cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Philosophy and political thought: reflections and comparisons

Having constituted a new epoch in human history and a new religiouspolitical order, the revealed religions challenged the tradition of Greek philosophy to adjust to, investigate, and make intelligible a religiouspolitical order based on prophecy, revelation, and the divine law. The challenge led certain Arab and Muslim philosophers to reassess the relative distance between the thought of the Greek masters, (Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, in particular) and the doctrines propagated by the revealed religions, and to make use of such works as Plato's Republic and Laws, rather than Aristotle's Politics, when offering a philosophic account of the new religious–political phenomenon and of such new disciplines as the science of the divine law and the science of revealed theology.
Rencontres précoloniales : conflits maritimes entre la France et le Portugal avant 1580

This paper addresses the wars and conflicts between the French and the Portuguese in the Atlantic Ocean during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. From the struggles over the Canary Islands and the Azores, and the competition for fishing in the Great Banks of Newfoundland and Labrador, up through the great, bloody colonial expeditions in Guanabara Bay, France and Portugal fought over the vast expanses of their sea empires only for both countries to lose their gains, thanks to the wars of religion in France, on the one hand, and the great misfortune that befell Portugal in Morocco, on the other hand. What are the long-term consequences – economically, geopolitically, and symbolically – of this twin defeat amidst a labyrinth of “invasions and evasions”? Keywords: Colonialism, Nationalism, naval History, cod fishing.
A Salmonella inositol polyphosphatase acts in conjunction with other bacterial effectors to promote host cell actin cytoskeleton rearrangements and bacterial internalization.

A central feature of Salmonella pathogenicity is the bacterium's ability to enter into non-phagocytic cells. Bacterial internalization is the consequence of cellular responses characterized by Cdc42- and Rac-dependent actin cytoskeleton rearrangements. These responses are triggered by the co-ordinated function of bacterial proteins delivered into the host cell by a specialized protein secretion system termed type III. We report here that SopB, a Salmonella inositol polyphosphatase delivered to the host cell by this secretion system, mediates actin cytoskeleton rearrangements and bacterial entry in a Cdc42-dependent manner. SopB exhibits overlapping functions with two other effectors of bacterial entry, the Rho family GTPase exchange factors SopE and SopE2. Thus, Salmonella strains deficient in any one of these proteins can enter into cells at high efficiency, whereas a strain lacking all three effectors is completely defective for entry. Consistent with an important role for inositol phosphate metabolism in Salmonella-induced cellular responses, a catalytically defective mutant of SopB failed to stimulate actin cytoskeleton rearrangements and bacterial entry. Furthermore, bacterial infection of intestinal cells resulted in a marked increase in Ins(1,4,5,6)P4, a consumption of InsP5 and the activation of phospholipase C. In agreement with the in vivo findings, purified SopB specifically dephosphorylated InsP5 to Ins(1,4,5,6)P4in vitro. Surprisingly, the inositol phosphate fluxes induced by Salmonella were not caused exclusively by SopB. We show that the SopB-independent inositol phosphate fluxes are the consequence of the SopE-dependent activation of an endogenous inositol phosphatase. The ability of Salmonella to stimulate Rho GTPases signalling and inositol phosphate metabolism through alternative mechanisms is an example of the remarkable ability of this bacterial pathogen to manipulate host cellular functions.
Probing non-selective cation binding in the hairpin ribozyme with Tb(III).

Catalysis by the hairpin ribozyme is stimulated by a wide range of both simple and complex metallic and organic cations. This independence from divalent metal ion binding unequivocally excludes inner-sphere coordination to RNA as an obligatory role for metal ions in catalysis. Hence, the hairpin ribozyme is a unique model to study the role of outer-sphere coordinated cations in folding of a catalytically functional RNA structure. Here, we demonstrate that micromolar concentrations of a deprotonated aqueous complex of the lanthanide metal ion terbium(III), Tb(OH)(aq) 2a , reversibly inhibit the ribozyme by competing for a crucial, yet non-selective cation binding site. Tb(OH)(aq) 2a also reports a likely location of this binding site through backbone hydrolysis, and permits the analysis of metal binding through sensitized luminescence. We propose that the critical cation-binding site is located at a position within the catalytic core that displays an appropriately-sized pocket and a high negative charge density. We show that cationic occupancy of this site is required for tertiary folding and catalysis, yet the site can be productively occupied by a wide variety of cations. It is striking that micromolar Tb(OH)(aq) 2a concentrations are compatible with tertiary folding, yet interfere with catalysis. The motif implicated here in cation-binding has also been found to organize the structure of multi-helix loops in evolutionary ancient ribosomal RNAs. Our findings, therefore, illuminate general principles of non-selective outer-sphere cation binding in RNA structure and function that may have prevailed in primitive ribozymes of an early ‘‘RNA world’’. # 2000 Academic Press
On extremal self-dual quaternary codes of lengths 18 to 28. II

A general decomposition theorem is given for self-dual codes over finite fields that have a permutation automorphism of a given form. Such a code can be decomposed as a direct sum of subcodes that may be viewed as shorter-length codes over extension fields where the dual of each direct summand is also a direct summand. Situations in which it is easy to distinguish such codes are also presented. These results are used to enumerate some of the extremal quaternary self-dual codes of lengths 18, 20, 22, 26 and 28. >
Pragmatic Implementation of a Stratified Primary Care Model for Low Back Pain Management in Outpatient Physical Therapy Settings: Two-Phase, Sequential Preliminary Study

Background The effectiveness of risk stratification for low back pain (LBP) management has not been demonstrated in outpatient physical therapy settings. Objective The purposes of this study were: (1) to assess implementation of a stratified care approach for LBP management by evaluating short-term treatment effects and (2) to determine feasibility of conducting a larger-scale study. Design This was a 2-phase, preliminary study. Methods In phase 1, clinicians were randomly assigned to receive standard (n=6) or stratified care (n=6) training. Stratified care training included 8 hours of content focusing on psychologically informed practice. Changes in LBP attitudes and beliefs were assessed using the Pain Attitudes and Beliefs Scale for Physiotherapists (PABS-PT) and the Health Care Providers Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS). In phase 2, clinicians receiving the stratified care training were instructed to incorporate those strategies in their practice and 4-week patient outcomes were collected using a numerical pain rating scale (NPRS), and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Study feasibility was assessed to identify potential barriers for completion of a larger-scale study. Results In phase 1, minimal changes were observed for PABS-PT and HC-PAIRS scores for standard care clinicians (Cohen d =0.00–0.28). Decreased biomedical (−4.5±2.5 points, d =1.08) and increased biopsychosocial (+5.5±2.0 points, d =2.86) treatment orientations were observed for stratified care clinicians, with these changes sustained 6 months later on the PABS-PT. In phase 2, patients receiving stratified care (n=67) had greater between-group improvements in NPRS (0.8 points; 95% confidence interval=0.1, 1.5; d =0.40) and ODI (8.9% points; 95% confidence interval=4.1, 13.6; d =0.76) scores compared with patients receiving standard physical therapy care (n=33). Limitations In phase 2, treatment was not randomly assigned, and therapist adherence to treatment recommendations was not monitored. This study was not adequately powered to conduct subgroup analyses. Conclusions In physical therapy settings, biomedical orientation can be modified, and risk-stratified care for LBP can be effectively implemented. Findings from this study can be used for planning of larger studies.
Periplasmic Structure of Frozen-Etched and Negatively Stained Cells of Bacillus licheniformis as Correlated with Penicillinase Formation

Bacillus licheniformis strain 749/C (constitutive for penicillinase formation) and uninduced cells of strain 749 (penicillinase-inducible) were examined after freezeetching. In the early stationary phase, strain 749/C organisms had clusters of vesicles (30 to 40 nm in diameter) on the outer surface of the plasma membrane. These are randomly distributed on the membrane, including the region of septum formation. The vesicles are not intimately associated with the plasma membrane, and their inner and outer surfaces are devoid of particles. Periplasmic vesicles were not detected by freeze-etching in strain 749 (uninduced) or in young cells of 749/C; however, the membrane of mid-logarithmic phase 749/C cells had a corrugated appearance. Negatively stained 749/C cells (logarithmic phase) also showed many vesicular and tubular bodies in the periplasm as well as septal and cytoplasmic mesosomes of typical morphology. The periplasmic structures appear to be formed either by evagination of plasma membrane or by migration of vesicular bodies from the membranous pockets of the cytoplasm. Stationary phase cells of 749/C still have many periplasmic vesicular bodies; however, the mesosomes are greatly reduced both in number and size. In sharp contrast, strain 749 organisms have very few structures similar to the periplasmic bodies of strain 749/C. These findings support our previous view that penicillinase-producing cells of 749/C have periplasmic membranous structures that are rare in the uninduced strain 749, though there is some lack of correspondence between freeze-etching, negative staining, and thin section data. These structures may be important for the retention or storage of penicillinase in the cell.
Transient simulation of lossy interconnect

A new approach for transient simulation of lossy transmission lines terminated in arbitrary nonlinear elements is presented. The approach is based on convolution simulation. By making use of the Pade approximations of each line's characteristic admittance function and exponential propagation function, the authors derive a recursive convolution formulation, which greatly reduces the computation used to perform convolutions. They analyze the errors introduced by Pade approximations and develop a scheme to determine the necessary order for an approximation. The approach was implemented in the stepwise equivalent conductance MOS timing simulator, SWEC, and, therefore, no Newton-Raphson iteration was needed to simulate lossy lines with nonlinear terminals. The simulation results of SWEC were compared with the results of SPICE3.e; SWEC, which gives accurate results, can be one to two orders-of-magnitude faster. >
Multi-level minimal residual smoothing: a family of general purpose mutigrid acceleration techniques

Abstract We employ multi-level minimal residual smoothing (MRS) as a pre-optimization technique to accelerate standard multigrid convergence. The MRS method is used to improve the current multigrid iterate by smoothing its corresponding residual before the latter is projected to the coarse grid. We develop different schemes for implementing MRS technique on the finest grid and on the coarse grids, and several versions of the inexact MRS technique. Numerical experiments are conducted to show the efficiency of the multi-level and inexact MRS techniques.
Plasmodium Knowlesi: A Malaria Parasite of Monkeys and Humans

Plasmodium knowlesi is a malaria parasite of monkeys of Southeast Asia that is transmitted by mosquitoes of the Anopheles leucosphyrus group. Humans are frequently infected with this parasite and misdiagnosed as being infected with Plasmodium malariae. The parasite was a major monkey animal model for developing antimalarial vaccines and investigations of the biology of parasite invasion. P. knowlesi is the first monkey malaria parasite genome to be sequenced and annotated.
Moderate Influence of Human APOBEC3F on HIV-1 Replication in Primary Lymphocytes

Multiple APOBEC3 proteins are expressed in HIV-1 target cells, but their individual contributions to viral suppression when expressed at endogenous levels remain largely unknown. We used an HIV NL4-3 mutant that selectively counteracts APOBEC3G (A3G) but not APOBEC3F (A3F) to dissect the relative contribution of A3F to the inhibition of HIV-1 replication in primary human lymphocytes (peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMCs]). This HIV Vif mutant replicated similarly to wild-type virus in PBMCs, suggesting that the effect of A3F on HIV restriction in these cells is limited. The different A3F variants found in PMBC donors displayed either comparable activity or less activity than wild-type A3F. Lastly, the endogenous A3F mRNA and protein expression levels in PBMCs were considerably lower than those of A3G. Our results suggest that A3F neutralization is dispensable for HIV-1 replication in primary human T-lymphocytes.
Manipulating prefabricated flaps: an experimental study examining flap viability.

As flap prefabrication becomes a more commonly used clinical tool, it is necessary to investigate the limitations of this technique. Reconstructive procedures of the face often require “custom fitted” flaps to satisfy esthetic demands. This study examines and compares the safety of manipulating thin prefabricated skin flaps versus established axial pattern skin flaps. Twenty-seven New Zealand white rabbits were used to determine if prefabricated flaps can be folded 180° around the edge of the rabbits' ears. The survival of these folded prefabricated flaps was compared with the survival of axial pattern flaps sutured into an identically recipient site. In addition, flaps prefabricated in the same manner were sutured onto a straight recipient bed to evaluate the viability of the newly vascularized tissue. The folded prefabricated flaps had reduced survival (56%) compared to equivalent folded axial pattern flaps (85%), P<0.005. The nonmanipulated prefabricated flaps and axial pattern flaps survived completely. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Methodology for an Open Digital Forensics Model Based on CAINE

With the widespread adoption of public and private cloud computing environments, in addition to traditional enterprise-class data centers, cybersecurity has become increasingly important. In particular, forensic analysis of digital evidence has received increased attention. We investigate a relatively new suite of cyber-forensic tools in the open source CAINE Linux distribution. We propose how tools such as Guymager, Autopsy, Fred, and Photorec can be applied as part of a four tier forensic architecture. Experimental results are provided which demonstrate the application of these tools in a practical investigation.
Diversifying Eastern North Carolina Heritage Sites : Tour Guides' Perspectives

ABSTRACTTour guides from six eastern North Carolina heritage sites were interviewed to assess African-American participation. The selected sites included museums, plantations, and districts, half o...
Scale- and orientation-invariant keypoints in higher-dimensional data

Description of keypoints, or local image features, is widely employed in computer vision. However, the most successful techniques do not extend immediately to more than two spatial dimensions. In this paper, we describe robust methods for extracting local orientations and gradient histograms from higher-dimensional data, using these techniques to develop a three-dimensional analogue of the popular Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT). We apply our algorithm to intra-patient registration of magnetic resonance (MR) images, with promising results. Our implementation will be released as open-source software.
Dissolution of Technetium From Nuclear Waste Forms

The immobilization of 99Tc in both ceramic and borosilicate glass waste forms and the mechanism of dissolution of technetium from these waste forms are complicated by the range of technetium valence states. Metallic Tc,ionic Tc4+ oxides, and volatile molecular species containing Tc7+ all occur within the stability field of water. Tc4+ will substitute readily for Ti4+ in titanatebased ceramics in such phases as perovskite (CaTiO3) and spinel (Mg2TiO4). Tc4+ can be homogeneously distributed in borosilicate glass by re-melting the glass under closed system conditions to prevent the re-oxidation of technetium. The dissolution of technetium from both glass and ceramic waste forms follow similar kinetic behavior although the dissolution rate from the titanate is two orders of magnitude lower. Dissolution under highly reducing conditions is too slow to measure on the time scale of the experiments.
Cytotoxicity of Oxysterols on Cultured Smooth Muscle Cells from Human Umbilical Arteries

The lethal effect of 25- and 26-hydroxycholesterol on smooth muscle cells derived from human umbilical arteries was investigated. The extent of cellular death corresponded with increasing oxysterol concentrations and incubation times. Incubation of the cells with 0.5, 2.5, or 10 micrograms/ml of 25- or 26-hydroxycholesterol revealed a proportionality between the degree of cellular death and oxysterol concentration over the 5 days of the experiment. Correlation coefficients among the degree of cellular death, the exposing period, and oxysterol concentration were significantly different (P < 0.05). However, none of these changes were noted in the smooth muscle cells cultured for 5 days in a medium containing the same concentration of cholesterol or 0.5% ethanol. An increase in the concentration of either serum or cholesterol in the culture medium did not significantly reduce the cytotoxicity of 2.5 micrograms/ml of 26-hydroxycholesterol. The results of this study suggest that oxysterols have an injurious effect on arterial cells, and that the injurious effect could not be altered by cholesterol, which was present at a serum concentration 12 times higher than that of oxysterols.
The Holobiont/Hologenome Concept Series

The views expressed in this Editorial do not necessarily reflect the views of this journal or of ASM. Over the past 2 years, we have made a concerted effort to …
Pain in an era of armed conflicts: prevention and treatment for warfighters and civilian casualties

Chronic pain is a common squealae of military- and terror-related injuries. While its pathophysiology has not yet been fully elucidated, it may be potentially related to premorbid neuropsychobiological status, as well as to the type of injury and to the neural alterations that it may evoke. Accordingly, optimized approaches for wounded individuals should integrate primary, secondary and tertiary prevention in the form of thorough evaluation of risk factors along with specific interventions to contravene and mitigate the ensuing chronicity. Thus, Premorbid Events phase may encompass assessments of psychological and neurobiological vulnerability factors in conjunction with fostering preparedness and resilience in both military and civilian populations at risk. Injuries per se phase calls for immediate treatment of acute pain in the field by pharmacological agents that spare and even enhance coping and adaptive capabilities. The key objective of the Post Injury Events is to prevent and/or reverse maladaptive peripheral- and central neural system's processes that mediate transformation of acute to chronic pain and to incorporate timely interventions for concomitant mental health problems including post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction We suggest that the proposed continuum of care may avert more disability and suffering than the currently employed less integrated strategies. While the requirements of the armed forces present a pressing need for this integrated continuum and a framework in which it can be most readily implemented, this approach may be also instrumental for the care of civilian casualties.
Nonsurgical management of unruptured ectopic pregnancy: an extended clinical trial *

Unruptured tubal pregnancies diagnosed at laparoscopy were treated with either methotrexate/citrovorum factor (MTX/CF) (n = 21) or observation (n = 5). Entry criteria required that the ectopic pregnancy be visualized, less than or equal to 3 cm in diameter, with intact serosa and no active bleeding. Treatment selection was based upon preoperative levels of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG), with MTX/CF given to subjects exhibiting a plateaued or rising pattern and observation alone given to those with falling levels. Twenty-five of 26 ectopic pregnancies resolved without need of laparotomy. Two subjects received blood transfusions and one required a second operation for intra-abdominal bleeding. In both cases, fetal cardiac activity was noted pretreatment on ultrasound. The authors conclude the following: (1) MTX/CF may be safely used to treat selected unruptured ectopic pregnancy; (2) many ectopic pregnancies resolve spontaneously; and (3) ectopic pregnancies that form fetal elements, as evidenced on ultrasound, should not be managed medically.
Cholesterol nucleation in bile.

Protein factors, primarily glycoproteins, present in native human bile, have been found to modify, e.g. retard/accelerate, the process of de novo monohydra te crystal formation and, by inference, the rate of formation of cholesterol nuclei in such metastable cholesterol supersaturated systems. Neither the process of nucleation itself or how these modifiers work is yet well understood. From the health standpoint an inhibitor type of protein has been found that may help explain why about 50% of the population have biliary cholesterol supersaturation; whereas, only about 10% actually form gallstones. To date, only one inhibitor glycoprotein has been isolated and characterized. Its role thus seems clear. This is in contrast to the situation with so-called promoter glycoproteins which accelerate nucleation and crystal formation. A number of these proteins have now been identified. An understanding of the comparative roles of each of these proteins has not yet been established This is partly because of conflicting results, insufficient potencies or lack of information about physiologic concentrations.
The Recent Methods Debate in American Sociology and how Critical Realism fits into it

This article concerns a recent methodological debate in American sociology that generated widespread attention in the United States. It was a debate that spanned at least four journals: American Journal of Sociology, Sociological Methods & Research, Qualitative Sociology and American Journal of Cultural Sociology. As the debate was not just about methods per se but about the ‘theory of reality’ underlying each method and its ‘social ontology’, critical realism has much to say about it. Although at the end everyone comes around to critical realism's position of methodological pluralism, what makes the debate interesting is the reasoning, the ontological assumptions, and the surprising directions of attack. Above all this article will take issue with the assumption common to all disputants that people tend ‘to give self-contradictory and inadequate accounts of their actions and motives’.
Molecular Basis of Colorectal Cancer and Overview of Inherited Colorectal Cancer Syndromes

Colorectal cancer etiology is multifactorial, with genetic and environmental factors contributing to various degrees in each individual patient. Underlying genetic and molecular pathways produce unique subsets of colorectal cancers that have distinct but somewhat overlapping phenotypes: chromosomal instability, microsatellite instability, and DNA hypermethylation. These changes are manifest in both sporadic cancers and in hereditary syndromes. Clinicians must be aware of the various underlying genetic and molecular causes of disease as it impacts clinical management, particularly in the hereditary syndromes. This chapter summarizes the main genetic causes of colorectal cancer and the clinical presentation and management of the hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes.
STRUCTURE AND PROBLEMS OF DAIRY FARMS IN THE CASE OF KONYA PROVINCE

The primary purpose of this research was to determine problems encountered by dairy farms in Konya province and to develop solutions for these problems. The data used in the research was obtained through questionnaire technique from 125 dairy cattle enterprises which were determined with stratified random sampling method on a voluntary basis. The main subjects covered by this study included socio-economic characteristics of farmers, management practices, recent changes in the number of dairy animal sand their reasons, factors to be considered in milking, keeping farm records, and problems encountered in dairy farming. In the region the most critical problems encountered in dairy farming can be listed as the high forage prices and absence of milk in cold chain. In order to develop dairy farming enterprise owners are required to produce forage crops on their own, integrate produced milk into the cold chain and lower forage prices to reasonable costs. Furthermore by providing trainings to the enterprises from specialists (veterinaries, zoo-technicians, agriculture economists, agronomists) assigned from private or public sector, relevant seminars should be provided on animal husbandry, animal care, feeding, fight against diseases, milking and hygiene, record-keeping in enterprises, animal insurance, procurement of input under favorable conditions and marketing ideas.
31 P NMR Spectroscopy for Assessment of Lipid Oxidation

The NMR method has drawn great interest as a new method to assess the level of lipid oxidation since most of conventional analytical methods have some problems. The 1H NMR method monitoring the disappearance of starting materials was found to be very reliable for the assessment of lipid oxidation. In this chapter, the development of 1H NMR methods for the assessment of lipid oxidation during storage and frying will be discussed. Starting from the first method reported by Saito in 1987, a variety of 1H NMR methods developed by many research groups are introduced in this chapter. Early studies focused more on lipid oxidation at relatively lower temperatures such as storage temperatures or slightly higher temperatures for the acceleration of oxidation (25–70 °C) since the more oxidation products could be detected at a lower temperature. Later, it was found that there were significant differences between oxidation products and oxidation mechanisms with different oxidation temperatures. There are four different types of methods developed for the assessment of oxidation during frying: 1) Methods monitoring the changes of major NMR signals, 2) methods using the NMR proton relaxation time, 3) methods measuring acyl groups, and 4) methods measuring aldehydes and other oxidation product.
Leaf analysis for plant recognition

Plants are essential resources for nature and people's lives. Plant recognition provides valuable information for plant research and development, and has great impact on environmental protection and exploration. This paper presents a leaf analysis system for plant identification, which consists of three main components. First, given a leaf image, a preprocessing step is conducted for noise reduction. Second, the feature extraction component identifies representative features and computes scale invariant feature descriptors. Third, the matching plant species are identified and returned using a weighted K-nearest neighbor search algorithm. The system is implemented as a Windows phone app and is tested on the LeafSnapdataset[8], an electronic field guide developed by Columbia University and University of Maryland with different combinations of species at various orientations, scales and levels of brightness. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed framework in plant recognition.
Understanding the emission impacts of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) to high-occupancy toll (HOT) lane conversions: Experience from Atlanta, Georgia

ABSTRACTConverting a congested high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane into a high-occupancy toll (HOT) lane is a viable option for improving travel time reliability for carpools and buses that use the managed lane. However, the emission impacts of HOV-to-HOT conversions are not well understood. The lack of emission impact quantification for HOT conversions creates a policy challenge for agencies making transportation funding choices. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the case study of before-and-after changes in vehicle emissions for the Atlanta, Georgia, I-85 HOV/HOT lane conversion project, implemented in October 2011. The analyses employed the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) for project-level analysis with monitored changes in vehicle activity data collected by Georgia Tech researchers for the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). During the quarterly field data collection from 2010 to 2012, more than 1.5 million license plates were observed and matched to vehicle class and age informati...
The Management Side of Due Process in the Service-Based Welfare State

The American welfare state is evolving away from the model initiated during the New Deal and elaborated during the civil rights era. It increasingly aims at capacitation rather than income maintenance, and its interventions more frequently take the form of services as opposed to monetary grants. These changes entail modes of organization and legal accountability different from those associated with New Deal-civil rights era model. This paper, written for a volume honoring Jerry Mashaw, considers Mashaw’s seminal analysis of legal accountability in the welfare state in the light of the key trends of recent decades. The tension or trade-off between individualized decision-making and bureaucratic rationality that preoccupies much of Mashaw’s analysis is mitigated in novel ways in the newer programs. The new programs depend on the tailoring of services to the individual circumstances of the beneficiary. Yet, at the same time, these programs aspire to use technology and managerial techniques to hold frontline agents accountable in ways different from those Mashaw contemplated.
Mitomycin C, doxorubicin, and cisplatin: as a safe and effective preoperative chemoradiation cocktail for soft tissue sarcomas.

10593 Background: Soft tissue sarcomas are rare malignancies, often treated with a multidisciplinary approach at high volume centers. This project investigates one such approach employed at the May...
Advanced start for the multicommodity network flow problem

Advanced starting bases to solve the minimal cost multicommodity network flow problem are proposed. The underlying idea is to use subgradient techniques on the Lagrangean relaxation relative to the coupling constraints. Optimal single commodity solutions are thus found, almost satisfying the coupling constraints. Some computational aspects and preliminary encouraging results are presented and discussed.
Longitudinal analysis of instructor actions in an active, blended, and collaborative classroom environment

In recent years, there has been a call for Engineering Education to adopt innovative pedagogical techniques. One such innovation is Purdue University's Freeform environment for teaching undergraduate engineering courses. Freeform aims to enhance student learning with an Active, Blended, and Collaborative (ABC) learning environment. The majority of research into the Freeform environment thus far has focused on student outcomes and the tools Freeform uses rather than instructional practice [1-3]. However, with the growth of Freeform and other ABC environments, the lack of actionable feedback available to instructors about their role and practices is becoming increasingly apparent. Therefore, with the goal of building on the characterization of Freeform and ABC pedagogies in general, this paper presents a one-semester longitudinal analysis of two instructors and comparisons of their actions in this environment. The study concludes that these two instructors retain individuality in their pedagogical choices and adapt their instruction to the material presented while staying within the Freeform ABC ethos throughout the semester.
Broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) Population Change in Central New Mexico: Implications for Management and Control☆

ABSTRACT This paper examines changes in broom snakeweed populations (Gutierrezia sarothrae [Pursh] Britt. & Rusby) from 1979 to 2014 at three prairie grassland sites in New Mexico. Data gathered each fall were used to study broom snakeweed population dynamics and to estimate the probability that the relatively short-lived subshrub will die off or invade blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis [H.B.K. Lag]) rangelands. Annual broom snakeweed standing crop data were used to categorize populations as None (<100 kg ha-1), Light (<300), Moderate (<750), or Heavy (≥750). Ordered logit regression was then used to estimate the frequency of transition between these categories over time depending on environmental and site factors. Significant variables found to influence annual variation in broom snakeweed included the broom snakeweed standing crop and density observed the previous period (+ effect for continued broom snakeweed); grass standing crop the previous period (-); rainfall received from April to June (+); and aver...
Hip Fractures and the Bundle: A Cost Analysis of Patients Undergoing Hip Arthroplasty for Femoral Neck Fracture vs Degenerative Joint Disease.

Abstract Background The purpose of this study is to determine whether episode Target Prices in the Bundled Payment for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative sufficiently match the complexities and expenses expected for patients undergoing hip arthroplasty for femoral neck fracture (FNF) as compared to hip degenerative joint disease (DJD). Methods Claims data under BPCI Model 2 were collected for patients undergoing hip arthroplasty at a single institution over a 2-year period. Payments from the index hospitalization to 90 days postoperatively were aggregated by Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Group (469 or 470), indication (DJD vs FNF), and categorized as index procedure, postacute services, and related hospital readmissions. Actual episode costs and Target Prices were compared in both the FNF and DJD cohorts undergoing hip arthroplasty to gauge the cost discrepancy in each group. Results A total of 183 patients were analyzed (31 with FNFs, 152 with DJD). In total, the FNF cohort incurred a $415,950 loss under the current episode Target Prices, whereas the DJD cohort incurred a $172,448 gain. Episode Target Prices were significantly higher than actual episode prices for the DJD cohort ($32,573 vs $24,776, P Conclusion Episode Target Prices in the current BPCI model fall dramatically short of the actual expenses incurred by FNF patients undergoing hip arthroplasty. Better risk-adjusting Target Prices for this fragile population should be considered to avoid disincentives and delays in care.
Urine and toenail cadmium levels in pregnant women: A reliability study

Abstract Background Cadmium, as measured in human tissue, has been associated with numerous health outcomes. However, few studies have evaluated the reliability of cadmium measurements across different biologic samples. We evaluated toenail cadmium levels over time and compared toenail cadmium to urinary cadmium. We also evaluated the relationship between biomarker concentrations and cigarette smoking, a known source of cadmium exposure. Methods Cadmium was assessed in urine and toenail samples collected from 1338 pregnant women participating in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study. Each participant was asked to provide a urine and a toenail sample at enrollment (between 24 and 28 weeks gestation) and another toenail sample 2–8 weeks postpartum. Cadmium concentrations were determined using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Spearman correlations were assessed for cadmium in the toenails across the two-time points and comparing toenail and urine levels. Smoking status was evaluated as a predictor of cadmium levels. Results Toenail cadmium assessed during pregnancy and postpartum were modestly correlated (R = 0.3, p Conclusion Our findings suggest that both toenail and urinary cadmium concentrations reflect the major source of exposure – cigarette smoking. Toenail cadmium concentrations are modestly reproducible pre- and postpartum; but do not appear to be related to urinary cadmium and thus likely represent different windows and chronicity of exposure among pregnant women.
La formation d’une identité juive américaine : l’émergence du judaïsme « conservateur » et « orthodoxe » dans les années 1920

Un des developpements les plus importants dans le judaisme americain du xxe siecle est la montee du judaisme conservateur, une interpretation americaine distincte du judaisme rabbinique. Le processus par lequel le judaisme conservateur a emerge dans le judaisme americain comme un mouvement clairement distinct de l’orthodoxie — qui lui-meme emerge du judaisme traditionnel des immigrants juifs — date essentiellement de la periode 1920-1950. Le present article est une etude de l’un des incidents marquants de cette emergence : le cas du rabbin Salomon Goldman et du Jewish Center [JC] de Cleveland, Ohio. Le rabbin Goldman a ete l’instigateur des changements rituels et architecturaux dans sa congregation qui sont devenus synonymes du judaisme conservateur mais ces changements etaient contestes par des elements traditionalistes au sein de la synagogue. L’affaire a ete devant les tribunaux et a fait sensation aux Etats-Unis. Cet article se fonde sur des documents d’archives recemment decouverts. Il contribue a une comprehension plus nuancee de l’emergence du judaisme conservateur de l’orthodoxie au debut du xxe siecle.
Growth of Mos2 Thin Films with Microdome Texture as Omnidirectional Light Trap for Solar Cell Applications

Antireflection by microdome texture on MoS2 thin films is reported. MoS2 films with uniformly distributed microdomes were grown by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition, with structure and composition confirmed by Raman, x-ray diffraction, and energy dispersive x-ray analysis. The morphology and distribution of the domes were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Finite difference time domain simulations of reflectance show that parabolic domes of $\pmb{0.5 \mu} \mathbf{rn}$ base diameter and $\pmb{1\mu} \mathbf{m}$ height can eliminate reflection for incidence angles up to 50°, which can improve light harvesting and efficiency of MoS2-based solar cells.
Flexible preventative maintenance for serial production lines with multi-stage degrading machines and finite buffers

In production systems, machines are typically subject to degradation, which is a gradual and accumulating process that can influence the performance of the production systems. In this work, we focu...
Primeros registros de Acrocéridos (Diptera:Acroceridae) para la fauna actual de República Dominicana

Turbopsebius brunnipennis (Sabrosky) is first recorded from the Dominican Republic. This is the first record of extant Acroceridae from this country.
Population Pharmacokinetics of the Antituberculosis Agent Pretomanid.

A population pharmacokinetic (PopPK) model for pretomanid was developed using data from 14 studies in the pretomanid development program: six phase 1 studies, six phase 2 studies, and two phase 3 studies. The final analysis data set contained 17,725 observations from 1,054 subjects, including healthy subjects and subjects with drug-sensitive, multidrug-resistant, or extensively drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis dosed pretomanid in monotherapy or combination therapy for up to 6 months. Pretomanid pharmacokinetic behavior was described by a one-compartment model that at a given dose was linear in its absorption and clearance processes but where the rate of absorption and extent of bioavailability changed with dose. Clearance and volume of distribution scaled allometrically with weight. Apparent clearance in females was 18% less than in males. Among HIV-positive subjects, absent the effect of CYP3A4-inducing antiretrovirals, apparent clearance was 6% higher. Some effects of total bilirubin and albumin were found, but the impacts on exposure were small. Bioavailability in the fasted condition was about half that in the fed condition. Relative bioavailability decreased with increasing dose in the fasted condition, but not for doses of ≤200 mg in the fed condition. HIV-positive subjects taking efavirenz and lopinavir/ritonavir had exposures that were reduced by 46 and 17%, respectively. There was little evidence for noteworthy effects of regimen partners on pretomanid. Standard diagnostics indicated that the model described the voluminous, diverse data well, so that the model could be used to generate exposure metrics for exposure/response analyses to be reported elsewhere.
Reconciling novelty and complexity through a rational analysis of curiosity

Curiosity is considered to be the essence of science and an integral component of cognition. What prompts curiosity in a learner? Previous theoretical accounts of curiosity remain divided-novelty-based theories propose that new and highly uncertain stimuli pique curiosity, whereas complexity-based theories propose that stimuli with an intermediate degree of uncertainty stimulate curiosity. In this article, we present a rational analysis of curiosity by considering the computational problem underlying curiosity, which allows us to model these distinct accounts of curiosity in a common framework. Our approach posits that a rational agent should explore stimuli that maximally increase the usefulness of its knowledge and that curiosity is the mechanism by which humans approximate this rational behavior. Critically, our analysis show that the causal structure of the environment can determine whether curiosity is driven by either highly uncertain or moderately uncertain stimuli. This suggests that previous theories need not be in contention but are special cases of a more general account of curiosity. Experimental results confirm our predictions and demonstrate that our theory explains a wide range of findings about human curiosity, including its subjectivity and malleability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Network Analysis of the Social Environment Relative to Preference for and Tolerance of Exercise Intensity in CrossFit Gyms

Known for its ability to improve fitness and health, high-intensity functional training (HIFT) focuses on functional movements completed at high intensities, often yielding outcomes superior to repetitive aerobic workouts. Preference for and tolerance of high-intensity exercise are associated with enjoyment of and adherence to HIFT. Similarly, the social environment present within CrossFit, a popular group-based HIFT modality, is important to the enjoyment of and adherence to HIFT. This study aimed to test whether preference and tolerance were related to social connections within CrossFit networks. Linear network autocorrelation models (LNAMs) and exponential random graph models (ERGMs) were computed on sociometric and attribute data from members of three CrossFit networks (n = 197). LNAMs showed the preference and tolerance scores of someone's social connections were associated with their own in all three gyms, and ERGMs demonstrated preference and tolerance scores were associated with the presence of social ties within all networks. This study is the first to provide evidence for a relationship between social connections and preference and tolerance. Future longitudinal research is needed to determine if the social environment may influence and optimize a person's preference of and tolerance for HIFT.
A robust confidence-accuracy dissociation via criterion attraction.

Many studies have shown that confidence and accuracy can be dissociated in a variety of tasks. However, most of these dissociations involve small effect sizes, occur only in a subset of participants, and include a reaction time (RT) confound. Here, I develop a new method for inducing confidence-accuracy dissociations that overcomes these limitations. The method uses an external noise manipulation and relies on the phenomenon of criterion attraction where criteria for different tasks become attracted to each other. Subjects judged the identity of stimuli generated with either low or high external noise. The results showed that the two conditions were matched on accuracy and RT but produced a large difference in confidence (effect appeared for 25 of 26 participants, effect size: Cohen's d = 1.9). Computational modeling confirmed that these results are consistent with a mechanism of criterion attraction. These findings establish a new method for creating conditions with large differences in confidence without differences in accuracy or RT. Unlike many previous studies, however, the current method does not lead to differences in subjective experience and instead produces robust confidence-accuracy dissociations by exploiting limitations in post-perceptual, cognitive processes.
Microfinance Institutions and Human Security in Muslim Majority Countries: Achievements and Challenges

This chapter situates microfinance in the human security paradigm in an effort to explore the transformative capacity of the movement that may be a significant source of social and economic change. It focuses on interventions in work, health, food security, education, women empowerment, and shelter that have accompanied the provision of microfinance in Muslim majority countries (MMCs). It notes that complementing microfinance with nonfinancial services can address the many persistent and myriad problems of poverty in MMCs. This chapter concludes that if the MFIs, in MMCs or elsewhere, rely solely on microfinance to alleviate poverty, it will certainly keep the industry alive but do little to change the endemic poverty or ensure human security in most of the world. Thus, this chapter argues that situating microfinance within the human security paradigm would alter the discourse on the industry to inspire broader goals and aims, create a series of best practices, include social indicators for impact evaluation, and foster links and partnerships across different sectors and regions.
Bovine Arterial Disease

Summary Thirty-four left coronary arteries (coronary trunk, anterior descending and circumflex branches) from 3-to 10-year-cld cows were histologically investigated for degenerative changes of the elastic elements in the intima and inner third of the media. At the same time mural AMPS were extracted, levels of AMPS determined and the patterns for non-sulphated, low-sulphated and high-sulphated AMPS assessed. Histological and biochemical findings were compared for any relationship between alterations of elastic elements and levels or patterns of mural AMPS. Swelling and elastosis of elastic fibers were observed in the intima. Swelling, reduplication, fragmentation, elastolysis and uneven staining were seen in the internal elastic membranes. Swelling, elastosis, granular degeneration and elastolysis were noted in the media. Although total levels of mural AMPS (2.4–6.9 mg/g of defatted dry tissue) did not disclose any distinct connection, a striking relationship was found between the patterns of mural AMPS and the severity of degenerative elastic changes in the coronary arteries. The alterations of elastic tissue in bovine coronary arteries paralleled the decrease of HA. When the decrease of HA was under 16 % of the total AMPS, degenerative changes were more severe and in 78.6 % of cases a noticeable increase in high sulphated AMPS was observed. Alterations of elastic tissue were more pronounced in the coronary trunk than in the anterior descending and circumflex branches. The results obtained suggest that a comparative study of early lesions of coronary arteries in bovine and humans is desirable.