cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The wetting of refractories of the MgO-Al2O3-ZrO2 system with metal melts

In the conditions of the experiments reported here, the materials are wetted by iron as soon as it melts. The wetting angle on corundum refractories is approximately half of that on spinel-based refractories. Monoclinic zirconia added to the corundum or spinel reduces the wettability of the refractories by an iron melt at 1550°C. The wettability at 1550°C was lowest for a composition of 85% MgAl2O4+15% ZrO2 (θ=85°). The wetting of the refractories concerned here by an aluminum melt begins at a temperature above 1100°C. The wettability by aluminum is lowest for corundum refractories containing added ZrO2. The degree of wetting by an aluminum melt of corundum containing up to 10 wt.% zirconia is lower than that of corundum alone. The results of this investigation suggest that a refractory based on MgAl2O4 with 10 wt.% added ZrO2 can be recommended for the production of the proportioner inserts used in the continuous casting of steel of various grades. In casting killed steels, i. e., steels which are deoxidized with a larger amount of aluminum, proportioner inserts produced from corundum with 2–5 wt.% added ZrO2 can be expected to be sufficiently durable.
FunWithSound: A Music Composition and Synthesis Library for Processing (Abstract Only)

FunWithSound is a music composition library for Processing which makes it easy for students in creative computing and introductory programming courses to create music compositions with a small amount of code. Building upon Processing's considerable strengths in the domain of visual art, FunWithSound extends Processing to support music creation.
Reply to Turner and Kerber.

to the editor: This letter is a response to the commentary by Drs. Ralph J. Turner and Irwin J. Kerber ([7][1]) regarding my review article ([8][2]) in Physiological Genomics . I thank Drs. Turner and Kerber for their interest and encouraging remarks on the review article. I applaud their enthusiasm
Translating drug-induced hibernation to therapeutic hypothermia.

Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) improves prognosis after cardiac arrest; however, thermoregulatory responses such as shivering complicate cooling. Hibernators exhibit a profound and safe reversible hypothermia without any cardiovascular side effects by lowering the shivering threshold at low ambient temperatures (Ta). Activation of adenosine A1 receptors (A1ARs) in the central nervous system (CNS) induces hibernation in hibernating species and a hibernation-like state in rats, principally by attenuating thermogenesis. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that targeted activation of the central A1AR combined with a lower Ta would provide a means of managing core body temperature (Tb) below 37 °C for therapeutic purposes. We targeted the A1AR within the CNS by combining systemic delivery of the A1AR agonist (6)N-cyclohexyladenosine (CHA) with 8-(p-sulfophenyl)theophylline (8-SPT), a nonspecific adenosine receptor antagonist that does not readily cross the blood-brain barrier. Results show that CHA (1 mg/kg) and 8-SPT (25 mg/kg), administered intraperitoneally every 4 h for 20 h at a Ta of 16 °C, induce and maintain the Tb between 29 and 31 °C for 24 h in both naive rats and rats subjected to asphyxial cardiac arrest for 8 min. Faster and more stable hypothermia was achieved by continuous infusion of CHA delivered subcutaneously via minipumps. Animals subjected to cardiac arrest and cooled by CHA survived better and showed less neuronal cell death than normothermic control animals. Central A1AR activation in combination with a thermal gradient shows promise as a novel and effective pharmacological adjunct for inducing safe and reversible targeted temperature management.
Delivering a fixed restoration: a clinical rationale for creating a routine sequence

The proper sequence of seating a restoration starts with the evaluation of the shade match. Clinical procedures then follow this sequence: adjustment of proximal contact points, assessment of fit, and occlusal adjustment. Attempts to alter this sequence may cause unnecessary occlusal adjustments and an end result of a hypooccluded restoration.
The art and science of Swedish dentistry: from Brånemark implants to problem-based learning.

Journal of Dental Education ■ Volume 67, Number 6 This article is the first in this new section, which consists of submissions authored solely by undergraduate dental and allied dental students. Articles in this section may cover the entire spectrum of academic dentistry from clinical and educational research to student perceptions of educational methodologies and critical issues in dental education. Submissions should be emailed to the editor, Dr. Olav Alvares, at Alvares@uthscsa.edu. From the Students’ Corner
Antibiotic resistance and molecular characterization of Vibrio cholera strains isolated from an outbreak of cholera epidemic in Jiangsu province

Objective To assess the antibiotic resistance and molecular characterization of cholera strains and to provide basis for clinical treatment and prevention of cholera. Methods 4 stains isolated from an outbreak of cholera epidemic in Huai′an City in Jiangsu province in September 2010 were characterized using antibiotic susceptibility, biotype analysis, virluence genes detection, ctxB gene sequencing, and PFGE analysis. Results The 4 strains were all resistant to sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim, erythromycin, streptomycin. High drug susceptibility of the samples was found to 6 kinds of antibiotics such as amikacin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, ampicillin. The isolates expressed phenotypic traits of both serogroup O1 ogawa and El Tor and carried 9 kinds of virulence genes, ctxA, ace, zot, toxR, tcpI, ompU, rtxC, tcpA, and hlyA gene. They were also identified as harboring the classical ctxB genotype based on amino acid residue substitutions. The PFGE profiles of NotⅠ showed a single banding pattern, while SfiⅠ′s was 2 banding patterns. Conclusion The bacterium type of Vibrio cholerae causing the epidemic outbreak of cholera belonged to the atypical EL Tor variant which was also identified as toxicogenic strain. The mapping of the strains prompted that there should be the common contamination source. Drug sensitivity test can guide the clinical drug use, in order to reduce the emergence of resistant strains. Key words: Vibrio cholera O1; Genes, bacteria; Electrophoresis, gel, pulsed-field
Protein malnutrition and the febrile response in the Fischer rat.

We assessed the effect of protein deprivation on the ability of peritoneal macrophages from Fischer rats to produce interleukin-1 (IL-1) after in vitro stimulation. Pyrogenic activity of supernatants was measured by an in vivo febrile response assay. Control rats were given a 23% casein diet and protein-malnourished rats were given an 8% casein diet for 4 weeks. IL-1-containing supernatants prepared from peritoneal macrophages were injected into assay rats, whose temperatures were measured for 6 hours (delta T6). Rats injected with IL-1-containing supernatants derived from peritoneal macrophage cultures of protein-deprived rats had significantly less fever (delta T6 = 0.20 +/- 0.09 degree C) than rats injected with IL-1 containing supernatants derived from peritoneal macrophage cultures of control rats (delta T6 = 0.56 +/- 0.09 degree C), P less than .01. Protein malnutrition leads to diminished pyrogenicity of macrophage culture supernatants and may be at least partly responsible for the decreased febrile response seen in the malnourished animals.
Risk-based authentication: biometrics' brave new world

As digital consumers, we expect our interactions to be frictionless: we are accustomed to making low-value payments using a card or mobile device without the disruption caused by entering a complex passcode. But we also want to enjoy more security, not just in banking but across all our interactive experiences – being able to verify our identity quickly, securely and without fuss. The challenge this presents for organisations is to offer a superior customer experience without compromising security.
Sustainable Development in Taiwan and China

In this chapter, we discuss sustainable development in Taiwan and China in terms of geography, well-being, economic structure, and environmental sustainability.
White Flight and the Future of School Desegregation

Among the many debates that have raged over school busing, few have engaged social scientists with more intensity than the “White flight” debate. Although the White flight phenomenon has a long history in both public and social science discussions, it did not become a truly controversial issue in sociology until Coleman, Kelly, and Moore’s (1975) well-publicized work on the subject, which concluded that school desegregation was a significant cause of declining White enrollments in public schools.
Some Considerations of the Compilation of Late Quaternary Sea Level Curves: A North American Perspective

A sea-level curve is either hand-drawn (as many of the earlier curves were) or the result of some statistical analysis (usually least-squares). The presentation of a given curve drawn through a set of empirical data points is a statement of some hypothesis or hypotheses. These hypotheses fall into three general categories; 1. that post-glacial sea level has risen smoothly and continuously along a trajectory which approximates a logarithmically or low-order polynomial curve intersecting the contemporary datum; 2. that post-glacial sea-level rise has been interrupted by one or more regressive episodes; 3. that the record of post-glacial sea level at any given locality is segmental so that segments of the curve may not project through the origin and thus may be recording local and regional neotectonic events.
Validation of the Omron HEM-9210T by the ANSI/AAMI/ISO 81060-2: 2013 with two novel cuffs: wide-range and extra-large.

ObjectiveThe aims of this ANSI/AAMI/ISO validation study were to assess the accuracy of the Omron HEM-9210T, developed to utilize a small cuff, a wide-range cuff, and an extra-large cuff in the adult population. If accurate, the wide-range and extra-large cuffs will be of clinical significance in bo
Ferroptosis-like death in plant cells

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent, oxidative, non-apoptotic form of cell death initially described in mammalian cells. We recently reported that a ferroptosis-like cell death process can be triggered by heat shock in Arabidopsis thaliana. Thus, ferroptosis may be a form of cell death conserved between animals and plants.
YY1’s role in the Peg3 imprinted domain

The ICR (Imprinting Control Region) of the Peg3 (Paternally Expressed Gene 3) domain contains an unusual cluster of YY1 binding sites. In the current study, these YY1 binding sites were mutated to characterize the unknown roles in the mouse Peg3 domain. According to the results, paternal and maternal transmission of the mutant allele did not cause any major effect on the survival of the pups. In the mutants, the maternal-specific DNA methylation on the ICR was properly established and maintained, causing no major effect on the imprinting of the domain. In contrast, the paternal transmission resulted in changes in the expression levels of several genes: down-regulation of Peg3 and Usp29 and up-regulation of Zim1. These changes were more pronounced during the neonatal stage than during the adult stage. In the case of Peg3 and Zim1, the levels of the observed changes were also different between males and females, suggesting the different degrees of YY1 involvement between two sexes. Overall, the results indicated that YY1 is mainly involved in controlling the transcriptional levels, but not the DNA methylation, of the Peg3 domain.
David Strauss the Confessor and the Writer

This chapter argues that Nietzsche’s critical essay on David Strauss’s last book, The Old and New Faith, is his first sustained attempt at a critique of contemporary culture and modern science. It also argues that the essay presents an early version of the human type called “the last man” in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, but who is called the “cultivated philistine” in the essay on Strauss. Looking back on the essay in Ecce Homo, Nietzsche said that it should not be read as a direct attack on Strauss because Strauss was used merely as a “magnifying glass […] to make visible a general but creeping and elusive [cultural] crisis.” The chapter concludes that Nietzsche took aim at Strauss because Strauss was a pseudo-genius who the Germans mistakenly hailed as a true cultural genius, and because Strauss’s scientific manner of thinking enervated the German spirit.
Observable Instability for the Repeated Prisoner’s Dilemma

This paper shows how to construct mutant strategies for the repeated prisoner’s dilemma game with a large expected number of rounds in such a way that the introduction of these mutants at very low levels in the population changes the observable behaviour of the population playing the game. This gives a stronger instability result than ones previously proved in the literature. A similar result is also proved for the repeated prisoner’s dilemma with a fixed number of rounds.
On the optimal sizing of batteries for electric vehicles and the influence of fast charge

Abstract We provide a brief summary of advanced battery technologies and a framework (i.e., a simple model) for assessing electric-vehicle (EV) architectures and associated costs to the customer. The end result is a qualitative model that can be used to calculate the optimal EV range (which maps back to the battery size and performance), including the influence of fast charge. We are seeing two technological pathways emerging: fast-charge-capable batteries versus batteries with much higher energy densities (and specific energies) but without the capability to fast charge. How do we compare and contrast the two alternatives? This work seeks to shed light on the question. We consider costs associated with the cells, added mass due to the use of larger batteries, and charging, three factors common in such analyses. In addition, we consider a new cost input, namely, the cost of adaption, corresponding to the days a customer would need an alternative form of transportation, as the EV would not have sufficient range on those days.
Lower Extremity Motor System Neuroprostheses

Abstract Depending on the extent of neuromuscular deficits, interventions to improve or restore upright mobility to persons paralyzed from central nervous system (CNS) disorders can include bracing, neuroprostheses employing surface or implanted neural stimulation, motorized exoskeletons, and hybrid neuroprostheses combining neural stimulation with passive or actively controlled orthotics. Neuroprosthetic interventions can often replace, augment, or surpass the function of conventional bracing and range from simple one- or two-channel systems to address focal deficits at a single joint, such as foot drop, to surgically implanted technologies that interface directly with the peripheral motor nerves to control the actions of multiple joints and muscles. This chapter reviews the current status and future development of these options, with a particular focus on the outcomes of neuroprostheses for standing, stepping, and seated trunk control and balance after spinal cord injury (SCI), stroke, or multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as new options for exercise and recreation in the community.
Unipolar n-Type Black Phosphorus Transistors with Low Work Function Contacts

Black phosphorus (BP) is a promising two-dimensional (2D) material for nanoscale transistors, due to its expected higher mobility than other 2D semiconductors. While most studies have reported ambipolar BP with a stronger p-type transport, it is important to fabricate both unipolar p- and n-type transistors for low-power digital circuits. Here, we report unipolar n-type BP transistors with low work function Sc and Er contacts, demonstrating a record high n-type current of 200 μA/μm in 6.5 nm thick BP. Intriguingly, the electrical transport of the as-fabricated, capped devices changes from ambipolar to n-type unipolar behavior after a month at room temperature. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of the contact cross-section reveals an intermixing layer consisting of partly oxidized metal at the interface. This intermixing layer results in a low n-type Schottky barrier between Sc and BP, leading to the unipolar behavior of the BP transistor. This unipolar transport with a suppressed p-type current is...
Stochastic gradient descent implementation of the modified forward-backward linear prediction

The Modified Forward Backward Linear Prediction, MFBLP, is an effective method for data dimensionality reduction and combined with eigen-vector and eigen-value techniques significant improvements in signal isolation have been shown and discussed in previous notes of this technique. In the present work, a Stochastic Gradient Descent technique is utilized to limit the dimensionality reduction of the MFBLP and the results of this technique is compared in relation to an application of the eigen-vector eigen-value technique to limit the dimensionality reduction of the MFBLP. By using a correlation metric we are able to discuss the measure of goodness of the new implementation of the MFBLP, discuss its potential, and some of its applications in this analysis. The processing approach is for active sensor systems and discussed for comparison.
Water and ion sorption in a series of cross-linked AMPS/PEGDA hydrogel membranes

Abstract Charge density of ion exchange membranes (IEMs) profoundly influences water and ion sorption. However, fundamental studies of water and ion sorption in charged membranes over a wide range of charge densities are not widely available, which makes it difficult to establish fundamental structure/property relations in such materials. In this study, a series of homogeneous cross-linked uncharged and sulfonated hydrogel membranes were prepared using poly(ethylene glycol diacrylate) (PEGDA) copolymerized with 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS). Equilibrium water uptake and ion content (Na+, Cl−) in the membranes were determined as a function of external NaCl concentration (0.01–1.0 mol/L). As polymer fixed charge density increased, both water and counter-ion (Na+) sorption increased. Co-ion (Cl−) sorption decreased markedly with only modest increases in polymer fixed charge density, suggesting that even low levels of fixed charges exclude co-ions significantly. However, Cl− sorption became independent of charge density at higher levels of charge density. Experimental values for sorbed Cl− concentrations deviated from those obtained via ideal Donnan model due to thermodynamic non-idealities of ions in the solution and membrane phases.
Finite-horizon LQR controller for partially-observed Boolean dynamical systems

Abstract This paper proposes an approach for finite-horizon control of partially-observed Boolean dynamical systems (POBDS) with uncertain continuous control input and infinite observation space. To cope with the partial observability of states, the proposed method first maps the POBDS to an unnormalized belief space. The nonlinear dynamics in this continuous belief space are linearized over a nominal trajectory. Then, the optimal feedback controller is derived, based on the well-known linear quadratic regulator (LQR), to push the system to follow the nominal trajectory. This nominal trajectory is computed in a planning stage before starting execution, and updated efficiently during execution, whenever the system is found to deviate from the nominal trajectory. We prove that, under mild regularization conditions, the proposed controller approaches the cost of the nominal trajectory as the linearization error approaches zero. The performance of the proposed controller is demonstrated by numerical experiments with a Melanoma gene regulatory network observed through noisy gene expression measurements.
Biography as a Cultural Discipline

The biographical subject is the cultural object par excellence. By examining how biographers go about the task of studying and assembling their biographical texts, we will acquire a better appreciation of the nature of cultural objects and the appropriate philosophical and methodological strategies that facilitate the description and explanation of such objects. I begin by reflecting upon the practice of biographical writing in order to illuminate and explicate some of the salient features and theoretical concerns of biographical writing as experienced by practicing biographers. I then canvass and discuss ways in which biographies play relevant methodological and cultural roles.
Is bronchoscopic treatment of lung cancer possible

Although the treatment of advanced stage lung cancer has been revolutionized by the advent of new targeted and immunotherapies, advanced and inoperable cancer still portends a poor prognosis. Thus,...
Rate of alcohol consumption in the daily life of adolescents and emerging adults.

Alcohol consumption in adolescents and emerging adults is a significant issue. However, our understanding of the topography of alcohol use within drinking episodes in this population is at a nascent stage. This study characterized rate of alcohol consumption in the daily lives of problem drinkers ages 16–24 years (N = 75). We examined whether AUD symptoms and the presence of peers, factors relevant to alcohol consumption in youth, were associated with rate of consumption. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was used (Nobservations = 799). Rate of consumption was defined as change in estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) relative to the start of the drinking episode. Piecewise multi-level modeling was used to test hypotheses. As a comparison, we examined whether indicators of quantity and frequency (Q-F) were associated with AUD symptoms and presence of peers. For all participants, eBAC increased sharply early in the episode, then plateaued. Participants with more AUD symptoms or who were in the presence of peers had significantly steeper increases in eBAC over the early part of the episode. Participants with more AUD symptoms were also more likely to engage in binge-like behavior. For Q-F, only peak eBAC and peak number of standard drinks were associated with AUD symptoms, and not presence of peers. Findings highlight the value of rate of consumption as an indicator of use in youth, one sensitive to the influence of relevant person-level and situational factors. Intervention efforts may benefit from targeting the speed at which youth drink.
Cracking the Code of Distributed Leadership: New Insights from a Study of Leader Practitioners

The landscape of distributed leadership has become littered with conceptual confusion. Spillane (2006) provided the foundation for a theory of distributed leadership by defining three conceptual forms: Collaborative, collective and coordinated. Despite its widespread intuitive appeal, traditional epistemological methods have hampered efforts to operationalize these distinct forms of leadership in practice. Cluster analysis provides an alternative method of analysis, revealing construct clarity by linking specific leadership and influence behaviors reported by middle-managers to each form of distributed leadership. Several forms of differentiated integration emerged from analysis, revealing more complexity than previously surmised and yielding a Model of Differentiated Leadership Integration.
Online Audio-Visual Source Association for Chamber Music Performances

In audio-visual recordings of music performances, visual cues from instrument players exhibit good temporal correspondence with the audio signals and the music content. These correspondences provide useful information for estimating source associations, i.e., for identifying the affiliation between players and sound sources or score parts. In this paper, we propose a computational system that models audio-visual correspondences to achieve source association for Western chamber music ensembles including strings, woodwind, and brass instruments. Through its three modules, the system models three typical types of correspondences between 1) body motion (e.g., bowing for string instruments and sliding for trombone) and note onsets, 2) finger motion (e.g., fingering for most woodwind and brass instruments) and note onsets, and 3) vibrato hand motion (e.g., fingering hand rolling for string instruments) and pitch fluctuations. Although the three modules are designed for estimating associations for different instruments, the overall system provides a universal framework for all common melodic instruments in Western chamber ensembles. The framework automatically and adaptively integrates the three modules, without requiring prior knowledge of the instrument types. The system operates in an online fashion, i.e., associations are updated as the audio-visual stream progresses. We evaluate the system on ensembles with different instruments and polyphony, ranging from duets to quintets. Results demonstrate that association accuracy increases as the duration of video excerpts increases. For string quintets, the accuracy is over 90% from just a 5-second video excerpt, while for woodwind, brass, and mixed-instrument quintets, a similar accuracy can be reached after processing 30 seconds of video. The result of the proposed framework is promising and enables novel applications such as interactive audio-visual music editing and auto-whirling camera in concerts.
Ratio method for estimating uncertainty in calculated gamma cascades

The assessment of uncertainty on deduced quantities obtained through both measurement and modeling must include contributions from both components. There are several methods to estimate the uncertainty due to modeling, such as the parametric uncertainty and that stemming from model bias. However, in the case where experimental data exists for partial cross sections, such as discrete gammas emitted in the de-excitation of the product nucleus following the reaction, the discrepancy between the measured and modeled gamma cascades provides more information and allows for uncertainty estimation that can account for all types of model and data uncertainty. This work presents a method for estimating that uncertainty, using ratios of gammas to get a measure of the accuracy of different parts of the modeled gamma cascade. The gamma with the lowest intensity uncertainty is shown to be the best for determining the channel cross section with realistic uncertainties, indicating that it should be used rather than the most intense gamma or a sum of gammas. This method provides both a simple procedure for calculating realistic uncertainties and identifies the best gamma for use in converting a set of measured partial gamma cross sections to the deduced total channel cross section.
Organizational Strategy of Urban Water Agencies

This papers draws on organizational strategy theory to understand adaptability in urban water agencies. In many places natural resources like water, land, and energy are becoming scarcer while demand is increasing, and fiscal responsibility is gravitating to the local level. These trends are particularly prominent in the water sector. To realize new possibilities in urban water management we need to understand how and when local agencies decide to take action and, given the range of options available, which they will choose. The water use patterns and organizational strategies of urban water supply agencies in California are used to test hypotheses about how and when urban water agencies respond to a changing environment. The results provide preliminary evidence that agencies with the least to lose and the most to gain are most willing to take a leadership role in adaptation. Further, urban water agencies are found to engage in a range of strategic actions, despite criticisms from water analysts, but these actions may not have the desired intention. These findings expand our theoretical understanding of organizational strategy as adaptation, and provide some insight for those involved in the increasingly challenging task of providing safe, reliable water supplies in a sustainable way.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Associated With Better Cardiometabolic Health and Lower PTSD Severity in Post-9/11 Veterans.

Introduction Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and physical inactivity. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), which is modifiable by physical activity, is a strong independent predictor of cardiometabolic health. However, the relationship between CRF and cardiometabolic health in veterans with PTSD is unknown. Thus, this study aimed to explore the cross-sectional relationships among CRF, indices of cardiometabolic health (ie, HbA1c, blood lipids, blood pressure, waist-hip ratio, and body mass index), and PTSD severity in veterans with PTSD. Materials and methods This study was approved by the local Institutional Review Board. All participants were informed of the study risks and provided consent prior to participation. Participants (n = 13) completed a cardiopulmonary exercise test, a fasting blood draw, and the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale. Correlations between CRF and cardiometabolic health were examined with Spearman's rank correlations, and differences in PTSD symptom severity were explored as a function of CRF (ie, low-to-moderate vs. high CRF), using multiple linear regression. Results Peak oxygen uptake ($\dot{\mathrm{V}}$O2peak) was correlated with high-density lipoproteins rho = 0.60, P = 0.04 and diastolic blood pressure rho = -0.56, P = 0.05. Ventilatory threshold was correlated with HbA1c rho = -0.61, P = 0.03 and diastolic blood pressure rho = -0.56, P = 0.05. Higher CRF was associated with lower total PTSD severity standardized β = -0.84, P = 0.01, adjusted R2 = 0.47, total Cluster C symptoms (avoidance/numbing) β = -0.71, P = 0.02, adjusted R2 = 0.49, and total Cluster D symptoms (hyperarousal) β = -0.89, P = 0.01, adjusted R2 = 0.41, while adjusting for age and smoking status. Conclusions These preliminary findings suggest that CRF and by proxy physical activity may be important factors in understanding the increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease associated with PTSD.
Chapter 28 – Hypophosphatasia

Publisher Summary Hypophosphatasia is the rare, heritable form of rickets or osteomalacia that features low serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity (hypophosphatasemia). Hypophosphatasemia in HPP is explained by a generalized reduction of activity of the “tissue-non-specific” isoenzyme of ALP (TNSALP) caused by loss-of-function mutation(s) within the TNSALP gene. The tissue-specific ALP isoenzyme genes are intact. In HPP, extracellular accumulation of the TNSALP substrate inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), an inhibitor of mineralization, explains the skeletal disease. Characterization of this inborn error-of-metabolism verified a role for ALP in bone formation. The discoveries of elevated endogenous levels of three phospho compounds in HPP clarified the metabolic basis for this inborn-error-of-metabolism and the physiological role of TNSALP. HPP occurs worldwide. It is especially prevalent for inbred Mennonite families in Manitoba, Canada, where approximately 1 in 2500 newborns manifests severe disease, and approximately 1 in 25 individuals is a carrier. The prognosis for the various forms of HPP typically reflects the severity of the skeletal disease that corresponds with the age at presentation.
Exploring earth materials during Earth Science Week

Abstract Geophysicists have a special understanding of how earth materials impact people and how human activity impacts earth materials. This year's theme of Earth Science Week, 11–17 October, will...
Two karyotypically independent leukemic clones with the t(8;21) and 11q23 translocation in acute myeloblastic leukemia at relapse.

Leukemic blast cells are thought to arise from clonal expansion of a single transformed hematopoietic cell. This generality is supported by the rarity of convincing reports on acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) with two karyotypically independent clones. Relying on sequential cytogenetic analyses, we identified such clones in two children with relapsed AML. The first case, classified as M2 leukemia in the French- American-British (FAB) classification system, had a t(8;21) (q22;q22) at diagnosis; 16 months later, at relapse, the leukemic cells had uniform morphologic features similar to those observed at diagnosis, except that two independent clones were present: one with the original t(8;21) and the other with t(11;22)(q23;q13) [corrected]). The second case was initially classified as FAB M1 leukemia with a t(8;21) (q22;q22). At relapse, 16 months later, the blast cells appeared morphologically uniform and similar to the diagnostic specimen; however, in addition to the original t(8;21) clone, there was a t(1;11) (p32;q23) [corrected]. These findings suggest that separate leukemogenic events affecting different progenitor cells can occur in rare cases of AML. The presence of two karyotypically independent clones could also be explained by multistep leukemogenesis; that is, more than one cell from a common pool of preleukemic cells could be affected by the transforming event, resulting in two independent clones. Alternatively, in light of recent reports of therapy-related leukemias with an 11q23 translocation, the new independent clone in these two patients could represent a therapy-related secondary malignancy. Thus, 11q23 translocations may occur preferentially in stem cells that are more susceptible to treatment-induced malignant transformation.
"Chemistry Discovery": A Service-Learning Outreach Course Produces a Workshop Series for Middle-School Students.

Service-learning college courses and service-learning components of traditional courses combine discipline-specific learning objectives with service activities in the community. Chemistry Discovery...
Where Diasporas Met: Hunanese, Cantonese, and the State in Late-Qing Guangxi

Drawing on physical and textual records of Hunanese and Cantonese active in Guangxi, as well as state archival sources, this article traces the expansion of these two diasporic cohorts in Guangxi from the early nineteenth century, through the mid-century wars, and into the postwar era, when they reintegrated this southwestern frontier province into the late-Qing empire.
Double Tension Slide Technique as a Novel Repair for Distal Biceps Tendon Tear: A Biomechanical Evaluation.

Background A comparative biomechanical analysis of two distal biceps tendon repair techniques was performed: a single suture tension slide technique (TST) and two suture double tension slide (DTS) technique. Methodology Ten matched pairs of fresh frozen human cadaveric elbows (20 elbows) were randomly separated into two cohorts for distal biceps tendon repair. One cohort underwent the TST, and the other underwent the DTS technique. The tendon was preconditioned with cyclic loading from 0° to 90° at 0.5 Hz for 3,600 cycles with a 50 N load. The specimens were then loaded to failure at a rate of 1 mm/s. The difference in the load to failure between the groups was analyzed using the Student's t test. The mode of failure was compared between groups using the chi-square test. All p-values were reported with significance set at p < 0.05. Results Overall, 77.8% of the included matched pairs demonstrated greater load to failure in the DTS group. The mean load to failure in the DTS group was 383.3 ± 149.3 N compared to 275.8 ± 98.1 N in the TST group (p = 0.13). The DTS specimens failed at the tendon (5/9), suture (3/9), and bone (1/9). The TST specimens failed at the tendon (4/9) and suture (5/9) only. There was no significant difference in failure type between groups (p = 0.76). Conclusions DTS demonstrates a similar to greater load to failure compared to TST with a trend towards statistical significance. The redundancy provided by the second suture has an inherent advantage without compromising the biomechanical testing.
Fleshy Encounters: Meddling in the Lifeworlds of Zoo and Aquarium Veterinarians

This article aims to make visible expert practices that take place behind closed doors and that are perceived as being of no concern to the public, who wouldn’t understand them anyway. The experts that this article is concerned with are medical practitioners of a particular kind: zoo and aquarium veterinarians. I utilize both text and multimedia presentations to allow the veterinarians I interviewed to directly explain their work to the reader, who may then experience this work, the space and environment where it is performed, and the tools with which it is conducted, on a more affective and sensorial plane. Quotes from the scholarly literature and from the interviews are intended to provide context and set the tone for the visual and auditory experiences, which are an inherent and important part of the article. My hope is that readers emerge from this inquiry knowing more about how veterinarians see, think, and operate in their professional encounters. The idea, more broadly, is that we ought to immerse ourselves, mess with, and meddle in each other’s professional lifeworlds in order to enrich and broaden our understandings of our currently much too self-, siloed-, and human-centric place on this planet.
Clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait: A critical appraisal of the literature

Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) and sickle cell trait (SCT) have many risk factors that could make them more susceptible to COVID-19 critical illness and death compared to the general population. With a growing body of literature in this field, a comprehensive review is needed. We reviewed 71 COVID-19-related studies conducted in 15 countries and published between January 1, 2020, and October 15, 2021, including a combined total of over 2000 patients with SCD and nearly 2000 patients with SCT. Adults with SCD typically have a mild to moderate COVID-19 disease course, but also a 2- to 7-fold increased risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization and a 1.2-fold increased risk of COVID-19-related death as compared to adults without SCD, but not compared to controls with similar comorbidities and end-organ damage. There is some evidence that persons with SCT have increased risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization and death although more studies with risk-stratification and properly matched controls are needed to confirm these findings. While the literature suggests that most children with SCD and COVID-19 have mild disease and low risk of death, some children with SCD, especially those with SCD-related comorbidities, are more likely to be hospitalized and require escalated care than children without SCD. However, children with SCD are less likely to experience COVID-19-related severe illness and death compared to adults with or without SCD. SCD-directed therapies such as transfusion and hydroxyurea may be associated with better COVID-19 outcomes, but prospective studies are needed for confirmation. While some studies have reported favorable short-term outcomes for COVID-19 patients with SCD and SCT, the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection are unknown and may affect individuals with SCD and SCT differently from the general population. Important focus areas for future research should include multi-center studies with larger sample sizes, assessment of hemoglobin genotype and SCD-modifying therapies on COVID-19 outcomes, inclusion of case-matched controls that account for the unique sample characteristics of SCD and SCT populations, and longitudinal assessment of post-COVID-19 symptoms.
Leiomyosarcoma of the uterus, with a report of four personal cases

Abstract 1. 1. Leiomyosarcoma of the uterus is a fairly common tumor, being found in about 1 per cent of all myomatous uteri examined. 2. 2. While all leiomyosarcomas show some degree of histologic malignancy, only a small proportion of them prove to be clinically malignant. 3. 3. Nevertheless all leiomyosarcomas must be treated as at least potentially malignant, since it is impossible to distinguish a priori between histologic and clinical malignancy. 4. 4. The gross pathology of this tumor is similar to that of leiomyoma, save for minor details often none too well defined. The microscopic pathology is chiefly remarkable for great variation in cellular characteristics. 5. 5. Diagnosis is difficult both before and at operation, though certain gross features suggestive of malignancy have been described. 6. 6. Every myomatous uterus removed should be opened and examined before the operation is completed. 7. 7. The treatment of choice is radical operation, followed by x-rays. When supracervical hysterectomy has been done, the cervix should be treated with radium. 8. 8. Four cases of leiomyosarcoma of the uterus, one of them a true myoma malignum, are reported.
Accountable Ring Signatures: A Smart Card Approach

Ring signatures are an important primitive for protecting signers’ privacy while ensuring that a signature in question is indeed issued by some qualified user. This notion can be seen as a generalization of the well-known notion of group signatures. A group signature is a signature such that a verifier can establish its validity but not the identity of the actual signer, who can nevertheless be identified by a designated entity called group manager. A ring signature is also a signature such that a verifier can establish its validity but not the identity of the actual signer, who indeed can never be identified by any party. An important advantage of ring signatures over group signatures is that there is no need to pre-specify rings or groups of users.
Additional Evidence on Analysts' Decision to Issue Disaggregated Earnings Forecasts: Strategic Biasing

This study examines why analysts issue disaggregated earnings forecasts to I/B/E/S. Some recent studies suggest that analysts with superior forecasting ability issue disaggregated earnings forecasts to build reputation in the marketplace and stop forecast disaggregation once their reputation has been established. Based on an analysis of I/B/E/S forecast data for U.S. firms from 1998 to 2008, we find that, in a given year, about 20%–34% of analysts disaggregate for some, but not for all the firms that they follow. This evidence of selective disaggregation by analysts suggests that reputation building alone does not fully explain the decision to disaggregate forecasts. We hypothesize that the decision to disaggregate earnings forecasts is at the firm-level as well and is systematically related to the analysts’ bias in the issued forecasts. Our findings are that (a) analysts’ overall optimistic bias and forecast errors decrease monotonically with the level of forecast disaggregation, and (b) analysts that selectively disaggregate their forecasts for some firms or who do not persistently disaggregate a given firm's forecasts exhibit more positive bias and larger forecast errors. Our findings are consistent with the notion that the analysts who issue biased forecasts, for example, to curry favour with the management, are less likely to provide disaggregated information as part of the forecast.
Inventing Tests, Destabilizing Systems

The U.S. Supreme Court revolutionized the law on pleading by its suggestive Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly and definitive Ashcroft v. Iqbal. But these decisions did more than redefine the pleading rules: by inventing a foggy test for the threshold stage of every lawsuit, they have destabilized the entire system of civil litigation. This destabilization should rekindle a wide conversation about fundamental choices made in designing our legal system. Those choices are debatable. Thus, the bone this Article picks with the Court is not that it took the wrong path for pleading, but that it blazed a new and unclear path alone and without adequate warning or thought. This Article argues that wherever you stand on pleading—whether you think the federal litigation system is wildly overburdened with frivolous suits, or whether you think the role of pleading should be further purified to eliminate its screening function entirely—you should find these recent decisions lamentable. The Article describes the Court’s choice to shift from minimal notice pleading to a robust gatekeeping regime, and next gives some reasons for thinking the Court’s course on this important matter may promise the worst of both worlds. Then, after some thoughts on the Court’s possible motivation, it briefly offers some ways out of the bog.
Cause of death analysis in the NHLBI PTCA registry : Results and considerations for evaluating long-term survival after coronary interventions

Abstract Objectives. We examined cause of death in relation to age, length of follow-up and other baseline characteristics in patients in the 1985–1986 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (NHLBI PTCA) Registry. Background. The manner in which cardiac versus noncardiac mortality of patients with coronary revascularization varies in relation to patient and study characteristics has not been well documented. Methods. Cause of death determined from a review of 5 years of annual follow-up forms and death certificates was analyzed in 2,127 patients who had coronary angioplasty (mean age 57.6 years) without acute myocardial infarction. Results. Within 5 years of the initial procedure, there were 205 deaths (9.6%), with 52.7% attributed to cardiac causes. Patients with a low baseline ejection fraction, history of hypertension, previous bypass surgery, previous myocardial infarction, inoperable or high surgical risk or multivessel disease had significantly higher 5-year cardiac mortality. Patients with a history of diabetes, congestive heart failure or severe concomitant noncardiac disease had higher rates of both cardiac and noncardiac mortality. As length of follow-up increased, older patients died of noncardiac causes more often than cardiac causes. Age ≥65 years was a strong independent predictor of 5-year noncardiac mortality (p Conclusions. All-cause mortality rates may be high in elderly revascularized patients, yet cardiac mortality may be less than that expected because of a high risk of noncardiac death. Although all-cause mortality is a more reliable end point than cause-specific mortality, both cardiac and all-cause mortality should be considered in coronary intervention studies involving older patients and long-term follow-up.