cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transition in Cardiac Contractile Sensitivity to Calcium during the In Vitro Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells differentiate in vitro into a variety of cell types including spontaneously contracting cardiac myocytes. We have utilized the ES cell differentiation culture system to study the development of the cardiac contractile apparatus in vitro. Difficulties associated with the cellular and developmental heterogeneity of this system have been overcome by establishing attached cultures of differentiating ES cells, and by the micro-dissection of the contracting cardiac myocytes from culture. The time of onset and duration of continuous contractile activity of the individual contracting myocytes was determined by daily visual inspection of the cultures. A functional assay was used to directly measure force production in ES cell-derived cardiac myocyte preparations. The forces produced during spontaneous contractions in the membrane intact preparation, and during activation by Ca2+ subsequent to chemical permeabilization of the surface membranes were determined in the same preparation. Results showed a transition in contractile sensitivity to Ca2+ in ES cell-derived cardiac myocytes during development in vitro. Cardiac preparations isolated from culture following the initiation of spontaneous contractile activity showed marked sensitivity of the contractile apparatus to activation by Ca2+. However, the Ca2+ sensitivity of tension development was significantly decreased in preparations isolated from culture following prolonged continuous contractile activity in vitro. The alteration in Ca2+ sensitivity obtained in vitro paralleled that observed during murine cardiac myocyte development in vivo. This provides functional evidence that ES cell-derived cardiac myocytes recapitulate cardiogenesis in vitro. Alterations in Ca2+ sensitivity could be important in optimizing the cardiac contractile response to variations in the myoplasmic Ca2+ transient during embryogenesis. The potential to stably transfect ES cells with cardiac regulatory genes, together with the availability of a functional assay using control and genetically modified ES cell-derived cardiac myocytes, will permit determination of the functional significance of altered cardiac gene expression during cardiogenesis in vitro.
Recognizing Outstanding Nurse Scientists: The Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (CANS) Awards

The Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (CANS) recognized two of our most outstanding researchers with awards at the State of the Science Congress on Nursing Research meeting, held on September 13, 2012 in Washington, D.C. Consistent with the Council’s goal of recognizing lifelong nursing science career development, these awards were made in two categories: the Brilliant New Future Investigator and Outstanding Nurse Scientist. The purpose of the Brilliant New Future Investigator Award is to recognize the contributions of a nurse scientist early in her or his research career (i.e., within seven years following receipt of a doctoral degree) who shows extraordinary potential to develop a sustained program of research in an area of major significance to advancing nursing and health care knowledge, has a record of research dissemination along with translation of findings to practice and/or policy with a growing impact on nursing and other disciplines, and demonstrates emerging leadership related to nursing science advancement. Previous award recipients were Usha Menon, PhD, RN, FAAN (2006); Paula Reiss Sherwood, PhD, RN, CNRN (2008); and Marie Bakitas, DNSc, ARNP, FAAN (2010). The Outstanding Nurse Scientist Award is given to acknowledge a CANS member whose sustained program of research has had a significant impact on nursing and healthcare knowledge development with recognizable benefits for nursing practice and healthcare. In addition, the recipient of theOutstandingNurse ScientistAwardhasbeen involved inextensive research dissemination and translation for nursing and other disciplines, leadership in capacity building related to research conduct and training, and mentoring of the next generation of nurse scientists. Previous award recipients were: Margaret Heitkemper, PhD, RN, FAAN (2006); Margaret Grey, DrPH, RN, FAAN (2008); and SandraDunbar, DSN, RN, FAAN, FAHA (2010). These awards are presented at the State of the Science Congress meeting on a biennium basis, with recipients presenting a brief presentation at the award ceremony. Members of the CANS Awards Committee were especially challenged this year to select only one
The Non-cyclic Recurring Real-Time Task Model

Formal models used for representing recurrent real-time processes have traditionally been characterized with a period parameter that specifies the minimum amount of time that may elapse between successive invocations of the process. However a recently proposed model called the non-cyclic GMF model has the distinctive feature that there need be no single period parameter characterizing the recurrent behavior of the task. This paper studies the implications of removing the restriction of requiring a unique period parameter to other previously-proposed models for representing recurrent processes. It is shown that removing this restriction represents a significant generalization to these prior models. Despite the added generality, however, feasibility analysis on preemptive uniprocessors remains tractable.
Cooperation and non-linear dynamics: An ecological perspective on the evolution of sociality

Using the theory and methods of non-linear dynamics, I explore the consequences of cooperation on the size and dynamics of social groups. I present a model that incorporates into a discrete growth equation a positive density-dependent factor to represent the synergistic eVects of cooperation. Analysis of this model shows that, by increasing the net reproductive output of group-living organisms, cooperation could either stabilize or destabilize the dynamics of a social group. At one end of the spectrum, group-living and cooperation could make persistence possible under harsh demographic or ecological conditions. At the other end of the spectrum, in populations already organized in social groups, cooperation could lead to more highly integrated social groups that are subject to a boom-and-bust pattern of growth. When groups last for multiple generations, such a pattern could take the form of periodic or chaotic dynamics. It is suggested that dynamical instability could result in rates of group turnover large enough for selection among the highly integrated social groups to take over as the primary evolutionary force. Consideration of the dynamical eVects of cooperation, therefore, may shed light both on the ecological and demographic conditions leading to the origin and maintenance of group-living as well as on the forces responsible for shaping the diversity of animal societies.
User Research Facilities in the Earth Sciences

The past several decades have seen an explosion in the availability of state-of-the-art research facilities, facilities that have been specifically constructed and operated for use by the general scientific community. Earth scientists have recognized the power of these methods for frontier research and are taking advantage of them in increasing numbers. “User-friendliness” is the key that makes these shared instruments very effective components in our arsenal of collaborative and interdisciplinary research tools.
Definitional Debates, Mechanisms and Canada: Comment on Will Kymlicka’s article: “Solidarity in Diverse Societies”

What, exactly, is solidarity? And how does it differ from another term that Kymlicka (2015), uses in his article, namely an ethic of “social membership”? Kymlicka (2015), notes the virtual absence of theorizing on ‘solidarity’ outside of sociology. Indeed, even within sociology, Kymlicka cites social theorist Jeffrey Alexander to argue that solidarity has “disappeared” as a concept and topic. Why then use this term? Kymlicka does not elaborate, beyond a hint that, empirically, contemporary societies function based on a sense of community that goes beyond the coercion of laws or formal institutions and, more explicitly, that a theory of equality that includes economic justice can find the necessary “glue” for a robust welfare state through national solidarity. My own instinct is to feel uneasy about solidarity, and more comfortable with a language of membership. This reaction stems, I think, from concerns about the strength and primacy of collective obligations inherent in each term, and the openness to multiple and even cross-cutting obligations. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, solidarity is “The fact or quality, on the part of communities, etc., of being perfectly united or at one in some respect, esp. in interests, sympathies, or aspirations.”2 Synonyms offered by other dictionaries include unanimity, unity, harmony, cohesion and like-mindedness.3 All of these terms are in tension with Kymlicka’s (2015), starting point: the centrality of democracy and, as he puts it, “facts of pluralism.” It also sits awkwardly, I feel, with a key precept of multiculturalism, namely the recognition, valorization and support of diversity. In contrast, membership refers to being a “constituent element within a social or other organized structure.”4 The individual is part of a whole, but this does not entail a ‘perfect unity’ requirement. At the same time, the notion of membership is more than just a transactional or instrumental relationship, like two parties agreeing to a contract. As part of a social group, relationships are implied to extend over some time period, which can generate norms around rules, reciprocity and even engagement in a common enterprise agreed to by members. It is, in a sense, a thinner version of collective action than solidarity, and does not carry the same baggage of like-mindedness.
Search Engine Scrutiny

A simple look at the statistics will show how ubiquitous Internet search engines have become. Google and Yahoo, the two most prominent Internet access companies, have a combined market value of over $177 billion. (Found using Yahoo). It is estimated that a Google search runs through an index of as many as 11 billion web pages. (Found using Google.) Googling, a verb for using a search engine - usually Google - to find out information about a specific person, is now a common phrase in popular culture. (Although according to the Oxford English Dictionary, “google” is cricket term meaning to make the cricket ball break and swerve. It’s nice to know some things remain traditional. Also found using Google.)It’s no surprise then that as search engines emerge as the primary gatekeeper to an increasing amount of the world’s information has raised problems and concerns. Issues such as information privacy, skewing of results, free speech and civil rights concerns, and copyright are all getting increasing attention by Internet industry watchers. A recent conference at Yale Law School took a close look at privacy, skewed search results and other issues, and raised the question of whether Internet search engines should be regulated.
Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition of Blanket TiSi2 on Oxide Patterned Wafers II . Silicide Properties

A cold-wall plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system has been used to investigate the effects of deposition variables on the properties of titanium disilicide deposited on oxide patterned wafers. The as-deposited films have low resistivities in the range of 14 to 25 μΩ cm as a function of temperature and SiH 4 /TiCl 4 flow rate ratios, and show the preferred orientation of the C-54 TiSi 2 phase. The surface of the silicide film on SiO 2 is smooth, while that of the film on silicon is rough. The surface roughness of the silicide on silicon is affected mainly by gas flow rate ratios
Role of cholecystokinin in induction and maintenance of dietary protein-stimulated pancreatic growth.

The role of cholecystokinin (CCK) in induction and maintenance of pancreatic growth stimulated by a high-protein diet was investigated. Rats adapted to 5% casein diet were switched to 70% casein for 21 days. MK-329, a CCK receptor antagonist, was administered at 2.5 mg.kg-1.day-1 ip, beginning on day zero (day zero treatment) or day 7 (midcourse treatment) of feeding 70% casein and thereafter. Another group was returned to 5% casein after 7 days of feeding 70% casein. Feeding 70% casein significantly stimulated increases of 32, 87, 74, 216, and 1,450% in pancreatic DNA, RNA, wet weight, protein content, and chymotrypsin content, respectively. Midcourse treatment with MK-329 was more effective than day zero treatment, and it completely reversed increases in pancreatic weight and RNA content, partially reversed increases in protein and chymotrypsin content, and had no effect on DNA content. Return to 5% casein rapidly reversed increases in pancreatic parameters, except for DNA. The results indicate that CCK is essential for induction and maintenance of dietary protein-stimulated pancreatic hypertrophy.
Hilbert spaces of Dirichlet series and their multipliers

We consider various Hilbert spaces of Dirichlet series whose norms are given by weighted 2 norms of the Dirichlet coefficients. We describe the multiplier algebras of these spaces. The functions in the multiplier algebra may or may not extend to be analytic on a larger half-plane than the functions in the Hilbert space.
Variation among populations of the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), in measures of fitness and host-acceptance behavior on tomato

Seven populations of the twospotted spider mite ( Tetranychus urticae Koch) were compared in measures of survival, development rate, reproduction, and host-acceptance behavior on tomato plants. Populations varied widely in the fitness measures and degree of acceptance of tomato. These results, together with those of a previous study, show that although individual populations of T. urticae are broadly polyphagous, different populations may vary considerably in performance on a particular host species or variety. As a result, studies designed to assess the resistance of a cultivar to T. urticae that use only a single mite population may give misleading results.
Using International Consulting Services for Export Development: A Case Study in North America

Little research has yet been reported on the use of international consulting services for export development in less developed markets. In this paper, a profile of export consultants working in this field is presented, and the special problems associated with exporting from LDCs are discussed. Then a case study is presented, showing how a tripartite export venture was organized to break into the North American market. The three parties included Moroccan entrepreneurs, the Irish Export Board, and the Moroccan Export Promotion Center.
Study on Application of Stabilizer in Colostrum Milk Production

The effects of addition amounts of Na2HPO4, guar gum, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), carrageenan and lactose on the thermal stability of mixed bovine colostrum were studied by the method of heating coagulation time (HCT). The results showed that the addition of Na2HPO4, CMC (CMC) and lactose can enhance the thermal stability of bovine colostrum remarkably.
Transforming growth factor-beta stimulates wound healing and modulates extracellular matrix gene expression in pig skin: incisional wound model.

Abstract Enhanced wound healing is elicited by exogenous administration of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in splitthickness, excisional wounds in the pig (Quaglino, Lab Invest 63:307–319, 1990). A study was designed to investigate if the selective and localized effects of TGF-β1 found in the previous model were dependent upon the type of wound or could be considered a more general effect of the cytokine. Transdermal, sutured incisions in the pig were evaluated by conventional histology and by in situ hybridization to reveal locally affected gene expression of collagen, elastin, fibronectin, stromelysin, TGF-β1, and basic fibroblast growth factor. Granulation tissue formation was markedly enhanced at 6 d by a single injection of recombinant human TGFβ1 at the time of wound closure. Although granulation tissue was confined within the margins of the incisional wound, prominent differences in hybridization signals were observed between control and treated wounds. The stimulatory effect of TGF-β1 on granulation tissue formation was accompanied by a distinct enhancement in cells expressing mRNA for several different extracellular matrix proteins including collagens type I and III and elastin, whereas a single injection of human recombinant TGFβ1 (4 μg) at the wound site diminished the expression of the neutral metalloprotease, stromelysin, and enhanced the frequency and intensity of cells expressing TGF-β1. The data reinforce the concept that TGF-β1 can act as a potent, auto-inductive modulator of connective tissue remodeling during the repair process.
Protecting Privacy of {BLE} Device Users

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) has emerged as an attractive technology to enable Internet of Things (IoTs) to interact with others in their vicinity. Our study of the behavior of more than 200 types of BLE-equipped devices has led to a surprising discovery: the BLE protocol, despite its privacy provisions, fails to address the most basic threat of all—hiding the device’s presence from curious adversaries. Revealing the device’s existence is the stepping stone toward more serious threats that include user profiling/fingerprinting, behavior tracking, inference of sensitive information, and exploitation of known vulnerabilities on the device. With thousands of manufacturers and developers around the world, it is very challenging, if not impossible, to envision the viability of any privacy or security solution that requires changes to the devices or the BLE protocol. In this paper, we propose a new device-agnostic system, called BLE-Guardian, that protects the privacy of the users/environments equipped with BLE devices/IoTs. It enables the users and administrators to control those who discover, scan and connect to their devices. We have implemented BLE-Guardian using Ubertooth One, an off-the-shelf open Bluetooth development platform, facilitating its broad deployment. Our evaluation with real devices shows that BLE-Guardian effectively protects the users’ privacy while incurring little overhead on the communicating BLE-devices.
Laser Processing of Ceramics

Various silicon compound ceramics, in the form of monolithic materials (such as Si 3 N 4 and SiC), whisker composites [like Al 2 O 3 (matrix)-SiC (whiskers)] and continuous-fiber composites [such as SiC (matrix)-SiC (fibers)] are considered excellent candidates for high-temperature, high-strength applications. Because of the extreme hardness of these materials, lasers are becoming a preferred machining tool for them. Experimental investigations have demonstrated that nearly all ceramics can be efficiently drilled, scribed or cut with a laser, although massive problems remain that are poorly, or not at all understood. These problems include thermal stress (resulting in micro-cracking, macro-cracking or shattering), redeposition of evaporated or liquified material, poor surface finish, undesirable hole and groove tapers, etc.
Applications of time lens optical systems

The first demonstration is presented of the time reversal and jitter suppression properties of a time lens optical system designed to actively control the temporal aspect of optical pulses.
Diagnostic visualization for non-expert machine learning practitioners: A design study

As machine learning (ML) becomes increasingly popular, developers without deep experience in ML — who we will refer to as ML practitioners — are facing the need to diagnose problems with ML models. Yet successful diagnosis requires high-level expertise that practitioners lack. As in many complex data-oriented domains, visualization could help. This two-phase study explored the design of visualizations to aid ML diagnosis. In phase 1, twelve ML practitioners were asked to diagnose a model using ten state-of-the-art visualizations; seven design themes were identified. In phase 2, several design themes were embodied in an interactive visualization. The visualization was used to engage practitioners in a participatory design exercise that explored how they would carry out multi-step diagnosis using the visualization. Our findings provide design implications for tools that better support ML diagnosis by non-expert practitioners.
Performance Management for Learning, Reform, and Change: A Review of Three Recent Books

A review essay of Performance Management in the Public Sector, by Wouter Van Dooren, Geert Bouckaert, and John Halligan; Government Performance and Results: An Evaluation of GPRA’s First Decade, by...
Supervoxel-Based Segmentation of 3D Volumetric Images

While computer vision has made noticeable advances in the state of the art for 2D image segmentation, the same cannot be said for 3D volumetric datasets. In this work, we present a scalable approach to volumetric segmentation. The methodology, driven by supervoxel extraction, combines local and global gradient-based features together to first produce a low level supervoxel graph. Subsequently, an agglomerative approach is used to group supervoxel structures into a segmentation hierarchy with explicitly imposed containment of lower level supervoxels in higher level supervoxels. Comparisons are conducted against state of the art 3D segmentation algorithms. The considered applications are 3D spatial and 2D spatiotemporal segmentation scenarios.
Relationship between ever reporting depressive symptoms and all-cause mortality in a cohort of HIV-infected adults in routine care.

Objective The aim of this study was to assess whether ever reporting depressive symptoms affects mortality in the modern HIV treatment era. Design A cohort study of HIV-infected adults in routine clinical care at seven sites in the USA. Methods We examined the effect of ever reporting depressive symptoms on all-cause mortality using data from the Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems cohort. We included individuals with at least one depression measure between 2005 and 2014. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9. We used weighted Kaplan-Meier curves and marginal structural Cox models with inverse probability weights to estimate the effect of ever reporting depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥10) on all-cause mortality. Results A total of 10 895 individuals were included. Participants were followed for a median of 3.1 years (35 621 total person-years). There were 491 (4.5%) deaths during the follow-up period (crude incidence rate 13.8/1000 person-years). At baseline, 28% of the population reported depressive symptoms. In the weighted analysis, there was no evidence that ever reporting depressive symptoms increased the hazard of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 0.82, 95% confidence interval 0.55-1.24). Conclusion In a large cohort of HIV-infected adults in care in the modern treatment era, we observed no evidence that ever reporting depressive symptoms increased the likelihood of all-cause mortality, controlling for a range of time-varying factors. Antiretroviral therapy that is increasingly robust to moderate adherence and improved access to depression treatment may help to explain changes in the relationship between depressive symptoms and mortality in the modern treatment era.
Reading Practices of Pre-Service Teachers in the United States

The purpose of this mixed method study was to investigate the reading practices of pre-service teachers in the United States. A total of 395 (38 male and 357 female) pre-service teachers completed a self-reported survey. In addition, 45 (10 males and 35 females) of the 395 voluntarily agreed to participate in interviews and classroom observations. These 45 participants were enrolled in three reading classes in the college of education at a mid-size public university; the classes' professors allowed the researcher to conduct class observations over the course of the semester. Quantitative results indicated that 38.4% of the pre-service teachers spent 1–4 hours weekly in academic reading (AR) and 19.5% of the respondents spent 1–4 hours per week in extracurricular reading (ER). Results also revealed that 25.7% of the participants spent zero hours weekly in AR and 46.5% of the participants spent zero hours in ER. Qualitative findings indicated that participants' part-time jobs and social media use via smartp...
Application of mercury injection capillary pressure to mudrocks: Conformance and compression corrections

Abstract Mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP) is a commonly-used technique for measurements of porosity, pore throat size distribution, and injection pressure vs. mercury saturation for many types of rocks. The latter two are correlated to and can be used to estimate permeability. Problems for MICP application in mudrocks are associated with two types of system errors: conformance and compression effects. These two sources of error are well-recognized, but no standard procedures to correct them exist. In this study, a new method for conformance and compression corrections was developed, and the method applied to five Eagle Ford Shale samples. Conformance correction is based on comparison of mercury injection volume vs. pressure curves between epoxy-coated and uncoated samples. Compression correction is based on calculation of compressions before and after mercury intrusion in MICP experiment. Different types of compressions are quantified and compression corrections on porosity, pore throat size distribution, and injection pressure vs. mercury saturation are performed. Porosity and permeability were calculated based on corrected MICP data. Results show that both conformance and compression corrections are important for accurate MICP porosity calculation, whereas conformance correction is more important than compression correction in permeability calculation.
The Purification of Doubt: Is It Better to Exist in Purgatory?

Consider the metaphorical use of the word “Purgatory.” It is not uncommon to say, for instance, that one is “stuck in Purgatory” to describe a state of uncertainty or inability to achieve final fruition—the state between the falsity of Hell and the perfect truth of Heaven. That state of uncertainty, the skeptical epistemic position, is also, I argue, the state in which learning in most likely to occur. When we are at our least sure, we are most capable of adjusting our understanding of the world and drawing new schema of understanding. Thus, the surety that accompanies the “truth” of Heaven would then be a dangerous state, one in which learning is less likely to occur. The skeptical position, however, so often disparaged in epistemic circles becomes a state not just defensible due to the traditional argumentations regarding the inaccessibility of the true, but a desirable position that suggests one is actually far more capable achieving “truth” when one does not believe one does, or can, have truth. To be a skeptic, then, I suggest is to be in a state of Purgatory. It means to lack the comforts of certainty—the divine state of equilibrium afforded by Heaven. Conversely, then, one comes to wonder, if the analogy holds, if Heaven is as desirable as it seems. By developing a society that assumes, by default, that the best place to be is Heaven, a place without doubts, without suffering, without challenge, have we created a society resistant to growth?
Introduction and Goals

The literature on residential segregation is one of the oldest empirical research traditions in sociology and has long been a core topic in the study of social stratification and inequality as well as in the study of the demography of spatial population distribution. This literature is guided by the fundamental assumption that group differences in neighborhood residential outcomes are closely associated with social position and life chances. Accordingly, indices measuring segregation, especially the dimension of uneven distribution, are viewed as important summary indicators of overall group standing and scores for segregation indices have been a mainstay of research documenting levels, patterns, and trends in the residential segregation of racial and ethnic groups. Given the extensive attention social scientists have directed to the study of residential segregation, one might assume that the relationship between residential segregation and group differences in neighborhood residential outcomes is well understood. Surprisingly, this is not the case. The issue has received little attention in the literature on segregation measurement. Consequently, researchers are not able to offer precise conclusions about group differences in residential outcomes based on scores for popular and widely used indices of uneven distribution.
Proceedings of the AI for an Intelligent Planet

AI has long lead the march towards intelligent behavior in computer systems. This has lead to emergence of techniques in perceiving the world (e.g., web-based systems, vision, speech, NLP), manipulating internal representations (e.g., knowledge representation, logic, uncertainty, utility, constraints), analyzing information (e.g., search, learning, planning, scheduling) and altering the world (e.g., robotics, multi-agent systems). They have resulted in many applications with profound impact to our daily lives and remarkable commercial successes. The time has come for AI to address even more challenging problems. One such problem is sustenance and improvement of quality of life for global citizens despite over-population and limited resources. As the world's population increases and it puts increasing demands on the planet's limited resources due to shifting life-styles, we not only need to monitor how we consume resources but also optimize resource usage. Some examples of planet's resources citizens consume are water; energy sources --- hydrocarbons, electricity; air --- conversely, green-houses gases emitted; and food sources --- plants and animals. Everyone (individuals, enterprises, governments) can do something in their realm for reducing resource footprint to alleviate the worsening situation. This is both an ethically good thing to do as well as makes a lot of economic sense. Championing this cause, industry has started using the prefix "smarter" to cyber-physical systems, which involve sensing the data through physical instruments, interconnecting and integrating them from multiple sources and analyzing them for intelligent patterns. There are multiple domains, all converging on a broader "Smarter Planet" theme. Consider a city. The city management, citizens and businesses may be interested in optimizing their usage of energy and water, while providing efficient infrastructure, transportation and public safety to all participants. The trend towards optimized cyber-physical systems, however, is not new to AI and in fact a subset of what has been pursued as intelligent behavior, but on a much larger scale of people and resources involved. We believe that AI has a big role to play in making all the stakeholders in the scope under consideration (individuals, building, campus, city, leading to the planet), and hence the planet, intelligent.
Defining and Theorizing About Culture: The Evolution of the Cultural Determinants of Help-Seeking, Revised.

Background The recent interest in defining and theorizing about social determinants of health has illuminated the importance of culture as a central phenomenon of interest. However, cultural processes appear in multiple places in social determinants of health models, and their specifics are not delineated or operationalized. Objectives This theory development article describes the complexity of defining cultural variables and uses medical anthropology to show how cultural domains, constructs, and variables can be defined. Methods Using cultural anthropology theory, empirical work, and a literature synthesis as a starting point, the evolution of the cultural determinants of help-seeking theory is explored and the revision of the theory is highlighted. Results The expanded theory include structural concepts as control variables, reframes illness as “suffering,” and adds concepts of course, cure, manageability, meaning in life, functioning, social negativity, and perceived need. Discussion Strategies for and benefits of isolating and operationalizing cultural variables for middle-range theory development and testing are discussed.
Laser-assisted field emission in single-walled carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have many uses in energy storage, electron emission, molecular electronics, and optoelectronics. Understanding their light-matter interactions is crucial to their development. Here, we study a film of single-walled CNTs with a thickness of 1.67 μm and a 2D orientational order parameter of 0.51, measured by polarized Raman spectroscopy. The film is expected to have a work function of about 5.1 eV. In this study, ~100-fs pulses with 1.5 (ℏω) and 3 eV (2ℏω) photon energy are used to pump the CNT film while observing its electron emission in vacuum. Ultrafast pulses produce nonlinear phenomena in enhanced field emission, as the CNTs absorb strongly enough that thermally excited carriers can tunnel through the potential barrier. Through curve fitting of the power dependence for each pump energy, we find that the light at ℏω is absorbed via 5-photon absorption, and the light at 2ℏω is absorbed via a combination of 2- and 3-photon absorption. Further study reveals a space-charge limited regime with low applied bias, a photoemission regime with moderate bias, and a laser-assisted field emission regime when the bias is high enough that the photon pump is no longer important. Cross-correlation pumping with the two colors simultaneously shows 4x enhancement of the emission, with a FWHM that suggests a lifetime of ~190 fs, similar to the dephasing time of electrons in CNTs. These studies help illuminate the properties of CNTs as a nonlinear optical material and go towards a more thorough understanding of their optoelectronic properties.
Examining Mother Teresa’s narrative as prophetic: A case study

This paper examines a rhetorical case - Mother Teresa's narrative - for evidence of prophetic qualities, including social calls to action. Mother Teresa's story is considered through established methods of investigating prophecy, such as themes of announcements of judgment and reason and the Messenger formula. Her rhetoric is also examined through the theoretical lens of Walter Fisher's narrative coherence for evidence of biblical ideals and body language. Her lived experiences are also considered evidence of her prophetic nature. Mother Teresa's narrative is read and better valued as part of a wider context of social action consistent with prophecy.
The uncanny valley of haptics

During teleoperation and virtual reality experiences, enhanced haptic feedback incongruent with other sensory cues can reduce subjective realism, producing an uncanny valley of haptics.
Motility and other Disorders of the Biliary Tract

Covered in this record are disorders of the biliary tract other than cholelithiasis, which is dealt with elsewhere in this work. Included in this review are motility disorders characterized by hypertension, dysmotility or sphincter of Oddi stenosis, choledocholithiasis, acute and primary sclerosing cholangitis, biliary strictures, structural abnormalities, and neoplasms. These conditions present with right upper quadrant pain and often jaundice and its consequences, such as pruritis. The pharmacological management of these conditions is similar.
A single institution study comparing radiation exposure: MPI versus CCTA

2425 Objectives There has been wide spread concern about the radiation exposure to patients undergoing diagnostic testing in radiology. Two common approaches to evaluating cardiac disease are the use of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA). The purpose of the study is to compare the average radiation exposure patients received during MPI studies versus CCTA in a single institution. Methods 205 MPI studies and 116 CCTA studies were retrospectively reviewed to determine the radiation exposure received by these patients. MPI studies were performed using single isotope 99mTc Tetrofosmin. CCTA studies were performed prospective or, step and shoot, using 100 keV and 600 MAs. Average radiation exposure was calculated and compared. Results Patient radiation exposure for MPI studies averaged 5.7 mSv. The resting dose ranged from 8.10 mCi-13.60 mCi with an average of 10.24 mCi. The stress dose ranged from 24.20 mCi-47.00 mCi with an average does of 30.79 mCi. However, the CCTA study had an average of 2.0 mSv of radiation exposure. Conclusions In this institution, CCTA exposed the patient to less radiation as compared to MPI. These findings may lead to the need for further investigation of protocols that reduce radiation exposure from MPI studies
E9 – Experimental phytoplasma infections in plants and insects

This chapter presents simple, general protocols for insect transmission of plant pathogenic phytoplasmas following feeding insects on an infected plant, injecting insects with suspensions of mollicutes using glass needles, and feeding insects through a membrane on a solution in which mollicutes are suspended. For plant-pathogenic or other insect-associated mollicutes, experimental infection is required to study the transmission process or the pathology of the mollicutes to insects. Microinjection is used to infect insect vectors with mollicutes from culture to determine the infectivity of phytoplasmas purified from insects or plants, to study mechanisms involved in vector transmission, and to increase transmission efficiency by vectors.
Electric Field Generation Mechanisms

We live in an electromagnetic world, from the chemical bonds that hold us together to the large-scale, powerful effects of thunderstorms and solar flares. Human understanding of electricity began during a time of fascination with and fear of unexplained natural phenomena such as the aurora borealis and lightning. Hundreds of years ago, the earth's magnetic field first became a useful tool for explorers, yet even today, there is no similarly useful large-scale map of the earth's electric field. Indeed, while the earth's magnetic field lines are continuous and penetrate even the depths of the earth, electric fields begin and end with electric charges, which can be anywhere.
Negative capacitance transistors

Phase transition materials have long been investigated for fundamental physics and also for potential application in electronics. In this presentation, I shall discuss how a controlled phase transition can lead to fundamentally new switching devices that has significantly less energy dissipation compared to the state of the art. In particular, I shall talk about the state of negative capacitance that can be achieved in certain material systems with stored energy of phase transition. Our recent experiments with ferroelectric materials have shown that such a state of negative capacitance can actually be achieved. I shall also describe our very recent results where such negative capacitance, when combined with conventional transistors, lead to effects that was long believed to be impossible. Finally, I shall discuss how these effects can usher in a new era of energy efficient electronics.
Fundamentals of DNA Separation and Detection

This chapter discusses the theory and background information on separation methods and covers how the bands in gel electrophoresis and the peaks in capillary electrophoresis are actually generated and detected. To distinguish the various molecules from one another, a separation step is required to pull the different-sized fragments apart. The separation is typically performed by a process known as electrophoresis and is either conducted in a slab-gel or capillary environment. Two types of gels are commonly used in molecular biology and forensic DNA laboratories today to achieve DNA separations. Agarose gels have fairly large pore sizes and are used for separating larger DNA molecules, while polyacrylamide gels are used to obtain high-resolution separations for smaller DNA molecules, usually below 500 or 1000 bp. Under normal conditions, the two complementary strands of DNA remain together, viz., native and denaturing. The chapter explains capillary electrophoresis's advantages, disadvantages, and components. Two primary mechanisms for DNA separations through gel pores have been described: the Ogston model and reptation. The chapter describes methods and means for detecting DNA. The focus is on fluorescence detection as it is now the dominant method utilized by the forensic DNA community. The most popular detection platforms today for short tandem repeat (STR) analysis are the ABI Prism 310 Genetic Analyzer and the ABI 3100 Genetic Analyzer multicapillary system. The end result of the STR allele separation and detection steps described in the chapter is an electronic data file containing an electropherogram with many peaks. This electropherogram must be interpreted to determine the STR alleles present in the DNA sample being analyzed.
Transgender And Cisgender US Veterans Have Few Health Differences

Transgender people have been able to serve openly in the military since June 2016. However, the administration of President Donald Trump has signaled its interest in reinstating a ban on transgende...
Genomics of Papaya Fruit Development and Ripening

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is the first fleshy fruit with a climacteric ripening pattern to be sequenced. Many of the predicted papaya genes potentially involved in fruit growth, development, and ripening have homology to those involved in tomato fruit size and shape. Fewer genes that may impact sugar accumulation in papaya, ethylene synthesis and response, respiration, chlorophyll degradation, and carotenoid synthesis are predicted than in tomato. Similar or fewer genes were found in papaya for the enzymes leading to volatile production than so far determined for tomato. Similar numbers or fewer genes are found in papaya for the enzymes leading to volatile production than so far determined for tomato. The presence of fewer papaya genes in most fruit development and ripening categories suggests less subfunctionalization of gene action. The lack of whole genome duplication and reductions in most gene families and biosynthetic pathways make papaya a valuable and unique tool to study the convergent evolution of fruit ripening. The available data suggest that few phylogenetic constraints exist in the evolution of fruit type with fleshy fruits appearing independently in different plant families. The evolutionary origin and fundamental molecular mechanisms that lead to the development of the fruit ripening syndrome are unknown. Abscission-like cell separation processes that occur in leaves, petals, flowers, and pollen show parallel to fruit ripening in terms of physiology and biochemistry and potentially in the network and clusters of genes expressed. A global understanding of the evolution of the complex regulatory networks controlling the modules active during fruit ripening could lead to new regulatory controls that could limit postharvest losses in fruits.
Reprint of Trends and key correlates of prescription opioid injection misuse in the United States.

Abstract Background Despite concerns over increasing harms associated with prescription opioid injection misuse, there is a paucity of research on the magnitude, characteristics, injection practices, and syringe sources for people who inject prescription opioids; limiting the implementation of targeted policy and programmatic initiatives. Materials and methods Data from the 2003 through 2014 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health were used to estimate prescription opioid injection trends and examine risky injection practices and syringe sources for people who inject prescription opioids. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify characteristics associated with prescription opioid injection. Results Among people 12 years or older, the rate of prescription opioid injection misuse increased from 1.6 per 1000 in 2003–2005 to 2.7 per 1000 in 2012–2014 (p value for trend Conclusion This study found significant increases in prescription opioid injection misuse trends in the U.S. These findings underscore the need to bring to scale evidence-based interventions to increase the provision of medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders and expand access to comprehensive risk-reduction services for people who inject drugs.
Die Urotherapeutin: Ein neues Berufsbild in der Urologie

Die Urotherapie umfasst die Diagnostik, Behandlung und Betreuung von Menschen mit funktionellen oder organisch bedingten Storungen der Harnblase. Seit 2017 berat das Kantonsspital Winterthur urologisch abgeklarte Frauen und Manner, die Probleme und Fragen im Bereich der Blase und Prostata haben. So konnten 2018 bereits 73 Beratungen von diplomiertem Pflegefachpersonal mit der Weiterbildung in der Urotherapie durchgefuhrt werden. In enger Zusammenarbeit mit dem Urologen und dem Hausarzt ist es gemeinsam das Ziel, Patienten ganzheitlich und nach neuesten medizinischen Erkenntnissen zu behandeln.
Molecular and cytogenetic characteristics of myeloid malignancies following luminal gastrointestinal cancer.

Abstract Purpose Luminal gastrointestinal tract cancers (LGC) are common malignancies, and many patients can achieve long-term responses with surgery, cytotoxic and/or targeted therapies, and radiation. The long-term follow-up for patients with durable disease control has not been fully characterized, including subsequent malignancies. Such cases have not been comprehensively described. Patients and methods We identified patients evaluated for myeloid malignancies (MyM) who had a prior LGC at our institution over a 35-year period. Patient, disease, and treatment information was collected for analysis. Cytogenetic risk profiles were designated according to the Revised International Prognostic Scoring System for MDS and the European LeukemiaNet Guidelines for AML. Results 66 patients were included in our cohort with 71 prior LGC diagnoses, including three patients with multiple LGCs. 31 cases were treated with surgery alone, and 37 patients received chemotherapy. The median age at diagnosis of MyM was 71.8 years (range, 36.2–90.5), with median duration between initiation of treatment of LGC and diagnosis MyM of 7.9 years (range 0.005–38.8). Intermediate or adverse (AML)/poor-very poor (MDS) cytogenetic risk was common, occurring in 43% of MDS patients and 100% of AML patients; deletion 5q was the most common cytogenetic abnormality overall. DNMT3A mutations were the most common molecular alteration (6 patients with 7 mutations). Conclusions Among patients with MyM following LGC, a high proportion harbored cytogenetic changes, many of which were adverse or poor-risk. Deletion 5q and mutated DNMT3A were the most common abnormalities identified.
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening in the United States: Patterns of use and PSA outcomes in screened versus unscreened men.

4658 Background: PSA screening is a subject of substantial controversy. We examined patterns of PSA screening using a recent cohort from the population-based National Health and Nutrition Examinati...