cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modern Workplace Ergonomics and Productivity – A Systematic Literature Review

With the development of remote collaboration platforms, the word ‘workplace’ is no longer limited to offices. With the impact of COVID-19, more and more people bring their workplaces out of the corporate office. With that said, moving workplaces to different places has offered researchers opportunities to study the impact on productivity and ergonomics on traditional office workers in various environments. This study is a systematic literature review of the topic of workplace ergonomics and productivity. The review was conducted using platforms such as Scopus, VOSviewer, MAXQDA, Vicinitas, and Web of Science. Bibliometric and co-citation analyses were performed using these tools to show the relationship between diseases caused by bad posture and habits, such as Musculoskeletal Disorders and Computer Vision Syndrome, and productivity. Additionally, environmental and cognitive ergonomics, such as room humidity, room temperature, brightness, also play important roles in worker productivity. It is crucial to understand these issues so that employers can offer better support for their employees in all sorts of working environments without sacrificing much productivity.
Legislative Effectiveness in the United States Congress: The Lawmakers

This book explores why some members of Congress are more effective than others at navigating the legislative process and what this means for how Congress is organized and what policies it produces. Craig Volden and Alan E. Wiseman develop a new metric of individual legislator effectiveness (the Legislative Effectiveness Score) that will be of interest to scholars, voters, and politicians alike. They use these scores to study party influence in Congress, the successes or failures of women and African Americans in Congress, policy gridlock, and the specific strategies that lawmakers employ to advance their agendas.
Temporary Vegetation Community: Emphasis on Herbivores

From the standpoint of herbivory by desert invertebrates, there are two broad groups of plants. One consists of ephemerals, the other of perennial shrubs and trees. We know the drought-evading ephemerals mainly as annuals such as the large number of composites and mustards that bloom quickly and then die, leaving only their seeds and their withered remains. But there are also many other ephemerals in the desert; they consist of deciduous perennial plants like many grasses and members of the Lilliaceae. Bulbs, rhizomes, and underground stems characterize deciduous perennials, which are also called “geophytes.”
Low efficiency of the 5' nontranslated region of hepatitis A virus RNA in directing cap-independent translation in permissive monkey kidney cells.

Abstract To characterize in vivo the translational control elements present in the 5' nontranslated region (5'NTR) of hepatitis A virus (HAV) RNA, we created an HAV-permissive monkey kidney cell line (BT7-H) that stably expresses T7 RNA polymerase and carries out cytoplasmic transcription of uncapped RNA from transfected DNA containing the T7 promoter. The presence of an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) within the 5'NTR of HAV was confirmed by using BT7-H cells transcribing bicistronic RNAs in which the 5'NTR was placed within the intercistronic space, controlling translation of a downstream reporter protein (bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase). However, translation directed by the 5'NTR in these bicistronic transcripts and in monocistronic T7 transcripts in which the HAV 5'NTR was placed upstream of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase coding sequence was very inefficient compared with the translation of monocistronic transcripts containing either the IRES of encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus or a short nonpicornavirus 5' nontranslated leader sequence. A large deletion within the HAV IRES (delta 355-532) eliminated IRES activity in bicistronic transcripts. In contrast, larger deletions within the IRES in monocistronic transcripts (delta 1-354, delta 1-532, delta 1-633, and delta 158-633) resulted in 4- to 14-fold increases in translation. In the latter case, this was most probably due to a shift from IRES-directed translation to translation initiation by 5'-end-dependent scanning. Translation of RNAs containing either the EMC virus IRES or the nonpicornavirus leader was significantly enhanced by cotransfection of the reporter constructs with pEP2A, which directs transcription of RNA containing the EMC virus IRES fused to the poliovirus 2Apro coding region. This 2Apro enhancement of cap-independent translation suggests a greater availability of limiting cellular translation factors following 2Apro-mediated cleavage of the p220 subunit of the eukaryotic initiation factor eIF-4F and subsequent shutdown of 5' cap-dependent translation. In contrast, pEP2A cotransfection resulted in severe inhibition of translation directed by the HAV IRES in either monocistronic or bicistronic transcripts. This inhibition was due to competition from the EMC virus IRES present in pEP-2A transcripts, as well as the expression of proteolytically active 2Apro. 2Apro-mediated suppression of HAV translation was not seen with transcripts containing large deletions in the HAV IRES (delta 158-633, delta 1-532, or delta 1-633). These data suggest that the HAV IRES may have a unique requirement for intact p220 or that it may be dependent on active expression of another cellular translation factor which is normally present in severely limiting quantities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The Context-Dependence of Amino Acid Properties

One of the current limitations of using sequence alignments to identify proteins with similar structures is that some proteins with similar structures do not have significant sequence similarity by identity. One way to address this "hidden-homology" problem is to match amino acids based on their chemical and physical properties. However, the amino acid properties overlap, creating orthogonal dimensions of similarity, the relative strengths of which are ambiguous. It has been observed that the role an amino acid plays (and hence the property that is important) at a site in a protein depends on its secondary and tertiary environment. To approximate and take advantage of this dependence on context for improving the sensitivity of alignments of proteins whose structures are unknown, we propose a surrogate definition of context based on the pattern of hydropathy in a small window of contiguous neighbors surrounding each amino acid. We present the results of an experiment in which a search-based program iteratively tests and selects various properties in independent contexts, and incrementally increases the ability of sequence alignments to detect relationships among distantly-related proteins. The method is shown to perform better than using the MDM78 substitution table for partial match scores.
The Neurobiology of Adolescent Addiction

The neurobiology of adolescent addiction involves a complex interaction of different parts of the brain as well as different neurotransmitter systems. And while many details remain unclear at this point, we are learning more and more about the process of addiction and its relation to risk-tasking behavior in adolescents. Our goal in writing this chapter is to elucidate the mechanisms and hypotheses that currently explain a majority of what is known regarding neurodevelopmental changes in adolescence and their impact on addiction. It is important to note that a great deal of the conclusions drawn from the experimental research at this point relies heavily on correlation and that causation has not been proven in the majority of cases. As our knowledge of the human brain and its development continues to grow, we are hopeful that we will have an even larger body of evidence supporting these conclusions.
Steiner Minimal Trees: An Introduction, Parallel Computation, and Future Work

Minimizing a network’s length is one of the oldest optimization problems in mathematics and, consequently, it has been worked on by many of the leading mathematicians in history. In the mid-seventeenth century a simple problem was posed: Find the point P that minimizes the sum of the distances from P to each of three given points in the plane. Solutions to this problem were derived independently by Fermat, Torricelli, and Cavaliers. They all deduced that either P is inside the triangle formed by the given points and that the angles at P formed by the lines joining P to the three points are all 120°, or P is one of the three vertices and the angle at P formed by the lines joining P to the other two points is greater than or equal to 120°.
Reinventing comparative public administration

The study of administration in other countries is often labelled comparative public administration and, since the Second World War, has developed a vast literature covering many world areas and utilizing various methods. Along with its more practical, more prescriptive counterpart, development administration, it has frequently been analysed and critiqued as a study and as a guide to development assistance. Suggests a new role for comparative/development administration as it faces the important challenge of addressing administrative requirements not only in the Third World but also in the former Second World (former Soviet Union and Central/Eastern Europe). The suggestion here is that iconoclastic models and non‐Western approaches are worthy of consideration, even though they may range from the unpleasant to the bizarre. Explores the Asian Communist administration – as found in China – and the Islamic revivalist administration – as found in Iran.
Subacute Hypoxia-Ischemia and the Timing of Injury in Treatment With Therapeutic Hypothermia

Abstract Objective This study aims to categorize infants treated with therapeutic hypothermia who presented with suspected subacute hypoxia-ischemia—that is, injury that likely occurred well before delivery and thus beyond the 6-hour window for therapeutic hypothermia—and to contrast the clinical characteristics with infants who suffered a known acute hypoxia-ischemia event. Design A retrospective chart review was undertaken of infants treated with therapeutic hypothermia at our center during a 6-year period. Suspected subacute injury is defined as decreased fetal movement greater than 6 hours before delivery or severe depression at birth without need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Acute injury is defined as an acute perinatal event including placental abruption, ruptured uterus, or umbilical cord abnormalities. Abnormal outcome is defined as death, cognitive delay, or spastic quadriplegia at follow-up. Results Infants with subacute (n = 7) versus acute injury (n = 26) were less likely to require cardiopulmonary resuscitation, were less acidotic at birth on cord gases with no significant difference in initial postnatal pH or base deficit, were more severely encephalopathic with severe amplitude electroencephalogram suppression, and demonstrated universal adverse outcome. Conclusions These data demonstrate greater benefit of therapeutic hypothermia for those infants with acute versus subacute injury. Early initiation of therapeutic hypothermia relative to the presumed onset of hypoxia-ischemia is critical. Early severe encephalopathy in the absence of a known acute perinatal event should raise concern in some cases for a subacute insult where the effect of therapeutic hypothermia is unlikely to be of benefit.
Monoclonal immunoglobulin A antibodies directed against cholera toxin prevent the toxin-induced chloride secretory response and block toxin binding to intestinal epithelial cells in vitro.

Abstract Secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies directed against cholera toxin (CT) are thought to be important in resistance to oral challenge with virulent Vibrio cholerae, although alternative mechanisms for protection of intestinal epithelia against CT-induced fluid secretion have been proposed. The ability of anti-CT IgA to block the effects of CT on human enterocytes has not been directly tested because of the lack of a well-defined in vitro intestinal epithelial cell system to directly measure toxin action and the limited availability of purified anti-CT IgA antibodies. We have generated hybridomas that produce monoclonal IgA and IgG antibodies directed against CT by fusion of Peyer's patch cells with mouse myeloma cells after oral-systemic immunization of mice with CT and CT B-subunit protein. All of the anti-CT antibodies recognized the B subunit. Three clones (designated anti-CTB IgA-1, IgA-2, and IgA-3) which produced IgA antibodies in dimeric and polymeric forms were selected. Checkerboard immunoblotting demonstrated that IgA-1 recognized an epitope distinct from that recognized by IgA-2 and IgA-3 and that none of the antibodies were directed against the binding site of GM1, the intestinal cell membrane toxin receptor. The protective capacity of these IgAs was tested in vitro with human T84 colon carcinoma cells grown on permeable supports as confluent monolayers of polarized enterocytes. When each anti-CTB IgA was mixed with 10 nM CT and applied to the apical surfaces of T84 cell monolayers, all three IgAs blocked CT-induced Cl- secretion in a dose-dependent manner and completely inhibited binding of rhodamine-labelled CT to apical cell membranes. Thus, monoclonal anti-CTB IgA antibodies are sufficient to protect human enterocytes in vitro against CT binding and action.
Aortopulmonary Anastomosis in Patients with Levotransposition

A technique for approximating the right pulmonary artery to the aorta in levo (L) transposition is described. The anastomosis is placed high on the ascending aorta to avoid occluding the coronary circulation by the clamp during the anastomosis. It is in patients with occluded left side anastomoses or single right pulmonary arteries that the right-sided anastomoses are most useful in L-transposition.
A two-component regulatory system (phoP phoQ) controls Salmonella typhimurium virulence.

Abstract We have determined that Salmonella typhimurium strains with mutations in the positive regulatory locus phoP are markedly attenuated in virulence for BALB/c mice. The DNA sequence for the phoP locus indicates that it is composed of two genes present in an operon, termed phoP and phoQ. The deduced amino acid sequence of the phoP and phoQ gene products are highly similar to other members of bacterial two-component transcriptional regulators that respond to environmental stimuli. S. typhimurium strains with transposon insertions that create transcriptional and translational gene fusions that require phoP and phoQ for expression have been isolated and have different chromosomal locations, indicating that this system is a regulon. One of these fusion strains, containing a mutation in a gene termed pagC, has a virulence defect. Other strains, including those containing mutations in the phoN gene, encoding an acid phosphatase, have wild-type virulence. Strains with pagC, phoP, or phoQ mutations have decreased survival in cultured mouse macrophages. When used as live vaccines in mice, strains with phoP or phoQ mutations afford partial protection to subsequent challenge by wild-type S. typhimurium.
Acute metabolic effects of human recombinant tumor necrosis factor beta in the rat

Background: Cancer cachexia is associated with several alterations in host metabolism, including hypoaminoacidemia and an increase in gluconeogenesis (GLC) and lipolysis. Tumor necrosis factor β (TNFβ), a lymphokine released by mitogen-activated T lymphocytes and several cancer cell lines, causes an increase in lipolysis in 3T3L1 adipocytes. Since little is known about the metabolic effects of TNFβ in vivo, we examined its acute effects in the rat. Methods: Twenty-eight male Fischer rats were injected intraperitoneally with TNFβ (250 µg/kg) or saline (CTL), and after 4 h, isolated hepatocytes were obtained (by in situ collagenase liver perfusion [n=12]) or aortic blood was collected (n=16). Hepatocytes were incubated with 10 mM alanine (ALA) or 10 mM lactate (LAC), and glucose production was measured. Rates of GLC (nmol glucose/106 cells/min) were determined by linear regression. Plasma lactate, glucose, insulin, and amino acids (AA) (nmol/ml) were measured, and values were expressed as means ± SEM. Comparisons between groups were made by unpairedt test or Mann-WhitneyU test, and significance was defined as p<0.05. Results: TNFβ caused a 130% increase in gluconeogenesis from alanine (2.7±0.5 vs 1.2±0.2 nmol glucose/106 cells/min, TNF vs CTL), and a 60% increase from lactate (7.5±1.0 vs 4.6±0.5 nmol glucose/106 cells/min, TNF vs CTL). Plasma insulin levels in TNF treated rats were 1.2±0.2 ng/ml compared to 1.1±0.2 ng/ml in CTL. Total amino acid levels in TNF treated rats were 3,175±111 nmol/ml compared to 3,190±103 nmol/ml in CTL. Conclusion: In vivo TNFβ causes an increase in hepatic gluconeogenesis from alanine and lactate with no change in plasma insulin or amino acids.
Elastic collision cross sections for laser-induced diffusion

We present a method for estimating the change in the hard sphere collision cross section for a polyatomic associated with vibrational excitation. The final result is only related to spectroscopic and virial coefficient data. The ability to theoretically estimate this cross section change is vital to the theoretical modeling of light-induced drift separation schemes in polyatomic mixtures.
Parallel file systems for the IBM SP computers

Parallel computer architectures require innovative software solutions to utilize their capabilities. This statement is true for system software no less than for application programs. File system development for the IBM SP product line of computers started with the Vesta research project, which introduced the ideas of parallel access to partitioned files. This technology was then integrated with a conventional Advanced Interactive Executive™ (AIX™) environment to create the IBM AIX Parallel I/O File System product. We describe the design and implementation of Vesta, including user interfaces and enhancements to the control environment needed to run the system. Changes to the basic design that were made as part of the AIX Parallel I/O File System are identified and justified.
Characteristics of nearby interstellar matter

There is a warm tenuous partially ionized cloud (T∼104 K,n(HI)∼0.1 cm−3,n(Hii∼ 0.22–0.44 cm−3) surrounding the solar system which regulates the environment of the solar system, determines the structure of the heliopause region, and feeds neutral interstellar gas into the inner solar system. The velocity (V∼−20 km s−1 froml∼335°,b∼0° in the local standard of rest) and enhanced Caii and Feii abundances of this cloud suggest an origin as evaporated gas from cloud surfaces in the Scorpius-Centaurus Association. Although the soft X-ray emission attributed to the ‘Local Bubble’ is enigmatic, optical and ultraviolet data are consistent with bubble formation caused by star formation epochs in the Scorpius-Centaurus Association as regulated by the nearby spiral arm configuration. The cloud surrounding the solar system (the ‘local fluff’) appears to be the leading region of an expanding interstellar structure (the ‘squall line’) which contains a magnetic field causing polarization of the light of nearby stars, and also absorption features in nearby upwind stars. The velocity vectors of the solar system and local fluff are perpendicular in the local standard of rest. Combining this information with the low column densities seen towards Sirius in the anti-apex direction, and the assumption that the cloud velocity vector is parallel to the surface normal, suggests that the Sun entered the local fluff within the historical past (less than 10 000 years ago) and is skimming the surface of the cloud. Comparison of magnesium absorption lines towards Sirius and anomalous cosmic-ray data suggest the local fluff is in ionization equilibrium.
Does favorable tax-treatment of housing reduce non-housing investment?

Abstract It is often argued that low tax rates on owner-occupied housing divert investment from non-housing capital, like equipment and R&D. This paper demonstrates that if people are heterogeneous in their propensity to save, and if there are constraints on borrowing, favorable tax treatment of owner-occupied housing up to a certain value can increase non-housing investment. This is because low housing taxes encourage renters to become owner-occupiers, leading existing owner-occupiers to shift their portfolio of other assets from rental housing to non-housing capital.
Neurosecretion of human hypothalamic immunoreactive β-endorphin: in vitro regulation by dopamine

An in vitro perifusion system was used to investigate immunoreactive beta-endorphin (beta-END-I) release from adult human hypothalami in response to dopamine (DA) and the DA receptor antagonist haloperidol (HAL). Administration of a 1 microM pulse of DA consistently elicited a mean (+/- SE) 88 +/- 9% increase (p less than 0.05, n = 5) in beta-END-I release, whereas 1 microM HAL had no effect. Administration of 1 microM DA during three perifusions in which 1 microM HAL was added to the medium failed to alter basal beta-END-I release. In contrast, DA did evoke an acute 230 +/- 31% increase (p less than 0.05) in beta-END-I release during three matching perifusions with medium containing the alpha-adrenergic antagonist phentolamine. These studies demonstrate that DA can stimulate in vitro release of beta-END-I from the adult human hypothalamus by a DA receptor mediated mechanism.
A form of presynaptic coincidence detection.

In this issue of Neuron, Sjostrom et al. provide evidence for a novel presynaptic mechanism for coincidence detection in induction of timing-dependent LTD. In their scheme, simultaneous activation of presynaptic NMDA receptors and CB1 endocannabinoid receptors induces a long-lasting reduction in presynaptic transmitter release.
Effects of pH on toxicity of As, Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn to Selenastrum capricornutum Printz

Acute toxicity tests were conducted to establish the response of Selenastrum capricornutum Printz to sublethal concentrations of As, Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn at a broad range of pH levels. Cultures were incubated for a period of seven days at pH 4 in standard algal assay media containing sublethal concentrations of metals. At this low pH, growth was depressed for all metals tested. The adjustment of pH to higher levels resulted in increased growth when cultures were treated with As, Cu, or Ni and incubated for an additional 7 days. Toxicity was least at the optimum pH range for growth of the alga.
278 THE MATERNAL AND FETAL CATECHOLAMINE (CAT) RESPONSE TO HYPOXIA IN SHEEP

The plasma CAT responses to hypoxia were investigated in six pregnant ewes at 133-140 days gestation. Hypoxia was induced by exposure of the ewe to 6-9% O2 -3% CO2/nitrogen for 30 min. Maternal and fetal arterial blood samples were obtained at 5 min intervals before and during the hypoxic stress for measurement of epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE) and blood gases. Analyses of maternal CAT responses revealed a significant elevation of mean NE from 191 to 685 pg/ml (p<0.05) and E from 129 to 311 pg/ml (p<0.05). The levels of plasma NE correlated with duration of hypoxia (r=0.93, p<0.05) based on mean NE values at 10, 20 and 30 min). Fetal CAT responses correlated (r=0.54, p<0.05) with severity of maternal hypoxia as follows: Conclusions: 1) Significant maternal E and NE secretion occurs with hypoxia. 2) The levels of maternal NE correlate linearly with time of hypoxic exposure. 3) Fetal E and NE secretion increase with maternal hypoxia. 4) There is a direct correlation between fetal E or NE levels and severity of maternal hypoxia.
1236 A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PaCO 2 AND RETROLENTAL FIBROPLASIA (RLF)

Flower, et. al. have reported that newborn animals made hypercarbic had both an increased incidence and severity of RLF. This study concerns data on 74 surviving infants with birth weights ≤ 1000 grams, half of whom (37 infants) had RLF diagnosed either while in hospital or shortly after discharge. Twenty eight independent variables were analyzed to determine their role in the occurrence of RLF. By discriminant analysis, 9 of these variables correlated with the development of RLF (r=.70) and accounted for 49% of the variance. The total function (nos. 1-9) yielded a Chi-square of p 50 TORR) which occurred simultaneously with an elevated PaO2 (> 100 TORR). Other variables included the total number of PaO2's > 100 TORR (#3), the Apgar Score at 1 minute (#4), the Ponderal Index (#5), total days on CPAP (#6), the highest recorded PaO2 (#7), total respirator days (#8) and the Ponderal Index Percentile (#9). These data suggest that PaCO2 may be a very significant variable in the development of RLF. Retinal vasoconstriction, if viewed as protective, may be abolished by hypercarbia; thereby allowing free flow of potentially toxic hyperoxic blood into the retinal tissues. We suggest that continuous PaCO2 monitoring may be as important as PaCO2 monitoring in the prevention of RLF.
Proper Care, Husbandry, and Breeding Guidelines for the Zebra Finch, Taeniopygia guttata

The zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata castanotis is a songbird commonly used in the laboratory, particularly for studies of vocal learning, neurobiology, and physiology. Within the laboratory, it is important to adopt careful husbandry practices that allow for normal development of the birds. For example, their song is a learned trait, passed culturally from adult males to juveniles, and thus its learning can be influenced by the health and social conditions of the birds present in the laboratory. Here we present guidelines for the successful maintenance and breeding of captive zebra finches.
EQUALIZATION OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES

In Africa, there is a great desire to achieve social and economic development through a full and proper education and utilization of the abundant human resources available. However, great inequalities in access to education exist for different social classes and for different parts of each African Country. Attempts to equalize opportunities include the introduction of free universal primary education, and the building of boarding primary schools for nomadic tribes; the reduction of secondary school fees; and the establishment or expansion of Federal and regional scholarships, bursaries and loan schemes. There are also admission quota schemes in favour of women and disadvantaged regions. Racial, private and church‐owned schools have been abolished or taken over by the government. Plans have been made for the establishment of large numbers and varieites of educational institutions especially in the rural areas and underdeveloped regions of each country.
A Novel Ligand-independent Function of the Estrogen Receptor Is Essential for Osteocyte and Osteoblast Mechanotransduction

Bone senses and adapts to meet mechanical needs by means of an extensive mechanotransduction network comprising osteocytes (former osteoblasts entrapped in mineral) and their cytoplasmic projections through which osteocytes communicate with osteoblasts and osteoclasts on the bone surface. Mechanical stimulation promotes osteocyte (and osteoblast) survival by activating the extracellular signal-regulated kinases, ERKs. Estrogens have similar effects and, intriguingly, the adaptive response of bone to mechanical forces is defective in mice lacking estrogen receptor (ER) α or ERβ. We report that ERKs are not activated by stretching in osteocytic and osteoblastic cells in which both ERα and ERβ have been knocked out or knocked down and this is reversed partially by transfection of either one of the two human ERs and fully by transfection of both receptors. ERK activation in response to stretching is also recovered by transfecting the ligand-binding domain (E) of either receptor or an ERα mutant that does not bind estrogens. Furthermore, mechano-responsiveness is restored by transfecting the Eα targeted to the plasma membrane, but not to the nucleus, whereas ERα mutants with impaired plasma membrane localization or binding to caveolin-1 fail to confer ERK activation in response to stretching. Lastly, the ER antagonist ICI 182,780 abrogates ERK activation and the anti-apoptotic effect of mechanical stimulation. We conclude that in addition to their role as ligand-dependent mediators of the effects of estrogens, the ERs participate in the transduction of mechanical forces into pro-survival signaling in bone cells, albeit in a ligand-independent manner.
The social neuroscience of reputation

Human behavior is strongly influenced by the presence of others. Obtaining a good reputation or avoiding a bad one is a powerful incentive for a plethora of human actions. Theoretical considerations suggest that reputation may be a key mediator of aspects of altruistic behavior that are uniquely human. Despite its considerable influence on human social behavior and the growing interest in social neuroscience, investigations of the neural basis of reputation-based decision-making are still in their infancy. Here, I argue that reputation is an important aspect of human social cognition and present some of the candidate neural mechanisms.
Incorporating Active-Learning Techniques and Competency Assessment into a Critical Care Elective Course

Objective. To design, implement, and measure the effectiveness of a critical care elective course for second-year students in a 3-year accelerated doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program. Design. A critical care elective course was developed that used active-learning techniques, including cooperative learning and group presentations, to deliver content on critical care topics. Group presentations had to include a disease state overview, practice guidelines, and clinical recommendations, and were evaluated by course faculty members and peers. Assessment. Students’ mean scores on a 20-question critical-care competency assessment administered before and after the course improved by 11% (p < 0.05). Course evaluations and comments were positive. Conclusion. A critical care elective course resulted in significantly improved competency in critical care and was well-received by students.
In-situ ultra-high vacuum studies of electromigration in copper films

Abstract Measurement of the activation energy for electromigration in polycrystalline copper films under clean surface, ultra-high vacuum ( su −10Torr) conditions has been carried out. An isothermal electrical resistance method was used and a value of 0.47 ± 0.03 eV was obtained. This result suggests that under clean surface conditions surface diffusion is the primary damage mechanism for electromigration in copper, since the measured energy lies in the range of values obtained theoretically and experimentally for surface diffusion on copper. Scanning electron microscopy studies taken subsequent to the resistance measurements support this conclusion.
What If We Give a Census and No One Comes

Privacy and confidentiality concerns threaten to reduce levels of public cooperation with government surveys, resulting in national statistics that will be less useful in policy-making, democratic accountability, social justice, and economic decision-making. In this Policy Forum, Kenneth Prewitt explains how understanding how to respond to public concerns about intrusiveness and loss of privacy while maintaining the scope and quality of information on which society depends requires new research strategies.
Synthesis and reactivity of N-methyl and N-phenyl meso-unsubstituted N-confused porphyrins.

Condensations of 1-methyl and 1-phenyl-2,4-pyrroledicarbaldehydes with a tripyrrane in TFA−dichloromethane, followed by oxidation with aqueous FeCl3, gave novel cross-conjugated meso-unsubstituted N-confused porphyrins (NCPs; 12). These porphyrin analogues showed significant diatropic ring currents that were enhanced upon protonation. Reactions with nickel(II) acetate in refluxing DMF, or palladium(II) acetate in acetonitrile, gave good yields of the corresponding nickel(II) or palladium(II) organometallic derivatives 18 and 19. These complexes were stable and the proton NMR spectra showed slightly increased downfield shifts to the external protons. Addition of TFA resulted in C-protonation at the internal carbon to give aromatic cations that showed the inner CH resonance between −2.5 and −4.0 ppm. The nickel(II) cations 20a and 20b slowly underwent demetalation but the related palladium cations 20c and 20d were quite robust and showed no loss of palladium after 1 week at room temperature. Reaction of NCP...
Efficacy of blood flow-restricted, low-load resistance training in women with risk factors for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.

Abstract Objective To assess whether concurrent blood flow restriction (BFR) during low-load resistance training is an efficacious and tolerable means of improving quadriceps strength and volume in women with risk factors for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA). Design Randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial. Setting Exercise training clinical research laboratory. Participants Women over age 45 years with risk factors for symptomatic knee OA. Methods Participants were randomized to either low-load resistance training (30% 1RM) alone (control) or with concurrent BFR and completed 4 weeks of 3 times per week leg-press resistance training. Those randomized to BFR wore a cuff that progressively restricted femoral blood flow over the weeks of training. Intergroup differences in outcome measures were compared using regression methods, while adjusting for BMI. Main Outcome Measures Isotonic bilateral leg press strength, isokinetic knee extensor strength, and quadriceps volume by magnetic resonance imaging were assessed before and after participation. Secondary measures included lower limb muscle power (leg press and stair climb). Knee pain was assessed to determine tolerance. Results Of 45 women who consented to study participation, 40 completed the program. There were no significant intergroup differences in baseline characteristics except that body mass index was lower in the BFR group ( P = .0223). Isotonic 1RM improved significantly more in the BFR group (28.3 ± 4.8 kg) than in the control group (15.6 ± 4.5 kg) ( P = .0385). Isokinetic knee extensor strength scaled to body mass increased significantly more in the BFR group (0.07 ± 0.03 nm/kg) than in the control group (−0.05 ± 0.03 nm/kg) ( P = .0048). Changes in quadriceps volume, leg press power, and knee-related pain did not significantly differ between groups. Conclusions Addition of BFR to a 30% 1RM resistance training program was effective in increasing leg press and knee extensor strength in women at risk for knee OA, in comparison with the same program without BFR.
Active learning and search on low-rank matrices

Collaborative prediction is a powerful technique, useful in domains from recommender systems to guiding the scientific discovery process. Low-rank matrix factorization is one of the most powerful tools for collaborative prediction. This work presents a general approach for active collaborative prediction with the Probabilistic Matrix Factorization model. Using variational approximations or Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling to estimate the posterior distribution over models, we can choose query points to maximize our understanding of the model, to best predict unknown elements of the data matrix, or to find as many "positive" data points as possible. We evaluate our methods on simulated data, and also show their applicability to movie ratings prediction and the discovery of drug-target interactions.
Calmodulin and calmodulin-binding proteins in hair bundles

Abstract Calcium ion plays an important role in the hair cell's mechanoelectrical transduction process; in particular, Ca2+ controls adaptation to protracted mechanical stimuli. Because calmodulin is a ubiquitous intracellular receptor for Ca2+ and has been shown to accumulate at the tips of stereocilia, we determined its concentration and identified the proteins with which it interacts in the hair bundle. By performing quantitative immunoblot analysis on isolated bundles, we ascertained that the average concentration of calmodulin within each stereocilium is approximately 70 microM. Extraction experiments disclosed that, in the presence of 20 microM Ca2+, 50% of the calmodulin is bound to detergent-soluble receptors. To distinguish these receptors, we developed an assay that utilizes calmodulin crosslinked to alkaline phosphatase. This technique is approximately 100-fold more sensitive than calmodulin-binding assays that employ 125I- or biotin-labeled calmodulin. When used with chemiluminescence detection in a blot-overlay assay, the calmodulin-alkaline phosphatase conjugate identified hair-bundle proteins of molecular masses 25, 35, 145, 175, 240, and 350 kDa. We examined the subcellular distribution of these receptors; all but the 240-kDa molecule are soluble in a nonionic detergent. The relatively high concentration of calmodulin and the presence of several calmodulin-binding proteins provide evidence for a role of calmodulin in hair bundles.
Integration by table look-up for p-version finite elements on curved tetrahedra

Abstract We develop a method of evaluating element level matrices and vectors associated with p -version finite element computations on tetrahedral meshes with curved boundaries. The procedure uses optimal interpolation formula [Q. Chen, I. Babuska, Approximate optimal points for polynomial interpolation of real functions in an interval and in a triangle, Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Engrg. 128 (1995) 405–417; Q. Chen, I. Babuska, Approximate optimal polynomial interpolation points in the tetrahedron, Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Engrg. 137 (1997) 89–94] for non-polynomial portions of integrands followed by exact integration. Exact integrals of product combinations of polynomial interpolants and shape functions are stored so that different integrals may be efficiently evaluated by a table look-up. We present error-analysis for our scheme applied to curvilinear tetrahedral meshes with exact geometric representation of the boundary of the domain as defined in a geometric-modelling system. Numerical results are presented for problems involving the Helmholtz equation.
Computer calculation of Witten's $3$-manifold invariant

Witten's 2+1 dimensional Chern-Simons theory is exactly solvable. We compute the partition function, a topological invariant of 3-manifolds, on generalized Seifert spaces. Thus we test the path integral using the theory of 3-manifolds. In particular, we compare the exact solution with the asymptotic formula predicted by perturbation theory. We conclude that this path integral works as advertised and gives an effective topological invariant.
The WISE principal investigator's perspective

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) project has dominated my life for the last 12 years, and it has been an interesting, rewarding and frustrating experience. The first proposal was made in 1998, and the very good core team assembled then has continued to work on the project. Scientific satellites are almost always unique designs, and there were many challenges in building a one-of-a-kind system. But the rewards from a successful mission are new data on the Universe, and here WISE has really delivered. Data has been flowing in at 250 Gbits per day for most of 2010.
The Use of Singularity Programming in Finite-Difference and Finite-Element Computations of Temperature

This report contains a description of a numerical technique designed to overcome the difficulties associated with the usual solution of 2-dimensional discretized thermal problems when there are singularities arising from point sources or discontinuous boundary conditions. The method is applied to both the finite-difference and the finite-element approach by incorporating in the numerical computations the known analytical form of the singularities. (16 refs.)
Scale-Model and Numerical Simulations of Near-Fault Seismic Directivity

Foam rubber experiments simulating unilaterally propagating strike-slip earthquakes provide a means to explore the sensitivity of near-fault ground motions to rupture geometry. Subsurface accelerometers on the model fault plane show rupture propagation that approaches a limiting velocity close to the Rayleigh velocity. The slip-velocity waveform at depth is cracklike (slip duration of the order of narrower fault dimension W divided by S -wave speed β ). Surface accelerometers record near-fault ground motion enhanced along strike by rupture-induced directivity. Most experimental features (initiation time, shape, duration and absolute amplitude of acceleration pulses) are successfully reproduced by a 3D spontaneous-rupture numerical model of the experiments. Numerical- and experimental-model acceleration pulses show similar decay with distance away from the fault, and fault-normal components in both models show similar, large amplitude growth with distance along fault strike. This forward directivity effect is also evident in response spectra: the fault-normal spectral response peak (at period ∼ W /3 β ) increases approximately sixfold along strike, on average, in the experiments, with similar increase (about fivefold) in the corresponding numerical simulation. The experimental- and numerical-model response spectra agree with an empirical directivity model for natural earthquakes at long periods (near ∼ W / β ), and both overpredict shorter-period empirical directivity effects, with the amount of overprediction increasing systematically with diminishing period. We attribute this difference to rupture- and wavefront incoherence in natural earthquakes, due to fault-zone heterogeneities in stress, frictional resistance, and elastic properties present in the Earth but absent or minimal in the experimental and numerical models. Rupture-front incoherence is an important component of source models for ground-motion prediction, but finding an effective kinematic parameterization may be challenging.
Nitric oxide, caveolae, and vascular pathology

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is an enzyme that plays a critical role in normal cardiovascular function. Caveolae are structures within the surface membrane of cells in which many signaling and second messenger pathways, including nitric oxide, are regulated. Many interventions in cardiovascular disease act, in part, either by changing factors that directly influence eNOS, or by changing a complex set of proteins that act indirectly on caveolae, to alter eNOS activity. In this review, we will focus on the regulation of eNOS activity by circulating factors which are altered in cardiovascular disease and the effects of pharmacological interventions that act partially through effects on eNOS.
Trichinella spiralis: Differences between “early” and “late” rapid expulsion evident from inhibition studies using cortisone and irradiation

Abstract Cortisone administered once at 100 mg/kg during the first 3 weeks of infection inhibited rapid expulsion. In rats immunized with an abbreviated infection ( T M regime) inhibition averaged approximately 50%, whereas in rats given a complete infection (C.I.) 14% inhibition occurred. Sensitivity to 400 rad whole-body irradiation was greatest 7 days before a challenge infection in all immune rats. Three days after beginning the T M infection rats were highly susceptible to cortisone but only weakly so to irradiation. Rats immunized by C.I. were equally, but only weakly, susceptible to either cortisone or irradiation 3 days after infection. Acute administration of cortisone 1 or 4 hr prior to challenge did not inhibit rapid expulsion but 60% inhibition occurred when cortisone was given 24 hr prior to challenge. Inhibition of rapid expulsion by irradiation 7 days prior to challenge was not reversed by immune serum and irradiation did not affect antibody titer in treated rats. It was suggested that irradiation 7 days before challenge compromised the intestinal, and not the immunological, component of rapid expulsion. Differences in sensitivity of “early” and “late” rapid expulsion to irradiation and cortisone therapy provide further evidence of functional differences between these rejection processes.
Obesity and Anorexia Nervosa: Psychosocial Aspects*:

(1975). Obesity and Anorexia Nervosa: Psychosocial Aspects. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry: Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 159-161.
Effects of emotion control and task on Web searching behavior

The study investigated how users' emotion control and search tasks interact and influence the Web search behavior and performance among experienced Web users. Sixty-seven undergraduate students with substantial Web experience participated in the study. Effects of emotion control and tasks were found significant on the search behavior but not on the search performance. The interaction effect between emotion control and tasks on the search behavior was also significant: effects of users' emotion control on the search behavior varied depending on search tasks. Profile analyses of search behaviors identified and contrasted the most commonly occurring profiles of search activities in different search tasks. Suggestions were made to improve information literacy programs, and implications for future research were discussed.
A Quadrivalent Studied in Living and Fixed Grasshopper Spermatocytes

A single specimen of the grasshopper Melanoplus differentialis was discovered which was heterozygous for an interchange involving two of the largest chromosomes of the complement. The resulting quadrivalent occurred as a ring-of-four, chain-of-four, and, rarely, as two heteromorphic bivalents. Metaphase orientation and anaphase disjunction of some of these quadrivalents were recorded in living cells. The chain-of-four was stable in the configuration in which two pairs of kinetochores were oriented to each pole. The configuration in which three pairs of kinetochores were oriented to one pole and one pair to the other pole was also stable, but was shifted off the equator toward the pole to which three pairs of kinetochores were oriented. Given the nature of this quadrivalent the unusual stability of the 3∶1 configuration is expected from current hypotheses of chromosome orientation and reorientation.
Shallow Aquifer Recharge from Irrigation in a Semiarid Agricultural Valley in New Mexico

AbstractIrrigation percolation can be an important source of shallow aquifer replenishment in arid regions of the southwestern United States. Aquifer recharge derived from irrigation percolation can be more significant in fluvial valleys overlying shallow aquifers, where highly permeable soils allow rapid water infiltration and aquifer replenishment. This study used data from various irrigation experiments and data at the piezometric level to assess the irrigation percolation effects on the recharge of a shallow aquifer in an agricultural valley of northern New Mexico. The water balance method (WBM) and the water table fluctuation method (WTFM) were used to estimate aquifer recharge at the field scale (<1 ha) and the WTFM was used to determine recharge at the entire valley scale (40 km2). Also, the temporal and spatial distribution of aquifer response to irrigation percolation and canal seepage inputs was characterized. The results showed that for separate irrigation events at the field scale, aquifer r...