cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Methodology of Evaluating Segmentation Algorithms on Medical Image

Objective evaluation of medical image segmentation algorithms is one of the important steps toward establishing validity and clinical applicability of an algorithm. Since there are a large number of articles presenting segmentation methods on medical image,with few studying the evaluation methods on their performance,this paper presents an evaluation method for different segmentation algorithms. The author first gives a survey of several available evaluation methods and presents a systematic summary. Reliability,precision,region statistical characteristics and efficiency are the four most important metrics. The definitions of them are then described based on the image segmentation process. For comparison,weights should be added to these metrics according to the application. Moreover,the author also presents a method on how to construct gold standard of medical images. At last,with the task of brain white matter segmentation,the author demonstrates how to make use of the proposed evaluation method to compare two segmentation algorithms in insight toolkit(ITK). The experiment results show that this method is practical and reasonable. This study gives a scientific method for the evaluation of segmentation algorithms on medical image. Meanwhile,it points out the problems to be solved before the segmentation algorithms could be put into use in clinic.
A Dynamic VAR Configuration Method Based on Improved Trajectory Sensitivity Index

To enhance voltage stability of power system,it is an important and practical issue to determine the most suitable location for dynamic VAR compensators,however anslysis and simulation results show that the installation locations determined by the original trajectory sensitivity index are not necessarily optimal in some cases.According to the physical meaning of trajectory sensitivity index and considering actual characteristics of dynamic VAR compensator in detail,based on improved trajectory sensitivity index a configuration method for dynamic VAR compensators is proposed.Calculation and simulation results of IEEE 39-bus system and a certain regional 220 kV power network in Guangdong power grid show that the proposed method is effective.The proposed method is applied to the research on the configuration of dynamic VAR compensators in the HVAC transmission channel for power transmission from the west to the east in China South Power Grid.
A New Feature Matching Algorithm Based on SIFT Descriptor

In order to restrain the high sensitivity to image noise and non-linear intensity transformation as for conventional local matching algorithms, a new stereo matching algorithm based on SIFT descriptor is proposed in this paper. In this algorithm, Harris corner detector is used to extract feature point firstly, by working out the gradient histogram of the pixel around the feature point constructs the SIFT feature descriptor, and then reduces the search space of matching features from 2D to 1D in the light of epipolar constraints in stereo vision theory, the matching result is finally obtained according to the nearest neighbor matching based on Euclidean distance of SIFT descriptors. In addition, bidirectional matching technology is used to reduce the error matching. The experimental results prove that this algorithm wins high matching accuracy and robustness against non-linear image intensity transformation.
Epoxidation and Related Processes

This chapter concerns the net conversion of a CX π-bond (X = O and N) to various three-membered ring heterocycles. The most common such process is the conversion of an aldehyde or ketone to a homologous epoxide. These reactions will be discussed along with the analogous process which takes place on imines and related compounds. Additionally, methods to effect the addition of elements other than carbon across either unsaturated system will be considered. The synthesis of thiiranes by the addition of carbon across the CS π-bond is the subject of a recent comprehensive review1 and will not be covered here.
The Implications of “Controlled” Studies of Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy

The controversy over the efficacy of adenotonsillectomy is resolved in only very select clinical situations. An attempt is made to summarize and objectively criticize available data in this ongoing debate.
How Gender Bias Negatively Affects Soldiers with PTSD

The Veteran’s Administration (VA) is charged with caring for our nation’s veterans, but their procedures allow for a gender bias that is causing countless veterans with post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) to remain without adequate help. Though women have been involved in every military conflict in the United States, women continue to be treated differently than men. Women were not granted official military status until 1949, but they currently make up the fastest growing portion of the veteran population. The impending lift of the ban on women in combat will likely only increase women’s involvement in the military, so their disparate treatment must be dealt with quickly to avoid an increase in an already prevalent problem.The VA only currently recognizes two types of PTSD: Military Sexual Trauma-related PTSD (MST) and Combat-related PTSD. MST complaints increased 46% from 2012 to 2013. An estimated 26,000 men and women experienced MST in 2011, but only 3,300 of those victims filed reports. Increased numbers of women are seeing combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 15% of active duty soldiers are females. Because of the gender bias in the military sexual trauma reporting process and the VA in-processing, the already over-burdened VA system has become even more inefficient and female and male veterans alike are the ones harmed.Various failures on the VA’s part account for veterans’ difficulties in obtaining earned and promised benefits. For example, the two types of PTSD have different burden of proof structures, and the interviewers who determine whether or not a veteran gets benefits have an extreme gender bias. Even worse, the VA did not offer mental healthcare services to women until 1988, and the VA currently only has four facilities dedicated to women’s care.Men are expected to be “stronger” than to have psychological or emotional issues and women who are already often perceived as “weaker” do not wish to add to that perception by admitting any struggles. Each sex fears retribution, loss of promotion, loss of opportunity to re-enlist, and loss of the respect of their superiors and/or peers. Though Congress has recently attempted a weak solution, it is quite simply not even close to being enough to close the gender gap. This paper proposes a three-tiered solution focusing on enhancing reporting schemes within the military and the relationship between the military and the VA, restructuring the PTSD intake within the VA, and adopting a common sense approach to VA benefits.Part I of this paper will discuss the history of women in the military, the history of PTSD, and gender bias’ role in PTSD; part II of this paper will discuss and analyze the military’s, Congress’, and the VA’s failures in consistently and adequately serving soldiers and veterans with PTSD. Part III of this paper will discuss ways in which the military and VA can improve including recent Congressional steps that have attempted to do so.
Photobiomodulation Therapy Promotes Expansion of Epithelial Colony Forming Units.

Abstract Objective: This preliminary study examines the effects of low-dose light therapy, also called Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy, on epithelial colony forming units (eCFUs) in epithelial cells from skin and mucosa to assess their potential to contribute to tissue regeneration. Also, preliminary comparison of basic PBM parameters such as wavelengths, light sources, and dose were evaluated in promoting eCFUs. Background Data: Regenerative medicine is at the brink of exploiting the tremendous potential offered by advances in stem cell biology. The two distinct aspects for utilization of stem cells, either resident (endogenous) or transplanted (exogenous), rely on cells amenable to expansion and being directed toward mature, functional tissues. Despite major progress in fundamental understanding of stem cell pluripotency, there remain fundamental challenges in applying these insights into clinical practice. Methods: PBM treatments with various devices, wavelengths, and doses were used on two epithelial...
The Role of Humoral Factors in Endotoxin-Induced Reactions

Within the last half-decade it has become abundantly clear that many of the biological effects of bacterial endotoxin are mediated by what is believed to be a number of different protein and glycoprotein molecules (Berry, 1977; Moore and Berry, 1982). These molecules are derived from cells of the reticuloendothelial system (RES), especially macrophages but from other cells as well. It is intriguing to realize that a diffuse tissue such as the RES qualifies functionally as part of the endocrine system and the mediators as hormones. There is no anatomical or physiological reason why this should not be true since chromaffin tissue, a source of epinephrine and norephinephrine, is also diffusely distributed.
Historic and projected changes in vapor pressure deficit suggest a continental‐scale drying of the United States atmosphere

Via air temperature increases and relative humidity changes, climate change will modify vapor pressure deficit (VPD), which is an important determinant of water vapor and CO2 exchange between the land surface and atmosphere. VPD is the difference between the water vapor the air can hold at saturation (es) and the actual amount of water vapor (ea). Here we assess changes in VPD, es, and ea in the United States (U.S.) for the recent past (1979–2013) and the future (2065–2099) using gridded, observed climate data and output from general circulation models. Historically, VPD has increased for all seasons, driven by increases in es and declines in ea. The spring, summer, and fall seasons exhibited the largest areal extent of significant increases in VPD, which was largely concentrated in the western and southern portions of the U.S. The changes in VPD stemmed from recent air temperature increases and relative humidity decreases. Projections indicate similar, amplified patterns into the future. For the summer, the general circulation model ensemble median showed a 51% projected increase (quartile range of 39 and 64%) in summer VPD for the U.S., reflecting temperature-driven increases in es but decreases or minimal changes in relative humidity that promotes negligible changes in ea. Using a simple model for plant hydraulic functioning, we also show that in the absence of stomatal acclimation, future changes in VPD can reduce stomatal conductance by 9–51%, which is a magnitude comparable to the expected decline in stomatal conductance from rising CO2.
Performance validity and processing speed in a VA Polytrauma sample.

AbstractObjective: While recognition memory has been the primary tool for the assessment of performance validity in neuropsychological evaluations, some consideration has also been given to embedded measures from other cognitive domains, including processing speed. The present study evaluated the classification accuracy of several speed-based measures in a Veterans Affairs Medical Center Polytrauma sample. Method: The present sample consisted of 114 military veterans (Mean age = 35.5, SD = 9.4) referred for a suspected history of mild traumatic brain injury who were administered a full neuropsychological protocol that included several validity checks. Veterans were assigned to Valid (n = 80) or Invalid (n = 34) groups based on outcomes of performance validity measures (PVMs). Results: Several processing speed measures yielded acceptable or excellent classification accuracy; sensitivity values ranged from 29 to 53% with specificity values above 90%. Efforts to identify an improved algorithm that would coll...
Double quantum coherence in individual quantum dots enhanced by weak excitation of delocalized states

Two-quantum multidimensional coherent spectroscopy is used to probe few quantum dots in a diffraction limited spot. Creating a small number of carriers in the quasi-continuum levels enhances the signal and controls coherent coupling between states.
Instructor Active Empathic Listening and Classroom Incivility

Instructor listening skill is an understudied area in instructional communication research. This study looks at teachers’ active empathic listening behavior association with student incivility. Scholars recognize student incivility as a growing problem and have called for research that identifies classroom behaviors that can affect classroom climate. A total of N = 434 undergraduate students were surveyed about their observations of student incivility in their classes, their perceptions of their instructor’s use of active empathic listening and nonverbal involvement, class size, instructor gender, and estimated instructor age. After controlling for nonverbal involvement, instructor age, instructor gender, and class size, results suggest active empathic listening associates negatively with three types of classroom incivility. Both class size and instructor nonverbal immediacy also emerged as predictors of student incivility.
Spatializing play structures and interaction flow using GSML (Game System Modelling Language)

The purpose of this paper is to investigate game design practice, in order to define a language and methodology that can be used to improve game systems design. Through our user research, we determined that game designers gain clarity about their game systems from externalizing and reflecting upon their games’ mechanical structures and flow. We call our resulting language and approach the Game System Modelling Language (GSML). Our research has shown that GSML provides a practical, novel perspective that assists game designers in analyzing and refining their game systems independently of prototyping and player feedback.
Individual Level Results: Mexican Immigrants

A great deal of the literature on poverty focuses on the impacts of various independent variables on poverty for specific race and ethnic groups, particularly Blacks and Hispanics. It has been my intention in this book to emphasize that while these groups may experience similar levels of poverty, their predictors differ. Indeed we saw this in the previous chapter. Immigrants in particular face the most severe of problems relative to this issue. Mexican immigrants are much apt to be in married couple households and be members of the workforce, yet they experience the highest poverty rates of any group in the nation. The insulation of marriage and full-time workforce participation does not seem to apply to this population. Hence, the analyses in this chapter are offered as a means to better understand these differences. Additionally, focus is placed upon the undocumented population through the use of a proxy independent variable, in an attempt to ascertain whether and the extent to which undocumented status impacts the likelihood of poverty.
Application of Resting State Functional MR Imaging to Presurgical Mapping: Language Mapping

Resting state functional MR imaging (rs-fMR imaging) has become an indispensable tool for examining brain function. The greatest opportunity to translate rs-fMR imaging from the research domain into clinical use is as a tool for examining intrinsic brain networks for preoperative planning. Many studies have demonstrated concordance of intrinsic motor networks from rs-fMR imaging data with task-fMR imaging and direct cortical stimulation. Earlier reports show concordance of language networks as well, although more recent studies with larger numbers of subjects demonstrate subject-level variability that needs to be further investigated and addressed before widespread implementation of rs-fMR imaging for preoperative planning.
Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Increase in Intestinal Epithelial Tight Permeability Is Mediated by Toll-Like Receptor 4/Myeloid Differentiation Primary Response 88 (MyD88) Activation of Myosin Light Chain Kinase Expression.

Lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) are a major component of the Gram-negative bacterial cell wall and play an important role in mediating intestinal inflammatory responses in inflammatory bowel disease. Although recent studies suggested that physiologically relevant concentrations of LPS (0 to 1 ng/mL) cause an increase in intestinal epithelial tight junction (TJ) permeability, the mechanisms that mediate an LPS-induced increase in intestinal TJ permeability remain unclear. Herein, we show that myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) plays a central role in the LPS-induced increase in TJ permeability. Filter-grown Caco-2 intestinal epithelial monolayers and C57BL/6 mice were used as an in vitro and in vivo intestinal epithelial model system, respectively. LPS caused a dose- and time-dependent increase in MLCK expression and kinase activity in Caco-2 monolayers. The pharmacologic MLCK inhibition and siRNA-induced knock-down of MLCK inhibited the LPS-induced increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability. The LPS increase in TJ permeability was mediated by toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4)/MyD88 signal-transduction pathway up-regulation of MLCK expression. The LPS-induced increase in mouse intestinal permeability also required an increase in MLCK expression. The LPS-induced increase in intestinal permeability was inhibited in MLCK −/− and TLR-4 −/− mice. These data show, for the first time, that the LPS-induced increase in intestinal permeability was mediated by TLR-4/MyD88 signal-transduction pathway up-regulation of MLCK. Therapeutic targeting of these pathways can prevent an LPS-induced increase in intestinal permeability.
Measuring coalescence rates

Couplers, the dye-forming chemicals in photographic film, are incorporated into the film in small oil droplets. These oil droplets are formed as an oilin-water emulsion. In a stirred system, such as those used in manufacturing photographic films, the distribution of sizes of such oil drops is determined by a balance between the coalescence of the droplets, and their rupture by fluid dynamic forces. On November 1, 1996 David S. Ross from Eastman Kodak discussed mathematical models of the evolution of drop size distributions under coalescence and rupture. He dealt, in particular, with a chemiluminescent tracer method which is used to measure the rate of coalescence, and concluded with some open inverse problems.
AGING | Effects of Aging on Seizures and Epilepsy

By 2050, elderly people (older than 60 years) will exceed 30% of the total world population. It is now recognized that this population has a high incidence of seizures and epilepsy. Possible reasons include enhanced seizure predisposition, medical comorbidities, structural changes of the brain related to aging, and synergistic effects of concurrent medications. Underlying conditions in aging patients may modify the expression of seizures that have been chronically present in the younger individual, or the aged brain may develop seizures de novo. Metabolism of antiepileptic drugs may be also significantly different in the elderly, with drug interactions becoming a serious issue. The few models in aged animals (mice and rats) that have been investigated to date confirm an increased susceptibility of the aged brain to develop seizures. More research is needed on mechanisms of increased seizure propensity in elderly, and on anticonvulsant drug effects on the aging brain.
Identification of residues 413-433 of plasma protein S as essential for binding to C4b-binding protein.

Reversible association of protein S with C4b-binding protein (C4BP) in plasma down-regulates protein S activity, since free protein S but not the protein S.C4BP complex is an anticoagulant cofactor for activated protein C. To identify regions on the surface of protein S that mediate complex formation with C4BP, a number of nonoverlapping synthetic pentadecapeptides comprising protein S sequences were prepared and tested for their ability to inhibit complex formation. The most potent pentadecapeptide, residues 420-434 (PSP-420) (SGIKEIIQEKQNKHC), gave half-maximal effect at 20 microM. A peptide with the reverse sequence, 434-420, did not inhibit. A peptide containing the sequence of protein S residues 408-434 inhibited complex formation by > 95% with 50% inhibition at 5 microM peptide. Biotinylated C4BP bound specifically to plates coated with PSP-420 but not with the 434-420 peptide; and biotinylated PSP-420 bound to plates coated with C4BP. Rabbit antibodies were raised against several keyhole limpet hemocyanin-conjugated peptides, and each was tested for ability to inhibit complex formation. Anti-PSP-420 antibody potently inhibited complex formation with half-maximal effect at 25 nM IgG. A monoclonal antibody (LJ-56) made against PSP-420 showed high affinity for protein S and inhibited complex formation; this monoclonal antibody specifically recognized free protein S but not the protein S.C4BP complex. These results imply that the PSP-420 sequence is surface-exposed, capable of binding to C4BP, and essential for protein S binding to C4BP.
The Gods of Time: Husserl, the Maya, and the Pre-Scientific World

Ostensibly this is an essay regarding the “pre-scientific” world, which Husserl sought to examine in “The Origins of Geometry.” What Husserl looked for more specifically was an encounter with the world that was renewed by a return to the things themselves. At the time, “science” (indistinguishable from philosophy) was about deriving ideas from the life-world instead of passively accepting propositions as handed-down by “the tradition,” which is really a canon of works written and promulgated for mass consumption. For what has occurred in the “textualization” of science, not to mention philosophy, is that the abstractions of the text have regretfully supplanted our empirical encounters with the world as the basis for reality. A seminal figure in this transformation was Galileo who, in Husserl’s portrayal of him, made it possible to think of the world, indeed, the universe, in the completely abstract language of mathematics. More specifically, Galileo reenvisioned the universe in the forms of geometry. What we lost in the process was more than a geocentric worldview. We also lost our capacity to view the world as part of a transcendent universe, one composed in the language of myth, which consists of the stories of unseen powers and the belief that all things are interdependent. By turning to the Maya I hope to open a way for appreciating the world as a sacred being, full of spirits and grounded in epics of world creation. But first we must deal with Husserl and the crisis of “western science”.
Effects of Microstructure on the Speed and Attenuation of Elastic Waves: Formal Theory and Simple Approximations

The sensitivity of the propagation of an elastic wave to changes in the microstructural details of a material is well known.1 In particular, numerous experiments have shown that the attenuation of the wave is sensitive to the inclusions, voids, cracks, grain boundaries, twin boundaries, interphase boundaries, magnetic domain walls, dislocations, substitutional impurities of a material. For attenuation studies in metals, ceramics and polycrystals, three formulas, each for different wavelength regimes, are generally used in the quantitative interpretation of experimental results.1–3 If λ is the wavelength of the elastic wave and is the average grain diameter, then in the Rayleigh regime (λ≫D), α = A1 3λ4, in the stochastic regime (λ≃D), α = A2 λ2, and in the diffusive regime (λ≪D), α = A3/ -1. By fitting the data to these formulas, one tries to infer .
Investigation of magneto-optical properties for optical fiber based devices

The digital traffic increased manifold over the years with increasing number o f users of the internet irom home based PCs to large businesses and research organizations. Electronic switching is a mature and sophisticated technology; however, the optical signals require conversion to electronic form in order to be switched. All optical switching eliminates the optical-electronic-optical conversions. Advances in all optical technologies coupled with rapidly rising demands for network bandwidths are fueling an increasing amount of research in the field o f optical switching. Some o f the current technologies are micro-electro-mechanical-systems technology and electro-optic teclmology. However the former technique is slow with switching times in the order of milliseconds and the latter method although fast is expensive. Magneto-optical materials have been successfully used in optical devices such as isolators and circulators; however, they have overall led to very few optical fiber based applications especially in optical communications. The emphasis of this thesis is the investigation of Faraday rotation for small beam sizes that are compatible with standard single mode and multimode optical fibers. Rare earth iron garnet films suitable for optical communication wavelengths in the 1310 nm and 1550 nm range were used due to their high magneto-optical figures o f merit, which is the ratio of optical absorption to Faraday rotation. The Faraday rotation for an optical beam size that is comparable to the domain width o f the given magnetic material is different than the linear Faraday rotation expected for a large beam size. For the first time the nonlinearity of the Faraday rotation for a small optical beam size has been experimentally studied. The Stoner-Wohlfarth astroid model predicts very well the observed Faraday rotation. This abrupt transition is generally sought after in the design of devices especially switching devices. This work e). tends the application o f magneto-optical materials to all fiber devices which includes high speed switches as well as interferometers. A Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based on Faraday rotation is proposed and experimentally implemented, which in the current framework the device is an on/off switch. The simple construction and operation o f the Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) makes it suitable for application in photonic integrated circuits. Thus interferometric configuration
Experimental investigation of the effects of fluid's physicochemical characteristics on piping erosion of a sandy soil under turbulent flow

This article presents an experimental study of the relative and interactive effects of three physicochemical characteristics of permeating fluids (viscosity, pH, and ionic strength) on piping erosion of a sandy soil under turbulent flow. Full-factorial experimental design was used to produce eight types of fluids of various combinations of the three fluid characteristics. Hole erosion tests were conducted on identically prepared sandy specimens. The erosion rate index was used to evaluate the effects of fluid properties on piping. The erosion rate index was quantified for two repeat trials for each of the eight test fluids. Regression analysis was conducted on the results to generate a statistical model to describe the relative effects of the three factors and their interactions. The main findings include the following: (1) Viscosity, pH, and ionic strength were all determined to be significant factors on the rate of erosion. The two-way interactions between viscosity and pH and between viscosity and ionic strength were also determined to be significant interaction factors, while the interaction between pH and ionic strength did not prove to be statistically significant. (2) Higher pH of the test fluid causes higher erosive capacity; higher ionic strength causes lower erosive capacity of fluid. (3) At low viscosity, ionic strength does not affect the erosion, but when the viscosity is higher (or the fluid temperature is colder), higher ionic strength causes much less erosion. There is almost no interactive effect between pH and ionic strength.
Behaviour Change Counselling: Training Graduate Dietetic Students in Shortened Motivational Interviewing

Motivational interviewing is a client centered approach that works to elicit behaviour change from within. A shortened method, Behavior Change Counseling, is often used in lifestyle changes in the ...
Evaluation of the spatial variability in the major resting‐state networks across human brain functional atlases

The human brain is intrinsically organized into resting-state networks (RSNs). Currently, several human brain functional atlases are used to define the spatial constituents of these RSNs. However, there are significant concerns about interatlas variability. In response, we undertook a quantitative comparison of the five major RSNs (default mode [DMN], salience, central executive, sensorimotor, and visual networks) across currently available brain functional atlases (n = 6) in which we demonstrated that (a) similarity between atlases was modest and positively linked to the size of the sample used to construct them; (b) across atlases, spatial overlap among major RSNs ranged between 17 and 76% (mean = 39%), which resulted in variability in their functional connectivity; (c) lower order RSNs were generally spatially conserved across atlases; (d) among higher order RSNs, the DMN was the most conserved across atlases; and (e) voxel-wise flexibility (i.e., the likelihood of a voxel to change network assignment across atlases) was high for subcortical regions and low for the sensory, motor and medial prefrontal cortices, and the precuneus. In order to facilitate RSN reproducibility in future studies, we provide a new freely available Consensual Atlas of REsting-state Networks, based on the most reliable atlases.
The structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis heme-degrading protein, MhuD, in complex with product

Abstract Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis, requires iron for survival. In Mtb, MhuD is the cytosolic protein that degrades imported heme. MhuD is distinct, both in sequence and structure, from canonical heme oxygenases (HOs) but homologous with IsdG-type proteins. Canonical HO is found mainly in eukaryotes, while IsdG-type proteins are predominantly found in prokaryotes including pathogens. While there are several published structures of MhuD and other IsdG-type proteins in complex with heme substrate, no structures have been reported of IsdG-type proteins in complex with product, unlike HOs. We recently showed that the Mtb variant MhuD-R26S produces biliverdin IXα (αBV) rather than the wild-type (WT) mycobilin isomers as product. Given that mycobilin and other IsdG-type protein products like staphylobilin are difficult to isolate in quantities sufficient for structure determination, here we use the MhuD-R26S variant and its product αBV as a proxy to study the IsdG-type protein/product complex. First we show that αBV has nanomolar affinity for MhuD and the R26S variant. Second we determined the MhuD-R26S-αBV complex structure to 2.5 A, which reveals two notable features (1) two αBV molecules bound per active site and (2) a new α-helix (α3) as compared with the MhuD-heme structure. Finally, by molecular dynamics simulations we show that α3 is stable with the proximal αBV alone. MhuD’s high affinity for its product and structural and electrostatic changes that accompany substrate turnover suggest that there is an unidentified protein that is responsible for product extraction from MhuD and other IsdG-type proteins.
Voltage-clamp recordings of light responses from wild-type and mutant mouse cone photoreceptors.

We describe the first extensive study of voltage-clamp current responses of cone photoreceptors in unlabeled, dark-adapted mouse retina using only the position and appearance of cone somata as a guide. Identification was confirmed from morphology after dye filling. Photocurrents recorded from wild-type mouse cones were biphasic with a fast cone component and a slower rod component. The rod component could be eliminated with dim background light and was not present in mouse lines lacking the rod transducin-α subunit (Gnat1-/- ) or connexin 36 (Cx36-/- ). Cones from Gnat1-/- or Cx36-/- mice had resting membrane potentials between -45 and -55 mV, peak photocurrents of 20-25 picoamps (pA) at a membrane potential Vm = -50 mV, sensitivities 60-70 times smaller than rods, and a total membrane capacitance two to four times greater than rods. The rate of activation (amplification constant) was largely independent of the brightness of the flash and was 1-2 s-2, less than half that of rods. The role of Ca2+-dependent transduction modulation was investigated by recording from cones in mice lacking rod transducin (Gnat1), recoverin, and/or the guanylyl-cyclase-activating proteins (GCAPs). In confirmation of previous results, responses of Gnat1-/- ;Gcaps-/- cones and triple-mutant Gnat1-/- ;Gcaps-/- ;Rv-/- cones recovered more slowly both to light flashes and steps and were more sensitive than cones expressing the GCAPs. Cones from all four mouse lines showed significant recovery and escaped saturation even in bright background light. This recovery occurred too rapidly to be caused by pigment bleaching or metaII decay and appears to reflect some modulation of response inactivation in addition to those produced by recoverin and the GCAPs. Our experiments now make possible a more detailed understanding of the cellular physiology of mammalian cone photoreceptors and the role of conductances in the inner and outer segment in producing cone light responses.
Effects of endophyte-infected fescue on concentrations of prolactin in blood sera and the anterior pituitary and concentrations of dopamine and dopamine metabolites in brains of steers.

An experiment was conducted to determine if the decrease in circulating concentrations of prolactin in cattle consuming endophyte (Acremonium coenophialum) -infected tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) was associated with changes in prolactin concentrations in the anterior pituitary and concentrations of dopamine (DA) and its metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-acetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in the stalk median eminence (SME), preoptic area (POA) and hypothalamus (HP). Six crossbred steers that grazed high-endophyte (greater than 90% infected) fescue and four steers that grazed low-endophyte (less than 1% infected) fescue from April to September were slaughtered. Brains and pituitaries were removed and dissected. Extracts from neural tissue were analyzed for DA, DOPAC and HVA using high performance liquid chromatography/electrochemical detection. Pituitary extracts and sera from blood samples taken 5 d prior to slaughter were subjected to prolactin radioimmunoassay. Consumption of high-endophyte fescue was associated with decreased concentrations of prolactin in serum (P less than .01) and in the anterior pituitary (P = .08), decreased (P less than .05) concentrations of DA in the SME and decreased (P less than .01) concentrations of HVA in the POA and HP, but it did not influence levels of DOPAC. These results suggest that endophyte toxins may reduce prolactin synthesis and release and may alter activity of dopaminergic neurons.
Basic Research for Pain

More than 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, with an estimated annual cost of $635 billion. Rapid progress in basic research has started to uncover the neural underpinnings of pain. We focus on basic research that has advanced or likely will advance pain management, including spine pain. Four areas will be discussed: (1) stem cell therapy; (2) monoclonal antibody-based pharmacotherapy for chronic pain; (3) new imaging modality for the detection of pain signal and its response to treatment; and (4) gut microbiome modulation of neuropathic and inflammatory pain.
Biology education research: building integrative frameworks for teaching and learning about living systems

This critical review examines the challenges and opportunities facing the field of Biology Education Research (BER). Ongoing disciplinary fragmentation is identified as a force working in opposition to the development of unifying conceptual frameworks for living systems and for understanding student thinking about living systems. A review of Concept Inventory (CI) research is used to illustrate how the absence of conceptual frameworks can complicate attempts to uncover student thinking about living systems and efforts to guide biology instruction. The review identifies possible starting points for the development of integrative cognitive and disciplinary frameworks for BER. First, relevant insights from developmental and cognitive psychology are reviewed and their connections are drawn to biology education. Second, prior theoretical work by biologists is highlighted as a starting point for re-integrating biology using discipline-focused frameworks. Specifically, three interdependent disciplinary themes are proposed as central to making sense of disciplinary core ideas: unity and diversity; randomness, probability, and contingency; and scale, hierarchy, and emergence. Overall, the review emphasizes that cognitive and conceptual grounding will help to foster much needed epistemic stability and guide the development of integrative empirical research agendas for BER.
Complexation of Mo in FLiNaK Molten Salt: Insight from Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics

Online extraction of fission products, such as the medical isotope Mo-99, is a key advantage of the proposed molten salt nuclear reactor design. The chemical and structural behavior of Mo solvated in fluoride salt has been relatively unknown. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations were employed to examine the behavior of molybdenum in the molten salt FLiNaK (LiF-NaF-KF) for oxidation states between 0 and 6+. Mo complexation was found to vary with the Mo oxidation state, with lower oxidation states tending to result in complexes with more molybdenum ions. Complexes containing multiple Mo ions were observed for all Mo oxidation states studied except 5+ and 6+. A relationship between the solubility of a complex and electronic isolation of a complex in a molten salt is explored using the Bader atoms in molecule electron density partitioning scheme, with more volatile complexes exhibiting greater electronic isolation. The impacts of UF4 and H2O on the predominant molybdenum species are also considered. While no impacts on Mo behavior by UF4 were observed, Mo-O interactions may inhibit the formation of complexes containing multiple Mo ions.
Gestational Diabetes — On Broadening the Diagnosis

Gestational diabetes mellitus, which is defined as the onset or first recognition of carbohydrate intolerance during pregnancy, is estimated to affect between 6 and 9% of pregnant women in the Unit...
Impact of facility volume on the outcomes of minimally invasive radical hysterectomy for early-stage cervical cancer

Objectives: Investigate the average facility volume of minimally invasive radical hysterectomy (MIRH) and the impact of facility volume on the outcomes of patients with apparent early-stage cervical carcinoma. Methods: The National Cancer Database was accessed and patients with a cervical malignancy who underwent MIRH between 2010 and 2016 were identified. Annual facility volume was calculated, and high-volume centers were defined as those who performed at least 6 procedures per year. Impact of facility volume on inpatient stay, readmission rate and overall survival (OS) was evaluated for patients with apparent early-stage disease and no history of another tumor with available survival data. OS was compared with the log-rank test while a multivariate Cox model was constructed to control for confounders. Results: A total of 5806 patients with cervical cancer underwent MIRH between 2010-2016 in 669 facilities. Median facility volume was 1.5 cases per year; only 19 facilities performed at least 6 MIRH per year. A total of 3529 patients with apparent early-stage disease who underwent MIRH were selected; 16.7% were managed at a high-volume center. Patient age, race, and presence of co-morbidities and tumor extension was comparable between high and low-volume centers. Rate of robotic-assisted surgery was 22.7% and 20.9% for patients undergoing surgery at high and low-volume centers, p=0.33. Conversion to open surgery (2% vs 2.9%, p=0.24), and 30-day readmission (5.4% vs 4%, p=0.12) rates were comparable between high and low-volume centers. Patients at high-volume centers were more likely to be discharged within 1 day (65.6% vs 60.5%, p=0.022). There was no difference in the OS between patients who had MIRH at a high or low- volume centers, p=0.14; 3-year OS rates were 92.5% and 94.2% respectively. After controlling for confounders, patients who had MIRH at a high-volume center did not have better survival (HR: 1.32, 95% CI: 0.96, 1.33). Conclusions: Given the rarity of cervical cancer, MIRH was a highly de-centralized procedure with the vast majority of centers not achieving a large annual surgical volume. However, we could not observe a direct impact of hospital volume on outcomes for patients with apparent early stage disease.
Electrochemical laser induced graphene-based oxygen sensor

Abstract A fully integrated dissolved oxygen (DO) sensor was fabricated using laser induced graphene (LIG). The LIG was patterned on polyimide (Kapton) film using CO2 laser followed by the electrodeposition of colloidal platinum to form the electroactive sensing area. The sensing area was insulated in an oxygen gas permeable membrane for selective detection of DO. The fabricated sensor demonstrated excellent catalytic activity towards the reduction of oxygen with a sensitivity of 246.66 µA/mMcm2 over a linear detection range of 30 µM to 400 µM. The sensor exhibited a limit of detection (LOD) of 2.4 µM DO and fast response time of 2 s. The LIG-based DO sensor also exhibited good selectivity and stability. The sensor was further evaluated in a cell culture system to monitor DO to maintain cell culture viability. The DO sensor showed good performance in detecting oxygen in fresh medium (82.2 µM), at 80% cell confluency (102.37 µM), and at 100% confluency (93.52 µM). The performance of the DO sensor offers great promise for detecting dissolve oxygen in cell culture systems for biomedical and environmental applications.
The impact of cuff width on perceptual responses during and following blood flow restricted walking exercise.

INTRODUCTION An appropriate comparison of different cuff widths during blood flow restricted exercise requires that the cuffs are inflated to the same relative pressures. Narrow cuffs tend to be preferred and may reduce discomfort when applied during resistance exercise, but whether this is also true during walking exercise remains unknown. METHODS Individuals completed two identical walking trials, once with 12-cm wide cuffs and once with 17-cm wide cuffs. Five 2-min walking bouts were completed at a speed of 50 m/min, with a 1-min rest period between sets. The restriction cuffs were inflated to 40% of the individuals' arterial occlusion pressure taken with each respective cuff. Individuals were asked to rate their discomfort, perceived exertion (RPE), and cuff preference. RESULTS Twenty-seven individuals completed the study. The 12-cm cuff required a higher occlusion pressure which resulted in a higher absolute pressure applied (58 vs. 52 mm Hg; BF10 = 19 331.897). Whilst there was no difference in RPE values between cuffs (BF10 = 0.474), individuals reported greater discomfort when using the wider cuffs (2.3 vs. 1.7; BF10 = 252.786). The majority of individuals (63%) preferred to use the narrower cuff, whereas fewer preferred the wider cuff (26%) and even fewer did not have a preference (11%). DISCUSSION Blood flow restricted walking exercise performed with narrower restriction cuffs appeared to reduce participant discomfort whilst also being preferred over that of wider cuffs. Future studies may wish to test the influence of different restrictive cuff widths on alterations in gait patterns during blood flow restricted walking exercise.
EMISSION AND FUEL ECONOMY MEASUREMENT IMPROVEMENTS

A program was initiated to improve the emission and fuel economy measurement accuracy and test cell to test cell correlation. Improvements were made to the constant volume sampling system, electric dynamometer, instrument calibration ranges and system checks were initiated to improve the accuracy of the bag emissions, model emission, calculated and measured fuel economy. Unique emission and fuel economy problems associated with gasoline and diesel testing were studied and resolutions effected when possible.
Finite element solution methods for circulation in estuaries

In this paper, the shallow water equations are used to approximate the depth-mean circulation in estuaries. The time-scales of the motions can be conveniently divided into three ranges: 1) low-frequency (residual) variations with periods of two days or longer, 2) tidal-frequency variations, and 3) high-frequency variations with periods of an hour or shorter. The emphasis here will be on the tidal-period variations that are characterized by line spectra and thus allow a harmonic decomposition of the governing equations.
Reappraisal of the diagnosis in uterine sarcoma; review of forty-nine cases.

Abstract Forty-nine cases originally diagnosed as sarcoma of the uterus were critically reviewed. Twenty-nine of the cases proved, upon review, to be sarcoma and 20 were not. Sixteen of the 20 cases ruled out of the sarcoma group were benign. Our criteria for the diagnosis of sarcoma have been stated. More sections from blocks and the cutting of additional blocks, as well as the use of special stains, can aid in the diagnosis. The knowledge of what is not sarcoma and familiarity with some of the less common tumors of the uterus can greatly facilitate the correct diagnosis of sarcoma. There are no symptoms characteristic of sarcoma. The diagnosis is most often made in the laboratory. The treatment is surgical if no distant metastases are present. In this series the prognosis was poor; 57 per cent of the patients have already died and only 5 patients, or 19 per cent, are alive more than five years. Our corrected mortality rate is 78 per cent.
Protein Structure Modeling

Known protein sequences outnumber known protein structures by more than two orders of magnitude. Given this huge sequence-structure gap, most protein structures need to be predicted by computational methods rather than determined by experimental techniques. This chapter outlines various protein structure modeling approaches and associated resources.
Human Disease: Mouse Models

Modelling human disease states or aspects of the disease process in animals has proven extremely valuable in furthering our understanding of specific illnesses, as well as in designing intervention therapies. Increasingly, the mouse is becoming the organism of choice for such studies. Keywords: mutants; animal models; transgenic mice; knockout mice; disease models