cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Examination of the Older Child

As the child approaches school age, the format and content of the neurological examination become more like that used for the adult. It should be obvious that young children cannot carry out complex tasks as easily or with the same skill as older ones, and that age-specific norms must be acquired through the examiner’s experience. Anxiety interferes with a child’s performance, and every attempt should be made to minimize this factor. Here again, intrusive and uncomfortable procedures should be reserved for the end of the session. Specific details of the basic examination are spelled out in almost all standard texts. An outline of the major areas is presented in Table 6-1.
Random Versus Nonrandom Peer Review: A Case for More Meaningful Peer Review

Abstract Objective Random peer review programs are not optimized to discover cases with diagnostic error and thus have inherent limitations with respect to educational and quality improvement value. Nonrandom peer review offers an alternative approach in which diagnostic error cases are targeted for collection during routine clinical practice. The objective of this study was to compare error cases identified through random and nonrandom peer review approaches at an academic center. Methods During the 1-year study period, the number of discrepancy cases and score of discrepancy were determined from each approach. Results The nonrandom peer review process collected 190 cases, of which 60 were scored as 2 (minor discrepancy), 94 as 3 (significant discrepancy), and 36 as 4 (major discrepancy). In the random peer review process, 1,690 cases were reviewed, of which 1,646 were scored as 1 (no discrepancy), 44 were scored as 2 (minor discrepancy), and none were scored as 3 or 4. Several teaching lessons and quality improvement measures were developed as a result of analysis of error cases collected through the nonrandom peer review process. Conclusions Our experience supports the implementation of nonrandom peer review as a replacement to random peer review, with nonrandom peer review serving as a more effective method for collecting diagnostic error cases with educational and quality improvement value.
The End of Government

(2015). The End of Government? Journal of Public Affairs Education: Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 135-138.
Dynamic stochastic games with random moves

We reformulate the quality ladder model of Pakes and McGuire, Rand Journal of Economics, 25(4), 555–589 (1994) as a dynamic stochastic game with random moves in which each period one firm is picked at random to make an investment decision. Contrasting this model to the standard version with simultaneous moves illustrates the computational advantages of random moves. In particular, the quality ladder model with random moves avoids the curse of dimensionality in computing firms’ expectations over all possible future states and is therefore orders of magnitude faster to solve than its counterpart with simultaneous moves when there are more than just a few firms. Perhaps unexpectedly, the equilibria of the quality ladder model with random moves are practically indistinguishable from those of the model with simultaneous moves.
The economics of brain metastases.

Brain metastases represent a significant healthcare problem, with almost 200,000 patients in the United States annually suffering from symptomatic parenchymal lesions. Lung, breast, melanoma, renal, and gastrointestinal cancers make up most of the clinically relevant lesions. Although median survival once brain metastases are diagnosed is less than a year, timely therapy can restore neurological function and can prevent further neurological complications for the duration of a patient’s survival. Important prognostic features include absence of extracranial disease progression, young age, high pretreatment neurological status, a low number of lesions, and a long interval from primary disease diagnosis to the development of brain metastases.
Cholera toxin B-mediated targeting of lipid vesicles containing ganglioside GM1 to mucosal epithelial cells

Purpose. To determine whether the non-toxic pentameric B subunit of Cholera toxin (CTB) binding to ganglioside GM1 on both the lipid vesicles and epithelial cells may provide a means to target lipid vesicles to mucosal cells expressing surface GM1.
Periodic orbits of a conservative 2-DOF vibro-impact system by piecewise continuation: bifurcations and fractals

The exact periodic orbits of a conservative 2-degree-of-freedom vibro-impact system with stereo-mechanical impact model is studied using a piecewise continuation method. Feasible initial guesses are extracted from grazing solution points so that each branch of solution can be initiated smoothly from previously solved ones. Frequency-energy plots (FEPs) are produced where an emphasis is placed on enumerating potential bifurcations. Extra critical points are discovered on multiple-period duplicates of existing stable solution branches and lead to cascades of period-multiplying bifurcations. The results indicate that the system’s complete FEP can be viewed through a process of infinite fractals toward zero frequency where pseudo-periodic or chaotic responses are approached. Finally, it is shown both mathematically and through the comparison of FEPs that the impacting system can be represented explicitly as the extreme case of nonlinear systems with an odd-order polynomial internal force. It is thus proposed that as the counterpart to the superposition of linear normal modes, the free responses of a general conservative nonlinear system can be tracked via bifurcations from its nonlinear normal modes.
Data-Driven Parameter Estimation for Models with Nonlinear Parameter Dependence

Many models have known structure but unknown parameters. Nonlinear estimation methods, such as the extended Kalman filter (EKF), unscented Kalman filter (UKF), and ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) are typically applied to these problems by viewing the unknown parameters as constant states. An alternative approach is provided by retrospective cost model refinement (RCMR), which uses an error signal given by the difference between the output of the physical system and the output of the model to update the parameter estimate. The parameter update is based on the retrospective cost function, whose minimizer updates the coefficients of the estimator. The present paper extends RCMR to the case where the model depends nonlinearly on multiple unknown parameters.
Validity and Reliability of a (Brief) Diabetes "Survival Skills" Knowledge Test: KNOW Diabetes.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the KNOW Diabetes test, a survival skills knowledge test, in identifying essential self-care knowledge deficits in ...
Social Reactions and Women’s Decisions to Report Sexual Assault to Law Enforcement:

Following sexual assault, little is known about how the social reactions women receive from informal supports and community-based providers relate to decisions to report to law enforcement. Among 2...
Consumers Behind Solar Energy: A Case Study of Households’ Demand for Four OECD Countries

We investigate households’ demand for solar energy in France, Germany, Italy and US, using a loglinear demand for each, and a combined panel data, with fixed effects, for 2000-2012. The dependent variable is household’s installed solar panels; whereas the independent variables are income, price of solar panels, interest rate, representing the cost of financing of a project, and price of “traditional energy.” With R2 being 0.9, all coefficients having expected theoretical signs and statistical significance in all specifications, our model can be generalized for other countries’ households’ solar demand. This is a major contribution to the theoretical and empirical literature.
Sonic Hedgehog Signalling in Visceral Organ Development

The secreted signalling molecule encoded by Sonic hedgehog (Shh) has been shown to play an indispensable role in mammalian organogenesis. During embryonic development, one of the prominent sites of Shh expression is in the tubular gut endoderm and its derivatives such as the esophagus, lung, stomach and intestine. Loss of Shh function results in profound growth and patterning defects of the gastrointestinal tract and associated organs. Furthermore, misregulation of Shh signalling in human patients has been implicated in a variety of gastrointestinal tumors. In this chapter, we will discuss studies that reveal the critical roles of Shh signalling in mammalian visceral organ development and homeostasis.
Quantitative Visualization of Gene Expression in Mucoid and Nonmucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa Aggregates Reveals Localized Peak Expression of Alginate in the Hypoxic Zone

ABSTRACT It is well appreciated that oxygen- and other nutrient-limiting gradients characterize microenvironments within chronic infections that foster bacterial tolerance to treatment and the immune response. However, determining how bacteria respond to these microenvironments has been limited by a lack of tools to study bacterial functions at the relevant spatial scales in situ. Here, we report the application of the hybridization chain reaction (HCR) v3.0 to provide analog mRNA relative quantitation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa single cells as a step toward this end. To assess the potential for this method to be applied to bacterial populations, we visualized the expression of genes needed for the production of alginate (algD) and the dissimilatory nitrate reductase (narG) at single-cell resolution within laboratory-grown aggregates. After validating new HCR probes, we quantified algD and narG expression across microenvironmental gradients within both single aggregates and aggregate populations using the agar block biofilm assay (ABBA). For mucoid and nonmucoid ABBA populations, narG was expressed in hypoxic and anoxic regions, while alginate expression was restricted to the hypoxic zone (∼40 to 200 μM O2). Within individual aggregates, surface-adjacent cells expressed alginate genes at higher levels than interior cells, revealing that alginate expression is not constitutive in mucoid P. aeruginosa but instead varies with oxygen availability. These results establish HCR v3.0 as a versatile and robust tool to resolve subtle differences in gene expression at spatial scales relevant to microbial assemblages. This advance has the potential to enable quantitative studies of microbial gene expression in diverse contexts, including pathogen activities during infections. IMPORTANCE A goal for microbial ecophysiological research is to reveal microbial activities in natural environments, including sediments, soils, or infected human tissues. Here, we report the application of the hybridization chain reaction (HCR) v3.0 to quantitatively measure microbial gene expression in situ at single-cell resolution in bacterial aggregates. Using quantitative image analysis of thousands of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells, we validated new P. aeruginosa HCR probes. Within in vitroP. aeruginosa aggregates, we found that bacteria just below the aggregate surface are the primary cells expressing genes that protect the population against antibiotics and the immune system. This observation suggests that therapies targeting bacteria growing with small amounts of oxygen may be most effective against these hard-to-treat infections. More generally, this proof-of-concept study demonstrates that HCR v3.0 has the potential to identify microbial activities in situ at small spatial scales in diverse contexts.
Reduced order modeling of hysteretic structural response and applications to seismic risk assessment

Abstract A reduced order modeling approach is presented to alleviate the computational burden associated with using high-fidelity finite element models (FEMs) to describe hysteretic structural response for earthquake engineering time-history analysis. The reduced order model (ROM) is developed using data from the original high-fidelity FEM. Static condensation is first used to obtain the condensed stiffness matrix and the linear equations of motion for the dynamic degrees of freedom (DoFs). The restoring forces prescribed by the linear stiffness matrix are then substituted with hysteretic ones by replacing the linear springs connecting each of the DoFs with hysteretic ones. Different hysteretic models are considered, including peak-oriented, Masing and Bouc-Wen type of hysteresis, whereas more complex relationships obtained by combining multiple simpler hysteretic models are also discussed. The hysteretic spring parameters are calibrated by comparing the reduced order model time-history response to the time-history response of the initial FEM for a range of different excitations. The characteristics for each of the considered springs are separately selected and an efficient solution of the associated calibration problem is facilitated through a sequential, hierarchical approach. The excitations utilized for the reduced order model calibration are carefully selected so that nonlinear characteristics of the FEM are appropriately excited to support the tuning of all the important hysteretic spring features. The accuracy and the computational savings of the calibrated reduced order model are evaluated for risk assessment applications, separately examining different levels of intensity. Comparison extends to three structures, with the high-fidelity FEMs developed in OpenSees.
Changes in condylar position with maxillary expansion in growing patients. A systematic review of clinical studies

Purpose:The aim of the present systematic review was to assess the association between maxillary expansion (ME) and changes in condylar position in growing patients, including patients with functio...
Strategies for inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) education throughout pharmacy school curricula.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and others (LGBTQIA+) patients face stigma and barriers to health care, including a lack of health care professionals’ knowledge and confidence in treating this patient population. Pharmacists are in prime position to decrease this health disparity. United States pharmacy schools have limited LGBTQIA+ content, continuing the concern of recent graduates without knowledge and confidence. This commentary discusses potential barriers to introducing LGBTQIA+ content into school of pharmacy curricula and presents five strategies currently in use by nursing, medical, and pharmacy schools. Schools of Pharmacy should consider proactive incorporation of this content to graduate practitioners able to provide quality care to LGBTQIA+ patients.
Myopia Control 2020: Where are we and where are we heading?

Purpose This review arms practitioners with the evidence-based information they need to fully manage myopia. Recent findings The recent peer-reviewed literature is critically evaluated to provide a comprehensive analysis of the safety and efficacy of behavioural, optical and pharmaceutical myopia management. Importantly, the paper addresses not only who to treat, but how to treat them, and when to stop or modify treatments. Finally, the paper discusses expectations for treatment and why slowing myopia by even 1 dioptre improves long term health outcomes. Summary The management of an individual child should be underpinned by the evidence-based literature and clinicians must stay alert to ongoing myopia research that will undoubtedly result in an evolution of the standard of care for the myopic and pre-myopic child.
Protective effects of Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol against enterotoxin-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome are mediated by modulation of microbiota.

Background Staphylococcal enterotoxin-B (SEB) is one of the most potent bacterial superantigens that exerts profound toxic effects by inducing cytokine storm. When SEB is inhaled, it can cause Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which is often fatal and currently there are no effective treatment modalities. Experimental approach We used mouse model of SEB-mediated ARDS to test the efficacy of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). These mice were monitored for lung inflammation, alterations in gut and lung microbiota and production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Gene dysregulation of lung epithelial cells was studied by transcriptome arrays. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was performed to confirm the role of microbiota in suppressing ARDS. Key results While SEB triggered ARDS and 100% mortality in mice, THC protected the mice from fatality effects. Pyrosequencing analysis revealed that THC caused significant and similar alterations in microbiota in the lungs and gut of mice exposed to SEB. THC significantly increased the abundance of beneficial bacterial species, Ruminococcus gnavus, but decreased pathogenic microbiota, Akkermansia muciniphila. FMT confirmed that THC-mediated reversal of microbial dysbiosis played crucial role in attenuation of SEB-mediated ARDS. THC treatment also led to increase in SCFA, of which propionic acid was found to inhibit the inflammatory response. Transcriptome array showed that THC up-regulated several genes like lysozyme-1&2, β-defensin-2, claudin, zonula-1, occludin-1, Mucin2 and Muc5b while downregulating β-defensin-1. Conclusions Current study demonstrates for the first time that THC attenuates SEB-mediated ARDS and toxicity by altering the microbiota in the lungs and the gut as well as promoting anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory pathways.
Observing glories and cloudbows from an airplane

The glory is a small yet eye-catching and colorful optical phenomenon that can be viewed best from an airplane or elevated position above a sun-illuminated cloud. The glory is a back-scattering phenomenon that consists of colored rings centered on the anti-solar or shadow point. Its color purity and the size of its rings both contain information about the size distribution of cloud particles doing the scattering. Glories can be particularly fun to observe when your airplane is just entering or exiting a cloud layer, so that the geometric shadow of the airplane rapidly changes size while the constant-angle glory remains relatively unchanged. Cloudbows are essentially whitened versions of the rainbow, with colors removed because of the large degree of spectral overlap resulting from the cloud droplets being much smaller than rain drops. Tips will be given for understanding where and when to look to see and understand optical glories. Numerous photographs are shown to explain what to look for when you are flying and want to see a glory or cloudbow.
The Association With Physical Fitness and Academic Performance at America's Military Medical School.

INTRODUCTION Undergraduate and graduate medical education both have been reported to have high rates of depression, anxiety, and burnout as a result of the rigors of their educational curricula. Wellness, including physical fitness, is important to the profession because it may help mitigate these increased rates of depression and anxiety. While several studies examine physical fitness and academic performance in primary and secondary education, few studies have examined the association between fitness and performance in health professions education. Given the demands of medical school, this investigation aimed to investigate the possibility of an association between physical fitness and body mass index (BMI) with academic performance. Another goal was to examine the change in physical fitness and BMI throughout medical school. MATERIALS AND METHODS Standardized measures of physical fitness were examined in 192 Army students from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences over 4 years from the classes of 2017-2019. Measurements include (1) body composition (BMI); (2) muscular endurance (timed push-ups); (3) aerobic endurance (timed run), and (4) total fitness defined as total points from sit-ups, run, and push-ups (everything but BMI). Pearson correlation analysis was conducted between physical fitness and academic performance measures such as United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1, USMLE Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK), and average core clerkship National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) exam scores. A repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted to examine the differences of students' fitness total points and BMI over 4 fitness measurements spanning approximately 1.7 years. RESULTS There were weak positive correlations, 0.20 and 0.22, between USMLE Step 2 CK exam scores and push-up points and total fitness points, respectively. There also were weak positive correlations, 0.21 and 0.24, between core clerkship average NBME exam scores and push-up points and total fitness points, respectively. No statistically significant change of individual students' fitness total point change was observed (F(2.52, 334.93 = 1.37, P = 0.26)). There was also no individual BMI change (F(2.36, 274.21 = 2.78, P = .06)) over the first four assessment measurements (about 1.7 years lapse). However, the class means over the four measurements showed a decrease of fitness total points and an increase of BMI. CONCLUSIONS Our investigation suggests that there may be correlations between physical fitness and clinical exam performance such as USMLE Step 2 CK and average core clerkship NBME exams. Although there is no statistically significant change in individual fitness total points or BMI, the study suggests that physical fitness and BMI may decline during medical school. This may be as a result of increasing academic demands while balancing clinical duties from clerkship rotations.
Intoxication and overdose should not preclude veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

IntroductionAcute intoxication (AI) related morbidity and mortality are increasing in the United States. For patients with severe respiratory failure in the setting of an acute ingestion, veno-veno...
Ford Circles Strike Gold

Call a reduced fraction with denominator q a bronze, silver, or gold approximation with respect to a given irrational number ω if they differ by less than the reciprocal of the product of the squar...
Free-Space Transmission Dielectric Properties Measurement Based on Six-Port Technology

A six-port technology operating in transmission mode was developed for accurate determination of dielectric properties of low-loss materials from space measurements. The transmission coefficient was obtained by using the ratio of incident waves at ports 1 and 2 of the six-port network, while the power readings were performed at ports 3–6 simultaneously. The incident wave at port 1 originated from a forward propagating electromagnetic wave passing through the material sample. The incident wave at port 2 was the reference signal related to the incident wave at port 1 before or after propagating through the material. The calibration function is developed. The proposed six-port measurement technique was demonstrated at 5.8 GHz for purpose of verification. The material sample was placed between transmitting and receiving antennas. The microwave signal from the oscillator was fed to the transmitting antenna. The receiving antenna collected the signal and sent it to port 1. Two configurations were set up at port 2, either connected to the microwave signal from the oscillator or terminated with an electrical load. Magnitude and phase measurement results for various thicknesses of dielectric slabs compared well with those obtained with a commercial automatic vector network analyzer (ANA). Similarly, dielectric properties measurements on polypropylene, acrylic, and acetal spheres also agreed well with those obtained by the ANA.
Single centre experience of paediatric intestinal transplantation during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons from adapting to pandemic pressures

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for centres performing solid organ transplantation especially with the limited availability of donors, including restrictions related to lockdowns. We aimed to assess the impact of the measures and steps taken to mitigate these challenges in order to continue to deliver intestinal/multivisceral transplantation (I/MVTx). Methods: All I/MVTx between March 2020 to December 2020 were included in the study. Data were collated from a prospectively maintained departmental database and are presented descriptively. Results: All potential I/MVTx recipients were suspended at the start of the pandemic and were reactivated after an eight week period of risk assessment. A total of five transplants were performed during the study period. (Table-1) All recipients and donors were COVID tested just prior to surgery and managed through a COVID clean patient pathway as per NHSBT. Discussion: Pre-operative precautions (screening of donor history, additional endotracheal swabs and recipient swabs) were in place at the time of the procedures. Clinical urgency mandated conscious decisions such as liver reduction and staged abdominal closure in two patients with intractable GI bleeding. Intra-operative risk mitigation strategies included utilisation of standard PPE, minimal personnel in theatre and minimisation of surgical pauses. The prioritisation of the procedures to experienced donor and recipient surgeons allowed for short Cold ischemia times (some recipient operations were started prior to cross clamp at the donor site). No changes were made to immunosuppression protocols. Post-operative follow up was changed to minimize recipient visits to the hospital. There were no routine follow up endoscopies and stomal biopsies were reduced to once-a-week and when clinically indicated. No routine follow up face-to-face outpatient appointments were made. Instead, parents were educated and supported through a process of daily weight and stoma output monitoring and these were directly reported to the consultant through e-mail. Conclusion: Adaptation to different challenges during the pandemic permitted restitution of the intestinal transplant pathway without any deleterious effect on outcomes. Changes in post discharge practice introduced will continue and may improve the patient care pathway.
Divided We Fall: The Shortcomings of the European Union’s Proposal for Independent Member States to Regulate the Cultivation of Genetically Modified Organisms

The European Union (EU) has the second largest amount of arable land in the world, but grows less than 1% of the world‘s genetically modified crops.1 Believing this discrepancy in the ratio of arable land to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) violated a number of trade agreements, the United States, Argentina, and Canada requested that the World Trade Organization (WTO) review the EU‘s approval, application, and regulation of GMOs.2 In 2006, the WTO found that the EU had essentially suspended the approval of GMOs, resulting in a de facto moratorium on biotech products with a significant impact on the world market.3 The WTO agreed with the United States and other parties that the de facto moratorium was an ―across-the-board marketing ban‖ of GMOs and violated the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary
The Impact upon Comprehension and Reading Tasks of Preservice Elementary Teachers Using a Web 2.0 Reading Extension

This study explored the impact of using a Web 2.0 technology to augment and enhance the efficiency of face-to-face meetings and the amount and quality of time students spent out of class working with a reading assignment in an undergraduate science methods course. Treatment subjects versus control subjects used a discussion board style site called TitanPad® to respond to a journal prompt after reading an article and before attending a subsequent class to discuss the journal article. Results indicated that significantly more treatment students read the article and perceived that they more substantially contributed to a follow-up discussion. Results also indicated no significant differences between groups in the amount of time spent, between perceptions of being ready to discuss the reading material, and the groups' comprehension of the reading material. One inference was that with no additional time investment, instructors might increase student in-class participation using a Web 2.0 tool.
Eliminating Traditional Library Instruction: Requirements for the Successful Online Replacement

Interactive web applications offer academic libraries an effective platform for teaching basic library skills and can replace the traditional, and often unproductive, “one-shot” freshman visit to the university library. A new online headquarters for information literacy and library instruction under development at the University of Hawaii at Manoa Libraries will move beyond the earlier static web versions of bibliographic instruction and begin to engage the user in an active learning process through animation, feedback, and flexibility. Successful web-based delivery of basic library skills instruction begins with careful planning, an organizational commitment to the technology, and attention to sound pedagogical practice. More specifically, the design should: 1) provide the user with the opportunity to interact with the lessons and receive immediate feedback; 2) allow for easy integration by faculty to course-related assignments; 3) be flexible and accommodate alternate learning styles; 4) move beyond simple mechanics of navigating a database or catalog; 5) bridge familiar experiences to new applications; and 6) provide clear and easy access to a librarian for further assistance.
An amylase gene from Drosophila pseudoobscura is expressed in Escherichia coli: Functional selection and biochemical comparisons of the fly- and clone-produced amylases

An amylase gene from Drosophila pseudoobscura was isolated from a genomic library constructed in pBR322 and cloned in Escherichia coli by selecting for the ability of its product to hydrolyze starch, a carbon source not normally utilized by E. coli. Hybridization of pAMY17F to D. pseudoobscura polytene chromosomes shows a positive signal at the amylase pseudogene locus (bank 78, chromosome 3). The chimeric plasmid pAMY17F, has been altered in such a way as to increase amylase expression. Southern and Northern hybridizations to the cloned amylase DNA indicate that the source of the gene is from D. pseudoobscura. Biochemical properties such as pH optima, substrate specificities, electrophoretic analyses, inhibitor sensitivities, heat stabilities, temperature responsiveness and molecular weights indicate that the amylases produced by the fly and bacterial clone are similar and have similar properties. It appears that E. coli/pAMY17F is producing an amylase like that found in D. pseudoobscura.
A Critical Appraisal of Contemporary Approaches in the Quantitative Analysis of Behavior

For over 40 years, much research has sought to mathematically describe the relation between operant choice responding and reinforcement. This quantitatively oriented research and the accompanying theoretical interpretation of the data are embedded in the broader context of general experimental psychology, which can at times be regrettably mentalistic. Researchers and theorists in the area of the quantitative analysis of behavior may therefore need to be sensitive to mentalistic influences arising from outside the experimental analysis of behavior. One possible mentalistic influence is the psychophysics of S. S. Stevens. A second is the use of “value” as an intervening, mediating organismic variable, in the fashion of mediational S-O-R neobehaviorism. A third is essentialist thinking and the explanatory strategy of instantiation, rather than the pragmatism of the experimental analysis of behavior.
Our Bodies, Our (Tax) Selves

This Article considers important consequences of the commodification of human reproduction. Anyone who has opened a campus newspaper has seen advertisements seeking to match an infertile couple with a young woman who will “donate” her egg (in return for a fee). Some college-age men earn thousands of dollars through regular visits to a sperm bank. The characterization of human ova and sperm cells as transferrable “property” is the very foundation upon which the entire fertility industry rests. But the law of donative transfers has largely ignored the commercial market for human reproductive material. This Article considers how courts and the Internal Revenue Service -- unevenly and incompletely -- treat transfers of human bodily material. The Article reveals how classifying human eggs or sperm as descendible and devisable property could have far-reaching and even absurd consequences for human sexual relations. Property-related laws should never be the primary lens for considering complex questions regarding human reproduction, but the particular failure of tax law to address these transfers may create a de facto tax preference for work that many people may find objectionable or immoral.
Hankel approximation methods of IIR filter design

Presented in this paper are three design methods that use singular value decomposition and principal components analysis to construct IIR filters that approximate a desired filter response. The desired response may be specified in either the time domain or the frequency domain. The singular values of certain Hankel matrices constructed from the filter specifications, display the error in approximating the desired response by filters of different orders. The designer chooses the filter order based on the error that can be tolerated. An advantage common to these methods is that the user does not have to prespecify the filter order. Two of the new design methods have an additional advantage: They can be used when only the desired amplitude-response of the filter is specified, and the filter's phase response is unimportant. (Finally, in comparison to some extant design methods, the methods investigated here, seem to produce high-quality filters using lower orders.)
Development and Validation of a Deontic Justice Scale

This paper describes the development and validation of a deontic justice scale (DJS). Study 1 (n = 124) was conducted to test the initial 36-item version of the scale. It resulted in the reduction of the initial scale to 18 items, including 3 dimensions: moral obligation (8 items), moral accountability (6 items), and moral outrage (4 items). Study 2 (n = 101) was conducted to examine the construct validity and confirm the factor structure of the DJS. Findings from both studies showed evidence of the scale's construct validity. They also showed that deontic justice is a multidimensional construct encompassing moral obligation, moral accountability, and moral outrage. The scale's implications for use as an adequate research instrument are discussed.
Care of the Cirrhotic Patient

The clinical manifestations of cirrhotic liver disease encompass a broad spectrum of conditions that reflect the consequence of high portal pressures that result from fibrosis and diminished hepatic synthetic reserve. Patients with cirrhosis are at heightened risk for the development of infection, and although the use of prophylactic antimicrobial therapy may be considered lifesaving in the setting of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, there remains controversy regarding such therapy in the management of cirrhotic ascites. The infectious disease specialist is now becoming familiarized with the management of viral hepatitis, which includes screening for hepatocellular carcinoma and vigilance for infectious complications of antiviral therapy.
Activation of NADP-malate dehydrogenase by lipoate

Abstract The NADP-specific malate dehydrogenase of spinach leaf chloroplasts, a light-activated enzyme, is activated in vitro by the naturally-occurring disulfide compound, lipoate. Other compounds which tend to form cyclic disulfides on oxidation such as dithiothreitol (DTT) and trimethylene dithiol will also activate in vitro . Monosulfhydryl compounds such as glutathione, mercaptoethanol, and cysteine do not activate appreciably. These data suggest that lipoate or a similar disulfhydryl compound may play an in vitro role in the light activation of chloroplast NADP-malate dehydrogenase.
'On Cheating Pictures': Gender and Portrait Miniatures in Philip Massinger's The Picture

Philip Massinger’s play The Picture uses a portrait miniature as means for discussing and revising Renaissance gender norms and aesthetic practice. The role of the portrait miniature — as love token and private object — as well as that of the imprese — words inscribed upon or in the margins of an image — inform our reading and viewing of Massinger’s play as an illustrated text. The portrait becomes a magical mirror of sorts, though not of the woman it represents (Sophia) but of male insecurity and desire. Thus, by pairing a detailed study of artistic process alongside gender ideology, we can approach Massinger’s play as a drama that takes art and gender as both skillfully created and easily disrupted.
Geographic and racial-ethnic differences in satisfaction with and perceived benefits of mental health services.

Objective:This study examined whether racial-ethnic differences in satisfaction with and perceived benefits from mental health services vary by geographic region among U.S. adults.Methods:Drawn from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES), selected samples consisted of 2,160 adults age 18 and older from diverse racial-ethnic groups (Asian, black, Hispanic/Latino, and white) who had used mental health services in the past 12 months. Generalized linear model analysis was conducted for the United States as a whole and separately by geographic region (Northeast, South, Midwest, and West) after adjustment for covariates.Results:In the national sample, no significant main effects of race-ethnicity and geographic region were found in either satisfaction with or perceived benefits from mental health services. In the stratified analyses for geographic regions, however, significant racial-ethnic differences were observed in the West; blacks in the West were significantly more likely to report high...
Organization and controlled coupling between soft and hard magnetic nanocrystals using mesoporous materials

Mesoporous materials provide a unique host for controlling interactions between nanoscale guests. Here, we use polymer-templated mesoporous silicas to control magnetic dipole-dipole coupling between soft (superparamagnetic) face-centered-cubic and hard (ferromagnetic) face-centered-tetragonal FePt nanocrystals. We find that mixed soft-hard coupled FePt chains show enhanced magnetic coercivity, compared to single-component chains, while randomly associated nanocrystals show no change. A semi-quantitative analysis of temperature dependent magnetization data indicates that the free-energy barrier to spin flipping has both significant enthalpic and entropic components. Linear channels, thus, appear to be an effective way to organize magnetic nanocrystals with constructive dipolar coupling and tunable magnetic properties.
Pathogenicity of a nuclear-polyhedrosis virus of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua

A bioassay of a nuclear-polyhedrosis virus wss conducted with first- and fourth-instar larvae of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua. Purified suspensions of polyhedra were layered on a diet at concentrations of 5, 15, 50, and 150 polyhedra/mm2. Computed ld50's were 8.3 and 57.6 polyhedra/mm2 for the respective instars. lt50's ranged from 4.1 to 5.2 days for the first instar and 5.0 to 5.7 days for the fourth instar.
Offshore distributional patterns of Hawaiian fish larvae

An analysis of ichthyoplankton samples based on relative abundance reveals pronounced inshore/offshore distributional gradients for most Hawaiian fish larvae. Larvae of pelagic bay species are found almost exclusively in semi-enclosed bays and estuaries. Larvae of pelagic neritic species are more or less uniformly distributed with distance from shore. The larvae of reef species with non-pelagic eggs are most abundant close to shore, while those of reef species with pelagic eggs are most abundant offshore. Finally, the larvae of offshore (primarily mesopelagic) species show no clear pattern but frequently occur in high numbers nearshore. Within any group, variation in pattern was often evident; for example, although Hawaiian fishes of both the families Labridae and Mullidae spawn pelagic eggs, larvae of the former had not peaked in abundance 12 km from shore while larvae of the latter had peaked between 0.5 and 2 km. Some larvae which occur offshore are highly specialized morphologically for a pelagic existence (e.g. Chaetodontidae, which is illustrated) while others are little modified (e.g. Labridae). These findings indicate ichthyoplankton surveys in tropical areas must sample offshore areas in addition to the inshore adult habitat to obtain a complete picture.
Some Bounds on the Storage Requirements of Sequential Machines and Turing Machines

Any sequential machine M represents a function fM from input sequences to output symbols. A function f is representable if some finite-state sequential machine represents it. The function fM is called an n-th order approximation to a given function f if fM is equal to f for all input sequences of length less than or equal to n. It is proved that, for an arbitrary nonrepresentable function f, there are infinitely many n such that any sequential machine representing an nth order approximation to f has more than n/2 + 1 states. An analogous result is obtained for two-way sequential machines and, using these and related results, lower bounds are obtained for two-way sequential machines and, using these and related results, lower bounds are obtained on the amount of work tape required online and offline Turing machines that compute nonrepresentable functions.
Does perioperative nutrition and oral carbohydrate load sustainably preserve muscle mass after bariatric surgery? A randomized control trial

Abstract Background Perioperative nutrition and preoperative oral carbohydrate loading (CHL) have a beneficial impact on the outcomes of gastrointestinal oncological surgery. However no data exists on their effect on morbidly obese patients. Objectives Our aim was to establish the short-term and long-term impact of these modalities, notably on metabolically active lean body mass (LBM) — an important factor in maintaining long-term weight loss. Methods Patients undergoing laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass were randomized to standard management or intervention: CHL drinks consumed 12 and 2 hours presurgery, and immediate postoperative peripheral parenteral nutrition. The primary outcome measured was LBM, measured by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), one and 12 months postsurgery. Secondary outcomes included excess weight loss (EBWL), 30-day complication rate, and length of stay. Results Of the 203 randomized patients, 198 were included in the analysis. All 101 patients in the control group completed the one-year follow up and 76 completed the BIA. In the intervention group, 93 of 97 patients completed the one-year follow-up and 71 completed the BIA. At one and 12 months follow-up, body composition, LBM, or EBWL were comparable. There was no difference in operative outcomes, complications rates, or length of stay. There was no adverse effect in the intervention group. Conclusions In a highly homogeneous group of morbidly obese patients with one-year follow-up, CHL and short-term parenteral nutrition did not lead to significant or sustained LBM preservation or modification in EBWL. There was no significant decrease in complications or length of stay. Our study confirms the safety of these interventions, even in previously unstudied Type 2 diabetic patients.
Long-term evaluation of radical prostatectomy as treatment for clinical stage C (T3) prostate cancer

Abstract We reviewed the results of radical prostatectomy in 232 patients with clinical Stage C prostate cancer for comparison with published results of irradiation for clinical Stage C patients. Twenty-two percent were Stage B pathologically (i.e., overstaged clinically); 36 percent were pathologic Stage C and 42 percent were Stage D1. Fifty-four percent had had adjuvant treatment immediately postoperatively. Mean follow-up was 4.9 years, with 86 and 32 patients under observation at five and ten years, respectively. Overall, cause-specific, disease free, and local recurrence free survival rates were 84 percent, 89 percent, 69 percent, and 90 percent, respectively, at five years, and 72 percent, 82 percent, 56 percent, and 82 percent, respectively, at ten years. Although adjuvant hormonal treatment affected progression significantly (P= 0.0069), it did not affect survival significantly. When the analysis of survival to a female prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level was combined with clinical disease-free survival to provide a more accurate measure of disease progression, 90 percent, 51 percent, and 38 percent of patients with clinical Stage C prostate cancer were free of disease at one, five, and ten years, respectively. The clinical data suggest that radical surgery often combined with immediate adjuvant therapy may provide better disease control (including PSA values) than primary radiotherapy.
Magnetism and superconductivity in single-crystal ErNi2B2C.

The resistivity ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\rho}}}_{\mathit{a}\mathit{b}}$(T) and anisotropic magnetization M(T) of ${\mathrm{ErNi}}_{2}$${\mathrm{B}}_{2}$C crystals were measured as a function of applied magnetic field (H) from 2 to 300 K to study the magnetic and superconducting properties with H parallel and perpendicular to the c axis (H\ensuremath{\parallel}c and H\ensuremath{\perp}c). Low-temperature specific-heat measurements for H=0 show a lambda-shaped anomaly associated with antiferromagnetic (AF) ordering at ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{N}}$=(5.85\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.15) K. The ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\rho}}}_{\mathit{a}\mathit{b}}$(T) and M(T) data show a superconducting transition at ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$=10.5 K, long-range AF ordering at ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{N}}$=6.0 K, and coexistence of superconductivity and antiferromagnetism below ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{N}}$. From the ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\rho}}}_{\mathit{a}\mathit{b}}$(T) and M(T) data, the ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{N}}$ was found to be independent of H up to H=20 kG for H\ensuremath{\parallel}c, whereas for H\ensuremath{\perp}c ${\mathrm{T}}_{\mathit{N}}$ decreased as \ensuremath{\sim}${\mathit{H}}^{2}$ from 6.0 K at H=0 to ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{N}}$=3.2 K at H=18 kG. The M(T) data show a change in the easy axis direction from H\ensuremath{\parallel}c above 150 to H\ensuremath{\perp}c below 150 K. This change in anisotropy is associated with the anomalously small magnitude of the crystalline electric field ${\mathit{B}}_{2}^{0}$ term.
Inhibitors of sterol synthesis. Dietary administration of 5α-cholest-8(14)-en-3β-ol-15-one inhibits the intestinal absorption of cholesterol in lymph-cannulated rats☆

The effect of 5 alpha-cholest-8(14)-en-3 beta-ol-15-one, a potent inhibitor of cholesterol synthesis with marked hypocholesterolemic activity, on the intestinal absorption of exogenous cholesterol has been studied in lymph-cannulated rats. Administration of the 15-ketosterol at a level of 0.05% in a rat chow diet for 10 days was associated with a marked decrease (-64%) in the absorption of cholesterol.