cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
0226 Using Biomarkers to Measure Work Stress: Allostatic Load by Occupation and Industry in the Chilean Workforce

Objectives One hypothesised mechanism by which chronic stress results in negative health outcomes is through allostatic load (AL), which is a measure of the cumulative ‘wear and tear’ experienced by the body when activating physiologic responses in order to maintain homeostasis. This studied aimed to quantify and compare the mean levels of allostatic load experienced by workers in different occupations and industries in Chile. Method From a weighted national survey of the Chilean population (n = 1199), occupations and industries were categorised by their average AL level, which was measured using a composite of secondary biomarkers of chronic stress exposure that fell outside of a “well-centred” range (extreme normal high value biomarkers). The numbers of biomarkers that fell outside of this range were counted for each worker in order to represent AL. Adjusting by age, sex, education, smoking status, and personal income, Poisson-log generalised linear mixed models were used to generate mean levels of AL for each occupation and industry. Results An important and statistically significant gradient was observed in mean AL levels between different occupations (from 0.7 to 4.1 mean number of extreme normal high value biomarkers) and industries (from 0.8 to 2.3). Conclusions There is a clear occupational gradient of AL in the Chilean workforce. Preventive and clinical activities should focus on workers of those occupations with highest AL, because previous studies have observed an association between AL and mortality. The work-related risk factors that generate these occupational and industrial gradients in AL should be examined further.
Characterization of Gating and Peptide Block of mSlo, a Cloned Calcium-Dependent Potassium Channel

Sullivan, Deirdre A., Mats H. Holmqvist, and Irwin B. Levitan. Characterization of gating and peptide block of mSlo, a cloned calcium-dependent potassium channel. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 2937–2950, 19...
Platinum(II)-Catalyzed Ethylene Hydrophenylation: Switching Selectivity between Alkyl- and Vinylbenzene Production

The series of PtII complexes [(xbpy)Pt(Ph)(THF)][BAr′4] (xbpy =4,4′-X-2,2′-bipyridyl, X = OMe, tBu, H, Br, CO2Et, NO2; Ar′ = 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl) are catalyst precursors for ethylene hydrophenylation. The bipyridyl substituent provides a tunable switch for catalyst selectivity that also has significant influence on catalyst activity and longevity. Less electron donating 4,4′-substituents increase the propensity toward styrene formation over ethylbenzene.
Notes on the Flea Genus Megarthroglossus (Siphonaptera: Hystrighopsyllidae: Anomiopsyllinae), with Description of a New Species

A new species of flea, Megarthroglossus weaveri Eads & Campos, is described from Colorado. Included is information on other species of the genus obtained during a plague study in Larimer County, Colorado. Also given is a key to the males of the species of Megarthroglossus Jordan & Rothschild.
Matrix Degrading Proteinases

Publisher Summary Proteinases cleave internal peptide bonds in proteins and can also be classified as endopeptidases. This chapter focuses on proteinases, their major types, and their role in the pathogenesis of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Proteinases are known to play an important role in the pathogenesis of a number of clinical and pathological features of obstructive airways diseases. In particular, they contribute to the abnormalities of secretion and transport of airway mucus and are, therefore, involved in the pathogenesis of airway remodeling in asthma and alveolar septal destruction in pulmonary emphysema in COPD. It is important to know that endogenous proteinase inhibitors are each specific for a particular class of proteinases. The major types of cell-matrix-degrading proteinases present in lung parenchyma are classified on the basis of the biochemical characteristics of their active sites. These include serine proteinases, cysteine or thiol proteinases, metalloproteinases (MMP), and aspartic proteinases.
The Objectives of Database Management

This paper is intended for both corporate management and the technical information specialists who are concerned or responsible for the proper management of corporate data resources. For corporate management who both use and make decisions regarding the use of database management systems it provides sufficient detail to appreciate the fact that some difficult technical problems underlie the objectives. For the technical information specialist it provides a broad view of what might be the major objectives of database management, to understand how some of his technical problems and the things that are treated lightly in today’s systems really do fit into the larger picture of management. In a sense it is intended to establish a common ground of understanding between management and the information specialist—a ground from which dialogue and negotiation can spring to their mutual benefit. The assumed context of database management systems is management information systems in the business organization. This context is selected for its richness, diversity, and changeability. When management repeatedly deals with a problem area they produce a procedural manual, delegate the handling of the problem to others, and accept the challenge of dealing with new problems and new concerns, and of reaching new horizons.
A Lagrangian search method for the P-median problem

In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm for solving the classical P-median problem. The essential aim is to identify the optimal extended Lagrangian multipliers corresponding to the optimal solution of the underlying problem. For this, we first explore the structure of the data matrix in P-median problem to recast it as another equivalent global optimization problem over the space of the extended Lagrangian multipliers. Then we present a stochastic search algorithm to find the extended Lagrangian multipliers corresponding to the optimal solution of the original P-median problem. Numerical experiments illustrate that the proposed algorithm can effectively find a global optimal or very good suboptimal solution to the underlying P-median problem, especially for the computationally challenging subclass of P-median problems with a large gap between the optimal solution of the original problem and that of its Lagrangian relaxation.
303. AAV Capsid Evolution for Enhanced Antibody Delivery To Human Muscle for Use in Next-Generation HIV Vaccines

Our goal is to develop a recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector that is both resilient to neutralization by pre-existing human antibodies, and can efficiently transduce human muscle after systemic or intramuscular administration at levels sufficient to express therapeutic quantities of human monoclonal antibodies with broad-spectrum protection against HIV for use as a prophylactic vaccine and as a treatment for HIV-infected individuals. We hypothesized that capsid library screens in human skeletal muscle cells both in vitro and in vivo would be an ideal route to accomplish these goals. We utilized wild-type replicating AAV libraries of 10e5 variants via DNA shuffling of eleven different parental AAV capsids. Our libraries selectively replicate in human cells when co-administered with wild-type adenovirus, making chimeric humanized muscle mice and human muscle cell cultures excellent tools to allow for selection of capsids with tropism for human muscle cells. Two in vivo screens are ongoing in chimeric humanized muscle mice. These screens involve transplanting immunodeficient mice with pooled primary human muscle stem cells FACS-purified from skeletal muscle biopsies from five human donors. Human muscle progenitors fuse with those from the mouse and create chimeric myofibers expressing human muscle proteins for AAV selection. AAV capsid libraries are used to serially infect xenotransplanted mice and are then replicated with either Adenovirus-19b or 36. Two in vitro screens were performed in either primary human muscle stem cells isolated and purified from patient biopsies, or differentiated human myotubes. Completed screens were carried out for six rounds of replicating selection with Adenovirus-5 and the five most highly selected variants from each screen were sequenced and vectorized into EF1a-driven GFP-luciferase dual expression vectors. We are validating these 10 highly selected variants with comparisons to parental serotypes with some known muscle tropism (AAVs 1,6,8,9), as well as establishing neutralizing antibody levels against pooled human immunoglobulins. Vectors are being tested in humanized muscle mice and various human muscle cell lines (both healthy and diseased) by four methods of administration (intra-muscular, intra-arterial, intra-venous and intra-peritoneal) at a variety of doses for robust transgene expression. Best candidates will be used to package broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV for further pre-clinical validation as a vaccine delivery agent. More generally, we hope to provide the muscle gene therapy community with a panel of optimized capsids with enhanced tropism for numerous muscle cell types with broad potential applications.
A phase transition induces chaos in a predator-prey ecosystem with a dynamic fitness landscape.

In many ecosystems, natural selection can occur quickly enough to influence the population dynamics and thus future selection. This suggests the importance of extending classical population dynamics models to include such eco-evolutionary processes. Here, we describe a predator-prey model in which the prey population growth depends on a prey density-dependent fitness landscape. We show that this two-species ecosystem is capable of exhibiting chaos even in the absence of external environmental variation or noise, and that the onset of chaotic dynamics is the result of the fitness landscape reversibly alternating between epochs of stabilizing and disruptive selection. We draw an analogy between the fitness function and the free energy in statistical mechanics, allowing us to use the physical theory of first-order phase transitions to understand the onset of rapid cycling in the chaotic predator-prey dynamics. We use quantitative techniques to study the relevance of our model to observational studies of complex ecosystems, finding that the evolution-driven chaotic dynamics confer community stability at the “edge of chaos” while creating a wide distribution of opportunities for speciation during epochs of disruptive selection—a potential observable signature of chaotic eco-evolutionary dynamics in experimental studies.
“Clinton defeats Trump” 2016 polls and the shadow of 1948

Dominic Lusinchi finds parallels with the past while reviewing a report on last year's presidential election polls
Comparative efficacy of sunitinib administered on an intermittent or a continuous daily dosing schedule in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) and gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) patients predicted using population PK approaches

5828 Background: Sunitinib malate is an oral, multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor of VEGFRs, PDGFRs, KIT, FLT3, CSF-1R, and RET, approved multinationally for the treatment of advanced RCC and imatinib (IM)-resistant/-intolerant GIST. We conducted meta-analyses of data from phase I-III studies in which the majority of patients received sunitinib at either 50 mg daily on an intermittent dosing schedule comprising 4 weeks on followed by 2 weeks off treatment (4/2 schedule) or 37.5 mg continuous daily dosing, with the objective of characterizing the relationship between exposure and antitumor efficacy as assessed using computed tomography scan data. Methods: Pharmacokinetic (PK) and efficacy data from three phase I-III clinical studies of patients with IM-resistant or -intolerant GIST were pooled (n=223 and n=57 for sunitinib- and placebo-treated patients, respectively), as were data from four phase II/III studies in cytokine-refractory (n=195) or treatment-naive (n=42) mRCC. Plasma sunitinib and SU12662 (primary active metabolite) concentrations were fitted to a two-compartment population PK model. PK parameters were then used as inputs for a PK/pharmacodymanic (PD) analysis model of tumor growth dynamics that described changes in tumor size as a function of sunitinib concentration. Clinical trial simulations were performed to estimate the efficacy of sunitinib in patients administered either 50 mg daily on a 4/2 schedule or 37.5 mg continuous daily dosing. Results: Tumor size decreases were similar across both dosing regimens and all individual studies (29-35% and 10-31% mean maximal individual change in RCC and GIST, respectively). Time to tumor progression and overall survival were similar with either dosing regimen in both tumor types. Greater tumor size decreases were found in patients with the highest plasma concentrations of sunitinib. The tumor growth rate was estimated to be 1.3-fold higher in RCC than GIST (0.0022 vs. 0.0017/day, respectively), although drug susceptibility was estimated to be 25-fold higher in RCC. The estimated plasma concentrations necessary to arrest tumor growth in 90% of patients were 50 ng/mL in RCC and 96 ng/mL in GIST. Clinical trial simulations suggested that patients administered either dosing regimen over a 2-year period would display similar tumor size decreases in both tumor types. Conclusions: PK/PD modeling indicates that increased exposure to sunitinib in both GIST and mRCC patients is associated with greater tumor size decreases and predicts that sunitinib administered continuously at 37.5 mg daily displays similar efficacy to the approved dose of 50 mg daily on a 4/2 schedule.
Chronic Pain, Memory, and Injury: Evolutionary Clues from Snail and Rat Nociceptors

The sensory component of chronic pain is amenable to comparative study and evolutionaryinterpretations. Pain is usually initiated by activation of nociceptors, which detect damaging stimuli.A comparison of rats and a marine snail, Aplysia, shows that nociceptors in each group satisfy thesame functional definition and exhibit similar functional alterations, including persistenthyperexcitability and synaptic potentiation following noxious stimulation. These alterations are alsoassociated with conventional learning and memory. Because of the ancient divergence of theselineages, some similarities probably reflect independent evolution. However, the molecular signalslinked thus far to known forms of long-term neuronal plasticity represent homologous processes thatare found in all metazoan cells. Persistent plasticity mechanisms now used for chronic pain andmemory may have evolved originally in the earliest neurons by selective recruitment of core cellsignaling and effector systems for neuronal repair, sensory compensation, and protective functionsrelated to peripheral injury.
Shrubland carbon sink depends upon winter water availability in the warm deserts of North America

Abstract Global-scale studies suggest that dryland ecosystems dominate an increasing trend in the magnitude and interannual variability of the land CO2 sink. However, such model-based analyses are poorly constrained by measured CO2 exchange in open shrublands, which is the most common global land cover type, covering ∼14% of Earth’s surface. Here we evaluate how the amount and seasonal timing of water availability regulate CO2 exchange between shrublands and the atmosphere. We use eddy covariance data from six US sites across the three warm deserts of North America with observed ranges in annual precipitation of ∼100–400mm, annual temperatures of 13–18°C, and records of 2–8 years (33 site-years in total). The Chihuahuan, Sonoran and Mojave Deserts present gradients in both mean annual precipitation and its seasonal distribution between the wet-winter Mojave Desert and the wet-summer Chihuahuan Desert. We found that due to hydrologic losses during the wettest summers in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts, evapotranspiration (ET) was a better metric than precipitation of water available to drive dryland CO2 exchange. In contrast with recent synthesis studies across diverse dryland biomes, we found that NEP could not be directly predicted from ET due to wintertime decoupling of the relationship between ecosystem respiration (Reco) and gross ecosystem productivity (GEP). Ecosystem water use efficiency (WUE=GEP/ET) did not differ between winter and summer. Carbon use efficiency (CUE=NEP/GEP), however, was greater in winter because Reco returned a smaller fraction of carbon to the atmosphere (23% of GEP) than in summer (77%). Combining the water-carbon relations found here with historical precipitation since 1980, we estimate that lower average winter precipitation during the 21st century reduced the net carbon sink of the three deserts by an average of 6.8TgC yr1. Our results highlight that winter precipitation is critical to the annual carbon balance of these warm desert shrublands.
No Country for Old Men: Four Challenges for Men Facing the Fourth Age

This essay reads the protagonist of Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men (2005), Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, as an exemplar of problems that contemporary aging men face when they look to ahead to the so-called Fourth Age. As the plot unfolds, Bell is an aging, increasingly ineffectual cowboy lawman who retires, renounces the violence that sustained his male dominance, and loses the moral certainty that ensured his identity. Like Bell, most old men struggle with four interrelated challenges as they move along the ever-lengthening journey of life: relevance, masculinity, love, and meaning.
High dynamic range CMOS-MEMS capacitive accelerometer array

This paper reports on the design and characterization of a high-g CMOS-MEMS capacitive accelerometer array with 92 mG bias stability and ± 50 kG designed input range with a validated 91 dB dynamic range. The on-chip integration of the read-out circuitry and the MEMS transducer minimizes sense-node parasitic capacitance, hence improving sensitivity and dynamic range. The small size and mass of individual accelerometer cells ensure high-g survivability. Averaging the signals from the accelerometer cells across the array improves the signal to noise ratio, hence improving the dynamic range.
an examination of a cumulus cloud width-height measure under the effects of seeding

A width-height measure of cloud shape is used to investigate possible effects of seeding summer cumulus clouds with silver iodide. Evidence is presented to show that seeding may cause decreases in the width-height ratios of cloud echoes and that these effects may extend beyond the region of silver iodide transport.
Game mechanics and why they are employed: What we know about gamification so far

This literature review addresses the research surrounding gamification in online learning, focusing on the game mechanics studied in conjunction with the pedagogical aspirations they were employed to support. Findings include frequencies of game mechanics studied, showing a continuum from most studied, badges closely followed by leaderboards , to the least studied, storylines . Pedagogical aspirations fell into five thematic groups, where frequencies ranged from the most often targeted numerical learning outcomes , to the least often targeted, playfulness . A frequency continuum of tools used to gamify instructional designs is included. We conclude that the strategic selection of game mechanics is possible, but the research trajectory surrounding the implementation of gamified designs is haphazard. DOI:10.2458/azu_itet_v6i1_bevins
The long-term development impacts of international migration remittances for sending households: evidence from Morocco

We integrate qualitative and quantitative methods to document the long-term impact of international migration remittances on household investment strategies, wealth outcomes, and equity of asset ow...
The Socialism of Conservatism

In the two preceding chapters the forms of socialism most commonly known and identified as such, and that are indeed derived from basically the same ideological sources were discussed: socialism Russian-style, as most conspicuously represented by the communist countries of the East bloc; and social-democratic socialism, with its most typical representatives in the socialist and social-democratic parties of Western Europe, and to a lesser extent in the “liberals” of the United States. The property rules underlying their policy schemes were analyzed, and the idea presented that one can apply the property principles of Russian or social-democratic socialism in varying degrees: one can socialize all means of production or just a few, and one can tax away and redistribute almost all income, and almost all types of income, or one can do this with just a small portion of only a few types of income. But, as was demonstrated by theoretical means and, less stringently, through some illustrative empirical evidence, as long as one adheres to these principles at all and does not once and for all abandon the notion of ownership rights belonging to nonproducers (nonusers) and non-contractors, relative impoverishment must be the result.
Prostate cancer detection from multi-institution multiparametric MRIs using deep convolutional neural networks.

Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) of the prostate aids in early diagnosis of prostate cancer, but is difficult to interpret and subject to interreader variability. Our objective is to generate probability maps, overlaid on original mpMRI images to help radiologists identify where a cancer is suspected as a computer-aided diagnostic (CAD). We optimized the holistically nested edge detection (HED) deep convolutional neural network. Our dataset contains T2, apparent diffusion coefficient, and high b -value images from 186 patients across six institutions worldwide: 92 with an endorectal coil (ERC) and 94 without. Ground-truth was based on tumor segmentations manually drawn by expert radiologists based on histologic evidence of cancer. The training set consisted of 120 patients and the validation set and test set included 19 and 47, respectively. Slice-level probability maps are evaluated at the lesion level of analysis. The best model: HED using 5 × 5 convolutional kernels, batch normalization, and optimized using Adam. This CAD performed significantly better ( p 0.001 ) in the peripheral zone ( AUC = 0.94 ± 0.01 ) than the transition zone. It outperforms a previous CAD from our group in a head-to-head comparison on the same ERC-only test cases ( AUC = 0.97 ± 0.01 ; p 0.001 ). Our CAD establishes a state-of-the-art performance for predicting prostate cancer lesions on mpMRIs.
The role of systems biology approaches in determining molecular signatures for the development of more effective vaccines.

Introduction: Emerging infectious diseases are a major threat to public health, and while vaccines have proven to be one of the most effective preventive measures for infectious diseases, we still ...
Tracking the cellular targets of platinum anticancer drugs: Current tools and emergent methods

Abstract Since its FDA approval just over 40 years ago, cisplatin and its more recently approved analogues, carboplatin and oxaliplatin, have been widely used to treat a spectrum of different cancers worldwide. Despite the overall success of this class of anticancer agents, identification of their precise cellular targets is still an area of intense study due to the side effects and resistance profiles of these drugs. As these compounds are small molecules with low specificity, target identification in the context of a complex cellular environment presents a significant challenge. In this review, we summarize established methods to identify RNA, DNA, and protein targets of platinum compounds. We also review recent additions to the library of fluorescent-Pt derivatives as well as click-enabled platinum compounds that can be used for post-treatment labeling.
Electron Step-Size Artefacts and PRESTA

In the first half of this chapter, we shall discuss electron step-size artefacts, the reasons for calculation of spurious results under some circumstances, and simple ways by which these calculational anomalies may be avoided. In the second half, we shall discuss a more sophisticated electron-transport algorithm called PRESTA which, in most cases, solves this problem of step-size dependence.
Coupled wire model of Z 2 ×Z 2 orbifold quantum Hall states

We introduce a coupled wire model for a sequence of non-Abelian quantum Hall states that generalize the ${Z}_{4}$ parafermion Read-Rezayi state. The ${Z}_{4}$ orbifold quantum Hall states occur at filling factors $\ensuremath{\nu}=2/(2m\ensuremath{-}p)$ for odd integers $m$ and $p$, and have a topological order with a neutral sector characterized by the orbifold conformal field theory with central charge $c=1$ at radius $R=\sqrt{p/2}$. When $p=1$ the state is Abelian. The state with $p=3$ is the ${Z}_{4}$ Read-Rezayi state, and the series of $p\ensuremath{\ge}3$ defines a sequence of non-Abelian states that resembles the Laughlin sequence. Our model is based on clustering of electrons in groups of four, and is formulated as a two fluid model in which each wire exhibits two phases: a weak clustered phase, where charge $e$ electrons coexist with charge $4e$ bosons and a strong clustered phase where the electrons are strongly bound in groups of four. The transition between these two phases on a wire is mapped to the critical point of the four-state clock model, which in turn is described by the orbifold conformal field theory. For an array of wires coupled in the presence of a perpendicular magnetic field, strongly clustered wires form a charge $4e$ bosonic Laughlin state with a chiral charge mode at the edge, but no neutral mode and a gap for single electrons. Coupled wires near the critical state form quantum Hall states with a gapless neutral mode described by the orbifold theory. The coupled wire approach allows us to employ the Abelian bosonization technique to fully analyze the physics of single wire, and then to extract most topological properties of the resulting non-Abelian quantum Hall states. These include the list of quasiparticles, their fusion rules, the correspondence between bulk quasiparticles and edge topological sectors, and most of the phases associated with quasiparticles winding one another.
A Human Detection Approach for Burning Building Sites Using Deep Learning Techniques

In fire situations, the main concern of first responders and firefighters is to save people trapped in the burning site. In such environments, one factor making the process of looking for people challenging is having high levels of smoke hindering a clear vision for both people and white light cameras. In this paper, we are proposing an approach to detect people trapped in burning sites, in a manner that will ensure the safety of firefighters and accelerate the rescue process of victims. The proposed approach suggests using Infrared (IR) cameras to capture thermal images from the burning site as they are not distorted with smoke. Deep learning technique using CNN would be applied on thermal images to detect victims in fire situations.
Internationalizing Teacher Education through Virtual Connections and Blended Learning

This project used blended learning and virtual connections to infuse global perspectives in U.S. curriculum by preparing pre-service teachers with intercultural competence, understanding of global issues from diverse viewpoints, and the ability to use online technologies to develop critical thinking and digital literacy. Global themes were addressed in online synchronous sessions with teachers in other countries and purposefully combined with pre-readings and online and classroom discussions.
High Harmonic Emission from Slotted rectangular gyrotron oscillators

Start oscillation conditions are considered for rectangular slotted gyrotron cavities. It is found that the addition of slots to a cavity lowers the required beam power for oscillation at high harmonics and can lead to a decrease of the start oscillation beam power as the harmonic number is increased. Previous gyrotron cavity designs have consistently shown the start oscillation beam power increasing with harmonic number. Slotted devices thus appear potentially attractive as a means of achieving millimeter wave emission.
NCPU: An Embedded Neural CPU Architecture on Resource-Constrained Low Power Devices for Real-time End-to-End Performance

Machine learning inference has become an essential task for embedded edge devices requiring the deployment of costly deep neural network accelerators onto extremely resource-constrained hardware. Although many optimization strategies have been proposed to improve the efficiency of standalone accelerators, the optimization for end-to-end performance of a computing device with heterogeneous cores is still challenging and often overlooked, especially for low power devices. In this paper, we propose a unified reconfigurable architecture, referred as Neural CPU (NCPU), for low-cost embedded systems. The proposed architecture is built on a binary neural network accelerator with the capability to emulate an in-order RISC-V CPU pipeline. The NCPU supports flexible programmability of RISC-V and maintains data locally to avoid costly core-to-core data transfer. A two-core NCPU SoC is designed and fabricated in a 65nm CMOS process. Compared with the conventional heterogeneous architecture, a single NCPU achieves 35% area reduction and 12% energy saving at 0.4V, which is suitable for low power and low-cost embedded edge devices. The NCPU design also features the capability of smooth switching between general-purpose CPU operation and a binary neural network inference to realize full utilization of the cores. The implemented two-core NCPU SoC achieves an end-to-end performance speed-up of 43% or an equivalent 74% energy saving based on use cases of real-time image classification and motion detection.
Numerical Investigation on the Behavior of Reinforced Lightweight Concrete Beams at Elevated Temperature

In this paper, the response of lightweight reinforced concrete (LWRC) beams under elevated temperature is numerically investigated using the nonlinear finite element software ABAQUS. Firstly, a numerical model is suggested and validated against experimental tests conducted by the authors. The validation results have shown the accuracy and reliability of the suggested numerical model. Thereafter, the validated numerical model was utilized in conducting a comprehensive parametric study to investigate the effects of several important parameters on the behavior and failure of normal and lightweight RC beams at elevated temperature. These parameters include the effect of the high ranges of elevated temperatures; the effect of heating rate; and the effect of thermal distribution along the beam length and around the beam section. The parametric study results have indicated that the distribution of the temperature along the beams length and around the beams section can affect the ultimate load resistance up to 5 and 4.93% for LWRC and NWRC beams, respectively.
Structure-property relationships in 3D-printed poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) degradable polymer.

Abstract The recent growth of polymer 3D-printing has brought innovation to the medical implant field. Implants with complex porous structures can be fabricated by printing to tune mechanical behavior and enable diffusion, consequently improving integration with tissues in the human body. Poly(L-lactide-co-e-caprolactone) (PLCL) is a 3D-printable polymer that possess a wide range of possible mechanical properties depending on its monomer composition. It is often used in biomedical applications requiring degradability. In this study, we explore 1) the effect of annealing 3D-printed PLCL and 2) the degradation profile of both annealed and unannealed 3D-printed PLCL scaffolds. The degraded samples were characterized for its molecular weight, mass loss, microstructure, and mechanical properties. By annealing the 3D-printed PLCL, we reveal the structure-property relationship of PLCL. Crystallization was found to be a crucial factor in the resulting mechanical properties, increasing stiffness significantly. The subsequent degradation study revealed that there was no significant difference brought about by pre-annealing the scaffolds. The scaffolds were found to maintain their mechanical properties until up to 8 weeks, at which point the scaffolds reached a critical molecular weight and lost their mechanical integrity.
Communicating definitive uncertainty: Teaching pharmacy students to say "I don't know".

Abstract Background and purpose Communicating uncertainty is an art requiring practice. The purpose of this study was to compare pedagogies for the instruction of pharmacy students in communicating definitive uncertainty. Educational activity and setting A case scenario featuring a busy physician asking a question without a definitive answer was directed to the pharmacy student using two pedagogies: (1) in-person standardized client and (2) virtual written case. Students provided self-assessments of their confidence in communicating uncertainty after completing the case utilizing a survey containing both rating scale questions and open-ended questions. Self-confidence within-group differences were compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and between-group differences were compared using Mann-Whitney U tests. Responses to open-ended questions were descriptively analyzed for themes using qualitative assessment methods. Findings Both the in-person standardized client (70 to 81, P ≤ .001) and the virtual written case (74 to 85, P ≤ .001) significantly increased students' self-rated confidence to verbalize “I don't know” to a healthcare provider. No significant differences were observed between the pedagogies. However, students who participated in the virtual written case mentioned a desire for “additional practice opportunities” more frequently than students who participated in the in-person standardized client. Summary In-person standardized client and virtual written case are effective methods for increasing pharmacy student comfort with communicating definitive uncertainty. Further research is needed to instruct pharmacists in uncertainty communication.
DOCUMENTATION OF DATA COLLECTED FROM FIELD INSTRUMENTATION FOR SPATIAL APPLICATIONS

Data from field instruments is increasingly being incorporated into Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This adds a geospatial component to time series data and permits analysis and display with other geospatial data. From the perspective of GIS analysis 2 issues are of importance: the first is the identification and description of the instrument location; the second is the description of the data stream from the sensor package and the access to that data for analysis and display. They are the basis for effective and proper use of the data from the instrumented site. To effectively use data captured from the instruments, information on the structure and contents of the database is required. Sensor data may then be carried into the GIS data base management system (DBMS) or accessed from the DBMS set up for the time series data. For effective use and application of the data, all require information on the parameters being captured. For GIS data, this information is described as elements in ASTM D-5714-95 Content Specifications for Geospatial Metadata. The focus of this paper is on the information needed for the management and application of time series data within a GIS environment and on relevant ASTM standards for data collection.
Converted laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

Background Conversion rates following laparoscopic colorectal surgery vary widely between studies, and the outcome of converted patients remains controversial.
Locomotor skills and school accidents

This is a report of the association of immature or deficient locomotor skills with school accidents, predominantly falls, in children aged 6 to 9. An association of superior physical skills with increased accidents was not apparent until grades 4 to 6 (ages 9 to 12). Medical care of an accidental injury is given each year to 30% of children aged 5 to 15. Falls and collisions account for 60% of annual accidental injuries. The frequency of injury from falls is highest in the young boy; fatalities, however, increase at the extremes of the age spectrum and relate to the poor locomotor skills and decreased tissue resistance of the very young and the very old.
Giftedness Viewed from the Expert-Performance Perspective.

Traditional conceptions of giftedness assume that only talented individuals possess the necessary gifts required to reach the highest levels of performance. This article describes an alternative view that expert performance results from acquired cognitive and physiological adaptations due to extended deliberate practice. A review of evidence, such as historical increases in performance, the requirement of years of daily deliberate practice, and structural changes in the mediating mechanisms, questions the existence of individual differences that impose innate limits on performance attainable with deliberate practice. The proposed framework describes how the processes mediating normal development of ability and everyday skill acquisition differ from the extended acquisition of reproducibly superior (expert) performance and how perceived “giftedness” gives children access to superior training resources, resulting in developmental advantages.
Properties of rabbit pepsinogen granules.

Abstract Pepsinogen granules were isolated from the rabbit stomach using isoosmotic Percoll density gradients, low free calcium (10−7 M), and conditions that minimize physical damage. These granules were enriched approximately eightfold with respect to pepsinogen and were free from contamination by mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. Electrophoretic examination shows pepsinogen to account for ~80% of the Coomassie Blue-stainable intragranular protein and the granule membrane to yield a simple spectrum of proteins similar to other granule systems. In addition to purity, the isolated granules displayed a high degree of osmotic stability at physiologic conditions of pH, temperature, and ionic strength. This stability suggests strict regulation of the granule electrolyte transport pathways, which are shown to include a Cl− conductance, Cl−/ anion exchange, and a K+ conductance. These transport systems in the granule membrane are consistent with the promotion of primary fluid secretion. Furthermore, granule-mediated ion transport would allow the chief cell to couple fluid secretion directly to exocytotic pepsinogen secretion and flush the enzyme from the base of oxyntic glands.
POTENTIAL FOR GREAT EGRETS ( ARDEA ALBA ) TO TRANSMIT A VIRULENT STRAIN OF AEROMONAS HYDROPHILA AMONG CHANNEL CATFISH ( ICTALURUS PUNCTATUS ) CULTURE PONDS

Abstract Aeromonas hydrophila is a gram-negative, rod-shaped, facultative, anaerobic bacterium that is ubiquitous in freshwater and slightly brackish aquatic environments and infects fish, humans, reptiles, and birds. Recent severe outbreaks of disease in commercial channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) aquaculture ponds have been associated with a highly virulent A. hydrophila strain (VAH), which is genetically distinct from less-virulent strains. The epidemiology of this disease has not been determined. Given that A. hydrophila infects birds, we hypothesized that fish-eating birds may serve as a reservoir for VAH and spread the pathogen by flying to uninfected ponds. Great Egrets (Ardea alba) were used in this transmission model because these wading birds frequently prey on farmed catfish. Great Egrets that were fed VAH-infected catfish shed VAH in feces demonstrating their potential to spread VAH.
Modulation of pressure-dependent cerebral arterial myogenic tone by a redox-sensitive signaling event (1079.8)

The objective of this study is to investigate the pressure-induced redox-sensitive signaling pathway in the regulation of pressure-dependent myogenic rat cerebral arterial constriction. Methods. We...
Examining the U.S. Labor Market Performance of Immigrant Workers in the Presence of Network Effects

Networks are thought to have an important impact on individuals’ access to labor markets. Yet, it is a challenging task to identify network effects because the functioning of networks relies heavily on unobservables that may be correlated with other productivity-related characteristics. In this study, we quantify the importance of networks as a determinant of workers’ labor market outcomes. Using variation in the distance to the nearest Mexican rail lines in the past as a source of identification, we find that the size of the network is positively related to current wages and to the probability of being a documented immigrant.
Electro-thermally driven microgrippers for micro-electro-mechanical systems applications

This paper presents design, fabrication, and performance testing of an innovative, laser machined structure to act as a microgripper. The proposed design constitutes of a pair of identical, cascaded actuation structures oriented in a face-to-face direction, to act as microtweezers. Each microactuator consists of five actuation units joined together horizontally in a consecutive order to build the cascaded structure. The actuation unit incorporates an internal constrainer and two semi-circular-shaped actuation beams. The actuation principle is based on the electro-thermal effect. On application of electrical potential at the backends, the conductive, geometrically complex structure of the microgripper produces non-uniform resistive heating and uneven thermal expansion generating tweezing displacements and force through a cumulative effect of all the individual actuation units within the cascaded microactuators. High-precision laser micromachining process was employed in the fabrication of the copper and nickel-based prototype microgrippers with overall dimension of 1.4 mm(L)×2.8 mm(W) and with relative accuracy within 1%. The geometrical parameters of the prototypes were evaluated in terms of accuracy and precision to demonstrate the fabrication capabilities. Challenges involved and the solutions to develop functional microparts with high aspect ratio (dimensional) with respect to the local elements and overall dimensions were described. The performance of the two microgripper prototypes was analyzed and compared. These microgrippers are useful in micromanipulating and microhandling operations for micro-electro-mechanical systems, biological, medical, chemical, and electro-opto-mechanical engineering applications.
Block preconditioning and domain decomposition methods. II

Abstract Domain decomposition methods for the solution of partial differential equations are attractive on parallel processors, because each processor can work independently on a large subtask. The corresponding stiffness matrix takes a sparse block structure, for which preconditioned iterative methods can be used when solving linear systems with the stiffness matrix. For domains decomposed in strips we get a blocktridiagonal structure for which a new block LU preconditioner was presented in an earlier report [5] by the authors. An alternative method, and also the one more commonly used for substructuring methods, is based on approximation of the Schur complement matrix. This approximation is frequently done by various difference methods (see [6], [11], and [16]). In the present paper we examine methods based on algebraic approximation methods. This is similar to methods used by Chan [9].
Monodispersed hydrophobic colloidal dispersions and light scattering properties. I. Preparation and light scattering properties of monodispersed colloidal sulfur

Abstract 1. 1. A simple, direct method for the preparation of colloidal dispersions of very uniform particle size has been described. 2. 2. A series of monodispersed sols of different particle sizes has been prepared and stabilized. 3. 3. Monodispersed sols of small particle size exhibit the optical properties predicted by the Rayleigh equation, but in the case of sols of larger particles we have observed the higher order effects that can be predicted from the general electromagnetic theory of light scattering. 4. 4. These higher order effects are characterized by the dispersion of the scattered light resulting in bands (or spectra) of different colors whose intensity, polarization and angular distribution depend upon the particle size.
A seventeenth-order series expansion for the solitary wave

The properties of solitary waves are investigated numerically using a series in sech2 ½x to describe the wave profile. (It is shown that this expansion is complete in the L2 sense.) Seventeen terms in the series are computed. For waves of amplitudes up to half the undisturbed fluid depth, the 17-term partial sum gives profiles and wave-parameter values with at least two-digit accuracy. For waves of larger amplitude, if Pade approximants are used to accelerate convergence, the computed values of the wave parameters are found to agree with the values obtained by Longuet-Higgins & Fenton (1974), but differ from those of Williams (1981), Witting (1981) and Hunter & Vanden-Broeck (1983). Possible explanations of this discrepancy are discussed.
I-V fluctuation of benzene molecule as P-type or N-type active element

In this paper the energy of an electron excited in conduction state in benzene (C6H6) molecule is estimated. The possible energy of the excited electron depends on the eigen energy state of the excited electron. Estimation of energy of an electron excited in conduction in C6H6 molecule is necessary to analyze fluctuation in currents in benzene molecule. Stable current-voltage (I-V) behavior of benzene molecule ensures functionality of any nano device involving benzene molecule or its derivative. This theoretical work can be verified by experiment of radiation from an excited benzene molecule. The result will give precise idea about the energy needed to destabilize the electrical behavior of devices made of benzene molecules. Benzene molecule is interseting for its potential in molecular nano electronics. The hexagonal core plane of the benzene molecule is relatively unalterable compared to the π localized electrons. Disturbance in the π-electron cloud will cause creation of hole by exciting a π electron to jump for conduction or may push an excited electron in the π electron cloud. The analysis of these effects rely on estimates of the energy imbalance due to presence of excited charged particles. This work is a beginning step in this front. The knowledge can be used to engineer improved switching mechanism using benzene molecule as an electronic device.© (2005) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.