cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An expanded framework for biomolecular visualization in the classroom: Learning goals and competencies

A thorough understanding of the molecular biosciences requires the ability to visualize and manipulate molecules in order to interpret results or to generate hypotheses. While many instructors in biochemistry and molecular biology use visual representations, few indicate that they explicitly teach visual literacy. One reason is the need for a list of core content and competencies to guide a more deliberate instruction in visual literacy. We offer here the second stage in the development of one such resource for biomolecular three-dimensional visual literacy. We present this work with the goal of building a community for online resource development and use. In the first stage, overarching themes were identified and submitted to the biosciences community for comment: atomic geometry; alternate renderings; construction/annotation; het group recognition; molecular dynamics; molecular interactions; monomer recognition; symmetry/asymmetry recognition; structure-function relationships; structural model skepticism; and topology and connectivity. Herein, the overarching themes have been expanded to include a 12th theme (macromolecular assemblies), 27 learning goals, and more than 200 corresponding objectives, many of which cut across multiple overarching themes. The learning goals and objectives offered here provide educators with a framework on which to map the use of molecular visualization in their classrooms. In addition, the framework may also be used by biochemistry and molecular biology educators to identify gaps in coverage and drive the creation of new activities to improve visual literacy. This work represents the first attempt, to our knowledge, to catalog a comprehensive list of explicit learning goals and objectives in visual literacy. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(1):69-75, 2017.
Fabrication of magnetic and fluorescent chitin and dibutyrylchitin sub-micron particles by oil-in-water emulsification.

Abstract Chitin is a carbohydrate polymer with unique pharmacological and immunological properties, however, because of its unwieldy chemistry, the synthesis of discreet sized sub-micron particles has not been well reported. This work describes a facile and flexible method to fabricate biocompatible chitin and dibutyrylchitin sub-micron particles. This technique is based on an oil-in-water emulsification/evaporation method and involves the hydrophobization of chitin by the addition of labile butyryl groups onto chitin, disrupting intermolecular hydrogen bonds and enabling solubility in the organic solvent used as the oil phase during fabrication. The subsequent removal of butyryl groups post-fabrication through alkaline saponification regenerates native chitin while keeping particles morphology intact. Examples of encapsulation of hydrophobic dyes and nanocrystals are demonstrated, specifically using iron oxide nanocrystals and coumarin 6. The prepared particles had diameters between 300–400 nm for dibutyrylchitin and 500–600 nm for chitin and were highly cytocompatible. Moreover, they were able to encapsulate high amounts of iron oxide nanocrystals and were able to label mammalian cells. Statement of Significance We describe a technique to prepare sub-micron particles of highly acetylated chitin (>90%) and dibutyrylchitin and demonstrate their utility as carriers for imaging. Chitin is a polysaccharide capable of stimulating the immune system, a property that depends on the acetamide groups, but its insolubility limits its use. No method for sub-micron particle preparation with highly acetylated chitins have been published. The only approach for the preparation of sub-micron particles uses low acetylation chitins. Dibutyrylchitin, a soluble chitin derivative, was used to prepare particles by oil in water emulsification. Butyryl groups were then removed, forming chitin particles. These particles could be suitable for encapsulation of hydrophobic payloads for drug delivery and cell imaging, as well as, adjuvants for vaccines.
Surface stress in tropical cyclone observed by scatterometer

Ocean surface wind (U) is air in motion and stress (τ) is the turbulent transport of momentum between the ocean and the atmosphere. While the strong wind of a tropical cyclone (TC) causes destruction at landfall, it is the surface stress that drags down the TC. There was almost no stress measurement except in dedicated field campaigns and the stress we used was almost entirely derived from wind through a drag coefficient (C D ), as defined by C D = τ /(ρ U2). In TC, there is difficulty in measuring strong wind and large uncertainty in the drag coefficient.
Fiducial Marker and Hybrid Alignment Methods for Single- and Double-axis Tomography

Accurate alignment of projection images is an important step in obtaining a high-quality tomographic reconstruction. Ideally, all images should be aligned so that each represents a projection of the same 3D object at a known projection angle. Inadequate image alignment will result in blurring or smearing of features in the reconstruction. The problem is made more difficult because exposure to the electron beam during the acquisition of a tilt series induces geometric changes in many samples (primarily plastic-embedded material). For any sample, but particularly for ones that are not rigid during imaging, a powerful method of image alignment uses the measured coordinates of fiducial markers through the series of images; these can be fit to equations that describe the image projection. Alternative methods are based on cross-correlation of images. The fiducial marker method has the advantage that it guarantees a consistent alignment among the images from the full range of tilt angles. It is also more easily adapted to correct for changes in the sample that occur during imaging.
Physiology, not modern operative approach, predicts mortality in extremity necrotizing soft tissue infections at a high-volume center.

Background Multiple factors are associated with mortality in necrotizing soft tissue infection, such as organ dysfunction and underlying medical comorbidities, but are not often modifiable. Operative interventions are an attractive modifiable variable in modern management of extremity necrotizing soft tissue infection, but the influence of amputation and advanced wound management techniques on mortality is unknown. Methods A single-institution review was performed of extremity necrotizing soft tissue infection . Admission demographics, organ dysfunction, and operative interventions were investigated. The primary outcome was mortality. Advanced wound management techniques were considered flap creation or use of a dermal matrix substitute for coverage of neurovascular structures, tendon, or bone. Results Overall, 124 patients with extremity necrotizing soft tissue infection were included, with 112 of 124 (90.3%) patients living and 12 of 124 (9.7%) patients dying. Patients who lived had a lower Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (1.00 [interquartile range, 5] vs 10.50 [interquartile range, 11], P Conclusion Use of amputation or advanced wound management techniques was not associated with mortality in patients with extremity necrotizing soft tissue infection. At centers able to provide the critical care support, aggressive use of limb salvage may not affect mortality.
Development and Characterization of Quantitative, High-Throughput-Compatible Assays for Proteolytic Degradation of Glucagon:

Glucagon is a vital peptide hormone involved in the regulation of blood sugar under fasting conditions. Although the processes underlying glucagon production and secretion are well understood, far ...
Nephron-Sparing Surgery for Renal Cancer

The significant increase in the use of cross-sectional imaging over the past decades has coincided with a dramatic increase in the incidence of small renal tumors. The biological potential of these tumors tends to be more favorable than larger tumors. The surgical treatment paradigm for small localized renal tumors has shifted from radical nephrectomy to nephron-sparing surgery (NSS) with the goal of preserving long-term renal function without affecting cancer control. Partial nephrectomy, initially reserved for patients with bilateral tumors, tumor in a solitary kidney or patients with chronic kidney disease, has become the standard of care for tumors ≤4 cm in diameter where the contralateral kidney is normal. This chapter will cover the expanding indications for NSS, as well as the role of minimally invasive surgery. The functional and oncological outcomes will also be discussed.
Human T-T Hybridomas Specific for Epstein—Barr Virus

Two technologies currently exist to obtain clonal expression of human T cells. One relies on interleukin 2 (IL-2) to expand single-cell cultures. This creates lines of T cells whose maintenance remains totally dependent on the presence of the lymphokine. The second approach, somatic cell hybridization, generates clonal populations of T cells capable of autonomous growth. Successful hybridization is crucially dependent on the phenotype, functional properties, and growth characteristics of the parental cell lines. By appropriate matching of an immortal malignant T-cell line with a normal T cell prior to fusion, a hybrid can be created that expresses a specific molecule or activity in an antigen-specific or -nonspecific manner. The technique has its limitations, but it has resulted in initial successes.
Correction to: Getting to the Warm Hand-Off: A Study of Home Visitor Referral Activities.

The article “Getting to the Warm Hand-Off: A Study of Home Visitor Referral Activities”, written by Jessica Goldberg, Jessica Greenstone Winestone, Rebecca Fauth, Melissa Colon and Maria Veronica Mingo, was originally published electronically on the publisher’s internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 02 June 2018 without open access. With the author(s)’ decision to opt for Open Choice the copyright of the article changed on 17 July 2018 to © The Author(s) 2018 and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, duplication, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.
Crystal structures of green fluorescent protein with the unnatural amino acid 4-nitro-l-phenylalanine

The X-ray crystal structures of two superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) constructs containing a genetically incorporated spectroscopic reporter unnatural amino acid, 4-nitro-l-phenylalanine (pNO2F), at two unique sites in the protein have been determined. Amber codon-suppression methodology was used to site-specifically incorporate pNO2F at a solvent-accessible (Asp133) and a partially buried (Asn149) site in sfGFP. The Asp133pNO2F sfGFP construct crystallized with two molecules per asymmetric unit in space group P3221 and the crystal structure was refined to 2.05 A resolution. Crystals of Asn149pNO2F sfGFP contained one molecule of sfGFP per asymmetric unit in space group P4122 and the structure was refined to 1.60 A resolution. The alignment of Asp133pNO2F or Asn149pNO2F sfGFP with wild-type sfGFP resulted in small root-mean-square deviations, illustrating that these residues do not significantly alter the protein structure and supporting the use of pNO2F as an effective spectroscopic reporter of local protein structure and dynamics.
Ion selectivity in capacitive deionization with functionalized electrode: Theory and experimental validation.

Abstract Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a promising technique for salt removal and may have potential for highly selective removal of ion species. In this work, we take advantage of functional groups usually used with ionic exchange resins and apply these to CDI. To this end, we functionalize activated carbon with a quaternary amines surfactant and use this surface to selectively and passively (no applied field) trap nitrate ions. We then set the cell voltage to a constant value to regenerate these electrodes, resulting in an inverted capacitive deionization (i-CDI) operation. Unlike resins, we avoid use of concentrated chemicals for regeneration. We measure the selectivity of nitrate versus chloride ions as a function of regeneration voltage and initial chloride concentration. We experimentally demonstrate up to about 6.5-fold (observable) selectivity in a cycle with a regeneration voltage of 0.4 V. We also demonstrate a novel multi-pass, air-flush i-CDI operation to selectively enrich nitrate with high water recovery. We further present a dynamic, multi-species electrosorption and equilibrium solution-to-surface chemical reaction model and validate the model with detailed measurements. Our i-CDI system exhibits higher nitrate selectivity at lower voltages; making it possible to reduce NaNO3 concentrations from ∼170 ppm to below the limit of maximum allowed values for nitrate in drinking water of about 50 ppm NaNO3.
A Proposed Model of the Use of Package Claims and Nutrition Labels

The authors propose a conceptual model of the use of nutrition labels and on-package claims. Knowledge, perceived diet effectiveness, health status, and skepticism toward claims are all hypothesize...
What and how are EM residents being taught to respond to the next disaster

Objective: Disasters, both natural and manmade, have become commonplace and emergency physicians serve on the front line. Residency may be the only time that emergency physicians are exposed to a disaster, through training, until one happens in their department; therefore, it is critical to provide residents with appropriate and timely disaster education. The goal of this study was to assess the current status of disaster education in emergency medicine (EM) residencies in the United States. Methods: A list of disaster topics was generated by reviewing disaster literature and validated by subject matter experts. Between May and December 2016, the authors conducted a national computerized survey of the 229 US EM residencies listed by the American Osteopathic Association and the American Medical Association. It focused on the methods of instruction and amount of time devoted to each topic. Results: Of the 229 eligible residency programs, 183 (79.9 percent) completed the survey. Of those, 98.9 percent report teaching disaster management topics. Nine of 18 disaster medicine topics were taught at >60 percent of responding programs. The most common topics were emergency management principles and mass casualty triage, while the least common was hazard vulnerability analysis. The most common method of instruction was lecture (68.5 percent) and the least common methods were journal club and field exercises. Conclusions: Broad education in disaster medicine is provided in most US EM residencies. Standardization of topics is still lacking and would be beneficial to encourage comprehensive education. Addressing the educational gaps and curriculum methodology changes identified in this survey would increase curriculum standardization.
Development of a CRISPR/Cas9 System for Methylococcus capsulatus In Vivo Gene Editing

ABSTRACT Methanotrophic bacteria play a crucial role in the Earth’s biogeochemical cycle and have the potential to be employed in industrial biomanufacturing processes due to their capacity to use natural gas- and biogas-derived methane as a sole carbon and energy source. Advanced gene-editing systems have the potential to enable rapid, high-throughput methanotrophic genetics and biocatalyst development. To this end, we employed a series of broad-host-range expression plasmids to construct a conjugatable clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 gene-editing system in Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath). Heterologous coexpression of the Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 endonuclease and a synthetic single guide RNA (gRNA) showed efficient Cas9 DNA targeting and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) cleavage that resulted in cell death. We demonstrated effective in vivo editing of plasmid DNA using both Cas9 and Cas9D10A nickase to convert green fluorescent protein (GFP)- to blue fluorescent protein (BFP)-expressing cells with 71% efficiency. Further, we successfully introduced a premature stop codon into the soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) hydroxylase component-encoding mmoX gene with the Cas9D10A nickase, disrupting sMMO function. These data provide proof of concept for CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing in M. capsulatus. Given the broad-host-range replicons and conjugation capability of these CRISPR/Cas9 tools, they have potential utility in other methanotrophs and a wide array of Gram-negative microorganisms. IMPORTANCE In this study, we targeted the development and evaluation of broad-host-range CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing tools in order to enhance the genetic-engineering capabilities of an industrially relevant methanotrophic biocatalyst. The CRISPR/Cas9 system developed in this study expands the genetic tools available to define molecular mechanisms in methanotrophic bacteria and has the potential to foster advances in the generation of novel biocatalysts to produce biofuels, platform chemicals, and high-value products from natural gas- and biogas-derived methane. Further, due to the broad-host-range applicability, these genetic tools may also enable innovative approaches to overcome the barriers associated with genetically engineering diverse, industrially promising nonmodel microorganisms.
The interplay between residency program culture and feedback culture: a cross-sectional study exploring perceptions of residents at three institutions.

Background: Giving and receiving feedback that changes performance is influenced significantly by the clinical learning environment. This environment is multi-dimensional but includes both organiza...
The Application of Sensor Networks to Lighting Control

AbstractThis paper evaluates the application of sensor networks to lighting control, and had two goals. The first goal was to evaluate the utility of using more than one sensor to detect occupancy. Sensor networks were installed in a sample of private offices and cubicle workstations. Large individual differences in sensor response to occupancy were observed in all monitored areas: the percent difference in occupied time measured by sensors in ten private offices ranged from 16.1 percent to 74.0 percent (mean 44.7 percent): the differences between detectors measuring occupancy in 23 cubicle workstations ranged from 14 percent to 91 percent (mean 53.7 percent). These data establish the considerable uncertainty in occupancy measurement that exists with current systems. Current control systems compensate for this uncertainty by applying a long time delay before switching lights off. Since a sensor network more accurately measures occupancy, shorter time delays can be applied to reduce system operating time a...
Complex Cardiovascular Interventions: Visualization, Planning, Outcomes.

“Thus far an aberrant course of the right subclavian artery has not been reported in a living patient. In these circumstances it seems appropriate to publish an observation that I have made while performing a radiologic examination of the stomach.”—Burckhard F. Kommerell, 1936 [(1)][1]“
An assessment of baseline risk factors for peripartum maternal critical care interventions

Maternal morbidity presents a growing challenge to the American healthcare system and increasing numbers of patients are requiring higher levels of care in pregnancy. Identifying patients at high r...
Learning theory in the arithmetic hierarchy II

The present work determines the arithmetic complexity of the index sets of u.c.e. families which are learnable according to various criteria of algorithmic learning. Specifically, we prove that the index set of codes for families that are TxtFex $$^a_b$$ -learnable is $$\Sigma _4^0$$ -complete and that the index set of TxtFex $$^*_*$$ -learnable and the index set of TxtFext $$^*_*$$ -learnable families are both $$\Sigma _5^0$$ -complete.
Internalizing Symptoms, Alcohol Use, and Protective Behavioral Strategies: Associations with Regretted Sexual Experiences of College Students.

Abstract One of the most pervasive forms of regret, often connected to alcohol use, is sexual regret. Lifetime rates of regretted sexual experiences (RSE) for college students is between 29%-71.9%, with 31.8% endorsing past year RSE and 31.7% stating alcohol negatively influenced decision making. While past research has focused on psychological symptoms following sexual assault, psychological effects and subsequent outcomes of RSE remains under-studied. Whether a history of sexual regret is associated with mental health symptoms, alcohol use, and protective behavioral strategy (PBS) use in the past month was analyzed. Participants (n = 1,394; 57.68% females, 26.96% racial/ethnic minority) reported on internalizing symptoms (anxiety, depression, trauma symptoms, and suicidal ideation) and externalizing and protective behaviors (problematic alcohol use and PBS). It was hypothesized that those with a history of RSE would report heightened current psychological symptoms compared to those without a history of RSE, regardless of when the RSE occurred. Of the n = 1,394 participants, 39.96% reported sexual regret and 26.11% endorsed a history of sexual victimization. Results indicate that among participants with an RSE, past month symptoms of anxiety, depression, trauma, and suicidal ideation were heightened. A similar pattern emerged for problematic alcohol use, as those with a history of RSE engaged in more problematic alcohol use in the past month. For PBS, those with a history of RSE engaged in fewer PBS than those without. Understanding these factors may provide novel insight for mental health prevention efforts and intervention targets for individuals who experience sexual regret.
Management of lymphatic vascular malformations: A systematic review of the literature.

Abstract Objective Lymphatic malformations (LM) are common congenital vascular lesions, most often diagnosed at birth. They deform local anatomy and can be life-threatening if they compress the aerodigestive tract or other vital structures. Significant progress has been made in the treatment of LMs in the past 20 years. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on the management of LMs. Methods On September 21, 2020, we searched PubMed/MEDLINE for studies published from 2000 to 2020 reporting outcomes of invasive and pharmacologic treatment of LMs. Results A total of 251 studies met the eligibility criteria. Surgery has continued to be a mainstay in the management of LMs, especially in the treatment of microcystic and mixed lesions. Sclerotherapy has emerged as a first-line treatment of macrocystic LMs and as an adjunctive therapy used in combination with surgery for other lesions. Sirolimus, a strong inhibitor of mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin), has shown tremendous promise in the treatment of LMs, as both an oral and a topical agent. Recent investigations have shown the potential of targeted small molecule modulators of cellular pathways in the treatment of LMs. Conclusions Multiple invasive and pharmacologic therapies have been shown to be effective in the treatment of LMs. Future research should focus on rigorous, prospective comparisons of these treatment modalities.
Do fur coats symbolize status or stigma? Examining the effect of perceived stigma on female consumers’ purchase intentions toward fur coats

Animal fur garments have historically served as a status symbol. However, the fur fashion market has recently undergone two noteworthy transformations. Firstly, the anti-fur consumption movements have heavily stigmatized wearing fur for fashion. Secondly, due to technological advancements, fake alternatives made from synthetic fibers, referred to as faux fur, can be now made to look authentic. Through a survey, this study examined the effects of growing stigma around wearing fur on consumer behaviors. It investigated the moderating effects of perceived stigma on the relationship between the need for status and purchase intentions toward genuine fur coats as well as faux fur coats that look real. Two-hundred and twenty usable data were collected from 353 female participants recruited from an online panel. Results revealed that status-seeking consumers had higher purchase intentions toward both genuine fur coats and faux fur alternatives that look real. The moderating effects of perceived stigma were found only for genuine fur coats, indicating that perceived stigma can hurt the demand for genuine fur coats, but not necessarily for faux fur coats that look real. By incorporating stigma theory, this study goes beyond previous focus on the determinants of status consumption by demonstrating the transformation of a status symbol through perceived stigma’s effects on consumer purchasing decisions.
CM Sequence based Trajectory Modeling with Destination

In some problems there is information about the destination of a moving object. An example is an airliner flying from an origin to a destination. Such problems have three main components: an origin, a destination, and motion in between. To emphasize that the motion trajectories end up at the destination, we call them \textit{destination-directed trajectories}. The Markov sequence is not flexible enough to model such trajectories. Given an initial density and an evolution law, the future of a Markov sequence is determined probabilistically. One class of conditionally Markov (CM) sequences, called the $CM_L$ sequence (including the Markov sequence as a special case), has the following main components: a joint endpoint density (i.e., an initial density and a final density conditioned on the initial) and a Markov-like evolution law. This paper proposes using the $CM_L$ sequence for modeling destination-directed trajectories. It is demonstrated how the $CM_L$ sequence enjoys several desirable properties for destination-directed trajectory modeling. Some simulations of trajectory modeling and prediction are presented for illustration.
Prospective Observational Evaluation of Predatory Journals in Critical Care Pharmacy Practice: Defining Characteristics Associated With Receiving Unsolicited Invitations to Publish.

Open-access publishing promotes accessibility to scholarly research at no cost to the reader. The emergence of predatory publishers, which exploit the author-pay model by charging substantial publi...
The Significance of Fatima: A Seventy-Five-Year Perspective

L'A. tente d'apporter un synopsis des apparitions et des messages de Notre Dame de Fatima. Puis il considere la propagation du message au cours des soixante-quinze dernieres annees en apportant les corrections necessaires au regard de la direction prise par Jean Paul II. En conclusion, il developpe une spiritualite ainsi qu'un plan d'action pastoral suggeres par l'analyse du phenomene de Fatima par le saint Pere. Ceci permet de corriger quelques aberrations contemporaines dans le domaine de la piete populaire
Serum Leptin Predicts Adiposity in Infancy † 1520

Early identification of infants at high risk to develop obesity may allow intervention and prevention of childhood obesity. Leptin, the translated and secreted 16 kD product of the obesity (ob) gene, reflects adiposity in adults. This peptide serves as a link between the peripheral fat stores and the hypothalamus, thereby regulating feeding behavior. The presence of leptin mRNA in the placenta and peptide in fetal and neonatal blood support a role for leptin in the determination of infant adiposity. We hypothesized that circulating leptin levels predict adiposity in infants. Methods: 12 male infants were fed a single proprietary formula to one year of age. Solids were fed no earlier than the fourth month (mon). Measurements were made at 4 and 12 mon. Adiposity was measured by anthropometry and total body electrical conductance (TOBEC, EmScan). Serum leptin levels were measured by RIA. Dietary intake was measured from 4-day records. Paired t-tests and Pearson correlations were used for statistical analyses.
A Little Bit of Probability

The probability of the occurrence of an event is indicated by a number ranging from 0 to 1. An event whose probability of occurrence is 0 is certain not to occur, whereas an event whose probability is 1 is certain to occur.
A Multilayer Theory for Gas Sorption Part II: Sorption of Gas Mixtures

The model proposed in Part I for the multilayer sorption of a single gas is extended here in Part II to predict the isotherms for each component during the sorption from a binary gas mixture. The m...
Pressing Through in Hard Times: Civil Society, Public Goods Provision and the State in Post-War Sierra Leone

During times of economic difficulty, a central assumption is that states react by becoming more interventionist, increasing government spending on social programs and public goods provision. However, how true is this assumption in post-war states? For states that are failed or recovering from conflict, the capacity to expand is often not there. Instead, social programs and public goods provision are often the prerogative of the civil society groups and non-governmental organizations, and the assumption of interventionist governments mainly hold true in states that can afford this expansion. However, the recent decision by the Sierra Leone state to provide free health care to pregnant and lactating mothers and children under five suggest that even these countries are playing a greater and more interventionist role in society. This paper explores public goods provision in the context of the health care sector in Sierra Leone and provides an early assessment of the nascent project. An examination of the successes and shortcomings of the program suggests that while definitely a step in the right direction, the government still has much to do regarding health care delivery. It suggests that weak states that attempt to play a more assertive role in public goods provision will suffer from a number of weaknesses in implementation, namely limited government capacity. States recovering from conflict need to spend more time in building state capacity as early adoption of initiatives to boost public sector provision could potentially undermine many of the gains attained.
Pulsed ultrasonic actuation of polysilicon surface micromachines

We report on the use of ultrasonic pulses for actuation of surface micromachined devices. The pulses were generated by an attached piezoelectric PZT plate making the method suitable for IC-packaged structures. In this paper we investigate the effect of different parameters on the actuation: pulse width and amplitude, ambient pressure and size of the micromachines. Applications for the pulse actuation method include assembly and release of stuck micromachines.
Framework as Metaphor: The Promise and Peril of MCH Life-Course Perspectives

Life-course analytic frameworks expressly link the determinants of health and illness across the lifespan. Such frameworks could serve as a foundation for integrating child and adult health policies by emphasizing the potential that social and biologic processes early in life can find clinical expression as adult-onset disease. However, there are elements of these frameworks that can be misinterpreted in ways that obscure scientific processes and fragment rather than integrate health policies. First, casting early life influences as determining rather than merely influencing adult health obscures the complexity of social and biologic etiologies over a lifetime and diminishes the impact of events in adolescence and adult life. Second, oversimplifying the impact of early influences on adult disease tends to imply that such processes are particularly unamenable to clinical and public health interventions, a suggestion without an empirical basis and likely to undermine pleas for enhanced access to such interventions. Third, exaggerating early life events as being highly deterministic of adult illness in order to shift societal resources from the elderly towards children can generate unnecessary antagonisms between potentially allied constituencies. Together, these considerations suggest that the utility of life-course frameworks will depend upon cautious interpretation and an ongoing process of active refinement.
Benefit‐risk Assessment of Investigational Drugs: Current Methodology, Limitations, and Alternative Approaches

Development of investigational drugs is a process integrated traditionally into four overlapping phases. The goal is to introduce new therapies to clinical medicine by assessing benefits and risks associated with administering the new drug. Benefit assessment is performed with respect to the disease for which the drug may comprise an effective treatment. In contrast, safety assessment is relatively standardized across many pharmacologic classes of agents. For purposes of benefit-risk assessment, investigational drugs are developed to provide benefit in three major disease categories: acute, episodic, and chronic. Benefit assessment is the major focus of conventional methodologies. Inherent limitations of risk assessment produced by conventional approaches are illustrated by the historical inability to detect toxicities of various drugs until large patient populations have been treated, typically after the drug is marketed. Alternative approaches to overcome these limitations include assessment of safety in studies specifically designed to optimize such evaluation and more extensive safety testing of investigational drugs in patient subgroups at higher risk. Such approaches serve the interest of patients, physicians, and developers by facilitating the development of new therapies by providing a more complete benefit-risk assessment prior to initial marketing of the drug.
Hydrogen bonding: Part 20. Infrared study of the high temperature β-form of choline chloride

Abstract Infrared spectral studies of β-choline chloride at 95°C clearly demonstrate the presence of OH … Cl hydrogen bonding. This observation contradicts an earlier conclusion, based on X-ray structural studies, that such hydrogen bonding could not occur in this high-temperature form of choline chloride. A moderate reinterpretation of the X-ray data may reconcile these contradictory conclusions. Unlike α-choline chloride, β-choline chloride does not show CH … Cl hydrogen bonding. It is possible that loss of CH … Cl hydrogen bonding is a factor in the marked difference in radiation sensitivity of the α- and β-forms.
Application of Cathodoluminescence Imaging to the Study of Sedimentary Rocks: Instrumentation and techniques

Introduction Cathodoluminescence is generated when a suitable specimen, such as a polished thin section, is bombarded with a beam of high-energy electrons. Some of the earliest observations of cathodoluminescence were made in the early 1960s by using an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA), commonly referred to as an electron probe or electron microprobe (e.g., Long, 1963; Long and Agrell, 1965; Stenstrom and Smith, 1964; Smith and Stenstrom, 1965). In spite of this early application to CL study, the EPMA has not subsequently been used extensively for this purpose. Although CL images can be viewed in an EPMA, the EPMA is used primarily for compositional analysis. As reported by Marshall (1988, p. 19), designs were also being developed in the early 1960s for a simpler electron excitation source that could be attached to the stage of a standard petrographic microscope to allow cathodoluminescence observations with an optical microscope. Long and Agrell (1965) discuss the design of a cathodoluminescence microscope attachment (CMA) that utilizes a heated filament gun, and Sippel (1965) designed a CMA that utilized a cold cathode gun. Subsequently, other designs for CMAs have been produced both for commercial use and for use by various research laboratories. For example, Herzog et al . (1970) described a commercial design for a CMA called the Luminoscope, an instrument still in use today. A major breakthrough in cathodoluminescence instrumentation came with the development of CL detectors that could be attached to a scanning electron microscope (SEM).
Multi-terminal-net river routing for VLSI layout design

Consideration is given to the single layer rectilinear river routing of n nets and the two sets of terminals (of the nets) which lie on two horizontal lines are connected by means of disjoint wires on a unit-grid (where one unit is the minimum spacing between two wires). A wire realizing a net will connect all the consecutive terminals of the net on the top line to all the consecutive terminals of the net on the bottom line and there are at most J horizontal segments (jogs) in the wire. For J=1, a linear time algorithm for finding a layout with the minimum distance (separation) between the two horizontal lines is given. When sliding the upper horizontal line is allowed, the authors show a linear time algorithm for finding all possible sliding offsets to achieve an s-separation layout. In addition, an O(n log n) time algorithm for finding an offset which yields the smallest possible separation is provided. Given J>1 and an offset, the authors show an O(Jn) time algorithm for determining if an s-separation is feasible, and an O(Jn log n) time algorithm for finding a layout with the minimum separation. >
Perceptions About Parental Engagement Among Hispanic Immigrant Mothers of First Graders from Low-Income Backgrounds

Parental engagement is critical to children’s educational achievement. Before and during elementary school, it is crucial for parents to be involved in their children’s education in order to foster development and achievement. Hispanic parents’ immigrant status, coupled with a lack of English proficiency, means that they often find themselves of low socioeconomic status (SES). Being low SES also means that parents possess fewer resources for engaging with their children. The current study seeks to understand low-income, primarily Hispanic mothers’ perceptions of their roles in their first grade children’s education. Mothers were interviewed regarding parenting confidence related to teaching their children, and responses were analyzed using qualitative research methods. Mothers in this study associated their roles in their children’s education with two primary areas: helping their children to learn, and raising their children to be well-behaved and respectful. The main barrier to parental confidence in these roles appeared to be mothers’ lack of English proficiency. This is consistent with previous research demonstrating that Hispanic parents maintain the perception of a lack of proficiency in English as a significant barrier to parental involvement in their children’s education in the United States. Future interventions with teachers and parents may benefit from these findings in consideration of the optimal ways to involve parent related to their perceived personal strengths regarding parental engagement.
Operator content and modular properties of higher-dimensional conformal field theories

Abstract Possible generalizations of the principle of modular invariance to conformal field theories in dimensions d>2 are considered. It is shown that the partition function in a geometry with the topology of Sd−1×S1 encodes the operator content of the theory, and that this result implies that the asymptotic behavior of the density of scaling dimensions is determined by the universal coefficient of the Casimir term. These relations are verified for the case of a free massless scalar field, and it shon that, if the field is conformally coupled, the above partition functions enjoy modular properties which generalize those of the case d=2. A naive extension to the continuum limit of the three-dimensional Ising model fails, however.
EUGENE F. MILLER

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of our longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Eugene F. Miller, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Georgia, who taught in the department of political science with great distinction from 1967 until his retirement in 2003. He died on May 30, 2010, following a two-year battle with multiple myeloma.
The urogenital and rectal pain syndromes

Pain syndromes of the urogenital and rectal area are well described but poorly understood and underrecognized focal pain syndromes. They include vulvodynia, orchialgia, urethral syndrome, penile pain, prostatodynia, coccygodynia, perineal pain, proctodynia and proctalgia fugax. The etiology of these focal pain syndromes is not known. A specific secondary cause can be identified in a minority of patients, but most often the examination and work-up remain unrevealing. Although these patients are often depressed, rarely are these pain syndromes the only manifestation of a psychiatric disease. This review article presents an overview of the neuroanatomy of the pelvis, which is a prerequisite to trying to understand the chronic pain syndromes in this region. We then discuss the clinical presentation, etiology and differential diagnosis of chronic pain syndromes of the urogenital and rectal area and review treatment options. The current knowledge of the psychological aspects of these pain syndromes is reviewed. Patients presenting with these pain syndromes are best assessed and treated using a multidisciplinary approach. Currently available treatment options are empirical only. Although cures are uncommon, some pain relief can be provided to almost all patients using a multidisciplinary approach including pain medications, local treatment regimens, physical therapy and psychological support, while exercising caution toward invasive and irreversible therapeutic procedures. Better knowledge of the underlying pathophysioloigical mechanisms of the urogenital and rectal pain syndromes is needed to allow investigators to develop treatment strategies, specifically targeted against the pathophysiological mechanism.
Modelling poroelastic hollow cylinder experiments with realistic boundary conditions

A general poroelastic solution for axisymmetrical plane strain problems with time dependent boundary conditions is developed in Laplace domain. Time-domain results are obtained using numerical inversion of the Laplace transform. Previously published solutions can be considered as special cases of the proposed solution. In particular, we could reproduce numerical results for solid and hollow poroelastic cylinders with suddenly applied load/pressure (Rice and Cleary, Rev. Geophys. Space Phys. 1976; 14:227; Schmitt, Tait and Spann, Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. 1993; 30:1057; Cui and Abousleiman, ASCE J. Eng. Mech. 2001; 127:391). The new solution is used to model laboratory tests on thick-walled hollow cylinders of Berea sandstone subjected to intensive pressure drawdown. In the experiments, pressure at the inner boundary of the hollow cylinder is observed to decline exponentially with a decay constant of 3–5 1/s. It is found that solutions with idealized step-function type inner boundary conditions overestimate the induced tensile radial stresses considerably. Although basic poroelastic phenomena can be modelled properly at long time following a stepwise change in pressure, realistic time varying boundary conditions predict actual rock behaviour better at early time. Experimentally observed axial stresses can be matched but appear to require different values for α and ν than are measured at long time. The proposed solution can be used to calculate the stress and pore pressure distributions around boreholes under infinite/finite boundary conditions. Prospective applications include investigating the effect of gradually changing pore pressure, modelling open-hole cavity completions, and describing the phenomenon of wellbore collapse (bridging) during oil or gas blowouts. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Shear alignment and instability of smectic phases.

We consider the shear flow of well-aligned one-component smectic phases, such as thermotropic smectics and lamellar diblock copolymers, below the critical region. We show that, as a result of thermal fluctuations of the layers, parallel $\left(c\right)$ alignment is generically unstable and perpendicular $\left(a\right)$ alignment is stable against long-wavelength undulations. We also find, surprisingly, that both $a$ and $c$ alignments are stable for a narrow window of values for the anisotropic viscosity.
Collective behavior of multi-agent network dynamic systems under internal and external random perturbations

Abstract In this work, by formulating stochastic model for multi-agent network dynamic systems, the qualitative and quantitative properties of these dynamic models are investigated. In particular the cohesiveness, convergence, stability and invariant sets are addressed.
Thermoelectrics as elements of hybrid-electric vehicle thermal energy systems

Despite vast technological improvements, the traditional internal combustion powered vehicle still achieves only 25- 30% efficiency, with the remainder lost primarily as heat. While the load leveling offered by hybrid-electric vehicle technology helps to improve this overall efficiency, part of the efficiency gains are achieved by making new systems such as regenerative braking viable. In a similar fashion, thermoelectric (TE) energy recovery has long been considered for traditional vehicles with mixed results, but little has been done to consider thermoelectrics in the framework of the unique energy systems of hybrid vehicles. Systems that may not have been viable or even possible with traditional vehicles may offer improvements to system efficiency as well as emissions, vehicle durability, passenger comfort, and cost. This research describes a simulation developed for evaluating and optimizing thermoelectric energy recovery systems and results for four different system configurations. Two novel system configurations are presented which offer the potential for additional benefits such as emissions reduction that will soon be quantified. In addition, a test setup is presented which was constructed for the testing and validation of various thermoelectric recovery systems. Actual test performance was near the expected theoretical performance and supported the conclusions reached from the computer simulations.
An investigation of cavity growth in a superplastic aluminum alloy processed by ECAP

Quantitative measurements were taken to evaluate the significance of cavitation in the tensile testing of a superplastic spray-cast Al-7034 alloy processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP). Samples were processed by ECAP and then tested in tension at 673 K using strain rates from 10?3 to 10?1 s?1. For comparison purposes, similar tensile testing was conducted also on samples without ECAP processing. Inspection of polished sections after tensile testing revealed extensive internal cavitation in all samples. Measurements were taken to provide detailed information on the sizes and shapes of the cavities and these measurements were analyzed to determine the dominant cavity growth mechanisms. The results demonstrate the importance of superplastic diffusion growth in ultrafine-grained materials processed by ECAP.
Cognitive and Noncognitive College Readiness of Participants in Three Concurrent-Enrollment Programs

Cognitive and noncognitive college readiness were assessed for participants in the Huskins dual credit program (n = 42), non-Huskins dual enrollment program (n = 10), and Early College High School (n = 31) at Mitchell Community College in Statesville, North Carolina. College readiness was also assessed for two comparison groups: nonconcurrently-enrolled college bound high school students (n = 32) and regularly matriculated college students (n = 50). Cognitive college readiness variables included the percentage of Cs or better in college transfer courses and the rate of acceptance into colleges at various degrees of entrance difficulty. Noncognitive college readiness variables included commitment to education, self- and resource-management skills, interpersonal and social skills, academic success skills, and career planning skills. After controlling for the effects of age, ethnicity, gender, prior completion of college transfer courses, completion of developmental education courses, verbal skills, and math...