cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of contextual factors in the relationship between physical activity and self-awareness

Previous research has indicated that performing arousing or unusual activities heightens self-awareness, as indexed by the use of first person singular pronouns in a sentence completion task (McDonald, Harris & Maher, 1983; Wegner & Giuliano, 1980; 1983). This type of self-awareness seems to reflect awareness of oneself as an individual. In the study reported here, we examined the impact of contextual factors on both awareness of oneself as an individual and awareness of oneself as a group member. The latter type of self-awareness was indexed by the use of first person plural pronouns. Subjects either ran or walked in place while in one of three contexts: (1) alone; (2) with co-actors present; or (3) in a group which fostered interaction and interdependence among participants. The results indicated that, relative to the other two contexts, the group context lowered self-awareness as indexed by the use of first person singular pronouns, but enhanced self-awareness as indexed by the use of first person plural pronouns. This is discussed in terms of the impact that social context has on different forms of self-awareness.
Fast real-time onboard processing of hyperspectral imagery for detection and classification

Remotely sensed hyperspectral imagery has many important applications since its high-spectral resolution enables more accurate object detection and classification. To support immediate decision-making in critical circumstances, real-time onboard implementation is greatly desired. This paper investigates real-time implementation of several popular detection and classification algorithms for image data with different formats. An effective approach to speeding up real-time implementation is proposed by using a small portion of pixels in the evaluation of data statistics. An empirical rule of an appropriate percentage of pixels to be used is investigated, which results in reduced computational complexity and simplified hardware implementation. An overall system architecture is also provided.
Characterization of purified avian 90,000-Da heat shock protein.

Abstract The so-called 90,000-Da heat shock protein (hsp90) from chicken liver has been purified and physically characterized in the presence of high levels of the serine phosphatase inhibitor fluoride. The protein is an elongated dimer with a molecular weight of 160,000 and a frictional ratio of 1.6. On two-dimensional electrophoresis it exhibits several isoelectric forms lying between pH 5.1 and 5.8. It contains an average of 5.8 mol of covalently bound phosphate per dimer and is thus extensively phosphorylated. Analysis of the ultraviolet spectrum showed the purified protein to be free of nucleotidecontaining components. Molybdate has been shown to stabilize complexes between the 90,000-Da heat shock protein and steroid receptors. However, molybdate has no effect on the sedimentation of the purified heat shock protein. Proteins structurally related to hsp90 have been reported to penetrate the endoplasmic reticulum. However, when purified hsp90 was tested using the partition method of Bordier, which distinguishes hydrophilic and lipophilic proteins, it partitioned totally into the aqueous phase.
Magnetic Resonance Angiography in the Management of Recurrent Hemarthrosis After Total Knee Arthroplasty

Spontaneous hemarthrosis is an infrequent but disabling complication after total knee arthroplasty. The purpose of this case series is to demonstrate the utility of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) in the evaluation of hemarthrosis after total knee arthroplasty. Patients presenting with hemarthrosis unexplained by trauma, anticoagulation, or a bleeding diathesis were retrospectively identified. Eighteen patients were referred for MRA to evaluate recurrent hemarthrosis after failing conservative therapy (n = 16) or synovectomy (n = 2). Despite artifact caused by the metallic components, diagnostic evaluation of regional vessels was made. In 12 of 13 cases that underwent embolization or synovectomy, a hypertrophic feeding artery (or arteries) was visualized on MRA. One case of negative MRA did not have subsequent surgery, and we are unable to comment on the rate of false-positives because all patients in this case series had evidence of bleeding. By characterizing the vascular anatomy and identifying a dominant artery (or arteries) supplying the hypervascular synovium, MRA can serve as a guide for subsequent embolization or synovectomy, as indicated.
Phorbol Esters and Related Analogs Regulate the Subcellular Localization of β2-Chimaerin, a Non-protein Kinase C Phorbol Ester Receptor

Abstract The novel phorbol ester receptor β2-chimaerin is a Rac-GAP protein possessing a single copy of the C1 domain, a 50-amino acid motif initially identified in protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes that is involved in phorbol ester and diacylglycerol binding. We have previously shown that, like PKCs, β2-chimaerin binds phorbol esters with high affinity in a phospholipid-dependent manner (Caloca, M. J., Fernandez, M. N., Lewin, N. E., Ching, D., Modali, R., Blumberg, P. M., and Kazanietz, M. G. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 26488–26496). In this paper we report that like PKC isozymes, β2-chimaerin is translocated by phorbol esters from the cytosolic to particulate fraction. Phorbol esters also induce translocation of α1 (n)- and β1-chimaerins, suggesting common regulatory mechanisms for all chimaerin isoforms. The subcellular redistribution of β2-chimaerin by phorbol esters is entirely dependent on the C1 domain, as revealed by deletional analysis and site-directed mutagenesis. Interestingly, β2-chimaerin translocates to the Golgi apparatus after phorbol ester treatment, as revealed by co-staining with the Golgi marker BODIPY-TR-ceramide. Structure relationship analysis of translocation using a series of PKC ligands revealed substantial differences between translocation of β2-chimaerin and PKCα. Strikingly, the mezerein analog thymeleatoxin is not able to translocate β2-chimaerin, although it very efficiently translocates PKCα. Phorbol esters also promote the association of β2-chimaerin with Rac in cells. These data suggest that chimaerins can be positionally regulated by phorbol esters and that each phorbol ester receptor class has distinct pharmacological properties and targeting mechanisms. The identification of selective ligands for each phorbol ester receptor class represents an important step in dissecting their specific cellular functions.
Circulating humanin levels are associated with preserved coronary endothelial function.

Humanin is a small endogenous antiapoptotic peptide, originally identified as protective against Alzheimer's disease, but subsequently also found on human endothelium as well as carotid artery plaq...
All-cause mortality as an outcome in epidemiologic studies: proceed with caution

This commentary addresses the use of all-cause mortality as an endpoint in epidemiologic and clinical epidemiologic studies. All-cause mortality is a common choice for such an endpoint, in part because we would like to understand the impact of an intervention or exposure on mortality as a whole. Also, while the fact of death of persons included in a given study often can be ascertained relatively easily and relatively completely, the cause of death may not be readily available. Furthermore, the cause of death in a given person is subject to misclassification, especially in the absence of adjudication using medical records. Nonetheless, I will argue that in many randomized trials, restriction of an intervention’s impact to one cause of death (or a small number of them) means that the intervention’s maximum possible influence on all-cause mortality will be small, below the threshold that can be detected by those trials. And in non-randomized studies, the use of all-cause mortality has the additional potential to provide results that are considerably confounded.
Interpreted Web Services as a Tool for Development of Command and Control Interoperability with Simulations

Real-time interoperation of Command and Control (C2) and simulation systems is a longstanding goal of the military distributed simulation community. The Battle Management Language (BML) provides a capability for unambiguous communication that supports such a capability. The language is designed around a lexical grammar, conveyed by the Extensible Markup Language (XML). Current implementations provide for asynchronous communication of military plans/orders and reports through a BML Web Service (WS), which serves as a repository for BML messages. The Web Service stores the elements of BML and their relationships using the Joint Command, Control and Consultation Information Exchange Data Model (JC3IEDM), which also serves as the basis for the BML vocabulary. This leads to a need to transform information without loss between the input/output language (BML) and the data storage model (JC3IEDM). This paper describes an innovative approach to implementing the BML WS, in the form of a script interpreter. The scripted approach has been proved to support rapid development of new services; also, its script representation offers a promising approach to documenting the transformation mappings in an emerging standard. The paper explains the current state of BML and the rationale for the interpreted BML WS. It also describes the features of the scripting language and some successful uses of the approach. The paper closes with a description of our most recent development: a scripted BML WS with publish-subscribe capabilities.
Different regulation of wild-type and mutant Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase localization in mammalian mitochondria

The antioxidant enzyme Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is predominantly localized in the cytosol, but it is also found in mitochondria. Studies in yeast suggest that apoSOD1 is imported into mitochondria and trapped inside by folding and maturation, which is facilitated by its copper chaperone for SOD1 (CCS). Here, we show that in mammalian cells, SOD1 mitochondrial localization is dictated by its folding state, which is modulated by several interconnected factors. First, the intracellular distribution of CCS determines SOD1 partitioning in cytosol and mitochondria: CCS localization in the cytosol prevents SOD1 mitochondrial import, whereas CCS in mitochondria increases it. Second, the Mia40/Erv1 pathway for import of small intermembrane space proteins participates in CCS mitochondrial import in a respiratory chain-dependent manner. Third, CCS mitochondrial import is regulated by oxygen concentration: high (20%) oxygen prevents import, whereas physiological (6%) oxygen promotes it. Therefore, SOD1 localization responds to changes in environmental conditions following redistribution of CCS, which operates as an oxygen sensor. Fourth, all of the cysteine residues in human SOD1 are critical for its retention in mitochondria due to their involvement in intramolecular disulfide bonds and in the interaction with CCS. Mutations in SOD1 are associated with autosomal dominant familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Like the wild-type protein, mutant SOD1 localizes to mitochondria, where it induces bioenergetic defects. We find that the physiological regulation of mitochondrial localization is either inefficient or absent in SOD1 pathogenic mutants. We propose misfolding and aggregation of these mutants that trap them inside mitochondria.
Evaluation of school absenteeism data for early outbreak detection, New York City

School absenteeism data may have utility as an early indicator of disease outbreaks, however their value should be critically examined. This paper describes an evaluation of the utility of school absenteeism data for early outbreak detection in New York City (NYC). To assess citywide temporal trends in absenteeism, we downloaded three years (2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04) of daily school attendance data from the NYC Department of Education (DOE) website. We applied the CuSum method to identify aberrations in the adjusted daily percent absent. A spatial scan statistic was used to assess geographic clustering in absenteeism for the 2001–02 academic year. Moderate increases in absenteeism were observed among children during peak influenza season. Spatial analysis detected 790 significant clusters of absenteeism among elementary school children (p < 0.01), two of which occurred during a previously reported outbreak. Monitoring school absenteeism may be moderately useful for detecting large citywide epidemics, however, school-level data were noisy and we were unable to demonstrate any practical value in using cluster analysis to detect localized outbreaks. Based on these results, we will not implement prospective monitoring of school absenteeism data, but are evaluating the utility of more specific school-based data for outbreak detection.
Micromachined electron source

A new microfabrication technique that allows the precise construction of large three dimensional structures with dimensional tolerances approaching 1 micron is being applied to the design of a Miniature Scanning Electron Microscope (MSEM). In this paper we will present the electron optic calculations of the MSEM source (gun). The MSEM measures less than one cubic centimeter and the source measures approximately lx I xO.20 cm3. The details of the MSEM fabrication are in an accompanying article.1
The Growing Divide in the Patterns World

At Microsoft, the patterns & practices group has been employing software patterns to distill, reuse, and communicate guidance about software design and development. This effort made a number of contributions to the patterns world, including several books and a community site (patternshare.org) aimed at bringing pattern authors and users together. Since then, patterns have also became a common ingredient in some of our other products, such as reusable application blocks and software factories. Our sustained investment in patterns, large user community, customer-driven development approach, and usage and customer satisfaction metrics provide us with unique insights into how practitioners use patterns. They also give us opportunities to identify and address some of their key challenges. Bridging the gap between the patterns expert community and the typical pattern user is critical to achieving the full benefits of software patterns.
Path Tracking and Obstacles Avoidance of UAVs - Fuzzy Logic Approach

This paper addresses the problem of how to make a UAV track a given flight trajectory while at the same time avoid unexpected obstacle(s). If the information about the existence of the obstacle is known in advance, the problem can be readily solved by carefully pre-planning the desired flight path for the vehicle. However, obstacle(s) might appear unexpectedly in practical applications, as such the pre-planned flight path might become "misleading" to the vehicle if no correcting action is taken. Furthermore, obstacles might be of any shape (not necessarily a point mass) and might be either inert or hostile (including seeking a collision). How to avoid unexpected, irregular, even moving obstacles while maintaining close path tracking of UAV is an interesting yet challenging problem. In this paper, we explore fuzzy logic based approach to path tracking and obstacle avoidance. We consider the case that obstacles are either still or moving and appear along the predetermined flight path unexpectedly. By using suitable sensors we identify the relative distance between the vehicle and the obstacle and make timely adjustment to the pre-planned flight path. Fuzzy logic control algorithms are developed to achieve close path tracking while avoiding obstacles. Simulation studies on multiple obstacles with various shapes are conducted and the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified
Racial Discrimination and Breast Cancer Incidence in US Black Women The Black Women's Health Study

Perceived discrimination may contribute to somatic disease. The association between perceived discrimination and breast cancer incidence was assessed in the Black Women's Health Study. In 1997, participants completed questions on perceived discrimination in two domains: "everyday" discrimination (e.g., being treated as dishonest) and major experiences of unfair treatment due to race (job, housing, and police). Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate incidence rate ratios, controlling for breast cancer risk factors. From 1997 to 2003, 593 incident cases of breast cancer were ascertained. In the total sample, there were weak positive associations between cancer incidence and everyday and major discrimination. These associations were stronger among the younger women. Among women aged less than 50 years, those who reported frequent everyday discrimination were at higher risk than were women who reported infrequent experiences. In addition, the incidence rate ratio was 1.32 (95% confidence interval: 1.03, 1.70) for those who reported discrimination on the job and 1.48 (95% confidence interval: 1.01, 2.16) for those who reported discrimination in all three situations - housing, job, and police - relative to those who reported none. These findings suggest that perceived experiences of racism are associated with increased incidence of breast cancer among US Black women, particularly younger women.
Submicrometer Si and Si-Ge epitaxial-base double-poly self-aligned bipolar transistors

The fabrication, device profiles, and electrical characteristics of epitaxial-base double-poly self-aligned bipolar transistors are presented. The intrinsic-base regions in the present device structures reside above the silicon surface and were formed using a boron-doped low-temperature epitaxially (LTE)-grown Si or Si-Ge layer to achieve a narrow intrinsic-base width ( >
Keeping the workplace safe

Purpose – The paper aims to examine health and safety in the workplace.Design/methodology/approach – The paper discusses violence in the workplace.Findings – The Home Office and Health and Safety Executive produced a joint report which showed that by far the highest “at risk” group in terms of actual physical violence were workers in the security and protective services. They were closely followed by nurses, care workers, public‐transport workers and people working in the hotel and catering trade, education and retail.Originality/value – The paper provides useful advice on work‐related accidents or violence.
Extensions of averaging theory for power electronic systems

This paper extends averaging theory for power electronic systems to include feedback controlled power converters. New averaging techniques based on the integral equation description provide theoretical justification for commonly used averaging methods. The new theory provides a basis for answering fundamental questions about the averaging approximation. A ripple estimate expression is presented, along with simulation results for a feedback controlled boost power converter. >
Tendon Transfers for Cuff Deficiency: Is There a Role?*

The role of tendon transfers for use in shoulders with irreparable rotator cuff tears has continued to expand over the last few years as the biomechanics of the shoulder and the associated repairs has improved. The authors describe their indications and technique for the two most common transfers: subcoracoid split pectoralis major transfer for irreparable subscapularis tears, and Latissimus Dorsi transfer for irreparable posterior cuff tears.
Ideology, strategy and party competition in postwar Norway

. Electoral manifestos are a key instrument of democratic political parties in their quest for popular support. This article investigates the contents of postwar Norwegian party manifestos. The analysis builds on the saliency theory of party competition. Methodologically, it replicates the factor analysis of Budge, Robertson, and Hearl (1987). Four factors are uncovered. Two of these can be identified with the left-right dimension, one with the moral-religious axis, and one with material centre-periphery conflicts. A high degree of interparty consensus and convergence is evident, particularly prior to 1970. The results are generally consistent with previous research on Norwegian mass and party politics.
The control of genetic algorithms using version spaces

It is demonstrated how the traditional genetic algorithm (GA) can be augmented by incorporating domain knowledge in the form of a version space (VS) into the structure. This hybrid inductive learning system is designed to handle problems in concept learning using the VS to control the search process that is performed by the GA. In this hybrid system a novel class of schemata is present called the hyperschema. A theorem for the hyperschema analogous to that for the traditional schema is presented. This theorem demonstrates how the addition of domain knowledge in the form of a VS allows the hybrid system to exploit schemata of higher order and defining length via a hitchhiking effect. >
RAMP gold: an FPGA-based architecture simulator for multiprocessors

We present RAMP Gold, an economical FPGA-based architecture simulator that allows rapid early design-space exploration of manycore systems. The RAMP Gold prototype is a high-throughput, cycle-accurate full-system simulator that runs on a single Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA board, and which simulates a 64-core shared-memory target machine capable of booting real operating systems. To improve FPGA implementation efficiency, functionality and timing are modeled separately and host multithreading is used in both models. We evaluate the prototype's performance using a modern parallel benchmark suite running on our manycore research operating system, achieving two orders of magnitude speedup compared to a widely-used software-based architecture simulator.
Modified Therapeutic Community Treatment for Offenders with MICA Disorders: Substance Use Outcomes

Correctional systems nationwide have increasingly turned to therapeutic community (TC) programs for the treatment of addiction in prisons. TC treatment, with modifications, has shown considerable promise in treating offenders who have co-occurring mental and substance use disorders, a group that has a mounting prevalence in prison populations. This article reports data from a study that randomly assigned male inmates with mental illness and chemical abuse (MICA) disorders (n = 139) to either a Modified TC (MTC) or a comparison group. Analyses revealed that the MTC group had significantly greater declines in alcohol and drug use at 12-months post-prison release. Additional analysis related positive substance use outcomes to reduced contact with the justice system and self-reported criminal activity. Implications for treatment and policy are discussed.
On the Power of the Multiple Associative Computing (MASC) Model Related to That of Reconfigurable Bus-Based Models

The MASC model is a multi-SIMD model that uses control parallelism to coordinate the interaction of data parallel threads. It supports a generalized associative style of parallel computation. The power of this model has been compared to that of priority CRCW PRAM and enhanced meshes. In this paper, represent the work on simulations between MASC and reconfigurable bus-based models, in particular, different versions of the reconfigurable multiple bus machine (RMBM). It is shown that MASC and the basic RMBM (B-RMBM) can simulate each other in constant time if the number of buses on the B-RMBM is Theta(j) where j is the number of MASC instruction streams. Thus, when these two models satisfy the preceding condition, they have the same power. Simulations of other stronger versions of RMBM using MASC are also considered. Since the RMBM model has been shown to be as powerful as a general reconfigurable mesh (RM), our simulations can be used to establish a relationship between MASC and RM. As RM has been widely accepted as an extremely powerful model, our work gives a better understanding of the MASC model and provides useful information concerning its power.
GCLR Web Seminars as a Venue for Transformative Educational Policy

This article features a discussion about the significance of global perspectives in shaping critical literacy through a web seminar project, Global Conversations in Literacy Research (GCLR). Ubiquitous media and worldwide communication via Internet change the perceptions about literacy and language, urging critical discussions around literacy among educators with global and local connections. In this column, we demonstrate how chat discussions at GCLR web seminars initiate critical questions and thoughts among teachers, scholars and researchers from diverse background. Finally, we offer how these critical topics such as curriculum and issues of assessment inform the transformative agenda of educational policy.
An Enhancement of Low-Frequency Variability in the Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension in CCSM3 owing to Ocean Model Biases

Abstract Enhanced decadal variability in sea surface temperature (SST) centered on the Kuroshio Extension (KE) has been found in the Community Climate System Model version 3 (CCSM3) as well as in other coupled climate models. This decadal peak has higher energy than is found in nature, almost twice as large in some cases. While previous analyses have concentrated on the mechanisms for such decadal variability in coupled models, an analysis of the causes of excessive SST response to changes in wind stress has been missing. Here, a detailed comparison of the relationships between interannual changes in SST and sea surface height (SSH) as a proxy for geostrophic surface currents in the region in both CCSM3 and observations, and how these relationships depend on the mean ocean circulation, temperature, and salinity, is made. We use observationally based climatological temperature and salinity fields as well as satellite-based SSH and SST fields for comparison. The primary cause for the excessive SST variabili...
The Relationship of Occupational Stress, Psychological Strain, and Coping Resources to the Turnover Intentions of Rehabilitation Counselors

The Occupational Stress Inventory—Revised (Osipow, 1998) and an individual data form were used to determine the turnover intentions of rehabilitation counselors, based on an interactive model of stress, strain, and coping as well as various demographic variables. The sample consisted of counselors who considered themselves to be employed full-time as rehabilitation counselors, regardless of job setting, and who are members of the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association. The results indicate that it is the occupational stress inherent in the job functions of rehabilitation counselors, and not individual coping resources or demographic variables, that accounts for the turnover intentions of counselors in the field of rehabilitation.
Two-Way Bilingual Education Programs in the United States

Two-way bilingual education is the marriage of bilingual education for language minority children and immersion education for language majority children. Because the two-way bilingual education model promotes academic achievement and language proficiency in two languages for both language majority and language minority students in the same classroom, it has generated considerable interest in the United States. This chapter will first define the two-way bilingual education model, discuss early developments of the model, and then present some of the research and practice issues that pertain to two-way bilingual education.
What Makes Web Advertisements Effective

With the increasing hype and anticipation of Web advertisements’ (Web ads) potentials, it is important to understand research findings on the effectiveness of Web ads. This study surveys empirical research findings published during 1996-2007 on how various characteristics of Web ads affect viewers’ attention and memory, evaluations of Web ads, and behaviors toward Web ads. A classification of Web ads characteristics or features is developed to include seven aspects: purpose, movement, onset timing, content, placement location, exposure types, and other specific design elements. We found that different features may have different effectiveness, yet the findings are not consistent and comprehensive. There are large holes and gaps that need investigation. Based on the findings, we make suggestions for practitioners who need to invest and design effective Web ads and call for more research on the effectiveness of Web ads.
Pediatric trauma : prevention strategies

Injury is the most important threat to the health of children in the United States and the leading cause of death after the first year of life. Injuries must be viewed as diseases that can be prevented by using principles of epidemiology, engineering, biomechanics, and health education. Effective preventative strategies coupled with improvements in access and delivery of pediatric trauma care can reduce the tremendous toll on children.
The Effect of Compounding Variables on the Rate of Heat and Smoke Release from Polychloroprene Foam

Abstract The addition of certain hydrated fillers or char promoters to a neoprene latex foam recipe can result in significantly lower rates of heat and smoke release. The degree of improvement depends to some extent on the severity of the test conditions, with the greatest improvement being obtained for conditions which are encountered during the early stages of a fire.
(6S)-2-tert-Butyl-6-[(4S,5R)-3,4-dimethyl-5-phenyloxazolidin-2-yl]phenol

The title compound, C21H27NO2, exhibits hydrogen bonding between the phenolic H atom and the heterocyclic N atom. The absolute configuration of the mol­ecule is known from the synthetic procedure.
Long term oral Dantrolene Improved Muscular Symptoms in a Malignant Hyperthermia Susceptible Individual.

This case report describes a female with p.Lys4876Arg amino acid change in the ryanodine receptor type 1 (RYR1) and a sibling who died of malignant hyperthermia (MH) during anesthesia. After her diagnosis as MH susceptible, this patient was administered low-dose dantrolene daily for greater than 25 years for treatment of chronic muscle spasm and pain in her lower extremities and back limiting sleep. Her creatine phosphokinase (CPK) was as high as 2390 IU/L during labor and 900 IU at rest. With 25 mg dantrolene daily, muscle cramps were eliminated, and sleep was improved. Gait instability was noted with dantrolene in the morning, but not when taken at bedtime. There was no evidence of liver injury. This case suggests that low dose dantrolene by mouth could be considered for the treatment of chronic muscle pain in individuals with MH susceptibility.
Enzymes and antienzymes of the blood serum with certain degenerative changes in the liver

Since the liver undergoes advanced degenerative changes with chloroform poisoning it is possible that proteolytic enzymes are set free and perhaps temporarily accumulate in the blood. Studies of Dr. Dochez (these Proceedings, p. 97) furnish evidence that the normal liver contains two enzymes: (a) The well known autolytic enzyme which causes proteolysis with greatest activity in a weakly acid medium, and (b) an enzyme which after activation with acid (like trypsin formed from trypsinogen of the pancreas) digests with greatest activity in a weakly alkaline medium.The normal blood serum contains enzymes which digest proteins. Serum undergoes slight autolysis in the presence of an acid medium (0.2 per cent, acetic acid) but fails to autolyze in a neutral or alkaline medium (0.2 per cent, sodium carbonate). Nevertheless Hedin has shown that the globulin fraction of the serum obtained by one-third saturation with ammonium sulphate contains an enzyme which digests protein in alkaline or neutral media but is inac...
Evaluating accountability in the Vaccines for Children program: protecting a federal investment.

The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program supplies health-care providers with federally purchased vaccines at no cost for administration to eligible children. Evaluation of vaccine accountability act...
Strengthening the "Engineering" in Software Engineering Education: A Software Engineering Bachelor of Engineering Program for the 21st Century

In the fall of 2015, Stevens Institute of Technology welcomed the first freshmen into a newly launched Software Engineering Undergraduate Program based largely on the most recent ACM and IEEE-CS guidelines for undergraduate software engineering programs. This is the first such program in the US that also has an ABET accredited general engineering curriculum. Students will receive a B. E. in Software Engineering Degree, and be prepared to sit for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination. In addition to its strong engineering foundation, the program benefits from the success of the Stevens graduate program in software engineering. This paper describes the program: the motivation, the curriculum, the program assessment plan, the early challenges, and the results to date, including some consideration as a potential model of an undergraduate Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering curriculum.
The transclival artery: a variant persistent carotid–basilar arterial anastomosis not previously reported

During embryological development, primitive anastomoses exist between the carotid and vertebrobasilar arteries. These anastomoses typically regress or are incorporated into the developing vasculature. Persistence beyond fetal development, however, results in vascular anomalies that alter haemodynamic flow with a predisposition for aneurysm formation. The carotid–vertebrobasilar anastomoses mirror the primitive communications and include (from most to least common) the trigeminal, hypoglossal, proatlantal and otic arteries. The hypoglossal and proatlantal variants extend through the hypoglossal canal or foramen magnum, respectively. We present a previously undescribed variant of these persistent fetal anastomoses, the ‘transclival artery’, which courses through its own transclival skull base canal/foramen.
Targeted therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma with aptamer-functionalized biodegradable nanoparticles

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of liver cancer, occurring primarily in regions where viral hepatitis infections are common. Unfortunately, most HCC cases remain undiagnosed until late stages of the disease when patient outcome is poor, typically limiting survival from a few months to a year after initial diagnosis. In order to better care for HCC patients, new target-specific approaches are needed to improve early detection and therapeutic intervention. In this work, polymeric nanoparticles functionalized with a HCC-specific aptamer were examined as potential targeted drug delivery vehicles. Specifically, doxorubicin-loaded nanoparticles were prepared via nanoprecipitation of blends of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-b-poly(ethylene glycol). These particles were further functionalized with the HCC-specific TLS11a aptamer. The in vitro interaction and therapeutic efficacy of the aptamer and aptamer-functionalized nanoparticles were characterized in a hepatoma cell line. Nanoparticles were found to be spherical in shape, roughly 100–125 nm in diameter, with a low polydispersity (≤0.2) and slightly negative surface potential. Doxorubicin was encapsulated within the particles at ~40 % efficiency. Drug release was found to occur through anomalous transport influenced by diffusion and polymer relaxation, releasing ~50 % doxorubicin in the first 10 h and full release occurring within 36 h. Confocal microscopy confirmed binding and attachment of aptamer-targeted nanoparticles to the cell surface of cultured HCC cells. Efficacy studies demonstrated a significant improvement in doxorubicin delivery and cell-killing capacity using the aptamer-functionalized, drug-loaded nanoparticles versus controls further supporting use of aptamer nanoparticles as a targeted drug delivery system for HCC tumors.
Influence of pH, Temperature, Curing Agents, and Water Activity on Germination of PA 3679 Spores 1.

The influence of pH, temperature, water activity, and curing agents on germination of spores of Clostridium sporogenes (PA 3679) was examined. The most influential factor was pH; least germination occurred at pH 5.5, and most at pH 7.0, the highest pH tested. Germination occurred over a temperature range of 4 to 55 C, with maximal germination at 35 and 45 C. NaCl was more inhibitory than NaNO2 and NaNO3 at pH 7.0 at the levels used. At pH 5.5 and 6.0, NaNO2 stimulated germination.
Assessment of ventilator-associated events using the geometric distribution

Hospital-acquired rare events, such as nosocomial infections and other low-occurring incidents, in the clinical environment are difficult to monitor using traditional quality indicators. Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition of ventilator-associated events, we demonstrate an alternative method for assessment of rare events.
Oral sucrose for acute pain studied in more than 7000 neonates, but many questions remain.

Oral sucrose for infants is not new at all; it is comparable with the ‘sugar tit’ (a pacifier made from cloth wrapped around sugar) that was used as early as the 18th century. In many neonatal intensive care units neonates are given a few drops of orally administered sucrose (with or without a pacifier) before skin-breaking procedures to relieve pain. Its effectiveness after heel lance, venepuncture and intramuscular injection was confirmed in …
Breakup-related appraisals and the psychological well-being of young adult gay and bisexual men

Participation in romantic relationships during adolescence and young adulthood provides opportunities to explore one's sexuality, yet may also cause distress once these relationships dissolve. Although researchers have asserted that participation in same-sex relationships may be beneficial for young gay and bisexual men's (YGBM) psychosocial well-being, less is known about YGBM appraisals of breakups after participating in same-sex relationships. We examined the association between self-reported psychological well-being (e.g., symptoms of depression and anxiety; self-esteem, sense of personal competency) and YGBM's negative and positive appraisals of breakups within a sample of single YGBM (N=1,040; ages 18-24) who reported prior serious same-sex relationships. Negative appraisals were associated with lower psychological well-being. Positive appraisals were associated with greater anxiety symptoms, self-esteem and sense of personal competency. Our findings highlight the need to acknowledge how YGBM's differential responses to breakups may be associated with their psychological well-being.
Global Environmental Change: Human Dimensions

Research on the human dimensions of global environmental change (HDGEC) encompasses a broad array of social science research on processes and outcomes of human-induced environmental changes. HDGEC includes research on: (i) social, economic, political, and cultural drivers of global environmental change; (ii) impacts of and vulnerability to these changes among different sectors, regions, communities, and social groups; and (iii) societal responses, including adaptation, mitigation, and social transformation. Key cross-cutting themes within recent HDGEC work include governance, equity and justice, and the social production and communication of scientific information. Keywords: environmental politics; environmental risks/threats; global warming; hazards/disasters; human–environment interaction; land cover and land-use change; political ecology
The catenary degrees of elements in numerical monoids generated by arithmetic sequences

ABSTRACTWe compute the catenary degree of elements contained in numerical monoids generated by arithmetic sequences. We find that this can be done by describing each element in terms of the cardinality of its length set and of its set of factorizations. As a corollary, we find for such monoids that the catenary degree becomes fixed on large elements. This allows us to define and compute the dissonance number- the largest element with a catenary degree different from the fixed value. We determine the dissonance number in terms of the arithmetic sequence’s starting point and its number of generators.
Recreating a Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche in Vitro by Unique Stroma Cells from the First Trimester Human Placenta and Fetal Liver

Expansion of human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) ex vivo has been difficult due to limited understanding of their growth requirements and the molecular complexity of their natural microenvironments. To mimic the niches in which human HSCs normally develop and expand during ontogeny, we have derived two unique types of stromal niche cells from the first trimester human placenta and the fetal liver. These lines either support maintenance of multipotential progenitors in culture, or promote differentiation into macrophages. Impressively, the supportive lines facilitate over 50,000-fold expansion of the most immature human HSCs/progenitors (CD34+CD38-Thy1+) during 8-week culture supplemented with minimal cytokines FLT3L, SCF and TPO, whereas the cells cultured on non-supportive stroma or without stroma under the same conditions differentiated within 2 weeks. As the supportive stroma lines also facilitate differentiation of human hematopoietic progenitors into myeloid, erythroid and B-lymphoid lineages, we were able to show that the expanded progenitors preserved full multipotentiality during long-term culture ex vivo. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the supportive stroma lines also direct differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) into hematopoietic progenitor cells (CD45+CD34+) that generate multiple types of myeloerythroid colonies. These data imply that the unique supportive niche cells can both support hematopoietic specification and sustain a multilineage hematopoietic hierarchy in culture over several weeks. Strikingly, the supportive effect from the unique stromal cells was dominant over the differentiation effect from the non-supportive lines. Even supernatant from the supportive lines was able to partially protect the progenitors that were cultured on the non-supportive lines, whereas mixing of the two types of stroma resulted in sustained preservation of the multipotential progenitors. These results indicate that the supportive stroma cells possess both secreted and surface bound molecules that protect multipotentiality of HSCs. Global gene expression analysis revealed that the supportive stroma lines from both the placenta and the fetal liver were almost identical (r=0.99) and very different from the non-supportive lines that promote differentiation (r=0.34), implying that they represent two distinct niche cell types. Interestingly, the non-supportive lines express known mesenchymal markers such as (CD73, CD44 and CD166), whereas the identity of the supportive cells is less obvious. In summary, we have identified unique human stromal niche cells that may be critical components of the HSC niches in the placenta and the fetal liver. Molecular characterization of these stroma lines may enable us to define key mechanisms that govern the multipotentiality of HSCs.
Animal Assisted Therapy: The Role of Dogs as a Therapeutic Intervention

Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) has been employed for hundreds of years. Over the last century AAT has been shown to be efficacious as an adjunctive treatment modality for a wide range of pathophysiology. The most common animal employed in AAT is the dog. Those animals that are specifically trained for a role in AAT are termed “therapy dogs”. From the treatment of acutely psychotic psychiatric patients to patients recovery from total joint arthroplasty AAT has shown itself to be a useful clinical tool. The biochemical basis for the success of AAT lays in its effect on several neuroactive peptides including oxytocin and Beta endorphin. Numerous studies have shown not only an increase in oxytocin levels in the subjects receiving AAT but also the therapeutic animals themselves indicating the filiative nature of AAT. Unfortunately AAT as a low cost therapeutic intervention has yet to receive widespread recognition by the medical community. However, as more Level I studies are performed investing its potential role across varied pathophysiology we expect AAT to become ever more integrated into the practice of medicine in the future.
Recent Advances of Biochemical Analysis: ANN as a Tool for Earlier Cancer Detection and Treatment

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) as artificial intelligence have unprecedented utility in medicine. The capacity of ANNs to analyze large amounts of data and detect patterns warrants application in analysis of medical images, classification of tumors, and prediction of survival. Some of the systems already have been in clinical use, such as C.Net and BioSleep, among others. However, evidence for ANNs use in medicine is not very solid; thus, it is imperative for clinicians to have a complete understanding of ANNs' use and limitations for their effective applications. This chapter discusses the unique aspects of ANNs applications for most common types of cancers.
Climate and nutrient effects on Arctic wetland plant phenology observed from phenocams

Abstract This study explores how climate and nutrients influence productivity of arctic wetland plants. The Green-excess Index (GEI) derived from Red, Green and Blue digital image brightness values from digital repeat photography (a.k.a. phenocams) was used to track the inter-annual variability in seasonal greening and above ground biomass for two dominant aquatic emergent graminoids on the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska: Carex aquatilis and Arctophila fulva. Four years of seasonal and inter-annual greening trends show strong differences in timing and intensity of greenness among species. Thawing degree-days (TDD, days above 0 °C) was a good predictor of GEI in both A. fulva and C. aquatilis. Employing regression tree analyses, we found a greening threshold of 46 TDD for A. fulva, after which GEI increased markedly, while C. aquatilis greened more gradually with a greening mid-point of 31 TDD. Based on long-term climate records and TDD thresholds, greening date has begun 16 thawing degree-days earlier over the past 70 years. To understand the effects of latitude and nutrients on seasonal greening, we compared southern sites and nutrient enriched sites with reference sites. We found statistically higher greenness in southern sites and enriched sites compare to reference sites in both plant species, supporting the role of nutrients and warmer temperatures as key factors enhancing productivity in arctic wetlands. In addition, this study provides an inexpensive, alternative method to monitor climate and nutrient effects at high frequency in arctic aquatic systems through camera-derived GEI greenness and has the potential to bridge the gap between plot level and satellite based observations given its strong relationships with biomass and NDVI.