cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Comparison of Pharmacologic Therapeutic Agents Used for the Reduction of Intracranial Pressure After Traumatic Brain Injury.

Objective In neurotrauma care, a better understanding of treatments after traumatic brain injury (TBI) has led to a significant decrease in morbidity and mortality in this population. TBI represents a significant medical problem, and complications after TBI are associated with the initial injury and postevent intracranial processes such as increased intracranial pressure and brain edema. Consequently, appropriate therapeutic interventions are required to reduce brain tissue damage and improve cerebral perfusion. We present a contemporary review of literature on the use of pharmacologic therapies to reduce intracranial pressure after TBI and a comparison of their efficacy. Methods This review was conducted by PubMed query. Only studies discussing pharmacologic management of patients after TBI were included. This review includes prospective and retrospective studies and includes randomized controlled trials as well as cohort, case-control, observational, and database studies. Systematic literature reviews, meta-analyses, and studies that considered conditions other than TBI or pediatric populations were not included. Results Review of the literature describing the current pharmacologic treatment for intracranial hypertension after TBI most often discussed the use of hyperosmolar agents such as hypertonic saline and mannitol, sedatives such as fentanyl and propofol, benzodiazepines, and barbiturates. Hypertonic saline is associated with faster resolution of intracranial hypertension and restoration of optimal cerebral hemodynamics, although these advantages did not translate into long-term benefits in morbidity or mortality. In patients refractory to treatment with hyperosmolar therapy, induction of a barbiturate coma can reduce intracranial pressure, although requires close monitoring to prevent adverse events. Conclusions Current research suggests that the use of hypertonic saline after TBI is the best option for immediate decrease in intracranial pressure. A better understanding of the efficacy of each treatment option can help to direct treatment algorithms during the critical early hours of trauma care and continue to improve morbidity and mortality after TBI.
Microfinance Intervention in Poverty Reduction: A Study of Women Farmer-Entrepreneurs in Rural Ghana

This paper examines microfinance intervention in rural poverty reduction in Ghana by surveying 100 rural women farmer-entrepreneurs. The findings reveal that microfinance interventions that emphasize both credit provision and social intermediation improve access to credit, improve business performance, and contribute to a higher standard of living for female farmer-entrepreneurs and their families. The results show that the microfinance scheme has been successful due to a strong social network and group relationships among the farmers. An implication of the study is that poverty reduction programs in developing countries need to emphasize social and human development components in microfinancing policies.
Aposematism and Batesian Mimicry

The color patterns of most animals are enormously important to their lives. Colors may serve as intraspecific signals and are sometimes involved in the control of body temperature. Much more often, however, the color pattern helps the animal to escape predation. Perhaps the majority of animals are cryptic in appearance and behavior and thus tend to avoid the notice of predators. Many moths, for example, are camouflaged, blending into the background when they rest during the day on the bark of a tree (Kettlewell, 1955, 1956). A disruptive pattern (e.g., the white bands on the wings of “admiral” butterflies) may contribute to camouflage by breaking up the animal’s outline (Cott, 1957).
A Comparison of Veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and with Both Disorders: Understanding Multimorbidity.

Introduction Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common military service-related conditions diagnosed both singly and together in veterans returning from recent military conflicts overseas. The impact of these disorders in real-world Veterans Health Administration practice has not been studied extensively, and few studies have examined the association of these disorders both by themselves and together with sociodemographic characteristics, psychiatric and medical comorbidities, health service utilization, and psychotropic medication fills. This study aims to add to the broader study of multimorbidity and the impact it has on patient care. Materials and Methods This study used a national Veterans Health Administration sample (N = 164,884) to compare characteristics of veterans diagnosed with mTBI, PTSD, and with both disorders. Relative rates of diagnosis with psychiatric and medical disorders, utilization of medical and psychiatric services, and prescription rates of psychotropic medication fills were examined to determine the impact that the disorders had on these rates, both in isolation and together. Results With few exceptions, diagnosis with PTSD, both alone and in the presence of mTBI, was associated with greater risk of comorbid psychiatric diagnosis, higher service utilization, and greater psychotropic medication fills. Notable correlates specific to mTBI included headache, seizure disorder, paraplegia, and cerebrovascular accident. Conclusion PTSD thus plays the dominant role in the development of psychiatric difficulties and service use independently of mTBI. The recognition of the central importance of psychiatric difficulties in the functional outcomes of individuals who have experienced an mTBI suggests a need to assure access of veterans to psychiatric treatment services.
The Role of Central Blood Pressure Monitoring in the Management of Hypertension

Purpose of Review Central blood pressure is a novel predictor of cardiovascular risk that can be measured in the clinical setting using currently available technology. This paper will review current available methods of central blood pressure monitoring as well as its impact in cardiac and renal disease.
Myocardial contrast echocardiography perfusion imaging: still waiting after all these years.

I got tired of waiting, Wondering if you were ever coming around. –Taylor Swift [(1)][1] When the history of the echo world is written, there will be a long chapter on myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE). Conceived in the 1960s [(2)][2], refined in the 1980s [(3,4,)][3], and developed
PET and SPECT in Personality Disorders

While neurobiological studies have focused primarily on DSM-IV Axis I disorders, there is an emerging neurobiology of personality disorders. Specific neurocircuitry alterations have been identified as the biological underpinnings of the dimensional traits that underlie personality disorders. In this chapter, we review the most significant neuroimaging findings using PET and SPECT in relation to personality disorders and dimensions.
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Operation and Upstream-Downstream Water Rights

Hydropower dam operation and economic return is subject to climatic variation and downstream and upstream water demand related constraints. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) design installed power generation capacity is 6000 MW. The average flow rate of the Blue Nile will generate a third of the installed power with average annual energy production of 15,700 GWH. Optimal operation of the GERD will be critical to market sustainable power output as a result of immediate downstream water demand, long-term upstream water demand and climatic variation. Long construction period, long initial reservoir filling period, and refilling period after drought, puts to test both the reliability of power generation, and cooperation to synchronize operation of GERD and downstream dams. Regulation schedule of the dam is dependent on sets of priorities. Simulation of reservoir operation with two minimum flows, 1500 and 1600 m3 s−1 was performed and results presented. Operation is sensitive to change in minimum flow and annual flow variation.
Schooling, Identity, and Belonging in a Tamil Lutheran Congregation

Based on fieldwork in 1983 with a congregation of the Arcot Lutheran Church in a Tamil Nadu town, I focus on self-representations of Christian identity in speech and action in local activities. Many Lutherans, themselves converts or from families who converted in recent generations, originated in oppressed Dalit castes. The histories of most are tied to the Danish Mission Society’s early establishment of village schools. Anomalous in the 1980s, however, was the fact that the growth of a social justice movement, based in Dalit consciousness and strongly emergent among Dalit Christians elsewhere, was little evident in the local congregation. I show how the context of this stance is related to the aim and modes of social betterment of individuals, families, and their social circles which was facilitated by educational opportunities provided by mission and church.
Contextualizing the Relationship Between Nature of Scientific Knowledge and Scientific Inquiry - Implications for Curriculum and Classroom Practice

How nature of scientific knowledge (NOSK) or nature of science (NOS) and scientific inquiry (SI) are contextualized, or related to each other, significantly impacts both curriculum and classroom practice, specifically with respect to the teaching and learning of NOSK. NOS and NOSK are considered synonymous here, with NOSK more accurately conveying the meaning of the construct. Three US-based science education reform documents are used to illustrate the aforementioned impact. The USA has had three major reform documents released over a period of 20 years. The Benchmarks for Science Literacy was the first in 1993, followed by the National Science Education Standards (NSES) in 1996, and the newest, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), was released in 2013. NOS or NOSK was strongly emphasized and given a prominent position in the first two, while the NGSS has marginalized the construct. It is categorized as a set of connections (with no specific standards or performance expectations) that can be made to some of the Science Practices or Crosscutting Ideas. However, a careful conceptual analysis of how the NGSS positions NOSK/NOS relative to the previous reform documents reveals a complex situation related to how NOSK/NOS is contextualized and apparent assumptions about how NOSK/NOS is best taught and learned. A historical review of how NOSK/NOS is contextualized reveals a longstanding confusion concerning the relationship between NOSK/NOS and SI as well as about how the reform documents seem to assume how it can be best taught to students. The assumptions often run contrary to the empirical research on the teaching and learning of NOSK as well as call into question the ability of the NGSS to promote the perennial science education goal of scientific literacy.
Energy scavenging from ultra-low temperature gradients

Thermal energy harvesting from natural resources and waste heat is becoming critical due to ever-increasing environmental concerns. However, so far, available thermal energy harvesting technologies have only been able to generate electricity from large temperature gradients. Here, we report a fundamental breakthrough in low-grade thermal energy harvesting and demonstrate a device based on the thermomagnetic effect that uses ambient conditions as the heat sink and operates from a heat source at temperatures as low as 24 °C. This concept can convert temperature gradients as low as 2 °C into electricity while operating near room temperature. The device is found to exhibit a power density (power per unit volume of active material) of 105 μW cm−3 at a temperature difference of 2 °C, which increases to 465 μW cm−3 at a temperature difference of 10 °C. The power density increases by 2.5 times in the presence of wind with a speed of 2.0 m s−1. This advancement in thermal energy harvesting technology will have a transformative effect on renewable energy generation and in reducing global warming.
Anticipating the Future of HCI by Understanding Its Past and Present

This course is for students, practitioners, and academics who are interested in planning their careers. The rapid pace of change leaves some tools and technologies behind. We must focus our attention primarily on current developments. Why look in the rear-view mirror? Some topics that are being actively explored now will soon be of less interest, so career planning benefits from thoughtfully identifying trajectories. To make use of relevant information in other fields you must understand how their terminologies, priorities, and methods evolved. We will cover the history of several HCI fields and discuss opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Software evolved from passively reacting to human input to today's dynamic partnership. In some areas HCI advanced steadily, elsewhere it reached dead ends or seemed to go in circles. Understanding these patterns will prepare you to respond to unexpected developments in years to come. The forces that shaped HCI in computer science, human factors, information systems, information science, and design are covered, with examples and implications for our new era.
A novel intensity-specific screen identifies RpS21 as a modifier of low-intensity MAPK signaling

ABSTRACT Accumulating evidence suggests the evolutionarily conserved Ras/mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway directs distinct biological consequences that depend on distinct intensity states. Given this intensity-dependence, we hypothesized that different levels of Ras/MAPK signaling may be subjected to regulation by different sets of proteins. To identify such ‘differential’ signaling modifiers, we turned to the Drosophila eye as a model. First, we created flies whereby mutant active RasV12 expressed in the eyes was enriched with either rare or commonly occurring codons. We show that this codon manipulation can generate either low or high levels of Ras protein and MAPK signaling, and correspondingly a mild or severe rough-eye phenotype. Using this novel platform to control Ras/MAPK signaling, we performed a whole-genome haploinsufficiency deficiency screen, which yielded 15 deficiencies that modify the rough-eye phenotype in either high or low MAPK signaling states, but not both. We then mapped the underlying gene from one deficiency to the gene RpS21. Disrupting RpS21 expression increases MAPK signaling and enhances the rough-eye phenotype specifically when RasV12 is encoded by rare codons (low signaling), and RpS21 negatively regulates Ras protein and MAPK signaling in several contexts. We also provide evidence that the MAPK pathway promotes expression of RpS21, providing potential negative feedback. Taken together, these data reveal intensity-specific regulation of Ras/MAPK signaling, with the first candidate of this class being RpS21.
PTSD symptom severity and impulsivity among firefighters: Associations with alcohol use.

Abstract Firefighters represent a unique population at high risk for trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcohol use. This study explored the main and interactive effects of PTSD symptom severity and impulsivity with regard to alcohol use severity. We hypothesized that higher levels of PTSD symptom severity and impulsivity would be related to greater alcohol use severity. Covariates included trauma load, depressive symptom severity, and romantic relationship status. The sample was comprised of 654 firefighters (Mage = 38.65, SD = 8.60) who endorsed exposure to potentially traumatic events and lifetime alcohol use. Firefighters completed an online questionnaire battery. A series of hierarchical regressions was conducted. PTSD symptom severity and impulsivity were significantly, incrementally associated with alcohol use severity, and a significant interactive effect was documented; firefighters with heightened PTSD symptom severity and impulsivity had the highest levels of alcohol use severity. This line of inquiry has great potential to inform prevention and intervention efforts for this vulnerable population. Clinical and research implications are discussed.
Self-Assembly from a Single-Molecule Perspective

As manipulating the self-assembly of supramolecular and nanoscale constructs at the single-molecule level increasingly becomes the norm, new theoretical scaffolds must be erected to replace the thermodynamic and kinetics based models used to describe traditional bulk phase active syntheses. Like the statistical mechanics underpinning these latter theories, the framework we propose uses state probabilities as its fundamental objects; but, contrary to the Gibbsian paradigm, our theory directly models the transition probabilities between the initial and final states of a trajectory, foregoing the need to assume ergodicity. We leverage these probabilities in the context of molecular self-assembly to compute the overall likelihood that a specified experimental condition leads to a desired structural outcome. We demonstrate the application of this framework to a simple toy model in which three identical molecules can assemble in one of two ways and conclude with a discussion of how the high computational cost of such a fine-grained model can be overcome through approximation when extending it to larger, more complex systems.
Strength of Materials

Fifty-year-old Wilma Jones tripped on the step as she was returning to her apartment and knew immediately—when she put out her hand to break her fall—that she had severely injured her wrist. An X ray confirmed a fracture of the distal radius, Colles’ type, and she was treated by a closed manipulation and casting in the emergency room. Why did Wilma’s radius break with such a minor fall?
Characterization of the furin cleavage motif for HIV-1 trimeric envelope glycoprotein by intact LC-MS analysis

Generating a soluble and native-like trimeric envelope glycoprotein (Env) with high efficacy as an immunogen has been a major focus for developing an effective vaccine against HIV-1. The Env immunogen is a heavily glycosylated protein composed of 3 identical surface gp120 and gp41 subunits that form into a trimer of heterodimers (3 × 28 N-glycan sites). During Env immunogen production, endogenous furin works to cleave a hexa-arginine motif connecting the gp120 and gp41 subunits, which is needed to ensure proper protein folding and a native-like conformation of Env. Verification of the overall identity and proteolytic cleavage of Env is therefore important for HIV-1 vaccine development and product quality. Herein, we report the first work using LC-MS to (1) achieve fast and accurate intact mass measurement of Env after deglycosylation and (2) confidently identify the furin cleavage sites.
The coated balloon protocol: an emergent clinical technique

Abstract Drug-coated balloons (DCBs) are becoming the standard-care treatment for peripheral arterial disease. DCBs use excipients to transfer and retain antiproliferative drugs, such as paclitaxel. Excipients thus play a vital role in the design and function of DCBs, however methods to coat balloons with excipients and antiproliferative drugs are not well described. Here we describe varying methods to coat commercially available angioplasty balloons with paclitaxel and various excipients. Furthermore, an ex vivo model to test the acute ability of DCBs to transfer paclitaxel to harvested pig arteries in a pulsatile flow bioreactor is described. These methods provide a quick and inexpensive approach to develop and evaluate in-house DCBs.
Excited-State Turn-On of Aurophilicity and Tunability of Relativistic Effects in a Series of Digold Triazolates Synthesized via iClick.

iClick reactions between Au(I) acetylides PPh3Au-C≡CR, where R = nitrophenyl (PhNO2), phenyl (Ph), thiophene (Th), bithiophene (biTh), and dimethyl aniline (PhNMe2), and Au(I)-azide PPh3AuN3 provide digold complexes of the general formula R-1,5-bis-triphenylphosphinegold(I) 1,2,3-triazolate (Au2-R). Within the digold triazolate complexes the Au(I) atoms are held in close proximity but beyond the distance typically observed for aurophilic bonding. Though no bond exists in the ground state, time-dependent density functional theory interrogation of the complexes reveals excited states with significant aurophilic bonding. The series of complexes allows for tuning of the excited-state "turn-on" of aurophilicity, where ligand to metal charge transfer (LMCT) induces the aurophilic bonding. Complexes containing ligand-localized excited states, however, do not exhibit aurophilicity in the excited state. As a control experiment, a monogold complex was synthesized. The computed excited state of the monogold species exhibited LMCT to the gold ion as in the dinuclear cases, but without a partnering gold ion only a distinct N-Au-P bending occurs, revealing a potential mechanism for the excited-state turn-on of aurophilic bonding. Analysis of the steady-state electronic spectra indicates that LMCT states are achievable for compounds with sufficiently strong electron-donating ligands, and in digold complexes this is associated with enhanced fluorescence, suggestive of an aurophilic interaction.
Chapter 53 – Organ Donation

Organ transplantation is now an accepted and widespread treatment of otherwise fatal organ failure. Living organ donation is the optimal pathway but with the least capacity to meet needs. Donation after death is the norm, but there are inadequate numbers of available donors. Transplantable organs suffer diverse insults from primary injury, iatrogenic causes, and secondary pathophysiological processes initiated by death. These insults can be mitigated with attentive critical care of oxygenation and perfusion. Hormonal replacement is a specific component of organ donor care with a theoretical and observational basis but which is challenged by inadequate class 1 evidence. New technologies are evolving in organ extracorporeal perfusion, which may allow reconditioning and more selective treatment strategies.
Collaborations for student success: how librarians and student affairs work together to enrich learning: Dallas Long. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2019, xix + 191 pp., $85.00, ISBN 978-1-5381-1907-5

Author Dallas Long’s lived experience as a residential life librarian inspired the dissertation research that serves as the foundation for this book. His objective was to explore collaboration betw...
An Intellectual History of Multilevel Selection: Reformulation and Resuscitation

The previous chapter depicted a rising chorus of consensus starting in the 1970s. Sober and Wilson describe how group selection was buried in the 1960s and 1970s and treated with utter contempt. It was so reviled that it was not forgotten, but recalled as an example of how not to think. Even in the 1980s, as Sober and Wilson recount, an unidentified, distinguished biologist once advised a younger colleague that there are three things that one does not defend in biology: group selection, phlogiston theory, and Lamarckian evolution. Indeed, discussion of group selection, at certain points in the history of evolutionary biology, evoked criticism and even ostracism, as illustrated by the following reflection shared by the still skeptical professor Detlef Fetchenhauer (2009):
Retinal and Optic Nerve Deformations Due to Orbital Versus Intracranial Venous Hypertension.

Introduction Abnormal forces around the optic nerve head (ONH) due to orbital diseases, intracranial hypertension (IH), glaucoma, and space travel, are associated with alterations of the ONH shape. Elevated cerebral and ophthalmic venous pressure can contribute to stress and strain on the ONH and peripapillary retina. We hypothesize that IH and elevated ophthalmic venous pressure without IH cause different ONH and retinal changes. Methods We compared MRI and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) findings in patients with cavernous sinus arteriovenous shunts (CSAVSs), where orbital venous pressure is known to be elevated, with patients with intracranial dural venous sinus thrombosis and secondary IH. We also compared the results to those obtained in the Idiopathic IH (IIH) Treatment Trial. Results Among 18 patients with dural venous sinus thrombosis, the MRI/magnetic resonance venography displayed partial empty sella (61%) and optic nerve sheath distension (67%). None exhibited ophthalmic vein dilation or signs of orbital congestion. SDOCT of these eyes and IIH eyes showed a similar frequency of abnormal thickening of the mean retinal nerve fiber layer, anterior displacement of the basement membrane opening, peripapillary wrinkles, retinal folds (RF), and choroidal folds (CF). Among 21 patients with CSAVSs, MRI showed ipsilateral dilated superior ophthalmic vein (76%) and orbital congestion (52%) without distension of the optic nerve sheath or globe distortion. SDOCT showed CF (19%), one with overlying RF, and no ONH deformations. Conclusions SDOCT findings for dural venous sinus thrombosis are similar to those seen with IIH but distinct from changes due to local ophthalmic venous hypertension. These data support the concept that IH even if due to a vascular cause and local orbital venous hypertension cause different stresses and strains on the ONH.
3He evidence for fluid transfer and continental hydration above a flat slab

Abstract The transfer of large volumes of fluid to the overriding lithosphere during flat-slab subduction should drastically alter the physical and chemical properties of continental margins. However, this process is poorly understood and without active magmatism, direct evidence for fluid transfer has remained elusive in modern systems. New helium isotope ratios (3He/4He) and gas species abundances in thermal springs above the Peruvian flat slab in South America demonstrate widespread transit of mantle-derived volatiles through thick (>45 km) continental crust. An unambiguous mantle signature is present in all 52 springs investigated over a 200,000 km2 region, with 3He/4He ratios ranging from 0.26 to 2.52 RC/RA (3He/4He ratio relative to the air ratio, RA, of 1.39 × 10 − 6 , corrected for air-derived helium). In the absence of recent magmatism, the observed 3He/4He ratios are best explained by slab-derived fluids mobilizing helium from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). As slab- and mantle-derived volatiles migrate through the continental crust, 3He/4He ratios are reduced from SCLM values ( 6.1 ± 2.1 RA) by ingrowth of radiogenic 4He and mixing with crustal fluids. The highest 3He/4He ratios in the flat slab region are observed above a probable tear in the Nazca Plate and along the Cordillera Blanca Detachment fault, implying that these features promote faster fluid transport through the crust. Our observations require a persistent flux of slab-derived fluids to move lithospheric-mantle-derived volatiles into and through the continental crust, providing evidence for active continental hydration in a modern flat-slab subduction system. Similar results from springs located in the backarc region to the south of the flat slab indicate that the mantle lithosphere below the northern Altiplano is experiencing dehydration and/or partial melting resulting from a mid-Cenozoic episode of flat-slab subduction.
Changes in Clinical Presentation and Renal Outcomes Among Children with Febrile Urinary Tract Infection: 2005 vs 2015

Purpose:Recent studies have demonstrated trends of decreasing voiding cystourethrogram utilization rates and delayed vesicoureteral reflux diagnosis in some children. It is possible that such delay...
Biomaterial design strategies to address obstacles in craniomaxillofacial bone repair

Biomaterial design to repair craniomaxillofacial defects has largely focused on promoting bone regeneration, while there are many additional factors that influence this process. The bone microenvironment is complex, with various mechanical property differences between cortical and cancellous bone, a unique porous architecture, and multiple cell types that must maintain homeostasis. This complex environment includes a vascular architecture to deliver cells and nutrients, osteoblasts which form new bone, osteoclasts which resorb excess bone, and upon injury, inflammatory cells and bacteria which can lead to failure to repair. To create biomaterials able to regenerate these large missing portions of bone on par with autograft materials, design of these materials must include methods to overcome multiple obstacles to effective, efficient bone regeneration. These obstacles include infection and biofilm formation on the biomaterial surface, fibrous tissue formation resulting from ill-fitting implants or persistent inflammation, non-bone tissue formation such as cartilage from improper biomaterial signals to cells, and voids in bone infill or lengthy implant degradation times. Novel biomaterial designs may provide approaches to effectively induce osteogenesis and new bone formation, include design motifs that facilitate surgical handling, intraoperative modification and promote conformal fitting within complex defect geometries, induce a pro-healing immune response, and prevent bacterial infection. In this review, we discuss the bone injury microenvironment and methods of biomaterial design to overcome these obstacles, which if unaddressed, may result in failure of the implant to regenerate host bone.
Role of Reactive Nitrogen Species in Inactivation of Feline Calicivirus Using Two-Dimensional Array of Micro-Discharges in Air

Due to their low gas temperature and high reactivity, nonequilibrium atmospheric pressure plasmas have gained recognition in surface disinfection and bio-decontamination. This effect is mainly attributed to the production of numerous reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS)1. However, most of these studies are focused on bacteria and bio- films, and less on viruses. The efficacy of the underlying plasma-aided inactivation of viruses and its mechanisms are still under investigation.
Exploring the Alternative–Mainstream Dialectic: What “Alternative Media” Means to a Hybrid Audience†

This article enriches debates about “alternative media” by exploring what the term means to users through an audience survey (n = 224). Responses revealed values and practices that respondents agreed were important to alternative media. Users deemed a wide array of media “alternative”: political blogs, public broadcasting, foreign sources, and alternative-press institutions, as well as The Daily Show, Facebook, Fox News, and The Huffington Post. Despite criticizing corporations and advertising, this audience considered some corporate, commercial outlets “alternative media.” Respondents valued alternative content (neglected issues, diverse voices, mobilizing information) more highly than alternative form (being nonprofit, noncommercial, small-scale). I argue here that the dialectic of alternative media/mainstream media continues to provide a critical and cultural touchstone for users in a converged environment.
Navigation performance evaluation for automatic guided vehicles

Automatic guided vehicles (AGVs), an industrial form of a mobile robot, typically navigate using a central computer commanding AGV movement on predefined paths. How well they follow these paths is not well-defined in research articles and their performance is reported in non-standard manufacturer specifications. Furthermore, AGV technology is advancing towards vision guidance to map and localize their position from onboard the vehicle, whereas performance evaluation of advanced navigation techniques is just beginning. This paper describes AGV experiments using ground truth measurement comparison for performance evaluation of AGV navigation. A generic test procedure and metrics, described herein, are to be recommended to ASTM F45, a recently formed committee on performance of AGVs, as a navigation test method for use by the AGV and mobile robot industries.
Elementary categories, elementary toposes

Introduction PART I: CATEGORIES: Rudimentary structures in a category Products, equalizers, and their duals Groups Sub-objects, pullbacks, and limits Relations Cartesian closed categories Product operators and others PART II: THE CATEGORY OF CATEGORIES: Functors and categories Natural transformations Adjunctions Slice categories Mathematical foundations PART III: TOPOSES: Basics The internal language A soundness proof for topos logic From the internal language to the topos The fundamental theorem External semantics Natural number objects Categories in a topos Topologies PART IV: SOME TOPOSES: Sets Synthetic differential geometry The effective topos Relations in regular categories Further reading Bibliography Index.
DEVOTIONAL SONGS AS EVIDENCE OF A WOMEN'S FRIENDSHIP: MAGDALENA SIBYLLA OF WÜRTTEMBERG‐STUTTGART AND AEMILIA JULIANA OF SCHWARZBURG‐RUDOLSTADT

Devotional song texts, thousands of which were authored and published in seventeenth-century Lutheran Germany, can provide evidence for otherwise unrecorded friendship networks among women. The songs and publications of two dynastic women, Duchess Magdalena Sibylla of Wurttemberg-Stuttgart and Countess Aemilia Juliana of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, offer clear evidence of the nature of their long-distance relationship, despite the fact that their correspondence has not survived. That their interchanges over a period of three decades offered the opportunity to confide their concerns to a person distanced from the situation and to receive emotional support is clear in the surviving song texts. In particular, the songs written explicitly for Magdalena Sibylla by Aemilia Juliana show that she solaced her correspondent by assuming her persona in a show of empathy, employing a sort of ventriloquism in order to give Magdalena Sibylla the words with which to voice her woes and converse with her deity. The handwritten original songs and published books containing songs sent by Aemilia Juliana to her friend as gifts then served as sources for the devotional books that Magdalena Sibylla compiled and published. Unter den vielen geistlichen Liedern, die von evangelischen Mannern und Frauen des 17. Jahrhunderts gedichtet und veroffentlicht wurden, konnen einige Liedtexte als Fundgrube fur die Forschung uber die freundschaftlichen Netzwerke dynastischer Frauen dienen. Die Lieder und Andachtsbucher von zwei Landesmuttern, Magdalena Sibylla von Wurttemberg-Stuttgart und Aemilia Juliana von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, zeigen uns, wenn auch ihr Briefwechsel verlorengegangen ist, dass diese Frauen 30 Jahre lang Brieffreundinnen geblieben sind. Vor allem war es Aemilia Juliana, die ihre Freundin trostete und ihr die Worte gab, ihr Leiden auszusprechen. Das tat Aemilia Juliana durch die Lieder, die sie fur ihre Freundin dichtete und in Briefen beilegte, und durch die Andachtsbucher, die sie ihrer Freundin durch die Post schickte. Die geschenkten Lieder und Bucher waren wichtige Quellen fur die eigenen Andachtsbucher, die Magdalena Sibylla zwischen 1690 und 1703 veroffentlichte.
Incremental learning in a fuzzy intelligent system

This paper presents an incremental learning algorithm within the framework of a fuzzy intelligent system. The incremental learning algorithm is based on priority values attached to fuzzy rules. The priority value of a fuzzy rule is generated based on the fuzzy belief values of the fuzzy rule derived from the training data. The fuzzy incremental algorithm has three important properties. It can detect and recover from incorrect knowledge once new knowledge is available; it will not lose the useful knowledge generated from the old data while it attempts to learn from new data; and it provides a mechanism allowing to emphasize on knowledge learnt from the new data. The incremental fuzzy learning algorithm has been implemented in a fuzzy intelligent system for automotive engineering diagnosis. Its performance is presented in the paper.
Comment on “Public Pension Programs in Southeast Asia: An Assessment”

Asher and Bali (2015) is a wide-ranging paper, reviewing current pension issues in Southeast Asia, reporting demographic trends, and making recommendations for reform. The demographic forecasts reviewed in Chomik and Piggott (2015), Asher and Bali (2015), and some alternative projections reported in Table 1 underscore the challenges that some Southeast Asian countries face. Three countries stand out. First, Thailand appears to be remarkably “old,” resembling Singapore on some of the indices that Asher and Bali (2015) report. Second, the Philippines stands out as the only Southeast Asian country that does not become an aged society over the relevant time horizon. Third, Vietnam is expected to age quite rapidly, indeed becoming an aged society while most of the population is still rural. The joke about many Asian countries is that they will get “old” before they get “rich”; Vietnam is on a trajectory to get “old” before it gets “urban.” The large share of the population remaining rural matters: rural areas are characterized by lower population densities and higher rates of self-employment and informal employment which make these populations harder and more costly to serve in terms of the pension issues discussed in the paper. In this respect, Thailand stands out as having achieved universal health-care coverage while still having a relatively large low-income rural population. The contrast with socialist Vietnam, which appears to have trouble extending benefits to the rural populace, and the Philippines, whose pension program is characterized by extraordinary inefficiency, is striking. Ultimately public pensions are political arrangements. Looking at conditions today, the divergence between Thailand and Vietnam is remarkable, and presumably not simply a function of Thailand’s higher income level. A deeper exploration of the political economy of these outcomes could be fascinating. Looking forward, the question arises as to whether the ageing of these Asian societies will generate political economies to promote perverse intergenerational transfers favoring the old over the young as has happened in many of the advanced industrial countries.
Ethical and Social Responsibility in the Planning and Design of Engineering Projects

Criticism of the civil engineering profession provoked by the environmental impact of engineering projects, particularly on the natural resource component of the total environment, comes at a time of increasing need for engineering work to serve a growing population. It is not the intent of the authors to explore how justified such criticism may be, or how the engineer may escape it, but rather how he can avoid contributing to it personally.
Modification of rabbit muscle aldolase in vivo and in vitro.

Rabbit muscle aldolase in situ appears to undergo several modification reactions. One of these, specific deamidation of an asparagine residue near the COOH-terminus, appears to account for the presence of two types of subunits in the enzyme isolated from the muscle of adult rabbits. Evidence for a second modification is the presence of approximately one equivalent of organic phosphorus in the crystalline enzyme preparations. The presence of this phosphate group may be related to the incomplete release of COOH-terminal tyrosine residues from the enzyme protein with carboxypeptidase. Two reactions with substrate, both leading to the incorporation of organic phosphorus, have been demonstrated in vitro. A reaction with glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate or erythrose 4-phosphate leads to loss of catalytic activity and change in the susceptibility of COOH-terminus to carboxypeptidase. The other reaction, with fructose 1,6-diphosphate at low concentration, does not affect the activity of the enzyme, nor its susceptibility towards the action of carboxypeptidase. Either or both of these may be related to the changes which appear to occur during the life of the enzyme in vivo.
Teaching Mentally Retarded Adults to Time-Manage in a Vocational Setting.

Three retarded adults who had minimal ability to tell time were trained to "time-manage." Each was given a card with clock face representations on which the hands of the clock were drawn, representing each trainee's assigned lunch and break times. Instruction was given before work to perform each of the required behaviors when the "real" clock matched the clock faces. Praise was given following correct responses, and reprimands, instruction, and, in some instances, delay or omission of the scheduled activity followed incorrect responses. Pre-instruction and instructional feedback were then sequentially withdrawn. Results indicated that the package consisting of pre-instruction, instructional feedback, and picture cues was effective in producing independent time management responding. When the first two components were withdrawn, two trainees maintained high levels of correct responding. Correct responding decreased for one trainee when pre-instruction was withdrawn. Reintroduction and subsequent withdrawal of the components resulted in maintenance by this trainee. Little improvement in time-telling ability resulted.
Longitudinal Study of the Early Electroretinographic Changes in Alström's Syndrome

We obtained serial electroretinograms in four patients aged between 6 months and 5 years with Alstrom's syndrome and studied the early stages of the severe retinopathy that is characteristic of that disease. The weak electroretinographic signals found at age 6 months demonstrate a severe early cone dysfunction; one year later the cone activity is undetectable. The rod component of the electroretinogram is initially normal but can rapidly deteriorate to become undetectable as early as 5 years of age. These unusual electroretinographic findings are pathognomonic of Alstrom's syndrome and different from other cone-rod dystrophies or other syndromes with similar phenotypes such as Bardet-Biedl, Laurence-Moon, and Cohen syndromes.
Quantum Leaps, Microeconomics, and the Treatment of Patients With Hepatitis C and HIV Coinfection

Until very recently, patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were treated with pegylated-interferon administered weekly by subcutaneous injection plus ribavirin given orally twice daily. Over the last decade, however, by virtue of development of directly acting agents, therapy for hepatitis C infection has advanced by several orders of magnitude, creating a transformative and unprecedented revolution.
How signaling and gene transcription aberrations dictate the systemic lupus erythematosus T cell phenotype

T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) exhibit several discrete and specific defects that alter signaling pathways and, thus, the gene expression pattern and behavior upon stimulation. Rewiring of the CD3 complex and aggregation of surface-membrane lipid rafts grant SLE T cells a lower activation threshold and distort the ensuing signaling events. Additionally, increased expression of adhesion molecules within aggregated lipid rafts guides them to target organs. Aberrant cell signaling causes altered transcription factor expression and abnormal DNA-methylation patterns that lead to skewed gene expression. The result is an abnormally functioning T cell that exhibits several molecular alterations that can be exploited as therapeutic or diagnostic markers.
Factors Influencing Stability of Prednisolone in Aqueous Solution

An investigation was made of some of the factors which influence the rate of disappearance of prednisolone from aqueous solution. The rate exhibited a marked dependency on buffer concentration. Incorporation of a sequestering agent into the solutions eliminated this dependency and indicated that trace-metal impurities which were present in the buffer reagents were catalytically involved in the degradation. Rate constants were determined over a wide range of pH in borate and phosphate buffers and in the presence and absence of disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. The rate of the apparent metal-catalyzed reaction was pII independent above pH 7 and below pH 5 and exhibited a first-order dependency on hydroxide-ion in the intermediate range. In the presence of sequestering agent, the rate of reaction was strongly dependent on hydroxide-ion concentration above pH 8 but exhibited only slight dependency at lower pH values.
Comments on “extended zonal dislocations mediating twinning in titanium”

In a recent paper, Li et al. (Philos. Mag. 92 (2012) p.1006) used results of atomistic simulations to advance a growth mechanism of twinning in titanium based on the concept of two elementary twinning dislocations which nucleate and glide in pairs but separately and sequentially on two neighbouring planes. This new Comment was stimulated after A. Serra, D.J. Bacon and R.C. Pond privately raised concerns on this growth model to one of the present authors, H. El Kadiri, who This was a co-author of the original paper (Philos. Mag. 92 (2012) p.1006). We repeated the simulations and obtained nearly the same simulations results as Li et al. However, after re-analysing these results, we have concluded that the extended extrinsic zonal dislocation mechanism claimed to be that for twin growth in titanium is in fact false, confirming the accuracy of the Comment by Serra et al that results of Li and co-authors were misinterpreted.
Studies of corneas in vivo and in vitro.

Abstract We present our step-by-step procedure for the preparation of rabbit and human corneal endothelial cells in culture. We also compare biochemical differences between rabbit and human corneal stromal and endothelial cells in vivo and in vitro .
Partial GLS regression

Abstract We derive a novel expression for the GLS estimate of a subset of the regression coefficients. We give conditions for the partial equality of OLS and GLS, and we derive a feasible GLS estimator for the fixed effects panel data model
Transonic adaptive flutter suppression using approximate unsteady time domain aerodynamics

A digital adaptive controller is applied to the active flutter suppression problem of a wing under time varying flight conditions in subsonic and transonic flow. Linear quadratic controller gain at each time step is obtained using an iterative Riccati solver. The digital adaptive optimal controller is robust with respect to the unknown external loads. Flutter and divergence instabilities are simultaneously suppressed using a trailing-edge control surface and displacement sensing. A new transonic unsteady aerodynamic approximation methodology is developed which enables one to carry out the rapid calculation required for transonic aeroservoelastic applications. This approximation is based on a combination of unsteady subsonic aerodynamics combined with a transonic correction procedure. Aeroservoelastic transient time response is obtained using Roger's approximation, state transition matrices and an iterative time marching algorithm. The aeroservoelastic system in the time domain is modeled using a deterministic ARMA model together with a parameter estimator. Transonic flutter boundaries of a wing structure are computed, in the time domain, using an estimated aeroelastic system matrix and are in good agreement with experimental data for the low transonic Mach number range.
Effects of Neurochemicals upon a Dinoflagellate Photoresponse

SYNOPSIS Photoresponsiveness by Gymnodinium splendens Lebour was monitored quantitatively by a microscope-television system. Exposure to the catecholamines DOPA and Dopamine caused a decrease in light sensitivity, while 0.01 mM norepinephrine, epinephrine, or isoproterenol did not affect photoresponsiveness. Classical catecholamine blocking agents, dichloroisoproterenol, propranolol, and dibenzyline, and an inhibitor of DOPA synthesis, α-methyl-ρ-tyrosine, caused an increase in sensitivity. In addition, acetylcholine and an inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase activity, eserine, caused an increase in sensitivity, while an inhibitor of acetylcholine action atropine, had the opposite effect. These experiments suggest that G. splendens may have an antagonistic catecholamine-cholinergic system which participates in regulating photosensitivity.