cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
"Spinning Their Wheels … "-Influences That Shape How Nurse Educators Teach Social Justice

Despite institutional claims that social justice is a core professional nursing value, efforts to fulfill this claim remain uneven. The purpose of this study was to examine the circumstances that shape nursing educators' approaches to social justice. In-depth semi-structured interviews with 28 educators teaching theory courses in baccalaureate nursing programs shed light upon the influences that shape how educators integrate social justice. These include formative experiences, institutional factors, and curricular opportunities. Formative experiences include upbringing, educational background, and preparation to teach. Institutional factors consist of the type of institution, geographic location, and the specter of retention, promotion, and tenure. Finally, curricular opportunities and fit include the positioning of Community Health Nursing, fragmentation and tension between "content and context," and the "driving force" of the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX). Findings indicate that the capacity to uphold the value of social justice is shaped by experiences across the lifespan, institutional policies, and practices related to faculty hiring, development, career advancement, as well as curricular vision. This study calls for a concerted effort to enact social justice nursing education.
Loss of Arhgef11 in the Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rat Protects Against Hypertension-Induced Renal Injury

Arhgef11 is a Rho-guanine nucleotide exchange factor that was previously implicated in kidney injury in the Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rat, a model of hypertension-related chronic kidney disease. Red...
Free will and control: a noncausal approach

According to the noncausal libertarian view of free will, in order for a person’s action to be free, it must be uncaused. A standard criticism of this view—the control objection—is that a person cannot have control over whether an uncaused action occurs and, so, such an action cannot be free. The background to this criticism is the claim that control over action is plausibly a causal rather than noncausal matter. In this paper, I defend noncausal libertarianism against the control objection by developing a new noncausal theory of control. What emerges is not simply a defense of noncausal libertarianism against the control objection but a new theory of control more generally.
The technology behind TB DEPOT: a novel public analytics platform integrating tuberculosis clinical, genomic, and radiological data for visual and statistical exploration.

OBJECTIVE Clinical research informatics tools are necessary to support comprehensive studies of infectious diseases. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) developed the publicly accessible Tuberculosis Data Exploration Portal (TB DEPOT) to address the complex etiology of tuberculosis (TB). MATERIALS AND METHODS TB DEPOT displays deidentified patient case data and facilitates analyses across a wide range of clinical, socioeconomic, genomic, and radiological factors. The solution is built using Amazon Web Services cloud-based infrastructure, .NET Core, Angular, Highcharts, R, PLINK, and other custom-developed services. Structured patient data, pathogen genomic variants, and medical images are integrated into the solution to allow seamless filtering across data domains. RESULTS Researchers can use TB DEPOT to query TB patient cases, create and save patient cohorts, and execute comparative statistical analyses on demand. The tool supports user-driven data exploration and fulfills the National Institute of Health's Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) principles. DISCUSSION TB DEPOT is the first tool of its kind in the field of TB research to integrate multidimensional data from TB patient cases. Its scalable and flexible architectural design has accommodated growth in the data, organizations, types of data, feature requests, and usage. Use of client-side technologies over server-side technologies and prioritizing maintenance have been important lessons learned. Future directions are dynamically prioritized and key functionality is shared through an application programming interface. CONCLUSION This paper describes the platform development methodology, resulting functionality, benefits, and technical considerations of a clinical research informatics application to support increased understanding of TB.
Intentional Temporary Limb Deformation for Closure of Soft-Tissue Defects in Open Tibial Fractures

Objectives (1) Evaluate intentional temporary limb deformation for closure of soft-tissue defects as a reconstruction strategy in open tibia fractures and (2) analyze the deformity parameters required for such reconstruction. Design Multicenter retrospective cohort. Setting Level I trauma center. Patients/participants Nineteen patients 18 years of age and older at the time of initial trauma, with a Gustilo-Anderson type IIIB or IIIC open tibia fracture treated with hexapod external fixation and intentional bony deformity created to facilitate soft-tissue closure. Intervention Intentional limb deformation for soft-tissue closure, followed by gradual correction with a hexapod external fixator. Outcome measurements Radiographic healing, radiographic assessment of limb alignment, and functional and bony Application of the Method of Ilizarov Group score. Results The average age was 45.3 (20-70), and 79% of patients were men. The most common mechanism of injury was motor vehicle accidents. The distal 1 of 5 of the tibia was the most common fracture location, with 37% of these involving the articular surface at the plafond. After wound closure, deformity correction was initiated after 30 days on average. Varus and apex posterior were the most common initial deformity required for primary soft-tissue closure. Bony and functional Application of the Method of Ilizarov Group outcomes were good or excellent in 94% of patients. Conclusion Intentional deformation followed by a gradual correction can be an effective strategy to obtain bone union and soft-tissue coverage in certain open fractures. This technique, in essence, converts these injuries from type IIIB to IIIA. This strategy obviates the need for flap coverage and results in satisfactory outcomes. Level of evidence Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Fifth Circuit's Decision in Estate of Monroe Increases Post-Mortem Planning Opportunities

One of the most significant post-mortem planning techniques available is the disclaimer. For example, disclaimers can increase the value of the marital deduction (disclaimers in favor of the surviving spouse), reduce the value of an overfunded marital bequest (disclaimers by the surviving spouse), or redirect the passage of an interest (disclaimers in favor of children). Recently, the Fifth Circuit, in Estate of Monroe v. Commissioner, restored a significant degree of this post-mortem planning flexibility when it reversed the Tax Court and held that the taxpayers and their advisors can intelligently discuss and implement a post-mortem estate plan that utilizes disclaimers. This Article reviews both Monroe decisions and considers their impact on the use of disclaimers in estate administration.
Promethean Economics: The Exploration and Exploitation of the Space of Technological Possibilities

Graphical argument and game theory can elucidate, more effectively than mathematical general equilibrium theory, the "Promethean economics" of how market capitalist economies explore and exploit the space of technological possibilities. The first step is to understand why supply curves can slope down, which can result in the non-production of goods and services that are technologically available. The consumer goods space, for example, consists of active and potential industries, largely depending on whether there is a critical mass of demand. Invention can add goods to the consumer goods space, but goods can become newly available without invention, simply due to increased market size or intensification of specialization and division of labor. Goods can be classified as (a) natural vs. man-made and (b) consumable vs. higher-order, yielding a typology of (a) "foraging" goods that are natural and consumable, (b) raw materials, (c) consumer products, and (d) intermediate goods (man-made and non-consumable). Adding roundaboutness and higher-order goods to the picture makes the technology space a graph-theoretic landscape of active and potential industries, with production functions linking nodes in the network in complex ways. Market size and/or division of labor can fuel productivity growth through activating upstream industries without fundamental invention. Effective market size depends in part on institutions, which may fail to achieve efficiency in basic product and factor markets, but also in the less well-recognized "specialization problem" that arises when specializing is in the social but not the individual interest, due to the way specializing damages an individual's or organization's bargaining position and terms of trade. Contracts, reputation, habit and moral virtue are among the factors that might solve prisoner's dilemma games to facilitate specialization and trade, driving a more complete exploitation of the technology space, and raising productivity. A wide range of policy dilemmas, e.g., relating to IP and competition policy, arise at the economic frontier, which don't lend themselves to one-size-fits-all solutions, and finding the efficient policy frequently depends on understanding the technologies involved and the resulting economic possibilities and incentives. This gives rise to a valuable role for technocratic planning if it can be done well.
Motor Unit Control in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (P5.435)

Objective: To explore the association between motor unit firing characteristics, disease severity, and function in DM1. Background: Myotonic dystrophy type I (DM1) is caused by increased CTG-repeats in the DMPK gene and results not only in muscle hyperexcitability and weakness but also other multisystem defects including those affecting the central nervous system (CNS). Prior work has shown that motor units firing concurrently are interdependently modulated by the CNS as part of a common drive (CD). CD can be quantified using a cross correlation coefficient (CCC) of motor unit firing rates. Design/Methods: Participants were enrolled as part of our ongoing, open label trial of ranolazine for the treatment of myotonia. Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG), abductor digiti minimi isometric strength (IS), and multi-electrode decomposition electromyography (dEMG) were assessed at the baseline visit while off all anti-myotonia treatments and prior to initiating ranolazine. Results: A total of 4 of 12 planned participants have been enrolled. Muscle impairment was rated per a previously validated scale (0–5, no impairment-severe impairment) included as follows: 2 (minimal impairment, n=1), 3 (distal weakness, n=2), and 4 (mild proximal impairment, n=1). A total of 84 MU’s were recorded during a 50% max isometric contraction and analyzed. MU firing rates did not show correlation with muscular impairment rating (r=−0.056, p=0.6). In contrast, cross correlation coefficient (a measure of motor unit firing control) demonstrated significant correlation with muscular impairment rating (r=−0.507, p Conclusions: Our preliminary work suggests that loss of muscle function may not only result from muscle hyperexcitabilty and degeneration but also from disruption of motor unit control. Therefore future investigation should address the presence of defects in the CNS as a contributor to loss of physical function in patients with DM1. Study Supported by: Gilead Sciences Disclosure: Dr. Moravec has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lawless has nothing to disclose. Dr. Agriesti has nothing to disclose. Dr. Arnold has nothing to disclose.
Regenerating the heart: The past, present, & future

Abstract Coronary artery disease, with subsequent ischemic cardiomyopathy, is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Following an ischemic insult, a remodeling process ensues that replaces damaged cardiomyocytes with fibrotic tissue, leading to further cardiomyocyte depletion, ventricular dysfunction, and eventually heart failure. Loss of cardiac muscle is especially relevant here given the limited regenerative capacity of the adult heart. The past several decades have witnessed the evolution of numerous therapeutic approaches for repairing and regenerating the heart, with varied success. Strategies include cell-based approaches such as transplantation of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, cell-free approaches such as manipulation of cardioprotective secretory factors and direct reprogramming of resident fibroblasts, and stimulation of endogenous cardiac repair mechanisms. Overall, preclinical outcomes of cardiac regenerative therapy have not translated to clinical trials given issues with low engraftment rates and safety. Newer technologies such as genome editing and modulation of the cardiac microenvironment hold promise, but much work needs to be done before these therapies come of age.
Acute kidney injury is a common and significant complication following ileostomy formation.

Aim The aim was to characterize the incidence and short-term prognostic value of an acute kidney injury (AKI) during the admission where an ileostomy is formed. Methods Adults with a baseline serum creatinine measurement discharged alive after ileostomy formation from 2014 to 2016 were included. All patients had daily basic metabolic panels and the Kidney Diseases Improving Global Outcomes criteria were used to determine the presence and severity of any AKI. Dehydration was defined by a single urine abnormality or clinical criteria combined with an objective abnormality in vitals or basic metabolic panels. Results Of 262 patients, 19.4% sustained an AKI (74.5% Stage I, 15.7% Stage II, 9.8% Stage III) during the index admission. Predictors of incident AKI were increasing age, male sex, higher baseline creatinine and open surgery. Patients with AKI had significantly longer length of stay and 45% had creatinine 65 years, male sex and prior ileostomy. Of those readmitted with dehydration, 79% had AKI at readmission. Conclusions Nearly 20% of patients with ileostomies develop an AKI during the index admission with almost half resolving by discharge. Patients with AKIs are at high risk for 30-day dehydration-related readmission and AKI is present in nearly 80% of those readmitted with dehydration. Since AKI is objective, based on routine laboratory measures, and has known prognostic value it is probably a more robust outcome than dehydration for researchers, surgeons and patients.
Discovering giant magnetoelasticity in soft matter for electronic textiles

Summary We discovered a giant magnetoelasticity in soft matter with up to 5-fold enhancement of magnetomechanical coupling factors compared to that of rigid metal alloys without an externally applied magnetic field. A wavy chain analytical model based on the magnetic dipole-dipole interaction and demagnetizing field was established, fitting well to the experimental observation. To explore its potentials in electronic textiles, we coupled it with magnetic induction to invent a textile magnetoelastic generator (MEG), a new working mechanism for biomechanical energy conversion, featuring an intrinsic waterproofness, an ultralow internal impedance of approximately 20 Ω, and a high short-circuit current density of 1.37 mA/cm2, which is about four orders of magnitude higher than that of other textile generator counterparts. Meanwhile, assisted by machine learning, the textile MEG could continuously monitor the respiratory activities on heavily perspiring skin without any encapsulation, allowing a timely diagnosis of the respiration abnormalities in a self-powered manner. We foresee that this discovery can be extended to wide-range soft-matter systems, emerging as a compelling approach to develop electronic textiles for energy, sensing, and therapeutic applications.
Nuclear Receptors in Drosophila Melanogaster

Publisher Summary This chapter provides significant information on the involvement of nuclear receptors in Drosophila melanogaster development. Two nuclear receptors, EcR and its heterodimeric partner, ultraspiracle (USP), which is the Drosophila ortholog of the vertebrate retinoid X receptor (RXR), form a heterodimer to set off the transcriptional changes that lead to morphogenetic changes. The salivary gland (SG) of Drosophila melanogaster is exposed to at least three ecdysteroid peaks during the approach and onset of metamorphosis, a period of approximately 36 hours, and each wave of transcriptional response is distinct and each one drives developmental changes in the SG. The first and smallest peak of ecdysteroids occurs during the mid-third (final) instar and is necessary for the transcriptional induction of genes encoding glue proteins. It is followed by a second peak at the end of the larval stage that leads to the synthesis of proteins associated with glue protein secretion. A third peak, which occurs after the initiation of the prepupal stage, triggers the programming of SG cell death that occurs during the pupal-adult transition that marks metamorphosis. The action of ecdysteroids, presumably mediated by ecdysone receptor (EcR) induces the transcription of a variety of nuclear receptors, such as E75, DHR3, DHR4, DHR78, DHR96, and βFTZ-F1. EcR's partner, ultraspiracle (USP), interacts with a subset of nuclear receptors including sevenup (SVP, whose vertebrate ortholog is COUP-TF) and DHR38. Some of these nuclear receptors such as DHR78 and DHR96 can interact with promoter elements recognized by the EcR/USP heterodimer. Ecdysteroids coordinate an entire network of physiological and developmental activities that are initially triggered by EcR and USP, and, in turn, act through a variety of nuclear receptor partners and gene targets.
Spiculed Erythrocytes after Splenectomy Acanthocytes or Non-Specific Poikilocytes ?

The work of Bessis and his associates has firmly delineated the morphology of acanthocytes and separated them sharply from echinocytes [1]. Echinocytes can be produced readily by lysoleci-thin, free fatty acids and other intrinsic and extrinsic factors in a predictable fashion [1, 2, 3]. Although it has been claimed that they occur in a variety of diseases such as peptic ulcer, and certain carcinomas, it is only in uremia that their occurrence appears to be relatively common, although even in this condition the incidence has not been well documented. Certainly echinocytes are so readily induced artifactually that the matter requires further investigation. Acanthocytes are well known to be characteristic of abetalipoproteinemia and some cases of severe liver disease associated with hemolysis. Recent observations in our laboratory now suggest that acanthocytes morphologically indistinguishable by scanning electron microscopy from those in abetalipoproteinemia occur with some regularity after splenectomy and occasionally in other conditions.
Through the Camera's Eye: An Analysis of Dürrenmatt's Der Auftrag . . .

In his recent work, Der Auftrag oder Vom Beobachten des Beobachters der Beobachter: Novelle in vierundzwanzig Satzen (1986), as in his earlier works, Friedrich Durrenmatt is sharply critical of many trends in modern technological society. The tone of the work is suggested by the introductory quotation from Kierkegaard's Either/Or to which Durrenmatt refers on two further occasions in the novella: "What portends? What will the future bring? I do not know, I have no presentiment. When a spider hurls itself down from some fixed point consistently with its nature, it always sees before it only an empty space wherein it can find no foothold however much it sprawls. And so it is with me: always before me an empty space; what drives me forward is a consistency which lies behind me. This life is topsy-turvy and terrible, not to be endured." This quotation expresses the atmosphere of despair, emptiness, and uncertainty that, despite Durrenmatt's characteristic grotesque humor and his inventive twists in the plot, pervades the whole work. Durrenmatt creates a world in which chance reigns, in which God (if He even exists) is a mere onlooker, and in which people, acutely sensing their insignificance, desperately search for meaning.
Adding Implicit Invocation to Languages: Three Approaches

Implicit invocation based on event announcement is an increasingly important technique for integrating systems. However, the use of this technique has largely been confined to tool integration systems—in which tools exist as independent processes—and special-purpose languages—in which specialized forms of event broadcast are designed into the language from the start. This paper broadens the class of systems that can benefit from this approach by showing how to augment general-purpose programming languages with facilities for implicit invocation. We illustrate the approach in the context of three different languages, Ada, C++, and Common Lisp. The intent is to highlight the key design considerations that arise in extending such languages with implicit invocation.
War and the Mythological Imagination

There is an interesting ambiguity that marks any discussion on war in much of modern political theory. While it is acknowledged that war entails enormous human suffering, considerable latitude is conceded for moral judgements about the right to wage war, on the grounds that the suffering imposed upon self and others due to war, is an unfortunate necessity for the future good of a national community. The legality (as distinct from the legitimacy) of modern wars is directly tied to the notion of contractual violence, such that state entities are granted the right to declare war and to conduct it within the constraints (in theory if not in practice) of agreed covenants that place restrictions on what is justifiable violence in war and against whom it may be directed.
Prospects for the use of nuclear transfer in human transplantation.

The successful application of nuclear transfer techniques to a range of mammalian species has brought the possibility of human therapeutic cloning significantly closer. The objective of therapeutic cloning is to produce pluripotent stem cells that carry the nuclear genome of the patient and then induce them to differentiate into replacement cells, such as cardiomyocytes to replace damaged heart tissue or insulin-producing β cells for patients with diabetes. Although cloning would eliminate the critical problem of immune incompatibility, there is also the task of reconstituting the cells into more complex tissues and organs in vitro. In the review, we discuss recent progress that has been made in this field as well as the inherent dangers and scientific challenges that remain before these techniques can be used to harness genetically matched cells and tissues for human transplantation.
Analytic constraints in feedback control of linear time-varying systems: Bode's sensitivity integral

In this paper it is shown how Bode's integral has a natural generalization for time-varying systems which possess an exponential dichotomy. Moreover, the sensitivity function is constrained, on average, by the lower Bohl and Lyapunov exponents of the open-loop system. These take the place of the magnitude of the open-loop poles. The analysis is carried out for discrete-time systems.
Lipase‐Catalyzed Resolution of 4‐Trimethylsilyl‐3‐Butyn‐2‐ol and Conversion of the (R)‐Enantiomer to (R)‐3‐Butyn‐2‐yl Mesylate and (P)‐1‐Tributylstannyl‐1,2‐Butadiene

(R)-4-Trimethylsilyl-3-butyn-2-yl acetate (S)-4-Trimethylsilyl-3-butyn-2-yl succinate 4-Trimethylsilyl-3-butyn-2-ol (R)-4-Trimethylsilyl-3-butyn-2-yl mesylate Vinyl acetate Diisobutylaluminum hydride Butyllithium Cuprous bromide-dimethylsulfide complex (P)-1-Tributylstannyl-1, 2-butadiene Keywords: lipase catalyzed; trimethylsilylbutynol; enantiomers; tributylstannyl-butadiene; preparation; notes; pentane; zinc reagents; propargylic mesylates; enantioselectivity; chiral aldehydes; chiral allenylmetal reagents
Sensors in Combinatorial Polymer Research

This review highlights the broad potential of sensor technologies for combinatorial polymer research. Advances in components microfabrication electronics, transducers, and data analysis in the area of sensors can stimulate the development of many more new concepts applicable for rapid polymer screening. These advances are already impacting on several phases in a typical combinatorial discovery cycle that. include parallel synthesis of polymers, their performance testing, evaluation of properties, and processing of collected data. It is demonstrated that sensors provide an attractive addition to the infrastructure of the analytical instruments used for screening of intrinsic and performance polymer properties.
What Can We Learn from The Marketing of Independent Schools

U.S. public schools can learn some thing about selling themselves from Australian independent schools. The "sales pitch" should include the offer ing of a quality academic program in a caring and disciplined environment.
Inviscid flow of a reacting mixture of gases around a blunt body

A general numerical procedure is described whereby the details of the steady inviscid flow of a mixture of perfect gases about a blunt body, including the effects of finite dissociation and recombination rates, may be calculated. Several numerical examples are calculated in order to apply the numerical procedure to specific cases and also to show the effects of finite reaction times on the flow about a blunt body.
Identification of the Major Site of Rat Prolactin Phosphorylation as Serine 177

Phosphorylation of prolactin by endogenous protein kinases within isolated secretory granules was shown to result in the production of both phosphoserine and phosphothreonine residues. The majority of the radiolabel was determined to be present in the C terminus of the molecule after specific cleavage with glandular kallikrein. Glandular kallikrein cleaves in three places at the C terminus, liberating three small peptides, only one of which contains a phosphorylatable residue. Sequencing of this phosphopeptide showed it to be Arg175-Lys185. Thus the major site of prolactin phosphorylation was determined to be serine 177. Using a synthetic peptide equivalent to this region of the molecule (Ser161-Val180), serine 177 was demonstrated to be a substrate for protein kinase A as well as for one of the endogenous granule kinases. Inclusion of the synthetic peptide in an endogenous granule phosphorylation reaction resulted in competition for the kinase and reduced phosphorylation of prolactin. Protein kinase A phosphorylation of purified prolactin resulted in the production of only phosphoserine and primarily the most abundant (monophosphorylated) variant. We conclude that serine 177 is the major in vivo phosphorylation site of rat prolactin and that phosphorylation of this site can be reproduced by protein kinase A in vitro. The minor threonine phosphorylation site was demonstrated by two-dimensional tryptic peptide mapping and mass analysis to be either threonine 58 or 63, both of which are contained within a single peptide.
Monsoon fluctuations over the past 350 kyr: High-resolution evidence from northeast asia/northwest Pacific climate proxies (marine pollen and radiolarians)

Abstract High-resolution analyses of pollen and radiolarians from northwest Pacific cores V28-304 and RC14-99 provide continuous, directly-linked evidence of oceanic-atmospheric climate processes through the past three Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles. Systematic fluctuations in marine pollen assemblages, which reflect changes in the forest communities of Japan, are compatible with fluctuations in faunal assemblages and inferred oceanographic properties offshore. Each interglacial has distinguishable characteristics which imply that the sequence, timing and magnitude of climatic change were not identical during the three most recent interglacial intervals. Most interglacials contain at least one 10–15 kyr period of exceptionally high percentages (>20%) of Cryptomeria , which we interpret as reflecting increased levels of precipitation in response to intensification of the summer monsoon. With the exception of Oxygen Isotope Substage 5e in RC14-99, interglacial summer sea-surface temperatures were similar to or slightly warmer than today. Glacial environments in central Japan and in the northern subtropical gyre were similar to those which now support cold-temperate and boreal forests on northernmost Japan and a dominant subpolar fauna and associated low sea-surface temperatures offshore. Climatic change was apparently not as severe in southern Japan (where temperate vegetation largely replaced warm-temperate flora) or in the southern subtropical gyre (where only winter SSTs were cooler than present). We attribute these changes in vegetation and surface-water conditions to shifts in the atmospheric polar and oceanographic subarctic fronts in response to the seasonal variations in the Siberian High. Maxima in Cryptomeria systematically lag maxima in solar insolation at 30°N. This correlation between our summer monsoon indicator and summer insolation substantiates the view that the strength of the Asian monsoon is linked to variations in northern hemisphere solar radiation.
The assessment of a new technology for evaluating respiratory abnormalities in sleep.

This study assessed the diagnostic utility of two technologies for evaluating respiratory abnormalities in sleep. We compared conventional polysomnography with a new, ambulatory microprocessor technology. Two key features of the comparison involved: (a) the use of multiple, skilled interpreters of each system; and (b) inter-rater agreement within the systems as a crucial test for the diagnostic utility of each. Results indicated that general categories of respiratory abnormalities could be judged more reliably than more specific categories, regardless of technology. For certain categories of respiratory abnormalities, however, inter-rater agreement with the newer technology was extremely low (e.g., reliability coefficients of .12, .09, and -0.6). Factors contributing to these low diagnostic reliabilities are discussed. Our data indicate that any assessment of new technology cannot be made apart from the clinical judgments to be rendered with that new technology. This approach may be generalizable to the assessment of other diagnostic technologies.
Effect of Sea-Water on Clay Minerals1

Samples of a montmorillonite, a mixed-layer mineral (mica and montmorillonite) “illite”, kaolinite, and halloysite were immersed in 50 ml sea-water for 10 days, and additional samples of the first three were immersed for 150 days. The exchangeable cations were determined both before and after treatment. It was found that Mg2+ ions from sea-water moved into the exchange positions in the minerals in preference to Ca2+ and Na+ ions. The H-form of these minerals showed a gradual adjustment to sea-water as measured by change in pH and filling of the exchange positions with cations other than H+. Kaolinite adjusted very rapidly, but montmorillonite and the mixed-layer mineral were slow. All the minerals reacted to yield appreciable amounts of SiO2, Al2O3, and Fe2O3 to the sea-water. The quantities yielded are in the order montmorillonite > mixed-layer mineral > “illite” > kaolinite > halloysite The solubility is considered to be due to direct solution of SiO2 in the sea-water and to removal of Al2O3 from the octahedral layer of the minerals. When H-clays were titrated with sea-water three distinct kinds of curves were obtained: (a) kaolinite; (b) mixed-layer mineral, “illite,” and halloysite; and (c) montmorillonite. The curves are similar to those obtained with clay minerals titrated with other alkaline solutions. Kaolinite reacts somewhat like a number of simple acids, but the curves for the other minerals are more complex and are related to the neutralization of H and its replacement in the exchange sites by metallic cations. The exchangeable cations were determined in the minerals after titration, and the results are similar to those obtained after immersing the minerals in sea-water. The volume of sea-water required to reach an end point at about pH 7.6 varies from 11 ml for kaolinite to 135 ml for montmorillonite and is related to the titratable alkalinity of the sea water and to the exchange capacity of the minerals.
The characterization of skin-sensitizing antibody induced in nonsensitive dogs.

Abstract Skin-sensitizing antibody (SSA) to ragweed was induced in four nonatopic dogs following four weekly injections of ragweed emulsion. The characteristics of the SSA are similar to those occurring spontaneously in man and dog. A challenge of one of the dogs by insufflation and intravenous administration of ragweed pollen extract failed to produce any systemic symptoms. This suggested the presence of a high level of blocking antibody. One of the dogs developed ulceration and granuloma formation at each site of injection. Biopsies were taken during the stage of active ulceration and after complete healing.
Fracture toughness from atomistic simulations : Brittleness induced by emission of sessile dislocations

Using atomistic simulations of crack response for intermetallic materials the author shows that when the emitted dislocations are sessile and stay in the immediate vicinity of the crack tip the emitted dislocations can actually lead to brittle failure. She present the results of an atomistic simulation study of the simultaneous dislocation emission and crack propagation process in this class of materials. She used a molecular statics technique with embedded atom (EAM) potentials developed for NiAl. The crystal structure of NiAl is the CsCl type (B2) with a lattice parameter of 0.287 nm, which is reproduced by the potential together with the cohesive energy and elastic constants. The compound stays ordered up to the melting point, indicating a strong tendency towards chemical ordering with a relatively high energy of the antiphase boundary (APB). As a result of this relatively large energy the dislocations of 1/2 type Burgers vectors imply a high energy and the deformation process occurs via the larger type dislocations.
Discussion on “Two-Stage Procedures for High-Dimensional Data” by Makoto Aoshima and Kazuyoshi Yata

Abstract Professors Mokoto Aoshima and Kaziyoshi Yata have considered several types of statistical inference problems for multivariate high-dimensional data in the so-called large p, small n situation. For this purpose, in their article they have developed the theory for asymptotic normality when p → ∞. Their work opens up new directions for further investigations and generalizations. We briefly comment on these and discuss a multinomial problem.
Selective withdrawal from a rotating stratified current with applications to OTEC

Abstract The results of a simple theoretical model of axisymmetric withdrawal from a rotating stratified current are presented. A rotating stratified flume was used to test the validity of the theory. Good agreement was found and when the theory is applied to the fluid motion into an OTEC plant, it is found that when the current going by the plant is small, large vortices develop near the inlets. The torques on the plant due to these vortices and the degradation of temperature due to selective withdrawal processes are estimated to be potentially significant.
Power saving experiments for large-scale global optimisation

Green computing, an emerging field of research that seeks to reduce excess power consumption in high-performance computing, is gaining popularity among researchers. Research in this field often relies on simulation or only uses a small cluster, typically 8 or 16 nodes, because of the lack of hardware support. In contrast, System G at Virginia Tech is a 2592 processor supercomputer equipped with power-aware components suitable for large-scale green computing research. DIRECT is a deterministic global optimisation algorithm, implemented in the mathematical software package VTDIRECT95. This paper explores the potential energy savings for the parallel implementation of DIRECT, called pVTdirect, when used with a large-scale computational biology application, parameter estimation for a budding yeast cell cycle model, on System G. Two power-aware approaches for pVTdirect are developed and compared against the CPUSPEED power saving system tool. The results show that knowledge of the parallel workload of the underlying application is beneficial for power management.
Kinetics of crystallization of gels, gel-derived glasses, and conventional glasses in the GeO2PbO system

Abstract Gels in the GeO2PbO system were synthesized by the hydrolytic polycondensation reactions of germanium ethoxide with lead acetate. The kinetics of crystallization of gels, gel-derived glasses, and conventional glasses were studied by the nonisothermal method using differential scanning calorimetry. The crystallization peak temperatures, as a function of heating rates, were determined. The data were analyzed using the Avrami equation. The kinetic parameters, such as the activation energies and frequency factors of three types of non-crystalline solids having the same composition, were determined and examined to compare their crystallization behavior. The influence of the proportion of water added during the gelling process on the structure and crystallization behavior of the gels was studied.
Terahertz Two-Layer Frequency Selective Surfaces With Improved Transmission Characteristics

In this paper, a cascaded configuration for two-layer frequency selective surfaces (FSSs) at terahertz (THz) frequencies with improved filtering characteristics is realized for electrically thick substrates. At THz frequencies, the thicknesses of commercially available substrates are comparable to the free-space wavelength. As a result, the substrate plays a critical role in determining the transmission characteristics of THz multilayer FSS structures. Proper coupling method between FSS structures should be chosen to avoid unwanted substrate resonances or Fabry-Perot resonances, which otherwise degrade the transmission characteristics of the cascaded FSS structure. In this paper, a cascaded structure to avoid multiple reflections within the substrate is presented and the same is used to realize two double-layered FSS structures to improve the transmission response. The transmission response is improved by introducing an extra transmission zero at a frequency location lower than the resonant frequency, thereby achieving high roll-off rate for the lower side of the stop band, and to suppress unwanted resonances, thereby increasing the rejection bandwidth of the filter. The proposed cascaded FSS structures were fabricated and tested using THz time-domain spectroscopy. Good agreement between simulations and experiments were obtained.
Resolution of Diagnosis Based on Transition Faults

The conventional detection conditions for transition faults do not predict fault effects that may be created when transition faults are activated and/or propagated by pulses (or hazards). For this, detection conditions that take hazards into consideration need to be used. However, since the occurrence of pulses cannot be predicted accurately based on a gate-level circuit description, the transition fault model becomes more susceptible to pattern-dependent effects, where errors on observed outputs that are predicted by the fault model may not appear in a circuit-under-diagnosis. This paper considers the implications of these pattern-dependent effects on the resolution of fault diagnosis based on transition faults.
Intermonomer interactions are essential for lysosomal enzyme binding by the cation-dependent mannose 6-phosphate receptor.

The 46 kDa cation-dependent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CD-MPR) plays a key role in the delivery of lysosomal enzymes to the lysosome by binding newly synthesized mannose 6-phosphate (Man-6-P)-containing acid hydrolases and diverting them from the secretory pathway. Previous studies on a truncated form of the receptor comprised of only the soluble extracellular region (sCD-MPR, residues 1−154) have shown that the CD-MPR exists as a homodimer and exhibits two distinct conformations in the ligand-bound versus ligand-unbound states, involving changes in quaternary structure and positioning of loop D, the residues of which form a side of the binding pocket in the presence of ligand. To determine the role of intermonomer contacts in the functioning of the sCD-MPR, site-directed mutagenesis was used to generate a construct lacking a salt bridge (Glu19−Lys137) that tethers the N-terminal α-helix of one subunit to loop D of the other subunit in the ligand-bound form. Here we show by surface plasmon resonance an...
Eigenanalysis of digital images in the Fourier domain: construction of prototypes for high-resolution human chromosomes

Eigenanalysis is a mathematical approach used to obtain characteristic roots and vectors from a matrix and is an important method for extracting information from digital images in microscopy. To use multiple images as input data, the images must be correctly aligned and the pattern common for each input image must not be geometrically distorted. Otherwise, the different geometries produce blurring. Alignment and removal of geometric distortion from digital images of random examples of 20 high resolution preparations of human karyotypes has been achieved by the eigenanalysis performed in the Fourier spectral domain on the phase and the amplitude of the Fourier transform. Our results show that eigenanalysis in the frequency & un provides a better resolution of features than does eigenanalysis in the spatial domain and makes it possible to construct statistically based prototypes.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Galectin-3 and metastasis

Galectin-3, a 31 kDa member of the β-galactoside-binding proteins, is an intracellular and extracellular lectin which interacts with intracellular glycoproteins, cell surface molecules and extracellular matrix proteins. Galectin-3 is expressed widely in epithelial and immune cells and its expression is correlated with cancer aggressiveness and metastasis. Galectin-3 is involved in various biological phenomena including cell growth, adhesion, differentiation, angiogenesis and apoptosis. Recent research revealed that galectin-3 is associated with several steps of invasion and metastasis, like angiogenesis, cell-matrix interaction, dissemination through blood flow and extravasation. Recently, we and others have shown that galectin-3 can be a reliable diagnostic marker in certain cancers and one of the target proteins of cancer treatment. In this review, we describe the involvement of galectin-3 in each steps of metastasis and clinical significance of galectin-3. Published in 2004.
A Sequential Valve-Microtrap Injection System for Continuous, On-Line Gas Chromatographic Analysis at Trace Levels

An injection system consisting of a multiport gas sampling valve in series with a micro sorbent trap is developed for continuous monitoring of low concentration gaseous streams. A large sample volume is injected from the valve into the microtrap where the analytes are trapped. The microtrap is then electrically heated to generate a «desorption pulse» of analyte, which serves as an injection for the gas chromatographic separation. The valve and microtrap injections are synchronized. The microtrap has low thermal mass with a short heating-cooling cycle, and injections can be made every few seconds. The fast response time of this injection system allows it to be used in continuous monitoring applications. Samples as large as 40 mL are injected into a capillary column using this injection system to obtain low detection limits while maintaining high resolution
Preservice elementary teachers׳ economic literacy: Closing gates to full implementation of the social studies curriculum

Abstract The goal of this study was to determine if the level of preservice teachers׳ economic literacy might serve as a gatekeeper to teaching economics competencies. The participants (n=84) were teacher candidates in an elementary education program in their final methods courses prior to their teacher internship. The findings supported the intuitive belief that elementary teachers lack the economic literacy and confidence needed to teach economics concepts in the elementary curriculum. This deficit can serve as a gatekeeper to teaching economics competencies leading to curricular disjuncture between the established curriculum and actual practice in the classroom.
Integrating Assessment into Recurring Information Literacy Instruction: A Case Study from LIS Education

SUMMARY Information literacy instruction is integrated into the distance education program in library and information science (LEEP) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). This article describes the LEEP program and the library services provided to its students. Published research on LEEP and related topics in librarianship is reviewed. Student evaluations of library instructional sessions have been gathered since 2002, shared with teaching faculty and administrators, and used to improve and promote information literacy instruction within LEEP. In the fall of 2005, the instructional model for LEEP was adapted to the on-campus environment. Preliminary analysis of the on-campus student evaluations suggests that modifications are needed to deliver an equivalent learning experience to all LIS students at UIUC, whether on-campus or off.
High current-density Josephson edge-junction capacitance

Abstract Some properties of NbNb oxide-PbIn edge junctions and two-junction superconducting interferometers have been measured. From the voltage of the resonance involving the junction capacitance and interferometer inductance, we deduce that the specific capacitance of 2.5 μm2 junctions having a current density of 30 kA cm-2 is 20±4 μFcm-2.
“Consistency” and “contradiction” in the development of gender role characteristics

Abstract There is currently an increasing amount of theoretical and empirical work arguing that stereotyped sex role behavior is maladaptive in our culture and that “androgyny” or “sex role transcendence” is a preferred mode of being. The latter, however, seems to require individual inconsistency and self-contradiction in behaviors and attitudes (since the individual is both active and passive, both independent and dependent, etc.). Theories of cognitive consistency maintain that individuals avoid self-contradiction and inconsistency, and therefore that androgyny runs counter to important motivational principles. This article examines this issue in some detail, and concludes that theories of cognitive dissonance and consistency reflect particular socio-cultural conditions rather than universal motivation principles. There is nothing inherently uncomfortable or “inconsistent” about androgyny and sex role transcendence.
On cognitions and behavior therapy

Activities called cognitions should be formulated and dealt with in the same manner as all other human behaviors. Some theoretical reasons and illustrative practical results of this position are presented.
Food Habits of the Imported Fire Ant in Pasture and Pine Forest Areas in Southeastern Louisiana

The food habits of Solenopsis saevissima richteri Forel in pasture and young loblolly pine stands in southeastern Louisiana were studied in 1967. Foraging material was collected by exposing foraging trails and capturing each ant transporting a particle to the mound entrance. Material obtained in the pine areas totaled 3969 items or an average of 47.80 items an hour. Termites constituted the largest foraging item and composed 16.32% of the foraging material. A total of 3732 items was taken in pasture areas for an average of 56.54 items per hour. Collembola made up 12.90% of the collected material in pasture sites.