cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneity and Function of ATP-Sensitive Potassium Channels in Canine Hearts

Background In contrast to the consensus notion that cardiac ATP-sensitive potassium (K ATP ) channels are composed of Kir6.2 as the pore-forming subunit and SUR2A as the regulatory subunit, recent studies have revealed that rodent atrial K ATP channels are primarily regulated by SUR1 subunit. In addition, a gain-of-function mutation of Kir6.1 subunit has recently been linked to a form of Brugada syndrome. Heterogeneity of K ATP channels within and between heart chambers may differentially predispose certain myocytes to action potential (AP) shortening. Methods To assess the heterogeneity of cardiac K ATP channels in large animals, whole-cell and excised patch-clamp recordings were performed on myocytes isolated from dog atrium, ventricular epicardium (Epi), mid myocardium (Mid), and endocardium (Endo). To measure the consequences of K ATP channel opening on dog myocytes, dynamic current clamp was applied via a custom analog circuit to simulate a progressively increasing linear K + conductance. Results Mean K ATP conductance (activated by metabolic inhibitors) did not differ significantly between chambers (49 ± 9 pA/pF in atrium vs 43 ± 5 pA/pF in ventricle); however, within the ventricle the current was smallest in Endo (29 ± 5 pA/pF) vs Epi (53 ± 11 pA/pF, P P P ATP " current, a result that is reproduced in silico using a second-generation canine ventricular AP model to simulate Epi, Mid, and Endo (HRd2010). The results indicate that increased shortening is caused by replenishment of repolarizing current that is otherwise lacking in cells with long APDs. Conclusions If similarly activated, the heterogeneous makeup of K ATP channels between and within heart chambers is likely to cause proarrhythmic dispersion of repolarization; however, the enhanced shortening of long APDs by K ATP current would tend to reduce dispersion and may consequently be protective.
Parents and Youth: Perceiving and Practicing Islam in North America

Copyright 1991, Alberta University Press. This is a pre-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in the edited book Muslim Familes in North America following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available through Alberta University Press: http://www.uap.ualberta.ca/UAP.asp?lid=41&bookid=162. See also: http://www.eself-learning-arabic.cornell.edu/publications.htm#4
About Hopes, Aspirations, and Uncertainty: First-Grade English-Language Learners' Emergent Reading:

This article describes the reading development of two Hispanic children during their first-grade year of school. Their literacy emergence is portrayed in relation to the teacher's (and to some extent the children's families') expectations and the classroom balanced reading program. This qualitative study, written here in the “I-witnessing” or “confessional” narrative genre, was conducted in the first author's classroom while on reassignment in her 17th year as a university professor of Literacy Studies. The children's reading development is interpreted in light of current controversies in second-language learning, including whether English orality must precede literacy.
Efficient Coordination of Wind Power and Price-Responsive Demand—Part I: Theoretical Foundations

In Part I of this two-part paper, we introduce several possible methods for integrating wind power, price-responsive demand and other distributed energy resources (DERs). These methods differ with respect to information exchange requirements, computational complexity, and physical implementability. A novel look-ahead interactive dispatch that internalizes inter-temporal constraints at the DERs level, and dispatches the results of distributed decisions subject to spatial security constraints, is proposed as a possible effective algorithm. This method requires only the use of today's static security-constrained economic dispatch (SCED) by the system operators. The optimization accounting for inter-temporal constraints, and ramping rates in particular, is done by the DERs while they create their own supply and demand functions. To implement this method, today's supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) needs to be transformed into a multi-directional, multi-layered information exchange system.
Merit and Competition in Selective College Admissions.

Using interview data from 34 admissions officers at 17 elite colleges, this paper compares two perspectives shaping admissions policy. Admissions officers apply a “merit” perspective that relies on indicators of student academic and nonacademic achievement. They also employ a “competition” perspective that evaluates student characteristics according to organizational needs. Findings include (a) elite colleges’ maintenance of an illusion that student achievement determines admissions, and (b) that admissions practices are designed to maintain the colleges’ elite status.
Platinum Nanoparticles Grown by Atomic Layer Deposition for Charge Storage Memory Applications

This paper explores platinum nanoparticle formation during the early stages of growth by atomic layer deposition. Particle size and distribution can be controlled by altering growth parameters. The particles show excellent temperature stability up to 900°C as examined by transmission electron microscopy and in situ heating. Capacitance-voltage and charge retention measurements demonstrate the memory effect in metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors with embedded nanoparticles. The size, density, charge storage, and temperature stability of the platinum nanoparticles make them attractive for use as charge storage layers for nonvolatile memory devices.
POWDER METHOD FOR MEASUREMENT OF CHEMICAL DURABILITY OF GLASS

From the standpoint of a strictly quantitative approach to the problem of measuring the chemical durability of glass, there is need for (1) a method to measure the surface area of irregularly shaped particles that is independent of their chemical composition and surface conditions and (2) methods to measure the actual ions present in extracts from durability tests. A method of measuring (1), that is, the surface of irregularly shaped particles, has been developed, based on the principle that areas of projected images of a convex particle as measured from n random positions approaches the absolute surface area of the particle as n increases. Particles to be measured were mounted in random orientation by sprinkling them on a transparent plastic mounting medium applied in a thin film on a glass slide. After magnifying with a projection microscope and tracing the areas, the final areal measurements were made planimetrically. The procedures for measuring small concentrations of sodium and silica occurring in durability extracts were tested and were found to be applicable to the problem of measuring the extent of the attack. The procedure for determining sodium is to precipitate and weigh the triple salt, sodium zinc uranyl acetate, (UO2)3 ZnNa(CH3COO)9.6H2O; the procedure for silica involves the production in acid solution of silicomolybdate blue by reduction of silicomolybdate yellow with sodium sulfite and by a photometric comparison of the color developed with a standard series. By the application of these methods in actual durability tests, it is shown that two equal volumes of the same glass collected between the same limiting screens exhibit a measured difference in surface per unit volume, which correlates closely both with chemical attack and with the positions of surface distribution curves. The evidence of this investigation corroborates the view that closer specification of the conditions under which the glass grains are prepared is desirable and that accurate determination of sodium and silica is practicable in very dilute solutions obtained in durability tests.
Longitudinal position matrix of the pig coronary vasculature and its hemodynamic implications

Hemodynamic analysis of coronary blood flow must be based on a statistically valid geometric model of the coronary vasculature. We have previously developed a diameter-defined Strahler model for th...
A system for analyzing and indexing human-motion databases

We demonstrate a data-driven approach for representing, compressing, and indexing human-motion databases. Our modeling approach is based on piecewise-linear components that are determined via a divisive clustering method. Selection of the appropriate linear model is determined automatically via a classifier using a subspace of the most significant, or principle features (markers). We show that, after offline training, our model can accurately estimate and classify human motions. We can also construct indexing structures for motion sequences according to their transition trajectories through these linear components. Our method not only provides indices for whole and/or partial motion sequences, but also serves as a compressed representation for the entire motion database. Our method also tends to be immune to temporal variations, and thus avoids the expense of time-warping.
The importance of being theoretical: A commentary on Bandura's “self-efficacy: Towards a unifying theory of behavioral change”

Abstract Theory is an important but relatively neglected aspect of contemporary behavior therapy. To be scientifically useful, a theory should be capable of integrating available facts in an internally consistent manner, amenable to experimental tests, heuristic in directing the search for new kowledge, and compare favorably with existing theories. Improved theory in behavior therapy would seem to be especially helpful in infusing the field with fresh concepts and procedures and in possibly bringing greater order to the proliferation of increasingly divergent concepts and methods. Self-efficacy theory is evaluated in the light of these different criteria. It is concluded that self-efficacy theory is testable and rich in heuristic value. Its implications for broader conceptual issues, specific research questions, behavioral assessment, and the generalization and maintenance of treatment produced change are briefly discussed. Finally, self-efficacy theory is compared to alternative conditioning explanations of fear reduction methods.
Recent Suicide Rates among Ten Ojibwa Indian Bands in Northwestern Ontario.

This study was designed to investigate the rate of completed suicides for ten Ojibwa Indian bands in Northwestern Ontario for the years 1975 to 1982. Records from Medical Services, Health and Welfa...
Emotion is an Entity at Both Biological and Ecological Levels: The Ghost in the Machine is Language:

In “Emergent Ghosts of the Emotion Machine,” James Coan neglects emotion displays involved in social communication and activity in central neurochemical systems associated with drug-induced changes in feelings and desires. Also, he fails to recognize that emotions are not rigidly bound to action tendencies, but rather have evolved internal signals to afford flexibility of response. Emotion indices naturally lack close coordination because different aspects—physiological arousal, expressive display, subjective experience—are differentially accessible to the responder and interaction partner, and therefore undergo different social learning histories. Emotions are entities both at the biological level, involving special-purpose primes, and at the ecological level, involving displays reflecting communicative demands characteristic of a species. Language, not emotion, is the ghost in the machine.
The effect of percutaneous coronary intervention on inflammatory response and endothelial progenitor cell recruitment.

Background: Vascular interventions, such as percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), lead to endothelial damage and cause an inflammatory response. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) have been shown to have a prominent role in re-endothelialization and repair following vascular injury. Studies have implicated a role for the chemokine, stromal-cell-derived factor-1 alpha (SDF1-alpha) in the recruitment of circulating EPCs to sites of vascular injury. However, the relationship between the inflammatory response, SDF1-alpha, and EPC levels after PCI is unclear. Methods: We enrolled one hundred patients (mean age 65.5 ± 10.9 years, 32% females)—20 patients with NSTEMI, 27 patients with unstable angina, and 53 patients with stable angina who underwent PCI with stenting. EPC levels were measured by quantifying colony forming units in the 20 NSTEMI patients, whereas SDF1-alpha levels and hs-CRP levels were measured in all 100 patients by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All three markers were measured in blood samples drawn before and 24 hr after PCI. Results: EPC colonies increased from 9.6 colonies per million cells before PCI to 13.2 colonies per million cells after PCI (37% increase, P = 0.03). Circulating SDF1-alpha levels increased mildly from 1707.1 ± 480 pg/mL at baseline to 1758.6 ± 501 pg/mL after PCI (3% increase, P = 0.0425). There was a 95% increase in the levels of hs-CRP (pre-PCI: 4.5 ± 5.3 mg/L vs. post-PCI: 8.8 ± 9.5 mg/L; P = 0.0004). Conclusions: A robust rise in hs-CRP levels in our study suggests that PCI induced a potent inflammatory response. This combined with a proportional increase in the levels of EPCs and mild elevation in SDF1-alpha after PCI suggests the possibility that the potent inflammatory response induced by PCI may be associated with EPC recruitment. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Four new species of Brueelia Kéler, 1936 (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Philopteridae) from African songbirds (Passeriformes: Sturnidae and Laniidae).

Four new species in the louse genus Brueelia Keler, 1936 are described from African hosts of the families Sturnidae and Laniidae. They are: Brueelia rigbyi n. sp. ex Corvinella melanoleuca (Jardine, 1831), B. clara n. sp. ex Lamprotornis australis (A. Smith, 1836), B. tkachi n. sp. ex Spreo albicapillus albicapillus Blyth, 1856, and B. coryliventer n. sp. ex Creatophora cinerea (Meuschen, 1787). These four species are characterized by a unique abdominal chaetotaxy and a sinuous thickening of the distal margin of the male mesosome. These four species are very similar, and we consider them to form one species group. A key to the species of the group is provided.
POVERTY-ENVIRONMENT NEXUS: AN INVESTIGATION OF LINKAGE USING SURVEY DATA

Poverty and environmental deterioration are among the gravest challenges faced in the developing world today. The relationship between poverty and the environment is complex and highly influenced by the socio-economic factors of a country or region. The main objective of this preliminary study was to examine the nature of poverty-deforestation relationships for an area in Bangladesh by using secondary data, interviews and a questionnaire survey. The study found that although the rate of deforestation has decreased in recent years, it is still continuing in the study area, poverty is not the primary cause of deforestation and poor people are not the primary agent for such degradation. Environmental degradation makes people poorer through lack of availability of natural resources, and management of natural resources should include the full participation of local residents and cooperation with government to ensure socio-environmentally sustainable resource management.
A fast power-on 2.2Gb/s burst-mode digital CDR with programmable input jitter filtering

A digital burst-mode CDR employs feed-forward data edge injection and a digital feedback loop to achieve instantaneous phase locking, data-rate tracking, and input jitter filtering. Fabricated in a 90nm CMOS process, the prototype receiver achieves instantaneous locking on the very first data edge and consumes 6.1mW at 2.2Gb/s. By controlling the edge injection rate, the proposed architecture allows variable JTRAN bandwidth from 5MHz to 40MHz.
Life on glass houses: sponge stalk communities in the deep sea

Photographs of the deep-sea floor often show organisms attached to biogenic structures that protrude from the soft bottom. In particular, the stalks of glass sponges (hexactinellids) provide hard substrata and act as habitat islands for deep-sea fauna. The primary objectives of this study were to determine the abundance of glass sponge “stalks” at an abyssal station in the NE Pacific, to identify the fauna associated with stalks, and to compare the distribution patterns of epifaunal taxa both horizontally and vertically. Densities of stalks and large epifauna were estimated from analysis of ∼9 km of photographic transects taken in 1994–1995 at station M (34°45′N; 123°00′W; 4,100 m depth) off California, USA. At least 87% of the stalks were the spicule columns of live or dead hexactinellids in the genus Hyalonema (Gray, 1832). Stalks appeared to be distributed randomly across the sea floor (density: 0.13 stalks m−2). A colonial zoanthid, Epizoanthus stellaris (Hertwig, 1888), inhabited 20% of the stalks and was the most commonly observed epifaunal organism, followed by other suspension feeders that generally were situated at the top of the structures. Thirty-five stalk communities were collected in tube cores in 1994–1995 using the submersible “Alvin”. A total of 139 taxa was associated with these hard-substratum habitats (another five species were observed only in photographs). Although taxon richness was high, the species diversity of these communities was relatively low due to the dominance in percentage abundance of a foraminiferan, Cibicides lobatulus (Walker and Jakob, 1798), and a serpulid polychaete, Bathyvermilia sp. (Zibrowius, 1973). The relationship between number of taxa and surface area of the stalks yielded a slope (z-value) typical of islands with a low rate of immigration. Three-dimensional complexity created by branching epifauna on the stalks provided more surface area and a variety of cryptic microhabitats. Vertical zonation on the stalks appeared to be controlled by biological interactions among species, with solitary fauna and certain functional groups of colonial organisms restricted by sheet-like colonial organisms that appeared to be dominant space competitors.
RECENT ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH ON NORTH AMERICAN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

AbstractThis review article addresses the following question: Given the transformed social, political, and intellectual conditions for ethnographic research among indigenous peoples in North America, what forms has such research come to take at the turn of the twenty-first century? The review considers significant trends and innovations in research sites and topics, research methodologies, theoretical orientations, and forms of representation. It also assesses the distinctive strengths and limitations posed by ethnographic research for scholars engaging with significant dimensions of contemporary indigenous life, including struggles for rights, resources, recognition, and language vitality in both the national and international arenas; the repatriation and sovereignty movements; the development of tribal casinos, tourist complexes, cultural centers, and media outlets; continued social and economic marginalization of many indigenous peoples; and challenges posed by neoliberalism and globalization to tribal...
A New View of the Coupling of the Sun and the Heliosphere

AbstractThe structure of the global heliospheric field reflects the physical properties of the low corona. The implied connections between solar and heliospheric evolution have been analyzed by a powerful multisatellite solar and heliospheric observatory that includes the Ulysses and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft. This coordinated investigation yielded unprecedented observational opportunities. Some of these results confirmed predictions by models based on time-stationary conditions of the corona at its lowest energy state. However, there are results that exhibit important contradictions to these models, and limit their applicability, pointing to the importance of photospheric dynamics and small-scale field emergence for the structure of the heliospheric field. The interpretation of these data provides challenges to our understanding of the physics of the energy transport from the convective layers of the Sun into the heliosphere and motivates new theoretical approaches to the e...
The Oral and Beyond: Doing Things with Words in Africa

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Ruth Finnegan Year: 2007 Pages: 272 Publisher: University of Chicago Press ISBN: 978-0-226-24971-1 (hard cover). Prices: $63.00 USD(hard cover).
Protein Kinase D as a Potential Chemotherapeutic Target for Colorectal Cancer

Protein kinase D (PKD) signaling plays a critical role in the regulation of DNA synthesis, proliferation, cell survival, adhesion, invasion/migration, motility, and angiogenesis. To date, relatively little is known about the potential role of PKD in the development and/or progression of human colorectal cancer. We evaluated the expression of different PKD isoforms in colorectal cancer and investigated the antitumor activity of PKD inhibitors against human colorectal cancer. PKD2 was the dominant isoform expressed in human colon cancer cells. PKD3 expression was also observed but PKD1 expression, at both the RNA and protein levels, was not detected. Suppression of PKD using the small molecule inhibitors CRT0066101 and kb-NB142-70 resulted in low micromolar in vitro antiproliferative activity against multiple human colorectal cancer cell lines. Drug treatment was associated with dose-dependent suppression of PKD2 activation. Incubation with CRT0066101 resulted in G(2)-M phase arrest and induction of apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells. Further studies showed that CRT0066101 treatment gave rise to a dose-dependent increase in expression of cleaved PARP and activated caspase-3, in addition to inhibition of AKT and ERK signaling, and suppression of NF-κB activity. Transfection of PKD2-targeted siRNAs resulted in similar effects on downstream pathways as observed with small molecule inhibitors. Daily administration of CRT0066101 resulted in significant inhibition of tumor growth in HCT116 xenograft nude mice. Taken together, our studies show that PKD plays a significant role in mediating growth signaling in colorectal cancer and may represent a novel chemotherapeutic target for the treatment of colorectal cancer.
Impact of a National Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence Program on Medicare Expenditures

In 2006, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a national coverage decision restricting bariatric surgery to designated centers of excellence (COE). Although prior studies show mixed results on complications and reoperations, no prior studies evaluated whether this policy reduced spending for bariatric surgery. We sought to determine whether the coverage restriction to COE-designated hospitals was associated with lower payments from CMS. We utilized national Medicare claims data to examine 30-day episode payments for patients who underwent bariatric surgery from 2003 to 2010 (n = 72,117 patients). We performed an interrupted time series analysis, adjusting for patient factors, preexisting temporal trends, and changes in procedure type, to determine whether the 2006 coverage decision was associated with lower Medicare payments above and beyond any existing secular trends. For these analyses, we included payments for the index hospitalization, readmissions, physician services, and post-discharge ancillary care. After accounting for patient factors, preexisting temporal trends, and changes in procedure type, there were no statistically significant improvements in episode payments after (US$14,720) vs before (US$14,283) the coverage decision (+US$437, 95 % CI, −US$10 to +US$883). In a direct assessment of payments for COE-designated hospitals (US$14,481) vs non-COE-designated hospitals (US$14,756), no significant differences in episode payments were found (−US$275, 95 % CI, −US$696 to +US$145). We found no significant reductions in 30-day episode payments after vs before restricting coverage to COE-designated hospitals. Center of excellence status is not a proxy for savings to the healthcare system.
Preventing rural workforce by design

With 2.7 trillion dollars in annual health spending, America has no excuse for designs that have failed for decades with regard to rural health workforce development. Rural workforce failure can best be understood as the inevitable result of failure by design. Designs for revenue are insufficient to support the rural clinician workforce that would resolve deficits. The designs of health professional training are not specific to rural health needs. Those aware of rural health delivery problems such as the National Rural Health Association have noted 'the overriding healthcare problem in rural America is lack of access to a provider. Being insured makes no difference if you cannot find a doctor in your area'. A second concern noted is eliminating ‘long-standing payment inequities for rural providers’. National designers have failed to grasp what is important for rural health care. Basic services provided by generalists and physicians remaining in core specialties such as general surgery are most important and are most neglected by payment and training designs. Generalists delivering primary care are half of the rural workforce. Training must produce the generalists, general surgeons, and other general specialties that are over 75% of rural workforce needs in 2013. Designs that shape more new specialties, more in each specialty, lowest proportions entering primary care, and departures from primary care only a few years after graduation are prevention of rural workforce by design. Do healthcare designers understand rural health care? Rural health problem solving requires the proper perspective. The barriers to rural health access involve distance, insurance coverage, jobs, culture, more complex health needs, and lowest revenue set by design. The panels that recommend reimbursements for services may not see beyond the academic, hospital, subspecialty, association, government, and most urban experiences that have shaped the lives of the panelists. Decades of immersion in top concentrations of
The Relationship of Computer Experience and Computer Self-Efficacy to Performance in Introductory Computer Literacy Courses

AbstractThis study was designed to identify the relationships that exist among computer experience, computer self-efficacy, and computer-dependent performance in an introductory computer literacy course. Measures of computer experience and computer self-efficacy were assessed prior to student participation in the course, and their relationship to subsequent course performance was analyzed. Results suggest that it is the relevance, rather than quantity, of computer experience students bring to class that is most predictive of performance. Accordingly, only computer self-efficacy was found to be significantly related to computer-dependent course performance. Implications for educators charged with assessing the computer literacy of students entering college are discussed.
A New Approach to Perceptual Grouping

I will be talking about a very old problem in visual perception — which goes under various names such as grouping, coupling, organization and unit formation. Theories of such effects have tapped multiple levels of visual processing. My talk will add to what is known about the factors contributing to these effects.
Video-Enhanced Telemedicine Improves the Care of Acutely Injured Burn Patients in a Rural State.

The acute care of burn patients is critical and can be a daunting experience for emergency personnel because of the scarcity of burn injuries. Telemedicine that incorporates a visual component can provide immediate expertise in the treatment and management of these injuries. The authors sought to evaluate the addition of video telemedicine to our current telephone burn transfer program. During a 2-year period, 282 patients, 59.4% of all burn patients transferred from outside hospitals, were enrolled in the study. In addition to the scripted call with the charge nurse (ChargeRN) and the accepting physician, nine hospitals also transmitted video images of the wounds before transfer as part of a store and forward telemedicine transfer program (77, 27.6%). The accuracy of burn size estimations (BSA burned) and management changes (fluid requirements, transfer mode, and final disposition) were analyzed between the telephones-only sites (T only) and the video-enhanced sites. Referringstaff participating in video-enhanced telemedicine were sent a Google survey assessing their experience the following day. The referring staff (Referringstaff) was correct in their burn assessment 20% of the time. Video assessment improved the ChargeRN BSA burned and resulted in more accurate fluid resuscitation (P = .030), changes in both transportation mode (P = .042), and disposition decisions (P = .20). The majority of the Referringstaff found that video-enhanced telemedicine helped them communicate with the burn staff more effectively (3.4 ± 0.37, scale 1-4). This study reports the successful implementation of video-enhanced telemedicine pilot project in a rural state. Video-enhanced telemedicine using a store and forward process improved burn size estimation and facilitated management changes. Although not quantitatively assessed, the low cost of the system coupled with the changes in transportation and disposition strongly suggests a decrease in healthcare costs associated with the addition of video to a telephone-only transfer program.
Precipitate and Defect Formation in Oxygen Implanted Silicon-on-Insulator Material

The formation and structure of defects and precipitates in high-dose oxygen implanted silicon-on-insulator material was directly studied by weak beam and high resolution electron microscopy. In as-implanted material, the edge of the oxygen implant profile contained 1.5 nm diameter precipitates at a density of 1019 cm2. Defects, including micrctwins, stacking faults, and (311) defects, were present in as-implanted material but no threading or loop dislocations were observed. This suggests that threading dislocations are formed in the thermal ramping and annealing cycle. In material annealed for different times and temperatures precipitate size was much more dependent on peak temperature rather than time-at-temperature indicating that oxygen diffusion distance is less important than thermodynamic factors in controlling precipitate size. Annealing from 1150°C to 1250°C produced threading dislocations and possible dislocation dipoles which extended through the superficial layer. Transient annealing of very low dose oxygen implanted Si produced loop and threading dislocations. This suggests that a high heating rate during precipitation will generate excess Si interstitials at a rate high enough to create high stresses at precipitates and form dislocations. A qualitative model for dislocation formation is proposed and processing conditions for reducing dislocation density are suggested.
Shifting Levels of Abstraction: The Role of Vertical Category Dynamics in Market Valuation

Product categories facilitate transactions between buyers and sellers by defining and valuing the goods exchanged. While prior research has shown how the horizontal dimension of category membership...
Annual Report on Children's Health Care: Dental and Orthodontic Utilization and Expenditures for Children, 2010-2012.

Abstract Objective To examine general dental and orthodontic utilization and expenditures by health insurance status, public health insurance eligibility, and sociodemographic characteristics among children aged 0 to 17 years using data from 2010–2012. Methods Nationally representative data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2010–2012) provided data on insurance status, public health insurance eligibility, and visits to dental providers for both general dental care and orthodontic care. Results Overall, 41.9% of US children reported an annual dental office–based visit for general (nonorthodontic) dental care. Fewer Hispanic (34.7%) and non-Latino black children (34.8%) received dental care compared to non-Hispanic whites (47.3%) and Asians (40.3%). Children living in families with the lowest income were also the least likely to have a visit (32.9%) compared to children in the highest-income families (54.7%). Among children eligible for public coverage, Medicaid-eligible children had the lowest percentage of preventive dental visits (29.2%). Socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in use and expenditures for orthodontic care are much greater than those for general and preventive dental care. Average expenditures for orthodontic care were $1,823, of which 56% ($1,023) was paid out of pocket by families. Conclusions Our findings provide a baseline assessment for examining trends in the future, especially as coverage patterns for children may change as the Affordable Care Act is implemented and the future of the State Child Health Insurance Program remains uncertain beyond 2017.
Native associations of early hematopoietic stem cells and stromal cells isolated in bone marrow cell aggregates

In suspensions of murine bone marrow, many stromal cells are tightly entwined with hematopoietic cells. These cellular aggregations appear to exist normally within the marrow. Previous studies showed that lymphocytes and stem cells adhered to stromal cells via vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1). Injection of anti-VCAM1 antibody into mice disrupts the aggregates, showing the importance of VCAM1 in the adhesion between stromal cells and hematopoietic cells in vivo. Early hematopoietic stem cells were shown to be enriched in aggregates by using a limiting-dilution culture assay. Myeloid progenitors responsive to WEHI-3CM in combination with stem cell factor (c-kit ligand) and B220- B-cell progenitors responsive to insulin-like growth factor-1 in combination with interleukin-7 are not enriched. We propose a scheme of stromal cell-hematopoietic cell interactions based on the cell types selectively retained within the aggregates. The existence of these aggregates as native elements of bone marrow organization presents a novel means to study in vivo stem cell-stromal cell interaction.
Lateral field excitation of well structures in quartz

Recently, there has been interest in the fabrication of multiple Quartz Crystal Microbalances (QCMs) on a single substrate, to create a sensor array. The QCM's are ldquowell structuresrdquo etched on an AT-cut quartz substrate, to isolate the devices from one another. However, such devices are ultimately subject to the limitations of the QCM configuration, requiring electrodes and wires on the sensing surface of the crystal substrate. The Lateral Field Excited (LFE) sensor is a novel sensing device that only requires electrodes on the backside of the substrate. With a bare sensing surface, the LFE sensor is a better choice for implementing a sensor array. The purpose of this paper is to present preliminary results on LFE well structures in quartz, which would be the fundamental building block of an LFE sensor array. Several well structures of varying depth and diameter were etched into AT-cut quartz crystals. The transverse shear mode was successfully excited in the LFE well structure, and data on the frequency response and center frequency vs. well depth and diameter are presented.
Thinking: A Narrative Inquiry into Possible Figurations and Multiple Modes of Ecological Thought

“Thinking” is a semiautobiographical narrative inquiry into doing research on ecological thought in “dragon times”; an inquiry into the types of figurations that might teach us to relate otherwise and the types of stories that might allow us to think otherwise. The author attempts, through this chapter, to push, drag, coax, trick, or pull ecological thought outside the boundaries of western metaphysics, outside the territories of systems theory, into the muddy and mucky world of everyday creatures, into the realm of a post-Newtonian, complex, embodied, creative, indeterminate, un/in/folding world. Exploring the various shifts in thinking that ecological thought requires outside the limits of the western metaphysics. This chapter is also a semiautobiographical narrative inquiry that documents the author’s own metamorphosis in thinking and learning, exploring how past personal experiences inform new understandings of teaching, learning, and research.
Clustering and Prioritizing Patient Safety Issues during EHR Implementation and Upgrades in Hospital Settings

Our aim was to elicit, label, and prioritize clusters of de-identified patient safety issues experienced during the implementation and upgrade installations of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in hospitals. Conference participants included clinical personnel (physicians, nurses, pharmacists), human factors experts, patient safety experts, information technology experts from vendors and hospitals, academic experts, graduate students, and other attendees. De-identified reports of patient safety issues were shared via share4safety@gmail.com by conference and non-conference attendees before and during a 90-minute session featured at the Human Factors in Healthcare International Symposium on March 8, 2017. One submitted example of a reported patient safety issue was provided to the group. During the session, each attendee shared with a partner five concerns and identified their top concern. Subsequently, each two-person group shared with the larger group these issues, which were written by a facilitator onto sticky paper and placed on the walls. The issues were grouped using pre-defined categories and new categories were identified. Next, each participant voted for the highest priority cluster and/or individual patient safety issue using stickers. This paper reports the results of the interactive session, including the labeled and prioritized clusters and illustrative examples for each cluster. These clusters may inform reporting systems and quality improvement initiatives with health information technology where choices made during implementation and upgrades as well as design flaws with EHR technology both contribute and interact to produce potential patient safety issues.
Abstract 197: Plasminogen Is Required for Hematopoietic Stem Cell-Mediated Cardiac Repair After Myocardial Infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) is the primary cause of death throughout the United States. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is used to mobilize hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells (HPSC) to improve cardiac recovery after MI. However, poor-mobilization to G-CSF is observed in 25% of patients and 10-20% of healthy donors. Therefore, a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms may offer novel approaches for G-CSF-mediated therapeutics. Our previous studies have identified an essential role of Plg in HPSC mobilization from bone marrow (BM) in response to G-CSF. Here, we investigate the role of Plg in G-CSF-stimulated cardiac repair after MI. Our data show that G-CSF significantly improves cardiac repair including increasing neovascularization in the infarct area, and improving ejection fraction and LV internal diameter determined by echocardiogram in WT mice. No improvement on heart function is observed in Plg-/- mice, indicating Plg is required for G-CSF-regulated cardiac repair after MI...
Fundamental Elements of Transition Program Design

Adult learners require supports and services to help them successfully transition into taking on the demands and expectations of college students. Transition programs have grown in popularity as a means to aid adult learners as they transition to higher education. Unfortunately, previous research on adult learner participation in transition programs is limited in its scope and depth. There is a need to understand how to develop transition programs to best support adult learners. Drawing on interviews and observation, this narrative study investigates program details about the funding structure, reporting measures, and development of the researched transition program. I identify fundamental elements for effective transition program design that align with adult education and transition theory. This research also points to the importance of connecting adult learners to institutions to give them a sense of mattering to the university.
The Impact of Geography and Labor upon the Size of Job Agglomerations in Memphis, Tennessee

This paper is presented as how data-enabled principles can be applied for the field of urban geography. It shows the fundamentals and examples for researchers in other fields to be considered. Specifically, we examine the link between three types of job concentrations and the site’s spatial and non-spatial factors using OnTheMap 2011 data. We empirically analyzed spatial and non-spatial attributes, respectively and combined. The logistic and OLS regression analyses indicate that overall job concentrations locate with access to large employment areas, major roads, freight facilities, and White labor, while proximate local roads and Black labor force deter jobs which confirms selective race-based business location decisions. Employment size reflects economic health of an area and is a predictor of growth. We modeled employment magnitude by spatial and non-spatial factors among various employment concentrations. For small and medium job concentrations, areal employment benefits from proximity to Memphis Aerotropolis which offers excellent transportation opportunities. Employment in medium-sized concentrations is associated with experienced older workers as well as female resident workers. Employment size in large job areas is inversely related to the distance to the CBD and is positively associated with available high-earning resident workers. The paper contributes to the field of data-enabled science where real-world systems are modeled quantitatively using extensive economic activities data sets. Although a single-time period data was analyzed, the principles demonstrated in the paper may be considered for analysis of time series discipline-specific problems of urban environment and those arising in other fields of endeavor.
Homeownership and the American Dream

For decades, it was taken as a given that an increased homeownership rate was a desirable goal. But after the financial crises and Great Recession, in which roughly eight million homes were foreclosed on and about $7 trillion in home equity was erased, economists and policymakers are re-evaluating the role of homeownership in the American Dream. Many question whether the American Dream should really include homeownership or instead focus more on other aspects of upward mobility, and most acknowledge that homeownership is not for everyone. We take a detailed look at US homeownership from three different perspectives: 1) an international perspective, comparing US homeownership rates with those of other nations; 2) a demographic perspective, examining the correlation between changes in the US homeownership rate between 1985 and 2015 and factors like age, race/ethnicity, education, family status, and income; 3) and, a financial benefits perspective, using national data since 2002 to calculate the internal rate of return to homeownership compared to alternative investments. Our overall conclusion: homeownership is a valuable institution. While two decades of policies in the 1990s and early 2000s may have put too much faith in the benefits of homeownership, the pendulum seems to have swung too far the other way, and many now may have too little faith in homeownership as part of the American Dream.
Whatever Happened to the Human Soul? A Brief Christian Genealogy of a Psychological Term:

The term soul disappeared from psychological discourse as modern psychology arose in the late 1800s. Yet the concept is used almost universally across cultures, and the term had served a valuable l...
Founder Mobility: Analyzing Movements of Inc. 500 Founders Across Regions and Metropolitan Areas

Research has established that mobility of human capital is an important component of economic growth and change, but has yet to fully understand how and why talent chooses to locate within certain regions or cities. Using a survey of Inc. 500 founders from 2000–2008, we investigate the movement of founders of companies on the list from the location of their alma maters to where they founded their companies. Using this unique dataset, we are able to gain insight into the mobility of this important group — founders of high-growth companies.The story that emerges is incomplete, but allows us to begin thinking about how founders move. We found that diverse metropolitan areas and universities were represented in the data, indicating that the traditional narrative of Ivy League founders starting up in Silicon Valley is entirely too narrow to encompass the movements and experiences of high-growth company founders.The data confirm that founders are moving at relatively high rates from city to city and that regional networks are important to those movements. Ultimately, much more research is required to complete the picture of where founders actually start and end and why. Our analysis represents a first step in this process.Part of “The Ascent of America’s High-Growth Companies,” a Kauffman Foundation report series that analyzes geographic trends of Inc. 500 companies from 1982-2010.
Abstract 2563: Macrophage Toll-like receptor-chimeric antigen receptors (MOTO-CARs) as a novel adoptive cell therapy for the treatment of solid malignancies

Recent clinical trials using chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) T cells have demonstrated tremendous success in eradicating hematologic malignancies. Notwithstanding the excitement generated by CAR T cell therapy, its clinical efficacy has not been effectively translated to the context of solid tumors; the physical barriers of solid malignancies and the immunosuppressive conditions at the tumor site hinder the efficacy of CAR T cells. Macrophages have the ability to infiltrate almost every tissue and frequently are recruited into tumors. Therefore, macrophages are an attractive vehicle for CAR therapy and could help solve current challenges that CAR T cells face in the treatment of solid tumors. MOTO-CAR cells are monocyte-derived human macrophages that are genetically modified by a lentiviral or adenoviral approach to express a synthetic tumor-targeting receptor and to secrete cytokines, ligands or chemokine receptors. MOTO-CAR receptors are composed of a single-chain variable fragment (ScFv) that binds to a specific tumor target, a hinge to link it to a transmembrane domain, and an engineered Toll/Interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) signaling domain. When the ScFv binds to the tumor cell via its tumor target, an activation signal is transmitted. Myd88 dependent and independent signaling cascades are elicited, activating the macrophage and polarizing it towards a proinflammatory phenotype to eliminate cancer cells in a selective way. We previously reported the expression of Thymidine Kinase 1 (TK1) on the cell membrane of the non-small cell lung carcinoma NCI-H460 and A549 cell lines. The in vitro function of TK1 MOTO-CAR cells was evaluated against these cancer cell lines, using GFP-based phagocytosis and killing assays. Additionally, cell migration and interaction was recorded using time-lapse video with a confocal microscope. Upon co-culturing, with its target TK1 specific MOTO-CARs showed a nearly 4-fold increase in killing activity when compared with the controls (p Citation Format: Edwin J. Velazquez, John E. Lattin, Taylor D. Brindley, Zachary Z. Reinstein, Roger Chu, Lu Liu, Evita G. Weagel, Michelle H. Townsend, Kiara V. Whitley, Eliza L. Lawrence, Brandon T. Garcia, Scott Weber, Richard A. Robison, Kim L. O9Neill. Macrophage Toll-like receptor-chimeric antigen receptors (MOTO-CARs) as a novel adoptive cell therapy for the treatment of solid malignancies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2563.