cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Binding characteristics of a biologically active variant of human growth hormone (20K) to growth hormone and lactogen receptors.

The dose-ependent displacement characteristics of a biologically active 20,000 molecular weight human pituitary growth hormone variant (20K) and of human growth hormone (hGH) were compared using hGH liver plasma membrane receptors both from 20–30 day pregnant rabbits and from normal female rats and also using mammary gland plasma membrane receptors from 5–6 day lactating rabbits. Different preparations of 20K were found to be only 3-20% as potent as hGH when compared at the dose necessary to cause 50% displacement of (125I)iodo-hGH from liver receptor and was 22-53% as effective as hGH in the mammary receptor assay system. These findings suggest that 20K and hGH may have separate receptors or that the binding characteristics of the two hormones may be quite different.
The low-density lipoprotein receptor is regulated by estrogen and forms a functional complex with the estrogen-regulated protein ezrin in pituitary GH3 somatolactotropes.

Estrogen regulates the function, growth, and proliferation of lactotropes in the pituitary. We report here that low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (LDLR) gene expression and LDL uptake are strongly up-regulated by estrogen in pituitary somatolactotropic GH3 cells. The uptake of LDL was significantly inhibited by the F-actin-severing drug, swinholide A, indicating that LDL uptake is dependent on the integrity of the cortical actin cytoskeleton in GH3 cells. We examined whether the estrogen-inducible cytoskeletal linker protein, ezrin, interacts with the LDLR. The LDLR coimmunoprecipitated with ezrin, and fluorescently labeled LDL bound to regions of the cell membrane that colocalized with the active, phosphorylated form of ezrin (phosphoezrin). Evidence for a functional interaction between ezrin and the LDLR was obtained by transient transfection experiments using ezrin-green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression constructs. We observed that transient transfection of GH3 cells with an ezrin N terminus-G...
A New Technique for Measuring Gate-Oxide Leakage in Charging Protected MOSFETs

While accurate measurement of gate-oxide leakage in isolated CMOS oxides can be straightforward, it is not the case for CMOS oxides connected to a plasma-charging protection device. In this paper, a method enabling accurate gate-oxide leakage extraction from CMOS transistors directly connected to a gated MOSFET-based charging protection device is described. The method extracts gate-oxide leakage at the bottom side of the gate-oxide from the drain/source terminal of the protected MOSFETs biased into inversion while diverting the parasitic leakages from the protection device into a P+ tap sink. The location and design of the P+ tap sink play an important role on the success of the method. The method demonstrates a high measurement accuracy over the conventional method with a nearly 99% absorption efficiency of the protection-device-induced leakage by the P + tap sink, with the test structures used in this study. The method enables a saving of up to 30% of the layout space in the design of the charging test structures in test chips by eliminating usage of the fuse between the protected and protecting devices. A correlation study performed with the data measured by the new method and the conventional method suggests that both protected and protecting transistors can experience gate-oxide damage at the same time during back-end integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing process if the protected transistors violate the gate-charging design rules. It also indicates that the protected transistors have higher chance to receive more severe damage than the protecting transistors due to different oxide damage mechanisms associated with the terminal connectivity of these transistors
An exploration of the intersection of race, gender and generation in African American women doing social justice work

This article examines how Black women from varying generations articulate their perceptions about race. The 183 participants, ranging in age from 21 to 69, were Black women committed to social justice work. An under-researched area is the exploration of generational perspectives about race among Black women social activists. Utilizing an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, data were collected through six in-depth personal interviews, four focus groups, and an online survey. Intersectionality, standpoint and social identity theories were used in a complementary way to interpret the findings. Analysis of the data suggests that Millennials perceive race and social justice work differently than the Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers. The Millennials more readily acknowledge the intersectionality of their multiple identities and tend to characterize their racial experiences as gendered. Furthermore, like the Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers, the Millennials expressed a need for and a commitment to social justice work, but seemed more open to collaborating with other socially oppressed groups.
Severe Exacerbation of Asthma: A New Side Effect of Interferon-α in Patients With Asthma and Chronic Hepatitis C

Interferon-α is used by physicians to treat numerous common medical disorders; however, therapy is often limited by side effects. Pulmonary complications, such as interstitial pneumonitis and bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia, have been described in patients receiving interferon-α therapy. Exacerbation of asthma induced by subcutaneous administration of interferon-α has not been previously reported. We describe two patients with mild asthma in whom treatment with interferon-α for chronic hepatitis C resulted in exacerbation of the underlying asthma. The severe asthmatic symptoms resolved promptly after use of interferon-α was discontinued and corticosteroid therapy was initiated. Repeated treatment with interferon-α several months later resulted in a rapid, more severe exacerbation of asthma in both patients. Patients undergoing therapy with interferon-α, especially those with chronic asthma, should be monitored closely for pulmonary symptoms. If these symptoms develop, patients should be instructed to discontinue use of interferon-α and seek medical attention immediately.
Mn/Ce clusters from the use of pivalate and chelate ligands: MnIII8CeIV, MnIII2CeIV2, and MnIII4CeIII2 products

Abstract The reaction system MnII/CeIII/IV/(CH3)3CCO2− has been investigated and has yielded four MnxCey and one MnIII4 compounds. Reactions in the presence of NBun4MnO4 afforded a MnIII8CeIV compound [Mn8CeO8(ButCO2)12(DMF)4] (1), consisting of a CeIV atom inside a loop of eight MnIII ions. Reactions also containing 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) or 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) gave [Mn2Ce2O2(OH)2(ButCO2)4(NO3)4(phen)2] (2) or [Mn2Ce2O2(OH)2(ButCO2)4(NO3)4(bpy)2] (3), respectively, containing the MnIII2CeIV2O2 core. In contrast, reactions in the presence of 2-(hydroxymethyl)pyridine (hmpH) yielded the MnIII4CeIII2 cluster [Mn4Ce2O2(ButCO2)5(NO3)5(hmp)4] (4), with an unprecedented [Mn4Ce2(μ4-O)2] core, and a homometallic, butterfly-like MnIII4 cluster [Mn4O2(ButCO2)6(pic)2(H2O)2] (5), in which oxidation of hmp− to picolinate (pic−) has occurred. Variable-temperature, dc and ac measurements were performed on polycrystalline samples of 1–5. Fitting of the obtained magnetization (M) versus field (H) and temperature (T) data by matrix diagonalization, and including only axial anisotropy (zero-field splitting, ZFS), gave a ground state spin of S = 5 for 1·2DMF. The magnetic susceptibility data for 2·2Et2O and 3 up to 300 K were fit and revealed very weak ferromagnetic interactions between the MnIII ions; J = +0.5(2) cm−1 for 2·2Et2O, and J = +0.3(1) cm−1 for 3. Complexes 4·3MeCN and 5·2ButCO2H have S = 0 ground states.
Root-Zone Hydrology: Why Bald-Cypress in Flooded Wetlands Grow More When It Rains

Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is known to respond to increases in precipitation with increased radial growth even when rooted in continuously saturated sediments where water is not a growth-limiting factor. Measurements of δ18O, Cl−, 3H and hydraulic head in surface water and shallow groundwater in an oxbow lake-wetland in northern Mississippi show that rapid downward flow of surface water into the root zone is initiated only after precipitation-induced increases in surface water depth exceed a threshold value. Rapid flow of surface water through the root zone has the potential to introduce oxygen to sediments that would otherwise be anoxic, facilitating nutrient uptake and growth. Climatic reconstruction using tree rings from bald cypress in this environment appears possible because increases in precipitation generally correlate well with increases in water level, which in turn enhances the delivery of oxygenated water to the roots.
Molecular Structure Prediction by Global Optimization

The CGU (convex global underestimator) global optimization method is used to predict the minimum energy structures, i.e. folded states, of small protein sequences. Computational results obtained from the CGU method applied to actual protein sequences using a detailed polypeptide model and a differentiable form of the Sun/Thomas/Dill potential energy function are presented. This potential function accounts for steric repulsion, hydrophobic attraction, and tφ/Ψ pair restrictions imposed by the so called Ramachandran maps. Furthermore, it is easily augmented to accommodate additional known data such as the existence of disulphide bridges and any other a priori distance data. The Ramachandran data is modeled by a continuous penalty term in the potential function, thereby permitting the use of continuous minimization techniques.
Barotropic flows observed by the towed transport meter

The structure of the meridional transport east of Abaco, the Bahamas, was simultaneously observed with moored current meters and a towed electric field sensor. Important currents in this region include the northward flowing Antilles Current near the surface and the Deep Western Boundary Current flowing southward at depth. The towed measurements of vertically averaged velocity were obtained with the Towed Transport Meter version 2 (TTM2) based on the observation of motionally induced electric fields. The electric field component parallel to the track of a ship is equal to the vertical component of the Earth's magnetic field times the difference in the cross-track velocity component of the ship and the cross-track velocity component of the electrical conductivity-weighted, vertically averaged horizontal velocity (denoted as v~*) of the ocean. The velocity of the ship normal to its track was determined from radio navigation methods (e.g. LORAN-C) and the ship's gyrocompass. The difference between the ship's velocity normal to its track and the TTM2 observed velocity was v~*. The differences between v~* and the conventional v~ indicated that the conductivity weighting and the effect of bottom electrical conductances were small, of the order of 5%. The comparison with the moored current meter array revealed gyrocompass errors of up to 2.5/spl deg/. Such errors will be reduced with the application of GPS heading sensors in the near future. A change in the vertically averaged north velocity component of more than -0.25 m s/sup -1/ over less than 20 km was observed in both methods. The cumulative northward transport reached about 10 Sv 70 km east of Abaco, and by 130 km offshore it had decreased to -8 Sv. The velocity and transport structure measured by the two techniques was very similar, supporting the accuracy of the towed measurements as well as the transport estimates from the moored array.
Numerical Simulation of Surface Waves Generated by a Subaerial Landslide at Lituya Bay, Alaska

This paper presents preliminary results of a computational study conducted to analyze the impulse waves generated by the subaerial landslide at Lituya Bay, Alaska. The volume of fluid (VOF) method is used to track the free surface and shoreline movements. The Renormalization Group (RNG) turbulence model and Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) multiscale model were used to simulate turbulence dissipation. The subaerial landslide is simulated using a sliding mass. Results from the two-dimensional (2-D) simulations are compared with results from a scaled-down experiment. The experiment is carried out at a 1:675 scale. In the experimental setup, the subaerial rockslide impact into the Gilbert Inlet, wave generation, propagation, and runup on the headland slope are considered in a geometrically undistorted Froude similarity model. The rockslide is simulated by a granular material driven by a pneumatic acceleration mechanism so that the impact characteristics can be controlled. Simulations are performed for different values of the landslide density to estimate the influence of slide deformation on the generated tsunami characteristics. Simulated results show the complex flow patterns in terms of the velocity field, shoreline evolution, and free surface profiles. The predicted wave runup height is in close agreement with both the observed wave runup height and that obtained from the scaled-down experimental model.© 2009 ASME
India – Measures Affecting the Automotive Sector

This study addresses the disputes brought to the World Trade Organization (WTO) by the European Communities and the United States concerning certain Indian measures affecting the importation of automobiles and components in the form of “completely knocked down” (CKD) and “semi-knocked down” (SKD) kits. The measures in question originated during a time when India employed extensive import licensing requirements, ostensibly for balance of payments purposes. India’s broad licensing regime was challenged in 1997 by the European Communities and the United States, resulting in a settlement with the European Communities and a ruling in favor of the United States pursuant to which India agreed to abolish its import licensing system. Some restrictions in the automotive sector remained, however,which became the subject of this proceeding.
Substance Abuse Disorders

The fact that caffeine in the form of coffee, tea, cocoa, cola beverages, and over-the-counter medications is probably the most widely used psychoactive substance helps account for its neglect as the cause of a variety of psychiatric symptoms. Caffeine is such an integral part of our society that its use (and abuse) is not associated with the stigma attached to other substances of abuse such as alcohol, opioids, and barbiturates. Unlike even tobacco, the use of caffeine in children in the form of colas, cocoa, and chocolate is almost universally accepted.
Oppressive Taxation: Abuse of Rule 54 and Section 1920 Threatens Justice

The author argues that neither Rule 54(d) nor 28 U.S.C. §1920 allow the taxation of discovery costs as a matter of law. He briefly surveys the structure and language of the Federal Rules and statutes involved and demonstrates that the structure and language of the Federal Rules create a carefully crafted system which provides for a very limited taxation of costs that should be limited to costs incurred for presentation of the case at the dispositive stage of the litigation. He goes on to demonstrate that courts have misapplied Rule 54(d) and §1920 by interpreting both to allow the taxation of discovery and lays out the reasons courts have given when reaching this erroneous result. He shows that the misapplication of Rule 54 and §1920 threatens the liberal discovery authorized by the rules, undermines the carefully crafted mechanism for addressing discovery benefits and burdens built into the rules, and fosters new discovery abuses. He concludes by considering two related proposals and discerns that the results of such amendments to either §1920 or to the Rules would be undesirable.
The effect of leptin replacement on sleep-disordered breathing in the leptin-deficient ob/ob mouse.

Obese leptin-deficient (ob/ob) mice demonstrate defects in upper airway structural and neuromuscular control. We hypothesized that these defects predispose to upper airway obstruction during sleep, and improve with leptin administration. High-fidelity polysomnographic recordings were conducted to characterize sleep and breathing patterns in conscious, unrestrained ob/ob mice (23 wk, 67.2 ± 4.1 g, n = 13). In a parallel-arm crossover study, we compared responses to subcutaneous leptin (1 μg/h) vs. vehicle on respiratory parameters during NREM and REM sleep. Upper airway obstruction was defined by the presence of inspiratory airflow limitation (IFL), as characterized by an early inspiratory plateau in airflow at a maximum level (VImax) with increasing effort. The severity of upper airway obstruction (VImax) was assessed along with minute ventilation (VE), tidal volume (VT), respiratory rate (RR), inspiratory duty cycle, and mean inspiratory flow at each time point. IFL occurred more frequently in REM sleep (37.6 ± 0.2% vs. 1.1 ± 0.0% in NREM sleep, P < 0.001), and leptin did not alter its frequency. VImax (3.7 ± 1.1 vs. 2.7 ± 0.8 ml/s, P < 0.001) and VE increased (55.4 ± 22.0 vs. 39.8 ± 16.4 ml/min, P < 0.001) with leptin vs. vehicle administration. The increase in VE was due to a significant increase in VT (0.20 ± 0.06 vs. 0.16 ± 0.05 ml, P < 0.01) rather than RR. Increases in VE were attributable to increases in mean inspiratory flow (2.5 ± 0.8 vs. 1.8 ± 0.6 ml/s, P < 0.001) rather than inspiratory duty cycle. Similar increases in VE and its components were observed in non-flow-limited breaths during NREM and REM sleep. These responses suggest that leptin stabilized pharyngeal patency and increased drive to both the upper airway and diaphragm during sleep.
Contributions of Sociological Analysis to the Understanding of Personality

professional training is important and what it gives the worker that cannot be acquired through experience." We have pointed one way, namely, the sympathetic interest and understanding and the intelligent application which he brings to the solution of his problems from his study of groups and group relationships. At no time has the importance of this background been emphasized as it is in our present nation-wide effort to relieve suffering and perhaps rehabilitate through the administration of emergency relief. Today, when among the applicants and recipients of relief there are those belonging to social and economic groups that have always been, until recently, self-sustaining, there is an added incentive and need for a broader and deeper study of groups. Or take the farmer to whom heretofore organized relief was practically unknown. And what about the adequacy of relief? Are we going to try to level everyone down to a common minimum of subsistence or, what is equally unintelligent, bring everyone to what we may consider an adequate standard of living regardless of the standard he was able to maintain prior to i92.9? And now again comes the question of "made work" which we thought had been permanently disposed of some time ago, with the present situation shedding new light upon it. Or what about applying relief or fixing wage differentials on the basis of geographical location rather than on the basis of needs? It might be said that these are individual, not group problems, but must not these individual differences be met and regulated on the basis of group normssome already established and others growing out of this crisis? Has there ever been a more timely or urgent circumstance to impress upon students and the public the value of close study of groups in preparation for social work? Has there ever been a more propitious opportunity to observe closely, collect, record, assemble, classify, compare, and interpret additional data concerning groups to fortify substantially the equipment of the pre-social work student? It has been asked many times, "Is nothing socially constructive coming out of this administration of federal funds on a nation-wide scale?" Here is a challenge to the public as well as to the social worker, the administrator of relief, and the student of social work, and at least one possible affirmative answer.
The Genus Lamproderma and its Relationships. II

(1945). The Genus Lamproderma and its Relationships. II. Mycologia: Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 197-204.
The Auto-Gopher Deep Drill

Subsurface penetration by coring, drilling or abrading is of great importance for a large number of space and earth applications. An Ultrasonic/Sonic Drill/Corer (USDC) has been in development at JPL's Nondestructive Evaluation and Advanced Actuators (NDEAA) lab as an adaptable tool for many of these applications. The USDC uses a novel drive mechanism to transform the high frequency ultrasonic or sonic vibrations of the tip of a horn into a lower frequency sonic hammering of a drill bit through an intermediate free-flying mass. The USDC device idea has been implemented at various scales from handheld drills to large diameter coring devices. A series of computer programs that model the function and performance of the USDC device were developed and were later integrated into an automated modeling package. The USDC has also evolved from a purely hammering drill to a rotary hammer drill as the design requirements increased form small diameter shallow drilling to large diameter deep coring. A synthesis of the Auto-Gopher development is presented in this paper.
Processing Status and Development Prospects of Hami Melon

The present processing status of Hami melon was reviewed,and development of Hami melon was prospected.
A student project experience: a virtual campus tour

This paper describes a class project combining web technology, communications, and graphic design to produce a virtual campus tour. This project combines interdisciplinary learning, modern web technology, and service to the institution. We believe that this serves as a case study for putting Computer Science into a larger context, allowing students to collaborate with outsiders that have expertise in a variety of areas. This project fits the requirement for student experiential learning in a number of ways: it was done in a single semester, surpassed the capabilities of an existing expensive software system, and could be implemented in a stand-alone manner.
A National Profile of NASPAA Programs with Health Specialty Tracks

This paper presents the findings from a Robert Wood Johnson Foundationfunded study designed to develop a national profile of accredited and unaccredited NASPAA programs with health specialty tracks, one of the most rapidly increasing practice domains. The results will be used to establish baseline data for the comparison of health specialty tracks, to provide a knowledge base for the creation of standards and guidelines, and to yield insights into program directors' observations on the initiation of an additional accreditation process. We used a typology with six classifications to examine all facets of these programs through data collected from a cross-sectional study consisting of a written survey, a telephone interview, and a syllabi review. We found 50 percent of NASPAA programs with health specialty tracks to be geographically concentrated but positioned within a variety of institutional locations. Program size as measured by the number of students enrolled, curriculum structure, and the number of faculty varied. Health management and policy specialty tracks continue to increase, and respondents believe this track adds value to the mission of their institutions. Telephone interview responses indicated a slight preference for an additional accreditation of health specialty tracks. However, the shared responsibility for specialty track offerings found in some programs, the variety of institutional settings, and the variation in program size, structure, and resources indicate the need for flexible, adaptable standards and guidelines that are compatible with the unique features of this specialty track.
Characterization and failure mode analyses of air plasma oxidized PDMS–PDMS bonding by peel testing

Bonding of air plasma oxidized polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) strips is evaluated in this paper by peel testing. Two PDMS–PDMS strips, after being treated with air plasma, were brought together for bonding into a specimen, which was subsequently subjected to peeling until breaking apart. The maximum load applied in each peel test was used to indicate the bonding strength. Among the 68 specimens tested, 40 experienced a maximum load in the range of 0.1–0.2 N mm−1. Seventy-six percent of the specimens under peel testing failed at the cohesive mode, meaning that the air plasma-based bonding can be strong enough to retain its integrity after peeling. Correlation between the maximum load and failure modes suggests that strong bonding can be achieved with a higher plasma power for 50–60 seconds of treatment in air plasma. Based on the Kendall energy balance equation, we suggest that the higher the maximum load per unit width applied in the peel test, the larger the adhesion energy in the bonding interface.
The Effects of Graft Size and Insertion Site Location During Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction on Intercondylar Notch Impingement

Intercondylar notch impingement is detrimental to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Notchplasty is a preventative remodeling procedure performed on the intercondylar notch during ACL reconstruction (ACLR). This study investigates how ACL graft geometry and both tibial and femoral insertion site location affect ACL-intercondylar notch interactions post ACLR. A range of ACL graft sizes are reported during ACLR, from 6mm–11mm in diameter. Minor variability of up to 3mm in ACL insertion site locations is reported during ACLR. Several 3D finite element (FE) knee joint models were constructed using three ACL graft sizes and polar arrays of tibial and femoral insertion site locations. Each knee model was subjected to flexion, tibial external rotation, and valgus motion. Impingement force and contact area between the ACL and the intercondylar notch compared well with published cadaver study results. A 3mm shift in the antero-lateral direction of the tibial insertion site of the average and maximum size ACL increased impingement force by 155.4% and 242.9% respectively. A 3mm shift in the anterior-proximal direction of the femoral insertion site of the average and maximum size ACL increased impingement by 292.6%, and 346.2% respectively. Simulated notchplasties of 4mm and 5mm reduced graft impingement force by 89.4% and 100% respectively for the simulations with greatest impingement. For the kinematics applied, the results show that small differences in graft size and insertion site location may lead to large increases in impingement force and contact area. The study aims to improve ACLR success rates by understanding how minor variations in graft size and insertion site location affect intercondylar notch impingement. Because minor variations in insertion site location during ACLR are a known occurrence, the results of this study may support the argument for performing notchplasty during ACLR.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Association of serum albumin level and venous thromboembolic events in a large cohort of patients with nephrotic syndrome.

Author(s): Gyamlani, Geeta; Molnar, Miklos Z; Lu, Jun L; Sumida, Keiichi; Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar; Kovesdy, Csaba P | Abstract: BackgroundPrior small studies have suggested an association between low serum albumin and increased risk of venous thromboembolic (VTE) events in patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS).MethodsFrom a nationally representative prospective cohort of over 3 million US veterans with baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , we identified 7037 patients with NS based on ICD-9 codes. Association between serum albumin and risk of incident VTE was assessed using Cox regression analysis with adjustments for age, gender, race, comorbidities, eGFR, body mass index and anticoagulant treatment.ResultsMean age was 57 ± 11 years, patients were 96% male, 32% African-American and 60% diabetic. There were a total of 158 VTE events over a median follow-up of 8.1 years; 16 events [absolute event rate (AER) 4.1%, event rate 8.5/1000 patient-years (PY)] in patients with albumin l2.5 g/dL, 18 events (AER 3.4%, event rate 5.7/1000 patient-years) in patients with albumin 2.5-2.99 g/dL, 89 events (AER 2.5%, event rate 3.4/1000 patient-years) in patients with albumin 3-3.99 g/dL and 35 events (AER 1.4%, event rate 1.9/1000 patient-years) in patients with albumin ≥4 g/dL. Compared with patients with albumin ≥4 g/dL, those with albumin levels of 3-3.99 g/dL [adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-2.26], 2.5-2.99 g/dL (HR: 2.24, 95% CI: 1.24-4.05) and l2.5 g/dL (HR: 2.79, 95% CI: 1.45-5.37) experienced a linearly higher risk of VTE events.ConclusionsLower serum albumin is a strong independent predictor for VTE events in NS. The risk increases proportionately with declining albumin levels. Clinical trials are needed to determine benefit of prophylactic anticoagulation in NS patients with moderately lower serum albumin levels.
To Be or Not to Be Board Certified? A Question of Quality and Identification for Psychologists

Achieving board certification in psychology is an important step in a psychologist's professional development. Board certification serves as a quality indicator for consumers, employers, and other stakeholders while providing enhanced opportunities for psychologists who complete the peer-review process that leads to it. This commentary provides an update on trends in board certification in psychology and explores the roles and benefits of board certification as well as barriers to pursuing board certification. Board certification is an important issue to consider because more mental and physical healthcare clinicians and researchers are now embracing the biopsychosocial model. Board certification could well help with maximizing reimbursement or clinical opportunities, as well as produce a greater understanding of the biobehavioral underpinnings of comorbid mental and physical disorders. Specialist data from the American Board of Professional Psychology and membership data from the American Psychological Association were reviewed across specialty areas. The work was archival and involved no human subjects, and therefore, this study was exempt from review by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Minnesota. There are currently 4,198 board certifications across the 15 boards of the American Board of Professional Psychology. These represent a relatively small proportion (less than 4%) of U.S. licensed psychologists. The numbers correlate positively with membership levels in corresponding APA divisions. Between 2011 and 2015, there was a 25.8% increase in the number of board-certified psychologists. Board certification appears to be undergoing a period of rapid growth among psychologists. This trend appears to reflect multiple factors, including an increased number of boards representing expanding areas of specialization in the field, a growing interest in board certification as part of increasing quality emphasis within healthcare, and psychologists' desire to distinguish themselves in a competitive marketplace. Board certification in diverse areas, including clinical health psychology, affords various professionally and personally rewarding linkages and opportunities.
Developing Teachers' Computational Fluency: Examples in Subtraction.

suggests that computationally fluent procedures are accurate, efficient, flexible, and consolidated. Students develop these characteristics over time as they explore different kinds of procedures, experiment with numbers of different sizes, and analyze one another’s procedures. At first, students’ procedures may include minor computation errors and many steps. Some students may choose only one method as their preferred procedure and rarely venture to use others. Over time, however, as teachers increase their expectations, students should become more accurate, efficient, and flexible. Students also will begin to consolidate ideas when they are no longer exploring alternative approaches but have a firm understanding of a few procedures and know when it is more appropriate to use them. The call to develop elementary students’ computational fluency poses a particular challenge to current and future teachers, who usually are not computationally fluent themselves (Ma 1999). Understandably, because of the instruction that they received, teachers often are wed to traditional, single-method paper calculation procedures, are calculator-dependent, know few meanings or only one meaning of an operation—such as subtraction only as “take away”—and are generally unfamiliar with alternative ways of using reasoning to calculate. Teachers must move away from these limitations and build their own computational fluency in order to foster such thinking in children. This article describes aspects of a program that was designed to develop teachers’ computational fluency. We share some of the experiences we have developed for work related to whole-number subtraction that we have used with both current and prospective teachers. We selected subtraction because it provides rich opportunities for developing computational fluency. It also is one of the more challenging whole-number operations, both in calculating and in justifying what happens when numbers are changed and adjustments are made. Understanding the reasons for different subtraction strategies is challenging for both children and teachers. Although children first encounter subtraction in the primary grades, they continue to struggle with it through the upper grades.
Developmental evaluation of family functioning deficits in youths and young adults with childhood-onset bipolar disorder.

Abstract Background Childhood-onset bipolar disorder (BD) is a serious condition that affects the patient and family. While research has documented familial dysfunction in individuals with BD, no studies have compared developmental differences in family functioning in youths with BD vs. adults with prospectively verified childhood-onset BD. Methods The Family Assessment Device (FAD) was used to examine family functioning in participants with childhood-onset BD (n = 116) vs. healthy controls (HCs) (n = 108), ages 7–30 years, using multivariate analysis of covariance and multiple linear regression. Results Participants with BD had significantly worse family functioning in all domains (problem solving, communication, roles, affective responsiveness, affective involvement, behavior control, general functioning) compared to HCs, regardless of age, IQ, and socioeconomic status. Post-hoc analyses suggested no influence for mood state, global functioning, comorbidity, and most medications, despite youths with BD presenting with greater severity in these areas than adults. Post-hoc tests eliminating participants taking lithium (n = 17) showed a significant diagnosis-by-age interaction: youths with BD had worse family problem solving and communication relative to HCs. Limitations Limitations include the cross-sectional design, clinical differences in youths vs. adults with BD, ambiguity in FAD instructions, participant-only report of family functioning, and lack of data on psychosocial treatments. Conclusions Familial dysfunction is common in childhood-onset BD and endures into adulthood. Early identification and treatment of both individual and family impairments is crucial. Further investigation into multi-level, family-based mechanisms underlying childhood-onset BD may clarify the role family factors play in the disorder, and offer avenues for the development of novel, family-focused therapeutic strategies.
“It’s Like Doing Homework”

Young women’s narratives of their sexual experiences occur amid conflicting cultural discourses of risk, abstinence, and moral panic. Yet young women, as social actors, find ways to make meaning of their experiences through narrative. In this study, we focused on adolescent girls’ (N = 98, age 12–17 years) narratives of their first experiences with oral sex. We document our unexpected findings of persistent discourses of performance which echo newly emergent academic achievement discourses. Burns and Torre (Feminism & Psychology 15(1):21–26, 2005) argue that an extreme and high stakes focus on individual academic achievement in schools impoverishes young minds through the “hollowing” of their sexualities. We present evidence that such influence also works in the opposite direction, with an achievement orientation invading girls’ discourses of sexuality, “crowding out” possible narratives of pleasure, choice, and mutuality with narratives of competence and skill usually associated with achievement and schooling. We conclude with policy implications for the future development of “positive” sexuality narratives.
Pyrene excimer fluorescence as a probe of protein conformational change.

Fluorescence probes are useful in studies of protein conformation and interactions because of the availability of fluorophors with a variety of fluorescence properties, of derivatives with different labeling specificities, and because of the accessibility of excellent fluorescence instruments (Haugland, 1992; Lakowicz, 1983). Derivatives of the fluorophor can be attached to specific amino acid residues of proteins while maintaining the spectroscopic properties of the parent chromophore. Information about the protein domain to which the probe is attached can be obtained because the sensitive fluorescence properties depend on the nature of the excited state. Due to the more polar electron distribution in the excited state than the ground state, the probe can interact strongly with the immediate environment, allowing for the use of a variety of fluorescence measurements: (1) the spectral characteristics depend on the polarity of the immediate environment; (2) the relative quantum yield or intensity depends on the proximity of quenching groups; (3) changes in relative probe exposure can be obtained by solute quenching techniques; (4) as fluorescence energy donors and acceptors, probes can provide information on changes in distance in the 15–60 A range; and (5) polarization of fluorescence measurements can give information about the flexibility of the domain to which the probes are attached.
The effect of prostaglandin F2 alpha on relaxin release differs in the cyclic and pregnant sow.

Relaxin is known classically as a hormone of pregnancy with high levels produced by the corpus luteum (CL) of the sow. However, recently relaxin has been localized in luteal tissue of the pseudopregnant pig (Fields and Fields, 1985) and in the nonpregnant pig throughout the cycle (Ali et al., 1986). Luteal relaxin immunoactivity was highest from days 7 to 15 of the cycle with a decline by day 18 coincident in time with luteolysis, defined functionally as a decline in serum progesterone and occurring between days 14 and 18 of the sow estrous cycle (Cavazos et al., 1969). Whether prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α), postulated as the major signal for luteolysis in this species (Moeljono et al., 1976), is also responsible for relaxin release from the CL of the cycle is not known and was an objective in this study using exogenous prostaglandin.
Stability Analysis of Multiple Grid-Connected Inverters Using Different Feedback Currents

Distributed generation is gaining greater penetration levels in distribution grids due to government incentives for integrating distributed energy resources (DERs) and DER cost reductions. The frequency response of a grid-connected single inverter changes as other inverters are connected in parallel due to the couplings among grid inductance and/or inverter output filters. The selection of the inverter- or grid-side currents as feedback control signals is then not trivial because each one has tradeoffs. This paper analyses the system stability for multiple parallel- and grid-connected inverters using the inverter- or grid-side currents as feedback signals. Modeling of both feedback signals is performed using the current separation technique. Morover, the stability range for different conditions including active damping is analyzed through the root locus technique. The grid-side current has a wider range of stability, but the inverter-side current allows for higher values of the proportional gain near the critical frequency and no extra sensors are needed since measurement of the inverter current is needed for protection in high-power applications.
Behavioral Functions of Aesthetics: Science and Art, Reason, and Emotion

In his landmark article for this journal, Francis Mechner (2017) presents a novel analysis of the confluence of unique combinations of variables accounting for aesthetic experiences, a phenomenon he calls synergetics. He proposes that artists, musicians, and writers use novel devices to capitalize on those effects. In my response to Mechner's fascinating article, I question the generality of such synergetic experiences to a wide array of audience members. I also question whether the evolutionary basis for aesthetic creativity accounts for the ubiquity of aesthetic activity, as Mechner suggests. I do share `Mechner’s emphasis on the importance of culturally nesting aesthetic contributions. But I suggest understanding aesthetic activities across cultures and subcultures requires additional mechanisms serving important bridging functions. I explore dispositional analysis, drawing on both Wittgenstein’s aesthetic language games and derived stimulus relationships. The behavioral functions of aesthetic experiences are those playing roles in cultural contingencies: motivational events, antecedent stimulus events, and consequences of aesthetic activities. Two kinds of aesthetic responses are discussed: 1) aesthetic creative responses by artists, writers or musicians, and 2) responses of audience members to those creations. These resulting aesthetic stimuli may play critical roles in cultural metacontingencies.
RNA sequencing in human HepG2 hepatocytes reveals PPAR-α mediates transcriptome responsiveness of bilirubin.

Bilirubin is a potent antioxidant that reduces inflammation and the accumulation of fat. There have been reports of gene responses to bilirubin, which was mostly attributed to its antioxidant funct...
From spikes to intercellular waves: tuning the strength of calcium stimulation modulates organ size control

Calcium (Ca2+) signaling is a fundamental molecular communication mechanism for the propagation of information in eukaryotic cells. Cytosolic calcium ions integrate a broad range of hormonal, mechanical and electrical stimuli within cells to modulate downstream cellular processes involved in organ development. However, how the spatiotemporal dynamics of calcium signaling are controlled at the organ level remains poorly understood. Here, we show that the spatiotemporal extent of calcium signaling within an epithelial system is determined by the class and level of hormonal stimulation and by the subdivision of the cell population into a small fraction of initiator cells surrounded by a larger fraction of standby cells connected through gap junction communication. To do so, we built a geometrically accurate computational model of intercellular Ca2+ signaling that spontaneously occurs within developing Drosophila wing imaginal discs. The multi-scale computational model predicts the regulation of the main classes of Ca2+ signaling dynamics observed in vivo: single cell Ca2+ spikes, intercellular transient bursts, intercellular waves and global fluttering. We show that the tuning of the spatial extent of Ca2+ dynamics from single cells to global waves emerges naturally as a function of global hormonal stimulation strength. Further, this model provides insight into how emergent properties of intercellular calcium signaling dynamics modulates cell growth within the tissue context. It provides a framework for analyzing second messenger dynamics in multicellular systems. Significance Statement Intercellular calcium signaling is critical for epithelial morphogenesis and homeostasis. However, how cytosolic calcium concentration dynamics are regulated at the multicellular level are poorly understood. Here, we show using a novel multiscale computational model that the spatial extent of intercellular calcium communication is controlled by two factors: i) the relative strength of global hormonal stimulation, and ii) the presence of a subset of “initiator cells” among a population of “standby cells” that are connected by gap junctions. Localized multicellular calcium signals are associated with maximal organ growth while persistent calcium waves inhibit overall organ growth. This mechanism explains the broad range of spatiotemporal calcium signaling dynamics that occurs during epithelial development.
Mastery Learning: Origins, Features, and Evidence from the Health Professions

Mastery learning is grounded in the principle of “excellence for all.” This chapter sets forth the conceptual framework and key ideas that shape and govern mastery learning programs in health professions education. The chapter starts by presenting the origins of mastery learning in the early and mid-twentieth century and its foundation in three psychological paradigms: behavioral, constructivist, and social cognitive. The chapter continues by identifying five components of the mastery learning model expressed as a ratio of learning time spent (time allowed, perseverance)/learning time needed (aptitude, quality of instruction, ability to understand instruction). Seven practical features of mastery learning are then listed and explained as guides for curriculum development and management: baseline, diagnostic testing; clear educational objectives; educational activities; minimum passing standards; formative testing with feedback; evidence-based advancement; and continued practice and assessment. The chapter concludes with three concrete examples of mastery learning programs in the health professions from (a) undergraduate nursing, (b) undergraduate medicine, and (c) postgraduate surgery. There is also a brief coda.
Multiple obnoxious facilities location: A cooperative model

A given number of communities exist in an area. Several obnoxious facilities, such as polluting factories, garbage dumps, need to be located in the area. The nuisance emitted by the facilities is c...
Zinc homeostasis and signaling in the roundworm C. elegans.

C. elegans is a powerful model for studies of zinc biology. Here we review recent discoveries and emphasize the advantages of this model organism. Methods for manipulating and measuring zinc levels have been developed in or adapted to the worm. The C. elegans genome encodes highly conserved zinc transporters, and their expression and function are beginning to be characterized. Homeostatic mechanisms have evolved to respond to high and low zinc conditions. The pathway for high zinc homeostasis has been recently elucidated based on the discovery of the master regulator of high zinc homeostasis, HIZR-1. A parallel pathway for low zinc homeostasis is beginning to emerge based on the discovery of the Low Zinc Activation promoter element. Zinc has been established to play a role in two cell fate determination events, and accumulating evidence suggests zinc may function as a second messenger signaling molecule during vulval cell development and sperm activation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Cell Biology of Metals.