cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Confusion Around Therapeutic Temperature Management Hypothermia After In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest?

Over the past 15 years, therapeutic temperature management (TTM) has become an increasingly important goal of care in critically ill patients with acute brain injury. TTM (initially defined as cooling to 32oC−34oC) was used with increasing frequency to treat patients with postanoxic/hypoxic encephalopathy caused by catastrophic events such as neonatal asphyxia or cardiac arrest (CA). In the case of CA, using TTM was supported by the results of 2 randomized controlled trials and 45 nonrandomized (mostly before/after) studies. Guidelines from the American Heart Association and European Resuscitation Council have recommended the use of TTM for postanoxic injury after witnessed CA since 2003, and after an initially slow uptake, especially in the United States, application and implementation of these guidelines increased significantly in recent years, with growing consensus on the importance of TTM. However, this trend is currently under threat. In 2013, a large randomized controlled trial by Nielsen and coworkers reported that outcomes in patients with CA cooled to 33oC were not better than in patients cooled to 36oC, leading to a highly contentious debate in the TTM field. Strong opinions on this issue range from accepting the results of the Nielsen study and changing the target temperature to 36oC to staying with a target of 32oC−33oC because of perceived problems with the trial. We support the latter view and have criticized the Nielsen study in these pages for possible selection bias, up to 4-hour delays in initiation of cooling, prolonged (average 10 hours) time …
Cryptophane Nanoscale Assemblies Expand 129Xe NMR Biosensing

Cryptophane-based biosensors are promising agents for the ultrasensitive detection of biomedically relevant targets via 129Xe NMR. Dynamic light scattering revealed that cryptophanes form water-soluble aggregates tens to hundreds of nanometers in size. Acridine orange fluorescence quenching assays allowed quantitation of the aggregation state, with critical concentrations ranging from 200 nM to 600 nM, depending on the cryptophane species in solution. The addition of excess carbonic anhydrase (CA) protein target to a benzenesulfonamide-functionalized cryptophane biosensor (C8B) led to C8B disaggregation and produced the expected 1:1 C8B-CA complex. C8B showed higher affinity at 298 K for the cytoplasmic isozyme CAII than the extracellular CAXII isozyme, which is a biomarker of cancer. Using hyper-CEST NMR, we explored the role of stoichiometry in detecting these two isozymes. Under CA-saturating conditions, we observed that isozyme CAII produces a larger 129Xe NMR chemical shift change (δ = 5.9 ppm, relat...
Drawing on Experience: A Study of Vietnam Veteran Artists

This study is an exploration of the art produced by American veterans of the Vietnam War. In the areas of artistic history, military service, and the creative process, Vietnam veteran artists are a...
Perception: History of the Concept

This article focuses on the history of the concept of sensory perception in philosophy and psychology, where perception has been studied as a source of knowledge or information and as a mental phenomenon in its own right. The ancient Greeks investigated the basic operation of the senses, including whether in vision something goes from eye to object (the extramission theory) or from object to eye (the intromission theory). Ptolemy (second century, Alexandria) elaborated a geometrical extramission theory, and Ibn al-Haytham (eleventh century, Cairo) a geometrical intromission theory. With the rise of a new physics in the seventeenth century, Aristotelean ‘real qualities’ (samples of object qualities transmitted to perceivers and into their brains) were abandoned. The so-called ‘secondary qualities’ of objects, such as colors, tastes, and odors, were now to be explained in terms of the ‘primary qualities’ of the particles making up an object, that is, the size, shape, motion, and position of the particles. Objects were attributed secondary qualities on the basis of the kinds of experiences they produced in perceivers; the secondary quality of color, as it exists in objects, is the arrangement of particles in the object that makes it affect light so as to cause an experience of a color in perceivers. The implications of the new science for perception were investigated by modern philosophers, including Descartes, Locke, Hume, Reid, Kant, and Hegel. During the nineteenth century psychophysical measurement of the relation between the physical properties of the stimulus and the resultant sensation spurred the growth of experimental psychology. Nearly all theorists held that perceptions are built up from nonspatial, punctiform sensations varying only in quality and intensity. Empirists believed that this construction is a product of learning, while nativists contended that at least two-dimensional visual representations, and possibly three-dimensional representations, are formed by innate mechanisms. E. Hering, W. James, and later the Gestalt psychologists challenged the punctiform theory, and argued that spatial representations, like color sensations, are primitive in perception. During the twentieth century Gibson challenged the traditional theory that sensory stimulation contains greatly impoverished information about the environment, which must therefore be supplemented by constructive processes of judgment or inference. Rock and others supported the constructivist approach. Some theorists preferred not to focus on perception as conscious awareness, but to see it as sensory information processing. Despite new techniques for examining the role of brain processes in perception, full understanding of how conscious awareness occurs in perception remains a goal for further research.
Thermal and Exergy Analysis in UPS and Battery Rooms by Numerical Simulations

UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) units and batteries are essential subsystems in data centers or telecom industries to protect equipment from electrical power spikes, surges and power outages. UPS units handle electrical power and dissipate a large amount of heat, and possess a high efficiency. Therefore, cooling units (e.g., CRACs) are needed to manage the thermal reliability of this equipment. On the other hand, battery operating conditions and reliability are closely related to the ambient temperature according to battery manufacturers; reliability increases when the ambient room temperature is around 25°C. This study analyzed different room configurations and scenarios using the commercial CFD software 6Sigma Room DCX™. As a first approach, we evaluated the thermal behavior and cooling degradation using standard thermal performance metrics SHI (Supply Heat Index) and RHI (Return Heat Index). These are frequently implemented in data centers to measure the level of mixing between cold and hot air streams. The results from this evaluation showed that standard cooling practices are inefficient, as values for the two metrics differed considerably from industry recommendations. We also considered a metric from the second law of thermodynamics using exergy destruction. This technique allowed us to find the mechanisms that increase entropy generation the most, including viscous shear and air stream mixing. Reducing exergy destruction will result in lessening lost thermodynamic work and thus reduce energy required for cooling. Typically, UPS and batteries are located in different rooms due to the hydrogen generation by the batteries. The integration of both equipment in the same room is a new concept, and this study aims to analyze the thermal performance of the room. Adding controllability showed improvements by reducing the exergy destruction due to viscous dissipation while slightly increasing thermal mixing in the rooms. Ducting the return flows to avoid flow mixing increased pressure drop, but reduced heat transfer between the hot and cold air streams, which in turn, improved the thermal performance. In the study, we determined the optimal configuration and possible strategies to improve cooling while maintaining desirable battery temperatures.
Surgical Treatment of Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence Syndrome

Superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS) is a clinical entity resulting in a myriad of audiological and vestibular symptoms. Pressure and/or sound-induced vertigo/nystagmus, autophony, conductive hearing loss, and conductive hyperacusis are commonly seen in patients with SCDS. The physiologic mechanism of this syndrome is thought to be due to the dehiscence creating a low-impedance outlet for fluid waves in the labyrinth, commonly referred to as a third window. This shunts flow from the cochlea to the labyrinth, which both activates the vestibular system and decreases pressure driving the traveling fluid wave in the cochlea. Diagnosis of SCDS can be difficult and requires both radiographic evidence of a dehiscence and clinical evidence supporting SCDS as the etiology for a patient’s symptoms. Testing for SCDS includes high-resolution CT imaging, audiogram, cervical and ocular VEMP testing, head impulse testing, and visualization of sound- or pressure-induced eye movements in the plane of the affected superior canal. Traditional surgical repair of SCDS is via the middle fossa approach. This approach allows for the dehiscence to be seen directly and for it to be both plugged and resurfaced. This approach is preferred in the vast majority of patients, but in certain situations a transmastoid approach can offer benefits over the middle fossa approach. Surgical outcomes for repair of SCDS are quite favorable, with patients having improvement of autophony, imbalance, and vertigo. Patients with predominately audiological symptoms have the highest likelihood of postoperative improvement. The majority of patients report an improvement in their quality of life postoperatively. Complications are rare but do occur in both the middle fossa and transmastoid approaches to SCDS repair. The most common complication is hearing loss, which is typically mild but can be profound in a low percentage of patients. The importance of proper patient selection and preoperative counseling on the risks of surgery cannot be overstated to ensure good surgical outcomes in SCDS repair.
Brain and Behavior: Commentary on Two Cases Involving the Effect of Structural Brain Lesions on Psychiatric Disorders.

In this issue of the journal, 2 case reports are presented that illustrate explicit influences of structural brain lesions on psychiatric symptoms. In both cases, the patients had preexisting, classically diagnosed psychiatric disorders—schizophrenia in the first case and bipolar I disorder in the s
Punk Rock Entrepreneurship: All-Ages DIY Music Venues and the Urban Economic Landscape

It is increasingly common for music scenes to catalyze economic development on the urban landscape. There is a growing body of research examining this phenomenon and as it expands, the analysis more closely focuses on the nuances, details, and dynamics of the scenes (Currid 2007; Lloyd 2006; Seman 2015).
Project Accelerate: Closing the Access Gap to Physical Science Careers and Academic Programs

Economically disadvantaged and underrepresented high school students in many urban, rural, and small suburban communities don’t have access to Advanced Placement® (AP®) courses. Lacking opportunity to access rigorous physics courses in high school, these demographic groups are hard pressed to compete in physical science related STEM fields and academic programs with their peers from more affluent communities. Project Accelerate, a National Science Foundation funded project, is a partnership program between Boston University (BU) and high schools to bring a College Board accredited AP® Physics 1 course to schools not offering this opportunity. Preliminary results indicate that students participating in Project Accelerate do as well or better than their peers enrolled in traditional classroom based AP® Physics 1 classes.
Multi-label Few-shot Learning for Sound Event Recognition

Few-shot classification aims to generalize the concept from seen classes to unseen novel classes using only a few examples. Although significant progress in few-shot classification has been made, most approaches focus on a standard multi-class scenario and are based on learning single-label embedding of the labeled examples to classify the unlabeled examples. Besides, we note that state-of-the-art methods in few-shot learning mostly adopt a metric-based architecture and the the so-called episode training strategy. While this approach works nicely for multiclass classification, it is hard to apply it to the multi-label scenario because of the complexity of forming an episode. In this paper, we propose a One-vs.-Rest episode selection strategy to mitigate this issue and apply the strategy to the multi-label few-shot problem. Experiments conducted using the large-scale data found in the AudioSet show that the models with our training strategy extract the semantic features under the multi-label setting.
Examining the relationship between social norms, alcohol-induced blackouts, and intentions to blackout among college students.

Abstract Background Alcohol-induced blackouts are a common high-risk outcome of heavy episodic drinking and are considered a marker of problematic alcohol consumption. One's estimates of the prevalence and peer approval of heavy episodic drinking (i.e., social norm perception, descriptive and injunctive norms, respectively) strongly relate to high-risk alcohol consumption. However, it is unknown whether the intention to blackout and the occurrence of alcohol-induced blackouts also associates with these estimates. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the relation between participants' social norm perception and alcohol-induced blackout intentions and recent blackout history. Method A total of 4430 participants completed an online survey with an average age of 19.97 (SD = 1.70) years. A series of ANOVAs and a structural equation model examined the relation between social norm perception, intention to blackout, and recent blackout history. Results In the structural equation model, the social norm variables (descriptive and injunctive norms) were associated with higher levels of blackout intentions and recent blackout history. The global fit indices suggest that the data fit the model, χ2 (n = 4248, 442) = 7755.90, p Conclusions Participants with a higher likelihood of having a past 30-day history of alcohol-induced blackouts and higher blackout intentions believed that many of their peer groups approved of certain alcohol-related behaviors and that their peer groups drink frequently and drink higher quantities. Future interventions may assess the impact of adjusting social norms on both the intention to blackout and experiencing blackouts.
Cumulant Slice Reconstruction from Compressive Measurements and Its Application to Line Spectrum Estimation

Higher-order statistics (HOS) estimation hinges on the availability of a huge amount of data records, which causes exceedingly high sampling rates and overwhelming energy consumption for the sampling devices, especially when dealing with wideband signals. To overcome these challenges, this paper develops a novel compressive cumulant slice sensing (CCSS) method that aims to efficiently reconstructing the 1D diagonal slice of higher-order cumulants under the compressive sensing framework. It first parsimoniously collects data with a properly designed sampler based on the minimal sparse ruler principle, and then accurately reconstructs the 1D diagonal cumulant slice from those compressive measurements. The reconstructed HOS can be useful in many signal processing tasks, which is illustrated through the task of line spectrum estimation with resilience to colored Gaussian noise at reduced sampling rates.
There Oughta Be a Law: When Does(n't) the U.S. Common Rule Apply?

Using mobile health (mHealth) research as an extended example, this article provides an overview of when the Common Rule “applies” to a variety of activities, what might be meant when one says that...
A scoping review critically examining research connecting social and emotional learning with three model-based practices in physical education: Have we been doing this all along?:

The purpose of this scoping review is to critically examine previous research that connects three selected model-based practices (MBPs) to social and emotional learning (SEL) outcomes in K-12 physi...
Changes in iron status may affect breast cancer outcomes in pre- and post-menopausal women

3698 Estrogen and family history are two of the most important risk factors in breast cancer. Yet, estrogen and family history cannot explain the differences in breast cancer recurrence and incidence rates between pre- and post-menopausal women. In the present study, we have tested a hypothesis that in pre-menopausal women, an iron deficiency due to menstruation stabilizes hypoxia inducible factor-1α, a transcriptional signaling factor which increases vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) formation. This mechanism makes the pre-menopausal patients more susceptible to angiogenesis and, consequently, leads to higher recurrence rates. Conversely, increased iron levels in post-menopausal women due to menstrual period cessation contribute to higher breast cancer incidence rates via oxidative stress pathway. Because there is a lack of animal models simultaneously mimicking menopausal transition of both iron and estrogen levels, we first tested our hypothesis in a tissue culture model of high estrogen and low iron (17β-estradiol and apo-transferrin) or low estrogen and high iron (holo-transferrin and ferritin), simulating pre- and post-menopausal conditions. We found that breast cancer MCF-7 cells and primary human normal epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK) cells grown under pre-menopausal conditions lead to significantly higher levels of VEGF than those from the same cells grown under post-menopausal conditions. By testing each component separately, we further found that estrogen slightly up-regulated VEGF and it was ferritin that significantly suppressed VEGF. On the contrary, more alterations in oxidative stress were observed in cells grown under post- as compared to the same cells grown under pre-menopausal conditions. Using Affymetrix genechip® technology, we identified approximately 140 genes that were altered in primary NHEK cells by post-menopausal conditions but no gene modifications in cells grown under pre-menopausal conditions as compared to cells without treatment. We then extended our studies using human biopsies from pre- and post-menopausal skin. It was found that levels of ferritin inversely correlated with levels of VEGF. Our study indicates that iron, a growth nutrient as important as estrogen in female metabolism and development, and its change during menopausal transition, may hold key information and explanations to breast cancer outcomes. This work is partly supported by R21 CA132684.
Generosity-Based Schedule Deconfliction in Communication-Limited Environments

We present an algorithmic approach to task deconfliction for teams of autonomous agents in communication-limited environments when the teams produce schedules with strong cross-schedule dependencies without the knowledge of the existence of other teams attempting to prosecute the same task set. Once agents discover others are attempting to prosecute the same task, they deconflict the task by trading assigned tasks. The method to determine the agents and tasks to trade in an efficient manner we term the Generous Agent Algorithm (GAA). Through formal analysis and simulation we show that teams utilizing the GAA can observe significant reductions in schedule end times and mission fuel requirements. We compare the GAA’s performance with a greedy deconfliction algorithm and a centralized scheduling algorithm to show that the GAA improves performance in situations when the number of agents is large within limited-communication environments.
Paradigms under Pressure: Green Guidance

As the tectonic plates of society move, so do career guidance and career development. Old paradigms are under pressure. New guidance concepts are needed, some of which may be viewed as utopian. Guidance philosophies of our times need to envisage a shift towards a greener and sustainable future. Green Guidance puts a wider perspective to career choices and career development. Guidance needs a re-orientation, a new approach: a genuine paradigm shift. Resume Samfundets tektoniske plader forskubber sig – og vejledning flytter med. Gamle paradigmer er under pres. Nye veje i vejledning er pa vej. Maske ses de som utopiske. Men vejledning ma baeres af en gron og baeredygtig vision. Gron vejledning bidrager med et bredere perspektiv pa karriereudvikling. Vejledning behover en ny-orientering: et paradimeskift.
Abstract 061: Comparison Of Diagnostic Methods For Diabetes Diagnosis In Patients With Heart Failure: A National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey Analysis

Introduction: The use of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) to screen for diabetes in patients with cardiovascular disease has shown low sensitivity, and the currently recommended cutoff point may leave many p...
MemGen: An Open-Source Framework for Autonomous Generation of Memory Macros

Static Random-Access Memories (SRAMs) form an integral part of System-on-Chips (SoCs), wireless sensor nodes and other Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices. SRAM has a large, multi-dimensional design space that includes different bit-cell designs, peripheral assist-circuit designs, operating voltages, and frequency targets. Custom design of memories for any application in this broad design space is a tedious, iterative, and time-consuming process. Commercial memory compilers (CMCs) [1 – 3] provide an automated alternative, but CMCs often have a limited design space usually emphasizing high performance and may not be readily available due to cost or licensing issues, especially for newer technologies. To address these issues and allow easy, autonomous, and versatile generation of optimized memory macros, we present MemGen (“Memory Macro Generator”), an open-source memory macro generation framework that creates tapeout-ready integrated memories across a broad range of voltages, frequencies, and capacities. The new framework uses a template and cell-based design methodology and leverages the conventional digital tool flow to generate optimized memories based on high-level user intent, making it highly modular, process-portable, and easily augmentable. We demonstrate the framework’s capability by generating multiple memories for various use cases in a planar 65nm and in a 12nm FinFET process. MemGen is also verified by fabricating 64kbit and 128kbit 65nm auto-generated memories.
A Multi-Phase Segmented Drive Comprising Arrayed Flying Capacitor Multi-Level Modules

Recent activity in research surrounding electric vehicle propulsion has indicated that modular or segmented drives show promise for meeting the demanding performance and scalability targets set forth in industry road maps. Additionally, unconventional topologies, such as the flying capacitor multilevel topology (FCML), have demonstrated high-efficiency and high-specific-power—as well as reduction in output current distortion, dv/dt and filter size. This work highlights the technical challenges and performance benefits arising in the implementation of a segmented drive from an array of independent FCML inverter modules. Harmonic content in the ac phase legs and dc bus currents is analyzed and experimentally measured. Furthermore, a hierarchical control strategy with specific emphasis on the synchronization of both the carrier and fundamental across multiple modules is demonstrated. The work concludes with a demonstration of the paralleled, interleaved and multi-phase operation of a multi-module array, with conducted emissions measured on a CISPR-25 pre-compliance test fixture.
A review: Protein isolates recovered by isoelectric solubilization/precipitation processing from muscle food by-products as a component of nutraceutical foods

Abstract It is possible to recover muscle protein isolates from food processing by-products and under-utilized or difficult to process sources that otherwise would be discarded or diverted from direct human consumption by using isoelectric solubilization/precipitation (ISP). ISP selectively induces water solubility of muscle proteins by changing pH. When muscle proteins are dissolved, they are separated from lipids and other insoluble fractions such as skin, bones, scales, etc. Following separation, the dissolved proteins are subjected to subsequent pH change that causes protein precipitation and yields protein isolate. ISP processing efficiently recovers protein isolates of high quality from both nutritional and technological stand point. However, attempts at commercializing food products developed from the ISP-recovered protein isolates have been very limited. Results from laboratory-scale product development research demonstrate the potential for the use of ISP-recovered protein isolates as a base and functional ingredient for prototypes of nutraceutical foods with specific health benefits. This article reviews ISP as an innovative means to recover functional protein isolates from low-value sources. It also covers recent attempts to develop prototypes of nutraceutical food products using the ISP-recovered protein isolates targeting diet-driven cardiovascular disease.
Hybrid motion/force control of multi-backbone continuum robots

The recent growth of surgical applications exploiting continuum robots demands for new control paradigms that ensure safety by controlling interaction forces of tele-operated end-effectors. In this paper, we present the modeling, sensing and control of multi-backbone continuum robots in a unified framework for hybrid motion/force control. Multi-backbone continuum robots allow to estimate forces and torques at the operational point by monitoring loads along their actuation lines without the need for a dedicated transducer at the operational point. This capability is indeed crucial in emerging fields such as robotic surgery where cost and strict sterilization guidelines prevent the adoption of a dedicated sensor to provide force feedback from the sterile field. To advance further the force sensing capabilities of multi-backbone continuum robots, we present a new framework for hybrid motion and force control of continuum robots with intrinsic force sensing capabilities. The framework is based on a kinetostatic modeling of the multi-backbone continuum robot with, a simplified model for online estimate of the manipulator's compliance, and a new strategy for merging force and motion control laws in the configuration space of the manipulator. Experimental results show the ability to sense and regulate forces at the operational point and evaluate the framework for shape exploration and stiffness imaging in flexible environments.
Stress Responses as a Tool To Detect and Characterize the Mode of Action of Antibacterial Agents

Single-copy gene fusions between the lacZ reporter gene and Escherichia coli strains containing promoters induced by cold shock (cspA), cytoplasmic stress (ibp), or protein misfolding in the cell envelope (P3rpoH) were constructed and tested to determine their ability to detect antibacterial agents while simultaneously providing information on their cellular targets. Antibiotics that affect prokaryotic ribosomes selectively induced the cspA::lacZ or ibp::lacZ gene fusion, depending on their mode of action. The membrane-damaging peptide polymyxin B induced both the P3rpoH::lacZ and ibp::lacZ fusions, while the β-lactam antibacterial agent carbenicillin activated only the P3rpoH promoter. Nalidixic acid, a compound that causes DNA damage, downregulated β-galactosidase synthesis from P3rpoH but had little effect on expression of the reporter enzyme from either the cspA or ibp promoter. All model antibiotics could be identified over a wide range of sublethal concentrations with signal-to-noise ratios between 2 and 11. A blue halo assay was developed to rapidly characterize the modes of action of antibacterial agents by visual inspection, and this assay was used to detect chloramphenicol secreted into the growth medium of Streptomyces venezuelae cultures. This simple system holds promise for screening natural or combinatorial libraries of antimicrobial compounds.
Nonlinear Inverse Dynamics Control Laws - A Sampled Data Approach

A sampled-data approach for the implementation of Nonlinear Inverse Dynamics (NID) control laws in real time is presented. The control laws developed place the same number of poles as their continuous-time counterparts, take into account the system dynamics in between the sample points, and embed the computational delays associated with the inverse calculations directly into their design.
Turbo multiuser detection

An iterative receiver structure is proposed for decoding multiuser information data in a convolutionally coded DS-CDMA system. The receiver performs two successive soft-output decisions, achieved by a soft-input soft-output (SISO) multiuser detector and a bank of single-user SISO channel decoders, through an iterative process. At each iteration, extrinsic information is extracted from detection and decoding stages and is then used as a priori information an the next iteration, just as in turbo decoding. A low-complexity SISO multiuser detector is developed based on a novel nonlinear interference suppression technique, which makes use of both soft-interference cancellation. And instantaneous linear MMSE filtering. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed receiver offers significant performance gain over the traditional non-iterative receiver structure. Moreover, at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), single-user performance can be approached by iterative processing.
Front Tracking and The Interaction of Nonlinear Hyperbolic Waves

Front tracking is a numerical method which offers high resolution for the computation of solutions containing important discontinuities, which we refer to as fronts. In this method, the discontinuities are treated as additional degrees of freedom, and points along them are propagated as Lagrangian or characteristic particles. The computational degrees of freedom thus consist of state variables specified at fixed locations on a regular grid, which represent the smooth variation of the solution away from fronts, a moving system of surfaces (curves in two dimensions) to represent the fronts, together with double-valued state variables specified along each urface to represent the discontinuous solution values.
Conceptual tools for planning for the wireless classroom

Wireless and mobile devices are beginning to offer stunning new technical capabilities for collaborative learning. Yet, researchers in this field must recognise the importance of complementing these technical advances with improved understanding of the patterns of classroom activity that most need support. The approach taken in the work reported in this paper has been to create conceptual tools that help thinking and talking about technology-supported collaborative learning. A particularly powerful tool is Collaborative Design Patterns, which captures common learning situations and benefits in written form. This paper uses four classroom scenarios to describe eight patterns. These patterns fall into two categories: whole-activity patterns, which suggest ways to organise one or more class periods, and smaller-grained support patterns.
Thermoregulation by Winter-Flying Endothermic Moths

Noctuid moths of the subfamily Cuculiinae fly in any month of the winter in the north-eastern United States when air temperatures are at least 0°C. At lower temperatures they hide under leaf litter rather than perching on trees like many summer-flying noctuid moths. Like moths of similar mass and wing-loading that fly in the summer or that reside in tropical regions, the nocturnal cuculinids fly with a thoracic temperature of 30–35°C. The generation and maintenance of such high thoracic temperatures at low air temperatures depends on (1) the ability to begin shivering at very low muscle temperatures, (2) a thick insulating pile, and (3) counter-current heat exchangers that retard heat flow to the head and to the abdomen, respectively.
An Empirical Examination of Deregulated Electricity Prices

In this paper, we present an empirical analysis of deregulated electricity prices. We begin by examining the distributional and temporal properties of the price process in a non-parametric framework. This analysis is followed by comparing the forecasting ability of several different statistical models. The findings reveal several characteristics unique to electricity prices, including deterministic components of the series at different frequencies and a high degree of persistence in the price level. An "inverse leverage effect" is also found, where positive shocks to the price series result in larger increases in volatility than negative shocks. Results consistent with other asset prices, such as time-varying volatility are also uncovered. We find that existing financial models of asset prices fail to forecast the extremely erratic nature of electricity prices. Non-Markovian specifications, in conjunction with exogenous information (e.g. weather), are a necessary starting point for practical applications, such as security pricing.
D-Penicillamine administration and the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity

We compared the development of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) among 49 preterm neonates:; 15 who were treated during the first 2 weeks of life with D-penicillamine and 34 who were not. During a 15-month period beginning 1 March, 2005, 15 preterm neonates <1000 g birth weight or ⩽29 weeks gestation enterally received a 14-day course of D-penicillamine, and 34 did not, in an open-label non-randomized trial. We compared the outcomes of developing ‘ROP any stage’ and ‘ROP requiring surgery’ in the recipients vs the non-recipients. Potential toxicities of the D-penicillamine were examined by comparing specific laboratory tests, growth velocities, transfusion requirements, discharge hemoglobin concentrations and supplemental O2 at discharge. The 34 non-treated and the 15 D-penicillamine treated patients were of similar gestational age (26.5±1.8 vs 26.6±2.2 weeks, mean±s.d.) and birth weight (887±222 vs 849±187 g). Four of the 34 non-recipients died. Eighteen of the 30 survivors (60%) developed ROP and seven of the 30 (23%) had ROP surgery. One of the 15 D-penicillamine recipients died. Three of the 14 survivors (21%) developed ROP (P=0.01 vs non-recipients) and all three had ROP laser surgery. No increase in elevated creatinine, direct or indirect bilirubin, thrombocytopenia or neutropenia was apparent in those treated with D-penicillamine. The D-penicillamine recipients did not receive more transfusions and did not have lower hemoglobin concentrations at discharge. They did not have lower velocities of weight gain at 14, 28 and 56 days, and were not discharged on supplemental O2 at a rate exceeding that of the non-recipients. In this non-randomized, single-centered comparison analysis, a 14-day course of D-penicillamine resulted in no apparent short-term toxicity. The treatment was associated with elimination of Stage I and Stage II ROP, decreasing the overall odds of developing ROP from 60 to 21%. However, this approach did not reduce the odds of ROP surgery. Perhaps higher doses of D-penicillamine or longer treatment periods or other prophylactic approaches will be required to reduce ROP surgery among the most immature neonates.
Changes in plasma inorganic phosphorus of dogs under postural restraint.

Summary1. A decrease in the plasma inorganic phosphate concentration amounting to 30-60% of the initial concentration was observed in dogs restrained in the supine position. This change was also evident in the total acid soluble and the total phosphorus fractions, while the lipid phosphorus fraction remained constant during an entire experiment.2. The decrease in inorganic phosphate was accompanied by an increase in plasma glucose.3. Dogs restrained on their backs exhibited a greater decrease than those restrained in a stock.
Processing of nuclear heterogeneous RNA: recent developments.

Abstract The biogenesis of eucaryotic messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) has been under intense investigation in many laboratories over the past decade. A number of new experimental observations have contributed much to our understanding of the possible relationship between heterogeneous nuclear RNA (hnRNA) and cytoplasmic mRNA. While most of the evidence is indirect, it is now accepted by a growing majority of molecular biologists that some cytoplasmic mRNA molecules are derived from hnRNA precursors. This conclusion is based on experiments on (i) the size, base sequence and kinetic analyses of hnRNA and mRNA (ii) the polyadenylation and (iii) methylation of the two RNA species, (iv) the fate of specific transcripts in virus-transformed cells and (v) the presence of specific mRNA sequences in high-molecular-weight RNA. The purpose of this paper is to briefly review this evidence and describe experiments in our laboratory involving a specific eucaryotic mRNA and its putative precursor. Since excellent reviews have been published in the last few years concerning experiments on (i), (ii) and (iv) above (1–6), we will summarize only recent data and emphasize experiments dealing with the role of methylation in hnRNA processing as well as the presence of specific mRNA sequences in hnRNA.
GFP reporters as tools for investigating bone cell biology and regenerative medicine

Learning Outcome 1: The origins and characteristics of ESCs and iPSCs. Learning Outcome 2: How to control pluripotent stem cell differentiation to direct their development along specific lineages. Learning Outcome 3: The power of pluripotent stem cell technology to study development, disease mechanisms and therapy. Abstract: Recent breakthroughs in the stem cell biology field have demonstrated the potential of pluripotent Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs) to generate any cell type in the body. This technology has been underpinned by advances in elucidating the regulatory networks involved in stemcell self-renewal andpluripotency, but also by insights provided by developmental biology regarding the transcriptional regulators and signaling pathways that set up the body plan and control organogenesis in the embryo. Efficient ESC differentiation protocols have been established, and continue to be modified and improved, that model mammalian development by recapitulating gastrulation in vitro through the induction of ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm germ layers, and subsequently directing their further differentiation along their respective downstream lineages. The field of pluripotent stem cell biology has also been pushed to the forefront of biomedical researchby the important discovery of reprogramming somatic cells to anESClike state, generating induced Pluripotent Stem cells (iPSCs). The ability to reprogram cells has offered the unique opportunity to generate patient-specific iPSCs, and combine this with lineage-specific differentiation protocols to further model human disease in a dish and understand disease mechanisms. Taken together, pluripotent stem cell technology has provided the unique tools to not only model mammalian development, but also to generate functional cell types and tissues in vitro that can be used for drug discovery, for gaining insights into disease, as well as genetic rescue and potential autologous cell-based regenerative and replacement therapies. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled ECTS 2012. Disclosure of interest: None declared.
Homo erectus brain sizes by subspecies

Homo erectus fossils can be divided into four zoogeographic zones that show different rates of endocranial expansion during the Pleistocene. When these are also grouped into three time levels, we find small increases from early to middle forms, and regularly greater increases from middle to late forms. These increases fit a regular pattern that also accomodates all archaic types, including Neandertals, as late subspecies ofH. erectus.
JCE Classroom Activity #113: An Interlocking Building Block Activity in Writing Formulas of Ionic Compounds

An activity in which students use toy interlocking building blocks to build representations of ionic formulas is described. Students explore cation-to-anion ratios using interlocking toy brick-like blocks to represent trivalent, divalent, and monovalent cations and anions. Students who participated in the building blocks activity showed significantly higher posttest scores than students who had not participated.
Effects of age on axon terminals forming axosomatic and axodendritic inhibitory synapses in prefrontal cortex.

Abstract Much of the cognitive decline shown by aging primates can be attributed to dysfunction of prefrontal cortex and, as shown previously, about 30% of asymmetric (excitatory) and symmetric (inhibitory) axodendritic synapses are lost from the neuropil of layer 2/3 in prefrontal area 46 with age [Peters A, Sethares C, Luebke JI (2008) Neuroscience 152:970–981]. Whether there is a similar loss of inhibitory axosomatic synapses from this cortex has not been determined, but a study in primate motor cortex suggests that axosomatic synapses are not lost with age [Tigges J, Herndon JG, Peters A (1992) Anat Rec 232:305–315]. The present study is focused upon whether the remaining axon terminals forming inhibitory synapses in old monkeys hypertrophy to compensate for any age-related loss. Analysis of electron micrographs show that in layer 2/3 of area 46 in both young and old monkeys, axon terminals forming axosomatic synapses are significantly larger and contain more mitochondria than those forming axodendritic synapses and both axodendritic and axosomatic terminals become larger with age. However, while mitochondria in axodendritic terminals do not change in either size or amount with age, the mitochondria in axosomatic terminals become larger. Similarly, in terminals forming axodendritic synapses, the mean numbers of synaptic vesicle profiles is the same in young and old monkeys, whereas in terminals forming axosomatic synapses there is an increase in the numbers of synaptic vesicles with age. We also show that among these age-related changes, only the numbers of synaptic vesicles in axosomatic synapses are significantly correlated with the cognitive impairment indices displayed by the same monkeys. In summary, the data provide original evidence that axosomatic axon terminals increase in size and in their content of mitochondria and synaptic vesicles. Furthermore, based on our and previously published results, we speculate that these changes are linked to age-related cognitive decline.
On the evolution of surface morphology of polysilicon MEMS structures during fatigue

This paper presents the results of a combined experimental and computational study of surface topology evolution preceding fatigue crack nucleation in polysilicon MEMS structures. The evolution in surface topology observed during the crack nucleation stage is related to the underlying notch-tip stress distributions calculated using the finite element method. Measured changes in surface topography due to the stress-assisted dissolution of silica are shown to be predicted by a linear stability analysis. The implications of the results are discussed for modeling of fatigue in polysilicon MEMS structures.
Human immunodeficiency virus associated lymphoma.

Purpose of review Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is known to be associated with an increased risk of systemic nonHodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin disease, and primary central nervous lymphoma (PCNSL). The purpose of this review is to highlight recent advances in the diagnosis and management of lymphoma occurring in patients with HIV infection. Recent findings Lymphoma occurring in patients with HIV infection has been associated with a very poor prognosis. Recently reported studies have provided new information regarding the influence of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on the development and clinical presentation of lymphoma, the feasibility of combining HAART with standard chemotherapy, the molecular classification of lymphoma, the role of rituximab in the management of lymphoma, and the use of novel treatment strategies for the treatment of Hodgkin disease. Summary The improved prognosis for patients with HIV-associated lymphoma in the post-HAART era indicates that therapeutic interventions may be potentially curative, and represent a shift away from therapeutic nihilism and reduced-intensity treatment approaches that have been employed in the recent past.
Breast conservation in elderly women for clinically negative axillary lymph nodes without axillary dissection.

Background. A prospective study was initiated to explore an approach of limited therapy in elderly patients with early clinical stage breast cancer. Methods. Between 1982 and 1989, 73 women with American Joint Committee on Cancer Stage I/II, clinically negative axillary lymph nodes aged 65 years or older (median age, 74 years) were enrolled in a treatment program consisting of tumor excision, breast and regional lymph node irradiation, and, in 66 patients, tamoxifen. Patients were assessed for disease outcome and complications. Results. At a median follow-up of 54 months, 8-year rates of local and regional lymph node control were 92.5% and 100%, respectively. Eight-year probabilities of disease free, overall, and breast cancer specific survival were 84%, 52.5%, and 93.8%, respectively. There was minimal morbidity associated with either regional irradiation or tamoxifen. Conclusions. An approach to early breast cancer in the elderly that seeks to limit the aggressiveness of local and systemic therapies appears to result in a satisfactory disease outcome with few complications.
Traits, Situations, and their Interaction as Alternative “Causes” of Behavior

Summary The present study was designed to investigate whether people are trait theorists or prefer some alternative explanation of behavior. Male and female undergraduates (N = 42) were given seven statements each defining a different “cause” of behavior, including a trait statement, a situation statement, an interaction statement, and a statement of Bem and Allen's theory. Subjects were asked to indicate the likelihood that each statement is a valid explanation of human behavior. Ss were also asked to indicate the single most valid statement. Results for both measures indicated that Ss strongly favored the interaction statement over the others.
The design and development of a dynamic program behavior measurement tool for the Intel 8086/88

When modeling a computer system, it is necessary to study the system's dynamic behavior. Examples of this behavior are branching frequency and operating system usage patterns. The dynamic properties of the system characterize its performance. Models make assumptions about such behavior, but require genuine data to validate the assumptions. In this article, we present a measurement tool that will collect and analyze dynamic program information for the Intel 8086/88. The design and development of the collection tool and its post-processors is described. Details of the interface and collection methods are also given. Finally, a Pascal compilation and a benchmark execution are used to provide examples of data gathered with the tools.