cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computer-aided Analyses of Thalamocortical Afferent Ingrowth

Segregation of thalamocortical afferent (TCA) fibers precedes barrel formation in rodent somatosensory cortex (Killackey and Leshin, 1975; Jeanmonod et al., 1981; Jensen and Killackey, 1987b; Senft, 1989; Erzurumlu and Jhaveri, 1990). Hypotheses about the arborization strategies followed by these ingrowing fibers have been generated from evaluation of labeled terminal fragments of mouse TCAs (Senft and Woolsey, 1991a). Those TCAs were of necessity truncated by the histological processing needed to observe them at high resolution. This fragmentation, along with biological variability, forces conclusions about single intact axons to be derived from populations of parts of arbors. To evaluate the hypotheses critically, we designed a computer program to quantify morphological aspects of labeled TCAs drawn with a camera lucida. We constructed algorithms to abstract, from fiber populations, properties minimally affected by truncation. Our program analyzes, and displays as histograms, fiber and branch densities and orientations. To represent these features by additional graphical means, "average" ingrowing TCAs were generated, based on the accumulated statistics of the traced fiber fragments. Quantitative descriptions of TCA populations from postnatal day 1 (PND1) through PND7 are presented. These analyses show that fibers and their branches accumulate with age within the cortical plate (emergent layer IV), and to a lesser extent within developing layer VI. Simultaneously, the distributions of these afferents within cortical laminae transform from uniform to patchy in the plane of the cortex. Peaks exhibit the periodicity typical of mature barrels. Branches become more numerous focally as and where layer IV barrels emerge. Individually traced arbors show reduced total widths consistent with progressive pruning of branches extending into territories of inappropriate barrels, both in layer IV and deeper in the cortex.
Seeing the strange in the familiar: unpacking racialized practices in early childhood settings

In this article, three educators share case studies describing racial biases and segregationist practices in early schooling. The authors draw upon critical race theory as a lens and employ critical discourse analysis to uncover classed and raced biases within and across three early childhood contexts. While the cases are situated in specific public school settings – a parent teacher association (PTA) fundraiser, a mandated literacy program, and a read‐aloud – they shed light onto a variety of contexts as these are all common phenomena in many American elementary schools. Together, the cases illustrate how racism has been normalized through familiar practices in early childhood settings. Through description and reflection, the authors suggest ways to start seeing the strange in the familiar, unpacking racialized practices across three settings, and advocating new ways of thinking about these common practices leading to change and transformation.
First level muon trigger circuits using Xilinx FPGA

Drift tubes of the SDC central muon detector in theta view are used to generate a first level muon trigger. The authors first describe the basic trigger concept developed by the SDC muon subgroup. Results from a Monte Carlo study are given. A design for implementing the basic trigger concept using the Xilinx FPGA (field-programmable gate array) is discussed. The complete flexibility of the FPGA makes it possible to program the trigger logic after the experiment is turned on, making it possible to overcome unexpected problems. This is very valuable for an expensive trigger system which will be operated for more than 10 years under varying experimental conditions. >
Classification-guided feature selection for NIRS-based BCI

Motor movements induce distinct patterns in the hemodynamics of the motor cortex, which may be captured by Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) for Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI). We present a classification-guided (wrapper) method for time-domain NIRS feature extraction to classify left and right hand movements. Four different wrapper methods, based on univariate and multivariate ranking and sequential forward and backward selection, along with three different classifiers (k-Nearest neighbor, Bayes, and Support Vector Machines) were studied. Using NIRS data from two subjects we show that a rank-based wrapper in conjunction with polynomial SVMs can achieve 100% sensitivity and specificity separating left and right hand movements (5-fold cross validation). Results show the promise of wrapper methods in classifying NIRS signals for BCI applications.
Self-Orienting Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks for Maximizing Multimedia Coverage

The performance of a wireless multimedia sensor network (WMSN) is tightly coupled with the pose of individual multimedia sensors. In particular, orientation of an individual multimedia sensor (direction of its sensing unit) is of great importance for the sensor network applications in order to capture the entire image of the field. In this paper, we study the problem of self-orientation in a wireless multimedia sensor network, that is finding the most beneficial pose of multimedia sensors to maximize multimedia coverage with occlusion-free viewpoints. We first propose a distributed algorithm to detect a node's multimedia coverage and then determine its orientation, while minimizing the effect of occlusions and total overlapping regions in the sensing field. Our approach enables multimedia sensor nodes to compute their directional coverage, provisioning self-configurable sensor orientations in an efficient way. Simulations show that using distributed messaging and self-orientation having occlusion-free viewpoints significantly increase the multimedia coverage.
Application of Modified Flavone Closure for the Preparation of Racemic L86-8275

The laboratory preparation of racemic L86-8275 (1a) and the salt (1b) is described in 7% overall yield. Our method eliminated a number of chromatography steps from the patent procedure and improved the flavone-forming reaction by employing a stepwise mechanism. Solvent-free conditions for the demethylation step are also described.
NPSNET: a multi-player 3D virtual environment over the Internet

in the Proceedings of the 1995 Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics, 9 - 12 April 1995, Monterey, California.
Effects of food ration on survival and sublethal responses of lake chubsuckers (Erimyzon sucetta) exposed to coal combustion wastes

Study organisms in chronic toxicological bioassays are often provided with excessive resources to remove food limitations as a confounding experimental variable. Under more ecologically realistic situations, resources are often less abundant and such restrictions may alter the responses of organisms to environmental contaminants. Here, we investigated the interaction between resource level and sediment toxicity in the lake chubsucker, Erimyzon sucetta. For 78 days we fed fish one of three ration levels (1X, 2X, 4X; uncontaminated food) that was grazed directly from either clean sand or coal ash-contaminated sediments. Despite provision of uncontaminated food, fish exposed to the contaminated sediments accumulated significant whole body concentrations of As, Se, Sr, and V. Food ration affected the pattern of Se accumulation, with lowest concentrations accumulated by fish supplied with the lowest rations (1X). Paradoxically, fish in the 1X-ash treatment were most adversely effected by ash-exposure, despite having Se burdens much lower than fish in the 2X- and 4X-ash treatments. Fish in the 1X-ash treatment exhibited higher mortality, lower proportional growth, and increased incidence of fin erosion compared to fish provided with higher rations. Such results may, in part, be explained by the apparent inability of fish with reduced rations to maintain positive energy balance, as evidenced by their higher standard metabolic rates compared to control fish fed similar rations. Our results underscore the importance of considering resource quantity and nutritional factors in chronic bioassays in order to draw more ecologically realistic conclusions about contaminant effects.
A Method to Generate Damage Functions for Quasi-Brittle Solids

In continuum damage mechanics theories, damage functions are identified based on experimental records. These functions also serve as strain hardening-softening functions similar to the conventional plasticity formulations. In a class of damage theories described in this paper it will be shown that if care is not taken, internal contradictions will arise as manifested by a snapback in the strain-stress space. This paper establishes a formal method by which different damage functions can consistently be developed leading to no snap-back in the solution.
Isolation of the second Bacillus thuringiensis RNA polymerase that transcribes from a crystal protein gene promoter.

Abstract A crystal protein gene of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-1-Dipel is transcribed in vivo from two overlapping promoters that are activated at different times during sporulation. We reported earlier (K. L. Brown and H. R. Whiteley, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:4166-4170, 1988) that an RNA polymerase containing a sigma subunit with an apparent Mr of 35,000 can transcribe in vitro from the promoter utilized from early to midsporulation. We now report the isolation of an RNA polymerase containing a sigma subunit with an Mr of ca. 28,000; this polymerase activates transcription in vitro from the promoter used from mid- to late sporulation. This form of RNA polymerase also directs transcription in vitro from promoters preceding two other crystal protein genes and a gene coding for a spore coat protein. On the basis of a comparison of the four promoters, we propose the following consensus sequence for the -10 region recognized by RNA polymerase containing the Mr-28,000 sigma subunit: 5'-TNATANNaTGag-3'. No consensus sequence could be derived for the -35 region. When the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the sigma 28 polypeptide was aligned with the amino acid sequences of known sigma subunits, significant homology was found with the N terminus of the mature form of the sigma K subunit of RNA polymerase isolated from sporulating cells of Bacillus subtilis.
Evaluation of the diagnostic performance of current and next-generation assays for cardiac troponin I in the BWH-TIMI ED Chest Pain Study:

Background:Rapid diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome is a clinical and operational priority in busy emergency departments (ED). We examined the performance of an investigational troponin I (TnI) assay with 10–100-times greater sensitivity than current commercial assays.Methods:Among patients with non-traumatic chest pain enrolled in the BWH-TIMI ED Chest Pain Study, we measured TnI (n=381) at baseline, 4–6 h, and 12–24 h with an investigational assay (S-TnI; Singulex, detection-limit 0.0002 µg/l, 99th percentile 0.009 µg/l) and a contemporary sensitive assay (TnI-Ultra; Siemens, detection-limit 0.006 µg/l, 99th percentile 0.04 µg/l). Final diagnosis was adjudicated using all diagnostic data and local hospital-based cardiac TnI (Siemens), blinded to investigational cardiac Tn.Results:The adjudicated diagnosis was myocardial infarction (MI) in 96 patients, unstable angina in 41, and acute non-coronary cardiovascular conditions in 50 patients. Baseline S-TnI was highly sensitive for MI (97%, 95% CI 91–99%) ...
An Interval Approach to Fuzzistics for Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Sets

In this paper, a new and simple approach, called interval approach, to type-2 fuzzistics is presented, one that captures the strong points of both the person-MF and interval end-points approaches. It uses interval end-point data that are collected from a group of subjects, assumes a probability distribution for each person's data and maps the mean and standard deviation of that distribution into the parameters of an iteratively specified type-1 person MF. These type-1 person MFs are then aggregated using the union leading to the FOU for a word. Experiments show that this approach is easy to implement and the derived interval type-2 word models match our intuitions, i.e., the FOUs of the small-sounding words are located to the left, the FOUs of the medium-sounding words are located in the middle, and the FOUs of the large-sounding words are located to the right.
Local Newspaper Coverage of Health Authority Fairness During Cancer Cluster Investigations

This study explores local newspaper coverage of official cancer cluster investigations in seven different communities. The authors developed the underlying coding schema based on social-psychological research about how individuals assess the fairness of decision makers. The analysis therefore focuses on the degree to which news coverage describes science authorities as being procedurally just, which includes relational fairness and voice. The findings suggest that a significant amount of cancer cluster news coverage includes content consistent with procedural aspects of fairness. The authors also found substantial content suggesting that decision makers should “do more” to address community concerns. The authors hypothesize that such content may also be relevant to procedural justice. The discussion addresses the theoretical and practical use of additional research examining the media portrayal of scientific authorities as fair or unfair.
Delivery of exogenous ATP maintains sodium-potassium pump activity in endothelial cells during chemical hypoxia

METHODS: Microvascular EC were exposed to up to 8 hours of either SS at 14 dynes/cm2, or CS at 60 cycles per minute 24% maximal strain. Lysates were studied for the expression and activity of PKC-z through immunoblotting analysis and by performing activity assays in which lysates were immunoprecipitated, labeled with the isotope gamma-32P, and then analyzed using liquid scintillation spectroscopy.
Impact of Graphene Interface Quality on Contact Resistance and RF Device Performance

This letter demonstrates the importance of the graphene/metal interface on the ohmic contacts of high-frequency graphene transistors grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on copper. Using an Al sacrificial layer during ohmic lithography, the graphene surface roughness underneath the ohmic contacts is reduced by fourfold, resulting in an improvement in the contact resistance from 2.0 to 0.2-0.5 kΩ·μm. Using this technology, top-gated CVD graphene transistors achieved direct-current transconductances of 200 mS/mm, maximum on current densities in excess of 1000 mA/mm, and hole mobilities ~ 1500-3000 cm2/(V·s) on silicon substrates. Radio-frequency device performance yielded an extrinsic current-gain cutoff frequency fT of 12 GHz after pad capacitance de-embedding resulting in an fT - LG product of 24 GHz·μm.
Internet-based information and retrieval systems

There is limited reliability of internet-based information systems. For example, Internet search engines provide results that have limited reliability and data available on the Internet is limited in its reliability. As a result, the purpose of this paper is to elicit sources of the lack of reliability, develop a model that can be used to study the impact of reliability and propose some solutions to mitigate reliability issues. The model couches Internet data as an ''intermediary report.'' For example, use . of a search engine will generate an intermediary ''report'' providing a list of relevant universal resource locators URL and a corresponding brief description that may or may not correctly describe the label being searched. This ''report'' structure is used to model Internet information and retrieval systems as an intermediate step between users of the system and the original or expected information. The basic model of information relevance in the information retrieval process is reviewed, where the precision is a function, in part, of the recall and fallout rate. Reliability is found to have an impact on precision and fallout rates. Alternatives are proposed to mitigate the impact of this lack of reliability. q 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
An Investigation of Relationships between Seventh-Grade Students' Beliefs and Their Participation during Mathematics Discussions in Two Classrooms

As mathematics teachers attempt to promote classroom discourse that emphasizes reasoning about mathematical concepts and supports students' development of mathematical autonomy, not all students will participate similarly. For the purposes of this research report, I examined how 15 seventh-grade students participated during whole-class discussions in two mathematics classrooms. Additionally, I interpreted the nature of students' participation in relation to their beliefs about participating in whole-class discussions, extending results reported previously (Jansen, 2006) about a wider range of students' beliefs and goals in discussion-oriented mathematics classrooms. Students who believed mathematics discussions were threatening avoided talking about mathematics conceptually across both classrooms, yet these students participated by talking about mathematics procedurally. In addition, students' beliefs about appropriate behavior during mathematics class appeared to constrain whether they critiqued solution...
Red Widow Spiders (Araneae: Theridiidae) Prey Extensively on Scarab Beetles Endemic in Florida Scrub

The red widow spider, Latrodectus bishopi Kaston, is a species of conservation concern because it is narrowly endemic to threatened palmetto scrub found only on ancient sand ridges in peninsular Florida. We hypothesized that this spider might feed extensively on insects that also are scrub specialists. To ascertain the prey of red widow spiders, we collected arthropods trapped in webs of adult females (n = 30 per season) located in native oak-palmetto scrub at the Archbold Biological Station after dawn and before dusk for 5 consecutive days in early spring (Mar 1989) and in late spring (May 2003). We identifed a total of 42 species among the 98 specimens collected. Using published regression equations, we converted the size of each specimen to dry mass. We found that 5 species of scarab beetles endemic to Florida scrub accounted for 65% of prey by weight even though their numbers were modest (22% of prey items). In early spring red widow spiders fed predominantly on nocturnally captured coleopterans (78% of prey items), but in late spring when palmetto flowers were blooming near webs day-active hymenopterans were added to the diet. Frequency analysis showed that temporal patterns of prey capture by individual spiders were infrequent (≤ 0.4 prey per day) and statistically random.
The effect of volume of interest definition on quantification of lymph node immune response to a monkeypox virus infection assessed by (18)F-FDG-PET.

2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose-positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) is applied in the clinic for infection assessment and is under consideration for investigating the inflammatory/immune response in lymphoid tissue in animal models of viral infection. Assessing changes in 18F-FDG uptake of lymph nodes (LNs), primary lymphoid tissues targeted during viral infection, requires suitable methods for image analysis. Similar to tumor evaluation, reliable quantitation of the LN function via multiple 18F-FDG-PET sessions will depend how the volume of interest is defined. Volume of interest definition has a direct effect on statistical outcome. The current study objective is to compare for the first time agreement between conventional and modified VOI metrics to determine which method(s) provide(s) reproducible standardized uptake values (SUVs) for 18F-FDG uptake in the LN of rhesus macaques. Multiple 18F-FDG-PET images of LNs in macaques were acquired prior to and after monkeypox virus intravenous inoculation. We compared five image analysis approaches, SUVmax, SUVmean, SUVthreshold, modified SUVthreshold, and SUVfixed volume, to investigate the impact of these approaches on quantification of the changes in LN metabolic activity denoting the immune response during viral infection progression. The lowest data repeatability was observed with SUVmax. The best correspondence was between SUVfixed volume and conventional and modified SUVthreshold. A statistically significant difference in the LN 18F-FDG uptake between surviving and moribund animals was shown using modified SUVthreshold and SUVfixed volume (adjusted p = 0.0037 and p = 0.0001, respectively). Quantification of the LN 18F-FDG uptake is highly sensitive to the method applied for PET image analysis. SUVfixed volume and modified SUVthreshold demonstrate better reproducibility for SUV estimates than SUVmax, SUVmean, and SUVthreshold. SUVfixed volume and modified SUVthreshold are capable of distinguishing between groups with different disease outcomes. Therefore, these methods are the preferred approaches for evaluating the LN function during viral infection by 18F-FDG-PET. Validation of multiple approaches is necessary to choose a suitable method to monitor changes in LN metabolic activity during progression of viral infection.
ATRI program at UCD

Summary form only given. The Advanced Thermionics Research Initiative Program (ATRI 2000) is now established at the University of California at Davis. Graduate students continue to receive fellowships as they train in the field of thermionics and microwave technology. Being in the Bay Area, the program benefits from the synergism between the microwave tube industries, SLAG, LLNL and LBNL, and the excellent faculties at UC Berkeley, Stanford and UC Davis. The primary charter of ATRI is still to support basic multidisciplinary graduate research in thermionics with an aim at providing engineers and scientists for the strategic microwave tube industry, to incorporate new technology and methods into the field, and to transfer that technology and disseminate information. The philosophy of the ATRI research program is to first understand a new mechanism on an analytical level, then use available computer software or codes developed by the students to numerically model the processes before testing and optimizing the device in the laboratory. Using this procedure, we have made significant contributions to the science of high power microwave generation. By having a strong research program in innovative rf devices, such as gyrotron amplifiers, photocathode rf linacs, free electron lasers, reaccelerated-electron-beam klystrons and also conventional TWTs, the students are exposed to the relevant science and technology in an active way.
Enzymatic evidence for differences in the placement of Rh antigens within the red cell membrane

Intact erythrocytes of different Rh genotypes were subjected to various enzyme treatments, the effects of which were monitored by separating the membrane proteins by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and performing Western blotting using an antibody preparation that recognizes only Rh-related polypeptides. We found that treatment of intact cells with either phospholipase A2 or proteases such as papain did not alter the size of Rh antigen-containing polypeptides. In contrast, phospholipase A2 treatment followed by papain digestion cleaved a fraction of these polypeptides. This cleavage appears, from such digestions of Rh(D) positive and negative cells of different genotypes, to occur solely at the extracellular domain of Rh(D) polypeptide, while the extracellular domains of other Rh antigen-containing polypeptides are unaffected. Digestion of red blood cell ghosts and inside-out vesicles with trypsin showed that Rh(D), (C/c), and (E/e) antigen-containing polypeptides span the lipid bilayer having cytoplasmic domains susceptible to the action of proteases. The size of the cleavage products at the cytoplasmic domain of -D-/-D- cells was found to differ from that of other Rh(D) positive genotypes, due possibly to a difference in folding of Rh(D) polypeptide at its cytoplasmic domain and within the cellular membrane of these cells.
Anesthetic management of the first pediatric bilateral hand transplant

The purpose of this case report is to describe the anesthetic and case management of the first vascularized composite allograft pediatric bilateral hand transplant. Our patient was an eight-year-old male with a medical history of Staphylococcus aureus sepsis at one year of age that resulted in end-stage renal disease as well as bilateral upper and lower extremity amputations. After referral for bilateral hand transplantation, the transplantation team, with expertise in all aspects of perioperative care (surgery, anesthesiology, nephrology, renal transplantation, pediatric intensive care, and therapeutic pharmacy), was consulted to help develop anesthetic and other perioperative protocols for surgery. Prior to activation of the transplantation team, the lead surgeon evaluated potential donors by comparing a three-dimensional printed model of the recipient’s forearm with the donor’s upper extremities to ensure an adequate match. The anesthesia team inserted bilateral ultrasound-guided infraclavicular catheters to provide a sympathetic block to facilitate blood flow to the upper extremities and to provide both intraoperative and postoperative pain control. The patient remained in the operating room for 13 hr 37 min for a surgical time of ten hours 39 min. He remained in the hospital for 34 days after the procedure and was then transferred to an inpatient rehabilitation facility for a further 15 days. The patient is currently doing well in a postoperative rehabilitation program. He has demonstrated motor power to the hands using the forearm muscles but is not expected to reach his maximum sensory function for at least one to two years. This report describes the anesthetic management of the first pediatric bilateral hand transplant. This procedure required considerable preoperative planning and communication between various teams to ensure all resources needed to deliver the care for this complex and novel transplant surgery were readily available.
Notes on Agaricales from Arctic Tundra in Alaska

Twelve species distributed among five families in the Agaricales are reported from Alaskan Tundra. Eight species are first reports from Alaska and one of these is previously unreported from North America. Four species, previously reported from limited material, are completely described. Additional information is provided on the habitats, ecology and distribution of all species.
Modeling Space Architectures through Graph Theory

*† This paper outlines a methodology to mathematically model space architectures by using graph theory. An overview of previous Mars architecture design studies is given, from the early studies in the Apollo era to the Space Exploration Initiative to the latest Design Reference Architecture 5.0. Utilizing graph theo ry to model architectures provides a simple mathematical framework that is flexible enough to model any of these given architectures. Developing the matrices that define a graph—the adjacency and incidence matrices—are easily developed by user-specified nodes and edge options. An example architecture is modeled from beginning to end to show the capability of this framework, which also lends itself to stochastic optimization methods, such as genetic algorithm and particle swarm, among others. There is ongoing work to improve the autonomy of this framework as well as generation of the vehicle sizing hierarchy.
Nursing Unit Environment Associated with Provision of Language Services in Pediatric Hospices.

Provision of language services in pediatric hospice enables nurses to communicate effectively with patients who have limited English proficiency. Language barriers contribute to ethnic disparities in health care. While language service use corresponds with improved patient comprehension of illness and care options, we lack an understanding of how the nurse work environment affects the provision of these services. Data were obtained from the 2007 National Home and Hospice Care Survey and included a study sample of 1251 pediatric hospice agencies. Variable selection was guided by structural contingency theory, which posits that organizational effectiveness is dependent upon how well an organization’s structure relates to its context. Using multivariate logistic regression, we analyzed the extent to which nursing unit environment predicted provision of translation services and interpreter services. The majority of hospices provided translation services (74.9 %) and interpreter services (87.1 %). Four variables predicted translation services: registered nurse (RN) unit size, RN leadership, RN medical expertise, and for-profit status. RN medical expertise and having a safety climate within the hospice corresponded with provision of interpreter services. Findings indicate that nursing unit environment predicts provision of language services. Hospices with more specialized RNs and a stronger safety climate might include staffs who are dedicated to best care provision, including language services. This study provides valuable data on the nurse work environment as a predictor of language services provision, which can better serve patients with limited English proficiency and ultimately reduce ethnic disparities in end-of-life care for children and their families.
The spectrum of HIV-associated renal disease.

Many individuals with HIV disease develop at least transient alterations in renal function during the course of their infection. These can range from
Vascular Injury in Cancer Survivors

With an increase in the number of patients surviving many years following successful cancer treatment, has come an improved understanding of the long-term effects of cancer therapy and its implications on future health. Premature cardiovascular disease is a significant cause of early morbidity and the leading non-cancer cause of death in this population. Chemotherapeutic agents and radiation therapy are known to be cardiotoxic. However, numerous vascular-related toxicities have also been observed among cancer survivors, such as myocardial ischemia, transient ischemic attacks, and stroke, suggesting a degree of chronic endothelial injury and dysfunction leading to premature atherosclerotic disease. Vascular health in cancer survivors may be further compromised by metabolic abnormalities such as obesity, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemias which have also been reported following cancer therapy. Furthermore, some survivors experience gonadal dysfunction and loss of potentially protective sex steroids or undergo hormonal therapies that induce additional metabolic abnormalities. The effects of cancer therapies upon the endothelial monolayer have not been fully explored. An understanding of potential injury to and dysfunction of the circulatory system among cancer survivors is essential for identifying preventive strategies and therapeutic targets.
How Important Is Where You Start? Early Mathematics Knowledge and Later School Success.

BackgroundChildren's early skills are essential for their later success in school. Recent evidence highlights the importance of early mathematics, relative to reading and socioemotional skills, for...
Adoption of a Portal for the Primary Care Management of Pediatric Asthma: A Mixed-Methods Implementation Study

Background: Patient portals may improve communication between families of children with asthma and their primary care providers and improve outcomes. However, the feasibility of using portals to collect patient-reported outcomes from families and the barriers and facilitators of portal implementation across diverse pediatric primary care settings have not been established. Objective: We evaluated the feasibility of using a patient portal for pediatric asthma in primary care, its impact on management, and barriers and facilitators of implementation success. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods implementation study in 20 practices (11 states). Using the portal, parents of children with asthma aged 6-12 years completed monthly surveys to communicate treatment concerns, treatment goals, symptom control, medication use, and side effects. We used logistic regression to evaluate the association of portal use with child characteristics and changes to asthma management. Ten clinician focus groups and 22 semistructured parent interviews explored barriers and facilitators of use in the context of an evidence-based implementation framework. Results: We invited 9133 families to enroll and 237 (2.59%) used the portal (range by practice, 0.6%-13.6%). Children of parents or guardians who used the portal were significantly more likely than nonusers to be aged 6-9 years (vs 10-12, P=.02), have mild or moderate/severe persistent asthma (P=.009 and P=.04), have a prescription of a controller medication (P<.001), and have private insurance (P=.002). Portal users with uncontrolled asthma had significantly more medication changes and primary care asthma visits after using the portal relative to the year earlier (increases of 14% and 16%, respectively). Qualitative results revealed the importance of practice organization (coordinated workflows) as well as family (asthma severity) and innovation (facilitated communication and ease of use) characteristics for implementation success. Conclusions: Although use was associated with higher treatment engagement, our results suggest that achieving widespread portal adoption is unlikely in the short term. Implementation efforts should include workflow redesign and prioritize enrollment of symptomatic children. ClinicalTrial: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01966068; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01966068 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6i9iSQkm3) [J Med Internet Res 2016;18(6):e172]
Using projection AR to add design studio pedagogy to a CS classroom

The goal of this project is to use projection augmented reality to add design studio learning models to a classroom for an introductory Media Computation computer science class. Students do classwork using an enhanced version of Pythy, a web IDE for Python and Jython, that captures students' work and displays it around the room. We leverage the Microsoft RoomAlive Toolkit to construct a room-scale augmented reality using pairs of projectors and depth cameras. The system “pins” students' work to the walls, where teachers and students can see and discuss the work. We hope that by seeing each other's work, the system will foster collaboration and support the creation of STEM learning experiences that encourage creativity, innovation, and help build strong peer learning environments.
Abstract 3319: Characterization of the CD44+/CD49f+/CD24- subpopulation in basal-like DCIS cells

The molecular mechanisms responsible for Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS)-Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) transition have yet to be elucidated. Due to the lack of molecularly targeted therapies, basal-like DCIS has a high risk of recurrence and progression to invasive and metastatic cancers. In this study, using a human DCIS cell line model and a novel single-cell clonogenic approach, we have identified and characterized the aggressive clones derived from single cells with the CD49f+/CD44+/CD24- surface markers. We found that aggressive clones had enhanced self-renewal, migratory and invasive capacities. The aggressive clones had elevated ALDH activity, lower global DNA methylation and increased expression of stem cell related genes including OCT4 and SOX2. Further mechanistic studies showed that linc-ROR and miR-10b were overexpressed in aggressive clones and are key regulators of their self-renewal and invasive abilities. Finally, we confirmed our in vitro results in vivo, demonstrating that aggressive clones were capable of forming tumors in nude mice, whereas non-aggressive clones were not. We believe that characterization of aggressive clones within the heterogeneous CD49f+/CD44+/CD24- DCIS population and having linc-ROR and miR10b as additional markers to distinguish them from non-aggressive clones would provide the basis to develop new chemoprevention agents. Citation Format: Nadire Duru, Ramkishore Gernapudi, Pang-Kuo Lo, Yuan Yao, Benjamin Wolfson, Yongshu Zhang, Qun Zhou. Characterization of the CD44+/CD49f+/CD24- subpopulation in basal-like DCIS cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3319.
Manufacturing Foods with Peanut Ingredients

Abstract Peanuts are a complex ingredient whose inherent organoleptic characteristics can be impacted by variety, market type, geographic growing region, and other environmental effects. It is important for food manufacturers to understand how peanut ingredient selection may influence the flavor, texture, and shelf-life of a finished product but recognize that characteristics of a finished product can also affect the flavor, texture, and stability of peanut ingredients used. Research from the 1990s to the present that is relevant to a food manufacturer utilizing peanuts as an ingredient is summarized. Food trends with peanut ingredients are highlighted. In addition, research on flavor fade, peanut oxidation, and benefits of high oleic acid peanuts is summarized. Research on fruity/fermented off-flavor development and how this defect influences the roasted peanut flavor in finished product is investigated. Finished product characteristics, such as water activity, have a significant impact on peanut stability and optimal water activity ranges to preserve crunchiness and stability is described. Packaging characteristics are briefly discussed and how residual oxygen levels play a role in peanut stability. Peanut flour is a versatile ingredient that provides food manufacturers with formulation flexibility in products such as snack foods, beverages, and pasta and other formulations.
Photophysical Properties of Synthetic Food Dyes

The photophysical properties of generally-recognized-as-safe (GRAS) food dyes, such as Allura Red (AR), Tartrazine (TR), Sunset Yellow (SY) and Fast Green (FG), have rarely been reported. All these dyes exhibit very weak emission in common fluid solvents, which can explain the limited information on their photophysical properties. A significant enhancement of fluorescence emission is observed in highly viscous solvents (glycerol, etc.) and structured systems (e.g., amorphous solids, fat crystal networks, etc.). This observation has supported the hypothesis that these dyes exhibit molecular rotor behavior enabling their use as probes of microviscosity. To enhance the applicability of these potential luminescent probes, detailed information on their photophysical properties was gathered in this study. Their excitation and emission spectra were collected and Stokes shifts analyzed in a series of solvents of different polarity. Additionally, fluorescence quantum yields and lifetimes of all the dyes were determined in water:glycerol mixtures (0-98% glycerol). TR exhibited the largest Stokes shift (Δν = 5000 cm-1), followed by AR and SY (Δν = 2500 cm-1) and finally FG (Δν = 700 cm-1). The effect of environmental polarity on the fluorescence emission peak location was more pronounced for AR than for the rest of the probes. For dyes in water at 296K, the fluorescence quantum yields (Q) and lifetimes (τ) were extremely small (0.0001-0.0005 and 10-20 ps, respectively). However, for all dyes, a significant increase in Q and τ was observed by increasing medium viscosity at fixed temperature (increasing glycerol content in water:glycerol mixtures), by reducing the temperature to 77K, or by a combination of both, reaching values as high as Q = 0.41 and τ = 3.37 ns for FG in glycerol at 77K.This study makes a significant contribution to the currently incomplete photophysical characterization of these edible and safe-to-ingest fluorophores.
Can editors save peer review from peer reviewers

Peer review is the gold standard for scientific communication, but its ability to guarantee the quality of published research remains difficult to verify. Recent modeling studies suggest that peer review is sensitive to reviewer misbehavior, and it has been claimed that referees who sabotage work they perceive as competition may severely undermine the quality of publications. Here we examine which aspects of suboptimal reviewing practices most strongly impact quality, and test different mitigating strategies that editors may employ to counter them. We find that the biggest hazard to the quality of published literature is not selfish rejection of high-quality manuscripts but indifferent acceptance of low-quality ones. Bypassing or blacklisting bad reviewers and consulting additional reviewers to settle disagreements can reduce but not eliminate the impact. The other editorial strategies we tested do not significantly improve quality, but pairing manuscripts to reviewers unlikely to selfishly reject them and allowing revision of rejected manuscripts minimize rejection of above-average manuscripts. In its current form, peer review offers few incentives for impartial reviewing efforts. Editors can help, but structural changes are more likely to have a stronger impact.
ACM-SIGBIO undergraduate research highlight

At ACM-BCB 2017, several contributions in the form of paper and poster presentations were given by undergraduate students. A solicitation then went out to the ACM-SIGBIO community to highlight undergraduate research in the ACM-SIBGIO newsletter. What follows below are four contributions that showcase computational biology and bioinformatics research performed by undergraduate students.
Emerging Strategies for Supporting Student Learning: A Practical Guide for Librarians and Educators

Emerging Strategies for Supporting Student Learning: A Practical Guide for Librarians and Educators written by Barbara Allan, is a short but content-heavy book that discusses ways to support student learning through incorporating current and new technology
Observation of Two Conformers of Acrylic Sulfuric Anhydride by Microwave Spectroscopy.

The rotational spectrum of acrylic sulfuric anhydride (CH2═CHCOOSO2OH, AcrSA) has been observed using pulsed-nozzle Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. The species was produced from the reaction between acrylic acid and sulfur trioxide in a supersonic jet. Spectroscopic constants are reported for both the s-cis- and s-trans-AcrSA conformers of the parent and monodeuterated (OD) isotopologues. Geometries were optimized for both conformers using M06-2X/6-311++G(3df,3pd) methods. Single-point energy calculations at the M06-2X geometries were calculated using the CCSD(T)/complete basis set method with double and triple extrapolation [CBS(D-T)]. Further calculations indicate that the anhydride results from a π2 + π2 + σ2 cycloaddition reaction within the acrylic acid–SO3 complex. Because the C═O double bond of the acrylic acid migrates from one of the COOH oxygens to the other during the reaction, the s-cis form of acrylic acid leads to the s-trans form of the anhydride and vice versa. With zero-point en...
Cognitive Function Among Antiretroviral Treatment-Naive Individuals Infected With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Subtype G Versus CRF02_AG in Nigeria.

Background Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtype has been shown to be associated with disease progression. We compared cognitive function between individuals infected with HIV-1 subtype G and CRF02_AG in Nigeria. Methods For this cross-sectional study, samples were analyzed from 146 antiretroviral-naive participants. Genotypic analysis of plasma HIV RNA was performed by nested polymerase chain reaction of protease and reverse transcriptase genes, and sequences were aligned with curated HIV-1 subtype references. Cognitive status was determined using demographically adjusted T scores and global deficit score (GDS) obtained from a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. Results A total of 76 (52.1%) participants were infected with CRF02_AG, 48 (32.8%) with subtype G, and 22 (15.1%) with other HIV-1 strains. In a multivariable linear regression adjusting for plasma HIV RNA, CD4 count, and depression score, mean global T score was lower among subtype G-infected compared with CRF02_AG-infected participants (mean difference, -3.0 [95% confidence interval {CI}, -5.2, to -.7]; P = .011). Also, T scores were significantly lower among subtype G- than CRF02_AG-infected participants for the speed of information processing, executive function, and verbal fluency ability domains. Adjusting for similar variables in a logistic regression, the odds of global cognitive impairment (GDS ≥0.5) were 2.2 times higher among subtype G compared with CRF02_AG-infected participants (odds ratio, 2.2 [95% CI, .9-5.4]; P = .078). Conclusions Cognitive performance was significantly worse among antiretroviral-naive individuals with HIV-1 subtype G vs CRF02_AG infection. Further studies are required to characterize the mechanistic basis for these differences.
International Conference On Women, Work And Computerization

(1998). International Conference On Women, Work And Computerization. Gender, Technology and Development: Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 155-164.
Optimized energy of spectral coronary CT angiography for coronary plaque detection and quantification.

Abstract Background To optimize spectral coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) for quantification of coronary artery plaque components. Materials and methods Fifty-one subjects were prospectively enrolled (88.2% male) (NCT02740699). Dual energy coronary CTA was performed at 90/Sn150 kVp using a 3rd generation dual-source CT scanner (SOMATOM Force, Siemens Healthcare). Dual energy images were reconstructed with a) linear mixed blending of 90 and Sn150 kVp data, b) virtual monoenergetic algorithm from 40 to 150 keV (at 10- keV intervals), and c) noise-optimized virtual monoenergetic algorithm from 40 to 150 keV. Image noise, iodine signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) for calcified and non-calcified plaque were measured. Qualitative readings of image quality were performed. Semi-automated software (QAngioCT, Medis) was used to quantify coronary plaque. Linear mixed-models that account for within-subject correlation of plaques were used to compare the results. Results 100–150 keV noise-optimized virtual monoenergetic images had lower image noise than linear mixed images (all P Conclusion Spectral coronary CTA with low energy (40–70 keV) post-processing can improve the CNR of coronary plaque components. However, low energies (such as 40 keV) resulted in different absolute volumes of coronary plaque compared to “conventional” mixed 90/Sn150 kVp images.
Early sale of seasonal inventory in the newsvendor problem

Off-price retailers buy excess inventory from manufacturers and retailers and offer it at discounts to consumers. Off-price retailers want a larger assortment of trendy products, which provides ret...
{Mo24Fe12} Macrocycles: Anion Templation with Large Polyoxometalate Guests.

The ability of large polyoxometalate anions to act as templating agents is demonstrated with the formation of compounds (V) and (VII).
Using AI for Performance Verification of High-End Processors

We present results of performing analytics and visualizations over micro-architectural performance metrics collected in simulation of high-end processor designs. These results contribute to several use-cases: Obtain fast alerts in cases of anomalous behavior of the design, create a global view of performance-related coverage, and compare different versions of the hardware model as an aid to identification of root-causes of performance differences and correlations between metrics. We show case our methods and results through experiments on a very-high-end processor design, and discuss how they are expected to affect the methodology of performance verification of next-generation designs from the vendor.
Coordination synthesis on metal centers

Abstract The products formed by the action of solvated triphenylchromium on carbon monoxide, diethyl ketone, cyclohexanone, and acetylacetone, and by the action of solvated triethylchromium with diethyl ketone, have been isolated and identified. A mechanism involving coordination synthesis on chromium centers is suggested to explain the formation of the observed products.