cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fcγ Receptors: A Diverse and Multifunctional Gene Family

Publisher Summary Fc receptors for IgG (Fc γ Rs) and soluble Ig-binding factors play important roles in immunity. These roles can be grouped into three areas: (1) cellular immune defense and lymphocyte regulation, (2) immunoglobulin transcytosis, and (3) autoimmune pathology. In cellular immune defense, upon cross-linking by IgG aggregates, Fc γ Rs activate a variety of leukocyte responses—such as phagocytosis, antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC) and release of lysosomal hydrolases, reactive oxygen metabolites, arachidonate metabolites, and other mediators of inflammation. Soluble immunoglobulin-binding factors (IBFs) and cross-linking of cell-surface antibodies to membrane-bound Fc γ Rs inhibit β cell differentiation. All FcRs, except CD23 (Fc γ RII), are members of the Ig supergene family and are homologous to each other. Most Fc γ Rs are type I membrane glycoproteins with one transmembrane domain and a cytoplasmic domain. However, huFc γ RIII-l is anchored in the neutrophil plasma membrane by a glycan phosphatidylinositol moiety. Low-avidity forms of membrane-bound Fc γ Rs contain two extracellular Ig-like regions, whereas high-avidity forms contain three Ig-like regions. Assigning functions to individual Fc γ Rs has been a challenging task because many share immunologically indistinguishable extracellular domains, within a subclass, and their cellular distributions overlap considerably. This chapter reviews the current state of knowledge of the structure, function, and signaling mechanisms of mouse and human Fc γ receptors.
Plane Curved Beam Equations

It is demonstrated that plane curved beam (rectangular cross-section) equilibrium equations can be obtained by reducing the established equations for thin shells. The necessary equations are presented for the special case of curved beams of rectangular cross section having the reference surface located eccentrically to the centroidal surface.
MATCHING MECHANISMS TO SITUATIONS THROUGH THE WISDOM OF THE CROWD

Designing a system often begins with matching existing solutions to current problems. Specifically, integration mechanisms are mapped onto situations. Novices are not good at this task, and experts are rare. Could crowdsourcing, that is, aggregating the suggestions of individuals working independently, be effective? Two experiments, one with design students in a classroom, and another with participants on the web, demonstrated that the crowd possesses wisdom about how to match mechanisms to situations. Participants also categorized situations, and those who name their categories were better at matching than those who didn’t. The results have pragmatic implications, suggesting it is possible to crowdsource design, and providing new ways of eliciting, testing, and training expertise. More generally, the paper suggests a new model for information system design based on analogical mapping.
Cultivating Benefit and Risk: Aquaculture Representation and Interpretation in New England

Despite having been practiced in U.S. waters for many decades, marine aquaculture (cultivating seafood in salt or brackish water) is less familiar to many Americans than land-based farming. As aqua...
Excitation energy transfer kinetics and efficiency in phototrophic green sulfur bacteria.

Abstract A series of spectroscopic measurements were performed on membrane fractions and detergent-solubilized complexes from the green sulfur bacterium (GSB) Chlorobaculum (Cba.) tepidum. The excitation migration through the entire GSB photosynthetic apparatus cannot be observed upon excitation of membranes in the chlorosome region at 77 K. In order to observe energy transfer from the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) protein to the reaction center (RC), FMO was directly excited at ~800 nm in transient absorption experiments. However, interpretation of the results is complicated by the spectral overlap between FMO and the RC. The availability of the Y16F FMO mutant, whose absorption spectrum is drastically different from that of the WT, has enabled the selection of spectral regions where either only FMO or the RC contributes. The application of a directed kinetic modeling approach, or target analysis, revealed the various decay and energy transfer pathways within the pigment-protein complexes. The calculated FMO-to-RC excitation energy transfer efficiencies are approximately 25% and 48% for the Y16F and WT samples, respectively.
Mem-Spring Models Combined with Hybrid Dynamical System Approach to Represent Material Behavior

AbstractMaterial stress-strain behaviors and system load-displacement responses characterized with the origin-crossing input-ouput feature under repetitive loading and unloading conditions can be m...
Globally Detected Volcanic Lightning and Umbrella Dynamics During the 2014 Eruption of Kelud, Indonesia

Abstract Volcanic lightning shows considerable promise as a monitoring and research tool to characterize explosive eruptions. Its key strengths are rapid and remote detection, because the radio signals produced by lightning can propagate thousands of km at the speed of light. Despite these tantalizing properties, the scientific work on volcanic lightning has only recently started gaining momentum. Much more is needed to understand what lightning reveals about the evolution of an eruption in near-real time. Here we examine the timing and energy release of lightning generated by the eruption of Kelud volcano in Indonesia on 13 February 2014, as detected by the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN). The eruption column reached at least 26 km above sea level, representing the highest plume since the advent of global lightning networks in the last decade. Therefore, it provides valuable constraints on the electrification of end-member, sustained Plinian columns. We investigate the lightning in context with satellite images, photographs, and other published studies. Results show that the earliest satellite-detected activity was a thermal anomaly at ~15:46 UTC, corresponding to a directed blast at the onset of eruption (and only a few lightning strokes). Following a brief pause, the eruption produced a sustained column and umbrella cloud that spread outward into the tropical stratosphere. Rates of umbrella expansion provide an average mass eruption rate (MER) in the range of 8 × 107–1 × 108 kg s−1. A more nuanced picture emerges from the time-varying MERs (determined between each satellite pass), which show rapid intensification during the first hour of eruption, followed by constant MER for about an hour, and waning toward the end (after ~17:50 UTC). At this stage, decreasing flux into the umbrella cloud coincides with column instability and formation of pyroclastic density currents, as recorded by photos from the ground ~17:45 UTC. We infer that some of the erupted mass partitioned into ground-hugging currents, leading to a lower apparent MER. Interestingly, there is not a 1:1 correlation between lightning intensity and MER over the course of eruption. Stroke rates increase sharply within the first 30–40 min (during rapid intensification of the plume), and then drop below 2 strokes per min once the MER remains constant. This suggests that electrification was controlled by the rate of increase in MER—in other words, the acceleration of particles out of the vent. We also show that lightning stroke-rates and energies are greatest within 50 km of the vent, even when the ash cloud extends >200 km downwind, indicating that lightning was focused in the regions of highest particle concentration and turbulence. Overall, we conclude that abrupt changes in lightning rates are clearly linked to changes in eruption behavior, and that rapid detection could aid monitoring efforts to characterize eruption rates or styles.
Role of Cholinephosphotransferase and Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase in Channeling Unusual Fatty Acids into the Triacylglycerol Pool During Oilseed Development

Diacylglycerols (DAGs) synthesized through the Kennedy pathway are precursors of both membrane (phosphatidylcholine: PC) and storage glycerolipids (triacylglycerol: TAG) [Fig. 1]. In plants that store unusual fatty acids in their TAGs the question arises of how these components are excluded from the membrane lipids. Several different strategies have been proposed [1]: a) selectivity of CDP-choline:diacylglycerol cholinephospho-transferase (CPT) for DAGs containing C16 and C18 fatty acids, b) selectivity of acyl-CoA:diacylglyerol acyltransferase (DAGAT) for DAGs with membrane incompatible fatty acids, c) separate localization of storage and membrane glycerolipid biosynthesis, d) fast turnover of PC species with wrong fatty acids.
An Introduction to Simulated Annealing.

(2007). An Introduction to Simulated Annealing. The College Mathematics Journal: Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 37-42.
How to Build an Academic Colorectal Surgery Practice

Developing a successful academic colorectal surgery practice involves collaboration with other physicians and surgeons, participating in educational conferences, establishing expertise, championing clinical care pathways, and leading quality improvement.
Lipocalin-2 deficiency may predispose to the progression of spontaneous age-related adiposity in mice

Lipocalin-2 (Lcn2) is an innate immune protein elevated by several orders of magnitude in various inflammatory conditions including aging and obesity. Recent studies have shown that Lcn2 is secreted by adipocytes in response to inflammation and is categorized as a new adipokine cross-linking innate immunity and metabolic disorders including obesity. However, the involvement of Lcn2 and its function during the progression of obesity is largely unknown. Recently, browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) has gained attention as a therapeutic strategy to combat obesity. Herein, we have shown that treatment of mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes with recombinant Lcn2 (rec-Lcn2) resulted in the up-regulation of thermogenic and beige/brown markers (UCP1, PRDM16, ZIC-1 and TBX1) and increased mitochondrial activity. Additionally, global Lcn2 genetic knockout (Lcn2KO) mice exhibited accelerated weight gain and visceral fat deposition with age, when compared to wild type (WT) mice. Taken together, both in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that Lcn2 is a naturally occurring adipokine, and may serve as an anti-obesity agent by upregulating the thermogenic markers resulting in the browning of WAT. Therefore, Lcn2 and its downstream signaling pathways could be a potential therapeutic target for obesity.
ANIMAL REVOLT AND LINES OF FLIGHT IN LUCRETIUS, BOOK FIVE

Lucretius is the first classical author to have written a history of animal resistance. In a fifty-line passage from Book Five of De rerum natura, the ‘animal revolt’ (5.1297–349), Lucretius describes the rise of empire and its instrumentalization of animals for war. When the animals are led onto the battlefield, however, they swerve against their ‘armed teachers and savage masters’ (1311). The linear rise of empire, built on the abuse of animals’ bodies, is deterritorialized by those same animal bodies in a chaotic scene that takes place on what Monica Gale has called a ‘cosmic battlefield’. This paper follows Lucretius’ account in Book Five of De rerum natura of the linear rise of empire, its increasing capture of animal life, and the rupture of empire's linear trajectory by a clinamen, or ‘swerve’, of rebel animals. I compare Lucretius’ account of the rise of empire to what Deleuze and Guattari call a ‘molar line’, and the swerve of rebel animals to Deleuze and Guattari's notion of the ‘line of flight’.
Elevated Neuropsychological Intra-Individual Variability Predicts Poorer Health-Related Quality of Life in Veterans with a History of mTBI

We examined the association between cognitive functioning and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in military veterans with a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) using two methods to ...
Is Investing College Education Risky

Attending college seems to be a profitable and affordable investment in the US. Nevertheless, a number of academically talented young people still hesitate to attend college. This puzzle motivates this paper to test for whether college education is a risky investment. To measure the riskiness of college attendance, I estimate the risk differential in earnings between college attendees and high school graduates. This paper copes with selection bias problems and distinguishes permanent earnings risk from transitory earnings risks. Evidence indicates that investing in a four-year college education is indeed risky, suggesting that, under certain circumstances, the riskiness of college attendance is an important factor in the schooling choice.
Mapping and making gangland: A legacy of redlining and enjoining gang neighbourhoods in Los Angeles:

We provide an example of how race- and place-based legacies of disinvestment initiated by New Deal Era redlining regimes under the auspices of the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) were followed...
Molecular characterization of luminal breast tumors in African American women.

550Background: Racial disparities in breast cancer (BC) mortality are attributed to later stage diagnoses and a higher incidence of triple-negative BC among African American (AA) women. In previous...
A psychometric assessment of the Brief Situational Confidence Questionnaire for Marijuana (BSCQ-M) in juvenile justice-involved youth.

Cannabis refusal self-efficacy, defined as confidence in the ability to refuse cannabis or to avoid cannabis use, is associated with decreased cannabis use. Juvenile justice-involved youth are at high risk for cannabis use and may have lower refusal self-efficacy. While court-involved, non-incarcerated (CINI) and incarcerated youth are groups that are both at high-risk for cannabis use, the experience of incarceration may impact the measurement of refusal self-efficacy for cannabis. The factor structure, measurement invariance, and concurrent validity of the Brief Situational Confidence Questionnaire for Cannabis (BSCQ-M) was assessed among CINI (n = 148) and incarcerated (n = 199) youth (80.7% male, Mage = 16.3). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a correlated 3-factor model including positive/good times, negative internal, and negative external situational factors best fit the data. Multigroup measurement invariance testing revealed that the BSCQ-M demonstrated configural, metric, scalar, and residual invariance across CINI and incarcerated samples, indicating measurement invariance across the two groups. Negative binomial regressions revealed that BSCQ-M scores were significantly negatively associated with concurrent cannabis use. Results suggest that the BSCQ-M is a brief, psychometrically sound measure of refusal self-efficacy for cannabis among juvenile justice-involved youth that can be utilized with both CINI and incarcerated youth.
THE USE OF AGGREGATE TIME SERIES IN TESTING FOR GAUSSIANITY

Many time series encountered in practice are non-Gaussian. Because of the process of data collection or the practice or researchers, time series used in analysis and modelling are frequently temporal aggregates. In this paper, we study the eAects of the use of aggregate time series on testing for Gaussianity. We analyse how the test statistic is aAected by aggregation and how that aAects the power of the test. The results show that the use of aggregate time series induces Gaussianity and that the degree of inducement increases with the order of aggregation. In fact, the use of aggregate time series reduces the power of the test, although the eAect is not significant for low orders of aggregation.
Concept Formation and Bayesian Decisions

Publisher Summary This chapter examines and develops some relations between decision theory and recent work on concept formation by learning theorists. From a more general standpoint, an objective of the chapter is to contribute to the analysis of the concept of rationality. As observations are made or experiments are performed by decision makers, the information received is brought into their formal decision framework by appropriate modifications of initial probabilities as new conditional probabilities. The theory provides no place for the decision makers to acquire a new concept on the basis of new information received. The theory is static in the sense that it is assumed that the decision makers have a fixed conceptual apparatus available to them throughout time. In addition, the continued concern in the literature of inductive logic with simplified, unrealistic problems suggests that there is a useful place for an explicit analysis of why even the relatively powerful Bayesian methods of induction are far too weak to solve most complex problems.
Finding collisions on a one-way street: Can secure hash functions be based on general assumptions?

We prove the existence of an oracle relative to which there exist several well-known cryptographic primitives, including one-way permutations, but excluding (for a suitably strong definition) collision-intractible hash functions. Thus any proof that such functions can be derived from these weaker primitives is necessarily non-relativizing; in particular, no provable construction of a collision-intractable hash function can exist based solely on a “black box” one-way permutation. This result can be viewed as a partial justification for the common practice of treating the collision-intractable hash function as a cryptographic primitive, rather than attempting to derive it from a weaker primitive (such as a one-way permutation).
The Human Capital Model

Abstract This chapter contains a detailed treatment of the human capital model of the demand for health which was originally developed in 1972. Theoretical predictions are discussed, and theoretical extensions of the model are reviewed. Empirical research that tests the predictions of the model or studies causality between years of formal schooling completed and good health is surveyed. The model views health as a durable capital stock that yields an output of healthy time. Individuals inherit an initial amount of this stock that depreciates with age and can be increased by investment. The household production function model of consumer behavior is employed to account for the gap between health as an output and medical care as one of many inputs into its production. In this framework the “shadow price” of health depends on many variables besides the price of medical care. It is shown that the shadow price rises with age if the rate of depreciation on the stock of health rises over the life cycle and falls with education (years of formal schooling completed) if more educated people are more efficient producers of health. An important result is that, under certain conditions, an increase in the shadow price may simultaneously reduce the quantity of health demanded and increase the quantities of health inputs demanded.
Time Series and Cross-sectional Variations of Expected Returns

The paper develops a general equilibrium stochastic growth model of a multi-sector economy subject to i.i.d. taste shocks. Each sector produces one good, and each firm has a linear production technology and faces a quadratic capital adjustment cost. The model contains a standard intertemporal capital asset pricing theory of consumption and portfolio demands with dynamically complete and frictionless markets and a standard q-theory of investment under uncertainty. We show that the equilibrium stochastic investment opportunity set is driven by the relative shares of firms' nominal capital stocks, and the equilibrium dynamics of the state vector is driven by firms' relative investment intensities. Key implications of the model includes (i) the expected equity returns are endogenously predictable both over time and in the cross-section; and (ii) the "value anomaly" arises in a rational expectations equilibrium due to a negative (positive) hedging demand for value (growth) stocks against the risk of cross-sectional dispersion of firms' nominal capital stocks.
A Personal Knowledge Assistant for Knowledge Storing, Integrating, and Querying

Using the underlying Unified Modeling Language (UML) for knowledge modeling, we discuss how to create a non-graphical interface to UML models and show how this interface can be used to capture knowledge from a sample domain specified in a natural language. We demonstrate the techniques of transforming a natural language text into standard sentences consisting of three tuples: known information – relationship – unknown information. We also discuss how to integrate the standard sentences with existing knowledge through a guided knowledge-discovery process in which more precise information is requested and added to the diagram in a controlled manner.
Minding the Baby: Enhancing Reflectiveness to Improve Early Health and Relationship Outcomes in an Interdisciplinary Home‐Visiting Program

In this paper we focus on the first wave of outcomes in a pilot phase randomized control trial of a home-based intervention for infants and their families, Minding the Baby® (MTB), an interdisciplinary, mentalization-based intervention in which home visiting services are provided by a team that includes a nurse practitioner and a clinical social worker. Families are recruited during mother's pregnancy and continue through the child's second birthday. Analyses revealed that intervention families were more likely to be on track with immunization schedules at 12 months, had lower rates of rapid subsequent childbearing, and were less likely to be referred to child protective services. In addition, mother-infant interactions were less likely to be disrupted at 4 months when mothers were teenagers, and all intervention infants were more likely to be securely attached, and less likely to be disorganized in relation to attachment at one year. Finally, mothers' capacity to reflect on their own and their child's experience improved over the course of the intervention in the most high-risk mothers.
THE EFFECT OF METRONIDAZOLE ON VAGINAL MICROBIOLOGY AND MATERNAL AND NEONATAL HEMATOLOGY.

Abstract 1. 1. Trichomas vaginalis were eradicated in 96 per cent of 53 women treated with 1 Gm. of metronidazole orally for 10 days. Three patients, who were cured for some weeks following treatment and confinement during pregnancy, were found positive at postpartum examination. Each of these patients admitted to coitus prior to the postpartum examination and, therefore, may represent reinfections, rather than drug failures. 2. 2. The vaginal microbiology of twenty-three adolescent girls in whom T. vaginalis was eradicated by the treatment showed a reduction in the incidence of Staphylococcus aureus, little change in the incidence of Doderlein's bacillus, diphtheroids, and Streptococcus anhemolyticus. There was no significant increase in incidence of Candida albicans in either the adolescent girls or the pregnant women. In the adolescent girls, however, lower vaginal pH values were obtained after T. vaginalis was eradicated. This phenomenon was not as evident in the pregnant women because low pH values occurred even though T. vaginalis infection existed. The restoration of low vaginal pH values (pH 4.0 to 4.5) and Doderlein's bacillus were accompanied by an improvement in the vaginitis and cervicitis. 3. 3. The total white blood cell and lymphocyte counts, the differential white blood cell, the platelet, and reticulocyte counts of 36 third trimester pregnant women and 30 neonatal infants showed no marked changes from the normal values after treatment with metronidazole. Of 34 babies born at the hospital only 1 had a congenital defect (a crooked foot) which could not be attributed to the drug.
Of plasticity and specificity: dialectics of the microenvironment and macroenvironment and the organ phenotype.

The study of biological form and how it arises is the domain of the developmental biologists; but once the form is achieved, the organ poses a fascinating conundrum for all the life scientists: how are form and function maintained in adult organs throughout most of the life of the organism? That they do appears to contradict the inherently plastic nature of organogenesis during development. How do cells with the same genetic information arrive at, and maintain such different architectures and functions, and how do they keep remembering that they are different from each other? It is now clear that narratives based solely on genes and an irreversible regulatory dynamics cannot answer these questions satisfactorily, and the concept of microenvironmental signaling needs to be added to the equation. During development, cells rearrange and differentiate in response to diffusive morphogens, juxtacrine signals and the extracellular matrix (ECM). These components, which constitute the modular microenvironment, are sensitive to cues from other tissues and organs of the developing embryo as well as from the external macroenvironment. On the other hand, once the organ is formed, these modular constituents integrate and constrain the organ architecture, which ensures structural and functional homeostasis and therefore, organ specificity. We argue here that a corollary of the above is that once the organ architecture is compromised in adults by mutations or by changes in the microenvironment such as aging or inflammation, that organ becomes subjected to the developmental and embryonic circuits in search of a new identity. But since the microenvironment is no longer embryonic, the confusion leads to cancer: hence as we have argued, tumors become new evolutionary organs perhaps in search of an elusive homeostasis.
Finite Element Methods for Maxwell Equations

The article reviews fundamentals of Finite Element discretizations of time-harmonic Maxwell equations. The paper includes a short introduction to Maxwell equations, derivation of the standard and regularized variational formulations, discussion of three fundamental Nedelec's elements in context of exact sequences, projection-based interpolation, and the commuting diagram property. The presentation is biased towards hp-discretizations and hp-adaptivity. Keywords: Maxwell's equations; finite elements; hp-adaptivity
Material reflector for cellular/PCS antenna applications

Two simulated design examples are presented here to illustrate our proposed scheme. In the first example, the antenna element is a printed dipole antenna that produces a vertically polarized electric field. The design goal is to obtain a horizontal half power beamwidth (HPBW) of 90/spl deg/ /spl plusmn/ 5/spl deg/ and a F/B ratio greater than or equal to 30 dB in the frequency range of 800 MHz to 960 MHz. The radiation pattern of the resultant design 880 MHz is shown. The calculated HPBW is 89/spl deg/ at 800 and 960 MHz. The F/B ratios are 37.72 dB and 34.24 dB at the two frequencies, respectively. In the second example, a pair of cross dipoles are used as element for the array. These elements are commonly used in wireless communication systems to provide polarization diversity. The resultant electric field has components in both the vertical and horizontal directions.
Perceptions and observations of off-shift nursing.

Aim The purpose of this paper is to qualitatively explore registered nurse perceptions of off-shift (e.g. nights and weekends) nursing care and quality compared with regular hours. Background Patients admitted to hospitals on off-shifts have worse outcomes than patients admitted on more regular hours. The underlying mechanism for this association is not well understood. Methods In-depth semi-structured interviews of 23 registered nurses and four observer-as-participant observations were conducted on both medical–surgical and intensive care units in two large (>850 beds) tertiary hospitals. Content analysis was used to identify themes. Results Six themes emerged: (1) collaboration among self-reliant night nurses; (2) completing tasks; (3) taking a breather on weekend day shift; (4) new nurse requirement to work at night; (5) mixture of registered nurse personnel; and (6) night nurse perception of under-appreciation. Conclusions Although nurses collaborate, complete more tasks and work with other types of registered nurses, the decreased resources available on off-shifts may affect quality care delivered in hospitals. Implications for nursing management These findings support the importance of management to provide sufficient resources in terms of ancillary personnel and balance less experienced staff. Facilitating communication between night and day nurses may help allay night nurses’ feelings of under-appreciation.
Abstract 369: Network-based stratification of thyroid cancer

Many forms of cancer consist of multiple subtypes with different molecular causes and clinical outcomes. Somatic tumor genomes provide a rich new source of data for uncovering these subtypes, but have proven difficult to compare as two tumors share little in their genetic landscapes. Recently, we have introduced a method called ‘network-based stratification’ (NBS) which integrates somatic tumor genomes with gene networks. This approach allows for stratification of cancer into informative subtypes by clustering together patients who have mutations within similar network regions. Here we apply NBS to a combination of whole-exome somatic mutation data, copy number aberrations and gene fusion events in a cohort of thyroid cancer (TC) patients, an as yet unpublished part of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Using NBS combined with the HumanNet gene interaction network we were able to discover a robust cluster assignment of thyroid patients into three subtypes. These subtypes are found to significantly associate with histological type (X2 P = 5.42x10-22) and are also found to be predictive multiple clinical variables such as predicted risk of recurrence (X2 P = 9.95x10-6, estimated based on standard (TNM) staging by AJCC Cancer Staging Manual. 7th ed.), extra-thyroidal expansion(X2 P = 4.68x10-7), lymph node status (pathological N stage, X2 P = 9.25x10-4), and pathological T stage (X2 P = 4.46x10-3). In each subtype we highlight the characteristically perturbed genes and subnetworks (Table 1) and further explore the association of mRNA and protein expression to these subtypes. The study demonstrates the utility of combining genomic profiles with interaction networks, enabling the discovery of clinically meaningful mutation based subtypes and provides genetic based subtypes with potential clinical implications. Citation Format: Matan Hofree, John Paul Y. Shen, Trey Ideker. Network-based stratification of thyroid cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 369. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-369
Stories as Gift: Patient Narratives and the Development of Empathy

Critical thought and assessment of medical, emotional, and social problems faced by patients is central to genetic counselor training and development. However, primary emphasis on these critical problem-solving approaches can interfere with the development of empathic listening skills. Using a narrative medicine approach, I describe how learning to reframe one patient's story of healing as a gift allowed me to become a more open and empathic listener. Ultimately, the empathy and understanding that I learned from this patient's narrative added to what previous patients had taught me and helped me assist other patients (and myself) in identifying and nurturing healing narratives for people coping with illness and grief. The approach presented here emphasizes the importance of recognizing patients as valuable teachers in the development of higher-level empathy skills.
In Vitro Activity and Clinical Efficacy of Clindamycin in the Treatment of Infections Due to Anaerobic Bacteria

Clindamycin, rosamicin, josamycin, and metronidazole had similar inhibitory activity against 29 clinical isolates of Bacteroides fragilis, i.e., 100% of strains were inhibited by 0.8 microng of metronidazole or josamycin/ml and 100% by 1.6 microng of clindamycin or rosamicin/ml. Metronidazole was bactericidal against 97% of the isolates, and clindamycin or rosamicin (in concentrations of 1.6 microng/ml) was bactericidal against 80%. Erythromycin and josamicin were the least bactericidal agents in vitro. Thirty-two patients with pleuropulmonary and intraabdominal or pelvic infections caused by anaerobic bacteria were treated with clindamycin. Cure was achieved in 27 patients. In another group of 37 patients treated with parenteral clindamycin, diarrhea developed in 30% and was significantly more common in those patients with abdominal or pelvic infection. Only one patient developed pseudomembranous colitis. These observations suggest that clindamycin is an excellent and relatively safe antibiotic for treatment of infections caused by anaerobes when combined with surgery or with other antibiotics selected for activity against aerobic gram-negative bacilli.
The Effect of Questioning Style During Storybook Reading on Novel Vocabulary Acquisition of Preschoolers

The effects of adult questioning on children’s novel word acquisition during storybook reading were investigated. Three-year-olds were assigned to one of three conditions: vocabulary eliciting questions, noneliciting questions, and no questions (control). General vocabulary comprehension and novel word knowledge were equivalent across the groups before the storybook reading intervention. Children were read 3 storybooks repeatedly across 4 reading sessions and were tested for production and comprehension of novel words in the final session. Children’s novel word comprehension increased more in both question conditions than in the control condition, suggesting that type of question is not as important to word learning as children’s active engagement in discussion about novel words in general. Novel word production was not strongly affected by any of the reading conditions. However, asking children noneliciting questions did appear to foster production of new words more than not asking questions at all.
Inertia-type cone mills

The KID-300 and KID-600 inertia-type mills are efficient machines for grinding medium hard and hard refractory materials.
Frequency response analysis of nonsuperimposable systems using a pseudo-transfer function: Application to systems with coverage-dependent adsorption

Abstract The concept of a pseudo-transfer function is introduced to characterize the frequency response behaviour of nonsuperimposable systems, i.e. those described by nonlinear differential equations or by linear differential equations with time-dependent coefficients. The pseudo-transfer function shapes can be used to match experimentally measured frequency response data to the most probable system model and to identify model parameters. The concepts are illustrated using a model system of coverage-dependent adsorption of the reactant on a partially exposed sample, followed by surface diffusion of the reactant and first-order chemical reaction in a modulated reactive molecular beam scattering experiment. From an exact analysis of the example system, features of nonsuperimposable systems are inferred. Nonsuperimposable systems can cause both a cusp and an inflection at the first harmonic in the pseudo-transfer function. The cusp is distinguishable from that observed for a superimposable, parallel reaction mechanism in that its position depends on the chopping frequency and other experimentally controllable parameters. The inflection also depends on chopping frequency and is not observed in superimposable systems. Thus, the pseudo-transfer function can be a sensitive means for discriminating between entirely different mechanisms that lead to similar overall system behaviour.
Application of High-Throughput Sequencing to Circulating microRNAs Reveals Novel Biomarkers for Drug-induced Liver Injury

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a leading cause of acute liver failure and the major reason for withdrawal of drugs from the market. Preclinical evaluation of drug candidates has failed to detect about 40% of potentially hepatotoxic compounds in humans. At the onset of liver injury in humans, currently used biomarkers have difficulty differentiating severe DILI from mild, and/or predict the outcome of injury for individual subjects. Therefore, new biomarker approaches for predicting and diagnosing DILI in humans are urgently needed. Recently, circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) such as miR-122 and miR-192 have emerged as promising biomarkers of liver injury in preclinical species and in DILI patients. In this study, we focused on examining global circulating miRNA profiles in serum samples from subjects with liver injury caused by accidental acetaminophen (APAP) overdose. Upon applying next generation high-throughput sequencing of small RNA libraries, we identified 36 miRNAs, including 3 novel miRNA-like small nuclear RNAs, which were enriched in the serum of APAP overdosed subjects. The set comprised miRNAs that are functionally associated with liver-specific biological processes and relevant to APAP toxic mechanisms. Although more patients need to be investigated, our study suggests that profiles of circulating miRNAs in human serum might provide additional biomarker candidates and possibly mechanistic information relevant to liver injury.
The paradox of television privatization: When more is less

The argument of this article is that privatization of the audiovisual sector has had unintended consequences. The proliferation of private television channels has fragmented advertising markets and created incentives for the increasing importation of cheap American programming. This phenomenon is evident despite the fact that the demand for such programming is eclipsed by audience preferences to see their own cultures on the small screen. Thus the paradox of television privatization is that, in cultural terms, it has led to less, rather than more, consumer choice. While the debates about Americanization have mostly dwelled on the loss of cultural diversity, the consequences for the domination of American popular culture have not only been the erosion of national identities, but also the transformation of local politics as people's political perceptions become increasingly affected by American political reference points and categories.
Reciprocity of Social Capital and Collective Action

This article explores the social capital of the Applegate Partnership forest stewardship group with an adaptation of Flora and Flora's model of Entrepreneurial Social Infrastructure (ESI), arguing that social capital both inheres in community infrastructure and results from collective action. By examining the community setting and the emergence of an ad hoc collaborative group, this case study demonstrates the importance of ESI components—social diversity, community resources, and networks—for the social action. Through describing the accomplishments of the group, this study demonstrates that collective action can, in turn, create new social capital, forging networks and mobilizing resources for further community development.
Small Business Success in Rural Communities: Explaining the Sex Gap.

Building on previous theory and research, we propose a “structural relational” view of the sex gap in small business success. Our findings, based on analyses of data from 423 small business owners in Iowa, show support for our model and suggest that links between owners, social relational processes, business structure, and small business success operate differently depending on the industry location of the business and the owner's sex. Results also indicate that the business owner's sex has direct and indirect effects on business success. This finding suggests that social relations, organizations, and institutions are all gendered in ways that influence the sex gap in sales, but that further research is needed to more fully explain sex differences in small business success. We discuss these and other findings in terms of their theoretical and practical implications, and suggest directions for future research.
Selective Area Laser Induced Deposition of Metal Boride Thin Films

We have developed a novel technique for the selective area deposition of rare earth hexaborides: laser-induced solution deposition (LISD). This technique is both simple and efficient and combines many advantages of both chemical vapor deposition and electrolytic deposition. The results of LISD deposition show that the polycrystalline thin films of rare earth hexaborides and sub-borides such as MB6, MB4, and MB2 (M = Gd, La) are formed through the light initiated chemical reaction of nido-decaborane (B10H14) and rare earth chloride in solution. These films grow with a strong texture growth axis and morphology that is dependent both on the selection of solvents and laser wavelengths and power used in LISD.
Preparing General Educators to Work Well with Students Who Have Disabilities: What's Reasonable at the Preservice Level?

The restructured teacher education program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is described specifically with regard to its commitment to prepare general educators to work effectively and resp...
Absence of nerve-dependent conversion of rapidly degrading to stable acetylcholine receptors at adult innervated endplates

Abstract It has been suggested that acetylcholine receptors newly inserted into adult innervated endplates have a rapid degradation rate, but are normally converted to a stable, slowly degrading form in a nerve-dependent fashion. Denervation therefore should eliminate conversion and cause pre-existing unconverted receptors to continue degrading rapidly. We tested this model of nerve-dependent conversion in mouse sternomastoid muscle, using quantitative electron microscopic autoradiography in order to specifically examine degradation of receptors at identified endplate membrane. Prior to denervation, we labelled the receptors with sequential α-bungarotoxin exposures, using conditions designed to maximize the predicted effect of denervation. However, we observed no difference in the rate of receptor degradation at innervated and denervated endplates up to seven days after denervation (at which time accelerated degradation of pre-existing stabilized receptors is known to begin in this muscle). The regulation of endplate acetylcholine receptor metabolic turnover is a complex and still largely undefined issue, related to many factors such as subunit composition, cytoskeleton and basement membrane composition, muscle activity, and neural influences. In particular, the nerve's influence on the normal stabilization of receptors at innervated adult endplates has been controversial. Our data indicate that slow degradation is probably an inherent property of newly inserted junctional receptors, and argues against nerve-dependent conversion and stabilization. Based on the present data, however, we cannot rule out the presence of a small independent subpopulation that degrades rapidly. The molecular mechanisms involved in establishing and maintaining a stable population of adult endplate acetylcholine receptors remain to be established.
An analytical model for a transient vapor plume on the Moon

Naturally occurring lunar transients have been observed for many centuries. Artificially induced impacts on airless near-Earth objects are now being used as a test bed to study a wide range of geomorphic phenomena. In this paper an analytical theory is used to predict the flash event that signals the initial phase of a surface impact. The model predicts the wave form, duration, and radiated energy content of the vapor plume starting only with the mass and kinetic energy of the impactor. The theory is applied to the planned 2009 LCROSS lunar impact where the impact flash event is predicted. The transient radiation emitted by the impact can be used to obtain some relevant impact parameters, and it is predicted to be energetic enough to possibly be captured by terrestrial observers.
OCS, H2S, and CS2 fluxes from a salt water marsh

The diurnal-to-monthly behavior of the fluxes of OCS, H2S, and CS2 from a mixed-Spartina grass-covered site in a Wallops Island salt water marsh was determined through a series of experiments in August and September, 1982. Absolute flux values were determined for OCS and H2S, while only relative values were determined for CS2. The rates of emission of OCS and H2S were observed to vary diurnally and to be strongly influenced by tides. The time-averaged flux values show that such mixed-Spartina stands are insignificant (≪ 1%) global sources of H2S or CS2 and insignificant contributors to the global OCS cycle (< 1%). These results demonstrate that some marsh regions play a minor role in the global sulfur budget and, consequently, that the inclusion of such areas in extrapolations of measurements of more productive regions could lead to an overestimate of the role of salt water marshes in the global sulfur budget.
Designing dynamical output feedback controllers for store-operated Ca2+ entry

Abstract Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) has been proposed as the main process controlling Ca2+ entry in non-excitable cells. Although recent breakthroughs in experimental studies of SOCE have been made, its mathematical modeling has not been developed. In the present work, SOCE is viewed as a feedback control system subject to an extracellular agonist disturbance and an extracellular calcium input. We then design a dynamic output feedback controller to reject the disturbance and track Ca2+ resting levels in the cytosol and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The constructed feedback control system is validated by published experimental data and its global asymptotic stability is proved by using the LaSalle’s invariance principle. We then simulate the dynamic responses of STIM1 and Orai1, two major components in the operation of the store-operated channels, to the depletion of Ca2+ in the ER with thapsigargin, which show that: (1) Upon the depletion of Ca2+ in the ER, the concentrations of activated STIM1 and STIM1–Orai1 cluster are elevated gradually, indicating that STIM1 is accumulating in the ER–PM junctions and that the cytosolic portion of the active STIM1 is binding to Orai1 and driving the opening of CRAC channels for Ca2+ entry; (2) after the extracellular Ca2+ addition, the concentrations of both STIM1 and STIM1–Orai1 cluster decrease but still much higher than the original levels. We also simulate the system responses to the agonist disturbance, which show that, when a sequence of periodic agonist pulses is applied, the system returns to its equilibrium after each pulse. This indicates that the designed feedback controller can reject the disturbance and track the equilibrium.
The J-Delay scale: a measure of the likelihood of patient delay in breast cancer.

Patient delay in seeking treatment for breast cancer is a major contributing factor to morbidity and mortality. No instruments have previously been developed to predict the likelihood of patient delay. This report describes the development and testing of the J-Delay scale, designed to estimate a woman's risk of making the judgment to delay versus to seek immediate evaluation of self-discovered breast symptoms that might signal breast cancer. The J-Delay scale items were developed in four qualitative studies (28 focus groups, combined N = 147 women). The J-Delay scale was tested in 2 large, community-based samples varying across age, income, and ethnicity (combined N = 1,290). Content validity was supported by narrative analysis. Criterion validity was supported by the correct prediction of patient delay in 69%-86% of surveyed and interviewed women with symptoms of 3 months' or more duration. Internal consistency reliability was .83 in English samples (n = 596 and 352) and .81 in a Spanish sample (n = 222). Test-retest reliability after 3-4 months (n = 251) was supported by consistent assignment in 88.8% of cases. The J-Delay is a valid and reliable tool to identify women at risk for patient delay. Women identified as likely to delay medical attention must be targeted for early detection interventions focused on patient delay.