cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plasmonically Enhanced Chiral Optical Fields and Forces in Achiral Split Ring Resonators

The two enantiomers (mirror images) of a biomolecule can show drastically different behaviors, requiring the development of sensitive approaches for their identification and separation. Plasmonic nanostructures have shown promise for enhancing the sensitivities of chiral spectroscopies, but the generation of chiral near fields with a specific handedness in the spatial domain surrounding the plasmonic structures remains a challenge. Here we demonstrate that achiral bianisotropic structures, which couple the electric and magnetic fields, can achieve high enhancements of optical chirality in an extended spatial region. Magneto-electric coupling in such structures facilitates electrically excited magnetic resonances in the near IR and optical regimes, which in turn can result in highly enhanced optical chirality in an extended region of space. We apply this concept to achiral double split ring resonators (DSRRs) and demonstrate their potential in generating enhanced chiral fields and forces. Also, the behavio...
Energy landscapes of a mechanical prion and their implications for the molecular mechanism of long-term memory

Aplysia cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding (CPEB) protein, a translational regulator that recruits mRNAs and facilitates translation, has been shown to be a key component in the formation of long-term memory. Experimental data show that CPEB exists in at least a low-molecular weight coiled-coil oligomeric form and an amyloid fiber form involving the Q-rich domain (CPEB-Q). Using a coarse-grained energy landscape model, we predict the structures of the low-molecular weight oligomeric form and the dynamics of their transitions to the β-form. Up to the decamer, the oligomeric structures are predicted to be coiled coils. Free energy profiles confirm that the coiled coil is the most stable form for dimers and trimers. The structural transition from α to β is shown to be concentration dependent, with the transition barrier decreasing with increased concentration. We observe that a mechanical pulling force can facilitate the α-helix to β-sheet (α-to-β) transition by lowering the free energy barrier between the two forms. Interactome analysis of the CPEB protein suggests that its interactions with the cytoskeleton could provide the necessary mechanical force. We propose that, by exerting mechanical forces on CPEB oligomers, an active cytoskeleton can facilitate fiber formation. This mechanical catalysis makes possible a positive feedback loop that would help localize the formation of CPEB fibers to active synapse areas and mark those synapses for forming a long-term memory after the prion form is established. The functional role of the CPEB helical oligomers in this mechanism carries with it implications for targeting such species in neurodegenerative diseases.
Adapting drinking-water systems to coastal climate change: evidence from Viet Nam and the Philippines

Coastal areas will increasingly experience adverse climate hazards such as coastal flooding and severe storms as a result of climate change. These hazards adversely affect drinking-water systems and thereby reduce access to safe drinking-water. Effective adaptation implementation minimizes the damaging impacts of these hazards. However, research on the enablers of and barriers to effective adaptation in low-income countries is lacking. This study maps enablers and barriers to climate change adaptation of water systems in coastal low-income countries using evidence from Viet Nam and the Philippines, countries which experience frequent extreme climate events. Interviews were carried out with staff from 29 water utilities and government agencies. A systematic framework for diagnosing barriers to climate change adaptation was used to analyze the responses. Five factors were identified as relevant to effective adaptation: partnerships; financial resources; human and technical resources; leadership and political will; and awareness of climate change. The factors identified were related to all the elements of the framework—actors, system of concern, and context—and were relevant to the three phases of the adaptation process (understanding the problem, planning the adaptation, and managing the implementation). Our findings can assist water system managers in diagnosing barriers to effective adaptation that may exist and identifying relevant partnerships and resources that will aid in overcoming these barriers.
Head and Neck Tumors

Molecular testing for head and neck squamous mucosal lesions and salivary gland tumors is becoming part of routine practice. Viral oncogenesis is implicated in both head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is detected in a majority of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas and is associated with improved response to treatment. Detection of Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma is diagnostically useful. For salivary gland tumors, characteristic translocations with resultant fusion oncogenes have been identified. These genetic rearrangements can be detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) testing and have diagnostic utility. These oncogenes also provide hope as therapeutic targets. ERBB2 (HER2) is one therapeutic target that has a role in salivary duct carcinoma. A subset of this tumor overexpresses ERBB2, and stabilization of disease has been reported with trastuzumab therapy.
Effect of Flufenamic Acid on Patients with Anovulatory Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding

Objective To observe the hemostasis effect of flufenamic acid in patients with anovulatory dysfunctional uterine bleeding. Methods 110 patients with anovulatory dysfunctional uterine bleeding were randomly divided into experimental group (55 patients) and control group (55 patients). The patients of experimental group were taked ilufenamic acid orally for 4 days. The patients of control group were treated with intravenous drip of dicynone 1.0g and tranexamic acid 0.2g in 5% GS for 4 days. Then, we assessed the treatment outcome after 3 days of medication ended. Results The rates of obvious efficiency and efficiency were higher in experimental group than those in control group (P0.05). The rate of total efficiency was higher in experimental group than that in control group (P0.01). The rate of inefficiency was lower in experimental group than that in control group (P0.01). Conclusions Flufenamic acid can rise the hemostasis effect in patients with anovulatory dysfunctional uterine bleeding. Anovulatory dysfunctional uterine bleeding were treated with flufenamic acid should be popularized.
A Study on Electric Power Information Network-Oriented Security Situation Awareness

In allusion to precise judgment of security situation of electric power information network,a machine learning-based method for security situation awareness(SSA) is proposed and applied to actual environment.The proposed method abstracts the SSA as classification problem,and the records of actual field monitoring devices are taken as data source and input into classifier to attain awareness results.Based on ball vector machine a classifier is designed,and using quantum genetic algorithm the optimal training parameters of ball vector machine are searched to improve classification accuracy.Results of experiments based on KDD Cup 99 data set and actual operation of SSA system show that the proposed SSA system is better than traditional methods in the accuracy of situation awareness.
Strengthen the prevention of occupational trichloroethylene health hazards

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a widely used organic solvent and an important industrial material. It can be absorbed into the body through respiratory tract and skin, and cause occupational hazards. The acute hazard induced by TCE is occupational medicamentosa-like dermatitis. Epidemiological data showed that long-term occupational exposure to TCE could also increase the risk of cancer and cause damage to reproductive system and nervous system. Thus, it is of great significance to strengthen the prevention of occupational TCE health hazards. In this paper, the health hazards and preventive measures of TCE are reviewed.
Effect of irradiation of individual feed ingredients and the complete diet on nursery pig performance.

A total of 1,210 nursery pigs was used in two experiments to evaluate the effects of irradiation of typical nursery diet ingredients, specialty protein products, and the whole diet on nursery pig performance. In Exp. 1, 880 barrows and gilts (15 +/- 2 d of age at weaning) were used in two growth trials (14 d and 12 d for Trials 1 and 2, respectively) to determine the effects of individual ingredient and whole-diet irradiation on nursery pig performance. Overall (d 0 to 14 of Trial 1 and d 0 to 12 of Trial 2), ADG was greater (P 0.12) to control pigs. In Exp. 2, 330 nursery pigs (20 +/- 2 d of age at weaning) were used to determine the effects of irradiation of commercially available specialty protein products in diets for nursery pigs. Overall, ADG was greater (P < 0.05) when pigs were fed diets containing nonirradiated spray-dried animal plasma and egg combination (SDAPE) and dried porcine digest (DPD) compared with pigs fed the control diet containing no specialty protein products. In addition, G:F was improved (P < 0.05) when pigs were fed diets containing nonirradiated SDAPE, DPD, spray-dried beef muscle (SDBM), and spray-dried whole egg (SDWE) compared with pigs fed the control diet. Pigs fed irradiated SDAPE and SDBM had greater (P < 0.05) ADG than pigs fed the nonirradiated forms. Pigs fed irradiated SDBM had improved (P < 0.05) G:F compared with pigs fed the nonirradiated form. In Exp. 1 and 2, an irradiation treatment level of 8.5 kGy was effective in reducing the total bacterial concentration of all ingredients evaluated, as well as the whole diet in Exp.1. Irradiation of certain ingredients, but not the complete diet, increased growth performance of nursery pigs.
Statistical Methods for Clinical Validation of Follow-On Companion Diagnostic Devices via an External Concordance Study

ABSTRACTTo date there are a number of FDA-approved companion diagnostics for use with specific corresponding therapeutic products. Hence, opportunities exist for device manufacturers to develop follow-on companion diagnostic devices. A follow-on companion diagnostic is intended to be used with the therapeutic product in the indicated patient population, as in the labeling of the comparator companion diagnostic. Thus, information provided by a follow-on companion diagnostic device is essential for the safe and effective use of the corresponding therapeutic product in the comparator companion diagnostic. However, the manufacturer of a follow-on companion diagnostic device may not have a therapeutic partner to conduct a new clinical trial, or there may lack the patient samples from the original clinical trial, where the comparator and therapeutic product were evaluated. As such, an external concordance study is conducted to assess the concordance between the comparator and the follow-on device. Difficulty an...
Multi-gigabit cmos analog-to-digital converter and mixed-signal demodulator for low-power millimeter-wave communication systems

With rapid advancements in semiconductor technologies, mobile communication devices have become more versatile and inexpensive over the last few decades. However, plagued by the limited lifetime of batteries, low power consumption has become an extremely important specification in developing radio electronic devices. The ever-expanding demand of consumers to access and share information ubiquitously at faster speeds requires higher throughputs and increased signal-processing functionalities at lower power and lower costs. With the availability of wideband spectra, the millimeter-wave frequency bands, such as 60 GHz and beyond, provide an opportunity to bring portable multi-gigabit WPAN and WLAN applications into reality. This dissertation presents the first time a fully-integrated, broadband, sub-watt demodulator using mixed-signal design techniques for multi-gigabit receiver systems. The broadband demodulator features a 13 GHz quadrature down-converter and highspeed A/D converters at a total power budget of 60 mW. The quadrature VCO is measured separately to ensure proper oscillating frequency. Parallelly, an ultra-lowpower, 3 mW, 3 GS/s, 3-bit flash A/D converter is implemented, optimized, and analyzed to satisfy the stringent power budget. Using a standard 1 V supply, the fully-integrated multi-gigabit quadrature demodulator in 90 nm CMOS technology requires neither external synchronization controls nor processing to demodulate a BPSK modulated signal up to 2.5 Gbps while maintaining an error-free transmission. With a maximum carrier synchronization range of 51 MHz, its minimum sensitivity is measured to be -39 dBm. Using the same system, high-definition video streaming is also demonstrated at a nominal data rate of 1.485 Gbps. Following the development of 13 GHz quadrature demodulator, an extremely high-performance, dual-mode, multi-gigabit demodulator is proposed, implemented, and integrated with the 60 GHz CMOS receiver front-end in 90 nm CMOS technology. High performance is achieved by incorporating a very-high-speed, 6.912 GS/s, 19 mW, 3-bit flash A/D converter, and a two-channel, time-interleaving digital signal processor throughout digital back-end. The next-generation quadrature demodulator achieves an error-free transmission up to 3.5 Gbps and consumes less than 100 mW from a standard 1 V supply. This demodulator supports both ASK and BPSK modulated signals with an improved minimum receiver sensitivity of -54.5 dBm. The presented work provides a promising and practical solution to transfer a large multi-media digital content at an extremely low-power budget without performance penalty. The developed demodulator system, utilized both RF and mixed-signal design techniques, makes this research work compelling for many short-distance wireless applications as well as high-data-rate point-to-point links for fixed stations.
Prenatal vitamin D and enamel hypoplasia in human primary maxillary central incisors: a pilot study.

Abstract Background Enamel hypoplasia (EH) increases risk for dental caries and also is associated with vitamin D deficiencies. This pilot study evaluates the feasibility to determine the association of human maternal circulating vitamin D concentrations during pregnancy and EH in infant's teeth that develop in utero. Methods A pilot population of 37 children whose mothers participated in a RCT of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy was evaluated. Major outcome was EH and major exposure was maternal monthly serum circulating 25(OH)D concentrations during pregnancy. EH was assessed using the Enamel Defect Index and digital images made by a ProScope High Resolution™ handheld digital USB microscope at 50× magnification. Results During initial 8 weeks of study, 29/37 children had evaluable data with mean age of 3.6 ± 0.9 years; 48% male; and 45% White, 31% Hispanic, and 24% Black. EH was identified in 13 (45%) of the children. Maternal mean 25(OH)D concentrations were generally lower for those children with EH. Conclusions Preliminary results suggest follow-up of children of mothers in a vitamin D supplementation RCT during pregnancy provides an important approach to study the etiology of EH in the primary teeth. Further study is needed to discern thresholds and timing of maternal serum 25(OH)D concentrations during pregnancy associated with absence of EH in teeth that develop in utero. Potential dental public health implications for prevention of early childhood caries via sound tooth structure as related to maternal vitamin D sufficiency during pregnancy need to be determined.
The Effect of Maximum Valve Lift on TDC Flow Field in a High Swirl Piston Engine

The in-cylinder flow velocities in a motored engine were measured near top-dead-center (TDC) of compression using a single component laser doppler anemometer (LDA). The engine had a high-swirl intake port and a pancake chamber. The maximum intake valve lift was selectable via different rocker arm ratios. The results indicate that for this cylinder head, the angular velocity of the swirling flow increases with decreasing valve lift, but the rms fluctuations are generally insensitive to the valve lift except at small lifts. For all lifts studied, the mean swirl is rigid-body up to r/R = 0.75; the swirl after TDC of compression decays monatonically; and the rms fluctuations are higher in the central region of the cylinder than the wall region. The tangential velocities and their rms fluctuations were found to vary linearly with engine speed over the range investigated (200 to 1000 RPM).
An observable regularization of compressible two-phase flow

Abstract Many fluid flow problems involving turbulence, shocks, and material interfaces create a common issue high wave number irregularity. The non-linear advection term in the governing equations for all of these problems keep generating higher wave modes as k goes to infinity. In this work, we present an inviscid regularization technique, called observable regularization, for the simulation of two-phase compressible flow. In this technique, we use observable divergence theorem to derive an observable equation for tracking material interface (volume fraction). In some one-dimensional test cases, first we show that this method preserves pressure equilibrium at material interface, then we compare our results to exact Euler solutions. At the end we demonstrate a two-dimensional simulation of shock-bubble interaction showing good agreement with available experimental data from literature.
Measurement of the 7Li(n,n’γ)7Li* (0.478-MeV) Cross Section from 0.5 to 5.0 Mev

Employing a 95-cm3 Ge(Li) detector, positioned 20 m from the Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator white neutron source, the cross section for 478-keV gamma-ray production from 0.48- to 5.0-MeV inc...
Judgments of Intelligence and Likability of Young Adult Female Speakers of American English: The Influence of Vocal Fry and the Surrounding Acoustic-Prosodic Context.

Summary Objective Vocal fry is a prevalent speech feature in college-aged American women living in the United States. However, there is currently little consensus about how its use influences listener judgments of the speaker. This study investigated how vocal fry influences judgments of intelligence and the likability of young adult female speakers of American English while taking into account the surrounding acoustic-prosodic context, specifically voice pitch and speech rate. Method Speech samples were obtained from eight American English-speaking females who presented with different combinations of voice pitch (low or high), speech rate (slow or fast), and vocal fry (presence or absence). Listener judgments of ratings of intelligence and likability were collected from 463 adults via online crowdsourcing. Results Generalized estimating equation models revealed significant three-way interactions between the voice pitch, speech rate, and vocal fry for listener judgments of intelligence and likability. While vocal fry had favorable effects in some contexts (eg, high pitch, fast rate) it had unfavorable effects in others (eg, low pitch, fast rate). Conclusion Listener judgments of young American women based on information afforded in their speech are not solely based on the presence or absence of vocal fry, but rather a combination of features that interact with one another in unique ways. Thus, whether or not the use of vocal fry in this population projects a favorable impression depends on the acoustic-prosodic context in which it is produced.
Pharmacogenetics in the Clinic

Pharmacogenetics is the inherited basis of differences among individuals in their response to drugs. Genetic polymorphisms of drug-metabolizing enzymes may account for as much as 30% of interindividual differences in drug disposition and response. An increasing number of drug target polymorphisms have also been linked to differences in drug response. This chapter reviews some examples of the use of pharmacogenetics in clinical practice. Despite the increasing number of examples of genetic polymorphisms affecting drug response in the literature, pharmacogenetic data are rarely used in current clinical practice. The limitations that have prevented the use of pharmacogenetic testing in clinical practice are reviewed.
Gamification in the wild: Faculty perspectives on gamifying learning in higher education

While numerous studies have examined gamification from the students' perspectives, few studies focus on the faculty's experience in detail. This article analyzes the experiences and self-reflections of five university instructors who designed and implemented gamification for their online or hybrid courses. It uses a design research approach to inform the gamification design and implementation decisions and draws on data collected from weekly meetings recorded over Google Hangout, as well as meeting minutes, design documents, emails, and informal reflections that retrospectively examine the process of designing and implementing the gamified courses. It also discusses the data gathered from students on their perspectives and experiences in class. While students' feedback on gamification were largely positive, many faculty members acknowledge that creating a coherent gamified course was difficult and time-consuming. However, the process of designing itself may be worth going through because it made faculty more conscious of how their teaching values were being reflected in the gamified system. The article ends with reflections on the institutional and technological constraints that were encountered, and offers recommendations on how to support educators new to gamifying learning in their courses. DOI:10.2458/azu_itet_v5i2_hung
What is the state of play

If you are, as they say, sufficiently ‘down with the kids’ as to have heard of E-sports, you should probably not be tempted to dismiss them as simply playing video games for money. In this essay I ...
IoT-Detective: Analyzing IoT Data Under Differential Privacy

Emerging IoT technologies promise to bring revolutionary changes to many domains including health, transportation, and building management. However, continuous monitoring of individuals threatens privacy. The success of IoT thus depends on integrating privacy protections into IoT infrastructures. This demonstration adapts a recently-proposed system, PeGaSus, which releases streaming data under the formal guarantee of differential privacy, with a state-of-the-art IoT testbed (TIPPERS) located at UC Irvine. PeGaSus protects individuals' data by introducing distortion into the output stream. While PeGaSuS has been shown to offer lower numerical error compared to competing methods, assessing the usefulness of the output is application dependent. The goal of the demonstration is to assess the usefulness of private streaming data in a real-world IoT application setting. The demo consists of a game, IoT-Detective, in which participants carry out visual data analysis tasks on private data streams, earning points when they achieve results similar to those on the true data stream. The demo will educate participants about the impact of privacy mechanisms on IoT data while at the same time generating insights into privacy-utility trade-offs in IoT applications.
Liquid Room Temperature Stable Glucagon—Glucose Response in Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes Patients

Objective: The International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes recommends age-specific dosing of glucagon for the rescue of severe hypoglycemia. A novel ready-to-use stable liquid glucagon auto-injector (GAI; Xeris Pharmaceuticals) was evaluated for the treatment of hypoglycemia in pediatric subjects with two age-specific doses. Research Design and Methods: A sequential efficacy and safety study was conducted involving 31 children with T1D (ages 2-17 years) to evaluate two subcutaneous doses of GAI (0.5 mg or 1 mg) for treatment of hypoglycemia (PG Results: Statistically significant increases in mean plasma glucose from baseline to 30 minutes post administration of glucagon were observed across the 3 pediatric age groups (81.4±18.3 mg/dL, 84.2±25.3 mg/dL, and 54.0±27.3 mg/dL in the 2 to 0-90m , C max , and T max or median time to achieve a 25 mg/dl glucose increase. Plasma glucagon AUC 0-240m , C max , and T max were similar across the age groups. Nausea (36.4%) and vomiting (18.2%) were the most commonly reported AEs. Conclusions: To prevent medical complications and their sequalae, prompt management of severe hypoglycemia emergencies is critically important. These results demonstrate that age-appropriate doses of GAI were effective in treating hypoglycemia, safe, and well tolerated in pediatric subjects ages 2 through 17 years old. Disclosure B. Buckingham: Advisory Panel; Self; Novo Nordisk Inc., ConvaTec Inc.. Research Support; Self; Medtronic, Insulet Corporation, Dexcom, Inc., Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc.. Consultant; Self; Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc., Becton, Dickinson and Company. M.J. Cummins: Employee; Self; Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. S.J. Prestrelski: Employee; Self; Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. P. Strange: Other Relationship; Self; AstraZeneca. Consultant; Self; Valeritas, Inc.. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Valeritas, Inc..
Volume 2 Problems

A frequent problem in computational linguistics is that text passages often use words that the computer simply doesn’t have in its dictionary. Online slang evolves very fast, people use foreign words in English passages, people make typos and invent new abbreviations, etc. You could add new words to the dictionary as fast as you can find them, and the next day, the program could still be stumped by a new one!
Cox-PASNet: Pathway-based Sparse Deep Neural Network for Survival Analysis

An in-depth understanding of complex biological processes associated to patients’ survival time at the cellular and molecular level is critical not only for developing new treatments for patients but also for accurate survival prediction. However, highly nonlinear and high-dimension, low-sample size (HDLSS) data cause computational challenges in survival analysis. We developed a novel pathway-based, sparse deep neural network, called Cox-PASNet, for survival analysis by integrating highdimensional gene expression data and clinical data. Cox-PASNet is a biologically interpretable neural network model where nodes in the network correspond to specific genes and pathways, while capturing nonlinear and hierarchical effects of biological pathways to a patient’s survival. We also provide a solution to train the deep neural network model with HDLSS data. Cox-PASNet was evaluated by comparing the performance of different cutting-edge survival methods such as Cox-nnet, SurvivalNet, and Cox elastic net (Cox-EN). Cox-PASNet significantly outperformed the benchmarking methods, and the outstanding performance was statistically assessed. We provide an open-source software implemented in PyTorch (https://github.com/DataX-JieHao/Cox-PASNet) that enables automatic training, evaluation, and interpretation of Cox-PASNet.
Ruminant Production in Increasing Animal Foods in Latin America

There is a tremendous undeveloped potential for increasing ruminant production, both beef and dairy cattle, in Latin America. Less potential exists for augmenting the number of sheep and goats. The improved animal husbandry technology currently available could greatly expand ruminant production on the vast underutilized land areas of Latin America. Most of this land is not suitable for intense tillage for human food crops, and some of it will not be needed for this purpose for decades. Increasing ruminant production is a means of making this land more productive and helpful to the total economy of Latin America without competing for man’s food sources. Because forage is of no direct use to man, ruminant production is the best method for converting it into animal products for human food and other uses, and of adding quality and palatability to the diet.
A review of inflammation and fibrosis: implications for the pathogenesis of Peyronie’s disease

Peyronie's disease (PD) is a superficial fibrosing disorder that causes penile deformity and can interfere with sexual intercourse and reproduction, as well as diminish quality of life. While the exact mechanism of PD is still being investigated, there is likely a genetic component to the predisposition to penile plaque formation. Ultimately, however, perturbations in normal wound healing and aberrant deposition of extracellular matrix components lead to fibrotic tissue deposition. Fibrosis in PD is regulated by a complex pathway of inflammatory and fibrotic mediators. Currently there are no treatments for PD that address an underlying cause or disease progression. In this review, we provide an overview of the known inflammatory and fibrotic mediators of PD and explore the pathophysiology of other human superficial fibrosing disorders to develop further insights into PD.
Shakespeare and Robots: Participatory Performance Art for Older Adults

Theatre arts, social work, and engineering researchers investigated the therapeutic benefits of an interdisciplinary multi-modal intervention with older adults using a social robotic platform in an independent living facility. This pilot study incorporated Shakespearean text and the social robot, NAO, performing and concurrently encouraging the older adult to perform as a function of a participatory performance arts model. The findings of this human-robot study include a reduction in depression and an increase in social engagement with the robot in the older adults who participated in the intervention.
Yo-Yo Jerk Dynamics in the Vicinity of the Lowest Point

The dynamics of yo-yo motion are considered in this article. Many textbooks have examined the “rolling” motion of a yo-yo as it moves vertically up or down. However, in the vicinity of the lowest point, a jerk in the string occurs as the center of mass transitions from a linear motion to a pure rotational motion (with respect to the end of the thread). String tension at the lowest point is calculated, and it is established that it is usually much greater than tension when the yo-yo moves up or down. Experimental data are in agreement with theoretical predictions.
Coding Is Lit: Integrating Coding and Literacy in Early Childhood Inclusive Settings:

There has been an increased emphasis in recent years on supporting young children with building 21st century literacy skills such as critical thinking and collaboration. Unfortunately, young childr...
Commingling Dairy Cows

In modern confinement dairies, cows move between groups depending on management needs for special rations and special handling requirements. With each move, each cow must establish rank within the new group. Extended stays in pens characterized by new arrivals every day appear to present substantial health risks to some cows. Overstocked pens present challenges regarding both stall and feed bunk access. Provision of 30 inches (76 cm) of bunk space per cow in the weeks before and after calving, and minimizing pen moves, appears to be consistent with improved fresh cow health and productivity.
P157 Women commonly use sexual enrichment aids and rarely receive information from medical practitioners on hygiene and safety

Sexual enrichment aids (i.e. sex toys) are devices used to enhance the sexual experience of individuals. However, our hypothesis is that transmission of STIs could also occur via fomites, like sexual enrichment aids (SEAs, i.e. vaginally insertable sex toys). The aim of this research is to understand women’s sexual behaviors associated with SEA use. Methods Utilizing mix methodology, we investigated the prevalence of SEA use among women, evaluated behaviors associated with SEA use, and examined if medical practitioners have counseled women on safe SEA use. We recruited 800 sexually active women between the ages of 18–35 years old to participate in a cross-sectional study. These women were also invited to participate in a qualitative interview to further explore their sexual behaviors. Results We found that SEA use is common, with 79.8% of all women reporting SEA use. When women were stratified based on sexual orientation, we found that SEA use is even more common among WSW and WSWM, at 89.7% and 92%, respectively. We also found that at least of subset of women engage in behaviors that may transmit infection, including sharing SEAs with partners, infrequent barrier protection use, and inconsistent cleaning practices. Additionally, the majority of women are not counseled on SEA use and hygiene by medical practitioners. Among women who report having received counsel from medical practitioners on SEA use and hygiene, WSW and WSWM are not counseled as extensively as their WSM counterparts. Conclusions We found that SEA use is common among women and that at least a subset of women engage in behaviors that may have the potential to transmit infection. This study provides insight to a common sexual behavior among women and points to the need for more studies to provide evidence-based medical counseling to women.
"Art, Luxury, Elegance": Crafting an Aesthetic of Aspiration in São Paulo’s Early Cinemas

Between 1907 and 1914, approximately one hundred cinemas opened their doors in Sao Paulo. Many cinema producers—the men who financed, managed, or owned cinemas—competed for spectators by reframing moving pictures as an art form, movie theaters as highbrow theaters, and moviegoing as an elite refinement. The article explains this triple process of cinemas’ legitimization, arguing that its consequence was the dissemination of an aesthetic of aspiration. The aesthetic of aspiration was part of the spectacularization of Sao Paulo, made possible by new technologies for visual and textual reproduction. Cinema producers saturated Sao Paulo’s press with the lexicon of beauty, marketing art, luxury, and elegance at affordable prices. Reconciling traditional notions of aesthetic pleasure with novel practices of consumption, they repurposed the forms of legitimate theater to broaden beauty’s reach and desirability. At the same time, cinema producers constructed a hierarchy of cinemas that mapped onto existing social hierarchies. They linked beauty to classed and racialized exclusivity and implied that both were constant universals. The aesthetic of aspiration thus promised simultaneous social mobility and stability through cultural refinement, a promise that spoke to the desires of an urbanizing upper class but also an incipient middle class. If modernity in republican Brazil was an elite “project,” Sao Paulo’s cinema producers show that, in a globally integrating city, modernity was also a commercial enterprise.
Gangliosides as Differential Modulators of Protein Phosphorylation

Gangliosides elicited complex effects on in vitro protein phosphorylation in rat brain membrane preparations. Gangliosides stimulated the phosphorylation of several phosphoproteins in brain membrane in a pattern qualitatively similar to calmodulin. The stimulation was completely dependent on the presence of Ca++. Di- and tri-sialogangliosides were more effective in stimulating phosphorylation. Gangliosides also inhibited the phosphorylation on a 78K protein in brain membrane and the myeline basic proteins in purified myelin preparations. Inhibition appeared to be an effect on C-kinase. GT1b was the most effective inhibitor of myelin basic protein phosphorylation. The results indicate that gangliosides may be the first physiological agents which can differentiate between C-kinase and calmodulin-dependent kinase.
Micropower Incremental Analog-to-Digital Converters

Integrated sensor interfaces require energy-efficient high-resolution data converters. In many applications, the best choice is to use incremental analog-to-digital converters (IADCs) incorporating variants of extended counting. In this chapter, we discuss the design of a micropower IADC. By using a feed-forward architecture, the IADC accumulates the residue voltage, so various hybrid variants of extended counting can be implemented. Several such schemes are reviewed and discussed, as well as the trade-off between higher order modulators, higher oversampling ratio and energy efficiency. A two-step IADC is proposed, which extends the performance of an Nth-order IADC close to that of a (2N − 1)th-order IADC. A design example uses the circuitry of a second-order IADC to achieve a performance nearly equal to that of a third-order IADC. The implemented IADC achieves a measured dynamic range of 99.8 dB, and a SNDR of 91 dB for a maximum input 2.2 VPP and a bandwidth of 250 Hz. Fabricated in 65 nm CMOS and operated from a 1.2 V power supply, the IADC’s core area is 0.2 mm2, and it consumes only 10.7 μW. The measured FoMs are 0.76 pJ/conv.step and 173.5 dB, both among the best reported results for IADCs.
Joint space-time interpolation for bistatic STAP

We present a novel interpolation technique to improve the small sample support performance of airborne radar space-time adaptive processing (STAP) using bistatic configurations. Bistatic airborne radar operation increases the clutter rank and causes it to be inhomogeneous with range, resulting in the degradation of the output signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR). Brennan's rule for the space-time clutter covariance matrix rank for monostatic STAP is extended to the bistatic case, which motivates the development of a space-time interpolation (STINT) technique for bistatic clutter compensation. More specifically, we design a linear transformation which maps the bistatic clutter to that which would be received under "virtual" monostatic conditions. Simulation results indicate up to 10 dB SINR improvement can be obtained using STINT with limited sample support.
Oxidative Stress Induced Following Exposure to 3,5-Dichloroaniline (3,5-DCA) In Vitro: Role in Nephrotoxicity

Anilines and their chlorinated derivatives are used in the production of a wide variety of agricultural products, drugs and dyes. Studies have shown that chlorinated aniline exposure leads to nephrotoxicity in both in vitro and in vivo models. Of the mono- and dichloroanilines studied, 3,5-dichloroaniline (3,5-DCA) proved to posses the most nephrotoxic potential. Exposure to 1.0 mM 3,5-DCA for 90 min significantly increased LDH release in isolated renal cortical cells (IRCC) from male Fischer 344 rats. Pretreatment of IRCC with antioxidants significantly attenuated LDH release, suggesting that free radical/oxidative stress mechanisms may play a role in 3,5-DCA induced nephrotoxicity. The purpose of the current study was to explore the potential role of oxidative stress in 3,5-DCA nephrotoxicity in vitro. IRCC (4 x 106 cells/ml; 3 ml) were exposed to 3,5-DCA (0, 0.5, or 1.0 mM) for either 60 or 90 min. Aliquots were then taken for LDH release assays, protein carbonyl detection using Oxyblot kits from Milli...
Playing Beyond the Rules: A Realist and Rhetoric-Based Approach to Researching the Law and Solving Legal Problems

This article proposes that legal research instruction accept a definition of law that combines realism and rhetoric, namely, what the officials of the law and any other relevant decisionmakers do when faced with a dispute?' These decisionmakers (relevant audiences) include not only judges, juries, and police officers, but also attorneys, the parties, and other critical players, such as complaining witnesses who have some power to influence the outcome of the case or transaction. This article does not put forward realism as the best or as a universal philosophy of law. Indeed, as a legal philosophy, realism is flawed, because it implies that the rule of law can be underemphasized if not disregarded altogether. Realism, especially when coupled with rhetoric, however, helps the law student (and for that matter the advocate and counselor) navigate the legal system and lawyering as a profession better than any other school of legal thought.
Fat Transfer with Platelet-Rich Plasma for Breast Augmentation

Tissue augmentation with autologous elements is considered the ideal choice for transplantation and volume augmentation surgery. It is well recognized that the ideal graft tissue should offer the standard features of ready availability, low antigenicity, minimal donor site morbidity, predictable and reproducible retention, and avoidance of disease transmission. Gradual standardization of consistent harvesting, manipulation, and transfer protocols is improving the ability to accurately predict volume enhancements and appreciate the long-term survival of the grafted tissues. Platelets actively extrude multiple growth factors that are very important to early wound-healing processes. In response to platelet-to-platelet or platelet-to-connective-tissue contact, the platelet cell membrane is “activated” to release these products from the alpha granules via active extrusion. When these extruded growth factors are released, histones and carbohydrate chains are added to receptor sites, thereby creating their unique chemistries and making the “active” growth factors. Autologous fat grafting offers a viable and safe alternative means of breast augmentation in select patients. Platelet-rich plasma enhances the fat transfer to the breast.
A Less Invasive Technique for Spaying Pet Pigs

Objectives To determine if ovariectomy (OVE) by electrothermal bipolar vessel sealing (EBVS) is a safe alternative to ovariohysterectomy (OVH) by hand-tied ligatures as a method of spaying in pigs. Study Design Retrospective case series. Animals Intact female pigs (n = 14). Methods Medical records (2001–2010) of pigs admitted for sterilization were reviewed for signalment, surgical technique, intra- and postoperative complications, length of hospitalization, and outcome. Long-term follow-up was obtained by owner questionnaire. Results Mean ± SD age and mean weight was 131 ± 86 days and 13.0 ± 6.2 kg, respectively. There were 5 OVH pigs and 9 OVE pigs; age and weight were not significantly different between groups. When comparing OVE to OVH, mean incisional length was less (12 ± 6 cm OVE; 22 ± 6 cm OVH; P < .01) and surgical time was short (50 ± 9 min OVE; 103 ± 15 min OVH; P < .01). Intraoperative hemorrhage occurred in 1 OVH pig. Postoperative complications included hemorrhage (n = 1), fever (3), hypothermia (2), surgical site infection (1), and inappetence (3). Return to normal behavior and appetite was significantly shorter for OVE pigs (1.10 ± 0.93 days; 4.30 ± 0.94 days OVH; P < .01). After a mean follow-up of 36 months, no difference between groups could be observed. Conclusion OVE using EBVS is a faster surgical technique with less perioperative complications when compared to OVH with ligatures. OVE can potentially replace OVH as a spaying method in pigs.
Development of a Sexually Differentiated Behavior and Its Underlying CNS Arousal Functions

This chapter addresses questions regarding lordosis behavior, the most extremely sexually differentiated behavior that has been analyzed for its neural and molecular mechanisms. Analysis of this behavior has proved for the first time that specific biochemical reactions in specific nerve cell groups in the brain determine a mammalian behavior. Lordosis is done by the female but not by the male. How did the process of sexual differentiation occur? A large literature implicates high levels of testosterone during a critical period during development as being responsible for the defeminization of the brain. A new idea, however, offers the possibility of direct genetic influences independent of testosterone levels themselves. We propose here that Mullerian Inhibiting Substance (MIS) and its receptors could constitute an example of a nonandrogenic genetic influence. Further, specific sexual behaviors depend on underlying arousal states in the central nervous system (CNS). We have proposed the concept of generalized CNS arousal and provide information as to how generalized arousal forces interact with specifically sexual influences, thus to facilitate sexually differentiated mating behaviors.
Evaluation of uniformity, variability, and stability of agronomic traits of doubledd haploid rice lines resulting from anther culture

Sasmita P. 2010. Evaluation of uniformity, variability, and stability of agronomic traits of doubled haploid rice lines resultingfrom anther culture. Nusantara Bioscience 2: 67-72. The formation of doubled haploid lines in anther culture aims to accelerate theacquisition of pure lines. Selection of the desired traits can be done directly to the progeny of anther culture results at early generations.This experiment aims to determine agronomic traits , uniformity, and stability of the doubled haploid lines, and obtain the putativedoubled haploid lines as the material for further evaluation to obtain expected lines. The first experiments used completely randomizeddesign which was repeated five times. The treatments were 111 doubledd haploid lines of first generation of anther culture results(DH1). The second experiment used split plot design with the main plot treatments were doubled haploid lines resulting from antherculture and the sub plot treatment were the second generation of doubled haploid lines (DH2) until the fifth generation (DH5). Theresults show that each plant within the same line have uniform agronomic traits, while the plants between different lines have differentagronomic traits. The results of further evaluation on three out of 111 doubled haploid lines derived from the second to fifth generationsshow no difference between generations for each trait of the same lines. The results also show that the agronomic traits of the doubledhaploid line were stable from generation to generation. Key words: doubled haploid lines, uniform, stable, promising lines.
Air to fuel ratio control of spark ignition engines using dynamic sliding mode control and Gaussian neural network

This paper deals with air to fuel ratio control of a spark ignition engine, whose pollutant is a major cause of air pollution. A direct adaptive control using Gaussian neural networks is developed to compensate transient fueling dynamics and measurement error in mass air flow rate into the cylinder. The transient fueling compensation method is coupled with a dynamic sliding mode control technique that governs the steady state fueling rate. The proposed controller is simple enough for online computation and is implemented automotive engine using a PC-386.
A study of residual stress distribution through the thickness of p/sup +/ silicon films (thermal oxidation effects)

The effect of thermal oxidation on the residual stress distribution throughout the thickness of heavily-boron-doped (p/sup +/) silicon films is studied. The deflection of p/sup +/ silicon cantilever beams due to residual stress variation throughout the film thickness is studied for as-diffused and thermally oxidized films. Cantilevers of as-diffused p/sup +/ silicon films display a positive curvature (or a negative bending moment), signified by bending up of the beams. Thermal oxidation of the films prior to cantilever fabrication by anisotropic etching modifies the residual stresses in the p/sup +/ film, specially in the near-surface region (i.e. the top 0.3 to 0.5 mu m for the oxidation times used here), and can result in beams with a negative curvature even when the oxide is removed from the p/sup +/ silicon cantilever surface subsequent to cantilever fabrication. >
Choctaws at the Crossroads: The Political Economy of Class and Culture in the Oklahoma Timber Region

Choctaws at the Crossroads: The Political Economy of Class and Culture in the Oklahoma Timber Region. Sandra Faiman-Silva. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1997.