cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cell Culture as a Model System for Teaching: Using PC12 Cells

This Teaching Resource provides an introduction to the use of cultured cells as an experimental approach in undergraduate laboratory research and the study of neuronal differentiation in PC12 cells. In addition, a thought experiment with answers is provided that can be used to assess student understanding of (i) the scientific method, (ii) signaling processes involved in cellular differentiation, and (iii) the use of pharmacological agents to manipulate a cell culture system.
Heterologous expression of glycosyl hydrolases in planta: a new departure for biofuels

The concept of expressing non-plant glycosyl hydrolase genes in plant tissue is nearly two decades old, yet relatively little work in this field has been reported. However, resurgent interest in technologies aimed at enabling processes that convert biomass to sugars and fuels has turned attention toward this intuitive solution. There are several challenges facing researchers in this field, including the development of better and more specifically targeted delivery systems for hydrolytic genes, the successful folding and post-translational modification of heterologous proteins and the development of cost-effective process strategies utilizing these transformed plants. The integration of these concepts, from the improvement of biomass production and conversion characteristics to the heterologous production of glycosyl hydrolases in a high yielding bioenergy crop, holds considerable promise for improving the lignocellulosic conversion of biomass to ethanol and subsequently to fuels.
Literome: PubMed-scale genomic knowledge base in the cloud

Motivation Advances in sequencing technology have led to an exponential growth of genomics data, yet it remains a formidable challenge to interpret such data for identifying disease genes and drug targets. There has been increasing interest in adopting a systems approach that incorporates prior knowledge such as gene networks and genotype-phenotype associations. The majority of such knowledge resides in text such as journal publications, which has been undergoing its own exponential growth. It has thus become a significant bottleneck to identify relevant knowledge for genomic interpretation as well as to keep up with new genomics findings. Results In the Literome project, we have developed an automatic curation system to extract genomic knowledge from PubMed articles and made this knowledge available in the cloud with a Web site to facilitate browsing, searching and reasoning. Currently, Literome focuses on two types of knowledge most pertinent to genomic medicine: directed genic interactions such as pathways and genotype-phenotype associations. Users can search for interacting genes and the nature of the interactions, as well as diseases and drugs associated with a single nucleotide polymorphism or gene. Users can also search for indirect connections between two entities, e.g. a gene and a disease might be linked because an interacting gene is associated with a related disease. Availability and implementation Literome is freely available at literome.azurewebsites.net. Download for non-commercial use is available via Web services.
Mouse and cockroach allergens in the dust and air in northeastern United States inner-city public high schools.

UNLABELLED Considering that high school students spend a large proportion of their waking hours in the school environment, this could be an important location for exposure to indoor allergens. We have investigated the levels of mouse and cockroach allergens in the settled dust and air from 11 schools in a major northeastern US city. Settled dust samples were vacuumed from 87 classrooms, three times throughout the school year. Two separate air samples (flow = 2.5 lpm) were collected by 53 students over a 5-day period from both their school and their home. Mouse allergen (MUP) in the dust varied greatly between schools with geometric means ranging from 0.21 to 133 microg/g. Mouse allergen was detectable in 81% of the samples collected. Cockroach allergen (Bla g 2) ranged from below limit of detection ( 0.003 microg/g) in 71% of the dust samples. Bla g 2 was detected in 22% of airborne samples from the schools. By comparison, mouse allergen was only detected in 5%. These results indicate that the school may be an important location for exposure to allergens from mice and cockroaches and is an indoor environment that should be considered in an overall allergen intervention strategy. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS To date, cockroach and mouse allergen intervention strategies have been mainly focused on the home environment. Considering that children spend a significant amount of time in schools, some studies have assessed cockroach allergen levels in schools. This study provides a clearer picture of the distribution and variability of not only cockroach allergen, but also mouse allergen in the school environment. In addition, this study describes limitations of personal air sampling in a student population. Our results suggest that although cockroach and mouse allergens are commonly recovered in classroom dust samples of inner city schools, cockroach allergens are recovered in the personal air samples with a greater frequency relative to mouse allergens.
Race and Diurnal Blood Pressure Patterns: A Review and Meta-Analysis

Investigators have reported variable findings regarding the role of race in diurnal blood pressure patterns. We performed a review and meta-analysis of this literature to identify the overall effect of race on circadian blood pressure patterns. Eighteen studies involving 2852 participants were reviewed. Meta-analyses were conducted using effect sizes calculated from the data provided directly in the study reports. Separate meta-analyses were conducted on effect sizes for differences between blacks and whites in daytime and nighttime systolic and diastolic blood pressure and nocturnal dip in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. To evaluate discrepancies in findings from studies involving American versus non-American blacks, overall meta-analyses as well as within-subset meta-analyses of black/white differences were conducted for comparisons involving American and non-American blacks. Results of overall meta-analyses indicate that blacks experience higher levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, both at night and during the day. These differences were significantly greater at night than during the day (P<0.05). Results of within-subset analyses involving American blacks mirrored those for all black/white comparisons, except that the effect of race on nocturnal dip, ie, that American blacks experienced less of a dip in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure at night, was significant (P<0.05). In contrast, the effect of race on nocturnal dip was not significant for comparisons involving non-American blacks. These results suggest a consistent difference in the chronobiology of blood pressure, particularly in American blacks.
Motivation and its Relationship to Neurocognition, Social Cognition, and Functional Outcome in Schizophrenia

Objective A burgeoning area of research has focused on motivational deficits in schizophrenia, producing hypotheses about the role that motivation plays in the well-known relationship between neurocognition and functional outcome. However, little work has examined the role of motivation in more complex models of outcome that include social cognition, despite our increased understanding of the critical role of social cognition in community functioning in schizophrenia, and despite new basic science findings on the association between social cognitive and reward processing in neural systems in humans. Using path analysis, we directly contrasted whether motivation 1) causally influences known social cognitive deficits in schizophrenia, leading to poor outcome or 2) mediates the relationship between social cognitive deficits and outcome in this illness.
The group discussion--a therapeutic modality of the occupational health service?

Because of existing difficulties in communication among various groups of health care professionals at a metropolitan university medical centre, the medical director of the occupational health service (OHS) undertook a series of group discussions among non-speaking factions. With a freedom to voice all complaints, the existing difficulties were reviewed and, at the end of such sessions, the previously waning academic and support segments were able to communicate once again and work cooperatively. Such sessions were held with affiliating student nurses, nurse faculty members, administrators and a variety of academics. Because of the success of these intramural sessions, word spread to the community, and comparable groups were gathered to determine specific job problems and fractures in the communications structures. Such group discussions can be held with a small number of attendees or with large gatherings of professionals. The modality is recommended as an undertaking by the OHS provided the specific skill or talent is present for such leadership. The end results are more effective management and better patient care.
Surgery for Rectal Prolapse: Functional Outcome from the Perineal Approach — An Overview

Numerous approaches to the treatment of rectal prolapse have been described throughout the history of medicine. Rectal prolapse is often associated with functional disorders such as constipation and/or incontinence [1]. Recognition of this association and careful evaluation of baseline function is critical to providing appropriate therapy. Both abdominal and perineal variants of rectal prolapse repair have been examined in a growing body of literature. These reports have intended to determine both short- and long-term functional outcomes associated with a multitude of approaches to rectal prolapse surgery. This overview provides evidence to aid the clinician in surgical decision making when faced with the patient in need of operative repair. Surgical therapy of rectal prolapse is often not standard, but rather, tailored after careful consideration of the patient’s operative risk, life expectancy, associated functional disorders, and previous operative history.
Quantifying Pepper Maggot (Diptera: Tephritidae) Oviposition and Infestation Over Time

In 1998 and 1999, pepper maggot flies, Zonosemata electa (Say), were excluded from pepper plants with row covers for 0–6 wk after initial oviposition was detected. The proportion of oviposition attempts (scars) and larval infestation that occurred each week and the cumulative oviposition and infestation over time were determined. Due to environmental factors, initial oviposition was delayed, and the numbers of oviposition scars on fruit and flies caught on traps were lower in 1998 than in 1999. The proportions of scarred or infested fruit were low (<8% of total) during the first 7 d after the pest was detected each year. Oviposition peaked 8–14 d after beginning in 1998, but not until 21–28 d after the initial scar was detected in 1999. Because systemic insecticides tend to provide control of adults and most hatching larvae, it may be possible to delay the initial insecticide application for up to a week after oviposition commences and still minimize fruit damage. There was no association with either year between the proportion of flies captured on traps and the proportion of oviposition scars on fruit the same week or 1 and 2 wk later.
Electrophysiology of 5‐HT1A receptors in the rat hippocampus and cortex

Electrophysiological recordings from hippocampus and cortex have demonstrated that one of the most prominent effects of serotonin in these regions is a membrane hyperpolarization that effectively inhibits neuronal activity. The use of the in vitro brain slice preparation has allowed for detailed pharmacological and physiological studies of this response. Pharmacological analysis using agonists and antagonists indicates that these responses are mediated by activation of receptors of the 5-HT1A subtype. Buspirone, ipsapirone and 8-OHDPAT are all partial agonists at this receptor with 8-OHDPAT exhibiting an intrinsic activity approximately one-fourth that of serotonin. The ability of 5-HT1A receptor agonists to elicit a hyperpolarization is dependent on intracellular GTP, suggesting the involvement of a G protein in the transmembrane signalling mechanism. In agreement with this idea, injection of the stable GTP analog GTPγS renders the serotonin induced hyperpolarization irreversible, while GDPβS blunts its effects and pertussis toxin pretreatment blocks it. The 5-HT1A receptor induced hyperpolarization is mediated by an increase in potassium conductance. While the identity of the potassium channel remains to be determined, its basic characteristics identify it as belonging to a general class of inwardly rectifying G protein activated potassium channels ubiquitously distributed in neuronal and cardiac muscle tissues. In the rat hippocampus and cortex, most pyramidal cells co-express 5-HT1A with either 5-HT4 or 5-HT2 receptors, respectively, which in turn act to increase the ability of strong stimuli to excite these cells. As a result the net effect of serotonin on membrane excitability is dependent on the strength of incoming stimuli. Weak stimuli are depressed by the coactivation of these receptor subtypes while strong stimuli are enhanced. Thus the effects of selective 5-HT1A ligands are likely to depend not only on their direct effect on membrane excitability but also on how they alter ongoing serotonergic neurotransmission. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Supply of Quality Workers and the Demand for Quality in Jobs in Japan's Early Industrialization*

In the West, historical treatments of the rise of the factory system have always stressed the attitudes, pressures, and discontents of the workers. Despite this historical interest most economic analysis of early European and American industrialization has stressed changes not in the supply but in the demand for labor, particularly technological developments, capital accumulation, and the opening of markets. Not surprisingly, the few systematic international historical comparisons of labor supply which have been made have come up with widely diverse conclusions. Morris (1960) concludes explicitly that labor supply was a “slack variable” and extends this assertion not only to India (1855-1914) but to Great Britain (17701830) and remarkably to New England (17921840): “In no case did the shortage of skilled labor . . . inhibit the pace at which the industry would otherwise have expanded . . . I think it is safe to say that the supply of raw unskilled labor was never an inhibiting factor in economic growth.” In contrast Gerschenkron (1%2) has made the inelasticity of the supply of such labor in the early stages of development, regardless of national demographics, a foundation block in his understanding of the industrial development of the various continental European countries. Lacking the traits of stability, reliability, and discipline, it is argued the underemployed peasants and urban poor of nineteenth-century Central and Eastern Europe did not necessarily translate into a ready supply of labor for the newly borrowed Western European factory system. For Japan, quite unlike the experience of Europe and the United States, historical economists and economic historians have not neglected the description and economic analysis of the supply of labor in early industrialization. Drawing on an already venerable Marxist tradition in the 1920s and 193Os, academic members of the two Marxist factions, the
Does infant memory expression reflect age at encoding or age at retrieval

Do human infants express a memory acquired earlier in ontogeny in a manner appropriate to their age at encoding or their age at the time of retrieval? To answer this, we exploited the fact that retention is highly context dependent at 6 months but not at 8–9 months of age. Six-month-olds learned an operant response in one context, and their memory was maintained by monthly reinstatements in the original context. At 8 or 9 months of age, 1 month after the last (or only) reinstatement, infants were tested in either the same or a different context. During testing, infants' retention was no longer context dependent; rather, they responded robustly in both test contexts. These results revealed that infants expressed a memory acquired when they were younger in a manner appropriate to their test age. They were interpreted in terms of changes in the functional significance of context before and after infants self-locomote. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 42: 283–291, 2003.
Growth of FasL-bearing tumor cells in syngeneic murine host induces apoptosis and toxicity in Fas(+) organs

In the current study, we investigated whether the growth of FasL-bearing tumor cells would induce apoptosis and toxicity in organs that express high level of Fas. Sera from C57BL/6 +/+ (wild-type) mice injected with syngeneic FasL(+) tumors, LSA, or EL-4, showed significantly higher levels of soluble FasL than that from the nontumor-bearing mice. Furthermore, the soluble FasL was functional inasmuch as the sera from tumor-bearing mice were able to induce apoptosis in Fas(+) but not Fas(-) targets. Histopathologic studies and in situ TUNEL assay to detect apoptosis were carried out in C57BL/6 +/+ (Fas(+)) or C57BL/6 lpr/lpr (Fas(-)) mice injected with syngeneic LSA and EL-4 tumor cells. The morphology of the liver and thymus from tumor bearing C57BL/6 +/+ mice showed marked damage and tissue destruction. In contrast, the liver and thymus from tumor-bearing C57BL/6 lpr/lpr mice showed minimal damage. Furthermore, the tumor-bearing C57BL/6 +/+, but not the C57BL/6 lpr/lpr, mice exhibited significant apoptosis in the liver and thymus. The FasL responsible for toxicity was tumor derived rather than host derived; tumor-bearing C57BL/6 gld/gld (FasL-defective) mice also exhibited significant apoptosis in the liver and thymus. Together, these data suggested that the in vivo growth of FasL-bearing tumor cells can induce significant apoptosis and toxicity in Fas(+) tissues of the host. Such toxicity may be mediated by the soluble FasL produced by tumor cells. (Blood. 2000;95:2111-2117)
Distribution Channels with Multiple Outlets

Automated furrow or corrugation systems are usually designed to allow simultaneous discharge from several essentially identical outlets equally spaced along a graded open supply ditch. In order to insure approximately equal outflow from each of the several operating outlets, it is necessary that the head on all outlets be nearly equal. The required minimum head can be estimated using mass continuity and the gradually and rapidly varied flow equations. In the case of zero-slope channels, which are used as distributories only, the design problem is to find a minimum spile elevation that will allow a suitable minimum head on the spiles. Both of these problems are solved in the paper through application of mass continuity and the gradually and rapidly varied flow equations. For the case of the graded bays, a minimum design head on the spiles of 0.21 ft (0.064 m) insures that the flow from a spile flow by not more than 10% over a wide range of channel slopes, irrigation heads, outlet spacings, bay lengths, and roughness coefficients. The calculations for zero-slope channels result in a series of curves.
Infrared fiber optic probes for evaluation of musculoskeletal tissue pathology

Musculoskeletal pathology of the knee commonly occurs with aging and as a result of injury. The incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries continues to increase annually, and may precede the eventual onset of osteoarthritis (OA), a debilitating and prevalent disease characterized by cartilage degeneration. Early detection of OA remains elusive, with current imaging methods lacking adequate sensitivity to detect early pathologic cartilage changes. We used mid- and near- infrared (IR) spectroscopy through arthroscopic-based fiber-optic devices to assess cartilage damage and differentiate tendon from ligament. Mid-IR spectroscopy is characterized by distinct bands and low penetration depth (< 10 μm) and near-IR spectroscopy is characterized by complex overlapping bands and greater penetration depths (< 1 cm). We have found that combined mid- and near-IR analysis greatly extends the information available through either in the analysis of soft tissues, including cartilage, ligaments and tendons. We discuss here basic science studies and the potential for translation to clinical research with novel arthroscopic probes.
Overview of clinically important anaerobes.

The vast majority of anaerobic infections arise from the indigenous flora of the host; there are several hundred different species in this flora, the majority of which can be involved in infection under certain circumstances. This fact, along with the fact that most anaerobic infections are associated with a polymicrobial and often complex flora, means that it is very helpful for clinicians and microbiologists to know which of these organisms is most important in the infectious process. Clinicians use this information to direct therapy and to help determine the patient's prognosis. Microbiologists use this information to determine the most suitable media and tests to use for isolation and rapid presumptive identification. As a rule, the organisms of greatest importance are those that are most virulent and/or most resistant to antimicrobial agents generally employed in therapy for anaerobic or mixed infections, as well as those present in largest numbers. This brief report reviews the anaerobes most important in clinically significant infections. Gram-negative anaerobic bacilli are the anaerobes most commonly encountered in clinical infections; they are found in more than one-half of clinical specimens yielding anaerobes. Genera of gram-negative anaerobic bacilli of importance include Bacteroides, Prevotella, Porphyromonas, Fusobacterium, and, to a lesser extent, Bilophila, Actinobacillus, Capnocytophaga, and Leptotrichia. The Bacteroides fragilis group organisms are the anaerobes most commonly recovered from clinical infections and are more resistant to anti-
The Value of Dynamic Enchanced MR Imaging with Gd-DTPA in Diagnosis ofProstatic Carcinoma and Differentiation from Benign Hyperplasia

Objective To evaluate the value of dynamic enhancement MR imaging in the diagnosis of prostaic carcinoma and differentiation from hyperplasia.Methods 10 cases of carcinoma and 30 cases of hyperplasia were proved by pathologic perform conventional plain scan,dynamic and lately enhancement,to observe alteration of signal intense of prostate in dynamic MRI,and to draw the time-signal intensity curve of carcinoma and hyperplasia.Results In processing of dynamic,5 of carcinoma were enhanced in early,4 were not obvious.Peak value of prostate carcinoma was located on early phase and middle phase.Most hyperplasia of central gland was located on late phase.Conclusion Dynamic enhanced MRI make the difference between carcinoma and other tissue obvious and make that observation is more clear,it is also useful for differentiation carcinoma from hyperplasia.
Influence of High Stress on Values of Non-stress Meter of Arch Dams

Based on the monitoring data of non-stress meters in an ultra-high arch dam,the changing process of stress by means of the non-stress meters is discussed.The possible causes for this anomaly are analyzed.The stress of the concrete in the barrel of the non-stress meters is calculated.The influence of high stress on the measured values of the non-stress meters is preliminarily discussed.
Study on Selection Method of External Insulation and Insulator Type Selection for 750 kV Transmission and Transformation Equipment in High Altitude Area

Polluted external insulation is the controlling factor for the selection of external insulation of the electrical equipments used in the 750 kV transmission lines. The problem has become more serious in high altitude areas with lower air pressure. According to the requirements of the 750 kV demonstration project in China, four types of 210 kN and 300 kN porcelain insulators, four types of 210 kN and 300 kN glass insulators and three kinds of the post insulators with different shed types have been tested in different altitudes and different pollution levels. Meanwhile, the flashover characteristics of the composite insulators in different altitudes have been studied. Comparisons of flashover characteristics between the post insulators covered with RTV or without RTV are carried out. Specific creepage distance method and withstand voltage method are adopted to select the suspension and post insulators in different pollution levels and different altitudes. As a result, the three-shed-suspension insulators and two-shed-suspension insulators are recommended for the transmission lines. The three-shed-post insulators with deep grooves are recommended for the substations. The results have shown that the pollution resistance performances of composite insulators have advantages over that of the porcelain and glass insulators. So they are recommended in high altitude area with heavy pollution.
Realization of second-order band-pass filter based on MCDI

A methodology to realize second-order band-pass filter using MCDI is presented. At first, the characteristics of MCDI using PMOS input transistors and proposed filter which employs MCDI are analyzed. The filter composed of this kind of integrator not only can tune the center frequency in a wide range through tuning the bias current of the integrator, but also can greatly enhance characteristic of SNR, simulation results predict second-order band-pass filter corrective and effective which dissipates as little as 0.28mW power or so with 3.3V power supply using Taiwan TSMC 2-poly,4-metal(2P4M), 0.35mm CMOS technology.
An Empirical Framework for Breast Screening Bundled Payments

Abstract Purpose In an effort to curb health care costs and improve the quality of care, bundled payment models are becoming increasingly adopted, but to date, they have focused primarily on treatment episodes and primary care providers. To achieve current Medicare goals of transitioning fee-for-service payments to alternative payment models, however, a broader range of patient episodes and specialty physicians will need opportunities to participate. The authors explore breast cancer screening episodes as one such opportunity. Methods The authors developed a bundled payment model for breast cancer screening and calibrated it using both a national sample of retrospective Medicare claims data and data from a private health system. The model includes alternative screening episode definitions, methods for calibrating prices, and an examination of risk and can serve as a general framework on which other cancer screening bundles could be crafted. Results The utilization of services associated with breast cancer screening and diagnosis is stable over time. The inclusion of high-risk patients in breast screening bundles did not cause substantial changes in estimated bundle prices. However, prices are sensitive to the choice of services included in the bundle. Conclusions Breast cancer screening may provide a mechanism to expand the use of bundled payments in radiology and could serve as a framework for other episodic specialty bundles. Because screening bundles include costs for follow-up diagnostic imaging in addition to the initial screening mammographic examination, patient adherence to screening guidelines may improve, which may have profound effects on public health.
The American Divorce Rate

THE INDICATORS. The basic fact about the American divorce rate is that it is rising. The number of divorces per 1,000 married women has risen annually since 1960. Before that annual divorce rates fell somewhat during the late 1930s, rose to a sharp peak after World War II, and fell until the late 1950s. In 1977, the most recent year for which final divorce statistics have been published, 1,091,000 divorces were granted, 21.1 per 1,000 married women. Figure 1 charts the course of the annual divorce rate from 1930 to 1976.
An enhanced, system-centric, fully hierarchical design method to enable nanometer system-on-chip IC development

System-on-chip (SoC) design requirements - including project scale, design content and the technical requirements for successful design - are growing concurrently and, in many cases, exponentially. Business success increasingly requires first-to-market delivery of innovative and competitive new products with rapid ramp to volume production. In many cases, the manufacturing life of individual designs is trending downwards, from many years to (typically) about one year. Recent design experience in developing several industry-first SoCs - as it relates to improvements in design methods, new design technologies, design methodology, and the circuit and chip electrical and physical design techniques which contributed to first silicon success - is presented. The results enabled successful attainment of business and technical objectives set for the designs.
A multi-objective optimization model for retrofit strategies to mitigate direct economic loss and population dislocation

One strategy to mitigate social and economic vulnerabilities of communities to natural disasters is to enhance the current infrastructure underlying the community. Decisions regarding allocation of limited resources to improve infrastructure components are complex and involve various trade-offs. In this study, an efficient multi-objective optimization model is proposed to support decisions regarding building retrofits within a community. In particular, given a limited budget and a heterogeneous commercial and residential building stock, solutions to the proposed model allow a detailed analysis of the trade-offs between direct economic loss and the competing objective of minimizing immediate population dislocation. The developed mathematical model is informed by earthquake simulation modeling as well as population dislocation modeling from the field of social science. The model is applied to the well-developed virtual city, Centerville, designed collaboratively by a team of engineering experts, eco...
The risk of febrile neutropenia and need for G-CSF primary prophylaxis with the adjuvant docetaxel and cyclophosphamide in patients with early-stage breast cancer: A meta-analysis.

e20707 Background: The reported febrile neutropenia (FN) rates with the regimen of docetaxel 75mg/m2 plus cyclophosphamide 600mg/m2 (TC) given every 3 weeks vary from 4% to 69% in early-stage breas...
Abstract 244: Regenerative Metabolome and Energetic Signaling Mechanisms Governing Heart Renewal Capacity

The mammalian heart loses its regenerative potential within a week after birth. Although under certain circumstances adult cardiomyocytes can re-enter the cell cycle, initiate DNA synthesis and progress towards mitosis, however, they do not complete a conventional mitosis cycle and proceed towards endomitosis resulting in polyploidy. This suggests that high-energy dependent steps in cell cycle and myofibrillar disassembly are malfunctioning in adult cardiomyocytes. It is known that nucleotide-based energetic signaling and metabolic environment are critical for initiation of tissue regeneration after injury. The regulatory mechanisms and energetic-metabolic signaling circuits that govern cardiomyocyte cell cycle withdrawal and binucleation are poorly understood. Using mouse neonatal (2 and 10 days) hearts, with high and low regenerative capacity, respectively, we have determined metabolomic profiles and dynamics of phosphotransfer circuits and AMP-signaling using 18O-phosphoryl labeling mass-spectrometric and 18O-assisted 31P NMR techniques. The results demonstrate that loss of heart regenerative capacity 10 days after birth is associated with marked changes in heart metabolome and adenylate kinase (AK)-catalyzed phosphotransfer flux. Among most altered metabolites were putrescine and myo-inositol, involved in tissue regeneration, Krebs cycle and amino acid metabolites, creatinine, glucose-6-phosphate and lactate indicating rearrangements in energy and substrate metabolic systems. AK flux was the only phosphotransfer flux significantly upregulated in hearts at 10 days of age along with increased in mitochondrial and glycolytic capacities and mitochondrial AK2 expression. Increased AK2 expression was associated with augmented AMP phosphorylation, measured by generation of β-ATP[18O], and reduction of AMPK activity. Thus, increased channeling of AMP into mitochondria and reduction of AK-AMP-AMPK signaling axis could contribute to the withdrawal from completion of cell cycle in terminally differentiated adult cardiomyocytes. The uncovered metabolic signaling mechanism opens new avenues for targeted regulation of heart regenerative potential critical for repair of injured hearts.
Implementing a Disaster Preparedness Curriculum for Medical Students.

Objectives Training in disaster medicine and preparedness is minimal or absent in the curricula of many medical schools in the United States. Despite a 2003 joint recommendation by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, few medical schools require disaster training for medical students. The challenges of including disaster training in an already rigorous medical school curriculum are significant. We evaluated medical students' experiences with mandatory disaster training during a 2-year period in a medical university setting. Methods Disaster training has been mandatory at Thomas Jefferson University since 2002 and requires all first-year medical students to attend lectures, undergo practical skills simulation training, and participate in the hospital's interdisciplinary disaster exercise. Medical students were encouraged to complete a survey after each component of the required training. Twenty-three survey questions focused on assessing students' experiences and opinions of the training, including evaluation of the disaster exercise. Students provided ratings on a 5-point Likert scale (5 = strongly agree, 1 = strongly disagree). Results A total of 503 medical students participated in the disaster preparedness curriculum during the course of 2 years. Survey response rates were high for each portion of the training: lectures (91%), skills sessions (84%), and disaster exercise (100%). Students believed that disaster preparedness should remain part of the medical school curriculum (rating 4.58/5). The disaster lectures were considered valuable (rating 4.26/5) and practical skills sessions should continue to be part of the first-year curriculum (4.97/5). Students also believed that participation in the disaster exercise allowed them to better understand the difficulties faced in a real disaster situation (4.2/5). Conclusions Our mandatory disaster preparedness training course was successfully integrated into the first-year curriculum >10 years ago and has been well received by students without compromising the existing university curriculum. Integrating interdisciplinary teams and course components important to other education stakeholders may help other schools overcome obstacles to implementing disaster medicine training. Future education research should focus on developing interdisciplinary education to help disseminate disaster medicine topics across all 4 years of medical school.
Friends in Activities, School-related Affect, and Academic Outcomes in Diverse Middle Schools

Participating in school-based activities is linked to positive academic engagement and achievement, but less is known about how peer relationships within activities affect these outcomes. The current study examined friends in extracurricular activities as a predictor of academic outcomes in multiethnic middle schools in California. Specifically, the mediating role of school belonging, and interactions by ethnicity and type of activity, were examined in a sample including African American or Black, East or Southeast Asian, White, and Latino youth in extracurricular activities (N = 2268; Mage = 13.36 in eighth grade; 54% female). The results of multilevel mediational models suggested that school belonging mediated the link between friends in activities and academic outcomes, and these findings replicated across groups based on ethnicity and the type of activity in which one was involved in general. These results are discussed in terms of how activities can be structured to promote positive peer relations in ways that are linked with academic engagement and achievement.
2. A PROGRAM'S EXPERIENCE WITH HEALER'S ART: FOSTERING COMPASSIONATE HEALING AND HUMAN CONNECTION

Background Resident well-being is a crucial issue in Pediatric Graduate Medical Education (GME). Many programs are seeking educational strategies and experiences that will foster resilience and well-being. Healer's Art (HA) is a program from the Remen Institute for the Study of Health and Illness (RISHI) used to provide professional formation for medical students who aspire to bring their passions and hearts into their work. Our residency is the first pediatric program to utilize this experimental curriculum in GME to our knowledge. Objective Determine new interns’ perceptions of the usefulness of participation in HA to their practice of medicine. Methods Interns, over each of the last two years, from our program participated in five 3-hour HA workshops during orientation and the first month of internship. Sessions explored “nurturing your wholeness”, “sharing grief and honoring loss”, “mystery and awe” and “service as a way of life”. Course evaluations validated in the literature in medical students were completed by the interns. Evaluations included ratings of the course and statements about course impact (from 1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree). We used mean (SD) to summarize responses and conducted thematic analysis of written comments. Year to year responses were compared. Results Twenty-four of thirty-one (77.4%) interns who participated completed evaluations. Quality of course faculty was rated highly overall at 4.6 with a SD of 0.7. Interns felt the course provided important content not available elsewhere in their training (4.3 [0.6]). As a result of the course they felt more committed to patient centered care (4.0 [0.8]), were more certain they belong in the profession (4.1 [0.7]), and felt more supportive of peers and colleagues (4.5 [0.7]). Themes included learning about ones’ emotions and recognizing that everyone struggles with similar feelings. The biggest challenges were time and returning to patient care after sessions. Conclusions HA in a residency program has perceived value to interns in the broad areas of empathy, patient centeredness and connectedness.
DIGITAL INNOVATION AND CRAFTSMANSHIP: THE CASE OF C. F. MARTIN & COMPANY

Craftsmanship is a concept often left unaddressed in the IT innovation literature. Further, this literature often fails to consider innovation that involves human labor on the shop floor. With the sheer volume of organizations that operate in craft-based industries, placing a strident focus upon craftsmanship and predominantly innovating on the shop floor, this is particularly concerning. This work therefore examines the influence of considered craftsmanship on the nature and consequences of digital innovation in the guitar manufacturing process at C. F. Martin & Company. We propose a model of innovation that incorporates the concept of the activity system, drawn from the field of activity theory. Individual innovations cause disturbances in actor-tooltask relationships (activity systems). This drives a series of reconfigurations, in an effort to eliminate said disturbances. Preliminary qualitative evidence is provided, supporting the proposed model, in the form of a series of semi-structured interviews.
How We Can Improve Diversity Training.

What stands in the way of using diversity training to truly transform students’ thinking about themselves in relation to people who are different? The authors suspect that the cognitive development...
High resolution approaches for the identification of amyloid fragments in brain.

Abstract Background: It is now widely recognized that endogenous, picomolar concentrations of the 42 amino acid long peptide, amyloid-β (Aβ42) is secreted under normal physiological conditions and exerts important functional activity throughout neuronal intracellular compartments. Transgenic animal models that overexpress Aβ42 and its precursor, amyloid precursor protein (APP), have not provided predictive value in testing new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), resulting in failed clinical trials. While these results are discouraging, they underscore the need to understand the physiological roles of Aβ42 and APP under normal conditions as well as at early pre- symptomatic stages of AD. New method: We describe the use of acrolein-perfusion in immunoelectron microscopy in combination with novel antibodies directed against endogenous murine Aβ42 and APP fragments to study abnormalities in the endolysosomal system at early stages of disease. The specific requirements, limitations and advantages of novel antibodies directed against human and murine Aβ42, APP and APP fragments are discussed as well as parameters for ultrastructural analysis of endolysosomal compartments. Results: Novel antibodies and a detailed protocol for immunoelectron microscopy using acrolein as a fixative are described. Acrolein is shown to preserve intraneuronal Aβ42 species, as opposed to paraformaldehyde fixed tissue, which primarily preserves membrane bound species. Comparison with existing method(s): Technology sensitive enough to detect endogenous Aβ42 under physiological conditions has not been widely available. We describe a number of novel and highly sensitive antibodies have recently been developed that may facilitate the analysis of endogenous Aβ42. Conclusions: Using novel and highly specific antibodies in combination with electron microscopy may reveal important information about the timing of aberrant protein accumulation, as well as the progression of abnormalities in the endolysosomal systems that sort and clear these peptides.
Characterizations of safety in hybrid inclusions via barrier functions

This paper investigates characterizations of safety in terms of barrier functions for hybrid systems modeled by hybrid inclusions. After introducing an adequate definition of safety for hybrid inclusions, sufficient conditions using continuously differentiable as well as lower semicontinuous barrier functions are proposed. Furthermore, the lack of existence of autonomous and continuous barrier functions certifying safety, guides us to propose, inspired by converse Lyapunov theorems for only stability, nonautonomous barrier functions and conditions that are shown to be both necessary as well as sufficient, provided that mild regularity conditions on the system's dynamics holds.
From Gender Biases to Gender-Inclusive Design: An Empirical Investigation

In recent years, research has revealed gender biases in numerous software products. But although some researchers have found ways to improve gender participation in specific software projects, general methods focus mainly on detecting gender biases -- not fixing them. To help fill this gap, we investigated whether the GenderMag bias detection method can lead directly to designs with fewer gender biases. In our 3-step investigation, two HCI researchers analyzed an industrial software product using GenderMag; we derived design changes to the product using the biases they found; and ran an empirical study of participants using the original product versus the new version. The results showed that using the method in this way did improve the software's inclusiveness: women succeeded more often in the new version than in the original; men's success rates improved too; and the gender gap entirely disappeared.
Punishing Brady, Redeeming Brady: A Fantasy Theme Analysis Of Memes From The 2015 Deflategate Controversy

This research explores the memes from the 2015 Deflategate controversy shared via Twitter. Through the lens of Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT), and its associated method of Fantasy Theme Analysis, these memes illustrate four distinct fantasies that led to their creation: a fantasy related to mistrust of corporate powers, a fantasy relishing in the punishment of one of the NFL’s top football stars, a fantasy conceiving of Quarterback Tom Brady as an underdog hero, and a fantasy that conceives of Brady as a redeemed innocent. Most memes had a negative connotation rooted in the disposition theory of sports spectatorship, given that the “rules of the game” had been violated, regardless of the source, and this affects the vital, perceived “fairness” of the game. Overall, the memes showcase concern over the perceived heavy-handed enforcement by the NFL commissioner.
Ensuring Compliance With Quarantine by Undocumented Immigrants and Other Vulnerable Groups: Public Health Versus Politics.

A successful quarantine requires a high rate of compliance by individuals with potential exposure to a communicable disease.Many individuals would be reluctant to comply with a quarantine because t...
Many Intraoperative Monitoring Modalities Have Been Developed To Limit Injury During Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion (XLIF/MIS XLIF): Does That Mean XLIF/MIS XLIF Are Unsafe?

Background Extreme lateral interbody fusions (XLIF) and Minimally Invasive (MIS) XLIF pose significant risks of neural injury to the; lumbar plexus, ilioinguinal, iliohypogastric, genitofemoral, lateral femoral cutaneous, and subcostal nerves. To limit these injuries, many intraoperative neural monitoring (IONM) modalities have been proposed. Methods Multiple studies document various frequencies of neural injuries occurring during MIS XLIF/XLIF: plexus injuries (13.28%); sensory deficits (0-75%; permanent 62.5%); motor deficits (0.7-33.6%; most typically iliopsoas weakness (14.3%-31%)), and anterior thigh/groin pain (12.5-25%.-34%). To avoid/limit these injuries, multiple IONM techniques have been proposed. These include; using finger electrodes during operative dissection, employing motor evoked potentials (MEP), eliminating (no) muscle relaxants (NMR), and using "triggered" EMGs. Results In one study, finger electrodes for XLIF at L4-L5 level for degenerative spondylolisthesis reduced transient postoperative neurological symptoms from 7 [38%] of 18 cases (e.g. without IONM) to 5 [14%] of 36 cases (with IONM). Two series showed that motor evoked potential monitoring (MEP) for XLIF reduced postoperative motor deficits; they, therefore, recommended their routine use for XLIF. Another study demonstrated that eliminating muscle relaxants during XLIF markedly reduced postoperative neurological deficits/thigh pain by allowing for better continuous EMG monitoring (e.g. NMR no muscle relaxants). Finally, a "triggered" EMG study" reduced postoperative motor neuropraxia, largely by limiting retraction time. Conclusion Multiple studies have offered different IONM techniques to avert neurological injuries following MIS XLIF/XLIF. Does this mean that these procedures (e.g. XLIF/MIS XLIF) are unsafe?