine how an individual's perceptions of congruence with an object may impact the endowment effect. This research fills this gap by examining how branding impacts the endowment effect. Using self-congruence theory, this paper demonstrates that self-congruence with a brand will impact both the price a seller is willing to accept for an object and the price a buyer is willing to pay for an object. Moreover, self-congruence with the brand impacts valuation only when it is positive with no effect shown under conditions of brand incongruence. Furthermore, this research demonstrates that the endowment effect can be qualified under specific conditions of asymmetry in self-congruence with the brand between the seller and the buyer. Specifically, buyers with high perceptions of self-congruence with the brand will be willing to pay a price that is not statistically different to that of the price demanded by sellers who are incongruent with the brand. Conversely, the disparity between valuations, as compared to a control, is increased when the seller is congruent, but the buyer is incongruent with the brand.
Atrial Fibrillation and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: The Burden of Advanced Cardiovascular Disease in Aortic Stenosis.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is well established as an important predictor of risk across a broad spectrum of cardiac disease. An association with increased mortality has been demonstrated in ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and valvular disease [(1–5)][1]. In addition, AF is a common problem
Cardiac lymphangioma and lipoma. Report of a case of simultaneous occurrence in association with lipomatous infiltration of the myocardium and cardiac arrhythmia.

Abstract Multiple supraventricular arrhythmias in a 43-year-old man are attributed to the interruption and replacement of the specialized muscle of the conduction system. The morphologic appearance of the vascular channels and their failure to fill in the coronary arteriogram indicate that the channels are of a lymphatic origin and that the growth is one of a diffuse lymphangiomatous process associated with a lipomatous replacement of atrial cardiac muscle which in one area formed a discrete tumor, a lipoma.
The tragic vision of politics: Thucydides and civilization

Zeus shows man the way to think, Setting understanding securely in the midst of suffering. In the heart there drips instead of sleep A labor of sorrowing memory; And there comes to us all Unwilling prudent measured thought; The grace of gods who sit on holy thrones Somehow comes with force and violence. Aeschylus This chapter examines the consequences of the Peloponnesian War for Athens and Greece. In the course of this analysis I develop the outline for a “quasi-unitarian” reading of Thucydides. I describe four levels to the history, each of whose questions and answers move readers to the next level. To access the deeper levels of the text we must go beyond the explicit and implicit arguments of the narrative, speeches and dialogues to “signs” ( sēmata ) embedded in their language and structure. Thucydides must also be read against the Greek oral tradition and fifth-century writings, including Herodotus' history, the Hippocratic corpus and the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. The first level of the text is about interest, justice and their relationship. The analysis of the origins of war in Book I introduces a tension between interest and justice that becomes increasingly pronounced as the war unfolds.
Bioenergy in the United States: progress and possibilities

Concerns about global climate change and air quality have increased interest in biomass and other energy sources that are potentially CO2-neutral and less polluting. Large-scale bioenergy development could indeed bring significant ecological benefits — or equally significant damage — depending on the specific paths taken. In particular, the land requirements for biomass production are potentially immense. Various entities in the United States have performed research; prepared cost–supply assessments, environmental impact assessments, life cycle analyses and externality impact assessments; and engaged in demonstration and development regarding biomass crops and other potential biomass energy feedstocks. These efforts have focused on various biomass wastes, forest management issues, and biomass crops, including both perennial herbaceous crops and fast-growing woody crops. Simultaneously, several regional and national groups of bioenergy stakeholders have issued consensus recommendations and guidelines for sustainable bioenergy development. It is a consistent conclusion from these efforts that displacing annual agricultural crops with native perennial biomass crops could — in addition to reducing fossil fuel use and ameliorating associated ecological problems — also help restore natural ecosystem functions in worked landscapes, and thereby preserve natural biodiversity. Conversely, if forests are managed and harvested more intensively — and/or if biomass crops displace more natural land cover such as forests and wetlands — it is likely that ecosystem functions would be impaired and biodiversity lost.
The Virtual Cell project.

Publisher Summary This chapter appraises the current design and structure of the Virtual Cell problem-solving environment. The Virtual Cell (Vcell) is a computational modeling software environment that has been designed to address how cellular architecture shapes and controls the response of cells to their environment. It facilitates the organization of experimental data into quantitative hypotheses and the generation of predictions from them. Incorporation of experimental microscope images within full 3-dimensional spatial models of signal transduction networks is a key feature of the Virtual Cell. Reaction, diffusion, advection, membrane transport, and electrophysiology are the biophysical mechanisms that are supported by the Virtual Cell. A variety of solvers are provided for ordinary differential equations and non-spatial stochastic simulations. To organize and make predictions from quantitative data, mathematical models that can produce simulations of the biology are required. VCell is a modular computational framework that permits construction of models, application of numerical solvers to perform simulations, and analysis of simulation results. Public models and simulations are available to anyone who logs on to VCell, as specified by their creators; the number of simulations is larger than the number of models, because models typically have several simulations associated with them. Models and geometries are maintained in an access-controlled central database. There are three database browsers, collected as three tabs within a “Database Manager” window, that provide a Windows Explorer file type of interface, one for each of the focused workspaces in VCell (BioModel Workspace, MathModel Workspace, Geometry Workspace).
Biracial (Black/White) Women: A Qualitative Study of Racial Attitudes and Beliefs and Their Implications for Therapy

Abstract This study examined racial attitudes and beliefs in five biracial (Black/White) women. Participants completed three one-hour semistructured interviews designed to explore the impact of race on psychosocial development and psychological functioning from early childhood through the adult years. Results of thematic analyses and implications for clinical practice are presented.
Transmission/Disequilibrium Test

The transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT) can be utilized as a test of linkage between a marker and a disease locus or as a test of association between these loci. It relies on the marker information from triads consisting of parents and their affected child. Its properties depend on the purpose it is used for. Its validity for stratified populations makes it particularly attractive. Also, it is often more powerful than allele-sharing methods for complex diseases.
Betjeman's England

STEPHEN GAMES (Ed.) London, John Murray, 2009 320 pp., ISBN: 978-1-84854-091-0, £18.99 John Betjeman's reputation rests largely on his poetry and his campaigns to preserve Britain's architectural h...
Developmental Cell Biology

Developmental cell biology is that part of biology concerned with the consequences of what cells do in the context of developing organisms. Developmental biologists are concerned with events before fertilization, for example, gametogenesis, and after birth (or its equivalent in nonmammalian species), for example, metamorphosis and regeneration. The range of species in the purview of the developmental biologist covers, essentially, the entire living world—animals, plants, protists, fungi, and even prokaryotes. Using the human example, cell proliferation is required to create the trillions of cells of which we are composed; cell differentiation provides the more than 200 different kinds of cells identified so far in the human body, and morphogenesis shapes the body form characteristic of the human species. Our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie these phenomena has been progressing at an ever-increasing rate, a testimonial to the army of cell and developmental biologists at work across the planet. Understanding the regulation of the cell cycle, apoptosis, cell differentiation, cell signaling, cell signal transduction, and cell movement, to mention a few such phenomena; understanding the integration of their underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms; and understanding the developmental consequences of their operation, makes the early twenty-first century an exciting time to be a developmental cell biologist. It is also a hopeful time for those people suffering the ravages of dreadful diseases, such as cancer, and for those people awaiting the promise of regenerative medicine. Keywords: Cell Cycle; Chalones; Clone; Embryonic Induction; Embryonic Stem (ES) Cells; Growth Factors; Intracellular Signal Transduction; Organogenesis; Pluripotent Cell; Receptors; Reproductive Cloning; Stem Cell; Therapeutic Cloning; Transcription Factors
Time to Epinephrine and Survival After Pediatric In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

Importance Delay in administration of the first epinephrine dose is associated with decreased survival among adults after in-hospital, nonshockable cardiac arrest. Whether this association is true in the pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest population remains unknown. Objective To determine whether time to first epinephrine dose is associated with outcomes in pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest. Design, Setting. and Participants We performed an analysis of data from the Get With the Guidelines–Resuscitation registry. We included US pediatric patients (age Exposure Time to epinephrine, defined as time in minutes from recognition of loss of pulse to the first dose of epinephrine. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes included return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), survival at 24 hours, and neurological outcome. A favorable neurological outcome was defined as a score of 1 to 2 on the Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category scale. Results Among the 1558 patients, 487 (31.3%) survived to hospital discharge. The median time to first epinephrine dose was 1 minute (IQR, 0-4; range, 0-20; mean [SD], 2.6 [3.4] minutes). Longer time to epinephrine administration was associated with lower risk of survival to discharge in multivariable analysis (multivariable-adjusted risk ratio [RR] per minute delay, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.93-0.98]). Longer time to epinephrine administration was also associated with decreased risk of ROSC (multivariable-adjusted RR per minute delay, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.96-0.99]), decreased risk of survival at 24 hours (multivariable-adjusted RR per minute delay, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.95-0.99]), and decreased risk of survival with favorable neurological outcome (multivariable-adjusted RR per minute delay, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.91-0.99]). Patients with time to epinephrine administration of longer than 5 minutes (233/1558) compared with those with time to epinephrine of 5 minutes or less (1325/1558) had lower risk of in-hospital survival to discharge (21.0% [49/233] vs 33.1% [438/1325]; multivariable-adjusted RR, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.60-0.93]; P = .01). Conclusions and Relevance Among children with in-hospital cardiac arrest with an initial nonshockable rhythm who received epinephrine, delay in administration of epinephrine was associated with decreased chance of survival to hospital discharge, ROSC, 24-hour survival, and survival to hospital discharge with a favorable neurological outcome.
GREATER SAGE-GROUSE MOVEMENTS AND HABITAT USE DURING WINTER IN CENTRAL OREGON

Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) depend on sagebrush habitat for food and cover during winter, yet few sage-grouse winter ecology studies have been conducted. During January and February 2007, we monitored 22 radio-collared sage-grouse (7 females and 15 males) in central Oregon to characterize winter habitat use and movement patterns. We estimated distances traveled between locations on a weekly basis and quantified habitat characteristics at loca- tions used by male and female sage-grouse. The birds we collared moved extensively across the landscape, using approxi - mately 1480 km2. Sagebrush canopy height in sites used by sage-grouse varied from 0.25 to 0.75 m, with females tending to be found in sites with taller sagebrush and less foliar cover than in sites where we found males. The difference in foliar cover between sexes was related to a seasonal change in habitat use: 4 females found in little sagebrush (Artemisia arbuscula) in January and early February were no longer located nor found foraging in little sagebrush after 15 February. Also, by this date, most male sage-grouse had stopped using big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) as they migrated to leks. Sage-grouse mortality rates were low during our study, which may be attributed to the study area receiving half the long-term average amount of snow. The large area over which sage-grouse moved during winter indicates that conservation of Greater Sage-Grouse may require preservation of sagebrush at landscape scales (thousands of square kilometers).
Some immunological studies with heat-denatured bovine serum albumin and its peptic, tryptic, and chymotryptic peptides.

SummaryThe effect on passive anaphylaxis and delayed hypersensitivity in guinea pigs and immune tolerance in rabbits of injections of heat-denatured bovine serum albumin (HDBSA) and its dialyzable and non-dialyzable peptides, formed by the action of crystalline trypsin, chymotrypsin, and pepsin has been presented. In some experiments, a comparison has been presented with the effect of native bovine serum albumin (BSA). A direct relationship was observed between the molecular size of the peptides and their in vivo immunological activities. There were also some differences in the immunological activity of peptides formed by the different enzymes. Chymotryptic peptides were most effective in eliciting passive anaphylaxis; whereas, there were no significant differences in the ability of nondialyzable products of various enzymes in causing Arthus and delayed hypersensitivity reactions in guinea pigs. Heat denaturation did not affect the ability of BSA to cause Arthus and delayed reactions. In fact, HDBSA and B...
Cerebral oxygenation monitoring: near-infrared spectroscopy

Neurological complications during critical illness remain a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality. To date, monitors of cerebral function including electroencephalography, jugular bulb mixed venous oxygen saturation and transcranial Doppler, either require an invasive procedure and/or are not sensitive enough to effectively identify patients at risk for cerebral hypoxia. Near-infrared spectroscopy is a noninvasive device that uses infrared light, a technique similar to pulse oximetry, to penetrate living tissue and estimate brain tissue oxygenation by measuring the absorption of infrared light by tissue chromophores. The following article reviews the latest technology available to monitor cerebral oxygenation, near-infrared spectroscopy, its advantages and disadvantages, the currently available evidence-based medicine that demonstrates that this technology can identify deficits in cerebral oxygenation, and that monitoring such deficits allows for therapy to reverse cerebral oxygenation issues and ther...
A Perspective on Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy

Cardiac dysfunction in patients with cirrhosis and potential clinical implications have long been known, but the pathophysiology and potential targets for therapeutic intervention are still under investigation and are only now becoming understood. The pathophysiological changes result in systolic dysfunction, diastolic dysfunction, and electrophysiological changes. Here, we aim to review cirrhotic cardiomyopathy from a cellular and physiological model and how these patients develop overt heart failure in the setting of stress, such as infection, ascites, and procedures including transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, portocaval shunts, and orthotopic liver transplantation. We will also review the most current, although limited, available therapeutic modalities.
A nonlinear two-phase Stefan problem with meeting point gradient: a constructive approach

Abstract We consider a one-dimensional two-phase Stefan problem, modeling a layer of solid material floating on liquid. The model includes internal heat sources, variable total mass (resulting e.g. from sedimentation or erosion), and a pressure-dependent melting point. The problem is reduced to a set of nonlinear integral equations, which provides the basis for an existence and uniqueness proof and a new numerical method. Numerical results are presented.
Reverse osmosis desalination in tubular membrane duct

Abstract A mathematical analysis, based on boundary layer theory, is presented for the case of a tubular reverse osmosis duct whose walls are made of a semi-permeable membrane. The analysis considers the simultaneous development of velocity and concentration profiles. The momentum and diffusion equations, coupled through both the boundary conditions and the convective terms in the diffusion equation, are solved by the integral method which also takes into account the non-linear effects created by the varying water flux produced. The analysis assumes flat velocity and concentration profiles at the entrance, two dimensional, steady-state laminar flow and constant physical properties. The analysis is applicable to both the entrance region and the fully developed region. Typical results are presented for the concentration build up at the membrane wall, the flux of water produced and the productive capacity of the system. Since the concentration profile at any value of 2+ is given as a simple polynomial, the results can be used to study the relaxation of concentration polarization as a Graetz type of problem. No experimental data were available with which the results of the present work could be compared.
Interloop contacts modulate ligand cycling during catalysis by Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase.

As a continuation to our studies on the importance of interloop interactions in the Escherichia coli DHFR catalytic cycle, we have investigated the role of the βG−βH loop in modulating the closed and occluded conformations of the Met20 loop during the DHFR catalytic cycle. Specifically, to assess the importance of the hydrogen bond formed between Ser148 in the βG−βH loop and the Met20 loop, Ser148 was independently substituted with aspartic acid, alanine, and lysine. Moreover, the βG−βH loop was deleted entirely to yield the Δ(146−148) DHFR mutant. Steady-state turnover rates for all mutants were at most 3-fold lower than the wild-type rate. Lack of an isotope effect on this rate indicated the chemistry step does not contribute to the steady-state turnover. Consistent with this finding, hydride transfer rates for the DHFR mutants were at least 10-fold greater than the observed steady-state rates. The values ranged from a 30% decrease (Ser148Ala and Ser148Lys) to a 50% increase (Ser148Asp) in rate relative...