cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The voice from the base(ment): Stridency, referential structure, and partisan conformity in the political blogosphere

The Internet has become a critical medium for American politics: in 2008, almost half of American adults looked for political information online, and 30 percent of Internet uses contributed to online political discussions. Using the candidacy of Sarah Palin as a case study of a provocative political event, this paper examines the tone, partisan leanings, and referential structure of six elite blogs. First by randomly sampling overall trends of Palin coverage and then by performing a quantitative content analysis of a sub-sample of posts, this paper finds that the valence and stridency of blog posts vary by partisan identification, and that stridency dramatically affects the referential structure of posts. Although the referential structure of blog posts varies significantly by blog, it does not vary along partisan lines. Nonetheless, the relationship between stridency and partisan conformity exposed by this paper illustrates a trend amongst conservative blogs to repeat the allegations of “liberal media bias” often voiced by traditional conservative media outlets, contributing to an “echo chamber” effect in the blogosphere.
Time Resolved Thermometry by Simultaneous Thermocouple and Rayleigh Scattering Measurements in a Turbulent Flame

Abstract This paper investigates the utility and accuracy of the use of fine-wire thermocouples for time resolved thermometry in turbulent flames. The problem, if course, is that there is no unique time constant in a turbulent flame with widely fluctuating temperature. An analytical formulation is presented which shows that while little error may be expected in determination of r.m.s. values of temperature, there may be a substantial error made in deduction of the mean temperature, under certain circumstances. Experimentally, in a premixed methane-air flame, a comparison is made of a time resolved compensated thermocouple measurement with a simultaneous measurement by molecular Rayleigh scattering, and the results compared with the theoretical predictions. The thermocouple, compensated through a single time constant, behaved admirably, under these conditions.
Mutagenesis study of the 2Fe-2S center and the FAD binding site of the Na(+)-translocating NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase from Vibrio cholerae.

Many marine and pathogenic bacteria have a unique sodium-translocating NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Na+-NQR), which generates an electrochemical Na+ gradient during aerobic respiration. Na+-NQR consists of six subunits (NqrA-F) and contains five known redox cofactors: two covalently bound FMNs, one noncovalently bound FAD, one riboflavin, and one 2Fe-2S center. A stable neutral flavin-semiquinone radical is observed in the air-oxidized enzyme, while the NADH- or dithionite-reduced enzyme exhibits a stable anionic flavin-semiquinone radical. The NqrF subunit has been implicated in binding of both the 2Fe-2S cluster and the FAD. Four conserved cysteines (C70, C76, C79, and C111) in NqrF match the canonical 2Fe-2S motif, and three conserved residues (R210, Y212, S246) have been predicted to be part of a flavin binding domain. In this work, these two motifs have been altered by site-directed mutagenesis of individual residues and are confirmed to be essential for binding, respectively, the 2Fe-2S cluster ...
Simultaneous determination of glucose and sucrose by a dual-working electrode multienzyme sensor flow-injection system

A dual-working electrode (K1 and K2) multienzyme sensor, made of carbon paste, glucose oxidase (GOD) membrane (on K1) and invertase (INV)/mutarotase (MUT)/GOD membrane (on K2), is proposed for simultaneous determination of glucose and sucrose. Interference to the K2 caused by H2O2 produced in the enzyme reaction on K1 can be eliminated by depositing a catalase (CAT) layer between K1 and K2. Acceleration of glucose mutarotation by MUT was found to be three times faster than by phosphate buffer. Glucose was determined directly from the response of K1, while sucrose was computed based on a formula derived from a two-point calibration method. The maximum concentration of sucrose that could be determined depended strongly on the concentration of coexisting glucose. The activities of immobilized GOD, INV, MUT, and CAT were examined individually and found stable at room temperature for at least 1 month. The final loss of sucrose response activity was found to be due to denaturation of INV.
Nicotine replacement therapy and cardiovascular disease.

Smoking is a well-established and important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Cessation of smoking clearly decreases the chances of a first or subsequent cardiovascular event. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a proven adjunctive therapy to increase the probability of quitting smoking. Anecdotal reports of adverse events in patients using NRT have led some to question its safety. Is nicotine, whether in tobacco products or in NRT, the cause of the cardiovascular consequences associated with tobacco use? Is using NRT to assist with smoking cessation safer than smoking? Should health care professionals avoid recommending NRT for patients with established cardiovascular disease? This article summarizes the mechanisms of harm associated with smoking and reviews the safety of NRT in both the general population and the population with cardiovascular disease. Recommendations for NRT use are offered.
Rapid vesicular translocation and insertion of TRP channels

The broadly expressed transient receptor potential (TRP) family of ion channels are permeant to cations, most resulting in increased intracellular calcium. However, their regulation and gating is not well understood. Here, we report that growth factor stimulation initiates the rapid translocation of the transient receptor potential ion channel, TRPC5, from vesicles held in reserve just under the plasma membrane. This process, which we term 'rapid vesicular insertion of TRP' (RiVIT), dramatically increases membrane-associated TRPC5 channels and functional TRPC5 current, resulting in tight spatial–temporal control of these Ca2+-permeant nonselective channels. Epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced incorporation of functional TRP channels requires phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI(3)K), the Rho GTPase Rac1 and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase (PIP(5)Kα). The increase in TRPC5 availability affects neurite extension rates in cultured hippocampal neurons, and may be a general mechanism for initiating Ca2+ influx and cell morphological changes in response to stimuli.
Concentrations of ouabain that prevent intercellular communication do not affect free calcium levels in cultured fibroblasts

To better understand inhibition of gap-junction-mediated cell communication among cultured fibroblasts treated with the sodium pump inhibitor ouabain, we tested whether such cells have higher calcium levels than normal. Using the calcium indicator dye fura-2 with fluorescence spectroscopy and digital imaging microscopy, we determined cell calcium levels during exposure of cells to ouabain. The concentration of ouabain was high enough to achieve maximum alterations of steady-state sodium and potassium content and cell communication. We found no consistent change in calcium levels in human fibroblasts as a result of this treatment. In mouse 3T3 fibroblasts, concentrations of ouabain that inhibit cell communication were associated with a significant reduction of cell calcium. It appears, therefore, that the inhibition of communication by ouabain cannot be attributed to elevated cytosolic free calcium in the treated cultures.
Dietary protein adequacy and lower body versus whole body resistive training in older humans

This study assessed the effects of long-term consumption of the United States Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein by older people who were sedentary or performed resistive training (RT) on body composition, skeletal muscle size and protein metabolism, and if the number of muscle groups trained influenced the muscle hypertrophy response to RT. Twelve men and 17 women (age range 54-78 years) completed this 14 week controlled diet and exercise study. Throughout the study, each subject completely consumed daily euenergetic menus that provided the RDA of 0.8 g protein kg(-1) day(-1). From study weeks 3-14 (weeks RT1-RT12), 10 subjects (four men, six women) performed whole body RT (WBRT), nine subjects (four men, five women) performed lower body RT (LBRT) and 10 subjects (four men, six women) remained sedentary (SED). Both the LBRT and WBRT groups performed knee extension and flexion exercises, and the WBRT group also performed chest press and arm pull exercises (three sets per exercise at 80 % of one repetition maximum, 3 days per week for 12 weeks). From week 2 (baseline) to week RT12, muscle strength increased in muscle groups trained in the LBRT and WBRT groups, and was not changed in the SED group. From baseline to week RT12, whole body muscle mass and protein-mineral mass were not changed, fat-free mass (P = 0.004) and total body water (P = 0.013) were decreased, and percentage body fat was increased (P = 0.011) in these weight-stable older people, independent of group assignment. The RT-induced increases in mid-thigh muscle area (from computed tomography scans) were comparable in the LBRT and WBRT groups (2.13 +/- 1.26 cm(2) and 2.17 +/- 1.24 cm(2), respectively), and were different from those in the SED group, which lost muscle area (-1.74 +/- 0.57 cm(2); group-by-time P < 0.05). From baseline to week RT12, 24 h urinary total nitrogen excretion decreased (P < 0.001), nitrogen balance shifted from near equilibrium to positive, whole body leucine oxidation (from the infusion of L-[(13)C]leucine) decreased (P < 0.05) and net (postabsorptive vs. postprandial) leucine balance (P < 0.05) increased from near equilibrium to positive, with no differences in responses over time among the three groups. In conclusion, the number of muscle groups trained did not influence whole body protein metabolism or RT-induced muscle hypertrophy in older people. Most of these data are consistent with a successful adaptation to the RDA for protein. However, research should continue to question whether the decreases in fat-free mass and total body water observed in all subjects, and the decrease in mid-thigh muscle area in the SED group, are physiological accommodations, and whether the RDA for protein might be marginally inadequate for older people to maintain skeletal muscle.
Maternal effect on intelligence in fragile X males and females

If the mother is the fragile X gene carrier, her daughters (and sons) with the mutation are at high risk of mental retardation. If the father is the (clinically unaffected) carrier, his daughters are normal. This is strong evidence for a maternal effect. The decreased penetrance and variable expressivity in fra(X) offspring of carriers could be related, at least in part, to variabile expression or availability of some meternal factor between pregnancies. We hypothesize a maternal effect in fra(X), with variability in intelligence of heterozygotes and hemizygotes mediated mainly by the maternal uterus or placenta by virtue of different patterns of lyonization in those tissues between pregnancies. If the mother is a carrier, the matenal placenta could develop with a skewed proportion of the normal or the fra(X) genetically active. Each female or male embryo could be exposed to very different enviroments with respect to genetic activity fo the fra(X) chromosome, depending on the site of implantation within the uterus. If the father contributes the fra(X), the intrauterine enviroment is invariably normal and so are the daughters. Modifiers of the intrauterine effect could include lyonzation patterns in tissues of the carrier fetus, and preferential inactivation of the paternal X in extra-embryonic tissues. The ultimate phenotype of the developing heterozygote and hemizygote may be determined by a threshold effect and interaction between the maternal genotype, the placental genotype, and the fetal genotype. The possibility of maternal effects is testable and has implications for treatment.
Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a plasma with negative ions

A dispersion relation for low-frequency electrostatic modes in a plasma with negative ions is derived for the case in which a velocity shear Kelvin-Helmholtz instability exists in the positive ion flow along the magnetic field. It is found that the negative ions have, generally, a destabilizing effect, as seen previously for ion-acoustic and electrostatic ion-cyclotron waves. The influence of the negative-ion-to-positive-ion mass mass ratio on the stability is also examined. >
Use of donor blood in the surgical setting potentials for application of blood substitutes.

Red cell substitutes are being developed because of a perceived need in the medical/surgical community for a shelf storable oxygen carrying solution for use in cases of acute blood loss. In addition, there is a perceived concern that the allogeneic donor supply of blood and blood products poses significant risk to patients. Efforts to decrease the use of allogeneic blood would include “blood substitutes” for some applications. This article describes the uses of donor blood in a situational/temporal context and provides a model for consideration where-in some current uses of donor blood banking may be replaced with a “blood substitute”.
Spatial organization of transcription machinery and its segregation from the replisome in fast-growing bacterial cells

In a fast-growing Escherichia coli cell, most RNA polymerase (RNAP) is allocated to rRNA synthesis forming transcription foci at clusters of rrn operons or bacterial nucleolus, and each of the several nascent nucleoids contains multiple pairs of replication forks. The composition of transcription foci has not been determined. In addition, how the transcription machinery is three-dimensionally organized to promote cell growth in concord with replication machinery in the nucleoid remains essentially unknown. Here, we determine the spatial and functional landscapes of transcription and replication machineries in fast-growing E. coli cells using super-resolution-structured illumination microscopy. Co-images of RNAP and DNA reveal spatial compartmentation and duplication of the transcription foci at the surface of the bacterial chromosome, encompassing multiple nascent nucleoids. Transcription foci cluster with NusA and NusB, which are the rrn anti-termination system and are associated with nascent rRNAs. However, transcription foci tend to separate from SeqA and SSB foci, which track DNA replication forks and/or the replisomes, demonstrating that transcription machinery and replisome are mostly located in different chromosomal territories to maintain harmony between the two major cellular functions in fast-growing cells. Our study suggests that bacterial chromosomes are spatially and functionally organized, analogous to eukaryotes.
Dexamethasone as Treatment in Cerebrovascular Disease. 1. A Controlled Study in Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Dexamethasone and a placebo were compared as treatment for 40 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. Of 19 patients receiving dexamethasone, 17 (89.5%) died during their hospital admission. Of 21 patients receiving a placebo, 16 (76.2%) died. The mortality rate was 100% in 15 patients in the dexamethasone-treated group who were in coma or deep stupor on admission, and the mortality rate was 92% in 12 patients with similar levels of consciousness who received a placebo. Several parameters of the neurological examination showed an improved quality of survival in the Decadron®-treated group, but this was found only at certain days in the study. No overall statistically significant difference was found between the two therapies.
The Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT): A Mixed-method Follow-up

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The original publication is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/JVR-130652.
Multimaterial Photodetecting Fibers: a Geometric and Structural Study

The recent development of codrawn metal-insulator-semiconductor photodetecting fiber devices with mesoscopic-scale cross-sectional features has heralded a novel path to optical radiation detection. [1–8] For the first time, optical detection function may be delivered at length scales and in a mechanically flexible form hitherto associated with optical fibers. At the heart of the fabrication process is the simultaneous reduction of the cross-section and extension of the axial dimensions
Paclitaxel Induces Apoptosis in Breast Cancer Cells through Different Calcium—Regulating Mechanisms Depending on External Calcium Conditions

Previously, we reported that endoplasmic reticulum calcium stores were a direct target for paclitaxel initiation of apoptosis. Furthermore, the actions of paclitaxel attenuated Bcl-2 resistance to apoptosis through endoplasmic reticulum-mediated calcium release. To better understand the calcium-regulated mechanisms of paclitaxel-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells, we investigated the role of extracellular calcium, specifically; whether influx of extracellular calcium contributed to and/or was necessary for paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. Our results demonstrated that paclitaxel induced extracellular calcium influx. This mobilization of extracellular calcium contributed to subsequent cytosolic calcium elevation differently, depending on dosage. Under normal extracellular calcium conditions, high dose paclitaxel induced apoptosis-promoting calcium influx, which did not occur in calcium-free conditions. In the absence of extracellular calcium an “Enhanced Calcium Efflux” mechanism in which high dose paclitaxel stimulated calcium efflux immediately, leading to dramatic cytosolic calcium decrease, was observed. In the absence of extracellular calcium, high dose paclitaxel’s stimulatory effects on capacitative calcium entry and apoptosis could not be completely restored. Thus, normal extracellular calcium concentrations are critical for high dose paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. In contrast, low dose paclitaxel mirrored controls, indicating that it occurs independent of extracellular calcium. Thus, extracellular calcium conditions only affect efficacy of high dose paclitaxel-induced apoptosis.
Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights in Asia: Implications for Australia

Asian developing economies are both the greatest target of pressure for stronger intellectual property rights (IPRs) and the region of most significant change. These countries have enacted numerous improvements in their laws. I discuss how higher standards might affect economic activity in East Asia and Australia and the importance of adopting mechanisms for ensuring that they promote effective competition. Stronger standards in the region could affect the Australian economy in a number of ways. More rapid Asian growth should increase the demand for Australian exports, perhaps by as much as $350 million per year. Further, Australian consumers could gain from imports of higher-quality Asian products. Australian firms also have an emerging comparative advantage in supplying technologies, designs, and services to Asian partners. However, there may be some costs as well, including higher regional prices of protected products and additional competition for inward foreign direct investment. Thus, Australia would be advised to improve its attractiveness as a location for investors. Australia also has an interest in maintaining effective competition in its own market as IPRs are strengthened regionally. Australia could take a leading role in countering attempts by the United States and Europe to erect excessively protectionist new standards.
Dewatering of phosphorus extracted from liquid swine waste.

Phosphorus (P) recovery from liquid swine manure is an attractive technology when on-farm application of liquid swine manure is not an option. We developed a technology that enables separation of this P, but its high moisture content makes transportation difficult. In this work, we investigated dewatering procedures to concentrate the P product. Sludge rich in calcium phosphate (> 20% P2O5) was obtained using a field prototype, and it was further dewatered using a combination of polymer treatment and filter bags. Anionic polyacrylamide polymer treatment (> or = 20 mg/L) was effective to flocculate the P-rich sludge, which enhanced filtration and dewatering. Without polymer, filtration was incomplete due to clogging of filters. Non-woven polypropylene and monofilament filter bag fabrics with mesh size 99% of suspended solids and total P. Solids content dramatically increased from about 1.5% to > 90%. These dewatered solids can be transported more economically off the farm for use as a valuable fertilizer material.
Subsecond dopamine release promotes cocaine seeking

The dopamine-containing projection from the ventral tegmental area of the midbrain to the nucleus accumbens is critically involved in mediating the reinforcing properties of cocaine. Although neurons in this area respond to rewards on a subsecond timescale, neurochemical studies have only addressed the role of dopamine in drug addiction by examining changes in the tonic (minute-to-minute) levels of extracellular dopamine. To investigate the role of phasic (subsecond) dopamine signalling, we measured dopamine every 100 ms in the nucleus accumbens using electrochemical technology. Rapid changes in extracellular dopamine concentration were observed at key aspects of drug-taking behaviour in rats. Before lever presses for cocaine, there was an increase in dopamine that coincided with the initiation of drug-seeking behaviours. Notably, these behaviours could be reproduced by electrically evoking dopamine release on this timescale. After lever presses, there were further increases in dopamine concentration at the concurrent presentation of cocaine-related cues. These cues alone also elicited similar, rapid dopamine signalling, but only in animals where they had previously been paired to cocaine delivery. These findings reveal an unprecedented role for dopamine in the regulation of drug taking in real time.
Dynamic Mechanical Behavior of Photo-Crosslinkable Nonlinear Optical Polymers

An easily processable photocrosslinking guest-host system with stable second order nonlinear optical properties using polyvinylcinnamate as a host polymer has been developed 1–2 . Samples were made as free standing films from photo-crosslinkable polyvinylcinnamate and different concentration levels of 3-cinnamoyloxy-4-[4-(N, N'-diethylamino)-2-cinnamoyloxy phenyl azo] nitrobenzene. Photo-crosslinking was carried out by ultraviolet radiation at the major wavelengths viz. 297 and 313 nm subsequent to corona poling. Dynamic mechanical properties of these polymer films were investigated. The changes in the storage and loss moduli, as well as relaxation behavior of the system upon crosslinking and poling are discussed.
Torn between Empires: Economy, Society, and Patterns of Political Thought in the Hispanic Caribbean, 1840-1878

This in-depth, comparative study focuses on the economy, society and political culture of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic in the middle decades of the 19th century. It draws heavily on archival sources in North America, Europe and the Caribbean.
Design of a depth of interaction (DOI) PET detector module

A method to determine depth of interaction (DOI) from a PET detector module is described and evaluated. The basic element of the DOI detector module is a two crystal detector unit. The hypothesis is that by controlling how light is shared between two crystals (A and B) DOI information can be extracted from the ratio of light collected using simple Anger type logic [A/(A+B)]. The interface between crystals is designed so that a significant amount of light is shared when a photon interacts near the front face of a crystal and very little light is shared when an interaction occurs near the back of a crystal. The effects of surface treatment (e.g., polished, roughened) and optical coupling compounds are investigated. BGO, GSO and LSO detector units have been evaluated. A DOI uncertainty of /spl sim/6 mm was attained for the front section (/spl sim/4 mm) of a 2/spl times/2/spl times/20 mm LSO detector unit. A method to decode a 64 crystal detector module (32 detector units) using a 16 channel multi-anode photomultiplier tube is described.
Vibrational Mode Effects in Polyatomic Ion Reactions

This paper discusses use of multiphoton ionization (MPI) to prepare ions with excitation in selected vibrational modes, and guided ion beam studies of the effects of different modes of nuclear motion on reactions of small polyatomic ions.
The Political Consequences of Greenwashing in Consumer Culture

During the past few years consumer advertising has attempted to present all manner of objects as green. This green washing has become so pervasive that even the least environmentally responsible industries have been able to deploy these types of messages in the hopes of transforming environmental discourse. This paper seeks to determine the political consequences of green marketing. I am not interested in drawing a direct connection to policy but rather to investigate the meaning of green, in consumer culture, through a semiotic inquiry. I believe that this approach will allow me to illuminate the tension between consumption as a way of life and environmental politics.
Alteration of glomerular filtration rate in the chicken during intravenous dextrose infusion.

SUMMARY Changes in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) during a diuretic cycle and the osmotic action of glucose in the chicken were studied. Diuresis was produced by intravenous infusion of either 50 or 100 ml./kg. bodyweight of 5 per cent dextrose per hour or 50–75 ml./kg. of 6 per cent dextrose per hour. When diuresis occurred, there was a substantial increase in GFR and during antidiuresis the GFR fell. Alteration in GFR closely followed the degree of hydration and the chicken promptly eliminated a volume of urine similar to the infused volume. In the post-infusion periods, 4 per cent of plasma water filtered at the glomerulus was excreted. This suggests that water conservation in the bird does not depend on changes in GFR or on water reabsorption at other sites. At low GFR, high plasma glucose concentrations did not produce diuresis. In the hydrated bird with an increased GFR, solute excretion determined urine volume. Throughout the experiments there was no change in arterial or venous pressure.
A minimal access far-lateral approach to foramen magnum lesions.

Objectives The far-lateral approach is widely used to treat pathology of the ventral foramen magnum. Numerous methods of exposure have been described, most of which utilize long skin incisions and myocutaneous flaps. Here we present our experience with gaining exposure through a small paramedian incision using a muscle-splitting technique. Design A cadaveric anatomical study was first performed to verify the feasibility of the approach. We then describe our experience with using the approach in 13 patients. A retrospective chart review was performed and data regarding pathology, imaging, and complications were collected. Results The cadaveric study confirmed that a small paramedian muscle-splitting approach allows sufficient exposure to approach many foramen magnum lesions. Our case series included 10 patients with meningioma, one brainstem glioblastoma, one posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysm, and one odontoid pannus. The exposure was adequate in all cases. For the meningioma patients, six had gross total resections and four had subtotal resection because of tumor adherence to neurovascular structures. Two patients experienced postoperative cardiovascular complications. There were no new neurologic deficits, cerebrospinal fluid leaks, or wound complications. Conclusions A small paramedian incision may be used to gain exposure and perform successful far-lateral approaches. The small exposure is likely to reduce the risk of local complications such as cerebrospinal fluid fistula and pseudomeningocele when compared with larger exposures.
Subject knowledge – how it helps take care of the business

Sylvia Coates examines how respecting and complying with specific academic style guides and conventions may lead to better client relationships, increased professional credibility, and a steady supply of indexing projects.
Subtalar Distraction Arthrodesis with Fresh Frozen Femoral Neck Allograft A Retrospective Case Series

Subtalar joint distraction arthrodesis has been well reported with use of structural iliac crest or local autologous bone graft for malunited calcaneal fractures. Early reports for structural allograft did not yield good, consistent results, leading to a subsequent lack of recommendation in previous literature. Newer studies have had promising results utilizing femoral allograft as an alternative to autogenous bone graft. We performed a retrospective chart review on 10 patients (12 feet) undergoing subtalar joint distraction arthrodesis with femoral neck allograft for malunited calcaneal fractures. The primary aim of this study was to report on successful union rates and, in addition, outline any consistent complications. Twelve of the 12 procedures (100%) yielded successful fusion with a mean final follow-up of 7.7 months (range = 2.2-35.1 months). The mean increase in talocalcaneal height was 4 mm (range = 2-6 mm). The overall complication rate was 16.6%, including one superficial wound complication tha...
Mitigating Prenatal Zika Virus Infection in the Americas

Because of the risk for Zika virus infection in the Americas and the links between infection and microcephaly, other serious neurologic conditions, and fetal death, health ministries across the reg...
Optimal control of time instants for task replanning in robotic networks

Robotic networks are increasingly used to undertake complex missions and are often composed of heterogeneous agents executing well-defined tasks. To react against external disturbances and hardware failures, a typical technique is to change at runtime how tasks are assigned to robots. In this perspective, the paper presents an approach based on predictive control for the on-line selection of the optimal time instants when perform reassignments. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, simulation results are showcased in comparison with reactive and proactive strategies.
"We're not Ready for Huck Finn": An Important Story Struggles to be Told

What happens when one controversial text meets another in performance? How do diverse audiences from rural and metropolitan areas respond to powerful yet provocative material? The Kennesaw State University Department of Theatre&Performance Studies set out to explore just that with its Frederick Douglass/Huck Finn Arts Education Initiative. The project was called Splittin' the Raft, a dramatic adaptation of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as interpreted by ex-slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass. This ambitious production toured seven North Georgia communities, ranging from inner city schools to rural mountain towns. The production employed "epic theatre" strategies to inspire a new understanding of the present time through an examination of the past. "Raft" featured African-American spirituals, songs by Stephen Foster, and original compositions for fiddle and banjo. Audiences included high school students, educators, community leaders and people of all ages. The company led post-show discussions highlighting current social issues and the dramatic techniques used to create social awareness. This article explores our efforts to deliver Twain's controversial text to a modern student audience.
Current Concepts in the Medical Management of the Pediatric Burn Patient

Management of the pediatric burn patient involves a careful, multi-faceted approach in order to meet treatment goals. Due to advances in surgical and medical care, mortality and morbidities can be minimized. This chapter seeks to address current advances which allow practitioners to provide excellent systemic care. Judicious fluid management of children with severe burn injury can improve the respiratory outcome measures of these children. A multi-modal approach to pain and sedation can improve the neurologic status of severely burned children. Children with significant burn injury can have the most favorable outcomes when the principles of skillful critical care are applied. Systemic critical care based on the best evidence available not only improves survival rates but also improves quality of life for these delicate patients.
Injection-site vein loss and soft tissue abscesses associated with black tar heroin injection: A cross-sectional study of two distinct populations in USA

Abstract Background Injection-site vein loss and skin abscesses impose significant morbidity on people who inject drugs (PWID). The two common forms of street heroin available in the USA include black tar and powder heroin. Little research has investigated these different forms of heroin and their potential implications for health outcomes. Methods A multiple-choice survey was administered to a sample of 145 participants seeking services at reduction facilities in both Sacramento, CA and greater Boston, MA, USA. Multivariate regression models for reporting one or more abscesses in one year, injection-site veins lost in six months, and soft tissue injection. Results Participants in Sacramento exclusively used black tar (99%), while those in Boston used powder heroin (96%). Those who used black tar heroin lost more injection-site veins ( β =2.34, 95% CI: 0.66–4.03) and were more likely to report abscesses (AOR=7.68, 95% CI: 3.01–19.60). Soft tissue injection was also associated with abscesses (AOR=4.68, 95% CI: 1.84–11.93). Consistent venous access (AOR: 0.088, 95% CI: 0.011–0.74) and losing more injection sites (AOR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.03–1.45) were associated with soft tissue injection. Conclusion Use of black tar heroin is associated with more frequent abscesses and more extensive vein loss. Poor venous access predisposes people who inject drugs to soft tissue injection, which may constitute a causal pathway between black tar heroin injection and abscess formation. The mechanisms by which black tar heroin contributes to vein loss and abscess formation must be further elucidated in order to develop actionable interventions for maintaining vein health and decreasing the abscess burden. Potential interventions include increased access to clean injection equipment and education, supervised injection facilities, opioid substitution therapy, and supply chain interventions targeting cutting agents.
Ulnar head replacement and sigmoid notch resurfacing arthroplasty with a lateral meniscal allograft: 'calamari procedure'.

We report the outcomes of ulnar head replacement with concomitant resurfacing of the sigmoid notch with a lateral meniscal allograft that attempted to recreate the palmar and dorsal radioulnar liga...
A Model Based Fault Diagnosis Scheme for a Parabolic Distributed Parameter System

Abstract In this note, fault detection techniques based on finite dimensional results are applied to a one dimensional heat equation with a linear parametrized approximator and a spatially varying parameter. A model estimator is defined which serves to monitor the system's dynamics and its well posedness is summarized. Using a Lyapunov synthesis approach for infinite dimensional systems, a stable learning scheme is developed. The resulting parameter adaptation rule is able to "sense" the instance of the fault occurrence. In addition, it identifies the location and shape of the fault (diffusivity function), using the additional assumption of persistence of excitation. Simulations studies are used to illustrate the applicability of the theoretical results.
Engaging in vocabulary learning in science: the promise of multimodal instruction

To a science ‘outsider’, science language often appears unnecessarily technical and dense. However, scientific language is typically used with the goal of being concise and precise, which allows th...
The Bioelectric Code: Reprogramming Cancer and Aging From the Interface of Mechanical and Chemical Microenvironments

Cancer is a complex, heterogeneous group of diseases that can develop through many routes. Broad treatments such as chemotherapy destroy healthy cells in addition to cancerous ones, but more refined strategies that target specific pathways are usually only effective for a limited number of cancer types. This is largely due to the multitude of physiological variables that differ between cells and their surroundings. It is therefore important to understand how nature coordinates these variables into concerted regulation of growth at the tissue scale. The cellular microenvironment might then be manipulated to drive cells toward a desired outcome at the tissue level. One unexpected parameter, cellular membrane voltage (Vm), has been documented to exert control over cellular behavior both in culture and in vivo. Manipulating this fundamental cellular property influences a remarkable array of organism-wide patterning events, producing striking outcomes in both tumorigenesis as well as regeneration. These studies suggest that Vm is not only a key intrinsic cellular property, but also an integral part of the microenvironment that acts in both space and time to guide cellular behavior. As a result, there is considerable interest in manipulating Vm both to treat cancer as well as to regenerate organs damaged or deteriorated during aging. However, such manipulations have produced conflicting outcomes experimentally, which poses a substantial barrier to understanding the fundamentals of bioelectrical reprogramming. Here, we summarize these inconsistencies and discuss how the mechanical microenvironment may impact bioelectric regulation.
Changes in Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use Over Five Years After Receiving Versus Being Denied a Pregnancy Termination.

Objective:Research on effects of pregnancy termination on women’s alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use suffers from methodological and conceptual problems. Improving on prior methodologies, ...
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Use in Breast Cancer is Greatest in Excellent Responders: Triple-Negative and HER2+ Subtypes.

While breast cancer has historically been treated with surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) and radiation when indicated, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) use is thought to be increasing; however, the trends of its use in various biological subtypes have not been evaluated. We sought to evaluate the trend of NAC use over time by biological subtype. We identified all patients with invasive breast cancer who underwent curative intent surgery and were treated with chemotherapy from 2010 to 2015 from the National Cancer Database. An unadjusted analysis of trends in proportions over time was performed using Cochran–Armitage trend tests stratified by hormone receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status. Of 315,264 patients who received chemotherapy, 251,726 (79.8%) received AC and 63,538 (20.2%) received NAC. From 2010 to 2015, significant increases in NAC use were seen in all biologic subtypes (all p < 0.001). The highest proportions and greatest increases in proportions of NAC were seen among triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC; 19.5–33.7%) and HER2+ (HR−/HER2+, 21.5–39.8%; HR+/HER2+, 17.0–33.7%) tumors. HR+/HER2− tumors also had a statistically significant increase in use but this increase was less dramatic (13.0–16.8%) and NAC use in recent years was significantly lower than in other subtypes (p < 0.001). Within patients receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer, its receipt in the neoadjuvant setting has been increasing among all biologic subtypes. The highest use of NAC is in TNBC and HER2+ disease, with use in these subgroups being twice as frequent as in HR+/HER2− disease.
Crossing Disciplinary, Institutional and Role Boundaries in an Interdisciplinary Consortium

ABSTRACTTo illuminate barriers to collaboration, this study examines who participates in cross-boundary scholarly collaboration most often and which types of boundary crossing (disciplinary, institutional, role) are engaged in most often. The data of this study came from an interdisciplinary consortium with five partner institutions, including one Historically Black College and University (HBCU). The core disciplines involved in the consortium are life sciences, computer science and math and engineering. Through statistical analysis, we determined that members of the consortium engaged more in interdisciplinary research than inter-institutional research. Participation in all boundary crossing collaborations was greater at the HBCU and students and postdocs were less likely than academics to cross-institutional boundaries.
Pavloviana inPsychology of the 20th Century: A special review

In the encyclopedicPsychology of the 20th Century three volumes are relevant to the work of I. P. Pavlov, his predecessors, contemporaries, and followers. Volume 1 (1976) provides an extensive account of the history of non-introspective, “objective” psychology. In Volume 4 (1977), examined in this review and consisting of sections on “Theories of Learning” and “Behavior Modification,” separate chapters are devoted to Pavlov’s life and work, and its continuation in the Soviet Union. Classical conditioning is considered in the context of S-R learning theories, interaction with operant conditioning, and development of behavior therapy. Additional materials are likely to be presented in Volume 6 (to be published) dealing with animal psychology, ethology, and physiological psychology.
The English Constitution and the Expanding Empire: Sir Edward Coke's British Jurisprudence

This article offers a new perspective on an old historiographical chestnut - the status of "the liberties of Englishmen" throughout the first British Empire - by examining the problem in the early seventeenth century, when the Empire and modern ideas of the English constitution originated, rather than retrospectively from the late eighteenth century, when North American colonists revolted in the name of English liberty. The article focuses on Sir Edward Coke's opinion in Calvin's Case to recover whether he, as a "framer" of England's constitution, believed that English rights traveled abroad. The article argues that Coke held a jurisdictional conception of English liberties as limited to England rather than an abstract or jurisprudential conception free of national boundaries. Nonetheless, Coke believed that the core of the English constitution - representative government and common law tenures - should apply to most dominions outside the realm of England. The article concludes that interpretations of Coke's work by colonial lawyers then, and historians now, have made it difficult to comprehend the full complexity of the Empire's legal culture, and that this ahistoricism is itself a postcolonial legacy of that Empire.
The phosphoinositide signaling cycle in myelin requires cooperative interaction with the axon

Previous studies on the origin of myelin phosphoinositides involved in signaling mechanisms indicated axon to myelin transfer of phosphatidylinositol followed by myelin-localized incorporation of axon-derived phosphate groups into phosphatidylinositol 4-monophosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. This is in agreement with other studies showing the presence of phosphorylating activity in myelin that converts phosphatidylinositol into the mono-and diphospho derivatives. It was also found that the second messenger, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, is hydrolyzed to inositol 1,4-bisphosphate by a myelin-localized enzyme. The present study was undertaken to determine the locus of the remaining reactions leading to formation of free inositol and completion of the cycle by resynthesis of phosphatidylinositol. The latter reaction was found to occur preferentially in isolated axons, and to a limited extent if at all in myelin. On the other hand, hydrolytic reactions which sequentially convert inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate to inositol 1,4-bisphosphate, inositol 1-phosphate, and free inositol were found to occur more prominently in myelin. Thus, restoration of phosphoinositides following signal-induced breakdown of PIP2 in myelin is seen as requiring metabolic interplay between myelin and axon.
Chapter 2 - Laser Beam Processing and Wafer-Scale Integration

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of the applications for laser-beam processing and wafer-scale integration (WSI). It describes certain emerging applications of laser that hold promise for the fabrication of ever more dense integrated circuits. It also discusses the laser processing of devices necessary for the realization of the WSI concept. The theory of laser melting of a semiconductor substrate is basically that derived from the heat diffusion equation and as such is common to all applications involving heating or melting a substrate. The type of laser used, however, depends on the particular application and in turn dictates certain theoretical and practical considerations. The chapter also addresses the issues of reflectivity from a combined liquid/solid system. It outlines the theoretical considerations that form the basis for modeling the WSI applications, indeed most other laser heating applications. In WSI, exact characterization of the laser-semiconductor interaction is required. Details related to the physical and geometric features of the hot zone that forms are of paramount importance. This is because the laser is applied at a stage where most of the device processing has already been completed. The chapter discusses the models involved by appropriate calculations of the thermal profiles in the substrate.
Lessons from neuroscience

Visual attention and eye movements in primates have been widely shown to be guided by a combination of stimulus-dependent or 'bottom-up' cues, as well as task-dependent or 'top-down' cues. Both the bottom-up and top-down aspects of attention and eye movements have been modeled computationally. Yet, it is not until recent work which I will describe that bottom-up models have been strictly put to the test, predicting significantly above chance the eye movement patterns, functional neuroimaging activation patterns, or most recently neural activity in the superior colliculus of human or monkey participants inspecting complex static or dynamic scenes. In recent developments, models that increasingly attempt to capture top-down aspects have been proposed. In one system which I will describe, neuromorphic algorithms of bottom-up visual attention are employed to predict, in a task-independent manner, which elements in a video scene might more strongly attract attention and gaze. These bottom-up predictions have more recently been combined with top-down predictions, which allowed the system to learn from examples (recorded eye movements and actions of humans engaged in 3D video games, including flight combat, driving, first-person, or running a hot-dog stand that serves hungry customers) how to prioritize particular locations of interest given the task. Pushing deeper into real-time, joint online analysis of video and eye movements using neuromorphic models, we have recently been able to predict future gaze locations and intentions of future actions when a player is engaged in a task. In a similar approach where computational models provide a normative gold standard against a particular individual's gaze behavior, machine learning systems have been demonstrated which can predict, from eye movement recordings during as little as only 5 minutes of watching TV, whether a person has ADHD or other neurological disorders. Together, these studies suggest that it is possible to build fully computational models that coarsely capture some aspects of both bottom-up and top-down visual attention.