cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
OpenTap: software defined data acquisition

We present OpenTap, a unified interface designed as an Infrastructure layer technology for a software-defined network measurement (SDNM) stack. OpenTap provides invocations for remotely capturing network data at various granularities, such as packet or NetFlow. OpenTap drivers can be developed that leverage open source network measurement tools such as tcpdump and nfdump. OpenTap software can be used to turn any computing device with network interfaces into a remotely controlled network data collection device. Although OpenTap was designed for SDNM, its interface generalizes to any data acquisition thereby providing software-defined data acquisition (SDDA). We illustrate this generality with OpenTap drivers that leverage Phidgets USB sensors to remotely capture environmental data such as temperature. We have completed an implementation of OpenTap that uses a REST API for the invocations. Using that implementation, we study a few use cases of OpenTap for automated network management and network traffic visualizations to characterize its utility for those applications. We find that OpenTap empowers rapid development of software for more complex network measurement functionality at the Control layer such as, joining network data with other sources, and creating network data aggregates such as traffic matrices. OpenTap significantly lowers the cost and development barrier to large-scale data acquisition thereby bringing data acquisition and analytics to an unprecedented number of users. Finally, at the Application layer, network measurement applications such as traffic matrix visualizations are easily implemented leveraging OpenTap at the Infrastructure layer in addition to the Control layer. All of these data processing software systems will be open source and available on GitHub by the time of the conference.
Self oxidation of Romanian lignite during storage

Due to large emissions of pollutants, the Romanian coal fired power plants will operate less frequently, but they will play an important role in ensuring the stability of power system. A long storage period leads to a devaluation of lignite. The paper shows a correlation between the baseline characteristics of the stored lignite, weather conditions and storage time which can be an effective tool for establishing measures to reduce the spontaneous heating of coal and to provide spontaneous combustion.
User perceptions of drawing logic diagrams with pen-centric user interfaces

Researchers hypothesize pen-based interfaces are the input method of choice for structured 2D languages, as they are natural for users. In our research we asked whether naturalness, similarity to pen and paper, is more important than speed of entry and ease of use by performing a study comparing interfaces for creating logic diagrams. We compared a Wizard of Oz based sketch interface with 100% accuracy, a drag-and-drop interface, and a hybrid interface combining features from sketch and drag-and-drop. Eighteen college students with logic gate diagram backgrounds participated in the study. We found that participants finished fastest with the hybrid interface, but ten out of eighteen participants felt that the sketch interface was fastest. Ten participants ranked the sketch interface easiest to use, while the hybrid interface was rated highly on ease of use metrics. Participants showed significant inclination towards the sketch interface as being natural. While the hybrid and sketch interfaces were ranked best for overall preference, neither was ranked more than the other. Even though the hybrid interface was empirically faster, user preferences for the interfaces varied, with many participants favoring the sketch interface. Finally, we tested for correlations between overall ranking for interfaces and other rankings on the interfaces and found the strongest correlation to be with ease of use. Based on our results, we believe that combining sketching with other interface paradigms could lead to better interfaces for structured 2D languages.
Endosymbiosis of Rhizobium : Internalization of the “extracellular compartment” and metabolites exchange

Following a successful infection, the Rhizobium is released inside the host cell via a process resembling endocytosis. A rapid proloiferation of membrane vesicles and their fusion at the tip of the infection thread allows each bacterium to be released inside a membrane-bound vesicle. During the endosymbiotic state bacteria remain enclosed in a membrane envelope (peribacteroid membrane, PBM) which is constituted by the components of the plasma membrane of the host cell (8). The nature of this “extracellular compartment” is, however, not fully understood. It appears to be unique in that it is able to change its properties depending upon the fate of the process ie. symbiotic vs pathogenic. Physiological “internalization” of this compartment is a key step in acceptance of the foreign organism inside the host cell. Rhizobium enclosed in PBM behaves as an “organelle” having many properties in common with mitochondria. The PBM, while keeping bacteria physiologically “outside” the host cell cytoplasm and avoiding any pathogenic interaction, allows development of a close contact between the plant cell and bacteria for rapid and efficient exchange of metabolites. Recent studies from our laboratory suggestthat many specific host gene products (nodulins) are integrated into the PBM.
Abstract 15697: Cocaine-Induced Ischemia in the Human Coronary Microcirculation: Evidence from Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography

Background: Cocaine commonly causes acute coronary syndrome but the exact mechanism is unknown and thus treatment remains empirical. We used myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) to test the hypothesis that cocaine, an indirect sympathomimetic stimulating both vascular α- and cardiac β- adrenergic receptors, causes microvascular ischemia in the human heart by decreasing myocardial capillary perfusion while increasing myocardial oxygen demands. Methods: Six healthy cocaine-naive male subjects (median age 38Y) were studied at baseline, 45 min after non-intoxicating low-dose intranasal cocaine (2 mg/kg), and during dobutamine (5 mg/kg i.v.), a β-agonist used as an internal control. Measurements included heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and left ventricular (LV) work (end-systolic elastance x HR) by 2D echocardiography. MCE perfusion imaging was performed with a continuous infusion of microbubbles and post-destructive data were fit to the equation: y = A(1-e-βt) to quantify functional capillary blood volume (A), flux (flow) rate (β) and perfusion (Aβ). Myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2) was estimated as: (7.2 x 10-4 x (HR x systolic BP) + 1.42). Microvascular conductance was calculated as perfusion divided by MAP. Results: Despite an increase (p Conclusions: In humans, cocaine-induced sympathoexcitation acts at the level of the coronary microvessels to cause a mismatch between myocardial oxygen demand and perfusion. Microvascular ischemia from inappropriately reduced functional capillary density constitutes a specific therapeutic target which could improve treatment of cocaine-induced acute coronary syndrome.
Dynamic Routing in WDM Grooming Networks

Traffic grooming in optical networks has gained significant importance in recent years due to the prevailing sub-wavelength traffic requirement of end-users. In this paper, a methodology for dynamic routing of fractional-wavelength traffic in WDM grooming networks is developed. To evaluate the performance of routing algorithms, a new performance metric that reflects the network utilization is also proposed. The performances of shortest-widest path, widest-shortest path, and available shortest path routing algorithms are evaluated on a class of WDM grooming networks by considering traffic of different capacity requirements. The effect of dispersity routing, where higher capacity requests are broken into multiple unit capacity requests, is also investigated. The most interesting counter-intuitive result that is observed is that increasing the grooming capability in a network could result in degrading the performance of the widest-shortest path algorithm.
Party survival in parliament: Explaining party durability in lower-house parliaments

Approximately 70 per cent of the parties emerging in the post‐Second World War era failed to keep their seats in parliament. Party survival is an important issue, especially in parliamentary democracies, where parties are the means through which voters’ preferences are linked to government policy outputs. Using an event history modeling framework, and data from 37 democracies, covering 830 parties, this article analyses two questions regarding party durability. First, when do parties fail? Second, which parties survive longer? The article shows that most parties fail at the beginning of their lifespan, and disappear before the end of their fourth term in parliament. Moreover, it is found that moderate policy position, distinct ideology and participation in governing coalitions increase the duration of party survival, even when controlling for party size. This article contributes to the extensive literature about the electoral benefits of ideological moderation and distinct policy positions by showing the long‐term benefits of these factors. Moreover, the long‐term benefit of party participation in government in terms of survival overcomes the short‐term cost of ruling.
Binding of Nitric Oxide to First-Transition-Row Metal Cations: An ab Initio Study

Equilibrium geometries and binding energies have been determined for several states of the transition metal nitrosyl cations, M(NO)+, for the first-transition-row metals, scandium through copper, (M = Sc−Cu). The geometries were optimized using density functional theory (DFT) with a hybrid functional (B3LYP). Our calculations predict that the ground states for Sc(NO)+, Ti(NO)+, and V(NO)+ have side-on geometries with the N and O approximately equidistant from the metal center. In these structures, N and O both form covalent bonds with the metal center. The ground states of M(NO)+ for chromium through nickel are linearly bound at the nitrogen and Cr+-Co+ form bonds that are primarily electrostatic and dative in nature. Ground-state Ni(NO)+ is more strongly bound than the other linear M(NO)+ complexes, due to a larger contribution from NO to metal charge transfer in the bonding. Ground-state Cu(NO)+ has a bent structure with a one-electron bond between the Cu and N. All the ground-state electronic configura...
Patient reported outcomes can improve performance status assessment: a pilot study.

Patient performance status is routinely used in oncology to estimate physical functioning, an important factor in clinical treatment decisions and eligibility for clinical trials. However, validity and reliability data for ratings of performance status have not been optimal. This study recruited oncology patients who were about to begin emetogenic palliative or adjuvant chemotherapy for treatment of solid tumors. We employed actigraphy as the gold standard for physical activity level. Correspondences between actigraphy and oncologists’ and patients’ ratings of performance status were examined and compared with the correspondences of actigraphy and several patient reported outcomes (PROs). The study was designed to determine feasibility of the measurement approaches and if PROs can improve the accuracy of assessment of performance status. Oncologists and patients made performance status ratings at visit 1. Patients wore an actigraph and entered weekly PROs on a smartphone app. Data for days 1–14 after visit 1 were analyzed. Chart reviews were conducted to tabulate all unexpected medical events across days 1–150. Neither oncologist nor patient ratings of performance status predicted steps/hour (actigraphy). The PROMIS® Physical Function PRO (average of Days 1, 7, 14) was associated with steps/hour at high (for men) and moderate (for women) levels; the PROMIS® Fatigue PRO predicted steps for men, but not for women. Unexpected medical events occurred in 57% of patients. Only body weight in female patients predicted events; oncologist and patient performance status ratings, steps/hour, and other PROs did not. PROMIS® Physical Function and Fatigue PROs show good correspondence with steps/hour making them easy, useful tools for oncologists to improve their assessment of performance status, especially for male patients. Female patients had lower levels of steps/hour than males and lower correlations among the predictors, suggesting the need for further work to improve performance status assessment in women. Assessment of pre-morbid sedentary behavior alongside current Physical Functioning and Fatigue PROs may allow for a more valid determination of disease-related activity level and performance status.
Genetic underpinnings of recovery after stroke: an opportunity for gene discovery, risk stratification, and precision medicine

As the number of stroke survivors continues to increase, identification of therapeutic targets for stroke recovery has become a priority in stroke genomics research. The introduction of high-throughput genotyping technologies and novel analytical tools has significantly advanced our understanding of the genetic underpinnings of stroke recovery.
QSAR and CoMFA Study of Cocaine Analogs: Crystal and Molecular Structure of (–)-Cocaine Hydrochloride and N-Methyl-3β-(p-Fluorophenyl)Tropane-2β-Carboxylic Acid Methyl Ester

A QSAR and CoMFA study including 78 cocaine analogs has been completed. These analogs have varied functional groups on the 2β and 3β positions of the tropane ring and include various stereoisomers. The CoMFA program was used to calculate the steric and electrostatic interaction energies as a probe atom or probe charge interacts with the molecules. Shaded contour maps show regions of the cocaine analogs where an increase in bulky substituents is desirable for increased pharmacological activity. The maps also show that small electronegative substituents on the phenyl ring are favored for enhanced activity. The X-ray crystal structures of (–)-cocaine hydrochloride (1) and N-methyl-3β-(p-fluorophenyl)tropane-2β-carboxylic acid methyl ester (2) are reported. These molecules are mostly rigid except for some rotational flexibility in the orientation of the phenyl and benzoyl functional groups. Crystallographic data: (1) C17H21NO4·HCl, orthorhombic space group P212121, a = 7.622(1)A, b = 10.285(1)A, c = 21.428(3)A, Z = 4, final R = 0.035 for 960 observed reflections (I>3σ(I)). (2) C16H20FNO2, monoclinic space group C2, a = 22.572(7)A, b = 5.810(1)A, c = 15.752(4)A, β = 133.65(2)°, Z = 4, final R = 0.059 for 1511 observed reflections (I>3σ(I)).
Optical and Acoustic Aura in the Medieval Image: The Golden Retable of the Pentecost at Stavelot

AbstractThis study explores optical and sonic brightness–aura–in the medieval church interior by focusing on one object: the golden retable of the Pentecost at Stavelot (Belgium). Its metal surface...
Factors Related to Biological Sex Differences in Engagement with Healthcare Providers in Persons Living with HIV.

Little is known about how engagement with healthcare providers mediates the relationship between psychosocial factors (anxiety, depression, stigma) and medication adherence among persons living with HIV (PLWH). Moreover, little research has investigated potential biological sex differences in this relationship. We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected from four projects (N = 281) focused on improving health outcomes in PLWH. Males displayed (a) negative association between depression and engagement with healthcare providers (β = − 0.02, z = − 3.20, p = 0.001) and (b) positive association between engagement with healthcare providers and medication adherence (β = 0.55, OR = 1.73, z = 2.62, p = 0.009). Females showed no association between any of these factors. Anxiety and stigma were not significantly associated with medication adherence. Path analysis modeling for males had a very good fit (CFI = 1, TLI = 1, RMSEA = 0); none of the regression coefficients was significant for females. The significant relationship between depression and medication adherence among males was fully mediated by engagement with healthcare providers. Findings suggest that adherence interventions for PLWH should be tailored by biological sex.
Classification and mathematical modeling of infrastructure interdependencies

Critical infrastructure and their provision of goods, services and resources to communities determine the well-being and economic prosperity of modern society. Critical infrastructure jointly opera...
Sudden cardiac arrest with shockable rhythm in patients with heart failure

Background Patients with shockable sudden cardiac arrest (SCA; ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia) have significantly better resuscitation outcomes than do those with nonshockable rhythm (pulseless electrical activity/asystole). Heart failure (HF) increases the risk of SCA, but presenting rhythms have not been previously evaluated. Objective We hypothesized that based on unique characteristics, HFpEF (HF with preserved ejection fraction; left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] ≥50%), bHFpEF (HF with borderline preserved ejection fraction; LVEF >40% and Methods Consecutive cases of SCA with HF (age ≥18 years) were ascertained in the Oregon Sudden Unexpected Death Study (2002–2019). LVEF was obtained from echocardiograms performed before and unrelated to the SCA event. Presenting rhythms were identified from first responder reports. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the independent association of presenting rhythm with HF subtype. Results Of 648 subjects with HF and SCA (median age 72 years; interquartile range 62–81 years), 274 had HFrEF (23.4% female), 92 had bHFpEF (35.9% female), and 282 had HFpEF (42.5% female). The rates of shockable rhythms were 44.5% (n = 122), 48.9% (n = 45), and 27.0% (n = 76) for HFrEF, bHFpEF, and HFpEF, respectively (P Conclusion The rates of shockable rhythm during SCA depend on the HF clinical subtype. Patients with bHFpEF had the highest likelihood of shockable rhythm, correlating with the highest rates of survival.
Alpha emitting nuclides for targeted therapy.

Abstract Targeted alpha therapy (TAT) is an area of research with rapidly increasing importance as the emitted alpha particle has a significant effect on inducing cytotoxic effects on tumor cells while mitigating dose to normal tissues. Two significant isotopes of interest within the area of TAT are thorium-227 and actinium-225 due to their nuclear characteristics. Both isotopes have physical half-lives suitable for coordination with larger biomolecules, and additionally actinium-225 has potential to serve as an in vivo generator. In this review, the authors will discuss the production, purification, labeling reactions, and biological studies of actinium-225 and thorium-227 complexes and clinical studies.
Genome Sequences of Two Microcystis aeruginosa (Chroococcales, Cyanobacteria) Strains from Florida (United States) with Disparate Toxigenic Potentials.

ABSTRACT Here, we report the draft genomes of two Microcystis aeruginosa strains, i.e., M. aeruginosa BLCC-F108, which was isolated from a toxic bloom in eutrophic waters in Lake Okeechobee (Florida, USA), and M. aeruginosa BLCC-F158, which was isolated from mesotrophic waters in Lake Tohopekaliga (Florida, USA). Genomic analyses show disparate toxin potentials for these two strains.
COVID-19, Social Justice, and Clinical Cancer Research.

The COVID-19 pandemic and related socioeconomic events have markedly changed the environment in which cancer clinical trials are conducted. These events have resulted in a substantial, immediate-term decrease in accrual to both diagnostic and therapeutic cancer investigations as well as substantive alterations in patterns of oncologic care. The sponsors of clinical trials, including the United States National Cancer Institute, as well as the cancer centers and community oncology practices that conduct such studies, have all markedly adapted their models of care, usage of health care personnel, and regulatory requirements in the attempt to continue clinical cancer investigations while maintaining high levels of patient safety. In doing so, major changes in clinical trials practice have been embraced nationwide. There is a growing consensus that the regulatory and clinical research process alterations that have been adopted in response to the pandemic (such as the use of telemedicine visits to reduce patient travel requirements and the application of remote informed consent procedures) should be implemented long term. The COVID-19 outbreak has also refocused the oncologic clinical trials community on the need to bring clinical trials closer to patients by dramatically enhancing clinical trial access, especially for minority and underserved communities that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. In this Commentary, changes to the program of clinical trials supported by the National Cancer Institute that could improve clinical trial availability, effectiveness, and diversity are proposed.
Variation-Aware Inter-Device Matching in Silicon Photonic Microring Resonator Demultiplexers

We present a design optimization framework to enhance inter-device matching in silicon photonic microring resonator (MR) demultiplexers under correlated fabrication process variations. Results indicate considerable improvement in channel spacing accuracy in a multi-channel demultiplexer even when the MRs are positioned 300 µm apart on a chip.
A Dust Disk Surrounding the Young A Star HR 4796A

We report the codiscovery of the spatially resolved dust disk of the Vega-like star HR 4796A. Images of the thermal dust emission at λ=18 μm show an elongated structure approximately 200 AU in diameter surrounding the central A0V star. The position angle of the disk (30° ± 10°) is consistent to the position angle of the M companion star (225°), suggesting that the disk-binary system is being seen nearly along its orbital plane. The surface brightness distribution of the disk is consistent with the presence of an inner disk hole of approximately 50 AU radius, as was originally suggested by Jura et al. on the basis of the infrared spectrum. HR 4796 is a unique system among the Vega-like or β Pictoris stars in that the M star companion (a weak-emission T Tauri star) shows that the system is relatively young, ~8 ± 3 Myr. The inner disk hole may provide evidence for coagulation of dust into larger bodies on a timescale similar to that suggested for planet formation in the solar system.
Culturally Responsive Restorative Discipline

Increasingly, district leaders are turning to a community-based alternative to suspension called restorative practices (RP’s). While they correlate with lower suspension rates, Black, Latinx, and N...
EMS Safety and Prehospital Emergency Care of Animals

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel frequently encounter animals in situations ranging from injured law enforcement canines (LEK9s) to pets with smoke inhalation injury. In recent years, several US states have enacted laws that legally allow EMS personnel to provide basic emergency care to certain animals. Currently, nine states allow some type of emergency medical treatment and/or ambulance transport of animals by EMS, and five states limit liability for vehicle damage resulting from rescuing animals trapped inside. Despite this expanding body of legislation encouraging EMS to assist animals, EMS personnel are not typically trained in the safe handling or medical treatment of animals. Interaction with veterinary patients can pose serious injury and infectious disease risks to untrained EMS personnel. Furthermore, relationships with veterinarians must be built and treatment and transport protocols must be developed for EMS agencies to appropriately care for these animals. This report serves as an initial framework from the veterinary perspective for EMS consideration regarding current legislation, safety concerns, transport protocols, and common life-saving treatments in the prehospital emergency care of animals. Increased collaboration between EMS personnel and veterinary professionals provides an opportunity to develop quality training programs for EMS and to improve disaster preparedness of the whole community.
Resistor-based high-linearity OTAs with rail-to-rail output operation

A new general topology for resistor-based operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs) is proposed. As in the case of previously reported realizations based on differential pairs with resistive source degeneration, the proposed architecture employs a pair of linearization amplifiers. Various linearization amplifier implementations lead to different OTA configurations, some of them being previously reported in literature, with new circuits being derived as well.
The stability of the heme-globin linkage : measurement of heme exchange

Publisher Summary Heme transfer was first measured from ferrimyoglobin to organic bases, such as histidylhistidine and pilocarpine and then used apomyoglobin as the acceptor for the hemes of Hb + . The values for the association constant thus obtained ranged from 10 12 to 10 16 . This chapter discusses the heme exchange between different ferrihemoglobins and heme transfer to serum albumin after separating the products by ion-exchange chromatography. Heme transfer is followed from ferrihemoglobin to the plasma hemebinding protein—hemopexin. The method for heme transfer from Hb + to serum albumin under conditions can be followed spectrophotometrically. It is exceedingly simple and readily yields information on both the equilibrium and the kinetic stability of the heme-globin linkage. The measurements are based on the fact that the well-known change in the spectrum of ferrihemoglobin, which accompanies the loss of a proton from the Fe 3+ -linked water molecule, with a p K of 8.2, is absent in methemalbumin (MHA). Therefore, although the spectra of these two heme proteins are quite similar in neutral and acid solution, they show a large difference with increasing pH.
Tobacco induced severe oxidation of plasma cysteine redox in post-partum females

Introduction: While increased oxidant stress is implicated in a variety of maternal and neonatal complications, the effects of tobacco-induced alterations in systemic redox status remains clinically unrecognized. We hypothesized that maternal smoking would increase systemic oxidant stress during pregnancy in the otherwise healthy female. Methods: We evaluated plasma samples from 212 post partum women as part of a larger parent investigation of mother-infant pairs. An extensive maternal interview noted tobacco, alcohol, cocaine or marijuana use throughout the pregnancy. The redox pairs of glutathione/oxidized GSSG and cysteine/oxidized cystine were measured in the plasma by high performance liquid chromatography. Results: Over 64.5% of the sample reported tobacco use during pregnancy. Tobacco-exposed newborns demonstrated lower birth weight, decreased head circumference and birth length. Maternal tobacco use decreased maternal cysteine by 10% and cysteine/cystine redox potential was dramatically oxidized by >20 mV, independent of alcohol, marijuana or cocaine use. Conclusion: Significant oxidation of maternal cysteine/cystine redox pair occurred before clinically apparent decreases in newborn birth weight. We concluded that tobacco use during pregnancy was associated with significant oxidation of the cys- teine/cystine redox pair in the otherwise healthy post partum women. The implications of unrecognized derangements of systemic redox on the health of the mother and infant require evaluation.
Modeling nosocomial transmission of carbapenem-resistant bacteria

Patient acquisition of carbapenem resistant bacteria in hospitals is a serious problem that leads to adverse outcomes for infected patients. The most common carbapenem resistance mechanism in US hospitals is a mobile gene called Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC), which can move between bacterial species. Previous research has demonstrated that patient-to-patient transmission cannot fully account for all cases of KPC-positive bacterial transmission in hospital settings. The study in this paper considers environmental reservoirs as an additional source of transmission. We conduct this analysis with logistic regression and random forest models of nosocomial transmission that includes both environmental factors and clinical data. Results show that infection rates are not uniformly distributed throughout the hospital and that differences in room layout play a role. However, proximity to KPC-positive Enterobacteriaceae environmental reservoirs does not significantly correlate to patient acquisition.
A medium resolution study of aleene in the vacuum ultraviolet—I. Spectra and a preliminary ionization potential

Abstract A vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectra of gaseous allene was investigated with moderately high resolution down to 1160 A. Four broad, molecular bands were observed along with a large number of sharp peaks that are either vibrational or Rydberg in character. The vibrational separations were noted for the first three of the broad bands with averages of 580, 1100,1130, 960, 682 cm −1 and two major Rydberg series were found with Rydberg corrections of 0.92 and 0.37 converging to the same limit of 80,788 ± 25 cm −1 (10.016 ± 0.002 eV).
Cognitive Computer Tutors: Solving the Two-Sigma Problem

Individual human tutoring is the most effective and most expensive form of instruction. Students working with individual human tutors reach achievement levels as much as two standard deviations higher than students in conventional instruction (that is, 50% of tutored students score higher than 98% of the comparison group). Two early 20th-century innovations attempted to offer benefits of individualized instruction on a broader basis: (1) mechanized individualized feedback (via teaching machines and computers) and (2) mastery learning (individualized pacing of instruction). On average each of these innovations yields about a half standard deviation achievement effect. More recently, cognitive computer tutors have implemented these innovations in the context of a cognitive model of problem solving. This paper examines the achievement effect size of these two types of student-adapted instruction in a cognitive programming tutor. Results suggest that cognitive tutors have closed the gap with and arguably surpass human tutors.
Visualizing protein dynamics in yeast with green fluorescent protein.

Publisher Summary The use of the Aequoreu Victoria green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a real-time molecular tag to study protein localization and dynamics has had a major impact in yeast cell biology. The experimental possibilities are explored that are manifested by integrating GFP-based technologies with the broad array of existing genetic and molecular biology yeast tools. The use of GFP led to a greater appreciation of protein sorting and stability, phosphatidylinositol kinase signaling, nucleocytoplasmic shuttling, chromosomal dynamics, and RNA localization. This chapter describes some of the basic considerations and methodologies for using GFP in yeast, and provides examples of how GFP-based experiments can be used to reveal important aspects of protein dynamics. One of the unique advantages of using yeast for GFP-based analyses of protein dynamics is the availability of mutant strains that allow one to examine the role(s) of individual cellular components in the behavior of the GFP-tagged protein.
Interpreting the results of the targeted temperature management trial in cardiac arrest.

The targeted temperature management (TTM) trial, which found that cooling to 33°C after witnessed cardiac arrest (CA) conferred no benefits compared with 36°C, has led to much debate in the hypothe...
The Classification, Intercorrelation, and Dynamic Nature of Msw Student Practice Preferences

Data was collected biannually (1992-98) from a complete population of students entering and exiting accredited graduate programs of social work in California (N=5,793). Findings suggest that practice interests and career aspirations of MSW students are more diverse and dynamic in nature than the debate in the literature on social work’s mission would lead readers to believe. Although the proportion of all students most interested in each of the seven practice areas studied does not change throughout graduate studies, there is tremendous movement among individual students with respect to practice preferences during the course of their education.
Identifying locals, migrants, and captives in the Wari Heartland: A bioarchaeological and biogeochemical study of human remains from Conchopata, Peru

Abstract The site of Conchopata in the central Peruvian Andes was the secondary center in the heartland of the Wari Empire (AD 600–1000), and in this study we examine whether this urban locale was populated by locals, voluntary migrants from distant regions, and/or captives who were forcibly brought to Conchopata. We examine radiogenic strontium isotope ratios from 72 dental enamel and bone samples representing 31 formal burials and 18 human trophy heads to distinguish between locals and non-locals, and we examine skeletal and archaeological data to establish whether non-local persons were voluntary migrants or captives. We also describe a new, straightforward technique in the evaluation of radiogenic strontium isotope ratios to assist in detecting non-locals when large datasets are available. Results show that natal Conchopata inhabitants should exhibit radiogenic strontium isotope ratios that range from 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70548 to 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70610. Thus, among the 31 burials, 29 exhibit local values, suggesting that Conchopata was not a cosmopolitan center to which numerous foreigners migrated; rather, it was populated by local peoples, likely the descendants of the preceding Huarpa culture. The two individuals with non-local radiogenic strontium isotope ratios are an infant and a 17–22 years old female. The archaeological context suggests that the female may have been taken captive for subsequent sacrifice, as she was interred in front of the ritual D-shaped structure in which decapitated human heads (trophy heads) and sacrificed camelids were deposited. Among the 18 trophy heads sampled, 14 have non-local values, confirming previous studies of smaller samples that suggested that Wari warriors travelled to other locales and took captives—both adults and children—for subsequent transformation into trophy heads. Additional analyses of bone-tooth pairs from a subsample (12 burials and six trophy heads) shows that the burial group was much more sedentary (homogenous radiogenic strontium isotope ratios in bones and teeth) and the trophy head individuals were much more mobile (heterogenous radiogenic strontium isotope ratios in bones and teeth). Overall, the multiple lines of evidence support the notion that the Wari Empire occasionally used militaristic means, combined with elaborate ritualism, to subjugate other populations, a tactic that may have helped Wari establish and maintain control in particular regions in the Andes.
Culture and collaborative technologies

This workshop will explore interactions among culture, features of collaborative technologies, and group processes and outcomes. The workshop will address several key challenges to this area of research, including identifying important dimensions of cultural variability, specifying how these dimensions interact with features of technology to impact group processes and outcomes, developing design specifications for multi-cultural and cross cultural collaborative tools, and addressing methodological issues that arise in cross cultural research. Workshop goals include identifying key areas for future research, specifying initial design recommendations, fostering new collaborations among researchers interested in culture and computer mediated collaboration, and, if there is sufficient interest among participants, creating an edited volume on this topic.
Mechanisms of uniformity of yield strains for trabecular bone

Variations in yield strains for trabecular bone within a specific anatomic site are only a small fraction of the substantial variations that exist for elastic modulus and strength, and yet the source of this uniformity is not known. Our goal was to investigate the underlying mechanisms by using high-resolution, materially nonlinear finite element models of 12 human femoral neck trabecular bone specimens. The finite element models, used to obtain apparent yield strains in both tension and compression, assumed that the tissue-level yield strains were the same across all specimens. Comparison of the model predictions with the experimental data therefore enabled us to isolate the combined roles of volume fraction and architecture from the role of tissue material properties. Results indicated that, for both tensile and compressive loading, natural variations in volume fraction and architecture produced a negligible coefficient of variation (less than 3%) in apparent yield strains. Analysis of tissue-level strains showed that while bending of individual trabeculae played only a minor role in the apparent elastic behavior, the combined effects of this bending and tissue-level strength asymmetry produced apparent-level failure strains in compression that were 14% lower than those at the tissue level. By contrast, tissue and apparent-level yield strains were equivalent for tensile loading. We conclude that the uniformity of apparent yield strains is primarily the result of the highly oriented architecture that minimizes bending. Most of the variation that does occur is the result of the non-uniformity of the tissue-level yield strains.
An assessment of direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs.

Advertising is widely seen by economists and regulators as beneficial to markets and consumers.1 The prescription drug market offers exceptional opportunities2,3 for direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) to provide new-product information, improve compliance, alleviate widespread underdiagnosis and undertreatment,4 and motivate new-product development.5 DTCA can also induce excess or even dangerous prescribing, however, partly because patients are poorly informed and usually pay far less than the full cost of drugs. Empirical research can help resolve these issues. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2007) 82, 357–360. doi:10.1038/sj.clpt.6100353
Is the dynamical Coulomb interaction in disordered systems long ranged

Abstract Impurities in disordered metals hinder the motion of the conduction electrons. As a consequence the dynamical Coulomb interaction (for finite frequency ω) is long ranged in these systems. We have experimentally searched for the long range of the (dynamical) Coulomb interaction in sandwiches of two disordered metal films separated by an insulating layer. We expect the two films to assist each other in screening but our measurements do not support the long range character of the dynamical coulomb potential and challenge the theoretical description of the latter.
Targeting RAF kinases for cancer therapy: BRAF-mutated melanoma and beyond

The identification of mutationally activated BRAF in many cancers altered our conception of the part played by the RAF family of protein kinases in oncogenesis. In this Review, we describe the development of BRAF inhibitors and the results that have emerged from their analysis in both the laboratory and the clinic. We discuss the spectrum of RAF mutations in human cancer and the complex interplay between the tissue of origin and the response to RAF inhibition. Finally, we enumerate mechanisms of resistance to BRAF inhibition that have been characterized and postulate how strategies of RAF pathway inhibition may be extended in scope to benefit not only the thousands of patients who are diagnosed annually with BRAF-mutated metastatic melanoma but also the larger patient population with malignancies harbouring mutationally activated RAF genes that are ineffectively treated with the current generation of BRAF kinase inhibitors.
Comparison of core full text coverage in CINAHL Complete, ProQuest’s Nursing and Allied Health Source and Lippincott Wilkins and Wilson’s Nursing & Health Professionals Premier Collection

Purpose – This paper aims to assess relative full-text coverage of core nursing and allied health journals in three databases: CINAHL Complete, ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health Source and Lippincott Wilkins and Wilson (LWW)’s Nursing & Health Professionals Premier Collection. Design/methodology/approach – The 2012 Nursing and Allied Health Resources Section (NAHRS) of the MLA list of 213 core nursing journals and the 1996 Brandon Hill list of 75 important allied journals were checked against full-text coverage of the three databases. Findings – CINAHL Complete provided 126 of 213 titles or 59 per cent of NAHRS titles and 31 of 75 or 41 per cent of the Brandon Hill titles; ProQuest provided 74 of 213 titles or 35 per cent of NAHRS titles and 27 of 75 or 36 per cent of the Brandon Hill titles; LWW provided 42 of 213 or 20 per cent of NAHRS titles and 5 of 75 or 6 per cent of the Brandon Hill titles. Research limitations/implications – If researchers have access to CINAHL Complete, they have access with that single database to significant coverage of quality nursing and allied health titles. The other two databases provide additional coverage and some unique title coverage, but their offerings are more limited. Originality/value – As no studies comparing full-text coverage of core nursing and allied health journals in three databases, CINAHL Complete, ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health Source and LWW’s Nursing & Health Professionals Premier Collection, exist, this study fills that need for librarians.
Glucocorticoids Orchestrate Divergent Effects on Mood through Adult Neurogenesis

Both social defeat stress and environmental enrichment stimulate adrenal glucocorticoid secretion, but they have opposing effects on hippocampal neurogenesis and mood. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation and decreased neurogenesis are consequences of social defeat. These outcomes are correlated with depressive states, but a causal role in the etiology of depression remains elusive. The antidepressant actions of environmental enrichment are neurogenesis-dependent, but the contribution of enrichment-elevated glucocorticoids is unexplored. Importantly, for both social defeat and environmental enrichment, how glucocorticoids interact with neurogenesis to alter mood is unknown. Here, we investigate causal roles of glucocorticoids and neurogenesis in induction of depressive-like behavior and its amelioration by environmental enrichment in mice. By blocking neurogenesis and surgically clamping adrenal hormone secretions, we showed that neurogenesis, via hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis interactions, is directly involved in precipitating the depressive phenotype after social defeat. Mice adrenalectomized before social defeat showed enhanced behavioral resiliency and increased survival of adult-born hippocampal neurons compared with sham-operated defeated mice. However, mice lacking hippocampal neurogenesis did not show protective effects of adrenalectomy. Moreover, glucocorticoids secreted during environmental enrichment promoted neurogenesis and were required for restoration of normal behavior after social defeat. The data demonstrate that glucocorticoid-dependent declines in neurogenesis drive changes in mood after social defeat and that glucocorticoids secreted during enrichment promote neurogenesis and restore normal behavior after defeat. These data provide new evidence for direct involvement of neurogenesis in the etiology of depression, suggesting that treatments promoting neurogenesis can enhance stress resilience.
RNA interference of osteopontin inhibits in vitro and in vivo colon cancer metastasis

Introduction. Tumor metastasis is a primary cause for failure of locoregional therapy in colorectal cancer. Increased expression of osteopontin (OPN), a secreted phosphoprotein that binds to αvβ3 integrin and CD44 receptors, is associated with metastasis in several types of cancers. However, the mechanism by which OPN mediates metastasis is unknown. We hypothesized that OPN mediates interactions between tumor cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) to enhance metastasis. Methods. Using CT26 murine colon cancer cells, we generated a cell line (si-OPN) in which OPN expression was inhibited through stable transfection of small interfering RNA (siRNA) plasmids. Northern and Western blotting quantified OPN mRNA and protein levels. Wild-type (WT) and CT26 cells expressing mismatch-negative siRNA (si-Neg) served as controls. Matrigel/ECM migration, invasion, and adhesion assays and a murine hepatic-metastasis model were used to evaluate in vitro and in vivo metastatic potential amongst cell lines. Results. si-OPN cells demonstrated a 3.2-fold decrease in OPN protein expression and a 2.4-fold decrease in OPN mRNA expression in comparison to WT. OPN mRNA and protein levels in WT and si-Neg controls did not differ. In vitro assays demonstrated that cell motility and invasiveness were decreased in si-OPN by 2.0-fold (P = 0.001 versus WT) and 2.5-fold (P = 0.03 versus WT), respectively, but similar between WT and si-Neg controls. Cell adhesion was not different among cell lines. Intrasplenic injection of cells produced hepatic metastases in 33 mice (11/group). In vivo tumor burden was assessed by measuring liver weights. si-OPN cells demonstrated a 49.6% decrease in mean liver weight compared to WT (3.79 ± 0.49 g versus 1.88 ± 0.40 g, P < 0.05). Mean liver weights were similar between WT and si-Neg controls (3.79 ± 0.49 g versus 3.86 ± 0.43 g). Conclusion. RNA interference stably reduces CT26 tumor expression of OPN and significantly attenuates colon cancer metastasis in vivo. These data indicate that OPN mediates tumor metastasis by enhancing tumor cell invasion and migration through ECM.
Vision and driving in the elderly.

BACKGROUND. This is an overview of a program of research to identify visual and cognitive factors which place older drivers at risk for vehicle crashes. METHODS. A sample of 294 older drivers participated in a protocol which assessed eye health, visual sensory function (i.e., acuity, contrast sensitivity, peripheral field sensitivity), the size of the useful field of view (UFOV), and cognitive status. The sample was age- and crash-stratified to ensure inclusion of older adults covering a wide range of ages (55 to 90 years) and crash frequencies during the previous 5 years (0 to 4 crashes). The major dependent variable was the number of at-fault crashes incurred during the 5-year period before our protocol test date (retrospective study) and during the 3-year period after our test date (prospective study). RESULTS. Older drivers with visual sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, and/or a constriction in the size of the useful field of view were at greater risk for crashes than were those without these problems. The UFOV test had better sensitivity and specificity than visual sensory or mental status tests in identifying those older drivers at risk for crashes. CONCLUSIONS. The UFOV test's superior predictability is most likely due to its reliance on both visual sensory abilities and higher order attentional skills. This study suggests that interventions which reduce either visual sensory or attentional impairment may also reduce accident risk in older drivers, an issue we are currently investigating.
Approximate method for estimating soil charcoal contents

Abstract Dark‐colored soil organic matter could be oxidized with 6% H2O2 to make graphitized charcoal more visible. A pretreatment with 4 N HC1 removed the more soluble compounds that might react with H2O2 and a post treatment with 48% HF volatilized Si to concentrate the charcoal in the remaining residue. The pre‐weighed H2O‐washed residue was ignited in a muffle and the charcoal estimated from the weight loss.