cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Viktor Lowenfeld: Portrait of a Young Art Teacher in Vienna in the 1930s

Viktor Lowenfeld (1903-1960), one of the most influential art educators of the 20th century and author of Creative and Mental Growth (1947, 1952, 1957), barely talked or wrote about his early teaching experiences at the Chajes Realgymnasium, a secondary school for Jewish youth in Vienna, where he taught art and math for 14 years before fleeing the Nazis in 1938 and eventually emigrating to the United States. Lowenfeld did write extensively about teaching blind and visually impaired students during the same period in Vienna, publishing his findings in The Nature of Creative Activity (1939). This article formulates new information about Lowenfeld’s early teaching years at the Chajes Realgymnasium based on two student art portfolios, personal interviews with three of Lowenfeld’s former students, and additional correspondence with others. Discussion about Lowenfeld’s relative silence about his years at the Chajes Realgymnasium concludes the article.
Observation of the charged hadron Zc±(3900) and evidence for the neutral Zc0(3900) in e+e−→ππJ/ψ at s=4170MeV

Abstract Using 586 pb − 1 of e + e − annihilation data taken with the CLEO-c detector at s = 4170 MeV , the peak of the charmonium resonance ψ ( 4160 ) , we analyze the decay ψ ( 4160 ) → π + π − J / ψ , and report observation of the charged state Z c ± ( 3900 ) decaying into π ± J / ψ at a significance level of > 5 σ . We obtain M ( Z c ± ) = 3886 ± 4 ( stat ) ± 2 ( syst ) MeV and Γ ( Z c ± ) = 37 ± 4 ( stat ) ± 8 ( syst ) MeV , which are in good agreement with the results for this resonance obtained by the BES III and Belle Collaborations in the decay of the resonance Y(4260). We also present first evidence for the production of the neutral member of this isospin triplet, Z c 0 ( 3900 ) decaying into π 0 J / ψ at a 3.5σ significance level.
Dissociation, cellular isolation, and initial molecular characterization of neonatal and pediatric human lung tissues.

Human lung morphogenesis begins by embryonic life and continues after birth into early childhood to form a complex organ with numerous morphologically and functionally distinct cell types. Pulmonar...
ADAPTING ITERATIVE ALGORITHMS DEVELOPED FOR SYMMETRIC SYSTEMS TO NONSYMMETRIC SYSTEMS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the adapting iterative algorithms developed for symmetric systems to nonsymmetric systems. The iterative algorithms utilized in the ITPACK computer package for solving large sparse linear systems of equations assume that the coefficient matrix is symmetric positive definite. The mumerical solutions of boundary-value problems with self-adjoint partial differential equations may result in symmetric systems when low order discretizations are used and however, the use of higher-order discretizations may result in nonsymmetric systems that are nearly symmetric. Non-self-adjoint equations or mixed boundary conditions may result in nonsymmetric systems. The chapter presents the formulas for conjugate gradient acceleration that are used in ITPACK 2.0 and the modified formulas that are used in ITPACK 2A. It is interesting to observe that for both modified schemes, the Jacobi matrix B for the natural ordering tends to a zero matrix with nonzero constants on the superdiagonal. The spectral radius of B approaches zero as β increases to infinity.
Consulting the Child

“But I don’t want to stay in the hospital overnight, Dr. Hartman. It always ends up longer than you say, and anyway my ear doesn’t even hurt that much.”
Deep Impurity Levels in Semiconductors, Semiconductor Alloys, and Superlattices

Impurity levels determine the electrical properties of semiconductors and often strongly influence the optical properties as well. Until rather recently it was widely believed that “shallow impurities,” namely those impurities that produce energy levels within ≃0.1 eV of a band edge, were well understood in terms of hydrogenic effective-mass theory [1]. However “deep impurities” were regarded as more mysterious, having levels more than 0.1 eV deep in the gap; and several theoretical attempts were made to understand why their binding energies were so large. While specific deep levels were explained rather well by the early theories, most notably the pioneering work of Lannoo and Lenglart on the deep level in the gap associated with the vacancy in Si [2], numerous attempts to explain why the binding energy of a particular level might be large (making the level deep), rather than small, continued until recently, when it was realized that this basic picture of impurity levels was incomplete [3,4].
Consultant Corner: Abdominal Pain and the Pregnant Patient

Acute care providers should consider a broad differential diagnosis for abdominal pain in pregnancy. Sources for pain include pregnancy-related pain as well as musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, urologic, gynecologic, and neuropathic etiologies of pain. Abdominal pain in pregnancy is especially challenging because the gravid uterus displaces the viscera and confounds physical exam findings as the pregnancy progresses. Elevations in progesterone cause smooth muscle to relax, which exacerbates painful symptoms of GERD, bloating, and constipation. Progesterone also causes ureteral relaxation, and, when coupled with compression by the gravid uterus, the resulting urinary stasis increases the risk of pyelonephritis. Pregnancy-specific laboratory reference ranges should be used, as maternal physiology changes significantly in pregnancy. The best way to ensure the health of the pregnancy is to ensure the health of the mother.
Long-Term Effects of Instrumented Fusion in Growing Children

The control of progressive spinal and chest-wall deformity in young children is an extremely difficult problem. Intuitively, gaining control of a spinal deformity and limiting progression while maximizing the ultimate growth potential of the entire spinal column and ribcage would be beneficial.
Real-world outcomes of unselected elderly acute myeloid leukemia patients referred to a leukemia/hematopoietic cell transplant program

Due to perceived intolerance, many elderly AML patients do not receive therapy, and few are considered for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). To better understand “real-world” outcomes, 323 consecutive AML patients ≥ 60 years referred from 2009 to 2017 were evaluated (median age 70 [60–88] years); favorable (fav) in 48 (15%), intermediate (int) in 112 (35%) and poor risk in 161 (50%). Remission induction therapy, either intensive chemotherapy (IC, n = 205) or hypomethylating agents (HMA, n = 57), was given to all but 61 (19%) patients. With median f/u of 34 months, 2-year overall survival (OS) for the whole cohort was 31%; 40 and 33% for IC- and HMA-treated vs. 0% for untreated patients. Early mortality was 14%. Remission (CR/CRi) was achieved in 60% of patients, with approximately half of these surviving 2 years. In transplant-eligible patients (60–75-year-old, int/poor risk, achieving remission), 54 (46%) of 118 received HCT. Transplanted patients had improved 2- and 3-year post-remission survival of 59% and 40% compared to 26% and 18% in similar patients not receiving HCT (HR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.37–0.93, p = 0.023). These results suggest that survival of elderly AML patients may be improved through a coordinated approach of remission induction therapy for most patients followed by HCT when feasible.
Interactive Web Column: Machine Learning Algorithms, In and Out of Libraries

These days, algorithms make a growing number of consequential decisions for and about us, whether it’s the news we get, the kinds of ads we view, or what route we take to work. As libraries move to...
Accuracy of prenatal and postnatal imaging for management of congenital lung malformations

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of prenatal and postnatal imaging modalities for evaluation and management of congenital lung malformations (CLMs). Methods A retrospective review was performed of all fetuses evaluated for a CLM between December 2001 and January 2018. Pre and postnatal imaging findings, operative treatment, and patient outcomes were collected. Patients were included in analysis if they had fetal imaging (US and/or fetal MRI), a postnatal chest CT, and surgical pathology. Results Over the study period, we identified 157 patients with prenatal imaging that also had a follow-up with postnatal chest CT at a median age of 2.1 [1.4, 3.2] months. Of these, 75% (n = 117) had surgical resection. Diagnostic accuracy (DA) for localization of unilobar lesions was 100% for pre- and postnatal imaging and 97% vs 98% for multilobar disease, respectively. On comparison for identification of aberrant vasculature and pathology prediction, pre- and postnatal imaging DAs were similar. However, postnatal CT had the highest specificity for diagnosing lesions overall (p Conclusion Prenatal imaging provides valuable information for counseling and possible fetal intervention. However, this study suggests that postnatal CT scan continues to provide important information for preoperative counseling and surgical management. Type of study Retrospective study. Level of evidence Level IV.
Sizing heart transplant donors in adults with congenital heart disease

Abstract Objective Optimal donor sizing for heart transplantation (HT) in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) remains unclear, given the propensity for pulmonary hypertension related to shunting, staged repairs, and periods of pulmonary overcirculation. We studied HT outcomes related to donor size matching in the adult CHD population. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of patients with CHD undergoing HT in the United States from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2015. Patients were selected from the United Network for Organ Sharing database; 827 patients met inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Results At a median follow-up of 1462 days, 548 (66.3%) subjects were alive and 279 (33.7%) were deceased. All-cause mortality did not differ based on donor sizing (by predicted heart mass ratio: hazard ratio, 1.03; confidence interval, 0.86-1.23; P = .74). Pulmonary hypertension was not significantly associated with survival (by predicted heart mass ratio, χ2 = 2.01, P = .73). Conclusions Our data demonstrate that donor oversizing, to the extent used in current practice, does not affect survival after HT in adults with CHD. Our findings from the United Network for Organ Sharing database demonstrate that donor oversizing in these patients is not associated with improved mortality.
Inflammatory lobular hemangioma: A vascular proliferation with a prominent lymphoid component. Review of a series of 19 cases

In the last 30 years, there has been a strong interest in vascular proliferations. Pyogenic granuloma was not only renamed lobular capillary hemangioma, but also the conceptual interpretation was also changed from an overgrowth of granulation tissue to a genuine hemangioma (or benign vascular neoplasm). We describe 19 cases of patients who presented clinically with a vascular lesion, characteristically a pyogenic granuloma or lobular hemangioma, where the histopathological findings led to the pathologic concern for a lymphoma of the skin. These benign lesions with a dense lymphoid infiltrate were further defined on the basis of different vascular and lymphoid immunohistochemical markers as inflammatory lobular hemangiomas. We propose that given the considerable histopathological overlap between acral pseudolymphomatous angiokeratoma, T-cell rich angiomatoid polypoid pseudolymphoma of the skin, and other designations of some of these vascular proliferations with a rich and dense lymphoid infiltrate, they might constitute a spectrum of vascular lesions with varying clinical presentations.
Impact of Microgrids on Power Factor measurements

The penetration of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) on the power system has come with its own set of problems, especially in the power quality (PQ) domain. Such penetration has led to the re-evaluation of various aspects of distribution PQ. While such a re-evaluation has focused on the emission and compatibility limits, in the light of PQ concerns from inverter interfaced generation, traditional PQ indices themselves have received relatively little attention. This paper highlights one such issue with the measurement of power factor (p.f.). A case study has been presented with measurement data from a residential neighborhood in the United States, which has the capability to island from the grid and operate as a microgrid. The power factor in this case shows significant deviations at various times during the day and night. Upon further investigation, the cause was determined to be PV generation during the day and battery cycling during the night. This paper presents the data from field measurements, the ensuing investigation and the broad conclusions. The paper closes with a discussion of implications of these measurements for utilities and the PQ community, especially with regards to the need for a definition of p.f, that more accurately describes impact of DERs on the grid, given that such situations may recur in the future as DERs and microgrids continue to proliferate.
Combination of End-to-End and Hybrid Models for Speech Recognition.

Recent studies suggest that it may now be possible to construct end-to-end Neural Network (NN) models that perform on-par with, or even outperform, hybrid models in speech recognition. These models differ in their designs, and as such, may exhibit diverse and complementary error patterns. A combination between the predictions of these models may therefore yield significant gains. This paper studies the feasibility of performing hypothesis-level combination between hybrid and end-to-end NN models. The end-to-end NN models often exhibit a bias in their posteriors toward short hypotheses, and this may adversely affect Minimum Bayes’ Risk (MBR) combination methods. MBR training and length normalisation can be used to reduce this bias. Models are trained on Microsoft’s 75 thousand hours of anonymised data and evaluated on test sets with 1.8 million words. The results show that significant gains can be obtained by combining the hypotheses of hybrid and end-to-end NN models together.
Red blood cell hitchhiking enhances the accumulation of nano- and micro-particles in the constriction of a stenosed microvessel

We investigate the circulation of nano- and micro-particles, including spherical particles and filamentous nanoworms, with red blood cells (RBCs) suspension in a constricted channel that mimics a stenosed microvessel. Through three-dimensional simulations using the immersed boundary-based Lattice Boltzmann method, the influence of channel geometries, such as the length and ratio of the constriction, on the accumulation of particles is systematically studied. Firstly, we find that the accumulation of spherical particles with 1 μm diameter in the constriction increases with the increases of both the length and ratio of the constriction. This is attributed to the interaction between spheres and RBCs. The RBCs "carry" the spheres and they accumulate inside the constriction together, due to the altered local hydrodynamics induced by the existence of the constriction. Secondly, nanoworms demonstrate higher accumulation than that of spheres inside the constriction, which is associated with the escape of nanoworms from RBC clusters and their accumulation near the wall of main channel. The accumulated near-wall nanoworms will eventually enter the constriction, thus enhancing their concentration inside the constriction. However, an exceptional case occurs in the case of constrictions with large ratio and long length. In such circumstances, the RBCs aggregate together tightly and concentrate at the center of the channel, which makes the nanoworms hardly able to escape from RBC clusters, leading to a similar accumulation of nanoworms and spheres inside the constriction. This study may provide theoretical guidance for the design of nano- and micro-particles for biomedical engineering applications, such as drug delivery systems for patients with stenosed microvessels.
Combined and Distinct Roles of Agr Proteins in Clostridioides difficile 630 Sporulation, Motility, and Toxin Production.

ABSTRACT The Clostridioides difficile accessory gene regulator 1 (agr1) locus consists of two genes, agrB1 and agrD1, that presumably constitute an autoinducing peptide (AIP) system. Typically, AIP systems function through the AgrB-mediated processing of AgrD to generate a processed form of the AIP that provides a concentration-dependent extracellular signal. Here, we show that the C. difficile 630 Agr1 system has multiple functions, not all of which depend on AgrB1. CRISPR-Cas9n deletion of agrB1, agrD1, or the entire locus resulted in changes in transcription of sporulation-related factors and an overall loss in spore formation. Sporulation was recovered in the mutants by providing supernatant from stationary-phase cultures of the parental strain. In contrast, C. difficile motility was reduced only when both AgrB1 and AgrD1 were disrupted. Finally, in the absence of AgrB1, the AgrD1 peptide accumulated within the cytoplasm and this correlated with increased expression of tcdR (15-fold), as well as tcdA (20-fold) and tcdB (5-fold), which encode the two major C. difficile toxins. The combined deletion of agrB1/agrD1 or deletion of only agrD1 did not significantly alter expression of tcdR or tcdB but did show a minor effect on tcdA expression. Overall, these data indicate that the Agr1-based system in C. difficile 630 carries out multiple functions, some of which are associated with prototypical AIP signaling and others of which involve previously undescribed mechanisms of action. IMPORTANCEC. difficile is a spore-forming, toxigenic, anaerobic bacterium that causes severe gastrointestinal illness. Understanding the ways in which C. difficile senses growth conditions to regulate toxin expression and sporulation is essential to advancing our understanding of this pathogen. The Agr1 system in C. difficile has been thought to function by generating an extracellular autoinducing peptide that accumulates and exogenously activates two-component signaling. The absence of the peptide or protease should, in theory, result in similar phenotypes. However, in contrast to longstanding assumptions about Agr, we found that mutants of individual agr1 genes exhibit distinct phenotypes in C. difficile. These findings suggest that the Agr1 system may have other regulatory mechanisms independent of the typical Agr quorum sensing system. These data not only challenge models for Agr’s mechanism of action in C. difficile but also may expand our conceptions of how this system works in other Gram-positive pathogens.
Better Feedback from Nicer People: Narrative Empathy and Ingroup Framing Improve Feedback Exchange

Online feedback exchange platforms enable content creators to collect a diverse set of design feedback quickly. However, creators can experience low quality and harsh feedback when using such platforms. In this paper, we leverage the empathy of the feedback provider to address both these issues. Specifically, we tested two narrative-based empathy arousal interventions: a negative experience and a design process narrative. We also examined whether ingroup framing further enhances the effects of empathy arousal. In a 3x2 online experiment, participants (n=205) wrote feedback on a poster design after experiencing one of the intervention conditions or a control condition. Our results show both the design process narrative and ingroup framing conditions significantly increased the feedback quality and effort invested in the task. The negative experience narrative condition had similar effects and participants reported significantly increased disapproval towards harsh feedback. We discuss the implications of our results for the design of feedback exchange platforms.
Current and Evolving Indications for Simultaneous Liver Kidney Transplantation

This review will discuss the etiologies of kidney disease in liver transplant candidates, provide a historical background of the prior evolution of simultaneous liver–kidney (SLK) transplant indications, discuss the current indications for SLK including Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network policies and Model for End Stage Liver Disease exception points, as well as provide an overview of the safety net kidney transplant policy. Finally, the authors explore unanswered questions and future research needed in SLK transplantation.
Ciceronian Ethos and Clerical Masculinity in the Regensburg Rhetorical Letters

The Regensburg Rhetorical Letters are fictional letters composed in the 1080s at the Regensburg cathedral school. They imitate Ciceronian texts to fashion a valorized masculine identity based in le...
Parenting Stress during Late Adolescence in Mothers of Individuals with ADHD with and without ODD

Although children with ADHD continue to experience impairment well into adolescence, research exploring the experiences of their parents during late adolescence is lacking. Thus, we examined changes in parenting stress and family conflict in mothers of adolescents with ADHD during the transition to early adulthood. We also explored predictors of these changes in addition to investigating differences in these trajectories due to comorbid ODD. Forty-nine mothers of adolescents with ADHD only and thirty-seven mothers of adolescents with ADHD/ODD reported on parenting stress and perceptions of family conflict at baseline (mean age = 16.88) and at 3-month, 9-month, and 15-month follow up assessments. Growth curve modeling indicated that both groups of mothers reported relative declines in parenting stress and family conflict across time. However, the mothers of adolescents with ADHD/ODD persistently reported more stress and conflict. Furthermore, decreases in family conflict were more predictive of reduced parenting stress in families of adolescents only diagnosed with ADHD. Our findings suggest that comorbid ODD is associated with parenting stress during late adolescence. Thus, interventions should focus on further reducing this stress as adolescents with ADHD/ODD transition to adulthood.
Physical and Biological Properties of Phage φ29 Deoxyribonucleic Acid

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules having a mean length of 5.8 mum were released from purified Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage phi29 with 2 m sodium perchlorate. Small 0.1 to 0.2-mum molecules were also detected in these DNA preparations. Since intact single chains annealed to form linear duplex molecules, phage phi29 DNA was found to be nonpermuted. The molecular weights of single chains of phi29 DNA were approximately half that of native DNA, as determined by analytical band sedimentation in CsCl, indicating that phi29 DNA is composed of two continuous polynucleotide chains. The molecular weight values of native and annealed phi29 DNA from sedimentation agreed with the molecular weight values obtained from electron microscopy. The infectivity of phi29 DNA was reduced to a low level by alkaline denaturation and was partially restored by annealing.
Linewidth and lineshape analysis of multi-section DFB lasers-a transmission line approach

In this paper, we present a novel transmission-line approach to the static and dynamic analysis of multisection semiconductor lasers. The technique is generic and can be applied to any structure that includes several segments within the laser cavity. Each segment can be passive or active, and can be either uniform or include a periodic grating for feedback and frequency selectivity. The model uses a coupled-mode formulation combined with Floquet's theorem to obtain a set of uncoupled Floquet modes that propagate in both directions through the confinement layer of the composite structure.
Safe Robot Driving in Cluttered Environments

The Navlab group at Carnegie Mellon University has a long history of development of automated vehicles and intelligent systems for driver assistance. The earlier work of the group concentrated on road following, cross-country driving, and obstacle detection. The new focus is on short-range sensing, to look all around the vehicle for safe driving. The current system uses video sensing, laser rangefinders, a novel light-stripe rangefinder, software to process each sensor individually, and a map-based fusion system. The complete system has been demonstrated on the Navlab 11 vehicle for monitoring the environment of a vehicle driving through a cluttered urban environment, detecting and tracking fixed objects, moving objects, pedestrians, curbs, and roads.
The Reports of Marxism's Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

In recent years, political pundits have proclaimed the end of ideology and the global triumph of liberalism (Fukuyama 1992). Against this backdrop, Atilio Boron's State, Capitalism, and Democracy in Latin America stands in stark contrast. Boron challenges liberalism as a theory of democracy, questions its identification of the market as the locus of freedom, and rejects its variant-neoliberalism-as a policy prescription for Latin America's new democracies. Although Boron is similarly unable to proclaim the end of liberalism, as he would like, he clearly shows that the ideological debate between liberalism and Marxism is far from over. Boron sets forth his critique of liberalism in the first half of the book. He argues that liberal theory has stripped off half of democracy's most salient traditional concerns by focusing only on freedom and not on equality. He cites Aristotle, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Alexis de Tocqueville, and other canonical philosophers as precursors of his claim that "the rule of equality constitutes the true distinctive landmark of democracy" (p. 77). This is, of course, a long-standing critique of liberal democracy (Macpherson 1977), but it allows Boron to conduct a two-sided analysis of the new Latin American democracies. By emphasizing both the procedural and the substantive sides of democracy, he can acknowledge the accomplishments of the new democratic institutions in Latin America while warning of their precariousness given the lack of substantive equality. This dual analysis is a response to some analysts of the Latin American transition who believe that the procedural achievements of liberal democracy are still undervalued by scholars, like Boron, who come from the dependency tradition (Levine 1988). For Boron, the formal, partial democracy in Latin America is valuable, but it is inherently unstable because neither the state nor the market meet the substantive needs of most people. Boron's critique of liberalism includes an analysis of the appropriate roles of the state and the market for meeting human aspirations. Against liberalism's praise of market dynamics in the abstract, Boron counterpoises the operation of "really existing capitalist markets" (p. 3). He argues that most individuals cannot choose whether or not to integrate themselves into the market, which deprives them of the freedom that monetarists see there. Because market participation is not free, "the invisible hand that regulates the market-that fetish so dear to the whole liberal tradition-requires the iron fist of the Hobbesian state" (p. 3). In short, capitalism naturally gives rise to a huge bourgeois state that can benefit the mass of the population, but often benefits only a few capitalists. In the end, Boron's critique of liberalism as political theory leads him to attack the current neoliberal policies in Latin America. He sees only two options emerging from the inevitable popular protest: either the state will renew its coercive role
Estimating a Taylor Rule with Markov Switching Regimes for Switzerland

In this paper a Taylor rule including the exchange rate gap is estimated for Switzerland under the assumption that the parameters depend on two states governed by a Markov switching process. The estimates from a Gibbs sampler suggest the presence of a smooth and an active regime. The former is characterized by a high degree of interest rate smoothing. By contrast, the aggressive regime shows much less smoothing. The regime probabilities indicate that Swiss monetary policy is well characterized by the smooth regime with short interruptions by the active regime. Many of these few active periods can be associated with specific and unusual events. Furthermore, the analysis makes clear that often the active regime prevailed in periods where the Swiss National Bank decided to counteract sharp appreciations or depreciations of the Swiss franc.
Energy efficiency comparisons of NRZ and PAM4 modulation for ring-resonator-based silicon photonic links

Advanced modulation schemes, such as PAM4, are currently under consideration in both high-speed electrical and optical interconnect systems. This paper analyzes how NRZ and PAM4 modulation impacts the energy efficiency of an optical link architecture based on silicon photonic microring resonator modulators and drop filters, and how this changes as CMOS technology scales from a 65nm to a 16nm node. Two ring modulator device structures are proposed for PAM4 modulation, including a single-segment device driven with a multi-level PAM4 transmitter and a two-segment device driven by two simple NRZ (MSB/LSB) transmitters. Modeling results with carrier-depletion ring modulators and transmitter driver and receiver circuitry show that the PAM4 architectures achieve superior energy efficiency at higher data rates due to the relaxed circuit bandwidth, with the cross-over point scaling from 30Gb/s in the 65nm node to 50Gb/s in the 16nm node.
PREMARC A History and Status Report

The Library of Congress' PREMARC file, conversion of which was completed in 1987, comprises approximately 5 million records from the Library's pre-1968 shelflist. The Libray has mounted a concerted effort to improve the quality of these records by a process of comparison with the Library's Official Catalog. The Library is contemplating conducting a market survey to ascertain whether there is interest in the community in having PREMARC records distributed.
Extending the Digital Divide Conversation: Examining the Knowledge Gap Through Media Expectancies

As long as scholars have studied media, issues of access have been of great concern. Recent advancements in digital technology have framed disparities in access within the digital divide research and knowledge gap frameworks. While early digital divide research looked at access, more recent research has focused on how media are used differently across populations. The current research extends this literature by examining media expectancies across ethnic subgroups for a broad range of media (i.e., local newspapers, national newspapers, network television, cable television, radio, magazines, and Internet). Data indicate expectancies differ among African Americans, Caucasians, and Hispanics.
Kinetic enhancement of the diffusion-limited enzyme beta-galactosidase when displayed with quantum dots

The phenomenon of enzyme catalytic enhancement when displayed on a nanoparticle surface has now become well established in the literature and has significant implications across many disciplines that rely on enzymes. It is thus essential to determine which enzymes best utilize this effect. Of particular interest is β-galactosidase, one of the best characterized enzymes which typically operates optimally at diffusion-limited rates. We couple this large tetrameric enzyme to semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) by utilizing a configuration opposite to that used previously with the QDs now displayed on the enzyme. Following physicochemical characterization of the resulting hybrid conjugates, we compared its activity to that of free enzyme. We find that, despite anticipating a seemingly hard rate ceiling, the presence of QDs around the enzyme surface results in a three-fold enhancement of catalytic rate (kcat), suggesting a super-diffusional rate of substrate accessibility. Mechanisms that may account for these results are discussed along with potential applications for utilizing this type of enhanced catalytic configuration.
STUDIES ON THE D'HERELLE PHENOMENON.

The inhibition produced by the lytic agent on the growth of Bacillus coli is greatly influenced by the reaction of the medium; it is faint in a slightly acid (pH 6.8) or neutral (pH 7) or even slightly alkaline broth (pH 7.4), but is much stronger in a more alkaline medium (pH 8 or 8.5). We have isolated from the original strain of Bacillus coli two types of organisms; one (Type S) is sensitive to the lytic agent, the other (Type R) is much more resistant. These types are distinguished also by other characteristics: Type S grows quickly in artificial medium and is non-motile; Type R grows more slowly, is extremely motile, much less phagocytable, and more virulent. Both types produce indole and ferment carbohydrates, with the exception of saccharose. Both types keep their individuality even after passage through a guinea pig. We have also demonstrated that even a culture of a single type, Type S for instance, is not a homogeneous whole but is made up of organisms of varying resistance to the lytic agent; only a few are resistant enough to overcome the strong action of the undiluted lytic agent. On the other hand, only a few as well are sufficiently sensitive to be dissolved even by very dilute lytic agent. This explains why dilute lytic agent spread on an agar plate seeded with Bacillus coli confines its action only to certain places and produces the small round areas of dissolution that d'Herelle considered as "colonies of bacteriophage." Moreover, we have observed the same localized action even with non-dilute lytic agent when submitting to its action cultures of greater resistance. Our original lytic agent was found to be specific; it acted exclusively on the coli with which the guinea pigs were injected. By allowing this original lytic principle to act on broth cultures of our two types of Bacillus coli, we have obtained two new filtrates. The first, resulting from dissolution of the sensitive Strain S, is specific as is the original filtrate. But with the second, obtained from the resistant Strain R, Dr. Wollstein has found a marked action on Shiga, on Flexner, and on Hiss dysentery bacilli. In consequence of this observation, we have been able, by a method of successive passages through appropriate strains, to extend the lytic power to other species, as typhoid and paratyphoid bacilli, and have obtained by this somewhat different technique results similar to those recently published by Bordet and Ciuca.
Structured packing performance-experimental evaluation of two predictive models

A comprehensive total reflux distillation study of sheet metal structured packings was carried out with the cyclohexane/n-heptane test mixture. The experiments covered a wide range of pressures, two corrugation angles, two surface areas, and two surface designs. Experimental results include pressure drop, capacity, and mass-transfer efficiency. The database generated has been used to evaluate generalized performance models developed independently at The University of Texas Separations Research Program (SRP model)) and at Delft University of Technology (Delft model). This paper reports the experimental results and compares them with predictions from the two models. Deviations of predictions from measurements are discussed in terms of likely contacting mechanisms in the packed bed.
Honey bee foraging profitability and round dance correlates

The purpose is to examine the relationships between several aspects of the honey bee's round dance and the caloric costs and gains and net gains per time experienced by bees while foraging between two artificial flowers. The distance between the two flowers and the concentration of nectar rewards were varied. Nine bees were tested, each over several days. Of the three dance variables examined, the number of reversals in the dance per minute (RATE) most often gave the highest and consistently signed correlation coefficients when paired with the mean caloric reward received per flower visit (CALGAIN), the net caloric gain per unit time (NET), and the mean caloric cost to fly to and visit a flower (CALCOST). In general, RATE is positively correlated with CALGAIN (range of positive coefficients, 0.12 to 0.50) and NET (range, 0.15 to 0.40) and negatively correlated with CALCOST (range, −0.01 to −0.28). Additionally, the probability of dancing after foraging is generally positively associated with CALGAIN and negatively associated with CALCOST. The results suggest that caloric gains and costs may be integrated by the bee and output as a measure of “profitability” in the form of the round dance. This information may be communicated to potential recruits, although this is not demonstrated.
Stability of the assemblage albite plus forsterite at high temperatures and pressures with petrologic implications

The maximum limits of the assemblage albiteforsterite have been determined experimentally at high pressures and temperatures. At subsolidus temperatures, albite plus forsterite is replaced at high pressures by jadeitic clinopyroxene and enstatitic orthopyroxene. The boundary for this reaction lies within experimental uncertainity of that for jadeite=albite+nepheline. Melting of albite+forsterite at high pressures produces enstatite+liquid, which is different from the low-pressure eutectic behavior. Melting rates are very slow and several hundred hours are required to establish equilibrium near the solidus. The subsolidus boundary for albite plus forsterite lies near that for sanidine plus forsterite, but with a shallower slope which more closely matches that of anorthite plus forsterite. Both albite plus forsterite and anorthite plus forsterite are replaced at high pressures by an assemblage containing clinopyroxene plus orthopyroxene, unlike sanidine plus forsterite, which is replaced by a feldspathoid plus orthopyroxene. The presence of sodium enlarges the depth region over which plagioclase lherzolite can stably exist; it may also stabilize alkali feldspar plus olivine in crustal rocks.
Neurophysiological study of normal pressure hydrocephalus

A neuropsychological Mental Deterioration Battery (MDB) was used to identify deterioration profiles of 43 patients afflicted with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) (n = 18) or other forms of dementia (n = 25). The NPH patients submitted to a shunt-intervention (n = 10) were also evaluated after surgery. A comparison of profiles, obtained from the experimental and control groups, shows that NPH patients seem to be more impaired in tests designed to detect frontal lobe involvement. Some implications of the relatively greater impairment of frontal functions in NPH dementia are discussed.
Abstract 2886: Carbon nanotube-mediated siRNA for gastrin-releasing peptide receptor silencing in neuroblastoma

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Small interfering RNA (siRNA) has the potential to influence gene expression with a high degree of target gene specificity, making siRNA-mediated therapeutic approaches very promising in biomedicine. However, the clinical applications of siRNA therapeutics have been impeded by its poor intracellular uptake, instability in vivo, and non-specific immune stimulations. In this study, we have aimed to resolve these difficulties in the applications of siRNA, we developed a magneto-fluorescent carbon nanotube (CNT) platform to deliver siRNA into neuroblastoma and down-regulate gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRP-R) expression in vitro and in vivo. METHODS. Human neuroblastoma BE(2)-C cells were used in this study. siRNA oligos were custom synthesized by Thermo Scientific (Dharmacon). CNTs were produced by a high-pressure CO (HiPco) at Rice University. PEG-N (1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy (polyethylene glycol)-5000]) was purchased from Avanti Polar Lipids Inc. (Alabaster, AL). Target gene expression was measured with Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining. siRNA stability was examined by agarose gel. The cytotoxicity of CNT was evaluated by measuring cell viability. RESULTS. We have developed a magneto-fluorescent carbon nanotube (CNT) platform to deliver siRNA into neuroblastoma and to down-regulate GRP-R expression in vitro and in vivo. We have systematically investigated the optical and magnetic properties of CNTs with different functional groups and have found that the functional groups on CNTs play an important role on the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging of CNTs. Moreover, we have shown that CNT-mediated siRNA (CNT-siRNA) can silence GRP-R with efficiency up to 92%, which is much higher than that of siRNA mediated by the commercial transfection reagent, and effectively reduce downstream targets of GRP-R. This high efficiency may result from the enhanced stability of CNT-siRNA after transfection. We have also demonstrated the universal siRNA delivery efficiency by knocking down AKT2 in neuroblastoma cells and GRP-R in human breast cancer cells. In addition, we have found that CNT-siRNA can significantly silence GRP-R in in vivo subcutaneous mouse models. CONCLUSIONS. Our findings demonstrate that functionalized-CNTs mediated siRNA delivery caused high gene silencing efficiency of in vitro and in vivo. In addition, our results showed CNT produced MRI and NIRF imaging in cells. These fundamental studies offer a way to develop a multifunctional CNT delivery system with INTRINSIC MRI and NIRF imaging to evaluate the treatment effect simultaneously. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2886. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2886
A form for recording proctosigmoidoscopic examinations.

Abstract A one page medical record form is presented to assure accurate, complete and uniform data collection for proctosigmoidoscopic examinations.
Evaluation of model complexity and space–time resolution on the prediction of long-term soil salinity dynamics, western San Joaquin Valley, California

The numerical simulation of long-term large-scale (field to regional) variably saturated subsurface flow and transport remains a computational challenge, even with today's computing power. Therefore, it is appropriate to develop and use simplified models that focus on the main processes operating at the pertinent time and space scales, as long as the error introduced by the simpler model is small relative to the uncertainties associated with the spatial and temporal variation of boundary conditions and parameter values. This study investigates the effects of various model simplifications on the prediction of long-term soil salinity and salt transport in irrigated soils. Average root-zone salinity and cumulative annual drainage salt load were predicted for a 10-year period using a one-dimensional numerical flow and transport model (i.e. UNSATCHEM) that accounts for solute advection, dispersion and diffusion, and complex salt chemistry. The model uses daily values for rainfall, irrigation, and potential evapotranspiration rates. Model simulations consist of benchmark scenarios for different hypothetical cases that include shallow and deep water tables, different leaching fractions and soil gypsum content, and shallow groundwater salinity, with and without soil chemical reactions. These hypothetical benchmark simulations are compared with the results of various model simplifications that considered (i) annual average boundary conditions, (ii) coarser spatial discretization, and (iii) reducing the complexity of the salt-soil reaction system. Based on the 10-year simulation results, we conclude that salt transport modelling does not require daily boundary conditions, a fine spatial resolution, or complex salt chemistry. Instead, if the focus is on long-term salinity, then a simplified modelling approach can be used, using annually averaged boundary conditions, a coarse spatial discretization, and inclusion of soil chemistry that only accounts for cation exchange and gypsum dissolution–precipitation. We also demonstrate that prediction errors due to these model simplifications may be small, when compared with effects of parameter uncertainty on model predictions. The proposed model simplifications lead to larger time steps and reduced computer simulation times by a factor of 1000. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SELF-CONSISTENT MODELS OF STRONG INTERACTION WITH CHIRAL SYMMETRY

We examine some simple models of (renormalizable) mesonnucleon interaction in which the nucleon mass is entirely due to interaction, and the chiral (γ5) symmetry is « broken » to become a hidden symmetry. We find that such a scheme is possible provided that a vector meson is introduced as an elementary field.
Exposing digital forgeries in video by detecting double quantization

We describe a technique for detecting double quantization in digital video that results from double MPEG compression or from combining two videos of different qualities (e.g., green-screening). We describe how double quantization can introduce statistical artifacts that while not visible, can be quantified, measured, and used to detect tampering. This technique can detect highly localized tampering in regions as small as 16 x 16 pixels.
Automated sampling and control of gaseous simulations

In this work, we describe a method that automates the sampling and control of gaseous fluid simulations. Several recent approaches have provided techniques for artists to generate high-resolution simulations based on a low-resolution simulation. However, often in applications the overall flow in the low-resolution simulation that an animator observes and intends to preserve is composed of even lower frequencies than the low resolution itself. In such cases, attempting to match the low-resolution simulation precisely is unnecessarily restrictive. We propose a new sampling technique to efficiently capture the overall flow of a fluid simulation, at the scale of user's choice, in such a way that the sampled information is sufficient to represent what is virtually perceived and no more. Thus, by applying control based on the sampled data, we ensure that in the resulting high-resolution simulation, the overall flow is matched to the low-resolution simulation and the fine details on the high resolution are preserved. The samples we obtain have both spatial and temporal continuity that allows smooth keyframe matching and direct manipulation of visible elements such as smoke density through temporal blending of samples. We demonstrate that a user can easily configure a simulation with our system to achieve desired results.
Discretization errors in numerical micromagnetic models

Numerical micromagnetic models attempt to determine coercive force, reversal modes, the number of stable magnetic states of particles, and the effect of particle interaction. These models can have considerable discretization error. In some cases, the calculated equilibrium states change considerably when the number of elements is increased. An analysis of three types of discretization errors suggests a measure of the accuracy of the models. >
A severe form of congenital contractural arachnodactyly in two newborn infants

Congenital contractural arachnodactyly (CCA) is an uncommon condition characterized by arachnodactyly, dolichostenomelia, kyphoscoliosis, "crumpled" auricles, and flexion contractures at knees, elbows, fingers, and sometimes other joints. The long-term prognosis for affected individuals is usually relatively good. We report on two newborn infants with severe CCA, both of whom died in the first year of life. One child also had other anomalies not generally associated with this disorder. These observations are consistent with the possibility that CCA is an etiologically and clinically heterogeneous disorder.