cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers for the rapid extraction of proteins from urine matrices prior to detection with MALDI-MS.

Purpose While MS is a powerful tool for biomarker determinations, the high salt content and the small molecules present in urine poses incredible challenges. Separation/extraction methods must be employed for the isolation of target species at relevant concentrations. Micropipette tips packed with capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers are employed for the SPE of proteins from a synthetic and a certified urine matrix. Experimental design Extractions are performed utilizing a very simple centrifugation method to spin-down species through the C-CP fiber tips. Proteins adsorb to the hydrophobic polypropylene fibers and are eluted in a solvent suitable for MALDI-MS analysis. Figures of merit are determined for representative compounds β2-microglobulin, retinol binding protein, and transferrin. Results The optimum protein processing included a 100 μL aqueous rinse and an elution solvent composition was 10 μL of 55:45 ACN:water (with triflouroacetic acid). MALDI-MS responses for the target proteins are improved from nondetectable levels to eventually yield LOD ranging from 5 to 180 nM in 1 μL aliquots. Conclusion and clinical relevance C-CP fiber tips offer a plethora of advantages including low materials costs, high throughput, microvolume processing, and the determination of sub-nanogram quantities of analyte; allowing determination of biomarkers that are otherwise undetectable in urine matrices.
Cognitive impairment after unilateral hemispheric injury of congenital or adult origin.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare cognitive functioning in adults with unilateral hemispheric injury due to either congenital damage or an ischemic event in young adulthood. METHOD. Adults with cerebral palsy resulting from left hemispheric brain damage were compared with adults who had a unilateral stroke in either the left or the right hemisphere. Our primary interest was to determine the impact on hemispheric dominance as revealed by dichotic listening, a task that assesses the bias for preferential listening and processing of sounds. Performance also was determined on a language-related task (word finding) and a spatial task (dot localization). RESULTS. Scores on the Quick Neurological Screening Test indicated that all participants demonstrated significant neuromotor deficits, whereas scores on the Barthel Index indicated that the participants were functional in basic activities of daily living. On cognitive assessments, healthy control participants demonstrated a pronounced left-hemisphere dominance and right-ear advantage; participants with injury to the left hemisphere showed a strong shift toward a right-hemisphere and left-ear dominance. In particular, injury of congenital origin appeared to foster this neural reorganization and localization of language-related functions into the healthy hemisphere. This shift was associated with a deterioration of performance on both the language and the spatial tasks. CONCLUSION. The importance of appreciating subtle deficits after unilateral injury is important in therapy. The dichotic listening test may provide a simple and useful means for evaluating persistent unilateral brain dysfunction in the clinical setting.
THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ECOLOGY OF REPTILIAN EGGS AND EMBRYOS. AND THE EVOLUTION OF VIVIPARITY WITHIN THE CLASS REPTILIA

SUMMARY 1. Eggs of Crocodilia and Chelonia, like those of birds, have a pair of egg membranes separating a thick layer of albumen from the calcareous shell. In contrast, eggs of oviparous Lepidosauria have only a single shell membrane, upon which relatively small amounts of calcium carbonate are deposited; and the volume of albumen in eggs is extraordinarily small at the time of oviposition. 2. With the possible exception of certain geckos and some chelonians, eggs of oviparous reptiles seem always to absorb water from the substrate during the course of normal incubation. In so far as the rate of water absorption exceeds the rate of water loss by transpiration from exposed surfaces, the eggs swell during incubation. The term ‘cleidoic’ cannot be used to describe eggs of this type. 3. Embryos of lizards and snakes influence the water potential of extra-embryonic fluids contained within their eggs, thereby maintaining or increasing the gradient in water potential that drives water absorption. 4. Embryos of Crocodilia and Chelonia obtain a substantial portion of the calcium used in ossification of skeletal elements from the inner surfaces of the eggshell. In contrast, embryonic lizards and snakes draw upon extensive reserves of calcium present in the yolk, and obtain little (if any) calcium from the eggshell. 5. All reptilian embryos seem to produce substantial quantities of urea as a detoxification product of protein catabolism. Contrary to expectation, uricotelism may not be common among reptilian embryos, even in those few instances where development takes place within a hard, calcareous egg. 6. In eggs of Crocodilia and Chelonia, respiratory gases seem to pass by diffusion through pores in the calcareous eggshell and through spaces between the fibres of the pair of egg membranes. No pores have been observed in the shell of lepidosaurian eggs, and so gases presumably diffuse between the fibres of the single (multilayered) shell membrane. 7. Metabolism of reptilian embryos is temperature-dependent, as is true for most ectothermic organisms. For each species, there appears to be a particular temperature at which embryonic development proceeds optimally, and departures from this optimum elicit increases in developmental anomalies and/or embryonic mortality. 8. Viviparity has evolved on numerous occasions among species of the Squamata, but seemingly never among Crocodilia or Chelonia. Since the evolution of viviparity entails a progressive reduction in the eggshell, only those organisms whose embryos do not depend upon the eggshell as a source of calcium may have the evolutionary potential to become viviparous. 9. Evolutionary transitions from oviparity to viviparity could have been driven by selection related to (i) thermal benefits to embryos consequent upon retention of eggs within the body of a parent capable of behavioural thermoregulation; (ii) protection of the eggs from nest predators and/or soil microbes; and (iii) more effective exploitation of a seasonal food resource by early emerging young.
Plant water use characteristics of five dominant shrub species of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, USA: implications for shrubland restoration and conservation.

The biogeographic distribution of plant species is inherently associated with the plasticity of physiological adaptations to environmental variation. For semi-arid shrublands with a legacy of saline soils, characterization of soil water-tolerant shrub species is necessary for habitat restoration given future projection of increased drought magnitude and persistence in these ecosystems. Five dominant native shrub species commonly found in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, TX, USA, were studied, namely Acacia farnesiana, Celtis ehrenbergiana, Forestiera angustifolia, Parkinsonia aculeata and Prosopis glandulosa. To simulate drought conditions, we suspended watering of healthy, greenhouse-grown plants for 4 weeks. Effects of soil salinity were also studied by dosing plants with 10% NaCl solution with suspended watering. For soil water deficit treatment, the soil water potential of P. glandulosa was the highest (−1.20 MPa), followed by A. farnesiana (−4.69 MPa), P. aculeata (−5.39 MPa), F. angustifolia (−6.20 MPa) and C. ehrenbergiana (−10.02 MPa). For the soil salinity treatment, P. glandulosa also had the highest soil water potential value (−1.60 MPa), followed by C. ehrenbergiana (−1.70 MPa), A. farnesiana (−1.84 MPa), P. aculeata (−2.04 MPa) and F. angustifolia (−6.99 MPa). Within the species, only C. ehrenbergiana and F. angustifolia for soil water deficit treatment and A. farnesiana for the salinity treatment had significantly lower soil water potential after 4 weeks of treatment (P < 0.05). We found that soil water potential, stomatal conductance and net photosynthesis of the species significantly reduced over time for both treatments ( P < 0.05). We conclude that while all species exhibited capacities to withstand current water availability, some species demonstrated limited tolerance for extreme water stress that may be important for management of future shrub diversity in Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Carotid artery stenting: Impact of practitioner specialty and volume on outcomes and resource utilization.

Objectives A variety of endovascular specialists perform carotid artery stenting (CAS), but little data exist on outcomes and resource utilization among these specialists. We analyzed differences in outcomes after CAS was performed by radiologists (RAD), cardiologists (CRD), and vascular surgeons (VAS). Methods Secondary data analysis of the 2005-2006 State Inpatient Databases for New Jersey were analyzed. Patients with elective admission to the hospital who had CAS procedure ≤2 days after admission were identified. CAS outcomes were analyzed with respect to practitioner specialty and volume, associated complications, and hospital resource utilization. Results We identified 625 CAS cases. CRD performed 378 (60.5%), VAS, 199 (31.8%); and RAD, 48 (7.7%). The overall stroke rate was 2.72% and by specialty was CRD, 3.17%; VAS, 2.01%, and RAD, 2.08% ( P = .6880). The overall cardiac complication rate was 2.40% (CRD, 2.12%; VAS, 3.02%; RAD, 2.08%; P = .7899). Renal and pulmonary complications were low (0.64% and 0.32%, respectively). Mean hospital length of stay (LOS) in days was significantly shorter for VAS (1.64 ± 1.40) compared with RAD (2.83 ± 5.15; P = .0167) and had the same trend compared with CRD (2.14 ± 3.37; P = .0649). Intensive care unit (ICU) LOS was shorter for VAS (0.52 ± 0.97) and CRD (0.30 ± 0.71) than for RAD (2.12 ± 4.48; P P = .0011 and P P P P P = .0142). Total hospital cost, LOS, and medical supplies were significantly lower for high-volume practitioners vs low-volume practitioners ( P Conclusion Stroke rates after CAS did not vary significantly among practitioner specialties. Hospital resource utilization did vary significantly: Vascular surgeons had the lowest utilization of hospital resources for performing CAS. High practitioner volume was associated with lower hospital resource utilization. Elucidation of factors creating resource utilization disparities among endovascular practitioners may lead to improved patient outcomes and permit significant future cost savings for carotid interventions.
An fMRI Study of the Role of the Medial Temporal Lobe in Implicit and Explicit Sequence Learning

fMRI was used to investigate the neural substrates supporting implicit and explicit sequence learning, focusing especially upon the role of the medial temporal lobe. Participants performed a serial reaction time task (SRTT). For implicit learning, they were naive about a repeating pattern, whereas for explicit learning, participants memorized another repeating sequence. fMRI analyses comparing repeating versus random sequence blocks demonstrated activation of frontal, parietal, cingulate, and striatal regions implicated in previous SRTT studies. Importantly, mediotemporal lobe regions were active in both explicit and implicit SRTT learning. Moreover, the results provide evidence of a role for the hippocampus and related cortices in the formation of higher order associations under both implicit and explicit learning conditions, regardless of conscious awareness of sequence knowledge.
Multi-robot coordination using generalized social potential fields

We present a novel approach to compute collision-free paths for multiple robots subject to local coordination constraints. More specifically, given a set of robots, their initial and final configurations, and possibly some additional coordination constraints, our goal is to compute a collision-free path between the initial and final configuration that maintains the constraints. To solve this problem, our approach generalizes the social potential field method to be applicable to both convex and nonconvex polyhedra. Social potential fields are then integrated into a “physics-based motion planning” framework which uses constrained dynamics to solve the motion planning problem. Our approach is able to plan for over 200 robots while averaging about 110 ms per step in a variety of environments.
Sigma receptors are associated with cortical limbic areas in the primate brain.

Putative sigma receptors are a current target for antipsychotic drug development. Novel antipsychotic agents which possess selective and high affinity for sigma binding sites may serve as an alternative to the principal neuroleptic drugs currently in clinical use which mediate extrapyramidal side effects and dyskinesias through their blockade of dopamine receptors. We have used in vitro autoradiography to localize putative sigma receptors labelled with (+)-[3H]-3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-N-(1-propyl) piperidine [(+)-[3H]-3-PPP] in the brain of the rhesus macaque. The binding characteristics of (+)-[3H]-3-PPP in the primate brain were comparable to those previously described in the rodent. Saturation analysis demonstrated a single class of sites in cerebellar and hippocampal membranes with a Kd value of 28 nM. Sigma receptors labeled with (+)-[3H]-3-PPP in the primate brain displayed the appropriate rank order of potency and stereoselectivity in competition binding assays. Haloperidol displaced (+)-[3H]-3-PPP binding in the low nanomolar range, and the (+) isomer of pentazocine was 50-fold more potent than (-) pentazocine. Computerized densitometric analysis of the autoradiograms demonstrated a striking enrichment of sigma binding sites over the paralimbic belt cortices, including the orbitofrontal, cingulate, insular, parahippocampal, and temporopolar gyri. Peak densities of sigma receptors were seen over the medial and central nuclei of the amygdala and were widely distributed within the hippocampal formation. Sigma binding sites densities were elevated over the suprachiasmatic and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus. Moderate sigma receptor densities were observed over the ventromedial sectors of the caudate and the putamen. Sigma receptors were also elevated over autonomic relay nuclei of the brainstem, including the nucleus of the solitary tract and the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus. The distribution of sigma receptors in the primate brain suggests that the paralimbic belt cortices, amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and autonomic relay nuclei of the brainstem may be interrelated by a topographic chemical linkage. The autoradiographic visualization of sigma receptor distributions in the primate brain provides further support for a role of sigma receptor mechanisms in the functions of the limbic system. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
DNA helicases, genomic instability, and human genetic disease.

DNA helicases are a highly conserved group of enzymes that unwind DNA. They function in all processes in which access to single-stranded DNA is required, including DNA replication, DNA repair and recombination, and transcription of RNA. Defects in helicases functioning in one or more of these processes can result in characteristic human genetic disorders in which genomic instability and predisposition to cancer are common features. So far, different helicase genes have been found mutated in six such disorders. Mutations in XPB and XPD can result in xeroderma pigmentosum, Cockayne syndrome, or trichothiodystrophy. Mutations in the RecQ-like genes BLM, WRN, and RECQL4 can result in Bloom syndrome, Werner syndrome, and Rothmund-Thomson syndrome, respectively. Because XPB and XPD function in both nucleotide excision repair and transcription initiation, the cellular phenotypes associated with a deficiency of each one of them include failure to repair mutagenic DNA lesions and defects in the recovery of RNA tra...
Mechanistic Basis for High Stereoselectivity and Broad Substrate Scope in the (salen)Co(III)-Catalyzed Hydrolytic Kinetic Resolution

In the (salen)Co(III)-catalyzed hydrolytic kinetic resolution (HKR) of terminal epoxides, the rate- and stereoselectivity-determining epoxide ring-opening step occurs by a cooperative bimetallic mechanism with one Co(III) complex acting as a Lewis acid and another serving to deliver the hydroxide nucleophile. In this paper, we analyze the basis for the extraordinarily high stereoselectivity and broad substrate scope observed in the HKR. We demonstrate that the stereochemistry of each of the two (salen)Co(III) complexes in the rate-determining transition structure is important for productive catalysis: a measurable rate of hydrolysis occurs only if the absolute stereochemistry of each of these (salen)Co(III) complexes is the same. Experimental and computational studies provide strong evidence that stereochemical communication in the HKR is mediated by the stepped conformation of the salen ligand, and not the shape of the chiral diamine backbone of the ligand. A detailed computational analysis reveals that ...
The suppression of FOXM1 and its targets in breast cancer xenograft tumors by siRNA.

Ming Wang 1 and Andrei L. Gartel 1,2,3 1 Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA 2 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA 3 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA Received: November 22, 2011; Accepted: December 23, 2011; Published: December 25, 2011; Keywords: breast cancer, xenograft tumors, FOXM1, siRNA Correspondence: Andrei L. Gartel, email: // // Abstract As an oncogenic transcription factor, the Forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1) is overexpressed in human tumors. FOXM1 promotes tumorigenesis by regulating genes associated with cell cycle progression and cell proliferation, and its inhibition in cell lines has been shown to sensitize cells to apoptosis. In this report, we examined the possibility of suppressing FOXM1 in tumors in vivo , through the administration of FoxM1-specific siRNA. Firstly, we determined the functionality of siRNA treatment in subcutaneous MDA-MB-231-luc breast cancer tumors. We found that upon encapsulation into a PEI-based delivery agent, fluorescently-labeled siRNA was retained within tumors when administered intratumorally. Injection of anti-luciferase siRNA was also able to suppress tumor-associated luciferase for at least 48 hours. More importantly, repeat administrations of PEI-encapsulated anti-FoxM1 siRNA resulted in the reduced expression of FOXM1 protein levels in tumors. In addition, both the protein levels and mRNA levels of cdc25B and Aurora B Kinase, transcriptional targets of FOXM1 were also reduced in tumors treated with anti-FoxM1 siRNA. p27, an indirect target of FOXM1 associated with growth inhibition was further found be increased in tumors treated with FoxM1-siRNA. Our data suggests that anti-FoxM1 siRNA can be functional when administered into tumors in an in vivo system, and that anti-FoxM1 siRNA holds potential as part of a therapy for cancer treatment.
Automatic selection of near-native protein-ligand conformations using a hierarchical clustering and volunteer computing

Docking simulations are commonly used to understand drug binding and require the search of a large space of proteinligand conformations. Cloud and volunteer computing enable computationally expensive docking simulations at a rate never seen before but at the same time require scientists to deal with larger datasets. When analysing these datasets, a common practice is to reduce the resulting number of candidates up to 10 to 100 conformations based on energy values and then leave the scientists with the tedious task of subjectively selecting a possible near-native ligand. Scientists normally perform this task manually by using visual tools. Not only the manual process still depends on inaccurate energy scoring but also can be highly error-prone.The contributions of this paper are twofold: First, we address the problem of extensively searching large spaces of protein-ligand docking conformations, supported by the volunteer computing project Docking@Home (D@H). Second, we address the problem of accurately, and automatically, selecting near-native ligand conformations from the large number of D@H results by using a probabilistic hierarchical clustering based on ligand geometry. Our method holds up even when we test for a search that is not biased by starting from near-native ligand conformations and clearly outperforms energy-based scoring methods.
Estimation of trunk mechanical properties using system identification: effects of experimental setup and modelling assumptions.

The use of system identification to quantify trunk mechanical properties is growing in biomechanics research. The effects of several experimental and modelling factors involved in the system identification of trunk mechanical properties were investigated. Trunk kinematics and kinetics were measured in six individuals when exposed to sudden trunk perturbations. Effects of motion sensor positioning and properties of elements between the perturbing device and the trunk were investigated by adopting different models for system identification. Results showed that by measuring trunk kinematics at a location other than the trunk surface, the deformation of soft tissues is erroneously included into trunk kinematics and results in the trunk being predicted as a more damped structure. Results also showed that including elements between the trunk and the perturbing device in the system identification model did not substantially alter model predictions. Other important parameters that were found to substantially affe...
Closer Look at Genetic Testing in Long-QT Syndrome Will DNA Diagnostics Ever Be Enough?

Increasingly affordable sequencing has led to an explosion of DNA diagnostics and has fueled the hope for a genetic revolution in medicine. The popular vision is of definitive prediction of lifetime risk for a broad range of conditions from the primary analysis of each individual’s genomic sequence.1,2 The resultant panel of sequence variants will define the specific traits to which an individual is susceptible, triggering the institution of preventive measures or targeted therapies. Efficacy and safety will be largely assured for each of the chosen interventions. However, with the potential exception of pharmacogenetic studies in which the molecular targets are known, robust genotype-phenotype correlations are remarkably sparse and, in most instances, simply inadequate for rigorous risk prediction.3 Although genetics has transformed our understanding of the biology of disease, on closer examination it is not immediately evident when the “genomic revolution” will be realized as currently conceived for many cardiovascular conditions.3,4 Articles see pp 1752 and 1761 Nothing tests the tools of clinical risk prediction quite like sudden death.5 The difficulties encountered in the clinical application of genetic data, even in inherited conditions such as the long-QT syndrome (LQTS), in which the transmitted risk of sudden death is several hundred-fold greater than that in the general population, highlight some of the hurdles that must be overcome if DNA diagnosis is ever to transform cardiovascular medicine. Genetic testing for LQTS has been commercially available for several years, but a critical analysis of the clinical utility of test results reveals a rather mixed picture (see the Table).4 View this table: Table. Utility of LQTS Genetic Testing Genetic testing is commonly performed in those with a family history of LQTS and a known mutation, yet often the rationale is debatable. Individuals meeting the clinical criteria for LQTS in such families have …
Atmospheric Chemistry: From the Age of Description to the Age of Prediction [Abstract Only]

In the past 18 months there have been serious efforts to elevate the scale of research in the atmospheric sciences to confront global-scale problems of CH4, CO2, and N2O increases in the troposphere and stratosphere, shifts in biogeochemical cycles at the surface, and coupled photochemical changes throughout the atmosphere. Questions raised by these changes challenge, and often find inadequate, the frontiers of our understanding in a multitude of subjects ranging from microbiology to gas-phase free-radical kinetics.
Perturbation velocities in gas-liquid partition chromatographic columns

The characteristic velocities in binary and particular ternary cases allow straightforward calculation of equilibrium partition coefficients for components present in both flowing and fixed phases. It is shown in the case of a general N-component flowing phase that N-1 characteristic velocities arise. In theory N-1 equilibrium partition coefficients can be obtained from measurements of these velocities. It is also shown that radioactive tagging of one component provides a distinct characteristic velocity, which can be used either to obtain the Nth equilibrium coefficient or to eliminate a parameter which is especially subject to experimental error. The analytically determined characteristic velocities are compared with pulse velocities obtained from numerical solution of the original balance equations. The agreement over a range of solute concentrations is excellent.
Segmentation of satellite imagery of natural scenes using data mining

The authors describe a segmentation technique that integrates traditional image processing algorithms with techniques adapted from knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) and data mining to analyze and segment unstructured satellite images of natural scenes. They have divided their segmentation task into three major steps. First, an initial segmentation is achieved using dynamic local thresholding, producing a set of regions. Then, spectral, spatial, and textural features for each region are generated from the thresholded image. Finally, given these features as attributes, an unsupervised machine learning methodology called conceptual clustering is used to cluster the regions found in the image into N classes-thus, determining the number of classes in the image automatically. They have applied the technique successfully to ERS-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Landsat thematic mapper (TM), and NOAA advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) data of natural scenes.
What Marsupial Gametes Disclose about Gamete Function in Eutherian Mammals

The gametes of eutherian mammals present some fundamental enigmas in regard to their structure and behaviour that have not been solved by a focus on the Eutheria alone. Although the evidence is limited still, some clues are suggested in comparison with representative American and Australian marsupials, whose gametes have undergone parallel, although sometimes quite different, evolutionary changes to those of eutherian mammals. The contrasts between them illuminate basic questions about the functions of the epididymis and sperm capacitation, about sperm numbers and sperm production, about the function of the cumulus oophorus and the configuration of the Fallopian tube and, not least, about gamete design and its bearing on the mechanisms by which spermatozoa penetrate the egg coat.
A comparison of energy efficiency metrics for school buildings

A set of 49 elementary, middle, and high schools from a single school district are examined using five existing metrics and compared with the data envelopment analysis, DEA, benchmarking tool. The DEA results are then decomposed to examine the impact of scale efficiency and the results are compared to another a study of buildings in Taiwan.
Rank of Elliptic Curves over almost Separably Closed Fields

Let E be an elliptic curve over a finitely generated infinite field K. Let K denote a separable closure of K, σ an element of the Galois group GK = Gal(K/K), and K(σ) the invariant subfield of K. We prove that if the characteristic of K is not 2 and σ belongs to a suitable open subgroup of GK , then E(K(σ)) has infinite rank. In [2], G. Frey and M. Jarden considered the rank of abelian varieties over fields which are almost separably closed. Specifically, let K denote a field of finite type, K a separable closure of K, and GK = Gal(K/K). For σ1, . . . , σn a sequence of elements of GK , let K(σ1, . . . , σn) denote the fixed field of the σi. According to [2], if A is an abelian variety over K, there is a subset of GK of measure 1 such that for every n-tuple belonging to the subset, A(K(σ1, . . . , σn)) has infinite rank. Question 1: Is is true that for every choice of K, A, n, and σi, dimA(K(σ1, . . . , σn))⊗Q =∞? This paper is intended to provide some evidence for the author’s suspicion that the answer to the above question is positive, at least when A is an elliptic curve. We mainly discuss the simplest case, dimA = n = 1. It should, perhaps, be remarked that it is known [3] that the torsion of A(K(σ1, . . . , σn)) need not be infinite. Of course, this is a rather different kind of problem in that the Galois module A(K)tor is finite dimensional, whereas A(K)⊗Q is infinite dimensional. * Partially supported by the Sloan Foundation and by NSF Grant DMS 97-27553. AMS Classification 11G05
Development and Characterization of Hartmann Tube Fluidic Actuators for High-Speed Flow Control

An in-depth investigation of the Hartmann tube (HT) was carried out to gain a better understanding of and the effects of various parameters on its output flow characteristics. The HT used in this work consisted of an underexpanded jet directed into a close-ended cylindrical tube of the same diameter. The effects of tube depth, separation distance between the tube and the nozzle, and the jet Mach number were explored. Experiments were also performed on an HT fluidic actuator (HTFA). The HTFA operates under the same principles as the HT, except a major portion of the area between the nozzle and tube is shielded off, so that it can be used as a pulsating injector for flow control. Dynamic pressure measurements in the near field and microphone measurements in the far field provided temporal and spectral data. Instantaneous and phase-averaged images of the flow were obtained to explore the nature of turbulence structures within the flow. Limited hot-wire measurements were performed to characterize the velocity fluctuations at the exit of the HTFA
Reduced posterior nasal cavity volume: a gender-specific neurodevelopmental abnormality in schizophrenia.

Objective We previously reported that men with schizophrenia had reduced volumes of the posterior nasal cavity bilaterally. Since the nasal cavities develop in conjunction with both the palate and ventral forebrain, this could represent a simple marker of embryological dysmorphogenesis contributing to schizophrenia. The current study expands on this finding by examining a larger sample of both male and female patients and unaffected 1st-degree relatives, to determine the gender distribution of this abnormality and the extent to which it may be genetically mediated.
MPEG-4 AVC Video Traffic Smoothing for Broadband Cable Networks

This paper presents a new rate-limited traffic smoothing algorithm for MPEG-4 AVC video traffic suitable for switched digital video cable deployments. It will be shown that the algorithm reduces bit rate variability and offers high buffer utilization. Such a smoothing algorithm can also minimize packet losses due to buffer overflows at the STB.
An Innovative, Experiential-Learning Project for Sales Management and Professional Selling Students.

This article presents an innovative, experiential-learning project that incorporates students from two different courses: sales management and professional selling. Sales management students actually manage sales students on an outside sales project. Students apply classroom knowledge to a real-life sales project for a local community organization. The sales project discussed in this article is a fundraising project for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Predicting Snowfall from Synoptic Circulation: A Comparison of Linear Regression and Neural Network Methodologies

Much of the current debate regarding global warming and the regional manifestation of climate change relates to the ability of General Circulation Models (GCMs) to adequately represent modern climate features. Although the GCMs represent large-scale features well, their ability to model regional or local climate remains highly suspect. Important developments for the analysis of regional climate-change include statistical methodologies that translate between the large-scale and local-scale extremes. Traditionally, such methodologies have been limited to linear relationships; however, neural networks provide a new way to accomplish the same goal, with the added benefit of addressing the non-linear relationships that are characteristic of some climatic fields.
Commentary: Surveying normal science for children's mental health--expanding reconnaissance to strong inference, trans-syndromal risk and social transactions. A response to Rutter & Pickles (2016).

Eratosthenes came close to a precise estimate of the circumference of the earth around the year 240 BC. His accomplishment depended on a verifiable tenet among his contemporaries: the earth was a sphere. At Syrene, the sun cast no shadow at the summer solstice. On that day, Eratosthenes measured the angle of the sun's shadow in Alexandria over 700 kilometers to north, at 7°12′ or 1/50th of the circumference of a perfect sphere.
The Defense-Policy Seminar-An Experiment in Education

(1959). The Defense-Policy Seminar-An Experiment in Education. The Journal of Higher Education: Vol. 30, No. 6, pp. 334-337.
Sediment pollution and dynamic in the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (southern Italy): insights from bottom sediment traps and surficial sediments.

Major and trace element, PAH, and PCB concentrations were measured in surface sediments and particles from sediment traps collected in the First and Second Basin of the Mar Piccolo (Gulf of Taranto) in two periods (June–July and August–September, 2013). The aim of the study was to evaluate pollution degree, sediment transport and particle redistribution dynamic within the area. Results confirm the higher contamination of sediments from the First Basin observed by previous researches, particularly for Cu, Hg, Pb, total PAHs, and total PCBs. Advective transport from the First to the Second Basin appears to be the leading transfer mechanism of particles and adsorbed contaminants, as evidenced by measured fluxes and statistical analyses of contaminant concentrations in surficial sediments and particles from sediment traps. Long-range selective transports of PAHs and microbial anaerobic degradation processes for PCBs have been also observed. These results are limited to a restricted time window but are consistent with the presence of transport fluxes at the bottom of the water column. This mechanism deserves further investigation and monitoring activities, potentially being the main responsible of pollutant delivering to the less contaminated sectors of the Mar Piccolo.
Application of the fluorescent in situ hybridization(FISH) on the prenatal diagnosis of the subtle chromosomal aberrations

Objective To study the diagnostic value of the fluorescent in situ hybridization on detection of subtle chromosomal aberrations in cultured amniotic fluid cells. Methods Amniocenteses were performed in a pregnant women of 18 gestational weeks, and metaphase FISH was followed because the results of amniotic fluid karyotype and ultrasound were disagree with each other. The metaphase chromosomes were hybridized in situ with the human centromere probes of chromosome 18,X,Y and site specific probe of chromosome 13,21. The treated slides were examined and taken photos under the carl zeiss fluoromicroscope. Result Subtle translocation of chromosome Y was detected by FISH. Conclusion Our result indicated that it is very helpful for the diagnosis of subtle chromosomal aberrations by combining FISH with traditional karyotype analysis.
Shear stress increases hydraulic conductivity of cultured endothelial monolayers

To examine the effect of shear stress on hydraulic conductivity (Lp) of bovine aortic endothelial cell monolayers grown on polycarbonate filters, we developed a rotating disk system, which imposed a defined shear stress while Lp was measured. A 10-cmH2O pressure differential was applied to monolayers, and baseline Lp was established between 1.65 +/- 0.85 and 4.94 +/- 1.05 x 10(-7) cm.s-1.cmH2O-1. One-hour exposure to 10 dyn/cm2 shear stress caused a significant (P < 0.05) increase in Lp by 2.16-fold (+/- 0.42), and Lp remained elevated when shear stress was removed. Three-hour exposure to shear stresses between 0.1 and 20.0 dyn/cm2 revealed a threshold for shear-induced increase in Lp of 0.5 dyn/cm2. At 20 dyn/cm2, Lp initially decreased by 30% (+/- 13.4%, P < 0.05) and then increased to a level 3.76-fold (+/- 0.83, P < 0.05) greater than baseline Lp at 3 h. The shear-induced increase in Lp was reversed with dibutyryl adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (DBcAMP, 1 mM) and could be significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited when monolayers were preincubated with 0.3 mM DBcAMP, a concentration that did not significantly affect baseline Lp. Furthermore, preincubation with a general phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (1 mM), completely blocked the shear-induced increase in Lp. On the basis of these results, we conclude that shear stress alters endothelial Lp through a cellular mechanism involving signal transduction, not by a purely physical mechanism.
Sustained Community Theater Participation as Civil Society Involvement

Community theaters proliferate in every state in the nation, yet they are rarely considered in civil society research. Participation in civil society is capable of producing individual (psychologic...
Familial Spastic Paraparesis as a Mitochondrial Disorder

A girl presenting at 6 years with familial spastic paraparesis and having deficiencies of respiratory chain enzyme complex I, III and IV is reported from the Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL.
Approach to Scalable Model Development for Navy Shipboard Compatible Modular Multilevel Converters

This paper describes a methodology for developing a scalable metamodel for power conversion equipment that produces size/weight/efficiency and dimensions using a building block to achieve required voltage and power ratings. There are provisions for capturing requirement-based shipboard environmental constraints, such as voltage dielectric standoff, shock/vibration mitigation, accessibility, and thermal management without the use of conservativeness factors. The method is suitable to produce equipment data for the smart ship systems design environment. A multimodule converter that provides the interface between a medium voltage ac generator and the ship medium voltage dc bus(es) is modeled using a reference hardware system as a starting point. Allocations for spacing and support structure impacts which are populated using experiential rules of thumb with the goal of incorporating physics-based methods in the future. The reference system is converted to a shipboard design using wide bandgap 1.7- and 10-kV power semiconductor modules. A study of 6-, 10-, 20-, and 30-kVdc systems is performed. This approach will enable the study under various shipboard power system architectures.
Kansas Freshwater Mussel Populations of the Upper Saline and Smoky Hill Rivers with Emphasis on the Status of the Cylindrical Papershell (Anodontoides ferussacianus)

The Cylindrical Papershell (Anodontoides ferussacianus) is a fast-growing, short-lived freshwater mussel that occurs throughout the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada but appears to be declining in portions of its range. Its distribution in Kansas, once encompassing most of the Kansas and Missouri river basins, is now limited to the upper Saline and Smoky Hill rivers in the west-central portion of the state. We qualitatively surveyed freshwater mussels at 19 sites on both the Saline and Smoky Hill rivers, with emphasis on assessing the status of A. ferussacianus. We collected 28 live mussels in the Saline River, including eight A. ferussacianus, and 503 live mussels in the Smoky Hill River, including 12 A. ferussacianus. We also estimated mussel density at five sites with the highest relative abundances of A. ferussacianus. Densities of A. ferussacianus ranged from 0.01 to 0.03 individuals per m2. Most A. ferussacianus were collected in run habitats near riffles, beaver dams, and lowhead d...
Professional Identity Formation in an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience Emphasizing Self-Authorship

Objective. To examine the extent to which reflective essays written by graduating pharmacy students revealed professional identity formation and self-authorship development. Design. Following a six-week advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) grounded in Baxter-Magolda's Learning Partnerships Model of self-authorship development, students completed a culminating reflective essay on their rotation experiences and professional identity formation. Assessment. Thematic and categorical analysis of 41 de-identified essays revealed nine themes and evidence of all Baxter-Magolda's domains and phases of self-authorship. Analysis also suggested relationships between self-authorship and pharmacist professional identity formation. Conclusion. Results suggest that purposeful structuring of learning experiences can facilitate professional identity formation. Further, Baxter-Magolda's framework for self-authorship and use of the Learning Partnership Model seem to align well with pharmacist professional identify formation. Results of this study could be used by pharmacy faculty members when considering how to fill gaps in professional identity formation in future course and curriculum development.
A connectomic approach for subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation surgery: prospective targeting in treatment-resistant depression

Target identification and contact selection are known contributors to variability in efficacy across different clinical indications of deep brain stimulation surgery. A retrospective analysis of responders to subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation (SCC DBS) for depression demonstrated the common impact of the electrical stimulation on a stereotypic connectome of converging white matter bundles (forceps minor, uncinate fasciculus, cingulum and fronto-striatal fibers). To test the utility of a prospective connectomic approach for SCC DBS surgery, this pilot study used the four-bundle tractography 'connectome blueprint' to plan surgical targeting in 11 participants with treatment-resistant depression. Before surgery, targets were selected individually using deterministic tractography. Selection of contacts for chronic stimulation was made by matching the post-operative probabilistic tractography map to the pre-surgical deterministic tractography map for each subject. Intraoperative behavioral responses were used as a secondary verification of location. A probabilistic tract map of all participants demonstrated inclusion of the four bundles as intended, matching the connectome blueprint previously defined. Eight of 11 patients (72.7%) were responders and 5 were remitters after 6 months of open-label stimulation. At one year, 9 of 11 patients (81.8%) were responders, with 6 of them in remission. These results support the utility of a group probabilistic tractography map as a connectome blueprint for individualized, patient-specific, deterministic tractography targeting, confirming retrospective findings previously published. This new method represents a connectomic approach to guide future SCC DBS studies.
Prognostic Value of Chronic Kidney Disease Measures in Patients With Cardiac Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is considered a global public health issue. The latest international clinical guideline emphasizes characterization of CKD with both glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and albuminuria. CKD is closely related to cardiac disease and increases the risk of adverse outcomes among patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Indeed, numerous studies have investigated the association of CKD measures with prognosis among patients with CVD, but most of them have focused on kidney function, with limited data on albuminuria. Consequently, although there are several risk prediction tools for patients with CVD incorporating kidney function, to our knowledge, none of them include albuminuria. Moreover, the selection of the kidney function measure (e.g., serum creatinine, creatinine-based estimated GFR, or blood urea nitrogen) in these tools is heterogeneous. In this review, we will summarize these aspects, as well as the burden of CKD in patients with CVD, in the current literature. We will also discuss potential mechanisms linking CKD to secondary events and consider future research directions. Given their clinical and public health importance, for CVD we will focus on 2 representative cardiac diseases: myocardial infarction and heart failure.
Pro-smoking information scanning using social media predicts young adults' smoking behavior

The amount of pro-smoking information appearing on social media has increased sharply in the past few years, which expands the potential for widespread exposure to information about smoking. This study examined the effects of pro-smoking information scanning using social media (i.e., routine patterns of social media exposure to pro-smoking information) on non-smoking young adults' smoking behavior. Drawing upon a longitudinal survey from 314 young adults (aged 1825), we tested predictions based on the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction. We found pro-smoking information scanning had an indirect impact on smoking intention from attitudes toward smoking, perceived norms about smoking, and smoking self-efficacy. After controlling for baseline behaviors and covariates, reported pro-smoking information scanning using social media at time 1 was a significant predictor of time 2 smoking. Moreover, the results also indicated that non-smoking young adults' frequency of social media use and their participation level were positively related to pro-smoking information scanning. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. Frequency of social media use is directly related to pro-smoking information scanning.Social media participation is directly related to pro-smoking information scanning.Pro-smoking information scanning influence smoking through a mediating mechanism.Time 1 pro-smoking information scanning is a significant predictor of Time 2 smoking.
Predictive performance of early warning scores in acute leukemia patients receiving induction chemotherapy.

Acute leukemia is a family of clonal hematopoietic disorders characterized by genetic and epigenetic alterations leading to a block in differentiation and accumulation of leukemic blasts in blood a...