cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Language comprehension and cerebral specialization from 13 to 20 months

The purpose of this study was to examine developmental changes in the organization of brain activity linked to comprehension of single words in 13‐ to 20‐month‐old infants. Event‐related potentials (ERPs) were recorded as children listened to a series of words whose meanings were understood by the child, words whose meanings the child did not understand, and backward words. The results were consistent with a previous study suggesting that ERPs differed as a function of word meaning within 200 ms after word onset. At 13 to 17 months, ERP differences between comprehended and unknown words were bilateral and broadly distributed over anterior and posterior regions. In contrast, at 20 months of age these effects were limited to temporal and parietal regions of the left hemisphere. The results are discussed in relation to the general effects of maturation, the maturation of language‐relevant brain systems, and the development of brain systems linked to level of ability independent of chronological age. We offer...
Characterization of NF-kB-mediated inhibition of catechol- O -methyltransferase

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), an enzyme that metabolizes catecholamines, has recently been implicated in the modulation of pain. Specifically, low COMT activity is associated with heightened pain perception and development of musculoskeletal pain in humans as well as increased experimental pain sensitivity in rodents. We report that the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) downregulates COMT mRNA and protein in astrocytes. Examination of the distal COMT promoter (P2-COMT) reveals a putative binding site for nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), the pivotal regulator of inflammation and the target of TNFα. Cell culture assays and functional deletion analyses of the cloned P2-COMT promoter demonstrate that TNFα inhibits P2-COMT activity in astrocytes by inducing NF-κB complex recruitment to the specific κB binding site. Collectively, our findings provide the first evidence for NF-κB-mediated inhibition of COMT expression in the central nervous system, suggesting that COMT contributes to the pathogenesis of inflammatory pain states.
The Lowering of Plasma Lipids following a Weight Reduction Program Is Related to Increased Expression of the LDL Receptor and Lipoprotein Lipase

To determine whether changes in plasma lipids following a weight loss program were related to modifications in gene expression of the LDL receptor (LDL-R), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase, overweight/obese premenopausal women were recruited. The 10-wk, randomized, double-blind intervention consisted of a hypoenergetic diet, high in protein (30% energy) and low in carbohydrate (40% energy), increased physical activity (number of steps taken per day), and intake of a supplement (carnitine or placebo). Our initial hypothesis was that carnitine would enhance the beneficial effects of weight loss on plasma lipids and anthropometrics. Because the carnitine and placebo groups did not differ in any of the measured variables, data for all subjects were pooled and comparisons were made between baseline and postintervention. Mean weight loss was 4.4 kg (P < 0.001), and plasma triglycerides (TG), total, and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) were reduced by 31.8, 9.9, and 11.9%, respectively (P < 0.001). The expression of the genes of interest was measured in RNA extracted from mononuclear cells at baseline and postintervention using a semiquantitative RT-PCR method. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was used as an internal control. After 10 wk, there was a 25.7% increase in the abundance of LPL mRNA (P < 0.01) and a 27.7% increase in that of LDL-R mRNA (P < 0.01). The expression of HMG-CoA reductase was not altered by weight loss. The results suggest that the increased expression of the LDL-R and LPL after the intervention might have contributed to the lower plasma LDL-C and TG observed in these women.
Elucidation of the Role of the Methylene-Tetrahydromethanopterin Dehydrogenase MtdA in the Tetrahydromethanopterin-Dependent Oxidation Pathway in Methylobacterium extorquens AM1

The methylotroph Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 oxidizes methanol and methylamine to formaldehyde and subsequently to formate, an intermediate that serves as the branch point between assimilation (formation of biomass) and dissimilation (oxidation to CO₂). The oxidation of formaldehyde to formate is dephosphotetrahydromethanopterin (dH₄MPT) dependent, while the assimilation of carbon into biomass is tetrahydrofolate (H₄F) dependent. This bacterium contains two different enzymes, MtdA and MtdB, both of which are dehydrogenases able to use methylene-dH₄MPT, an intermediate in the oxidation of formaldehyde to formate. Unique to MtdA is a second enzymatic activity with methylene-H₄F. Since methylene-H₄F is the entry point into the biomass pathways, MtdA plays a key role in assimilatory metabolism. However, its role in oxidative metabolism via the dH₄MPT-dependent pathway and its apparent inability to replace MtdB in vivo on methanol growth are not understood. Here, we have shown that an mtdB mutant is able to grow on methylamine, providing a system to study the role of MtdA. We demonstrate that the absence of MtdB results in the accumulation of methenyl-dH₄MPT. Methenyl-dH₄MPT is shown to be a competitive inhibitor of the reduction of methenyl-H₄F to methylene-H₄F catalyzed by MtdA, with an estimated Ki of 10 μM. Thus, methenyl-dH₄MPT accumulation inhibits H₄F-dependent assimilation. Overexpression of mch in the mtdB mutant strain, predicted to reduce methenyl-dH₄MPT accumulation, enhances growth on methylamine. Our model proposes that MtdA regulates carbon flux due to differences in its kinetic properties for methylene-dH₄MPT and for methenyl-H₄F during growth on single-carbon compounds.
Primary pancreatic lymphomas: a cytopathologic analysis of a rare malignancy.

BACKGROUND Primary pancreatic lymphomas (PPL) are extremely rare. Clinically, PPL usually present with symptoms of carcinoma of the pancreatic head. An accurate cytopathologic diagnosis by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is imperative because the primary treatment is nonsurgical, based on a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. METHODS Eight cases of PPL were identified from the pathology files of The Johns Hopkins Hospital over a 14-year period (1989–2003). All cases were diagnosed on FNA performed under radiologic guidance. Needle rinses were used to perform flow cytometric (FC) analysis. No tissue studies were performed after the FNA diagnosis was made. RESULTS A strong male predominance (male-to-female ratio of 7:1) was noted. The patients ranged in age from 35–75 years (mean age, 55 years). The tumors varied in size from 2–14 cm, as evaluated on the radiologic scans (mean dimension of 8.0 cm). Abdominal pain was the most common presenting symptom (six patients) followed by jaundice, acute pancreatitis, small bowel obstruction, and diarrhea. The cytomorphologic features included hypercellularity with discohesive cells with round nuclei, often prominent nucleoli, mitoses, and karyorrhexis. By FC analysis, all eight cases demonstrated a monoclonal pattern of immunoglobulin light chain expression. The patients were treated with either chemotherapy alone or in conjunction with radiation therapy or stem cell transplantation. CONCLUSIONS PPL is an extremely rare pathologic entity. FNA coupled with FC analysis appears to be highly accurate in the diagnosis of PPL and is the sole diagnostic modality used clinically. Based on cytomorphology, the main differential diagnoses of PPL involve secondary lymphoma, pancreatic endocrine neoplasm, and florid chronic pancreatitis. An accurate FNA diagnosis of PPL is critical for timely, nonsurgical management and obviates the need for an exploratory laparotomy. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2004. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
Streptococcus mitis phage-encoded adhesins mediate attachment to α2-8 linked sialic acid residues on platelet membrane gangliosides

The direct binding of bacteria to human platelets contributes to the pathogenesis of infective endocarditis. Platelet binding by Streptococcus mitis strain SF100 is mediated in part by two bacteriophage-encoded proteins, PblA and PblB. However, the platelet membrane receptor for these adhesins has been unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that these proteins mediate attachment of bacterial cells to sialylated gangliosides on the platelet cell surface. Desialylation of human platelet monolayers reduced adherence of SF100, whereas treatment of the platelets with N- or O-glycanases did not affect platelet binding. Treatment of platelets with sialidases having different linkage specificities showed that removal of α2-8-linked sialic acids resulted in a marked reduction in bacterial binding. Preincubation of SF100 with ganglioside GD3, a glycolipid containing α2-8-linked sialic acids that is present on platelet membranes, blocked subsequent binding of this strain to these cells. In contrast, GD3 had no effect on the residual binding of platelets by strain PS344, an isogenic ΔpblA ΔpblB mutant. Preincubating platelets with specific monoclonal antibodies to ganglioside GD3 also inhibited binding of SF100 to platelets, but again, they had no effect on binding by PS344. When the direct binding of S. mitis strains SF100 and PS344 to immobilized gangliosides was tested, binding of PS344 to GD3 was reduced by 70% compared to the parent strain. These results indicated that platelet binding by SF100 is mediated by the interaction of PblA and PblB with α2-8-linked sialic acids on ganglioside GD3.
Visual communication of formal design properties-a case study

Formal methods hold the promise for high dependability in the design of critical software. However, software engineers who employ formal methods need to communicate their design decisions to those who may not be in a position to acquire a full understanding of the formal notation being used. Visualizations might be able to convey the required information precisely and reliably without the use of formal notation. This paper presents a case study on how to employ visualization to communicate information about successive refinements involved in the formal derivation of a message router. The ultimate goal is to identify issues fundamental to this particular use of visualization and to outline a methodology which achieves effective visual communication without compromising formal reasoning. >
Geochemical indicators of separate sources for eolian sands in the eastern Mojave Desert, California, and western Arizona

Low, stabilized sand dunes cover much of the Cactus and La Posa Plains in western Arizona, near the town of Parker. The provenance of the dunes is not well defined, and it had been hypothesized that they were possibly related to extensive eolian sand deposits in the eastern Mojave Desert of California, on the other side of the Colorado River. Major oxide analyses of bulk sand samples collected from southeastern California and western Arizona show clear chemical differences. The Mojave sands all have SiO 2 10 wt%, and Na 2 O + K 2 O > 5 wt%, whereas the Colorado River and Arizona sands have SiO 2 > > 81 wt%, Al 2 O 3 < 6 wt%, and Na 2 O + K 2 O < 4 wt%. These results show that the stabilized dunes near Parker are chemically indistinguishable from Colorado River sands. The chemical differences between the southeastern California sands and the western Arizona sands are supported by X-ray diffraction results that indicate these two sand populations have significant differences in the relative abundance of quartz and feldspar. Our data also indicate a near-source origin for the Mojave sands, whereas the Colorado River and Arizona sands have undergone more prolonged chemical weathering. The major oxide results are consistent with published trace element studies by others that clearly distinguished between mature and immature sands in California and Colorado. The quartz/feldspar ratio may be amenable to measurement by some advanced remote-sensing instruments.
The GOLEM project: evolving hardware bodies and brains

The GOLEM project is an attempt to extend evolutionary techniques into the physical world by evolving diverse electro-mechanical machines (robots) that can be fabricated automatically. In this work we go beyond evolution of hardware controllers and demonstrate for the first time a path that allows transfer of virtual diversity of morphology into reality. Our approach is based on the use of only elementary building blocks in both the design and embodiment. We describe a set of preliminary experiments evolving electromechanical systems composed of thermoplastic, linear actuators and neurons for the task of locomotion, first in simulation then in reality. Using 3D solid printing, these creatures then replicate automatically into reality where they faithfully reproduce the performance of their virtual ancestors.
The Engineer of Record and Design Responsibility

For nineteen years since the tragic collapse of the Kansas City Hyatt Hotel's walkway on July 17, 1981, the engineering profession and construction industry has studied and endeavored to understand what happened, why it happened, who was at fault, what should have been done to prevent it, and how the engineering and construction industry can guard against future structural collapses. This paper, by the Structural Engineer of Record, addresses the events during and subsequent to the design, bidding, and construction of the walkway and the investigation that followed the collapse. It discusses the tragedy, its continuing impact on the public and the standard of the professional practice of engineering, and the two fundamental issues: (1) What is the role and responsibility of the Engineer of Record? and (2) Can design responsibility be delegated in today's construction market?
Dynamic behavior of domain walls in thin magnetic films

The structure of moving domain walls is obtained by maximizing a Lagrange function, assuming that the film has a uniaxial anisotropy axis in the plane of the film. The variational calculation is based on a class of trial functions previously used for the static case of Dietze and Thomas. The solution applies for wall velocities smaller than a certain critical velocity. At the critical velocity the derivative of the wall energy with respect to velocity becomes infinite and the energy remains finite. For very thick and very thin films the critical velocity calculated with the chosen trial function approaches the critical velocity for bulk material to within one percent. At intermediate film thicknesses, near the transition from a Bloch to a Neel wall, the critical velocity is much smaller (approximately 1/20 of the bulk value in the case of Permalloy). The effective mass per unit area of the wall increases with increasing film thickness for Neel walls and decreases for Bloch walls. This dependence is qualitatively similar to that of the inverse (static) wall width on film thickness, but considerably stronger. Neel walls and Bloch walls in thick films contract with increasing velocity. At intermediate film thicknesses a region exists in which Bloch walls expand slightly with increasing velocity.
Ecology and Economic Impact of Two Plant Bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae) in Commercial Vineyards

The current study investigated the seasonal phenology, spatial distribution, feeding damage and economic impact of two plant bugs, Lygocoris inconspicuous Knight and Taedia scrupeus Say, in commercial vineyards. For both plant bugs, densities of nymphs were higher on vines located near the edge of woodlots rather than in the interior of vineyards, which may be attributed to the presence of wild vines and other alternate host-plants in wooded areas. Nymphs of both species fed on apical leaves and developing fruit clusters of vine shoots, initiating development after swelling of buds in the spring and reaching the adult stage when vines were in bloom. Confining high densities of L. inconspicuous (10 nymphs) on individual shoots early in the season resulted in significant reduction of the number of fruit clusters per shoot, even when feeding was restricted to short (7 d) duration; the average weight of fruit clusters, in contrast, was not affected to a large extent by feeding activity of nymphs. An experiment evaluating the impact of low density of L. inconspicuous (0–0.3 nymphs per shoot) indicated a marginally significant negative relationship between density of nymphs and average weight of fruit clusters. Control measures may be economically justified when population density exceeds a combined threshold of one nymph of either L. inconspicuous or T. scrupeus per 10 shoots of vines.
Direct Endoscopic Necrosectomy

Over the last 20 years there have been refinements in the understanding and nomenclature of acute pancreatitis. Over a several week period following the onset of acute necrotizing pancreatitis, the necrosis becomes demarcated and organized. The term walled-off necrosis (WON) is now an accepted term. Endoscopic approaches have evolved from creation of small transmural tracts into the WON with irrigation to the creation of large transmural tracts, which allow flexible endoscopes to be advanced directly into the necrotic cavity to perform direct endoscopic necrosectomy (DEN). This chapter concentrates on DEN for WON.
Fat pad-specific compensatory mass increases after varying degrees of lipectomy in Siberian hamsters

Long day-housed Siberian hamsters show compensatory mass increases in inguinal (I) white adipose tissue (WAT) after epididymal WAT pad (EWAT) removal (x) but do not increase EWAT mass after IWATx. ...
The Activist in All of Us: Varieties of Action and Low Power Attempts to Challenge Status Hierarchies

When will individuals accept or reject systems that subordinate them, when will they take actions that will challgenge these status hierarchies, and when will such challenges be more intense, overt and non-normative? Recent research suggests that individuals will justify and maintain systems that subordinate them (Jost & Banaji, 1994), yet we suggest that certain boundary conditions predict when individuals will no longer accept their place in such systems. We propose a model that examines how multiple factors - a sense of power (Keltner, Gruenfeld & Anderson, 2003), emotions associated with power (Tiedens, 2001a), and perceptions of the system's legitimacy, stability and permeability to individual advancement (Tajfel & Turner, 1986) - predict when those in low power will act against authority or when they will act to justify and maintain such systems. We also suggest that the level and type of action taken against hierarchies changes as more of the elements (i.e. sense of power, emotions, perceptions of the status hierarchy) of our model are present. We predict that the actions taken against hierarchies become more overt and non-normative as more of these factors are present.
The Responsiveness of Food Sales to Shelf Space Changes in Supermarkets

This article tests the hypotheses that food product sales are responsive to changes in shelf space and that “impulse” items are relatively more responsive than staples.
Algebraic Transformation Groups and the Similarity Problem

1. Algebraic geometry in KV. Let K be an infinite field. K" is given the so-called Zariski topology by defining a subset F to be closed if it is the set of common solutions of a collection of polynomial equations in n variables. Closed sets in K' are just the finite subsets. In K2, closed sets are finite unions of points and algebraic curves (e.g., the parabola y = x2 is an algebraic curve as it is the solutions of the polynomial equation y x2 = 0). The most unusual feature of this topology is that the open sets are all large. To be precise, each open set is dense, or equivalently, any two open sets have a non-empty intersection. This topology is not a T2-topology, although it is T1. In any topology, the subsets constructed from the open sets (or closed sets) by lattice operations (union, intersection, and complementation) are known as the constructible subsets. For the Zariski topology on K , this Boolean algebra has a particularly nice interpretation, since if S is a constructible subset of Kn, then to decide the membership of a point x = (xI, ., xn) in S, one must simply check a finite number of polynomial equalities and inequalities involving the coordinates xi of x. For example, identify Mn (K) (n by n matrices over K) with Kn2 and let S be the set of all matrices having some fixed rank r. Let x = (xi1) and let mk,a(x) be a k th order minor determinant of x determined by the multi-index a. Then x belongs to S if and only if all mr+i,a(x) = 0 and some m,,,3(x) 4 0. Thus the somewhat unusual looking second condition of the theorem mentioned above is connected with the constructibility of a certain set of matrices. On K" with the Zariski topology, the polynomial ring K[X,.. .,Xn] (denoted simply by K[X] most often) acts as a ring of continuous K-valued functions. This topological space, together with the ring of functions, is called affine n-space. More generally, a closed subset V in K" is an affine variety if it is given the induced topology and a ring of continuous functions by restricting the polynomial functions on K" to V. Each point of V has coordinates, and certain continuous functions are computed algebraically in terms of those coordinates. The ring of continuous functions is denoted by K[ V] and is called the coordinate ring of V. Certain open subsets of K" are affine varieties by the following process. If f(X) belongs to K[X] then it defines a principal open subset K n= {x in KI f(x) # 0}. K7n is homeomorphic to the closed set in K n+ defined by the polynomial equation 1 Xn+1f(X1,...,Xn) = 0, under the mapping
Development of an “Interferometric Quasi-Autocollimator”

We have developed a device that uses weak-value amplification to measure angular deflections of a target mirror while remaining insensitive to all translations of the target. We present demonstrated sensitivities and discuss practical implementation.
Surveillance data analysis of unknown etiology pneumonia in Fujian province

Objective To analyze the surveillance data of cases with unknown etiology pneumonia(UEP)reported from January 2013 to June 2014 in Fujian province,to find the problems of reporting,and to provide scientific evidences for improving the surveillance. Methods All surveillance data of UEP cases from January2013 to June 2014 in Fujian province were collected and analyzed by applying descriptive epidemiological analysis method for epidemiological characteristics of cases. Results A total of 134 UEP cases were reported from January 2013 to June 2014,including 20 confirmed cases of human avian influenza/H7N9.The seasonal and geographical features of UEP were highly consistent with that of human avian influenza/H7N9.The lag time(the interval between symptom onset and diagnosis)ranged from 1to 34 days with the median of 6days.The diagnosis coincidence rate was 66.42%(89/134)in medical institutions and the etiological confirmation rate was41.79%(56/134). Conclusions Surveillance for UEP plays an important role in finding cases with human avian influenza/H7N9,however,this surveillance system still has some problems and need to be further improved.
Electricity Generation from Beer Wastewater Using an Upflow Microbial Fuel Cell

An upflow air-cathode microbial fuel cell(UACMFC) was constructed using gas electrode as cathode,activated carbon particles as anode and beer wastewater as substrate.The electricity generation of UACMFC and the effect of COD concentration and external resistance on the performance of UACMFC were investigated under the continuous operation conditions.The results demonstrate that the greater the COD concentration of beer wastewater is,the higher the output voltage and power of UACMFC are.When COD concentration is 1 953 mg/L,the maximum output power density of UACMFC is 13.54 W/m3.The removal amount of COD and coulombic efficiency continue to reduce with the increase of external resistances.It is feasible to perform simultaneous electricity generation and organics degradation by using beer wastewater as fuel for microbial fuel cell.
Drug- and Toxin-Induced Seizures

Seizure is an omnimous sign when it occurs in relation to drugs or toxins. Knowledge of those drugs or toxins that have a predilection to cause seizures may prove invaluable when one is treating such a patient. Aggressive treatment with the appropriate therapy may have a significant impact on outcome. As seen from this article, many drugs and toxins are associated with seizures. Fortunately, the majority of these seizures can be managed with supportive care, using the standard anticonvulsant drugs. Management of the seizure in a few drugs and toxins requires additional intervention. It is the addition of these specific treatment modalities that may prove to be lifesaving despite drug- or toxin-induced seizures.
Wnt signaling and pulmonary fibrosis in mouse and man

P fibrosis is a chronic, progressive and poorly understood disease that may be idiopathic or associated with systemic sclerosis. While lung fibrosis may be attributable to a variety of causes, it is generally thought that the initiating injury activates repair processes that aim to restore the original tissue architecture, but a failure to finely tune the repair process leads to persistent fibroblast activation. Recent studies employing genome-wide expression profiling indicate that signaling pathways required for normal embryonic development are abnormally up-regulated in end-stage lung fibrosis. These observations raise the possibility that an inability to limit the activation of core developmental pathways during repair may drive the pathological process. My lab is interested in how activation of one particular developmental pathway, the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, contributes to the cellular changes associated with fibrosis. Using the 21-day, bleomycin murine model of fibrosis, we find that the Wnt co-receptor, Lrp5, is necessary for the development of fibrosis. Microarray and cell-targeting approaches suggest that Wntsignaling in the lung parenchyma drives disease progression, through controlling the expression collagen processing enzymes and components that mediate cell/matrix interactions. In collaboration with Naftali Kaminski’s group at the University of Pittsburgh, expression changes in Wnt signaling components in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a cohort of patients with idiopathic fibrosis correlate strongly with disease progression, suggesting that the extent of Wnt signaling in PBMCs may serve as a biomarker for outcome.
Lengthy virtual cathode as key to repetitive operation of relativistic magnetrons

We recently proposed replacing a physical cathode in a relativistic magnetron with diffraction output with a virtual cathode. An electron beam is injected into the relativistic magnetron from a cathode located external to the interaction space. The geometry of both the electron beam injector and the magnetron interaction space were optimized to produce a virtual cathode from which electron spoke formation originates. This paper discusses how the length of such a virtual cathode can be optimized.
A classroom experiment with bank equity, deposit insurance, and bailouts

ABSTRACTIn this classroom experiment, students see how low bank equity requirements can interact with deposit insurance to encourage excessive risk-taking. The experiment fills a niche Admati and Hellwig (2013) have noted: citizens in a democracy must understand why bank owners argue for low equity requirements and why society as a whole is better off with higher requirements. Instructors can run the experiment in principles of economics courses to introduce the topics of banking and financial crisis, or in advanced courses to promote discussion of financial reform. It takes about 45 minutes to run and debrief, and requires no computerization.
Gallium-doped zinc oxide plasmonic nanostructures for mid-IR applications (Conference Presentation)

The mid-infrared (mid-IR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum has a range of applications in defense, sensing, and free space optical communications. However, most mid-IR sources, particularly incoherent emitters, are practically limited as a result of significant non-radiative losses such as Auger and Shockley-Read-Hall recombination as well as phonon-assisted scattering. Recently, plasmonic materials have been a topic of interest due to their ability to overcome traditional limitations of light confinement as well as enhance light-matter interactions. For inherently inefficient sources, such as many mid-IR emitters, coupling of the emitting element to a plasmonic structure could enhance emission efficiency. In this work, we propose and experimentally evaluate the use of plasmon-mediated photoluminescence as a potential method for improving efficiency in mid-IR emitters. We assess the effectiveness of 3% gallium-doped zinc oxide (G3ZO) as a mid-IR plasmonic material. We design, simulate, fabricate, and characterize a two-dimensional periodic array of bow-tie nanoantennas (nantennas). Our structures are designed to enhance the overlap of the nantenna optical field with underlying In(Ga)Sb/InAs quantum well structures emitting at λ ≈ 4.0μm. Thin films of G3ZO are grown by pulsed laser deposition and are characterized electrically and optically, with the extracted material parameters used as inputs in our simulations. G3ZO plasmonic nantennas are then fabricated by electron-beam lithography and dry-etching. The spectral response of the patterned nantennas is characterized using Fourier transform infrared reflection spectroscopy. Samples are then characterized by temperature and polarization dependent photoluminescence spectroscopy in order to determine the extent to which the emission efficiency improves as a result of coupling to the nanostructures.
Modeling RNA Folding Pathways and Intermediates Using Time-Resolved Hydroxyl Radical Footprinting Data

The analysis of time-resolved hydroxyl radical (•OH) footprinting data can reveal the complex and rugged folding landscape of an RNA molecule. This analysis requires the identification and subsequent optimization of a kinetic model and its parameters. The number of possible kinetic models increases factorially with the complexity of the molecule, complicating the modeling process. We detail here a computational approach that allows complex models involving up to five kinetic intermediates to be run on a desktop computer. Our approach involves an initial “model-free” analysis of the data, which reduces the computational complexity of the subsequent kinetic parameter optimization. Our method is able to systematically identify the best fitting kinetic model and reveals the underlying folding mechanism of an RNA.
The Logical and Clinical Argument for the Concept of Meta-Schema in Cognitive Therapy

ABSTRACTThe role of client’s belief systems in therapy is the central concept in cognitive therapy. In our therapeutic work with clients, we focus on their cognitive schemas surrounding a particular problem. These schemas, however, are embedded in a hierarchy of much larger schemas which strongly influence the content of the particular sub-schemas being investigated. The purpose of this article is to introduce the concept of “meta-schema,” from a theoretical perspective, and then offer clinical case examples to illustrate this concept.
Narrative Inquiry With Activity Systems

The goal of this article is to introduce activity systems as a methodological tool in narrative inquiry to gain a holistic understanding of socially shared experiences from an examination of documents. The research question was how can qualitative researchers use activity systems as a tool for engaging in narrative inquiry of socially shared experiences to uncover new meanings by constructing a story? In this article, we share a sample analysis of our experience relying on documents and media as a form of narrative to begin to understand the socially shared human activity associated with net neutrality and its potential impact on U.S. residents. We end this article with reflections of lessons learned from our activity systems guided story construction process.
Outcomes and readmissions after transcatheter and surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with cirrhosis: A propensity matched analysis.

Background The data on the comparative outcomes and readmissions after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in patients with cirrhosis are limited. We compared mortality, complications, discharge disposition, 30-day readmission rates, length of stay, and cost of hospitalization in cirrhotic patients undergoing TAVR and SAVR. Methods The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) and the National Readmission Database (NRD) were used for the study. The International Classification of Diseases-9th version was used to define cohorts of patients undergoing TAVR and SAVR. Patients undergoing concomitant other valve or coronary bypass surgery were excluded. Propensity-score matching was used to compare the outcomes between the groups. Results From 2012 to 2014, a total of 126 and 157 patients with cirrhosis underwent TAVR and SAVR, respectively. Of the 283 patients, 16 (5.7%) died during the same hospitalization. We found 345 patients with cirrhosis who had undergone an aortic valve replacement (156 with TAVR, and 189 with SAVR) in the 2013 and 2014 NRD. On propensity matching, there were no significant differences between the in-hospital mortality, readmissions, hospitalization costs, and discharges to home within the TAVR and SAVR groups. However, post-procedure length of stay (6.3 vs. 10.2 days; P < 0.001) and blood transfusion rates (22% vs. 58%; P < 0.001) were significantly lower in TAVR patients. Conclusions Cirrhotic patients undergoing TAVR has high, but similar mortality and 30-day readmission rates when compared to SAVR; however, has shorter length of stay and lower blood transfusion rates.
Biological Barriers for Drug Targeting

Applications of large, complex carriers that deliver powerful, specific and sensitive agents (cytokines, toxins, enzymes and genetic materials) face formidable challenges. Drug targeting strategies have to traverse diverse barriers: biological (e.g., associated with drug delivery, subcellular addressing of a drug, metabolization of carriers, etc), technological (e.g., associated with production, dosing, shelf-life of a drug-carrier complexes) and socioeconomical (e.g., price, practical utility and public accessibility of a targeting strategy).
The improving efficiency of university health consortium hospitals

This study evaluates the efficiency of teaching hospitals using a variable returns to scale, input oriented, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology. Hospital executives, healthcare policy-makers, taxpayers and graduate medical education benefit from studies that look to improve the efficiency of teaching hospitals. Data for 164 University Health Consortium Hospitals (UHC) in 1998 and 154 in 2001 were analyzed using DEA. The results indicate that efficiency in UHC Hospitals improved from 64.8% in 1998 to 69.6% in 2001 for an increase of 7.4%. From a management perspective, it shows opportunities for improved management and the realignment of resources to better meet demand. From a policy perspective, the research highlights the problems associated with improving efficiency while providing graduate medical education.
Vanets Meet Autonomous Vehicles: Multimodal Surrounding Recognition Using Manifold Alignment

In the past two years, calls for developing synergistic links between the two worlds of vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) and autonomous vehicles have significantly gone up to achieve further on-road safety and benefits for end-users. In this paper, we present our vision to create such a beneficial link by designing a multimodal scheme for object detection, recognition, and mapping based on the fusion of stereo camera frames, point cloud Velodyne LIDAR scans, and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) basic safety messages (BSMs) exchanges using VANET protocols. Exploiting the high similarities in the underlying manifold properties of the three data sets, and their high neighborhood correlation, the proposed scheme employs semi-supervised manifold alignment to merge the key features of rich texture descriptions of objects from 2-D images, depth and distance between objects provided by 3-D point cloud, and the awareness of self-declared vehicles from BSMs’ 3-D information including the ones not seen by camera and LIDAR. The proposed scheme is applied to create joint pixel-to-point-cloud and pixel-to-V2V correspondences of objects in frames from the KITTI Vision Benchmark Suite, using a semi-supervised manifold alignment, to achieve camera-LIDAR and camera-V2V mapping of their recognized objects. We present the alignment accuracy results over two different driving sequences and show the additional acquired knowledge of objects from the various input modalities. We also study the effect of the number of neighbors employed in the alignment process on the alignment accuracy. With proper choice of parameters, the testing of our proposed scheme over two entire driving sequences exhibits 100% accuracy in the majority of cases, 74%–92% and 50%–72% average alignment accuracy for vehicles and pedestrians and up to 150% additional object recognition of the testing vehicle’s surrounding.
Giant optical anisotropy in a quasi-one-dimensional crystal

Optical anisotropy is a fundamental building block for linear and nonlinear optical components such as polarizers, wave plates, and phase-matching elements1–4. In solid homogeneous materials, the strongest optical anisotropy is found in crystals such as calcite and rutile5,6. Attempts to enhance anisotropic light–matter interaction often rely on artificial anisotropic micro/nanostructures (form birefringence)7–11. Here, we demonstrate rationally designed, giant optical anisotropy in single crystals of barium titanium sulfide (BaTiS3). This material shows an unprecedented, broadband birefringence of up to 0.76 in the mid- to long-wave infrared, as well as a large dichroism window with absorption edges at 1.6 μm and 4.5 μm for light with polarization along two crystallographic axes on an easily accessible cleavage plane. The unusually large anisotropy is a result of the quasi-one-dimensional structure, combined with rational selection of the constituent ions to maximize the polarizability difference along different axes.
Prey Selection and Processing in a Stomatopod Crustacean

Stomatopod crustacea constitute one of the most highly specialized groups of marine predators. Their greatly enlarged and highly modified second thoracopods provide them with the weaponry to subdue and process even the most active, armored, and/or dangerous prey (Caldwell and Dingle, 1976). Their sophisticated visual (Cronin and Marshall, 1989) and chemosensory (Caldwell and Lamp, 1981; Caldwell, 1982, 1985) systems permit the detection and identification of potential prey. And their learning ability allows them to benefit from previous experience gained feeding on different animals (Reaka, 1980; Full, et al., 1989). Here, I will: 1) briefly review the biology of stomatopods relevant to their foraging behavior; 2) discuss field studies on members of one genus, Gonodactylus. showing that stomatopods can have a considerable influence on the population structure, distribution and abundance of prey species; and 3) present laboratory data that demonstrate the ability of stomatopods to adjust their behavior in response to the costs and benefits associated with selecting different sized individuals of one prey species.
Development and Usability Testing of a Panoramic Augmented Reality Environment for Fall Hazard Safety Training

Construction is one of the leading industries in terms of workplace accidents. Safety training provides workers and professionals with tools to actively prevent these accidents. However, previous research has highlighted deficiencies in current safety training methods. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies have been employed to address some of the limitations associated with traditional training methods. While these technologies enable users to safely experience the complex nature of construction sites, they deliver unrealistic computer-generated simulations of the environment. Panoramic augmented reality presents a novel alternative that addresses some of the challenges present in VR and AR techniques in visualizing safety-related information in real construction sites. A pilot study was conducted to assesses the use of this technology as a safety training method for fall hazards. This study describes the development of the prototype training platform, the generation of training materials, and the findings of usability testing performed with university students. The results indicated that the technology was viewed favorably by participants, as the augmentations provided a simple and easy method to learn fall hazard-related information. Using the platform, participants an average 52% of the hazards presented. Participants also indicated that several aspects of the platform required improvement such as image quality, safety information displayed, and user interface interactions.
Applying Structured Light Laser Imaging to Underwater Obstacle Avoidance and Navigation

Identifying and safely navigating submerged obstacles in shallow waters is a difficult task as common navigation technologies based on acoustic sensing systems are not efficient in littoral zones [5]. Developing a vehicle-mounted active 3D reconstruction (structured light) imaging system that can be used for real-time obstacle detection and avoidance is now a viable approach to solving littoral navigation due to its affordability. Structured light has been researched and demonstrated as an object reconstruction technique, with particular focus on three-dimensional mapping and scanning [6]. Although it has been successfully applied to object reconstruction, utilizing the structured light data as an input to the on-board navigation stack has not yet been extensively tested. As a proven solution for highly accurate object reconstruction, the application of structured light to obstacle avoidance provides promise for improved vehicle navigation in littoral waters. The proposed sensing system is comprised of a single USB webcam and a blue-green line laser that can be easily integrated into existing computing hardware. By filtering the wavelengths of light viewable by the camera such that the only detected light is that produced by the laser, software on-board the vehicle can detect the laser line accurately under the majority of conditions. The object recognition and range estimation algorithms output estimates of an obstacles position based on the position of the laser line detected in the filtered camera frame. The obstacle avoidance algorithm calculates the best route based on the structured light input by iterating through an array of distance values and optimizing for the largest section of clear water. The on-board vehicle controller then dynamically sets motor values and directions to maneuver around obstacles.
CHAPTER 6 – Feeding in Caecilians

Caecilians are the most poorly known major group of tetrapods. Regardless of why this is the case, it makes them a gold mine of opportunity for any researcher willing to make the extra effort to acquire and work with these animals. The study of caecilian feeding is no exception. Despite a relatively good understanding of variation in caecilian cranial anatomy, there is a dearth of experimental studies on every aspect of caecilian feeding behavior. The neurophysiology and neuroethology of caecilian prey capture remain to be described. There are only two experimental studies on the sensory systems of caecilians. Thus, still very little is known about how any caecilian perceives its surroundings and finds prey, let alone how prey detection abilities vary among different species. The relative importance of different types of stimuli in different environments and the cellular physiology of various receptors are currently unknown. The motor control of feeding movements and how the neural connections of the interhyoideus have changed during its integration into the jaw closing system also await study. Finally, placing future studies in an explicit phylogenetic context will allow the synthesis of functional, ecological, and developmental data into a robust portrait of caecilian evolution.
Slit Ventricle Syndrome Leads to 10-Year History of Repetitive Transient Central Herniation Masquerading as Seizures: Hydrocephalus Case Report.

Background Slit-ventricle syndrome (SVS) is a recognized complication of ventricular shunt malfunction, resulting in cyclical symptoms without ventricular dilatation. We present a case of SVS with transient, repetitive, and progressive signs of brainstem herniation evidenced by pupillary dilatation, posturing, and unresponsiveness, with diffuse voltage attenuation on electroencephalogram (EEG). Case Description A 32-year-old female presented with a history of hydrocephalus and ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement at 9 months of age. She began experiencing significant headaches in college, later accompanied by stereotypical 5- to 25-minute episodes of unresponsiveness, posturing and pupillary dilatation, and failing anticonvulsant therapy. No neurosurgical evaluation was sought because of small ventricles on brain imaging. Episodes became progressively more frequent over a 10-year period, eventually occurring daily. On presentation, 5 clinical events were captured on EEG over 12 hours of monitoring. With each episode, she became unresponsive and hypertensive, with fixed, dilated pupils and flexor posturing. Between events, she was awake and alert, without confusion or postictal state. She had papilledema and limited extraocular movements, with normal pupils and vital signs. Computed tomography scanning showed small ventricles. A shunt tap revealed no flow. With each episode onset, an EEG revealed an abrupt background rhythm slowing to 2–3 Hz delta range without epileptiform discharges. Between events, EEGs displayed normal waveform activity. Emergent ventriculoperitoneal shunt revision resulted in no further episodes in a 4-year follow-up period. Conclusions SVS can lead to severe intermittent brainstem herniation syndrome in the setting of shunt malfunction. Seizure diagnosis should be reserved for cases with proven functional shunt and EEG confirmation of epileptiform activity.
Management of Adult Minimal Change Disease

Minimal change disease is responsible for idiopathic nephrotic syndrome in >75% of children and up to 30% of adults ([1][1]–[5][2]). Although secondary causes of minimal change disease ( i.e. , nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, lithium, and lymphoproliferative disorders) are uncommon in