cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party. By Heather Cox Richardson. New York: Basic Books, 2014. 416 pp.

To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party. By Heather Cox Richardson. New York: Basic Books, 2014. 416 pp. Few questions boggle modern political observers more than that of the "great shift" in Republican Party ideology. How did the Party of Lincoln become the Party of Reagan? How did a party based in anti-slavery activism among Northern progressives become the redoubt of Southern white conservatism? Heather Cox Richardson's To Make Men Free provides one of the first comprehensive answers to this conundrum. Rather than seeing a complete shift in party ideology, Richardson identifies a tension within Republican ideology present at the beginning of the party and continuing to this day. On one side was Abraham Lincoln's vision of a country where all people could pursue their dreams of economic prosperity. The government's job was to level the playing field and establish the physical, legal, and political infrastructure to "make men free." Against this egalitarian vision was one that sanctified private property, seeing its defense as essential to ordered liberty, even if the result was a highly stratified society where the poor remain locked in a perpetual "mudsill" and the rich grew richer. The egalitarians were dominant among Republicans at first, able to push through a robust agenda in the absence of Democrats from seceded Southern states. This program included a Homestead Act, a Land Grant Education Act, an income tax, a protective tariff, and, by the Civil War's end, a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery. As former Confederates threatened to reimpose slavery under President Andrew Johnson's lenient Reconstruction plan, radical Republicans pushed through several Military Reconstruction Acts, passed a Freedmen's Bureau and Civil Rights Act, and then amended the Constitution two more times, enshrining the egalitarian principle of equal civil and political rights into the nation's basic legal framework. From this point on, Richardson notes, Republicans began to split over tactics and, eventually, ideology. For some, the egalitarian pull of the radicals continued until the end of the nineteenth century. But for most of the Republican leadership, the party's future lay with the industrialists, Wall Street bankers, and mine prospectors of the West. The threat of radicalized workers following the 1871 Paris Commune and labor activism during the Depression of 1873 cemented the party's leadership behind the forces of capital. By the 1890s, the Republican Party paid the barest lip service to the rights of African Americans and took a laissez-faire approach to monopolies and labor relations. By the turn of the nineteenth century, however, a new force within the Republican Party pushed the party back toward its egalitarian roots. Theodore Roosevelt and the new Progressive wing of the party embraced a strong federal government as the only force capable of reining in the industrial trusts that had found such favor with Presidents McKinley and Harrison. …
Development of a new model for plane strain bending and springback analysis

A new mathematical model is presented for plane strain bending and springback analysis in sheet metal forming. This model combines effects associated with bending and stretching, considers stress and strain distributions and different thickness variations in the thickness direction, and takes force equilibrium into account. An elastic-plastic material model and Hill’s nonquadratic yield function are incorporated in the model. The model is used to obtain force, bending moment, and springback curvature. A typical two-dimensional draw bending part is divided into five regions along the strip, and the forces and moments acting on each region and the deformation history of each region are examined. Three different methods are applied to the two-dimensional draw bending problems: the first using the new model, the second using the new model but also including a kinematic directional hardening material model to consider the bending and unbending deformation in the wall, and the third using membrane theory plus bending strain. Results from these methods, including those from the recent benchmark program, are compared.
Emergency positioning system accuracy with infrared LEDs in high-security facilities

Instantaneous personnel location presents a challenge in Department of Defense applications where high levels of security restrict real-time tracking of crew members. During emergency situations, command and control requires immediate accountability of all personnel. Current radio frequency (RF) based indoor positioning systems can be unsuitable due to RF leakage and electromagnetic interference with sensitively calibrated machinery on variable platforms like ships, submarines and high-security facilities. Infrared light provide a possible solution to this problem. This paper proposes and evaluates an indoor line-of-sight positioning system that is comprised of IR and high-sensitivity CMOS camera receivers. In this system the movement of the LEDs is captured by the camera, uploaded and analyzed; the highest point of power is located and plotted to create a blueprint of crewmember location. Results provided evaluate accuracy as a function of both wavelength and environmental conditions. Research will further evaluate the accuracy of the LED transmitter and CMOS camera receiver system. Transmissions in both the 780 and 850nm IR are analyzed.
Constructive Theology, Black Liberation Theology, and Black Constructive Theology: A History of Irony and Resonance

Black liberation theology and Constructive theology have an inextricably intertwined history. Yet the shared history has been one full of tensions and ambiguity. Black Liberation theology and Const...
Mountcastle Theory of Mammalian Cortex: Internal Neural Language of Higher Brain Function

This chapter focuses on Vernon Mountcastle's organizational principle of mammalian cortex. This principle proposes that the well-established cortical column is the basic network in the cortex and is composed of small irreducible processing units called minicolumns. This column has the capability of being excited into complex spatial-temporal firing patterns. The assumption is that higher mammalian brain functions involve the creation and transformation of such complex spatial-temporal firing patterns. The excellent candidates for the anatomical basis of the Mountcastle minicolumns are the dendritic bundles, which have been well established by many investigators. Furthermore, it seems very likely that because of the direct contact between neighboring dendrites over considerable distances, they can carry out the direct electrical averaging needed for the cooperative effect, which must be met if they are the irreducible processing units envisioned by Mountcastle. The structured brain of Mountcastle leads to a highly structured spatial-temporal internal neural language for higher brain function. The trion model is a mathematical realization of Mountcastle's principle. The trion model is the guide for all behavioral and neurophysiological experiments concerning music and higher brain functions such as math.
Application and Development of High Power Passive Device in Satellite System

The high power passive devices are playing a key role in the navigation satellite. Navigation is becoming an essential for our daily life as well as military applications. The GPS system, GLONASS system and Beidou system are all enhancing their anti-jamming capability by increasing more output power. Besides power amplifier and antenna, the power enhancing technology also calls for new demand to passive devices. High power capability, low loss, multipaction-free, low passive intermodulation (PIM), small size and weight are required. Typical high power passive devices are presented in this paper. Based on navigation application, the tendency of such devices is discussed.
Defect Preventive Quality Control in Manufacturing

Quality control techniques are reviewed, including inspection oriented QC, statistical process control, and design oriented QC. Statistical methods and engineering technologies for next generation quality control methodology — real-time defect prevention during manufacturing — are presented, including (1) real-time sensing to allow the QC system to monitor a process, (2) real-time analysis of process status, and (3) real-time corrective action.
Competitive and Cooperative Systems: a mini-review

The theory of competitive and cooperative dynamical systems has had some remarkable applications to the biological sciences. The interested reader may consult the monograph [18] and lecture notes [19] of Smith, and to a forthcoming review by the authors [7] for a more in-depth treatment.
Issues in Lexical Processing: Expressive and Receptive

The process by which we retrieve the name of an object for production, either in a naming test or in free conversation—like the process by which the meaning of the name comes to us as we listen to the speech of others—is almost totally opaque to logical analysis or to psychological investigation. In the understanding of these language processes, as in the understanding of other aspects of language and cognition, the insight that we have gained from the study of brain injured patients has proven to be invaluable. Damage to the language zone of the brain frequently disrupts linguistic performance in such a way that dissociations between component processes are revealed to us in a way that could never have been inferred from an analysis of the normal function.
Thermal Control of Cryogenic Cylindrical Hohlraums for Indirect-Drive Inertial Confinement Fusion

AbstractA study is conducted on cooling and controlling the thickness of a frozen layer of deuterium and tritium (D-T) on the inner surface of a capsule mounted in a cylindrical hohlraum. Cooling is required to remove the heat released during tritium decay. The layer thickness must be uniform, which requires that the heat flow from the layer into the capsule wall be spherically symmetric. It is shown that this requirement can be satisfied by controlling the temperature rise along the hohlraum wall from the ends to the midplane. The optimum temperature rise depends primarily on the D-T fuel charge and the thermal conductivity of the gas filling the hohlraum. To ensure a layer thickness variation of less than ±0.4 μm in a plastic capsule, the temperature rise along the hohlraum wall must be controlled to an accuracy of about ±3.0 mK. However, as the thermal conductivity of the capsule wall increases to metallic material values, the required accuracy of the hohlraum wall temperature rise decreases to ±15 mK.
Salivary Gland Disease

Saliva serves a variety of important functions, many of which are not appreciated until salivary flow decreases. A wide spectrum of pathologic conditions, including inflammatory, infectious, and neoplastic, affect the major and minor salivary glands, resulting in potentially significant morbidity and diminished quality of life for the patient. This chapter provides a review of conditions affecting the salivary glands, with attention to the more common entities that are likely to be encountered in clinical practice, along with relevant practical treatment guidelines.
Test-retest reliability of the Newest Vital Sign health literacy instrument: In-person and remote administration.

Abstract Objective To determine the reliability of the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) administered via telephone by examining test-retest properties of the measure. Methods Data were obtained from a randomized controlled trial promoting opioid safe use. Participants were 18 or older and English-speaking. NVS assessment occurred in-person at baseline and in-person or via telephone at follow-up. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to assess the test-retest reliability using raw NVS scores by mode of administration of the second NVS assessment. Kappa statistics were used to examine test-retest agreement based on categorized NVS score. Internal consistency was measured with Cronbach’s alpha. Results Data from 216 patients (70 completing follow-up in-person and 146 via telephone) were included. Reliability was high (ICCs: in-person = 0.81, phone = 0.70). Agreement was lower for three category NVS score (Kappas: in-person = 0.58, 95% CI [0.39-0.77]; phone = 0.52, 95% CI [0.39-0.65]) compared to two category NVS (Kappas: in-person = 0.65, 95% CI [0.46-0.85]; phone = 0.64, 95% CI [0.51-0.78]). Correlations decreased as time between administrations increased. Internal consistency was moderately high (baseline NVS in-person (α = 0.76), follow-up NVS in-person (α = 0.76), and phone follow-up (α = 0.78). Conclusion The test-retest properties of the NVS are similar by mode of administration. Practice implications This data suggests the NVS measure is reliably administered by telephone.
Influence of laser processing parameters on porosity in Inconel 718 during additive manufacturing

The melt pool characteristics in terms of size and shape and the porosity development in laser powder bed fusion–processed Inconel 718 were investigated to determine how laser power and scan speed influence the porosity in the microstructure. The melt pool characteristics developed with both single-track and multilayer bulk laser deposition were evaluated. It was found that the melt pool characteristic is critical for the porosity development. It is shown that the porosity fraction and pore shape change depending on the melt pool size and shape. This result is explained based on the local energy density of a laser during the process. High-density (> 99%) Inconel 718 samples were achieved over a wide range of laser energy densities (J/mm2). A careful assessment shows that the laser power and scan speed affect differently in developing the pores in the samples. The porosity decreased rapidly with the increase in laser power while it varied linearly with the scan speed. A proper combination, however, led to fully dense samples. The study reveals an optimum condition in terms of laser power and scan speed that can be adopted to fabricate high-density Inconel 718 parts using laser powder bed fusion–based additive manufacturing process.
OBITUARY: Eric Paul McElravy, November 28, 1946-August 27, 2014

Eric P. McElravy, an active researcher in Trichoptera and other groups of aquatic insects for 4 decades, died in San Leandro, California, on August 27, 2014. He was born on November 28, 1946, and raised in Ohio. He completed a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree at Kent State University, and then spent 10 years as a high school science teacher before earning a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Entomology from the University of California, Berkeley. Following this, Eric worked as an environmental consultant on various projects throughout California.
The Effect of U.S. Audit Partner Identification on Real Earnings Management

After a lengthy and protracted debate, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) adopted Rule 3211 (commonly referred to as “Form AP”) and related amendments to its auditing standards regarding the identification of audit engagement partner and other accounting firms who take part in a public company audit (PCAOB 2015). The rules require disclosure of the engagement partner’s name and information about other accounting firms on the new PCAOB Form AP, Auditor Reporting of Certain Audit Participants. The PCAOB argued that disclosing audit partner identity would create greater accountability among audit partners, thereby increasing audit quality. Public accounting firms, most notably Big Four audit firms, voiced their dissent to the regulation, expressing doubt about incremental accountability and citing concerns about incremental, partner-specific legal liability. Extant, outcome-based, archival research using accruals as a proxy for audit quality to examine the effect of Rule 3211 on audit quality has produced decidedly mixed evidence. Our paper examines this issue from a different perspective. We examine whether Rule 3211 engendered differential audit partner accruals-based audit behavior, which would, in turn, impact client real earnings management. We find that real earnings management increased in the post-3211 regulatory environment. Our evidence speaks to the effects and unintended consequences of Rule 3211.
Microfluidics-enabled acceleration of Fenton oxidation for degradation of organic dyes with rod-like zero-valent iron nanoassemblies

Abstract The advent of microfluidic technology brings new tools and insights to a wide range of applications across chemical and biomedical engineering. In this study, we first demonstrate the development of rod-like zero-valent iron (rZVI) multistack nanoassemblies and examine their superior catalytic capability with microfluidic on-chip platform. rZVI having an average dimension of 27 nm in diameter and 98 nm in length is easily synthesized during the reduction of ferric chloride by sodium borohydride with ethanol as the solvent. The effect of a series of parameters (including precursor type, solvent type, reducing agent concentration, and reaction time) on structural changes is investigated. Miniaturized five-loop spiral-shaped microfluidic device is employed, as a proof of concept, to evaluate the Fenton-like catalytic degradation capability of organic dyes (methylene blue, Rhodamine B, trypan blue, doxorubicin, and methyl orange). In comparison to conventional batch catalysis system, such microfluidic on-chip system could significantly reduce the runtime from a timescale of hours to only seconds. In addition, on-chip catalysis performance can be well regulated by resident time (the longer the resident time, the higher the degradation efficiency), and rZVI shows superior reusability even after eight cycles. This study not only highlights the rational design of nanoparticulate system toward efficient organic dyes removal but also sheds new lights on the development of on-chip catalytic microreactors.
Evaluating clerkship competency without exams.

Background Using examination scores for grading clerkship threatens students' engagement at a time when clinical immersion is critical for socialising into medicine. Narratives of student performance, composed during training by multiple preceptors across diverse settings, may be used to judge competence instead. Preceptor commentary is not trusted as a basis for grading, but the alignment between performance narratives and examination scores has not yet been investigated. Methods Performance data were gathered retrospectively from five cohorts of internal medicine clerkship students at one institution. The correlation between end-of-rotation examination scores and the grading committee's ratings of student competency based on preceptors' comments was examined. Patterns in the performance narratives of high- and low-scoring students were also explored. Results The grading committee's narrative-based ratings of student competence were correlated with examination scores. The majority of preceptors' comments were positive and professionalism-oriented, although students who scored lowest on exams received fewer comments overall and more recommendations for improvement than their highest-scoring peers. Recommendations for the lowest-scoring students equally emphasised knowledge, clinical skill and professionalism, whereas recommendations to highest-scoring students emphasised knowledge and clinical skill at more than twice the rate of professionalism. Discussion Clerkship preceptors' narratives of student performance can inform competency judgements that are grounded in actual workplace learning and are related to the independent examination of knowledge and clinical performance. Using performance narratives as the basis for grading may be a viable approach to balancing learning and assessment needs during core clerkship block rotations.
Some classification of certain integral domains via conductor overrings and semistar operations

Among other results, given an integral domain R, we show that if {P:P|P∈Spec(R)} coincides the set of valuation overrings of R, then, R must be an almost pseudo-valuation domain in the sense of Bad...
Introduction to Space Exploration

In a historic speech to a joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy boldly announced his ambitious goal of putting Americans on the Moon by the end of the 1960s. A little more than 8 years later, the Apollo 11 mission would successfully land the first two humans on the Moon. Sadly, President Kennedy would never see the fruition of this daring and dramatic Moon-shot speech. He was assassinated on November 22, 1963, while driving in a presidential motorcade in downtown Dallas, Texas. And just as America’s young and promising president died young, so in time, NASA’s aspirations for an active human space program beyond the confines of Earth’s orbit, withered away in the decades to follow.
Caring for Hospitalized Patients with Diabetes Mellitus, Hyperglycemia, and COVID-19: Bridging the Remaining Knowledge Gaps

This review discusses the interplay between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection), diabetes mellitus, and hyperglycemia in the hospital setting. There are data emerging about diabetes and hyperglycemia, their prevalence, and potential risks in the setting of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19. It is known that viral infections exert effects on beta cell function and insulin resistance. Therefore, much can be learned about SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 from examining these known relationships. Such pathophysiological underpinnings may unlock greater understanding as we navigate atypical cases of hyperglycemia, severe insulin resistance, and diabetic ketoacidosis amidst COVID-19. Glycemic outcomes likely have beneficial effects on morbidity and mortality, but this needs to be studied. Changes in diabetes-related protocols and new technology can be deployed in the inpatient setting to potentially improve healthcare worker and patient safety; however, one must weigh the risks and benefits of implementation during a pandemic. Ultimately, knowledge and research must be shared at record speed to combat this global crisis.
Credit Fluctuations and 'Neglected Crash Risk' in U.S. Bank Returns

Using U.S. quarterly data from 1960, the paper studies the interaction between bank stock returns and aggregate credit fluctuations on a set of economic dimensions. First, I investigate the source of "Neglected Crash Risk" in U.S. bank returns using a new deviation measure of aggregate loans per capita called ltd. A one standard deviation increase in ltd decreases bank stock returns by 5%, and their dividend growth by almost 6% over the following year. This variable embeds important information about both future returns (discount rate news) and cash flow growth (dividend news); yet a decomposition of future unexpected bank returns shows a higher incremental effect associated with the variance of news about the discount rate. Second, I quantify the size of "Neglected Crash Risk" and find it is economically and statistically significant at different forecast horizons and for different degrees of credit boom intensity. I interpret its size as the outcome of differences in perceived disaster probabilities by investors across credit regimes. Lastly, changes in monetary policy activate crash risk in the perception of commercial bank investors. A straightforward application of the local-projection methods of Jorda (2005) illustrates that a contractionary-type monetary policy action decreases bank returns more when the economy had experienced credit booms in the past.
Subnational Constitutionalism in the United States

The United States has an extremely robust network of subnational constitutions. It is one of the few federations in the world in which subnational entities are understood to be fully competent polities with virtually complete constituent powers of self-organization and self-authorization. The authority to adopt a subnational constitution is consequently understood to be an incident of subnational sovereignty, a concept in turn derived from a conception of the basic federal order itself as highly decentralized. Within this order, subnational powers of self-governance are understood to be plenary except as limited either permanently by the federal constitution, or temporarily by the exercise of national power that supersedes state law under the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause. Thus, the dominant constitutional issue within the U.S. federal system has never concerned the scope of power or authorization of the states, but rather the scope and authorization of the national government, and its consequent authority to occupy policy domains and to enact laws that constrain the authority of states to pursue their own preferred forms and paths of self-governance.
Health Care Burden and Expenditure Associated with Adverse Childhood Experiences in Tennessee and Virginia

To estimate attributable burden and costs of conditions associated with exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in Tennessee (TN) and Virginia (VA) during 2017. This is a cross-sectional study of individuals aged 18+ having exposure to ACEs using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. Eight chronic diseases (asthma, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), depression, cardiovascular disease, and arthritis) and two risk factors (smoking and drinking) associated with ACEs were analyzed. Pearson's chi-square tests analyzed the association between ACEs, risk factors and chronic diseases. The population attributable risks (PAR) were estimated for the ACEs related diseases and risk factors and combined with health care expenses and Disability Adjusted-Life-Years (DALYs). Among those who experienced at least 1 ACE in TN, 10% had COPD, 17% had diabetes, 36% had obesity, and 30% had depression. Individuals who experienced at least 1 ACE in VA had higher percentages for COPD, obesity and depression diseases compared to those who had no ACE (p< .0001). ACEs’ exposure resulted in a burden of about 115,000 years and 127,000 years in terms of DALYs in TN and VA, respectively. The total health spending associated with ACEs based on PARs was about $647 million ($165 per adult) and $942 million ($292 per adult) in TN and VA respectively. The total costs associated with ACEs was about $15.5 billion ($3948) per person) and $20.2 billion ($6288 per person) in TN and VA, respectively. This study emphasizes the need to reduce ACEs due to high health and financial costs.
Isolated Dysarthria due to Immune-mediated Brainstem Encephalitis Associated with Anti-Glutamate Acid Decarboxylase 65 antibodies (P2.2-038)

Objective: We describe a unique case of severe isolated dysarthria as the presenting sign of GAD65-Ab associated brainstem encephalitis. Background: Antibodies directed against GAD65 (anti-GAD65-Abs) are seen in a variety of neurologic autoimmune syndromes including stiff-man syndrome, cerebellitis, brainstem encephalitis, autoimmune epilepsies, limbic encephalitis, and dysautonomia. While there are case reports of isolated dysarthria have been previously reported as the presenting symptom of neurologic conditions such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, clinically-isolated syndrome, and HIV infection to our knowledge, it has not been previously described in association with anti-GAD65 antibodies. Design/Methods: This patient case was seen at a tertiary referral setting in Phoenix, Arizona. Results: Myriad laboratory studies including paraneoplastic antibody panel were unremarkable, but serum anti-GAD65-Ab was markedly elevated at 2680. Modest elevation of other autoimmune markers, ANA (strongly positive, 6.4) and antiphospholipid IgM antibodies (weakly positive, 21.9), was noted. Epstein-Barr virus profile was abnormal with elevated anti-VCA IgM and IgG and anti-EBNA all positive, consistent with recovery or reactivation (previously reported as negative). CSF studies were unremarkable, with no pleocytosis and no elevation in protein. Brain MRI with contrast and thin slices through the brainstem was normal. Brainstem auditory evoked potentials were unremarkable. Electromyography/nerve conduction study was normal with no electrodiagnostic evidence of facial, trigeminal, or hypogloassal neuropathies and no evidence of muscle hyperexcitability. She was treated initially with steroids with no benefit; immunotherapy was escalated to IVIg and plasma exchange with modest improvement/stabilization in symptoms. Conclusions: We present a novel case of anti-GAD65-Ab associated brainstem encephalitis with primary manifestation of severe dysarthria. We hypothesize an immune-mediated mechanism of pathology, likely post-infectious in etiology noting evidence for recent Epstein-Barr virus infection. Disclosure: Dr. Dawit has nothing to disclose. Dr. Okazaki has nothing to disclose. Dr. Grill has nothing to disclose.
Developments in Geometric Algebra

In Chapter 1 we developed geometric algebra as a symbolic system for representing the basic geometrical concepts of direction, magnitude, orientation and dimension. In this chapter we continue the development of geometric algebra into a full-blown mathematical language. The basic grammar of this language is completely specified by the axioms set down at the end of Chapter 1. But there is much more to a language than its grammar!
Social Software: Silver Bullet or an Enabler of Competitive Advantage?

According to knowledge based view, firm-specific knowledge is considered to be a foundational source of competitive advantage. However, the recent trend towards social software radically changes the very essence, role, and value of firm-specific knowledge in driving competitive advantage. On one hand, firms are very enthusiastic about the investments in the social software initiatives; on the other hand, the broader strategic impact of these initiatives is not clear yet. This position paper highlights deep-seated problems in applying prominent strategic management theories in the context of social software. To address these problems, drawing on literature on value co-creation and service logic, it describes four ways social software can enable a firm’s competitive advantage, and call for more research in this area.
The use of an essay examination in evaluating medical students during the surgical clerkship.

Abstract Background Third-year medical students are graded according to subjective performance evaluations and standardized tests written by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Many "poor" standardized test takers believe the heavily weighted NBME does not evaluate their true fund of knowledge and would prefer a more open-ended forum to display their individualized learning experiences. Our study examined the use of an essay examination as part of the surgical clerkship evaluation. Methods We retrospectively examined the final surgical clerkship grades of 781 consecutive medical students enrolled in a large urban academic medical center from 2005 to 2011. We examined final grades with and without the inclusion of the essay examination for all students using a paired t test and then sought any relationship between the essay and NBME using Pearson correlations. Results Final average with and without the essay examination was 72.2% vs 71.3% ( P r = .32, P Conclusions The inclusion of an essay examination as part of the third-year surgical core clerkship final did increase the final grade a modest degree, especially for those with lower scores who may identify themselves as "poor" standardized test takers. A more open-ended forum may allow these students an opportunity to overcome this deficiency and reveal their true fund of surgical knowledge.
The Spliceosome and Pre-mRNA Splicing

Eukaryotic mRNAs are often first transcribed as precursor mRNAs (pre-mRNAs) that contain introns that must be removed. These introns are spliced out by a large molecular machine called the spliceosome. The major components of the spliceosome are small nuclear ribonucleoproteins made up of small nuclear RNAs and dozens of proteins. Spliceosomes form on RNA transcripts, recognize specific nucleotide sequences, and use basepairing interactions to bring catalytic groups together in order to remove introns. In humans, splicing is a central step in gene expression and alternative splicing greatly expands the coding capacity of the genome. Defects in splicing can lead to a number of diseases including cancers, blindness, or muscular atrophies.
Logic minimization for factored forms

The minimization of Boolean functions is usually aimed at obtaining a minimum sum-of-products representation, measured in terms of the number of product terms produced. In multilevel logic, however, a better objective function is a minimized factored form. Traditionally, logic functions have been factored by using algebraic techniques on a minimized sum-of-products. Algebraic factorization techniques explore only part of the solution space. A technique for factoring based on Boolean operations is presented. This technique often leads to a better factored form for a logic function. The algorithm uses the Boolean operations which are the basis of the two-level minimizer ESPRESSO. The technique has been implemented in the multilevel logic minimization program MIS. Some results of Boolean factorization of individual nodes in multilevel networks are presented and then compared with other factoring methods in MIS. >
The Monitor-“Client” Relationship

After the government discovers wrongdoing by a corporation, the corporation and the government often enter into an agreement stating that the corporation will retain a “monitor.” A corporate compliance monitor, unlike the gatekeeper, is not charged with “monitoring” the corporation in an attempt to detect and prevent wrongdoing. A monitor, unlike the probation officer, is not solely charged with ensuring that the corporation complies with a previously determined set of requirements. Instead, a corporate compliance monitor is responsible for (i) investigating the extent of the wrongdoing already detected and reported to the government, (ii) discovering the cause of the corporation’s compliance failure, and (iii) analyzing the corporation’s business needs against the appropriate legal and regulatory requirements. A monitor then provides recommendations to the corporation and the government meant to assist the corporation in its efforts to improve its legal and regulatory compliance — the monitor engages in legal counseling. The ad hoc structure of monitorships has, however, failed to facilitate the monitor’s function as a legal counselor. This failure is largely the result of structuring monitorships in an environment lacking binding rules and conceiving of monitorships as if a monitor’s only function is that of a governmental agent. Yet the current monitorship structure is not necessary to achieve the monitorship’s goal, which is to establish a corporate compliance structure that deters and prevents future misconduct. This Article argues that providing a set of clear, enforceable, predictable rules regarding the scope of monitorships that facilitate a monitor’s function as a legal counselor will improve the long-term effectiveness of monitorships. This Article suggests one mechanism for achieving this goal — a statutory privilege — aimed at encouraging a formalized relationship amongst a monitor, the government, and the corporation, which re-conceptualizes the relationship as “The Monitor-‘Client’ Relationship.”
Kinetics of thermal and catalyzed coal liquefaction at very short reaction times using a novel batch reactor and thermogravimetric analysis

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the kinetics of thermal and catalyzed coal liquefaction using a batch reactor and thermogravimetric analysis. Coal liquefaction consists of an initial rapid extraction of material soluble in tetralin and an induction period followed by the slow breakdown of the coal structure. As the temperature increases, the amount of extraction increases and the induction period becomes shorter. The volatile matter of the coal is removed. Some of the coal structure is converted to coal liquids. The formation of fixed carbon, which is a precursor to the retrograde processes, becomes more important as the temperature increases. The use of a known hydrogenation catalyst increases the coal liquefaction rate and yield and reduces the formation of the fixed carbon. In the absence of an added catalyst, the mineral matter in the coal catalyzes coal liquefaction in the presence of hydrogen. The pyrite in the coal appears to be a weak catalyst for the reaction.
The Founders' Vision and the Estate Tax

This article relies upon the views of leading members of the Founding generation to support the proposition that contemporary proposals to eliminate estate and gift taxes are unconstitutional. First of all, the Framers did not limit their analysis of "constitutionality" to Supreme Court opinions. They believed that elected politicians and the body politic also resolved important constitutional disputes. The public's refusal to support the Republican Party's effort to impeach President Clinton is a recent example of a major constitutional controversy's being resolved outside the courtroom. More particularly, the Founders frequently employed the Aristotelean definition of "constitution" as the actual distribution of wealth and power (not just the formal distribution of public power). Many Americans of that era were wary of luxury and concentrated wealth. The taxation power was a major part of their analysis. The leading members of that generation agreed with Adam Smith that proportional taxation was permissible, even desirable. Thomas Jefferson thought the silent tool of progressive taxation would stabilize the republic by preventing the wealthy from becoming a tyrannical aristocracy. Jefferson and Madison led the movement to eliminate primogeniture and entail, because those two doctrines of wealth transfer at death kept property in too few hands. Madison, however, foresaw that these reforms, combined with widespread education and protection from religious persecution,would not maintain a "happy mediocrity." Commerce and manufacturing were creating new forms of wealth that would not be affected by Jefferson's agrarian policies. Once the frontier disappeared, the poor would flock to corrupt cities where they would be manipulated by wealthy demagogues. Overall, this intellectual history supports the constitutional argument that we should not abolish estate and gift taxes because huge wealth transfers create many "haughty hiers" who will have the undesirable, dangerous traits of decadence and overweening ambition that accompany any hereditary aristocracy. Quite simply, the allocation of money and influence, a process invariably influenced by tax policy, is the most important constitutional issue of our time. While some may argue that conceptions of constitutionality should be limited to Supreme Court jurisprudence, this article replies that constitutionalizing these issues puts them in a richer historical context and dramatizes how central they are to the well-being of the republic.
Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening Among Middle-Aged and Older Rural Appalachian Women

Although cervical cancer rates in the United States have declined sharply in recent decades, certain groups of women remain at elevated risk, including middle-aged and older women in central Appalachia. Cross-sectional baseline data from a community-based randomized controlled trial were examined to identify barriers to cervical cancer screening. Questionnaires assessing barriers were administered to 345 Appalachian women aged 40–64, years when Papanicolaou (Pap) testing declines and cervical cancer rates increase. Consistent with the PRECEDE/PROCEED framework, participants identified barriers included predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors. Descriptive and bivariate analyses are reported, identifying (a) the most frequently endorsed barriers to screening, and (b) significant associations of barriers with sociodemographic characteristics in the sample. Recommendations are provided to decrease these barriers and, ultimately, improve rates of Pap tests among this traditionally underserved and disproportionately affected group.
Modulation of mouse preimplantation embryo development by acrogranin (epithelin/granulin precursor).

Preimplantation mammalian embryos in culture secrete autocrine growth factors into the surrounding medium that, in turn, stimulate the development of the embryos. The full complement of these factors is unknown. Since one hallmark of embryo development is the formation of an epithelium, the trophectoderm, we tested the hypothesis that one such embryo-derived growth factor is acrogranin (epithelin/granulin precursor), a factor that possesses growth-regulatory activities principally toward epithelial cells. We found that acrogranin mRNA was expressed in preimplantation mouse embryos with the transcript levels rising to their highest point in blastocysts, coincident with the appearance of the trophectoderm. Indirect immunofluorescence confocal microscopy of preimplantation mouse embryos at different developmental stages revealed that acrogranin immunostaining was most concentrated in the trophectoderm of blastocysts. Immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that the embryos secreted acrogranin into the surrounding medium. To determine how altering the levels of acrogranin in the culture medium surrounding the embryos might affect embryonic growth and development, acrogranin protein levels in the culture medium were decreased with a function-blocking antibody or increased by adding the purified acrogranin to the medium. In both a concentration-dependent and a reversible manner, affinity-purified anti-acrogranin antibody significantly inhibited the development of eight-cell embryos to the blastocyst stage compared to controls (no added immunoglobulin or nonspecific IgG). Furthermore, embryo cell numbers were significantly decreased in the presence of the highest concentrations of acrogranin antibody compared to control embryos. Exogenous acrogranin added to cultures of eight-cell embryos accelerated the time for the onset of cavitation, as well as stimulating the rate of blastocoel expansion and increasing the number of trophectoderm cells compared to controls. These results indicate that acrogranin can regulate the appearance of the epithelium in the developing mouse blastocyst, the growth of the trophectoderm, and/or the function of the embryonic epithelium.