cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the induction of synaptic potentiation by burst stimulation patterned after the hippocampal θ-rhythm

Short bursts of high frequency stimulation produce maximal long-term potentiation (LTP) at Schaffer-commissural synapses on CA1 neurons in hippocampal slices when the bursts are spaced 200 ms apart. A burst to one input (S1) does not induce LTP but 'primes' the postsynaptic neurons such that 200 ms later the postsynaptic response to a burst to a second input (S2) is greatly enhanced and LTP is induced. The role of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in this response enhancement and LTP induction was studied by perfusing slices with the NMDA antagonist, 2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (AP5). AP5 (100 microM) had no effect on the field excitatory postsynaptic potential evoked by single pulse stimulation, but completely eliminated both the decremental short-term potentiation (lasting less than 10 min) and stable LTP effects elicited by burst stimulation. AP5 reduced the response to a non-primed burst by about 10% and reduced the relative enhancement of a primed burst response by about 35%. These results indicate that part of the postsynaptic response to a primed burst is mediated by NMDA receptors and that this component is necessary for all forms of synaptic potentiation (including LTP) resulting from burst stimulation. The similarity of the short bursts with the complex-spike discharges of hippocampal neurons as well as the 200 ms optimal interval with the period of the hippocampal theta-rhythm suggest links between theta and the NMDA receptor in the induction of hippocampal synaptic plasticity.
Structural Studies of and

The structures of and have been determined (py = pyridine; THF = tetrahydrofuran). Each is composed of a six-membered ring having alternating cadmium and iron centers. The presence of the more strongly basic amine ligands in the former led to a greater contribution of an ionic resonance form, which resulted in overall longer Cd–Fe bonds and a greater contribution of a bicapped tetrahedral coordination geometry about iron. Thus, the Cd–Fe distances range from 2.5679(4) to 2.6501(1) A for the THF complex versus 2.6445(8) to 2.6833(7) A for the py complex. Similarly, the Fe–Cd–Fe and Cd–Fe–Cd angles for the THF complex fell in respective ranges of 139.03(2)–157.27(2)° and 84.41(1)–99.79(1)°, as compared to 135.31(3)–139.51(4)° and 102.52(3)–104.62(4)° for the py complex. The space group for the former compound is Pbcn, with = 12.2678(2), = 22.4601(5), and = 17.0039(4) A, while for the THF complex, the space group is , with = 10.7297(2), = 20.4961(2), = 18.7464(3) A, and = 94.2715(6)°.
Attenuation of the plasma corticosterone response to handling and electric shock stimulation in the infant rat

Abstract Adrenal cortical reactivity to handling and electric shock stimulation was measured in unmanipulated rats or animals previously handled or subjected to electric shock during the first 7, 14, or 20 days of life. Determinations on days 8, 15 and 21 indicated that unmanipulated rats first showed significant elevations of corticosterone concentrations at 15 days at which time the response to handling and electric shock were similar. At 21 days unmanipulated rats showed a more rapid and sustained response to electric shock than to handling. Previously shocked animals displayed little adaptation to electric shock stimulation whereas handling during the first 20 days of life effected a significant attenuation of the plasma corticosterone response to a further handling experience.
On the physics of unstable infiltration, seepage, and gravity drainage in partially saturated tuffs.

To improve understanding of the physics of dynamic instabilities in unsaturated flow processes within the Paintbrush nonwelded unit (PTn) and the middle nonlithophysal portion of the Topopah Spring welded tuff unit (TSw) of Yucca Mountain, we analyzed data from a series of infiltration tests carried out at two sites (Alcove 4 and Alcove 6) in the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF), using analytical and empirical functions. The analysis of infiltration rates measured at both sites showed three temporal scales of infiltration rate: (1) a macro-scale trend of overall decreasing flow, (2) a meso-scale trend of fast and slow motion exhibiting three-stage variations of the flow rate (decreasing, increasing, and [again] decreasing flow rate, as observed in soils in the presence of entrapped air), and (3) micro-scale (high frequency) fluctuations. Infiltration tests in the nonwelded unit at Alcove 4 indicate that this unit may effectively dampen episodic fast infiltration events; however, well-known Kostyakov, Horton, and Philip equations do not satisfactorily describe the observed trends of the infiltration rate. Instead, a Weibull distribution model can most accurately describe experimentally determined time trends of the infiltration rate. Infiltration tests in highly permeable, fractured, welded tuff at Alcove 6 indicate that the infiltration rate exhibits pulsation, which may have been caused by multiple threshold effects and water–air redistribution between fractures and matrix. The empirical relationships between the extrinsic seepage from fractures, matrix imbibition, and gravity drainage versus the infiltration rate, as well as scaling and self-similarity for the leading edge of the water front are the hallmark of the nonlinear dynamic processes in water flow under episodic infiltration through fractured tuff. Based on the analysis of experimental data, we propose a conceptual model of a dynamic fracture flow and fracture–matrix interaction in fractured tuff, incorporating the time-dependent processes of water redistribution in the fracture–matrix system.
Red light-green light: Using a Model-Eliciting Activity in a logic design course

This paper outlines the use of a Model-Eliciting Activity (MEA) in a logic design course that introduces students to design through an authentic client-driven problem. The MEA involved creating a model of a traffic signal controller for an intersection of a U.S. highway and a county road near the university. Students were given background information on traffic signal controllers and actual traffic flow data for the intersection and were then asked to analyze the data, transform the problem to the digital design space, and create a state diagram for a traffic signal controller that would be effective for the given intersection. The results using the MEA in the course were very encouraging. All seven groups in the class created valid traffic signal controller state diagrams and six of the seven groups were able to create working implementations in a programmable logic device. In addition, on the course's final exam, a similar modeling problem was included and the students who participated in the MEA scored higher on the problem than last year's students that did not have the MEA experience.
Epidemiology of Restricting Fatigue in Older Adults: The Precipitating Events Project

Objectives: To estimate the rate of restricting fatigue in community-living older adults and to determine whether the rates differ according to age, sex, race, physical frailty, and depression. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Greater New Haven, Connecticut. Participants: Nondisabled community-living older men and women aged 70 and older (N = 754). Measurements: Restricting fatigue was defined as staying in bed for at least half the day and/or cutting down on one's usual activities because of fatigue for 3 consecutive months or longer. Physical frailty was defined on the basis of slow gait speed, and depression was assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results: During a median follow-up of 111 months, the cumulative incidence of restricting fatigue was 31.1% for men and 42.1% for women. The overall incidence rate of restricting fatigue was 6.7 per 1,000 person-months (7.8 for women and 4.4 for men, P < .001), which did not differ according to race. Rates were higher in persons who were physically frail than those who were not (P < .001), in those who were depressed than those who were not (P < .001), and in persons aged 75 to 79 and 80 to 84 than those aged 70 to 74 (both P < .01) but not in those aged 85 and older. Of the 459 episodes of restricting fatigue, the median duration was 3 months, which did not differ according to age, sex, race, physical frailty, or depression. Conclusion: Restricting fatigue is common in community-living older adults. Women, individuals aged 75 to 84, and individuals with physical frailty or depression had higher rates of restricting fatigue than their respective counterparts.
PERSONALITY TYPES IN DATA FROM CALIFORNIA PSYCHOLOGICAL INVENTORY AS DEFINED BY CLUSTER ANALYSIS

The study compared the three personality types delineated by Burger and Cross by obverse factor analysis with those disclosed by an average linkage cluster analytic technique. The data were from three subsamples of 85 men who completed the California Psychological Inventory for Burger and Cross. The standard score profiles within each sample were intercorrelated and then cluster analyzed. Four profile types were replicated across the three subsamples. Two of the types, labeled antisocial and well-adjusted, corresponded fairly closely to the Burger-Cross types. There were differences in the number of types generated, in the proportion of individuals classified, and in the profile shapes.
Nanoindentation and orientation imaging: probing small volumes and thin films for mechanical properties

The use of continuous load and depth monitoring indentation methods for measuring the mechanical properties of small volumes in conjunction with orientation imaging microscopy (OIM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) is presented for a model system. Because many materials for microelectronics are processed in hydrogen-containing atmospheres, a model system is needed to show how OIM and AFM can be coupled to determine slip behavior on the nanometer to micrometer length scale as a function of hydrogen concentration. Atomic force microscopy imaging alone is not able to quantify the slip behavior, but coupling AFM and OIM demonstrates how changes in hardness can be linked to changes in slip band formation.
A Bayesian strategy for combining predictions from empirical and process-based models

We present a strategy for using an empirical forest growth model to reduce uncertainty in predictions made with a physiological process-based forest ecosystem model. The uncertainty reduction is carried out via Bayesian melding, in which information from prior knowledge and a deterministic computer model is conditioned on a likelihood function. We used predictions from an empirical forest growth model G-HAT in place of field observations of aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) in a deciduous temperate forest ecosystem. Using Bayesian melding, priors for the inputs of the process-based forest ecosystem PnET-II were propagated through the model, and likelihoods for the PnET-II output ANPP were calculated using the G-HAT predictions. Posterior distributions for ANPP and many PnET-II inputs obtained using the G-HAT predictions largely matched posteriors obtained using field data. Since empirical growth models are often more readily available than extensive field data sets, the method represents a potential gain in efficiency for reducing the uncertainty of process-based model predictions when reliable empirical models are available but high-quality data are not.
Rapid shape detection signals in area V4

Vision in foveate animals is an active process that requires rapid and constant decision-making. For example, when a new object appears in the visual field, we can quickly decide to inspect it by directing our eyes to the object's location. We studied the contribution of primate area V4 to these types of rapid foveation decisions. Animals performed a reaction time task that required them to report when any shape appeared within a peripherally-located noisy stimulus by making a saccade to the stimulus location. We found that about half of the randomly sampled V4 neurons not only rapidly and precisely represented the appearance of this shape, but they were also predictive of the animal's saccades. A neuron's ability to predict the animal's saccades was not related to the specificity with which the cell represented a single type of shape but rather to its ability to signal whether any shape was present. This relationship between sensory sensitivity and behavioral predictiveness was not due to global effects such as alertness, as it was equally likely to be observed for cells with increases and decreases in firing rate. Careful analysis of the timescales of reliability in these neurons implies that they reflect both feedforward and feedback shape detecting processes. In approximately seven percent of our recorded sample, individual neurons were able to predict both the delay and precision of the animal's shape detection performance. This suggests that a subset of V4 neurons may have been directly and causally contributing to task performance and that area V4 likely plays a critical role in guiding rapid, form-based foveation decisions.
Preliminary model of an urban floodplain under changing land use

Abstract The hydrologic response of Brays Bayou, a rapidly developing watershed located in southwest Houston, was modeled using the U.S. Corps of Engineers HEC-1 flood hydrograph package. Six subwatersheds were delineated using existing drainage specifications and topographic maps, while aerial photography revealed the current land-use patterns. Unit responses of the individual subcatchments were generated as a function of various basin parameters and the extent of urbanization. Calibration was achieved using several historical storm events at four separate gauges within Brays watershed. The detention storage capacities in the less developed subwatersheds were simulated by placing a reservoir at the outlet of each subwatershed. The additional storage necessary to reduce the peak discharge downstream to a level below the capacity of the channel was considered to be detention storage. A variety of rainfall patterns with different durations and intensities were used to determine the design detention storage for each subwatershed. Land uses were simulated for present conditions and the predicted ultimate scenario.
Nanoscale Mechanical Drumming Visualized by 4D Electron Microscopy

With four-dimensional (4D) electron microscopy, we report in situ imaging of the mechanical drumming of a nanoscale material. The single crystal graphite film is found to exhibit global resonance motion that is fully reversible and follows the same evolution after each initiating stress pulse. At early times, the motion appears “chaotic” showing the different mechanical modes present over the micron scale. At longer time, the motion of the thin film collapses into a well-defined fundamental frequency of 1.08 MHz, a behavior reminiscent of mode locking; the mechanical motion damps out after ∼200 μs and the oscillation has a “cavity” quality factor of 150. The resonance time is determined by the stiffness of the material, and for the 75 nm thick and 40 μm square specimen used here we determined Young’s modulus to be 1.0 TPa for the in-plane stress−strain profile. Because of its real-time dimension, this 4D microscopy should have applications in the study of these and other types of materials structures.
Onefold photoelectron counting statistics for non-Gaussian light: Scattering from polydispersive suspensions

Onefold photoelectron counting distributions are evaluated for coherent light scattered by an ensemble of particles. The ensemble contains, in general, a random number of nonidentical particles. Expressions are obtained for the probability density function and the moments of the scattering intensity. These results reduce to those of Pusey, Schaefer, and Koppel when the particles are identical. Photocount probabilities are also evaluated. The variance, coefficient of skewness, and coefficient of excess are evaluated when the probability density of the intensity contributed by each scatterer is specified by a narrow Gaussian distribution centered about the deterministic mean.
Rational Choices as Social Norms

This article develops an account of a theory of rational choice based on the conception of rationality as a normatively justified correspondence between interests and choices. In this conception, rationality is best thought of as a property not of individual actions, but of a complex two-level phenomenon comprised of the social justification of behavioral norms and of the everyday choices made under these norms.
Effect of the methylation inhibitors 3-deazaadenosine and 3-deazaaristeromycin on phosphatidylcholine formation in Tetrahymena

The methylation inhibitors 3-deazaadenosine and 3-deazaaristeromycin inhibited the methylation pathway for phosphatidylcholine formation in Tetrahymena. At the same time, the phosphatidylcholine levels within the cell were maintained by increased use of the phosphotransferase pathway. Cell growth was not affected at inhibitor concentrations up to 50 μ M but was 50% inhibited at inhibitor concentrations of 100 μM. This growth inhibition was not reversed by the addition of choline to the growth medium. The added choline resulted in greater use of the phosphotransferase pathway, even in uninhibited cultures, but there was no effect on phosphatidylcholine levels, pointing to a much tighter control on phosphatidylcholine formation than exists in animal cells.
Agriculture in Eastern Europe

I. Overcrowding of the land, 170. — Importance of agricultural problem of eastern Europe. Density of population. Large proportion of rural population; its high density. Low yields. Per capita grain production. II. Consequences as to standard of living and food supply, 174. — Predominantly vegetable diet. Small surplus after supplying wants of producer. Live stock. Prewar grain exports. Reduction of food output during war; continuation of similar causes after war. Widespread food shortage. The Russian famine. III. Prospects for recovery, 180. — Conditions favoring recovery. Importance of political conditions. Increased crops of 1921 except in Russia; exports of food; effect on currency exchange. Probably slower recovery of Russia. IV. Prospect for progress in peasant agriculture, 183. — Vicious circle of overcrowding, poverty, ignorance. Effects of overcrowding on agricultural methods. Shallow plowing. Unsatisfactory crop rotation. Scattered holdings — their explanation and consequences. Mir system. Beneficial effects of democracy. Rapid progress improbable. V. The large estates, 190. — Large-scale operation. Superior efficiency. Polish estates. Agrarian reform — division of estates. Direct gain to peasant overestimated. Measures already taken. Ultimate effects, especially on peasant psychology.
The New Medical “Missionaries” — Grooming the Next Generation of Global Health Workers

Drs. Claire Panosian and Thomas Coates write that long-term benefits can accrue from trainees' spending even a few weeks overseas — and not just broadened clinical and cultural competence.
Adaptive filters for digital image noise smoothing: An evaluation*

Six adaptive noise filtering algorithms were implemented and evaluated. There are (1) median filtering, (2) K-nearest neighbor averaging, (3) gradient inverse weighted smoothing, (4) sigma filtering, (5) Lee additive and multiplicative filtering, and (6) modified Wallis filtering. For the sake of comparison, the mean filter was also included. All algorithms were tested on noise corrupted copies of a composite image consisting of a uniform field, a bar pattern of periods increasing from 2 to 20 pixels, printed text, and a military tank sitting on desert terrain. In one test, uniformly distributed noise between gray levels of −32 and 32 was added to the composite image and filtered. In a second test, multiplicative Gaussian noise with mean 1.0 and standard deviation 0.25 was introduced, then filtered. A 7×7 pixel processing window was used in all six adaptive algorithms and the mean filter for both tests. An adaptive filter was used iteratively with varying window sizes to demonstrate the success of iterative adaptive smoothing. Filtering results were evaluated from statistics, examination of transects plotted from each filtered bar pattern, and from visual ranking by a group of observers.
Factors Affecting the Flavor of Frozen Fried Chicken

Abstract INTRODUCTION IT has been postulated that fatty acids give rise to aliphatic carbonyl compounds which presumably contribute characteristic odor and flavor to cooked chicken. Pippen et al. (1958) successfully separated and identified 18 volatile carbonyl compounds by chromatographing 2–4 dinitrophenylhydrazone derivatives. Present in large quantities, the carbonyls included n-hexanal, n-hept-2-en-l-al and acetaldehyde. The workers postulated that fatty acids in the chicken fat were precursors of certain aliphatic aldehydes arising through oxidative cleavage at points of unsaturation in the fatty acid chain. Pippen and Nonaka (1960) studied the volatile carbonyl compounds of cooked chicken, finding larger quantities of n-hexanal than of the other carbonyls. They identified no carbonyl compounds having flavor characteristics resembling the complete flavor spectrum of cooked chicken, but they concluded that carbonyl compounds in chicken broth are sufficiently concentrated so that one or more of them could contribute significantly to the overall flavor. Lineweaver and Pippen (1961)…
Dynamic Nuclear Polarization in the Fractional Quantum Hall Regime

We investigate dynamic nuclear polarization in quantum point contacts (QPCs) in the integer and fractional quantum Hall regimes. Following the application of a dc bias, fractional plateaus in the QPC shift symmetrically about half filling of the lowest Landau level, $\ensuremath{\nu}=1/2$, suggesting an interpretation in terms of composite fermions. Polarizing and detecting at different filling factors indicates that Zeeman energy is reduced by the induced nuclear polarization. Mapping effects from integer to fractional regimes extends the composite fermion picture to include hyperfine coupling.
Prognostic and predictive factors in the targeted therapy era: filling in the blanks.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a clinically heterogeneous disease, and analyses of clinical and laboratory factors in patients provide us a prognostic framework to categorize patients. Motzer et al. [1, 2] described clinical characteristics associated with overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic RCC (mRCC) in several articles. In their 1999 paper [1], which analyzed 670 patients with mRCC treated at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), anemia, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) greater than 1.5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN), hypercalcemia, Karnofsky performance score less than 80, and absence of prior nephrectomy were independently associated with OS. An updated publication, which concentrated on patients who received immunotherapy as first-line therapy in clinical trials conducted at MSKCC, maintained four of the five factors [2]. Absence of prior nephrectomy fell out of the analysis, and was replaced with time of less than 1 year from diagnosis to initiation of systemic therapy. These analyses revealed that common clinical and laboratory factors were associated with survival in patients with mRCC. The clinical factors, which include a poor performance status and a shorter time to initiation of systemic therapy, imply the presence of more aggressive tumor biology. A poor performance status can be a result of aggressive tumor growth resulting in pain or specific organ dysfunction, or because fatigue or malaise-inducing cytokines or other circulating factors are produced or induced by the tumor. The need to initiate systemic therapy earlier suggests a more rapid tumor growth rate. The laboratory values tell a similar story. Anemia may be due to direct tumor-induced blood loss, or to an endocrine effect on bone marrow homeostasis by the tumor. Hypercalcemia is due to tumor elaboration of parathyroid-like hormone, or to bone lysis by osseous metastases. Elevated LDH is a general marker of increased tissue turnover, and implies increased tumor metabolism. What is missing from the interpretation of these prognostic factors is their relevance in the context of antiangiogenic therapy, information on whether they are predictive for benefit from one agent over the other, and a mechanistic understanding of these clinical and laboratory phenomena. In an effort to update the MSKCC prognostic criteria, the study by Heng et al. assesses common clinical and laboratory factors in RCC patients who received antiangiogenic therapy.
Systems proteomics of cardiac chromatin identifies nucleolin as a regulator of growth and cellular plasticity in cardiomyocytes

Myocyte hypertrophy antecedent to heart failure involves changes in global gene expression, although the preceding mechanisms to coordinate DNA accessibility on a genomic scale are unknown. Chromatin-associated proteins alter chromatin structure by changing their association with DNA, thereby altering the gene expression profile. Little is known about the global changes in chromatin subproteomes that accompany heart failure, and the mechanisms by which these proteins alter chromatin structure. The present study tests the fundamental hypothesis that cardiac growth and plasticity in the setting of disease recapitulates conserved developmental chromatin remodeling events. We used quantitative proteomics to identify chromatin-associated proteins extracted via detergent and to quantify changes in their abundance during disease. Our study identified 321 proteins in this subproteome, demonstrating it to have modest conservation (37%) with that revealed using strong acid. Of these proteins, 176 exhibited altered expression during cardiac hypertrophy and failure; we conducted extensive functional characterization of one of these proteins, Nucleolin. Morpholino-based knockdown of nucleolin nearly abolished protein expression but surprisingly had little impact on gross morphological development. However, hearts of fish lacking Nucleolin displayed severe developmental impairment, abnormal chamber patterning and functional deficits, ostensibly due to defects in cardiac looping and myocyte differentiation. The mechanisms underlying these defects involve perturbed bone morphogenetic protein 4 expression, decreased rRNA transcription, and a shift to more heterochromatic chromatin. This study reports the quantitative analysis of a new chromatin subproteome in the normal and diseased mouse heart. Validation studies in the complementary model system of zebrafish examine the role of Nucleolin to orchestrate genomic reprogramming events shared between development and disease.
Are "pit bulls" different? An analysis of the pit bull terrier controversy

(1987). Are “Pit Bulls” Different? An Analysis of the Pit Bull Terrier Controversy. Anthrozoos: Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 2-8.
Update on Analytical and Experimental Research on Bridge Restrainers

Bridge restrainers are used to inhibit relative displacements, prevent unseating of the bridge, and transfer longitudinal seismic forces between adjacent spans at in-span hinges or at hinges between simply supported spans. They have proved to be very effective in earthquakes such as the ones in 1987 at Whittier Narrows, in 1989 at Loma Prieta, and in 1994 at Northridge. Two procedures are currently used to design restrainers in the United States. At the same time, various analytical studies have investigated the dynamic performance of restrainers in the cases of both simply supported and in-span hinges, and several new restrainer design methods have been developed. These studies have shown that although the currently used design methods are conservative in most cases, they neglect many parameters that are important for the response of hinges. Furthermore, new large-scale experimental studies either have been performed or are in the development stage. These studies are expected to enhance the understanding of the complicated phenomenon of hinge response to earthquake excitations. Most of the currently used design methods are presented, and the most recent analytical and experimental studies are discussed.
Recent developments in computer hardware and their effect on computer-integrated manufacturing

Abstract Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) is fast moving from concept to technology. Of the three words that make this /lsumbrella’ acronym over all computer-aided activities of manufacturing, computer is probably the most important. This paper describes the recent advances in computer technology, specifically the hardware, and how these are likely to affect the progress of computer-intergrated manufacturing. Also included in brief are the fundamentals of computer technology to enable classical manufacturing engineers and technologists appreciate what is contained in the various ‘blackboxes’ (computers) entering the shop floor in an ever increasing number, and how this will affect the art and science of manufacturing.
Proton and neutron alignments and transition strengths in the transitional nucleus 81Rb.

High-spin states in /sup 81/Rb were investigated with the /sup 55/Mn(/sup 29/Si, 2pn)/sup 81/Rb reaction using a 95.2 MeV /sup 29/Si beam. ..gamma..-..gamma.. coincidences were measured with three detectors at 23/sup 0/ and +- 100/sup 0/. The yrast and near-yrast rotational bands in /sup 81/Rb have been extended well above the first band crossings, with spin assignments based on the directional correlations of oriented nuclei. The mean lifetimes of many higher levels were measured using the Doppler shift attenuation method. They imply moderate deformations with average transition moments of 2--2.5 eb, except at the sharp band crossing in the negative parity band, where they dip by a factor of 2. The data have been analyzed in terms of the Woods-Saxon cranking model. The crossing observed in the positive-parity band is attributed to the alignment of a g/sub 9/2/ neutron pair. Two negative-parity bands observed above I = (15/2) are suggested to contain (g/sub 9/2/)/sup 2/ neutron and proton pairs, respectively.
Course evaluation in medical education

Abstract Course evaluation is integral to medical education. We discuss (1) distinctive features of medical education that impact on course evaluation, (2) a framework for course evaluations, (3) details that shape the evaluation process, (4) key measurement issues important to data gathering and interpretation, and (5) opportunities for expanding the scope of research regarding course evaluations. Drawing from higher education and medical education literature, a great deal is known about course evaluations. High-quality rating scales have been developed. There is evidence that ratings are valid and reproducible given sufficient ratings are gathered, but there remain many areas deserving of more research.
Quantum scattering via the log derivative version of the Kohn variational principle

Abstract The log derivative version of Kohn's variational principle is used as a setting for a new numerical approach to quantum scattering problems. In particular, a new radial basis set is devised which is both (a) ideally suited to the log derivative boundary value problem, and (b) directly amenable to a discrete representation based on Gauss-Lobatto quadrature. This discrete representation greatly facilitates the evaluation of the exchange integrals which arise in Miller's formulation of chemical reactive scattering, and therefore significantly simplifies calculations which exploit this formulation. Applications to the 3-D H+H 2 reaction clearly demonstrate the practical utility of the method.
The Successful Blending of Gifted Education with Middle Schools and Cooperative Learning: Two Studies:

The results of two studies—one focused on gifted students in middle school, and a second focused on gifted students in cooperative learning programs—are presented. In each study, five sites were identified that were successfully blending the school reform initiative (i.e., middle schools or cooperative learning) with gifted education. The studies showed that the needs of gifted students can be met within middle schools and within cooperative learning programs. In each case, however, specific attention to the needs of gifted students was incorporated in the planning and implementation of reform efforts. Ideas for addressing gifted students within the middle schools and within cooperative learning are given.
The effects of an advertising retrieval cue on young children's memory and brand evaluations

Young children's memory for television advertising is important in order for children to recognize brands in stores and/or to recall the brand name in making a purchase request. Two experiments showed that the use of visual advertising retrieval cue (a green frog as the brand character) improved memory performance and brand evaluations. Study 1 (n = 40) showed promise in the cue's assistance in children's recalling the brand name (cued recall) from the ad memory trace. Study 2 (n = 40) contained multiple exposures to the ad, which resulted in greater free recall and in support for the cue's assistance in better access of the brand name from the ad memory trace (cued recall). Affected ad memory resulted in more favorable brand evaluations and intent to request the brand's purchase. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Alcohol use disorders and psychological distress: a prospective state-trait analysis.

The present study examined the association between alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and psychological distress over an 11-year period using a sample of 378 young adults (46% men, 54% women; baseline age = 18.5; 51% with paternal history of alcoholism). The authors examined this relation using a state-trait model, which decomposes variance in a given construct into a general traitlike factor that spans measurement occasion and more situational, occasion-specific variability. Trait AUD and trait distress were correlated (r = .43), suggesting that the tendency to meet criteria for an AUD is associated with the tendency to experience psychological distress. Much of this association was due to 3rd variables (primarily neuroticism but also childhood stressors and behavioral undercontrol), supporting a common 3rd-variable influence model of comorbidity.
Hydrogen passivation of shallow-acceptor impurities in p-type GaAs.

It is shown for the first time that hydrogen passivation of p-type GaAs produces electrical compensation of the shallow-acceptor impurity. This is demonstrated with capacitance-voltage and secondary-ion-mass spectrometry measurements on hydrogenated Zn-doped GaAs. In addition, it is shown that for comparable net dopant concentrations, passivation is far more extensive in p-type as compared to n-type GaAs; both metal-organic chemical-vapor-deposited (Zn and Se doped) and bulk GaAs (Zn and Si doped) were investigated. It is proposed that hydrogen passivation of Zn acceptors in GaAs involves interstitial diffusion of hydrogen to the vicinity of a zinc atom that is located at a gallium site. The hydrogen atom specifically bonds to an arsenic atom that is adjacent to the zinc. From the experimental results it is inferred that hydrogen passivation of shallow-acceptor impurities is a general physical phenomenon in semiconductors.
Oriented inorganic films

Since 1996 there have been over 500 literature citations for oriented inorganic films, although a majority of these papers are concerned with vapor phase processing routes such as chemical vapor deposition. Within the context of colloid and interface science there has been continued, incremental progress in so-called ‘sol-gel’ or ‘solution chemical’ processing of epitaxial ferroelectric and piezoelectric films for a variety of electronic and optical applications. A promising new approach that obviates the requirement of a single crystal substrate involves heterogenous nucleation and growth on preorganized organic and organically-modified surfaces. Such biomimetic schemes have also been used to form highly oriented porous films for use in separations, sensors, and catalysis. New hydrothermal routes have been devised to prepare oriented zeolite films as well as ferroelectric films. It is anticipated that the combination of self-assembly processes with innovative patterning strategies should lead to future advances in this field.
Doing What Comes Naturally: Interpreting a Tail Area as a Posterior Probability or as a Likelihood Ratio

Abstract Consider a problem in which a certain statistic X has a specified distribution function F(x) if a given hypothesis H is true, and suppose that the hypothesis H is evaluated by calculating the tail area 1 – F(x) corresponding to the observed value x of the statistic X. Examples are given in which this tail area is equal to the posterior probability that H is true and in which it is equal to the likelihood ratio comparing H to a certain class K of alternatives. The purpose of these examples is to render the traditional statistical practice of calculating tail areas consonant with the principles of Bayesian statistics.
How innocent is thallium(I)? Corrected formulations of [Tl2Pd14(CO)9(PMe3)11][PF6]2 and [TlPd9(CO)9(PPh3)6][PF6] clusters previously reported as corresponding Au2Pd14 and AuPd9 clusters.

Two previously reported cationic clusters, Au2Pd14 (1-Me) and AuPd9 (2-Ph), obtained by similar reactions of CO/PR3-ligated Pd(0) clusters with in the presence of TlPF6 are shown to be [Tl2Pd14(CO)9(PMe3)11]2+ (1a-Me) and [TlPd9(CO)9(PPh3)6]+ (2a-Ph), respectively. These clusters ([PF6]− counterion) were prepared without the presence of gold by reactions of either Pd10(CO)12(PMe3)6 or Pd10(CO)12(PPh3)6 with TlPF6 and characterized crystallographically and spectroscopically.
Atrioventricular Canal Defect, Pulmonary Artery Sling, and Aortic Arch Anomaly in a Patient With Down Syndrome:

There is a high prevalence of congenital heart disease in patients with Down syndrome. Atrioventricular (AV) canal defects, ventricular septal defects, and a patent ductus arteriosus are most commonly seen. The authors present a patient with a unique constellation of findings, including an AV canal defect, pulmonary artery sling, and an aberrant right subclavian artery diagnosed on a screening echocardiogram. Additional imaging modalities confirmed this atypical concurrence of congenital heart defects and also proved the accuracy of echocardiography in diagnosing rare combinations of congenital heart disease.
Disciplining De Facto Development: Water Theft and Hydrosocial Order in Tijuana

Informal and illegal water provision is increasingly targeted as an impediment to state authorities and water development in the Global South. In contrast, this paper uses a biopolitical approach to argue that state authorities use illegal forms of water provision as a source of power, particularly to discipline certain spaces and sectors of the population; and moreover, that such power geometries are deeply uneven. To support these claims, I examine the production and enforcement of illegal provision in two communities located in Tijuana, Mexico. I examine how water theft functions—including the key objects and practices that shape the illicit abstraction and distribution of water—and then examine how water theft is policed and enforced by state authorities. Following Foucault, I suggest these processes occur on a bodily and infrastructural level to discipline water users. Findings indicate that while water theft supplies a vital resource for marginalized citizens—often in communal ways that exceed state power—the alternating tolerance and repression of water illegality is largely used by authorities to maintain hydrosocial order and, in eff ect, to control informal modes of development. The paper concludes with implications for understanding water informality and the uneven spatiality of state power.
Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer: Cytogenetic Patterns by Comparative Genomic Hybridization

We studied chromosomal abnormalities by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and flow cytometry in anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), and when present in coexisting or previous differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Overall 10 frozen tissues from patients with ATC and 5 cell lines (1 ATC and 4 DTCs) were analyzed. We found chromosomal abnormalities in 5 of 10 ATC tissues, with 24 abnormalities (22 gains and 2 losses). Among 8 ATCs that were associated with prior or concurrent DTC, more chromosomal abnormalities were found in ATC associated with follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) than those associated with PTC (median numbers 9.5 and 0.5, respectively, p = 0.046) or no associated differentiated thyroid cancer. Gain of 1q was relatively common in ATCs (30%). By flow cytometry, we found aneuploidy in 6 of 10 ATC tissues and diploidy in 4. There was concordance between DNA aneuploidy and the presence of chromosomal abnormalities by CGH in 4 of the 5 ATCs (p = 0.048). We also found 26 chromosomal abnormalities in an ATC cell line, 14.3 in 3 FTC cell line, and 3 in a PTC cell line. In conclusion, chromosomal abnormalities are frequent in ATCs associated with FTC, but uncommon in those associated with PTC and in ATCs with no associated differentiated thyroid cancer. These findings support the concept that PTC and FTC have different genetic backgrounds and, even after the transformation to ATC, they may retain some of their cytogenetic characteristics.
Reservation-based Scheduling: If You're Late Don't Blame Us!

The continuous shift towards data-driven approaches to business, and a growing attention to improving return on investments (ROI) for cluster infrastructures is generating new challenges for big-data frameworks. Systems originally designed for big batch jobs now handle an increasingly complex mix of computations. Moreover, they are expected to guarantee stringent SLAs for production jobs and minimize latency for best-effort jobs.In this paper, we introduce reservation-based scheduling, a new approach to this problem. We develop our solution around four key contributions: 1) we propose a reservation definition language (RDL) that allows users to declaratively reserve access to cluster resources, 2) we formalize planning of current and future cluster resources as a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problem, and propose scalable heuristics, 3) we adaptively distribute resources between production jobs and best-effort jobs, and 4) we integrate all of this in a scalable system named Rayon, that builds upon Hadoop / YARN.We evaluate Rayon on a 256-node cluster against workloads derived from Microsoft, Yahoo!, Facebook, and Cloud-era's clusters. To enable practical use of Rayon, we open-sourced our implementation as part of Apache Hadoop 2.6.
A type V myosin (Myo2p) and a Rab-like G-protein (Ypt11p) are required for retention of newly inherited mitochondria in yeast cells during cell division.

Two actin-dependent force generators contribute to mitochondrial inheritance: Arp2/3 complex and the myosin V Myo2p (together with its Rab-like binding partner Ypt11p). We found that deletion of YPT11, reduction of the length of the Myo2p lever arm (myo2-Δ6IQ), or deletion of MYO4 (the other yeast myosin V), had no effect on mitochondrial morphology, colocalization of mitochondria with actin cables, or the velocity of bud-directed mitochondrial movement. In contrast, retention of mitochondria in the bud was compromised in YPT11 and MYO2 mutants. Retention of mitochondria in the bud tip of wild-type cells results in a 60% decrease in mitochondrial movement in buds compared with mother cells. In ypt11Δ mutants, however, the level of mitochondrial motility in buds was similar to that observed in mother cells. Moreover, the myo2-66 mutant, which carries a temperature-sensitive mutation in the Myo2p motor domain, exhibited a 55% decrease in accumulation of mitochondria in the bud tip, and an increase in accumulation of mitochondria at the retention site in the mother cell after shift to restrictive temperatures. Finally, destabilization of actin cables and the resulting delocalization of Myo2p from the bud tip had no significant effect on the accumulation of mitochondria in the bud tip.
Three structural results on the lasso problem

The lasso problem, least squares with a l1 regularization penalty, has been very successful as a tool for obtaining sparse representations of data in terms of given dictionary. It is known, but not widely appreciated, that the lasso problem need not have a unique solution. Sufficient conditions which ensure uniqueness of the solution are known but necessary and sufficient conditions have been elusive. We present three structural results on the lasso problem. First, we show that when the dictionary has more columns than rows, it is always possible to ensure that the dictionary has full row rank. Next we show that the feasible set for the dual lasso problem is bounded if and only if the dictionary has full row rank. Lastly, we give necessary and sufficient conditions for the uniqueness of a lasso solution.
Defining the software process for intranet distribution

Detailing your process on the intranet is a current trend. Often, sites are begun by simply diving into building the site without searching for content material first. In time, you will discover that without content people do not have a reason to use the web site. This paper, which is based on a graduate project from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ, takes a different approach. First, it covers the basic principles of defining and documenting the software development process. These processes will generate content, that will produce the building blocks for your intranet site, examined in the second half of the paper.
The role of bone anchored hearing aids in children with Down syndrome.

Summary Objectives To evaluate complication rates and outcomes of children with Down syndrome fitted with a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (Baha ® ). To evaluate whether the Bone Anchored Hearing Aid is a successful form of aural rehabilitation in children with Down syndrome from a patients’ perspective. Study design Retrospective case analysis and postal questionnaire study. Setting The Birmingham Children's Hospital, UK. Methods A total of 15 children were fitted with a Baha ® between February 1992 and February 2007. The age range was 2–15 years. A postal questionnaire was sent to each family. The Glasgow Children's Benefit Inventory (GCBI) was used in this study. Outcome measures Implantation results, skin reactions and other complications were recorded. Quality of life after receiving a Baha ® was assessed with the GCBI. Results All 15 patients are using their Baha ® 7 days a week for more than 8 h a day after a follow-up of 14 months with continuing audiological benefit. No fixtures were lost, and skin problems were encountered in 3 (20%). Regarding quality of life, all 15 patients had improved social and physical functioning as a result of better hearing. Conclusions Baha ® has an important role in the overall management of individuals with Down syndrome after conventional hearing aids and/or ventilation tubes have been considered or already failed. This study has shown a 20% rate of soft tissue reaction and there were no fixture losses in this group. No significant increase in complication rates was identified in children with Down syndrome. Finally, there was a significantly improved quality of life in children with Down syndrome after receiving their Baha ® . There was a high patient/carer satisfaction with Baha ® . Two of our series had bilateral two stage fixture procedures without any complications. More consideration should be given to bilateral bone anchored hearing aids in this group.