cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Biologics Explosion Era

The application of nonsynthetic or natural tissue mesh in the reconstruction of the open abdominal wall after damage control had become rapidly widespread in the early twenty-first century. Despite their popularity, there are no compelling data comparing the effectiveness of these natural tissue alternatives with that of synthetic mesh repairs.
The Division of Household Labor

The performance of household labor has generally been regarded as an undesired, yet nonetheless necessary, activity within most households. On any given day in a typical household, meals must be prepared, laundry must be washed, floors and bathrooms need to be cleaned, and trash has to be carried out to the curb for pickup. Simply, no household can survive for long without having someone step in and perform the necessary chores. Of course, if the chores are assumed to be onerous and unpleasant, most individuals might be reluctant to take on the responsibility of performing them. Herein lies the dilemma within most households: who will do the chores?
Ultrathin Dielectrics in Silicon Microelectronics

The paper reviews recent progress and current scientific issues ultrathin gate dielectrics on silicon based devices. We discuss microstructural aspects and electrical defects of the Si02/Si interface, oxidation mechanism, the very initial stages of the interaction of oxygen with silicon surfaces in the “surface science” limit, roughness at the SiO2/Si interface and roughening that occurs during initial oxidation under certain conditions, hydrogen and deuterium in thin Si02 films, silicon oxynitridation and nitridation, “alternative” high-K dielectrics, and processing issues.
Piecewise Surface Regression Modeling in Intelligent Decision Guidance System

An intelligent decision guidance system which is composed of data collection, learning, optimization, and prediction is proposed in the paper. Built on the traditional relational database management system, the regression learning ability is incorporated. The Expectation Maximization Multi-Step Piecewise Surface Regression Learning (EMMPSR) algorithm is proposed to solve piecewise surface regression problem. The algorithm proves to outperform a few currently-used regression learning packages. Optimization and prediction are integrated to the system based on the learning outcome.
Longitudinal Associations of Falls and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults

Background and objectives Fall incidents and associated medical costs are increasing among older adults. This study examined longitudinal associations between older adults' falls status and depression at 2 time periods to further clarify bidirectional relationships. Methods We used the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) Waves 5 and 6 data and included sample persons (N = 6,299) who resided in the community or residential care facilities (not nursing homes) at both waves (T1 and T2). We employed multinomial logistic regression analysis to examine the association of T2 falls status with T1 depressive symptoms, and negative binomial regression and logistic regression analyses to examine the association of T2 depressive symptoms with stability/change in T1-T2 falls status. Results Over the study period, 46% of older adults (18 million Medicare beneficiaries) who lived in the community or residential care facilities reported a fall. T1 depressive symptoms were significantly associated with greater odds of T2 multiple falls, and increasing falls or continuing incidents of multiple falls between T1 and T2 were significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms and probable major depression at T2. Discussion and implications The significant bidirectional relationships between T1 depression and T2 multiple falls point to the importance of incorporating depression treatment in fall prevention programs for older adults at high risk of increasing/multiple falls.
Beyond Opioids for Pain Management in Adult Critically Ill Patients.

Critically ill patients commonly experience pain, and the provision of analgesia is an essential component of intensive care unit (ICU) care. Opioids are the mainstay of pain management in the ICU ...
Shape-fitting collagen-PLA composite promotes osteogenic differentiation of porcine adipose stem cells

Craniomaxillofacial bone defects can occur as a result of congenital, post-oncologic, and high-energy impact conditions. The scale and irregularity of such defects motivate new biomaterials to promote regeneration of the damaged bone. We have recently described a mineralized collagen scaffold capable of instructing stem cell osteogenic differentiation and new bone infill in the absence of traditional osteogenic supplements. Herein, we report the integration of a millimeter-scale reinforcing poly (lactic acid) frame fabricated via 3D-printing into the mineralized collagen scaffold with micron-scale porosity to form a multi-scale mineralized collagen-PLA composite. We describe modifications to the PLA frame design to increase the compressive strength (Young's Modulus, ultimate stress and strain) of the composite. A critical challenge beyond increasing the compressive strength of the collagen scaffold is addressing challenges inherent with the irregularity of clinical defects. As a result, we examined the potential for modifying the frame architecture to render the composite with increased compressive strength in one axis or radial compressibility and shape-fitting capacity in an orthogonal axis. A library of mineralized collagen-PLA composites was mechanically characterized via compression testing and push-out test to describe mechanical performance and shape-fitting capacity. We also report in vitro comparison of the bioactivity of porcine adipose derived stem cells in the mineralized collagen-PLA composite versus the mineralized collagen scaffold via metabolic activity, gene expression, and functional matrix synthesis. The results suggest that incorporation of the PLA reinforcing frame does not negatively influence the osteoinductive nature of the mineralized collagen scaffold. Together, these findings suggest a strategy to address often competing bioactivity, mechanical strength, and shape-fitting design requirements for biomaterials for craniomaxillofacial bone regeneration.
Fit of role involvement with values: Theoretical, conceptual, and psychometric development of work and family authenticity

Abstract Scholars acknowledge the importance of authenticity to the work-family interface, yet the construct is underdeveloped and measures are lacking. We provide a conceptual definition of work (and family) authenticity- extent to which one's time, energy, and attention to work (and family) are consistent with life values. We develop, refine, and test the psychometric properties of a measure. Using over time data, we find that work-to-family conflict negatively relates to family authenticity, and work-to-family enrichment positively relates to work and family authenticity. Further, polynomial regression results suggest that balance satisfaction is higher when work and family authenticity are similar and high than when work and family authenticity are similar and low. Work and family authenticity also uniquely predict employee attitudes (i.e., job satisfaction, organizational commitment, life satisfaction) and family outcomes (i.e., spouse-rated employee work-family balance and family performance), above and beyond work-family conflict, enrichment, and balance satisfaction. Among these constructs, relative weights analyses revealed that work authenticity was the most important predictor of job attitudes, and family authenticity was the second most important predictor of life satisfaction and most important predictor of family performance as rated by partners. Future research, theoretical, and practical implications are discussed.
A grain boundary damage model for delamination

Intergranular failure in metallic materials represents a multiscale damage mechanism: some feature of the material microstructure triggers the separation of grain boundaries on the microscale, but the intergranular fractures develop into long cracks on the macroscale. This work develops a multiscale model of grain boundary damage for modeling intergranular delamination--a failure of one particular family of grain boundaries sharing a common normal direction. The key feature of the model is a physically-consistent and mesh independent, multiscale scheme that homogenizes damage at many grain boundaries on the microscale into a single damage parameter on the macroscale to characterize material failure across a plane. The specific application of the damage framework developed here considers delamination failure in modern Al---Li alloys. However, the framework may be readily applied to other metals or composites and to other non-delamination interface geometries--for example, multiple populations of material interfaces with different geometric characteristics.
Legitimate Medicine in the Age of Consumerism

From the opioid epidemic and medical marijuana to abortion restrictions and physician-assisted suicide, disputes over the proper uses of medicine loom large in American life. Nowhere is this conflict more apparent than in federal drug control policy, which is premised on a clear distinction between legitimate “medical” uses and illicit “abuse.” Yet the Controlled Substances Act defines neither of these foundational concepts. While it is tempting to imagine medicine’s scope is limited to treating or preventing disease – rendering nontherapeutic drug use “abuse” – in fact medical practice has always included interventions that are not aimed at healing. This trend has only accelerated as medical practice has become increasingly consumer-oriented. From Adderall to Xanax, patients now routinely seek prescriptions not to treat diagnosable illnesses, but to relieve stress, improve productivity, and otherwise enhance quality of life. As physicians increasingly prescribe psychoactive drugs to help healthy people obtain desirable mental states, distinguishing legitimate drug use from recreational abuse becomes ever more difficult. Having failed to acknowledge this challenge, the DEA, courts, and scholars have not offered a principled way to make this distinction, rendering drug control policy increasingly incoherent. As a result, doctors face criminal prosecution without clear standards governing prescribing, potentially valuable interventions are arbitrarily barred from the market, and millions seek the benefits of drugs without professional medical guidance to mitigate their risks. Rather than being limited to therapeutic aims, medicine is better understood as the application of a loosely-defined set of knowledge and interventions that the law entrusts to specific professionals, with accompanying duties to use these tools to benefit patients. Medical practice includes treating and preventing illnesses, but can also include enhancing social and cognitive functioning and promoting the well-being of people whose challenges do not rise to the level of disorders. Discarding a narrow conception of medicine does not require abandoning the enforcement of drug laws or the policing of doctors. But acknowledging the expansiveness of medicine’s domain does argue for clarifying the scope of physicians’ criminal liability and pursuing new strategies for harnessing drugs’ benefits while mitigating their risks.
Preventive Health Application to Increase Breastfeeding.

Background: Mother-infant dyads are not meeting recommended breastfeeding goals. There is lack of consensus regarding any program's ability to increase breastfeeding duration to meet the recommended guidelines, and effective strategies are needed moving forward to help families meet those goals. Primary prevention utilizing consistent visits with lactation professionals with a group of new mothers may efficiently address this care gap. Methods: Mother-infant dyads attending a newborn care clinic for 6 weeks received feeding assessment and standard-of-care guidance from an Internationally Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Regression analysis was completed with outcome variables "exclusive direct breastfeeding" (EDB) and "any breastfeeding" (AB) at 6 weeks postpartum (PP) and odds ratios were calculated. Results: The number and timing of IBCLC visits was correlated with EDB at 6 weeks PP. Maternal/infant dyads seen at day 3 had 2.5 times higher odds of EDB at 6 weeks than those not receiving IBCLC standard-of-care feeding assessment. Dyads seen at days 3 and 14 had 3.4 times higher odds of EDB than those with less follow-up. Bottle use correlated with decreased odds of AB at 6 weeks PP; similarly, dyads seen only at day 14 PP had decreased odds of EDB. When looking at timing of the first involvement, dyads seen at 3 days had higher odds of EDB than dyads first seen at day 14 PP. Conclusions: This primary prevention strategy of early minimal intervention using an IBCLC increased the odds of EDB and AB at 6 weeks PP. These data support the conclusion that early feeding assessment the first 2 weeks PP with an IBCLC may increase breastfeeding at 6 weeks PP.
A Value Assessment Engine for the International Space Station Program

The International Space Station (ISS) Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center commissioned RTI International to develop a system for identifying, tracking, and depicting the value of the results of research and development activities conducted aboard or for the ISS. The ISS is a unique scientific and technical asset, serving as the only platform for performing human-supervised experiments in microgravity and for generating knowledge and technology for longer-term human spaceflight. As with other major user facilities, however, the near-term outputs from ISS R&D—primarily scientific journal articles, patents, and datasets—do not always include specific acknowledgement of the ISS as an input to that work. To explain the value of the ISS to its stakeholders, NASA needs to find those outputs in a systematic and reliable manner, and then provide a way of explaining how those outputs offer evidence of the value generated by the ISS. In this paper, we explain (1) the different aspects of "value" generated by the ISS, (2) the methods developed to identify and analyze these three types of R&D output, and (3) novel indicators developed to provide a graphical representation of different perspectives on the scientific and technical value of ISS R&D activities.
Perceived barriers to physical activity during and after a behavioural weight loss programme

Background Most adults with overweight/obesity participating in behavioural weight loss (BWL) programmes never achieve prescribed physical activity (PA) levels. This study examined changes in PA barriers, their relationships with accelerometer-measured PA during and after a 12-month BWL programme, and associations between PA barriers and participant characteristics. Methods Adults (N = 283) in a BWL programme completed the Barriers to Being Active Quiz, a 21-item self-report measure that assesses seven perceived PA barriers, and they wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days at baseline and at 6 (midtreatment), 12 (end of treatment), 18 (6-mo follow-up), and 24 months (12-mo follow-up). Weight and height were measured, and demographic information was collected at baseline. Results Repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) revealed a significant quadratic effect of time on total PA barriers, P < .001, such that PA barriers decreased by midtreatment, remained below baseline levels by end of treatment, but increased to near-baseline levels by follow-up. Perceived PA barriers were negatively associated with baseline moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), P < .001, and decreases in perceived PA barriers were related to greater MVPA at 6 (P = .004), 12 (P < .001), and 24 months (P = .007). Participants who were younger, P = .02, and white, P = .009, reported more baseline barriers. Conclusions Perceived PA barriers meaningfully decreased during BWL treatment, which in turn was associated with greater MVPA. This pattern suggests that, on average, BWL effectively addresses perceived PA barriers, which contributes to increased PA. Future research should identify interventions to maintain decreases in barriers after end of treatment.
Web-Based Technology to Improve Disease Knowledge Among Adolescents With Sickle Cell Disease: Pilot Study

Background: Advancements in treatment have contributed to increased survivorship among children with sickle cell disease (SCD). Increased transition readiness, encompassing disease knowledge and self-management skills before transfer to adult care, is necessary to ensure optimal health outcomes. The Sickle Cell Transition E-Learning Program (STEP) is a public, Web-based, 6-module tool designed to increase transition readiness for youth with SCD. Objective: The objective of our study was to investigate the participation rate of youth with SCD in STEP and its association with transition readiness. Methods: This was a single-center, Institution Review Board–approved, retrospective cohort review. A total of 183 youths with SCD, aged between 12 and 15 years, were offered STEP as an adjunct to in-clinic disease education sessions. Participation rate (number of patients who used at least one STEP module divided by those approached) was calculated. The association among the number of STEP modules completed, disease knowledge, and self-management was explored. Results: Overall, 53 of the 183 approached adolescents completed at least one STEP module, yielding a participation rate in STEP of 29.0%. Of the 53 participants, 37 and 39 adolescents had disease knowledge and self-management confidence rating available, respectively. A positive correlation (r=0.47) was found between the number of STEP modules completed and disease knowledge scores (P=.003). No association was found between the number of modules completed and self-management confidence ratings. Disease knowledge scores were significantly higher among participants who completed ≥3 STEP modules compared with those who completed <3 STEP modules (U=149.00; P=.007). Conclusions: Improvement in disease knowledge in adolescence is critical to ensure the youth’s ability to self-care during the period of transition to adult care. Despite low participation, the cumulative exposure to the STEP program suggested greater promotion of disease knowledge among adolescents with SCD before transfer to adult care.
An Isosymmetric High-Pressure Phase Transition in α-Glycylglycine: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study.

We investigated the effects of hydrostatic pressure on α-glycylglycine (α-digly) using a combined experimental and theoretical approach. The results of powder X-ray diffraction show a change in com...
Breast Cancer Detection With Low-Dimensional Ordered Orthogonal Projection in Terahertz Imaging

This article proposes a new dimension reduction algorithm based on low-dimensional ordered orthogonal projection, which is used for cancer detection with terahertz (THz) images of freshly excised human breast cancer tissues. A THz image can be represented by a data cube with each pixel containing a high-dimensional spectrum vector covering several THz frequencies, where each frequency represents a different dimension in the vector. The proposed algorithm projects the high-dimensional spectrum vector of each pixel within the THz image into a low-dimensional subspace that contains the majority of the unique features embedded in the image. The low-dimensional subspace is constructed by sequentially identifying its orthonormal basis vectors, such that each newly chosen basis vector represents the most unique information not contained by existing basis vectors. A multivariate Gaussian mixture model is used to represent the statistical distributions of the low-dimensional feature vectors obtained from the proposed dimension reduction algorithm. The model parameters are iteratively learned by using unsupervised learning methods, such as Markov chain Monte Carlo or expectation maximization, and the results are used to classify the various regions within a tumor sample. Experiment results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves apparent performance improvement in human breast cancer tissue over existing approaches such as one-dimensional Markov chain Monte Carlo. The results confirm that the dimension reduction algorithm presented in this article is a promising technique for breast cancer detection with THz images, and the classification results present a good correlation with respect to the histopathology results of the analyzed samples.
VVSec: Securing Volumetric Video Streaming via Benign Use of Adversarial Perturbation

Volumetric video (VV) streaming has drawn an increasing amount of interests recently with the rapid advancements in consumer VR/AR devices and the relevant multimedia and graphics research. While the resource and performance challenges in volumetric video streaming have been actively investigated by the multimedia community, the potential security and privacy concerns with this new type of multimedia have not been studied. We for the first time identify an effective threat model that extracts 3D face models from volumetric videos and compromises face ID-based authentications To defend against such attack, we develop a novel volumetric video security mechanism, namely VVSec, which makes benign use of adversarial perturbations to obfuscate the security and privacy-sensitive 3D face models. Such obfuscation ensures that the 3D models cannot be exploited to bypass deep learning-based face authentications. Meanwhile, the injected perturbations are not perceivable by the end-users, maintaining the original quality of experience in volumetric video streaming. We evaluate VVSec using two datasets, including a set of frames extracted from an empirical volumetric video and a public RGB-D face image dataset. Our evaluation results demonstrate the effectiveness of both the proposed attack and defense mechanisms in volumetric video streaming.
Covid-19 in zambia: Implications for family, social, economic, and psychological well-being

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted Zambian life. Prior to the pandemic, persistent levels of inequality across urban/rural, educational, and socioeconomic divides characterized Zambia’s health and...
Front–End Architecture Design for Low-Complexity 3-D Ultrasound Imaging Based on Synthetic Aperture Sequential Beamforming

The 3-D ultrasound imaging provides distinct advantages over its 2-D counterpart leading to a more accurate analysis of tumors and cysts. However, the front end of a 3-D system must receive and process data at prodigious rates, making it impractical for power-constrained portable systems. Synthetic aperture sequential beamforming (SASB) is an ultrasound beamforming technique that splits the computation into two stages, such that the computation in Stage 1 can be completed in the power-constrained front end while the remaining computation can be done elsewhere. In this article, we present several algorithmic and architectural techniques to enable efficient computation of Stage 1 processing without compromising imaging quality. Specifically, we present algorithmic techniques that reduce the computational complexity in Stage 1 by $17\times $ through a systematic reduction in the number of apodization coefficients. We propose a 3-D die stacked architecture where the signals received by 961 active transducers are digitized, routed by a network-on-chip, and processed in parallel. This architecture does not require the explicit storage of incoming data samples. We synthesize the architecture using TSMC 28-nm technology node. The front-end power consumption is around 1.5 W, making it suitable for portable applications.
The Therapeutic Function of Testamentary Formality

Therapeutic jurisprudence is concerned with the psychological consequences of the law. This article uses this burgeoning field to analyze one aspect of the estate planning process, namely the formalities of will-execution. The article first identifies the positive and negative psychological consequences of the formalities that require valid wills to be written, signed, and witnessed. Although the analysis suggests that, when coupled with a rule of strict compliance, these formalities can negatively affect the testator’s psychological wellbeing, the article ultimately concludes that testamentary formality serves an overall therapeutic function. The article then examines various reforms of the law of wills, such as the proposals to reduce the formality of will-execution and to relax the law’s insistence on strict literal compliance, to determine whether these proposals bolster or diminish testamentary formality’s therapeutic function. The article argues that these proposals have important therapeutic ramifications, which policymakers should consider when evaluating whether to implement reform.
The Benefits of Living on Campus for Low-Income, First-Generation Students’ Belonging, Perceptions of Campus Climate, and Resilience

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of living on campus for first-year, first-generation students from low-income backgrounds. Using propensity score matching techniques with Multi...
Regulation of differentiation in CD5+ and conventional B cells : sensitivity to LPS-induced differentiation and interferon-γ-mediated inhibition of differentiation

Abstract We have analyzed the response of conventional and CD5+ B cells to the opposing signals delivered by LPS and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Cultured CD5+ B cells secrete more IgM than conventional B cells in response to low concentrations of LPS. This increase in LPS-induced IgM production is due to an increased precursor frequency of IgM-secreting cells in CD5+ B cells. The IgM-secreting clones derived from conventional splenic B cells or CD5+ peritoneal B cells exhibit similar kinetics of IgM secretion in response to LPS, and the amount of IgM produced per B cell clone was not higher in CD5+ B cells. Thus, the CD5+ B cell compartment produces more IgM in response to LPS because of increased activation of precursors at any given concentration of LPS. IFN-γ inhibits low-dose LPS-driven IgM secretion in both conventional and CD5+ B cells. IFN-γ mediates inhibition of IgM secretion by decreasing the precursor frequency of IgM secreting conventional or CD5+ B cells by threefold. IFN-γ also decreases the anti-ssDNA precursor frequency of LPS-driven splenic B cells from autoimmune NZB mice. This study documents an important role for IFN-γ in the regulation of polyclonal B cell activation and suggests that loss of IFN-γ activity may permit or promote excessive B cell activation.
PGC-1α gene transfer improves muscle function in dystrophic muscle following prolonged disease progress.

New Findings What is the central question of this study? Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) gene transfer as a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy is efficacious even with advanced disease. What is the main finding and its importance? PGC-1α pathway activation strategies may be most effective when initiated at the earliest possible time. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a progressive and fatal muscle wasting disease caused by a dystrophin deficiency. We previously found that gene transfer of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) increased abundance of utrophin and increased mitochondrial biogenesis using prevention and rescue treatment protocols. Our purpose in this investigation was to determine the extent to which PGC-1α gene transfer would rescue dystrophic muscle following prolonged disease progression. One-year-old mdx mice from our colony were injected in one hindlimb with a virus driving expression of PGC-1α, while the contralateral limb was injected with empty capsid. Three months after viral gene transfer, PGC-1α expression was 40-fold greater than in contralateral limbs. Specific tension was increased by ∼60% (P < 0.05), and force produced during the final contraction of a fatigue protocol was 60% greater in treated soleus muscles compared with contralateral control muscles (P < 0.05). Histopathology was not improved by PGC-1α overexpression. Also, while there were numerous differences in gene expression between healthy and dystrophic muscle, there were relatively few differences between PGC-1α-treated limbs and contralateral control limbs. These data indicate that PGC-1α pathway activation may interrupt the disease process even if initiated within the context of advanced disease; however, the mechanism that underlies this functional correction is not apparent.
Considerations for resting state functional MRI and functional connectivity studies in rodents

Resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) and functional connectivity mapping have become widely used tools in the human neuroimaging community and their use is rapidly spreading into the realm of rodent research as well. One of the many attractive features of rs-fMRI is that it is readily translatable from humans to animals and back again. Changes in functional connectivity observed in human studies can be followed by more invasive animal experiments to determine the neurophysiological basis for the alterations, while exploratory work in animal models can identify possible biomarkers for further investigation in human studies. These types of interwoven human and animal experiments have a potentially large impact on neuroscience and clinical practice. However, impediments exist to the optimal application of rs-fMRI in small animals, some similar to those encountered in humans and some quite different. In this review we identify the most prominent of these barriers, discuss differences between rs-fMRI in rodents and in humans, highlight best practices for animal studies, and review selected applications of rs-fMRI in rodents. Our goal is to facilitate the integration of human and animal work to the benefit of both fields.
Mediating Athabascan Oral Traditions in Postsecondary Classrooms

This article describes how three versions of a Deg Hit’an Athabascan narrative are used in a pre-service teacher education course entitled “Alaska Native Education” at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Use of both written and videotaped versions of this narrative, told by the late Belle Deacon, a Deg Hit’an storyteller formerly of Grayling, Alaska, facilitates students’ understandings of the roles of oral traditions in educational processes for Alaska Native people. Students also gain an understanding of Athabascan worldviews; emphasized within these worldviews are the values of learning and honoring relationships as part of Athabascan educational processes.
Structure of the SHV-1 beta-lactamase.

The X-ray crystallographic structure of the SHV-1 β-lactamase has been established. The enzyme crystallizes from poly(ethylene glycol) at pH 7 in space group P212121 with cell dimensions a = 49.6 A, b = 55.6 A, and c = 87.0 A. The structure was solved by the molecular replacement method, and the model has been refined to an R-factor of 0.18 for all data in the range 8.0−1.98 A resolution. Deviations of model bonds and angles from ideal values are 0.018 A and 1.8°, respectively. Overlay of all 263 α-carbon atoms in the SHV-1 and TEM-1 β-lactamases results in an rms deviation of 1.4 A. Largest deviations occur in the H10 helix (residues 218−224) and in the loops between strands in the β-sheet. All atoms in residues 70, 73, 130, 132, 166, and 234 in the catalytic site of SHV-1 deviate only 0.23 A (rms) from atoms in TEM-1. However, the width of the substrate binding cavity in SHV-1, as measured from the 104−105 and 130−132 loops on one side to the 235−238 β-strand on the other side, is 0.7−1.2 A wider than i...
The Effects of Computer Mediated Communication on an Individual's Judgment: A Study Based on the Methods of Asch's Social Influence Experiment

Abstract Because of the importance placed on social influence in the group process, this study investigates how the exclusion of the contextual cues provided by face-to-face interaction influences individual judgments in computer mediated contexts. The study employs a computerized revision of the classic procedures of Asch's “majority against a minority of one” investigation. The results of the study indicate that computer mediated communication is likely to diminish the effects of social pressures to conform to majority judgments.
Mechanism of GM-CSF stimulation of neutrophils

Hemopoiesis, the development of functional blood cells, requires the action of colony-stimulating factors to promote the survival and stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of progenitor cells in the bone marrow [1-3]. Human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a 22,000-dalton glycoprotein produced by T lymphocytes, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts: the gene has been cloned in yeast, Escherichia coli, and monkey Cos cells [4-7]. GM-CSF, together with interleukin-3 and other colony-stimulating factors, promotes the growth and differentiation of colonyforming units for granulocytes (neutrophils and eosinophils), erythrocytes, monocytes, and megakar3"ocytes (fig. 1). It is of special importance in the maturation of myeloid precursors to both granulocytes and monocytes; low concentrations of GM-CSF promote the formation only of macrophages, while high concentrations promote the granulocytic pathway [8].
Expression of a Nonpolymerizable Actin Mutant in Sf9 Cells

We have succeeded in expressing actin in the baculovirus/Sf9 cell system in high yield. The wild-type (WT) actin is functionally indistinguishable from tissue-purified actin in its ability to activ...
Maximal abelian quotient of certain cyclically presented groups arising from manifolds

Abstract The fundamental groups of certain 3−manifolds are cyclically presented. We consider the Maximal Abelian quotient, An, of the family of cyclically presented groups that are isomorphic to the fundamental group of certain Takahashi Manifolds. We show that these Maximal Abelian quotients are 2-generated, isomorphic to and have orders where Furthermore, we prove that °(A n ) satisfies the recurrence relation a1 = 1, a2 = 4h2 + 4h − 1, a3 = (3h3 + 3h − 1)2, an = (3h2 + 3h − 1)an − 1 −h(3h3 + 6h2 + 2h − 1)an − 2 + (h(h + 1))3 for n≥4.
Down-regulation of estrogen receptor immunoreactivity by 17 beta-estradiol in the guinea pig forebrain.

Low amplitude pulses of estradiol-17 beta (E2-17 beta) are more effective than large single bolus injections or constant exposure to E2-17 beta in inducing progesterone-facilitated sex behavior in female rats and guinea pigs. The present study examined whether the increased responsiveness to E2-17 beta is due to an increase in the number of estrogen receptors in the estrogen receptor rich areas of the hypothalamus and amygdala. Initial studies examined the rapid effects (20 min) of a high dose of E2-17 beta (50 micrograms) on estrogen receptor immunostaining using either the H222 antibody or the ER 21 antiserum. ER 21 immunostaining was not affected by the E2-17 beta treatment suggesting that it binds to both occupied and unoccupied estrogen receptors. Therefore the ER 21 antiserum was used to characterize the regulation of estrogen receptor immunoreactivity (ER-IR) by E2-17 beta. ER-IR was examined for 48 h and serum E2-17 beta for 24 h following a 2 micrograms s.c. injection of E2-17 beta (a dose similar to that used in multiple pulse paradigms). Serum E2-17 beta peaked 15 to 30 min following the injection and returned to baseline values by 1 h. In all but one area maximal suppression of ER-IR occurred at 12 h. In summary, 1) decreases in estrogen receptor immunoreactivity following E2-17 beta are consistent with studies in which estrogen receptors were assayed by binding assays and estrogen receptor mRNA was determined by in situ hybridization; 2) the ER 21 antiserum is able to detect both occupied and unoccupied estrogen receptors and 3) H222 immunoreactivity is influenced by the presence of E2-17 beta, so that the level of H222-IR is a reflection of ligand/receptor binding dynamics. The data suggest that up-regulation of estrogen receptors does not account for the increase in behavioral sensitivity which is observed following multiple pulses of E2-17 beta.
Suppression of Rhizoctonia and Pythium root rot of wheat by new strains of Pseudomonas

Abstract This study is part of an effort to identify new biological control agents with broad spectrum activity against pathogenic soilborne fungi and pests. New strains of Pseudomonas spp. were isolated from agricultural soils, river silt, and rhizosphere soils from herbarium specimens. Provisional species assignments based on 16S ribosomal DNA typing were: Pseudomonas borealis, Pseudomonas chlororaphis, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas mandelii, Pseudomonas marginalis, Pseudomonas poae, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas syringae and Pseudomonas vranovensis. We evaluated the strains for activity against root rot pathogens of wheat, with the view to discovery and deployment of new suppressive activities. Our objectives were to compare the strains relative to: (i) production of antifungal metabolites, (ii) suppression of Rhizoctonia and Pythium damage in greenhouse assays, (iii) plant growth promotion, and (iv) ability to colonize the wheat rhizosphere. Colonization assays showed that 11 strains rapidly established and maintained rhizosphere populations of ⩾log 5 CFU g−1 root. Strains 14B2R, 15G2R, 29G9R, 39A2R, 48G9R and Wood3R reduced disease symptoms of both Rhizoctonia solani AG-8 and Pythium ultimum, and the latter four also suppressed Rhizoctonia oryzae and Pythium irregulare. Four strains increased seedling shoot length and root weight but these growth promotion effects were correlated to disease suppression only for two strains. Finally, the strains differed in demonstrated and potential antifungal metabolite activities, indicating that no single factor could be correlated to disease suppression. We have identified several strains for genome sequencing and for long-term development of integrated management of soilborne diseases of wheat.
Bioelectrocatalytic self-assembled thylakoids for micro-power and sensing applications

Abstract Photosynthetic sub-cellular plant structures called thylakoid were immobilized onto a gold electrode surface that had been functionalized by bioelectrocatalytic self-assembled monolayers (bio-SAMs) of cystamine and pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ). The goal is to achieve direct transfer of electrons from thylakoids to the electrode via the bio-SAMs to increase the electrical efficiency of MEMS photosynthetic electrochemical cells (μPECs). The immobilization technique could also be used in MEMS bio-sensing and microbial fuel cell applications. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) was used to characterize the deposition kinetics of cystamine, PQQ, and thylakoids. Using QCM-D, the surface coverage of these three layers was determined to be, respectively, 7.9 × 10−10 mol/cm2, 3.3 × 10−10 mol/cm2, and 1.5 × 106 thylakoids/cm2. The cystamine and PQQ monolayers formed within 5 min, while the thylakoid layer required over 1 h. Each layer was shown to be covalently linked to the substrate or layer underneath and thus was able to survive repeated rinsing in water or buffer.
Adoption of American Indian Children: Implications for implementing the Indian Child Welfare and Adoption and Safe Families Acts

Abstract Two significant federal child welfare policies, The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) are largely unreconciled as existing services under the ICWA do not appear to emphasize permanency to the extent that ASFA requires. This study describes the pre-ASFA adoption patterns of American Indian children in California and provides the first analysis of the likelihood, type, and timing of adoption for American Indian children. The cohort was comprised of children who were less than 6 years old (n = 38,430) when they entered foster care. Kinship adoption was higher for American Indian/Alaskan Native children than most other children and was especially likely to be done by aunts and uncles rather than grandparents. However, the rate at which American Indian/Alaskan Native children remain in non-kinship foster care is substantially higher for Caucasian or Latino children. Policy and program implications are considered.
Effects of Body Surface Boundary and of Tissue Inhomogenelty on the Electrocardiogram of the Dog

The voltage-current relationship between intrathoracic ‘dipoles’ and body surface locations was examined in anesthetized dogs. Controlled currents were applied at body surface points, and potentials were recorded at the intrathoracic dipoles. A technique of fastening the electrodes to a cast made on the animal's torso permitted exact measurement of the torso and electrode geometry. The potentials recorded in the animal were compared with (1) an infinite-medium simulation performed on a digital computer, (2) a bounded- medium simulation performed in the plaster cast of each torso studied, and (3) a simulation involving a torso model containing heart and lungs. The correlation between recorded and simulated potentials was fair for the infinite-medium simulation, improved by the boundary, and further improved by the addition of inhomogeneity. Implications for electrocardiography are discussed.
Alteration of phospholipid composition of mouse liver microsomes in vivo and the effect on membrane properties

Abstract Administration of the methylation inhibitor periodate-oxidized adenosine to male Swiss-Webster mice on a choline-deficient diet produced a decrease (17%) in phosphatidylcholine to phosphatidylethanolamine ratios compared to saline-injected controls in liver, and also in kidney (11%), but not in muscle microsome preparations. Both intact liver microsomes and reconstituted membranes from lipid extracts showed a higher fluorescence anisotropy of the hydrophobic probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene than control samples in the temperature range of 20–31°C.
Burrow structure and use in the sand fiddler crab, Uca pugilator (Bosc)

Abstract Uca pugilator, the sand fiddler crab, constructs two kinds of burrows in protected, sandy upper-intertidal and supratidal substrates on the west coast of Florida. Temporary burrows are built and used as a refuge by non-breeding crabs during high tide periods and at night when crabs cease feeding in the intertidal zone. Breeding burrows are constructed and defended by courting males and are the site of mating, oviposition and the incubation of eggs by females. Up to three ovigerous females may be accommodated in a single breeding burrow, each female sequestered in a separate terminal chamber. The construction and defence of burrows specialized for breeding may be an adaptive response by males to the preferences females exhibit when selecting a breeding site.
An Analysis of the Accuracy of 120-h Predictions by the National Meteorological Center's Medium-Range Forecast Model

Abstract An assessment was made of the 120-h predictions by the medium range forecast (MRF) run of the National Meteorological Center's (NMC's) global spectral model. The ability of the model to forecast surface cyclones and anticyclones was evaluated and compared to shorter range (48 h) forecasts by the NMC Nested Grid Model (NGM) verifying at the same time. The study covers a period from 15 April 1991 through 20 December 1991 over a domain extending from 30°N to 50°N and from 60°W to 130°W. Results showed that the MRF at the 120-h range tended to underforecast the frequency of surface cyclones and anticyclones in the Rocky Mountain region and, in general, to forecast anticyclones and cyclones farther away from the observed systems than did the 48-h NGM verifying at the same time. The forecasts for central sea level pressures averaged within 1.5 hPa of the forecasts of pressure by the NGM. Averaged over regions and seasons, the 120-h MRF errors in many cases were statistically indistinguishable from the ...
Data-based construction of feedback-corrected nonlinear prediction model using feedback neural networks

Abstract We propose to fit a recurrent feedback neural network structure to input–output data through prediction error minimization. The recurrent feedback neural network structure takes the form of a nonlinear state estimator, which can compactly represent a multivariable dynamic system with stochastic inputs. The inclusion of the feedback error term as an input to the model allows the user to update the model based on feedback measurements in real-time uses. The model can be useful in a variety of applications including software sensing, process monitoring, and predictive control. A dynamic learning algorithm for training the recurrent neural network has been developed. Through some examples, we evaluate the efficacy of the proposed method and the prediction improvement achieved by the inclusion of the feedback error term.
Herpes PCR Testing and Empiric Acyclovir Use Beyond the Neonatal Period

BACKGROUND: Diagnostic strategies based on empirical testing and treatment to identify herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection in neonates may not be appropriate for older children in whom the most common presentation of severe infection is encephalitis, a rare and clinically recognizable condition. METHODS: Use of acyclovir in infants and children in 6 common non-HSV infection–related diagnosis-related groups was characterized between 1999 and 2012 at 15 US pediatric hospitals by using the Pediatric Health Information System database. Characteristics of non-neonatal patients at 1 institution tested for HSV encephalitis over a 6.5-year period were then analyzed to identify factors associated with potentially unnecessary testing and treatment. RESULTS: Acyclovir use increased from 7.6% to 15.6% ( P P P P 30 days old, with only 3 positive results (0.22%). Comparison of the 3 subjects with positive testing and 55 with negative testing revealed that all cases, but only 4% (95% confidence interval 1.2%–14.0%) of noncases had clinical characteristics typical of HSV encephalitis. CONCLUSIONS: Strategies for diagnosis and empirical treatment of suspected HSV encephalitis beyond the neonatal period have trended toward the approach common for neonates without evidence of an increase in disease incidence. This may result in increased medical costs and risk to patients.
Impact on aluminum plates by tumbling projectiles: Experimental study

Abstract An experimental investigation into the effects due to tumbling of 12.7 mm diameter, hard-steel, blunt-faced cylindrical projectiles with an L D ratio of 3 on the impact response of thin and moderately thick aluminum targets was performed. Projectiles were fired from a powder gun and tumbling motion was induced by a special generator. A high speed camera was employed to obtain data for the impact phenomena. Deformation patterns, failure phenomena and crater lengths of the targets as well as the final velocities and trajectories of the projectiles were correlated with initial kinematic information, such as the initial translational velocity, impact angle (or yaw angle with a zero oblique angle), oblique angle of the projectiles, and plate thickness which ranged from 4.8 to 12.7 mm. The range of velocities and impact angles was 300–600 m/s and 0–50°, respectively. It was found that the impact angle plays a major role in the penetration process. The impact angle can reduce the penetration capability and change the trajectory of the projectile substantially. Impact at an angle above 50° has almost the same effect as side-on impact at an impact angle of 90° for the ranges of velocity and target thickness presently investigated. Predictions from an analytical and a numerical model are presented in a companion paper.