cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Qualitative Approach to Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training Development: Identification of Metacognitive Strategies

Although Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training is common in the sciences, the effectiveness of RCR training is open to question. Three key factors appear to be particularly important in ensuring the effectiveness of ethics education programs: (1) educational efforts should be tied to day-to-day practices in the field, (2) educational efforts should provide strategies for working through the ethical problems people are likely to encounter in day-to-day practice, and (3) educational efforts should be embedded in a broader program of on-going career development efforts. This article discusses a complex qualitative approach to RCR training development, based on a sensemaking model, which strives to address the afore-mentioned training concerns. Ethnographic observations and prior RCR training served the purpose of collecting information specific to a multi-disciplinary and multi-university research center with the goal of identifying metacognitive reasoning strategies that would facilitate ethical decision-making. The extensive qualitative analyses resulted in the identification of nine metacognitive reasoning strategies on which future RCR training will be developed. The implications of the findings for RCR training in the sciences are discussed.
Intraoperative Optical Biopsy of Breast Cancer

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) of breast tissue yields high-resolution optical biopsies that can be used to identify cancerous regions. We present intraoperative OCT studies of surgical margin scanning and biopsy needle guidance.
Stereospecific high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of flurbiprofen: application to pharmacokinetic studies.

Abstract A method of analysis of flurbiprofen (+/− 2-(2-fluoro-4-biphenyl)-propionic acid) in biological fluids is necessary to study the kinetics of in vitro and in vivo metabolism and tissue distribution. A simple high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for simultaneous determination of flurbiprofen enantiomers in rat serum. Serum (0.1 ml) was extracted with 2,2,4-trimethylpentane-isopropanol (95:5, v/v) after addition of the internal standard (IS), S-naproxen and acidification with H2SO4. Separation was achieved on a Chiralpak AD-RH column with UV detection at 247 nm. The calibration curve was linear ranging from 0.05 to 50 μg/ml for each enantiomer. The mean extraction efficiency was >95%. Precision of the assay was
Muscle Crossbridges: Absence of Direct Effect of Calcium on Movement Away from the Thick Filaments

Fluorescence depolarization experiments show that the rotary mobility of myosin heads is hindered by the assembly of the thick filament. Calcium, with or without magnesium adenosine triphosphate, does not alter this hindrance in synthetic filaments. This implies that calcium does not directly move the crossbridges toward thin filaments on activation of muscle.
Colloidal silicalite-nafion composite ion exchange membrane for vanadium redox-flow battery

Colloidal silicalite-Nafion composite membranes have been synthesized with a two-layer structure consisting of a top layer of colloidal silicalite in Nafion matrix and a base layer of pure Nafion. The composite membrane with an overall thickness of 120–130 μm exhibited higher proton-to-vanadyl ion transport selectivity and lower electrical resistance than the 183 μm-thick commercial Nafion-117® membrane. The improved proton selectivity in the composite membrane is due primarily to the ability of the sub-nanometer-sized zeolitic pores to block the hydrated metal ions while permitting the small hydrated protons to enter and diffuse through. The low electrical resistance of the composite membrane is attributed to the reduced thickness of the Nafion base film and the thinness of the layer containing silicalite nanoparticles (<30 μm). When being used as ion exchange membrane in the vanadium redox flow battery, the composite membrane with a silicalite content of 5 wt% has achieved an energy efficiency of 77% at 60 mA/cm2 which is significantly higher than the 65% efficiency obtained by the Nafion-117 membrane. The composite membrane also has shown excellent stability after one month of cyclic operation of the battery.
FOOD PRICE STABILISATION AND FOOD SECURITY: INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Abstract The importance of food commodities to consumers and farmers leads most countries to attempt to influence the levels and stability of food prices. The specific policies adopted and the degree of price stabilisation actually achieved vary considerably across countries, however. This paper reviews the experience of four countries (China, India, Bangladesh and Madagascar) that have implemented explicit price stabilisation and food security policies. Several policy lessons emerge from the analysis, including the potential savings to be made through reliance on international trade rather than buffer stocks; the likelihood of efficiency gains from relying more heavily on market mechanisms; the need to maintain transparency of policies; and the high cost of untargeted public distribution programs.
Teaching Economic Concepts with a Bag of Chocolate: A Classroom Experiment for Elementary School Students

This paper describes a classroom experiment suitable for elementary school students in which participants are actively engaged in making trading decisions. Students are provided an endowment of gum and are asked to make trading decisions to acquire chocolate. As the opportunity cost of acquiring a piece of chocolate rises, fewer students are willing to make trades. This interactive classroom exercise illustrates three fundamental economic concepts: the law of demand, opportunity costs, and gains from trade. Assessement test results reveal that two days after this classroom exercise, fifth grade students register significant improvements in their understanding of three fundamental economic concepts.
Effect of an environmental stress cracking agent on the mechanism of fatigue and creep in polyethylene

It is of interest to determine whether the prediction of long-term creep failure from short-term fatigue experiments, as established for polyethylene in air, can be extended to environmental liquids. This article was undertaken to characterize the mechanism of creep crack growth in an environmental liquid at 50 °C and to determine whether the mechanism was conserved in fatigue as required for the fatigue-to-creep correlation. For this purpose, creep and fatigue tests at R-ratio (the ratio of minimum to maximum load in the fatigue cycle) of 1.0 (creep) and 0.1 were performed in air, water, and aqueous Igepal CO-630 (Igepal-630) solutions at various concentrations. It was found that fatigue and creep followed the same stepwise crack growth mechanism as in air in all the Igepal-630 concentrations studied. In air and water, fatigue substantially accelerated the crack growth kinetics compared to creep. A fatigue acceleration effect was also seen with the lower Igepal-630 concentrations. However, the acceleration effect lessened as the concentration increased to 0.05 vol.% due to the combined effects of the gradually decreasing creep lifetime and the gradually increasing fatigue lifetime. Above 0.05%, the lifetimes in creep and fatigue decreased in parallel with the fatigue lifetime only slightly lower than the creep lifetime. It appeared that Igepal-630 reduced the frictional resistance to chain slippage to the extent that any significant strain rate sensitivity was lost. Increasing the molecular weight had the equivalent effect of decreasing the Igepal-630 concentration. This was probably a kinetic effect related to the diffusion of the stress cracking liquid.
The Internet: Backbone of the World Wide Web.

Approximately 75% of all Americans aged 18 and older reporting using the Internet (Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2008), with worldwide users totally 1.46 billion people, or 29% of the world...
Ternary Complexes of Iron, Amyloid-β, and Nitrilotriacetic Acid: Binding Affinities, Redox Properties, and Relevance to Iron-Induced Oxidative Stress in Alzheimer’s Disease

The interaction of amyloid-beta (Abeta) and redox-active metals, two important biomarkers present in the senile plaques of Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain, has been suggested to enhance the Abeta aggregation or facilitate the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This study investigates the nature of the interaction between the metal-binding domain of Abeta, viz., Abeta(1-16), and the Fe(III) or Fe(II) complex with nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA). Using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), the formation of a ternary complex of Abeta(1-16), Fe(III), and NTA with a stoichiometry of 1:1:1 was identified. MS also revealed that the NTA moiety can be detached via collision-induced dissociation. The cumulative dissociation constants of both Abeta-Fe(III)-NTA and Abeta-Fe(II)-NTA complexes were deduced to be 6.3 x 10(-21) and 5.0 x 10(-12) M(2), respectively, via measurement of the fluorescence quenching of the sole tyrosine residue on Abeta upon formation of the complex. The redox properties of these two complexes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The redox potential of the Abeta-Fe(III)-NTA complex was found to be 0.03 V versus Ag/AgCl, which is negatively shifted by 0.54 V when compared to the redox potential of free Fe(III)/Fe(II). Despite such a large potential modulation, the redox potential of the Abeta-Fe(III)-NTA complex is still sufficiently high for a range of redox reactions with cellular species to occur. The Abeta-Fe(II)-NTA complex electrogenerated from the Abeta-Fe(III)-NTA complex was also found to catalyze the reduction of oxygen to produce H(2)O(2). These findings provide significant insight into the role of iron and Abeta in the development of AD. The binding of iron by Abeta modulates the redox potential to a level at which its redox cycling occurs. In the presence of a biological reductant (antioxidant), redox cycling of iron could disrupt the redox balance within the cellular milieu. As a consequence, not only is ROS continuously produced, but oxygen and biological reductants can also be depleted. A cascade of biological processes can therefore be affected. In addition, the strong binding affinity of Abeta toward Fe(III) and Fe(II) indicates Abeta could compete for iron against other iron-containing proteins. In particular, its strong affinity for Fe(II), which is 8 orders of magnitude stronger than that of transferrin, would greatly interfere with iron homeostasis.
Introduction, Section I

It is clear that the collapse of the Soviet Empire at the beginning of this decade has led to what President Bush called, at that time, a “New World Order.” Although no one as yet has defined exactly what that means, it obviously includes the fact that the United States has emerged as the only true super power in the world, at least militarily. If there were any doubts to that fact, the events of the last decade removed them. In the 1991 Gulf War, the U.S., with minimal support from some of its NATO allies, destroyed one of the largest military forces in the world with an aerial bombardment and a one-week invasion. In the Kosova air war intervention in 1999, the U.S. flew 90 percent of the NATO missions and drove the Serbian military out of Kosova without a single Alliance casualty.
A DOP feedback controlling multi-stage electrical PMD compensator in digital coherent receiver

Abstract We proposed a degree of polarization (DOP) controlling multi-stage electrical polarization mode dispersion (PMD) compensator in digital coherent receiver. The compensator is modulation format independent and can mitigate both first order and higher order PMD. We evaluated this PMD compensator in both 100-Gb/s 16-QAM and QPSK signal transmission systems with 15 ps and 20 ps average differential group delay (DGD) respectively. The results show that, for both two cases, less than 0.2 dB optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR) penalty at 1e −3 symbol error rate (SER) can be achieved after 4-stage PMD compensation.
Differential effects of clozapine and pimozide on fixed-ratio responding during repeated dosing.

Abstract Previous research has shown that the differential development of tolerance to the disruption of operant responding produced by repeated dosing with pimozide (PMZ) or clozapine (CLZ) can distinguish these two drugs. In the present study, the effects of PMZ (1 mg/kg) and CLZ (10 mg/kg) on response rate and response duration in rats lever pressing for food reward under a fixed-ratio 30 (FR-30) operant schedule were examined. PMZ suppressed response rates across all 10 days of drug dosing; CLZ produced an initial response rate decrease, with partial recovery (50%) occuring within the 10 day period. Similarly, PMZ produced an increase in response duration that persisted into the postdrug vehicle-injection period, while CLZ did not significantly change response duration. The prolonged suppression of FR responding produced by PMZ is similar to the lack of tolerance to this drug in other types of operant schedules. In contrast, CLZ's effects on response rate are schedule dependent. These results suggest that changes in response duration with repeated dosing may more reliably differentiate typical and atypical neuroleptics than do changes in response rate under FR schedules.
Stabilization of calcium uptake in rat rod outer segments by taurine and ATP.

Calcium ion (Ca2+) uptake was measured in rod outer segments (ROS) isolated from rat retina in the presence of varying concentrations of CaCl2 in the incubation buffer (1.0–2.5 mM). It is known that taurine increases Ca2+ uptake in rat ROS in the presence of ATP and at low concentrations of CaCl2 (Lombardini, 1985a); taurine produces no significant effects when CaCl2 concentrations are increased to 1.0 and 2.5 mM. With the removal of both taurine and ATP, Ca2+ uptake in rat ROS increased significantly in the presence of 2.5 mM CaCl2. Taurine treatment in the absence of ATP was effective in decreasing Ca2+ uptake at the higher levels of CaCl2 (2.0 and 2.5 mM). Similar effects were observed with ATP treatment. The data suggest that taurine and ATP, alone or in combination, limit the capacity of the rat ROS to take up Ca2+ to the extent that a stable uptake level is achieved under conditions of increasing extracellular Ca2+, indicating a protective role for both agents against calcium toxicity.
An Environmentally Aware, Intelligently Controlled System for Power Efficient Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper examines the advantages of applying an ANN (artificial neural network) and other machine learning techniques to a battery-powered WSN (wireless sensor network) with the goal of extending network deployment lifetime. Preliminary experimental results have shown that through the use of these techniques that it is possible to achieve network lifetime extensions of several orders-of-magnitude versus always-on systems. (All experimental results were obtained by observing the power consumption of a "live" sensor network deployed using MotelV TelosB sensors in a laboratory environment.).
Signal parameter estimation and localization via maximum likelihood using a sensor array in the presence of Levy noise

In this work we investigate an alternative to the stochastic Gaussian Maximum Likelihood (ML) method that deals with sub-Gaussian signals. The proposed system is one where the sources are stochastic and Gaussian, and the transfer medium is varying in a highly impulsive manner, introducing the sub-Gaussian nature at the receiver. Alternatively, the impulsive transformation to the signals can be viewed as part of the source model, creating a multivariate source signal whose components cannot be independent and is of impulsiveness equal to the one of the Cauchy distribution. The Levy /spl alpha/-stable distribution, of characteristic exponent 0.5 and index of symmetry 1, is used together with the multivariate Gaussian density to model the signal, and the resulting probability density function is derived. Based on this density, the stochastic ML estimator is formulated. A separable solution of the estimator is given, and simulations demonstrating the performance gains relative to the Gaussian-based ML estimator are provided.
Social protection in Chile: Reforms to improve equity

. At the beginning of the 1980s, Chile pioneered the implementation in Latin America of structural reforms that fully or partially privatized pensions, health-care and social assistance systems. Implemented without prior social dialogue, these reforms – which subsequently influenced similar reforms in other countries of the region and elsewhere – led to reduced social solidarity and equity and intensified poverty and inequality. Over the past 18 years, however, democratic governments have corrected many design faults in the original reforms. The author examines the progress achieved and areas of persistent social inequality in terms of coverage, gender balance and funding, and identifies future challenges.
Lack of effects of GHB precursors GBL and 1,4‐BD following i.c.v. administration in rats

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is used therapeutically and recreationally worldwide. Since the scheduling of GHB by the USA and the United Nations in 2000-2001, the recreational use of GHB precursors has reportedly increased. The aim of this study was to examine if potency differences of GHB and GHB-like compounds are due to their blood-brain barrier permeability. The effects of peripheral and central administration of GHB, GHB precursors gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD), and the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)(B) receptor agonist baclofen on schedule-controlled responding were examined in rats. GHB and baclofen were 276- and 253-fold more potent, respectively, after intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration than after intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration, whereas GBL and 1,4-BD, up to a dose of 1780 microg were without effect after i.c.v. administration. These data suggest that GBL and 1,4-BD are not metabolically converted to GHB in the brain, that enhanced brain penetration cannot account for potency differences between compounds, and that baclofen, like GHB, can readily cross the blood-brain barrier.
Laparoscopic vs percutaneous cryoablation for the small renal mass: 15-year experience at a single center.

Objective To analyze our 15-year experience with small renal masses ablation and present oncologic and functional outcomes of laparoscopic cryoablation (LCA) and percutaneous cryoablation (PCA). Materials and Methods We identified patients who underwent LCA (n = 275) or PCA (n = 137) for small renal masses between 1997 and 2012. Differences in overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were analyzed using a log-rank test. Cox proportional hazard ratios model was used to determine factors that predicted OS. Fit proportional hazard risk ratios were also calculated to determine if there were any factors that affected tumor recurrence. Results Tumor sizes were equal between the 2 groups; however, tumors in the PCA group were more complex. The overall (7.27% and 7.29%) and major complications (0.7% and 3.6%) were similar. The estimated probability of 5-year OS for LCA and PCA was 89% and 82%, respectively. The estimated probability of the 5-year RFS for LCA and PCA was 79% and 80%, respectively. Heart disease (hazard ratio, 2.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.35-3.41; P = .001) and history of disease recurrence (hazard ratio, 2.49; 95% confidence interval, 1.60-3.86; P = .001; P Conclusion We found no significant difference in OS or RFS at 5 years between the 2 groups. Tumor size and anterior location affected local recurrence rates, and these factors should be taken into consideration when choosing the appropriate treatment plan. RENAL nephrometry score or type of cryoablation was not associated with tumor recurrence.
PRE‐LOGGING LIANA CUTTING REDUCES LIANA REGENERATION IN LOGGING GAPS IN THE EASTERN BRAZILIAN AMAZON

The cutting of all lianas prior to logging is a reduced-impact logging technique that is predicted to reduce liana proliferation in logging gaps. This study compares liana abundance and species composition in gaps created during conventional and reduced-impact logging in a forest of the eastern Brazilian Amazon. Logging treatments were conducted in side-by-side plots. Shortly following logging, 50-m2 plots were located in the approximate centers of four single treefall and four multiple treefall gaps in each logging area. Six years following logging, there were ∼40% fewer climbing lianas in reduced-impact gaps than in conventional logging gaps. In both logging areas multiple-tree gaps had higher liana densities and a higher proportion of lianas recruiting from seed than single tree gaps, where sprouts from cut or fallen lianas were more common. The mean number of liana species encountered per plot did not differ among treatments nor was there any significant difference in species diversity (Fisher's α) be...
Heterogeneity of Times Required for Germination and Outgrowth from Single Spores of Nonproteolytic Clostridium botulinum

Knowledge of the distribution of growth times from individual spores and quantification of this biovariability are important if predictions of growth in food are to be improved, particularly when, as for Clostridium botulinum, growth is likely to initiate from low numbers of spores. In this study we made a novel attempt to determine the distributions of times associated with the various stages of germination and subsequent growth from spores and the relationships between these stages. The time to germination (tgerm), time to emergence (temerg), and times to reach the lengths of one (tC1) and two (tC2) mature cells were quantified for individual spores of nonproteolytic C. botulinum Eklund 17B using phase-contrast microscopy and image analysis. The times to detection for wells inoculated with individual spores were recorded using a Bioscreen C automated turbidity reader and were compatible with the data obtained microscopically. The distributions of times to events during germination and subsequent growth showed considerable variability, and all stages contributed to the overall variability in the lag time. The times for germination (tgerm), emergence (temerg − tgerm), cell maturation (tC1 − temerg), and doubling (tC2 − tC1) were not found to be correlated. Consequently, it was not possible to predict the total duration of the lag phase from information for just one of the stages, such as germination. As the variability in postgermination stages is relatively large, the first spore to germinate will not necessarily be the first spore to produce actively dividing cells and start neurotoxin production. This information can make a substantial contribution to improved predictive modeling and better quantitative microbiological risk assessment.
Production planning for semiconductor manufacturing via simulation optimization

This paper is concerned with production planning in manufacturing, which can be loosely defined as the problem of finding a release plan for jobs that minimizes the total cost (or maximizes the total profit). Production planning is a challenging optimization problem due to the variability in manufacturing systems and uncertainty in future demand, both of which have not been adequately addressed by existing production planning models. To address both these issues, this paper formulates the production planning problem as a simulation-based multi-objective optimization problem, and adapts a genetic algorithm to search for a set of release plans that are near-Pareto optimal. The solutions from the simulation optimization approach can serve as a useful benchmark for existing and new production planning methods.
High-speed clock network sizing optimization based on distributed RC and lossy RLC interconnect models

To achieve path delay balance, instead of making faster paths slower by elongating wires used in most zero skew clock routing methods, we make slower paths faster by the wire sizing. The wire sizing technique is frequently used by IC designers to minimize the clock skew caused by the unbalanced RC delays and transmission line noises. However, manual sizing takes a long time and lacks accurate relationship between the timing and wire widths. This paper formulates the optimal clock sizing problem and proposes a sizing optimization algorithm based on Gauss-Marquardt's least square minimization method. The minimum skew is achieved by this method due to its uphill mechanism of searching the global minimum by selecting a proper Lagrange multiplier dynamically at each iteration. The optimization is guided by the delay calculation based on a distributed RLC interconnect model which takes into the account the nonnegligible inductance in high-speed long interconnects (such as on the substrate of a multichip module). The algorithm and delay model can handle a general clock network including loops such as a clock mesh. For testing examples of equal path length clock trees, this algorithm can further achieve 10/spl times/ skew reduction and 14% path delay reduction after the sizing.
CD133+ Tumor Initiating Cells in a Syngenic Murine Model of Pancreatic Cancer Respond to Minnelide

Purpose: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is the fourth leading cause for cancer-related mortality with a survival rate of less than 5%. Late diagnosis and lack of effective chemotherapeutic regimen contribute to these grim survival statistics. Relapse of any tumor is largely attributed to the presence of tumor-initiating cells (TIC) or cancer stem cells (CSC). These cells are considered as hurdles to cancer therapy as no known chemotherapeutic compound is reported to target them. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop a TIC-targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer. Experimental Design: We isolated CD133 + cells from a spontaneous pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma mouse model and studied both surface expression, molecular markers of pancreatic TICs. We also studied tumor initiation properties by implanting low numbers of CD133 + cells in immune competent mice. Effect of Minnelide, a drug currently under phase I clinical trial, was studied on the tumors derived from the CD133 + cells. Results: Our study showed for the first time that CD133 + population demonstrated all the molecular markers for pancreatic TIC. These cells initiated tumors in immunocompetent mouse models and showed increased expression of prosurvival and proinvasive proteins compared to the CD133 − non-TIC population. Our study further showed that Minnelide was very efficient in downregulating both CD133 − and CD133 + population in the tumors, resulting in a 60% decrease in tumor volume compared with the untreated ones. Conclusion: As Minnelide is currently under phase I clinical trial, its evaluation in reducing tumor burden by decreasing TIC as well as non-TIC population suggests its potential as an effective therapy. Clin Cancer Res; 20(9); 2388–99. ©2014 AACR .
Ecological attributes recorded in stable isotope ratios of arboreal prosimian hair.

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios were measured in hair samples from two species of Galago from Gedi Ruins National Monument in eastern Kenya and from Lepilemur leucopus from Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve in southern Madagascar. Forest structure was generally similar in the two areas but average rainfall was lower in Madagascar. Species average 13C values varied with feeding height in the forest canopy and with average rainfall level as expected from reported variation in plant 13C values. G. garnettii, which feeds higher in the forest canopy, had less negative 13C values than G. zanzibaricus, which spends more time below 5 m. L. leucopus, from a drought-afflicted forest, had less negative hair 13C values than the two galago species. The values within the Lepilemur sample showed a positive linear relation with percent dependence on a CAM tree species and with xeric conditions within the species reserve. Nitrogen stable isotope ratios varied with trophic level of feeding and with time spent feeding on leguminous plants. The insectivorous galagos had significantly more positive 15N values than the folivorous L. leucopus. Within the Lepilemur sample, 15N values varied inversely with the percent of feeding time spent on leguminous plants. The range of 15N and 13C values in each of the prosimian species is larger than reported for animals fed monotonous diets and for New World monkey species. The monkey species feed as groups of individuals whereas the prosimians have solitary feeding habits. The ranges in the prosimian species apparently reflect the greater variation in diet among individual prosimians compared to individual monkeys. The isotope data reported here are equivalent, on average, to those reported for other arboreal species from similar forest habitats and with similar dietary habits. This supports the use of such data for paleoecological reconstruction of forest and woodland systems and diet reconstruction of extinct primate populations and species.
Variability in Anticoagulation Control Predicts Thromboembolism After Mechanical Cardiac Valve Replacement: A 23-Year Population-Based Study

•Objective To assess optimal control of blood anticoagulation to maximize antithrombotic protection after mechanical cardiac valve replacement. •Design A population-based study of 96 patients with a mean follow-up of 7.7 years (range, 1 month to 23 years) was performed in Olmsted County, Minnesota, and 10,301 prothrombin time (PT) ratios were determined after mechanical heart valve replacement. •Material and Methods: PT ratios were analyzed in a new time-dependent Cox proportional-hazards model by defining an algorithm for comparing variability in PT ratios at each month of follow-up and relating these to thromboembolic events. The new method was compared with several conventional time- independent definitions. •Results: During 740 person-years of follow-up, 19 of 96 patients (20%) had 27 thromboembolic events. Of these 19 patients, 8 (42%) had events within 3 months after valve replacement. Freedom from any thromboembolic event was 72% at 15 years. The event rate was high (7.5% per year) during high variability and low (0.9% per year) during low variability in the PT ratio. This relationship was lost when time dependence was removed. More PT ratios were less than 1.5 during high (27%) than during low (19%) variability. Several conventional definitions of adequacy of anticoagulation that averaged PT ratios before a thromboembolic event or throughout follow-up or that compared the proportion of PT ratios above or below a fixed ratio did not define or only partially defined different thromboembolic risks. •Conclusion: Periods of high and low variability of PT ratios define high and low risk of thromboembolism, respectively.
Single-switch three-level boost converter for PWM dimming LED lighting

In this paper, a novel single-switch three-level (TL) boost converter for PWM dimming LED lighting is presented. Taking the system efficiency and output ripple into consideration, traditional two-level boost LED driver always employs additional active switch in order to deal with the dimming issue. However, the proposed TL boost converter has overcome the dimming control problem with only one switch by utilizing the “synchronous” PWM dimming approah, hence lower the system cost. Moreover, compared with the standard TL boost converter, the proposed topology not only maintains the advantage of using a lower voltage rating power switch that is rated half the output voltage, but also eliminates one active switch and its associated driving circuit. The operating principle and dimming scheme of the proposed TL boost converter is described in detail. A prototype of 11-W dimmable LED driving converter has been implemented to verify the design and analysis. The experimental result shows that single-switch TL boost converter can regulate the LED current from zero to the rated 350mA with fast slew rate. A peak efficiency of 95% was achieved with 400kHz switching frequency.
Whistler side‐band growth due to nonlinear wave‐particle interaction

The distortion caused by a large-amplitude whistler (with wave normal parallel to the static magnetic field) on the energetic-electron velocity distribution of a predominantly cold magnetoplasma is derived analytically. Whistler test waves impressed on the perturbed magnetoplasma and within two narrow bands centered on the frequency of the original wave may experience large consecutive growth at the early stages of the wave-particle interaction if the unperturbed energetic-electron distribution satisfies two specified conditions. The relevance of these whistler side bands to magnetospheric phenomena is assessed; in particular, an identification of the onset of artificially stimulated emissions with the creation of whistler side bands gives good agreement with observations.
Malthus's General Theory of Employment and the Post-Napoleonic Depressions

Perhaps in no other stage in history has a rapidly changing pattern of economic life raised so many acutely disturbing economic problems as it did in England during the last decade of the eighteenth and the first few decades of the nineteenth century, even as there have been few periods in which the body of economic thought has been more enriched. The era that included the Napoleonic Wars (1793–1814) and the postwar period witnessed such historic events as the suspension of specie payments by the Bank of England, modification of the corn laws, industrial depression, widespread introduction of machine technology, and the Luddite riots. Little wonder that the brilliant minds of Malthus, Ricardo, James Mill, Bentham, and many others were stimulated by the troublesome issues of the day.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: Role of aneuploidy in cellular adaptation and cancer

When cells in our body change their genome and develop into cancer, we blame it on genome instability. When novel species conquer inhospitable environments, we credit it to genome evolution. From a cellular perspective, however, both processes are outcomes of the same fundamental biological properties-genome and pathway plasticity and the natural selection of cells that escape death and acquire growth advantages. Unraveling the consequences of genome plasticity at a cellular level is not only central to the understanding of species evolution but also crucial to deciphering important cell biological problems, such as how cancer cells emerge and how pathogens develop drug resistance. Aside from the well-known role of DNA sequence mutations, recent evidence suggests that changes in DNA copy numbers in the form of segmental or whole-chromosome aneuploidy can bring about large phenotypic variation. Although usually detrimental under conditions suitable for normal proliferation of euploid cells, aneuploidization may be a frequently occurring genetic change that enables pathogens or cancer cells to escape physiological or pharmacological roadblocks.
Household Leverage and the Recession

A salient feature of the recent recession is that regions that have experienced the largest changes in household leverage have also experienced the largest declines in output and employment. We study a cash-in-advance economy in which home equity borrowing, alongside public money, is used to conduct transactions. Declines in home prices tighten the cash-in-advance constraint, triggering recessions. We parameterize the model to match the key cross-sectional features of the data. The model implies that real activity is very sensitive to liquidity shocks, but not to credit shocks, and that monetary policy can significantly reduce the severity of credit-driven recessions.
Rethinking Biosafety in Research on Potential Pandemic Pathogens

If accidentally released, mammalian-transmissible influenza A/H5N1 viruses could pose a greater threat to public health than possibly any other infectious agent currently under study in laboratories, because of such viruses' likely combination of transmissibility and virulence to humans. We advocate explicit risk-benefit assessments before work on such pathogens is permitted or funded, improvement of biosafety practices and enforcement, and harmonization of criteria for permitting such experimentsacrossgovernmentagencies,aswellasinternationally.Suchpotentialpandemicpathogens,astheyhavebeencalled,jeop- ardizenotonlylaboratoryworkersandtheircontacts,butalsothewiderpopulation,whoshouldbeinvolvedinassessmentsofwhen suchrisksareacceptableintheserviceofscientificknowledgethatmayitselfbearmajorpublichealthbenefits. M ammalian-transmissible, highly virulent influenza viruses pose a threat to human health and life much greater than that posed by most pathogens classified as biosafety level 3 and 4 (BSL-3 and BSL-4) agents. Therefore, any activity that creates even a small risk of releasing such viruses deserves exceptional scrutiny. The magnitude of public health risk from an accidental
Using Limited Dependence Sequential Expansion for Decompressing Test Vectors

Existing techniques that incorporate decompressor constraints in the ATPG search/backtrace (e.g., Illinois scan) are based on combinational expansion in which each scan slice must be encoded using only the free-variables arriving form the tester in the current clock cycle. Sequential expansion is more powerful as it allows free-variables across multiple clock cycles to be used, however conventional approaches for sequential expansion that are based on linear finite state machines (LFSRs) and ring generators are not ameniable to including the constraints in the ATPG backtrace because the constraints are too complex. This paper investigates the use of limited dependence sequential expansion to combine the benefits of sequential decompression with the benefits of incorporating the decompressor constraints in the ATPG backtrace. Analytical and experimental results are presented showing the benefits of the proposed approach.
The Effect of Liver Disease on the Rate of Ethanol Metabolism in Man

Summary 1.The rate of metabolism of ethanol was measured in 10 persons without liver disease and in 21 patients with advanced alcoholic cirrhosis. Only those patients with the most advanced liver disease, as indicated by the presence of jaundice, exhibited a significantly reduced rate. The cirrhotic patients without jaundice metabolized ethanol normally, although they had clinical and laboratory evidence of serious liver disease. 2.There was no evidence that either ascites or portacaval anastomosis affected the rate of ethanol metabolism. 3.The ethanol space was found to be equivalent to the body water compartment.
Relational Engagement in Heterosexual Couple Therapy: Helping Men Move from “I” to “We”

Couple therapists often struggle with equally engaging heterosexual partners. In this chapter, we focus on male relational engagement; that is, the ability to demonstrate commitment to one’s relationships and actively participate in the therapeutic process through exploring, acknowledging, and intentionally attending to their female partner’s experiences. This contrasts with a common pattern of men tending to focus primarily on their own issues and experiences in session. Using grounded theory, we studied 28 videotaped therapy sessions with 11 heterosexual couples that reported high levels of distress as well as male partner relational disengagement. Therapy was conducted by nine therapists applying Socio-Emotional Relationship Therapy (SERT). We found five therapist interventions that consistently worked together to rebalance power in the relationship by influencing the disengaged male’s ability to relationally engage with his partner: (1) attend to male’s sociocultural context, (2) validate male’s relational intent, followed immediately with, (3) highlight the impact of male’s behavior on the female partner, (4) punctuate alternative relational interactions, and (5) persistently demonstrate therapist leadership. Case examples illustrate how to generate male relational engagement and enhance shared relational responsibility.
The Impact of Expectations on Teaching and Learning

Law schools are in a crisis of confidence in the abilities and motivations of their students. Conferences on law school teaching feature presentations such as "The Challenges of Connecting with 21st Century Students." Journal articles lament "The Happy Charade" that constitutes the learning and motivation of law students today. Professor Maranville of the Association of American Law Schools ("AALS") Section on Teaching Methods summarized these sentiments: "Many law students are so bored by the second year that their attendance, preparation, and participation decline precipitously; by graduation they have lost much of the passion for justice and the enthusiasm for helping other people that were their strongest initial motivations for wanting to become lawyers. And even in the first year, when most students remain engaged, many fail to learn even the black-letter law at a level that faculty consider satisfactory." Proposed solutions to these widespread concerns often focus on changing curriculum, teaching methods, or materials. To improve learning in law schools, however, faculty may need a change of mind. A basic principle of good teaching is that of maintaining high expectations: "Expect more and you will get [more]." Nearly a century of research has established that teachers' expectations of their students can become self-fulfilling prophecies: high expectations are correlated with high achievement, low expectations with low achievement. Moreover, once expectations are established, they tend to be self-sustaining for both students and teachers. This Article explores the research on expectation effects in education and offers suggestions for putting the research into practice. This Article also suggests that faculty can improve legal education by critically examining their assumptions and attitudes. Finally, this Article addresses high-expectation teaching methodologies. The Article concludes by addressing concerns about institutional resistance to raising expectations. The conclusion addresses the role of student expectations and teacher evaluations, along with suggestions for addressing the emotional dimensions of teaching and learning.
Transparency, Protest, and Autocratic Instability

The collapse of autocratic regimes is often brought about through large-scale mobilization and collective action by elements of the populace. The willingness of any given member of the public to participate in actions such as strikes and protests is contingent upon her beliefs about others’ willingness to similarly mobilize. In this article, we examine the effect of a specific form of transparency—the disclosure of economic data by the government—on citizen belief formation, and consequently on collective mobilization. We present a theoretical model in which, under autocratic rule, transparency increases the frequency of protests, and increases the extent to which protest is correlated with incumbent performance. We find empirical support for these claims. Transparency destabilizes autocracies via mass protest.
The Impact of Financial Integration on Investment and External Financing

This paper presents a two-country model of investment and external financing that incorporates heterogeneous firms into general equilibrium. The model is solved in closed form and shows that financial integration leads to: (i) a change in the portfolio allocation of the investors yielding better risk-diversification; (ii) an increase in aggregate investment; (iii) a reorganization of the real economy with an increase of investment for the most productive firms (through domestic and foreign external financing) and the exit of the least productive ones; (iv) a change in the financing patterns with an increase (resp. a decrease) of the share of market finance in total external finance in the industries with increasing (resp. decreasing) returns to scale in production.
Establishing a focus in sport psychology within a clinical psychology doctoral program: Reflections from a pilot year

ABSTRACTSport psychology consultation and clinical psychology practice are becoming increasingly related, which necessitates the creation of applied sport psychology training opportunities for clinical psychology graduate students. Recent education and training guidelines in professional psychology identify sport psychology as an APA proficiency that can be integrated as a “focus” in graduate training programs. This article discusses an inaugural year of an applied sport psychology training opportunity within a university's athletic department, including a detailed description of the experience and an evaluation of services. This article seeks to provide guidance for training programs interested in establishing a focus in sport psychology.
An Efficient Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Coenzyme A and Its Disulfide

We have developed a chemoenzymatic route to coenzyme A (CoASH) and its disulfide that is amenable to gram-scale synthesis using standard laboratory equipment. By synthesizing the symmetrical disulfide of pantetheine (pantethine), we avoided the need to mask the reactive sulfhydryl and also prevented sulfur oxidation byproducts. No chromatography is required in our synthetic route to pantethine, which facilitates scale-up. Furthermore, we discovered that all three enzymes of the CoASH salvage pathway (pantetheine kinase, phosphopantetheine adenyltransferase, and dephospho-coenzyme A kinase) accept the disulfide of the natural substrates and functionalize both ends of the molecules. This yields CoA disulfide as the product of the enzymatic cascade, a much more stable form of the cofactor. Free CoASH can be prepared by in situ S–S reduction.
Concomitant adrenal hormonal stress responses are required for cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization

Aims: Cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization is a robust increase in locomotion to a standardized dose of cocaine. The associated neuronal changes that underlie increased behavioral sensitization involve addiction-related plasticity. Strong evidence suggests that the systemic stress response is involved in establishing addiction-related behaviors. We previously reported that the systemic adrenal response is required for escalation of addictionrelated behaviors and that glucocorticoids in particular play a role in facilitating long termneural adaptions that result in these behaviors. Here we examine whether increased levels of the adrenal hormones, corticosterone (cort) and epinephrine (epi), either alone or in concert, are required for establishing locomotor sensitization to cocaine. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent surgical adrenalectomy (ADX) with basal cort replacement and were administered cocaine for 10 days. On days 1 and 10 locomotor sensitization was tested by administration of 15mg/kg, ip cocaine, while sensitization was induced on days 2–9 by administering a high dose of cocaine (30mg/kg, ip×8 days). To test the role of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in induction of sensitization, the GR antagonist, RU 486 (12.5mg/kg, sc) was administered prior to cocaine administration. To test whether replacement of the adrenal-secreted stress hormones would rescue sensitization in ADX rats, we replaced normal cort (2mg/kg) and/or epi (0.01mg/kg) during cocaine administration. Results: The induction of sensitization was reduced in rats with ADXor pretreatedwith RU486. In ADX rats, replacement using cort or epi alone did not recover locomotor sensitization but did rescue sensitization when co-administered. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that coordinated systemic stress signaling from the adrenal gland during cocaine administration is required for cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization and may play a role establishing addiction-related neuroplasticity with chronic cocaine use. Financial support:DA015758 to JRMandDiversity Supplement to DFP.