cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MERISTEM DISORGANIZATION1 Encodes TEN1, an Essential Telomere Protein That Modulates Telomerase Processivity in Arabidopsis

Telomeres protect chromosome ends from being recognized as DNA damage, and they facilitate the complete replication of linear chromosomes. CST [for CTC1(Cdc13)/STN1/TEN1] is a trimeric chromosome end binding complex implicated in both aspects of telomere function. Here, we characterize TEN1 in the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We report that TEN1 (for telomeric pathways in association with Stn1, which stands for suppressor of cdc thirteen) is encoded by a previously characterized gene, MERISTEM DISORGANIZATION1 (MDO1). A point mutation in MDO1, mdo1-1/ten1-3 (G77E), triggers stem cell differentiation and death as well as a constitutive DNA damage response. We provide biochemical and genetic evidence that ten1-3 is likely to be a null mutation. As with ctc1 and stn1 null mutants, telomere tracts in ten1-3 are shorter and more heterogeneous than the wild type. Mutants also exhibit frequent telomere fusions, increased single-strand telomeric DNA, and telomeric circles. However, unlike stn1 or ctc1 mutants, telomerase enzyme activity is elevated in ten1-3 mutants due to an increase in repeat addition processivity. In addition, TEN1 is detected at a significantly smaller fraction of telomeres than CTC1. These data indicate that TEN1 is critical for telomere stability and also plays an unexpected role in modulating telomerase enzyme activity.
Fruit skin side cracking and ostiole-end splitting shorten postharvest life in fresh figs (Ficus carica L.), but are reduced by deficit irrigation

Abstract Side cracking and ostiole-end splitting skin damage affected decay development and the percentage of sound fruit during fresh fig ( Ficus carica L.) postharvest handling and marketing. Modification of current grading standard tolerances according to cultivar is suggested to protect the consumers and improve marketable yield. The type and degree of skin damage varied among cultivars. For ‘Brown Turkey’, ‘Kadota’ and ‘Sierra’, slight skin-damage prior to cold storage increased decay and reduced postharvest life. In contrast, the postharvest life of ‘Black Mission’ fig was not significantly affected by a slight degree of skin damage prior to cold storage. Furthermore, postharvest decay incidence was associated with the degree of side cracking and ostiole-end splitting at harvest. Because fruit skin side cracking and ostiole-end splitting occur during fruit growth and development, prevention by regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) with 55% ET c was studied for two years. In both seasons, fruit quality attributes were not affected by RDI, except for ‘Brown Turkey’, where size decreased by 21% during one season. RDI significantly reduced fruit skin side cracking and ostiole-end splitting in ‘Brown Turkey’ and skin side cracking in ‘Sierra’, increasing marketable fruit by 50% in ‘Brown Turkey’ and 18% in ‘Sierra’.
Real-Time Lithography Registration, Exposure, and Focus Control&#8212;A Framework for Success

Intel factories are being challenged by an increasingly diverse product and technology mix. Semiconductor manufacturers have successfully leveraged advanced process control (APC) for overlay and critical dimension (CD) in the lithography module. Trends are continuously corrected through in-line metrology feedback, keeping the process on target. Applying an APC system suitable for litho control in high-volume manufacturing has resulted in significant improvement in registration capability and potential for better exposure focus and CD control.
Identification of differential gene pathways with principal component analysis

Motivation: Development of high-throughput technology makes it possible to measure expressions of thousands of genes simultaneously. Genes have the inherent pathway structure, where pathways are composed of multiple genes with coordinated biological functions. It is of great interest to identify differential gene pathways that are associated with the variations of phenotypes. Results: We propose the following approach for detecting differential gene pathways. First, we construct gene pathways using databases such as KEGG or GO. Second, for each pathway, we extract a small number of representative features, which are linear combinations of gene expressions and/or their transformations. Specifically, we propose using (i) principal components (PCs) of gene expression sets, (ii) PCs of expanded gene expression sets and (iii) expanded sets of PCs of gene expressions, as the representative features. Third, we identify differential gene pathways as those with representative features significantly associated with the variations of phenotypes, particularly disease clinical outcomes, in regression models. The false discovery rate approach is used to adjust for multiple comparisons. Analysis of three gene expression datasets suggests that (i) the proposed approach can effectively identify differential gene pathways; (ii) PCs that explain only a small amount of variations of gene expressions may bear significant associations between gene pathways and phenotypes; (iii) including second-order terms of gene expressions may lead to identification of new differential gene pathways; (iv) the proposed approach is relatively insensitive to additional noises; and (v) the proposed approach can identify gene pathways missed by alternative approaches. Contact: shuangge.ma@yale.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Combination solar photovoltaic heat engine energy converter

A combination solar photovoltaic heat engine converter is proposed. Such a system is suitable for either terrestrial or space power applications. The combination system has a higher efficiency than either the photovoltaic array or the heat engine alone can attain. Advantages in concentrator and radiator area and receiver mass of the photovoltaic heat engine system over a heat-engine-only system are estimated. A mass and area comparison between the proposed space station organic Rankine power system and a combination PV-heat engine system is made. The critical problem for the proposed converter is the necessity for high temperature photovoltaic array operation. Estimates of the required photovoltaic temperature are presented.
Sea-level anticyclogenesis affecting Mediterranean weather

A statistical investigation is made of anticyclogenesis in the Mediterranean and European region during the period 1928 to 1937 inclusive; the distributions of anticyclogenesis in time and space are obtained and described.
State mental health policy: critical elements of public-sector managed behavioral health programs for severe mental illness in five States.

he term “managed care” may beused to describe a wide variety ofarrangements that have differentstructures, functions, and effects onthe care of people who have behav-ioral health disorders. The evaluationof public-sector managed care planshas been hindered by a lack of a sys-tematic vocabulary for describingthem and a lack of instruments to op-erationalize this vocabulary into a setof measurement procedures.We developed and pilot tested aninstrument to be used in categorizingpublic-sector managed care arrange-ments (1). The instrument was usedto collect descriptive data on man-aged care plans in the Managed Be-havioral Health Care in the PublicSector Study conducted by the Sub-stance Abuse and Mental Health Ser-vices Administration (SAMHSA). Inthis multisite study, a competitiveprocess was used to fund 21 sites inorder to evaluate managed behavioralhealth services for four target popula-tions. Here we report preliminary de-scriptive data from five SAMHSAsites at which the impact of managedcare on adults with severe mental ill-ness—one of the most vulnerable andimportant public-sector target popu-lations—was studied.
Activation of telomerase in a human tumor.

Tumors owe their perverse growth potential to changes in the controls that normally restrain somatic cells. The nowfamiliar players in this drama include distorted genes for growth factors and their receptors, misdirected signaling molecules, and errant cell-cycle regulators. Through these alterations cells evade many of the growth constraints imposed by their environment. But are such uncontrolled cells licensed for infinite rounds of cell division? Recent advances suggest that telomere loss is yet another hurdle in the progression of human tumors and that this obstacle may be circumvented by the activation of telomerase. The speculation that telomerase may play a role in human cancer is not new and has been discussed in a variety of contexts (1-4). However, a study by Counter et al. (5) in this issue of the Proceedings demonstrates that telomerase is activated in ovarian carcinoma. Their data indicate that expression of telomerase and the resulting stabilization of telomeres may be important for the expansion of a human tumor. This commentary reviews the background to these findings and discusses possible contributions of telomere dynamics to the transformation of human cells. More general reviews on telomeres and telomerase can be found in refs. 6-9.
Buckypaper-Cored Novel Photovoltaic Sensors for In-Situ Structural Health Monitoring of Composite Materials Using Hybrid Quantum Dots

This paper reports on work developing an efficient distributed photovoltaic (PV) sensor using Buckypaper (BP) as working electrodes (WEs). BP is a thin sheet made from an aggregate of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with the advantages of good mechanical properties, high electrical conductivity and flexibility. These advantages enable sensor flexibility and significantly improve the charge transfer speed. In addition to BPs, quantum dots (QD) have recently drawn attention in photoconversion systems due to high absorption coefficient, tunable band gap and multiple exciton generation (MEG) effects. Herein, this work proposes to apply np-TiO2/mp-TiO2/CdS/CdSe/N719 hybrid structure to realize both MEG effects and multiple electron transmission paths. Previous research has confirmed that a liquid electrolyte and glass cladding were also components of the assembly process which additionally improve sensor efficiency. However, the reported efficiency (>5 %) of the solid state sensor is ten times that seen in previous work utilizing metal-cored wire-shaped liquid PV sensor. This article also discusses surface characterization of nanowires and the functionalization of solid-solid interfacial properties. Moreover, the distributed PV sensor construction is the basis of ongoing work towards embedded smart composites with intrinsic triboluminescent/mechanoluminescent (TL/ML) features.
Self‐Noise Models of Five Commercial Strong‐Motion Accelerometers

Strong‐motion accelerometers provide onscale seismic recordings during moderate‐to‐large ground motions (e.g., up to tens of m/s2 peak). Such instruments have played a fundamental role in improving our understanding of earthquake source physics (Bock et al. , 2011), earthquake engineering (Youd et al. , 2004), and regional seismology (Zollo et al. , 2010). Although strong‐motion accelerometers tend to have higher noise levels than high‐quality broadband velocity seismometers, their higher clip‐levels provide linear recordings at near‐field sites even for the largest of events where a collocated broadband sensor would no longer be able to provide onscale recordings (Clinton and Heaton, 2002). Recently, the seismological community has begun to make use of strong‐motion accelerometer data even in the absence of large ground motions (e.g., Tibuleac et al. , 2011). The noise floor of the instruments often limits the usefulness of strong‐motion accelerometer data in such studies, because it obscures first arrivals or can make the traces dominated by noise. When a strong‐motion accelerometer is deployed in a quiet setting, the noise floors of the digitizer and the accelerometer tend to dominate the other noise sources (Cauzzi and Clinton, 2013). This situation is unlike that using broadband sensors, in which site conditions are typically the largest contributing source of noise in seismic data, especially at long periods (Wilson et al. , 2002). With the widespread deployment of strong‐motion accelerometers recorded on high resolution digitizers, it is now possible to get continuous high‐rate acceleration data in which the digitizer noise is not the dominant noise source (Cauzzi and Clinton, 2013). To better characterize the noise of a number of commonly deployed accelerometers in a standardized way, we conducted noise measurements on five different models of strong‐motion accelerometers. Our study was limited to traditional accelerometers (Fig. 1) and is in no way exhaustive. We have not looked at …
The Effect of Residence, School Status, Work Status, and Social Influence on the Prevalence of Alcohol Use Among Emerging Adults.

Objective:The first year after high school is a transitional year, with increased independence from parental supervision, contact with other independent youth, and exposure to new environments, all of which may influence substance use. This article reports longitudinal predictors of change in the prevalence of alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking among adolescents and environmental correlates (i.e., residence, college attendance, and work status) with drinking the year after high school.Method:A national sample of study participants (N = 2,659; 55% female) in the NEXT Generation Health Study were followed annually from 10th grade (Wave 1) to the year after high school (Wave 4). Longitudinal binary outcomes, including recent (30-day) drinking and two measures of heavy episodic drinking, were examined. Transition models with generalized estimating equations estimated the effect of previous drinking behaviors, social influences, and current residential status and activity (school and/or work) on drinking ...
Quantitative assessment of anatomical change using a virtual proton depth radiograph for adaptive head and neck proton therapy

The aim of this work is to demonstrate the feasibility of using water-equivalent thickness (WET) and virtual proton depth radiographs (PDRs) of intensity corrected cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) to detect anatomical change and patient setup error to trigger adaptive head and neck proton therapy. The planning CT (pCT) and linear accelerator (linac) equipped CBCTs acquired weekly during treatment of a head and neck patient were used in this study. Deformable image registration (DIR) was used to register each CBCT with the pCT and map Hounsfield units (HUs) from the planning CT (pCT) onto the daily CBCT. The deformed pCT is referred as the corrected CBCT (cCBCT). Two dimensional virtual lateral PDRs were generated using a ray-tracing technique to project the cumulative WET from a virtual source through the cCBCT and the pCT onto a virtual plane. The PDRs were used to identify anatomic regions with large variations in the proton range between the cCBCT and pCT using a threshold of 3 mm relative difference of WET and 3 mm search radius criteria. The relationship between PDR differences and dose distribution is established. Due to weight change and tumor response during treatment, large variations in WETs were observed in the relative PDRs which corresponded spatially with an increase in the number of failing points within the GTV, especially in the pharynx area. Failing points were also evident near the posterior neck due to setup variations. Differences in PDRs correlated spatially to differences in the distal dose distribution in the beam's eye view. Virtual PDRs generated from volumetric data, such as pCTs or CBCTs, are potentially a useful quantitative tool in proton therapy. PDRs and WET analysis may be used to detect anatomical change from baseline during treatment and trigger further analysis in adaptive proton therapy.
Surface Chemistry of Pentakis(dimethylamido)tantalum on Ta Surfaces

The surface chemistry of pentakis(dimethylamido)tantalum (PDMAT), a precursor commonly used for atomic layer deposition (ALD), has been investigated on a Ta surface under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. Results from both temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and isothermal kinetic data obtained using an effusive molecular beam arrangement identified H2, CH4, C2H4, HCN, HN(CH3)2, and H2C═NCH3 as the main desorption species. Several reactions involving the amido ligands were observed on the Ta surface starting at about 450 K. Those include not only the expected hydrogenation to dimethylamine and β-hydride elimination to N-methyl methyleneimine but also decomposition to methane and hydrogen cyanide and a carbon−carbon forming step to yield ethylene. Addition of ammonia to the reaction mixture leads to an enhancement in hydrogenation to the amine at the expense of methane formation, but only at temperatures above approximately 550 K. Isotope labeling was used to establish that hydrogenation of the amido ...
Thiolate-Protected Au20(SR)16 Cluster: Prolate Au8 Core with New [Au3(SR)4] Staple Motif

The precise atomic structure of the recently synthesized "magic cluster" Au(20)(SR)(16) is predicted using ab initio calculations and global-minimum searches. The cluster contains a prolate Au(8) core and four level-3 extended staple motifs (-RS-Au-RS-Au-RS-Au-RS-). The simulated optical absorption spectra of the lowest-energy structures are in good agreement with the measured spectrum. The Au(20)(SR)(16) cluster, with a low Au/SR ratio of 1.25:1, may represent a structural evolution from core-free homoleptic clusters [Au(SR)](N) to core-stacked clusters.
Sperm transfer in normal and gamma-irradiated, laboratory-reared Mediterranean fruit flies (Diptera : Tephritidae)

Normal, unirradiated females of Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), were mated with normal or gamma-irradiated males. In natural uninterrupted matings, mean durations in copula for normal males and irradiated males were about 120 and 108 min, respectively. Ten to 38% of the females were not inseminated. Eighty to 99% of the sperm were found in spermathecae after 2 h of mating. Few or no sperm were found in the bursa copulatrix, oviducts, or accessory gland. Mean numbers of sperm per female were about 1,780 and 990 for normal and irradiated males, respectively. A power equation was used to relate duration of copula to number of sperm in the spermathecae. Results are discussed with respect to the sterile insect technique and development of quality control parameters.
Advances in Facial Nerve Repair

A detailed knowledge of anatomy of the facial nerve is essential to effective repair of facial nerve injuries with good restoration of symmetry and function. The origin and course of the facial nerve is described, with implications for treatment of injury at various levels.
Operable Prostatic Carcinoma: Correlations Among Clinical Stage, Pathological Stage, Gleason Histological Score and Early Disease-Free Survival

AbstractWe investigated the relationships among clinical and pathological stages, Gleason histological score and early disease-free survival of 75 patients with localized prostatic carcinoma treated by radical prostatectomy. Carcinoma was confined histologically to the prostate in 81 per cent of the patients with clinical stage A2, 79 per cent with B1N, 38 per cent with B1 and 0 per cent with B2 tumors. The Gleason score correlated directly with clinical and pathological stages, estimated extent of intraprostatic tumor and invasive capacity of the primary tumor. Of the tumors with a Gleason score of 8 or more 81 per cent extended beyond the prostatic capsule. Of 12 patients who suffered distant metastases 9 had tumors that extended beyond the prostatic capsule and 5 had tumors with Gleason scores of 8 or more.
Three-dimensional mapping and regulation of action potential propagation in nanoelectronics-innervated tissues

Real-time mapping and manipulation of electrophysiology in three-dimensional (3D) tissues could have important impacts on fundamental scientific and clinical studies, yet realization is hampered by a lack of effective methods. Here we introduce tissue-scaffold-mimicking 3D nanoelectronic arrays consisting of 64 addressable devices with subcellular dimensions and a submillisecond temporal resolution. Real-time extracellular action potential (AP) recordings reveal quantitative maps of AP propagation in 3D cardiac tissues, enable in situ tracing of the evolving topology of 3D conducting pathways in developing cardiac tissues and probe the dynamics of AP conduction characteristics in a transient arrhythmia disease model and subsequent tissue self-adaptation. We further demonstrate simultaneous multisite stimulation and mapping to actively manipulate the frequency and direction of AP propagation. These results establish new methodologies for 3D spatiotemporal tissue recording and control, and demonstrate the potential to impact regenerative medicine, pharmacology and electronic therapeutics.
Interconnection Structure for Redundant Logic: (The Theory of Interwoven Redundant Logic)

This chapter discusses the interconnection structure for redundant logic. Interwoven redundant logic is a logic in which every gate in the nonredundant circuit has been replaced by R redundancy-modified gates, and the individual inputs to each gate in the nonredundant network are replaced by B redundant digital signals in the redundant network. Error correction in interwoven redundant logic requires the use of redundancy-modified gates that effectively use the redundant information in their inputs in computing their output. Any redundancy-modified gates with error-correcting properties can be used. If fan-in and fan-out limitations are severe, not all circuits need be redundancy modified and interwoven. Rather, the interwoven logic technique could be applied exclusively to circuits that receive redundant versions of a single digital signal and perform the logical identity operation; such devices are restoring organs. Thus, restoring organs are a special case of interwoven redundant logic. General interwoven logic, however, permits error correction to occur in the same circuits performing logical operation.
Beyond Band-Aids: Using Systems Thinking to Assess Environmental Justice

Working toward environmental justice requires using a systems-thinking approach because environmental injustices emerge from complex relationships among environmental, social, and economic systems, and systems thinking provides a framework for elucidating ways to intervene in a system. In contrast, more simplistic “Band-Aid” interventions, which may ameliorate an injustice in the short term or at a local level, are unlikely to create long-term, systemic change and therefore allow the root causes of injustices to persist. The goal of this chapter’s learning activity is to help students use a systems-thinking approach to examine and then propose systemic interventions for environmental injustices. After completing this activity, students should be able to (1) describe environmental injustices affecting disadvantaged populations, (2) recognize how systems thinking applies to examining environmental (in)justice, (3) differentiate between Band-Aid and systemic interventions to alleviate environmental injustices, and (4) propose Band-Aid and systemic interventions to alleviate an environmental injustice.
Novel experiences: on page, in ear, on screen

This study examines the experience of literary reading as an example of document work. It launches from the insight that books are mediated through technology, and all technology presents affordances. When a book is remediated, how do the affordances of the remediated technology change the reader’s experience with the book? Using analytical perspectives from phenomenology and semiotics, this study examined reader reviews of Ulysses and Infinite Jest in three formats: hardcover, audiobook and Kindle. Findings suggest that, while immersive experiences occur with both novels across all formats, reviewers of the hardcover books demonstrated deeper experiences with the novels, while reviewers of other formats demonstrated sensitivity to issues in the remediation process.
Consciousness and Subcortical Arousal Systems

Abstract The “consciousness system” encompasses brain areas that are crucial for maintaining the diverse behavioral components of consciousness. Both subcortical and cortical networks contribute to the content and level of consciousness. Although small in number, the subcortical neuromodulatory systems exert a powerful effect on our behavior and electroencephalogram while we are both awake and asleep. This chapter aims to provide the reader with an introduction to the seven principal subcortical arousal systems organized by neurotransmitters (acetylcholine, norepinephrine, histamine, serotonin, orexin, glutamate, and dopamine). These parallel systems exhibit a diverse range of firing patterns across the sleep–wake cycle and govern both overlapping and unique behaviors. Their stimulation or inhibition affects behavior, as well as the encephalogram, by complex and multifactorial means. It is our hope that this chapter will provide an adequate foundation on which to understand central nervous system disorders that disrupt consciousness via subcortical structures.
Effects of dyadic communication on race-based impressions and memory

In an experimental study, we examined the effects of dyadic communication and implicit racial attitudes on impressions formed of Black versus White individuals. Participants viewed a graduate appli...
The State of the Question in the Study of Plato

Etude de la reception de Platon dans les annees 1950 et de nos jours. Rejetant l'interpretation dogmatique, non-litteraire et non-dramatique du milieu du siecle, l'A. montre que les dialogues de Platon ne peuvent etre lus comme un ensemble de traites du platonisme, mais doivent faire l'objet d'une analyse textuelle et contextuelle particuliere
Nutritional Considerations in the Management of Gluten-Related Disorders

Abstract Celiac disease is the only autoimmune disease for which we know the trigger: gluten. Removal of gluten from the diet results in complete histological and symptomatic recovery in the majority of patients. Common complications of celiac disease can include vitamin and mineral deficiencies, the development of other autoimmune diseases, and a higher risk for osteoporosis and gastrointestinal cancers. Living a gluten-free diet is challenging socially and the potential for contamination of foods by wheat, rye, and barley is high. The patient benefits best from the involvement of a physician, a dietitian, and a support group who are up-to-date about the diet.
Requirement for cellular associations in the development of Caulobactercrescentus

Abstract Caulobacter swarmer cells require the presence of the stalked cell for continued growth and development. The active component(s) involved in stimulating swarmer growth is associated with the stalked cell envelope and can be released in soluble form following repeated freeze-thawing of stalked cell fragments. The soluble cell envelope fraction contains a large protein whose presence is necessary for swarmer stimulation.
Implications for Reforming the Postcolonial State

This chapter distills the central lessons from the positive analysis for the normative task of rebuilding a postcolonial state that is capable, legitimate, bound by the rule of law, and subject to accountability mechanisms that resonate with enduring African core values. There is much to preserve from the colonial and postcolonial legacies, but there is also much room for new ideas and institutions. One lesson is the need to ensure secure property (especially land) rights to families and corporate groups. Another is decentralized self-governance either in a unitary form or a federal form. A third is the anchoring of state revenues, the types of taxes collected from citizens as well as resource rent from the domestic economy, to cement the nexus between public financing and government accountability to citizens.
Using Historical Controls in Clinical Trials: Application to ECMO

Combining different types of information is problematic. Some information, such as historical data, should be discounted, perhaps subjectively. We consider merging historical information with data from a clinical trial. The goal is to ascertain treatment effect in the patient population of the clinical trial. We develop a method that uses patient characteristics and partially discounts the historical data. The result is a probability distribution concerning treatment benefit as it depends on patient characteristics. Such a distribution allows for addressing the question of whether additional clinical experimentation is appropriate.
Designing, playing, and learning: sustaining student engagement with a constructionist design tool for craft and math

This research aims to understand how design tools for math learning that afford creative exploration can encourage sustained engagement and what effect use of such tools will have for the learner. It explores engagement with the design medium and with the math content in the moment and over an extended period of time. Some goals of this research are to suggest how to encourage sustained interest on the part of the learner, ways in which the craft or design domain and the content should be related to each other, and how software and software tools can support this relationship.Our hypothesis is that a dynamic, constructionist environment used over time that allows exploration of curricular content in an artistic, expressive way, coupled with reflective activity that highlights connections between the expressive and content domains will promote: 1) sustained engagement with the content area, 2) choosing to engage with the expressive medium, and 3) substantial learning in the content area. Support for this hypothesis is being sought by having students use a constructionist software environment for design intermittently for several months in the classroom with the option of using it at home during free time. During that time, we will follow students as their engagement waxes and wanes in the context of us trying to keep them engaged in several ways, e.g., by adding new tools to the software system.This research is based on a constellation of ideas from math learning, constructionism, and design learning, and builds on these foundations in addition to using other closely related research for guidance. It takes suggestions from literature on designing constructionist toolkits that suggest designing learning environments with strong connections to what learners already know, understand, or enjoy so that they can take full advantage of the learning opportunities available to them in the system (e.g., Resnick et al., 1996). Some constructionist research focuses on children finding their "gears" for learning, a medium that drives their passion for finding out new things (e.g., Papert, 1980). This research aims to show how to help some children find their "gears" while offering an accessible learning experience for all the students in the classroom by providing activities and tools that support realization of learning affordances. This research finds support in the literatures on learning through design (e.g., Kafai & Harel 1991; Shaffer, 1997; Kolodner et al., 2003), combining math and craft (e.g., Shaffer, 1996; Eisenberg, 2003), and math learning (e.g., Clements, 1999).
Pathophysiology Of Lumbar Radiculopathies and The Pharmacology Of Epidural Corticosteroids and Local Anesthetics

The symptoms and signs of lumbar radiculopathies are caused primarily by injury/irritation of a lumbar nerve root, although other pathophysiologic processes may also contribute. Nerve roots are injured by a combination of mechanical and inflammatory processes. Because inflammation plays a role, epidural corticosteroids should be effective in the treatment of lumbar radiculopathies; research supports their efficacy. Local anesthetics are often mixed with corticosteroids in epidural injections. They may well play a beneficial role, although this has not been conclusively established.
Effects of Anesthetics on Pulmonary Gas Exchange

While much has been written about problems of gas exchange during anesthesia, not all the questions have been resolved. This complexity is well illustrated in the current controversy concerning the use of inhalational agents for the maintenance of anesthesia during one-lung ventilation and thoracic surgery. Most authors have suggested caution in the use of inhalational agents in these circumstances because inhibition of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) may contribute to hypoxemia (6,21,29); others have concluded that the inhibition does not occur or is unimportant in practice (5,13). The data on which these contrasting conclusions are based will be reviewed in an attempt to reconcile these viewpoints.
Altered nitrogenase MoFe proteins from Azotobacter vinelandii. Analysis of MoFe proteins having amino acid substitutions for the conserved cysteine residues within the beta-subunit.

The regions surrounding the three strictly conserved cysteine residues (positions 70, 95 and 153) in the beta-subunit of the Azotobacter vinelandii nitrogenase MoFe protein have been proposed to provide P-cluster environments [Dean, Setterquist, Brigle, Scott, Laird & Newton (1990) Mol. Microbiol. 4, 1505-1512]. In the present study, each of these cysteine residues was individually substituted by either serine or alanine by site-directed mutagenesis of the nifK gene, which encodes the MoFe protein beta-subunit. A mutant strain for which the codon for Cys-153 is removed was also isolated. Significant structural or functional roles are indicated for the cysteine residues at positions 70 and 95, where substitution by either serine or alanine eliminates diazotrophic growth of the resulting strains and abolishes or markedly decreases both MoFe-protein acetylene-reduction activity and the intensity of the whole-cell S = 3/2 e.p.r. signal. Changes introduced at position 153 have various effects on the functional properties of the enzyme. The strains produced either by deletion of the Cys-153 residue or its substitution by serine exhibit only a moderate decrease in diazotrophic growth and MoFe-protein activity and no loss of the whole-cell e.p.r.-signal intensity. In contrast, substitution by alanine eliminates diazotrophic growth and very markedly decreases both MoFe-protein activity and e.p.r.-signal intensity. These results are interpreted in terms of a metallocluster-driven protein rearrangement. After purification of the altered MoFe protein, in which serine replaces Cys-153, an investigation of its catalytic and spectroscopic properties confirms that neither the FeMo cofactor, i.e. the substrate-reduction site, nor the component-protein interaction site has been affected. Instead, these data indicate a disruption in electron transfer within the MoFe protein, which is consistent with a role for this residue (and region) at the P clusters.
Using mixed-type reasoning in computer-aided process planning for feature interactions

This paper describes a process-planning model using mixed-type reasoning designed for processing prismatic parts on CNC machine tools in a batch manufacturing environment. This mixed-type reasoning handles feature interactions by combining forward chaining for feature sequencing and backward chaining for the construction of a process plan. In such a model, the human problem-solving strategies are decoupled from the tools for analysis and sorting algorithms. Two databases are used to contain the results from forward and backward chaining. The process-planning algorithm combines the processes of modeling the given information in four stages: (1) defining the important information for features and feature-related concerns; (2) interpreting and rearranging the given feature according to the given constraints and sorting guideline; (3) sequencing the features; (4) attaching the needed operations to the features in machine/process/feature/set-up/tool/time/cost format.
Retail Store Size-Cap Ordinances and the Dormant Commerce Clause Doctrine

In an effort to control suburban sprawl, many local land use planners have targeted large, big box retailers - Wal-Mart, for example - alleged to be catalysts for sprawl. Size-capping ordinances limiting the amount of square feet that stores may occupy have become a popular alternative to complex, expensive smart-growth regimes. However, we argue that many of these size-cap ordinances are vulnerable to dormant Commerce Clause doctrine (DCCD) challenges because, though facially-neutral, they are passed with either an avowed protectionist purpose (protecting local retailers from competition) or discriminate against out-of-state retailers in their effects. The following essay furnishes evidence for this assertion, as well as providing tentative answers to two vexing doctrinal questions that the Supreme Court has never explicitly answered in its DCCD jurisprudence. First, how are courts to tease out a protectionist purpose? Second, which effects count as discriminatory under the DCCD?
The Unsettled Role of EU Competition Law in Addressing Injunctions for Standard-Essential Patents

Injunctions for standard essential patents (SEPs) — that is, patents that are essential to practice an industry standard — have been at the center of the antitrust debate for more than a decade. In July 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued its long awaited decision in Huawei Technologies. Co. v. ZTE Corp., in which it addressed, for the first time, the question of whether an SEP holder’s request for an injunction could violate Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) — the provision of EU competition law that prohibits a dominant company from abusing its market position. In this article, I analyze the implications of the CJEU’s judgment for SEP holders that seek to enforce their SEPs in the European Union. Huawei confirmed that an SEP holder faces a stricter level of antitrust scrutiny in the European Union than in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. In practical terms, however, the developments that followed Huawei showed that the judgment limited Article 102 TFEU’s scope in addressing an SEP holder’s behavior, when compared with the approach that the European Commission had adopted in its previous investigations. After Huawei, an SEP holder’s request for an injunction is less likely to trigger antitrust liability under Article 102 TFEU. In addition, Huawei raised the barrier that an SEP holder must overcome to obtain an injunction. Yet, the requirements established in Huawei are not so strict as to preclude obtaining that remedy. Unlike in the United States, where, as of August 2017, no SEP holder has obtained an injunction, several SEP holders have requested and obtained injunctions against infringers in the European Union.
Exercise-heat stress with and without water replacement alters brain structures and impairs visuomotor performance.

Effects of exercise-heat stress with and without water replacement on brain structure and visuomotor performance were examined. Thirteen healthy adults (23.6 ± 4.2 years) completed counterbalanced 150 min trials of exercise-heat stress (45°C, 15% RH) with water replacement (EHS) or without (~3% body mass loss; EHS-DEH) compared to seated rest (CON). Anatomical scans and fMRI Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent responses during a visuomotor pacing task were evaluated. Accuracy decreased (P 0.50) between structural changes and visuomotor accuracy. EHS-DEH increased neural activation (P < 0.05) within motor and visual areas versus EHS and CON. Brain structural changes are related to bidirectional plasma osmolality perturbations resulting from exercise-heat stress (with and without water replacement), but do not explain visuomotor impairments. Negative impacts of exercise-heat stress on visuomotor tasks are further exacerbated by dehydration.
Operational Anomaly Detection in Flight Data Using a Multivariate Gaussian Mixture Model

This paper presents a robust real-time aircraft health monitoring framework using a machine learning based approach, specifically the multivariate Gaussian mixture model (mGMM), for the detection of in-air operational anomalies of an aircraft system. Sensor fusion and noise filtering algorithms have also been adopted to reduce dimensionality of the feature space while avoiding the elimination of useful information from the original flight data. Random noise in each feature, induced by the aircraft sensors and data acquisition system, is filtered out using a weighted averaging window while maintaining inherent variances. The filtered dataset is then fused according to the underlying physics of each sensed feature to reduce redundant features and subsequently trained using the mGMM. The methodology allows monitoring the behavior of each feature as well as correlations between features, significantly improving detection sensitivity. The high computational efficiency of this approach permits real-time monitoring of an aircraft system.
Visco-Node-Pore Sensing: A Microfluidic Rheology Platform to Characterize Viscoelastic Properties of Epithelial Cells

Summary Viscoelastic properties of cells provide valuable information regarding biological or clinically relevant cellular characteristics. Here, we introduce a new, electronic-based, microfluidic platform—visco-node-pore sensing (visco-NPS)—which quantifies cellular viscoelastic properties under periodic deformation. We measure the storage (G′) and loss (G″) moduli (i.e., elasticity and viscosity, respectively) of cells. By applying a wide range of deformation frequencies, our platform quantifies the frequency dependence of viscoelastic properties. G′ and G″ measurements show that the viscoelastic properties of malignant breast epithelial cells (MCF-7) are distinctly different from those of non-malignant breast epithelial cells (MCF-10A). With its sensitivity, visco-NPS can dissect the individual contributions of different cytoskeletal components to whole-cell mechanical properties. Moreover, visco-NPS can quantify the mechanical transitions of cells as they traverse the cell cycle or are initiated into an epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Visco-NPS identifies viscoelastic characteristics of cell populations, providing a biophysical understanding of cellular behavior and a potential for clinical applications.
Identification and Characterization of Asphalt Concrete Phases Using Nanoindentation Creep Analysis

AbstractAsphalt researchers have studied only the bulk state (liquid or semisolid) of asphalt binder using traditional rheometers. In roadway pavements, an asphalt binder never exists in a liquid o...
Technology-Aided Interventions for Individuals With Autism: Implications for Policy and Practice:

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by pervasive difficulties in reciprocal social-communication skills and restricted, repetitive interests and behaviors....
Intestinal Enteroendocrine Disorders in the Fetus and Neonate

Abstract Intestinal enteroendocrine disorders oftentimes manifest clinically in neonates as congenital malabsorptive diarrhea combined with other multisystemic conditions. These rare disorders can be traced to mutations in genes involved in the enteroendocrine endodermal factors. As such, there has been increased interest in understanding the genes involved in order to develop potential therapeutic interventions. This chapter summarizes the known genes involved in neonatal intestinal enteroendocrine disorders and genes of interest from animal studies that could also potentially be involved in enteroendocrine disorders.
Disease Now and Potential Future Pandemics

The chapter reviews diseases of humanity, both chronic disease and emergent diseases, that may harp much of humanity over short periods of time. It explains why the chances for pandemics are increasing and how they are inevitable. The threats of biological warfare and bioterrorism are covered, and the ways that we can stop pandemics are brought to the reader’s attention.
Understanding solution processing of inorganic materials using cryo-EM

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) single particle analysis (SPA) has revolutionized biology, revealing the hydrated structure of numerous macromolecules. Yet, the potential of SPA to study inorganic materials remains largely unexplored. An area that could see great impact is solution-processed device materials, where solution changes affect everything from crystal morphology for perovskite photovoltaics to stability of photoluminescent quantum dots. While with traditional microscopy, structures underlying these effects can only be analyzed after drying, cryo-EM allows characterization of in-solution structures, revealing how features arise during processing. A top candidate for such characterization is found in chalcogenide glasses (ChGs), which researchers in the 1980s proposed take on solvent-dependent solution nanostructures whose morphologies have yet to be confirmed. Here we show that cryo-EM can directly image ChGs in solution and combine with other techniques to connect solution structure to film characteristics. Our results bring closure to a long open question in optoelectronics and establish SPA as a tool for solution-processed materials.
A Comparison of Intra-Operative Human Leukocyte Antigen Antibody Removal Techniques in Pediatric Heart Transplantation

Purpose Many potential pediatric heart transplant (HT) recipients develop sensitization to potential donor Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) from prior tissue and blood product exposure. HT in the face of allosensitization carries elevated risk of morbidity and mortality. We sought to determine and compare the degree and timing of HLA-antibody removal between centrifuge-based plasmapheresis (cPP) and membrane-based plasmapheresis (mPP) during cardiopulmonary bypass (CBP). Methods Two mPP and two cPP systems were each incorporated into CPB circuits. The prime consisted of highly sensitized pooled donor whole blood. Blood was considered sensitized if any HLA-antibody exceeded 3000 mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) units by Luminex assay. Fresh frozen plasma was utilized to replenish the plasmapheresis circuits. Samples to determine the panel reactive antibody (PRA) were taken at baseline, then at 30 minute intervals until the end-point at 2 hours. Results The pooled donor blood was sensitized to HLA Class II but not Class I per institutional threshold. Reduction of anti-HLA class II antibody to below threshold levels (MFI Conclusion The incorporation of cPP or mPP systems into the CPB circuit can effectively reduce circulating HLA-antibodies. This can be accomplished within the time period of CPB for implantation before graft reperfusion and may be done more efficiently using cPP. This technology may have important utility for sensitized transplant recipients at increased risk for early antibody-mediated rejection.
Differing Guidance from Public Health Guidelines: Identifying Challenges to Developing Guideline-Based Decision Support for Lead Screening & Management

Background & Introduction: Pediatric lead exposure can cause lifelong cognitive and behavioral problems. Guidelines for management and screening programs remain crucial to public health efforts to address this problem. Consequently, many organizations have developed CDS to improve lead screening rates. While guideline-based clinical decision-support (CDS) may facilitate screening, differing recommendations across guidelines presents challenges for creating shareable CDS. While previous work has explored differences in screening guidelines between states, no previous work has explored differences in outpatient management recommendations. Developing shareable CDS for lead screening and management will require a clear understanding of the needs of potential future users. Objectives/Goal: Identify similarities and …