cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Serum magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium are associated with risk of incident heart failure: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a major source of morbidity and mortality, particularly among the elderly. Magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium are micronutrients traditionally viewed in relation to bone health or chronic kidney disease. However, they also may be associated with risk of cardiovascular disease through a broad range of physiologic roles. Objective: With the use of data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort, we tested the hypotheses that the incidence of HF is greater among individuals with low serum magnesium and those with high serum phosphorus and calcium. Design: A total of 14,709 African Americans (27%) and whites from the ARIC cohort [aged 45–64 y at baseline (1987–1989)] were observed through 2009. Proportional hazards regression was used to explore associations between biomarkers and incident HF. Serum calcium was corrected for serum albumin. Models were adjusted for demographics, behaviors, and physiologic characteristics. Results: A total of 2250 incident HF events accrued over a median follow-up of 20.6 y. Participants in the lowest (≤1.4 mEq/L) compared with the highest (≥1.8 mEq/L) category of magnesium were at greater HF risk (HR: 1.71; 95% CI: 1.46, 1.99). For phosphorus, there appeared to be a threshold whereby only those in the highest quintile were at greater HF risk [HR(Q5 vs Q1): 1.34; 95% CI: 1.16, 1.54]. Higher concentrations of calcium were also associated with greater risk of HF [HR(Q5 vs Q1): 1.24; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.43]. Results were not modified by race, sex, or kidney function and were similar when incident coronary heart disease was included as a time-varying covariate. Conclusions: Low serum magnesium and high serum phosphorus and calcium were independently associated with greater risk of incident HF in this population-based cohort. Whether these biomarkers will be useful candidates for HF risk prediction or targets for prevention remains to be seen.
A NEW AND FAST ELECTRIC POWER GENERATING SYSTEM RELIABILITY EVALUATION MODEL USING PETRI NETS

This paper presents a new power generating system reliability evaluation model which performs like a Monte Carlo based reliability model but without using random number generators or probability distribution of system components. The proposed method is based on a class of Petri Nets known as timed state machine Petri Nets (TSMPNs). The method is simple, flexible, accurate, and extremely fast. A comparison of results from the new model with those from conventional Monte Carlo based reliability techniques shows the fidelity of the model and its potential usefulness in power system reliability studies. The method can also be extended and utilized for other system reliability studies in a more general sense.
Automatic optimal control of Field Assisted Sintering Technology

In this paper, we introduce a novel model-free optimal control algorithm that finds the near optimal energy saving control trajectory from the observations of the process data. Conventional optimal control algorithms have not been able to find the optimal solution without the dynamic models of the system. Therefore a computationally expensive system identification process has been indispensable to control a black box dynamical system. The algorithm we provide in this paper eliminates the need for the system identification and quickly finds a near optimal solution by calculating the minimum dynamic information from the observed data. Since the algorithm runs with only time series type data, it is indeed model-free and especially versatile for a black-box dynamical system. We show the framework of this new optimizing method for a recent hot manufacturing process, Field Assisted Sintering Technology (FAST), whose dynamic mechanism is not revealed yet.
A Robust Concept Exploration Method for Enhancing Productivity in Concurrent Systems Design

Productivity is of major economic significance in the current competitive global market. Due to growing costs and globalization of the marketplace, improvements in productivity require the creation of a reliable design through concurrent systems analysis in the shortest possible time. This is particularly important for designing complex engineering systems such as aircraft, automobiles and ships. The Robust Concept Exploration Method (RCEM) embodies a systematic approach that can be used to enhance design productivity by both increasing design knowledge in the early stages of designs and maintaining design freedom throughout the design process. Given the overall design requirements and the systems analysis packages, the RCEM is used to evaluate quickly the design alternatives and to develop comprehen sive, robust, flexible, and modifiable top-level specifications. Central to the RCEM is the integration of robust design techniques, Suh's de sign axioms, and the Response Surface Methodology within the frame...
Prayer, Mosque, and Pilgrimage: Mapping Shī'ī Sectarian Identity in 2nd/8th Century Kūfa

I propose a narrative for the emergence of sectarian consciousness rooted in distinctive ritual practice and geographical space. This differs from recent studies of early Imāmī Shī'ism which tend to focus on historical struggles for political power or theological disputes about religious authority (i.e., the imāmate). I conclude that an observable proto-Imāmī identity began to crystallize in early 2nd/8th century Kūfa. In an urban environment characterized by a growing correlation between communal identity and ritual practice, the Imāmīs carved out distinctive sacred spaces in Kūfa, frequenting a set of revered mosques and avoiding others associated with hostile elements. Over time, Imāmīs increasingly emphasized smaller pilgrimages (ziyārāt) to shrines and other locations of historical and religious significance (e.g., 'Alī's shrine and al-Husayn's grave in Karbalā'). By the early 5th/11th century, participation in large processions to holy sites constituted a clear public declaration of communal loyalty.
Variation in Colonoscopic Technique and Adenoma Detection Rates at an Academic Gastroenterology Unit

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the quality of colonoscopy at an academic institution with a focus on factors influencing withdrawal times and adenoma detection rates. Procedural data and pathologic results of 550 consecutive screening colonoscopies in average risks patients (mean [±SD] age, 57 ± 7.6, 44% male) completed by ten academic gastroenterologists were reviewed. Per individual gastroenterologist, the adenoma detection rates ranged widely from 0.09 to 0.82 adenomas per patient with a mean of 0.46 for the group. The mean withdrawal time was 7.0 min for the group and ranged from 3.4 to 9.6 min. There was a significant positive relationship between the number of adenomas detected and the withdrawal time (P = 0.006). Endoscopists with cecal intubation time to withdrawal time ratios of less than 1 detected significantly more adenomas compared to endoscopists with ratios greater than 1 (P = 0.001). (1) Significant variation in academic gastroenterologists’ abilities to detect adenomas during screening colonoscopies exists. (2) Colonoscopic withdrawal time and the cecal intubation to withdrawal time ratio are important factors associated with increased adenoma detection rates.
Electrochemical examination of core–shell mediated Li+ transport in Li4Ti5O12 anodes of lithium ion batteries

Abstract Lithium titanium oxide (LTO) particles of – shell type) structural phase transition in these particles are probed in a LiClO 4 electrolyte of ethylene and diethyl carbonates. The experiments involve a combination of galvanostatic cycling, slow scan cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Experimentally generated Ragone plots show that, specific energies measured during fast charging of LTO are higher than those obtained during similarly paced discharge steps. The electronic conductivity of the LTO shell plays a key role in supporting this particular effect. EIS results illustrate the kinetics of Li transport in LTO as well as in the solid-electrolyte interphase. EIS also shows certain marks of anomalous Li + diffusion within the spatially heterogeneous, core – shell structured LTO particles. Voltage dependent values of the charge transfer resistance, intercalation capacitance and chemical diffusion coefficient of Li + in LTO are measured using EIS. Detailed potential profiles of these impedance parameters elucidate how charge transport in LTO is affected by the biphasic behavior of this material.
Mesocarp cell turgor in Vitis vinifera L. berries throughout development and its relation to firmness, growth, and the onset of ripening

Vitis vinifera L. berries are non-climacteric fruit that exhibit a double sigmoid growth pattern and dynamic changes in gene expression, cell metabolism, and water relations at the onset of ripening. The cell-pressure probe was utilized to examine the relationships of turgor pressure (P) in mesocarp cells to growth, sugar accumulation, and fruit softening during development. In replications utilizing three different varieties, mesocarp cell P demonstrated a consistent pattern of a relative mid-range P early in development, followed by an increase to a maximum of about 0.35 MPa, and a subsequent rapid decline before ripening to less than 0.1 MPa. Fruit “apparent elastic modulus” (E, units of MPa), was introduced as a standard measure to describe ripening-related softening. E changed dynamically and synchronously with P during development and in response to water deficits for fruit grown in greenhouse and field conditions. Thus, E and P were positively and linearly related. Sugar accumulation did not increase significantly until P had declined to less than 0.1 MPa. The results suggest that P is an important determinant of fruit softening and that P decreases in conjunction with many of the physiological and gene expression changes that are known to occur at the onset of ripening.
Optimal placement of DG using multiobjective particle swarm optimization

In the future, distributed generation (DG) will play important role in power system network. A grid-connected distributed generation can be a good proposition if consumption of electricity is high. The position of DG effects many ways on power system network. Finding position of DG on power system network will be developed in this paper. An optimal placement of DG on the power system network is proposed by using multiobjective particle swarm optimization (MPSO) to minimize economic and emission costs of overall system. The MPSO is used to minimize simultaneously economic cost and emission of thermal units by changing sitting and varying sizes of DG. We employ IEEE 30 bus system to verify the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method found the optimal sitting and sizing of DG with minimum cost of economic and environmental pollution.
Cognitive functioning in individuals with severe compulsive hoarding behaviors and late life depression.

OBJECTIVES The cognitive characteristics of individuals with Severe Compulsive Hoarding behaviors (SCH) are not well understood and existing studies have largely focused on individuals with SCH and concurrent anxiety disorders. The present study was conducted to evaluate the frequency with which SCH co-occurs with LLD and to compare the cognitive characteristics of individuals with late life depression and concurrent SCH (LLD+SCH) to that of LLD individuals without SCH (LLD).
Four new proteins of the eumelanosome matrix of the chick pigment epithelium.

A new procedure is presented for the isolation of electron microscopically clean melanosomes. The procedure provides melanosomes which have been stripped of their membrane components so that only matrix elements are examined. Solubilization of these melanosomes is by 8 M urea-1% Triton X-100 treatment with reduction and alkylation. The proteins are examined on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels and on acid-urea polyacrylamide gels. Evidence is presented indicating the presence of four low-molecular-weight proteins which have not previously been reported. Data indicate that these proteins are the major components of the melanosome matrix, that they are not histones and that at least one of them is a glycoprotein.
Anti-translational research: from the bedside back to the bench for reflectance confocal microscopy

The reflectance confocal microscope has made translational progress in dermatology. 0.5 micrometer lateral resolution, 0.75mm field-of-view and excellent temporal resolution at ~15 frames/second serve the VivaScope well in the clinic, but it may be overlooked in basic research. This work reviews high spatiotemporal confocal microscopy and presents images acquired of various samples: zebra fish embryo where melanocytes with excellent contrast overly the spinal column, chicken embryo, where myocardium is seen moving at 15 frames/ second, calcium spikes in dendrites (fluorescence mode) just beyond the temporal resolution, and human skin where blood cells race through the artereovenous microvasculature. For an introduction to confocal microscopy, see: http://dangareau.net.s69818.gridserver.com/science/confocal-microscopy
An empirical study of ICASE learning curves and probability bounds for software development effort

Abstract In this paper, we investigate the existence of learning curves in software development. Under the assumption of independent and identical distribution (iid) of programmer’s experience and identical effort-experience learning curve relationship for different programmers, we illustrate the existence of an exponentially decreasing learning curve relationship between a programmer’s effort and his/her ICASE tool experience, and show that the effort-experience relationship is inelastic when a programmer’s ICASE tool experience is low. We analyze the impact of our assumptions on actual software development effort, and propose a tight probability upper bound and a central-limit theorem based probability estimator for estimating the approximate probability that the software development effort will be less than or equal to a certain number. Examples to illustrate the use of the probability estimator are also provided.
Scalar measurements in a flickering flame using high-speed rainbow schlieren deflectometry

Rainbow schlieren apparatus was integrated with a high-speed digital imaging system to quantify the scalar structure of steady and flickering jet diffusion flames of gaseous hydrogen. The rainbow schlieren technique utilizes a continuously graded color filter placed at the focal point of the decollimating lens to quantify the transverse displacement of light rays passing through the media. Excellent agreement was reached between steady flame shapes determined from the schlieren technique and direct visualization. For the flickering flame at jet exit Reynolds number of 300, the rainbow schlieren images were taken at acquisition rates of up to 1000 frames per second. The image data were analyzed to determine full-field distributions of refractive index, and hence, temperature and oxygen concentration assuming chemical equilibrium in the flame. The contour plots of instantaneous temperature and oxygen concentration are shown to quantitatively describe the flow structure during a flicker cycle. Results show that the capability to quantitatively describe the temporal evolution of the temperature field is greatly improved by using the high-speed imaging system.
CORRECTIONS TO LAG SEQUENTIAL RESULTS IN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

A number of communication researchers have used Sacketl's incorrect lag sequential program to analyze interactive data. This paper illustrates the potential seriousness of the programming error, and indicates which lag sequential analyses should be reexamined.
Steady-state and transient dynamic simulation of a continuous foil bearing

The objective of this paper is to present an integrated procedure which will analyze the dynamics of a foil hearing on elastic supports. A complete time-dependent Navier-Stokes formulation is used to solve for the interaction between the hydrodynamic effects of the fluid lubricant, the motion of the journal, and the deformable foil boundary. The elastic deformation of the foil and its supports are simulated by a finite-element model. The steady-state, quasi-transient and full transient dynamics of the foil-fluid-journal interaction are examined. For the steady-state simulation of a particular journal position, the fluid lubricant pressures are evaluated by means of a joint iterative scheme until convergence is achieved in both the fluid pressure and the corresponding foil deformation. For the quasi-transient case, the transient motion of the journal is calculated using a numerical integration scheme for the velocity and displacement of the journal. The deformation of the foil is calculated through numeric...
Structure-function relationships of curaremimetic neurotoxin loop 2 and of a structurally similar segment of rabies virus glycoprotein in their interaction with the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.

Peptides corresponding to portions of curaremimetic neurotoxin loop 2 and to a structurally similar segment of rabies virus glycoprotein were synthetically modified in order to gain information on structure-function relationships of neurotoxin loop 2 interactions with the acetylcholine receptor. Binding of synthetic peptides to the acetylcholine receptor of Torpedo electric organ membranes was assessed by measuring their ability to inhibit the binding of {sup 125}I-{alpha}-bungarotoxin to the receptor. The peptides showing the highest affinity for the receptor were a peptide corresponding to the sequence of loop 2 (residues 25-44) of Ophiophagus hannah (king cobra) toxin b and the structurally similar segment of CVS rabies virus glycoprotein. These affinities were comparable to those of d-tubocurarine and suberyldicholine. These results demonstrate the importance of loop 2 in the neurotoxin interaction with the receptor. N- and C-terminal deletions of the loop 2 peptides and substitution of residues invariant or highly conserved among neurotoxins were performed in order to determine the role of individual residues in binding. Residues 25-40 are the most crucial in the interaction with the acetylcholine receptor. Since this region of the glycoprotein contains residues corresponding to all of the functionally invariant neurotoxin residues, it may interact with the acetylcholine receptormore » through a mechanism similar to that of the neurotoxins.« less
Evolution of the interferon alpha gene family in eutherian mammals

Interferon alpha (IFNA) genes code for proteins with important signaling roles during the innate immune response. Phylogenetically, IFNA family members in eutherians (placental mammals) cluster together in a species-specific manner except for closely related species (i.e. Homo sapiens and Pan troglodytes) where gene-specific clustering is evident. Previous research has been unable to clarify whether gene conversion or recent gene duplication accounts for gene-specific clustering, partly because the similarity of members of the IFNA family within species has made it historically difficult to identify the exact composition of IFNA gene families. IFNA gene families were fully characterized in recently available genomes from Canis familiaris, Macaca mulatta, Pan troglodytes and Rattus norvegicus, and combined with previously characterized IFNA gene families from Homo sapiens and Mus musculus, for the analysis of both whole and partial gene conversion events using a variety of statistical methods. Gene conversion was inferred in every eutherian species analyzed and comparison of the IFNA gene family locus between primate species revealed independent gene duplication in M. mulatta. Thus, both gene conversion and gene duplication have shaped the evolution of the IFNA gene family in eutherian species. Scenarios may be envisaged whereby the increased production of a specific IFN-α protein would be beneficial against a particular pathogenic infection. Gene conversion, similar to duplication, provides a mechanism by which the protein product of a specific IFNA gene can be increased.
Alcohol‐Promoted Ring‐Opening Alkyne Metathesis Polymerization

Alcohol is the answer! An inactive, air-stable, dimeric molybdenum alkylidyne complex is activated toward ring-opening alkyne metathesis polymerization (ROAMP) by the addition of methanol. The ROAMP is compatible with water and phenol-containing substrates and with the in situ photochemical generation of alkyne monomers from cyclopropenones.
Balancing Teacher and Student Roles in Elementary Classrooms: Preservice elementary teachers’ learning about the inquiry continuum

Using the National Research Council's inquiry continuum framework, we use a multiple-case study research design to investigate the teacher- and student-directedness of elementary preservice teachers’ planned and enacted science lessons and their pedagogical reasoning about science instruction during a semester-long science methods course. Our specific research questions were (1) What ideas do elementary preservice teachers bring to a science teaching methods course about the inquiry continuum? and (2) How do their ideas about the inquiry continuum change over the course of the semester through engaging in planning, enactment, and reflection upon science instruction? Participants’ course artifacts (journals, reflective teaching assignments, and lesson plan rationales), interviews, and field observations of their enacted science lessons served as data for this study. Findings show that although the preservice teachers began the semester defining inquiry as highly student-directed, their ideas and definition...
Age differences in learning from text: Evidence for functionally distinct text processing systems

We investigated the influence of sentence elaboration on self-regulated learning in order to examine age differences in resource allocation to the construction of textbase- and discourse-level representations. Older and younger adults learned about a topic by reading a series of sentences varying in elaboration (from simple factoids to highly elaborated text) and manner of presentation (progressive change in elaboration vs. random change in elaboration). Younger readers were more likely to recall information from factoids; older adults, from highly elaborated text. Relative to young, older readers showed an advantage in the progressive presentation condition, which minimised frequent changes between textbase- and discourse-level processing. Older adults showed poorer memory monitoring for factoids and less elaborated discourse relative to young, but when passages were highly elaborated or presented progressively, age differences were eliminated. Results support the idea that textbase- and discourse-level encoding arise from functionally distinct systems whose regulation depends on text properties and reader age. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Drowning the suburb: settlement planning and climate change adaptation in a Hungarian metropolitan area

Urban planning can contribute to reducing vulnerability to the impacts of climate change (including the expected increased occurrence of extreme weather events) in metropolitan areas. However, lack of urban governance and planning focusing on the metropolitan area as a whole, and decisions that do not take into account sufficiently the occurrence of such events, can substantially increase the cost of recovery from weather-related disasters. This policy study connects climate change adaptation, urban planning and metropolitan governance issues in the Hungarian context, focusing on the June 2010 floods in the town of Felsőzsolca, in the Miskolc metropolitan area. A review of key literature is provided on the impacts of climate change in cities and on governing climate action in metropolitan areas. Events leading up to and following the June 2010 Felsőzsolca floods are analysed from the perspective of urban planning. Based on evaluation criteria including effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, institutional capa...
The Words Change, But the Melody Lingers

Acceptance of expert testimony on the battered woman syndrome in criminal and civil cases has established expectations about “real” battered women that reinforce conventional notions of femininity. Despite well-documented and publicized analyses of the status of the syndrome as no longer reflecting the range of knowledge relevant to battered women in legal settings, the expectations of helplessness promoted by the syndrome persist. In this article, specific cases are discussed in which the characteristics described in the syndrome are contrasted with the assertiveness, strength, and strategic decision making expressed by female defendants who had been battered. The negative consequences of the persistence of the battered woman syndrome in court are also described.
Characterizing stability of inventories in supply chains with delays in early-stage firms

Resource constrained early-stage firms commercializing assembled products face supply chain (SC) problems that could ultimately cause the company to fail. Delays, complexity, and associated cost overruns throughout the SC can quickly drain cash flow, putting the new firm in a disadvantaged position. This is exacerbated by the increased use of outsourced global suppliers, demands of resellers, and pressure for rapid growth. A decision-making tableau over a conceptual SC model is revealed, which identifies qualitative behavior of inventories with respect to delays inherently present in the SC. This tableau can aid the entrepreneurial manager in strategic decisions. A case example is given followed by discussion on the results, limitations, and direction of future research.
Dreadlocks: efficient deadlock detection

We present Dreadlocks, an efficient new shared-memory spin lock that actively detects deadlocks. Instead of spinning on a Boolean value, each thread spins on the lock owner's per-thread digest, a compact representation of a portion of the lock's waits-for graph. Digests can be implemented either as bit vectors (for small numbers of threads) or as Bloom filters (for larger numbers of threads). Updates to digests are propagated dynamically as locks are acquired and released. Dreadlocks can be applied to any spin lock algorithm that allows threads to time out. Experimental results show that Dreadlocks outperform timeouts under many circumstances, and almost never do worse.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSE III. IMMUNOLOGIC RESPONSES IN THE LAMPREY

1. Studies of the immune response have been carried out in more than 1700 lampreys representing three stages in the life cycle of these animals. 2. Lampreys used in this study were unable to clear certain soluble protein antigens and bacteriophage and were unable to make antibodies to these antigens. Hemocyanin was cleared from the circulation. 3. The immune responses demonstrated in lampreys include the production of specific antibody to killed Brucella cells, the rejection of skin homografts, and the development of a delayed allergic response to old tuberculin. 4. A responsive proliferation of lymphoid cells occurred in the protovertebral arch following antigen-adjuvant stimulation. 5. Electrophoretic and immunoelectrophoretic analysis of lamprey serum revealed gamma globulin. Ultracentrifugal analysis of serum revealed proteins with sedimentation coefficients of 17S, 8S, 7S, and 3S. 6. The antibodies thus far observed in the lamprey are of relatively high molecular weight and destroyed by 2-mercaptoethanol. 7. In the lamprey it would appear that there is reflected the coordinate evolution of a primitive thymus, primitive spleen containing lymphoid foci, a family of lymphocytes in the peripheral blood and capacity for gamma globulin synthesis and expression of adaptive immunity.
Correlation range query

Efficient correlation computation has been an active research area of data mining. Given a large dataset and a specified query item, we are interested in finding items in the dataset that are within certain range of correlation with the query item. Such a problem, known as the correlation range query (CRQ), has been a common task in many application domains. In this paper, we identify piecewise monotone properties of the upper and lower bounds of the φ coefficient, and propose an efficient correlation range query algorithm, called CORAQ. The CORAQ algorithm effectively prunes many items without computing their actual correlation coefficients with the query item. CORAQ also attains completeness and correctness of the query results. Experiments with large benchmark datasets show that this algorithm is much faster than its brute-force alternative and scales well with large datasets.
Insulin Pump Patient Characteristics and Glucose Control in the Hospitalized Setting

Patients’ knowledge of their insulin pumps and glucose control during hospitalization has not been studied. The aim was to study the determinants of glycemic control in patients using continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) in the hospital. Three groups of patients were identified: those who did not need any inpatient education and continued on CSII (gorup A), those who received education then continued on CSII (group B), and those for whom CSII was not appropriate and were treated with multiple daily insulin injections (gorup C). We compared the measures of glycemic control between the 3 groups and analyzed which variables impacted glucose control. There were 50 patients, with 51 hospital admissions, 57% males, mean age 48 ± 13 years, 86% had type 1 diabetes (T1DM). The mean DM duration was 26 ± 14 years, mean duration of CSII use was 8.7 ± 6 years, and mean HbA1c was 7.6 ± 1.4%. The mean duration of hospital stay was 5.6 ± 4.6 days. Mean blood glucose (BG) and frequency of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemic events among the 3 groups adjusted for their duration of hospital stay were not statistically different. None of the patients developed diabetic ketoacidosis while using their pump. Stepwise multivariate analysis revealed knowledge of hypoglycemia correction was the single most important predictor of mean BG (P < .001). Patients who received inpatient education performed similarly to patients who did not need inpatient education. Patients who receive inpatient education on CSII fare similar as patients who did not require inpatient education.
The Neurobiology of Learning: Implications for Treatment of Adults With Brain Injury

The effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions for adults with brain injury is largely dependent on how well clients are able to learn the new strategies, techniques, and information therapists are trying to teach them. Neuroscience research in the past two decades has provided some intriguing hints about the neurological processes that may underlie that learning. Understanding this research might stimulate new occupational therapy ideas about more effective ways to facilitate recovery and learning in adults with brain injury. This review presents an overview of the physical, biochemical, and electrical changes in nerve cells that have been found to accompany learning in adults with and without brain injury. Recommendations for treatment derived from the review include teaching to clients' levels of learning and information-processing strengths.
Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Plays a Role in Host Defense against Histoplasma capsulatum

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha was detected in supernatants collected from BALB/c mouse peritoneal macrophages incubated continuously with Histoplasma capsulatum. The levels of TNF alpha measured by actinomycin D bioassay peaked within hours after exposure and then greatly declined by 24 h. TNF alpha was also measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from BALB/c mice challenged intranasally with H. capsulatum. Lavage fluid TNF alpha levels exhibited the same pattern as the in vitro supernatants; they peaked within hours after challenge and lower levels were detected at 24 h. Treatment of mice with anti-TNF alpha antibody accelerated mortality in response to systemic infection and significantly increased tissue colony counts in the liver and spleen. In the murine model, TNF alpha is produced in response to H. capsulatum and appears to play some role in host defense to infection.
Crowdsourcing for search evaluation

The Crowdsourcing for Search Evaluation Workshop (CSE 2010) was held on July 23, 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland, in conjunction with the 33rd Annual ACM SIGIR Conference. The workshop addressed the latest advances in theory and empirical methods in crowdsourcing for search evaluation, as well as novel applications of crowdsourcing for evaluating search systems. Three invited talks were presented, along with seven refereed papers. Proceedings from the workshop, along with presentation slides, have been made available online.
Exploiting Amoeboid and Non-Vertebrate Animal Model Systems to Study the Virulence of Human Pathogenic Fungi

Experiments with insects, protozoa, nematodes, and slime molds have recently come to the forefront in the study of host–fungal interactions. Many of the virulence factors required for pathogenicity in mammals are also important for fungal survival during interactions with non-vertebrate hosts, suggesting that fungal virulence may have evolved, and been maintained, as a countermeasure to environmental predation by amoebae and nematodes and other small non-vertebrates that feed on microorganisms. Host innate immune responses are also broadly conserved across many phyla. The study of the interaction between invertebrate model hosts and pathogenic fungi therefore provides insights into the mechanisms underlying pathogen virulence and host immunity, and complements the use of mammalian models by enabling whole-animal high throughput infection assays. This review aims to assist researchers in identifying appropriate invertebrate systems for the study of particular aspects of fungal pathogenesis.
First-principles analysis of precursor-surface reaction pathways relevant to plasma deposition of silicon thin films

Passivation of silicon dangling bonds and abstraction of hydrogen by growth precursors are among the fundamental atomic-scale processes that determine the growth of hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin films during plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition from SiH/sub 4//H/sub 2/ containing discharges. Using results of first-principles density functional theory calculations, combined with images of planar intersections of the three-dimensional valence electron density distribution, we determine the optimized reaction pathways and energetics of dangling bond passivation and hydrogen abstraction reactions. Both reactions are found to be barrierless and exothermic in accordance with the experimentally observed temperature-independent growth rate of amorphous Si thin films.
Durable and scalable icephobic surfaces: similarities and distinctions from superhydrophobic surfaces.

Formation, adhesion, and accumulation of ice, snow, frost, glaze, rime, or their mixtures can cause severe problems for solar panels, wind turbines, aircrafts, heat pumps, power lines, telecommunication equipment, and submarines. These problems can decrease efficiency in power generation, increase energy consumption, result in mechanical and/or electrical failure, and generate safety hazards. To address these issues, the fundamentals of interfaces between liquids and surfaces at low temperatures have been extensively studied. This has lead to development of so called “icephobic” surfaces, which possess a number of overlapping, yet distinctive, characteristics from superhydrophobic surfaces. Less attention has been given to distinguishing differences between formation and adhesion of ice, snow, glaze, rime, and frost or to developing a clear definition for icephobic, or more correctly pagophobic, surfaces. In this review, we strive to clarify these differences and distinctions, while providing a comprehensive definition of icephobicity. We classify different canonical families of icephobic (pagophobic) surfaces providing a review of those with potential for scalable and robust development.
The Impact of International Outer Space Commerce on the Environment

Commercial ventures in outer space can be expected to affect the environment. Space commerce will generate waste and pose a risk of harmful contamination to the Earth and other celestial bodies. Some commercial activities in space may create long-term adverse changes in the Earth's environment. There presently exist no adequate means for assessing the international environmental effects of outer space commerce. The article examines the nature of potential space commerce, the legal regime of outer space, and the potential environmental consequence. The paper proposes a framework for pre-launch environmental assessment of commercial space activities.
Educating the Educator: Use of Advanced Bleeding Control Mechanisms in Athletic Training: A Shift in the Thought Process of Prehospital Care—Part 2: Hemostatic Agents

Part 1 of this series reviewed the concepts of hemorrhaging, shock, and controlling bleeding as they relate to athletic training and prehospital emergency care. Part 1 focused on the use of tourniquets in the prehospital setting along with a method for athletic training educators (ATEs) to teach the skill in the classroom. Part 2 of advanced bleeding control will provide ATEs with evidence regarding the use of topical hemostatic agents in the prehospital setting as well as how to use and teach managing external hemorrhage using hemostatic agents within their educational programs where applicable.
Pick off Throws, Stolen Bases, and Southpaws: A Comparative Static Analysis of a Mixed Strategy Game

This paper considers a two player game between a base runner and a pitcher in Major League Baseball. To make testable predictions, we exploit the fact that generally left-handed pitchers are more proficient at pick-off throws to first base than their right-handed counterparts. We find evidence in support of mixed strategy play.
Legal Blindness From Severe Optic Nerve Head Drusen

A man in his late 40s presented for evaluation of progressive visual acuity and visual field loss in both eyes over a 10-year period. Best-corrected visual acuity was 20/200 OD and counting fingers OS. No afferent pupillary defect was present. Goldmann perimetry revealed severe field constriction in each eye. A diagnosis of optic nerve head drusen was made based on clinical examination (Figure). Given a history of progressive visual loss, magnetic resonance imaging was completed to rule out compressive optic neuropathy. Low-vision aids were recommended to maximize visual potential. Two years after presentation, visual acuity and Goldmann perimetry remained stable.
Purification and biological activity of alligator bradykinin

Incubation of plasma form the alligator (Alligator mississipiensis) with glass beads in the presence of a kininase inhibitor resulted in the activation of the kallikrein-kinin system and generation of bradykinin-like immunoreactivity. The kinin peptides were purified to homogeneity and were shown to comprise [Thr6]-bradykinin and des-Arg9[Thr6]bradykinin in the molar ratio of approximately 10:1. Bolus injections of synthetic [Thr6]bradykinin into the jugular vein of the anesthetized alligator resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in mean arterial blood pressure. The minimum dose of kinin producing a significant fall in pressure was 0.07 micrograms/kg body wt and the maximum response (25 +/- 6% fall; mean +/- SD, n = 8) was produced by a dose of 0.56 micrograms/kg body wt. The dose producing a half-maximum response was 0.19 +/- 0.08 micrograms/kg. The data indicate that alligator plasma contains all the components of the kallikrein-kinin system found in mammals and suggest that the system may be of physiological importance in the regulation of cardiovascular function in these reptiles.
'Keep me, Lord, as the apple of Your eyes' : an early Christian child's amulet

Among the Greek papyri in the John Rylands Library is a small, 5th century papyrus fragment, inscribed on both sides with non-continuous scriptural texts. Arthur S. Hunt, who catalogued this portion of the collection, described Papyrus Rylandensis 8 as a 'liturgical fragment' designed for 'private devotional purposes'. Several features of this papyrus, however, (its size, content, decoration, irregular orthography, use of nomina sacra, and possible fold pattern) suggest that it may have been an amulet designed for use by children. Although few such amulets have been securely identified, the writings of contemporary clerics attest to the widespread use of protective charms by Christians. Given that P.Ryl. 8 corresponds in many details to what we assume these amulets would have looked like, it should be reclassified as 'probably an amulet.'
Dual-Phase, Surface Tension-Based Fabrication Method for Generation of Tumor Millibeads

Numerous methods have been developed for the fabrication of poly(ethylene glycol)-based hydrogel microstructures for drug-delivery and tissue-engineering applications. However, present methods focus on the fabrication of submicrometer scale hydrogel structures which have limited applications in creating larger tissue constructs, especially in recreating cancer tissue microenvironments. We aimed to establish a platform where cancer cells can be cultured in a three-dimensional (3D) environment, which closely replicates the native cancer microenvironment and facilitates efficient testing of anticancer drugs. This study demonstrated a novel surface tension-based fabrication technique for the generation of millimeter-scale hydrogel beads using a liquid–liquid dual phase system. The “hydrogel millibeads” obtained by this method were larger than previously reported, highly uniform in shape and size with better ease of size control and a high degree of consistency and reproducibility between batches. In addition,...
Preparation and Charaterization of DAM-1 type Materials

Vitamin E TPGS was found to be an effective structure-directing agent for the preparation of both hexagonal all silica DAM-1 and the alumina analog, Al-DAM-1. These free flowing powders offer many advantages in the handling and oral delivery of the sticky vitamin E TPGS. Upon exposure to simulated gastric fluid, the Al-DAM-1 host molecular sieve is dissolved releasing the vitamin E TPGS. As much as 0.6 grams of vitamin E TPGS can be immobilized into 1 gram of Al-DAM-1. Vitamin E TPGS also templates highly ordered mesoporous DAM-1 with tunable morphologies such as hexagons (various lengths), gyroids, rods, spheres and discoids depending upon the temperature and gel composition. Characterization of these composites as well as a preliminary evaluation of Al-DAM-1 as an oral drug delivery system under physiological conditions is presented.
Life History, Phenology, and Survivorship of a Stem-Galling Sawfly, Euura lasiolepis (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae), on the Arroyo Willow, Salix lasiolepis, in Northern Arizona

The life history of a stem-galling sawfly, Euura lasiolepis Smith, which attacks the arroyo willow, Salix lasiolepis Bentham, was studied during 1983 at Flagstaff, Ariz., at 2,132 m above sea level. Adults emerged from galls in May and June, and larval development was completed in October. Cocoons were spun in galls, in November and December, in which the larvae overwintered. Behavior of adults and development of immature stages are described. A survivorship curve shows that 42% of a cohort survive to the adult stage, 39% die in the egg stage, 17% are killed by natural enemies, and 2% die of unknown causes.
Mechanism of squalene biosynthesis: evidence against the involvement of free nerolidyl pyrophosphate.

Several mechanisms that utilize farnesyl pyro- phosphate and nerolidyl pyrophosphate as condensing sub- strates have been postulated for the asymmetric condensation reaction in squalene biosynthesis. Although there is ample evi- dence that farnesyl pyrophosphate is a substrate for this reac- tion, there has been no information concerning the role of nerolidyl pyrophosphate. We have made the following observa- tions that demonstrate that nerolidyl pyrophosphate cannot be a free intermediate in squalene biosynthesis. (a) There is no significant interconversion of farnesyl pyrophosphate and nero- lidyl pyrophosphate in a squalene-synthesizing system from yeast. (b) Ner~lidyI-l-~H~ pyrophosphate is not converted to squalene in the presence or absence of farnesyl pyrophosphate. (c) The addition of unlabeled nerolidyl pyrophosphate to incu- bation mixtures does not alter the relative loss of a-hydrogens from farnesyl pyrophosphate during its conversion to squalene. The synthesis of ner~lidyl-l-~Hz pyrophosphate is described. Chromatographic methods for the separation of pyrophosphate esters of triprenols and terpenols are included.
133 VIDEO-ASSISTED ENDOTRACHEAL INTUBATION IN THE NEWBORN: ROLE IN TEACHING, SKILL ACQUISITION, AND TUBE PLACEMENT VERIFICATION.

Background Endotracheal intubation (EI) in newborns is difficult, and skill acquisition may become more problematic as less time is spent in DR and NICU during training. The advantages of endoscopy lie in a wider angle of view, enlarged imaging and improved illumination. The Newborn Resuscitation Program (NRP) recommends EI attempts be limited to 20 seconds. NRP training includes EI on newborn manikin heads. Purpose This study investigates if video-assisted techniques help in acquiring these skills and if time to verification of successful EI is shortened using this technology. Method After standard NRP presentation, trainees attempted EI serially with three laryngoscopy techniques: standard SL, video-supervised VL, and video-guided modified VLM. VL implies intubation with the video laryngoscope, with assistant verbally guiding from screen images. In VLM, the ET is advanced via the blade groove and inserted under screen image viewing by the operator. Miller #1 blades and Storz videolaryngoscopy equipment were used for VL and VLM; images were recorded on a laptop computer. Number of EI attempts, success of EI, and time to verification of EI were recorded. Time to correct EI was recorded at chest movement on bag ventilation in SL by stopwatch, and until the double-line ET marker passed through the vocal cords in VL and VLM by image timer. Trainees completed questionnaires and comments were solicited. Results SL first EI attempt was successful in 18/23 participants; 5/23 needed three attempts. In VL and VLM, first EI attempt succeeded in 20/23 and 21/23, respectively; second attempt in 2/23 and 1/23; and third attempt in 1/23 and 1/23. Time (mean ± SD) to ET placement verification in SL was 30.5 ± 14.2 (range 15-60), in VL 14.2 ± 13.0 (4.1-68.2), and in VLM 15.4 ± 11.7 (6.0-48.2) seconds. Questionnaire results favored video-guided techniques over SL. Conclusion Video-assisted laryngoscopic endotracheal intubation technology may improve teaching important skills, lead to higher intubation success rates, improve speed of placement verification, leading to faster intervention, and may play a role in medicolegal documentation and review of procedures in difficult cases.
Global citizenship education within a context of accountability and 21st century skills: The case of Olympus High School

This article addresses the present gap in empirical research on the possibilities and challenges of global citizenship education in U.S. public schools by presenting findings from a five-year, ethnographic case study. The setting for this study is Olympus High School, a small, suburban public high school in Pennsylvania. Beginning in the 2009–2010 school year, Olympus undertook a reform initiative to integrate teaching about the world into its curricular offerings. Although Olympus is just one case, the story of Olympus’s reform process reveals the inherent tension between preparing students to be knowledge workers in the global economy and preparing them to be active participants in global civil society. It also illustrates how test-based accountability and alignment to standards can impede efforts to broaden the curriculum in the interest of developing knowledgeable, responsible, and critically minded global citizens.