cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phylogenomics of Phrynosomatid Lizards: Conflicting Signals from Sequence Capture Versus Restriction Site Associated DNA Sequencing

Sequence capture and restriction site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) are popular methods for obtaining large numbers of loci for phylogenetic analysis. These methods are typically used to collect data at different evolutionary timescales; sequence capture is primarily used for obtaining conserved loci, whereas RADseq is designed for discovering single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) suitable for population genetic or phylogeographic analyses. Phylogenetic questions that span both “recent” and “deep” timescales could benefit from either type of data, but studies that directly compare the two approaches are lacking. We compared phylogenies estimated from sequence capture and double digest RADseq (ddRADseq) data for North American phrynosomatid lizards, a speciesrich and diverse group containing nine genera that began diversifying approximately 55 Ma. Sequence capture resulted in 584 loci that provided a consistent and strong phylogeny using concatenation and species tree inference. However, the phylogeny estimated from the ddRADseq data was sensitive to the bioinformatics steps used for determining homology, detecting paralogs, and filtering missing data. The topological conflicts among the SNP trees were not restricted to any particular timescale, but instead were associated with short internal branches. Species tree analysis of the largest SNP assembly, which also included the most missing data, supported a topology that matched the sequence capture tree. This preferred phylogeny provides strong support for the paraphyly of the earless lizard genera Holbrookia and Cophosaurus, suggesting that the earless morphology either evolved twice or evolved once and was subsequently lost in Callisaurus.
NaMgF3: a low-pressure analog of MgSiO3

[1] Using first principles computations we show that NaMgF 3 perovskite undergoes the same series of phase transitions as MgSiO 3 perovskite, that is, the post-perovskite transition and the dissociation into CsCl-type NaF and cotunnite-type MgF 2 . These fluorides also undergo the same series of phase transitions as MgO and SiO 2 , the dissociation products of MgSiO 3 . Since the phase transformations in NaMgF 3 are not accompanied by any soft mode, we compute quasi-harmonic free energies and the respective phase boundaries. They have positive and negative Clapeyron slopes, respectively, like MgSiO 3 . However, the transition pressures in NaMgF 3 are much lower and could be easily achieved in diamond anvil experiments. Therefore NaMgF 3 should be a good low-pressure analog of MgSiO 3 .
A Bayesian approach to functional mixed-effects modeling for longitudinal data with binomial outcomes.

Longitudinal growth patterns are routinely seen in medical studies where individual and population growth is followed over a period of time. Many current methods for modeling growth presuppose a parametric relationship between the outcome and time (e.g., linear, quadratic); however, these relationships may not accurately capture growth over time. Functional mixed effects (FME) models provide flexibility in handling longitudinal data with nonparametric temporal trends. Although FME methods are well-developed for continuous, normally distributed outcome measures, nonparametric methods for handling categorical outcomes are limited. We consider the situation with binomially distributed longitudinal outcomes. Although percent correct data can be modeled assuming normality, estimates outside the parameter space are possible and thus estimated curves can be unrealistic. We propose a binomial FME model using Bayesian methodology to account for growth curves with binomial (percentage) outcomes. The usefulness of our methods is demonstrated using a longitudinal study of speech perception outcomes from cochlear implant users where we successfully model both the population and individual growth trajectories. Simulation studies also advocate the usefulness of the binomial model particularly when outcomes occur near the boundary of the probability parameter space and in situations with a small number of trials.
Shattered Rock and Precarious Rock Evidence for Strong Asymmetry in Ground Motions during Thrust Faulting

Recent thrust faulting models, both physical and numerical, have indicated very high ground motions on the hanging wall and relatively low motions on the footwall of thrust faults. In this article, recent field evidence supporting this strong asymmetry is described. Earlier field observations of objects thrown in the air also suggest that ground motions must have exceeded 1 g and 100 cm/sec. New shattered rock evidence on the hanging wall of thrust faults in Southern California supports the occurrence of intense ground motions. On the other hand, the lack of shattered rock and the presence of precariously balanced rocks on the footwall of two thrust faults in Southern California indicate relatively low ground motions, thus indicating strong asymmetry in ground motions near the fault trace for thrust faults. Some current ground-motion attenuation curves and hazard maps may give too low values on the hanging wall and too high values on the footwall. This could be of critical importance to estimating earthquake hazard from potentially large thrust fault earthquakes in the Los Angeles Basin and elsewhere in the world. The new evidence also supports the idea that dynamic inertial detachment of the hanging wall from the footwall occurs in nature in the manner suggested by some recent physical and numerical models. If such detachment occurs, it could also have important implications for understanding thrust fault rupture mechanics, for example, the paradox of large overthrusts and the heat flow paradox for thrusts.
A Mechanized Program Verifier

In my view, the "verification problem" is the theorem proving problem, restricted to a computational logic. My approach is: adopt a functional programming language, build a general purpose formal reasoning engine around it, integrate it into a program and proof development environment, and apply it to model and verify a wide variety of computing artifacts, usually modeled operationally within the functional programming language. Everything done in this approach is software verification since the models are runnable programs in a subset of an ANSI standard programming language (Common Lisp). But this approach is of interest to proponents of other approaches (e.g., verification of procedural programs or synthesis) because of the nature of the mathematics of computing. I summarize the progress so far using this approach, sketch the key research challenges ahead and describe my vision of the role and shape of a useful verification system.
Structural Evaluation of Radially Expandable Cardiovascular Stents Encased in a Polyurethane Film

A method of encasing cardiovascular stents with an expandable polyurethane coating has been developed to provide a smooth homogeneous inner wall allowing for a confluent growth of endothelial cells. In this design, the metal wire stent structure is completely covered by the polyurethane film minimizing biocorrosion of the metal (stainless steel or nitinol), and providing a homogeneous surface for surface treatment and incorporation of various eluting drugs to prevent platelet aggregation while supporting endothelialization. The polyurethane surface was treated with a helium plasma for sterilization and promotes growth of cells. The paper details the performance of the coated film to expand with the metal stent up to 225 % during deployment. We present stress/strain behavior of polyurethane films, and subsequent plasma treatment of the surface and the adhesion of the coating to the stent structure upon expansion. A film of less than 25 tm was found to be sufficient for corrosion resistance and flexibility without producing any excess stress on the stent structure. Straining the film to 225 % and plasma modification did not affect the mechanical and surface properties while allowing for improved biocompatibility as determined by the critical surface tension, surface chemistry, and roughness.
Effects of antihypertensive treatment in patients over 65 years of age: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled studies

Context Despite the high incidence of hypertension, the elderly population is not represented in clinical trials as they have upper age limits or do not present age-specific results. Objectives The present study was designed to systematically review prospective randomized trials and assess the effects of antihypertensive treatment on cardiovascular, all-cause mortality, stroke and heart failure in patients over 65 years of age. Data Sources We systematically searched the electronic databases, MEDLINE, PUBMED, EMBASE and Cochrane for prospective randomized studies (1970–2012) in which patients were randomized either to antihypertensive treatment and non-drug control group or to different antihypertensive treatments. Study selection We identified 18 clinical studies, with 19 control arms and 19 treatment arms examining 59285 controls, 55569 hypertensive patients with an average follow up duration of 3.44 years. The mean age of patients on treatment was 71.04 years. Data Extraction Included studies were divided and analyzed in 2 subgroups: i) studies comparing treatment group vs non-drug placebo group with a BP decrease of 27.3/11.1 mmHg and ii) studies comparing two anti-hypertensive regimens with baseline BP ∼157/86, and BP reduction to less than 140/80. Results A significant reduction in all four outcomes was found in the first group of studies. In the second group similar BP reduction resulted in equivalent risk reduction in both treatment groups. In the meta-regression analysis mean SBP difference was linearly associated with all-cause, cardiovascular, stroke and heart failure risk reduction. Conclusion Reducing BP to a level of 150/80 mmHg is associated with large benefit in stroke, cardiovascular and all-cause mortality as well as heart failure risk in elderly individuals. Different antihypertensive regimens with equal BP reduction have similar effects on cardiovascular outcomes. SBP rather than DBP reduction is significantly related to lower cardiovascular risk in this population.
Query plans with roaming sources: shifting streams of data

Wireless embedded systems provide an opportunity for the collection of useful data from a wide range of mobile devices. However, such devices may often have strict limits on their functionality, processing power, battery life, and wireless bandwidth. We present a method for distributing mobile query operators to enhance performance in a system consisting of many such mobile devices while supporting their mobility. As the devices roam throughout the area, the system shifts query data streams to follow the mobile data sources. We then provide an analysis of such a query distribution scheme in terms of expected bandwidth usage within the system.
Personalizing cancer treatment in the age of global genomic analyses: PALB2 gene mutations and the response to DNA damaging agents in pancreatic cancer

Metastasis and drug resistance are the major causes of mortality in patients with pancreatic cancer. Once developed, the progression of pancreatic cancer metastasis is virtually unstoppable with current therapies. Here, we report the remarkable clinical outcome of a patient with advanced, gemcitabine-resistant, pancreatic cancer who was later treated with DNA damaging agents, on the basis of the observation of significant activity of this class of drugs against a personalized xenograft generated from the patient's surgically resected tumor. Mitomycin C treatment, selected on the basis of its robust preclinical activity in a personalized xenograft generated from the patient's tumor, resulted in long-lasting (36+ months) tumor response. Global genomic sequencing revealed biallelic inactivation of the gene encoding PalB2 protein in this patient's cancer; the mutation is predicted to disrupt BRCA1 and BRCA2 interactions critical to DNA double-strand break repair. This work suggests that inactivation of the PALB2 gene is a determinant of response to DNA damage in pancreatic cancer and a new target for personalizing cancer treatment. Integrating personalized xenografts with unbiased exomic sequencing led to customized therapy, tailored to the genetic environment of the patient's tumor, and identification of a new biomarker of drug response in a lethal cancer.
The distribution and cycling of hydrogen gas in the waters of two anoxic marine environments1,2

Using a highly sensitive analytical method and careful attention to the possibility of contamination, we have measured hydrogen gas in the waters of a coastal anoxic salt pond and of the Cariaco Trench. Hydrogen concentrations in the anoxic portion of the coastal pond ranged from 0.4 to 3.5 nM and showed strong diel variations (factor of 2-4 at a single depth over 24 h) just below the anoxic interface; no diel variations were seen near the bottom. Concentrations also varied systematically with depth (factor of 6) and from day to day at a single depth (factor of 2). Uptake experiments designed to evaluate the importance of light and sulfate reduction to hydrogen cycling indicated that hydrogen consumption is not light-dependent either just below the anoxic interface (3.5 m) or near the bottom of the pond (4.5 m), and addition of 20 mM NaMoO, (an inhibitor of sulfate reduction) decreased hydrogen consumption at 4.5 m but not at 3.5 m. Because hydrogen uptake was independent of light, we suggest that diel variations in hydrogen concentration may be due to production of hydrogen in dark reactions by photosynthetic sulfur bacteria rather than to variations in uptake. In the Cariaco Trench hydrogen concentrations were uniform at about 0.2 nM throughout the anoxic portions of the basin. However, there was an indication of a maximum (0.4 nM) just below the anoxic interface, perhaps due to a greater supply of labile organic compounds to the fermentative bacteria at these depths or to physiological differences in bacteria with depth. Hydrogen concentrations in nature may be strongly influenced by the activities of the various members of the anaerobic food chain (Kaspar and Wuhrmann 1978b; Lov
Neutrophils as early immunologic effectors in hemorrhage- or endotoxemia-induced acute lung injury

Acute lung injury is characterized by accumulation of neutrophils in the lungs, accompanied by the development of interstitial edema and an intense inflammatory response. To assess the role of neutrophils as early immune effectors in hemorrhage- or endotoxemia-induced lung injury, mice were made neutropenic with cyclophosphamide or anti-neutrophil antibodies. Endotoxemia- or hemorrhage-induced lung edema was significantly reduced in neutropenic animals. Activation of the transcriptional regulatory factor nuclear factor-kappaB after hemorrhage or endotoxemia was diminished in the lungs of neutropenic mice compared with nonneutropenic controls. Hemorrhage or endotoxemia was followed by increases in pulmonary mRNA and protein levels for interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Endotoxin-induced increases in proinflammatory cytokine expression were greater than those found after hemorrhage. The amounts of mRNA or protein for IL-1beta, MIP-2, and TNF-alpha were significantly lower after hemorrhage in the lungs of neutropenic versus nonneutropenic mice. Neutropenia was associated with significant reductions in IL-1beta and MIP-2 but not in TNF-alpha expression in the lungs after endotoxemia. These experiments show that neutrophils play a central role in initiating acute inflammatory responses and causing injury in the lungs after hemorrhage or endotoxemia.
Incorporating Course Content while Fostering a More Learner-Centered Environment.

A group of faculty members, identified through their interest in democratic classroom practices, were surveyed to discover learner-centered educational techniques appropriate for content-laden courses. Respondents from a variety of academic disciplines and instructional levels provided examples and critiques of efficacy. These practices ranged from peer evaluation and small group learning to community of inquiry. While each practice is presented through the context of a specific content area, the implications of these practices across academic disciplines are presented as well.
The American Isolates: The Racially‐Mixed People of the Ramapos: Undoing the Jackson White Legends*

A review of the literature fails to validate the Jackson White legends which traditionally have accounted for the presence of a racially mixed collectivity in the Ramapo Mountain area. Extant oral traditions supporting the least documented and most pejorative aspects of the legends serve to maintain isolation and threaten the continuation of the Ramapo Mountain community of racially mixed people.
How to sanitize data

Balancing the needs of a data analyst with the privacy needs of a data provider is a key issue when data is sanitized. We treat both the requirements of the analyst and the privacy expectations as policies, and compose the two policies to detect conflicts. The result can be applied to an intermediate data representation to sanitize the relevant pans of the data. We conclude that this method has promise, but more work is needed to determine its effectiveness and limits.
Selecting for the phenotypic optimum: size‐related trade‐offs between mortality risk and reproductive output in female sockeye salmon

Summary 1. Selection drives evolutionary changes but is often difficult to quantify and tightly link to phenotypic trait distributions in wild populations. 2. Sampling a single population of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) for over a decade, we calculated the expected spawning success for females resulting from: (i) increased fecundity with body length, (ii) the mortality cost of prolonged marine residency necessary to achieve large size, (iii) size-selective natural mortality on the spawning grounds from biotic (bear and gull predation) and abiotic (stranding) processes and (iv) exploitation by a size-selective commercial fishery. We quantified the size-specific probability of different modes of death and the resultant potential for successful spawning, and then modelled the theoretical relationship between female length and fitness (spawning success) in the population. 3. This optimal distribution closely matched the observed length distribution of the focal population, when removals by the size-selective commercial fishery were included. We then used a likelihood-based approach to compare competing model predictions to length distributions from other populations in the watershed with different levels of size-selective freshwater mortality, as determined by the physical characteristics of the spawning grounds. 4. This study provides a quantitative framework for assessing female spawning success in wild populations, as represented by the expected number of eggs deposited per spawning female. These results advance previous analyses of natural selection in that predictions for phenotypic distributions were generated and then compared to those observed in situ, rather than assuming the adaptive nature of observed distributions.
Brand appearances in contemporary cinema films and contribution to global marketing of cigarettes

Summary Background The appearance of a cigarette brand in a cinema film gives the brand a certain distinction through its association with the characters and general tone of the film. Through the worldwide distribution of films, brands are promoted globally. We assessed the tobacco-brand appearances in a 10-year sample of contemporary films. Methods We viewed the contents of the top 25 US box-office films for each year of release, from 1988 to 1997 (250 films in total). We compared the prevalence of brand appearances for films produced before a voluntary ban on paid product placement by the tobacco industry (1988–90) with films produced after the ban (1991–97). Tobacco-brand appearance was defined as the screen appearance of a brand name, logo, or identifiable trademark on products or product packaging, billboards, store-front advertising, or tobacco promotional items. We defined actor endorsement of a brand as the display of a brand while being handled or used by an actor. Findings More than 85% of the films contained tobacco use. Tobacco brands appeared in 70 (28%) films. Brand appearances were as common in films suitable for adolescent audiences as they were in films for adult audiences (32 vs 35%), and were also present in 20% of those rated for children. Prevalence of brand appearance did not change overall in relation to the ban. However, there was a striking increase in the type of brand appearance depicted, with actor endorsement increasing from 1% of films before the ban to 11% after. Four US cigarette brands accounted for 80% of brand appearances. Revenues outside the USA accounted for 49% of total revenues for these films, indicating a large international audience. Interpretation Tobacco-brand appearances are common in films and are becoming increasingly endorsed by actors. The most highly advertised US cigarette brands account for most brand appearances, which suggests an advertising motive to this practice.
Right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit has a favorable impact on postoperative physiology after Stage I Norwood: preliminary results.

Objective: Although significant progress has been made in the perioperative management of neonates with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), early survival has plateaued. Moreover, low but important interstage mortality remains unsolved. With a systemic to pulmonary artery shunt, the combination of significant diastolic runoff into the pulmonary circulation, a large volume load on the single ventricle and precarious coronary perfusion result in a delicate physiologic state. In order to minimize these detrimental features, a right ventricle to pulmonary artery (RV to PA) conduit was used as the source of pulmonary blood flow in patients undergoing Stage I Norwood for HLHS. Methods: Prospective data collection in 15 consecutive patients who underwent Stage I Norwood with an RV to PA conduit. Results: Mean age at surgery was 2.5 ^ 2 days (range 1 ‐ 8), mean weight was 2.9 ^ 0.3 kg (range 2.2‐ 3.6) and mean gestational age was 37 weeks (range 35‐40). Anatomic diagnosis was HLHS in all patients, aortic atresia was present in ten. Mean ascending aortic size was 2.9 ^ 0.9 mm (range 1.5 ‐ 5). Two patients had moderate atrioventricular valve regurgitation and a genetic syndrome and/or congenital anomaly was present in five patients. Thirteen patients received a 5-mm polytetrafluoroethylene RV to PA conduit, and a 4-mm conduit was used in two. Mean circulatory arrest time was 55 ^ 6 min. Postoperatively, mean diastolic blood pressure at 1, 8 and 24 h were 47 ^ 7, 46 ^ 3 and 43 ^ 6 mmHg, respectively. Median time to extubation was 23 h (range 9 ‐ 96) and was less than 24 h in ten patients. Median intensive care unit and hospital stay were 5 days (range 2 ‐ 19) and 10 days (6‐ 22), respectively. Early mortality was 1/15 (6%). At a mean follow-up of 10.8 ^ 3.4 months, 12 patients underwent stage II, and three patient have completed the Fontan. Conclusion: RV to PA conduit eliminated diastolic runoff into the pulmonary vascular bed resulting in a higher diastolic blood pressure. This physiology appears to be associated with a more stable postoperative course and improved hospital survival. q 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Adrenalectomy decreases NaCl intake of rats fed low-calcium diets

Five studies were conducted to characterize the effects on NaCl intake of the interaction between adrenalectomy (ADX) and dietary calcium. Intact rats fed low-calcium diets (0 or 25 mmol Ca2+/kg diet) approximately quadrupled intake of 300 or 500 mM NaCl solution relative to intact rats fed diets with moderate or high calcium content (125, 150, or 500 mmol Ca2+/kg diet) ADX approximately doubled NaCl intake of rats fed moderate or high-calcium diets but decreased NaCl intake of rats fed low-calcium diets to levels similar to those of ADX rats fed moderate of high-calcium diets. Aldosterone replacement (2.4 micrograms/day sc) reduced NaCl intake of ADX rats fed control diets to below levels of intact controls, but the same treatment to ADX rats fed low-calcium diet had no effect on NaCl intake. The reduction in NaCl intake produced by ADX in rats fed low-calcium diet could not be attributed to general debilitation, damage to the adrenal medulla, or altered metabolism of sodium or calcium (i.e., plasma concentration, bone content, or balance). It is proposed that an adrenocortical hormone other than aldosterone mediates the high salt intake of the calcium-deprived rat, and thus the adrenal has both inhibitory and excitatory actions on NaCl intake.
AJKD Atlas of Renal Pathology: Cholesterol Emboli

Cholesterol emboli usually occur in patients older than 50 years with a predilection in men and whites. Clinical presentation includes acute kidney injury, new onset hypertension, proteinuria that may be in the nephrotic range, hematuria, and occasionally increased eosinophils. Cholesterol emboli can involve all organs downstream of atherosclerotic plaques, including the lower extremities where it manifests as livedo reticularis. The kidney is the most common site of involvement, followed by the spleen, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract, and adrenal glands. Prognosis overall is poor, related to the underlying severe vascular disease and multi-organ complications. Light microscopy: Atheroemboli are visualized as lance-shaped clefts, due to dissolution of cholesterol crystals during formalin fixation. They occur most commonly in interlobular and arcuate arteries, but may also involve arterioles and rarely reach glomeruli. Acute lesions are often surrounded by red blood cells, fibrin, and leukocytes, with multinucleated giant cell reactions in the subacute phase. Chronic lesions show intimal fibrosis surrounding the cholesterol clefts. Vessel recanalization of chronic lesions can occur. Global and segmental sclerosis of glomeruli may be present. In cases of massive cholesterol emboli, zonal areas of tubular necrosis may occur. Immunofluorescence microscopy: No specific staining is seen. Electron microscopy: Extensive foot process effacement may be present.
Urinary steroidal patterns in adrenogential syndrome

The urinary steroidal pattern was reviewed in 7 cases of 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-H) and 3 of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency (3β-D). These were compared with 3 normals and 1 adrenal tumor of similar age. Pregnanetriol not only predominates in the urine of those with 21-H deficiency over Δ5-pregnene-3β, 17α, 21α-triol but in no instance did the latter substance exceed 0.9 mg./day and the ratio was 50:1 or greater. In 3β-D deficiency although pregnanetriol was found in each (in one case 34.6 mg/day) there was great elevation of pregnenetriol and the ratio was 2:1 or less. In one experiment 17-hydroxypregnenolone administered to a normal volunteer was converted exclusively into pregnanetriol. It is proposed that in 3β-D deficiency there may be peripheral conversion to pregnanetriol and careful measurement of these two triols can differentiate the two conditions. In addition pregnanetriolone was not found in 3β-D deficiency but was present in the 21-H deficiency. Gas chromatography was employed in these studies. The earlier hypothesis from this laboratory that pregnanetriol in 3β-D deficiency might represent a double defect no longer appears valid. (Drs. Maria I. New and Frederic M. Kenny kindly supplied specimens from 2 estalished cases).
Nativism and the Creation of a Republican Majority in the North before the Civil War

Historians have long recognized that the rise of the sectional Republican party was an essential link in the chain of events that led to the Civil War. The latest in a series of attempts since 1840 to form a northern antislavery party, it was the first such party to garner substantial electoral support, and following its national triumph in 1860 and the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as the country's first Republican president, war broke out between the North and the South. The history of the early Republican party poses the question not simply why the party formed, but more important, why it succeeded; why by the 1856 presidential election it had become the principal adversary of the Democratic party in the country; and why by the end of the decade it had won the allegiance of a majority of northern voters and was the strongest party in the nation. As is well known, in the decade before the Civil War the nation's party system realigned. In accounting for the onset of that realignment and the ultimate triumph of the Republican party, historians have traditionally stressed the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) and the slavery-extension issue. In recent years,
The Pragmatic Approach to Politics1

I have been asked to present for your discussion the pragmatic approach to political science, the reason being, as I suppose, that my business is the study of philosophy and pragmatism is a kind of philosophy. Now philosophy has special interests of its own and hardly ever offers anything that can be taken over ready-made into scientific work with any useful results; moreover, the discussion of methods at large hardly ever leads to much. A method is good for just what it does, and its uses must be apparent just in the science where it is used. I greatly doubt, therefore, whether any good would come of my talking to you about philosophic pragmatism, which is a name of rather indefinite meaning, signifying a group of scientific and philosophic tendencies rather than a systematic doctrine. It does stand roughly for a point of view, which has perhaps been stated most clearly by Professor John Dewey, and it is a fact that this point of view has acted as a sort of ferment outside philosophy, especially in economics and law, and seems likely to have a significant influence on these subjects, at least in America and during the next few years. What I mean to do, therefore, is to try to picture pragmatism in action, compressing into a single paragraph the description of pragmatism as a point of view. To illustrate pragmatism in action, I have chosen some attempts to adopt this point of view in economics, particularly the work of Thorstein Veblen and Professor Wesley C. Mitchell, and also in the study of law, particularly the program put forward by Professors Walter Wheeler Cook and Herman Oliphant.
Dose uniformity analysis among ten 16-slice same-model CT scanners.

PURPOSE With the introduction of multislice scanners, computed tomographic (CT) dose optimization has become important. The patient-absorbed dose may differ among the scanners although they are the same type and model. To investigate the dose output variation of the CT scanners, we designed the study to analyze dose outputs of 10 same-model CT scanners using 3 clinical protocols. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ten GE Lightspeed (GE Healthcare, Waukesha, Wis) 16-slice scanners located at main campus and various satellite locations of our institution have been included in this study. All dose measurements were performed using poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) head (diameter, 16 cm) and body (diameter, 32 cm) phantoms manufactured by Radcal (RadCal Corp, Monrovia, Calif) using a 9095 multipurpose analyzer with 10 × 9-3CT ion chamber both from the same manufacturer. Ion chamber is inserted into the peripheral and central axis locations and volume CT dose index (CTDIvol) is calculated as weighted average of doses at those locations. Three clinical protocol settings for adult head, high-resolution chest, and adult abdomen are used for dose measurements. RESULTS We have observed up to 9.4% CTDIvol variation for the adult head protocol in which the largest variation occurred among the protocols. However, head protocol uses higher milliampere second values than the other 2 protocols. Most of the measured values were less than the system-stored CTDIvol values. It is important to note that reduction in dose output from tubes as they age is expected in addition to the intrinsic radiation output fluctuations of the same scanner. CONCLUSION Although the same model CT scanners were used in this study, it is possible to see CTDIvol variation in standard patient scanning protocols of head, chest, and abdomen. The compound effect of the dose variation may be larger with higher milliampere and multiphase and multilocation CT scans.
Establishment and Methodology Verification of Microbial Limit Test for AnKun ZhongZiWan

Objective: To establish microbial limit test for AnKun ZhongZiWan and validate the method.Method: Escherichia coli, Bacillu Subtilis, Staphy lococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans were taken as the indexes, microbial limit test for AnKun ZhongZiWan was performed according to Chinese Pharmacopoeia of 2010 version. Result: AnKun ZhongZiWan could inhibit Escherichia coli, Bacillu Subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus to a certain extent, and bacteriostasic activity could be removed by dilution method.Conclusion: Media dilution method(0.2 mL/media) could be used for the tests of bacteria, filamentous fungi and yeasts were detected with routine method, Escherichia coli and coliform could be tested by routine method in bacterial control examination. The method is practicable and could be used for quality control for AnKun ZhongZiWan.
Analysis on Severe Cases of Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease in Lianyungang in 2009

[Objective] To study the epidemic characteristics of severe hand-foot-mouth disease(SHFMD) cases in Lianyungang in 2009,provide the evidence for HFMD control and prevention in future.[Methods]The data of SHFMD cases reported by HFMD surveillance system in Lianyungang in 2009 were analyzed with epidemiology,and the pathogens were tested by RT-PCR.[Results]In 2009,there were 43 SHFMD cases in Lianyungang,which had an obvious peak in summer.83.72% of SHFMD occurred in Ganyu County and Donghai County,83.72% of patients were scattered children under 3 years old,and 51.2% were identified as EV71 by laboratory detection.The clinical symptoms and signs were mainly nervous system damage symptoms,which included drowsiness,spurting vomiting and so on.[Conclusion]The key population of HFMD control and prevention is scattered children in rural areas.The timely and effective treatment for positive EV71 cases is the important measure which can reduce the proportion of SHFMD cases.Improving the health education to enhance the health consciousness of people is the base of HFMD control and prevention.
Study on Deploying CMM Requirements Development Process in Manufactory

This paper analyses some features such as long-term, period, iteration in deploying CMM requirements development process in high technology manufactory, and discusses some operation issues about requirements dictation, analysis, description and validation.
Foot Pain in Children

A general approach to the child with foot pain has been described. In that the pediatrician is so often the recipient of parent's questions about children's shoes, it is well for him to be aware of problems relating to poorly fitting shoes, probably the most common source of complaints of foot pain in children. With a systematic approach, the pediatrician is very capable of managing the majority of such complaints.
Vena cava filter insertion and the general surgery armamentarium: a 13-year experience.

The prevention of pulmonary emboli has a long surgical history. Through the development of percutaneous technologies, vena cava filters (VCFs) are now commonly inserted by interventional radiologists. This study reviews our experience with VCFs inserted by general surgeons. We retrospectively reviewed data from our VCF performance improvement database, which is a prospective collection of the VCF experience of the Department of General Surgery from February 1996 to May 2009. Demographics, procedural information, and complications were recorded. Eight hundred fifty-five VCFs were inserted in 853 patients. The mean age was 42.0 years (range, 14 to 90 years). One hundred ninety-seven VCFs were placed in the operating room, and 658 were placed in the intensive care unit. Twelve VCFs were intentionally inserted in a suprarenal position, and four were placed in the superior vena cava. Two patients received both superior vena cava and inferior vena cava filters. Complications included deep vein thrombosis at the insertion site (n = 16), vena cava thrombosis (n = 9), post-VCF pulmonary embolism (n = 2), and a ventricle perforation requiring operative repair (n = 1). No deaths were attributed to the presence of a VCF. Overall insertion success was 99.8 per cent. In two patients, an inferior VCF could not be placed as a result of inferior vena cava occlusion with no safe "landing zone" for deployment. The placement of VCFs is a vital skill in the general surgery armamentarium. Our experience demonstrates that general surgeons can safely insert VCFs with minimal perioperative complications.
In Their Own Voices: Study Habits of Distance Education Students

ABSTRACTDistance learners must balance many challenges when studying away from their home institution, including balancing work, family and study times. How, where, and when a student organizes and interacts with his or her study environment is a significant factor in student persistence and retention. Support services provided by the home institution, including the library, that can help students succeed are an essential resource but capturing how, if, and why distance students interact with these services presents a unique challenge. Distance from the home institution means that the distance learner's voice is often lost. This research study uses an ethnographic method (photo-elicitation) to gain a better understanding of how distance learners engage with their study environment and offers some suggestions on what libraries can do to close the gap.
World Food Adequacy and Security

In the first edition this chapter had a different title — ‘Food Surpluses of the Industrial Countries and Food Needs of the Developing Regions’. While a great many things have changed since then, I find little reason to modify the major points made in that chapter. But since changes have occurred, it seemed best to completely recast it rather than revise and update.
Aphakic/Pseudophakic Glaucoma

Aphakic/pseudophakic glaucoma is a secondary glaucoma that occurs following the removal of a cataract. It is a serious consequence of cataract surgery in some patients and requires early diagnosis and prompt treatment. The presence of glaucoma may significantly impede visual rehabilitation of the affected eye, and if left untreated, can lead to significant vision loss. This chapter will discuss the timing of the onset of aphakic/pseudophakic glaucoma, diagnostic criteria, risk factors, and the medical and surgical management of this condition.
Indoor tanning: bringing the sun inside?

• Unrestricted excess ultraviolet exposure with indoor tanning devices is linked to premature ageing and skin cancer.
Product Review, Release, and Administration

Once a cell or tissue product has been manufactured, a controlled process must be in place for review and release before distribution of the product. The procedure and documentation surrounding product review and release is both a microcosm of the Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) structure and an encapsulation of the scientific data generated during manufacturing. Review and release attest that the entire system from accession of product into the laboratory, through removal of final samples for testing, to labeling and transportation of the finished product, has functioned as intended. This chapter describes the processes involved in the review of production and testing records and for product release.
Abstract 3194: Bevacizumab (Avastin) Crosses the Blood-brain Barrier and Attenuates VEGF-induced Angiogenesis and Vascular Dysplasia in an Adult Mouse Model of Brain Arteriovenous Malformations

Background and Purpose: The lesional phenotype of human brain arteriovenous malformation (bAVM) includes increased VEGF expression compared to normal brain. We developed an adult mouse model of bAV...
LE^{t}_{ \to } , LR^{ \circ }_{{\widehat{ \sim }}}, LK and Cutfree Proofs

Two consecution calculi are introduced: one for the implicational fragment of the logic of entailment with truth and another one for the disjunction free logic of nondistributive relevant implication. The proof technique—attributable to Gentzen—that uses a double induction on the degree and on the rank of the cut formula is shown to be insufficient to prove admissible various forms of cut and mix in these calculi. The elimination theorem is proven, however, by augmenting the earlier double inductive proof with additional inductions. We also give a new purely inductive proof of the cut theorem for the original single cut rule in Gentzen’s sequent calculus \( LK \) without any use of mix.
Genetic Risk Stratification and Prevention of CAD: An Idea Whose Time Is Now.

The latter part of the 20th century was the golden age for genetics, as it focused on linkage analysis in families and discovered genes responsible for >4000 single gene disorders (1). Cardiovascular success included familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and atrial fibrillation, as well as Wolff–Parkinson–White, the long QT, and Brugada syndromes (1). A notable feature of the 21st century will be the breakthrough in genetics of polygenic disorders. In the year 2007, we and the Icelandic group simultaneously and independently discovered the first genetic risk variant (9p21) for coronary artery disease (CAD).2 This was followed closely by successes of the Wellcome Trust Group and many other investigators (2). An international collaboration was established to analyze and perform genome-wide association studies for CAD with a sample size of over 200000 cases and controls, referred to as the Coronary Artery Disease Genome-Wide Replication and Meta-Analysis (CARDIoGRAM) consortium. This collaboration provided the necessary expertise, resources, and sample size to identify over 60 genetic variants predisposing to CAD with more to come (2). All these variants are genome-wide significant ( P < 5 × 10−8) and have been replicated in independent populations. This information provided proof of concept for the observations made by epidemiologists decades ago, namely, 40% to 60% of risk for CAD is inherited. Genetic risk variants for CAD, as for all polygenic disorders, have several features in common: they occur commonly, each variant imparts only minimal risk, they occur primarily in nonprotein coding regions of the genome, and the total risk burden for CAD is proportional to the number of independent genetic risk variants rather than the intensity of any one variant. CAD, a pandemic disease, is the number one killer in men and women in the US and throughout the world (2). Someone born today in the …
Exploring Adults’ Emotional Intelligence and Knowledge of Young Children’s Social-Emotional Competence: A Pilot Study

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between adults’ emotional intelligence and knowledge of children’s social-emotional competence (SEC). A secondary purpose was to explore relationships between child care workers’ education, time spent working in child care, and their knowledge of children’s social-emotional competence. Participants included adult male and female child care workers (n = 95) as well as adults who were not employed in child care (n = 76). Participants were administered a self report emotional intelligence scale and an instrument that assessed their knowledge of children’s SEC. Findings revealed a significant positive relationship between emotional intelligence and knowledge of children’s SEC for all participants. For child care workers, level of education was not related to knowledge of children’s SEC, and time spent working in child care was significantly negatively related to knowledge of children’s SEC. Emotional intelligence training is implicated as a way to help early childhood educators become more effective at fostering children’s emotional development.
Does English really open doors? Social class and English teaching in public primary schools in Mexico

Abstract Most countries in Latin America are extending English language education in their public school curricula by beginning earlier and increasing hours of L2 instruction. The reason for this rapid expansion is encapsulated in the common refrain “English opens doors,” which acknowledges the perceived power of global English in affording individuals greater economic and social opportunities. Mexico is a prime example, where English instruction in public education has been expanded from 3 to 13 years. On the surface, the new program represents a broad attempt at acquisition planning that would “level the playing field” by significantly expanding access to learning English among working class Mexicans and opening new doors of economic opportunities. Drawing on critical theorists' examinations of class, education, and social reproduction, the author examines how English instruction differs in classrooms across social class, and asks if English will actually change the equation for working class children. Presenting classroom observation data from an impact study of the pilot phase of the Mexican program in the primary grades, and from interviews with a variety of the stakeholders, the researcher looks at ways that the reality of program implementation does and does not match its aims.
Transforming Higher Education through Organizational Meditation: A Story of the Executive Learning Series on Equity & Empowerment.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are frequently on the lips of higher education professionals yet we struggle to infuse these concepts throughout the academy as evidenced in challenges recruiting faculty of color, graduating students of color, and hostile environments reported by students. The authors posit that this is because, to date, most efforts focus on transactional engagements like training and recruitment to achieve racial equity when what is also needed are transformational strategies that fundamentally shift how higher education is envisioned. This article describes the Executive Learning Series on Equity & Empowerment (ELSEE), which works not to just promote these values but to embody them and transform the academy (and those within it) through a deeper set of interventions, emphasizing the integration of holistic health, spirit based practice, mindfulness, and other practices of decolonization.
Quorum-Sensing in Bacteria

Bacteria are able to adapt to environmental changes by sensing and responding to external stimuli. Mechanisms exist that allow adaptation not only by individual cells, but also at the community level. These adaptations are often mediated by the production and sensing of extracellular signaling molecules. The ability to sense and respond to these signals in a population density-dependent manner is known as quorum sensing, and bacteria utilize quorum signals to regulate a wide variety of group activities. Recent observations have shown that quorum sensing can, in some cases, be linked to the metabolic state of cells, thus enabling bacterial quorum signals to relay a more complex message than a simple census.
Exercise and Cardiovascular Disease

The physiological and clinical benefits of exercise are numerous and have been documented in healthy persons and those with cardiovascular disease. This chapter reviews the mechanisms by which exercise induces these improvements. Functional capacity is enhanced, an alteration that is particularly useful in those in whom cardiovascular disease has limited the ability to carry out the activities of daily living, as well as to engage in certain occupational and recreational activities. Physical exercise is increasingly viewed as an integral part of the long-term management of a variety of non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension, which are precursors for the development of overt cardiovascular diseases. Unfortunately, optimal levels of physical exercise have not been adopted by the US population, a phenomenon that is viewed as a contributing factor to the growing epidemic of obesity and its related diseases.