cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regulation of expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in early human T cells of the HSB.2 cultured line by the EP3 subtype of prostaglandin E2 receptor.

The expression by T lymphocytes (T cells) of more than one of the functionally distinct subtypes of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) receptors (Rs), designated EP1, EP2, EP3, and EP4 Rs, is a principal determinant of specificity and diversity of the immune effects of PGE2. The cultured line of human leukemic T cells, termed HSB.2, co-expresses a total of 7282 +/- 1805 EP3, EP4, and EP2 Rs per cell with a Kd of 3.7 +/- 1.4 nM (mean +/- S.E., n = 9). The EP3/EP1 R-selective agonist sulprostone, EP3/EP2/EP4 R-selective agonists M&B 28767 and misoprostol, and EP2 R-selective agonist butaprost but not the EP1 R-selective antagonist SC-19220 competitively inhibited the binding of [3H]PGE2 to HSB.2 cells. Stimulation of increases in the intracellular concentration of cyclic AMP ([cAMP]i) by PGE2, misoprostol, and butaprost and of increases in the intracellular concentration of calcium ([Ca2+]i) by PGE2 and sulprostone demonstrated the respective involvement of EP2/EP4 Rs and EP3 Rs in transduction of biochemical signals. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 was identified by zymography and Western blots as the principal MMP secreted by HSB.2 cells. The cytosolic level and secretion of MMP-9 were increased maximally after 24 h of incubation of HSB.2 cells with 10(-8)-10(-6) M PGE2, sulprostone, M&B 28767, and misoprostol but not with 10(-6) M PGF2alpha, PGD2, PGI2, or butaprost, suggesting a principal dependence on EP3 Rs. That stimulation of MMP-9 secretion by PGE2 was not diminished in Ca2+-free medium but was suppressed significantly and dose-dependently by thapsigargin, an inhibitor of endomembrane Ca2+-ATPase, suggested that MMP-9 expression by HSB.2 cells is mediated by increases in [Ca2+]i attributable to release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores. The lack of effect of dibutyryl cAMP, forskolin, and SQ 22536, an adenylyl cyclase inhibitor, on MMP-9 secretion by HSB.2 cells argued against any role for cAMP-dependent mechanisms linked to EP2/EP4 Rs. Cycloheximide and actinomycin D, which respectively inhibited protein and RNA synthesis, suppressed basal and PGE2 induction of MMP-9 production by HSB.2 cells. Northern analysis indicated that PGE2 and sulprostone time-dependently increased expression of MMP-9 mRNA. Thus, stimulation of MMP-9 in HSB.2 T cells by PGE2 is attributable to [Ca2+]i-dependent EP3 R-mediation of increases in message transcription.
Stringfellow leachate treatment with RBC

A study was conducted with a rotating biological contactor (RBC) for treatment of leachate from the Stringfellow hazardous waste site in Riverside County, California. The leachate was transported from California to Cincinnati, where a pilot sized RBC was installed at the U.S. EPA's Testing and Evaluation (T&E) Facility. A series of kinetic runs were made with primary effluent from the City of Cincinnati's Mill Creek Sewage Treatment Plant to develop a biomass on the disks and to obtain a standard kinetic removal rate. These runs were then followed with Stringfellow leachate experiments that included. Operations at various ratios of leachate to primary effluent. Operations at 100% leachate. Operations to increase the percentage removal of dissolved organics. This paper reports on the results from these experiments and the effectiveness of an RBC to adequately treat leachate from the Stringfellow hazardous waste site.
The effects of an airborne-particle abrasion and silica-coating on the bond strength between grooved titanium alloy temporary cylinders and provisional veneering materials

Statement of problem Even though mechanical retentive features, such as grooves, are incorporated into the surface of titanium alloy temporary cylinders, a reliable bond to veneering provisional materials is not always achievable for screw-retained provisional implant restorations. There is insufficient information about the effect of tribochemical silica coating on the bond strength between provisional materials and grooved titanium alloy temporary cylinders. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate, in vitro, the effect of an airborne-particle abrasion and silica-coating technique on the bond strength between grooved titanium alloy temporary cylinders and provisional veneering bisphenol-A glycidyl methacrylate and polymethyl methacrylate materials. Material and methods Forty grooved titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) internal connection implant temporary cylinders were used. A disc of veneering material (7.1 × 3.4 mm) was created around the midsection of each cylinder. Forty specimens were divided into 4 groups (n=10): group NoTxPMMA, no surface treatment and polymethyl methacrylate veneering material; group NoTxBisGMA, no surface treatment and BisGMA veneering material; group AbPMMA, airborne-particle abrasion, silica-coating surface treatment (Rocatec), and polymethyl methacrylate; and group AbBisGMA, airborne-particle abrasion, silica-coating surface treatment (Rocatec), and BisGMA. Each specimen was subjected to ultimate shear load testing at the interface of the veneering material and the temporary cylinder in a universal testing machine at a constant crosshead speed of 5 mm/min. Data were analyzed with a 1-way ANOVA (α=.05) followed by post hoc Student-Newman-Keuls test. Each specimen underwent surface observation with a light microscope at ×40 magnification to compare fracture patterns. Results Airborne-particle abrasion and silica-coating surface treatment significantly lowered the shear bond strength ( P Conclusions Airborne-particle abrasion and silica-coating treatment did not improve the bond between grooved titanium alloy temporary cylinders and provisional veneering materials. It weakened the provided mechanical retention, especially when it was used with BisGMA veneering material. Material choice, whether it was polymethyl methacrylate or BisGMA, did not make a statistically significant difference.
Leader power and subordinates' organizational commitment and effectiveness: Test of a theory in a developing country

This study tested the relationships of bases of leader power (coercive, reward, legitimate, expert, and referent) to subordinates' organizational commitment and of power bases and commitment to subordinates' effectiveness (performance, conformance, dependability, and personal adjustment). Two hundred fifty employees and their supervisors from three banks in Bangladesh were individually interviewed to fill out the Rahim Leader Power Inventory, Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, and Minnesota Satisfactoriness Scales, to measure power, commitment, and effectiveness, respectively. Two stepwise hierarchical regression analyses showed that legitimate and expert power bases were positively associated with commitment. Coercive power was negatively associated with effectiveness and expert power was positively associated with the same. Implications of the findings for international managers working in developing countries are discussed. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Role of silk threads in the dispersal of larvae through stream pools

The slow flow found in stream pools should lead to increased larval deposition in habitat unsuitable to many benthic invertebrates such as the larvae of the black fly Simulium tribulatum. To increase their chances of successfully transiting a pool, these larvae may use silk threads previously thought to facilitate settlement in fastflowing habitat. In this study, we tested two ways in which these threads can affect a larva’s transport in slow flow. First, a significant decrease in the fall velocity, which should lead to increased drift distance, was found between live (with silk) and dead (without silk) larvae falling in a laboratory chamber. The reduction due to the presence of silk varied over the natural range of larval sizes from a maximum of a 36% reduction for neonates to only 14% for the largest late-instar larvae. A second possible role of silk, that of increasing the chance of resuspension in slow flow due to increased drag forces, was tested using dynamically scaled models of neonate and late-instar larvae. The coefficient of drag (Cd) was determined for both model types, with and without scaled silk threads, under conditions recreating a range of naturally occurring Reynolds numbers (Re). A significant increase in Cd was found due to the presence of silk for both life stages across relevant ranges in Re. The results of this study show that the presence of silk threads should significantly increase the distance larvae travel and their chances of being resuspended should they be deposited on the bed of a pool. Further, the same threads may act to both limit transport in regions of preferred fast flow, while maximizing transport through regions of unsuitably slow flow.
The Civil Engineer Can Improve his Public Image

Many of the individuals who benefit most from the buildings, transportation facilities, and water resources projects made possible by civil engineering technology are disturbed because many designs fail to properly incorporate cost and such intangible factors as ecology, esthetics, and culture. The civil engineer can overcome the resulting poor public image by basing his design on a broader viewpoint. Specific techniques include examining a broader range of design alternatives, questioning design standards, keeping up with changing viewpoints and technology, becoming more willing to incorporate the viewpoints of other disciplines, and developing communicative skills. Each civil engineer shares the burden of working to improve the public image of the profession.
Americas Ethiopia: Economic Prosperity May Be Influenced by Race

This study evaluates the impact of policies and programs of the federal government during the 1990’s in the Delta region of the United States. The primary objective of this paper is to determine if policies and programs implemented during the 1990’s, during a period of unprecedented economic growth and expansion resulted in measurable improvements on the economic condition of African Americans in the Delta region of the United States.
Momentum Transfer for an Aerodynamic Plasma Actuator with an Imposed Boundary Layer

In previous work at the United States Air Force Academy, the phenomenology and behavior of the aerodynamic plasma actuator (a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD)) has been investigated. In order to provide additional insight into the phenomenology associated with the transfer of momentum to air by a plasma flow actuator, the velocity distributions upstream and downstream of a plasma actuator with an induced boundary layer were measured using freestream velocities of approximately 4.6 and 6.8 m/s for a range of frequencies (5-20 kHz) and voltages (7.5-10 kV amplitude). The body forces on the air were calculated using a control volume momentum balance. The results show that the body force acts in the sub-boundary layer region. For constant voltage, the body force is proportional to frequency producing a constant impulse per cycle, and the energy dissipation per cycle and efficiency are independent of frequency. The body forces are not affected by the freestream velocity.
Evaluating Channelized Flow Sediment Control Practices Using Large-Scale Testing Techniques

Ditch checks are used throughout highway construction and are a critical element in the erosion and sediment control plan. The purpose of a ditch check is to reduce flow rates, thereby minimizing channel erosion. Proper installation is required for these devices to perform as intended. Auburn University’s Erosion and Sediment Control Testing Facility (AU-ESCTF) was developed to evaluate ditch check devices used in the Alabama Department of Transportation’s (ALDOT) erosion and sediment control design practices. A channelized flow testing facility was developed with the ASTM D7208-06 standard in mind, along with ALDOT’s design practices and needs taking precedence. Testing procedures have been developed based on ASTM D720806 as well as ALDOT’s needs regarding ditch check performance testing. This paper presents the ditch check testing setup and results of testing runs using 20” wattles. Water depths and flow velocities at eight cross sections were measured and agree well with predicted results from standard hydraulics equations. Changes in flow velocities and energy gradient lines were used to evaluate and assess channel erosion within the ponding and discharge zones of the ditch check. Various installation practices of ditch checks and their performances (e.g., local erosions in the channel and after ditch check) are discussed. Introduction With more stringent effluent guidelines under review by the U.S. EPA and with the vast amount of erosion and sediment control products available, the ALDOT required a means for scientifically evaluating channelized erosion and sediment control practices and devices. ALDOT’s previous evaluation procedure relied upon on-site installations with visual evaluations of practice or product performance. The AU-ESCTF was designed and constructed to fulfill ALDOT’s testing and evaluation requirements. The design of the experimental channels used to test these products and practices was set to mimic the design practices of the ALDOT. The two channelized practices in most need for proper scientific evaluation are the use of ditch checks as an erosion control device to slow and pond runoff, therefore reducing erosive forces; and the use of inlet protection devices and practices as sediment control practices. 372 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2012: Crossing Boundaries © ASCE 2012
A quarter century of the Pacific Basin Consortium: looking back to move forward

The Pacific Basin Consortium (PBC) was formed 25 years ago to address significant public health challenges to vulnerable populations imposed by environmental threats in the region, including areas surrounding the rim of and in the Pacific Ocean. Originally focused on toxic waste pollution, the PBC has broadened its efforts over the years, embracing a health focus and more of a balance between engineering and public health. This move was informed by the PBC's close relationship with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Superfund Hazardous Substances Basic Research and Training Program (Superfund Research Program, or SRP), which played a dynamic role in the PBC from its early days. In addition, a sub-focus on children's environmental health emerged, which helped set the agenda for children's environmental health research in the region. Progress has also been made in reducing harm from some threats, particularly via extensive interventions to remediate arsenic in drinking water in Bangladesh, western Thailand, and Vietnam. However, many of the environmental health problems in the Pacific Basin region persist, including air pollution, inadequate safe drinking water, undernutrition, and a growing electronic waste problem. In the Pacific Basin and elsewhere, people with the lowest incomes often live in areas with the worst pollution. Although it is difficult to implement, dynamic strategic networking efforts are vital to understanding and correcting the inequities that persist in global environmental health. The PBC can help accomplish this by continuing and expanding its work to foster and enhance collaborations and communications between environmental health and engineering investigators and to integrate investigator-initiated research. As the PBC looks forward, there is also a need to exert increased effort to establish and maintain partnerships, to develop community-based primary-care and health services for vulnerable populations, as well as to connect with researchers in the eastern side of the Pacific basin and those in smaller island states.
Leukocyte Lipids of Human Blood

In contrast to the abundance of reports on chemical analyses of plasma or serum lipids, studies concerning lipids of leukocytes have been few. The purpose of the present study is to establish a method for quantification of various lipid fractions of human blood leukocytes and to define the concentration of the cellular lipids, for reference in future studies on the role of leukocytes in lipid transport. The importance of such studies lies in the possibility that lipid-laden leukocytes in the circulation enter the arterial intima and become tissue foam cells, as has been postulated in the pathogenesis of human and experimental atherosclerosis.
Water Management and Conservation

The final chapter covers one of the most important biological issues facing all outdoor activities, namely proper water management and conservation. The latest scientific-based concepts and methods pertaining to this topic are discussed in the chapter. Included are water use, quantifying soil water present and determining levels needed, ET rates and modeling means, water-use rates, irrigation strategies, irrigation system calibration, water budgeting, water quality issues, salts, ions, alkalinity, suspended solids, soil salinity, and managing poor quality water. In addition, the latest means of conserving water are listed and covered in detail as well as hydrophobic soils and their management with various soil wetting agents and adjuvants. Numerous examples are provided to support the concepts and topics covered. Since many areas are facing mandatory justification of water allocation, examples are provided on how to scientifically determine water needs for successful plant survival including how to calculate and document this. Appropriate illustrations and photographs are included to help demonstrate and support the various concepts discussed.
Beef Heart Malic Dehydrogenases: IV. FLUORESCENT BINARY AND TERNARY COMPLEXES OF THE SUPERNATANT ENZYME

Abstract The stoichiometry of reduced diphosphopyridine nucleotide binding to supernatant malic dehydrogenase (S-MDH) was determined by fluorometric techniques and a Sephadex gel filtration procedure. Both types of measurement yielded a stoichiometry of 1 mole of DPNH bound per mole of enzyme. This stoichiometry was unaffected by the presence of d-malate, a compound which is known to form a ternary enzyme complex having distinctive fluorescent properties. The dissociation constants for the binary enzyme-DPNH and ternary enzyme-DPNH-d-malate complexes with respect to DPNH were determined. Several criteria were used to determine the effectiveness of a number of compounds in forming ternary complexes with S-MDH and DPNH. A requisite for ternary complex formation was a dicarboxylic acid with chain length of 3 to 4 carbon atoms. Although an α-hydroxyl group was not necessary for ternary complex formation, the introduction of such a group in a specific steric configuration resulted in a loss of capacity to form such a complex. Formation of strong fluorescing complexes by a number of dicarboxylic acids is not necessarily related to their effectiveness as inhibitors of S-MDH activity. The presence of an α-hydroxyl group appears to be required for inhibition, although added steric considerations involving the β carbon atom may obliterate such inhibitory capacity.
Performance measures. How are they developed, validated, and used?

To begin with, I will extend Dr. Davis'emphasis on quality measurement. Quality measurement is the linchpin of health care reform initiatives, no matter what form they may take. Health care reform demands a radically, or at least, significantly revised delivery system that is driven by information. This information, by default, is the result of whatever we are able to measure and will suffer to the extent that we are not
Unconsciously elicited perceptual prior

Increasing evidence over the past decade suggests that vision is not simply a passive, feed-forward process in which cortical areas relay progressively more abstract information to those higher up in the visual hierarchy, but rather an inferential process with top-down processes actively guiding and shaping perception. However, one major question that persists is whether such processes can be influenced by unconsciously perceived stimuli. Recent psychophysics and neuroimaging studies have revealed that while consciously perceived stimuli elicit stronger responses in higher visual and frontoparietal areas than those that fail to reach conscious awareness, the latter can still drive high-level brain and behavioral responses. We investigated whether unconscious processing of a masked natural image could facilitate subsequent conscious recognition of its degraded counterpart (a black-and-white “Mooney” image) presented many seconds later. We found that this is indeed the case, suggesting that conscious vision may be influenced by priors established by unconscious processing of a fleeting image.
On the Atypical Cation-Conduction and Gating Properties of ELIC

The superfamily of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels is unique among ionotropic receptors in that the same overall structure has evolved to generate multiple members displaying different combinations of agonist specificities and permeant-ion charge selectivities. However, aside from these differences, pLGICs have been typically regarded as a group that exhibits several invariant functional properties. These include pore blockade by extracellular quaternary-ammonium cations in the micromolar-to-millimolar concentration range, and a gain-of-function phenotype as a result of mutations that reduce the hydrophobicity of the transmembrane-pore lining. Here, we tested this notion on three distantly related cation-selective members of the superfamily: the muscle nAChR, and the bacterial GLIC and ELIC channels. Remarkably, we found that, whereas low millimolar concentrations of TMA (diameter: ∼5.7 A) and TEA (diameter: ∼6.9 A) block the nAChR and GLIC, neither of these two quaternary-ammonium cations blocks ELIC at such concentrations, and instead, both carry measurable inward currents when present as the only cations on the extracellular side. Thus, the narrowest constriction of ELIC in the open-channel conformation must be wider than that of the nAChR or GLIC. Also, we found that, whereas lidocaine binding speeds up the current-decay time courses of the nAChR and GLIC in the presence of saturating concentrations of agonists, the binding of lidocaine to ELIC slows this time course down. Furthermore, whereas mutations that reduce the hydrophobicity of the side chains at position 9’ of the M2 alpha-helices greatly slow down the deactivation time course of the nAChR and GLIC, we found that these mutations have little effect or even speed up deactivation when engineered in ELIC. Clearly, our data hint at the possibility that ELIC is a representative of a novel branch of the superfamily with markedly divergent pore properties despite a well-conserved three-dimensional architecture.
Accountability without Democracy: LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL PERFORMANCE

Given the multitude of problems with local public finance and governmental accountability discussed in the last chapter, it is not surprising that the provision of local public goods and services is a major problem. Reliable aggregate data are scarce, but available statistics suggest that the level of public goods provision in China is low even compared to other developing countries. The total size of China's road network in 2002, for example, as estimated by the World Bank, was 1.7 million kilometers, roughly the same as that of Brazil. In China, however, this network served a territory of 9.6 million square kilometers, an area 13 percent larger than Brazil's 8.5 million square kilometers, and a population of 1.3 billion people, more than seven times the size of Brazil's population. Investment in education was comparatively low – about 2.1 percent of GDP in 2000 compared to 4.3 percent in Brazil, 4.1 percent in India, and 3.8 percent in Russia. Access to water “improved” for drinking was similarly problematic: as of 2002, 23 percent of China's population lacked access to improved water, as opposed to 14 percent in India and 11 percent in Brazil. This book focuses on the provision of rural roads, schools, and water for a couple of reasons. First, these three categories of public goods have a profound impact on the quality of life everywhere and are the ones that villagers in China most often need and demand.
Prevalence and Causes of Paralysis-United States, 2013.

Objectives. To estimate the prevalence and causes of functional paralysis in the United States.Methods. We used the 2013 US Paralysis Prevalence & Health Disparities Survey to estimate the prevalence of paralysis, its causes, associated sociodemographic characteristics, and health effects among this population.Results. Nearly 5.4 million persons live with paralysis. Most persons with paralysis were younger than 65 years (72.1%), female (51.7%), White (71.4%), high school graduates (64.8%), married or living with a partner (47.4%), and unable to work (41.8%). Stroke is the leading cause of paralysis, affecting 33.7% of the population with paralysis, followed by spinal cord injury (27.3%), multiple sclerosis (18.6%), and cerebral palsy (8.3%).Conclusions. According to the functional definition, persons living with paralysis represent a large segment of the US population, and two thirds of them are between ages 18 and 64 years. Targeted health promotion that uses inclusion strategies to account for functiona...
Reducing the impacts of weather variability on long-term building energy performance by adopting energy-efficient measures and systems: a case study

This case study uses whole-building simulation software to investigate the ability of alternative sets of energy conservation measures to limit the sensitivity in energy use and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) peak electricity demands by residential buildings due to weather variability. Four alternative building designs are considered: a net-zero energy design based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) net-zero energy residential test facility (NZERTF), a comparable, yet less efficient design built according to the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), and two low-energy designs at varying levels of energy-efficiency. The findings from this study reveal which measures best ensure robust annual energy performance and occupant comfort by low- and net-zero energy homes given weather variability, as well as how much resulting energy performances vary across the sets of conservation measures considered in this work.
Experience, Challenges, and Opportunities of Being Fully Embedded in a User Group.

ABSTRACTEmbedded librarian models can assume different forms and levels, depending on patron needs and a library’s choice of delivery services. An academic health sciences library decided to enhance its service delivery model by integrating a librarian into the College of Pharmacy, approximately 250 miles away from the main library. This article describes the embedded librarian’s first-year experience, challenges, and opportunities working as a library faculty in the college. The comparison of one-year recorded statistics on preembedded and postembedded activities demonstrated the effectiveness and impact of such an embedded librarian model.
Change is the only Constant: Serving the Latinx Community With Help From REFORMA Oregon

Part of the reason “change is the only constant” is cliche is because it holds true in many different contexts. Libraries are not what they were one hundred years ago. One could argue they are not even what they were fifty years ago. Societies evolve, populations fluctuate, and norms shift. As librarians, we are called to meet the needs of our patrons, though who or what falls under the umbrella term of “patrons” often depends on the library’s mission statement. For the last few decades, the Latinx community has been seen as flourishing. Even with the recent decline in the growth rate following the recession discussed by Stepler and Lopez at the Pew Research Center (2016), the Latinx population continues to factor greatly into the changing social outlook of the United States. While not a perfect comparison, Columbia Gorge Community College Library (CGCC Library) has elements reflective of the phenomenon as a whole, though the evidence is more pronounced in the larger U.S. population. Compared to institutions in the Southwestern and Northeastern states, the Pacific Northwest, and rural Oregon in particular, appear to be taking longer to feel the fluctuations in Latinx demographics. This seems evident because public libraries in general have had a lengthier history of working with Latinxs than a very small, rural, Pacific Northwest, community college’s academic library like CGCC. Consequently, librarians like myself have an excellent opportunity to reflect more closely on what other libraries have accomplished so far and how it can be translated to institutions like ours. The REFORMA tagline is “the national association to promote library and information services to Latinxs and the Spanish-speaking,” and it’s five primary goals include activities like “advocacy on behalf of the information needs of the Latino community” and “development of Spanish-language and Latino-oriented library collections” (“About REFORMA,” n.d.). REFORMA OR is one chapter of this larger organization. The people that make up REFORMA OR represent many types, sizes, and populations of Oregon libraries; their workplaces run the gamut from tiny county libraries to large public research university libraries and everything in between. This characteristic of the chapter and organization — the variation in the libraries that REFORMA OR represents — is one of the primary benefits.
Behavior Theory and Invertebrate Learning

Historically, the study of animal learning has been the domain of the psychologist. Researchers within the “learning theory” tradition have been concerned with three defined problems: the necessary and sufficient conditions for learning to occur, the nature of what is learned, and the ways in which learning influences performance (cf. (25)). Within the field, a particular theory of learning is judged by how well it deals with these problems. Many different theoretical approaches to these issues have emerged, and it will avail us little to discuss any particular one in detail. On the other hand, we do need to consider the general approach.
MEGAVOLTAGE IRRADIATION OF NEOPLASMS OF THE NASAL AND PARANASAL CAVITIES IN 77 DOGS

Seventy-seven dogs with malignant tumors of the nasal and paranasal cavities were treated by use of radiotherapy. The tumors included carcinomas (58) and sarcomas (19). Radiographic findings, including site of involvement and tumor extension, were the basis of clinical staging. Staging was performed according to the tumor, node, metastasis staging of the World Health Organization, and a modified staging scheme based on prognostic factors that seemed to correlate best with response to treatment. All irradiations were done with a telecobalt 60 unit. Fifty-six dogs were treated with irradiation alone, and 21 had partial tumor resection prior to radiotherapy. Treatment dose was 48 Gy (minimal tumor dose) administered on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday basis at 4 Gy/fraction over 4 weeks. The irradiation technique emphasized rostral field with a generous treatment volume. Duration of follow-up after irradiation ranged from 1 month to 61 months. The 1- and 2-year overall survival rates were 60.3% and 25%, respectively, and the 1- and 2-year relapse-free survival rates were 38.2% and 17.6%, respectively. Results of histologic examination and our modified staging scheme were significant (P = 0.02 and P = 0.04, respectively) prognostic factors of relapse-free survival. Conversely, tumor site, tumor extension, World Health Organization clinical stage, and cytoreductive surgery prior to irradiation did not affect the outcome of treatment. According to our modified staging scheme, dogs with stage-2- disease have a poorer prognosis than dogs with stage-1 disease, with a relative risk of relapse 2.3-fold higher. Dogs with carcinoma had a poorer prognosis than dogs with sarcoma (predominantly chondrosarcoma) with a relative risk of relapse 3.3-fold higher.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Radiologic Safety in Interventional Spine and Pain Medicine

Fluoroscopy is primary tool for pain procedure imaging. With its use comes significant risk of radiation injury. Understanding several basic radiation principles and then reviewing with your OR staff will yield enormous benefit. Lastly, by reducing exposure to the patient, the physician and staff will also benefit from exposure diminution. This chapter examines risk and associated strategy to reduce dose and thus risk for yourself, your patients and your staff.
High-gain (43 dB), high-power (40 W), highly efficient multipass amplifier at 995 nm in Yb:LiYF4

Abstract A simple implementation of a multipass amplifier along with the use of a cryogenic Yb:LiYF4 (YLF) gain medium has enabled the demonstration of a bulk amplifier with an unprecedented combination of large-signal gain (43 dB), efficiency (>50% optical), average output power (40 W) and a near-diffraction-limited output beam.
Primary cilia disruption differentially affects the infiltrating and resident macrophage compartment in the liver.

These studies are the first to address the contribution of the infiltrating and resident macrophage niche during progression of hepatorenal fibrocystic disease (HRFCD). We show that the number of i...
Weaving Cultural Relevance and Achievement Motivation into Inclusive Classroom Cultures.

Despite shifting demographic trends, research on motivation generally remains focused on European American, middle-class, educated samples, calling into question its utility and overall generalizab...
Immediate Effects of Thoracic Spine Thrust Manipulation on Neurodynamic Mobility.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the immediate effects of thoracic spine thrust manipulation (TSM) on the upper limb provocation test (ULPT) and seated slump test (SST) in individuals with identified neurodynamic mobility impairments. A secondary aim was to determine if correlation existed between the perception of effect and improvements in neurodynamic mobility following a thrust manipulation compared with mobilization. Methods A pretest-posttest experimental design randomized 48 adults into 2 groups: TSM or mobilization. Participants with identified neurodynamic mobility impairment as assessed with the ULPT or SST received a pre-assigned intervention (TSM, n = 64 limbs; mobilization, n = 66 limbs). Perception of effect was assessed to determine its influence on outcome. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to examine the effects of intervention, and Fisher’s exact test and independent t tests were used to determine the influence of perception. Results Both the ULPT (P Conclusions Neurodynamic mobility impairment improved regardless of intervention. The magnitude of change was greater in the ULPT than SST. Although both interventions appeared to yield similar outcomes, individuals who received mobilization and expressed a positive perception of effect exhibited significantly greater changes in neurodynamic mobility than those without a positive perception.
Statistical analysis of pulsed-neutron well logs in monitoring injected carbon dioxide

Abstract Pulsed-neutron well logs (PNLs) were acquired to monitor CO2 storage associated with enhanced oil recovery. This work quantifies the precision of repeat PNLs using data from four wells and 15 repeat PNLs. Root-mean-square (RMS) precision for the repeat PNLs was less than 3%, indicating good agreement between the baseline and repeat PNLs. Evaluations of scaled relative difference (Scaled-D) showed variation in precision among individual wells and formations. Analysis of false-positive rates (FPRs) across the entire data set showed that a Scaled-D threshold in sandstone formations of approximately ±8% resulted in a 1% FPR. These Scaled-D precision thresholds were used to estimate the value of CO2 saturation able to be confidently distinguished from baseline. The detection limit for CO2 is lowest for high-porosity formations filled with saline water and is highest for low-porosity formations filled with fresh water. Thus, detection of vertical out-of-zone CO2 migration using repeat PNLs is a function of instrument precision, petrophysical properties, and hydrology, all of which must be taken into account as part of the monitoring program. The results of this work provide insight into how PNLs may be included within monitoring plans to detect vertical out-of-zone CO2 migration along a wellbore or instances of wellbore failure and provide a quantitative basis for establishing detection limits of repeat PNLs to distinguish change from baseline conditions.
Approximating minimum reset sequences

We consider the problem of finding minimum reset sequences in synchronizing automata. The well-known Cerný conjecture states that every n-state synchronizing automaton has a reset sequence with length at most (n - 1)2. While this conjecture gives an upper bound on the length of every reset sequence, it does not directly address the problem of finding the shortest reset sequence. We call this the MINIMUM RESET SEQUENCE (MRS) problem. We give an O(kmnk + n4/k)-time ⌈n-1/k-1⌉-approximation for the MRS problem for any k ≥ 2. We also show that our analysis is tight. When k = 2 our algorithm reduces to Eppstein's algorithm and yields an (n-1)-approximation. When k = n our algorithm is the familiar exponential-time, exact algorithm. We define a nontrivial class of MRS which we call STACK COVER. We show that STACK COVER naturally generalizes two classic optimization problems: MIN SET COVER and SHORTEST COMMON SUPERSEQUENCE. Both these problems are known to be hard to approximate, although at present, SET COVER has a slightly stronger lower bound. In particular, it is NP-hard to approximate SET COVER to within a factor of c ċ log n for some c > 0. Thus, the MINIMUM RESET SEQUENCE problem is as least as hard to approximate as SET COVER. This improves the previous best lower bound which showed that it was NP-hard to approximate the MRS on binary alphabets to within any constant factor. Our result requires an alphabet of arbitrary size.
Tracking Lysosome Migration within Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) Cells Following Exposure to Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields

Above a threshold electric field strength, 600 ns-duration pulsed electric field (nsPEF) exposure substantially porates and permeabilizes cellular plasma membranes in aqueous solution to many small ions. Repetitive exposures increase permeabilization to calcium ions (Ca2+) in a dosage-dependent manner. Such exposure conditions can create relatively long-lived pores that reseal after passive lateral diffusion of lipids should have closed the pores. One explanation for eventual pore resealing is active membrane repair, and an ubiquitous repair mechanism in mammalian cells is lysosome exocytosis. A previous study shows that intracellular lysosome movement halts upon a 16.2 kV/cm, 600-ns PEF exposure of a single train of 20 pulses at 5 Hz. In that study, lysosome stagnation qualitatively correlates with the presence of Ca2+ in the extracellular solution and with microtubule collapse. The present study tests the hypothesis that limitation of nsPEF-induced Ca2+ influx and colloid osmotic cell swelling permits unabated lysosome translocation in exposed cells. The results indicate that the efforts used herein to preclude Ca2+ influx and colloid osmotic swelling following nsPEF exposure did not prevent attenuation of lysosome translocation. Intracellular lysosome movement is inhibited by nsPEF exposure(s) in the presence of PEG 300-containing solution or by 20 pulses of nsPEF in the presence of extracellular calcium. The only cases with no significant decreases in lysosome movement are the sham and exposure to a single nsPEF in Ca2+-free solution.
Progress in three-dimensional printing with growth factors.

Abstract Incorporation of growth factors in biomedical constructs can encourage cellular activities necessary for tissue regeneration within an implant system. Three-dimensional printing offers a capacity for spatial dictation and dosage control of incorporated growth factors which promises to minimize complications from the supraphysiologic doses and burst release involved in current growth factor delivery systems. Successful implementation of three-dimensional printing with growth factors requires preservation of the bioactivity of printed growth factors, spatial localization of growth factors within the construct architecture during printing, and controlled release of growth factors after printing. This review describes demonstrated approaches for addressing each of these goals, including direct inclusion of growth factors with the biomaterial during printing, or intermediary encapsulation of growth factors in delivery vehicles such as microparticles or nanoparticles.
Spontaneity and Self-Consciousness in the Groundwork and the B-Critique

According to some influential readings of the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, the view presented there of the kind of spontaneity we are conscious of through theoretical reason and the sig...
A Study of Reliability Across Multiple Raters When Using the NAEP and MDFS Rubrics to Measure Oral Reading Fluency

Becoming a fluent reader has been established as important to reading comprehension. Prosody (expression) is an indicator of fluent reading that is linked to improved comprehension in students acro...
Organic Development through Exercise

(1931). Organic Development through Exercise. The Journal of Health and Physical Education: Vol. 2, No. 5, pp. 10-59.
The Role of Doping Technology in the CMOS Digital Revolution

The last two decades have been marked by a digital revolution that has changed the use and exchange of information as never before. The late 20th century 250 nm node was a turning point in which the last remaining thermal diffusion steps for semiconductor doping were replaced by ion implantation. Inexpensive MP3 players and mobile phones appeared in the hands of common people around the globe at every stratum of society. This was the beginning of a vision in which affordability, lower power consumption and increasing circuit complexity would put elaborate Systems-on-a-Chip in pocket-sized items of everyday use. Every new node on the Semiconductor Roadmap resulted in more capable gadgets and unbounded applications. We trace the indispensable role of doping technology in achieving demanding scaling requirements node upon node and making possible the rapid advances in CMOS electronics. The energy range of ion implantation in industrial use has been expanded many-fold, several new species have been added, and fundamentally new annealing techniques continue to be brought into manufacturing. Examples are provided of the Materials Science and physical understanding that has been gained in order to provide a basis for the new technologies and future development.
Mapping and Modeling the Distribution, Abundance, and Habitat Associations of the Endangered Fat Threeridge in the Apalachicola River System

Abstract Large, Coastal Plain rivers of the southeastern United States contain some of the most diverse freshwater communities in North America; however, surveying the fauna of these large rivers p...
Reo: Enhancing Reliability and Efficiency of Object-based Flash Caching

The fast-pace advancement of flash technology has enabled us to build a very large-capacity cache system at a low cost. However, the reliability of flash devices still remains a non-negligible concern, especially for flash-based cache. This is for two reasons. First, corruption of dirty data in cache would cause a permanent loss of user data. Second, warming up a huge-capacity cache would take an excessively long period of time. In this paper, we present a highly reliable, efficient, object-based flash cache, called Reo. Reo is designed to leverage the highly expressible object interface to exploit the rich semantic knowledge of the flash cache manager. Reo has two key mechanisms, differentiated data redundancy and differentiated data recovery, to make a flash cache highly reliable, and in the meantime, still remains space efficient for high cache hit ratio. We have prototyped Reo based on open-osd, an open-source implementation of T10 Object Storage Device (OSD) in Linux. Our experimental results show that compared to uniform data protection, Reo achieves graceful performance degradation and prioritized recovery upon device failures. Compared to full replication, Reo is more space efficient and delivers up to 3.1 times of the cache hit ratio and up to 3.6 times of the bandwidth.
Interpreting troponin in renal disease: A narrative review for emergency clinicians.

Abstract Introduction Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD)/end stage renal disease (ESRD) can experience several severe complications, including acute coronary syndrome (ACS). While troponin is the biomarker of choice for evaluation of ACS, interpretation of troponin in CKD/ESRD can be challenging. Objective This narrative review evaluates troponin elevation in patients with CKD/ESRD, pitfalls in the evaluation with troponin, and an approach to using troponin in these high-risk patients. Discussion Patients with CKD/ESRD are at greater risk for ACS and possess higher levels of circulating troponin. Relatedly, these patients often present atypically for ACS. Several pitfalls must be considered in the use of troponin when evaluating for ACS. While troponin elevation in patients with CKD/ESRD is often considered to be due to underlying renal disease, this elevation has several etiologies including uremic skeletal myopathy, microinfarctions, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), decreased clearance, and unrecognized congestive heart failure (CHF). Utilizing troponin assays in this patient population requires a nuanced approach, as the sensitivity and specificity for troponin testing in CKD varies. Concern for ACS with elevated troponin warrants treatment for ACS until proven otherwise, with consideration of atypical presentations along with other causes for patient symptoms that may result in troponin elevation. Conclusions Patients with CKD/ESRD presenting with symptoms concerning for ACS are challenging. The utilization of troponin assays is important in this population given their high risk of ACS but requires an educated and nuanced approach.