cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Price of Equality: Fair Housing, Land Use, and Disparate Impact

What happens when local government policies run head-on into federal civil rights laws? Nowhere does this question assume greater importance than with land use and fair housing, yet in the nearly half-century since the passage of the Fair Housing Act (FHA), courts and commentators have skirted the question. With the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Inclusive Communities Project v. Texas, the most significant fair housing decision in the nation’s history, they can no longer do so. This Article represents the first sustained effort to show how the FHA affects land use, the most important power that cities have under American localism. The Supreme Court held for the first time that the FHA allows disparate impact liability, and outlined when such disparate impact cases can be brought. But it left many crucial questions unanswered, and this Article attempts to fill the gap. It concludes that when cities restrict affordable and multifamily housing, which often has a disparate impact on people of color, zoning ordinances must withstand intermediate scrutiny in order to be sustained. Courts must balance local policies with demands for inclusion: sometimes those policies will triumph, but in many instances they will not, for they rest on weak empirical or legal foundations, or they can be addressed in less restrictive ways. The Article sets forth a series of the most common scenarios and justifications for exclusionary zoning, and seeks to show that such justifications have far less purchase than is commonly supposed. The FHA comes nowhere close to abolishing zoning, but it does insist that local zoning must no longer exclude racial minorities, and the Court’s decision makes clear how fair housing advocates can and should use the law to fight such exclusion. If localities no longer have the discretion to exclude people of color, then that is the price of equality.
Urinary Diversion for Incontinence and Voiding Dysfunction in Cancer Survivors: a Critical Review of the Literature

Urinary diversion (UD) remains the last option for improving quality of life in patients with treatment-refractory urinary incontinence (UI) or voiding dysfunction after cancer treatment. We aim to critically review the utility of UD for UI and voiding dysfunction in patients previously treated for malignancy. UD patients are at high risk given their oncologic treatment and multiple procedures prior to UD. The severe impact of UI and voiding dysfunction on quality of life is significant. Despite the risk of complications after UD, men reported significant improvement of their urinary symptoms and were confident that they would have sought UD sooner. UD remains a last option for some men dealing with severe urinary symptoms after treatment of pelvic malignancy in both men and women. Further investigation is needed to better characterize the burden of disease and potential gains surrounding management of these men.
Simone Weil’s Philosophy of History

The philosophical and religious ideas of Simone Weil bear on theory of history and historiography in ways not previously explored. They amount to a view of history as a consequence of the original creation, but they also generally exclude theodicy. By examining these ideas we see some of the ways in which to develop a theory history centered on a conception of moral understanding that is impartialist and universal. For Weil such understanding is both inside of and outside of history. This leads to an approach to human history that centers on the moral dilemmas and choices of historical actors and that matches the force of compassion with that of power. Under an approach inspired by Weil’s ideas, the historian’s work of understanding can be an experience of moral growth.
Continuities in assimilation

I am very grateful to the editors of Ethnic and Racial Studies (ERS) for selecting my 1985 essay for this anniversary volume and to Peter Kivisto for his generous exposition of my evolving thinking...
Rethinking Sexual Citizenship

Rethinking Sexual Citizenship by Jyl J. Josephson is the first book in the promising SUNY series in Queer Politics and Cultures edited by Jyl J. Josephson and Cynthia Burack. Josephson offers a com...
Animal-assisted interventions: A national survey of health and safety policies in hospitals, eldercare facilities, and therapy animal organizations.

Background Animal-assisted intervention (AAI) programs are increasing in popularity, but it is unknown to what extent therapy animal organizations that provide AAI and the hospitals and eldercare facilities they work with implement effective animal health and safety policies to ensure safety of both animals and humans. Our study objective was to survey hospitals, eldercare facilities, and therapy animal organizations on their AAI policies and procedures. Methods A survey of United States hospitals, eldercare facilities, and therapy animal organizations was administered to assess existing health and safety policies related to AAI programs. Results Forty-five eldercare facilities, 45 hospitals, and 27 therapy animal organizations were surveyed. Health and safety policies varied widely and potentially compromised human and animal safety. For example, 70% of therapy animal organizations potentially put patients at risk by allowing therapy animals eating raw meat diets to visit facilities. In general, hospitals had stricter requirements than eldercare facilities. Discussion This information suggests that there are gaps between the policies of facilities and therapy animal organizations compared with recent guidelines for animal visitation in hospitals. Conclusions Facilities with AAI programs need to review their policies to address recent AAI guidelines to ensure the safety of animals and humans involved.
Outcomes After Endoscopic Endonasal Resection of Craniopharyngiomas in the Pediatric Population.

Background Craniopharyngiomas have traditionally been treated via open transcranial approaches. More recently, endoscopic transsphenoidal approaches have been increasingly used; however, few case series exist in the pediatric population. Methods A retrospective review of patients (aged Results Sixteen pediatric patients with mean age of 11.0 years (range, 5–15 years) were included. The median follow-up time was 56.2 months. Mean maximal tumor diameter was 3.98 cm. Most of the tumors had suprasellar (93.8%) and intrasellar (68.8%) components. The gross total resection rate was 93.8%. The most common presenting symptoms were vision changes (81.3%) and increased intracranial pressure (56.3%). Most patients (66.7%) had their presenting symptoms resolved by their first postoperative visit. Vision improved or remained normal in 69.2% of patients. Postoperatively, new incidence of panhypopituitarism or diabetes insipidus developed in 63.6% and 46.7% of patients, respectively. New hypothalamic obesity developed in 28.6% of patients. The postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak rate was 18.8%. One patient died of intraventricular hemorrhage postoperatively. The major complication rate was 12.5%. Disease recurrence occurred in 1 patient with gross total resection (6.3%). Conclusions Endoscopic transsphenoidal resection for craniopharyngiomas can achieve high rates of total resection with low rates of disease recurrence in larger tumors than previously described. However, hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction and cerebrospinal fluid leak remain significant postoperative morbidities.
Abstract #22: Identification of a critical DNA-binding cysteine as a target for sulforaphane after UVB-induced AP-1 stimulation.

Sulforaphane (SFN), an isothiocyanate derived from broccoli, has recently been shown to be effective in reducing UVB-induced non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in mice. Although the role of SFN in the activation of the phase II response is under close scrutiny, inhibition of the Activator Protein-1 (AP-1) transcription factor by SFN may also be critical for the chemopreventive effects of this compound after UVB (Zhu et al., Mol. Carcinogen. vol 41, 2004). AP-1, a dimer of Jun/Jun or Jun/Fos family members, is activated by UVB stimulation in vitro and in vivo. Transgenic inhibition of AP-1 blocks UVB-induced NMSC in mice (Cooper et al., Mol. Cancer Res., vol 1, 2003). Although we have previously shown that SFN inhibits AP-1 luciferase in keratinocytes in culture, we now show that SFN is also effective in reducing UVB-induced AP-1 luciferase signals in the skin of reporter mice. In addition, SFN affects UVB-induced AP-1 DNA binding in the cell as demonstrated by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays. Previous reports indicate that a specific cysteine in the DNA binding domain of cFos and cJun may be crucial for the response of AP-1 to redox regulation; this cysteine (a.a. 154 in Fos and 272 in Jun) must be in the reduced state in order for AP-1 to bind DNA. SFN is known to bind to cysteines, causing oxidation which could therefore block DNA binding. In fact, diamide, another cysteine oxidizing agent, is also effective at inhibiting AP-1 DNA binding in EMSA assays. To address whether this cysteine interacts with SFN to affect AP-1 DNA binding we created recombinant truncated forms of cFos and cJun (tFos and tJun) which contain only the beta-zip domain of each protein. The purified, renatured tFos/tJun dimers bind very efficiently to DNA as shown by EMSA assays, and are competed from binding to labeled oligos by pre-treatment with cold competitors, but not mutant competitors. These tFos/tJun dimers are also sensitive to SFN inhibition in a dose-dependant manner. Significantly, mutating the redox-sensitive cysteine of tFos and tJun to serine resulted in loss of sensitivity to inhibition by both SFN and diamide. This work is the first to pinpoint the redox-sensitive DNA binding cysteine of AP-1 as critical for the response of this transcription factor to SFN. The inhibition of AP-1 by SFN may therefore be a critical factor in the ability of this compound to inhibit NMSC and other cancers. This work was supported by P01 CA27502 and R25 CA78447. Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 22.
Fatal Hieroglyph: Mexico for Writers of Exile Malcolm Lowry and William Burroughs

This essay explores the representation of Mexico in the work of British modernist writer of exile Malcolm Lowry and of U.S. Anglo-American post-war, postmodern writer of exile William Burroughs. Lowry’s Under the Volcano (1947) and Burroughs’s trilogy The Soft Machine (1961), The Ticket that Exploded (1962), and The Nova Express (1964) represent Mexico as a land of fatal hieroglyphs, as itself a fatal hieroglyph. Theoretically, a hieroglyph, as a condensation of space and time, is always already fatal — “an anticipation of the end in the beginning” [Jean Baudrillard]. The fatal sign constitutes an attempted exorcism of conventional reality governed by the status quo. For Lowry and Burroughs, Mexico as place and text is the locus of the exorcism of demons, personal and cultural. In turning Mexico into a fatal hieroglyph of doom, both modernist and postmodernist writers draw on a long tradition of stereotyping primitivizations of Mexico. However, in the cases of Lowry and Burroughs, these stereotypical primitivizations also function as alternative modes of knowledge, symbol-making, and anti-narration, deliberate plumbings of the non-linear, irrational, and trans-temporal to deliver a backhanded blow against the European and Gringo colonizer / conqueror in Lowry’s case and the malaise of Anglo-American military-industrial capitalism in Burroughs’s.
Serratia marcescens Infection in a Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, and use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Diagnosing Systemic Disease

ABSTRACT A wild-caught gopher tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, was examined on three occasions for evaluation and treatment of subcutaneous masses. Following histopathologic examination and microbiologic culture of the masses, a diagnosis of Serratia marcescens abscesses was made. Despite surgical excision of the abscesses followed by two courses of treatment with ceftazidime (20 mg/kg q 72 h for 2 wk) given two months apart, further abscess formation occurred. While radiography failed to reveal any internal masses, magnetic resonance imaging revealed masses within the lung parenchyma. The tortoise was euthanatized, necropsy revealed multiple abscesses in the liver, kidney, and lung. Magnetic resonance imaging was found to be a useful diagnostic tool in a case where abscesses within the coelom were suspected.
Expert and entrepreneur: the unique research domain of professional service entrepreneurs

Professionals are knowledge experts who create customized solutions for clients. Many professionals practice in the context of strong professional institutions that prescribe intense socialization and codes and norms. While some professionals work as employees, many start their own firms in order to practice. Firm start-up for professionals is more prevalent than for most other occupations. While professional institutions often constraint their activities, firm start-up for professional service entrepreneurs (PSEs) involves similar entrepreneurial activities as other entrepreneurs, creating an interesting paradox worth investigating. This paper explores the uniqueness of PSEs and the firms they start, and the distinctiveness and value of research in the context of PSEs and professional service firms.
An Adaptive Game Model for Broadcasting in VANETs

Broadcasting is a popular and important way to information dissemination in vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs). But the weakness of broadcasting which is called broadcasting storm also reduces the performance of VANETs. In this paper, an adaptive game model for broadcasting in VANETs is proposed firstly. Then we optimize the proposed model adapting to the distance between two neighbor vehicles and use this optimizing game model to realize the probabilistic broadcasting. The simulation results show that the proposed adaptive game model can release the broadcasting storm, and make the performance better.
Gene activity in the oocyte nucleus: synthesis of informational RNA

Though most of the RNA synthesized during oogenesis and stored in the mature oocyte is ribosomal, it is obvious that ribosomal RNA itself cannot account for the known properties of the RNA stockpile carried in the egg cytoplasm. Amphibian embryos, according to Brown and Littna, contain sizable quantities of informational RNA that is synthesized during the very last hours of oogenesis. Lampbrush chromosome structure has long been considered suggestive of intense and widespread gene activity. Lampbrush chromosome structure has long been considered suggestive of intense and widespread gene activity. The chromosomes attain their maximum degree of extension at the mid-lampbrush stage (stage 4), and the linear, alternating, loop-chromomere arrangement suggests the linear arrangement of genetic sites in the genome. It is known that each loop contains one D N A duplex, and each pair of loops and each chromosome two such duplexes.
Fluid Bilayer Structure Determination

Experimentally-determined structural models of fluid lipid bilayers are essential for verifying molecular dynamics simulations of bilayers and for understanding the structural consequences of peptide interactions. The extreme thermal motion of bilayers precludes the possibility of atomic-level structural models. Defining ‘the structure’ of a bilayer as the time-averaged transbilayer distribution of the water and the principal lipid structural groups such as the carbonyls and double-bonds (quasimolecular fragments), one can represent the bilayer structure as a sum of Gaussian functions referred to collectively as the quasimolecular structure. One method of determining the structure is by neutron diffraction combined with exhaustive specific deuteration. This method is impractical because of the expense of the chemical syntheses and the limited amount of neutron beam time currently available. We have therefore developed the ‘composition space’ refinement method for combining X-ray and minimal neutron diffraction data to arrive at remarkably detailed and accurate structures of fluid bilayers. The composition space representation of the bilayer describes the probability of occupancy per unit length across the width of the bilayer of each quasimolecular component and permits the joint refinement of X-ray and neutron lamellar diffraction data by means of a single quasimolecular structure that is fitted simultaneously to both data sets. Scaling of each component by the appropriate neutron or X-ray scattering length maps the composition-space profile to the appropriate scattering length space for comparison to experimental data. The difficulty with the method is that fluid bilayer structures are generally only marginally determined by the experimental data. This means that the space of possible solutions must be extensively explored in conjunction with a thorough analysis of errors. The composition-space refinement method will be discussed in detail using the results of measurements made on dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) bilayers at low water contents. (This work supported by grants from the NIH [GM-37291, GM-46823] and the NSF [DMB-8807431].)
Uncertainty reduction in self-adaptive systems

Self-adaptive systems depend on models of themselves and their environment to decide whether and how to adapt, but these models are often affected by uncertainty. While current adaptation decision approaches are able to model and reason about this uncertainty, they do not consider ways to reduce it. This presents an opportunity for improving decision-making in self-adaptive systems, because reducing uncertainty results in a better characterization of the current and future states of the system and the environment (at some cost), which in turn supports making better adaptation decisions. We propose uncertainty reduction as the natural next step in uncertainty management in the field of self-adaptive systems. This requires both an approach to decide when to reduce uncertainty, and a catalog of tactics to reduce different kinds of uncertainty. We present an example of such a decision, examples of uncertainty reduction tactics, and describe how uncertainty reduction requires changes to the different activities in the typical self-adaptation loop.
Cooccurrence of prey species alters the impact of predators on prey performance through multiple mechanisms

When prey are differentially affected by intra and interspecific competition, the cooccurrence of multiple prey species alters the per capita availability of food for a particular prey species which could alter how prey respond to the threat of predation, and hence the overall-effect of predators. We conducted an experiment to examine the extent to which the nonconsumptive and overall effect of predatory water bugs on snail and tadpole traits (performance and morphology) depended on whether tadpoles and snails cooccurred. Tadpoles and snails differed in their relative susceptibility to intraspecific and interspecific competition, and predators affected both prey species via consumptive and nonconsumptive mechanisms. Furthermore, the overall effect of predators often depended on whether another prey species was present. The reasoning for why the overall effect of predators depended on whether prey species cooccurred, however, differed for each of the response variables. Predators affected snail body growth via nonconsumptive mechanisms, but the change in the overall effect of predators on snail body growth was attributable to how snails responded to competition in the absence of predators, rather than a change in how snails responded to the threat of predation. Predators did not affect tadpole body growth via nonconsumptive mechanisms, but the greater vulnerability of competitively superior prey (snails) to predators increased the strength of consumptive mechanisms (and hence the overall effect) through which predators affected tadpole growth. Predators affected tadpole morphology via nonconsumptive mechanisms, but the greater propensity for predators to kill competitively superior prey (snails) enhanced the ability of tadpoles to alter their morphology in response to the threat of predation by creating an environment where tadpoles had a higher per capita supply of food available to invest in the development of morphological defenses. Our work indicates that the mechanisms through which predators affect prey depends on the other members of the community.
Consolidative high dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplant for patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma using thiotepa, busulfan, and cyclophosphamide conditioning regimen.

e14077Background: Establishing an approach for consolidative therapy for patients with primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) that has long-term efficacy and acceptable toxicity remains a challenge. Methods:...
Ultra-Compact and Wideband V(U)HF 3-dB Power Dividers Consisting of Novel Asymmetric Impedance Transformers

Novel asymmetric impedance transformer (NAIT) containing most of symmetric and asymmetric impedance transformers' properties is proposed for ultra-compact and wideband 3-dB power dividers. All the simulated frequency responses of the NAITs are about the same, regardless of sizes, which is regarded as one of the distinct and unique properties not only for the size reduction with design flexibility but also for the wide bandwidths, considering that the bandwidths of the general passive components are proportional to the sizes. The advantage of the NAITs can also be confirmed by another example that even if the NAIT is three times shorter than the previous one, slightly wider bandwidth can be achieved. To verify the suggested theory, one NAIT power divider is tested at 100 MHz. The total transmission-line sections (TLs) of the power divider are only 14.6° long, and the measured bandwidth is about 58 %, leading to 99.3 % size reduction, compared to the conventional typical ones with 90° TLs. In terms of sizes versus bandwidths, the fabricated NAIT power divider may be regarded as the smallest among those ever recorded, based on the low-cost microstrip technology.
Some Generalizations Of Burnsides Theorem

1. Introduction. Burnside's Theorem in the theory of group representations states that a necessary and sufficient condition that a semigroup of matrices of degree n over the complex field be irreducible is that the semigroup contain n 2 linearly independent matrices. In the course of dealing with sets of matrices with coefficients in a division ring, Brauer (1) obtained a generalization of this theorem which concerned irreducible semigroups with elements in a division ring.
The epigenetic reader Brd4 is required for osteoblast differentiation

Transcription networks and epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and noncoding RNAs control lineage commitment of multi-potent mesenchymal progenitor cells. Proteins that read, write, and erase histone tail modifications curate and interpret the highly intricate histone code. Epigenetic reader proteins that recognize and bind histone marks provide a crucial link between histone modifications and their downstream biological effects. Here, we investigate the role of bromodomain-containing (BRD) proteins, which recognize acetylated histones, during osteogenic differentiation. Using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis, we screened for BRD proteins (n = 40) that are robustly expressed in MC3T3 osteoblasts. We focused functional follow-up studies on Brd2 and Brd4 which are highly expressed in MC3T3 preosteoblasts and represent “bromodomain and extra terminal domain” (BET) proteins that are sensitive to pharmacological agents (BET inhibitors). We show that small interfering RNA depletion of Brd4 has stronger inhibitory effects on osteoblast differentiation than Brd2 loss as measured by osteoblast-related gene expression, extracellular matrix deposition, and alkaline phosphatase activity. Similar effects on osteoblast differentiation are seen with the BET inhibitor +JQ1, and this effect is reversible upon its removal indicating that this small molecule has no lasting effects on the differentiation capacity of MC3T3 cells. Mechanistically, we find that Brd4 binds at known Runx2 binding sites in promoters of bone-related genes. Collectively, these findings suggest that Brd4 is recruited to osteoblast-specific genes and may cooperate with bone-related transcription factors to promote osteoblast lineage commitment and maturation.
Associations Between Medical Conditions and Alcohol Consumption Levels in an Adult Primary Care Population.

Importance Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with increased incidence of several medical conditions, but few nonveteran, population-based studies have assessed levels of alcohol use across medical conditions. Objective To examine associations between medical conditions and alcohol consumption levels in a population-based sample of primary care patients using electronic health record data. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study used separate multinomial logistic regression models to estimate adjusted associations between 26 medical conditions and alcohol consumption levels in a sample of 2 720 231 adult primary care patients screened for unhealthy drinking between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2017, then only among those reporting alcohol use. The study was conducted at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, a large, integrated health care delivery system that incorporated alcohol screening into its adult primary care workflow. Data were analyzed from June 29, 2018, to February 7, 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcome was level of alcohol use, classified as no reported use, low-risk use, exceeding daily limits only, exceeding weekly limits only, or exceeding daily and weekly limits, per National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism guidelines. Other measures included sociodemographic, body mass index, smoking, inpatient and emergency department use, and a dichotomous indicator for the presence of 26 medical conditions in the year prior to the alcohol screening identified usingInternational Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) andICD-10-CMdiagnosis codes. Results Among the 2 720 231 included patients, 1 439 361 (52.9%) were female, 1 308 659 (48.1%) were white, and 883 276 (32.5%) were aged 18 to 34 years. Patients with any of the conditions (except injury or poisoning) had lower odds of drinking at low-risk and unhealthy levels relative to no reported use compared with those without the condition. Among 861 427 patients reporting alcohol use, patients with diabetes (odds ratio [OR], 1.11; 95% CI, 1.08-1.15), hypertension (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.09-1.13), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.10-1.22), or injury or poisoning (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.04-1.07) had higher odds of exceeding daily limits only; those with atrial fibrillation (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.06-1.18), cancer (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.03-1.10), COPD (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.09-1.20), or hypertension (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.34-1.40) had higher odds of exceeding weekly limits only; and those with COPD (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.07-1.23), chronic liver disease (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.32-1.53), or hypertension (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.44-1.52) had higher odds of exceeding both daily and weekly limits. Conclusions and Relevance Findings suggest that patients with certain medical conditions are more likely to have elevated levels of alcohol use. Health systems and clinicians may want to consider approaches to help targeted patient subgroups limit unhealthy alcohol use and reduce health risks.
High-resolving mass spectrographs and spectrometers

Discussed are different types of high resolving mass spectrographs and spectrometers. In detail outlined are (1) magnetic and electric sector field mass spectrographs, which are the oldest systems, (2) Penning Trap mass spectrographs and spectrometers, which have achieved very high mass-resolving powers, but are technically demanding (3) time-of-flight mass spectrographs using high energy ions passing through accelerator rings, which have also achieved very high mass-resolving powers and are equally technically demanding, (4) linear time-of-flight mass spectrographs, which have become the most versatile mass analyzers for low energy ions, while the even higher performing multi-pass systems have only started to be used, (5) orbitraps, which also have achieved remarkably high mass-resolving powers for low energy ions.
Complementary and divergent functions of zebrafish Tango1 and Ctage5 in tissue development and homeostasis.

In this genetic study, Ctage5 and Tango1 endoplasmic reticulum cargo receptors were investigated together in vivo for the first time. Cell differentiation, survival, trafficking, and stress pathway...
Cryogenic PIM: Challenges & Opportunities

As Moore’s Law nears its end, we are searching for alternative technologies and architectures to further increase performance. Cryogenic computing has gained considerable attention in the last couple years, due to the highly ideal performance of CMOS circuits at very low temperatures. While cryogenic operation can provide impressive performance benefits, it introduces a new trade-off space which must be examined. Additionally, it does not eliminate current bottlenecks for performance, such as the memory wall. Processing-in-Memory architectures present an interesting opportunity. They are suitable to operate at cryogenic temperatures, enable lower cooling costs via extreme energy efficiency, and enable compute and memory capabilities in this regime with relatively minor adjustments to the architecture.
Structural atrophy of the right superior frontal gyrus in adolescents with severe irritability.

Severe irritability is common in youths with psychiatric disorders and results in significant dysfunction across domains (academic, social, and familial). Prior structural MRI studies in the pediatric population demonstrated that aberrations of cortical thickness (CT) and gray matter volume (GMV) in the fronto-striatal-temporal regions which have been associated with irritability. However, the directions of the correlations between structural alteration and irritability in the individual indices were not consistent. Thus, we aim to address this by implementing comprehensive assessments of CT, GMV, and local gyrification index (LGI) simultaneously in youths with severe levels of irritability by voxel-based morphometry and surface-based morphometry. One hundred and eight adolescents (46 youths with severe irritability and 62 healthy youths, average age = 14.08 years, standard deviation = 2.36) were scanned with a T1-weighted MRI sequence. The severity of irritability was measured using the affective reactivity index. In youths with severe irritability, there was decreased CT, GMV, and LGI in the right superior frontal gyrus (SFG) compared to healthy youths, and negative correlations between these indices of the SFG and irritability. Our findings suggest that structural deficits in the SFG, potentially related to its role in inhibitory control, may be critical for the neurobiology of irritability.
Secret Funders: Oligarchs United

Oligarchs United refers to a unique aspect of the cooperation of wealthy Republicans and wealthy Democrats for privatization of public schools. The richest individuals of any society may differ on various topics but they are in concert on preservation of their own wealth. Public education is one of the biggest items in state budgets and unions in coalition with social justice groups agitate for more spending on schools. That means more taxes. The most prominent privatization funders come at the project from different angles but the Waltons, the most ardent pursuers of charter schools, are ideologically pro-market, anti-government, and stridently opposed to unions. Still, while the richest family in America attracts attention, privatization opponents would do well to look closely at local corporate reformers. In Massachusetts, we’ll find Boston privatizers who put up much of the money while hiding in the shadows.
Report on the Progress of the IN-STEP Pilot Program, 2008-2009

This is the second report on the progress of the Inquiry Based Science and Technology Education Program (IN-STEP), an innovative science education initiative being implemented in the lower secondary schools of Phang-nga province. Sponsored by MSD Thailand, a pharmaceutical company, and supported by funding from its parent company, Merck & Co., Inc., IN-STEP is being implemented by a public-private partnership led by the Kenan Institute Asia (K.I.Asia), which, besides MSD Thailand and Merck & Co., includes the Thai Ministry of Education (MOE), the Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE), the Educational Services Area Office (ESAO) in Phang-nga province, the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science & Technology (IPST), the National Science and Technology Development Agency, the Science Society of Thailand, Teachers College, Columbia University, and, most importantly, the science teachers and principals working in the lower secondary schools in Phang-nga. These organizations have worked together to develop a shared vision of good science teaching and to develop the IN-STEP design.
The international transmission of interest rates: A note on causal relationships between short-term external and domestic U.S. dollar returns

Abstract This study extends the literature of capital market integration by investigating the relationship between U.S. dollar yield behavior in the domestic and in the external dollar market. Recognizing recent increases in world capital market speed of adjustment, the analysis is based on daily changes in yields. Using Granger causality tests, much of the adjustmemt appears to be contemporaneous if contemporaneous is defined as weekly (as opposed to daily) changes, and the Eurodollar market adjusts more rapidly and more completely to changes in the domestic market than the domestic market adjusts to changes in the Eurodollar market.
Das Sichtbare und das Unsichtbare

Man muss sich nicht intensiver mit den Grundlagen der Hydromechanik beschaftigt haben — ein Badeurlaub am Atlantik reicht aus - um zu wissen, dass neben den Oberflachenwellen, die augenscheinlich in endloser Abfolge ungeheure Wassermassen bestandig in Richtung Strand bewegen, noch andere Krafte am Wirken sind, die fur den Weg zum Strand ungeheure Kraftanstrengungen notwendig machen konnen. Gemeint ist die sog. Unterwasserstromung, die auch deshalb als so gefahrlich gilt, weil sie nicht sichtbar ist und daher in ihrer Kraft regelmasig unterschatzt wird. Was haben diese Stromungen unterhalb der wellenbewegten Wasseroberflache mit dem Gegenstand dieses Kapitels zu tun? Was vermag das Bild des Wechselspiels zwischen Unterwasserstromung und Oberflachenwellen zum Verstandnis der Feinstruktur familialer Bildungswelten beizutragen?
Wind Power Systems

This chapter is devoted to wind power. Wind turbines have become the most cost-effective renewable energy systems available today and are now completely competitive with essentially all conventional generation systems. The chapter develops techniques for evaluating the power available in the wind and how efficiently it can be captured and converted to electricity in modern wind turbines. Combining wind statistics with turbine characteristics makes it possible to estimate the energy and economics of systems ranging from a single, home-size wind turbine to large wind farms of the sort that are being rapidly built across the United States, Europe, and Asia.
The effects of prenatal exposure of mice to cigarette smoke on offspring immune parameters.

While direct exposure to cigarette smoke (CS) was shown in numerous human and animal studies to impair host immune responses, effects on the offspring following in utero CS exposure are relatively unknown. Thus, a toxicological study was performed that extended our previous investigations examining the effects of relatively low-dose CS exposure on immune tumor surveillance parameters of the prenatally exposed offspring. In the current study, pregnant B6C3F1 mice were exposed by inhalation to mainstream CS (at a concentration equivalent to smoking ∼1 pack of cigarettes/d) for 5 d/wk, 4 h/d from gestational day 4 to parturition. Smoke-induced effects on a number of immune parameters were examined in 3- (and/or 5-), 10-, and 20-wk-old male and female offspring, including lymphoid organ weight/cellularity; blood and bronchopulmonary lavage cell numbers/profiles; splenic lymphocyte proliferation; mixed lymphocyte reactions; and, host resistance against transplanted melanoma cells. Exposure in utero to CS signi...
Renormalization-Group Analysis of Bicritical and Tetracritical Points

Recently developed renormalization-group techniques are summarized and exploited to yield a renormalization-group analysis of bicritical and tetracritical points (which arise in antiferromagnets and boson systems). For $n\ensuremath{\lesssim}3$ an isotropic or Heisenberg fixed point dominates and gives bicritical behavior; but for $n\ensuremath{\gtrsim}4$ a new "biconical" fixed point with irrational $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$-expansion coefficients appears. This describes a tetracritical point and may be relevant to displacive phase transitions.
Experimental dead time corrections for a linear position-sensitive proportional counter

Abstract Two simple counters included in the charge-digitization circuitry of a position-sensitive proportional counter using the charge division method for position encoding have enabled us to determine the dead time losses for the system. An interesting positional dependence of the dead time τ is observed, which agrees with a simple model. The system enables us to correct the experimental data for dead time and to be indifferent to the relatively slow analog-to-digital converters used in the system.
Response to hepatitis B vaccine differs by birthweight among neonates.

Abstract Objectives To assess the immunogenicity of same needle length of hepatitis B vaccine for infants with different birthweights. Previous studies have focused on obese adolescents and adults that have lower titers of antibody response to hepatitis B vaccine. The aim of this study was to compare antibody titers of macrosomic and other neonates for hepatitis B antibody with the same needle length. Methods 96 healthy infants were vaccinated at birth, 1, and 6 months of age with hepatitis B vaccine, with follow-up to 7 months of age. Cord blood and seventh month hepatitis B antibody titer were repeated. Infants were divided into three groups, according to their birthweight, as macrosomic, appropriate for gestational age and small for gestational age. The same needle with 26 G and 16 mm length was used for all infants. Results Macrosomic infants with a birthweight over 4000 g had lower antibody levels than small and appropriate for gestational age infants. Conclusions These data support the hypothesis that birthweight has an effect on response to HBV vaccine. Using the same needle length for immunization of macrosomic infants for hepatitis B reveals significantly reduced antibody titers, this can be related also to possible endogenous factors. Further studies are needed to assess appropriate needle length and effects of other factors on vaccine reactogenicity for macrosomic infants.
Plant–water relations of NaCl and calcium-treated sunflower plants

Abstract Salinity has been shown to alter a number of physiological processes, including the plant–water relations of some crop species. We examined the initial effects of NaCl salinity on the plant–water relations of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) and the potential of calcium supplements to ameliorate those effects. Sunflower plants were grown in a controlled-environment and treated solely with 0, 50, 100, or 150 mM of NaCl or the same rates of NaCl plus 10 mM Ca+2. Increasing salinity levels significantly decreased stomatal conductance in the 100 and 150 mM treatments compared to the control and 50 mM treatments, produced significantly more negative water potentials in the 100 and 150 mM treatments compared to the control, and significantly decreased root hydraulic conductance in all treatments compared to the control. Calcium supplements did not ameliorate the adverse effects of NaCl. Our experiments indicated that short-term NaCl stress can alter the plant–water relations of sunflower and that calcium supplements of 10 mM do not ameliorate these effects.
Quantum kinks and the growth resistance of atomically rough 4He crystals.

Introduction de «kinks» quantiques mobiles, interactifs et de tres faible masse pour expliquer la contribution des rotons a la resistance de croissance et au coefficient de transmission des phonons thermiques de la surface rugueuse des cristaux d' 4 He
Size isn't everything

Male nematode worms may make larger sperm than hermaphrodite worms, but this is not the only reason that sperm from males have a competitive edge.
The role of epigenetics in cancer

Abstract DNA Methylation, Imprinting and the Epigenetics of Cancer—an American Association for Cancer Research Special Conference Las Croabas, Puerto Rico, 12–16 1997 December
Atomistic simulation of CdTe solid-liquid coexistence equilibria

Atomistic simulations of CdTe using a Stillinger-Weber (SW) interatomic potential were undertaken to model the solid-liquid phase equilibria of this important compound semiconductor. Although this potential has been used by others to study liquid CdTe and vapor-liquid interface, it is based on fitting parameters optimized only for the zincblende solid. It has not been fully explored as a potential for solid-liquid phase equilibria until this work. This research reports an accurate determination of the melting temperature, ${T}_{\text{M}}=1305\text{ }\text{K}$ near $P=0$, the heat of fusion at melting, and on the relative phase densities with a particular emphasis on the melting line. The SW potential for CdTe predicts a liquid with a density slightly less than that of the solid and, hence, the pressure-temperature melting line has a positive slope. The pair-correlation structure of the liquid is determined and favorably compared to neutron-scattering data and to ab initio simulations. The liquid-solid interface is discussed using density profiles and a short-range order parameter for models having principal orientations along $⟨100⟩$, $⟨110⟩$, and $⟨111⟩$ crystallographic directions.
Assessment of the Pathophysiology of Injured Tissue With an In Vivo Electrical Injury Model

Tissue destruction from electrical injury is devastating and hard to treat. Unfortunately, the pathophysiology of electrical trauma is still not well understood. We have developed a suite of tools aimed at investigating damage due to high voltage shock on the skin using a rat model. Electrical injuries were created with a custom made high-tension shock system and a spectroscopic system, based on spatial frequency domain imaging, was used to determine optical properties of electrically injured tissues. The extrapolated values of absorption and scattering coefficients at six different wavelengths were then utilized to monitor parameters of interest such as tissue oxygen saturation, methemoglobin volume fraction, and hemoglobin volume fraction at four time intervals post injury. An FLIR thermal camera was used to record skin temperature during the electrical shock. Finally, a laser Doppler imaging apparatus was used to assess tissue perfusion. In this paper, the results of experiments conducted on a rat model and discussions on the systemic changes in tissue optical properties before and after electrical shock are presented. A reduction in tissue oxygen saturation postinjury is observed as well as an increase in methemoglobin. Tissue perfusion increases immediately after the delivery of the electrical shock.
From crayons to constructivist curriculum: Promoting aesthetics and artistic development in young children through teacher preparation

Abstract One early childhood teacher preparation program includes “Aesthetics As Learning,” a course which emphasizes that aesthetics is another way of knowing—another domain of development. The course has a reading, writing, discussion and experiential component—and all are integrated, but the experiential component (weekly arts activities) is showcased in this article. One significant and innovative component of the experiential approach is that the students do not react to the use of the arts from a child's perspective but respond as an adult. This provides for an authentic experience with the arts. The college classroom uses a constructivist approach in which students construct their own meaning from their experiences and a feminist pedagogical approach that develops a classroom community of learners. © 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
Electric field due to alternating current injected at the surface of a metal plate

Closed form analytical expressions for the electric field interior and exterior to a metal plate, due to alternating current injected at its surface, are derived. Assuming that the current is injected and extracted by wires oriented perpendicular to the surface of the plate, the problem is decomposed into two cylindrically symmetric systems in which a single current-carrying wire lies on the coordinate axis. This simplified problem is formulated in terms of a single magnetic potential and the solution obtained by use of the Hankel transform. The resulting expression for the electric field in the plate takes the form of an analytic series. In exterior regions, the electric field is expressed in terms of Hankel transforms. The result for the physical system with two current-carrying wires is obtained by superposition.
Mesophases of Regularly Branched Copolymers

The phase diagram of A/B block copolymers is determined when the A block is a flexible, linear homopolymer, and the B block has a regularly branched tree structure with G generations. The predictions of a classical-path analysis and a lattice self-consistent mean field calculation are in general agreement. The phase diagram is considerably skewed toward keeping the A blocks inside cylindrical or spherical cores with the branched block forming a corona. There is little, if any, tendency for the branched arms to fold back to facilitate packing.
Thinking about artworlds in a global flow: Some major disparities in dealing with visual culture

This article will argue that the differences between art history and the anthropology of art not just due to discipline-driven methodologies, though these are certainly a factor, but also occur because art historians and anthropologists are usually asking rather different questions, and finding the answers in quite different places within the culture. As a starting point I will demonstrate these differences of both approach and result, using two acclaimed studies by anthropologists of African expressive culture, one from the Congo (Zaire), the other from Sierra Leone. Although very different from each other, both downplay the importance of affect, and both assume aesthetic practice is transparent, i.e. that it directly reflects the meaning of life or human behavior. No art historian would make such a confident assumption.