cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Progression of cartilage degeneration and clinical symptoms in obese and overweight individuals is dependent on the amount of weight loss: 48-month data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Summary Objective To investigate compositional cartilage changes measured with 3T MRI-based T2 values over 48 months in overweight and obese individuals with different degrees of weight loss (WL) and to study whether WL slows knee cartilage degeneration and symptom worsening. Design We studied participants from the Osteoarthritis Initiative with risk factors or radiographic evidence of mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis with a baseline BMI ≥25 kg/m 2 . We selected subjects who over 48 months lost a, moderate (BMI change, 5–10%WL, n = 180) or large amount of weight (≥10%WL, n = 78) and frequency-matched these to individuals with stable weight ( n = 258). Right knee cartilage T2 maps of all compartments and grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) texture analyses were evaluated and associations with WL and clinical symptoms (WOMAC subscales for pain, stiffness and disability) were assessed using multivariable regression models. Results The amount of weight change was significantly associated with change in cartilage T2 of the medial tibia (β 0.9 ms, 95% CI 0.4 to 1.1, P = 0.001). Increase of T2 in the medial tibia was significantly associated with increase in WOMAC pain (β 0.5 ms, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.6, P = 0.02) and disability (β 0.03 ms, 95% CI 0.003 to 0.05, P = 0.03). GLCM contrast and variance over all compartments showed significantly less progression in the >10%WL group compared to the stable weight group (both comparisons, P = 0.04). Conclusions WL over 48 months is associated with slowed knee cartilage degeneration and improved knee symptoms.
Breast Cancer Detection by Optomechanical Imaging

A new functional imaging system, which combines precise mechanical articulation and dynamic optical tomography for the detection breast cancer, is presented. Results obtained indicate that a wealth of new contrast features is accessible.
Reporter gene imaging identifies intratumoral infection voids as a critical barrier to systemic oncolytic virus efficacy

Systemically administered oncolytic viruses have the ability to cause tumor destruction through the expansion and coalescence of intratumoral infectious centers. Efficacy is therefore dependent upon both the density and intratumoral distribution of virus-infected cells achieved after initial virus infusion, and delivery methods are being developed to enhance these critical parameters. However, the three-dimensional (3D) mapping of intratumoral infectious centers is difficult using conventional immunohistochemical methodology, requiring painstaking 3D reconstruction of numerous sequential stained tumor sections, with no ability to study the temporal evolution of spreading infection in a single animal. We therefore developed a system using very high-resolution noninvasive in vivo micro single-photon emitted computed tomography/computed tomography (microSPECT/CT) imaging to determine the intratumoral distribution of thyroid radiotracers in tumors infected with an oncolytic virus encoding the thyroidal sodium–iodide symporter (NIS). This imaging system was used for longitudinal analysis of the density, distribution, and evolution of intratumoral infectious centers after systemic administration of oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus in tumor-bearing mice and revealed heterogeneous delivery of virus particles both within and between tumors in animals receiving identical therapy. This study provides compelling validation of high resolution in vivo reporter gene mapping as a convenient method for serial monitoring of intratumoral virus spread that will be necessary to address critical barriers to systemic oncolytic virus efficacy such as intratumoral delivery.
Adjusting the Surface Areal Density of Click-Reactive Azide Groups by Kinetic Control of the Azide Substitution Reaction on Bromine-Functional SAMs

Azide-alkyne click chemistry has emerged as an important and versatile means for tethering a wide variety of guest molecules to virtually any substrate. In many of these applications, it is important to exercise control over the areal density of surface functional groups to achieve a desired areal density of the tethered guest molecule of interest. We demonstrate herein that the areal density of surface azide groups on flat germanium surfaces and nanoparticle substrates (silica and iron oxide) can be controlled kinetically by appropriately timed quenching of the S(N)2 substitution reaction of bromo-alkane-silane monolayers induced by the addition of sodium azide. The kinetics of the azide substitution reaction on monolayers formed on flat Ge substrates, determined by attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), are found to be identical to those for monolayers formed on both silica and iron oxide nanoparticles, the latter determined by transmission infrared spectroscopy. To validate the method, the percentages of surface bromine groups converted to azide groups after various reaction times were measured by quenching the S(N)2 reaction followed by analysis with ATR-IR (for Ge) and thermogravimetric analysis (after a subsequent click reaction with an alkyne-terminal polymer) for the nanoparticle substrates. The conversions found after quenching agree well with those expected from the standard kinetic curves. The latter result suggests that the kinetic method for the control of azide group areal density is a versatile means for functionalizing substrates with a prescribed areal density of azide groups for subsequent click reactions, and that the method is universal for any substrate, flat or nanoparticle, that can be modified with bromo-alkane-silane monolayers. Regardless of the surface geometry, we find that the azide substitution reaction is complete within 2-3 h, in sharp contrast to previous reports that indicate times of 48-60 h required for completion of the reaction.
Survey of Azinphosmethyl Resistance in Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Washington and Utah

A bioassay in which azinphosmethyl was incorporated into the adhesive of a sex pheromone trap was developed to detect resistance in populations of male codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.). Experiments were done to evaluate the influence of the length of the bioassay, moth body position in the adhesive, moth age, and extremes of temperature and relative humidity (RH) experienced by moths caught in traps in the field. Moth’s body position and age for moths 85% RH. Populations from crabapple plantings, certified-organic, abandoned, and conventional orchards were sampled. Twenty of 44 populations monitored in 1991 and 12 of 17 populations monitored in 1992 had significant levels of resistance compared with a susceptible laboratory strain based on nonoverlapping 95% CL. All but one of these resistant populations were from current conventional or recently abandoned conventional orchards. Results from the 10 orchards sampled in both years were not Significantly different. Resistance in a population collected in 1991 reverted rapidly when removed from exposure to azinphosmethyl and reared on apple in the laboratory.
Study on the Fracture Behavior of HTPB Propellant by Means of SEM

By means of SEM and micro-dynamic tensile instrument, the fracture cross sectionmicroscopic pattern of HTPB propellants was observed and the fracture behavior of midget tensilesamples at strain state is analysized. It is shown that the microstructure change in the tensile productcan presage the macroscopic mechanics properties of the propellant- So improvement of the interfacecharacteristics between the propellant binder and solid particles is an important way to enhance themechanic properties of the solid propellants.
Survey on Awareness of AIDS-related Knowledge among Middle School Students in a District

Objective The study was conducted to investigate the AIDS-related knowledge among middle school students and to provide evidence for the development of effective health education on AIDS.Methods An anonymous questionnaire-based survey was performed in a stratified and cluster sampling method among 4308 middle high school students in Haizhu district.Results The overall awareness rate of AIDS being 64.9%.The rate of boy was lower than that in girl.The correctness rate was higher among senior students than junior ones(P0.05).Students showed higher awareness rates of HIV/ AIDS transmission route,which were higher than those of no-transmission routes.Students acquired AIDS-related knowledge mainly from TV programs,propaganda material,news papers,magazines,etc.Conclusion The total awareness rate of AIDS-related knowledge of middle school students is still low.Therefore,further health education on the prevention and control ofAIDS,especially the non-transmission routes ofAIDS should be strengthened.
Approximating difference evaluations with local knowledge

Difference evaluation functions have resulted in excellent multiagent behavior in many domains, including air traffic control and distributed sensor network control. In addition to empirical evidence, there is theoretical evidence that suggests difference evaluation functions help shape private agent utilities/objectives in order to promote coordination on a system-wide level. However, calculating difference evaluation functions requires global knowledge about the system state and joint action as well as the mathematical form of the system objective function, which are often unavailable. In this work, we demonstrate that a local estimate of the system evaluation function may be used to locally compute difference evaluations, allowing for difference evaluations to be computed in multiagent systems where only local state and action information as well as a broadcast value of the system evaluation function are available. We demonstrate that approximating difference evaluation functions results in better performance and faster learning than when using global evaluation functions, and performs only slightly worse than when directly computing difference evaluations.
Teratogenic action of the thyroid stimulating hormone and its interaction with trypan blue.

The role that the thyroid gland may play in embryonic development has been under investigation for many years. A direct relationship between thyroid gland function and development is best illustrated in the amphibia (see Kollros, 1961, for pertinent literature). Attempts to demonstrate a similar influence of thyroxin on development in mammals has led to controversial results, in part due to the difficulty of separating the metabolic from the possible developmental effects of the hormone. In order for thyroxin to exert a direct effect upon the mammalian embryo it must cross the placenta. The bulk of the evidence seems to favor the viewpoint that the placenta is rather impermeable to thyroxin during the early stages of gestation and that this permeability increases near term. This is apparently true of the rabbit and man (Osorio & Myant, 1960) and the rat (Hamburgh, Sobel, Koblin & Rinestone, 1962; Roy & Kobayashi, 1962).
Early childhood curriculum development: the role of play in building self-regulatory capacity in young children†

ABSTRACTThis case study examines the development of self-regulation, socially, cognitively and emotionally, through the use of play in the curriculum in five preschool classrooms for children ages 2–5 years old at a university laboratory school. Five teachers were interviewed about their deliberate use of play to support the development of self-regulation in their students, and subsequently, each classroom was observed for a total of 2 hours over a period of 2 months. Data included interview transcripts, observational notes and photographs and videos of the classrooms and children’s play. Findings showed that the teachers regarded play as central to their curriculum and to the development of self-regulation in their students. Observations demonstrate strong interaction between the curriculum, environment, routines and the development of self-regulation. Supporting the development of self-regulatory capacities is a social justice and equity issue most effectively addressed through the inclusion of play in ...
The Role of Emotion-Driven Impulse Control Difficulties in the Relation Between Social Anxiety and Aggression.

Objectives To enhance our understanding of the factors that may account for increased aggression in socially anxious individuals, this study examined associations among emotion-driven impulse control difficulties, social anxiety, and dimensions of aggression (i.e., hostility, anger, physical aggression, verbal aggression). Method Individuals (N = 107; 73.8% male; Mage = 40.8 years) receiving residential substance abuse treatment participated in this cross-sectional study. Results Social anxiety symptoms were significantly positively correlated with emotion-driven impulse control difficulties, anger, and hostility, but not verbal or physical aggression. Separate models for each aggression facet were examined to test the direct and indirect paths. Bootstrapped mediation analyses indicated a significant indirect path from social anxiety symptoms to each facet of aggression through emotion-driven impulse control difficulties (ps < .05). Conclusion Results highlight the potential utility of targeting emotion-driven impulse control difficulties to decrease aggression among socially anxious individuals.
Prediction of Seizure Spread Network via Sparse Representations of Overcomplete Dictionaries

Epilepsy is one of the most common brain disorders and affect people of all ages. Resective surgery is currently the most effective overall treatment for patients whose seizures cannot be controlled by medications. Seizure spread network with secondary epileptogenesis are thought to be responsible for a substantial portion of surgical failures. However, there is still considerable risk of surgical failures for lacking of priori knowledge. Cortico-cortical evoked potentials (CCEP) offer the possibility of understanding connectivity within seizure spread networks to know how seizure evolves in the brain as it measures directly the intracranial electric signals. This study is one of the first works to investigate effective seizure spread network modeling using CCEP signals. The previous unsupervised brain network connectivity problem was converted into a classical supervised sparse representation problem for the first time. In particular, we developed an effective network modeling framework using sparse representation of over-determined features extracted from extensively designed experiments to predict real seizure spread network for each individual patient. The experimental results on five patients achieved prediction accuracy of about 70 %, which indicates that it is possible to predict seizure spread network from stimulated CCEP networks. The developed CCEP signal analysis and network modeling approaches are promising to understand network mechanisms of epileptogenesis and have a potential to render clinicians better epilepsy surgical decisions in the future.
Single Dose Pharmacokinetics of a Recombinant FVIIa In Factor VIII KO Mice, Rats, and Cynomolgus Monkeys

Abstract 4655 The purpose of these PK studies was to assess the pharmacokinetic profile of Baxter9s rFVIIa in comparison with a commercially available rFVIIa after a single intravenous bolus injection at a target dose of 0.6 mg/kg BW in mice and rats and 2.7 mg/kg BW in cynomolgus monkeys. The AUC0-t last (the area under the concentration vs. time curve from 0 to the last measured time point) was evaluated as primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints were terminal half-life (HL), mean residence time (MRT) and total clearance standardized per kg body mass (Cl) for FVIIa protein and clotting activity. In cynomolgus monkeys only FVIIa clotting activity was evaluated. Blood was sampled at baseline and each of the time points after a single intravenous bolus injection of Baxter9s rFVIIa or the commercially available rFVIIa. The citrated plasma samples were analyzed for FVIIa activity and FVII protein (antigen). A serial sacrifice design was used for the PK in mice. Ten FVIII ko mice (B6;129S4-F8tm1Kaz; 5m/5f) per time point were bled by cardiac puncture under anesthesia for blood sampling 5 – 200 minutes after a single intravenous bolus injection. A single animals design was used for the single dose PK in Sprague Dawley rats (5m/5f) and cynomolgus monkeys (2m/2f). In rats and cynomolgus monkeys blood samples for citrated plasma were drawn before administration (for analysis of baseline FVIIa levels) and 5 – 270 minutes (rats) or 5 minutes to 15 hours (cynomolgus monkeys) after administration. Plasma samples were analyzed for FVIIa protein (antigen) using a FVII ELISA calibrated for FVIIa measurement and for FVIIa activity using a FVIIa clotting assay. In all three species bioequivalence of Baxter9s rFVIIa and the reference item could be shown for the primary endpoint (AUC0-tlast) for FVIIa activity and antigen (the latter was only tested in mice and rats). Additionally, secondary endpoints of FVIIa activity (terminal half-life, mean residence time and total clearance) were similar for Baxter9s rFVIIa and the reference item. In mice, HL was 0.64 h, MRT was 0.80 h and Cl was 245 ml/kg/h for Baxter9s new rFVIIa. Values for the secondary endpoints in rats were 1.17 h for HL, 1.29 h for MRT and 102.6 mL/kg/h for Cl. In cynomolgus monkeys, HL was 2.00 h, MRT was 2.45 h and Cl was 33.6 mL/kg/h. In summary, the pharmacokinetic profiles of Baxter9s rFVIIa and the commercially available rFVIIa were similar in all species studied. Disclosures: Hoebarth:Baxter Innovations GmbH: Employment. Kubik:Baxter Innovations GmbH: Employment. Wolfsegger:Baxter Innovations GmbH: Employment. Lawo:Baxter Innovations GmbH: Employment. Weber:Baxter Innovations GmbH: Employment. Gritsch:Baxter Innovations GmbH: Employment. Ehrlich:Baxter Innovations GmbH: Employment. Scheiflinger:Baxter Innovations GmbH: Employment. Schwarz:Baxter Innovations GmbH: Employment. Muchitsch:Baxter Innovations GmbH: Employment.
Topic Modeling of Smoking- and Cessation-Related Posts to the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Survivor Network (CSN): Implications for Cessation Treatment for Cancer Survivors Who Smoke

Introduction Smoking is a risk factor in at least 18 cancers, and approximately two-thirds of cancer survivors continue smoking following diagnosis. Text mining of survivors' online posts related to smoking and quitting could inform strategies to reduce smoking in this vulnerable population. Methods We identified posts containing smoking/cessation-related keywords from the Cancer Survivors Network (CSN), an online cancer survivor community of 166 000 members and over 468 000 posts since inception. Unsupervised topic model analysis of posts since 2000 using Latent Dirichlet Allocation extracted 70 latent topics which two subject experts inspected for themes based on representative terms. Posterior analysis assessed the distribution of topics within posts, and the range of themes discussed across posts. Results Less than 1% of posts (n = 3998) contained smoking/cessation-related terms, and covered topics related to cancer diagnoses, treatments, and coping. The most frequent smoking-related topics were quit smoking methods (5.4% of posts), and the environment for quitters (2.9% of posts), such as the stigma associated with being a smoker diagnosed with cancer and lack of empathy experienced compared to nonsmokers. Smoking as a risk factor for one's diagnosis was a primary topic in only 1.7% of smoking/cessation-related posts. Conclusions The low frequency of smoking/cessation-related posts may be due to expected criticism/stigma for smoking but may also suggests a need for health care providers to address smoking and assist with quitting in the diagnostic and treatment process. Topic model analysis revealed potential barriers that should be addressed in devising clinical or population-level interventions for cancer survivors who smoke. Implications Although smoking is a major risk factor for cancer, little is known about cancer patients' or survivors' views or concerns about smoking and quitting. This study used text mining of posts to an online community of cancer patients and survivors to investigate contexts in which smoking or quitting is discussed. Results indicated that smoking and quitting discussions were relatively rare, but nevertheless provide insight into barriers that may need to be addressed in cessation interventions for survivors.
Local Structure Studies of As-Made Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 Nanoparticles

To optimize a device, you must know what it's actually made of. Cu${}_{2}$ZnSnS${}_{4}$ (CZTS) is appealing as a photovoltaic absorber, but small structural variations in a real sample can have a large impact on device performance and reliability. To understand the structure and stoichiometry of CZTS nanoparticles, the authors measure the extended x-ray absorption fine structure of the constituent metals. They find that as-synthesized nanoparticles are not always of the intended composition, but that copper-poor CZTS does retain the kesterite (or stannite) structure, with the possibility to fine-tune functional properties by controlling antisite defects.
In Vitro Bypass of Thymidine Glycol by DNA Polymerase θ Forms Sequence-Dependent Frameshift Mutations

Unrepaired DNA lesions block replication and threaten genomic stability. Several specialized translesion polymerases, including polymerase θ (Pol θ), contribute to replicative bypass of these lesions. The role of Pol θ in double-strand break repair is well-understood, but its contribution to translesion synthesis is much less so. We describe the action of Pol θ on templates containing thymidine glycol (Tg), a major cytotoxic, oxidative DNA lesion that blocks DNA replication. Unrepaired Tg lesions are bypassed in human cells by specialized translesion polymerases by one of two distinct pathways: high-fidelity bypass by the combined action of Pol κ and Pol ζ or weakly mutagenic bypass by Pol θ. Here we report that in vitro bypass of Tg by Pol θ results in frameshift mutations (deletions) in a sequence-dependent fashion. Steady-state kinetic analysis indicated that one- and two-nucleotide deletions are formed 9- and 6-fold more efficiently, respectively, than correct, full-length bypass products. Sequencing ...
Exploring officer views of community policing in counterterrorism

Recently there has been increased emphasis on actionable intelligence in counterterrorism. Building from the process-based model of regulation, police chiefs and scholars generally agree that commu...
Distasteful Hosts in Anita Desai's Fasting, Feasting

This article, examines Arun's experiences in the U.S., particularly in his home-stay at the Patton house, as a temporary immigrant while he is in Boston to pursue his undergraduate degree. I look, ...
Developing Special Educator Cultural Awareness Through Critically Reflective Professional Learning Community Collaboration

The development of cultural awareness in educators ensures that culturally and linguistically diverse students receive culturally responsive practices. Because special educators already advocate fo...
Accountable Care Organizations: The Key to More Coordinated Care?

Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are groups of providers that assume financial risk for the care of defined populations. ACOs have been proposed as a means to control the soaring costs of care while simultaneously ensuring the quality and efficiency of that care. Although changes to payment and incentive arrangements are important for the success of ACOs, part of the promise of ACOs depends upon redesigning the way care is coordinated among providers through a variety of coordination mechanisms. In this symposium, we include four empirical papers that together explore how ACOs are attempting to coordinate care and assess the impacts of those coordination efforts on various organizational and patient outcomes. Following the presentations, Stephen Shortell, a prominent ACO researcher and thought leader, will serve as discussant, providing comments tying the four papers together, drawing out implications for research and practice, and leading an interactive group discussion. The Role of Care Coordinatio...
Modeling Glucose Homeostasis and Insulin Dosing in an Intensive Care Unit using Dynamic Bayesian Networks.

Adequate control of serum glucose in critically ill patients is a complex problem requiring continuous monitoring and intervention, which have a direct effect on clinical outcomes. Understanding temporal relationships can help to improve our knowledge of complex disease processes and their response to treatment. We discuss a Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) model that we created using the open-source Projeny toolkit to represent various clinical variables and the temporal and atemporal relationships underlying insulin and glucose homeostasis. We evaluated this model by comparing the DBN model’s insulin dose predictions against those of a rule-based protocol (eProtocol-insulin) currently used in the ICU. The results suggest that the DBN model’s predictions are as effective as or better than those of the rule-based protocol. The limitations of our methods are discussed, with a brief note on their generalizability.
Effects of Molecular Interactions on Miscibility and Mobility of Ibuprofen in Amorphous Solid Dispersions With Various Polymers

Abstract Hydrogen bonds (HBs) in amorphous solid dispersions may influence physical stability through effects on both drug miscibility and mobility. Amorphous solid dispersions containing the HB-donor ibuprofen (IBP) alone or with one of four model polymers (poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) [PVP], poly(vinyl pyrrolidone/vinyl acetate) [PVP/VA], poly(vinyl acetate) [PVA], or polystyrene [PST]) were monitored by molecular dynamics simulation. HB distributions and contributions of electrostatic, van der Waals, and internal interactions to miscibility and mobility were analyzed versus drug concentration. The probability of IBP-IBP HBs decreases markedly (0.6→0.0) with dilution (100→10% drug) in PVP due to IBP-PVP HBs while dilution in the nonpolar PST has a more modest effect on IBP-IBP HB probability (0.6→0.3). Concentration-dependent Flory-Huggins interaction parameters (χ) were determined to assess drug-polymer miscibility. χIBP-PVP values were −0.9 to −1.8 with a plateau near 50% w/w PVP, whereas χIBP-PST fluctuated near zero (−0.1 to 0.3), suggesting that IBP is more soluble in PVP than in PST. χIBP-polymer values in polymers varying in pyrrolidone/acetate composition were in the order PVP (most favorable) > PVP/VA > PVA (least favorable). Decreased local mobility of IBP measured by the atomic fluctuation correlates with more IBP-PVP HBs with increasing PVP content. The opposite trend in IBP-PST may arise from IBP-IBP HB disruption on dilution.
Building Capacity of Occupational Therapy Students to Address the Mental Health Needs of Children and Youth during a Level II Fieldwork in a School Setting

To explore the meaning and outcomes of a virtual building capacity process designed to promote knowledge translation of a public health approach to mental health with children and youth by occupati...
Use of a Clinical Care Algorithm to Improve Care for Children With Hematogenous Osteomyelitis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Acute hematogenous osteomyelitis (AHO) causes significant morbidity in children. Quality improvement (QI) methods have been used to successfully improve care and decrease costs through standardization for numerous conditions, including pediatric AHO. We embarked on a QI initiative to standardize our approach to the inpatient management of AHO, with a global aim of reducing inpatient costs. METHODS: We used existing literature and local consensus to develop a care algorithm for the inpatient management of AHO. We used the Model for Improvement as the framework for the project, which included process mapping, failure mode analysis, and key driver identification. We engaged with institutional providers to achieve at least 80% consensus regarding specific key drivers and tested various interventions to support uptake of the care algorithm. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients were included. There were 31 patients in the preintervention cohort and 26 in the postintervention cohort, of whom 19 were managed per the algorithm. Mean inpatient charges decreased from $45 718 in the preintervention cohort to $32 895 in the postintervention cohort; length of stay did not change. Adherence to recommended empirical antimicrobial agents trended upward. CONCLUSIONS: A simple and low-cost QI project was used to safely decrease the cost of inpatient care for pediatric AHO at a tertiary care children’s hospital. A robust local consensus process proved to be a key component in the uptake of standardization.
High-Directivty Broadband Simultaneous Transmit and Receive (STAR) Antenna System

A broadband, circularly polarized (CP), and high-directivity STAR reflector antenna system is proposed. The high system isolation is achieved by mounting well-designed CP receiving (RX) and transmitting (TX) antennas with high front-to-back ratio (F/B) back-to-back. The TX antenna is the feed of a parabolic reflector which flips its sense of circular polarization leading to co-polarized TX/RX radiation and high TX directivity. The designed TX and RX antennas have directivity > 20 dBic and 9 dBic, respectively, and VSWR 46 dB over the band.
Sulfate-Heaving Studies on Chemically Treated Sulfate-Rich Geomaterials

AbstractSulfate heaving often occurs when soils rich with sulfates are treated with calcium-based stabilizers such as lime and cement materials. This heaving has inflicted severe distress on severa...
Decolonizing Professional Development: A Re-humanizing Approach

After the outlawing of the Mexican American Studies (MAS) program in Tucson, Arizona, K-12 Ethnic Studies programs have materialized across the U.S. at an accelerated rate creating an urgent need f...
An electron microscope study of the formation of the zona pellucida in oocytes from Triturus viridescens

The formation and morphology of the zona pellucida around the amphibian oocyte was studied by means of electron microscopy. The onset of formation is indicated by undulation of the basal membrane of the follicle cells and the plasmalemma. Gradually a homogeneous ground substance is deposited between the aforementioned layers. The plasmalemma becomes so undulated as to form microvilli which project up into the continually accumulating ground substance. As maturation proceeds, sites on the basal membrane remain in contact with the plasmalemma and eventually extend down as macrovilli. At the time the zona reaches its maximal development and complexity, it consists of two layers, a more peripheral homogeneous layer and an adjacent thicker and more dense zona radiata. The microvilli, which are 0.1 μ in diameter, project up deeply into the zona radiata. The macrovilli, which are 0.2 μ in diameter, by this time extend down through the entire width of the zona pellucida and into (but not in direct contact with) peripheral cytoplasm. As the oocyte reaches maturity, the microvilli will gradually recede and the ground substance of the zona pellucida will serve to form the fertilization membrane. The problem of the site of synthesis and function of the zona is discussed.
Using signaling to aid computer program comprehension

Guidelines for using style to improve computer program comprehension have often been proposed without empirical testing. This thesis reports on the results of three controlled experiments that investigated ways program style may be used to aid comprehension of source code listings. Experiments 1 and 2 were conducted using advanced computer science students as subjects and short Pascal programs. Results showed that student programmers used meaningful identifier names as important sources of information during comprehension of short programs. A review of the literature showed the need for the thesis' proposed methodology for designing controlled experiments on program comprehension that produce results which generalize well to situations involving professional programmers working on real world tasks. This methodology was used to design Experiment 3. Text comprehension researchers have investigated the use of signaling, or the placement of non-content information, in a text in order to emphasize certain ideas and/or clarify the organization. Experiment 3 investigated the role of signaling in another domain, that of computer program source code listings. The experiment had professional programmers study a 913-line C program. Three types of signals were investigated: preview statements, headings, and typographic cueing. The major results were (a) meaningful module names served as headings in the source code listing and helped professional programmers understand and locate information in the program; (b) header comments, when written as preview statements, helped professional programmers understand and locate information in the program; (c) typographic cueing, designed to provide emphasis and segmentation cues, helped programmers understand the program; and (d) the effects of meaningful names, header comments, and typographic cueing were additive. No significant interactions of effects were observed. Based on these results, guidelines are proposed for ways programmers may use comments and module names in source code to act as signals that aid future readers. In addition, guidelines are suggested for adding typographic signaling to provide emphasis to the comments and names.
Reducing power sector emissions under the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments: A retrospective on 30 years of program development and implementation

Abstract The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) launched a new era in environmental protection. New provisions created the innovative Acid Rain Program to curtail acid-rain-causing emissions from the electric power sector through an allowance trading program. Success implementing this new type of program led to its expanded use to achieve additional power plant emission reductions in support of the CAAA "Good Neighbor" requirements. As a result, air pollution and its environmental effects have decreased dramatically in the last 30 years. Implementation of power plant regulations under the acid rain and Good Neighbor provisions of the CAAA provides insights into the efficacy of legislative versus regulatory policy and holds valuable lessons for future environmental policy.
Similarity Inspection and Optimal Arrangement of Carpet Images using Deep Learning and Genetic Algorithms

In this paper, a similarity inspection approach of two carpet images and an approach to find the optimal arrangement of multiple carpet images are presented. In order to check whether two carpet images are similar to each other, the pre-trained Inception-v3 deep learning model is employed to extract a feature vector for each image. Then the K-means clustering algorithm classifies all carpet images into several groups based on the image feature vectors. In each group, the images are thought to be very similar to each other. In the next step, a genetic algorithm is proposed to arrange the images within each group in a particular way so that an image is always close to those images which it is the most similar to. Two experimental results validated the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.
Inhaled Cannabis Suppresses Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathic Nociception by Decoupling the Raphe Nucleus: A Functional Imaging Study in Rats.

Abstract Background Efficacy of inhaled cannabis for treating pain is controversial. Effective treatment for chemotherapy-induced neuropathy represents an unmet medical need. We hypothesized that cannabis reduces neuropathic pain by reducing functional coupling in the raphe nuclei. Methods We assessed the impact of inhalation of vaporized cannabis plant (containing 10.3% Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol/0.05% cannabidiol) or placebo cannabis on brain resting-state blood oxygen level–dependent functional connectivity and pain behavior induced by paclitaxel in rats. Rats received paclitaxel to produce chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy or its vehicle. Behavioral and imaging experiments were performed after neuropathy was established and stable. Images were registered to, and analyzed using, a 3D magnetic resonance imaging rat atlas providing site-specific data on more than 168 different brain areas. Results Prior to vaporization, paclitaxel produced cold allodynia. Inhaled vaporized cannabis increased cold withdrawal latencies relative to prevaporization or placebo cannabis, consistent with Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-induced antinociception. In paclitaxel-treated rats, the midbrain serotonergic system, comprising the dorsal and median raphe, showed hyperconnectivity to cortical, brainstem, and hippocampal areas, consistent with nociceptive processing. Inhalation of vaporized cannabis uncoupled paclitaxel-induced hyperconnectivity patterns. No such changes in connectivity or cold responsiveness were observed following placebo cannabis vaporization. Conclusions Inhaled vaporized cannabis plant uncoupled brain resting-state connectivity in the raphe nuclei, normalizing paclitaxel-induced hyperconnectivity to levels observed in vehicle-treated rats. Inhaled vaporized cannabis produced antinociception in both paclitaxel- and vehicle-treated rats. Our study elucidates neural circuitry implicated in the therapeutic effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and supports a role for functional imaging studies in animals in guiding indications for future clinical trials.
Network Approaches to Misinformation Evaluation and Correction

Network research offers a useful toolkit allowing us to explore the social aspects of opinion formation, information credibility, media trust, and digital content diffusion. Understanding the social processes that drive the spread, exposure, and acceptance of fake news can inform design of policy and industry solutions. This chapter explores the social component of content evaluation and dissemination with view to possible regulatory and technological remedies for digital misinformation. It starts with a discussion of recent developments in our understanding of online misinformation. The following sections offer an overview of the role social networks play in our exposure to, engagement with, dissemination of, and belief in fake news. The chapter concludes by describing a case study that demonstrates the potential of network approaches to correcting misinformation.
Calcium Channel and Related Paraneoplastic Disease Autoantibodies

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on calcium channel and related paraneoplastic disease autoantibodies. After paraneoplastic autoimmune serology was introduced to clinical practice, type 1 antineuronal nuclear autoantibodies (ANNA-1) were recognized in adult patients with a spectrum of inflammatory central and peripheral nervous system disorders associated with small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC), including gastrointestinal dysmotilities. Tumor antigens that stimulate immune responses giving rise to paraneoplastic autoantibodies, both neuron or muscle-specific and non-organ-specific, appear to act as a co-immunogenic macromolecular complex of nuclear, cytoplasmic, and plasma membrane proteins. Neuron or muscle-restricted autoantibodies are useful diagnostically as markers of paraneoplastic neurologic autoimmunity, and in some cases as specific tumor markers. The neoplasms are commonly carcinomas of lung, breast or ovary. Detection of certain marker autoantibodies in the serum or cerebrospinal fluid offers the prospect of earlier diagnosis and treatment of an underlying carcinoma.
Research Methods in Health Communication : Principles and Application

This volume provides an essential roster of primary research methods as they apply to health communication inquiry. Editor Bryan B. Whaley brings together key health communication researchers to write about their primary methodological areas. Their chapters offer guidance and insights for a variety of approaches to answering research questions. The methods included here cover: Exploration and Description: interview/focus groups, case study, ethnography, and surveys; Examining Messages and Interpersonal Exchanges: narrative analysis, conversational analysis, analyzing physician-patient interactions, social network analysis, and content analysis; Causal Explication: experimental research, meta-analysis, and meta-synthesis; and Cultural, Population, and Critical Concerns: rhetorical methods and criticism, and methodological issues when investigating stigmatized populations, and groups with health disparities. Chapters cite or use examples from allied health areas -- nursing, public health, sociology, medicine -- to demonstrate the breadth of health communication studies. This work highlights the importance of methodology in health communication research in multiple contexts. Developed to provide a fundamental reference for investigating health communication, this volume will serve as an invaluable tool for researchers and students across the social science and health disciplines.
Cognitive and functional frameworks for hard/soft fusion for the condition monitoring of aircraft

The synergistic integration of information from electronic sensors and human sources is called hard/soft information fusion. Emerging literature is reviewed according to levels of the Joint Directors of Laboratories data fusion process model. Two frameworks are created for hard/soft information fusion for the condition monitoring of aircraft. First, a cognitive framework is adapted from Orasanu's decision process model and Klein's macrocognition. Second, a functional framework is adapted from the JDL model, and the data-information-knowledge hierarchy is juxtaposed. Levels of inference, machine capabilities, and maintainers' capabilities are also juxtaposed to compare and contrast relative strengths with respect to JDL levels. In ongoing studies, maintainers' information-seeking behavior is observed to make inferences about the cognitive processes underlying their decision-making and its implications for diagnoses, treatments, and resulting outcomes. Improved outcomes and reduced diagnostic effort may reduce operational maintenance cost, increase mission readiness, and increase flight safety.
Extension of Rydberg absorption series of N2, A 2Πu ← X 1Σg+

Abstract Rydberg absorption series of N2 converging to the A 2 Π u state of N2+ have been reinvestigated with a 6.65-m normal incidence vacuum spectrograph in the second order. Previously known A ← X series (I) and (II) have been extended to higher members with m ∼ 40 and up to v′ = 7.
White Fatigue: Naming the Challenge in Moving from an Individual to a Systemic Understanding of Racism

This article introduces the notion White fatigue. White fatigue occurs for White students who have grown tired of learning and discussing race and racism, despite an understanding of the moral imperative of anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices. The article differentiates White fatigue from ideas like White resistance, White guilt, or White fragility, arguing that each of these phenomenon occur at different stages of White Racial Identity Development. Distinction is also drawn among White fatigue and other forms of racially based fatigue, specifically racial battle fatigue and White people fatigue syndrome. Further drawing on the notion of stereotype threat, the article considers the challenges for White students learning about race and racism while simultaneously resisting being labeled a racist. This struggle is elemental to the manifestation of White fatigue. Ultimately, the author argues that educators must be more accurate in how they define the range of responses from White students, consistentl...
In Vivo Antitumor Effect of CD40L-transduced Tumor Cells as a Vaccine for B-Cell Lymphoma

CD40-CD40 ligand (CD40L) interactions play a critical role in the activationof cellular immunity. CD40L enhances the antigen presentation function of CD40-expressing B cells. We have used a murine B-cell lymphoma model (A20) to study the in vivo antitumor effect of the administration of tumor cells transduced with a recombinant adenovirus encoding CD40L (AdvCD40L). After infection with AdvCD40L, A20 tumor cells up-regulate several T-cell costimulatory molecules (CD80, CD86, ICAM-1, and LFA-3) and Fas expression. Animals vaccinated with irradiated tumor cells transduced with AdvCD40L are protected against a lethal dose of parental A20 tumor cells. Animals with pre-existing tumors treated with AdvCD40L-transduced tumor cells display inhibition of the tumor growth, and this treatment confers a survival advantage. In vivo depletion studies demonstrate that both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells mediate the antitumor immunity provided by AdvCD40L-transduced tumor cells. These results show that genetic modification of tumor B cells with CD40L can be a useful strategy to promote systemic immunity against B-cell malignancies and provide an in vivo system to allow for additional evaluation and refinement of this approach.
Vascular calcification: Hardening of the evidence

In the past several years, basic-science studies have shown that vascular calcification is an active, cell-mediated process. It is increased in the uremic milieu and with hyperphosphatemia and therefore should be preventable. Additional advances in imaging techniques have facilitated the diagnosis of arterial calcification, a critical initial step in the translation of this knowledge to patient care.
Protection by Vitamin C of Loss of Vitamin E in Cultured Rat Hepatocytes

Abstract Results from in vivo studies of the capacity of vitamin C to spare and/or recycle vitamin E are equivocal. While some in vitro and membrane models reveal an interaction between vitamins C and E, the characterization of this relationship in biologically relevant systems is lacking. Thus, we investigated this relationship using hepatocytes isolated from 3- to 6-month-old male Sprague–Dawley rats. Cells were incubated for 18–20 h in medium supplemented with 0.1–4 mM ascorbic acid. The loss of α-tocopherol and the formation of its primary oxidized metabolite, α-tocopherolquinone, was determined by HPLC. Levels of α-tocopherol in hepatocytes incubated without ascorbic acid declined from 390 to 35 pmol/mg protein; hepatocyte ascorbic acid levels declined from 9 to 0.5 nmol/mg protein. α-Tocopherolquinone was undetectable in freshly isolated hepatocytes but following incubation in ascorbate-free medium reached 10 pmol/mg protein. The formation of α-tocopherolquinone was not detected in hepatocytes incubated with ascorbic acid. Dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) levels represented 10–20% of the total ascorbate content in freshly isolated hepatocytes but after 3 h incubation the proportion of DHA increased to 50%; after 18–20 h incubation DHA was undetectable. Hepatocytes incubated with 1.0, 2.0, 2.5, or 4.0 mM ascorbic acid lost significantly less α-tocopherol (62, 69, 67, and 56%, respectively) than unsupplemented controls (90%). Twelve percent of the α-tocopherol lost from hepatocytes during incubation was detected in the medium of cells incubated with ascorbic acid, but vitamin E was undetectable in the medium of cells incubated without ascorbic acid. These results demonstrate an interaction between vitamins C and E in cell culture and are not inconsistent with a potential recycling of oxidized α-tocopherol by ascorbic acid.
Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Female Heterozygoses and the X-Inactivation Hypothesis

Summary The levels of G-6-PD activity in 75 female heterozygotes detected by pedigree analysis are reported, together with biochemical and genetic data of a pedigree in which a wide variation in G-6-PD activity was revealed in heterozygotes. The results strongly favour the hypothesis that one X-chromosome is inactivated during early embryonic development in the human female, at least as far as the locus of G-6-PD is concerned.
5' viral and human cellular sequences corresponding to the transforming gene of simian sarcoma virus

The 5' nucleotide sequences of the transforming gene of simian sarcoma virus (v-sis) and its human cellular homolog (c-sis) were compared. A short homology was found between helper virus and cellular DNA sequences at the junction of v-sis and c-sis, which may have had a role in the original recombination event leading to the generation of simian sarcoma virus.