cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Student Self Grading: Perception vs. Reality

The purpose of student self-grading is explored to discover not only students’ perception of grades but their experience with self-grading in college. Before student self-grading may be deemed a valid practice of accessing student learning, it is important for researchers to define how students perceive letter grades. Data was collected via a brief email survey from 144 undergraduate Public Health majors at a mid-size liberal arts college. Results indicate that students used three major categories in defining their perceptions of what each letter grade represent – Knowledge, Effort and Assignment, along with three minor categories – Learning, Critical Thinking and Success. Results also indicate that only about a third of participants actually engaged in self-grading in college and out of those who, do about 65% indicate that they graded themselves harder than their professors. These findings have implications for the discrepancies that may exist between professors vs. students’ perception of grade representation and ultimately the effectiveness of student self-grading in the classroom.
On Periodic Motions in a Parametric Hardening Duffing Oscillator

In this paper, analytical solutions for periodic motions in a parametric hardening Duffing oscillator are presented using the finite Fourier series expression, and the corresponding stability and bifurcation analysis for such periodic motions are carried out. The frequency-amplitude characteristics of asymmetric period-1 and symmetric period-2 motions are discussed. The hardening Mathieu–Duffing oscillator is also numerically simulated to verify the approximate analytical solutions of periodic motions. Period-1 asymmetric and period-2 symmetric motions are illustrated for a better understanding of periodic motions in the hardening Mathieu–Duffing oscillator.
Reconstruction with tenodesis in an adult flatfoot model. A biomechanical evaluation of four methods

Six fresh-frozen adult cadaveric specimens were mounted in an Instron materials testing machine with use of a cemented intramedullary rod. Angular relationships between the first metatarsal and the talus were recorded with a sonic digitizer. A flatfoot deformity was created by dividing the talonavicular joint capsule (superiorly, medially, and inferiorly), the spring ligament, the anteromedial aspect of the subtalar joint capsule, and the plantar fascia. Angular displacement in the sagittal and transverse planes was recorded at no load and at 100, 350, and 700-newton plantar loads. Each specimen was subjected to four different reconstructions with tenodesis, and the angular relationship between the first metatarsal and the talus was measured at the four levels of load. A reconstruction with use of the peroneus longus tendon was performed by preserving its insertion into the first metatarsal, rerouting the tendon and passing it from medial to lateral through a calcaneal bone tunnel, and anchoring it to the lateral aspect of the calcaneus. A reconstruction with the tibialis tendon was performed by passing the medial third of the tendon from dorsal to plantar through the navicular and from medial to lateral through the calcaneal bone tunnel and securing it to the lateral aspect of the calcaneus. The reconstruction with the tibialis anterior tendon was repeated with the tendon graft routed along the medial aspect of the navicular, directly through the calcaneal bone tunnel. The fourth reconstruction was done with use of an Achilles tendon allograft.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Patients with patellofemoral pain exhibit elevated bone metabolic activity at the patellofemoral joint.

Patellofemoral pain is characterized by pain behind the kneecap and is often thought to be due to high stress at the patellofemoral joint. While we cannot measure bone stress in vivo, we can visualize bone metabolic activity using 18 F NaF PET/CT, which may be related to bone stress. Our goals were to use 18 F NaF PET/CT to evaluate whether subjects with patellofemoral pain exhibit elevated bone metabolic activity and to determine whether bone metabolic activity correlates with pain intensity. We examined 20 subjects diagnosed with patellofemoral pain. All subjects received an 18 F NaF PET/CT scan of their knees. Uptake of 18 F NaF in the patella and trochlea was quantified by computing the standardized uptake value and normalizing by the background tracer uptake in bone. We detected increased tracer uptake in 85% of the painful knees examined. We found that the painful knees exhibited increased tracer uptake compared to the pain-free knees of four subjects with unilateral pain (P ¼ 0.0006). We also found a correlation between increasing tracer uptake and increasing pain intensity (r 2 ¼ 0.55; P ¼ 0.0005). The implication of these results is that patellofemoral pain may be related to bone metabolic activity at the patellofemoral joint. 2011 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 30:209-213, 2012
Humanism and positivism in nursing: contradictions and conflicts

Nursing and nurse education have been influenced by a shift towards a broadly humanistic philosophy as a basis for practice. At the same time, in attempts to develop a knowledge base and credibility as a profession, the vital importance of research has been acknowledge. Both these aspects of nursing are increasingly forming the basis for all nursing courses. However, in this paper, it is argued that the implicit adoption of notions of science based in a positivistic paradigm gives rise to conflicts with a humanistic philosophy. It is contended that nursing has inherited a 'legacy of positivism', which promotes objectivity and reductionism and which excludes subjective meaning and the personal from the research process. In part this has been due to the powerful influence of medical hegemony, which has defined the nature of legitimate knowledge and controlled nursing research through the gatekeeping function of doctors. If nursing is to make progress in the development of a knowledge base, the contradictions between humanism and positivism must be acknowledged as a barrier to an integration of the art and science of nursing. This paper suggests that what is required is a paradigm shift, a redefinition of nursing science, which not only rehumanizes the nature of research, but also refutes and challenges the notion of objectivity and the objective attitude.
Prevalence of five tick-borne bacterial genera in adult Ixodes scapularis removed from white-tailed deer in western Tennessee

In the northeastern and midwestern regions of the United States Ixodes scapularis Say transmits the causal agents of anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum), babesiosis (Babesia microti), and borreliosis (Borrelia burgdorferi and B. miyamotoi). In the southeastern United States, none of those pathogens are considered endemic and two other tick-borne diseases (TBDs) (ehrlicihosis and rickettiosis) are more common. Our objective was to determine baseline presence and absence data for three non-endemic bacterial agents (Anaplasma, Borrelia and Babesia) and two commonly reported bacterial agents (Ehrlichia, and Rickettsia) in southern I. scapularis (n = 47) collected from 15 hunter-harvested white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in western Tennessee. Of the 47 ticks, 27 tested PCR positive for non-pathogenic Rickettsia species, two for Ehrlichia ewingii, one for Ehrlichia sp. “Panola Mountain”, and one for Anaplasma phagocytophilum variant 1 strain. None of these ticks were positive for Babesia or Borrelia (including B. burgdorferi). Finding human pathogens in host-fed I. scapularis merits additional studies surveying pathogen prevalence in questing ticks. Collection of questing I. scapularis in their peak activity months should be undertaken to determine the overall encounter rates and relative risk of pathogenic Ehrlichia in southern I. scapularis. Ehrlichia sequences were homologous to previous human isolates, but neither Babesia nor B. burgdorferi were identified in these ticks. With the identification of pathogenic bacteria in this relatively small collection of I. scapularis from western Tennessee, the study of the absence of Lyme disease in the south should be refocused to evaluate the role of pathogenic Ehrlichia in southern I. scapularis.
A Human Monoclonal Antimelanoma Single-Chain Fv Antibody Derived from Tumor-infiltrating Lymphocytes

With the development of recombinant DNA technology, it has become feasible to clone, construct, and express fully human immunoglobulin molecules. Here we report a novel methodology to make human antitumor single-chain Fv (scFv) antibodies from tumor-infiltrating B lymphocytes. We isolated and expanded tumor-infiltrating B lymphocytes from melanomas in the presence of Epstein-Barr virus. The transformed B cells secreting tumor-specific antibodies were identified and cloned by limiting dilution. From one B cell clone with specific melanoma reactivity, we captured the immunoglobulin variable region genes VH and Vk by PCR, sequenced the genes, and linked them together by PCR assembly with the use of a (Gly4Ser)3 linker. The scFv gene was then cloned into the pET21d vector and expressed. The obtained scFv protein with a M(r), of 29,000 was purified and biotinylated for further characterization. The scFv demonstrated specific tumor reactivity to 21 of 24 different melanoma cell lines and not to 14 nonmelanoma tumor cell lines, such as breast, ovarian, and colon cancer cells lines; normal human melanocytes as well as normal human leukocytes. These results were obtained in (a) a tumor cell ELISA, (b) fixed cell immunofluorescence, and (c) live cell flow cytometry. The immunoprecipitation results indicated that a protein antigen of M(r) 45,000 was recognized by the scFv. Since we reported previously that about 70% of human tumors of different histological types contain tumor-infiltrating B lymphocytes producing specific antitumor antibodies, this approach offers a rapid, effective method by combining in vitro B-cell expansion and PCR gene cloning to elucidate the repertoire of the human antitumor immune response and to make human monoclonal antitumor antibody molecules.
Enhanced internalization of ricin in nigericin-pretreated Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Abstract Biochemical and electron microscopic autoradiographic studies with [125I] ricin have revealed that nigericin-pretreated Chinese hamster ovary cells are more efficient than untreated cells in the internalization of the toxin into the cells. These results suggest that the enhanced rate of internalization of ricin in nigericin-pretreated cells may account for the enhancement of cytotoxicity of ricin in Chinese hamster ovary cells by nigericin.
Molecular Analysis of 10 Coding Regions from Arabidopsis That Are Homologous to the MUR3 Xyloglucan Galactosyltransferase

Plant cell walls are composed of a large number of complex polysaccharides, which contain at least 13 different monosaccharides in a multitude of linkages. This structural complexity of cell wall components is paralleled by a large number of predicted glycosyltransferases in plant genomes, which can be grouped into several distinct families based on conserved sequence motifs (B. Henrissat, G.J. Davies [2000] Plant Physiol 124: 1515-1519). Despite the wealth of genomic information in Arabidopsis and several crop plants, the biochemical functions of these coding regions have only been established in a few cases. To lay the foundation for the genetic and biochemical characterization of putative glycosyltransferase genes, we conducted a phylogenetic and expression analysis on 10 predicted coding regions (AtGT11-20) that are closely related to the MUR3 xyloglucan galactosyltransferase of Arabidopsis. All of these proteins contain the conserved sequence motif pfam 03016 that is the hallmark of the β-d-glucuronosyltransferase domain of exostosins, a class of animal enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of the extracellular polysaccharide heparan sulfate. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and promoter:β-glucuronidase studies indicate that all AtGT genes are transcribed. Although six of the 10 AtGT genes were expressed in all major plant organs, the remaining four genes showed more restricted expression patterns that were either confined to specific organs or to highly specialized cell types such as hydathodes or pollen grains. T-DNA insertion mutants in AtGT13 and AtGT18 displayed reductions in the Gal content of total cell wall material, suggesting that the disrupted genes encode galactosyltransferases in plant cell wall synthesis.
Validation of the doubly labeled water method under low and high humidity to estimate metabolic rate and water flux in a tropical snake (Boiga irregularis)

This study uses indirect calorimetry to assess the effects of humidity on the accuracy of the doubly labeled water (DLW) technique to predict metabolic rate and water flux in brown treesnakes (Boig...
Investigation of collisional‐activation decomposition process and spectra in the transport regions of an electrospray single‐quadrupole mass spectrometer

The use of collisional-activation dissociation (CAD) in the electrospray transport region was evaluated for generating structural information on several pesticides and antibiotics. The collision energy used to generate the CAD spectra could be varied easily by changing the capillary/skimmer potential difference, imparting from 0 eV to above 16 eV internal energy to the near thermal ions generated by electrospray. The internal energy distribution for low-energy collisions (capillary/skimmer potential difference of 20 V) closely matches the curves generated by a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer. Furthermore, the CAD spectra for selected compounds generated by electrospray in the transport region at a capillary/skimmer potential difference of 30-50 V closely resembled those obtained from the [M + H]+ ion by a triple quadrupole using 30 eV collision energy. The CAD of ions in the transport region resulted in 70% to 80% daughter-ion yields and minimal loss in overall ion current compared to the ion current for protonated or cationized parent molecules. The major daughter ions for 10 pg of Aldicarb and penicillin G could be detected (signal-to-noise ratio greater than 5) under full-scan CAD conditions.
An Investigation Into the Effect of the PCB Motion on the Dynamic Response of MEMS Devices Under Mechanical Shock Loads

We present an investigation into the effect of the motion of a printed circuit board (PCB) on the response of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device to shock loads. A two-degrees-of-freedom model is used to model the motion of the PCB and the microstructure, which can be a beam or a plate. The mechanical shock is represented as a single point force impacting the PCB. The effects of the fundamental natural frequency of the PCB, damping, shock pulse duration, electrostatic force, and their interactions are investigated. It is found that neglecting the PCB effect on the modeling of MEMS under shock loads can lead to erroneous predictions of the microstructure motion. Further, contradictory to what is mentioned in literature that a PCB, as a worst-case scenario, transfers the shock pulse to the microstructure without significantly altering its shape or intensity, we show that a poor design of the PCB or the MEMS package may result in severe amplification of the shock effect. This amplification can cause early pull-in instability for MEMS devices employing electrostatic forces.
Intracellular Signaling in Vascular Smooth Muscle

The two major modalities of pharmacomechanical coupling, inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphate induced Ca2+ release and modulation of Ca2+-sensitivity, are reviewed. Recent studies show that although changes in cytoplasmic Ca2+ play the major role in regulating smooth muscle contraction, agonists can also significantly affect the contractile state by modifying Ca2+-sensitivity. Inhibition of myosin light chain kinase or myosin light chain phosphatase leads to, respectively, desensitization or sensitization of the contractile apparatus to Ca2+. G-protein linked inhibition of myosin light chain phosphatase and Ca2+ release mediated by the phosphatidylinol cascade are the two major pharmacomechanical coupling mechanisms.
Bi-component inorganic oxide nanofibers from gas jet fiber spinning process

Nanometer size bi-component semiconducting metal oxide (SMO) fibers with tailored morphology are fabricated via a Gas Jet Fiber (GJF) spinning process using a polymer template in conjunction with conventional precursor sol–gel chemistry. The GJF process is capable of producing SMO fibers with morphological forms such as mesoporous or solid cylindrical core–shell and side-by-side.
The Decay of Persistent Currents in Unsaturated Superfluid 4He Films

Persistent currents of unsaturated 4He films are observed to decay at a rate which depends strongly on film thickness. Preliminary results on the temperature dependence of the decay rate are reported. Possible models which might explain the observed features of the decays are discussed.
Enterprises management - job and wage satisfaction

Labour costs and the level of the wage are one of the monitoring indicators of the process of enlargement of the Czech Republic to the European Union. The enterprises are comparable and valued their competitiveness at the domestic labour market and European labour market. Managers are established ahead of the common reality, business and economy situations. Managers manage these situations of taking decisions and applying the principles of management for going to the prosperity, for increasing productivity and competitiveness. They have to make the best decision for cost-effective payments systems. Job satisfaction and wage satisfaction are one of the motivating factors of the staffs.
Enzyme-instructed self-assembly: a multistep process for potential cancer therapy.

The central dogma of the action of current anticancer drugs is that the drug tightly binds to its molecular target for inhibition. The reliance on tight ligand–receptor binding, however, is also the major root of drug resistance in cancer therapy. In this article, we highlight enzyme-instructed self-assembly (EISA)—the integration of enzymatic transformation and molecular self-assembly—as a multistep process for the development of cancer therapy. Using apoptosis as an example, we illustrate that the combination of enzymatic transformation and self-assembly, in fact, is an inherent feature of apoptosis. After the introduction of EISA of small molecules in the context of supramolecular hydrogelation, we describe several key studies to underscore the promises of EISA for developing cancer therapy. Particularly, we will highlight that EISA allows one to develop approaches to target “undruggable” targets or “untargetable” features of cancer cells and provides the opportunity for simultaneously interacting with...
Giant Photoresponsivity of Midinfrared Hyperbolic Metamaterials in the Photon-Assisted-Tunneling Regime

Conventional solar cells cannot collect energy from abundant midinfrared light, because there are no suitable semiconductors of the right band gap. Hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) are proposed to realize broadband, omnidirectional, sensitive diodes operating in this spectral region. The authors show how the slow-light modes supported by HMMs can trap incident radiation in metal-insulator-metal tunnel junctions, for ultrafast optical rectification and photon-to-electron energy conversion that is orders of magnitude more efficient than in conventional optical rectennas.
Trajectory of body shape in early and middle life and all cause and cause specific mortality: results from two prospective US cohort studies

Objective To assess body shape trajectories in early and middle life in relation to risk of mortality. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Population 80 266 women and 36 622 men who recalled their body shape at ages 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 years and provided body mass index at age 50, followed from age 60 over a median of 15-16 years for death. Main outcome measures All cause and cause specific mortality. Results Using a group based modeling approach, five distinct trajectories of body shape from age 5 to 50 were identified: lean-stable, lean-moderate increase, lean-marked increase, medium-stable/increase, and heavy-stable/increase. The lean-stable group was used as the reference. Among never smokers, the multivariable adjusted hazard ratio for death from any cause was 1.08 (95% confidence interval 1.02 to 1.14) for women and 0.95 (0.88 to 1.03) for men in the lean-moderate increase group, 1.43 (1.33 to 1.54) for women and 1.11 (1.02 to 1.20) for men in the lean-marked increase group, 1.04 (0.97 to 1.12) for women and 1.01 (0.94 to 1.09) for men in the medium-stable/increase group, and 1.64 (1.49 to 1.81) for women and 1.19 (1.08 to 1.32) for men in the heavy-stable/increase group. For cause specific mortality, participants in the heavy-stable/increase group had the highest risk, with a hazard ratio among never smokers of 2.30 (1.88 to 2.81) in women and 1.45 (1.23 to 1.72) in men for cardiovascular disease, 1.37 (1.14 to 1.65) in women and 1.07 (0.89 to 1.30) in men for cancer, and 1.59 (1.38 to 1.82) in women and 1.10 (0.95 to 1.29) in men for other causes. The trajectory-mortality association was generally weaker among ever smokers than among never smokers (for all cause mortality: P for interaction Conclusions Using the trajectory approach, we found that heavy body shape from age 5 up to 50, especially the increase in middle life, was associated with higher mortality. In contrast, people who maintained a stably lean body shape had the lowest mortality. These results indicate the importance of weight management across the lifespan.
Anesthesia Service Use During Outpatient Gastroenterology Procedures Continued to Increase from 2010 to 2013 and Potentially Discretionary Spending Remained High

Anesthesia Service Use During Outpatient Gastroenterology Procedures Continued to Increase From 2010 to 2013 and Potentially Discretionary Spending Remained High
Abstract 4602: A83-01 inhibits TGF-β/Smad3 and Wnt/β-catenin-mediated EMT and tumor metastasis in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells

Interactions between Wnt and TGF-β (Transforming growth factor-β) signaling pathways play a critical role in promoting EMT (Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition) and tumor metastasis. We previously demonstrated that activation of Wnt3/β-catenin signaling pathway promoting EMT is an important mechanism leading to HER2-cells becoming resistant to trastuzumab. In this study, we used HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells to investigate the interactions between TGF-β and Wnt/β-catenin pathways in regulation of EMT and promoting breast cancer cells invasion. Our data showed that phosphorylation of Smad3 at ser423/425 by TGF-β led to nuclear localization of Smad3 and upregulation of Twist protein expression in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells. Cells treated with TGF-β showed poor response to trastuzumab and exhibited EMT-like phenotype; decreased E-cadherin and increased N-cadherin expression. A small molecule inhibitor, A83-01 which inhibits phosphorylation of Smad3 repressed TGF-β-induced nuclear accumulation of Smad3 and Twist expression. The A83-01 also inhibited TGF-β-induced cell migration and invasion and enhanced anti-tumor activity of trastuzumab. The TGF-β/Smad3 induced EMT in HER2-cells was found to be concordant with activation of Wnt3/β-catenin pathway. Following TGF-β treatment, Chromatin immunoprecipitation identified occupancy of Twist at promoter region of Wnt3. This data suggests that Twist in response to TGF-β activated Wnt3 gene transcription in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells. Knock-down of Twist by shRNA down-regulated Wnt3 expression and inhibited TGF-β-induced nuclear accumulation of β-catenin. Subsequently, TGF-β-induced matrix metalloproteinases, MMP1, MMP7, MMP9, VEGF (Vascular endothelial growth factors) and activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling were repressed by the shRNA treatment. In summary, our data demonstrated for the first time that the TGF-β/Smad3 mediated Twist results in transcriptional upregulation of Wnt3/β-catenin pathway and promotes EMT and cell invasion. The data suggests that therapeutic targeting of Twist by A83-01 and similar small molecules could inhibit the interaction between TGF-β and Wnt pathways and prevent breast cancer progressing to EMT and metastases. Citation Format: Yanyuan Wu, Tran Trinh, Marianna Sarkissyan, Sami Dwabe, Juri Kim, Robin Farias-Eisner, Jay Vadgama. A83-01 inhibits TGF-β/Smad3 and Wnt/β-catenin-mediated EMT and tumor metastasis in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4602.
Lentiviral Insertion Site Analysis of Corrected Mouse Model of β Thalassemia Following Lentiviral Transduction of Embryonic Stem Cells.

The delivery of therapeutic transgenes via lentiviral transduction of stem cells holds great promise for future cell based therapies for inherited genetic disorders. The regulation of any transgene integrated into patient derived embryonic stem (ES) cells (generated via nuclear transfer or reprogramming) needs to be studied in great detail prior to their differentiation and transplantation back into the patient. Because genetically manipulated ES cells can be clonally isolated, expanded to great numbers in an undifferentiated state, and differentiated to specific cell types, they can be carefully tested in vitro prior to their reintroduction back into patients. ES cells derived from a mouse model of β thalassemia were transduced with a recombinant, self inactivating (SIN) lentiviral vector containing a 2.3 kb human β-globin gene and a 3.2 kb Locus Control Region composed of regulatory elements; HS2, HS3, and HS4. Clonal populations of transfected β thalassemic ES cells were isolated, archived, and utilized to produce genetically identical offspring by injection into tetraploid blastocysts or eight-cell embryos. Real-Time QPCR expression analyses demonstrated high levels of human β-globin gene expression in the peripheral blood of five of the six lines produced. The average expression level per transgene copy number ranged from 13% to 62% of endogenous mouse α-globin levels. Peripheral blood hemolysates analyzed by HPLC confirmed the high level production of human β-globin chains. Measurement of the red blood indices in these five lines showed that the anemia was corrected. In order to examine the influence of chromosomal position effects on individual transgene expression, the lentiviral insertion sites were mapped by linear amplification (LAM) PCR. Cloned mice from the six lines were bred in order to segregate each of their individual lentiviral transgenes. Offspring containing single insertion sites were analyzed for human β-globin transgene expression and synthesis by Real-Time QPCR of blood RNA and by HPLC of hemolysates, respectively. These analyses demonstrate that there is a preference for provirus integration in ES cells; all transgene insertions are not expressed equally; lentiviral transduction of a human β-globin gene into ES cells can cure a severe hemoglobinopathy; and that the delivery of therapeutic transgenes via lentiviral transduction of ES cells did not harm the developmental potential of the cells to produce an entire mouse.
Primary Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma of the Colon: Surgery for Local Disease Control Does Not Improve Outcome.

Abstract Purpose: Primary colorectal large B-cell lymphoma is rare and accounts for less than 1% of all malignancies in the colon. Standard treatment for limited stage diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) includes systemic therapy combined with involved field radiation therapy. However, radiation therapy may often not be feasible in patients with primary colon lymphoma. For primary DLBCL of the colon particularly the cecum, surgical resection prior to the administration of systemic chemotherapy has been considered to improve local control. The goal of this study was therefore to determine whether surgical resection improves the outcome of patients with primary DLBCL of the colon. Methods: Clinical information and outcomes on all the patients with primary DLBCL of the colon seen at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, between January 1980 and June 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: There were 28 patients identified with primary colon DLBCL. Pre-existing conditions like colon polyps, Crohn's disease and diverticulosis were uncommon. The most common presenting symptom was bleeding per rectum seen in 13 patients (46.5%). Other symptoms included abdominal pain, diarrhea and anemia. All patients had early stage disease (stage1–22 patients, stage2–6 patients) at diagnosis. Of the 28 patients, 16 underwent initial surgery followed by chemotherapy, 7 were treated with chemotherapy alone, and 5 patients had inadequate data to determine time to progression or overall survival. Chemotherapy was anthracycline based, with the most common regimen being CHOP (Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine, Prednisone). There was no difference in overall survival or time to progression between the 16 patients who received combined modality therapy compared to the 7 patients who received chemotherapy alone. Of the 16 patients who underwent surgical resection followed by chemotherapy, all 5 patients who relapsed, relapsed at other sites in the colon. Conclusion: Surgery as part of combined modality therapy did not appear to improve the outcome of patients with primary DLBCL of the colon. Systemic chemotherapy with an anthracycline-based regimen in combination with rituximab is therefore likely to be sufficient treatment for these patients. Follow-up for these patients should include a colonoscopy to monitor for recurrences at other sites in the colon.
Neuroimaging Predictors of Clinical Outcome in Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion.

Certain early neuroimaging findings are independent predictors of clinical outcome in acute basilar artery occlusion. These imaging findings may serve as important baseline imaging characteristics as well as subgroups in future randomized controlled trials. The purpose of this review is to review and compare early neuroimaging findings that predict clinical outcome in acute basilar artery occlusion.
The Remaking of Wall Street

This Article critically examines the transformation of the financial services industry during and since the Financial Crisis of 2007–2009. This transformation has been marked by the demise of the major investment banks and the related rise of a set of powerful players known as private equity firms. First, this Article argues that private equity firms now mirror investment banks in their mix of activities; ethos of entrepreneurialism, innovation, and risk-taking; role as “shadow banks”; and overall power and influence. These similarities might suggest that private equity firms pose financial risks similar to those caused by their now-defunct predecessors. But this Article suggests that private equity firms, as currently structured, are more financially stable and pose less systemic risk to the global economy. These firms are structured and funded in ways that may address the basic shortcoming that led to investment banks’ downfall – specifically, the use of short-term debt to fund longer-duration assets. It thus argues that, in the face of onerous post-Crisis reforms, Wall Street has evolved to displace investment banks with more financially resilient institutions. Importantly, however, the Article cautions that ongoing changes in private equity firms’ broker-dealer activities raise systemic concerns that require active regulatory monitoring. The Article also identifies systemic and financial stability concerns arising from the funds that these firms manage, particularly their hedge and credit funds, about which little detailed information is publicly available. Finally, the Article explores other implications of these developments, including for the effectiveness of post-Crisis regulation, the popular backlash against Wall Street, the incidence of misconduct, and the evolution of financial institutions.
Table 5: [Conversation] The 3 Hour Class: Keeping Students Engaged

*No special preparation required*AÂ Welcome to ITL and this table! Join your fellow Mason instructors to informally discuss this table's topic. At the table, you will find desk copies of related resources (digital versions are available below), and an experienced Mason colleague who has experience and strategies related to this topic.AÂ AÂ Not sure what to talk about?AÂ AÂ Here are some conversation starters:Share a little about yourselves:AÂ DepartmentYears at MasonCourses you are teachingWhat excites you about teaching?What brought you to this table? What do you currently do in a typical 3 hour class?What type of activities do you have students working with the content or sharing what they have learned (assessment)?What strategies could you use to break up the 3 hours?How do you prepare students for a 3 hour class? AÂ What are they doing before they arrive? AÂ After they leave?How is your class better than the internet?Have an example or resource to share?AÂ AÂ Submit through this link and we'll upload it after the conference:AÂ http://library.gmu.edu/publishing/submitAÂ Still have questions?AÂ AÂ Leave a post it note on the table sign at the end of the Share-a-thon or email your questions toAÂ stearns@gmu.eduAÂ AÂ AÂ ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:AÂ
Priority-based spectrum access in cognitive D2D networks for IoT

Device to device (D2D) communication is essential in Internet of things (IoT). Cognitive radio (CR)-enabled device is a promising technique to address D2D communications. Among all the functions supported in IoT, priority-based spectrum access is less investigated yet urgently desired in IoT. An important operation to achieve this capacity is channel hopping (CH) based rendezvous which allows two CR users to meet each other on a common available channel. Unfortunately, existing CH methods cannot help CR users achieve priority-based spectrum access due to various shortcomings. In this paper, we propose PCH, a priority-based spectrum access protocol for cognitive D2D, which can be integrated with any existing CH algorithm. PCH can support priority transmissions with a significantly reduced CH delay, as compared with non-priority transmissions. More importantly, PCH can work under practical scenarios such as the D2D both with priority packets, the D2D handoff, and the overhead/energy constraint IoT. The merits of PCH are proved theoretically and validated against extensive simulations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that investigates priority communications in cognitive IoT.
Adverse radiation effect in the brain during cancer radiotherapy

Adverse radiation effect (ARE) in the brain is the reactive inflammation, vasculitis, and necrosis that occurs as a complication of radiotherapy. There are two main categories of ARE that result in vasogenic cerebral edema: first, a residual irritant mass of the targeted lesion; and second, radiation-damaged perilesional normal brain tissue in a reactive state. Radiation injury leads to fibrinoid and coagulative necrosis of different cell types and fibrinoid necrosis and hyalinization of vessels. The clinical consequence of ARE is neurologic impairment secondary to vasogenic edema in the normal brain. Neuroimaging may aid in differentiating tumor recurrence from ARE. However, imaging studies are not definitive, and their utility in this setting remains controversial. The management of patients with ARE is dictated by symptom occurrence. The definitive management of symptomatic ARE is craniotomy and resection. Alternative therapies include bevacizumab, laser-interstitial thermal therapy, and reirradiation.
Social network interaction quantification and relationship trend analysis with multi-agent systems

Multi-agent systems (MAS) have been used to simulate interpersonal relationships and communication in a variety of studies. Using MAS, we propose the NCRAE (Neighborhood Cumulative Reward Average Evaluation) method to model interactions between individuals in a social network and interpret changes in their relationships over time. By quantifying the effects of call and SMS interactions in a given dataset among our simulation environment, we identify influences that may cause shifts in relationship closeness. Our results show a successful differentiation of close and distant relationships through their respective communication patterns and characteristics. We find that close relationships maintain a high level of interaction frequency and duration with no significant increase in closeness, whereas more distant relationships engage in little to no communication but engage in proximity interaction that defines its changes in relationship closeness.
Tracking the Growth of Tense and Agreement in Children With Specific Language Impairment: Differences Between Measures of Accuracy, Diversity, and Productivity

Purpose Composite measures of children's use of tense and agreement morphology differ in their emphasis on accuracy, diversity, or productivity, yet little is known about how these different measur...
Comparative analysis of the mitochondrial genomes of six newly sequenced diatoms reveals group II introns in the barcoding region of cox1.

Diatoms are the most diverse lineage of algae and at the base of most aquatic food webs, but only 11 of their mitochondrial genomes have been described. Herein, we present the mitochondrial genomes...
THE ROLE OF ION CHANNELS IN VASCULAR ENDOTHELIUM

In the past few years, the role of ion channels in several endothelial cell functions has been progressively elucidated. Particularly, we have learned how the membrane potential, controlled mostly by K+ channels, exerts a crucial control function on Ca2+ influx (and thereby on Ca2+-dependent endothelial reactions like release of nitric oxide), while Ca2+ influx, in turn, indirectly affects the membrane potential. Some pathways for Ca2+ influx have been studied on the level of single channel analysis, although the knowledge of these pathways is still far from complete. Furthermore, ion channels appear to be intimately involved in the response to shear stress and flow.
Measuring the Use of Factual Information in Test-Taker Essays

We describe a study aimed at measuring the use of factual information in test-taker essays and assessing its effectiveness for predicting essay scores. We found medium correlations with the proposed measures, that remained significant after the effect of essay length was factored out. The correlations did not differ substantionally between a simple, relatively robust measure vs a more sophisticated measure with better construct validity. Implications for development of automated essay scoring systems are discussed.
Who’s Number One?

What do environmental lawyers consider the most significant environmental cases? In 2001, Jim Salzman conducted a survey of the envlawprofs listserv for the "Most Excellent" environmental law cases in the field, tabulating the top cases for law profs and for practicing attorneys. Given the significant decisions over the eight years, we thought it would be useful to conduct the survey again, this time using a dedicated website and surveying both the envlawprofs listserv and members of the ABA's Section on Environment, Energy and Resources. We enjoyed a high level of participation, with over 440 responses from across the nation, from academics and practitioners alike. Among the most interesting findings are: (1) not surprisingly, Chevron remains firmly in the Top Three cases; (2) more surprisingly, the relatively young Massachusetts v. EPA has vaulted to the top as the most significant case in the field; (3) most surprisingly, Rapanos scored in the Top Three in most categories of respondents and in the top four for almost all the categories; (4) TVA v. Hill , while still a favorite among academics, has faded from prominence among practitioners; and (5) some of the classic environmental law cases that scored high on the 2001 survey, such as Overton Park and Ethyl Corp., have fallen off the cliff. Our article discusses the findings in more detail and our musing explanations for the surprise results.
Input of organic matter to the soil by tree roots

ABSTRACT The contribution of belowground litter inputs to soil organic matter will be addressed for forest ecosystems. The relative contribution of carbon from above- and belowground tissues to soil organic matter will be contrasted by considering (1) the magnitude of each input, (2) what controls the timing of inputs, (3) the chemical quality of these inputs and (4) their decay rates. Available literature will be synthesized to form some generalities for these four subject areas. In addition, belowground contribution to organic matter accumulation will be compared between deciduous and evergreen tree species.
Why are humans so emotional about feral horses? A spatiotemporal review of the psycho-ecological evidence with global implications

Abstract The extant and often burgeoning feral horse herds in several countries have become a contentious issue for animal welfare and biological conservation. The emotions humans express for horses have escalated to a divisive level that has consequently hindered administrative actions. While human emotions are important for resource management as motivation enhancing awareness and action, emotions may hinder management due to a lack of reconciliation with data. For the emotions surrounding feral horse management, I conducted a critical review of the history of horse domestication, the contemporary understanding of the psychology of human-horse relationships, and the current status of feral horse ecology and management. Domestication of horses ∼5500 years ago in Eurasia coupled humans with horses in a symbiotic relationship where the two functioned almost as one. This process enabled the spread of human genes and food production. Human reliance on horses became a working relationship founded on trust and respect that facilitated bonding via overcoming adversity that likely deepened human-horse emotional connections – a coevolutionary process for which there are few analogous examples. While human reliance on horses has waned in developed countries recently, it has been humans that have largely facilitated the spread of horses through space and time. Contextualized with contemporary data, feral horse populations in the United States and Australia have increased dramatically. Consequently, horses have had negative effects on native ecosystems in some areas, and degradation has led to emaciated horses in some areas. The public often expresses opposition to horse management, likely out of an innate emotional reaction. However, the emotional co-evolutionary history, coupled with cognitive appraisal of contemporary data including horse welfare, offers an opportunity for emotional regulation and de-escalation for this contentious issue.
Determinants of Support for Extralegal Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean

What are the factors behind citizen support for the use of extralegal violence in Latin America? The prevailing argument is that, in countries overwhelmed by skyrocketing levels of criminal violence, people endorse the use of extralegal violence as a way to cope with insecurity. Other scholars believe that support for extralegal violence is the result of state withdrawal and failure. Few empirical studies, however, have tested any of these arguments. In this article, using regional data from the 2012 AmericasBarometer, we examine different explanations regarding citizen support for the utilization of extralegal violence in Latin America and the Caribbean. We developed a multi-item scale that gauges support for different forms of extralegal violence across the Americas, and we hypothesize that support for extralegal violence is higher not only in countries with extreme levels of violence but especially in countries in which people distrust the political system. Results indicate that support for extralegal violence is significantly higher in societies characterized by little support for the existing political system. Resumen ?Cuales son los factores que determinan el apoyo ciudadano al uso de la violencia extralegal en America Latina? El argumento predominante es que en paises con niveles altos de violencia criminal, las personas apoyan el uso de la violencia extralegal como un mecanismo para hacer frente a la inseguridad. Otros trabajos consideran que el apoyo a la violencia extralegal es el resultado del fracaso o ausencia del Estado. Pocos estudios empiricos, sin embargo, han tratado de probar dichos argumentos. En este articulo, utilizando datos regionales de la encuesta de 2012 del Barometro de las Americas, analizamos las diferentes explicaciones detras del apoyo ciudadano al uso de la violencia extralegal en America Latina y el Caribe. Desarrollamos una escala que contiene multiples items, la cual estima el apoyo a distintas formas de violencia ilegal en las Americas y planteamos la hipotesis de que el apoyo a la violencia extralegal no es solo alto en paises con niveles de violencia extrema, sino que lo es especialmente en aquellos en los cuales las personas no creen en el sistema politico. Los resultados obtenidos indican que el apoyo a la violencia extralegal es significativamente mas alto en sociedades caracterizadas por bajos niveles de apoyo al sistema politico existente.
Design of UWB Small Loop Antenna with Continuous Tuning Frequency 1–10 MHz

This paper presents a novel UWB small loop antenna with continuous tuning frequency 1–10 MHz. A prototype of the design is fabricated and measured to demonstrate the effectiveness of the concept. Accurate frequency tuning is achieved by incorporating tolerances of the electronics, utilizing accurate circuit model, and extrapolating capacitor values through high order polynomial curve fitting.
The effects of prior informal science and math experiences on undergraduate STEM identity

ABSTRACTBackground: Recent reports have noted a need for increasing both the recruitment and retention of young people into the STEM disciplines. While many studies have reported on the benefits of classroom reform in formal education environments, less is known about the role of informal education programs in young people’s academic aspirations, interest and competence in science and math domains.Purpose: We examine the relationship between previous involvement in programs in informal science and math environments (ISMEs) and academic aspirations, competence and self-reported interest/engagement in science and math domains for college-aged young adults.Sample: Participants included students (N = 750) at a major university in the southeast United States who were enrolled in an introductory biology course. The course was taught across five sections with separate instructors with similar training and teaching style and was populated by a majority of first year students majoring in STEM fields.Design and Met...
Evaluating the potential market for cultured marine baitfish: A survey of Texas bait stands

Recently, a great deal of research has focused on culturing marine baitfish for the recreational fishing market but there is limited information on the marine bait industry. Developing protocols re...