cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Glucocorticoid Dose on Protein Catabolism After Renal Transplantation

Protein catabolic rate (PCR) and protein balance were measured daily by computerized mass balance studies in 20 subjects during hospitalization after renal transplantation. All hospital courses were uncomplicated. Ten subjects received approximately 1 mg/kg/day prednisone, and ten subjects received 3-5 mg/kg/day prednisone on day 1 with a tapering dose to approximately 1 mg/kg/day by discharge. In both groups, PCR rose during the first 3-4 postoperative days then stabilized at an accelerated level. PCR was significantly greater in the higher prednisone group. Despite encouragement most subjects ate less protein than prescribed, and most were in negative protein balance. Mean daily and net protein deficits were more severe in the higher prednisone group. Higher protein intakes improved protein balance. The protein catabolic effects of the two regimens have been defined and a dose dependency demonstrated. In any therapeutic situation the use of the minimum effective dose of steroids seem advised, and high protein intake should be encouraged to improve protein balance. Some steroid morbidity might thus be avoided.
Effective elastic properties of solids with two-dimensional inclusions of irregular shapes

Abstract A computational procedure to calculate the contribution of irregularly shaped inclusions into the effective moduli of two-dimensional elastic solids is proposed. This procedure is based on the analysis of a representative volume element subjected to a prescribed macrostress. For each type of inclusion, the compliance contribution tensor is constructed using a combination of Kolosov–Muskhelishvili complex variable technique and numerical conformal mapping. Application of this procedure to regularly shaped inhomogeneities produces results that are in good correspondence with analytical predictions. The effective properties are first derived in the approximation of non-interacting inclusions. Then, several first-order micromechanical models for interacting inclusions are considered.
Slow and fast dynamics of a natural gas hydrogen reformer

Abstract It has been known for some time that fuel cells operate in multiple time scales due to phenomena of different nature that govern their dynamics (electrical, chemical, mechanical, electrochemical, thermodynamic). It is expected that multi-time scales will be presented in the hydrogen gas reformer (produces hydrogen from hydrogen rich fuels) due to its complex chemical and physical nature. In this paper, we show how to present a linearized hydrogen gas reformer dynamic model in the coordinates in which slow and fast variables are explicitly defined and exactly separated. This result is important in its own right to get a better understanding of slow and fast dynamics of particular variables, study their interactions, and as well for designing reduced-order controllers and estimators for the hydrogen gas reformer that will independently operate in different time scales.
Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer Prevention: The Postgenomic Era

The genomic era of human nutrition is upon us: the human genome and several plant genomes have been characterized, and genetically modified foods are now abundantly available in the marketplace. The link between diet and cancer is well established, and new genomic technologies have made possible the investigation of nutritional modulation of the carcinogenesis pathway with nutrients, micronutrients, and phytochemicals. Current study of nutrient-modulated carcinogenesis involves exploring the effect of nutrients on DNA damage and repair mechanisms; DNA methylation, which influences gene expression and cellular phenotypes; antioxidant rearranging and oxidative stress; target receptors and signal transduction pathways; cell cycle controls and check points; apoptosis; and antiangiogenic processes. With nutritional genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, scientists are able to simultaneously elucidate the biological effects of dietary constituents on cell function and global gene expression. This generation of new knowledge on nutrient-gene interactions provides the justification for a research framework for diet and cancer prevention that is focused on identifying and developing new biomarkers as well as a novel and contemporary paradigm for dietary intervention.
Detection and Imaging of Supported Catalyst Particles

In this short review we contrast and compare the relative merits of three imaging techniques in the CTEM and STEM, for detecting subnanometer size catalyst clusters. It is shown that incoherent dark field signals, such as those obtained by hollow-cone illumination in the CTEM, and the annular detector in the STEM, are significantly more sensitive to subnanometer size clusters than the bright field signal. Sensitivity to clusters of high atomic number increases as the illumination (or detector) semi-angle increases, although at the expense of decreased signal-to-noise. The STEM annular detector signal offers advantages over the CTEM hollow-cone signal in this respect since it has a higher electron collection efficiency. A further advantage of the STEM is that image contrasts may be enhanced by electronically combining the annular detector signal with the axial energy loss signal. This ratio method, or Z contrast technique, has been used with success to detect single Pt atoms on thin low atomic number supports.
Effect of Inhomogeneities on the Apparent Location and Magnitude of a Cardiac Current Dipole Source

A mathematical model was used to investigate the effects of electrical inhomogeneities introduced by the intracavitary blood mass and the lungs on the apparent location and magnitude of a current dipole source representing local activity in the myocardium. Radial and tangential current source moments were considered, and lung conductivity was taken as a variable parameter. Both the blood mass and the lungs cause a current source to appear closer to the heart center than it actually is. The effect increases as the source moves away from the endocardial surface, and maximum displacement is estimated to be of the order of 1 cm. The net effect of the inhomogeneities is to increase the magnitude of the radial component of a source dipole while diminishing its tangential component. These effects depend on source location.
An Intragenic Suppressor of the Arabidopsis Floral Organ Identity Mutant apetala3-1 Functions by Suppressing Defects in Splicing

The Arabidopsis floral organ identity gene APETALA3 ( AP3 ) specifies the identity of petals and stamens in the flower. In flowers mutant for the temperature-sensitive ap3-1 allele, the petals and stamens are partially converted to sepals and carpels, respectively. ap3-1 contains a single nucleotide change in the AP3 gene that alters both an amino acid in the AP3 protein and the 5′ splice consensus site for intron 5. Surprisingly, the Ap3-1 mutant phenotype is not due to the missense mutation but instead is due to defects in splicing; specifically, exon 5 is frequently skipped by the splicing machinery at the restrictive temperature. In a screen for suppressors of ap3-1 , we isolated an intragenic suppressor, ap3-11 , that functions to suppress the splicing defects of ap3-1. Using a reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction assay, we demonstrate that the percentage of full-length exon 5–containing AP3 RNAs correlates with the phenotype of the flowers in both ap3-1 and ap3-11. Rather surprisingly, the ap3-11 suppressor mutation is located in intron 4. One model explaining the function of ap3-11 is that the ap3-11 suppressor creates a novel branch point sequence that causes exon 5 to be more frequently recognized by the splicing machinery. The identification of such a suppressor strongly suggests that exon-scanning models of intron–exon recognition are operative in plants.
Choosing the Right Media for Mobilization: Issue Advocacy Groups' Media Niches in the Competitive Media Environment

Issue advocacy groups play a central role in today's political system, and the choices they make concerning media and communication have lately been a scholarly concern. This study investigates how issue advocacy groups choose media and communication technologies from the perspective of uses and gratifications approach and the niche theory. Drawing upon a national telephone survey of 209 randomly chosen advocacy groups in the United States, the findings suggest that new communication technologies (including e-mail and websites) are perceived to be competitively superior to traditional media and provide more gratifications when it comes to extending public mobilization. Grassroots-oriented advocacy groups in particular more actively utilize new technologies in public mobilization than do professional associations.
Propagation prediction software for wireless communication system optimization

Propagation prediction software for wireless communications is developed based on efficient ray-tracing simulation. The software has a friendly graphical user interface (GUI) and provides calculations for propagation parameters including path loss, delay spread, and angles of arrival/departure. Users can upload AutoCAD files of indoor or outdoor environments and assign wall geometries and electrical parameters easily. User defined radiation patterns can also be incorporated in the simulation. The software provides colored graphs for the simulated results.
Additive Manufacturing Based on Multiple Calibrated Projectors and Its Mask Image Planning

Additive manufacturing (AM) processes based on mask image projection such as digital micro-mirror devices (DMD) have the potential to be fast and inexpensive. More and more research and commercial systems have been developed based on such digital devices. However, a digital micro-mirror device such as a digital light processing (DLP) projector has limited accuracy and resolution. Based on the principle of pixel blending, we present a novel AM process by using multiple DMDs to significantly improve the accuracy and resolution of built components. In order to achieve the desired pixel blending result for a given layer, it is critical to plan the mask images that will be used by the multiple projectors. In addition, the mask image planning needs to compensate the calibrated light intensity in a projection image that is usually non-uniform and non-linear. We present a general optimized pixel blending method based on direct discrete search (DDS). Its mathematic model and computing method for the mask image planning are presented. Various test cases have been performed to verify its effectiveness and efficiency.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Status quo framing increases support for torture

Does describing torture by America’s agents as a longstanding practice—part of the status quo—increase people’s acceptance of the practice? A representative sample of U.S. adults, randomly assigned to conditions in which these practices were described as new or as having been used for more than 40 years, read about the use of torture in questioning of detainees. Torture described as a longstanding practice had more support and was seen as more effective and justifiable than the same torture described as new. Characterization of practices as longstanding—even if unpopular or disgraceful—enhances their support and increases their perceived justification.
Aggregate Social Discount Rate Derived from Individual Discount Rates

In the economic evaluation of large public-sector projects, an aggregate social discount rate may be used in present worth comparison of alternatives. This paper uses the assumptions that individual discount rates are constant over time and approximately Normally distributed across the affected population, with mean µ and variance I2, to derive an aggregate discount function that is exponential in form but with time-dependent aggregate discount rate It = µ-I2t/2, where t is the time of occurrence of the cost or benefit. This equation agrees with numerical simulations. If I2 > 0, then the aggregate discount rate is less than the mean individual discount rate, and use of the time-dependent aggregate discount rate It = µ-I2t/2 instead of the constant discount factor It = µ would result in larger discounted present values for public-sector projects for which the benefits lie far in the future. This could mean that public-sector investments that would be rejected under the assumption It = µ might be justified using the time-dependent aggregate discount rate It = µ-I2t/2.
A fresh look at optimal subcarrier allocation in OFDMA systems

This paper considers the issue of optimal subcarrier allocation in OFDMA. We show, via a counter example, that water-filling based subcarrier allocation policies, contrary to conventional wisdom, fail to provide rate-stability for an otherwise stabilizable OFDMA system. Water-filling is too myopic when considering long-time average performance, e.g. delay, queue lengths, and even long-run throughput. This is because such policies ignore variable state (queue length) information, while, in fact, such an information is necessary to guarantee rate stability and/or to minimize average delay. In this paper, we identify an optimal non-idling policy which balances the queue lengths, when the channel follows an ON/OFF model. In such case, we show that such a policy achieves the minimum average holding cost (mean response time) at any time.
Santeria in Cuban National Consciousness: A Religious Case of the Doble Moral

Este ensayo describe como en la Cuba contemporanea, la religion llamada Santeria, ha sido constituida como resultado de la interaccion de multiples conceptos, como una practica sacra, una forma del folklore, o una supersticion. Estas interpretaciones opues tas surgen de distintas posiciones metaculturales o evaluaciones que se basan en concep tos distintos de la cubanidad y que corresponden a diferentes opiniones sobre el papel de las expresiones de la cultura afrocubana, en la historia de Cuba. Por ejemplo, el folk lore apoyado por el Estado, ha introducido la Santeria en la conciencia historica nacional, como parte de una herencia afrocubana y ha abierto oportunidades interna cionales al santurismo. No obstante, muchos cubanos guardan actitudes de desconianza hacia la religion afrocubana que tiene una larga historia de criminalizacion, y ha sido considerada por algunos como contraria al progreso social moderno. Examino aqui, como los practicantes de la Santeria, llamados santeros, se han encontrado en varias encrucijadas producidas por un lado por las presiones de las interpretaciones seculares de la religion, y por otra parte, por las propias movilizaciones de las distintas posiciones metaculturales hacia su religion
Electrostatic control of half-site spacing preferences by the cyclic AMP response element-binding protein CREB.

Basic region leucine zipper (bZIP) proteins represent a class of transcription factors that bind DNA using a simple, dimeric, α-helical recognition motif. The cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) is a member of the CREB/ATF subfamily of bZIP proteins. CREB discriminates effectively in vivo and in vitro between the 10 bp cAMP response element (ATGACGTCAT, CRE) and the 9 bp activating protein 1 site (ATGACTCAT, AP-1). Here we describe an alanine scanning mutagenesis study designed to identify those residues within the CREB bZIP element that control CRE/AP-1 specificity. We find that the preference of CREB for the CRE site is controlled in a positive and negative way by acidic and basic residues in the basic, spacer and zipper segments. The CRE/AP-1 specificity of CREB is increased significantly by four glutamic acid residues located at positions 24, 28, 35 and 41; glutamic acid residues at positions 10 and 48 contribute in a more modest way. Specificity is decreased significantly by two basic residues located at positions 21 and 23; basic residues at positions 14, 18, 33 and 34 and V17 contribute in a more modest way. All of the residues that influence specificity significantly are located on the solventexposed face of the protein–DNA complex and likely participate in interactions between and among proteins, not between protein and DNA. The finding that the CRE/AP-1 specificity of CREB is dictated by the presence or absence of charged residues has interesting implications for how transcription factors seek and selectively bind sequences within genomic DNA.
Image deblurring and denoising using color priors

Image blur and noise are difficult to avoid in many situations and can often ruin a photograph. We present a novel image deconvolution algorithm that deblurs and denoises an image given a known shift-invariant blur kernel. Our algorithm uses local color statistics derived from the image as a constraint in a unified framework that can be used for deblurring, denoising, and upsampling. A pixel's color is required to be a linear combination of the two most prevalent colors within a neighborhood of the pixel. This two-color prior has two major benefits: it is tuned to the content of the particular image and it serves to decouple edge sharpness from edge strength. Our unified algorithm for deblurring and denoising out-performs previous methods that are specialized for these individual applications. We demonstrate this with both qualitative results and extensive quantitative comparisons that show that we can out-perform previous methods by approximately 1 to 3 DB.
Observatory Middleware Framework (OMF)

Large observatory projects (such as the Large Synoptic Sky Telescope (LSST), the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), and the Water and Environmental Research System (WATERS)) are poised to provide independent, national-scale in-situ and remote sensing cyberinfrastructures to gather and publish “community”-sensed data and generate synthesized products for their respective research communities. However, because a common observatory management middleware does not yet exist, each is building its own customized mechanism to generate and publish both derived and raw data to its own constituents, resulting in inefficiency and unnecessary redundancy of effort, as well as proving problematic for the efficient aggregation of sensor data from different observatories. The Observatory Middleware Framework (OMF) presented here is a prototype of a generalized middleware framework intended to reduce duplication of functionality across observatories. OMF is currently being validated through a series of bench tests and through pilot implementations to be deployed on the Monterey Ocean Observing System (MOOS) and Monterey Accelerated Research System (MARS) observatories, culminating in a demonstration of a multi-observatory use case scenario. While our current efforts are in collaboration with the ocean research community, we look for opportunities to pilot test capabilities in other observatory domains.
Glutamine transporters in mammalian cells and their functions in physiology and cancer.

Abstract The SLC (solute carrier)-type transporters (~ 400 in number) in mammalian cells consist of 52 distinct gene families, grouped solely based on the amino acid sequence (primary structure) of the transporter proteins and not on their transport function. Among them are the transporters for amino acids. Fourteen of them, capable of transporting glutamine across the plasma membrane, are found in four families: SLC1, SLC6, SLC7, and SLC38. However, it is generally thought that the members of the SLC38 family are the principal transporters for glutamine. Some of the glutamine transporters are obligatory exchangers whereas some function as active transporters in one direction. While most glutamine transporters mediate the influx of the amino acid into cells, some actually mediate the efflux of the amino acid out of the cells. Glutamine transporters play important roles in a variety of tissues, including the liver, brain, kidney, and placenta, as clearly evident from the biological and biochemical phenotypes resulting from the deletion of specific glutamine transporters in mice. Owing to the obligatory role of glutamine in growth and proliferation of tumor cells, there is increasing attention on glutamine transporters in cancer biology as potential drug targets for cancer treatment. Selective blockers of certain glutamine transporters might be effective in preventing the entry of glutamine and other important amino acids into tumor cells, thus essentially starving these cells to death. This could represent the beginning of a new era in the discovery of novel anticancer drugs with a previously unexplored mode of action. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Mitochondrial Channels edited by Pierre Sonveaux, Pierre Maechler and Jean-Claude Martinou.
Salesperson Perceptions of Equity and Justice and Their Impact on Organizational Commitment and Intent to Turnover

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role that perceptions of equity and justice play in sales force commitment to the organization and intent to turnover. The sample chosen for the present analysis were outside salespeople. Results indicated that facets of both internal and external equity were significant factors in explaining organizational commitment and intent to turnover. And, contrary to previous fmdings (Folger and Konovsky and 1989; McFarlin and Sweeney 1992 and others), distributive justice was more important to organizational commitment and intent to turnover than procedural justice. The above findings have important implications for sales force management and future research endeavors.
Lobulated margination of liver hemangiomas: Is this a definitive feature?

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the occurrence rate of lobulated margination of hepatic hemangiomas. Methods The study population included 585 hemangiomas in 261 patients (161 females; mean age: 51.9 years). Two readers independently reviewed all cases. Results Hemangiomas with lobulated margins accounted for 74.7% of all lesions. The incidence of lobulated margins was significantly higher ( P P Conclusion Virtually, all hemangiomas > 18 mm show lobulated margins. The majority of hemangiomas with type-3 enhancement show lobulated margins. Lack of lobulated margins in larger lesions lowers the likelihood ratio for being hemangiomas.
Small End Restraint Effects on Strength of H-columns

A parametric study of the strength and behaviour of an axially loaded wide-flange steel column is investigated from the viewpoint of a beam column analysis using the approximate deflection method and the bi-linear fitting for test data of moment rotation relationships of beam-to-column connections and taking into consideration the effects of residual stresses, geometric imperfections and small end restraints. A computer program is developed to obtain the numerical results, from which effective length decreasing factor and maximum load increasing factor are proposed. The validity of the computer model is demonstrated by comparison with the results of a test on an actual column.
Breeding Ecology of the Hawaii Common Amakihi

The ecology and breeding biology of the Common Amakihi (Hemignathus virens) was studied on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, from 1970 through 1981. Common Amakihi retained mates for more than one season and returned each year to the same area to breed. There was an excess of unmated males in the population. First-year birds were rarely successful in their initial breeding attempt. The species had a protracted breeding season, with nests found in every month of the year except August through October. However, the most intensive breeding occurred from March to May, that period of greatest mamane (Sophora chrysophylla) flowering. Ritualized courtship in the Common Amakihi included high altitude and low altitude chases. Territories encompassed the nest site and all food resources, and was a fixed location that often had the same boundaries in succeeding years. The size and location of territories were related to available food resources. Nests were statant, open cupped, with mamane trees the preferred nesting substrate. Clutch size averaged 2.5 eggs and varied between years such that, in a year of low food availability, birds with smaller clutch sizes fledged more young than did those with larger clutches. Incubation period was 14 days and clutches hatched asynchronously. Difference in nestling sizes resulted in brood reduction through elimination of the smallest individual in years of decreased food supply. The nestling period averaged 17 days and young usually fledged synchronously. Both parents fed the young but only the female incubated and brooded. Based on 150 nests with complete records, hatching success was 53.5%, fledging success was 64.9%, and overall reproductive success was 34.7%. The major mortality factor during the breeding cycle was nest desertion by the adults. There were six major factors which influenced productivity on Mauna Kea. The two most important were length of the breeding season and clutch size. Other factors were territoriality, hatching sequence, nestling growth rates, and nestling mortality.
Evaluation of donor and steric properties of anionic ligands on high valent transition metals

Synthetic protocols and characterization data for a variety of chromium(VI) nitrido compounds of the general formula NCr(NPri2)2X are reported, where X = NPri2 (1), I (2), Cl (3), Br (4), OTf (5), ...
STOMATAL PATTERNS IN EMBRYOPHYTES: THEIR EVOLUTION, ONTOGENY AND INTERPRETATION

The history of study and nomenclature of stomatal concepts has not yet led to full elucidation of cell pattern significance for higher plants. In this paper, a new ontogenetic system of classification is introduced that makes primary subdivision on the basis of the mode of division of the guard mother cell (GMC) with respect to the wall which cuts it from the meristemoid: diameristic, at right angles; parameristic, parallel to; and anomomeristic, without special orientation to the preceding wall. These are further subdivided on the basis of ontogeny and number of the surrounding cells. The biology of stomata is discussed as it relates to cell patterning, and fundamental ties are pointed out between stomatal configurations and epidermal ontogeny, especially with regard to whether development is rectate, proceeding in a wave from an intercalary or marginal meristem, or diffuse, proceeding with continued meristematic activity within the expanding tissue over a long period of time. The concept of perigenous stomata, those in which protodermal cells act directly as GMC's without prior division, is refuted. The primitive stoma of land plant sporophytes is interpreted to be the simplest type of diameristic, mesoperigenous stoma, in which a protodermal meristemoid divides transversely, cutting off a distal GMC which then divides longitudinally to produce the guard cells. This stoma is suggested as the progenitor type for the Angiospermae, and is the primitive type for at least the Monocotyledonae.
Damage caused by dust-exposure and control effectiveness of dust in the biomass power generation plant

Objective To investigate current status of dust hazard in the biomass power generation plant,and put forward rectification measures,so as to provide evidence for the biomass power generation enterprise in dust control and occupational health management.Methods On the basis of the occupational hygiene investigation,the dust concentrations of dust-exposed posts were examined,and the protection effects of dustproof facilities in dust-exposed workplaces were assessed.Results The field investigation found that the dust hazards of the enterprise mainly existed in the fuel delivery system and ash removal system.The field test showed that the dust concentrations of the majority of dust-exposed posts exceeded the occupational exposure limits(OELs),the passing rate was only 53.8% in the dust-exposed posts.Towards the dust-exposed posts exceeding OELs,the enterprise took a series of rectification measures.After the rectification,concentration-time weighted average(CTWA) of dust-exposed posts dropped drastically than that before rectification,and the rectification measures achieved ideal effect.Conclusion The dust hazards from the biomass power generation plant cannot be ignored.Taking appropriate sanitary engineering protective measures,enhancing the awareness of occupational disease prevention among enterprises and improving their occupational health management level are critical points for curbing dust hazards in the biomass power generation enterprises.
Development of On-line Monitoring System for the Insulation Condition of Capacitive-type Substation Equipment

On-line accurate monitoring for capacitive-type equipment insulation is a difficult problem at home and abroad, in order to decrease the interference on site and to improve the measurement precision of system, an on-line monitoring system for capacitive-type equipment insulation is designed. The system adopts a tiered and distributed multi-CPU structure, which is composed of the on-site measuring and processing unit, and data management and diagnosis system in the control room of substation. The on-site measuring and processing unit is based on DSP+FPGA hardware platform. The windows and interpolation algorithm is applied to effectively reduce the influence of asynchronous sampling caused by frequency fluctuation of power system and to increase the precision. On the basis of analyzing the influential factors of on-line monitoring system, some correlative methods for this system are proposed to increase the measurement precision. Based the simulating environments test conducted in the lab, the test results are compared with those by standard dielectric M-8000 loss measurement apparatus, the absolute errors are all less than 0.1%, it is proved that measurement accuracy of this system can meet the demands of on-site monitoring.
Graphic analysis of aggregates of linear and exponential processes

Abstract Certain natural processes may be due to simultaneous operation of many inseparable subunits. Even if each subunit operates in a very simple manner, the aggregate may give a relatively complex curvilinear function if the subunits operate at various rates or intensities. This paper deals with two simple cases of such systems: aggregates comprised of many linear processes, and aggregates comprised of many exponential processes. Graphic techniques are described for estimating mean, standard deviation and general aspect of the frequency distribution or spectrum of processes which could give a particular composite curve.
Maternal-placental-fetal unit: Unique problems of pharmacologic study

The number of drugs to which the fetus is exposed has increased, but the extent of fetal drug exposure is altered by changes in the maternal, placental, and fetal pharmacokinetics during pregnancy. Studies of adverse fetal effects of drugs are difficult, and the conclusions are limited by various aspects of the study design.
Equality in Education Law and Policy, 1954-2010

Educational equality has long been a vital concept in US law and policy. Since Brown v. Board of Education, the concept of educational equality has remained markedly durable and animated major school reform efforts, including desegregation, school finance reform, the education of students with disabilities and English language learners, charter schools, voucher policies, the various iterations of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (including No Child Left Behind) and the 'Stimulus'. Despite such attention, students' educational opportunities have remained persistently unequal as understandings of the goals underlying schooling, fundamental changes in educational governance, and the definition of an equal education have continually shifted. Drawing from law, education policy, history and political science, this book examines how the concept of equality in education law and policy has transformed from Brown through the Stimulus, the major factors influencing this transformation, and the significant problems that school reforms accordingly continue to face.
‘Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird’: Stevens’s Cubist Narrative

A title like ‘Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird’ (1917) invites us away from the world of doing into the world of beholding. Stevens wished to emphasize the contemplation of reality, not reality itself. The blackbird is something of an x factor whose identity changes in relation to the speaker’s mood and context. As the title and insistence on verbs of looking, knowing, and seeing stress, the poem is about what we know and how we know it. Each stanza brings the blackbird into relation with the mind. The speaker is like a surveyor using the blackbird as an instrument to measure the geography of the mind. From the outset, the play on ‘eye’ and T – introduced in the last line of Stanza I and the first line of Stanza II – emphasizes the stress on one person looking. We might think of ‘Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird’ as both a poem and a theory of poetry. As Robert Morris has remarked, ‘From the origins of such terms as “theory” (from theoria – to look at) and “idea” (from idein – to see) to Plato’s metaphor of the cave, the visual is both privileged and concealed in language.’1 Within the poem is a dialogic debate between diverse possibilities of American poetry. Implicity enacted in the poem are the following positions:
Sclerostin expression in skeletal sarcomas

Sclerostin (SOST) is an extracellular Wnt signaling antagonist which negatively regulates bone mass. Despite this, the expression and function of SOST in skeletal tumors remain poorly described. Here, we first describe the immunohistochemical staining pattern of SOST across benign and malignant skeletal tumors with bone or cartilage matrix (n=68 primary tumors). Next, relative SOST expression was compared to markers of Wnt signaling activity and osteogenic differentiation across human osteosarcoma (OS) cell lines (n=7 cell lines examined). Results showed immunohistochemical detection of SOST in most bone-forming tumors (90.2%; 46/51) and all cartilage-forming tumors (100%; 17/17). Among OSs, variable intensity and distribution of SOST expression were observed, which highly correlated with the presence and degree of neoplastic bone. Patchy SOST expression was observed in cartilage-forming tumors, which did not distinguish between benign and malignant tumors or correlate with regional morphologic characteristics. Finally, SOST expression varied widely between OS cell lines, with more than 97-fold variation. Among OS cell lines, SOST expression positively correlated with the marker of osteogenic differentiation alkaline phosphatase and did not correlate well with markers of Wnt/β-catenin signaling activity. In summary, SOST is frequently expressed in skeletal bone- and cartilage-forming tumors. The strong spatial correlation with bone formation and the in vitro expression patterns are in line with the known functions of SOST in nonneoplastic bone, as a feedback inhibitor on osteogenic differentiation. With anti-SOST as a potential therapy for osteoporosis in the near future, its basic biologic and phenotypic consequences in skeletal tumors should not be overlooked.
Combinatorial Analysis and Series Inversions

Although no combinatorial problems are mentioned in Chapter 3, much of the content of this chapter belongs under the umbrella of combinatorial analysis. Another primary theme in Chapter 3 revolves around series expansions of various types. However, the deepest and most interesting result in Chapter 3 is Entry 10, which separates the two main themes but which has some connections with the former. Entry 10 offers a highly general and potentially very useful asymptotic expansion for a large class of power series. As with Chapter 2, Ramanujan very briefly sketches the proofs of some of his findings, including Entry 10.
An Intergenerational Program Connecting Children and Older Adults with Emotional, Behavioral, Cognitive or Physical Challenges: Gift of Mutual Understanding

Most information published about programs connecting older adults to children identifies only one group as challenged (Belgrave, 2011; Galbraith, Larkin, Moorhouse, & Oomen, 2015; Schwalbach & Kier...
Optimistic bandit convex optimization

We introduce the general and powerful scheme of predicting information re-use in optimization algorithms. This allows us to devise a computationally efficient algorithm for bandit convex optimization with new state-of-the-art guarantees for both Lipschitz loss functions and loss functions with Lipschitz gradients. This is the first algorithm admitting both a polynomial time complexity and a regret that is polynomial in the dimension of the action space that improves upon the original regret bound for Lipschitz loss functions, achieving a regret of $\widetilde O(T^{11/16}d^{3/8})$. Our algorithm further improves upon the best existing polynomial-in-dimension bound (both computationally and in terms of regret) for loss functions with Lipschitz gradients, achieving a regret of $\widetilde O(T^{8/13} d^{5/3})$.
Controlled trial of Hartmann's solution versus 0.9% saline for diabetic ketoacidosis.

Aim We aimed to determine whether using a balanced salt solution, Hartmann's solution (HS), in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) shortens the time to normalise acid–base status through the avoidance of hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis compared with 0.9% normal saline (NS). Methods We conducted a double-blind, randomised controlled trial comparing HS to NS as the initial intravenous fluid in children with DKA. Patients were stratified by severity (pH < 7.1) and known or new diabetes. Electrolytes, venous blood gases and glucose were measured every 2 h until intravenous fluids were ceased. The primary outcome was the time for the plasma bicarbonate to reach 15 mmol/L. Secondary outcomes included time to normalise pH (7.3), time to receive subcutaneous (SC) insulin, change in sodium and insulin requirement. Results A total of 77 children were enrolled. The groups were similar at baseline. There was no difference in the time to reach a bicarbonate of 15 mmol/L: geometric mean (SD) 8.6 (2.3) h for NS versus 6.2 (4.7) h for HS, ratio 1.4 (95% confidence interval 0.8–2.5), and no difference in time to normalise pH: NS 8.5 (2.3) h versus HS group 7.5 (1.8) h, ratio 1.1 (0.8–1.6). Kaplan–Meier survival estimates showed shorter times for these end-points in the severe subgroup: log-rank test P = 0.0277 and 0.0024, respectively. There was no difference in time to SC insulin, NS: 15.2 (2.4) h versus HS 14.3 (1.6) h, ratio 1.1 (0.8–1.5). Patients treated with HS received significantly less total fluids/kg. Conclusions HS is an acceptable alternative to NS in DKA and may benefit those with severe DKA.
Feminismos transcorpóreos e o espaço ético da natureza

The article argues for a closer relationship between studies about the body, more specifically corporeal feminism, and environmental scholarship in philosophical and cultural studies. Because of the traditional association of nature with essentialism, the significance of materiality has tended to be overlooked in feminist theory. Through the use of the concept of “trans-corporeality” – the time-space where human corporeality is inseparable from “nature” or “environment” – as a theoretical site or epistemological space, richer and more complex modes of analysis may bring together “the entangled territories of material and discursive, natural and cultural, biological and textual”.
iCTC drug resistance (CDR) Testing ex vivo for evaluation of available therapies to treat patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.

Abstract Goals Management of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) could use serial measurements of invasive circulating tumor cells (iCTCs) for monitoring therapeutic response and early detection of disease progression/recurrence. Goals of this study are to develop an iCTC drug resistance (CDR) assay and to evaluate clinical significance of patient-derived, cultured iCTCs in selecting available therapies. Methods The CDR assay using Taxol-Carboplatin and eight other EOC drugs at the concentration used for patients was performed. Blood was donated by six patients before primary Taxol-Carboplatin chemotherapy, one recurrent patient, six patients during and after their course of chemotherapy, and two patients with benign disease for procedure control. CDR score above and below 100 indicates sensitivity and resistance, respectively, to that drug. Results Five of six pre-therapy samples had >20 iCTCs/>111 CDR for Taxol-Carboplatin sensitivity, and one had 40 iCTCs/23 CDR for resistance. The recurrent sample had 58 iCTCs/5 CDR for resistance. Four of six post-therapy patients had iCTCs decreased to 0/>153 CDR indicating sensitivity, while two patients had >45 iCTCs/ Conclusion Further investigation on the CDR assay is warranted to examine its use in selecting drugs before treating a patient.
Prescribing Antidepressants for Adolescents With Major Depression

My comment addresses points raised in the recent Pediatrics article by Coon et al titled “Update on Pediatric Overuse”1. The section of the article in question is titled “Antidepressants for Adolescents Are Determined to Be Ineffective and Possibly Harmful in Reanalysis of a Pivotal Trial.” This section highlights the recent “Restoring Study 329”, which raises major methodological concerns about an important original paroxetine and imipramine trial performed in the mid-late 1990s (Study 329). Coon et al conclude that the “current widespread use of antidepressants in adolescents may have been driven in part by misleading results from the initial [Study 329] trial … E-mail: brian.pitts{at}ucdenver.edu
“A Source of Great Embarrassment to The Bureau”: Gay Activist Jack Nichols, his FBI Agent Father, and the Mattachine Society of Washington

In August 1961 a new and different kind of gay rights organization formed in Washington, DC. Called the Mattachine Society of Washington (MSW)—which was actually the second and more significant inc...
Adaptive SNP-Set Association Testing in Generalized Linear Mixed Models with Application to Family Studies

In genome-wide association studies (GWAS), it has been increasingly recognized that, as a complementary approach to standard single SNP analyses, it may be beneficial to analyze a group of functionally related SNPs together. Among the existent population-based SNP-set association tests, two adaptive tests, the aSPU test and the aSPUpath test, offer a powerful and general approach at the gene- and pathway-levels by data-adaptively combining the results across multiple SNPs (and genes) such that high statistical power can be maintained across a wide range of scenarios. We extend the aSPU and the aSPUpath test to familial data under the framework of the generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs), which can take account of both subject relatedness and possible population structure. As in population-based GWAS, the proposed aSPU and aSPUpath tests require only fitting a single and common GLMM (under the null hypothesis) for all the SNPs, thus are computationally efficient and feasible for large GWAS data. We illustrate our approaches in identifying genes and pathways associated with alcohol dependence in the Minnesota Twin Family Study. The aSPU test detected a gene associated with the trait, in contrast to none by the standard single SNP analysis. Our aSPU test also controlled Type I errors satisfactorily in a small simulation study. We provide R code to conduct the aSPU and aSPUpath tests for familial and other correlated data.
Dosing de novo two-drug combinations based on 32,894 patients in phase I-III clinical trials.

2563Background: Metastatic cancers harbor complex genomic alterations. Combinations are needed to attenuate resistance. Knowledge of appropriate starting doses for novel drug combinations in clinic...
A Preliminary Qualitative Evaluation of an In-home Geriatric Care Elective Experience for Third-year Medical Students.

Introduction The aging population is growing quickly and has a higher prevalence of comorbid and chronic diseases. A majority of this group resides in the home setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of third-year medical students following a pilot component of an internal medicine clerkship, consisting of four in-home visits with geriatric patients. Methods A qualitative study design, utilizing focus groups, was used to assess general themes in students' responses regarding their attitudes to geriatrics, the field of geriatrics and the in-home care pilot program. Results Twelve students participated in three focus group sessions. Six themes were identified across all focus group sessions. These included 1) distinct advantages to the home setting, 2) more time for relationship building, 3) increased insight to the aging process, 4) increased compassion, 5) suggestions for program improvement, and 6) future quality of care. Conclusion The results demonstrate that students found the program to be of value to their medical education. Students developed positive attitudes and compassion for the elderly community. The insight they gained during this program may allow them to understand their role in caring for increasing numbers of aging patients in future populations. Suggestions made by the students showed their perceived value of the program and desire for it to continue for future students. Future studies should utilize validated tools and more longitudinal study designs to assess temporal changes in attitudes.
Incidence and Prevalence of Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Utah Based on a 5-Year Population-Based Study

Background & Aims Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is often detected in children and is considered to be a rare disease, with prevalence values reported to be below 60 cases per 100,000 persons. To determine whether the incidence of EoE in children in Utah exceeds estimates from regional reports, we calculated incidence and prevalence values over a 5-year period. Methods Using consensus guidelines for the diagnosis of EoE, we reviewed pathology records from the Intermountain Healthcare pathology database, from July 1, 2011 through June 31, 2016. We collected data on 10,619 pediatric patients with available esophageal biopsy results, and identified cases of esophageal eosinophilia (>14 eosinophils in a high-power microscopy field in an endoscopic biopsy). An EoE case required the presence of esophageal eosinophilia, symptoms of esophageal dysfunction, and the absence of co-morbid conditions that may cause esophageal eosinophilia. Annual pediatric EoE incidence and prevalence values were calculated per 100,000 children, based on averaged pediatric population estimates from census figures of Utah in 2010 and 2016. Results We identified 1281 unique pediatric patients who met criteria for esophageal eosinophilia. Of those, 1060 patients met criteria for newly diagnosed EoE. Over the 5-year period studied, the average annual pediatric EoE incidence in Utah was 24 cases per 100,000 children. The prevalence in year 5 of the study was 118 cases per 100,000 children. Conclusion In a population-based study of children in Utah, we found the incidence and prevalence of pediatric EoE to be higher than previously reported. This could be due to the prominence of EoE risk factors in this region, as well as Utah’s searchable medical record system that allows for reliable case ascertainment. Further studies of this type could increase disease awareness, prompting early referral to pediatric gastroenterologists and trials to strengthen evidence-based, algorithmic approaches to EoE diagnosis and treatment in children.