cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
spo0J is required for normal chromosome segregation as well as the initiation of sporulation in Bacillus subtilis.

Abstract The spo0J gene of Bacillus subtilis is required for the initiation of sporulation. We show that the sporulation defect caused by null mutations in spo0J is suppressed by a null mutation in the gene located directly upstream from spo0J, soj (suppressor of spo0J). These results indicate that Soj inhibits the initiation of sporulation and that Spo0J antagonizes that inhibition. Further genetic experiments indicated that Soj ultimately affects sporulation by inhibiting the activation (phosphorylation) of the developmental transcription factor encoded by spo0A. In addition, the temperature-sensitive sporulation phenotype caused by the ftsA279 (spoIIN279) mutation was partly suppressed by the soj null mutation, indicating that FtsA might also affect the activity of Soj. Soj and Spo0J are known to be similar in sequence to a family of proteins involved in plasmid partitioning, including ParA and ParB of prophage P1, SopA and SopB of F, and IncC and KorB of RK2, spo0J was found to be required for normal chromosome partitioning as well as for sporulation. spo0J null mutants produced a significant proportion of anucleate cells during vegetative growth. The dual functions of Spo0J could provide a mechanism for regulating the initiation of sporulation in response to activity of the chromosome partition machinery.
Towards Re-engineering Legacy Systems for Assured Dynamic Adaptation

Increasingly, software must adapt its behavior in response to changes in the supporting computing, communication infrastructure, and in the surrounding physical environment. Since most existing software was not designed to adapt, research on techniques to make legacy software dynamically adaptive has gained increasing interest. Assurance is crucial for adaptive software to fulfill its intended purpose. Correctness is even more critical if it is to be applied in high assurance systems. This paper proposes a model-driven approach to introduce dynamic adaptation to non-adaptive legacy systems while maintaining assurance properties. An aspect-oriented technique is applied to achieve separation of concerns in the implementation.
A web‐based educational module on limestone contactors technology for drinking water professionals

This article presents a web-based educational module developed to promote limestone contactor technology to design engineers, state and federal regulatory agencies, and small water system utilities that typically deal with corrosion control problems. The module is interactive and rich in photos and diagrams. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 13: 240–249, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20047
A gateway to the global city: Mobile place-making practices by expats:

Drawing from ethnographic research of expatriates who use meetup.com and similar digitally based social organizing platforms to access events in Paris, this paper explores how on- and offline meet-up rhetoric and routines contribute to the production of a mobile “sense of place” for people who have relocated or traveled alone. By highlighting how participants may use digital media to create a sense of belonging to an “international community” extendable across a series of local places, this research diverges from earlier studies that have focused on how migrants use media to maintain connections to a “homeland” or to reconstitute the home abroad. Although the paper celebrates new agencies afforded by mobile place-making, particularly for women, I suggest that as professional labor trends increasingly assert the value of placeless-ness, tools that combine communication with location-based digital organizing will only grow in importance and the “support” provided by them should be continually interrogated.
Exploring the causes of early dropout among race-ethnic and gender groups.

This study uses nationally representative high school student data to show raceethnicity and gender differences in reasons for early school dropout and plans for dropouts to resume their education....
Multinational corporations and dependency: a dialogue for dependentistas and non-dependentistas

Three assertions about relations between multinational corporations and host countries in the Third World frequently appear in the dependencia literature: 1) that the host countries receive too few benefits; 2) that foreign investment causes distortions in the local economies; and 3) that foreign investment distorts host countries' political processes. These propositions can be reformulated as testable hypotheses, to which non-dependency studies of oligopolistic competition, bureaucratic politics, and transnational relations are relevant. Identifying critical areas of disagreement between dependency and nondependency approaches may help scholars to design their research in such a way as to enrich the dialogue between dependentistas and non-dependentistas.
Effectiveness of Maleated and Acrylic Acid-Functionalized Polyolefin Coupling Agents for HDPE-Wood-Flour Composites:

The performance of fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites strongly depends on solid fiber-matrix adhesion to allow stress transfer between the phases. Fiber surface modification with coupling agents is generally needed to induce bond formation between the fiber and the polymer. This study investigated the effects of coupling agent's functional monomer (acrylic acid vs. maleic anhydride) and base resin (polyethylene (PE) vs. polypropylene (PP)) types on the tensile and flexural properties of high-density polyethylene (HDPE)-wood-flour composites. The interfacial adhesion between wood flour and HDPE matrix was examined using environmental scanning electron microscope. The experimental results indicate that the types of functional monomer and base resin are important factors determining the effectiveness of functionalized coupling agents for HDPE-wood-flour composites. Maleic anhydride-functionalized polyolefins perform better than acrylic acid counterparts whereas PE-based maleated coupling agents are mo...
SPEAR: a hybrid model for speculative pre-execution

Summary form only given. Speculative preexecution achieves efficient data prefetching by running additional prefetching threads on spare hardware contexts. Various implementations for speculative preexecution have been proposed, including compiler-based static approaches and hardware-based dynamic approaches. A static approach defines the p-thread at compile time and executes it as a stand-alone running thread. Therefore, it cannot efficiently take the dynamic events into account and requires a higher fetch bandwidth. Conversely, a hardware approach is, by essence, able to dynamically use the runtime information. However, it requires more complex hardware and also lacks global program information on data and control flow. We propose SPEAR (Speculative Preexecution Assisted by CompileR), a preexecution model which is a hybrid of the two approaches. It relies on a post-compiler to extract the p-thread code from program binaries and uses specially designed hardware to trigger the execution of the p-thread. For this purpose, an automated software tool for p-thread identification has been developed and a modified SMT model with the specially designed front-end is proposed.
Kinetics of Neutral Amino Acid Transport Through the Blood‐Brain Barrier of the Newborn Rabbit

Since protein synthesis in the developing brain may, under certain conditions, be limited by amino acid availability, the present studies were undertaken to characterize the kinetics of large neutral amino acid transport through the blood-brain bamer (BBB) of the newborn rabbit. The K,, V,,,, and KD of the transport of eight amino acids were determined by a nonlinear regres- sion analysis of data obtained with the carotid injection technique. Compared with kinetic parameters observed for the adult rat, the K,, V,,,, and KD of amino acid transport were all two- to threefold higher in the newborn. Albumin was found to bind tryptophan actively in vitro, but had no inhibitory effect on tryptophan transport through the newborn BBB. Glutamine was transported through the BBB of the newborn at rates severalfold higher than are seen in the adult rat. However, glutamine transport was not inhibited by high concentra- tions of N-methylaminoisobutyric acid (NMAIB), a model amino acid that is specific for the alanine-preferring or A-system present in peripheral tissues. In conclusion, these studies show that the BBB neutral amino acid transport system of the newborn rabbit has a lower affinity and higher capacity than does the BBB of the adult rat. Under conditions of high plasma amino acids, the increased capacity of the newborn transport system allows for a higher rate of amino acid transport into brain than would occur via the lower capacity system present in the adult rat brain. Key Words: Blood-brain barrier-Amino acid transport-Developing brain. Pardridge W. M. and Mietus L. J. Kinetics of neutral amino acid transport through the blood-brain barrier of the newborn rabbit. J. Neurochem. 38, 955-962 (1982).
Fuel Metabolism as a Determinant of Arachidonic Acid Release and Oxygenation

A variety of stimuli (such as bradykinin, angiotensin, and vasopressin) are believed to interact with cell-surface receptors and evoke a release of arachidonic acid (AA) and its oxygenated metabolites in many cells. One link between the two events is presumed to be the activation of calcium-dependent phospholipases (or possibly calcium-dependent lipoxygenases; Ochi et al.,1983), possibly in some cases via mediation by calmodulin. This Ca2+ might arise from extracellular sources (for example, the calcium influx induced via cell depolarization), in which case the release of the oxygenated products of AA can be blocked by Ca2+ channel blockers (Levine, 1983), or from intracellular stores (blockable by TMB-8, which putatively inhibits release of Ca2+ from intracellular sources; cf. Rittenhouse-Simmons and Deykin, 1978). Alternatively, it has been suggested that receptor occupation can directly activate a phospholipase C, leading to degradation of acidic polyphos-phoinositides. Such breakdown could release membrane-bound Ca2+ (Broekman, 1984), and the concomitant release of inositol phosphates could promote release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores (Streb et al., 1983). Such accumulation of Ca2+ could then potentiate AA release. Whatever the sequence of events leading to arachidonate release in a given cell, the initiating event has usually been considered to take place at the cell surface. In contrast, a possible role for fuel metabolism and related intracellular events in AA release and/or metabolism has received almost no attention. To examine the possibility of such a role, we studied the effect of one fuel (glucose) on the release of the lipoxygenese product 12-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) from a glucose-sensitive organ, intact rat islets of Langerhans.
Development of Experimental 20-kY, 36-MW Solid-State Converters for HVDC Systems

Two 20-kV, 36-MW converters, one used as a rectifier and the other as an inverter in a pump-back configuration, have been operated successfully demonstrating the feasibility of SCRs for high-voltage high-current applications. Effects of commutation transients within the converters and on other apparatus have been thoroughly explored and analyzed.
Cannabinoid-Mediated Disinhibition and Working Memory: Dynamical Interplay of Multiple Feedback Mechanisms in a Continuous Attractor Model of Prefrontal Cortex

Recurrent excitation is believed to underlie persistent neural activity observed in the prefrontal cortex and elsewhere during working memory. However, other positive and negative feedback mechanisms, operating on disparate timescales, may also play significant roles in determining the behavior of a working memory circuit. In this study, we examined dynamical interactions of multiple feedback mechanisms in a biophysically based neural model of spatial working memory. In such continuous attractor networks, a self-sustained activity pattern tends to drift randomly, resulting in a decreased accuracy of memory over time. Moreover, attractor states become unstable when spike-frequency adaptation reduces the excitability of persistently firing pyramidal neurons. Here, we show that a slow activity-dependent local disinhibition, namely cannabinoid-dependent depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition (DSI), can counteract these destabilizing effects, rendering working memory function more robust. In addition, the slow DSI effect gives rise to trial-to-trial correlations of memory-guided behavioral responses. On the other hand, computer simulations revealed that a global cannabinoid agonist (mimicking the effect of drug intake) yields the opposite effect. Thus, this work suggests a circuit scenario according to which endogenous DSI is beneficial for, whereas an exogenous drug such as marijuana is detrimental to, working memory and possibly other prefrontal functions.
Clarifying spectral and temporal dimensions of musical instrument timbre

Classic studies based on multi-dimensional scaling of dissimilarity judgments, and on discrimination, for musical instrument sounds have provided converging support for the importance of relatively static, spectral cues to timbre (e.g., energy in the higher harmonics, which has been associated with perceived brightness), as well as dynamic, temporal cues (e.g., rise time, associated with perceived abruptness). Comparatively few studies have evaluated the effects of acoustic attributes on instrument identification, despite the fact that timbre recognition is an important listening goal. To assess the nature, and salience, of these cues to timbre recognition, two experiments were designed to compare discrimination and identification performance for resynthesized tones that systematically varied spectral and temporal parameters between settings for two natural instruments. Stimuli in the first experiment consisted of various combinations of spectral envelopes (manipulating the relative amplitudes of harmonics) and amplitude-vs.-time envelopes (including rise times). Listeners were most sensitive to spectral changes in both discrimination and identification tasks. Only extreme amplitude envelopes impacted performance, suggesting a binary feature based on abruptness of the attack. The second experiment sought to clarify the spectral dimension. Listener sensitivity was compared for a) modifications of spectral envelope shape via variation of formant structure and b) spectral changes that minimally impact envelope shape (using low-pass filters to match the centroids of the formant-varied envelopes). Only differences in formant structure were easily discriminated and contributed strongly to identification. Thus, it appears that listeners primarily identify timbres according to spectral envelope shape. Implications for models of instrument timbre are discussed.
‘Is it just food?’: the social implications of celiac disease as a disability

This article focuses on the case of celiac disease, an autoimmune disease for which the medical treatment is a gluten-free diet, and the social implications of its inclusion as a disability. Under what circumstances is celiac disease a disability and what are the consequences of such considerations? The article evaluates the expansion of the definition of disability and its inclusion of individuals with celiac disease, and also considers the macro-level and micro-level consequences and social implications for both individuals with celiac disease themselves and also for the field of disability studies.
Socioemotional, Personality, and Biological Development: Illustrations from a Multilevel Developmental Psychopathology Perspective on Child Maltreatment.

Developmental theories can be affirmed, challenged, and augmented by incorporating knowledge about atypical ontogenesis. Investigations of the biological, socioemotional, and personality development in individuals with high-risk conditions and psychopathological disorders can provide an entree into the study of system organization, disorganization, and reorganization. This article examines child maltreatment to illustrate the benefit that can be derived from the study of individuals subjected to nonnormative caregiving experiences. Relative to an average expectable environment, which consists of a species-specific range of environmental conditions that support adaptive development among genetically normal individuals, maltreating families fail to provide many of the experiences that are required for normal development. Principles gleaned from the field of developmental psychopathology provide a framework for understanding multilevel functioning in normality and pathology. Knowledge of normative developmen...
On the Mystery of using Helium's second Sound for Quench Detection of a Superconducting Cavity

Abstract The detection of a second sound wave, excited by a quench, has become a valuable tool in diagnosing hot spots and performance limitations of superconducting cavities. Several years ago, Cornell developed a convenient detector (OSTs) for these waves that nowadays are used world-wide. In a usual set-up, many OSTs surround the cavity and the quench location is determined by triangulation of the different OST signals. Convenient as the method is there is a small remaining mystery: taking the well-known velocity of the second sound wave, the quench seems to come from a place slightly beyond the cavity's outer surface. We will present a model that might help explaining the discrepancy.
Abstract TP46: ASPECTS Performance in a Series of Patients Undergoing CT and MRI: Reader Agreement, Modality Agreement, and Outcome Prediction

Objective: To compare the performance of pre-treatment Alberta Stroke Program Early CT scoring (ASPECTS) using NCCT and MRI in a large endovascular therapy cohort. Methods: This is a DEFUSE 2 substudy. Prospectively enrolled patients underwent baseline CT, MRI and started endovascular therapy within 12 hours of stroke onset. Inclusion criteria for this analysis were evaluable pre-treatment NCCT, diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) and 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score. Two expert readers graded ischemic change on NCCT and DWI using the ASPECTS and were blinded to all clinical information except stroke side. ASPECTS scores were analyzed either full scale, trichotomized (0-4 vs. 5-7 vs. 8-10), or dichotomized (0-7 vs. 8-10). Good functional outcome was defined as a 90 day mRS of 0-2. Infarct volumes were calculated using rapid processing of perfusion and diffusion (RAPID) software. Results: 71 patients fulfilled our study criteria. Their mean age was 68±15 years, median NIHSS score was 17 (IQR 12-20), and 49% were female. There were 31 (44%) right-sided strokes. Reader and modality agreement are presented in the Table. Median (IQR) time between NCCT and MRI was 1.62 (1.14-2.38) hours. There was greater correlation of DWI ASPECTS with DWI volume (p Conclusion: Inter-rater agreement on NCCT ASPECTS, as well agreement between NCCT and DWI ASPECTS, ranged from slight to moderate. DWI ASPECTS outperformed NCCT ASPECTS in correlation with DWI volume and predicting functional outcome at 90 days. These results may be influenced by differences in acquisition times for NCCT and MRI.
The IBM z13 memory subsystem for big data

The IBM z13™ system uses the new IBM Centaur memory buffer chip, along with system topology changes, to more than triple system memory capacity (relative to the IBM zEnterprise™ EC12) to 10 TB, and...
Bottom-up and top-down attentional contributions to the size congruity effect

The size congruity effect refers to the interaction between the numerical and physical (i.e., font) sizes of digits in a numerical (or physical) magnitude selection task. Although various accounts of the size congruity effect have attributed this interaction to either an early representational stage or a late decision stage, only Risko, Maloney, and Fugelsang (Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 75, 1137–1147, 2013) have asserted a central role for attention. In the present study, we used a visual search paradigm to further study the role of attention in the size congruity effect. In Experiments 1 and 2, we showed that manipulating top-down attention (via the task instructions) had a significant impact on the size congruity effect. The interaction between numerical and physical size was larger for numerical size comparison (Exp. 1) than for physical size comparison (Exp. 2). In the remaining experiments, we boosted the feature salience by using a unique target color (Exp. 3) or by increasing the display density by using three-digit numerals (Exps. 4 and 5). As expected, a color singleton target abolished the size congruity effect. Searching for three-digit targets based on numerical size (Exp. 4) resulted in a large size congruity effect, but search based on physical size (Exp. 5) abolished the effect. Our results reveal a substantial role for top-down attention in the size congruity effect, which we interpreted as support for a shared-decision account.
Conversations About Impact in Documentary: Beyond Fear and Loathing

The data-rich media environment has had a big effect on social-issue documentary, especially because of its dependence on subsidy, whether from public or private patrons. Funders are far more demanding of better evidence of effectiveness, or, in the current parlance, impact, than in the analog era, when impact could be claimed without being shown. But both funders and makers chafe under the challenge of analyzing data. Too often, half-developed tools are thrown at undefined problems; anti-data scorn substitutes for analysis; and opinions float free of empirical research. Academics and practitioners need to work together to develop both tools and quantitative competence. As well, the roiling impact conversation may be an indicator of the changing nature of the field of documentary production.
Local Circuit Processing in the Primate Thalamus: Neurotransmitter Mechanisms

Publisher Summary It has been observed in the ventropostero-lateral nucleus that the spinothalamic tract does not possess the same synaptic relationships with thalamocortical relay cell dendrites, and particularly with local circuit neurons, as does the medial lemniscal, which suggests differing characteristics of processing noxious and non-noxious information by thalamic circuitry. This chapter discusses the synaptic relationships of these two systems in which the types of synaptic contacts formed is quantified by the two afferent systems, the nature of these relationships, coupled with post-embedding immunocytochemistry for the demonstration of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAir), and three dimensional, computer-assisted reconstructions of these synaptic relationships. The chapter explains that the thalamic circuitry serving non-noxious and noxious information, respectively, is fundamentally different from other thalamic nuclei as there is convergence of the two systems upon single thalamic neurons and the thalamic circuitry by which the primate thalamus processes information transmitted by spinal afferents is different from that processing information from the dorsal column nuclei. This differing circuitry can explain the basis for the transmission of convergent signals by thalamic neurons.
CHAPTER 14 – Dynamics of B Cell Migration to and within Secondary Lymphoid Organs

This chapter describes how naive B cells migrate from the blood into secondary lymphoid organs. It also discusses the movement of B cell to B cell zones, or follicles within these tissues so that they can survey for antigen, and how they relocate upon antigen encounter to favor the chance of interacting with helper T cells. Specialized subsets of B cells exist that do not follow the major migration pathways of conventional B cells, including marginal zone B cells in the spleen and B1 cells in the body cavities. Differences in the trafficking properties of naive and memory B cells are discussed. Differentiation into antibody-secreting cells leads to further migrational reprogramming where some of these cells localize in distinct sub compartments of secondary lymphoid organs from B cell follicles, others go to mucosal surfaces, and others make a ﬁnal journey back to the place where they were born, the bone marrow. The cues directing B-lineage cells on their ﬁnal track is discussed in the last section of this chapter.
Spatial Pricing in Uncontested Procurement Markets: Regulatory Implications

This study derives a general characterization of the misalignment between socially and privately optimal spatial pricing in an uncontested procurement market. In doing so it clarifies the link between firm-gate price markdown (pricing the input below its marginal value product at the firm’s location) and spatial price discrimination (varying markdown by distance). We subsequently examine the implications of our results for regulatory prescriptions. Our analysis reveals that, in the absence of regulation, increased firm-gate price markdown is necessarily accompanied by intensified spatial price discrimination, and that discrimination is always conducted against nearby producers. We find that if regulation targets price markdown at the firm gate, then spatial price discrimination is also inhibited resulting in welfare gains. In contrast, directly targeting spatial price discrimination (as generally prescribed by enacted and proposed legislation) cannot attain a first best, and may in fact result in efficiency losses relative to the unregulated equilibrium.
NMR study of the effects of some bleomycin C-termini on the structure of a DNA hairpin with the 5′-GC-3′ binding site

The antibiotics known as bleomycins constitute a family of natural products clinically employed for the treatment of a wide spectrum of cancers. The drug acts as an antitumor agent by virtue of the ability of a metal complex of the antibiotic to cleave DNA. Bleomycins are differentiated by their C-terminal regions. Previous structural studies involving metal–bleomycin–DNA triads have allowed the identification of the bithiazole-(C-terminus substituent) segment in this molecule as the one that most closely interacts with DNA. Three different modes of binding of metallo-bleomycins to DNA (partial or total intercalation of the bithiazole unit between DNA bases, or binding to the minor groove) have been proposed in the literature. The therapeutic use of bleomycin is frequently associated with the development of pulmonary fibrosis. The severity of this side effect has been attributed to the C-terminus of the antibiotic by some researchers. The degree of pulmonary toxicity of bleomycin-A2 and -A5, were found to be higher than those of bleomycin-B2 and peplomycin. Since the introduction of Blenoxane to clinical medicine in 1972, attempts have been made at modifying the basic bleomycin structure at the C-terminus to improve its therapeutic index. However, the pharmacological and toxicological importance of particular C-termini on bleomycin remains unclear. The present study was designed to determine the effect of Zn(II)bleomycin-A2, -A5, -B2, and Zn(II)peplomycin on the structure of a DNA hairpin containing the 5′-GC-3′ binding site. We provide evidence that different Zn(II)bleomycins affect the structure of the tested DNA segment in different fashions.
Moving Beyond Cis-terhood: Determining Gender through Transgender Admittance Policies at U.S. Women’s Colleges

In 2013, controversy sparked student protests, campus debates, and national attention when Smith College denied admittance to Calliope Wong—a trans woman. Since then, eight women’s colleges have revised their admissions policies to include different gender identities such as trans women and genderqueer people. Given the recency of such policies, we interrogate the ways the category “woman” is determined through certain alignments of biology-, legal-, and identity-based criteria. Through an inductive analysis of administrative scripts appearing both in student newspapers and in trans admittance policies, we highlight two areas U.S. women’s colleges straddle while creating these policies: inclusion/exclusion scripts of self-identification and legal documentation, and tradition-/activism-speak. Through these tensions, women’s college admittance policies not only construct “womanhood” but also serve as regulatory norms that redo gender as a structuring agent within the gendered organization.
Simulation-Based Learning: Improving Knowledge and Clinical Judgment Within the NICU

Abstract Background Neonatal critical care knowledge is beyond that required for nursing licensure. Knowledge gaps among neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses for pulmonary, cardiovascular, and neurology areas were addressed using simulation in an effort to strengthen knowledge, improve clinical judgment, and affect patient outcomes. Methods The Tanner Model of Clinical Judgment (2006) was used as the conceptual framework. The quasi-experimental pre–post test design included n = 130. Participants received three sessions of simulated scenarios and structured debriefing. Results Overall differences in knowledge scores were noted: p = .0167 (Year 1) and p = .0021 (Year 2). Trended patterns demonstrated improvement over time for clinical judgment (Year 2) for both self- and evaluator ratings using the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (2007). Clinical outcome trends of decreased ventilator days, increased utilization of alternative oxygen delivery methods, and stable intraventicular hemorrhage rate were realized. Conclusions Simulation-based learning can be effective in advancing knowledge and clinical judgment for NICU nurses as evidenced in pre–post assessment scores/ratings. Clinical outcomes have been favorably impacted in areas influenced by nursing knowledge and clinical judgment.
Extracellular Vesicles Carry HIV Env and Facilitate Hiv Infection of Human Lymphoid Tissue

Cells productively infected with HIV-1 release virions along with extracellular vesicles (EVs) whose biogenesis, size, and physical properties resemble those of retroviruses. Here, we found that a significant number of EVs (exosomes) released by HIV-1 infected cells carry gp120 (Env), a viral protein that mediates virus attachment and fusion to target cells, and also facilitates HIV infection in various indirect ways. Depletion of viral preparations of EVs, in particular of those that carry gp120, decreases viral infection of human lymphoid tissue ex vivo. Thus, EVs that carry Env identified in our work seem to facilitate HIV infection and therefore may constitute a new therapeutic target for antiviral strategy.
Fighting Igor: Exposing and Resisting the Irrational Side Using Cognitive-Behavioral Principles in Group Therapy

A visual cognitive behavioral framework developed, with indirect literature support, from the author's practice depicts a polarized conflict between a rational side and an irrational side, named Igor. Each side's characteristics, reasoning, and methods of dealing with thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in panic/phobic disorders are described. Techniques of a group therapy approach include members sharing symptoms, fears, and escape behaviors; the therapist providing corrective information and role playing of each side; and therapist/members monitoring and supporting behavioral homework. Outcome measures appear to support desired simplicity, palatability, efficiency, and effectiveness.
Towards the Design of a Mobile Mental Health Self-help System for Emergency Rescuers

This study explores the psychological need of emergency rescuers and proposes a strategy for addressing these needs through intelligent virtual advisory tools named ERMS. Drawing on the design science paradigm in the information systems discipline, we explore the key design principals that influence the value of the mental self-help system, through iterations of the user requirements elicitation, system design, development and theory testing. This paper focuses on a systematic review of the contemporary research work that weave together to inform our research emphasis and system design. In the next stage, we will propose our research framework, then testing the framework further through large scale experiments. This paper contributes to the advancement of Information Systems theories in the design of virtual advisory systems. It also highlights to practitioners a few important practical guidelines for the design and development of virtual advisory systems.
Evaluation of a point of care ultrasound curriculum for Indonesian physicians taught by first-year medical students.

Author(s): Lee, Jonathan B; Tse, Christina; Keown, Thomas; Louthan, Michael; Gabriel, Christopher; Anshus, Alexander; Hasjim, Bima; Lee, Katrina; Kim, Esther; Yu, Luke; Yu, Allen; Lahham, Shadi; Bunch, Steven; Alvarado, Maili; Gari, Abdulatif; Fox, John C | Abstract: BACKGROUND:The purpose of this study was to assess the short-term efficacy of a 4-week ultrasound curriculum taught by American first-year medical students to general practitioners working in public health care clinics, or puskesmas, in Bandung, Indonesia. METHODS:We performed a prospective, observational study of Indonesian health care practitioners from public clinics in Bandung, Indonesia. These practitioners were enrolled in a 4-week ultrasound training course taught by first-year American medical students. A total of six sessions were held comprising of 38 ultrasound milestones. A pre-course and post-course written exam and practical exam was taken by each participant. RESULTS:We enrolled 41 clinicians in the course. The average pre-course exam score was 35.2% with a 2.4% pass rate, whereas the average post-course exam score was 82.0% with a 92.7% pass rate. The average practical score at the completion of the course was 83.2% (SD=0.145) with 82.9% of the class passing (score above 75.0%). CONCLUSION:Our data suggests that first-year medical students can effectively teach ultrasound to physicians in Indonesia using a 4-week intensive ultrasound training course. Future studies are needed to determine the amount of training required for proficiency and to evaluate the physicians' perceptions of the student-instructors' depth of knowledge and skill in point of care ultrasound.
Templated Growth of InP Nanocrystals with a Polytwistane Structure

We have synthesized InP nanocrystals of an unprecedented crystal phase at low temperature (35-100 °C) by templated growth of InP magic-sized clusters. With the addition of stoichiometric equivalents of P(SiMe3 )3 to the starting cluster, we demonstrate nanocrystal growth mediated through a partial dissolution and recrystallization pathway. This growth process was monitored using a combination of in situ UV/Vis and 31 P NMR spectroscopy, revealing the intermediacy of smaller cluster species of higher symmetry. The nanocrystals that result from this templated growth exhibit a crystal structure that is neither zincblende nor wurtzite, and instead is derived from the original cluster. This structure is best described as a 3D polytwistane phase as deduced from a combination of X-ray diffraction, Raman, and solid-state NMR spectroscopy methods.
Investigating the Ketogenic Diet As Treatment for Primary Aggressive Brain Cancer: Challenges and Lessons Learned

Survival of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) with the current recommended treatment is poor. Reported median survivals are approximately 8-15 months. Based on recent publications from animal models, combining cancer drugs, radiation, and diet-metabolic treatments may be a new route to better survivals. To investigate this possibility, we have begun a clinical trial that has enrolled 15 subjects using a ketogenic diet (KD) as an addition to current standard treatments that include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Of the 15 enrolled, 10 completed the protocol. This perspective describes the challenges and lessons learned during this clinical trial and discusses the critical elements that are essential for investigating treatment with a KD. We also reviewed and compared various types of KDs. We believe that the diet selected should be standardized within individual clinical trials, and more importantly, the patients' blood should be monitored for glucose and ketones twice daily so that the supervising dietitian can work with the patient and their caregivers to make appropriate changes in the diet. Compliance with the diet is best in highly motivated patients who have excellent home support from a family member or a friend who can help to overcome administrative, physical, and cognition deficiencies associated with the disease. Treatment of GBM using a KD represents a reasonable investigative approach. This perspective summarizes the challenges and lessons learned implementing and continuing KD therapy while the patients are concurrently being treated with radiation and chemotherapy.
LOSS OF GENETIC RESISTANCE TO MURINE CYTOMEGALOVIRUS INFECTION IN C3H MICE TREATED WITH 89Sr123

This chapter reviews the loss of genetic resistance to murine cytomegalovirus infection in C3H mice treated with 89 Sr. In the study described in the chapter, (C57BL/6 × DBA/2)F1 (B6D2F1) and C3H/St mice were purchased. SIM.R mice were bred in colony. At age 8–10 weeks, they were injected i.p. with 100 μCi 89 Sr and were infused with 10 7 syngeneic marrow cells 10 days later. The mice (and controls) were infected 3–5 weeks after marrow cell transfer with 10 4 , 10 5 , or 10 6 plaque forming units (pfu) of the Smith strain of MCMV. The virus was passaged in SIM.R mice using salivary glands as the source. Second-passage mouse embryo fibroblasts were used to quantitate pfu. Infections center assays were performed using cells from spleens and livers of infected mice. It was observed that whereas all 8 C3H/St age/sex control mice survived infection with 10 6 pfu MCMV, all 8 mice previously treated with 89 Sr and infected with 10 6 pfu died, 7/8 infected with 10 5 pfu died and 4/8 infected with 10 4 pfu died within 14 days (p<0.025). Genetically susceptible B6D2F1 mice became somewhat more sensitive to MCMV (p<0.05).
The Theory of Hamiltonian Dynamical Systems, and an Application to Economics

A Hamiltonian dynamical system (HDS) naturally arises in the standard control problem involving optimization over time. On this ground alone, a systematic study of the basic structure of the general HDS should be extremely useful for mathematical control theory. Applications of HDS theory extend beyond models involving optimization. The classic studies of such systems were motivated by problems in celestial mechanics. While much of the analysis of my lecture will be motivated by the normative (optimizing) model of macroeconomic growth, I will show in passing how HDS theory may be useful in analyzing many positive (“nonoptimizing”) models of macroeconomic growth.
Judicial Assessment of Legal Remedies

With the burgeoning of federal statutes authorizing recovery of various forms of monetary relief, a recurrent question has been whether the Seventh Amendment permits judges, rather than juries, to assess the amount of those statutory remedies. Debate has also arisen as to whether judges may assess certain common law remedies, most prominently punitive damages, without offending the dictate of the Amendment that "the right to trial by jury shall be preserved." The Supreme Court recently has offered conflicting views of when juries must assess legal remedies and when judges may do so. In addition, uncertainty exists over the proper scope of judicial review when remedial determinations are made by juries. The author addresses the extent to which judges may determine legal remedies, both as initial decisionmakers and as reviewers of jury awards. She asserts that the Seventh Amendment should not be read to prohibit judges from assessing punitive damages and other remedies for which the decisionmaker, in an absence of meaningful standards or rules, must exercise wide-ranging discretion in determining the factors to consider and how to weigh those factors. The author also evaluates the validity of some of the new standards and techniques being employed by courts to review jury awards, such as comparative review of awards, the use of statutory caps as guides for remittiturs below capped amounts, and the exercise of "independent judgment" in reviewing awards of punitive damages. Finally, she argues that if courts do interpret the Seventh Amendment to guarantee jury assessment of punitive damages, then the jury should be the principal decisionmaker on the amount of relief rather than merely the initial decisionmaker. She considers possible ways to accomplish this goal while protecting against unbridled jury discretion.
Autoantibodies to heparin from patients with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome inhibit formation of antithrombin III-thrombin complexes

The antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is characteristically associated with thrombosis. Heparan sulfate (HS) is a physiologic endothelial cell surface modulator of normal anticoagulation, containing a specific oligosaccharide sequence that binds antithrombin III with high affinity and also is present in heparin, a related glycosaminoglycan. We hypothesized that a subset of antiphospholipid antibodies with high affinity for heparan sulfate/heparin epitopes may inhibit the function of HS, promoting a procoagulant state. Purified IgG from all seven patients with APS studied were reactive with heparin by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, whereas none of five controls had antiheparin reactivity. IgG antiheparin antibodies were purified from two APS patients by affinity chromatography on heparin-Sepharose. Specificity studies showed that low-affinity electrostatic interactions clearly did not account for the observed reactivity with heparin, and that APS IgG antiheparin antibodies were specifically reactive with a disaccharide present in the heparin pentasaccharide that binds antithrombin III. Furthermore, APS IgG antiheparin antibodies inhibited heparin-accelerated formation of antithrombin III-thrombin complexes. We conclude that antiheparan sulfate/heparin antibodies may be a cause of autoimmune vascular thrombosis in the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.
Nursing Care in Alzheimer’s Disease

The care of patients with AD has had an major impact on the practice of nursing. Nurses are concerned with identifying the special care needs of a dementia patient and developing appropriate nursing interventions to maintain the patient's quality of life. AD is a major challenge for clinical nursing and nursing research because of the degenerative nature of the disease and its subsequent functional impairment.
Higher Order Chromatin Structure, Proteins, c-AMP, Ions Modifications and Cell Cycle Progression: Experimental Results and Polyelectrolyte Theory

The traditional view on the cell cycle and the numerous biochemical, structural, morphological changes during the various subphases, particularly for what concerns the initiation of RNA synthesis, DNA replication and mitosis, have been well summarized in previous chapters of this book. The intent of this chapter is to furnish additional experimental evidences related to changes occurring at the level of higher order chromatin structure (1) c-AMP, histone — non-histone proteins, and ions, and to attempt a coherent synthesis of alternative mechanisms determining G1→S, G2→M, G0→G1 transitions, within the analytical framework of polyelectrolyte theory (2). All studies here reported utilized mammalian HeLa S3 cells, synchronized by selective mitotic detachment (3).
Testing validity inferences for Genetic Drift Inventory scores using Rasch modeling and item order analyses

Concept inventories (CIs) are commonly used tools for assessing student understanding of scientific and naive ideas, yet the body of empirical evidence supporting the inferences drawn from CI scores is often limited in scope and remains deeply rooted in Classical Test Theory. The Genetic Drift Inventory (GeDI) is a relatively new CI designed for use in diagnosing undergraduate students’ conceptual understanding of genetic drift. This study seeks to expand the sources of evidence examining validity and reliability inferences produced by GeDI scores. Specifically, our research focused on: (1) GeDI instrument and item properties as revealed by Rasch modeling, (2) item order effects on response patterns, and (3) generalization to a new geographic sample. A sample of 336 advanced undergraduate biology majors completed four equivalent versions of the GeDI. Rasch analysis was used to examine instrument dimensionality, item fit properties, person and item reliability, and alignment of item difficulty with person ability. To investigate whether the presentation order of GeDI item suites influenced overall student performance, scores were compared from randomly assigned, equivalent test versions varying in item-suite presentation order. Scores from this sample were also compared with scores from similar but geographically distinct samples to examine generalizability of score patterns. Rasch analysis indicated that the GeDI was unidimensional, with good fit to the Rasch model. Items had high reliability and were well matched to the ability of the sample. Person reliability was low. Rotating the GeDI’s item suites had no significant impact on scores, suggesting each suite functioned independently. Scores from our new sample from the NE United States were comparable to those from other geographic regions and provide evidence in support of score generalizability. Overall, most instrument features were robust. Suggestions for improvement include: (1) incorporation of additional items to differentiate high-ability persons and improve person reliability, and (2) re-examination of items with redundant or low difficulty levels. Rasch analyses of the GEDI instrument and item order effects expand the range and quality of evidence in support of validity claims and illustrate changes that are likely to improve the quality of this (and other) evolution education instruments.
A Practical Cadaveric Model for Intracranial Bypass Training.

Background Intracranial bypass is technically challenging and difficult to learn owing to its relative rarity and complexity. Although multiple training models for intracranial bypass exist, a detailed depiction of the use and fidelity of cadaveric specimens for bypass training is lacking in the literature. This study describes use of preserved cadaveric specimens as a practical training model for performance of multiple intracranial bypasses and discusses the surgical setup for a cadaveric bypass laboratory. Methods Using a cadaveric specimen and basic microneurosurgical instruments and supplies, 5 intracranial bypasses were performed (superficial temporal artery [STA]-to-middle cerebral artery [MCA], MCA-to-MCA, STA-to-posterior cerebral artery [PCA], anterior cerebral artery-to-anterior cerebral artery, and posterior inferior cerebellar artery-to-posterior inferior cerebellar artery) using pterional, subtemporal, interhemispheric, and suboccipital approach. Bypass integrity was assessed by direct fluid injection into the adjacent vessel segment. All procedures were recorded. Results Procedural steps mirrored actual bypass surgery and included vessel marking, performance of arteriotomy, and completion of an end-to-end, end-to-side, or side-to-side anastomosis. Simulations included anatomically appropriate exposures of common intracranial (MCA, PCA, posterior inferior cerebellar artery, anterior cerebral artery) and extracranial (STA) vessels encountered during cerebral bypass surgery and high-fidelity recreations of the operative corridors associated with deeper anastomoses, such as STA-to-PCA bypass. Vessel diameters were 1.5–2.1 mm, and anastomosis times were 20–40 minutes. Immediate feedback on anastomotic integrity was achieved via direct fluid injection adjacent to the anastomosis site. Conclusions The cadaveric specimen trainee model is a relatively simple yet high-fidelity approach for learning intracranial bypass.