cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Bin Area Method: A Computationally Efficient Technique for Analysis of Ventricular and Atrial Intracardiac Electrograms

Recent studies have reported a significant false positive rate in delivery of therapy by implantable antitachycardia devices utilizing detection algorithms based on sustained high rate. More selective decision schemes for the recognition of life-threatening arrhythmias have been recently proposed that use analysis of the intrinsic electrogram rather than rate alone. Morphological discrimination of abnormal electrograms using correlation waveform analysis (CWA) has been proposed as an effective method of intracardiac electrogram analysis, but its computational demands limit its use in implantable devices. A new method for intracardiac electrogram analysis, the bin area method (BAM), was created to detect abnormal cardiac conduction with computational requirements of one-half to one-tenth those of CWA. Like CWA, BAM is a template matching method that is sensitive to conduction changes revealed in the electrogram morphology and is independent of amplitude and baseline fluctuations. Performance of BAM and CWA were compared using bipolar right ventricular and right atrial electrode recordings from 47 patients undergoing clinical cardiac electrophysiology studies. Nineteen patients had 31 distinct monomorphic ventricular tachycardias (VTs) induced (group I), thirteen patients had paroxysmal bundle branch block of supraventricular origin (BBB) induced (group II), and 19 patients had retrograde atrial activation during right ventricular overdrive pacing (group III). (One patient was common to all three groups, and two patients were common to groups II and III.) Using the ventricular electrogram, both BAM and CWA distinguished VT from sinus rhythm in 28/31 (90%) cases, and BBB from Normal Sinus Rhythm (NSR) in 13/13 (100%) patients. Using the atrial electrogram, both BAM and CWA distinguished anterograde from retrograde atrial activation in 19/19 (100%) patients. BAM achieves similar performance to CWA with significantly reduced computational demands, and may make real-time analysis of intracardiac electrograms feasible for implantable pacemakers and antitachycardia devices.
A biologically inspired joint model to enhance understanding of spasticity

Persons with cerebral palsy often experience spasticity. This is believed to result from hypersensitivity to the position and velocity feedback of joint position. In order to better understand and improve the effects of biomechanics under these conditions, we have chosen to emulate the spasticity of muscles by constructing a physical model of a joint with agonist and antagonist muscles operating under linearized control. Utilizing LabVIEW software, McKibben air muscles and Merlin stretch sensors, we will be able to incorporate a PD controller to study the reflex loops under various levels of feedback sensitivity. The feedback mechanism, similar to proprioceptive muscle spindle feedback, will be based on the Input given from the stretch sensors to achieve a desired Inputted angle. After the air muscles demonstrate spasticity, investigation into the control of spasticity can be improved.
Terahertz Atmospheric Attenuation and Continuum Effects

Remote sensing over long path lengths has become of greater interest in the terahertz frequency region. Applications such as pollution monitoring and detection of energetic chemicals are of particular interest. Although there has been much attention to atmospheric effects over narrow frequency windows, accurate measurements across a wide spectrum is lacking. The water vapor continuum absorption spectrum was investigated using Fourier Transform Spectroscopy. The continuum effect gives rise to an excess absorption that is unaccounted for in just a resonant line spectrum simulation. The transmission of broadband terahertz radiation from 0.300THz - 1.5THz through air with varying relative humidity levels was recorded for multiple path lengths. From these data, the absorption coefficient as a function of frequency was determined and compared with model calculations. The intensity and location of the strong absorption lines were in good agreement with spectral databases such as the 2008 HITRAN database and the JPL database. However, a noticeable continuum effect was observed particularly in the atmospheric transmission windows. A small discrepancy still remained even after accounting for continuum absorption using the best available data from the literature. This discrepancy, when projected over a one kilometer path length, typical of distances used in remote sensing, can cause a 30dB difference between calculated and observed attenuation. From the experimental and resonant line simulation spectra the air-broadening continuum parameter was calculated and compared with values available in the literature.
NFI-Ski Interactions Mediate Transforming Growth Factor β Modulation of Human Papillomavirus Type 16 Early Gene Expression

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are present in virtually all cervical cancers. An important step in the development of malignant disease, including cervical cancer, involves a loss of sensitivity to transforming growth factor β (TGF-β). HPV type 16 (HPV16) early gene expression, including that of the E6 and E7 oncoprotein genes, is under the control of the upstream regulatory region (URR), and E6 and E7 expression in HPV16-immortalized human epithelial cells is inhibited at the transcriptional level by TGF-β. While the URR contains a myriad of transcription factor binding sites, including seven binding sites for nuclear factor I (NFI), the specific sequences within the URR or the transcription factors responsible for TGF-β modulation of the URR remain unknown. To identify potential transcription factors and binding sites involved in TGF-β modulation of the URR, we performed DNase I footprint analysis on the HPV16 URR using nuclear extracts from TGF-β-sensitive HPV16-immortalized human keratinocytes (HKc/HPV16) treated with and without TGF-β. Differentially protected regions were found to be located around NFI binding sites. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays, using the NFI binding sites as probes, showed decreased binding upon TGF-β treatment. This decrease in binding was not due to reduced NFI protein or NFI mRNA levels. Mutational analysis of individual and multiple NFI binding sites in the URR defined their role in TGF-β sensitivity of the promoter. Overexpression of the NFI family members in HKc/HPV16 decreased the ability of TGF-β to inhibit the URR. Since the oncoprotein Ski has been shown to interact with and increase the transcriptional activity of NFI and since cellular Ski levels are decreased by TGF-β treatment, we explored the possibility that Ski may provide a link between TGF-β signaling and NFI activity. Anti-NFI antibodies coimmunoprecipitated endogenous Ski in nuclear extracts from HKc/HPV16, confirming that NFI and Ski interact in these cells. Ski levels dramatically decreased upon TGF-β treatment of HKc/HPV16, and overexpression of Ski eliminated the ability of TGF-β to inhibit the URR. Based on these studies, we propose that TGF-β inhibition of HPV16 early gene expression is mediated by a decrease in Ski levels, which in turn dramatically reduces NFI activity.
Skyline cube computation over wireless sensor networks

Recently, wireless sensor network has been widely used in many sensing applications. In these applications, skyline cube, as an important operator for data analysis, plays a more and more important role. Though skyline cube computation has been well studied in traditional database literature, the existing approaches are not directly applicable to sensor environment due to the traits of wireless sensor network. In this paper, we propose two approaches, one-phase algorithm (OPA) and two-phase algorithm (TPA), to evaluate the skyline cube query energy-efficiently over wireless sensor networks. OPA gathers the useful data based on relaxing the dominant relationship to strict dominant relationship. While TPA utilize the full-space skyline to refine the skyline cube based on the novel property of subspace skyline. Both of them aim at reducing the unnecessary result transmission. Our experimental study shows that our proposed approaches perform energy-effectively on evaluating the skyline cube query over wireless sensor networks.
Inflammatory neurological disease in patients treated with tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors

Background: TNF alpha inhibitor (TNFAI) therapy has been associated with inflammatory neurological syndromes.Objectives: To present 10 new cases of TNFAI associated neurological disease and a review of the literature.Methods: The design and methods were based on case series collected from Oregon Health & Sciences University and the Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital in Portland, Oregon and PubMed review.Results: We describe eight demyelinating central nervous system syndromes and two peripheral nervous system syndromes associated with TNFAI therapy. Characteristics from these cases are analyzed with data from 141 additional cases from the literature. Onset was between the ages of 36 and 65 years in 84% of CNS cases, distinguishing TNFAI-associated disease from sporadic multiple sclerosis. Symptoms occurred within one year of TNFAI therapy in 71%. Etanercept therapy was reported in the majority of cases of CNS syndromes and infliximab therapy in the majority of neuromuscular syndromes. Significant dis...
Immunosuppressive and Postoperative Effects of Orthotopic Liver Transplantation on Bone Metabolism

Bone loss occurs early after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in all liver transplant recipients and leads to postoperative fractures, especially in cholestatic patients with the lowest bone mass. Little is known about the underlying changes in bone metabolism after OLT or about the etiology of these changes. Histomorphometric analysis of bone biopsies, a method that allows assessment of bone volume, resorption, and formation, has shown improved bone metabolism at 4 months after OLT. It has further suggested that accelerated posttransplant bone loss occurs in the first 1-2 months after OLT, probably by an additional insult to bone formation. This study attempts to correlate the histomorphometric bone changes in paired bone biopsies (OLT and 4 months after OLT) of 33 patients undergoing OLT for chronic cholestatic liver disease with the many clinical and biochemical changes in these patients over the same period. Cumulative steroid dosage early after OLT is shown to be important, presumably by decreasing bone formation rates. The actual effect of calcineurin inhibitors on this early phase of bone loss is less clear, although posttransplant histomorphometric findings suggest that tacrolimus-treated patients have an earlier recovery of bone metabolism and trabecular structure compared with cyclosporine patients. Other factors important in the recovery of bone metabolism after the early phase of bone loss are recovery of liver and gonadal function and better calcium balance.
Ligand effect in Ti-mediated living radical styrene polymerizations initiated by epoxide radical ring opening. III. Substituted sandwich metallocenes

The ligand effect and reaction conditions for the living radical polymerization of styrene initiated by epoxide radical ring opening were investigated in a series of substituted sandwich metallocenes: L2Ti(IV)Cl2 [L = cyclopentadienyl (Cp), EtCp, iPrCp, tBuCp, pentamethylcyclopentadienyl (Cp*), or indenyl (Ind)], Cp2TiX2 (X = F, Cl, Br, or CO), tBuCp2TiMe2, and PcTiCl2 (Pc = phthalocyanine). The polymerization was mediated by the reversible termination of growing chains with Ti(III) species derived from the Zn reduction of the Ti(IV) precursors. With the exception of Ti derivatives with Cp*, Pc, F, CO, and Me ligands, which could not be reduced, all other complexes catalyzed a living radical process with a linear dependence of the number-average molecular weight on the conversion and a narrow polydispersity at 70–90 °C. A relatively weak dependence (RCp: R = H ∼ Et ∼ iPr ∼ tBu > Ind) of the polymerization on the nature of the Cp substituent was observed. This was provisionally rationalized as a result of the constant balance between electronic and steric effects with increasing substituent size. By contrast, the apparent Cl > Br ≪ F and L2TiCl2 > LTiCl3 trend qualitatively paralleled the decrease in the Lewis acidity with a decreasing number of Cl ligands and the increased electron donation and steric effects of the metallocene ligands. Thus, sandwich metallocenes are better suited for this polymerization than Ti bisketonates, alkoxides, and half-sandwich derivatives. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1060–1070, 2006
Fatigue life predictions of rubber components: Applications to an automobile cradle mount

Rubber components have broad applications in industry and they often operate under cyclic loading conditions. Therefore, fatigue analysis is an essential part of the failure analysis and life prediction of such components. In this paper a fatigue life prediction methodology for rubber components is developed, which is then verified by means of the analysis and testing of an automobile cradle mount made of filled natural rubber. The analysis conducted includes constitutive behavior representation of the material, finite element analysis of the component, and a fatigue damage parameter for life predictions. Both the fatigue crack initiation life prediction approach and the crack-growth-based life prediction approach were used. Test results are shown to be in reasonable agreement with the predicted fatigue lives for both the crack initiation approach and the crack growth approach.
Unfolding the A2 Domain of Von Willebrand Factor with the Optical Trap

Von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a multimeric plasma glycoprotein involved in both hemostasis and thrombosis. VWF conformational changes, especially unfolding of the A2 domain, may be required for efficient enzymatic cleavage in vivo. It has been shown that a single A2 domain unfolds at most probable unfolding forces of 7-14 pN at force loading rates of 0.35-350 pN/s and A2 unfolding facilitates A2 cleavage in vitro. However, it remains unknown how much force is required to unfold the A2 domain in the context of a VWF multimer where A2 may be stabilized by other domains like A1 and A3. With the optical trap, we stretched VWF multimers and a poly-protein (A1A2A3)3 that contains three repeats of the triplet A1A2A3 domains at constant speeds of 2000 nm/s and 400 nm/s, respectively, which yielded corresponding average force loading rates of 90 and 22 pN/s. We found that VWF multimers became stiffer when they were stretched and extended by force. After force increased to a certain level, sudden extensional jumps that signify domain unfolding were often observed. Histograms of the unfolding force and the unfolded contour length showed two or three peaks that were integral multiples of approximately 21 pN and approximately 63 nm, respectively. Stretching of (A1A2A3)3 yielded comparable distributions of unfolding force and unfolded contour length, showing that unfolding of the A2 domain accounts for the behavior of VWF multimers under tension. These results show that the A2 domain can be indeed unfolded in the presence of A1, A3, and other domains. Compared with the value in the literature, the larger most probable unfolding force measured in this study suggests that the A2 domain is mechanically stabilized by A1 or A3 although variations in experimental setups and conditions may complicate this interpretation.
Creation of robot for subsurface void detection

The Western Kentucky University Department of Engineering in support of the Center for Cave and Karst Studies has developed a robot which will be used to locate voids underground. The robot is a remotely controlled vehicle that uses microgravity to accurately detect and measure voids below the surface. The robot maneuvers rough terrain and carried the microgravity meter to locations that may be unsafe for people. This robot has many applications which include search and rescue and location of underground caves or tunnels. The robot also contains a GPS system with centimeter accuracy that will allow the user to precisely locate caves, tunnels, or air pockets underground. It is anticipated that the robot will be able to function up to a mile from the operator. It is hoped that this robot will also be used in military applications to locate other types of voids underground such as tunnels and bunkers. This paper will describe the construction of the robot and the use of microgravity technology to locate subsurface voids with the robot.
5.8-GHz circularly polarized rectifying antenna for wireless microwave power transmission

This paper reports a new circularly polarized (CP) high-gain high-efficiency rectifying antenna (rectenna). The CP rectenna can be rotated and still maintain a constant dc output voltage. The high-gain antenna has an advantage of reducing the total number of rectenna elements to cover a fixed area. The rectenna is etched on Rogers Duroid 5870 substrate with /spl epsi//sub r/=2.33 and 10 mil thickness. A high-gain dual-rhombic-loop antenna and a reflecting plane are used to achieve a CP antenna gain of 10.7 dB and a 2:1 voltage standing-wave ratio bandwidth of 10%. The rectenna's pattern has an elliptical cross section with orthogonal beamwidths of 40/spl deg/ and 60/spl deg/. The rectenna circuit has a coplanar stripline band-reject filter that suppresses the re-radiated harmonics by 20 dB. A highly efficient Schottky diode is used for RF-to-dc conversion with an efficiency of approximately 80% for an input power level of 100 mW and a load resistance of 250 /spl Omega/.
Sexual risk behaviour and infection: epidemiological considerations.

Researchers into sexually transmitted disease (STD) have been trying to measure sexual behaviour for a very long time. Following the emergence of the HIV pandemic in the 1980s and 1990s, the focus on sexual measurement intensified. Researchers attempted to measure sexual behaviour in a wide variety of contexts for various purposes, often without explicit attention to the impact of context and purpose on measurement.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15 Investigators measured sexual behaviour in STD and family planning clinics to assess clients’ risk for sexually transmitted infection (STI): in infected and uninfected populations to identify behavioural risk factors for STI; in specific groups to describe and identify high and low risk subpopulations; in general populations to describe behaviour patterns and monitor changing trends through time, and finally in intervention trials and intervention programmes to assess efficacy and effectiveness of behavioural interventions. Often the same sexual behaviour questions were used for different purposes and in the variety of contexts mentioned above. The accumulating experience in sexual behaviour measurement, as it relates to STDs, suggests that the “one size fits all” approach may be inadequate for the diverse purposes at hand. A careful analysis of what needs to be measured for different purposes, in different contexts, may be needed to help move the sexual behaviour measurement field forward. This paper describes the measurement of sexual behaviour in the context of STI transmission. It reviews studies undertaken (1) to monitor sexual behaviour and (2) to assess the role of specific sexual behaviours in the transmission of specific STIs. Issues discussed include:
Podocyte endocytosis in the regulation of the glomerular filtration barrier

Severe defects in the glomerular filtration barrier result in nephrotic syndrome, which is characterized by massive proteinuria. The podocyte, a specialized epithelial cell with interdigitating foot processes separated by a slit diaphragm, plays a vital role in regulating the passage of proteins from the capillary lumen to Bowman's space. Recent findings suggest a critical role for endocytosis in podocyte biology as highlighted by genetic mouse models of disease and human genetic mutations that result in the loss of the integrity of the glomerular filtration barrier. In vitro podocyte studies have also unraveled a plethora of constituents that are differentially internalized to maintain homeostasis. These observations provide a framework and impetus for understanding the precise regulation of podocyte endocytic machinery in both health and disease.
Thermoregulation during cold exposure: effects of prior exercise

This study examined whether acute exercise would impair the body’s capability to maintain thermal balance during a subsequent cold exposure. Ten men rested for 2 h during a standardized cold-air te...
INHIBITION OF DIFFERENTIATION (ID) PROTEINS

Inhibition of differentiation (Id) proteins were originally described as negative regulators of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors that play key roles in cell differentiation and proliferation. As more is learned about the regulation of Id proteins, their interactions, and downstream effects, it is becoming evident that Id proteins have more complex activities than originally suspected. Id proteins have now been shown to both induce apoptosis and sustain cell survival, to promote angiogenesis and tumorigenesis, to regulate lymphocyte development and perhaps to regulate matrix deposition. Here, we summarize and discuss the functions of Id proteins as they relate to lung biology.
Investigation of Castor Bean Investment in Extra-Floral Nectary Glands and Reproduction

The castor bean plant, Ricinus communis has EFN (extrafl oral nectary) glands that attract ants which provide defense for the plant. From this, we proposed the idea that the more EFN glands a plant has, the more ants will visit the plant, and therefore provide more defense to the plant. Using the principle of allocation, we deduced that a plant using this strategy would invest less energy in reproduction than in defense, given that growth is fi xed. In this experiment we examined the number of reproductive fl owers that a plant produces (male and female) in relation to the number of EFN glands on the petiole. We predicted that the more EFN glands present, the fewer fl owers will be found on the plant. When comparing males and females, we found that there was instead a positive correlation between female fl owers and EFN glands but no correlation between male fl owers and EFN glands. From our results and analysis, we concluded that even though more energy was invested in defense (total number of EFN glands) the castor bean plant still produced more female reproductive fl owers. These results contradict our assumptions based on the principle of allocation and reveals possibilities of control issues and biotic versus abiotic (chemical) discretion in defense investments. Correspondence to: Victor D. Carmona-Galindo, Department of Biology, Loyola Marymount University, 1 LMU Dr., MS 8220, Los Angeles, CA 90045; phone: (310) 338-1968; e-mail: vcarmona@lmu.edu Introduction T he castor bean plant, Ricinus communis, originated from Asia and Africa and was introduced into North America in the beginning of the 20th century. Castor bean plants are not deosious and thus have imperfect fl owers where each individual plant has both male and female fl owers. Once the male pollinates the female fl ower, it will grow a fruit containing seedpods. These fruits eventually dry out and fall to the ground where the seeds may begin to germinate. The seeds contain about 60% oil and are thus industrially produced for lubricants, paints, plastics, and coatings worldwide. However, because the seeds of this plant contain ricin, a noxious protein, it has been banned by some U.S. states and cities because of its toxicity as a laxative and hyperallergen (Ahn et al., 2007). The castor bean is also a model plant for studying ant-plant interactions and mutualism. This interaction is through extra-fl oral nectaries (EFN glands) that provide a sugar energy source for the insects and the insects provide protection and seed dispersal for the plant. Although the castor bean and its mutualism with ants remain one of the most studied interactions, it is diffi cult to distinguish costs from benefi ts (Rutter et al., 2004). It is widely accepted in ecological studies that one of the functions of
Dual venous outflow improves lower extremity trauma free flap reconstructions

Background Venous outflow problems are the most common reasons for perioperative flap complications. The benefit of a second venous anastomosis, however, remains unclear in lower extremity trauma free flap reconstruction and warrants further investigation.
Privacy-preserved data publishing of evolving online social networks

ABSTRACTThe increasing growth of online social networks provides an unprecedented opportunity to study the complex interactions among human beings. Privacy-preserved network-data publishing is becoming increasingly popular in both industry and academia. This articles focuses on evolving social subscription networks (ESSN), which indicate social actors’ participation in certain media channels, such as Hollywood stars’ Twitter pages, during a series of time intervals. The discussion first introduces a new identity disclosure attack by exploring the subscribed channel sizes of a social actor and the actor’s frequency of joining/leaving the channels. For privacy protection, K-anonymity should be ensured for the whole evolving graph. However, unlike the conventional topology information, such as node degree, the ESSN data points are much more sparse. Moreover, during the construction of anonymous groups, the unpopular channel-related information is likely to be discarded. How to maximally preserve ESSN data ut...
Establishment of Coleophora parthenica (Lep.: Coleophoridae) in Southern California for the Biological Control of Russian Thistle

The establishment since 1974 of colonies of Coleophora parthenica Meyrick on Russian thistle, Salsola iberica Sennen and Pau, at 4 locations in southern California is reported. This stem and branch borer was successfully introduced from Pakistan. The larvae and pupae are parasitized in California by the solitary, external parasite, Norbanus perplexus (Ashmead) (Hym.:Pteromalidae). At current levels of establishment no control of Russian thistle has been observed.
Abstract 287: Chamber Specific Function of p38 MAP Kinases in Right Ventricle Development, Hypertrophy, and Dysfunction

Background: Postnatal heart maturation is a well orchestrated process involving chamber specific changes in myocyte proliferation and growth. While the left ventricle undergoes significant growth, the right ventricle regresses relative to the left in terms of both myocyte number and size. While much attention has been focused on the left ventricular myocyte proliferation and hypertrophy, right ventricle specific changes are poorly studied. p38 MAP kinase is a well established signaling pathway for stress response and also plays an important role in cell differentiation, viability and proliferation. Its role in chamber specific postnatal heart maturation, however, has not been demonstrated Results and Methods: We observed RV specific induction of myocyte apoptosis and suppression of myocyte proliferation in neonatal hearts, coinciding with a transient induction of p38 activity significantly higher in the RV relative to the LV at P3 and P7 wild-type mouse hearts. In cardiomyocyte specific p38 MAP kinase alpha&beta double KO (p38ab cdKO) mice, echocardiographic and histological analyses revealed RV specific chamber enlargement and dysfunction associated with significant postnatal lethality. Apoptotic activity in the RV was suppressed at P1 and myocyte proliferation and hypertrophy were significantly elevated at P3 and P7 in the p38ab cdKO hearts compared to the wild-type. In contrast, no differences were observed in the LV between the p38ab cdKO and wild-type. Consequently, the surviving p38ab cdKO mice showed significant and RV specific enlargement and dysfunction, leading to eventual RV failure and pulmonary hypertension. Conclusion: p38 a&b MAP kinases are essential to RV specific maturation in postnatal hearts. p38ab cdKO mice represent a unique RV-specific hypertrophy and heart failure model for further studies.
Electronic and Charge-Transport Properties of the Au3(CH3N═COCH3)3 Crystal: A Density Functional Theory Study

Density functional theory was used to investigate the electronic and charge-transport properties of the trinuclear gold Au3(CH3N═COCH3)3 crystal. Hole transport is found to be anisotropic and characterized by a very small effective mass of about 0.21 m0 along the stacking direction of the Au3 molecules. Interestingly, the calculations suggest an isotropic character of electron transport, for which the effective mass is about 1 m0. We show that while the interstack interactions facilitate electron transport in the directions perpendicular to the stacks, they act to diminish this transport along the stacking directions. Overall, the present results indicate that this compound is a promising ambipolar material for application in electronic devices.
Lessons From Teachers on Performing HRI Studies with Young Children in Schools

We deployed an autonomous social robotic learning com- panion in three preschool classrooms at an American public school for two months. Before and after this deployment, we asked the teachers and teaching assistants who worked in the classrooms about their views on the use of social robots in preschool education. We found that teachers' expectations about the experience of having a robot in their classrooms often did not match up with their actual experience. These teachers generally expected the robot to be disruptive, but found that it was not, and furthermore, had numerous positive ideas about the robot's potential as a new educational tool for their classrooms. Based on these interviews, we provide a summary of lessons we learned about running child-robot interaction studies in preschools. We share some advice for future researchers who may wish to engage teachers and schools in the course of their own human-robot interaction work. Understanding the teachers, the classroom environment, and the constraints involved is especially important for microgenetic and longitudinal studies, which require more of the school's time-as well as more of the researchers' time-and is a greater opportunity investment for everyone involved.
Towards the Development of the Invention Coach: a Naturalistic Study of Teacher Guidance for an Exploratory Learning Task

We describe a study of naturalistic teacher guidance for an exploratory learning activity called Invention. Our study illustrates a specific pedagogical style, whereby the teacher offers little feedback and few explanations, but largely poses questions, to help students identify and remedy their own errors. These findings have informed the design of a computerized Invention Coach and may apply more broadly to other exploratory learning environments.
Free vibration of layered magnetoelectroelastic spheres

A discrete-layer model is presented and applied to the free vibration of layered anisotropic spheres with coupling among the elastic, electric, and magnetic fields. Through-thickness approximations in the radial direction are pre-integrated and combined with independent approximations in the azimuthal and circumferential directions to provide estimates of the natural frequencies for a variety of representative geometries. Results are in excellent agreement with existing analytical studies and additional results are presented for higher-order spheroidal modes. Predictions of the level of influence of magnetoelectric coupling are also given.
Shale Production Optimization Technology (SPOT)

The goal of this chapter in the book is to demonstrate the utility of Shale Analytics in providing insight into hydraulic fracturing practices in the shale.
Shakespeare, Popularity and the Public Sphere

In late Elizabethan England, political appeals to the people were considered dangerously democratic, even seditious: the commons were supposed to have neither political voice nor will. Yet such appeals happened so often that the regime coined the word 'popularity' to condemn the pursuit of popular favor. Jeffrey S. Doty argues that in plays from Richard II to Coriolanus, Shakespeare made the tactics of popularity - and the wider public they addressed - vital aspects of politics. Shakespeare figured the public not as an extension of the royal court, but rather as a separate entity that, like the Globe's spectators who surrounded the fictional princes on its thrust stage, subjected their rulers to relentless scrutiny. For ordinary playgoers, Shakespeare's plays offered good practice for understanding the means and ends of popularity - and they continue to provide insight to the public relations strategies that have come to define modern political culture.
EGFR family and c-Met expression profiles and prognostic significance in esophagogastric adenocarcinoma.

e15108 Background: Targeted therapy of HER2 overexpression in patients with esophagogastric adenocarcinoma (EGA) improves survival; however, the effect is transient due to the development of resist...
Indigenous Epistemology Explored through Yoruba Orisha Traditions in the African Diaspora

This article analyzes an Indigenous epistemology explored through Yoruba Orisha traditions in the African diaspora. It also emphasizes the discordance between Euro-American psychology and African A...
Uber Pricing Strategies and Marketing Communications

By late March 2014, the ridesharing company Uber was on a roll, rapidly expanding service to untapped markets and gaining new, enthusiastic customers, as well as a few vocal and visible detractors. Uber's innovative organization of the supply-demand matching process produced eager customers who recruited others. Buzz marketing and aggressive recruitment of drivers augmented growth. This case presents Uber as an example of a middleman adding real value for consumers and upstream suppliers (limo drivers). Unlike Tesla, which battled to sell cars directly to the public, Uber created value by adding a layer between limos and prospective riders, organizing the market for convenience and transparency for both sides. Where Uber stirred up the competitive equivalent of a hornet's nest was with expansion from the livery car market into the taxi service market with UberX. The material allows for a lively discussion around disruptive digital technology and the firm's business model. Excerpt UVA-M-0871 Rev. May 2, 2016 Uber Pricing Strategies and Marketing Communications By late March 2016, Uber Technologies, Inc., an e-hail ride-sharing company, was on a roll, rapidly expanding service to untapped markets worldwide and gaining new, enthusiastic customers, as well as a few vocal and visible detractors. Some of its critics were focused on Uber's practice of “surge pricing,” a tactic that increased rates sharply in times of higher demand for car service. Other groups that disliked the company included competing taxi and limo services, which argued that inadequate driver screening and training endangered consumers and made for unfair competition in the highly regulated industry. In addition, some city governments enacted regulations to limit the number of cars on the road that ride-sharing companies could offer, and others completely banned the service. Aside from monetizing private cars into ride-sharing services offered around the globe, Uber slowly added a delivery service (UberRUSH) and eventually created an application program interface (API) enabling an Uber button to be added to other organizations' apps (e.g., Facebook, retailers, florists) for delivery options through UberRUSH and UberEATS for food products. While Uber explored growth in new markets, competitors in its core space were working hard to take market share. Lyft, Uber's major U.S. ride-share rival, had raised $ 1billion in capital and was investing some of it toward discounts and increased marketing efforts while expanding in major cities across the country. . . .
Governmental nonaudit services and choice of incumbent/non-incumbent CPA firm

Given the focus on auditor independence in the corporate literature, prior research has focused almost exclusively on nonaudit services obtained from the incumbent CPA firm. By contrast, auditor independence is generally not viewed as a critical issue in the public sector; rather, the policy emphasis is on the control benefits obtained from an audit. Despite the fact that there is less concern about auditor independence and the low search costs and potential knowledge spillover benefits associated with procuring nonaudit services from the incumbent auditor, governments appear to spend proportionately more on nonaudit services obtained from non-incumbent CPA firms. Our empirical findings are consistent with management’s reduced sensitivity to perceived auditor independence in the government environment and the potential importance of partisan politics and political patronage.
2-DG and Neuroethology: Metabolic Mapping of Brain Activity During Species-Typical Sexual and Aggressive Behaviors

Using reptiles as animal models, the 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) autoradiography technique has proven to be an excellent method for tracing patterns of brain activation during complex, species-typical behaviors. At the same time, reptiles provide natural experiments with which to test the generality of our assumptions regarding neuroethological relationships. There is a clear association between sexual and aggressive behaviors in males and the functional activity of neurons in specific brain regions. For example, male red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) court females intensely during the first month following spring emergence from their prolonged winter hibernation. Comparisons made between male red-sided garter snakes that court females, males that fail to court females, and males exposed only to other males indicate that during courtship males show a pronounced increase in 2-DG accumulation, and therefore presumably neural activity, in the nucleus sphericus (homolog of the amygdala) and the anterior hypothalamus and preoptic area (AH-POA) relative to males that do not court females. However, males that do not court females show widespread, non-specific increases in 2-DG uptake relative to males not exposed to females. This suggests that sexually inactive males perceive the females but actively ignore them. In male green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis), courtship is characterized by an elevated uptake of 2-DG in the AH-POA whereas during aggressive behaviors, 2-DG uptake is enhanced in the amygdala. Parthenogenetic whiptail lizards (Cnemidophorus uniparens) enable examination of the neural circuits that subserve mounting and receptive behaviors in the same brain as (i) the species consists only of female individuals that are (ii) genetically identical, yet (iii) individuals exhibit male-like or female-like pseudosexual behaviors depending upon the phase of the reproductive cycle. These experiments indicate the potential of the 2-DG technique for studying patterns of neural activity associated with the species-typical behaviors in nonmammalian vertebrates. Further, by contrasting species exhibiting different patterns and modes of reproduction, some of the fundamental aspects of the brain control of social behavior are revealed.
Music and the moderni, 1300–1350: The a rs nova in Theory and Practice

Music theorists labelled the musical art of the 1330s and 1340s as 'new' and 'modern'. A close reading of writings on music theory and the polyphonic repertory from the first half of the fourteenth century reveals a modern musical art that arose due to specific innovations in music notation. The French ars nova employed as its theoretical fundament a new system for arranging musical time proposed by the astronomer and mathematician Jean des Murs. Challenging prevailing accounts of the ars nova, this book presents the 'new art' within the intellectual context of its time, revises the datings of Jean des Murs's writings on music theory, and presents the intersection of theory and practice for a crucial era in the history of music. Through contemporaneous accounts, Desmond explores how individuals were involved in 'changing' music in early fourteenth-century France, and the technical developments they pursued that precipitated this stylistic change.
An atypical case of papular necrobiosis lipoidica masquerading as sarcoidosis.

Necrobiosis lipoidica (NL) is a rare granulomatous disorder characterized by well-circumscribed yellowish plaques affecting the anterior shins, often in patients with diabetes. Clinical examination is typically sufficient to make the diagnosis, but skin biopsy is sometimes required. Here we present a patient who received a misdiagnosis of sarcoidosis that was unsuccessfully treated who was found on re-examination and biopsy to have an atypical papular presentation of NL.
Self-Supported Hydrous Iridium–Nickel Oxide Two-Dimensional Nanoframes for High Activity Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts with high activity, high stability, and low costs are needed for proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers. Based on the high cost and limited supply of iridium, approaches that result in iridium-based OER catalysts with increased catalytic activity are of significant interest. We report a carbon-free, self-supported hydrous iridium–nickel oxide two-dimensional nanoframe structure synthesized by thermal treatment of iridium-decorated nickel oxide nanosheets under reducing conditions and subsequent chemical leaching in acid. The catalyst nanoarchitecture contains an interconnected network of metallic iridium–nickel alloy domains with hydrous iridium oxide and nickel oxide located in the surface region. The electrochemical oxidation step maintains the three-dimensional nanoarchitecture and results in a thin (∼5 A) oxide/hydroxide surface layer. The temperature used for thermal reduction was found to strongly affect the catalyst surface structure and OER ac...
Aerated Electrolysis for Reducing Impacts of Shale Gas Production Wastewater on Water Sources regarding Disinfection Byproduct Formation

Advances in treatment technologies of shale gas production wastewater are needed to minimize its toxic potency in polluted water sources. An aerated electrolysis (AE) process was employed for treat...
Cis-trans controls and regulatory novelty accompanying allopolyploidization

Allopolyploidy is a prevalent process in plants, having important physiological, ecological and evolutionary consequences. Transcriptomic responses to genomic merger and doubling have been demonstrated in many allopolyploid systems, encompassing a diversity of phenomena including homoeolog expression bias, genome dominance, expression-level dominance and revamping of co-expression networks. Notwithstanding the foregoing, there remains a need to develop a conceptual framework that will stimulate a deeper understanding of these diverse phenomena and their mechanistic interrelationships. Here we introduce considerations relevant to this framework with a focus on cis-trans interactions among duplicated genes and alleles in hybrids and allopolyploids. By extending classic allele-specific expression analysis to the allopolyploid level, we distinguish the distinct effects of progenitor regulatory interactions from the novel intergenomic interactions that arise from genome merger and allopolyploidization. This perspective informs experiments designed to reveal the molecular genetic basis of gene regulatory control, and will facilitate the disentangling of genetic from epigenetic and higher-order effects that impact gene expression. Finally, we suggest that the extended cis-trans model may help conceptually unify several presently disparate hallmarks of allopolyploid evolution, including genome-wide expression dominance and biased fractionation, and lead to a new level of understanding of phenotypic novelty accompanying polyploidy.
A computational study of vortex rings interacting with a constant-temperature heated wall

Abstract This study is motivated by understanding the connections between the vortical structures in impinging jets and the wall heat transfer. Of particular interest are: (1) examining how the stage of evolution of vortex pairing in the jet might influence the wall heat transfer, and (2) establishing correlations between the vortex characteristics and the Nusselt number (Nu) distribution. To this end, CFD simulations are conducted of three simplified model problems involving the interaction of isolated axisymmetric vortex rings with a flat, constant-temperature, heated wall. The cases represent three scenarios of vortex-wall interaction: before (Case I), during (Case II) and after (Case III) pairing. The results show that when two vortices concurrently interact with the wall and undergo pairing (Case II), a significant instantaneous enhancement in Nu is attained in comparison to that associated with a single vortex interacting with the wall (Cases I and III). However, Case II also leads to the largest subsequent decay in Nu enhancement due to the formation of a particularly strong secondary vortex. In all cases, a deterioration in Nu, relative to unsteady diffusion, is observed simultaneously with the enhancement. Notwithstanding this deterioration, the net effect of vortex-wall interaction on the heat transfer remains positive with Case II producing the highest heat transfer rate. An analysis is conducted to establish the connection between the instantaneous maximum and minimum Nu, the circulation and the radial and the wall-normal location of the core-centers of the vortices, the thermal boundary layer thickness, the boundary layer separation location and the wall shear stress.
Association Between Alopecia Areata, Anxiety, and Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Abstract Background To date, there is no comprehensive meta-analysis analyzing the association between alopecia areata, anxiety, and depression. Objective We sought to analyze the existing literature to examine the association between alopecia areata, anxiety, and depression. Methods We extracted literature from four databases including Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, and Web of Science. We utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines in order to finalize a list of relevant articles to be included in our systematic review and meta-analysis. There were no restrictions placed on publication year or age of participants. Results A total of 8 studies that included 6,010 patients with AA and 20,961 control patients were included in the quantitative analysis. These included 4 cross-sectional studies and 4 case-control studies. Analysis of these studies demonstrated a positive association with anxiety (pooled OR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.54-4.06) and depression (pooled OR, 2.71; 95% CI, 1.52-4.82). Limitations Publication bias may be a limitation of the study. Conclusion This study suggests that patients with AA are at higher risk of both anxiety and depression. Healthcare professionals must be cognizant of this higher risk and consider routine assessment of these conditions and referral to appropriate providers when indicated.