cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urokinase in the Treatment of Intraventricular Hemorrhage

Large, randomized, double-blind trials on the use of urokinase for IVH are not available, and the studies published in the literature are not without flaws. However, it appears that in the current case-control reports, administration of urokinase through ventricular catheters is safe and is a promising alternative to current medical or surgical management. Investigation of other fibrinolytic agents such as recombinant alteplase is available, but is even more limited. Further trials will help to determine the best dosage and duration of urokinase therapy, as well as the overall efficacy of this new treatment option.
Mössbauer effect study of mechanically alloyed Γ and Γ1 Fe-Zn intermediate phases

The Mossbauer effect measurements of as-ball-milled mechanically alloyed Fe-Zn intermediate phases of Γ (Fe3Zn10) and Γ1 (Fe5Zn21) compositions exhibit characteristic spectra consisting of triplets. Each is characterized with an Fe site with unusually large quadrupole splittings measuring 0.940 mm/s in the cubic Fe-Zn phases and, in addition, three other doublets. In the aged state, both compositions show spectra free of the Fe site with quadrupole splitting of 0.940 mm/s, designated as MSΓFe1 and MSΓ1Fe1, respectively. This suggests that the metastable states are similar, while their separate transformation paths to stable equilibrium lead to distinct crystal structures. The parameters for the aged states are compared with those reported in the literature for both phases.
How to Interpret and Pursue an Abnormal Prothrombin Time, Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time, and Bleeding Time in Adults

The prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) are among the most commonly ordered coagulation tests. In 2005, more than 140,000 PT and more than 95,000 APTT tests were performed at Mayo Clinic. The most common indications for ordering these tests include anticoagulant monitoring, initial evaluation of hemorrhage, and, although not generally indicated, routine preoperative screening. In addition, the bleeding time (BT) test, which is infrequently performed, is still available in certain institutions. Abnormal results from these tests (prolonged PT, APTT, and BT), especially from tests conducted for initial evaluation of hemorrhage or for preoperative screening, may pose a diagnostic dilemma to the nonhematologist. We review the essential factors affecting test results; provide a practical approach to the evaluation of a prolonged PT, APTT, and BT; and offer suggestions on which reflexive tests are appropriate and when to consider a subspecialty consultation.
The effect of being shunned upon the desire to affiliate

While sitting in a waiting room, each of 40 male Ss was exposed to a pair of confederates (Cs) who either did not speak to him (no explicit negative evaluation) or one of whom berated his beliefs on a specific topic (explicit negative evaluation). Midway through a period preceding the ostensible experiment, one of the Cs moved away from half the Ss to sit closer to another C (implicit negative evaluation). For the other half, the C remained seated a short distance from the S throughout the waiting period (no implicit negative evaluation). An implicit negative evaluation severely reduced S’s desire to affiliate with the C who moved, the effect actually being stronger when there was no explicit evaluation. Moreover, the implicit negative evaluation alone reduced the desire to affiliate significantly more than did the explicit negative evaluation alone.
(t, p) Q Values for Th, U, and Pu Isotopes

A semiconductor-detector system has been used to measure ground-state $Q$ values for the ($t, p$) reaction on targets of $^{239}\mathrm{Pu}$, $^{240}\mathrm{Pu}$, $^{242}\mathrm{Pu}$, $^{235}\mathrm{U}$, $^{236}\mathrm{U}$, $^{238}\mathrm{U}$, and $^{232}\mathrm{Th}$. Absolute $Q$ values are determined to an accuracy of \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}20 keV, from a calibration based on known $Q$ values, for states excited in the reactions $^{16}\mathrm{O}(t, p)^{18}\mathrm{O}$ and $^{12}\mathrm{C}(t, p)^{14}\mathrm{C}$. The measured $Q$ values are in good agreement with recent mass tables by Wapstra, Kurzeck, and Anisinoff.
The comparative effectiveness of a team-based versus group-based physical activity intervention for cancer survivors.

Physical activity benefits cancer survivors, but the comparative effectiveness of a team-based delivery approach remains unexplored. The hypothesis tested was that a team-based physical activity intervention delivery approach has added physical and psychological benefits compared to a group-based approach. A team-based sport accessible to survivors is dragon boating, which requires no previous experience and allows for diverse skill levels. In a non-randomized trial, cancer survivors chose between two similarly structured 8-week programs, a dragon boat paddling team (n = 68) or group-based walking program (n = 52). Three separate intervention rounds were carried out in 2007–2008. Pre–post testing measured physical and psychosocial outcomes. Compared to walkers, paddlers had significantly greater (all p < 0.01) team cohesion, program adherence/attendance, and increased upper-body strength. For quality-of-life outcomes, both interventions were associated with pre–post improvements, but with no clear-cut pattern of between-intervention differences. These hypothesis-generating findings suggest that a short-term, team-based physical activity program (dragon boat paddling) was associated with increased cohesion and adherence/attendance. Improvements in physical fitness and psychosocial benefits were comparable to a traditional, group-based walking program. Compared to a group-based intervention delivery format, the team-based intervention delivery format holds promise for promoting physical activity program adherence/attendance in cancer survivors.
A simple model for analyzing climatic effects on terrestrial carbon and nitrogen dynamics : An arctic case study

[1] We developed a simplified plant-soil model (PSM) composed of four coupled differential equations that simulate the effects of climate change on major stocks and fluxes of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in terrestrial ecosystems. Here we use the model to examine past, present, and future changes in C storage in arctic Alaska, a region undergoing rapid climate change. Model parameters were initialized to simulate the buildup of C and N stocks from the beginning of the current postglacial period (� 10,000 years BP) to present-day levels for tussock tundra at Toolik Lake, Alaska. For projected rates of warming during the next century, the model predicts an increase in aboveground plant biomass and a net loss of soil carbon, resulting in almost no net change in total ecosystem C. The simplified model structure serves to clarify several important issues that have not been adequately addressed in previous studies. These issues include altered residence times of C and N in soils and plants, decreased synchrony of above and belowground processes, and the relationship between a model’s initial conditions and the ecosystem’s trajectory at the point of initialization.
Normalization of Blood Pressure and Renal Vascular Resistance in SHR With a Membrane-Permeable Superoxide Dismutase Mimetic: Role of Nitric Oxide

Superoxide radical (O2-) is increased in the vessel wall of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) where its blockade potentiates endothelium-dependent vasodilation. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of O2- in the hypertension and renal vasoconstriction of SHR and its interaction with nitric oxide (NO). Baseline mean arterial pressure (MAP) and renal vascular resistance were markedly elevated in SHR (n=6) compared with Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY; n=6) (145+/-4 versus 118+/-4 mmHg, P<0.05, and 24+/-3 versus 17+/-1 mmHg x mL(-1) x min(-1), respectively; P<0.05). The stable membrane-permeable superoxide dismutase mimetic 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl piperidine-1-oxyl (tempol; 72 micromol/kg i.v.) normalized MAP (103+/-9 versus 96+/-6 mm Hg for SHR and WKY, respectively) and RVR (17+/-2 versus 15+/-1 mm Hg x mL(-1) x min(-1)) of SHR. The MAP of SHR was more sensitive and responsive to graded infusions of tempol (0, 1.8, 18, 180, and 1800 micromol x kg(-1) x h(-1) i.v.) than that of WKY. To determine whether O2- increases MAP by inactivation of NO, its synthesis was blocked in SHR with NW-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 11 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1) i.v., n=6). Whereas tempol alone significantly reduced MAP by 32% (184+/-12 to 121 +/- 18 mm Hg, P<0.05, n=6), L-NAME infusion abolished the MAP response to tempol (187+/-8 to 186+/-4 mm Hg, n=5). In contrast, tempol did reduce MAP of SHR (188+/-7 to 161+/-7 mm Hg, P<0.05) where MAP was elevated by norepinephrine (31 nmol x kg(-1) x min(-1) i.v., n=6). Finally, to determine the longer-term effect of O2-, tempol (1.5 mmol x kg(-1) x d(-1) i.p.) was given for 7 days. Tempol had no effect on MAP in WKY (96+/-1 to 97+/-1 mmHg, n=7) but significantly decreased MAP in SHR (133+/-2 to 120+/-3 mm Hg, P<0.05, n=7). These data implicate O2- in the hypertension of SHR in vivo. The antihypertensive action of tempol depends on NO synthesis presumably because O2- inactivates NO and thus diminishes its vasodilatory actions.
Direct measurement of asymmetric dynamic motion and cross-correlation of a Rayleigh particle in an optical trap

Summary form only given. An optical tweezers is a 3-D trap that has been used to study the dynamic motion of dielectric particles or biological cells. In a colloidal solution a particle can be trapped at the focus of the beam by the gradient force while the particle is also subject to the scattering force. It is usually believed that for an incident beam propagating in the z direction with a Gaussian intensity profile (TEM/sub 00/ mode) the gradient force is symmetric in x and y directions. The symmetric trapping force applies to both Rayleigh particles and Mie particles. However, if the particle size lies in 0.1 to 5/spl lambda/, the trapping force exerted on the particle by the incident polarized laser cannot be explained by either Rayleigh theory or Mie theory. Alternately, electromagnetic theory is applied to calculate the trapping force that was predicted to be asymmetric in x and y directions. we report on our findings that show a polarization-dependent asymmetric trapping force exerted by a linearly polarized Gaussian beam on a suspended particle whose diameter is smaller than /spl lambda//2. We directly measured the Brownian displacements of the trapped particle in x and y directions so that: (1) the mass center of the particle can be mapped on the transverse plane and (2) the cross-correlation between x displacement and y displacement can be simulated. We found that the random movement of the trapped particle was asymmetric in x and y directions and became correlated as the laser polarization was changed.
Selectively oxidized vertical-cavity lasers

Summary form only given. During 1995 there has been rapid advance in the performance of vertical-cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) fabricated using the conversion of AlGaAs into a stable oxide. VCSELs with Al-oxide current apertures have exhibited the highest wall plug efficiency and lowest threshold current reported to date for VCSELs. We discuss the fabrication and performance of IR and visible VCSELs employing buried oxide layers within monolithic distributed Bragg reflectors for efficient electrical and optical confinement.
Structural trend analysis for online social networks

The identification of popular and important topics discussed in social networks is crucial for a better understanding of societal concerns. It is also useful for users to stay on top of trends without having to sift through vast amounts of shared information. Trend detection methods introduced so far have not used the network topology and has thus not been able to distinguish viral topics from topics that are diffused mostly through the news media. To address this gap, we propose two novel structural trend definitions we call coordinated and uncoordinated trends that use friendship information to identify topics that are discussed among clustered and distributed users respectively. Our analyses and experiments show that structural trends are significantly different from traditional trends and provide new insights into the way people share information online. We also propose a sampling technique for structural trend detection and prove that the solution yields in a gain in efficiency and is within an acceptable error bound. Experiments performed on a Twitter data set of 41.7 million nodes and 417 million posts show that even with a sampling rate of 0.005, the average precision is 0.93 for coordinated trends and 1 for uncoordinated trends.
Hematopoietic stem cells.

In the broadest sense, stem cells are primitive cells endowed with extensive capacities to develop and differentiate into functional and mature tissues or organs. A small, self-maintaining sub-popu...
Volition, Deception, and the Evolution of Justice

Criminal justice is inextricably associated with the attributive concept of volition. Although the voluntary-involuntary distinction is subjectively vivid, causal research shows its poles to be inseparable, i.e., the dichotomy is deceptive. Why a bulwark of civilization should be founded on paradox, may be clarified by examining the role of self-deception in man's evolutionary heritage. Natural selection for an optimal degree of self-deception probably occurred, both to facilitate deception of others and to foster human cooperation. This contributed to the evolution of psychiatric disorders, the voluntary-involuntary continuum, and large scale social systems. Society and its members reach an equilibrium within the truth-deception continuum, manifest in individuals by conscious versus unconscious and voluntary versus involuntary, and in society by tension between what actually occurs (realism) and its organizing ideals (idealism). Three legal models of criminal justice are understood in this context: The (1) utilitarian, most realistic, is essential to social survival but vulnerable to abuse; (2) rehabilitative, at an opposite idealistic pole, better supports the image of social beneficence that helps to bind society's members; (3) retributive, most heavily grounded in volition, puts greater emphasis on individual autonomy, and reciprocally modulates the other models. All are legitimized by evolutionary traditions that antedate homo sapiens, and none is sufficient in itself. Elements of all three models necessarily coexist within any existing society, their relative strength varying with its collective values, prosperity, and perceived safety.
Dispersion behaviors for a team of multiple miniature robots

To safely and efficiently guide search and rescue operations in disaster areas, gathering of relevant information such as the locations of victims, must occur swiftly. Using the concept of repellent virtual pheromones inspired by insect colony coordination behaviors, miniature robots can be quickly dispersed to survey a disaster site. Assisted by visual servoing, dispersion of the miniature robots can quickly cover an area. An external observer such as another robot or an overhead camera is brought into the control loop to provide each miniature robot estimations of the positions of all the other nearby robots in the robotic team. Each robot can then move away from the other nearby robots, resulting in the robot collective swiftly dispersing through the local area. The technique has been implemented using the miniature scout robots, developed by the Center for Distributed Robotics at the University of Minnesota, which are well-suited to surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
Blind deconvolution for sparse molecular imaging

This paper considers the image reconstruction problem when the original image is assumed to be sparse and when limited information of the point spread function (PSF) is available. In particular, we are interested in reconstructing the magnetization density given magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) image data, and an alternating iterative algorithm is presented to solve this problem. Simulations demonstrate its performance not only in the reconstruction of the original image, but also in the recovery of the partially known PSF. In addition, we suggest the introduction of a smoothing penalty on allowable PSFs to improve the reconstruction.
Distributed, Reliable Restoration Techniques using Wireless Sensor Devices

Wireless sensor networks are small, inexpensive and flexible computational platforms, that have found popular applications in various areas including environmental monitoring, health care and disaster recovery. One fundamental question is how to place the nodes in the network so that complete coverage of the monitored area is achieved. In this paper, we use techniques from discrepancy theory that accurately represent the uncovered area using just a few discrete points, to make sure that every point in the network is covered by at least k sensors, where k is calculated based on user reliability requirements. Our technique is fully distributed, deploying a low number of sensors, and minimizes the communication costs. Our experiments demonstrate that our technique is highly effective in achieving a reliable restoration of a given sensor network area.
Exploring the Trade-off Between Accuracy and Observational Latency in Action Recognition

An important aspect in designing interactive, action-based interfaces is reliably recognizing actions with minimal latency. High latency causes the system's feedback to lag behind user actions and thus significantly degrades the interactivity of the user experience. This paper presents algorithms for reducing latency when recognizing actions. We use a latency-aware learning formulation to train a logistic regression-based classifier that automatically determines distinctive canonical poses from data and uses these to robustly recognize actions in the presence of ambiguous poses. We introduce a novel (publicly released) dataset for the purpose of our experiments. Comparisons of our method against both a Bag of Words and a Conditional Random Field (CRF) classifier show improved recognition performance for both pre-segmented and online classification tasks. Additionally, we employ GentleBoost to reduce our feature set and further improve our results. We then present experiments that explore the accuracy/latency trade-off over a varying number of actions. Finally, we evaluate our algorithm on two existing datasets.
Sodium Channels and Cystic Fibrosis

The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) represents the rate-limiting step of sodium absorption across airway epithelia and thereby constitutes the major pathway for volume absorption from the airway surface liquid compartment. ENaC dysregulation leads to dehydration of airway surfaces in patients with cystic fibrosis, which in turn disrupts the primary innate lung defense mechanism, mucus clearance. The development of treatment strategies that address this defect is a logical and promising means of preventing or delaying the onset of this lethal lung disease.
Intimacy Ratings in Five Countries

Abstract Estimation de l'intimite psychologique dans cinq pays. On fait passer a des etudiants americains, anglais, hollandais, suedois et pakistanais, un questionnaire qui a ete concu pour mesurer l'impression d'intimite que donnent diverses dispositions spatiales. On retrouve la měme ordination dans tous les echantillons: ětre assis cote-a-cote donne la plus forte impression d'intimite; viennent ensuite, dans l'ordre, voisiner de chaque cote d'un coin, ětre face-a-face, ětre a distance ou en diagonale. Les estimations faites par les Americains, les Suedois et les Anglais sont tres semblables; mais les Hollandais jugent la position en coin moins intime que ne le font les autres sujets; de měme, les Pakistanais, pour le face-a-face. L'A. suggere une utilisation eventuelle des dispositions spatiales comme methode non-verbale de mesure de Pintimite psychologique dans une culture.
Dynamic memories with faster random and sequential access

This paper extends the dynamic memory proposed by Aho and Ullman in two directions. Instead of a shuffle permutation, block shuffles are introduced. By choosing suitable block sizes, faster random and sequential access may result. Another direction of extension comes from the addition of a reverse cyclic permutation, which results in even faster random and sequential access. Analyses for both the worst and the average cases are given. Generalizations to arbitrary radices are also discussed.
Large depth-high resolution full 3D imaging of the anterior segments of the eye using high speed Optical Frequency Domain Imaging

Three dimensional rapid large depth range imaging of the anterior segments of the human eye by an optical frequency domain imaging system is presented. The tunable source spans from 1217 to 1356 nm with an average output power of 60 mW providing a measured axial resolution of 10 mum in air based on the coherence envelope. The effective depth range is 4 mm, defined as the distance over which the sensitivity drops by 6 dB, achieved by frequency shifting the optical signal using acousto-optic modulators. The measured maximum sensitivity is 109 dB at a sample arm power of 14.7mW and A-lines rate of 43,900 per second. Images consisting of 512 depth profiles are acquired at an acquisition rate of 85 frames per second. We demonstrate an optical frequency domain imaging system capable of mapping in vivo the entire area of the human anterior segment (13.4 x 12 x 4.2 mm) in 1.4 seconds.
A mixed integer convex programming approach to Constrained Attitude Guidance

This paper introduces a new algorithm for attitude motion planning, Constrained Attitude Guidance (CAG) problem, in the presence of angular rate constraints and conic exclusion regions (pointing constraints). The CAG problem is solved by considering only the quaternion kinematics in the formulation and using constraints on quaternions and its time derivatives to indirectly apply bounds on the angular rates and accelerations. The CAG formulation makes use of Mixed Integer Convex Programming (MICP) in order to impose, approximately, the unity constraint on the quaternion magnitude, where the approximation accuracy can be set to a desired accuracy. The solution complexity of the MICP formulation increases exponentially with the number of binary variables that are used to impose the unit norm constraint on the quaternion. Since this number is independent of the number of exclusion pointing constraints, the solution approach has favorable complexity in terms of the number of pointing constraints. The paper also provides a numerical example that incorporates both angular rate and pointing constraints.
On the outside Teaching in: Using Internet Video-Conferencing to Instruct an Introductory Sociology Course from a Remote Location

This study uses a quasi-experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of Internet videoconferencing technology. The instructor used a laptop, webcam, high-speed DSL connection, and Polycom™ Viewstation to teach a course unit of introductory sociology from a remote location to an experimental group of students in a large multimedia classroom. The same instructor taught a control group of introductory sociology students without videoconferencing. The groups were compared using exam scores, attendance, classroom observations, and student evaluations. The use of Internet videoconferencing did not affect exam scores or attendance. However, it substantially lowered student evaluation scores. In comparison to classroom-based instruction and due to problems with and limitations of the technology, students experienced greater difficulty communicating with the instructor, felt more separated, and were less engaged in the course. Therefore, they perceived the instructor's teaching to be less effective, and evaluations re...
Chinese Thought, Society, and Science: The Intellectual and Social Background of Science and Technology in Pre-Modern China

The Chinese have given the world paper, printing, porcelain, gunpowder, the mariner's compass and other inventions important to the history and development of science. Yet it was Europe, not China, that experienced the scientific and technological revolution that transformed the world from the 17th century onward. In this study, Derk Bodde examines the cultural requisites for science and technology in early China and other pre-modern civilizations. Bodde focuses on the wide range of intellectual and social forces that may have favoured or disfavoured the development of science and technology in China - forces overwhelmingly humanistic, such as the written classical language, concepts of time and space, religious attitudes, theories of government and society, moral and social values, and attitudes toward nature. He also compares and contrasts similar factors in the West.
Analysis of Information in Speech and Its Application in Speech Recognition

Previous work analyzed the information in speech using analysis of variance (ANOVA).ANOVAassumes that sources of information (phone, speaker, and channel) are univariate gaussian. The sources of information, however, are not unimodal gaussian. Phones in speech recognition, e.g., are generally modeled using a multi-state, multi-mixture model. Therefore, this work extends ANOVA by assuming phones with 3 state, single mixture distribution and 5 state, single mixture distribution. This multi-state model was obtained by extracting variability due to position within phone from the error term in ANOVA. Further, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is used to design discriminant features that better represent both the phone-induced variability and the position-within-phone variability. These features perform significantly better than conventional discriminant features obtained from 1-state phone model on continuous digit recognition task.
Energy minimization for real-time systems with (m,k)-guarantee

Energy consumption and quality of service (QoS) are two primary concerns in the development of today's pervasive computing systems. While most of the current research in energy-aware real-time scheduling has been focused on hard real-time systems, a large number of practical applications and systems exhibit more soft real-time nature. In this paper, we study the problem of minimizing energy for soft real-time systems while providing a QoS guarantee. The QoS requirements are deterministically quantified with the (m,k)-constraints, which require that at least m out of any k consecutive jobs of a task meet their deadlines. In this paper, we propose a hybrid approach to achieve the dual goals of QoS guarantee and energy minimization. We first present the necessary and sufficient schedulability conditions for the static mandatory/optional workload partitioning. Then, we propose to dynamically vary the statically defined mandatory/optional partitions to accommodate dynamic run-time variations while minimizing the energy consumption. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed techniques outperform previous work significantly in terms of both the energy savings and achieved QoS
Nursing Students’ Perceptions on Characteristics of an Effective Clinical Instructor:

PurposeTo identify characteristics and teaching techniques of effective clinical instructors that can be utilized or implemented to improve the student nurse clinical experience.BackgroundThe clini...
Numerical Techniques of Digital Holography

Beyond the basic numerical diffraction methods, there are many DH techniques that take full advantage of the ability to numerically manipulate the optical field represented as an array of complex numbers. These techniques have unique capabilities, and are distinct from and generally more versatile than the conventional image processing methods that apply on intensity images.
Quantitative discrimination of hepatic reticuloendothelial clearance and phagocytic killing.

An in vivo assay to quantify simultaneously two important components of hepatic reticuloendothelial system (RES) function - clearance and phagocytic killing- was developed in the rat. Intravenously injected E. coli labeled with Na31Cr and 5-(1231)-iodo-2'-deoxyuri- dine were cleared rapidly from the blood primarily by the liver. While hepatic 51Cr levels remained stable for 24 h following inoculation and provided a reliable measure- ment of clearance, hepatic 125! decreased over time. Hepatic 123!, calculated by sampling whole liver homogenates, accurately reflects the number of viable bacteria recovered from quantitative cultures of the same homogenates, thus validating this assay as a measure of bacteria killing. Pre-treatment of rats with substances previously shown to affect RES function (gadolinium, zymosan, and sheep erythrocytes) were found to selec- tively modulate clearance and/or killing. The correlation between hepatic isotope levels and viable hepatic bac- teria, the gold standard for assessing the capacity of the liver to remove organisms from the blood and kill them, was preserved under conditions of up- and down- regulation of RES function. The ability to quantitatively discriminate two distinct components of the hepatic RES should provide a useful tool for future investigations of al- tered RES function.J. Leukoc. Biol. 55: 248-252; 1994.
The Parts Are Greater Than the Sum: What My Mediation Clinic Students Taught Me

I co-created the Mediation Clinic at California Western School of Law (hereafter CWSL) with my colleague Linda Morton in 1996 to provide students the opportunity to learn the process of mediation and to mediate live disputes in the community. We recognized the importance of “soft skills” such as communication, collaboration, initiative, and adaptability and therefore we sought to create an experiential learning opportunity for the students that encouraged them to nurture those skills. We wanted to teach students conflict resolution skills and to have them work together to use those skills to help individuals in the community resolve actual disputes. Simultaneously, we sought to expose the students to an under served population with whom most of them were not acquainted (incarcerated juvenile offenders) and to show them the value of helping others resolve their disputes peacefully, in a non-adversarial way. Moreover, we sought to teach the students that their new role as mediator required them to act professionally and ethically. After teaching the class for approximately 15 years I became curious about what our students were doing. I was interested in learning whether they were practicing law and whether they were serving as mediators. I wanted to ascertain whether they were getting paid to mediate or whether they were mediating pro bono. This curiosity led to other areas of inquiry, such as determining the type of mediations the graduates were doing and the frequency of those mediations. Moreover I also wanted to know if they were using the communication skills we had taught them in the Mediation Clinic in their mediations, in their professional and personal lives. This article, The Parts Are Greater Than The Sum, is the description and analysis of what I learned from the survey I sent to the graduates of the Mediation Clinic. Fortunately I received a very high response rate -- over 50% of those who received the survey responded to it. I found the responses illuminating. I have learned that although the students were interested in mediation, this was not their initial motivation for participating in the clinic. Only a small percent of the graduates were mediating. Nonetheless, the graduates appreciate and use many of the communication skills they learned in the clinic in their professional and personal lives. Due to what I have learned from the graduates’ responses to the survey, I have changed the way I teach the class. I now place more emphasis on the discrete skills used in mediation, rather than on the entire process of mediation. I believe that others who teach mediation can also benefit from the data I accumulated and analyzed. I am sharing this data through this article so that others may learn something about their programs and may re-consider their program’s goals and outcomes.
Axonal regeneration in old multiple sclerosis plaques. Immunohistochemical study with monoclonal antibodies to phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated neurofilament proteins.

Cryostat sections of two old plaques removed at autopsy from the spinal cord of a 62-year-old man with multiple sclerosis of 24-year duration were studied by indirect immunofluorescence with antibodies to neurofilament proteins, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), glial hyaluronate-binding protein (GHAP), vimentin and laminin. The neurofilament monoclonal antibodies used in this study reacted with phosphorylated epitopes of the two large polypeptides of the neurofilament triplet (NF 150K, NF 200K). As previously reported [Dahl D, Labkovsky B, Bignami A (1989) Brain Res Bull 22:225–232], the neurofilament antibodies either stained axons in the distal stump of transected sciatic nerve in the early stages of regeneration or late in the process, i.e., after regenerating axons had reached the distal stump of the transected sciatic nerve. Both multiple sclerosis plaques were positive for GFAP and vimentin, but negative for GHAP, while astrocytes in myelinated spinal cord white matter stained with both GFAP and GHAP antibodies. Laminin immunoreactivity in the plaques and normal spinal cord was confined to blood vessels. One plaque was almost devoid of axons as evidenced by indirect immunofluorescence with neurofilament antibodies. Another plaque was packed with bundles of thin axons running an irregular course in the densely gliosed tissue. Axons in the plaque only stained with neurofilament antibodies reacting with sciatic nerve in the early stages of regeneration while axons in the surrounding myelinated white matter were decorated by all neurofilament antibodies, regardless of the time of appearance of immunoreactivity in crushed sciatic nerve. It is concluded that reactive astrocytes forming glial scars do not constitute a non-permissible substrate for axonal growth.
Chemical Implications of Incompatible Ligand versus Metal Coordination Geometry Preferences

Binding an electron deficient pincer ligand which strongly dictates planar, mer stereochemistry, to a metal which prefers tetrahedral structure, e.g., d10 CuCl, is explored for possible intramolecular redox chemistry. Experiment shows that the pincer ligand 2,2′-bis-tetrazinyl pyridine, btzp, forms a complex (btzp)CuCl which is a chloride-bridged polymer in the solid state, hence with 20 valence electrons around copper. DFT calculations show that even the monomer has nonplanar copper with the tetrazinyl nitrogen lone pairs somewhat misdirected away from copper, with long Cu/N bonds, in a singlet ground state; 13.9 kcal/mol less stable is a triplet, whose electronic structure shows one electron from the ground state Cu(I) has been transferred to a pincer π* orbital. Outer sphere electron transfer to (btzp)CuCl yields (btzp)Cu where the added electron has gone into the pincer, to leave a ligand-centered radical, characterized by EPR, chemical reactivity, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
Research Progress in Recessive Marker Traits of Rice Male Sterile Line

This paper introduced the application value of rice recessive marker traits in rice breeding,summarized the research progress in rice recessive marker traits,and introduced the leaf-wrapping marker,light-green leaf color marker,purple leaf marker and green-turning type leaf color marker.Finally,the application prospects of rice marker traits in the actual rice production were discussed.
Specification Bias in Seemingly Unrelated Regressions

Multiple regression analysis specifies a linear relation between a dependent variable and a set of independent variables. When the independent variables are non-stochastic, and the error terms are homoscedastic and serially independent, the ordinary least squares estimation of the parameters yields the best linear unbiased estimates. But when there is a set of linear regression equations whose error terms are contemporaneously correlated, then the ordinary least squares estimation of each of the equations separately is not the ‘best’ estimation procedure. When the parameters of contemporaneous correlation are known then it is possible to obtain unbiased estimates with smaller variance than the corresponding ordinary least squares estimates by estimating all the regression equations jointly using the Aitken’s generalised least squares.1 In the absence of information on these parameters Professor Zellner [5] suggested the use of estimates of these parameters from residuals of the ordinary least squares. This procedure is called the ‘seemingly unrelated regression equations’ (SURE) procedure.
Voice and the Victorian Storyteller: “The best man of all”: mythologies of the storyteller

This book questions and hopes to trouble a well-entrenched commonplace concerning the relationship of speech to writing. It is no exaggeration to say that contemporary criticism is haunted by the paradox that speech is both extremely powerful and doomed to cultural obsolescence. “Writing is the destruction of every voice,” Roland Barthes famously proclaims in “The Death of the Author,” articulating a half-triumphant, half-guilty belief concealed at the heart of contemporary print culture. Most of us assume that orality is an attenuated relic of an era before the rise of modern print culture – and at the same time, a force latent in suppressed groups and indeed parts of our own selves, capable of disrupting writing with all the force of a resurrection. Contemporary literary criticism takes it for granted that members of pre-novelistic cultures relied on modes of oral communication exemplified by communal storytelling, and that the advent of print displaced the spoken word as the glue holding modern societies together – thereby driving speech into obsolescence. Studies of modern print culture have too often either neglected voice, speech, and orality entirely or romanticized the vocal as a remnant of a lost and mourned pre-modern past. The distinction between a pre-modern “oral culture” and a modern print culture thus becomes a narrative of the fall from an idealized folk to a degraded mass culture. Walter Benjamin provides the classic articulation of the longing generated by the supposed displacement of voice in his melancholic 1936 essay “The Storyteller.”
Identifying a Knowledge Management Approach for Public-Private Partnerships

ABSTRACTThis article examines the knowledge gaps in public-private partnerships (PPPs) for infrastructure, and the preferred knowledge management approach for public managers to address them. By examining transcripts from semi-structured interviews with professionals with direct experience working on PPPs in Texas and Virginia, the analysis indicates that knowledge gaps are greatest in the areas of risk assessment and allocation, public involvement, and consultant management. The findings also indicate that situated, experience-based approaches to identifying and sharing knowledge on PPPs are preferred to transfer learning. The summary implications suggest that even state agencies with extensive experience with PPPs face large knowledge deficiencies in this form of public-private collaboration, and that interpersonal, ongoing methods of sharing practical experiences are critical for cultivating expertise for designing and implementing PPPs.
Modeling Reading Growth in Grades 3 to 5 With an Alternate Assessment

Modeling growth for students with significant cognitive disabilities (SWSCD) is difficult due to a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, missing data, test scaling, group heterogeneity, and small sample sizes. These challenges may account for the paucity of previous research exploring the academic growth of SWSCD. Our study represents a unique context in which a reading assessment, calibrated to a common scale, was administered statewide to students in consecutive years across Grades 3 to 5. We used a nonlinear latent growth curve pattern-mixture model to estimate students’ achievement and growth while accounting for patterns of missing data. While we observed significant intercept differences across disability subgroups, there were no significant slope differences. Incorporating missing data patterns into our models improved model fit. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
Evaluating electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation for removing dissolved silica from high efficiency reverse osmosis (HERO) concentrate solutions

Abstract High efficiency reverse osmosis (HERO) produces high pH concentrate streams that often contain high levels of dissolved silica. Removal of silica from these concentrate streams is desirable before brine concentration and crystallization. This research investigated removal of dissolved silica from simulated HERO concentrate solutions using electrocoagulation (EC) with mild steel anodes and chemical coagulation with FeCl3. At pH values of above 10, the mild steel anodes immediately passivated and were not able to deliver Fe2+ ions into the solution. This necessitated lowering the solution pH value via HCl or FeCl3 addition prior to EC. At pH values ≤10, iron dosing by EC was in agreement with that given by Faraday's law. The optimal initial pH value for operating the EC process was 8, which required addition of 17.8 mM HCl or 5.8 mM FeCl3. An EC iron dose of 4.0 mM resulted in 76–89% silica removal for solutions with initial pH values between 4 and 8. Higher dosing up to 9.3 mM increased silica removal by only 5%. Chemical coagulation was not as effective as EC, and was able to achieve a maximum removal of 64% with a 4.0 mM FeCl3 dose. Solution ionic strength had no measurable impact on silica removal by EC, but did affect final solution pH values and silica removal by chemical coagulation. For both EC and chemical coagulation, the initial pH value of solution had greater impact on silica removal than the iron dose.
Personalization via Probabilistic Adaptation

We present a new approach for personalizing Web search results to a specific user. Ranking functions for Web search engines are typically trained by machine learning algorithms using either direct human relevance judgments or indirect judgments obtained from click-through data from millions of users. The rankings are thus optimized to this generic population of users, not to any specific user. We propose a generative model of relevance which can be used to infer the relevance of a document to a specific user for a search query, and show how to learn these profiles from a user’s long-term search history. Our algorithm for computing the personalized ranking is simple and has little computational overhead. We evaluate our personalization approach using historical search data from thousands of users of a major Web search engine.1
Advancing Counselor Education in Evidence-Based Practice

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a core priority in counselor education. This paper details one United States’ counselor education program’s self-assessment of its EBP curriculum. Faculty members collaborated to identify challenges and generate solutions to strengthen the EBP emphasis within the program. This paper is intended as a resource for programs working to improve their own training in EBP.
Evaluation of circulating miRNAs during late pregnancy in the mare

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs which are produced throughout the body. Individual tissues tend to have a specific expression profile and excrete many of these miRNAs into circulation. These circulating miRNAs may be diagnostically valuable biomarkers for assessing the presence of disease while minimizing invasive testing. In women, numerous circulating miRNAs have been identified which change significantly during pregnancy-related complications (e.g. chorioamnionitis, eclampsia, recurrent pregnancy loss); however, no prior work has been done in this area in the horse. To identify pregnancy-specific miRNAs, we collected serial whole blood samples in pregnant mares at 8, 9, 10 m of gestation and post-partum, as well as from non-pregnant (diestrous) mares. In total, we evaluated a panel of 178 miRNAs using qPCR, eventually identifying five miRNAs of interest. One miRNA (miR-374b) was differentially regulated through late gestation and four miRNAs (miR-454, miR-133b, miR-486-5p and miR-204b) were differentially regulated between the pregnant and non-pregnant samples. We were able to identify putative targets for the differentially regulated miRNAs using two separate target prediction programs, miRDB and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. The targets for the miRNAs differentially regulated during pregnancy were predicted to be involved in signaling pathways such as the STAT3 pathway and PI3/AKT signaling pathway, as well as more endocrine-based pathways, including the GnRH, prolactin and insulin signaling pathways. In summary, this study provides novel information about the changes occurring in circulating miRNAs during normal pregnancy, as well as attempting to predict the biological effects induced by these miRNAs.
Automated Highway Systems

Abstract Automated Highway System (AHS) is an example of a large-scale, multi-agent, hybrid dynamical system. In this paper, the use of computer aided simulation tool for design and evaluation of control laws, for an AHS based on platooning, is outlined. The hierarchical control architecture for AHS is described along with the details of the simulation tool SmartPath. The role of SmartPalh in design and evaluation of AHS control laws is also depicted in the paper.
An Experimental Approach to Buddhism and Religion

Adaptations, modifications, and realignments of religious doctrine and practice can be found in any period of social history. It can be official and highly orchestrated (as in Vatican II) but more often it takes a subjective and reactionary form (as in the Hindutva movement). This paper promotes the idea of “experimental religion” as both an analytical concept and an observable set of behaviors that help identify how contemporary trends (such as individualism, secularity, information technologies, and market economies) reconfigure attitudes and motivations regarding the relevance and applicability of religious resources. Drawing from Buddhist-related case material in Japan and other liberal democracies, we see lay practitioners, priests, and occasionally institutions as well using innovation and activism to reposition and reboot existing paradigms. The intention is to fashion a religious practice responsive to individual concerns as well as to pressing environmental, political, and economic issues.
Learning About Love: A Meta-Analytic Study of Individually-Oriented Relationship Education Programs for Adolescents and Emerging Adults.

Despite recent policy initiatives and substantial federal funding of individually oriented relationship education programs for youth, there have been no meta-analytic reviews of this growing field. This meta-analytic study draws on 17 control-group studies and 13 one-group/pre-post studies to evaluate the effectiveness of relationship education programs on adolescents’ and emerging adults’ relationship knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Overall, control-group studies produced a medium effect (d = .36); one-group/pre-post studies also produced a medium effect (d = .47). However, the lack of studies with long-term follow-ups of relationship behaviors in the young adult years is a serious weakness in the field, limiting what we can say about the value of these programs for helping youth achieve their aspirations for healthy romantic relationships and stable marriages.
A virtual unit operations laboratory

A virtual laboratory is now being created in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University that will feature real-time dynamic simulations of each experiment in our undergraduate unit operations laboratory course. To date we have built, parameterized, and tested in-house a batch distillation column simulation model as the first experiment in the virtual laboratory. We implemented a project using this simulation model in our Chemical Engineering Process Design course using a problem-based learning approach.