cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nutritional management of bone mineralization and metabolic bone disease

Metabolic bone disease in the neonatal period is with a few rare exceptions seen principally in premature infants. The paper summarizes the typical manifestations of bone disease in preterm infants, its short-term management and longer-term outcomes. The effects of early diet, both during the period of hospitalization and after discharge home, on skeletal growth and development are addressed.
Restoring cerebral dopamine homeostasis by electrical forepaw stimulation: an fMRI study

Deviation of dopamine homeostasis is known to be associated with disorders like drug addiction and Parkinson's disease. As dopamine function is tightly regulated within the basal ganglia circuitry, cortical perturbation would lead to modulation of dopaminergic activity in the striatum. We proposed and tested if somatosensory activity such as forepaw stimulation could modulate dopaminergic function. Specifically, we tested in rats if electrical forepaw stimulation (EFS) could attenuate dopamine release in the brain if dopamine is excessive, and boost dopamine release if dopamine is deficient. We had previously demonstrated that EFS effectively attenuated excessive DA concentration in the striatum. We now show in this manuscript with fMRI that EFS boosted DA release on two DA deficient conditions: (1) with quinpirole challenge, and (2) partial Parkinsonism model (PD). Quinpirole alone decreased dopamine release and thus the cerebral blood volume (CBV) that was restored by EFS. EFS also succeeded in increasing CBV in the basal-ganglia circuitry of the PD rats, but not in the controls. Context-dependent connectivity analysis showed increased connectivity during the basal state in the PD rats, compared with the controls. This "enhanced" yet abnormal connectivity of PD rats was reduced post-EFS. Our results suggest that EFS resets the deficient DA system by partially increasing DA release, in the meanwhile lessening the need for recruiting extra functional network in the basal ganglia circuitry. This study shows not only the capacity of peripheral stimulation to perturb neurotransmitter function, but also the potential of peripheral stimulation to restore neurotransmitter homeostasis.
Magneto-reflection studies of coupled plasmon-phonon modes in PbTe

Abstract Coupled collective cyclotron excitation-longitudinal-optical phonon modes, cyclotron resonance, and hybrid resonance have been observed in magneto-reflection measurements on bulk n-type PbTe. The experimental magneto-reflection spectra are in good agreement with the theory of P.R. Wallace, et al.
Once again around the double triangle: A multi-rater assessment of capstone design skills

The Senior Capstone Design Course serves for many engineering students as an opportunity to develop crucial skills in professionalism and design that are necessary for succeeding in industry post-graduation. This study delves into the effectiveness of a senior Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Course for the development of professional and technical skills including: project management, design, engineering methods, communication, and teamwork. A triangulated assessment was performed to evaluate the development of student skills using a survey administered during the middle and end of the Senior Capstone Design Course. This survey was administered to the students, team Faculty Advisors and team Industry Mentors. After analysis, it was found that teams made a significant gain pre to post in engineering methods, project management, and design skills. Communication skills remained at an acceptable level while teamwork skills dropped significantly in the second semester due to difficulties resolving interpersonal conflicts.
Do preoperative clinics improve operating room efficiency

EALTH CARE CHANGES in the United States in the last decade have mandated close evaluation of the efficiency and cost benefit of many hospital programs. Economic changes have decreased reimbursement and reduced the patient's length of stay in the hospital. At the same time, there has been a rapid advancement in outpatient services, especially in ambulatory surgery. 1'2 The increasing percentage of surgical patients entering the hospital as outpatients or admitted on the same day as surgery continues to challenge perioperative personnel, especially the anesthesiologist. Physicians are the primary decision makers regarding the use of health care services. In preparing a patient for surgery, physicians are directly responsible for providing and ordering virtually all of the patient evaluations, preoperative diagnostic testing, and referrals to specialists. Although health care continues to be in an active state of reform, it frequently is difficult for an individual physician or group to change the manner or routine of clinical practice patterns. However, the evolution of health care now demands that providers demonstrate verifiable evidence of cost reductions while maintaining productivity and a high quality of patient care.
Preserving Operative Volume in the Setting of the 2011 ACGME Duty Hour Regulations

Objectives The reported influence of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education resident duty hour limitations on operative case volume has been mixed. Additional restrictions instituted in July 2011 further limited the work hours of postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) residents, threatening to reduce availability for educational and operative activities. In this study, we evaluate our novel intern call schedule, which we hypothesized would preserve operative experience despite these increased restrictions. Design A retrospective analysis of PGY-1 operative reports was conducted. Operations outside of major case categories were excluded. Operative case volumes in the Section of General Surgery for the same period were analyzed, as were average duty hours for each resident. Comparative statistics were generated using Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Setting Single-institution study conducted at the University of Michigan, a tertiary-care academic hospital. Participants Overall, 50 categorical general surgery residents from 2005 to present were included. Three residents were subsequently excluded as they were preliminary interns rather than categorical; 2 residents were excluded having completed their intern years at other institutions. Results The median number of major cases done during the PGY-1 for all evaluated residents was 89 (interquartile range [IQR]: 72-101). For interns between the years 2005 and 2011, the median number of major cases was 87 (IQR: 73-101), whereas interns in the 2011 to 2013 academic years performed 91.5 (IQR: 69.5-101.5, p = 0.91). Although case volume varied between intern classes, no significant differences were observed between any 2 individual classes in the study. Analysis of annual case volumes among each PGY revealed a relative increase of 29% (p Conclusions Our novel call schedule attempts to minimize prolonged night-float coverage responsibilities for interns in hopes of preserving their operative experience. In spite of increased duty hour restrictions, PGY-1 operative volume has not decreased significantly at our institution. However, in the same time period, PGY-2 and PGY-3 case volume has increased. Our findings highlight the challenges faced by surgical residencies in light of these new restrictions, particularly the 16-hour limit. Additional rigorously designed prospective studies should be conducted to better understand the influence of the most recent Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education work hour limitations on the subjective and objective experiences of surgical residents.
Choosing to believe

This article defends a regulative ethics of voluntary belief. In order to determine the occasion and the scope of such an ethics, the article begins with an examination of the concept of belief in conversation with the view of J. L. Schellenberg. Next, against the dominant position in contemporary epistemology, it argues that some beliefs can be voluntary, in the sense that they are under the immediate control of the believer, and replies to William Alston’s influential objections to doxastic voluntarism. If some beliefs are subject to the immediate control of the believer, then in these cases believers are ethically responsible not only for how they investigate those beliefs, but also for the choice of whether or not to believe them. The article concludes by formulating and defending two types of regulative ethical principles governing voluntary belief.
Serum leptin levels and reproductive function during the menstrual cycle.

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of leptin on reproductive hormones and ovulation. Study Design The BioCycle Study (2005-2007) followed 259 healthy premenopausal women not using hormonal contraceptives for ≤2 menstrual cycles (n = 509 cycles). Serum leptin, estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone, and testosterone were measured ≤8 times per cycle. The association of time-varying leptin and reproductive hormones over the cycle was estimated with the use of linear mixed models that were adjusted for percent body fat and age with inverse probability weighting for time-varying physical activity, caloric intake, and other reproductive hormones. The odds ratio for sporadic anovulation (n = 42 cycles) was estimated with the use of generalized linear models that were adjusted for percent body fat and age. Results Geometric mean serum leptin levels increased from menses to the late luteal phase (16.7-20.4 ng/mL; P P Conclusion The association that was observed between leptin level and reproductive function points to a possible relationship between serum leptin level and enhanced fertility.
The Eloquence of Silence: Algerian Women in Question

The Eloquence of Silence, first published in 1994, is considered a seminal text in the scholarship of women and North Africa. Marnia Lazreg makes a critical departure from more traditional studies of Algerian women, which usually examine female roles in relation to Islam – and instead takes an interdisciplinary approach, arguing that Algerian women's roles are shaped by a variety of structural and symbolic factors. These include colonial domination, demographic change, nationalism, family formation, the turn to culturalism, and the progressive shift to a capitalist economy. Grounded in archival research supplemented by interviews, and adopting a historico-critical method, the book identifies and examines the significance of an enduring feature of women’s journey: their instrumental use as tropes in struggles between groups of men opposed to one another during political crises. It demonstrates that despite being central to contentious political issues, women’s needs and aspirations were obscured just as their voices have traditionally been silenced. This new edition is thoroughly updated throughout to connect the original material to major political disruptions in the twenty-first century, such as the 9/11 attacks on New York and events around the "Arab Spring." The book foregrounds women’s determination to forge ahead, as well as their activism, which led to progress in fighting rape and other forms of violence made banal in the wake of the civil war (1992–2002). It also calls for a "decolonization" of concepts and theoretical systems used in accounting for women’s lived reality, and a questioning of facile postfeminist discourses in their manifold expressions.
Effect of quantum fluctuations on even-odd energy difference in a Cooper-pair box

We study the effect of quantum charge fluctuations on the discrete spectrum of charge states of a small superconducting island (Cooper-pair box) connected to a large finite-size superconductor by a tunnel junction. In particular, we calculate the reduction of the even-odd energy difference {delta}E due to virtual tunneling of electrons across the junction. We show that the renormalization effects are important for understanding the quasiparticle ''poisoning'' effect because {delta}E determines the activation energy of a trapped quasiparticle in the Cooper-pair box. We find that renormalization of the activation energy depends on the dimensionless normal-state conductance of the junction g{sub T} and becomes strong at g{sub T}>>1.
Failure Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of a Planetary Gear Box

With the qualities of smooth operation, high efficiency and small size, the planetary gear box was widely used in transmission field. In this paper, a 2-stage planetary gear box was studied. CAXA and Pro/E were used for modeling. The FEA analysis results were obtained by ANSYS, both the contact stress and the bending stress of the gear tooth root. The results showed that with the continuous action of cyclic loads, the excessive contact stress is the direct reason of the failure. Then, the system reliability evaluation was made, which can provide guidance for engineering practice.
The 1989 elections to the congress of people's deputies in Moscow

ON 26 MARCH 1989 Soviet citizens cast ballots for 1,500 representatives to the USSR Congress of People's Deputies (CPD). Faced with multiple-candidate elections for the first time at the national level, voters were asked to cross off, in secret, all names on the ballot paper except the person whom they wished to elect. Candidates were also forced to deal with unaccustomed choices: the complexities of running for office in competitive contests. This article analyses the campaigns of 104 candidates in Moscow's 26 territorial electoral districts and explores Soviet electoral politics from the points of view of both voters and candidates. Four questions form the core of the investigation: (1) What can be said about candidates' campaign strategies and tactics? (2) What can be said about the candidates in biographical terms? (3) What issues did candidates choose to stress? (4) Did the run-off process influence which candidates won?
Kaposi's sarcoma: Advances and perspectives

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is an unusual neoplasm that has proved to be an enigma in many ways since its original description by Kaposi in 1872. Its epidemiology has stimulated tremendous interest, amplified markedly in 1981 when it became known as an original defining part of the complex of immune disorders now known as AIDS. The cell of origin, etiology, and therapy for both AIDS-associated and AIDS-unassociated KS continue as matters of intense investigation. In fact, whether it is a reactive hyperplasia or a true malignancy is still a matter of debate, as is the concept of multicentricity versus metastases. Epidemiologic studies suggest that a separate agent apart from HIV-1 may cause KS. A newly postulated KS-associated herpes virus may be linked. The role of the HIV-1 tat gene product, basic fibroblast growth factor, scatter factor, oncostatin M, and other factors that regulate the growth of KS cells are discussed, as well as therapeutic options.
A technique for the measurement of gaseous diffusion in porous media

Summary An apparatus composed of two well-mixed vessels connected by a tube was used to measure the effective diffusivity of a gas (sulphur hexafluoride, SF6) in porous beds of sand, steel wool and glass beads. The general solution to Fick's second law for the apparatus was employed in the analysis. The ratio of the measured effective diffusivity of SF6 to SF6-air diffusivity was found to equal approximately the void fraction of the porous bed raised to the 1.43 power. This relationship agreed well with previously collected data and with the theoretical models of Millington (1959) and Marshall (1959). The effective diffusivity of wet porous materials was also measured and, at higher moisture contents, found to deviate strongly from that measured in dry materials. The effective diffusivity of SF6 in sand with 20 per cent moisture (volume basis) was found to be about one-fourth as large as the value expected from the dry-bed experiments. No significant deviation was found for sand of 10 per cent moisture content or lower.
The Influence of Sour Taste on Dysphagia in Brain Injury: Blind Study

OBJECTIVE To verify the influence of sour taste on swallowing and the presence of reflex cough when sour material was swallowed in patients with dysphagia secondary to brain injury. METHOD Fifty dysphagic brain injury patients who underwent videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) were recruited. The patients who had shown severe aspiration at 2 ml of liquid were excluded. The dysphagic patients were given 5 ml each of a sour tasting liquid (SOUR) and a thin liquid barium (LIQUID) in random order. An expert analyzed the result of VFSS by reviewing recorded videotapes. Analysis components consisted of the Penetration-Aspiration-Scale (PAS) score, oral transit time (OTT), pharyngeal transit time (PTT), pharyngeal delay time (PDT) and the reflex cough presence. RESULTS The PAS score for SOUR was significantly lower than the one for LIQUID (p=0.03). The mean OTT for SOUR was significantly shortened compared to that for LIQUID (p=0.03). The mean PTT and PDT were also shortened in SOUR, although the differences were not statistically significant (p=0.26 and p=0.32, respectively). There was no significant difference between SOUR and LIQUID regarding the presence of reflex cough (p=1.00). CONCLUSION The sour taste could enhance sensorimotor feedback in the oropharynx, thus lowering the chances of penetration-aspiration caused by shortening of the oropharyngeal passage times. There was no significant difference in the presence of reflex cough produced between LIQUID and SOUR.
Reliability of a minimal competency score for an annual skills mastery assessment.

Objective. To determine whether the modified Angoff process can be used to calculate a reliable minimal competency (“cut”) score for the Annual Skills Mastery Assessment (ASMA).Methods. Three panels of pharmacy faculty members used a modified Angoff method to create a minimal competency score for 60 previously used test items. The panels did not know which items were included. Data were analyzed to determine differences between rating sessions, faculty type, item difficulty, and rater scoring bias.Results. The cut score generated was not significantly different by session or faculty type. The range of cut scores varied by less than 3% per examination. Faculty panelists correctly predicted student performance on items grouped as easy, medium, and hard.Conclusion. A properly constructed faculty panel can determine a reliable cut score and accurately rank relative test item difficulty using the modified Angoff process.
Effect of Cotesia rubecula (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on Survival of Larval Cohorts of Pieris rapae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) on Collards: Evaluation of an Introduced Biological Control Agent

ABSTRACT Survival of artificial cohorts of larvae of the imported cabbageworm, Pieris rapae (L.), was assessed in a collard (Brassica oleracea L., var. acephala) patch on an organic vegetable farm in western Massachusetts. We recorded a significant drop in survival of larvae between the 4th and 5th instar due to parasitism by the parasitoid Cotesia rubecula (Marshall), which was introduced to New England from China in 1988. This was a large change from the survivorship pattern of P. rapae observed in the same area in 1985–1986, in which there was a significant drop in survival between 5th instars and pupae due to Cotesia glomerata (L.), the dominant parasitoid of P. rapae in New England at the time. In our study, parasitism by C. rubecula averaged 62.4 ± 8.6%, while no parasitism by C. glomerata was observed. The introduction of C. rubecula is now very likely to be benefitting organic vegetable producers in western Massachusetts, killing more larvae and at an earlier life stage than the previous parasitoi...
Adaptive resource management in peer-to-peer middleware

Supporting distributed real-time applications in large-scale and heterogeneous distributed environments has attracted much attention recently. However, the decentralized and dynamic characteristics of the systems present a number of challenges in managing the processor and networking resources and scheduling the application execution across multiple peers. In this paper, we address these problems with a novel resource management architecture for scheduling soft real-time applications in overlay networks. Key to our approach is that nodes maintain a partial view of resource availability of their peers in local profiles, keep track of the urgency of the requests and balance application execution across multiple nodes. Our techniques are entirely decentralized and use only local knowledge considering unpredictable latencies and changing resource availability.
Transformation of Relational Features for Use with Conventional Classifiers

In this paper, we address the problem of transforming relational features into an Euclidian space so that standard classification methods that assume that data is in a vector form could be used. Our approach has three main steps. First, a relational matrix that represents the pair-wise dissimilarities between all objects is constructed. Second, a fuzzy relational clustering algorithm is used to partition the data into groups of similar objects. Third, the relational data features are mapped to a unit hyper-cube space where each object is represented by its membership vectors in all clusters. The proposed method is validated by comparing the performance of several classifiers with different feature sets on the original and the transformed spaces. We show that the transformed space conserves the discriminative information of the original features. We also show that, using the transformed space, a richer set of standard classifiers could be used.
Probabilistic Measure for Signature Verification Based on Bayesian Learning

Signature verification is a common task in forensic document analysis. The goal is to make a decision whether a questioned signature belongs to a set of known signatures of an individual or not. In a typical forgery case a very limited number of known signatures may be available, with as few as four or five knowns \cite{Stev95}. Here we describe a fully Bayesian approach which overcomes the limitation of having too few genuine samples. The algorithm has three steps: Step 1: Learn prior distributions of parameters from a population of known signatures; Step 2: Determine the posterior distributions of parameters using the genuine samples of a particular person; Step 3: Determine probabilities of the query from both genuine and forgery classes and the Log Likelihood Ratio (LLR) of the query. Rather than give a hard decision, this method provides a probabilistic measure LLR of the decision and the performance of the Bayesian Learning is improved especially in the case of limited known samples.
Human skill transfer: neural networks as learners and teachers

Much work in recent years has focused on transferring human skill to robots by abstracting that skill into a machine-understandable, computational model. Such skill models, however, can be used not only for transferring human control strategy to robots, but also for helping less-skilled human operators improve their performance. The authors propose a two-step approach for transferring skill from human expert to human apprentice. An expert's relevant control strategies or skills are first abstracted into a sensory-based computational model. Afterwards, this trained computational model is used to generate on-line advice for less-skilled operators who need to improve their skill. This advice can take advantage of many different sensor modalities, thereby potentially improving both the quality and speed of learning for the apprentice. Furthermore, this approach allows for the efficient transfer of skill from a single expert to many apprentices, as well as from many experts to a single apprentice. In this paper, the authors first describe a flexible neural-network-based method for modeling human control strategy and provide motivation for its use. The authors then present a case study for teaching control strategy from one person to another in this two-step approach of transferring skill.
Image estimation by stochastic relaxation in the compound Gaussian case

Concerns developing algorithms for obtaining the maximum a posteriori probability (MAP) estimate from blurred and noisy images modeled as compound Gauss-Markov random fields. These models consist of several image submodels having different characteristics along with a structure model, a 2D Markov chain, which governs transitions between these image submodels. Compound random field models are attractive for image estimation because the resulting estimates do not suffer the over-smoothing of edges that occurs when one employs linear shift-invariant (LSI) models. >
A Middleware Framework for Maximum Likelihood Evaluation over Dynamic Grids

We have designed a maximum likelihood fitter using the actor model to distribute the computation over a heterogeneous network. The prototype implementation uses the SALSA programming language and the Internet Operating System middleware. We have used our fitter to perform a partial wave analysis of particle physics data. Preliminary measurements have shown good performance and scalability. We expect our approach to be applicable to other scientific domains, such as biology and astronomy, where maximum likelihood evaluation is an important technique. We also expect our performance results to scale to Internet-wide runtime infrastructures, given the high adaptability of our software framework.
Mitosis in filamentous fungi: how we got where we are.

This review traces the principal advances in the study of mitosis in filamentous fungi from its beginnings near the end of the 19(th) century to the present day. Meiosis and mitosis had been accurately described and illustrated by the second decade of the present century and were known to closely resemble nuclear divisions in higher eukaryotes. This information was effectively lost in the mid-1950s, and the essential features of mitosis were then rediscovered from about the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s. Interest in the forces that separate chromatids and spindle poles during fungal mitosis followed closely on the heels of detailed descriptions of the mitotic apparatus in vivo and ultrastructurally during this and the following decade. About the same time, fundamental studies of the structure of fungal chromatin and biochemical characterization of fungal tubulin were being carried out. These cytological and biochemical studies set the stage for a surge of renewed interest in fungal mitosis that was issued in by the age of molecular biology. Filamentous fungi have provided model studies of the cytology and genetics of mitosis, including important advances in the study of mitotic forces, microtubule-associated motor proteins, and mitotic regulatory mechanisms.
Second order stationary models for 1/f processes

A subclass of statistically self-similar processes with correlation structure of the form E[X(t)X(t/spl lambda/)]=R(/spl lambda/) is considered. A spectral decomposition theorem for such processes is stated. Based on linear scale-invariant system theory, scale invariant autoregressive processes are developed. The proposed models are intuitive, mathematically simple and practical candidates for modeling 1/f processes. >
The excitation of density waves at the Lindblad and corotation resonances by an external potential.

We calculate the linear response of a differentially rotating two-dimensional gas disk to a rigidly rotating external potential. The main assumptions are that the sound speed is much smaller than the orbital velocity and that the external potential varies on the scale of the disk radius. We investigate disks both with and without self-gravity. The external potential exerts torques on the disk only at the Lindblad and corotation resonances. The torque is positive at the outer Lindblad resonance and negative at the inner Lindblad resonance; at corotation the torque has the sign of the radial gradient of vorticity per unit surface density. The torques are of the same order of magnitude at both types of resonance and are independent of the sound speed in the disk. The external potential also excites density waves in the vicinity of the Lindblad and corotation resonances. The long trailing wave is excited at a Lindblad resonance. It transports away from the resonance all of the angular momentum which is deposited there by the external torque. Short trailing waves are excited at the corotation resonance. The amplitudes of the excited waves are the same on both sides of the resonance and are small unless the disk is almost gravitationally unstable. No net angular momentum is transported away from the corotation region by the waves. Thus the angular momentum deposited there by the external torque accumulates in the gas. We briefly discuss the behavior of particle disks and prove that the external torques on particle disks are identical to those on gas disks.
Environmental screening and relevant accelerated tests for products in an outdoor ground environment

Corrosion is the dominant failure mode of products in underground water pits. The failure mechanism was studied to determine the dominant variables. The major variables, which dictate galvanic and pitting corrosion, are pH, temperature and concentration of the various species in the solution. A field screening procedure was used to determine the concentration of the anions, pH and temperature in different pits. These data show that there are wide ranges of pit severity as indicated by the pH and the total anion concentrations. The two variables of the pit solution viz. pH and the total anion concentration, could be used to characterize a pit environment and determine the material reliability. The field data were used to design relevant accelerated test using the pit characteristics viz. anion concentration and temperature as the accelerating variables. The product application and its reliability requirements determined the time for the accelerated test. In this study we have shown how to characterize a pit environment, design the relevant accelerated test for product reliability and use these data for the best selection of materials, based on low cost and high reliability. This, in turn, will lead to optimum and cost-effective materials used in product design.
GRANDPARENT VISITATION RIGHTS: Rendering Family Dissension More Pronounced?

Legislation allowing grandparents to file suit to gain court-ordered visitation with their grandchildren is now law in most states. Legal issues and reported cases are presented, and problems for children and families that are posed by this sort of legal conflict are outlined.
Diabetes in Adolescence: Effects of Multifamily Group Intervention and Parent Simulation of Diabetes

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is a complex, chronic disease that is difficult to control during adolescence. This study evaluated the effects of a 6-week, family-oriented, group intervention on adolescents' metabolic control and psychosocial and family functioning. Thirty-two families were randomly assigned to one of three groups: multifamily (MF), multifamily plus parent simulation of diabetes (MF + S), and control (C). Outcome measures included glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb Al); perceptions of diabetes; estimates of youngsters' self-care; and family functioning. Adolescents in the MF + S group displayed significant decrements in Hb Al, and adolescents in both intervention groups reported more positive perceptions of a "teen-ager with diabetes" at posttreatment, relative to controls. Adolescents participating in smaller family groups demonstrated clinically significant improvements in Hb Al that were maintained at 6-month follow-up. Parent reports suggested that adolescents in the intervention groups improved their diabetes care. Findings support the use of multifamily groups plus parent simulation of diabetes as an intervention strategy for adolescents with IDDM.
Keeping Up With the Joneses: Students' Perceptions of Academically Dishonest Behavior

To understand undergraduate perceptions of academic dishonesty and honor codes, our participants estimated the likelihood that they, their friends, and the average college student would plagiarize or cheat on tests. Undergraduates reported that the average college student was most likely to cheat, their friends would be less likely to cheat, and they themselves would be the least likely to cheat. They did not believe that an honor code would have a large effect on their cheating behaviors, but it would reduce the cheating behaviors of their friends and the average student. We discuss these results in the context of social norms research.
Periodic Oscillations And Chaos In Optical Bistability: Possible Guided-Wave All-Optical Square-Wave Oscillators

We have observed periodic oscillations and optical turbulence in hybrid optical bistable systems having a delay in the feedback, as predicted by Ikeda et al. The period-two output is essentially a square wave of period equal to twice the feedback delay time. Most of the measurements in our hybrid system have been made with a detector-amplifier-modulator response time T of 0.8 ms, much less than the 36 ms computer-generated delay time tR, as required for Ikeda instabilities. Period-two oscillations have also been seen with an optical fiber providing a tR of 6 ps. These hybrid systems have enabled us to study the path to chaos as the input intensity or feedback gain is increased. In all-optical bi-stable devices, such as semiconductor etalons, the feedback time is the cavity round-trio time, which can be made very short (approximately picoseconds), so that many-gigahertz all-optical oscillators can be contemplated. However, such oscillations also require that the medium response time be shorter than the delay time, so realization of high-frequency optical oscillators must await the discovery of high-speed bistable optical devices. In the meantime, use of fast nonresonant nonlinearities in guided-wave configurations could lead to gigahertz optical oscillators.
Nitric oxide synthesis by hepatic cells is down regulated in endotoxin tolerant rats

The administration of a non-lethal dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to experimental animals and human subjects results in a state of hyporesponsiveness to a second lethal challenge. Relatively little is known about the mechanisms of this endotoxin tolerance, especially about the induction of nitric oxide formation after LPS under these condition. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: 1) rats that received a non-lethal i.v. injection of Escherichia coli LPS (0.5 mg/kg i.v., 'low dose'); 2) rats given a single injection of 'high dose' of LPS (3 mg/kg i.v.); 3) rats administered a low dose of LPS 12-168 h before they were challenged by a second injection of a high dose LPS (0.5 mg/kg followed by 3 mg/kg i.v., 'double injection'); and 4) rats treated with saline instead of LPS (1 ml/kg i.v., 'control'). 6 h after the high dose LPS, the livers were perfused with Krebs Henseleit buffer in a recirculating system at 37°C for 1 h, or hepatic cells were isolated. The isolated hepatocytes, Kupffer ...
Animal-inspired optimal foraging via a distributed actor-critic algorithm

We consider a group of mobile agents operating in a mission space that collaborate to solve a general dynamic optimization problem. The agents seek to maximize the total reward collected and minimize their energy cost. We construct a control policy specifying how the agents move subject to constraints due to the geometry of the mission space, the presence of obstacles, their sensing range, their available energy, and the need to avoid collisions with other agents. The mission space is discretized and modeled as a graph. We apply the distributed actor-critic method from [1] properly modified to benefit from least squares temporal difference learning. We present one concrete application: air vehicles flying below a forest's canopy. We demonstrate that the incorporation of bio-inspired features such as eavesdropping, spatial memory, directional sensing, and grouping into the control policy significantly improves its performance compared to a policy from [2] that included no such features.
A belief-based approach to the repeated prisoners' dilemma with asymmetric private monitoring

Abstract This paper extends the belief-based approach to the repeated prisoners' dilemma with asymmetric private monitoring. We first find that the previous belief-based techniques [T. Sekiguchi, Efficiency in repeated prisoners' dilemma with private monitoring, J. Econ. Theory 76 (1997) 345–361; V. Bhaskar, I. Obara, Belief-based equilibria in the repeated prisoners' dilemma with private monitoring, J. Econ. Theory 102 (2002) 40–69] cannot succeed when players' private monitoring technologies are sufficiently different. We then modify the previous belief-based approach by letting the player with smaller observation errors always randomize between cooperate and defect along the cooperative path of the play. We show that with vanishing observation errors, efficiency and a folk theorem can be approximated using our modified belief-based strategies.
Autoimmune Chronic Active Hepatitis

Chronic active hepatitis is a clinicopathologic syndrome caused by a group of heterogeneous disorders that share in common a characteristic histologic picture (Table I). The clinical presentation, natural history, and response to treatment vary widely among the different etiologies. Clinically, the syndrome is defined by persistent necroinflammation in the liver for more than 6 months, as reflected by persistent elevation of serum aminotransferase levels. A group of patients with no viral markers, demonstrating hypergammaglobulinemia and a variety of non-organ-specific immunologic markers have been designated as having autoimmune or lupoid chronic active hepatitis and are responsible for approximately one third of all chronic hepatitis cases.1
CBFβ-SMMHC, Expressed in M4eo Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Reduces p53 Induction and Slows Apoptosis in Hematopoietic Cells Exposed to DNA-Damaging Agents

CBFbeta-SMMHC is expressed in M4Eo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as a result of inv(16), but how it contributes to leukemogenesis is unknown. p53 mutations are rare in de novo AML, but they are common in many malignancies. Expression of CBFbeta-SMMHC in Ba/F3 cells reduced p53 induction in response to ionizing radiation or etoposide 3- to 4-fold. However, p53 induction was normal in Ba/F3 cells expressing a CBFbeta-SMMHC variant that does not interfere with DNA binding by CBF, indicating that a CBF genetic target regulates p53 induction. The p53 gene may be regulated by CBF, because p53 mRNA levels were reduced by CBFbeta-SMMHC. Reduced p53 induction was not caused by slowed cell proliferation, a consequence of CBFbeta-SMMHC expression, because p53 was induced similarly in control cultures and in cultures propagated in 10-fold less interleukin-3 (IL-3). CBFbeta-SMMHC did not slow apoptosis resulting from IL-3 withdrawal, where p53 induction is minimal, but slowed apoptosis in Ba/F3 cells exposed to 10 Gy of ionizing radiation or 3 to 8 microgram/mL etoposide, providing 2-fold protection at 6 or 18 hours. Inhibition of apoptosis was temporary, because all the cells exposed to these doses ultimately died, and clonal survival assays performed using 0. 04 microgram/mL etoposide did not show protection by CBFbeta-SMMHC. p21 levels were increased in cells subjected to DNA damage, regardless of CBFbeta-SMMHC expression and attenuated p53 induction. Bcl-2, bcl-xL, bcl-xS, and bax levels were unaffected by CBFbeta-SMMHC. Attenuated p53 induction may contribute to leukemogenesis by CBFbeta-SMMHC by slowing apoptosis via a p21-independent mechanism.
Diabetes insipidus uncovered during conservative management of complicated acute appendicitis

Diabetes insipidus (DI) arises from impaired function of antidiuretic hormone, characterized by hypovolemia, hypernatremia, polyuria, and polydipsia. This case is a reminder of the rare but challenging obstacle that undiagnosed DI poses in fasting surgical patients, requiring prompt recognition and vigilant management of marked homeostatic imbalances.
Transposable elements and miRNA: Regulation of genomic stability and plasticity.

ABSTRACTTransposable elements, the class of mobile DNA sequences that change their copies or positions within the genome have an ever increasing role in shaping the genetic and evolutionary landscape. Approximately half of the mammalian genome is composed of repetitive elements, including LINE-1 (L1) elements. Because of their ability to “copy and paste” into other regions of the genome, their activation represent an opportunity as well as a threat, as L1-induced mutations results in genomic instability and plasticity. On one hand L1 retrotransposition and integration fosters genomic diversity and on the other, de-repressed L1 functions as a driver of diseases such as cancer. The regulation of L1 is an area of intense research and novel epigenetic mechanisms have recently been discovered to now include DNA methylation, histone modifications, and miR-induced L1 silencing. During development, reprogramming and in transformed cells, specific classes of repetitive elements are upregulated, presumably due to t...
A Nb-Doped TiO2 Electrocatalyst for Use in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

Niobium doped Titanium Dioxide was synthesized using two sol-gel procedures. The first method is characterized for a solvent extraction and a drying step at 100 {degree sign}C. The second, an extraction using ammonium hydroxide is performed followed by calcination at 400 {degree sign}C. X-Ray Diffraction studies shows an improved crystalline structure for the second procedure and BET surface area analysis gives an increase of 33% in surface area over the first procedure. X-Ray Photoelectron spectra identify the low conductivity of the material in the valence-region band and determine oxidation states of 4+ for Titanium and 5+ for Niobium. Colloidal Synthesis method was improved for PtRu catalyst and resulted in higher performance registered in Cyclic Voltammetry experiments. This indicates that improving our synthesis methods we can increase catalytic activity and be comparable with commercial catalysts supported on carbon. The electrochemical results demonstrate the enhancing effect for methanol oxidation of Nb doped Titania supports.
Shoulder MRI: routine examinations using gradient recalled and fat-saturated sequences

Although the signs of complete rotator cuff tears on MRI are well established, tendinitis and partial rotator cuff tears cannot always be readily depicted. In order to optimize the soft-tissue contrast of shoulder imaging without increasing imaging time for routine applications, we compared spin-echo and gradient-echo sequences with and without fat saturation and studied the soft-tissue contrast of spoiled gradient-echo sequences with several different parameters. We conclude, that fat-saturation is not necessary in order to improve the soft-tissue contrast. Successful fat suppression was only achieved in 50% of cases. We found a gradient-echo sequence with a double echo acquisition (echo times TE: 11 and 34 ms) with a long repetition time (TR: 600 ms) and a moderate flip angle (20°) very helpful in diagnosing rotator cuff pathology.
Effect of Ligand Connectivity and Charge State on the Amination of C–H Bonds by Copper Amide Complexes

Activation of a benzylic C–H bond of indane by a copper(II) amide with various supporting ligands has been studied using density functional theory. Complexes with an overall charge of +1 are calculated to have lower activation barriers than neutral complexes. The effect on the activation barrier of the connectivity of the amide nitrogen—secondary (2-adamantyl) versus tertiary (1-adamantyl)—was also modeled. The calculations suggest that a combination of charge and steric factors at both the metal and nitrogen of the Cu–N active site have a considerable impact on the activation energy for copper(II) amide complexes but much less impact upon the thermodynamics. Correlations with other properties such as spin density and atomic charges are also reported.
Bicondylar Tibial Plateau Fracture (Schatzker VI)

A 59-year-old Asian American female was brought in by ambulance to the emergency department after falling down 15 steps while walking into the subway. There was no head trauma, and the Glasgow Coma Scale was 15 upon arrival. The patient’s only complaint upon arrival was right knee pain. On exam, diffuse swelling and ecchymosis were noted about the right knee. The rest of the secondary exam was negative. The patient was noted to be neurovascularly intact with strong distal pulses appreciated in the right lower extremity. Radiographs were taken of the right lower extremity, as shown in Fig. 5.1a–c. The patient denied any significant past medical history. She was a retired schoolteacher, and did not smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol.
Autoantibodies to Procollagen Type VII in EBA and Bullous Eruption of SLE Are HLA-DR2 Associated

Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) is a chronic, acquired blistering disease characterized by circulating and tissue-bound IgG autoantibodies to the basement membrane zone of stratified squamous epithelium. In a preliminary study we found EBA to be associated with HLA-DR2 (1). Recently, EBA antibodies were found to react with epitopes present on a collagenase resistant domain of Type VII procollagen, a basement membrane zone (BMZ) matrix protein unique to stratified squamous epithelium (2). This feature distinguishes EBA antibodies from IgG anti-BMZ autoantibodies in all other diseases except the rare disorder, bullous eruption of systemic lupus erythematosus (BE-SLE). To determine whether HLA phenotype is a risk factor for the development of anti-Type VII procollagen, we typed 29 EBA patients (18 black, 11 white) from throughout the United States for 14 HLA-DR,DQ antigens. Twenty-five of the 29 patients were also typed for 39 HLA-A,B,C antigens. Six BE-SLE patients (all black), with anti-Type VII procollagen antibodies, also were typed for HLA antigens. The frequency of HLA antigens was compared with race matched U.S. population controls using the Fishers’ Exact test (3). The frequency of HLADR2 was increased significantly in both white EBA patients (P = 0.0006, RR = 13.05) and black EBA patients (P = 0.0013, RR = 4.81). HLA-DR2 also was present in five of six black BE-SLE patients (P = 0.0095, RR = 100.7). Our results indicate that individuals with anti-Type VII procollagen antibodies and a diagnosis of EBA or BE-SLE have an increased frequency of HLA-DR2. Published studies indicate that systemic lupus erythematosus is associated with HLA-DR2 and B8,DR3 in whites but not in blacks. Good-pasture’s disease, characterized by antibodies to Type IV collagen, is reported to be HLA-DR2 associated in whites. We conclude that HLA-DR2 or a closely linked gene constitutes an important risk factor for the development of anti-Type VIIprocollagen, EBA and BE-SLE.
Cold-inducible RNA Binding Protein in Mouse Mammary Gland Development

RNA binding proteins (RBPs) regulate gene expression by controlling mRNA export, translation, and stability. When altered, some RBPs allow cancer cells to grow, survive, and metastasize. Cold-inducible RNA binding protein (CIRP) is overexpressed in a subset of breast cancers, induces proliferation in breast cancer cell lines, and inhibits apoptosis. Although studies have begun to examine the role of CIRP in breast and other cancers, its role in normal breast development has not been assessed. We generated a transgenic mouse model overexpressing human CIRP in the mammary epithelium to ask if it plays a role in mammary gland development. Effects of CIRP overexpression on mammary gland morphology, cell proliferation, and apoptosis were studied from puberty through pregnancy, lactation and weaning. There were no gross effects on mammary gland morphology as shown by whole mounts. Immunohistochemistry for the proliferation marker Ki67 showed decreased proliferation during the lactational switch (the transition from pregnancy to lactation) in mammary glands from CIRP transgenic mice. Two markers of apoptosis showed that the transgene did not affect apoptosis during mammary gland involution. These results suggest a potential in vivo function in suppressing proliferation during a specific developmental transition.