cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An investigation of verbal episodes that relate to individual and team performance in engineering student teams

Being an effective team member is one of the key twenty-first century skills and a fundamental proficiency required for jobs and work settings in an increasingly global economy. Collaborative problem-solving in team settings is a critical practice in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields as an effective teaching method that is found to promote outcomes associated with individual student learning and the quality of team solutions. However, the social and discursive dynamics of a team can impact these outcomes. The primary goal of this study was to examine the different types of verbal episodes (questions, conflict, and reasoning episodes) in engineering student teams and how these verbal interactions related to the individual and team performances. Our results showed that different verbal episodes played a significant role on students’ individual success and team performance. Students spent most of their time on question episodes, followed by reasoning episodes, and less frequently so on conflict episodes. The linear combination of question, conflict, and reasoning episodes was significantly related to students’ individual achievement scores. Specifically, the number of question episodes was the best predictor of individual performance. And among six subcategories of question episodes, three (open question, verification answer, and elaborated answer) were significantly correlated with the individual achievement scores. Furthermore, according to the regression model, elaborated answer category was significantly related to individual achievement compared to all other categories. In terms of team performance, results showed that reasoning episodes were significantly related to team performance, and the calculation subcategory of reasoning episodes was the best predictor of team performance. Finally, we found that the teams with more balanced participation among team members performed significantly better than the teams with unequal participation among team members. These results suggest different verbal episodes are related to individual and team outcomes. Discourse in teams is critical not only for the improvement of academic achievement for individuals but also for the development of better team solutions. Moreover, balanced participation from all team members is important, suggesting teams should be formed, monitored, and supported to ensure balanced participation. Our results recommend that educators should monitor team interactions and promote verbal exchanges that promote student learning and positive team outcomes.
Dicer1 Phosphomimetic Promotes Tumor Progression and Dissemination.

Dicer1 functions as a tumor suppressor in mouse models. In humans, somatic mutations are associated with many cancers in adults, and patients with DICER1 syndrome with DICER1 germline mutations are susceptible to childhood cancers. Dicer is phosphorylated by the ERK-MAP kinase pathway and because this pathway is activated in human cancers, we asked whether phosphorylated Dicer1 contributed to tumor development. In human endometrioid cancers, we discovered that phosphorylated DICER1 is significantly associated with invasive disease. To test a direct involvement of Dicer1 phosphorylation in tumor development, we studied mice with phosphomimetic alterations at the two conserved serines phosphorylated by ERK and discovered that a phosphomimetic Dicer1 drives tumor development and dissemination in two independent murine cancer models (KRas+/LA1 and p53+/- ). Our findings demonstrate that phosphomimetic Dicer1 promotes tumor development and invasion. SIGNIFICANCE: This work highlights the relevance of Dicer1 phosphorylation in mammalian tumor development and dissemination.
Highly dense, inexpensive composites via melt infiltration of Ni into WC/Fe preforms

Abstract Traditionally, WC-based composites use Co as the metal binder phase to consolidate using liquid-phase sintering with a small percentage of Co, but a potentially lower cost binder phase can be made with a different approach when using large amount of metal binder phase. FeNi as a metal binder material is much cheaper than Co. WC can be liquid-phase sintered and melt infiltrated with FeNi, but by making FeNi in situ, costs lower even further. Composites of WC-(Fe-Ni) were made by first pressing a mixture of WC and Fe powders and subsequently melt infiltrating Ni in an amount corresponding to less volume than the porosity of the preform to ensure high WC content. The research objective was to make highly dense composites via melt infiltration with a low-cost metal binder phase in situ. This method has the potential to make fully dense composites, rather than hardmetals, with suitable properties at lower costs. The density and hardness are 97.4%TD and 6.72 GPa, respectively.
Cross Validation of the Monoclonal Antibody Das-1 in Identification of High-Risk Mucinous Pancreatic Cystic Lesions.

Background & Aims Although pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) are frequently and incidentally detected, it is a challenge to determine their risk of malignancy. In immunohistochemical and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analyses of tissue and cyst fluid from pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms, the monoclonal antibody Das-1 identifies those at risk for malignancy with high levels of specificity and sensitivity. We aimed to validate the ability of Das-1 to identify high-risk PCLs in comparison to clinical guidelines and clinical features, using samples from a multicenter cohort. Methods We obtained cyst fluid samples of 169 PCLs (90 intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms, 43 mucinous cystic neoplasms, and 36 non-mucinous cysts) from patients undergoing surgery at 4 tertiary referral centers (January 2010 through June 2017). Histology findings from surgical samples, analyzed independently and centrally re-reviewed in a blinded manner, were used as the reference standard. High-risk PCLs were those with invasive carcinomas, high-grade dysplasia, or intestinal-type intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms with intermediate-grade dysplasia. An ELISA with Das-1 was performed in parallel using banked cyst fluid samples. We evaluated the biomarker's performance, generated area under the curve values, and conducted multivariate logistic regression using clinical and pathology features. Results The ELISA for Das-1 identified high-risk PCLs with 88% sensitivity, 99% specificity, and 95% accuracy, at a cutoff optical density value of 0.104. In 10-fold cross-validation analysis with 100 replications, Das-1 identified high-risk PCLs with 88% sensitivity and 98% specificity. The Sendai, Fukuoka, and American Gastroenterological Association guideline criteria identified high-risk PCLs with 46%, 52%, and 74% accuracy (P for comparison to Das-1 ELISA 5 mm (odds ratio, 14.98; 95% confidence interval, 2.63–108; P Conclusions We validated the ability of an ELISA with the monoclonal antibody Das-1 to detect PCLs at risk for malignancy with high levels of sensitivity and specificity. This biomarker might be used in conjunction with clinical guidelines to identify patients at risk for malignancy.
60. NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND EARLY EXPERIENCE USING PEDIATRIC SUBSPECIALITY EPAS AS A FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT TOOL

Background Compared to semi-annual Milestone-based assessment models of fellowship training, Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) may be better at assessing fellow development. EPAs' formative assessment capabilities are unknown, nor have they been adopted as a method for evaluation. The use of EPAs' entrustment scales could allow for more specific, actionable feedback from faculty during training. Methods In a pilot study, we created a needs assessment on feedback in pediatric fellowship training and a readily accessible online EPA assessment form. Fellows use the form to ask faculty to choose EPAs to assess following a clinical experience. Fellows from Neonatology, Endocrinology, Adolescent Medicine, and Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics were recruited. Fellows are asked to obtain a minimum of four EPA assessments monthly. Time spent completing forms and providing feedback is recorded for each encounter. Results 20 faculty, 4 program directors and 9 fellows completed the needs assessment. 77% of fellows reported current Milestone-based feedback aided their professional development, but only 60% were satisfied with the quantity and quality of feedback received. 80% of faculty believed fellows were provided adequate feedback using Milestones, but only 50% reported they provided good feedback. Faculty identified many barriers to giving good feedback using Milestones. 85% felt use of a structured EPA template and more frequent opportunities would improve their feedback. In the first 4 months of the pilot, 27 episodes of EPA based feedback occurred. 12 different faculty members have provided feedback using the template. The most often used EPA was Lead Team while Public Health was least used. An average of 9 minutes of feedback per assessment was reported. Conclusions Our pediatric faculty and fellows feel an opportunity exists to improve the quality and quantity of feedback from our current Milestone approach. An online EPA tool is being used by faculty and fellows to provide more frequent feedback. Future assessments will evaluate the utility and specificity of feedback provided.
Geographies of religion as Theological Ontologies: A difficult rapprochement with religious studies

Geographers of religion have seldom engaged with religious studies, and the reverse is true as well. While some blame geographers for their insularity and incoherence, my central argument is that the focus of geographers on ontological questions has led geographies of religion to wax more theologically, producing an obstacle to dialogue with religious studies. The suggestion for rapprochement requires religious studies scholars to be interested in ontological questions that do not foreclose the constitution of material space, ultimately requiring a reconciliation with theology.
IsoClustering: A Generalized Framework for Local Data Clustering

In this paper, we propose a generalized framework for local clustering based on isoperimetric inequalities. We also demonstrate that contemporary approaches are included in its scope and that it can accommodate data sets of different types, including those with overlapping communities. We then present an efficient, greedy algorithm using the new framework and compare the output of the new algorithm with existing methods.
Blockchain architecture: A design that helps CPA firms leverage the technology

Abstract Blockchain technology has garnered the interest of the accounting profession in recent years. However, when considering whether to adopt this technology, many business professionals have voiced a lack of a compelling use case as a major challenge. To utilize the technology effectively, first, we need to establish how organizations will connect to the blockchain that will also provide a compelling use-case for CPA firms. In this paper, we design a blockchain architecture for organizations that will facilitate effective connectivity to a blockchain while enabling auditors to leverage this technology to provide audit and assurance services. To design the architecture, we consider two broad questions: first, how do CPA firms gain access to reliable audit evidence and, second, how can client firms maintain confidentiality and security of their data given a decentralized and distributed immutable ledger (i.e., a blockchain). Consequently, the proposed architecture will help auditors gain access to reliable digital audit evidence while incentivizing client firms to adopt blockchain technology by substantially reducing the costs of replacing existing information systems. Given this architecture, auditors could also design continuous audit procedures for their respective clients without having to incur substantial investments in software integration. Further, the architecture can be expanded to include various use cases and supply chain participants, other CPA firms, customers, and regulators.
Deep-Learning-Based Power Generation Forecasting of Thermal Energy Conversion.

ORC is a heat to power solution to convert low-grade thermal energy into electricity with relative low cost and adequate efficiency. The working of ORC relies on the liquid–vapor phase changes of certain organic fluid under different temperature and pressure. ORC is a well-established technology utilized in industry to recover industrial waste heat to electricity. However, the frequently varied temperature, pressure, and flow may raise difficulty to maintain a steady power generation from ORC. It is important to develop an effective prediction methodology for power generation in a stable grid system. This study proposes a methodology based on deep learning neural network to the predict power generation from ORC by 12 h in advance. The deep learning neural network is derived from long short-term memory network (LSTM), a type of recurrent neural network (RNN). A case study was conducted through analysis of ORC data from steel company. Different time series methodology including ARIMA and MLP were compared with LSTM in this study and shows the error rate decreased by 24% from LSTM. The proposed methodology can be used to effectively optimize the system warning threshold configuration for the early detection of abnormalities in power generators and a novel approach for early diagnosis in conventional industries.
Industrial Mammalian Cell Culture: Physiology–technology–products

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the advances for industrial mammalian cell culture in terms of the physiology of the cell and its culture in vitro. The complexity of the structure of the mammalian cell and its chemical and physical composition has hindered its nearly complete characterization until recently. The shape of mammalian cells varies widely from a spherical to tubular and other shapes depending on its particular differentiated function for some cells. The size and weight of mammalian cells varies widely as compared with several other biological specimens. All the differentiated cells of a given mammalian species contain all and the same genetic information regardless of their individual function. Ross G. Harrison is the inventor of mammalian cell culture in tissue form in vitro. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Earle, G. Gey, H. Eagle, and T.T. Puck developed more appropriate techniques and methodology to grow mammalian cells either as small clumps of several cells or as single cells. Mammalian cell culture technology has come of age. It is both a key industrial development and a scientific tool with many applications. The concurrent advances in recombinant DNA technology have allowed inserting genes from mammalian cells into bacterial cells and, thus, producing them much more economically than mammalian cell culture after efficacy demonstration by the latter.
Foxa1 and Foxa2 together control developmental gene regulatory networks, and differentiation genes, in both human stem-cell derived liver progenitors and in a human liver cell line: evidence of a collapse of human liver differentiation

ABSTRACT: Foxa factors (Foxa1/2/3) play a critical role in liver organogenesis and initiating and maintaining developmental gene regulatory networks (GRN) in murine endoderm, gut, and liver. Nevertheless, it remains to be determined how Foxa2 together with Foxa1 (which compensates for Foxa2 loss) function during human liver differentiation/development. In novel, hypoxic protocols that induce hPSC-derived endoderm and liver progenitors, RNAi (siRNA and shRNA)-mediated knockdown of both Foxa1 and Foxa2 demonstrates widespread regulation of the endoderm and mesendoderm GRN, and albumin, which signifies liver differentiation block. The Foxa1/2 (-/-) phenotype in liver cells demonstrated significant downregulation of albumin, liver GRN (HNF4α, Hex, HNF1s, and Tbx3), all consistent with a collapse of liver differentiation, and a significant upregulation of germ layer markers like Nanog (pluripotency), Pax6 (neurectoderm), GATA4 (endoderm/mesoderm), Cdx2 (intestine). RNA-seq and bioinformatics analysis of the shRNA Foxa1/2 (-/-) phenotype confirms global downregulation of liver-specific genes and unexpected upregulation of epithelial differentiation, mesodermal (cardiac), and neural genes. These data suggest time-dependent effects on endoderm and liver GRN, widespread effects on the liver transcriptome. Additionally, the Foxa1/2 (-/-) phenotype upregulates of cardiac, neural, and intestinal genes, and this data phenocopies data from human hepatocyte differentiation. These data suggest a novel role for Foxa1/2 in human liver differentiation.
Preferred Strategies for Delivering Health Information to Patients With Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Qualitative Study.

Background Patients' information needs may differ from what their care providers may perceive to be the patients' needs. This discordance needs to be recognized and addressed. Objective We conducted a qualitative study to explore the perceptions of patients with selected musculoskeletal disorders and those of rheumatologists, on their preferred strategies for delivery of disease management information. Methods Fifty-two patients diagnosed with either rheumatoid arthritis, knee osteoarthritis, or osteoporosis took part in 6 focus groups and 18 individual semistructured interviews. In addition, 11 rheumatologists participated in 2 focus groups and 4 semistructured individual interviews. Data were explored by thematic content analysis. Perceived preferences were identified and compared between patients and rheumatologists regarding (a) media, (b) setting, (c) messengers, and (d) key message content. Results Patients' preferred media for disease management information were electronic (television and videos delivered as digital optical discs or the Internet), group instruction, and printed material. Patients preferred the information to be delivered in the setting of their homes, doctor's offices, or clinic waiting areas by the rheumatologists and patients with disease experience, addressing healthy lifestyle changes, medication adherence, and consequences of noncompliance. For rheumatologists, the perceived preference for information delivery was through printed material (brochures, booklets, and pamphlets) delivered in waiting areas by nurses and physicians, addressing nature of the disease, complications, and treatment adverse effects. Conclusions Provider perspectives on strategies for education may differ from those of patients. Our findings highlight the need for considering different stakeholder perspectives in designing educational tools and decision support materials for patients with chronic diseases. Take-home message Rheumatologists' preferences on strategies for education (mode of delivery, delivery setting, messengers, and topics) differ from those of patients. For example, patients want to learn about lifestyle changes and consequences of compliance versus noncompliance, whereas rheumatologists considered more important for patients to understand their disease, treatment adverse effects, and consequences of noncompliance.
Incenting managers toward the triple bottom line: An agency and social norm perspective

Research to date has identified CEO pay structure as an important factor in the environmental and social performance of the organization but has not considered how pay may influence these sustainability efforts at the middle-management level. We address this void with an experimental manipulation of direct and indirect pay incentives for an environmental sustainability project and production cost savings project. Counter to our predictions, investment in sustainability versus cost savings is significantly lower when incentives for both projects are equivalent, and investment is only comparable when incentives for the sustainability project are superior. Further investigation using qualitative data attributes this to differences in the salient social norms that individuals hold and an apparent undervaluing of the indirect incentive derived through sustainability's contribution to cost savings. The results shed light on primary ways in which human resource management practices may be used to embed support for sustainability initiatives throughout the organization.
Power, equity, and commitment in social exchange: A three-stage model of the sociocognitive appraisal process

We present and preliminarily test a theory of social exchange: (i) a socioeconomic event arises in which social exchange can serve individuals’ self-interests; (ii) participants engage in a three-s...
Priming Effects on Behavior and Priming Behavioral Concepts: A Commentary on Sherman and Rivers (2020)

Several failures to replicate underpowered priming studies conducted by social psychologists in the 2000s have been used to argue that priming effects on behavior cannot be reproduced (Harris, Cobu...
Mitonuclear conflict in a macaque species exhibiting phylogenomic discordance

Speciation and hybridization are intertwined processes in the study of evolution. Hybridization between sufficiently diverged populations can result in genomic conflict within offspring, causing reduced viability and fertility, thus increasing divergence between populations. Conflicts between mitochondrial and nuclear genes are increasingly found to play a role in this process in various systems. We examine the possibility of this conflict in the bear macaque, Macaca arctoides (Primates: Cercopithecidae), a primate species exhibiting mitonuclear discordance due to extensive hybridization with species in the sinica and fascicularis groups. Here, divergence, introgression and natural selection of mitonuclear genes (N = 160) relative to nuclear control genes (N = 144) were analysed to determine whether there are evolutionary processes involved in resolving the potential conflict caused by mitonuclear discordance. Nucleotide divergence of mitonuclear genes is increased relative to control nuclear genes between M. arctoides and the species sharing its nuclear ancestry (p = 0.007), consistent with genetic conflict. However, measures of introgression and selection do not identify large-scale co-introgression or co-evolution as means to resolve mitonuclear conflict. Nonetheless, mitochondrial tRNA synthetases stand out in analyses using dN/dS and extended branch lengths as potential targets of selection. The methodology implemented provides a framework that can be used to examine the effects of mitonuclear co-introgression and co-evolution on a genomic scale in a variety of systems.
Application of microdialysis to the study of motivation and conditioning: measurements of dopamine and serotonin in freely-behaving rats

Publisher Summary This chapter explores application of microdialysis to the study of motivation and conditioning in freely behaving rats. A primary advantage of in vivo microdialysis is that it can be used to examine neurochemistry in behaving animals. Limitations on high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) sensitivity led most investigators to start testing drugs that would dramatically increase extracellular levels of a detectable neurotransmitter. As a result, effects of psychostimulants on forebrain dopamine have been extensively examined. The chapter discusses the general procedures to obtain reliable measurements of dopamine and serotonin in freely-behaving rats over periods ranging from several hours to several weeks. The most commonly used dialysis perfusates are various modifications of a basic Ringer's solution. Certain neurogenic compounds obtained by microdialysis are not present in large quantities to be detected using current analytical technology. Therefore, some investigators have chosen to add pharmacological agents to the Ringer's solution to elevate extracellular levels of the compound.
Experiments with Siberian Snakes

Our experimental study of Siberian Snakes began at a 1985 workshop in Ann Arbor on how to have polarized protons at the SSC/1/. The Workshop concluded that it would be practical to have polarized protons at the SSC, but only if the Siberian Snake Concept worked as everyone hoped. Fig. 1 is a diagram of how a polarized SSC might appear with Siberian Snakes installed in the various rings. Thus, the Workshop’s first conclusion was that polarized beam acceleration would be possible at the SSC. The second conclusion was that one must test the Siberian Snake Concept, which had been invented around 1974 by Derbenev and Kondratenko /2/. While most of the world’s distinguished accelerator theorists were quite convinced that the concept would work, we felt that it would be difficult to convince the SSC Director and the funding people to spend tens of millions of dollars on Siberian Snakes, if it was an untested theoretical concept.
Validation of the Vaccination Confidence Scale: A Brief Measure to Identify Parents at Risk for Refusing Adolescent Vaccines.

Abstract Objective To validate a brief measure of vaccination confidence using a large, nationally representative sample of parents. Methods We analyzed weighted data from 9018 parents who completed the 2010 National Immunization Survey–Teen, an annual, population-based telephone survey. Parents reported on the immunization history of a 13- to 17-year-old child in their households for vaccines including tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap), meningococcal, and human papillomavirus vaccines. For each vaccine, separate logistic regression models assessed associations between parents' mean scores on the 8-item Vaccination Confidence Scale and vaccine refusal, vaccine delay, and vaccination status. We repeated analyses for the scale's 4-item short form. Results One quarter of parents (24%) reported refusal of any vaccine, with refusal of specific vaccines ranging from 21% for human papillomavirus to 2% for Tdap. Using the full 8-item scale, vaccination confidence was negatively associated with measures of vaccine refusal and positively associated with measures of vaccination status. For example, refusal of any vaccine was more common among parents whose scale scores were medium (odds ratio, 2.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.75–2.47) or low (odds ratio, 4.61; 95% confidence interval, 3.51–6.05) versus high. For the 4-item short form, scores were also consistently associated with vaccine refusal and vaccination status. Vaccination confidence was inconsistently associated with vaccine delay. Conclusions The Vaccination Confidence Scale shows promise as a tool for identifying parents at risk for refusing adolescent vaccines. The scale's short form appears to offer comparable performance.
Performance evaluation of multiple IEEE 802.11b WLAN stations in the presence of Bluetooth radio interference

There are several papers published in the past few years about the evaluation of IEEE 802.11(b) WLAN performance degradation due to Bluetooth radio interference. The network topologies used WLAN in the previous literature are point-to-point, i.e., on AP and one WLAN station. In this paper we evaluate a performance of IEEE 802.11(b) systems composed of an AP and multiple WLAN stations using the same 2.4 GHz frequency band in the presence of Bluetooth radio systems within a BSS. Our results focus on the impact of Bluetooth interference on IEEE 802.11(b) WLAN systems. the throughput of IEEE 802.11(b) is estimated as a function of not only WLAN parameters but also Bluetooth radio system parameters. Further, we derived theoretical maximum throughputs of IEEE 802.1(b) systems with perfect channel conditions in order to compare with other scenarios that considering interferences and competition with other WLAN stations. As a result, with light and heavy BT usage scenarios, the IEEE 802.1(b) system throughputs are degraded by 25% and 66% respectively.
Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesis, by Sean G. Ryan and Andrew J. Norton

Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesis, by Sean G. Ryan and Andrew J. Norton, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press (and © The Open University), 2010, 236 pp., £75.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-521-1960...
Oxidation of styrene using a silent discharge plasma

Summary form only given, as follows. A cylindrically symmetrical dielectric barrier discharge was constructed to study the oxidation of styrene in the gas phase. Several operating parameters were varied to find the optimum conditions for styrene destruction. An argon/oxygen mix was used to generate the non-thermal plasma with oxygen concentrations ranging from 2-8%. The styrene concentrations ranged from 1000 ppm to 6000 ppm and energy densities of the SDP cell ranged from .5-3 kJ/liter. The temperature of the SDP cell was varied from 200/spl deg/C to 450/spl deg/C. The concentrations of styrene and its partial oxidation products were monitored by a CC-MS and the concentrations of CO/sub 2/ and CO were measured by FTIR. Destruction efficiencies of styrene up to 99.9% were measured.
Behavioral Correlates of HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinomas

There is a well-recognized subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) that are associated with HPV infection. These cancers differ from traditional HNSCC in that they occur in younger individuals and have decreased association with tobacco and alcohol use. Many studies have looked at the behavioral correlates associated with this subset of cancers. The most commonly reported sexual behaviors associated with this subset of HNSCC include increased number of lifetime vaginal or oral sex partners, younger age at sexual debut, oral-anal sex partners, history of other sexually transmitted infections and same-sex sexual partners. Nonsexual behaviors including tobacco use, alcohol use, marijuana use, nutrition and dental health have less consistent data supporting association with this subset of HNSCC. Understanding of the behavioral factors contributing to oral HPV DNA detection and development of HPV-associated HNSCC has increased significantly over the years, but further studies are needed to delineate the main contributors to develop effective interventions.
The trypanosome leucine repeat gene in the variant surface glycoprotein expression site encodes a putative metal-binding domain and a region resembling protein-binding domains of yeast, Drosophila, and mammalian proteins.

Abstract We have identified a new variant surface glycoprotein expression site-associated gene (ESAG) in Trypanosoma brucei, the trypanosome leucine repeat (T-LR) gene. Like most other ESAGs, it is expressed in a life cycle stage-specific manner. The N-terminal 20% of the predicted T-LR protein resembles the metal-binding domains of nucleic acid-binding proteins. The remainder is composed of leucine-rich repeats that are characteristic of protein-binding domains found in a variety of other eucaryote proteins. This is the first report of leucine-rich repeats and potential nucleic acid-binding domains on the same protein. The T-LR gene is adjacent to ESAG 4, which has homology to the catalytic domain of adenylate cyclase. This is intriguing, since yeast adenylate cyclase has a leucine-rich repeat regulatory domain. The leucine-rich repeat and putative metal-binding domains suggest a possible regulatory role that may involve adenylate cyclase activity or nucleic acid binding.
Crony Politics in Russia

The Crisis of Russian Democracy: The Dual State, Factionalism, and the Medvedev Succession. By Richard Sakwa . New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011. 418 pp., $34.99 paperback (ISBN-13: 978-0-521-14522-0). Political Consequences of Crony Capitalism inside Russia. By Gulnaz Sharafutdinova . Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2011. 296 pp., $38.00 paperback (ISBN-13: 978-0-268-04135-9). State Building in Putin's Russia: Policing and Coercion after Communism. By Brian D. Taylor . New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. 392 pp., $99.00 hardcover (ISBN-13: 978-0-521-76088-1). The three new books under review here provide rich material for pondering whether Russia has relapsed into dictatorship. In The Crisis of Russian Democracy: The Dual State, Factionalism, and the Medvedev Succession , Richard Sakwa (p. 1) discerns “an emerging consensus” among observers of Russia “that by…2008, Russian democracy was in crisis.” As usual, the word “consensus” papers over heated controversy. Some observers' vivid metaphors—“stillborn,”“demise,”“derailed,”“eternal Muscovy,”“faking democracy,”“highly closed”—say democracy has ended in Russia if it ever began (for sources, see Anderson 2010). To perhaps fewer others, myself among them, Russian democracy looks surprisingly robust, if very unsatisfying (for example, Treisman 2011; Ellison 2006; Bjorkman 2003). Declaring post-mortems “premature” (p. 1), Sakwa sides with those who see democracy persistent in Russia, but he considers it imperiled. For Sakwa, the danger facing Russian democracy is the existence of two separate and conflicting political contests. An electoral competition presses toward democracy but is continually subverted by a factional competition among appointees of the former President Vladimir Putin, whose weapons against each other are their arrest powers, leaked denunciations (the notorious kompromat , “compromising material”), and even occasional assassinations, but who act jointly, if not necessarily conspiratorially, to manipulate elections. Sakwa calls this conflict between contests “our dual-state model” (p. 13). Relying on the exhaustive reading of Russian commentary for which he is distinguished, Sakwa describes the factional infighting in detail. His investigation rounds up other than the usual suspects. Rather than undoing democracy, the infighting mainly aims at recovering economic assets accumulated during post-Soviet privatization by a very few super-rich oligopsonists (Russian oligarkh mistakes market power for political power). Thus the “oligarch” Mikhail Khodorkovskii remains in prison, not for heroically funding democrats to resist Putin's reimposition of dictatorship, but for introducing transparent accounting into his centerpiece Yukos oil company as a …
Making predictions in an uncertain world: environmental structure and cognitive maps

This article examines the relationship between environmental and cognitive structure. One of the key tasks for any agent interacting in the real world is the management of uncertainty; be cause of this the cognitive structures which interact with real environments, such as would be used in navigation, must effectively cope with the uncertainty inherent in a constantly changing world. Despite this uncertainty, however, real environments usually afford structure that can be effectively exploited by organisms. The article examines environmental characteristics and struc tures that enable humans to survive and thrive in a wide range of real environments. The rela tionsnip between these characteristics and structures, uncertainty, and cognitive structure is ex plored in the context of PLAN, a proposed model of human cognitive mapping, and R-PLAN, a version of PLAN that has been instantiated on an actual mobile robot. An examination of these models helps to provide insight into environmental characteristics whi...
Global iceberg detection over distributed data streams

In today's Internet applications or sensor networks we often encounter large amounts of data spread over many physically distributed nodes. The sheer volume of the data and bandwidth constraints make it impractical to send all the data to one central node for query processing. Finding distributed icebergs—elements that may have low frequency at individual nodes but high aggregate frequency—is a problem that arises commonly in practice. In this paper we present a novel algorithm with two notable properties. First, its accuracy guarantee and communication cost are independent of the way in which element counts (for both icebergs and non-icebergs) are split amongst the nodes. Second, it works even when each distributed data set is a stream (i.e., one pass data access only). Our algorithm builds upon sketches constructed for the estimation of the second frequency moment (F 2 ) of data streams. The intuition of our idea is that when there are global icebergs in the union of these data streams the F 2 of the union becomes very large. This quantity can be estimated due to the summable nature of F 2 sketches. Our key innovation here is to establish tight theoretical guarantees of our algorithm, under certain reasonable assumptions, using an interesting combination of convex ordering theory and large deviation techniques.
Corollary discharge across the animal kingdom

Our movements can hinder our ability to sense the world. Movements can induce sensory input (for example, when you hit something) that is indistinguishable from the input that is caused by external agents (for example, when something hits you). It is critical for nervous systems to be able to differentiate between these two scenarios. A ubiquitous strategy is to route copies of movement commands to sensory structures. These signals, which are referred to as corollary discharge (CD), influence sensory processing in myriad ways. Here we review the CD circuits that have been uncovered by neurophysiological studies and suggest a functional taxonomic classification of CD across the animal kingdom. This broad understanding of CD circuits lays the groundwork for more challenging studies that combine neurophysiology and psychophysics to probe the role of CD in perception.
Applying telecommunication technology to health-care delivery

The term telemedicine refers to the utilization of telecommunication technology for medical diagnosis, treatment, and patient care. Telemedicine enables a physician or specialist at one site to deliver health care, diagnose patients, give intra-operative assistance, provide therapy, or consult with another physician or paramedical personnel at a remote site. Thus, the aim of telemedicine is to provide expert-based health care to understaffed remote sites and to provide advanced emergency care through modern telecommunication and information technologies. This article briefly describes the current status of telemedicine, including its implementation, acceptance, patient satisfaction, service and applications, system configuration and requirements, and research issues to be resolved.
Phase-coherent quantum mechanical spin transport in a weakly disordered quasi-one-dimensional channel

A transfer matrix technique is used to model phase-coherent spin transport in the weakly disordered quasi-one-dimensional channel of a gate-controlled electron spin interferometer [S. Datta and B. Das, Appl. Phys. Lett. 56, 665 (1990)]. The model includes the effects of an axial magnetic field in the channel of the interferometer (caused by the ferromagnetic contacts), a Rashba spin-orbit interaction, and elastic (nonmagnetic) impurity scattering. We show that in the presence of an axial magnetic field, nonmagnetic impurities can cause spin relaxation in a manner similar to the Elliott-Yafet mechanism. The amplitudes and phases of the conductance oscillations of the interferometer and the degree of spin-conductance polarization are found to be quite sensitive to the height of the interface barrier at the contact, as well as the strength, locations, and nature (attractive or repulsive) of just a few elastic nonmagnetic impurities in the channel. This can seriously hinder practical applications of spin interferometers.
As simple as can be

Combinatorial exploration of sequence space suggests five, but not three, kinds of amino acids can yield a foldable protein. Energy landscape ideas explain why such complexity might be needed.
A quantitative analysis of public administration and government efficiency

Abstract The idea that the characteristics of public administrations influence the degree of fulfillment of government functions has a strong intuitive appeal, and is the justification for any attempt to improve public administrations. The principal object of this paper is a statistical analysis of this idea. For this purpose, it is asumed that: (a) the basis for appointment in the public administrations influences the quality of the employees, and (b) this quality, together with the employees' incentives, their stability, the characteristics of the interaction among employees, and the organization of public administrations influences government efficiency. In order to specify these ideas more precisely, several variables are defined to represent their components. The bases for the definition of these variables are that they are intuitively acceptable, and easily measurable. For the statistical analysis, data to quantify the variables defined for 17 Latin American countris and referring to the period between 1960 and 1970 were collected and analyzed. The principal conclusion of the study is that the characteristics of the public administration should have a place in all studies of public finances. The most relevant characteristics seem to be the way that the public employees are selected, and —as a consequences—their qualifications. On the other hand, the level of salaries, the degree of socialization between high officials and subordinates, and the stability of public employees do not seem to be particularly relevant.
Carotenoid intake and risk of colorectal adenomas in a cohort of male health professionals

Purpose Carotenoids have been hypothesized to prevent carcinogenesis through their antioxidant and pro-vitamin A properties. We examined associations between intakes of specific carotenoids and risk of colorectal adenomas.
Prognostic factors in pathological stage IIIA Hodgkin's disease.

From July 1968 through December 1977, 171 previously untreated patients with pathological stage IIIA Hodgkin's disease were evaluated at Stanford University Medical Center. All patients underwent lymphography, staging laparotomy and splenectomy; 86 patients were treated with total lymphoid irradiation (mantle followed by inverted-Y) to 4400 rad. These patients received prophylactic irradiation to the preauricular region (3600 rad/4-5 wk.) if the high cervical lymph nodes were positive; the lung (1500 rad/4-5 wk.) if the ipsilateral pulmonary hilum was positive; and the liver (2200 rad/5-6 wk.) if the spleen was positive. Eighty-five patients were treated with total lymphoid irradiation followed by adjuvant chemotherapy-either nitrogen mustard, vincristine and procarbazine (MOP) or procarbazine, L-phenylalanine mustard, and vinblastine (PAVe). Five-year survival rates were not significantly different in the two groups (86% vs. 89%, P = .4); however, the five-year freedom from relapse rate was significantly better in the combined modality group (66% vs. 86%, P = .0026). Because of the success of MOP in the treatment of patients who had relapses after treatment with irradiation alone, the five-year freedom from second relapse rates in the two groups were not significantly different (85% vs. 88%, P = .8). Analysis of a large number of possible prognostic factors failed to identify any subgroup of patients whose survival was significantly improved by the use of adjuvant chemotherapy, including patients with "anatomic substage III2" (P = .52), clinical stage III (P = .26), unfavorable histology (P = .78), age greater than 39 yr. (P = .44), males (P = .55), and S- (P = .92). The most important factors indicating a benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy on survival were greater than or equal to 5 sites of involvement, including those above and below the diaphragm (P = .15) and extensive splenic involvement (more than four nodules detected in the splenectomy specimen) (P = .15). Possible explanations for these observations, which differ from those of series reported at other institutions, are discussed.
Exception Handling Defects: An Empirical Study

Exception handling mechanisms are a feature common in many programming languages. Improper handling of exceptions can cause failures in software systems. This is especially critical for high-assurance systems where software failures may have severe consequences. Understanding the impact of misusing exception handling is important for better utilization of these constructs. This paper presents an exploratory study to determine whether using exception handling is relatively risky by analyzing the defect densities of exception handling code and the overall source code. Also, statistics representing the prevalence of exception handling code are proposed. The study was conducted with six major Eclipse releases. Essential data was collected using custom scripts to extract exception handling information from the source code and exception handling defects information from bug reports. We found that the density of defects that are closely related to exception handling constructs is relatively high compared to the overall defect density. This implies a relationship between the use of exception handling constructs and the risk of defects. Further studies should be conducted to better determine proper ways to implement exception handling and the root causes of exception defects in the software systems.
The A312L 5′-UTR of Chlorella virus PBCV-1 is a translational enhancer in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract PBCV-1 (Paramecium bursaria Chlorella virus) is a large double stranded DNA virus that replicates in certain eukaryotic chlorella like green algae. The PBCV-1 A312L gene encodes a 33-kDa protein whose function currently is unknown. The 5′-UTR of the A312L mRNA is 153 nucleotides, longer than the 5′-UTR in any other PBCV-1 gene. The sequence 5′-AAAC was repeated 17 times within 156 bp 5′ to the A312L gene start codon and this sequence was repeated 13 times continuously in the 5′-UTR of the mRNA. Recombinant genes were constructed in vector pBI121 that contained the A312L 5′-UTR, in both the forward and inverse-complement orientations, fused to the GUS gene under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter. These constructs were introduced into Arabidopsis thaliana and the results indicated that the A312L 5′-UTR functions as a translational enhancer only in the forward orientation. Overall, the ratio of GUS enzyme activity to GUS mRNA was 15-fold higher in constructs derived from the A312L 5′-UTR in the forward orientation as compared to constructs containing the 5′-UTR in the inverse-complement orientation or those lacking the A312L 5′-UTR.
1641 PERCUTANEOUS RENAL BIOPSY (PRB) IN INFANTS

Percutaneous renal biopsy is a valuable tool in the evaluation of patients with renal disease. There has been hesitation about performing this procedure in very young infants because the greater mobility of the kidneys may increase the risk of complications and result in an inadequate specimen. Over the past 4 years, we have performed PRB using solely anatomic landmarks in 7 infants under 3 months of age. Reason for biopsy, age, clinical features and pathologic diagnosis are listed below. Complications consisted of increases in microscopic hematuria or transient gross hematuria requiring no intervention. All tissue contained ≥ 8 glomeruli and was sufficient for diagnosis. Blind PRB can be safely performed in small newborns and poses a lesser risk than open biopsy, with adequate specimens being obtained.