cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The solution behavior of poly‐L‐proline: II. Fluorescence behavior of labeled polyproline in water and conentrated aqueous neutral salt solytions

Fluorescence depolarization experiments performed on labaled poly-L-proline Forme II suggest the occurrence of aggrgation in water while 6M guanidinium-HCl induces dissociation. The solvent 4M CaCl2 results in a reduction of polymer structural orgganization. These findings corroborate suggestion of polyproline aggregation and solution behavior in aqueous neutral salt solytion (see preceding article).
Global Female Homelessness: A Multi-Faceted Problem

International female homelessness is a difficult subject to address for a number of reasons. First, understanding what defines homelessness poses a problem because female homelessness often takes on a different form than that of male homelessness. Also, homelessness in industrialized countries looks different from that of developing nations where women are more likely to have inadequate housing in temporary shelters or live as squatters. Both of these factors affect the visibility of female homelessness as well as the ability to garner an accurate account of the number of homeless women around the world. Understanding the causes of female homelessness from a global perspective is no less difficult to comprehend because it encompasses so many other multifaceted issues. Women in developing nations face a different set of issues than their counterparts in the industrialized world because of differences in property rights, women’s rights generally, access to education, and access to social services. Finally, immigrant women face a unique set of circumstances of being a foreigner without an adequate social support network.
Analysis of the U.S. Student Visa System Misperceptions, Barriers, and Consequences

Given the political, economic, and social events surrounding 9/11, the major issue addressed concerns the impact of federal legislation on international students/scholars. The study explored severa...
Differential effects of portal diversion on hepatocyte function (HF) and hepatic reticuloendothelial cell (HRES) activity in the dog

Abstract End-to-side portocaval shunts (PCS) were constructed in six dogs to evaluate the effect of complete portal blood flow diversion on hepatocellular structure and function, hepatic reticuloendothelial (RE) activity, and serum opsonic activity (OA). RE activity remained normal after PCS despite a 40% reduction in estimated hepatic blood flow. Tissue distribution of injected colloid shifted away from liver to spleen, lung, and bone marrow. OA decreased to 40% of baseline values 6 weeks after PCS and remained low. Postshunt changes in hepatic morphology primarily affected hepatocytes and included deglycogenation and loss of rough endoplasmic reticulum. Significant changes in Kupffer cell morphology were not observed. Complete portal flow diversion in the dog caused profound alterations in hepatocellular structure and function without compromising Kupffer cell phagocytic and metabolic activity. Kupffer cells may be less dependent than hepatocytes upon hepatotrophic factors contained in portal blood. OA did not correlate with changes in vascular lipid clearance, suggesting that either phagocytosis of RES test lipid in the dog is not dependent on prior opsonization, or that the assay used was neither sensitive nor specific enough to measure a critical opsonic threshold required for effective phagocytosis.
Buckling of Woven Fabrics Part II: Effect of Weight and Frictional Couple

The effect of fabric weight is incorporated into a theoretical model based on Gros berg's frictional couple theory for describing the buckling behavior of woven fabrics. Numerical solutions for fab...
A New Verification Rule and Its Applications

This paper describes a verification rule for loop programs, and shows how it can be used in conjunction with the invariant-relation theorem to facilitate verification of programs.
Mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of the epitope-tag affinity purified protein complexes in eukaryotes.

In recent years, MS has been widely used to study protein complex in eukaryotes. The identification of interacting proteins of a particular target protein may help defining protein–protein interaction and proteins of unknown functions. To isolate protein complexes, high-speed ultracentrifugation, sucrose density-gradient centrifugation, and coimmunoprecipitation have been widely used. However, the probability of getting nonspecific binding is comparatively high. Alternatively, by use of one- or two-step (tandem affinity purification) epitope-tag affinity purification, protein complexes can be isolated by affinity or immunoaffinity columns. These epitopetags include protein A, hexahistidine (His), c-Myc, hemaglutinin (HA), calmodulin-binding protein, FLAG, maltose-binding protein, Strep, etc. The isolated protein complex can then be subjected to protease (i.e., trypsin) digestion followed by an MS analysis for protein identification. An example, the epitope-tag purification of the Arabidopsis cytosolic ribosomes, is addressed in this article to show the success of the application. Several representative protein complexes in eukaryotes been isolated and characterized by use of this approach are listed. In this review, the comparison among different tag systems, validation of interacting relationship, and choices of MS analysis method are addressed. The successful rate, advantages, limitations, and challenges of the epitope-tag purification are also discussed.
Advantage of predictive modeling in tracer studies

to the editor: Sorensen et al. ([1][1]) compare the production rate of triglyceride, as calculated from a bolus injection decay curve, to that obtained from a primed constant infusion curve of the specific activity of radiolabeled tracer. They note a difference in the two rates and choose the
Deoxyuridine Is Generated Preferentially in the Nontranscribed Strand of DNA from Cells Expressing Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is required for somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination of Ig genes in B cells. Although AID has been shown to deaminate deoxycytidine to deoxyuridine in DNA in vitro, there is no physical evidence for increased uracils in DNA from cells expressing AID in vivo. We used several techniques to detect uracil bases in a gene that was actively transcribed in Escherichia coli cells expressing AID. Plasmid DNA containing the gene was digested with uracil-DNA glycosylase to remove uracil, and apurinic/apryimidinic endonuclease to nick the abasic site. The nicked DNA was first analyzed using alkaline gel electrophoresis, in which there was a 2-fold increase in the linear form of the plasmid after AID induction compared with plasmid from noninduced bacteria. Second, using a quantitative denaturing Southern blot technique, the gene was predominantly nicked in the nontranscribed strand compared with the transcribed strand. Third, using ligation-mediated PCR, the nicks were mapped on the nontranscribed strand and were located primarily at cytosine bases. These data present direct evidence for the presence of uracils in DNA from cells that are induced to express AID, and they are preferentially generated at cytosines in the nontranscribed strand during transcription.
Venice, California and World of Warcraft: Persistence and Ephemerality in Playful Spaces

Persistent digital media extend content beyond immediate ephemeral interactions and conversations. Systems such as email, instant messaging, digital kiosks, social networking sites, and wikis collect large quantities of electronic data and store it for later use. How will people encounter and understand these data now and later? How do people move between the ephemeral and persistent in everyday settings? Can persistence exist beyond visible data? We have been exploring these questions through field studies in an urban setting and an online game. This paper is a preliminary exploration of issues that have arisen in our empirical research on the ways people move between persistent and ephemeral media. In this paper, we investigate an expanded concept of persistence which renders ephemerality as a complementary element during processes of communication and interaction. Drawing on previous work and findings from our empirical studies, we argue that seeing persistence and ephemerality as intimately linked opens up possibilities for analyzing and creating new design spaces and forms of interaction with digital media.
The Politics of Accountability in National Forest Planning

On December 6, 2002, the Forest Service published a proposed planning regulation that provides a framework for community-based collaborative planning for sustainability, alters the spatial and temp...
Pentadic Cartography: Mapping Birth Trauma Narratives

The reported prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder due to childbirth ranges from 1.5 to 6%. The purpose of this qualitative study is to conduct a narrative analysis of 11 mothers' birth trauma stories. The dramatistic pentad provided the overall structure for this narrative analysis. Using pentadic cartography, the author mapped the verbal terrain of each narrative using the pentad's five terms of scene, act, purpose, agent, and agency. The ratio imbalance between act and agency appeared most prominently on the pentadic map. Viewing the mothers' narratives through the act:agency ratio offered a terministic screen that helped pinpoint where the trauma that women experienced occurred during labor and delivery. Implications for clinical practice focus on the How (agency), the way clinicians provide care to women during childbirth.
Increasing the CD4+ T Cell Precursor Frequency Leads to Competition for IFN-γ Thereby Degrading Memory Cell Quantity and Quality

The precursor frequency of naive CD4+ T cells shows an inverse relationship with the number of memory cells generated after exposure to cognate Ag. Using the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) model, we show here that only when the initial number of naive virus-specific CD4+ T cell precursors is low (≤104 per spleen) do they give rise to abundant and homogeneous memory cells that are CD62Llow, IL-7Rhigh, and imbued with an enhanced capacity to produce cytokine, proliferate, and survive over time. Furthermore, memory cells derived from a high naive precursor number show functional deficits upon secondary exposure to virus. The negative effect of higher naive precursor frequency was not attributable to competition for limiting amounts of Ag, because LCMV-naive CD4+ TCR-transgenic CD4 T cells were recruited into the LCMV-induced response even when their initial number was high. Instead, the T cells appear to compete for direct IFN-γ signals as they differentiate into memory cells. These results are consistent with a model of T cell development in which the most fit effector T cells that receive sufficient direct IFN-γ signals are selected to differentiate further into memory cells.
On the morphology and life-history of Opechona bacillaris (Molin, 1859) Looss, 1907 (Trematoda, Lepocreadiidae)

Abstract The life-cycle of the digenetic trematode Opechona bacillaris (Molin, 1859) Looss, 1907 (fam. Lepocreadiidae Nicoll, 1934, subfam. Lepocreadiinae Odhner, 1905) is described. It is shown experimentally that ophthalmotrichocercous cercariae which develop in the marine prosobranch Nassarius pygmaeus (Lamarck) penetrate the ctenophore, Pleurobrachia pileus, a chaetognath, Sagitta sp., and small medusae. Here they develop into the metacercaria of O. bacillaris, which previously has been described from a large number of planktonic invertebrates. The redia and cercaria of O. bacillaris are described. The cercaria and metacercaria are compared with immature O. bacillaris from a naturally infested lumpsucker, Cyclopterus lumpus, by means of the stereoscan electron microscope. The infestation percentage of the snail host population from the northern Oresund was determined at intervals over a period of nearly two years. During winter most infestations comprise only rediae, whereas during summer nearly all i...
Prion sequence polymorphisms and chronic wasting disease resistance in Illinois white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Nucleic acid sequences of the prion gene (PRNP) were examined and genotypes compiled for 76 white-tailed deer from northern Illinois, which previously tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), and 120 negative animals selected to control for geographic location and age. Nine nucleotide polymorphisms, seven silent and two coding, were found in the sampled population. All observed polymorphisms except two of very low frequency were observed in both negative and positive animals, although five polymorphic loci had significantly different distributions of alleles between infected and non-infected individuals. Nucleotide base changes 60C/T, 285A/C, 286G/A and 555C/T were observed with higher than expected frequencies in CWD negative animals suggesting disease resistance, while 153C/T was observed more than expected in positive animals, suggesting susceptibility. The two coding polymorphisms, 285A/C (Q95H) and 286G/A (G96S), have been described in white-tailed deer populations sampled in Colorado and Wisconsin. Frequency distributions of coding polymorphisms in Wisconsin and Illinois deer populations were different, an unexpected result considering the sampled areas are less than 150 km apart. The total number of polymorphisms per animal, silent or coding, was negatively correlated to disease status. The potential importance of silent polymorphisms (60C/T, 153C/T, 555C/T), either individually or cumulatively, in CWD disease status has not been previously reported.
Children should wear helmets while ice-skating: a comparison of skating-related injuries

Objective. This study compares injuries, especially head injuries, among ice-skaters with those among skateboarders, rollerskaters, and in-line skaters, to determine the need for helmet use during recreational ice-skating by children. Design. A comparative study of a consecutive series of patients. Setting. The emergency department of a large, urban, academic, children’s hospital. Participants. Children treated for injuries related to recreational ice-skating, skateboarding, rollerskating, and in-line skating. Results. During a 31-month period, 419 consecutive children were evaluated in the emergency department for skating-related injuries. Children were predominately male (53.9%), with a mean age of 10.0 years (SD: 3.0 years; median: 10.0 years; range: 1–18 years). The most frequent mechanism of injury was a fall. Overall, 76.5% of children (215 of 281 children) were reported to be wearing no protective equipment, such as a helmet or padding on the elbows or knees, at the time of injury. Ice-skaters were more likely to have adult supervision than were skateboarders (relative risk [RR]: 5.16; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.13–12.46), rollerskaters (RR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.09–1.35), and in-line skaters (RR: 2.08; 95% CI: 1.72–2.51). Ice-skaters were at greater risk of injury to the head (20.0%) than were in-line skaters (4.9%) (RR: 4.09; 95% CI: 1.81–9.23); a weak difference was noted between ice-skaters and rollerskaters (9.9%) (RR: 2.18; 95% CI: 1.04–4.57), with no significant difference in head injuries between ice-skaters and skateboarders (15.9%) (RR: 1.60; 95% CI: 0.54–2.93). Ice-skaters demonstrated lacerations to the head in 68.8% of abnormal head examinations, compared with 37.0% for rollerskaters (RR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.08–3.20) and 50.0% for in-line skaters (RR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.35–3.16); however, there was no significant difference in lacerations to the head between ice-skaters and skateboarders (53.3%) (RR: 1.29; 95% CI: 0.76–2.19). Injuries to ice-skaters occurred more often in an indoor skating facility (92.9%, 52 of 56 cases), compared with injuries to skateboarders (3.6%, 1 of 28 cases) (RR: 13.96; 95% CI: 2.01–96.76), rollerskaters (63.4%, 59 of 93 cases) (RR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.23–1.74), and in-line skaters (10.9%, 15 of 137 cases) (RR: 8.48; 95% CI: 5.23–13.75). Conclusions. The proportion of head injuries among ice-skaters in this study was greater than that observed for participants in other types of skating, for which helmet use is recommended and often required. Children should wear a helmet during recreational ice-skating. Mandatory helmet use by pediatric ice-skaters at indoor rinks should be implemented. Use of other types of protective equipment, such as wrist guards, knee pads, and elbow pads, should be considered for prevention of injuries to the extremities during ice-skating. Caution should be used when allowing young children to participate in recreational ice-skating. Additional research should be conducted in other populations, to corroborate these findings and to evaluate ice-skating safety recommendations for children.
Multivariate responses to flooding in Arabidopsis: an experimental evolutionary investigation

Summary 1 Response to selection in different environments has been investigated in the model system Arabidopsis thaliana in order to determine the changes in heritabilities, reaction norms, relationships with reproductive fitness, and character correlations induced by the selection regimes and by alterations of environmental conditions (flood vs normal water levels). 2 Our artificial population responded to selection mostly by line sorting, where some of the initial genotypes increased significantly in frequency over three generations, while others went extinct. This is probably how selection works in natural populations of this species. 3 We observed changes in the heritabilities of various traits in response to selection and experimental treatments, with morphological characters exhibiting higher heritabilities than life-history traits. 4 The selection process did not alter the overall shape of the reaction norms of various characters, but did lower the phenotypic means of several traits in the same direction of plasticity imposed by flooding. Most characters were under directional selection throughout the experiment, though in the opposite direction from the actual shift in their means at the end of the experiment. 5 The multivariate architecture of this plant was affected more by selection than by environmental changes.
Postsecondary Transition and the Courts: An Update

Postsecondary transition programming for students with disabilities has been a priority for state departments of education, local school districts, and individual education program planning teams since a transition requirement was added to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990. Whereas the legal requirements of transition programming are clear, it is instructive to see how courts have interpreted this mandate. In this article, we review six district-level court cases from 2012 to 2013 that involved postsecondary transition planning and services provided under IDEA 2004. Of these six cases, three were decided in favor of the school district, and three were decided in favor of the student and their families. We discuss recommendations to ensure that school districts provide legally appropriate transition planning and programming for eligible students with disabilities.
A stereological analysis of developing egg chambers in Ephestia kuhniella

A polytrophic ovariole of the flour moth, Ephestia kuhniella, is composed of a linear series of increasingly mature egg chambers, each consisting of an oocyte, an interconnected cluster of seven nurse cells, and a covering layer of follicle cells. This study describes changes in the volume of each component as a function of the position of the egg chamber in the ovariole. Analysis of the growth curve of the Ephestia oocyte yields two possible correlations between accelerated oocyte growth and ultrastructural events enhancing the supply of yolk materials to the oocyte: the first is the initiation of yolk synthesis by the follicle cell layer and its transfer to the oocyte, and the second is the formation of channels between the follicle cells allowing hemolymph to gain access to the oocyte. An Ephestia oocyte increases in volume from approximately 2.5 × 103 μm3 to approximately 2.0 × 107 μm3 over an average series of 58 egg chambers.
High-dose intravenous gammaglobulin (IVG) in neonatal immune thrombocytopenia

Recent reports suggest that intravenous gammaglobulin (IVG) may be an effective treatment modality in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Two newborns with isoimmune thrombocytopenia secondary to HLA-A2 and PLA1 platelet antigen incompatibilities with their respective mothers and two newborns with thrombocytopenia secondary to maternal ITP were treated with IVG 400 mg/kg/day x 5 days. One patient was exposed to steroids in utero; only one mother was thrombocytopenic at the time of delivery. All patients were severely thrombocytopenic on day 1 of treatment with mean platelet count of 5.7 x 10(9)/L. All had petechiae and positive quaiac stools, and patients with isoimmune thrombocytopenia had CT scan evidence of intracranial bleeds. The mean platelet count after 24 hr was 26.7 x 10(9)/L and the average platelet increase was 21 x 10(9)/L and 33 x 10(9)/L at 24 and 48 hr, respectively. The two cases with isoimmune thrombocytopenia had sustained platelet increases; the two cases secondary to maternal ITP had transient platelet elevations. IVG can rapidly elevate the platelet count in these patients, especially those with severe bleeding manifestations.
Partisan Cohorts, Polarization, and the Gingrich Senators

Although the “Gingrich Senators” thesis solves a vexing issue, a broader theoretical question remains: Why does the House have a polarizing effect on its members that seems to persist even after a representative wins election to the Senate? In the first section, I propose that lawmakers learn partisan norms in the House and simply continue those extreme behavioral routines after switching chambers. And in the second part, I test possible sources of this effect. Results show that senators who came from the House display greater ideological extremism if they (a) served in the House within an extreme partisan cohort and (b) won election to the Senate after representing a partisan district. In contrast, serving within a polarized chamber and during periods of divided party control have no long-term effects on a senator’s ideological extremism. Robustness checks reveal that the effect of a senator’s House partisan cohort persists even when we control for his/her ideological extremism before winning election to...
Grounded in What Works: Exemplary Practice in Special Education Teachers’ Technology Integration

The purpose of this systematic grounded theory study was to extend the theoretical foundations of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) model to generate a theoretical model explaining the process leading to exemplary integration of technology into special education instructional practice. Data were collected through demographic surveys, interviews, and observations of a purposeful selection of participants. Participants were selected based on exemplary practice criteria determined by an expert focus group. Data were analyzed using open coding, axial coding, and selective coding to gain a categorical understanding of the pedagogy used by special education teachers in successfully integrating technology into teaching and learning. Final analysis revealed a cycle of four components leading to teachers’ initial and ongoing technology adoption into classroom activities: (a) opportunities, (b) dispositions, (c) pedagogical beliefs, and (d) small steps...
A Unisexual Strain of the Salt-Marsh Caterpillar, Estigmene acrea

A predominantly female strain of the salt-marsh caterpillar, Estigmene acrea (Drury), has been maintained in the laboratory for 7 generations. Females must mate before they can produce viable eggs, but there has been no evidence of mating-induced parthenogenesis. The unisexual trait is maternally inherited and appears to be caused by a cytoplasmic factor that kills male embryos. When hemolymph from a pupa of the unisexual strain was injected into a female pupa of a bisexual strain, the resulting adult produced only females. The induced unisexual condition was not permanent, since the progeny of the injected female produced moths of both sexes.
FEDERALISM IN A UNITARY STATE: REGIONAL ECONOMIC PLANNING IN ENGLAND

The year 1974 and the next several years ahead promise a renewed conflict in this country over the distribution of power and authority within the federal system. Most of the apparent conflict centers on proposed modifications in fiscal patterns-general revenue sharing and special revenue sharing, the consolidation of grants-in-aid and categorical vs. general purpose subventions. The apparent conflict, however, frequently obscures the real conflict over the distribution of income, and the role of interest groups such as the inner-city poor vs. the relatively affluent urbanites and suburbanites. Those who are caught up in the conflicts, whether as actors or observers, may find some comfort in discovering that "federal" problems also exist in a unitary system-in this case, England. In that country, as in other more or less unitary systems, the controversies are couched in terms of "regionalism" and in this context almost all governments in the world, whether socialist or non-socialist, whether developing or developed, have been struggling during the last decade with new forms of regionalism. In accordance with L. J. Sharpe's distinction, one form of regionalism may be termed "decentralist", expressing a concern for a more effective local government organization.' A second form may be termed "centralist", expressing a concern for improving the effectiveness of the central government in its regional operations. Most nations, including Britain and the United States, have attempted to deal with both forms. Since these forms have differing emphases from country to country, regionalism as a variant of federalism comes to be a most complex phenomenon and cross-national generalizations about its origins and outcomes are hazardous.2
Simulation and Analysis of Target Echo Signal of High-resolution Radar

The paper analyzes the scattering properties of complex targets of high- frequency region and establishes the high- resolution radar echo model based on multi- scattering centers. On this basis,the target echo data is generated after simulation of chirp signal and the model of data collection and storage of pulse- radar is also given. The simulated echo data is processed by pulse- compression and Doppler processing to verify the validity of echo models. The result reflects the characteristics of targets and so the model is feasible and effective. The conclusion provides a technical basis for target feature extraction and object recognition.
Prevention of leaflet calcification of bioprosthetic heart valves with diphosphonate injection therapy. Experimental studies of optimal dosages and therapeutic durations.

Ethanehydroxydiphosphonate therapy was studied for prevention of calcification of bioprosthetic heart valve cusps (from glutaraldehyde-preserved porcine aortic valves) implanted subcutaneously in 3-week-old male rats. Animals received daily subcutaneous injections of the drug (1, 5, 10, 15, or 25 mg/kg/24 hr) for 21 days with maximal inhibition of bioprosthetic heart valve calcification at a dosage of 15 mg/kg/24 hr (calcium level of diphosphonate-treated bioprostheses 3.5 ± 0.5 μg/ml; calcium level of control bioprostheses, 161.2 ± 5.0 μg/mg), but with irreversibly diminished bone and somatic growth. A dosage optimum was observed at 10 mg/kg/24 hr with significant inhibition of bioprosthetic heart valve calcification (at 21 days, the calcium level was 16.4 ± 3.6 μg/mg) and an absence of adverse effects on epiphyseal development and overall growth. Bioprosthetic heart valves retrieved from animal receiving ethanehydroxydiphosphonate (15 mg/kg/24 hr) for only the first week after implantation had significantly more calcification after 21 days than did bioprostheses from animals treated for 2 or 3 weeks. Bioprostheses explanted after 110 days from animals receiving the drug (15 mg/kg/24 hr) for the first 3 weeks had calcification equivalent to that of untreated control rats. Diphosphonate (15 mg/kg/24 hr) was most efficacious when initiated within 48 hours of bioprosthesis implantation, but was totally ineffective if administered after 1 week. It is concluded that ethanehydroxydiphosphonate optimally prevents bioprosthesis calcification without significant adverse effects on epiphyseal development and overall somatic growth at a dosage of 10 mg/kg/24 hr in rat subdermal implants, but it must be administered by continuous daily injections beginning within 48 hours of the implantation; this approach should be pursued in further long-term circulatory experimental studies because of its possible clinical relevance.
Capturing the Agile Service Encounter: A Qualitative Approach to the Manager/Employee Dyad

The purpose of the current study is to analyze what we term as the agile service transaction; one where the exact needs of the customer is met by the front line service employee. Specifically in this study, we examine not only the qualities of the frontline employee, but additionally we examine the actions of their supervisors which inspire, support, and perhaps even inspire those agile behaviors.
Towards 7x improvement in battery life of mobile devices

Mobile devices are severely battery constrained. While smartphone capabilities have increased manifold in the last ten years, the battery energy density has only doubled. At MSR, we have been exploring several techniques to improve the battery life of mobile devices. In this talk I will cover some of them, and conclude with some perspective on how we can achieve the vision of having a phone last a week without recharge under normal usage.
Meal-time and duration monitoring using wearable sensors

Abstract In many recent studies it has been shown that the frequency and duration of meals taken during a day can have significant impacts on human health. Poor meal habits such as skipping breakfast, nighttime eating, and too many eating episodes can increase the risk of obesity. Researchers have often used self-reported questionnaires for analyzing such meal-time and dietary behaviors. Questionnaire-based data collection, however, often suffers from high errors due to reporting subjectivity. This paper presents a wearable sensor system that can monitor breathing and hand movement for estimating the time and duration of a meal. The system combines swallowing signatures from breathing signal with hand movement signatures from hand acceleration to train a hierarchical Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier and a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) for mealtime and duration estimation. Algorithms are developed for detecting various types of swallowing events including for solid and liquid in the presence of artifacts such as spontaneous swallows, laughing, coughing, and throat clearance. The experiments were carried out on 14 healthy subjects wearing the proposed system. In each experiment session, the subjects were asked to have lunch, drink water, rest and talk. The subjects were asked to press a button for each swallow, and the whole experiment process was video recorded. The push button and video information were used as a ground truth for verification purposes. Through extensive experimentation in a semi-controlled setting, it was shown that the system is able to detect mealtime with high accuracy.
Analysis of Activity of Rice Actin 15’ Sequences in Transgenic Creeping Bentgrass (Agrostis Palustris Huds.)

We have obtained transgenic ‘Penncross’ creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds., Poaceae) plants using high velocity microprojectile to deliver the β-glucuronidase gene into embryogenic calli. The plasmid pAct1-F was used to express the β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene in creeping bentgrass under the control of rice actin 1 5’ regulatory sequences. The recovery of the transformants was based on the histochemical assay of GUS activity and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified DNA method other than selection. Southern analysis of restriction enzyme digested genomic DNA confirmed that the GUS gene had been stably integrated in all 4 plants. Polymerase chain reaction-amplified cDNA and Northern blot hybridization confirmed the expression of the gene at the mRNA level. Western blot analysis and histochemical assays of these transformed plants revealed the high level synthesis of GUS in transgenic plants. The level of GUS in plant tissues determined by a computing densitometer was between 300 to 500 μg /g fresh root or stem tissue.
Different colours of shadows: classification of UAV images

Due to their low light conditions, shadows reduce the accuracy of feature extraction and change detection in remote-sensing images. Unmanned aerial vehicles UAVs are capable of acquiring images that have a resolution of several centimetres and removing shadows is a challenge. In this study, the Maximum Likelihood ML and Support Vector Machine SVM classifiers were used to classify a UAV image acquired using a red–green–blue RGB camera over the Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve in Ohio, USA. The impact of shadows on the classification process was explored for different pixel sizes ranging from 0.03 to 1.00 m. The SVM generated higher overall accuracy OA at finer spatial resolution 0.25–0.50 m, while the optimal spatial resolution for the ML classifier was 1.00 m. The percentage of shadow coverage increased with spatial resolution for both classifiers 1.71% for ML and 6.63% for SVM. Shadows were detected and extracted using two approaches: a as a separate class using regions of interests ROIs observed in the image, and b by applying a segmentation threshold of 0.3 to visible atmospherically resistant index VARI. The extracted shadows were separately classified using ROIs selected from shaded surfaces, and then removed using the fusion of RGB reflectance, VARI, and digital surface model DSM images. The OA of classified shadows reached 91.50%. OAs of merged sunlit and shadow classified images improved for 18.48% for SVM, and 17.62% for the ML classifier. VARI accurately captures shadows, and when fused with RGB reflectance and DSM, it intensifies their low signal and enhances classification. Whether used to capture or to remove shadows, VARI serves as an effective ‘shadow index’. Shadows create obstacles to remote-sensing processing; however, their spectral information should not be neglected as both shadows and sunlit areas are important for ecological processes such as photosynthesis, carbon balance, evapotranspiration, fish abundance, and more.
UNSCEAR Activities Related to the 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident

The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation is charged with assessing sources of ionizing radiation and their associated effects on health and environment. After the Fukushima accident, it embarked on a 2-year assessment of the levels and effects of the radiation exposure (the 2013 Report). Subsequently, it established a mechanism to review relevant scientific publications to identify challenges to conclusions or assumptions of the 2013 Report. Two White Papers were issued in 2015 and 2016, reviewing some 200 scientific papers; none of them significantly challenged the 2013 Report. The Committee’s secretariat has implemented a simple outreach strategy to bring the results to people affected by the accident. Overall, the estimated doses received by the Japanese public were low, the radiation impact is also expected to be low. It is unlikely that any increase in cancer rates due to radiation exposure would be discernible.
Cancer Screening in Older Adults

Cancer screening decisions in older adults can be complex due to the unclear cancer-specific mortality benefits of screening and several known harms including false positives, overdiagnosis, and procedural complications from downstream diagnostic interventions. In this review, we provide a framework for individualized cancer screening decisions among older adults, involving accounting for overall health and life expectancy, individual values, and the risks and benefits of specific cancer screening tests. We then discuss strategies for effective communication of recommendations during clinical visits that are considered more effective, easy to understand, and acceptable by older adults and clinicians.
Listeria monocytogenes contamination patterns for the smoked fish processing environment and for raw fish.

Reliable data on the sources of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in cold-smoked fish processing are crucial in designing effective intervention strategies. Environmental samples (n = 512) and raw fish samples (n = 315) from two smoked fish processing facilities were screened for L. monocytogenes, and all isolates were subtyped by automated ribotyping to examine the relationship between L. monocytogenes contamination from raw materials and that from environmental sites. Samples were collected over two 8-week periods in early spring and summer. The five types of raw fish tested included lake whitefish, sablefish, farm-raised Norwegian salmon, farm-raised Chilean salmon, and feral (wild-caught) salmon from the U.S. West Coast. One hundred fifteen environmental samples and 46 raw fish samples tested positive for L. monocytogenes. Prevalence values for environmental samples varied significantly (P < 0.0001) between the two plants; plant A had a prevalence value of 43.8% (112 of 256 samples), and plant B had a value of 1.2% (3 of 256 samples). For plant A, 62.5% of drain samples tested positive for L. monocytogenes, compared with 32.3% of samples collected from other environmental sites and 3.1% of samples collected from food contact surfaces. Ribotyping identified 11 subtypes present in the plant environments. Multiple subtypes, including four subtypes not found on any raw fish, were found to persist in plant A throughout the study. Contamination prevalence values for raw fish varied from 3.6% (sablefish) to 29.5% (U.S. West Coast salmon), with an average overall prevalence of 14.6%. Sixteen separate L. monocytogenes subtypes were present on raw fish, including nine that were not found in the plant environment. Our results indicate a disparity between the subtypes found on raw fish and those found in the processing environment. We thus conclude that environmental contamination is largely separate from that of incoming raw materials and includes strains persisting, possibly for years, within the plant. Operational and sanitation procedures appear to have a significant impact on environmental contamination, with both plants having similar prevalence values for raw materials but disparate contamination prevalence values for the environmental sites. We also conclude that regular L. monocyrogenes testing of drains, combined with molecular subtyping of the isolates obtained, allows for efficient monitoring of persistent L. monocytogenes contamination in a processing plant.
Solving Complex Problems in Human Genetics Using Genetic Programming: The Importance of Theorist-Practitionercomputer Interaction

Genetic programming (GP) shows great promise for solving complex problems in human genetics. Unfortunately, many of these methods are not accessible to biologists. This is partly due to the complexity of the algorithms that limit their ready adoption and integration into an analysis or modeling paradigm that might otherwise only use univariate statistical methods. This is also partly due to the lack of user-friendly, open-source, platform-independent, and freelyavailable software packages that are designed to be used by biologists for routine analysis. It is our objective to develop, distribute and support a comprehensive software package that puts powerful GP methods for genetic analysis in the hands of geneticists. It is our working hypothesis that the most effective use of such a software package would result from interactive analysis by both a biologist and a computer scientist (i.e. human-human-computer interaction). We present here the design and implementation of an open-source software package called Symbolic Modeler (SyMod) that seeks to facilitate geneticist-bioinformaticistcomputer interactions for problem solving in human genetics. We present and discuss the results of an application of SyMod to real data and discuss the challenges associated with delivering a user-friendly GP-based software package to the genetics community.
Teen Staff Perceptions of Their Development in Camp: Insights for Theory and Practice

For 15 years, the California 4-H Camping Advisory Committee has studied the experience of campers and teen staff at 4-H camps across the state. The 4-H Youth Development Program has a strong commitment to youth empowerment and embraces a model of youth-adult partnership across all programs. As such, teenagers, with adult support, plan camp programs and serve as staff for younger youth at California 4‑H camps. Although program evaluations point to positive experiences for all youth, the high school students who plan and deliver these programs consistently report stronger relationships, greater engagement, and more robust outcomes than campers. In this paper, we review archived qualitative data from two previous California 4-H camp studies to examine, from the perspective of teen camp staff members, the components of the program that may lead to such positive experiences for young teenagers serving in leadership roles. Our findings align with prior research about the benefits of teen leadership at camp, and reinforce that research-based concepts, such as youth-adult partnership and opportunities for meaningful contribution, create an environment that fosters positive development in adolescents.
The Evaluative Organization of Self-Knowledge

Imagine two individuals, both of whom would describe their “social” selves with the same set of attributes: shy, loyal, awkward, lonely, cheerful, kind, energetic, respectful, nervous, and bored. Let’s say that these two persons both find themselves talking to strangers at a formal reception, an experience that activates their perceptions of themselves as shy. Yet one of our characters, when he feels shy, thinks to himself, “Not only am I shy, I’m also often lonely and sometimes awkward.” The second person, although she too knows that she is often lonely and sometimes awkward, may not necessarily bring these attributes to mind in this context. Instead, she might think to herself, “I may be shy, but I’m also a loyal friend.” Presumably, the latter thought moderates negative feelings about being shy by linking shyness to a positive belief about the self. In contrast, the first individual’s stream of thought—shy, lonely, awkward—probably contributes to a very strong negative reaction in this situation.
Introduction and General Approach

Soft tissue tumor is a difficult area in dermatopathology. Although some soft tissue tumors like dermatofibromas are commonly encountered, many are rare. Therefore dermatopathologists and pathologists are often unfamiliar with relevant diagnostic criteria or even a method for approaching these challenging cases. This chapter will provide an introduction to the assessment of cutaneous soft tissue tumors, focusing on broad concepts.
Abstract 101: Transforming Growth Factor-Beta-Receptor Antagonist Blocks the Cardiac Fibrosis and Remodeling in Guanylyl Cyclase/Natriuretic Peptide Receptor-A Gene-Disrupted Mice

Targeted-disruption of guanylyl cyclase/natriuretic peptide receptor-A (GC-A/NPRA) gene (Npr1) exhibits hypertension and provokes congestive heart failure in mice; however, the underlying mechanism...
Cryoglobulinemia as a Possible Primer for TRALI: Report of a Case.

Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) is a form of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma that can cause hyperviscosity syndrome due to unchecked monoclonal antibody production. Some patients are also found to have associated cryoglobulinemia, which can cause systemic complications including vasculitis, renal disease, and pulmonary complications. Cryoglobulins can also serve as a source of interference with various laboratory assays. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is one of the recommended treatment modalities to manage hyperviscosity. Herein, we present the case of an 84-year-old female patient with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia who presented with hyperviscosity syndrome and discrepant laboratory findings, and who then developed transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) during TPE. This case is one of many in the emerging possible linkages observed between cryoglobulinemia and TRALI.
Empathy, distance, and blame: juror perceptions of black male homicide victims in capital cases

The courts have consistently struggled with the discriminatory imposition of the death penalty. This research employs data from the Capital Jury Project which seeks to identify arbitrariness in jurors’ decision-making. Results indicate that Black male victims are perceived to be the most likely to have a problem with drugs/alcohol and come from poor/deprived backgrounds and the least likely to be respected in the community and be perceived as innocent. Black male victims and their families also receive the least empathy from jurors, whom jurors feel the most distance from, and who are most to blame for their victimization. Results suggest the enduring racialization of violent crime and the continuing devaluation of the lives of Black males in American society.
Sclerotic Bone Disorders

Sclerotic bone diseases are heterogenous group characterized by increased bone density as a result of bone-remodeling abnormalities. Osteosclerosis results from increased osteoblastic and/or decreased osteoclastic activity resulting in trabecular bone thickening and subsequent increase in skeletal mass. These disorders can be hereditary/genetic bone disorders or acquired secondary to systemic disease, metabolic, or environmental factors. It is extremely important to diagnose localized or generalized sclerotic bone disease and identify the culprit as, in many cases, it can be treatable. Subsequent follow-up depends in large part on the causative factor with the goal to prevent fractures and deformities. In this chapter, we will review some of the known causes of osteosclerosis with a focus on metabolic and acquired causes.
Visual perception of joint stiffness from multijoint motion.

Humans can visually perceive another’s overt motion, but it is unknown whether they can also perceive the hidden dynamic properties of another’s limbs from their motions. Here, we show that humans ...