cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A human-interactive robotic program for middle school STEM education

The use of human-interactive robots in industry and daily life has become more prevalent throughout society as more people are using collaborative, and assistive robots to accomplish a task. To demonstrate the utility and importance of assistive robots to middle school students, a unique educational platform called Neu-pulator (neurally-controlled manipulator) was designed and fabricated to introduce their application in improving the quality of life. This robotic manipulator consists of low-cost components, which reflect the characteristics of a human arm, and is actuated by signals from the students neuromuscular system. During summer 2016, a 5-day program introduced students to the engineering design process as they designed, programmed, manufactured, and tested the Neu-pulator robot. A series of surveys and group interviews were performed to understand how each students attitude and opinion towards different STEM-related topics evolved throughout the course, both quantitatively and qualitatively. We observed that the students confidence, attitude, and excitement towards STEM improved over the course of the week, especially when they could see the robot they developed in action. With the use of this unique educational platform, a bridge can be made from learning fundamental STEM concepts to real-world application of human interactive and assistive robots.
Postmodernism for animal scientists.

Abstract Many scientists regard the term "postmodernism" as controversial. Because postmodern theorists question whether science can be objective, some scientists view postmodernism as anti-scientific. In this paper, we argue that traditional accounts of science developed during the modern era (16th, 17th, and 18th centuries) are still influential in animal science, but are no longer plausible. In particular, the view that science automatically leads to human betterment seems to be disingenuous. A postmodern view that portrays science as a political activity seems more plausible, and offers a means to better understand contentious policy issues that involve science. Although most animal scientists accept the view that theory selection, experimental designs, and technology development require value-laden judgments, most fail to recognize that such values may be politically motivated and embrace prevailing political structures. Postmodernists such as Michel Foucault argue that through the generation of knowledge, scientific disciplines create a discourse that serves to maintain a particular social structure that has political implications. Viewed in this way, it becomes clear how various interest groups can be critical of certain scientific programs. For example, groups that oppose research dealing with cloning, genetically modified organisms, and intensive livestock production may not be as much opposed to science as they are to the political interests served by this science. In other words, such groups view these research agendas as promoting policies that place them at risk. Such a postmodern account of science, may help animal scientists better understand the nature of contentious issues, and provide a basis for reforming the animal science discipline in ways that make it more responsive to the diverse interests of a pluralistic society.
Ligand Specificity and Repertoire Development of Murine TCRγδ Cells

The physiological role for, and the ligand(s) of, TCRγδ cells remain intense fields of investigation. The selective tissue localization of some subsets of TCRγδ cells (Allison et al. 1988, Tonegawa et al. 1989, Goodman and Lefrancois 1988, Bucy et al. 1988) as well as the relatively restricted T cell receptor usage in those tissues has led to the suggestion that this specialized T cell subset recognizes non-polymorphic MHC or conserved antigens (Asarnow et al. 1988). In fact, the identification of bacterial antigens (Janis et al. 1989, Kabelitz et al. 1990), more specifically heat shock proteins (Born et al. 1990, Rajasekar et al. 1990, Holoshitz et al. 1989), as potential ligands for TCRγδ cells has solidified the notion that these cells may indeed play a unique role in the immune system. However, many of these studies have been limited to an analysis of selected TCRγδ populations often localized in epithelial tissue or newborn thymus. In this brief review we would like to summarize our data with regards to the potential diversity of splenic and lymph node-derived TCRγδ cells, compare the general observations of ligand specificity for these cells and those of TCRαβ cells, and finally, to present one approach towards beginning to determine the effect of MHC and non-MHC genes on TCRγδ repertoire development.
Determinants of plasma free acetaldehyde levels during the oxidation of ethanol: Effects of chronic ethanol feeding

Abstract Plasma free acetaldehyde levels were measured by an improved method in baboons fed ethanol chronically and in pair-fed controls during an intravenous infusion of ethanol. After an appropriate loading dose, ethanol was infused at the rate of its elimination to achieve a steady state at one of three different blood ethanol levels (50 ± 10 mM, 10 ± 2 mM, or 5 ± 1 mM). The rate of production of acetaldehyde was calculated from the rate of ethanol elimination by subtracting losses into urine and expired air. Liver mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (AlDH) activity was measured in surgical biopsy samples with 50 μM acetaldehyde as substrate. Chronic ethanol administration resulted in both higher plasma free acetaldehyde levels and faster acetaldehyde production at each level of blood ethanol. When the blood level of ethanol was increased from 5 to 50 mM, the level of plasma free acetaldehyde also rose in both groups of animals. The rate of acetaldehyde production, however, increased only in alcohol-fed baboons. Plasma free acetaldehyde had a significant positive correlation with production rate of acetaldehyde ( r = 0.69) and a significant negative correlation with liver mitochondrial AIDH specific activity ( r = −0.59). When these two parameters were combined (acetaldehyde production rate/AIDH activity), a correlation coefficient of 0.84 resulted, suggesting that, in addition to increased production, decreased catabolism may contribute to the higher acetaldehyde levels seen after chronic consumption.
A seed-based structural model for constructing rhombic quasilattice with 7-fold symmetry

A seed-based theoretical model with built-in local degree of freedom for constructing rhombic quasilattice with 7-fold symmetry is presented. This new approach mitigates a key limitation with existing structural models for describing quasicrystals, which do not incorporate atomic fluctuations or phasonic flips in their approaches. Here, we propose a structural model that works in concert with the seed-initiated nucleation growth models of quasicrystals and incorporates a degree of flexibility that allows the lattice to rearrange locally without affecting the global long-range order. This approach suggests that the position of high-symmetry motifs locally and globally is defined by one long-range framework and not based on local rules (i.e., inflation, deflation, substitution, matching, overlapping, etc.). The proposed model is based on building a hierarchical network that allows the self-similar quasilattice to expand infinitely without any gaps, overlaps, or mismatches. The use of a global relational logic provides scientists, artists, and teachers with a simple method for creating a wide variety of complicated hierarchical quasilattice formations without the need for any specialized software or complicated mathematics and could possibly provide a deeper understanding of how the atoms interact to form their complicated long-range quasicrystalline formations.
Collaborative Projects with simulation assignments in mechanical engineering thermodynamics courses

In the undergraduate engineering classroom, some level of collaborative learning can be employed to enhance learning. Separately, enhancements in curriculum may include the use of computer technolo...
Next-generation in situ conservation and capacity building in Madagascar using a mobile genetics lab

Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot that is facing rapid rates of deforestation, habitat destruction and poverty. Urgent action is required to document the status of biodiversity to facilitate efficacious conservation plans. Within country, new generations of Malagasy scientists and conservationists are taking on leadership roles, although many lack access to modern genetic sequencing and are underrepresented in academic publications, when compared to international counterparts.nnWith the recent advent of portable and affordable genetic technologies, it is now possible to tackle logistical considerations. Mobile genetics labs, with the capacity for in situ DNA extraction, amplification and sequencing, can produce scientifically reproducible data under field conditions, minimizing the time between sample collection and data analysis. Additionally, mobile labs offer powerful training opportunities for in-country scientists that enable local students and researchers to actively participate and contribute fully to the research enterprise, and that further empower these communities to contribute to the conservation dialog.nnHere, we show "proof of concept" by deploying a miniaturized thermal cycler alongside the Oxford Nanopore MinION DNA sequencer in Madagascar, including in the newly established Anjajavy Protected Area in northwestern Madagascar. We successfully extracted DNA from tissue samples collected using minimally-invasive techniques, amplified and sequenced a phylogenetically informative mitochondrial gene (cytochrome-b; cytb), and thereby confirmed the presence of Danfoss mouse lemur (M. danfossi) within the Anjajavy Reserve.nnTo demonstrate the reproducibility of our methods, we successfully performed our established molecular and analytical pipeline at two additional locations in Madagascar, where we also conducted two-day workshops at local higher-education Institutions to demonstrate the process from tissue samples to DNA sequencing. Ultimately, we show that a mobile genetics lab can provide reliable and expeditious results, become a powerful educational tool, and allow scientists to conduct genetic analyses, potentially allowing for rapid interventions under emergency conditions in situ.
Endocardial Mapping of Lesion Delivery to the Human Left Atrium using Near Infrared Spectroscopy

Current tools for intraprocedural validation of ablation treatment for atrial fibrillation are lacking. In this work, a method is presented for constructing anatomical maps of left atrial lesion deposition using a near-infrared spectroscopy integrated ablation catheter.
En Route to the Transformation of Glycoscience: A Chemist's Perspective on Internal and External Crossroads in Glycochemistry.

Carbohydrate chemistry is an essential component of the glycosciences and is fundamental to their progress. This Perspective takes the position that carbohydrate chemistry, or glycochemistry, has reached three crossroads on the path to the transformation of the glycosciences, and illustrates them with examples from the author's and other laboratories. The first of these potential inflexion points concerns the mechanism of the glycosylation reaction and the role of protecting groups. It is argued that the experimental evidence supports bimolecular SN2-like mechanisms for typical glycosylation reactions over unimolecular ones involving stereoselective attack on naked glycosyl oxocarbenium ions. Similarly, it is argued that the experimental evidence does not support long-range stereodirecting participation of remote esters through bridged bicyclic dioxacarbenium ions in organic solution in the presence of typical counterions. Rational design and improvement of glycosylation reactions must take into account the roles of the counterion and of concentration. A second crossroads is that between mainstream organic chemistry and glycan synthesis. The case is made that the only real difference between glycan and organic synthesis is the formation of C-O rather than C-C bonds, with diastereocontrol, strategy, tactics, and elegance being of critical importance in both areas: mainstream organic chemists should feel comfortable taking this fork in the road, just as carbohydrate chemists should traveling in the opposite direction. A third crossroads is that between carbohydrate chemistry and medicinal chemistry, where there are equally many opportunities for traffic in either direction. The glycosciences have advanced enormously in the past decade or so, but creativity, input, and ingenuity of scientists from all fields is needed to address the many sophisticated challenges that remain, not the least of which is the development of a broader and more general array of stereospecific glycosylation reactions.
COLD ROLLING TEXTURE AND RECRYSTALLIZATION TEXTURE OF CROSS SHEAR ROLLED COMMERCIAL COPPER

The texture change along the normal direction to rolling plane ofcross shear rolled commercial copper has been studied by means of the two-stepmethod for ODF calculation and computer simulation. The texture of cross shearrolling of copper is similar in primary components to that of conventional coldrolling, but the scattering degree and direction of the texture are different due to theresidual shear strain change in different position along the normal to rolling plane.It seems that no more effect of the shear strain upon the recrystallization texture.
De poderes abrir a vida - sobre a casa na poesia de Luiza Neto Jorge e de Daniel Faria

Este artigo apresenta uma leitura do conceito de «casa» nas obras dos poetas Luiza Neto Jorge e Daniel Faria. Para Luiza Neto Jorge, esta casa precisa de abolir a sua imobilidade e a do mundo; o caminho e, pois, o da liberdade. Para Daniel Faria, a casa possibilita o caminho para o ceu, o qual permitira procurar o alto e ver o rosto de Deus
Scalable Distributed Reachability Analysis for Cyber-Physical Networked Microgrids with Communication Latency

Due to the high penetration of power-electronic-interfaced distributed energy resources (DERs), a microgrid's inertia is significantly reduced, making it sensitive to cyber- and physical operational changes. When multiple microgrids are interconnected to form networked microgrids for improving system's resilience, the changes of one microgrid can quickly escalate to the overall system. In cyber-physical networked microgrids, the communication latency varies a lot. To efficiently quantify the impact of the communication latency on the dynamics of networked microgrids, a scalable distributed reachability analysis approach is presented in this paper. Reachable sets are calculated for each microgrid and then composited for the overall system dynamics evaluation. Extensive tests in the full paper will demonstrate the influence of communication latency on system dynamics and validate reachable sets can bound a system's all dynamic trajectories subject to latency changes. The test results also offer an insight into designing and managing the communication network for enhancing the system's resilience.
Direct and Indirect Transcriptional Effects of Abiotic Stress in Zea mays Plants Defective in RNA-Directed DNA Methylation

Plants respond to abiotic stress stimuli, such as water deprivation, through a hierarchical cascade that includes detection and signaling to mediate transcriptional and physiological changes. The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) is well-characterized for its regulatory role in these processes in response to specific environmental cues. ABA-mediated changes in gene expression have been demonstrated to be temporally-dependent, however, the genome-wide timing of these responses are not well-characterized in the agronomically important crop plant Zea mays (maize). ABA-mediated responses are synergistic with other regulatory mechanisms, including the plant-specific RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) epigenetic pathway. Our prior work demonstrated that after relatively long-term ABA induction (8 h), maize plants homozygous for the mop1-1 mutation, defective in a component of the RdDM pathway, exhibit enhanced transcriptional sensitivity to the phytohormone. At this time-point, many hierarchically positioned transcription factors are differentially expressed resulting in primary (direct) and secondary (indirect) transcriptional outcomes. To identify more immediate and direct MOP1-dependent responses to ABA, we conducted a transcriptomic analysis using mop1-1 mutant and wild type plants treated with ABA for 1 h. One h of ABA treatment was sufficient to induce unique categories of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in mop1-1. A comparative analysis between the two time-points revealed that distinct epigenetically-regulated changes in gene expression occur within the early stages of ABA induction, and that these changes are predicted to influence less immediate, indirect transcriptional responses. Homology with MOP1-dependent siRNAs and a gene regulatory network (GRN) were used to identify putative immediate and indirect targets, respectively. By manipulating two key regulatory networks in a temporal dependent manner, we identified genes and biological processes regulated by RdDM and ABA-mediated stress responses. Consistent with mis-regulation of gene expression, mop1-1 homozygous plants are compromised in their ability to recover from water deprivation. Collectively, these results indicate transcriptionally and physiologically relevant roles for MOP1-mediated regulation of gene expression of plant responses to environmental stress.
Gunshot injuries to the intratemporal facial nerve.

The frequency of gunshot injuries is escalating in American urban centers; consequently, the otolaryngologist is confronting increasing numbers of penetrating injuries to the head and neck. The incidence of temporal bone involvement in penetrating head injuries approximates 20% [1], facial nerve paralysis develops in over 50% of these cases [4]. The damage to the intratemporal facial nerve creates major challenges to the restoration of neural continuity and function. The following retrospective study reviews recent experience with this unique form of facial nerve trauma.
The Minefield Of Liability For Minors: Running Afoul Of Corporate Risk Management In Florida

The world is laden with risks. The average person has a one in 10,000 risk of dying in a bathtub, a one in 4,800 gamble of being killed by a falling object, a greater chance of being attacked by a cow than a shark, and is more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than a bite from a poisonous spider. Over time, capitalism and the American legal system have proposed a solution—the liability waiver, a mechanism under which one party agrees not to hold the other party responsible for resulting damages. In the face of an ancient African proverb that teaches, “it takes a village to raise a child,” the Florida Supreme Court
Visualization of patient samples by dimensionality reduction of genome-wide measurements

As the cost of genome-wide profiling is decreasing, the possibility for using such technologies for routine diagnostics as well as for classification and stratification of patients in clinical settings is increasing. However, the high dimensionality of such data makes it challenging to interpret and visualize for comparing and contrasting patient samples. Here we propose two visualization methods that display unsupervised clustering of genome-wide profiling of mRNA from breast cancer tumors from patients as images that can quickly show clusters of patients based on their expression profiles with perspective of their clinical outcome. The first visualization method converts expression profiles into a sparse network, whereas the second method visualizes patient samples on a hexagonal grid. Both visualization methods use the first three coordinates from principle component analysis (PCA) applied to reduce the dimensionality of the data. Colors of nodes in the network or hexagons are based on clinical outcome or tumor estrogen receptor (ER) status. Such visualization methods could be useful for grouping patients in an unsupervised manner to predict outcome and tailor personalized therapeutics.
Visual Media: History and Perspectives

In the early days of multimedia research, the first image dataset collected consisted of only four still grayscale images captured by a drum scanner. At the time, digital imaging was only available in laboratories, and digital videos barely existed. Half a century later, the amount of visual data has exploded at an unprecedented rate. Images and videos are now created, stored, and used by the majority of the population. In this historical overview, the authors follow the great journey that visual media research has embarked upon by looking at the fundamental scientific and engineering inventions. Through this lens, they show that all three aspects of media capturing, delivery, and understanding are developed surrounding the interaction with humans, making visual data processing a particular human-centric field of computing.
Evolutionary Modulation of Ribosomal RNA Synthesis in Oogenesis and Early Embryonic Development

One of the awesome things about Biological Sciences—particularly if it is capitalized—is its incredible breadth. As matters now stand, legitimate practitioners include all levels from the molecular biologist—who may never see the critter that delivers the juice he works with—to the man concerned with whole ecosystems and communities. Philosophically, and perhaps this is an important point, it also contains some extremes in orientation: on one hand the no-holds-barred experimentalist and on the other the descriptive museum-curator mentality. If the writer were to aim one criticism about the field as it exists today, it is that all of these elements have a contribution to make in the shaping of the profession and of the young people who have announced—with admittedly differing levels of commitment and sincerity—that they wish to place themselves in our hands to be trained as professionals. It is, in fact, a matter of record that communication between the diverse elements in this fascinating field has fallen into bad repair, and that excessive concentration by a department or research group on cellular biology to the exclusion of field biology has led to some forms of tubular vision that has hampered the visualization of biological problems in their total perspective. The writer was fortunate: he attended an essentially classically oriented undergraduate school, saw the mixture of these diverse elements in Cologne and Vienna as a graduate student, and spent his first years as a faculty member in one of the “most molecular” departments in the United States.
DEVIANT WORKPLACE BEHAVIOR AND THE ORGANIZATION'S ETHICAL CLIMATE

While a number of previous studies have investigated the effects of personal characteristics and interpersonal factors on a specific type of deviant behavior, the present study examined how organizational factors, or more specifically ethical climates within organizations, are related to various types of deviant behavior. The results provided evidence that certain types of ethical climates were related to specific types of deviant behavior, suggesting that the causes for deviant behavior might depend on the specific type of deviant behavior. It was noted that the results of the present study have both theoretical relevance and practical implications with respect to workplace deviance.
A phase based approach to insulated molecular wires: Diplatinum octatetraynediyl complexes bearing fluorous trialkylphosphine ligands

Abstract Reactions of [(tetrahydrothiophene)Pt(C6F5)μ-Cl]2 and fluorous phosphines P((CH2)mRfn)3 (Rfn = (CF2)n−1CF3; m/n = a, 2/8; b, 3/8; c, 3/10) afford the chloride complexes trans-(C6F5)((Rfn(CH2)m)3P)2PtCl (8a-c, 40–74%), which upon treatment with butadiyne and CuI (cat.) in HNEt2/CF3C6H5 give trans-(C6F5)((Rfn(CH2)m)3P)2Pt(C C)2H (9a-c, 44–64%). Subsequent reactions with oxygen and CuCl/TMEDA in acetone yield the title complexes trans,trans-(C6F5)((Rfn(CH2)m)3P)2Pt(C C)4Pt(P((CH2)mRfn)3)2(C6F5) (10a-c, 35–52%). All platinum complexes exhibit CF3C6F11/toluene partition coefficients of >99:
Streptococcus pyogenes clinical isolates and lipoteichoic acid.

Minimally subcultured clinical isolates of virulent nephritogenic and nonnephritogenic Streptococcus pyogenes of the same serotype showed major differences in lipoteichoic acid (LTA) production, secretion, and structure. These were related to changes in coccal adherence to and destruction of growing human skin cell monolayers in vitro. A possible relationship between cellular LTA content and group A streptococcal surface hydrophobicity was also investigated. Nephritogenic S. pyogenes M18 produced twice as much total (i.e., cellular and secretory) LTA as did the virulent, serologically identical, but nonnephritogenic isolate. Also, the LTAs from these organisms differed markedly. The polyglycerol phosphate chain of LTA from the nephritogenic isolate was longer (1.6 times) than was that from the nonnephritogenic isolate. Likewise, both LTAs indicated the presence of alanine and the absence of glucose. Amino sugars were found in LTA from only nephritogenic S. pyogenes. Teichoic acid, as a cellular component or secretory product, was not detected. The adherence of two different nephritogenic group A streptococcal serotypes (M18 and M2) exceeded that of the serologically identical but nonnephritogenic isolates (by about five times), indicating a correlation between virulent strains causing acute glomerulonephritis and adherence to human skin cell monolayers. Likewise, LTA from nephritogenic S. pyogenes M18 was more cytotoxic (1.5 times) than was that from the nonnephritogenic isolate for human skin cells, as determined by protein release. This difference was not perceptible by the more sensitive dye exclusion method (i.e., requiring less LTA), which emphasizes changes in host cell morphology and death. Also, the secretion of LTA by only virulent nephritogenic S. pyogenes M18 was exacerbated by penicillin (a maximum of four times). Finally, while the adherence of nephritogenic S. pyogenes M18 decreased markedly after continued subculturing in vitro, the surface hydrophobicity did not.
Serge Gut, Franz Liszt: les éléments du langage musical and Franz Liszt

Alan Walker's claim, some forty years ago, that “of all the great nineteenth-century composers, Liszt alone still remains to be fully explored,” 1 must be taken today with a grain of salt. At the s...
Assessing the Reliability of the Gambling Functional Assessment: Revised

Dixon and Johnson (Anal Gambl Behav 1: 44–49, 2007) proposed the Gambling Functional Assessment as a tool to identify the consequences maintaining the respondent’s gambling behavior, but subsequent studies on its psychometric properties suggested that it could use improvement. The present study investigated the internal consistency of the Gambling Functional Assessment—Revised using the responses of 1,060 undergraduate students. Temporal reliability was assessed by a second administration of the measure four (n = 87) or twelve (n = 98) weeks after the first administration. Temporal reliability was also compared to the South Oaks Gambling Screen (Lesieur and Blume in Am J Psychiatry 144: 1184–1188, 1987), which was also administered at both time points. Internal consistency measures were good to excellent, even when potential non-gamblers were excluded from the analyses. Temporal stability was also very good, with the possible exception of the consequence of “escape” at 12 weeks. The Gambling Functional Assessment—Revised represents a potentially useful tool for researchers and therapists interested in why respondents are gambling.
Strong Dispersive and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Microresonator-Modified Optical Waveguides

We describe the dispersive and nonlinear optical properties of microresonator-modified waveguides. While many applications of microresonators demand ultra-high quality factors and as a result impose strict fabrication tolerances, we examine a variety of useful devices that may be may be constructed using small numbers of only moderately-high Q resonators using the current state of the art in fabrication technology.
Renal disease in nail-patella syndrome: Clinical and morphologic studies

Renal disease in nail-patella syndrome: Clinical and morphological studies. Clinical and morphological features of seven patients with the nail-patella syndrome are described. Progression to renal failure after a prolonged period of asymptomatic proteinuria is reported. Kidney tissue from these seven patients studied by light, immunofluorescent and electron microscopy demonstrated abnormalities characteristic of this disease. Focal glomerular basement membrane thickening was observed by light microscopy. Immunofluorescent microscopy showed focal glomerular basement membrane and arteriolar staining with serum proteins, predominantly IgM and β1C. Electron microscopy revealed markedly abnormal glomerular basement membranes containing bundles of cross-striated fibrils. These fibrils were more readily demonstrated in phosphotungstic acid-stained sections. The data presented suggest that the inborn error of connective tissue metabolism of the nail-patella syndrome is associated with renal disease as the result of deposition of collagen moieties in glomerular basement membranes with subsequent alterations of glomerular structure and function.
Block by LSD of the increase in brain serotonin turnover induced by elevated ambient temperature.

AN increased turnover of brain serotonin (5-hydroxy-tryptamine; 5-HT) occurs in rats exposed to high environmental temperature; when the synthesis of 5-HT is blocked a more rapid depletion of brain 5-HT occurs at an ambient temperature of 40° C (ref. 1). In addition, the concentration of the principal metabolite of 5-HT, 5- hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), is increased in the brain at this temperature (personal communication from R. K. McDonald). The mechanism of this activation of 5-HT turnover at high environmental temperature is not known, but a similar increase in 5-HIAA is seen when the neurones containing 5-HT (situated in the caudal midbrain raphe2) are electrically stimulated3,4. It follows that the increased turnover of 5-HT at high ambient temperatures could result from an acceleration of the firing rate of the neurones containing 5-HT. (+)-Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) completely inhibits the firing of neurones containing 5-HT (ref. 5). We have given LSD to rats exposed to high environmental temperatures to test the possibility that the increase in brain 5-HIAA found in these conditions is prevented by a drug which inhibits the firing of 5-HT-containing neurones.
Outpatient parenteral inotropic therapy for advanced heart failure.

Abstract Background Patients with advanced heart failure generally have hemodynamic perturbation characterized by low cardiac output and high ventricular filling pressures. This creates a clinical milieu with profound symptomatology that includes weakness, fatigue, and fluid-retention states causing peripheral edema, mesenteric congestion, and dyspnea syndromes. Great morbidity including hospital admissions and readmissions as well as high mortality rates ensue. Though medication and/or surgical intervention often attenuate heart failure symptomatology, morbidity, and mortality, some patients reach more advanced stages despite aggressive maneuvers. Indeed, patients presenting with acute decompensation of chronic congestive heart failure frequently receive parenteral inotropic drugs during their hospitalization with clinical improvement. Because these agents generally increase cardiac output and reduce pre-load and afterload, they can be lifesaving. Some patients, however, have symptomatic and hemodynamic rebound to worsened heart failure states during or shortly after inotrope weaning. Methods It was, then, a logical step to segue from acute inpatient inotrope infusion to long-term administration of these drugs in the outpatient setting when patients were dependent on these agents. Dopamine, dobutamine, and milrinone are all generally available inotropes that have been used singly or in combination in a chronic outpatient infusion setting. Conclusions Data from a few small clinical trials and anecdotal case experience suggest that these drugs result in both hemodynamic and clinical improvement that is generally sustained during chronic administration, and even noted long after discontinuation of infusions in some patients. Some reports have suggested that intermittent infusion therapy in outpatients (so-called pulsed therapy) is effective in attenuating congestive heart failure symptoms long term, with more data supporting chronic infusion of these agents. Though questions regarding safety of these agents have been raised, a reasonable compendium of data published to date supports the contention that inotropic drugs used in this fashion ameliorate symptoms. Legitimate concern may be raised regarding exacerbation of arrhythmias with subsequent sudden cardiac death syndrome; however, in severely symptomatic heart failure patients, the trade-off between symptomatic amelioration and the chance of sudden cardiac death may be worthwhile. Unfortunately, precise guidance regarding the best drug, dose, optimal administration technique, weaning protocol, and actual risk/benefit ratio are not well characterized. Practice as been guided, in large part, by anecdotal experience. However, it appears that chronic or pulsed outpatient parenteral inotropic infusion therapy is frequently prescribed and that this treatment option is an effective alternative for carefully selected patients with severely symptomatic and advanced heart failure. Formulating optimal protocols for home inotropic drug infusion therapy by conducting properly designed clinical trials will be an essential endeavor.
An empirical function to estimate the depths of linear hot sources: Laboratory modeling and field measurements of lava tubes

Estimating depths of buried lava tubes is important for determining the thermal budgets and effusion rates of basaltic volcanic systems. This research used a laboratory experiment scaled to a lava tube system to measure the 3D temperature field surrounding a hot viscous fluid flowing through a buried glass tube while varying conditions such as flow rate and temperature. The depth of the glass tube was changed for different experimental runs. Numerical techniques were applied to model the laboratory experiment. The surface thermal distributions from 166 thermal traverses, constrained to a depth to width ratio of 0.6 to 1.6, were analyzed to empirically derive a depth estimation function using regression techniques. This “Linear Anomaly Surface Transect (LAST)” depth function is a scaleable depth estimation technique which can be solved with thermal imaging data alone. The minimum temperature, maximum temperature and width of a Lorentzian distribution fit to a surface thermal transect, are the only inputs required for the LAST function to estimate the depths of the hot source. The input parameters were then applied to non-laboratory situations including the Kuhio lava tube system in Hawai’i. The LAST function produced depth estimates of ∼ 0.3 m for the Kuhio lava tube in Hawai’i, which did not agree with observations on the ground. This is the result of the complex composition and geometry of an actual lava tube where heat transfer is controlled by more than a simple fluid filling a tube, but also by convection of gasses and fluids in a partially filled passage. Though not effective for lava tubes at this time, the model provides promising results for simple cases applied to engineering and underground coal fires.
α7 Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor–mediated protection against ethanol-induced neurotoxicity

Abstract The α 7 -selective nicotinic partial agonist 3-[2,4-dimethoxybenzylidene]anabaseine (DMXB) was examined for its ability to modulate ethanol-induced neurotoxicity in primary cultures of rat neurons. Primary cultures of hippocampal neurons were established from Long–Evans, embryonic day (E)-18 rat fetuses and maintained for 7 days. Ethanol (0–150 mM), DMXB (0–56 μM), or both were subsequently co-applied to cultures. Ethanol was added two additional times to the cultures to compensate for evaporation. After 5 days, neuronal viability was assessed with the MTT cell proliferation assay. Results demonstrated that ethanol reduces neuronal viability in a concentration-dependent fashion and that DMXB protects against this ethanol-induced neurotoxicity, also in a concentration-dependent fashion. These results support the suggestion that nicotinic partial agonists may be useful in treating binge drinking–induced neurotoxicity and may provide clues as to why heavy drinkers are usually smokers.
Exploring Computer Science Topics with Programmable Smartwatches

This demo features smartwatch applications created by junior/senior CS students in a mobile development course. The course featured the Pebble smartwatch, with an e-ink display, vibrating motor, and accelerometer. Smartwatches enhance mobile device use by acting as a secondary display and providing immediate notifications, but designing for them has challenges in memory management, sensor programming, networking issues, and display size. Incorporating Pebble smartwatch development in a mobile app development class allowed students to exercise core computer science concepts to overcome Pebble hardware and software limitations and to develop applications that leverage Pebble affordances. Two sections of the class featured Pebble-focused assignments, including an open-ended homework, a focused homework, and a term design project coordinating smartphone-smartwatch use. The two-semester experience yielded apps in all Pebble-defined categories, including tools and utilities, notifications, remotes, health and fitness, and games. Examples of the students' work from each of the categories will be presented in this demo on topics such as music synthesizing, remote camera operation, course management alerts, and server management. The presented apps reflect student understanding of the sensor functionalities, hardware capabilities and limitations, and interactions of the phone-watch pair. This demo will serve as a valuable resource for those who plan to incorporate smartwatch development into their teaching practice. Based on the educational experience gleaned, future opportunities can explore the role of the smartwatch in mobile development and programming education for college and K-12 students.
Prognostic factors after resection for hepatocellular carcinoma in noncirrhotic livers: Univariate and multivariate analysis

The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients without cirrhosis who underwent hepatectomy. Between 1986 and 1998 a total of 197 men and 57 women with noncirrhotic HCC underwent hepatic resection in the Department of Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. We determined their surgical mortality and the disease-free and overall cumulative survival rates. The surgical mortality was 4.7% and the 5-year disease-free survival rate 24.01%. By Cox regression analysis, serum alkaline phosphatase [relative risk (RR) 1.761; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.037-2.985)], albumin (RR 2.179; CI 1.215-3.908), multiple tumor status (RR 2.288; CI 1.272-4.115), and blood urea nitrogen (RR 4.651; CI 1.116-19.38) were shown to be independent prognostic factors for the 5-year disease-free survival rates. The 5-year overall cumulative survival rate was 25.91%. By Cox regression analysis, serum albumin (RR 1.656, CI 1.005-2.730), blood transfusion (RR 2.075, CI 1.153-3.731), resection margin (RR 2.562, CI 1.436-4.572), and multiple tumors (RR 2.801, CI 1.727-4.545) were shown to be significant independent factors that influenced cumulative survival rates. Hence in patients with a noncirrhotic HCC who underwent hepatectomy the prognosis depended on preoperative hepatic function, the presence of multiple tumors, the need for blood transfusion, and the surgical resection margin.
The determination of the activation energy for superplastic flow

There is a unique activation energy for superplastic flow, which may be determined from tests performed either at constant strain rate or at constant stress. Three methods are described for obtaining the activation energy, and the procedures are illustrated using experimental data for the Zn–22% Al eutectoid alloy. It is shown that discrepancies in the published data cannot be attributed to differences in the activation energy under constant stress and constant strain rate conditions. Fur Superplastizitat gibt es eine einzige Aktivierungsenergie, die in Experimenten bei konstanter Dehnungsgeschwindigkeit oder konstanter Belastung ermittelt werden kann. Zur Bestimmung der Aktivierungsenergie werden drei Methoden angegeben und anhand experimenteller Daten fur die eutektoidische Zn–22% Al-Legierung erlautert. Die Arbeit zeigt, das Diskrepanzen in den veroffentlichten Daten nicht auf Differenzen in der Aktivierungsenergie bei konstanter Belastung und konstanten Dehnungsbedingungen zuruckgefuhrt werden konnen.
Perceived risk and the consumer buying process: internet airline reservations

Purpose – This research aims to investigate the premise that the use of internet airline reservation systems is perceived to be riskier than traditional airline reservation shopping.Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 263 respondents investigated perceived risk at various stages of the consumer buying process.Findings – The results reveal that perceived risk for airline reservation services follows a pattern throughout the consumer buying process. When viewed as a dynamic process, perceived risk for internet airline services shows more radical changes in risk levels than the traditional service. The analyses indicate that performance, physical, social, and financial risk are related to perceived risk at certain stages of the consumer buying process.Practical implications – A major finding of this study is that there is a risk premium for internet airline reservation services and the risk premium permeates all stages of the consumer buying process. It is further demonstrated that the internet risk pr...
Multilevel Models in Family Research: Some Conceptual and Methodological Issues.

Examining the impact of context on individual-level outcomes has become an increasingly common undertaking in the social sciences. The growth in concern for identifying the effects of macrolevel characteristics has generated both theoretical and methodological advancements. In this issue of Journal of Marriage and Family, Butler (2002) researches whether the effect of welfare benefit levels on premarital childbearing varies by context, Hoffmann (2002) researches the effect of context on adolescent drug use, and Simons et al. (2002) examine how the relationship between parenting and child conduct varies by context. These articles are used as a background to discuss important theoretical and methodological issues surrounding the analysis of multilevel data. The authors present a simple analysis of data pertaining to age at first marriage taken from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and merged with census data to measure contextual effects as a pedagogical device for introducing readers to the benefits of multilevel modeling.
Beyond the P ☆: III: Possible insignificance of the nonsignificant P value

This is the third in a 4-part series discussing the proper use, interpretation, and limitations of P values.
Empowerment, Leadership, and Teachers' Intentions to Stay in or Leave the Profession or Their Schools in North Carolina Charter Schools

Teacher attrition and migration plague many American schools. The situation is even more dire in charter schools across the country. On average, teacher attrition is 15 to 40% higher in charter schools than in traditional schools. This study examined the relationships among teacher empowerment, school leadership, and intentions to stay in or leave the profession within North Carolina charter schools using data from the North Carolina 2006 Teacher Working Conditions survey. Results indicate that leadership is a stronger predictor of teachers' intentions to stay in or leave the profession or to migrate to a different school/district or state.
A Novel Experimental Knee-Pain Model Affects Perceived Pain and Movement Biomechanics

Context: Knee injuries are prevalent, and the associated knee pain is linked to disability. The influence of knee pain on movement biomechanics, independent of other factors related to knee injuries, is difficult to study and unclear. Objective: (1) To evaluate a novel experimental knee-pain model and (2) better understand the independent effects of knee pain on walking and running biomechanics. Design: Crossover study. Setting: Biomechanics laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: Twelve able-bodied volunteers (age = 23 ± 3 years, height = 1.73 ± 0.09 m, mass = 75 ± 14 kg). Intervention(s): Participants walked and ran at 3 time intervals (preinfusion, infusion, and postinfusion) for 3 experimental conditions (control, sham, and pain). During the infusion time interval for the pain and sham conditions, hypertonic or isotonic saline, respectively, was continuously infused into the right infrapatellar fat pad for 22 minutes. Main Outcome Measure(s): We used repeated-measures analyses of variance to evalu...
Brood guarding and the evolution of male parental care in burying beetles

Parental behavior that has an impact on the increased survival of offspring, an important factor in the evolution of parental care, can include both guarding and provisioning. The effects of these two components of parental care can be separated and quantified in the burying beetle Nicrophorus orbicollis in which both male and female cooperate to rear young. Although in the absence of competition, reproductive success is reduced by the presence of the second parent in the brood chamber, two parents dramatically reduce the probability that conspecifics will usurp the resource, replace either the male or female, kill the newly hatched brood, and produce a replacement clutch. After the establishment of the burial chamber (but not before) beetles appear to assist their mates in driving off intrasexual competitors. Male assistance in burial does not account for very much of the variance in the speed in which the carcass can be concealed nor are two parents essential to guard against insect predators. There were no significant differences in the duration of parental care by males paired with virgin and non-virgin females suggesting that paternity of the brood for which the male provides care is not a factor determining the length of care. Since male and female reproductive success is limited in Nicrophorus by access to suitable carcasses, many of the typical asymmetries in the costs and benefits of parental care are lacking. However since sperm displacement is not complete, paternity of the replacement clutch, for which the male does not provide care, may be a factor encouraging male desertion before female desertion. Other factors important in the evolution of paternal care, especially the probability of additional reproductive opportunities, are discussed.