cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A meta-synthesis of primary and secondary student design cognition research

Design within primary and secondary schools has been increasingly emphasized over the past decade. As a response to this increased interest, qualitative research examining students’ cognitive processes involved in the practices of design has been on the rise. These studies have commonly employed the concurrent think-aloud research methodology to examine and describe an individual’s or group’s thought processes while engaged in a design task. However, the variety of coding schemes used to code and describe the collected think-aloud data has limited the synthesis of findings across design cognition studies, which can be a concern as the synthesis of qualitative studies can potentially lead to the development of more formal and possibly more generalizable theories (Glaser and Strauss in Status passage, Aldine, Chicago, 1971). Nevertheless, a study conducted by Grubbs, Strimel, and Kim (2018) examined the different coding schemes used in analyzing the design cognition of primary and secondary students that were published between 1995 and 2016. Their investigation led to the identification of three distinct themes for the foundation and intent of the various design cognition coding schemes and provided a basis for a more informed meta-synthesis of design cognition research. Therefore, this study examined the design cognition studies identified by Grubbs et al. (2018) and synthesized both the findings and discussions of each, according to the three coding scheme themes. The results of this investigation can provide deeper insights into primary and secondary students’ design thinking and can help inform design pedagogy.
Spectra of networks containing short loops

The spectrum of the adjacency matrix plays several important roles in the mathematical theory of networks and network data analysis, for example in percolation theory, community detection, centrality measures, and the theory of dynamical systems on networks. A number of methods have been developed for the analytic computation of network spectra, but they typically assume that networks are locally treelike, meaning that the local neighborhood of any node takes the form of a tree, free of short loops. Empirically observed networks, by contrast, often have many short loops. Here we develop an approach for calculating the spectra of networks with short loops using a message passing method. We give example applications to some previously studied classes of networks and find that the presence of loops induces substantial qualitative changes in the shape of network spectra, generating asymmetries, multiple spectral bands, and other features.
Culturally competent health care for sex workers: an examination of myths that stigmatize sex work and hinder access to care

Sex workers are individuals who offer sexual services in exchange for compensation (i.e. money, goods, or other services). Within the United States, the full-service sex work (FSSW) industry genera...
Drought impacts and management in prairie and sandhills state parks

Abstract The combination of decreased water availability and increased temperatures can interfere with outdoor activities, particularly with surface water decline and the increased risk of wildfire. Drought is a longer-term climate trend, but there is a tendency toward short-term reactions only when a drought occurs. Policy mechanisms for drought, where present, are often left to managerial discretion because they are not needed every year, and lack specific indicators. Recreator choices contribute to adaptation and public lands managers also shape drought response by monitoring meteorological trends and managing resources wisely. Despite these trends, no singular recreational drought definition exists. To understand socio-environmental interactions from a management perspective, this study synthesizes interview findings to provide in-depth insight about drought monitoring, impacts, and management across a variety of ecological regions in Nebraska state parks. Collectively, the eight participating superintendents oversee more than 152 km2 of land, approximately 287 km2 of surface water, and more than 364 km of lakeshore. The emergent properties of drought in the recreation sector include a shortage of naturally available water needed for vegetation health and animal habitat, to support lake sports, to prevent permanent infrastructure damage, and maintain visitor volumes for economic stability. The study concludes with recommendations for increasing drought resilience within the sector.
Lifecycle Environmental Impact of High-Speed Rail System in the Houston-Dallas I-45 Corridor

Texas has the highest rate of the U.S energy related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and transportation is one of the major contributors. The Houston–Dallas corridor is the busiest routes in Texas. Recently, the development of an intercity High-Speed Rail System (HSR) with Shinkansen N700 series trains has commenced. This study builds the life cycle inventories for vehicles and infrastructure in the HSR system, and conducts a preliminary environmental life cycle assessment. Results indicate that over the design life of the HSR system the total GHG emissions from the vehicle life-time are 9.695 kgCO2 eq/VKT, and fossil-fuel usage during vehicle operation is the primary contributor (97%). For the infrastructure, total life-time GHG emissions are 239 kgCO2 eq/VKT, out of which, 94% are from the construction stage. Infrastructure is the dominant contributor to end-point impacts in human health category, with 58% of total impact across all damage categories.
Correlations between the leading Lyapunov vector and pattern defects for chaotic Rayleigh-Bénard convection.

We probe the effectiveness of using topological defects to characterize the leading Lyapunov vector for a high-dimensional chaotic convective flow field. This is accomplished using large-scale parallel numerical simulations of Rayleigh–Benard convection for experimentally accessible conditions. We quantify the statistical correlations between the spatiotemporal dynamics of the leading Lyapunov vector and different measures of the flow field pattern’s topology and dynamics. We use a range of pattern diagnostics to describe the flow field structures which includes many of the traditional diagnostics used to describe convection as well as some diagnostics tailored to capture the dynamics of the patterns. We use the ideas of precision and recall to build a statistical description of each pattern diagnostic’s ability to describe the spatial variation of the leading Lyapunov vector. The precision of a diagnostic indicates the probability that it will locate a region where the Lyapunov vector is larger than a threshold value. The recall of a diagnostic indicates its ability to locate all of the possible spatial regions where the Lyapunov vector is above threshold. By varying the threshold used for the Lyapunov vector magnitude, we generate precision-recall curves which we use to quantify the complex relationship between the pattern diagnostics and the spatiotemporally varying magnitude of the leading Lyapunov vector. We find that pattern diagnostics which include information regarding the flow history outperform pattern diagnostics that do not. In particular, an emerging target defect has the highest precision of all of the pattern diagnostics we have explored.
Sensing and sequestration of inorganic cationic pollutants by metal-organic frameworks

Abstract Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are being applied to remediate anthropological waste that is toxic to life and injurious to the environment. In this chapter we look at how MOFs are being used to that end toward cationic inorganic pollutants. Each section elaborates on how they are introduced into different environmental compartments, how they are speciated, and their effects on human health. A selection of recent research is reviewed to highlight various methods and systems developed allowing for the effective sensing and sequestration of various cationic heavy metals that are particularly hazardous—this includes cadmium, lead, mercury, and chromium, as well as uranium and some of its radioactive fission products such as cesium, rubidium, and barium.
Accuracy of catheter-associated urinary tract infections reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network, January 2010 through July 2018.

Background Surveillance of health care-associated, catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) are the corner stone of infection prevention activity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network provides standard definitions for CAUTI surveillance, which have been updated periodically to increase objectivity, credibility, and reliability of urinary tract infection definitions. Several state health departments have validated CAUTI data that provided insights into accuracy of CAUTI reporting and adherence to CAUTI definition. Methods Data accuracy measures included pooled mean sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. Total CAUTI error rate was computed as proportion of mismatches among total records. The impact of 2015 CAUTI definition changes were tested by comparing pooled accuracy estimates of validations prior to 2015 with post-2015. Results At least 19 state health departments conducted CAUTI validations and indicated pooled mean sensitivity of 88.3%, specificity of 98.8%, positive predictive value of 93.6%, and negative predictive value of 97.6% of CAUTI reporting to the National Healthcare Safety Network. Among CAUTIs misclassified (121), 66% were underreported and 34% were overreported. CAUTI classification error rate declined significantly from 4.3% (pre-2015) to 2.4% (post-2015). Reasons for CAUTI misclassifications included: misapplication of CAUTI definition, misapplication of general health care–associated infection definitions, and clinical judgement over surveillance definition. Conclusions CAUTI underreporting is a major concern; validations provide transparency, education, and relationship building to improve reporting accuracy.
Are Relational Inferences from Crowdsourced and Opt-in Samples Generalizable? Comparing Criminal Justice Attitudes in the GSS and Five Online Samples

Similar to researchers in other disciplines, criminologists increasingly are using online crowdsourcing and opt-in panels for sampling, because of their low cost and convenience. However, online non-probability samples’ “fitness for use” will depend on the inference type and outcome variables of interest. Many studies use these samples to analyze relationships between variables. We explain how selection bias—when selection is a collider variable—and effect heterogeneity may undermine, respectively, the internal and external validity of relational inferences from crowdsourced and opt-in samples. We then examine whether such samples yield generalizable inferences about the correlates of criminal justice attitudes specifically. We compare multivariate regression results from five online non-probability samples drawn either from Amazon Mechanical Turk or an opt-in panel to those from the General Social Survey (GSS). The online samples include more than 4500 respondents nationally and four outcome variables measuring criminal justice attitudes. We estimate identical models for the online non-probability and GSS samples. Regression coefficients in the online samples are normally in the same direction as the GSS coefficients, especially when they are statistically significant, but they differ considerably in magnitude; more than half (54%) fall outside the GSS’s 95% confidence interval. Online non-probability samples appear useful for estimating the direction but not the magnitude of relationships between variables, at least absent effective model-based adjustments. However, adjusting only for demographics, either through weighting or statistical control, is insufficient. We recommend that researchers conduct both a provisional generalizability check and a model-specification test before using these samples to make relational inferences.
The Virtue of Thrift: A Person-Centered Conceptualization and Measure Development

The virtue of thrift, defined as the wise use and distribution of resources, has yet to receive much empirical study, despite the popularization of virtue research more broadly within positive psychology. With the recent rise in perceived resource scarcity (North and Fiske in J Soc Issues 72:122–145, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12159 ), thrift is a virtue of increasing importance. The purpose of these studies is to establish the virtue of thrift as a construct for psychological inquiry. The Thrift Questionnaire 21 was developed with EFA (Study 1; N = 257) and validated with CFA (Study 2; N = 401) to measure five factors of thrift (frugality/ecocentrism, spending dysregulation, investment, sharing/borrowing, and sanctified thrift), which relate to other virtues and predict well-being after accounting for personality traits. Latent profile analysis of the thrift factors in Study 2 revealed three profiles for the virtue of thrift: instrumental thrift (40.1%), non-thrift (33.7%), and sanctified thrift (26.3%). Participants classified under the sanctified thrift profile reported the highest levels of spontaneous giving, self-reported generosity, and gratitude, which supports the classification of this profile as representing the virtue of thrift. Potential objections to thrift are addressed as well as future directions for research.
Evaluation of Truncated Areas in the Assessment of Bioequivalence of Immediate Release Formulations of Drugs with Long Half-Lives and of Cmax with Different Dissolution Rates

Purpose. To Evaluate truncated AUC in place of AUCt or extrapolated AUCinf, for drugs with long half-lives and to study the relationship between Cmax and in vitro dissolution rates.
Evaluation of biobanked blood spot cards to detect cytokines in blood

Background & Aim Biobanks are routinely tasked with investigating new ways to store biospecimens without restricting which analytes are available. We sought to verify if very low concentration, physiologically important proteins, such as TNFα could be eluted from dried blood spot cards. While DNA and proteins are commonly extracted from biobanked samples stored as dried blood spots, it is unclear if such very low concentration proteins can be detected in suitable quality and quantity for further analysis. We chose to detect using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) approach, as ELISA is a more cost-effective approach than mass spectrometry and multiplex proximity extension assays. Methods, Results & Conclusion Different known concentrations of TNFα were loaded onto blood spot cards. After the card dried, protein was eluted from the card and quantified using an ELISA approach. It was determined that TNFα could be eluted from dried blood spot cards and quantified using ELISA. Samples eluted with a recovery of 30.1- 72.6% at concentrations on a dried blood spot between 78.13-312.5pg/ml. However, the assay's ability to detect TNFα as concentrations decreased, resulting in a decrease in the efficiency of protein recovery amount. Further refinement continues to confirm if this methodology can detect protein concentrations at common physiologic and pathologic levels of 5-27pg/ml.
TLR7 Negatively Regulates B10 Cells Predominantly in an IFNγ Signaling Dependent Manner

IL-10 producing B cells (B10 cells) play an important immunoregulatory role in various autoimmune and infection conditions. However, the factors that regulate their development and maintenance are incompletely understood. Recently, we and others have established a requirement for TLR7 in promoting autoimmune antibody forming cell (AFC) and germinal center (GC) responses. Here we report an important additional role of TLR7 in the negative regulation of B10 cell development. TLR7 overexpression or overstimulation promoted the reduction of B10 cells whereas TLR7 deficiency rescued these cells in both non-autoimmune and autoimmune-prone mice. TLR7 expression was further inversely correlated with B cell-dependent IL-10 production and its inhibition of CD4 T cell proliferation and IFNγ production in an in vitro B cell and T cell co-culture system. Further, B10 cells displayed elevated TLR7, IFNγR, and STAT1 expression compared to non-B10 cells. Interestingly, deficiency of IFNγR in TLR7 overexpressing lupus-prone mice rescued B10 cells from TLR7-mediated reduction. Finally, B cell intrinsic deletion of IFNγR was sufficient to restore B10 cells in the spleens of TLR7-promoted autoimmune mouse model. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate a novel role for the IFNγR-STAT1 pathway in TLR7-mediated negative regulation of B10 cell development.
Non-Traditional Catalyst Supports in Surface Organometallic Chemistry

Surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC) as a field aims to blend the positive attributes of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. Significant insight into heterogeneous systems has been gained over the years through the synthesis, characterization, and application of well-defined surface organometallic catalysts, predominantly supported on silica and alumina. Considerable research efforts have focused on the application of homogeneous methods to the synthesis and characterization of these systems. Homogeneous catalysis has thrived on its ability to electronically and sterically tune ligands to yield desired reactivity and selectivity. Efforts in SOMC, however, have only recently turned to harnessing the stereoelectronic diversity of potential inorganic support materials beyond silica and alumina in order to exert similar control on the reactivity of the organometallic active site. The support material is intrinsically linked to electronic structure and reactivity of heterogeneous organometallic systems in the same way that ligands exert control over homogeneous catalyst systems. The ability to tune the reactivity of heterogeneous catalysts by changing the support is of great value, and it is anticipated that this will represent an area of significant growth in the field. In this perspective, the use and future of non-traditional catalyst supports, such as sulfated metal oxides, modified silicas, and redox active supports is dis-cussed.
Low Temperature Silicon Epitaxy for Novel Device Structures

With the continued scaling of devices down to the submicron level, many new device processing issues have arisen that can inhibit device speed and degrade device performance. For bipolar these processing issues encompass; 1) new deep isolation structures (>1.0um), 2) sidewall base contact structures, 3) thin base regions (<0.1um), 4) dual n-type and p-type buried layer autodoping and 5) shallow emitter junction formation. For CMOS the processing issues center around; 1) latch-up immunity, 2) new advanced DRAM and SRAM cell structure designs, 3) shallow source/drain junction formation with optional LDD structures and 4) self-aligned contact hole refill and planarization techniques for back-end metallization interconnect technology. For BiCMOS you have the combination of all of the above effects in terms of processing issues with very complex processing steps in order to optimize both bipolar and CMOS device performance. Therefore, this paper will present some very attractive new advanced device structures that are possible through the use of low temperature/low pressure (LT/LP) production worthy epitaxial growth techniques that address these ULSI submicron device processing issues.
Ultrastructural changes of elastic tissue in hamster lung during elastase-emphysema.

Recently, the structural arrangement of elastin has been extensively studied by numerous investigators. Subsequently, four molecular models (corpuscular, fibrillar, amorphous random chain, and “oiled coil”) have been proposed (1)(2), based upon evidence of electron microscopic observations as well as from the physico-chemical measurements of ligament elastin. However, elastic tissue in intact tissues or organs has not been studied in detail. In 1966, Banga (3) suggested a structural arrangement of elastic tissues based on her studies under a polarized light microscope and enzymatic digestions. She proposed that the intact elastic fiber consisted of mainly amorphous elastin and a small amount of glycoproteins. However, under the electron microscope, in addition to the amorphous elastin, microfibrils have been found (4)(5) and were identified as a glycoprotein (6–8). They average 130 A in width and appear tubular. The microfibrils are concentrated on the peripheral portion of elastic fibers and mantled around the amorphous portion of the elastic fibers.
Management of Primary Graft Dysfunction: Lung Transplantation Surgery

Primary graft dysfunction in lung transplantation (PGD) is a syndrome occurring within the first 72 h after lung implantation characterized by progressive acute lung injury: inflammatory pulmonary edema with diffuse alveolar damage that manifests clinically as progressive hypoxemia with radiographic pulmonary infiltrates similar to Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Following ischemia and reperfusion, inflammatory and immunological injury-repair responses appear the key controlling mechanisms of PGD.
Development of a Transformable Fast-Flowering Mini-Maize as a Tool for Maize Gene Editing.

Maize ( Zea mays ssp. mays ) is a popular genetic model due to its ease of crossing, well-established toolkits, and its status as a major global food crop. Recent technology developments for precise manipulation of the genome are further impacting both basic biological research and biotechnological application in agriculture. Crop gene editing often requires a process of genetic transformation in which the editing reagents are introduced into plant cells. In maize, this procedure is well-established for a limited number of public lines that are amenable for genetic transformation. Fast-Flowering Mini-Maize (FFMM) lines A and B were recently developed as an open-source tool for maize research by reducing the space requirements and the generation time. Neither line of FFMM were competent for genetic transformation using traditional protocols, a necessity to its status as a complete toolkit for public maize genetic research. Here we report the development of new lines of FFMM that have been bred for amenability to genetic transformation. By hybridizing a transformable maize genotype high Type-II callus parent A (Hi-II A) with line A of FFMM, we introgressed the ability to form embryogenic callus from Hi-II A into the FFMM-A genetic background. Through multiple generations of iterative self-hybridization or doubled-haploid method, we established maize lines that have a strong ability to produce embryogenic callus from immature embryos and maintain resemblance to FFMM-A in flowering time and stature. Using an Agrobacterium -mediated standard transformation method, we successfully introduced the CRISPR-Cas9 reagents into immature embryos and generated transgenic and mutant lines displaying the expected mutant phenotypes and genotypes. The transformation frequencies of the tested genotypes, defined as the numbers of transgenic event producing T1 seeds per 100 infected embryos, ranged from 0 to 17.1%. Approximately 80% of transgenic plants analyzed in this study showed various mutation patterns at the target site. The transformable FFMM line, FFMM-AT, can serve as a useful genetic and genomic resource for the maize community.
Survival Outcomes for Metaplastic Breast Cancer Differ by Histologic Subtype

Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare, aggressive subtype of breast cancer associated with poorer overall survival than other triple-negative breast cancers. This study sought to compare survival outcomes among histologic subtypes of MBC with those of non-metaplastic triple-negative breast cancer. Clinicopathologic and treatment data for all patients with non-metastatic, pure MBC undergoing surgery from 1995 to 2017 and for a large cohort of patients with other types of triple-negative breast cancer during that period were collected from an institutional database. The MBC tumors were classified as having squamous, spindle, heterologous mesenchymal, or mixed histology. Survival outcomes were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method. Of 132 MBC patients, those with heterologous mesenchymal MBC (n = 45) had the best 5-year overall and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS, 88%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78–0.99), whereas those with squamous MBC had the worst survival (BCSS, 56%; 95% CI, 0.32–0.79). Overall survival, BCSS, and recurrence-free survival were worse for the patients with MBC than for the patients who had non-MBC triple-negative breast cancer, with a clinicopathologically adjusted recurrence hazard ratio of 2.4 (95% CI, 1.6–3.3; p < 0.001). Of the 10 MBC patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 4 progressed while receiving treatment, and 3 had no response. Metaplastic breast carcinoma is associated with worse survival than other triple-negative breast cancers. The heterologous mesenchymal subtype is associated with the best survival, whereas the squamous subtype is associated with the worst survival. These data call for research to identify therapies tailored to MBC’s unique biology.
Capacitance-based stress self-sensing effectiveness of a model asphalt without functional component

Abstract Capacitance-based self-sensing is shown for the first time on a pitch-based material, which serves as model asphalt. No functional component is involved. Compressive stress (5–1720 Pa) is sensed. The capacitance increases reversibly by ≤1.2% upon unloading. It is linearly related to the stress, with the fractional change in capacitance per unit stress ≤9.3 × 10−5/Pa. The capacitance change is identically and repeatedly observed for 20 cycles at the same stress amplitude. The resistance decreases reversibly upon unloading, but it is an inferior stress indicator than the capacitance, due to the greater irreversibility tendency and less regular dependence on the stress.
Charge Transport Dynamics and Space Charge Accumulation in XLPE Composites with 2D Platelet Fillers for HVDC Cable Insulation

Here, based on the dielectric response analysis, we report the charge transport dynamics as related to space charge accumulation for three model XLPE composites with 2D platelet silicate fillers. Dynamics of charge transport and the interplay between polarization and space charge are revealed by the equivalent circuit analysis with the Dissado-Hill dielectric response model. In addition to the quasi-DC process, a characteristic dielectric loss peak in the frequency range of 0.1 Hz to the power frequency is observed and attributed to the relaxation of charges trapped by filler-polymer interfaces. It is demonstrated that the physical nature of trapping and transport revealed by parameters extracted from the quasi-DC process and dielectric loss peak can be well correlated to the characteristics of space charge accumulations in the model XLPE composites containing distinctively different 2D platelet fillers.
Stock Market Prediction and Portfolio Optimization

The highly volatile nature of the stock market has made stock price prediction as challenging as weather forecasting. Consequently, as a hint of this dread, people don’t invest in the stock market. In this paper, we have discussed hybrid networks and a stacked LSTM network for stock price prediction. Additionally, it also focuses on portfolio optimization done using six different techniques, which focuses on creating best performing portfolios categorized on the basis of sectors. One hybrid neural network consists of 1D-Convolutional layers and LSTM layers, and the other is a combination of GRU and LSTM layers. The stock prices of SBI, Indian Bank, Bank of India are predicted using stacked LSTM and Hybrid Neural Networks and compared using the sliding window of time steps with variable width. The neural networks predict the following day’s closing price using a variable sliding window. The RMSE, MSE, and MAE are used to evaluate the efficiency of these neural networks. The hybrid network is proving to be more competent in various situations.
Intravenous Fibrinolytic Therapy in Central Retinal Artery Occlusion A Patient-Level Meta-analysis

Importance Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is an ophthalmologic emergency that can result in blindness. At present, no proven therapy for CRAO exists. Treatment with fibrinolytic agents has shown promise but remains of unproven benefit. Objectives To assess the efficacy of systemic fibrinolytic therapy for patients with CRAO and to define a time window of efficacy. Data Sources We systematically queried PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus using the following index terms: “retinal artery occlusion” OR “retinal ischemia” AND “thrombolysis” OR “fibrinolysis” OR “tissue plasminogen activator” OR “streptokinase” OR “urokinase.” Search was not limited by year of publication or language and was conducted in August 2014. In addition, we evaluated the references from relevant review articles. Study Selection We assembled observational studies reporting on visual acuity outcomes after CRAO. Inclusion criteria were complete reporting of visual outcomes after CRAO (with or without fibrinolytic therapy) and a series of more than 5 patients for fibrinolysis treatment or more than 20 cases when untreated or treated with conservative modalities. Data Extraction and Synthesis Patient-level data were sought for studies reporting outcomes of treatment with fibrinolysis. Summary statistics were obtained for conservative treatment and natural history studies. The studies were weighted by the inverse of variance and merged in a random-effects model. Main Outcomes and Measures Rate of visual recovery (defined as improvement of visual acuity from 20/200 or worse at presentation to 20/100 or better) was calculated for patients treated with fibrinolytic and conservative therapies and those who received no treatment. Results We obtained summary statistics from 7 studies that included 396 patients who received no treatment after CRAO and from 8 studies that included 419 patients treated with ocular massage, anterior chamber paracentesis, and/or hemodilution (conservative treatment). Patient-level data were obtained for 147 patients treated with systemic fibrinolysis. We found that fibrinolysis was beneficial at 4.5 hours or earlier after symptom onset compared with the natural history group (17 of 34 [50.0%] vs 70 of 396 [17.7%]; odds ratio, 4.7 [95% CI, 2.3-9.6]; P P Conclusions and Relevance Our analysis suggests that a clinical trial of early systemic fibrinolytic therapy for CRAO is warranted and that conservative treatments are futile and may be harmful.
The Principle of Meaning

Hume in his philosophical writings held that the philosopher and the vulgar often entertain opinions which are in principle unverifiable; and a large part of what is called “metaphysics” consists of such opinions, the truth or falsehood of which, in principle, cannot be ascertained.
Building Semantic Tools for Concept-based Learning Spaces: Knowledge Bases of Strongly-Structured Models for Scientific Concepts in Advanced Digital Libraries

Applying conventional principles of knowledge organization, representation, and other semantic tools, we have constructed a model for scientific concepts and employed knowledge bases and visualization tools to represent knowledge concerning scientific concepts. Strongly-structured models, such as the integration of a taxonomy (or thesaurus) with metadata (or attribute-value pairs) and domain-specific markup languages, as well as specialized models for learning scientific concepts, focus on such attributes as objective representations, operational semantics, use, and interrelationships of concepts. All of these play important roles in constructing representations of knowledge in most domains of science. Instructional activities for undergraduate teaching and learning are greatly facilitated with the use of such integrated semantic tools.
Modulation of cardiac remodeling by adenosine: In vitro and in vivo effects

The increasing incidence of congestive heart failure has stimulated efforts to develop pharmacologic strategies to prevent or reverse the associated process of adverse cardiac remodeling. The possibility of utilizing endogenously generated factors that are capable of inhibiting this process is beginning to be explored. Adenosine, has been described as a retaliatory autacoid with homeostatic activities in the regulation of myocardial blood flow, catecholamine release, and reduction of injury resulting from periods of ischemia. Adenosine exerts a variety of actions that are consistent with the concept that it can reduce or inhibit the process of cardiac remodeling. In this manuscript, the basics of adenosine metabolism, its cell surface receptors and beneficial actions on the cardiovascular system are reviewed. In addition new, in vitro and in vivo data will be presented supporting the concept that adenosine exerts actions that may ameliorate adverse cardiac remodeling.
Chromatographic and spectroscopic profiles of Cannabis of different origins: Part I.

High-resolution capillary gas chromatography with flame ionization detection and mass spectrometry (GC and GC/MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to establish complex chemical profiles (chemical signatures) of Cannabis samples of known origin. Over 100 compounds could be differentiated, including noncannabinoids (terpenes, alkanes) as well as minor and major cannabinoids and their acids. A characteristic peak pattern was found within a limited number of specimens of identical origin. Correlation studies on the basis of peak area ratios [A(x)/A(i.s.)] showed the feasibility of tracing Cannabis chemically to its country of origin. Several forensic science applications for the chromatographic and spectroscopic profiles of confiscated Cannabis samples are discussed, such as detection of additives (phencyclidine), differentiation of chemotypes, and monitoring of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) potency.
Highly Parallel Cryptographic Attacks

We report on a large-scale statistical evaluation of pseudorandom properties of certain cryptographic functions such as DEs and md5. The evaluation is based on the well-known birthday attack. The attack requires large amounts of memory. We describe a parallel algorithm which can exploit the large amounts of secondary memory (local disks) available on many workstation clusters and parallel machines. The overheads due to communication and disk accesses can be minimized by techniques similar to those used in parallel data bases for parallel external sorting. We have implemented the algorithm using the message passing interface MPI. We display performance measurements on an IBM SP2 which show that the costs for communication and disk accesses are negligible.
Mycoplasma Recovery from the Male Genitourinary Tract: Voided Urine Versus the Urethral Swab

A study of Mycoplasma recovery from the genitourinary tract was made on a group of 50 males attending a venereal disease clinic. The purpose of the investigation was to compare recovery rates of mycoplasma from two types of clinical specimens—the urethral swab and voided urine. The total number of positive cultures did not differ significantly when either the swab or urine was used; Mycoplasma hominis type 1 was the only taxonomic species isolated, either alone or mixed with T-strain mycoplasma. Recovery rates of the two types from both the swab and the urine did not differ significantly. Age did not relate to the presence of mycoplasma in the group studied.
Complications of radiotherapy for carcinoma of the uterine cervix

Abstract A study was made of the complications found in a group of 641 service patients with carcinoma of the cervix, Stages I to III, who had original treatment by irradiation. Complications in a patient with persistent or recurrent cancer was considered due to malignancy and not to treatment. The most common complications were, in decreasing order: proctitis; vault necrosis; hemorrhagic cystitis; parametritis; rectovaginal fistula; ureteral obstruction; bowel necrosis, obstruction, and perforation; vesicovaginal fistula; etc. The incidence of complications and mortality rate was directly proportional to the amount of irradiation administered to the pelvis, even though a higher tumor dose resulted in a better 5 year survival. Proper application of radium and adequate separation of rectum and bladder from the active source appeared to be of utmost significance in the prevention of serious complications.
Mentoring and Personal Relationships Are Perceived Benefits of Serving as an Athletic Training Preceptor

Context: Preceptors play a vital role in athletic training education as they mentor and socialize athletic training students into their professional role. Exploring the benefits to serving as a pre...
Effect of various functional groups on the gas-liquid chromatographic behavior of the estratriene nucleus.

Abstract The gas-liquid chromatographic behavior of 38 estrogens has been determined on QF-1 and SE-30 columns and the contributions of the various functional groups to the retention characteristics of the estratriene nucleus have been calculated.
Utilization of ion-exchange chromatography in the isolation and colorimetric assay of p-aminophenyl glucuronide derivatives in human urine.

Abstract A rapid, quantitative method has been described for the determination of urinary p-acetamidophenyl glucuronide and p-aminophenyl glucuronide. The method is based upon preliminary urine fractionation on a cation-exchange resin followed by colorimetric analysis. Ion-exchange methods are also described for the purification and isolation of these compounds, and simple chemical and physical tests for their characterization are briefly reviewed. These methods allow daily estimation of urinary p-aminophenyl glucuronide derivatives and should prove useful in the evaluation of patients suspected of analgesic drug abuse.
Prioritizing countries for interventions to reduce child mortality: tools for maximizing the impact of mass drug administration of azithromycin.

Background As new interventions to reduce childhood mortality are identified, careful consideration must be given to identifying populations that could benefit most from them. Promising reductions in childhood mortality reported in a large cluster randomized trial of mass drug administration (MDA) of azithromycin (AZM) prompted the development of visually compelling, easy-to-use tools that synthesize country-specific data on factors that would influence both potential AZM benefit and MDA implementation success. Methodology/Principal Findings We assessed the opportunity to reduce mortality and the feasibility of implementing such a program, creating Opportunity and Feasibility Indices, respectively. Countries with high childhood mortality were included. A Country Ranking Index combined key variables from the previous two Indices and applied a scoring system to identify high-priority countries. We compared four scenarios with varying weights given to each variable. Twenty-five countries met inclusion criteria. We created easily visualized tools to display the results of the Opportunity and Feasibility Indices. The Opportunity Index revealed substantial variation in the opportunity for an MDA of AZM program to reduce mortality, even among countries with high overall childhood mortality. The Feasibility Index demonstrated that implementing such a program would be most challenging in the countries that could see greatest benefit. Based on the Country Ranking Index, Equatorial Guinea would benefit the most from the MZA of AZM in three of the four scenarios we tested. Conclusions/Significance These visually accessible tools can be adapted or refined to include other metrics deemed important by stakeholders, and provide a quantitative approach to prioritization for intervention implementation. The need to explicitly state metrics and their weighting encourages thoughtful and transparent decision making. The objective and data-driven approach promoted by the three Indices may foster more efficient use of resources.
The Subprime and the beautiful

Elaborating and extending Cedric Robinson's notion of ‘the preservation of the ontological totality’ is a crucial task for black studies at a moment when its practitioners are serially (and properly) enjoined to attend critically to the brutal conditions under which many black people live as well as the existential interdictions all black people are forced to endure. This paper assumes an irreducible relation between preservation and celebration and considers the subprime crisis to be a moment that requires and also allows practitioners of black studies to develop ways of integrating celebration and critique.
Coordinated Optimization and Control Technology between Active and Reactive Power

As the coupling between active and reactive power is enhanced along with the expansion of the grid scale and the AC-DC hybrid operation, voltage stability is not only closely related to reactive power, but also related to active power. By the constraints of generator power circle and its operating limits, the mechanism of interaction between the active and reactive power is clarified. Also, the hierarchy structure of coordinated optimization and control technology between them is established, and an improved AGC control strategy consideration to static voltage stability is proposed. By optimizing the active power output of the AGC unit, the dynamic reactive power reserve capacity of each unit is improved and the system voltage is supported. The strategy is verified through a variety of experiments on the IEEE-39 bus system.
An analysis of finite element approximations for an algebraic model of turbulence

Analyse des approximations par elements finis d'un modele algebrique de turbulence. Presentation d'un algorithme avec des estimations d'erreur
Sistema endocrino y corazon: una revision

Normal endocrine function is essential for cardiovascular health. Disorders of the endocrine system, consisting of hormone hyperfunction and hypofunction, have multiple effects on the cardiovascular system. In this review, we discuss the epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of disorders of the pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands, with respect to the impact of endocrine dysfunction on the cardiovascular system. We also review the cardiovascular benefits of restoring normal endocrine function.
Interaction Properties of Doubly Phosphorylated β-Casein, a Major Component of the Human Milk Caseins

Abstract Doubly phosphorylated β -casein constitutes nearly 30% of the total human β -caseins and is thus one of the major components of that fraction. The properties and mode of association of doubly phosphorylated β -casein are therefore important determinants of the structure and function of the human casein micelle. Doubly phosphorylated β -casein has an absorbency of 6.2 and a partial specific volume of .74. The protein precipitated at room temperature when 10m M Ca 2+ was added but produced a clear solution in 1 M NaCl. Equilibrium dialysis produced an average of 2.06 major Ca 2+ -binding sites at 37°C with a dissociation constant of 12.1×10 -4 M . The monomer at 20°C was calculated to have a solvation of 2.1g of H 2 O/g of protein and an axial ratio of 6.8, suggesting a prolate ellipsoid of about 11 by 2nm. At high ionic strength, evidence exists for a spherical structure with a molecular weight of 2.25×10 6 . This structure would represent a polymer of about 90 monomers with a radius of 14.8nm and a solvation of 1.93g of H 2 O/g of protein. This association behavior is similar to that of other phosphorylated human β -caseins but differs from the nonphosphorylated form. It changes when both Ca 2+ and inorganic orthophosphate are present.
487 INCOMPLETE DOCUMENTATION OF HIGH-RISK NEWBORN RESUSCITATION

As part of an Outreach program to determine the need for continuing medical and nursing education, a chart review of high-risk newborns in community hospitals was undertaken. Part of the study evaluated recording of Apgar scores and initial resuscitation in the delivery room, assuming this critical period for any infant warrants compliance with accepted resuscitative standards followed by complete documentation in the record. 410 charts of high-risk infants born in 6 community hospitals (2 Level II, 4 Level I) have been reviewed. The high-risk population includes LBW infants, neonatal deaths, neonatal transfers and admissions to Level II ICU. Preliminary review indicates inadequate recording of initial assessment and resuscitative efforts following the birth of these high-risk infants. 92.7% of all charts had incomplete records of resuscitative measures. Absence of or incomplete recording of Apgar scores was observed in 16.1% of charts. Both 1 and 5 min Apgar scores were recorded in 83.9% of charts (344). Of these infants a total of 77.3% had an acceptable Apgar (> 6) by 5 min. This number seems to indicate that compliance with resuscitation standards may occur but, due to lack of documentation in patients' charts, it is difficult to evaluate. It is apparent there is need for continued outreach education, to increase nurses' and physicians' awareness of the importance of documentation of this critical period. Only when documentation of resuscitation is complete can true compliance of resuscitative measures with accepted standards be assessed.
Digital resources for dentistry database: A needs assessment

This poster session will describe a current needs assessment at the University at Buffalo that is designed to determine how a collection of digitized dental slides can meet the needs of dental researchers and practitioners. The University's School of Dental Medicine houses several collections of dental slides that depict various pathological conditions of the mouth and maxillofacial region, as well images of various human tissue types. These collections present a rich set of possibilities for pedagogical and diagnostic use by members of the dental profession. Previous studies have not directly addressed the description, organization, and use of digitized dental images, and how those efforts can address the needs of dental professionals. This leaves a gap in the research that this needs assessment can begin to fill.
Minor groove DNA-protein contacts upstream of a tRNA gene detected with a synthetic DNA binding ligand.

Transcription factor IIIB (TFIIIB) is composed of the TATA box binding protein (TBP) and class III gene-specific TBP-associated factors (TAFs). TFIIIB is brought to a site centered approximately 35 bp upstream from the transcription start site of tRNA genes via protein-protein interactions with the intragenic promoter-recognition factor TFIIIC. Since TBP interacts with TATA elements through the minor groove of DNA, we asked whether TFIIIB interacts with DNA in the minor groove. Polyamides containing pyrrole (Py) and imidazole (Im) amino acids are synthetic DNA ligands that bind to predetermined sequences in the minor groove of double helical DNA. These small molecules have been shown to interfere with protein-DNA interactions in the minor groove. A series of DNA constructs was generated in which the binding site for a Py-Im polyamide was placed at various distances upstream from a tRNA gene transcription start site. We find that a match polyamide will effectively inhibit tRNA gene transcription when its binding site is located within 33 bp of the transcription start site of the Xenopus TyrD tRNA gene. Moreover, in the presence of polyamide, RNA polymerase III is redirected to a new transcription initiation site located approximately one DNA helical turn downstream from the native start site. Our results suggest that a subunit of TFIIIB, possibly TBP, makes an essential minor groove DNA contact centered approximately 30 bp upstream from the tRNA gene.