cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modulation of nucleobindin-1 and nucleobindin-2 by caspases

Nucleobindin-1 (NUCB1) and nucleobindin-2 (NUCB2) are multifunctional proteins that interact with Ca2+, nucleic acids and various regulatory proteins in different signaling pathways. So far, our understanding of the regulation of the biological functions of nucleobindins remains limited. In our proteome-wide selection for downstream caspase substrates, both NUCB1 and NUCB2 are found to be the downstream substrates of caspases. We report here the detailed analyses of the cleavage of nucleobindins by caspases. Significantly, the caspase cleavage sites are located exactly at one of the Ca2+-binding EF-hand motifs. Our results suggest that the functions of nucleobindins could be modulated by caspase-mediated cleavage in apoptosis.
Improving understanding of geomagnetic substorms

Substorms, the frequent, brief magnetic disturbances that originate in Earth's magnetotail, cause acceleration of particles in the magnetosphere and their precipitation into the ionosphere, resulting in sudden brightening and increased movement and expansion of aurorae. Sergeev et al. review recent progress that has been made in understanding the onset and dynamics of substorms. In particular, recent observations have confirmed that magnetic reconnection—the breaking up and rejoining of magnetic field lines and release of energy—in the Earth's magnetotail, which sends fast plasma streams into the inner magnetosphere, is closely associated with substorm onset. Large-scale reconfiguration of the magnetic fields in the magnetotail and local instabilities interact in complex ways, leading to the onset of substorms.
Comparing Energy and Other Measures of Environmental Performance in the Original Manufacturing and Remanufacturing of Engine Components

The remanufacturing industry is rapidly becoming a source of economic growth and environmental benefit. In the past, researchers have presented cost and energy savings due to remanufacturing a variety of products, largely based on the results of industry-wide surveys. However, little or no effort has focused on the life cycle assessment of remanufacturing. In fact, no study has performed a life cycle assessment of engine components, comparing the original component manufacture with remanufactured components. In this paper, a comparison of the original manufacture and remanufacture of components from a typical Caterpillar diesel engine is described. The “gate-to-gate” analysis considers components that represent a majority of the engine assembly by weight. The comparison is made in two measures of environmental performance: energy and material usage.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Fourier Analysis of Left Ventricular Performance Evaluation of Impedance Matching

Fourier analysis has been applied to simultaneously obtained ventricular pressure, ascending aortic pressure, and aortic flow in the closed- and open- chest dog and during infusion with isoproterenol, norepinephrine, and phenylephrine. Partial measurements were also obtained from a sheep and a primate. Impedance moduli and phases were calculated from the ventricular (forcing) and aortic (input) side of the aortic valve and compared. Forcing impedance was similar in form but larger than input impedance, and the phase became positive earlier. Ventricular and aortic powers were calculated and expressed as pressure power, kinetic energy power, and reactive power, along with their harmonic distributions. Mean pressure represented 80 to 91% of total load power but only 20 to 51% of total ventricular power. Calculated efficiency varied from 35% with isoproterenol infusion to 100% with norepinephrine, phenylephrine, and open-chest states. Control efficiency was 78%. The concept of impedance matching was investigated; maximal efficiency occurred with optimal matching. Internal resistance was shown to represent an easily measurable quantity which also partially corresponds to the more complex impedance measurement.
Mass Absorption Corrected X-Ray Powder Diffractograms. Part 1: Measuring Pyrite in Powdered Coals

An X-ray analysis method has been developed for the quantitative analysis of pyrite (FeS2) in coals and lignites. Requiring neither the use of external or internal references, the method linearly relates diffraction peak area in the absorption corrected X-ray diffractogram obtained from the finely powdered coal to the pyrite abundance. The [311] diffraction peak of pyrite (FeS2) has been used to develop the analysis protocol. The Argonne premium coals have been used as the experimental subjects. The abundance of pyrite in each coal has been measured from the absorption corrected diffractograms, which has been constructed from the experimentally measured diffraction intensities and the mass absorption coefficient of each coal sample. The accuracy (accessed from the figure-of-merit and the net count uncertainty associated with the 1.63 A pyrite peak) as well as the lower limit of detection for pyrite in these coals is presented. The role of the mass absorption coefficient in the conversion of the measured intensity to the absorption corrected intensity is discussed.
Kinds of Aerobic Bacteria in Air Sacs of Processed Poultry

Abstract The microflora found in the respiratory system of normal chickens are generally Gram positive and include the genera Micrococcus, Streptococcus and Corynebacterium, (Smibert et al., 1958). Gram negative rods have been isolated from chickens with a previous history of chronic respiratory disease and include Escherichia coli and Alcaligenes faecalis, (Smibert et al., 1960). Air sac lesions have been observed to contain such genera as Proteus, Pseudomonas, Aerobacter, Salmonella, Micrococcus, Streptococcus, Diplococcus and Pasteurella, (Fahey, 1955). Microorganisms present on the surface of processed poultry become distributed by washing and handling poultry according to Walker and Ayres (1956). They further indicated that material from feet, feathers, feces, and intestinal contents might be the source of microbial contamination. Essary et al. (1958) found that isolates from the skin of scalded birds were common to soil, water, and fecal material. Poultry air sacs become contaminated as the slaughtered bird is submerged in scald water…
The expectation-maximization Viterbi algorithm for blind adaptive channel equalization

A blind maximum-likelihood equalization algorithm is described and its convergence behavior is analyzed. Since the algorithm employs the Viterbi algorithm (VA) to execute the expectation step of the expectation-maximization (EM) iteration, we call it the expectation-maximization Viterbi algorithm (EMVA). An EMVA-based blind channel-acquisition technique which achieves a high global convergence probability is developed. The performance of the method is evaluated via numerical simulations under static and fading channel conditions.
Quantitative Phase Imaging using Multi-wavelength Optical Phase Unwrapping

Quantitative phase imaging is a vital technique in many areas of science. Studying properties and characteristics of biological and other microscopic specimens has been facilitated with new quantitative phase imaging microscopy methods. In quantitative phase imaging, phase images are obtained by interfering two light beams – one reflected from, or traversed through, the specimen and the other reflected from a reference mirror. This can be achieved by two methods; holography or phase-shifting interferometry. In holography, one interferogram is used to produce the phase image, while phase-shifting interferometry uses three or more interferograms. Each fringe in an interferogram represents an area of data ranging from 0 to 2 π . Therefore, the final phase map obtained from a series of interferograms also contains 2 π ambiguities. Such phase maps are called ‘wrapped’ phase maps, and are needed to be ‘unwrapped’ by removing 2 π ambiguities. Once these 2 π ambiguities are removed, a continuous surface profile of the test object can be obtained. Such a surface profile provides height information of surface features. Generally, phase unwrapping is done by using numerical algorithms. Most of these numerical algorithms are computationally intensive and can fail when there are irregularities in the test object. In the basic phase unwrapping method, the phase image is divided to horizontal lines and these lines are unwrapped separately by scanning pixels and adding an offset to each pixel. At each discontinuity a 2 π offset is added or subtracted. After all horizontal lines are unwrapped, they are connected vertically and the unwrapping process is done along vertical lines. There are many phase unwrapping methods to remove 2 π ambiguities and most can be categorized into two types; path-dependent methods and path-independent methods. Path-dependent methods detect positions of edges and phase ambiguities in images and use this information to calculat e phase offset values. In path-independ ent methods, areas that can cause errors in unwrapping are identified and eliminated before the unwrapping process starts. In 1994 Ghiglia and Romero used a least squares integration method with phase unwrapping. In this method, which is known as least squares integration of phase gradient method, the phase gradient is obtained as wrapped phase differences along two perpendicular directions and the gradient field is least squares integrated to obtain continuous phase. However, this method is not effective for phase maps with high noise. P.
Neighborhood effects on drug reporting

Aims To examine whether neighborhood racial characteristics are associated with the under reporting of life time cocaine/crack use. Design A household survey of high-risk communities with above-average admissions to state-supported drug and alcohol treatment programs. Setting Chicago, Illinois, USA. Participants A total of 303 adults. Measures Self-reported use of cocaine/crack during a respondent's life time, hair test assays for cocaine use and level of neighborhood diversity measured using the Simpson Index. Findings Respondents from more segregated neighborhoods were more likely than those from diverse neighborhoods to under report life time cocaine/crack use. Conclusions Neighborhood racial characteristics should be considered as an important factor in household surveys on illicit substance use.
Epistemologies of Discomfort: What Military-Family Anti-War Activists Can Teach Us About Knoweldge of Violence

This paper extends feminist critiques of epistemic authority by examining their particular relevance in contexts of institutionalized violence. By reading feminist criticism of "experts" together with theories of institutionalized violence, I argue that typical expert modes of thinking are incapable of rigorous knowledge of institutionalized violence because such knowledge requires a distinctive kind of thinking-within-discomfort for which conventionally trained experts are ill-suited. I turn to a newly active group of epistemic agents-anti-war relatives of soldiers-to examine the role that undervalued epistemic traits can play in knowledge of war and other forms of structural violence.
The axostyle of Saccinobaculus. II. Motion of the microtubule bundle and a structural comparison of straight and bent axostyles

Undulations of the flagellate Saccinobaculus result from motility in its axostyle, a bundle consisting of thousands of cross-bridged microtubules. In its resting state, the axostyle is a helix of large pitch and slowly varying radius. The active state as seen by light microscopy involves first a bending of the anterior end of the axostyle to a radius of about 8 µm with a circular arc ranging from 60° to 180°, and then the propagation of this bend without damping to the posterior end of the organism at speeds up to 100 µm/s. The cross section of an unbent axostyle is crescent shaped. This crescent flattens as the bend arrives and reappears as the bend passes by. Intertubule bridges impart to the axostyle tubules an axial periodicity of about 150 A which can serve as a marker for the investigation of tubule sliding or contraction associated with bend formation. Optical diffraction measurements on electron micrographs of the bend demonstrate that the axostyle tubules slide over one another and that the tubules on the inside of a bend usually contract, sometimes by as much as 25%. Possible relationships between the contraction and sliding of the tubules are discussed.
Vibrational Studies of Glass Structure and Localized Interactions

Infrared absorption and Raman spectroscopic measurements of binary alkali oxide containing silicate, phosphate, and borate glasses yield features assignable to predominantly ionic cation site interactions in addition to network vibrations characteristic of the glass former oxide. Intense bands observed in Far IR spectra are assigned to vibrations of cations at localized sites in the glass. These features exhibit marked frequency shifts with cation mass, cation charge and glass stoichiometry but show little dependence on the nature of the glass former oxide. Bulk glass properties, including glass transition temperature and conductivity activation energy, scale with cation-site frequency which is an important parameter in models describing such phenomena.
Limitations in measurement of subsurface temperatures using pulsed photothermal radiometry.

A pulsed photothermal technique to calculate internal temperatures from noncontact surface temperature measurements is presented. The inversion process is based on approximating the integral equation describing the thermal interaction with a matrix equation. The matrix equation is then solved using singular-value decomposition. The method was evaluated using computer simulations and experiments with tissue phantoms and skin. The algorithm predicted internal temperatures within 10% for homogeneous samples down to a depth of about 500 mm. It did not predict internal temperatures accurately for inhomogeneous samples, but yielded fairly accurate estimates of the depths of subsurface absorbers and conserved energy. The uncertainty in the calculated depth of the absorber increased with depth. Currently this technique can probe depths to 500 mm.
Adaptive Goal-Directed Behavior in Embodied Cultured Networks: Living Neuronal Networks and a Simulated Model

The advanced and robust computational power of the brain is shown by the complex behaviors it produces. By embodying living cultured neuronal networks with a simulated animal (animat) and situating them within a simulated environment, we study how the basic principles of neuronal network communication can culminate into one of these behaviors: adaptive goal-directed behavior. We engineered a closed-loop hybrid system in which a cultured network controls an animat with a specific sensory-motor mapping and training algorithm. Real-time performance-based feedback allowed both living and model embodied neural networks to learn to move the animat in a desired direction. This approach may help instruct the future design of artificial neural systems and of the algorithms to interface sensory and motor prostheses with the brain.
Effects of Permeable Breakwater on Shallow Wave Propagation

Wave propagation is considerably affected by the existance of permeable breakwaters. The energy of the incident wave is partially reflected, partially transmitted and partially dissipated within the structure. The reflection-transmission properties of a breakwater depend both on wave dynamics and on the physical and geometrical characteristics of the structure. In this paper an analytical model is presented for simulation of shallow wave propagation through a pervious breakwater. The analysis is based on the principles of continuity and momentum balance. The wave is considered as linearized and frictional. Water motion within the structure is described by both Darcy and Dupuit-Forcheimer theories. The breakwater is assumed of rectangular shape and homogeneous. Comparison of the model with other theories and experimental data showed satisfactory agreement.
Beam-dynamics design and performance of the RF deflector in the Los Alamos single-beam funnel experiment

A single-beam funnel experiment exploring the beam dynamics and physics issues of a discrete-element funnel has been completed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The only known beam dynamics issue of concern in a two-beam funnel not addressed was the beam-beam interaction, which is negligible. The RF deflector, in which beam merging occurs, is a key component of a discrete-element funnel. The beam dynamics design procedure and experimental results for the RF deflector are reported. >
Other Metacarpal Base Fractures

Displaced spiral or oblique metaphyseal metacarpal base fractures are often unstable, displaced, and dorsally angulated. They often require internal fixation in order to obtain and maintain reduction. An open procedure may be preferred over a percutaneous procedure to avoid penetration of extensor tendons and other deep structures. Small lag screws may be placed with little or no more dissection than necessary for Kirschner wires and provide more secure fixation. A single screw may be sufficient to secure the reduction, particularly in an internal third or fourth metacarpal, which is protected by adjacent intact or reconstructed metacarpal pillars. When possible, two screws are preferred to one, particularly in the border second and fifth metacarpals, where rotational stresses are greater than those of the internal metacarpals (Figs. 15-1 A Figs. 15-1 B Figs.C-D and 15-2 A-C). A plate may be used in the tension band (compression) mode for a transverse or short oblique fracture or in the neutralization mode to protect an interfragmentary lag screw (Figs. 15-3 A, B). Fig. 15-1 A 27-year-old haberdasher sustained spiral oblique fractures at the bases of his second and third metacarpals sliding into second base while playing softball. (Figs. A-D are reproduced with permission from Freeland, A.E. and Jabaley, M.E.: Management of Hand Fractures by Stable Fixation, in Habal, M.B., et al (Eds.): Advances in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Vol. 2, copyright © 1986 by Year Book Medical Publishers, Inc., Chicago.) Figs
Sociology of Chicanos or Chicano Sociology?: A Critical Assessment of Emergent Paradigms

This article examines and critically evaluates a recent review in this journal of theoretical trends and themes in sociological writings about Chicanos. In the process it attempts to draw a critical distinction between the sociology of Chicanos and Chicano sociology. A basic thesis advanced is that if the sociology of Chicanos is to grow and develop as a distinct area of study it must eschew majority perspectives and work toward the development of a Chicano paradigm that will not only enhance understanding of Chicano experience but, hopefully, work to end the subordinate condition of Chicanos.
Geothermometric evaluation of geothermal resources in southeastern Idaho

Abstract. Southeastern Idaho exhibits numerous warm springs, warm water from shallow wells, and hot water from oil and gas test wells that indicate a potential for geothermal development in the area. We have estimated reservoir temperatures from chemical composition of thermal waters in southeastern Idaho using an inverse geochemical modeling technique (Reservoir Temperature Estimator, RTEst) that calculates the temperature at which multiple minerals are simultaneously at equilibrium while explicitly accounting for the possible loss of volatile constituents (e.g., CO2), boiling and/or water mixing. The temperature estimates in the region varied from moderately warm (59 °C) to over 175 °C. Specifically, hot springs near Preston, Idaho, resulted in the highest reservoir temperature estimates in the region.
Prolactin Release from Rat Anterior Pituitary Cell Culture following Medium Replacement

AbstractThe initial rapid increase in the rate of prolactin release from rat pituitary cells in monolayer cultures following medium replacement can be attributed entirely to the “mechanical” stress associated with the replacement maneuver itself.
Robot-assisted Laparoscopic Extravesical Ureteral Reimplantation: Technique Modifications Contribute to Optimized Outcomes.

Abstract Background Robot-assisted laparoscopic extravesical ureteral reimplantation (RALUR-EV) is being adopted at large pediatric urology centers in the United States, but currently there is not consensus on surgical technique to facilitate the best possible outcomes. Objective To describe technique modifications that may lead to improved radiographic vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) resolution. Design, setting, and participants Between December 2008 and February 2015, a single surgeon performed RALUR-EV at an academic medical center. Only children with persistent grade 3–5 VUR at age 5 yr on voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG), those who had breakthrough urinary tract infections, or those with renal scarring were selected to undergo surgical correction of VUR with RALUR-EV. Children undergoing RALUR-EV for obstructive megaureter or ureterovesical junction obstruction were excluded. Fifty-eight patients (83 ureters) fit the inclusion criteria. Surgical procedure We highlighted adjustments to our technique, called LUAA to represent length of detrusor tunnel (L), use of a U stitch (U), placement of permanent ureteral alignment suture (A), and inclusion of ureteral adventitia (A) in detrusorraphy. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis The primary end point was resolution of VUR on postoperative VCUG. Results and limitations Because technique modifications were made at two distinct time points, we generated three patient groups for comparison. We observed complete resolution of VUR in 82% of ureters, including 8 of 12 ureters (67%), 8 of 11 ureters (73%), and 52 of 60 ureters (87%) for technique modification cohorts 1, 2, and 3, respectively. There were no ureteral complications at median follow-up of 30 mo. Retrospective design and possible confounding from the learning curve limit this study. Conclusions Using the standardized LUAA technique, we demonstrated an improvement in outcomes. Given the wide range of published resolution rates following RALUR-EV, there is a need for standardization of technique to facilitate best possible outcomes. We propose the LUAA technique as a new standard for RALUR-EV to achieve this goal. Patient summary We examined the safety and efficacy of a minimally invasive surgery in children. We identified several critical adjustments to surgical technique that improve rates of successful outcome.
Relation of ration to short-nosed cattle louse infestations.

Ninety short-yearling steers, weighing approximately 215 kg each, were randomly assigned to 9 experimental rations. Sixty days later animals were weighed and Haematopinus eurysternus (Nitzsch) were counted in a 25-cm2 area in each of 5 locations on the right side of each animal: above the eye, behind the ear, on the jaw, shoulder, and hip. Lice were most numerous and average daily gains smallest when animals were fed only sorghum silage. Steers fed silage plus urea gained less and had more lice than those fed silage plus cottonseed meal. Adding approximately 1.8 kg of rolled sorghum grain produced greater gains than no grain, regardless of the nitrogen source, but louse numbers did not differ significantly between grain and no-grain treatments. Correlations between average daily gains and lice counted were significantly negative. Type of ration appeared to influence degree of louse infestations.
Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survival

Adolescent and young adults (AYAs) face challenges in having their cancers recognized, diagnosed, treated, and monitored. Monitoring AYA cancer survival is of interest because of the lack of improvement in outcome previously documented for these patients as compared with younger and older patient outcomes. AYA patients 15–39 years old, diagnosed during 2000–2008 with malignant cancers were selected from the SEER 17 registries data. Selected cancers were analyzed for incidence and five-year relative survival by histology, stage, and receptor subtypes. Hazard ratios were estimated for cancer death risk among younger and older ages relative to the AYA group. AYA survival was worse for female breast cancer (regardless of estrogen receptor status), acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL), and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AYA survival for AML was lowest for a subtype associated with a mutation of the nucleophosmin 1 gene (NPM1). AYA survival for breast cancer and leukemia remain poor as compared with younger and older survivors. Research is needed to address disparities and improve survival in this age group.
Application of radionuclide techniques in evaluation of dilated cardiomyopathy and ischemic cardiomyopathy

Objective To assess the clinical significance of radionuclide techniques in differentiating dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) from ischemic cardiomyopathy (CAD CM) Methods 28 patients (pts) with DCM and 55 pts with CAD CM were studied All pts underwent 99 Tc m MIBI myocardial perfusion SPECT and 18 F FDG myocardial metabolic PET 73 pts had 99 Tc m RBC radionuclide ventriculography and 68 pts had coronary angiography Results 23 pts (82%) with DCM showed perfusion abnormalities with mild and not segmental distribution 52 pts (95%) with CAD CM showed perfusion abnormalities that distributed along the coronary vessel territories Perfusion defects were found in 4 pts (14%) with DCM and 45 pts (82%) with CAD CM (P0 01) The average perfusion score was 4 5±2 6 in DCM and 9 5±2 9 in CAD CM, the area of perfusion diminished uptake was significantly smaller in DCM than in CAD CM (P0 001) 2 pts with DCM and 18 pts with CAD CM had metabolic defect The patterns of perfusion/metabolic imaging showed mismatch in most pts with CAD CM but match in pts with DCM The LVEF in pts with DCM and CAD CM was decreased but no significant difference between DCM and CAD CM was observed The RVEF in pts with DCM was significantly lower than that in pts with CAD CM (32 4%±13 9% vs 40 9%±15 4%, P0 05) Conclusions The radionuclide techniques showed to be helpful for distinguishing DCM from CAD CM The discriminate analysis revealed that segmental perfusion abnormality and RVEF were the most important factors for differentiation of DCM from CAD CM
Classification of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The correct phenotyping and classification of children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains problematic, especially for the child with IBD limited to the colon. In a child presenting with bloody diarrhea and endoscopic evidence of colitis, even an experienced clinician may have trouble distinguishing acute self-limited colitis from inflammatory bowel disease, or ulcerative colitis from Crohn disease (CD). This chapter will review, in sequence: the diagnostic evaluation of IBD; the differentiation of acute self -limited colitis from Crohn disease; the differentiation of ulcerative colitis (UC) from Crohn disease; the classification of ulcerative colitis into subtypes; and the classification and phenotyping of Crohn disease. The reader is also referred to additional papers that discuss these issues in more detail: the recommendations for diagnosing IBD written by the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) IBD working group, and the classification working group of the 2005 montreal world congress of gastroenterology [1, 2]. Much of this chapter is based on another manuscript this author and his colleagues prepared for the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, which was recently published [3].
Constructing girlhood, narrating violence: Desert Blood, If I Die in Juárez, and “Women of Juárez”

Accounts of the feminicide in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico tend to emphasize the youth and vulnerability of the victims. Often, however, as these representations focus on the relationship between the border, capitalism and gendered labor, they also perpetuate portrayals of the victims as subaltern, innocent girls, and fail to examine the relationship between class and citizenship, or the border between girlhood and womanhood. Through reading Alicia Gaspar de Alba’s (2005) Desert Blood, Stella Pope Duarte’s (2008) If I Die in Juarez and Amalia Ortiz’s (2006) “Women of Juarez” in conversation with scholarship and media accounts of the murders, I trouble the classed border between girlhood and womanhood that much discourse about the Juarez murders straddles without interrogating. By also drawing on scholarly discussions and popular print accounts (that is from Texas Monthly and Ms.), I argue that depictions of the victims demonstrate an anxiety about the borders of girlhood as US assumptions about girls depend upon a middle-class security to which the girls in Juarez do not have access.
Persistent barriers to active surveillance adoption.

e16618Background: Management of low-risk prostate cancer with active surveillance (AS) has increased, but AS is still underused. We sought to identify whether urologists' perceptions of barriers va...
Phase-field modeling of liquids splitting between separating surfaces and its application to high-resolution roll-based printing technologies

An in-depth understanding of the liquid transport in roll-based printing systems is essential for advancing the roll-based printing technology and enhancing the performance of the printed products. In this study, phase-field simulations are performed to characterize the liquid transport in roll-based printing systems, and the phase-field method is shown to be an effective tool to simulate the liquid transport. In the phase-field simulations, the liquid transport through the ink transfer rollers is approximated as the stretching and splitting of liquid bridges with pinned or moving contact lines between vertically separating surfaces. First, the effect of the phase-field parameters and the mesh characteristics on the simulation results is examined. The simulation results show that a sharp interface limit is approached as the capillary width decreases while keeping the mobility proportional to the capillary width squared. Close to the sharp interface limit, the mobility changes over a specified range are ob...
Pedagogical context knowledge: revelations from a week in the life of itinerant urban music educators

ABSTRACTThis instrumental case study explored the contextual knowledge urban music educators hold about their particular learners and the school, community, and broader cultural contexts in which they are situated. The two urban choral music educators who participated in the study represented unusual cases in that they were employed by a children’s choir organisation to teach in multiple demographically contrasting classrooms each week. The study explored a week in these teachers’ lives, affording a view of individual teachers’ knowledge of varied urban contexts. While adjustments could be discerned in teachers’ pedagogical responses to each classroom based on pedagogical context knowledge, consistencies in teacher’s practice across settings illuminated facets of their personal practical knowledge. Participants enacted their specialised knowledge of the urban context through culturally relevant and anti-racist pedagogy. Implications for music teacher education are discussed based on the findings.
Antioxidant Treatment in Experimental Thermal Injury

There is increasing experimental evidence to suggest that oxygen-derived free radicals play an important role in the pathophysiology of thermal injury. Following thermal injury of skin, oxygen radicals have been linked to the appearance of lipid peroxidation products (1–3) and the pathogenesis of burn shock (4). Experimental studies have shown that edema formation in the skin of rats following a partialthickness burn is mainly mediated by oxidants derived from xanthine oxidase (5, 6). In addition, there is evidence that the development of intravascular hemolysis and acute lung injury secondary to thermal trauma can be linked to the generation of oxygen radicals from complement-activated blood neutrophils (7, 8). In these model systems of thermal injury, antioxidant interventions have demonstrated pronounced, protective effects supporting the concept that oxygen radicals are playing an important role in local as well as distant cell and tissue damage following thermal injury.
The soy-derived peptide Lunasin inhibits invasive potential of melanoma initiating cells

Lunasin is a 44 amino acid peptide with multiple functional domains including an aspartic acid tail, an RGD domain, and a chromatin-binding helical domain. We recently showed that Lunasin induced a phenotype switch of cancer initiating cells (CIC) out of the stem compartment by inducing melanocyte-associated differentiation markers while simultaneously reducing stem-cell-associated transcription factors. In the present study, we advance the hypothesis that Lunasin can reduce pools of melanoma cells with stem cell-like properties, and demonstrate that Lunasin treatment effectively inhibits the invasive potential of CICs in vitro as well as in vivo in a mouse experimental metastasis model. Mice receiving Lunasin treatment had significantly reduced pulmonary colonization after injection of highly metastatic B16-F10 melanoma cells compared to mice in the control group. Mechanistic studies demonstrate that Lunasin reduced activating phosphorylations of the intracellular kinases FAK and AKT as well as reduced histone acetylation of lysine residues in H3 and H4 histones. Using peptides with mutated activity domains, we functionally demonstrated that the RGD domain is necessary for Lunasin uptake and its ability to inhibit oncosphere formation by CICs, thus confirming that Lunasin's ability to affect CICs is at least in part due to the suppression of integrin signaling. Our studies suggest that Lunasin represents a unique anticancer agent that could be developed to help prevent metastasis and patient relapse by reducing the activity of CICs which are known to be resistant to current chemotherapies.
The external risks of financial integration for emerging economies

Abstract The integration of emerging economies in world financial markets allowed these countries to import foreign capital. In some cases, however, the capital inflows have been interrupted by sudden reversals and severe financial crises. Although excessive borrowing is a necessary condition for a financial crisis, the dynamics leading to excessive borrowing and subsequent reversal can also be connected to external factors, that is, changes that take place in the rest of the world and are not under the control of the borrowing country (external risks). In this article I discuss some of these risks. In particular, I show how the growth of the financial sector in advanced economies can lead to the build up of imbalances that increase the financial fragility of emerging countries. I also discuss how the origin of the imbalances can sometimes be connected to the business cycle in industrialized countries.
Allergenic potential of novel proteins - What can we learn from animal production?

Currently, risk assessment of the allergenic potential of novel proteins relies heavily on evaluating protein digestibility under normal conditions based on the theory that allergens are more resistant to gastrointestinal digestion than non-allergens. There is also proposed guidance for expanded in vitro digestibility assay conditions to include vulnerable sub-populations. One of the underlying rationales for the expanded guidance is that current in vitro assays do not accurately replicate the range of physiological conditions. Animal scientists have long sought to predict protein and amino acid digestibility for precision nutrition. Monogastric production animals, especially swine, have gastrointestinal systems similar to humans, and evaluating potential allergen digestibility in this context may be beneficial. Currently, there is no compelling evidence that the mechanisms sometimes postulated to be associated with allergenic sensitization, e.g. antacid modification of stomach pH, are valid among production animals. Furthermore, examples are provided where non-biologically representative assays are better at predicting protein and amino acid digestibility compared with those designed to mimic in vivo conditions. Greater emphasis should be made to align in vitro assessments with in vivo data.
Hysteresis-induced changes in preverbal infants’ approximate number precision

Abstract Infants represent the approximate number of items in visual and auditory arrays. These number representations are noisy: for example, whereas 6-month-olds discriminate numerosities that differ by a 1:2 ratio (e.g., 8 vs. 16 dots), they fail to discriminate a 2:3 ratio (e.g., 8 vs. 12 dots) until 9 months old. How should we understand the nature of the representations underlying this performance? One possibility is that the precision of approximate number representations is fixed at a given age; alternatively, precision may be dynamic and context dependent. Here we asked whether one aspect of context—prior numerical experience—influences preverbal approximate number precision. We familiarized 6-month-old infants with pairs of images containing different numerosities. Critically, as trials progressed, the ratio of the two numerosities within each pair also gradually progressed-- either from highly discriminable ratios to ratios that became harder to discriminate, or vice versa. After this ordered numerical training, we tested infants’ ability to discriminate numerosities differing by a challenging 2:3 ratio, with which infants of this age typically fail. In three experiments, we found that 6-month-old infants successfully discriminated the 2:3 ratio after starting with easy ratios and progressing to hard ones, but not after starting with hard ratios and progressing to easy ones, despite experiencing identical numerosities across these two conditions. This “numerical hysteresis” effect was feedback-dependent: infants only succeeded with the scaffolded training when they received trial-by-trial feedback. Together, these results provide evidence for a temporary modulation of infants’ number sense.
Examining Relationships Between Physicians and Their Patients: A Psychoanalytic Model

This is a study of a group of physicians' reflections about their communication with patients. Using an applied psychoanalytic framework for self-inquiry in groups, the authors summarize their findings and provide a model for others to use. They describe their method of conducting and studying three physician groups. The authors identify six essential dynamics within groups and illustrate the dynamics with examples of physician reflections. They summarize further their observations about the composition, dominant themes, and phases of development for each group. The intent of the self-inquiry groups—to clarify physicians' habits and thought patterns about patients—is upheld in the report's conclusion, in which the authors report participants' evaluation of their learning experience. Recommendations are made for analysts to apply the model in work with general physicians.
Expanded carrier screening: a current survey of physician utilization and attitudes.

Expanded carrier screening (ECS) is an available component of preconception and prenatal care. There is complexity around offering, administering, and following-up test results. The goal of this study is to evaluate current physicians’ utilization and attitudes towards ECS in current practice. This was a prospective qualitative survey study. A 32-question electronic survey was distributed during a 1-year period to obstetricians-gynecologists who were identified using a Qualtrics listserv database. While more than 90% of physicians offered ethnic-based carrier screening (CS), ECS was offered significantly less (2010, 20.6%, and 2016, 27.1%). Physicians who were not fellowship-trained in reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) preferred ethnic-based carrier screening (95.9 vs 16.8%; P < 0.001). REI subspecialists were more likely to offer ECS (80%) compared to 70% of maternal fetal medicine physicians (MFM). Physicians were comfortable discussing negative results (53.6%) compared to positive results (48.4%). Most physicians (56%) believed that ECS should not be offered until the significance of each disease is understood; 52% believed that testing should be restricted to those conditions important to couples; while 26% felt that testing should be done regardless of the clinical significance. Discussion and application of ECS has increased in clinical practice. However, lack of comfort with counseling and varying beliefs surrounding ECS continue to hinder its utilization. Further education and training programs, and subsequent evaluation are warranted.
Augmented Joint Stiffness and Actuation Using Architectures of Soft Pneumatic Actuators

Soft robotic actuators are well suited for use in exoskeleton applications due to their innate compliance and low weight. We have developed a wearable soft robotic sleeve that uses fiber reinforced elastomeric enclosures (FREEs) to provide actuation and stiffness at the elbow for augmented lifting and carrying ability. The sleeve includes novel linear and helical actuator architectures to induce and resist joint movement respectively, and is intended to be comfortable, lightweight, and low profile. We developed test protocols to measure actuation and stiffness performance of different helical and linear architectures, and to compare helical and linear actuator groups when used individually and together. Our findings indicate that nested linear actuators have superior contraction ratios compared to parallel linear actuators, resulting in greater angular displacement. Stiffness from helical actuators increased with pressure and number of parallel actuators. A combined linear-helical actuator configuration considerably outperformed helical and linear actuator groups when used on their own.
Problems & provocations around performance, P-a-R & the PhD

This paper is intended as a provocation; and it asks questions of the ways in which knowledge and understanding are articulated through P-a-R in and through performance. The article argues that P-a-R’s creeping status as more of a mantra than a methodology necessitates the asking of some questions. The article's overtly UK perspective is tempered by a positions at two Australian universities; residencies undertaken in the US, Asia and mainland Europe; collaborations with academics in a dozen countries and PhD examination in three countries. Whilst the focus of the article remains predominantly British and Australian the issues addressed are not entirely local; whilst not quite an autoethnography, the article draws on its writer’s examination of numerous P-a-R students. It is from this platform of support that the article questions some of the assumptions around P-a-R, not least the idea that creative practice can readily serve as its own articulation within formal research contexts.
Another Perspective on Ensemble Methods for Automatic Keyword Extraction

We design and develop ensemble methods for automatic keyword extraction using RAKE and TAKE with different combinations of stop lists and dynamic threshold functions. Our approaches achieve comparable f-scores to the previously studied ensemble methods that utilize RAKE, TAKE and TextRank, but they attain much faster execution time.
It Really Isn’t That Simple

In early February of this year, a petition was initiated by several pharmacists on [change.org][1]. “Halt New PharmD Accreditation to 2030” was signed by almost 10,000 additional petitioners in just a week. The fundamental premise is that the job market for pharmacists can no longer accommodate
Outlier analysis of nonlinear solitary waves for health monitoring applications

The structural health monitoring/nondestructive evaluation method based on the generation and detection of highly nonlinear solitary waves is emerging as a cost-effective technique to monitor or in...
The Peaceweavers of Winterfell

The queens in Beowulf, the anonymous medieval Anglo-Saxon poem, and in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novel series are frequently thrust into the role of “peaceweaver,” noblewomen who secure peace between rival peoples through inter-marriage and children. When the Danish king Hrothgar wishes to adopt the foreign warrior Beowulf as his heir following Beowulf’s defeat of the monster Grendel, Hrothgar’s queen, Wealhtheow, averts the disinheriting of her own young sons with eloquent counsel and generous gift-giving. Yet the boys are eventually overthrown by their scheming cousin. Wealhtheow’s daughter Freawaru and the legendary Hildeburh, both peaceweaver brides, fail to stop the inter-tribal violence their marriages were fashioned to avert. Similar tragedies can be found in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, as peaceweaving queens frequently fall victim to “the game of thrones.” Catelyn Tully, who was given in a marriage alliance to the influential Starks of Winterfell, deflects a perceived rival for her sons’ inheritance when she persuades her husband to send his (presumed) bastard son, Jon Snow, away to the Night’s Watch. Yet Catelyn and her son Robb are overthrown when he breaks a marriage alliance she negotiated with another powerful family. The gentle Sansa Stark is also given in marriage to shore up alliances between rival families, yet this, too, fails to weave the peace in a world dominated by conquest and aggression. Arya Stark and Grendel’s mother employ revenge to settle their inter-tribal conflicts, but the “strife-weavers” are no more successful than the peaceweavers at ending violence. In Beowulf, King Offa’s wife, Thryth, is accounted the only successful peaceweaver, yet she also has men killed when necessary. Can Thryth’s strategy bring peace to Westeros and win the game of thrones? Examining the successes and failures of various peaceweaving strategies in Martin’s series through the lens of the medieval Beowulf illustrates the ephemeral power of female authority in societies dominated by men and war.
Virtual CNC machine tool modeling and machining simulation in high speed milling

Abstract Virtual machining (VM) provides a medium to model and simulate machining processes in the computer. VM concept was motivated out of the need to visualize and optimize machining processes prior to real production, and to enhance the education and learning of manufacturing engineers and operators. This chapter will give the reader an overview of research results on virtual CNC machine tool modeling and machining process simulation, with specific application to high speed milling of Inconel and Titanium alloys. The work described is a result of series of research conducted in the CNC and Metrology Laboratory at Missouri S&T Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department. The aim of this chapter is to provide useful information on virtual modeling of machine tools and simulation of machining processes to researchers, professors, engineering students, and practicing engineers or production managers working in high speed machining area. Their application will lead to CNC program verification and prediction of cutting forces for a given cutting tool and machining parameters prior to machining on physical machine tools, which will result in significant cost savings and improvement in productivity and quality.