cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patient perceptions of professionalism: implications for residency education.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was three-fold: to identify which behavioural, communicative and personal presentation characteristics most closely represent patients' views of professionalism; to determine whether patients perceive resident doctors as displaying these characteristics, and to explore whether or not resident doctor professional behaviour creates an impression of clinical competence to the degree where patients perceive a decreased need for Attending Physician involvement. METHODS We carried out a descriptive, cross-sectional study at an academic centre. An anonymous, voluntary four-question survey with multiple items was administered to all adult patients or the parents of paediatric patients attending an ophthalmology clinic who were seen by a resident doctor followed by an Attending Physician. RESULTS A total of 133 of 148 (90%) surveys were returned. All the itemised characteristics of professionalism were reported to be important or very important to the majority of participants.The most important were: 'Pays attention to my concerns' (90%); 'Is compassionate' (83%), and 'Speaks in terms that I can understand' (83%). Although 85% of respondents reported that resident doctors demonstrated all the characteristics of professionalism listed on the survey, 83% of participants stated that it was important or very important that residents have Attending Physician involvement. CONCLUSIONS Patient-centred components of professionalism, such as communication skills and compassion, are more important to patients than social behaviours, such as appearance and acknowledgement of family members. Resident doctors are perceived to display a high level of professionalism during patient care. Patients clearly desire direct resident doctor
Traffic Aggregation for Peer-to-Peer File Delivery in Optical Backbone Networks

We propose traffic aggregation for peer-to-peer file delivery in optical backbone networks with the objective of minimizing the total traffic and blocking rate. Two algorithms are discussed and evaluated via simulation.
Inhibitor of DNA Binding 2 Is a Small Molecule-Inducible Modulator of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-γ Expression and Adipocyte Differentiation

We previously identified the small molecule harmine as a regulator of peroxisome proliferator activated-receptor γ (PPARγ) and adipocyte differentiation. In an effort to identify signaling pathways mediating harmine’s effects, we performed transcriptional profiling of 3T3-F442A preadipocytes. Inhibitor of DNA biding 2 (Id2) was identified as a gene rapidly induced by harmine but not by PPARγ agonists. Id2 is also induced in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes treated with dexamethasone, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, and insulin, suggesting that Id2 regulation is a common feature of the adipogenic program. Stable overexpression of Id2 in preadipocytes promotes expression of PPARγ and enhances morphological differentiation and lipid accumulation. Conversely, small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of Id2 antagonizes adipocyte differentiation. Mice lacking Id2 expression display reduced adiposity, and embryonic fibroblasts derived from these mice exhibit reduced PPARγ expression and a diminished capacity for adipocyte differentiation. Finally, Id2 expression is elevated in adipose tissues of obese mice and humans. These results outline a role for Id2 in the modulation of PPARγ expression and adipogenesis and underscore the utility of adipogenic small molecules as tools to dissect adipocyte biology.
Student as Institutional Mirror: What Campuses Can Learn from Nontraditional Populations.

Jeff Davis explains how the challenges of students on the autism spectrum shine a light on the often-invisible impediments of first-generation students.
Review of New Journals in Economics, 1985-1999

ABSTRACT The field of economics has experienced many changes and challenges over the past fifteen years. Some of these changes can be seen in the emergence of new journals dedicated to the changing focus of the field. This review provides a selective bibliography of new economic journals, with a focus on some of the newly emerging areas within economics and allied disciplines.
Global corporate entrepreneurship: a conceptual model

The issue of global corporate entrepreneurship has become the key factor in corporate success. Entrepreneurial executives should assume the strategic initiative in building and sustaining the competitiveness of their organisations in both domestic and international markets. This study builds a conceptual model of global corporate entrepreneurship.
Identifying the Tautomeric Form of a Deoxyguanosine-Estrogen Quinone Intermediate

Mechanistic insights into the reaction of an estrogen o-quinone with deoxyguanosine has been further investigated using high level density functional calculations in addition to the use of 4-hyroxycatecholestrone (4-OHE1) regioselectivity labeled with deuterium at the C1-position. Calculations using the M06-2X functional with large basis sets indicate the tautomeric form of an estrogen-DNA adduct present when glycosidic bonds cleavage occurs is comprised of an aromatic A ring structure. This tautomeric form was further verified by use of deuterium labelling of the catechol precursor use to form the estrogen o-quinone. Regioselective deuterium labelling at the C1-position of the estrogen A ring allows discrimination between two tautomeric forms of a reaction intermediate either of which could be present during glycosidic bond cleavage. HPLC-MS analysis indicates a reactive intermediate with a m/z of 552.22 consistent with a tautomeric form containing no deuterium. This intermediate is consistent with a reaction mechanism that involves: (1) proton assisted Michael addition; (2) re-aromatization of the estrogen A ring; and (3) glycosidic bond cleavage to form the known estrogen-DNA adduct, 4-OHE1-1-N7Gua.
A Flexible, Problem-Based, Integrated Aerospace Engineering Curriculum

The paper describes a flexible, problem-based approach to integrating engineering courses. Students work in teams to identify, research, and study a current problem that involves applications from each of the courses involved. Two pairs of aerospace engineering courses were used to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of this idea: (a) aerodynamics and flight mechanics, and (b) compressible flow and aerospace propulsion. The courses in each pair lend themselves easily to integration because one sets the foundation for applications in the other. This approach offers undergraduates an opportunity to engage in research under the supervision of two or more faculty members, while addressing almost all the outcomes of ABET Criterion 3. It is also flexible, so it can be expanded to allow integration of material from any number of courses. The paper discusses the rationale, process, and benefits of integrating engineering courses through projects, provides specific examples of such projects, and presents a rubric for evaluating student performance.
The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya: Visual Expressions of a Tibetan Teacher's Path and Lineage in the Diaspora

With the Tibetan diaspora in the late 1950s, Tibetan Buddhism spread to nearly every continent on the globe and has begun transforming western landscapes through the construction of stūpas , Buddhism’s principal architectural form. The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya Which Liberates Upon Seeing , located at Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado and dedicated to the meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, is an especially rich example of Tibetan Buddhist visual culture in the diaspora. An iconographic analysis of the monuments exterior and interior architectural elements, sculptures and paintings, when contextualized within their historical context, reveals an intimate biography of Trungpa Rinpoche’s life. Specifically, the visual narrative conveys two main Tibetan Buddhist themes: the teacher’s progressive path of meditation and his lineage affiliations within Vajrayāna Buddhism. In this way, the stūpa acts as a visual namtar ( rNam-thar ), a traditional Tibetan biography that emphasizes a teacher’s personal journey to liberation and the masters who guided the way. Although located far from the Himalayas and its Tibetan heritage, The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya’s affinity to traditional Tibetan Buddhist architectural and religious modalities provides a window into Tibet Buddhism's history prior to 1959. At the same time, the monument serves as coherent, visual documentation of Tibetan art during the diaspora’s early period and will, no doubt, become an increasingly important part of the tradition’s historical record.
Iodine on the Poultry farm

Abstract Other than its use for the purpose of supplying, by placing its salts in the feed, the normal iodine requirements to birds, and its use for the purpose of treating wounds and local infections, iodine now has two important uses on poultry farms; one of these uses is the dosing of birds for worms, and the other is the treatment of poultry houses and runways for the destruction of worm eggs and larvae and the cysts of coccidia. Iodine is, to the best of our knowledge, the only chemical which in practical amounts will destroy worm eggs and larvae. Other chemicals including the common disinfectants such as formaldehyde, mercury compounds and coal-tar products; even in comparatively strong solutions, either have no action at all on worm eggs and larvae, or require such a prolonged application as to make them impractical for the purpose of destroying worm eggs and larvae under . . .
The effect of keyboard keyswitch make force on applied force and finger flexor muscle activity

The design of the force-displacement characteristics or 'feel' of keyboard keyswitches has been guided by preference and performance data; there has been very little information on how switch 'feel' alters muscle activity or applied force. This is a laboratory-based repeated measures design experiment to evaluate the effect of computer keyboard keyswitch design on applied finger force and muscle activity during a typing task. Ten experienced typists typed on three keyboards which differed in keyswitch make force (0.34, 0.47 and 1.02 N) while applied fingertip force and finger flexor electromyograms were recorded. The keyboard testing order was randomized and subjects typed on each keyboard for three trials, while data was collected for a minimum of 80 keystrokes per trial. No differences in applied fingertip force or finger flexor EMG were observed during typing on keyboards with switch make force of 0.34 or 0.47 N. However, applied fingertip force increased by approximately 40% (p < 0.05) and EMG activity increased by approximately 20% (p < 0.05) when the keyswitch make force was increased from 0.47 to 1.02 N. These results suggest that, in order to minimize the biomechanical loads to forearm tendons and muscles of keyboard users, keyswitches with a make force of 0.47 N or less should be considered over switches with a make force of 1.02 N.
Antibiotic Use in the Elderly: Issues and Nonissues

Despite the well-recognized increase in mortality and morbidity due to infections in the elderly, antibiotics may, in most cases, be used in a manner similar to that in younger patients. The decreased lean body weight and reduced renal function typical of elderly patients, however, require consideration of reduced doses and longer dosing intervals, especially for renally excreted antibiotics. Length of therapy should be conservative because underlying anatomic or functional predispositions to infections tend to complicate treatment. Oral antibiotics are equally well absorbed in the elderly and younger patients and may be used for the same indications as for younger patients. A notable, important difference in the choice of antibiotics for serious infections in older versus younger patients is that empirical therapy should be broader in spectrum for elderly patients, and especially for elderly long-term residents, since the variety of infecting bacteria tends to be greater and polymicrobial infections tend to be common.
Evaluation of N-acetylcysteine for the prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy

Background : Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) remains a leading cause of acute renal failure in hospitalized patients. N -Acetylcysteine has been studied previously for the prevention of CIN, resulting in mixed findings. Objective : The objective of this study was to determine the impact of N -acetylcysteine on the development of CIN in order to guide its use at community, teaching hospitals. Methods : Patients admitted between January 1 and December 31, 2011, receiving intravenous radiocontrast dye were included if they were compliant with two or more of the following conditions: baseline serum creatinine >1.2 mg/dL or estimated creatinine clearance <50 mL/min, age ≥75 years, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, or hypertension. The primary outcome was the difference in the proportion of patients in each group ( N -acetylcysteine or no N -acetylcysteine) who developed CIN, which was defined as a ≥0.5 mg/dL increase in serum creatinine or a ≥25% increase in serum creatinine within 12–96 hours post-exposure to contrast. Results : A total of 302 patients were included, 151 who received N -acetylcysteine and 151 who did not receive N -acetylcysteine. Patients who received N -acetylcysteine had significantly worse renal function at baseline than those who did not receive N -acetylcysteine (mean pre-contrast serum creatinine, 1.41 vs. 0.95 mg/dL, p <0.0001). A lower proportion of patients developing CIN was observed between those who received N -acetylcysteine and those who did not receive N -acetylcysteine (10.2% vs. 21.8%, p =0.0428). Conclusions : The use of N -acetylcysteine was likely associated with a reduced incidence of CIN in patients at risk for CIN development. Based on these results, hospitals may benefit from the development of a protocol to guide the appropriate use of N -acetylcysteine. Keywords: acute kidney injury; community hospital; prophylaxis; nephrotoxicity; risk factors (Published: 15 June 2015) Citation: Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives 2015, 5 : 27297 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/jchimp.v5.27297
A Study of Management Behavior by Use of Competitive Business Games

A general model has been developed for a class of business games to represent the activities of individual firms in a hypothetical oligopolistic industry. Although hypothetical, the games allow the players to transfer mentally to the real business world. The players who act as competitors build and operate their individual plants with specified technology to produce a single homogeneous product. The product is sold competitively to households, and labor supplied by the households is employed in the industry through competitive bidding of the competitors. Thus, there are two competitive markets established, with the firms competing for a limited supply of labor on the one hand, and competing for a limited sales fund on the other hand. Managerial decisions for each firm include labor employment offerings and wage rate, product sales offerings and product prices, production and inventory, plant expansion, money borrowing, sales credit, and dividends paid to stockholders. In some cases there is a market for “efficiency units” used to improve technology. The competitors may select wage rates and product prices freely, since there are no internal relationships in the model. Aggressive competition for labor results in increasing wage rates and aggressive competition for the sales fund results in low product profit. Various regulations are introduced concerning monopoly, taxation, credit, and bankruptcy. The general results of this study show that managerial behavior in an oligopoly exhibits varying strength of agressive competition producing the usual business cycle, and further that competitors will act to “stabilize” the industry by self-regulation of speculative activities. An examination of the technological input to these business games shows that competitors will invest funds to improve efficiency only when their marginal utility of money is well below that represented by the fixed interest rate.
Hypertensive crisis Reversible edema in leukoencephalopathy, retinopathy, now myelopathy?

The definition of the clinicoradiologic syndrome posterior reversible leukoencephalopathy syndrome (PRES) has been stretched over the last decade.1 Many regard PRES as a final common denominator for various cerebral insults, without a single etiopathogenic trigger.1,2 The hallmark of classic PRES is hydrostatic pressure breakthrough causing cerebral vasogenic edema, commonly coupled with a history of refractory hypertension, ictal surge in blood pressure (BP), and a concomitant systemic inflammatory or uremic process.1 High BP may be absent in PRES if there is renal failure; infection or any systemic inflammatory response syndrome; or immunomodulation as seen in eclampsia, autoimmune disorders, or chemotherapy.1–3 PRES may thus be better defined as a “neurotoxic syndrome”2 with blood–brain barrier opening or with disruption of cerebral autoregulation leading to dysperfusion with either vasogenic or cytotoxic edema.2,3 The phenotypic umbrella of PRES now includes transient, isolated splenial edematous lesions4 and extensive spinal cord edema. A mounting number of cases of longitudinally extensive central cord edema in the absence of infectious, demyelinating, or ischemic causes or venous engorgement from an arteriovenous fistula now warrant codifying this entity as a discrete clinical syndrome and perusal for specific risk factors.
Defending DSSS-based broadcast communication against insider jammers via delayed seed-disclosure

Spread spectrum techniques such as Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) and Frequency Hopping (FH) have been commonly used for anti-jamming wireless communication. However, traditional spread spectrum techniques require that sender and receivers share a common secret in order to agree upon, for example, a common hopping sequence (in FH) or a common spreading code sequence (in DSSS). Such a requirement prevents these techniques from being effective for anti-jamming broadcast communication, where a jammer may learn the key from a compromised receiver and then disrupt the wireless communication. In this paper, we develop a novel Delayed Seed-Disclosure DSSS (DSD-DSSS) scheme for efficient anti-jamming broadcast communication. DSD-DSSS achieves its anti-jamming capability through randomly generating the spreading code sequence for each message using a random seed and delaying the disclosure of the seed at the end of the message. We also develop an effective protection mechanism for seed disclosure using content-based code subset selection. DSD-DSSS is superior to all previous attempts for anti-jamming spread spectrum broadcast communication without shared keys. In particular, even if a jammer possesses real-time online analysis capability to launch reactive jamming attacks, DSD-DSSS can still defeat the jamming attacks with a very high probability. We evaluate DSD-DSSS through both theoretical analysis and a prototype implementation based on GNU Radio; our evaluation results demonstrate that DSD-DSSS is practical and have superior security properties.
Chapter 18 Organ Culture of the Mucosa of Human Small Intestine

Publisher Summary The chapter discusses the methods and applications of organ culture of the mucosa of human small intestine. The mucosa of the small intestine is a complex and highly polarized tissue with its villi lined primarily by mature absorptive cells and mucus-secreting goblet cells and its crypts lined by proliferating undifferentiated cells and differentiated secretory cells, which include Paneth, goblet, and endocrine cells. Fragments of intestinal mucosa such as human peroral intestinal biopsies, and everted sacs or rings of intestine from laboratory mammals immersed in oxygenated buffers or media are useful for short-term in vitro studies. However, careful morphological examination shows that epithelial cell necrosis and degeneration occurs rapidly in such systems, generally within 0.5 to 3 hours. During organ culture, the relationships of epithelial cells to one another and to their underlying mesenchyme are preserved. As with other in vitro systems, the environment of the tissues under study can be controlled more precisely than when in vivo preparations are used as exposure to the normal intestinal luminal contents, circulating humoral factors, and neurogenic stimuli are largely eliminated. The application of organ culture methodology to the maintenance in vitro of mucosal biopsies from the small intestine of humans and experimental animals permits study of intestinal mucosal synthetic, secretory, and epithelial cell proliferative function for at least 24 to 48 hours.
Antagonism of GABA-B but not GABA-A receptors in the VTA prevents stress- and intra-VTA CRF-induced reinstatement of extinguished cocaine seeking in rats

Stress-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking requires corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) actions in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). However the mechanisms through which CRF regulates VTA function to promote cocaine use are not fully understood. Here we examined the role of GABAergic neurotransmission in the VTA mediated by GABA-A or GABA-B receptors in the reinstatement of extinguished cocaine seeking by a stressor, uncontrollable intermittent footshock, or bilateral intra-VTA administration of CRF. Rats underwent repeated daily cocaine self-administration (1.0 mg/kg/ing; 14 × 6 h/day) and extinction and were tested for reinstatement in response to footshock (0.5 mA, 0.5" duration, average every 40 s; range 10-70 s) or intra-VTA CRF delivery (500 ng/side) following intra-VTA pretreatment with the GABA-A antagonist, bicuculline, the GABA-B antagonist, 2-hydroxysaclofen or vehicle. Intra-VTA bicuculline (1, 10 or 20 ng/side) failed to block footshock- or CRF-induced cocaine seeking at either dose tested. By contrast, 2-hydroxysaclofen (0.2 or 2 μg/side) prevented reinstatement by both footshock and intra-VTA CRF at a concentration that failed to attenuate food-reinforced lever pressing (45 mg sucrose-sweetened pellets; FR4 schedule) in a separate group of rats. These data suggest that GABA-B receptor-dependent CRF actions in the VTA mediate stress-induced cocaine seeking and that GABA-B receptor antagonists may have utility for the management of stress-induced relapse in cocaine addicts.
Teacher Professional Development in a Complex and Changing World: Lessons Learned from Model Teacher Education Programs in Transnational Contexts

One of the greatest challenges facing our global society is the preparation of teachers to teach in culturally and linguistically complex classrooms worldwide. This chapter reports on the author’s recent research focusing on the preparation of teachers to teach diverse student populations in culturally and linguistically complex classrooms across national boundaries; and in particular, focusing on the preparation of teachers to work with students from historically marginalized, disenfranchised, or underserved groups. Part of a larger study that looks at teacher preparation in four transnational contexts, this chapter focuses on the efforts of a U.S. and a South African teacher education program designed to prepare pre-service teachers to teach in complex classrooms and examines the teachers’ generative change after participating in a professional development institute focused on using writing as a pedagogical tool to affect teacher change. Building on generative change theories and Ball’s Model of Generative Change (2009), the work explores what teachers learn through participation in a professional development that used writing as a pedagogical tool to become metacognitively aware of their own identities and the identities of their students. The findings confirm that teachers’ discourses combine with their subsequent actions to give evidence of shifts in their beliefs and understandings. The chapter concludes by offering writing as a pedagogical tool that can be used by teacher education programs worldwide to assist them in gauging their effectiveness in affecting conceptual growth, depth of understanding, and change in teachers’ attitudes and perceptions concerning the students in their classrooms.
Analysis of Cell Division and Cell Elongation in the Hypocotyls of Arabidopsis Heterotrimeric G Protein Mutants

The heterotrimeric G-proteins form classical signal transduction complexes conserved in all eukaryotes. The repertoire of G-protein signaling complex is much simpler in plants than in metazoans. One of the best understood functions for the plant G-protein complex is its modulation of cell proliferation. A method is described here to quantify cell division and cell elongation in the Arabidopsis heterotrimeric G-protein mutants using the hypocotyl as a model system.
Ab initio synthesis of single-layer III-V materials

The discovery of a novel material requires the identification of the material's composition as well as of suitable synthesis conditions. We present a data-mining approach to identify suitable substrates for the growth of two-dimensional materials and apply the method to the recently predicted two-dimensional III-V compounds. We identify several lattice-matched substrates for their epitaxial growth, stabilization, and functionalization. Density-functional calculations show that these substrates sufficiently reduce the formation energies of the metastable two-dimensional materials to make them thermodynamically stable. We show that chemical interactions of the two-dimensional materials with the substrates shift the Fermi level of these materials, resulting in doping. The large adsorption energies and strong doping indicate that these metals should provide good electrical contact to enable transport measurements and electronic applications.
Interwoven Fluctuations During Intermodal Perception: Fractality in Head Sway Supports the Use of Visual Feedback in Haptic Perceptual Judgments by Manual Wielding

Intermodal integration required for perceptual learning tasks is rife with individual differences. Participants vary in how they use perceptual information to one modality. One participant alone might change her own response over time. Participants vary further in their use of feedback through one modality to inform another modality. Two experiments test the general hypothesis that perceptual-motor fluctuations reveal both information use within modality and coordination among modalities. Experiment 1 focuses on perceptual learning in dynamic touch, in which participants use exploratory hand-wielding of unseen objects to make visually guided length judgments and use visual feedback to rescale their judgments of the same mechanical information. Previous research found that the degree of fractal temporal scaling (i.e., "fractality") in hand-wielding moderates the use of mechanical information. Experiment 1 shows that head-sway fractality moderates the use of visual information. Further, experience with feedback increases head-sway fractality and prolongs its effect on later hand-wielding fractality. Experiment 2 replicates effects of head-sway fractality moderating use of visual information in a purely visual-judgment task. Together, these findings suggest that fractal fluctuations may provide a modal-general window onto not just how participants use perceptual information but also how well they may integrate information among different modalities.
Structural Comparison of Membrane-Bound Retroviral Gag Proteins

he Gag polyprotein is essential for the assembly of retroviral particles. It is expressed in the cellular cytoplasm and targets the surface of the plasma membrane, where assembly occurs. All Gag proteins from various retroviral species contain structured domains - the membrane-binding matrix (MA), the capsid (CA) and the genome-binding nucleocapsid (NC) domains - that are separated by unstructured linker regions. Cryo-EM of immature virions shows assemblies on the plasma membrane in which Gag polyproteins are in an extended conformation, apparently stabilized by lateral interactions between their CA domains. However, the structural dynamics are complex. In a recent study with neutron reflection (NR), we showed that in HIV-1 Gag, the MA-CA linker is so flexible that the polyprotein binds a model membrane in a backfolded structure in the absence of nucleic acid, and that a transformation into an extended conformation is triggered upon nucleic acid binding (Datta et al., J. Mol. Biol. 406, 2011, 205). Here we investigate the membrane-binding of murine leukemia virus (MLV) and Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) Gag proteins, which also include unstructured linkers between their MA and CA domains. Both wild-type MLV and RSV Gag bind membranes in vitro in folded conformations, as shown by NR, indicating structural flexibility of their MA-CA linkers. In contrast, an MLV mutant, Δp12, in which the MA-CA linker has been eliminated, binds the membrane in an extended conformation. An investigation of the RSV mutant, Δ104-220, that is analogous to MLV-Δp12, is currently in progress. These studies suggest that the disordered linker regions in retroviral Gag proteins may function to prevent unproductive assembly processes in the host cytosol or on the membrane in the absence of viral genome.
Measures on developing quality safety traceable system of agricultural products in Fujian Provnice

The author discusses the necessity to improve quality safety traceable system of agricultural products from several points, including supervision on quality safety of agricultural products,the need for developing modern agricultural standardization management and the requirements from international trade market. What is more,based on rule of law,policies,monitoring,supervision and certification of agricultural products,the author gives a brief introduction about the main way of quality safety traceable system construction of agricultural products in Fujian Provnice and points out the problems,including lack of subject consciousness,the lagging of supporting technology,not acting on international standard system and the short of funds. In the end,the author gives corresponding measures and advices on improving enthusiasm of participants,perfecting the system of market access,strengthening technical support and talents construction,perfecting rule of law and standard regulation of monitoring and optimizing the function of government.
Learning from unscripted deictic gesture and language for human-robot interactions

As robots become more ubiquitous, it is increasingly important for untrained users to be able to interact with them intuitively. In this work, we investigate how people refer to objects in the world during relatively unstructured communication with robots. We collect a corpus of deictic interactions from users describing objects, which we use to train language and gesture models that allow our robot to determine what objects are being indicated. We introduce a temporal extension to state-of-the-art hierarchical matching pursuit features to support gesture understanding, and demonstrate that combining multiple communication modalities more effectively capture user intent than relying on a single type of input. Finally, we present initial interactions with a robot that uses the learned models to follow commands.
Cardiovascular and mammary blood flow alterations during pregnancy and nursing in the rabbit

The changes in cardiac output, pulse rate, mean arterial pressure, and mammary blood flow were observed during pregnancy and nursing in a chronically instrumented rabbit preparation. Nursing and suckling were found to be associated with significant changes in cardiac output and mammary blood flow. These changes included a progressive increase in cardiac: output during pregnancy. In addition, nursing animals had a significantly higher cardiac output than did nonnursing animals. Mammary blood flow was found to increase significantly prior to delivery and reached peak values at 2 weeks after delivery. The relationship between these changes and variables such as litter size, hormonal status, and puerperal stage is discussed in light of the possible physiologic mechanisms which control adaptation during nursing.
Gene expression, signal transduction and tissue-specific biomineralization during mammalian tooth development.

Tooth development provides a paradigm for intrinsic molecular controls for cell- and extracellular matrix (ECM)-mediated biomineralization. The intent of this review is to evaluate the sequential timing and positional information prerequisite for tissue-specific biomineralization. Recent investigations suggest that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 functions to up-regulate VDR (vitamin D receptor) that in turn could induce structural gene products, including calcium-binding proteins and several ECM proteins (e.g., enamelins, amelogenins, dentine sialoglycoproteins (DSP) and dentine phosphoproteins (DPP)), resulting in dentine and enamel formation. Inhibition of regulatory gene products and/or their receptors likely results in hypoplastic and/or hypomineralized ECM as a direct consequence of down-regulated (1) transcription and/or translation of structural and regulatory genes, (2) posttranslational modifications, (3) and/or decreased calcium transport to the forming dentine and enamel matrices. Advances in serumless in vitro culture methodology; computer-assisted access to nucleic acid sequences for probes to define when, where, and how many specific regulatory and structural gene products are expressed; antisense oligodeoxynucleotides to inhibit specific translation; and microtechniques to analyze biomineralization all provide additional avenues to investigate tissue-specific biomineralization.
Formal verification of communication protocols

In this paper we present a formal abstract specification for TCP/IP transport level protocols and formally verify that TCP satisfies this specification. We also present a formal description of an experimental protocol, T/TCP, which proposes to provide the same service as TCP, but with optimizations to make it efficient for transactions. We further show that this protocol does not provide the same service as TCP, and propose a weaker specification for this protocol. Our specifications are presented using an untimed automaton model, and we present the protocols using a timed automaton model. The formal verification is done using invariant assertion and simulation techniques.
Reliability study of ceramic substrate in a SIP type package

Ceramic substrate reliability in a lead frame based system in package (SIP) is investigated during the assembly process. Ceramic is a brittle material in the temperature range of the assembly process, so its failure mechanism is mainly fracture. Ceramic cracks can be caused either by thermo mechanical or by purely mechanical loads. In this study, only the mechanical impact on the ceramic substrate is investigated during assembly molding process. The effects of both lead frame downset and support pin over-press are studied through the commercial finite element code Ansys. Parametric studies show that the change of the lead frame downset before the assembly molding process has little impact on the ceramic substrate stress. However, the change of the support pin over-press tolerance has a large impact on the ceramic substrate stress. According to these simulation results, effective measures can be taken to control the support pin over-press, to avoid the risk of ceramic substrate failure during the assembly process.
Circuit aging simulator (CAS)

A circuit aging simulator (CAS) has been developed as part of the BSIM (Berkeley Short-channel Igfet Model) family to predict the effects of hot-electron degradation on MOS circuit behavior. Using the SPICE2 of SPICE 3 circuit simulator in a UNIX environment, CAS simulates circuit behavior at a user-specified future time using fresh and DC prestressed BSIM parameter process files. CAS is configured in a pre- and postprocessor configuration, so that no modifications to the SPICE code are necessary. Iterative simulation to take into account ongoing degradation can also be done through an accompanying UNIX shell scrip program. >
Illuminating Collaboration: Bringing the Writing Program to the Community

This chapter describes a successful first-year composition service-learning partnership, the Iluminacion Writing Program, in which college writing students worked alongside high school students in collaborative writing workshops. Read-Davidson chronicles the evolution of the program, from the epistemological consequences of its naming to its empowering final reading event, demonstrating how the foundational theories of social constructionism and collaborative pedagogy practiced in writing programs and writing centers can be translated to service-learning partnerships in the community. Initial challenges in recruitment, stakeholder investment, and student engagement necessitated a revisiting of theories in writing and service-learning pedagogies, leading to a revision of praxis to create a more reciprocal series of collaborative workshops that benefited both sets of participants.
Video concealment via matrix completion at high missing rates

Video error concealment is an important technique in video communication to recover corrupted parts when erroneously transmitting compressed sequences over network. In this work, we propose a novel error concealment scheme by grouping similar patches in the temporal domain to construct a low-rank matrix and recover the missing areas by the matrix completion technique. Different from most state-of-the-art algorithms which recover the lost blocks based on at least one clean frame (I-frame), the proposed algorithm can work for the most general case when all frames are violated. When having I-frames in the receiver, the proposed algorithm also achieves much higher PSNR compared with the Boundary Matching Algorithm (BMA) adopted in H.264.
Disease Modeling in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Cardiomyocytes Using High-Throughput All-Optical Dynamic Cardiac Electrophysiology

We present an all-optical high-throughput system for phenotyping and monitoring iPSC-CMs, with capabilities for performing personalized cardiotoxicity screening. We demonstrate the system’s utility for characterizing a new disease model in iPSC-CMs.
Are the poverty histories of neighbourhoods associated with psychosocial well-being among a representative sample of California mothers? An observational study

Background We examine the association between the poverty histories of neighbourhoods and three indicators of psychosocial well-being—depressive symptoms, sense of control and number of stressors—in an observational study of mothers of young children in California. We also consider if length of residence in a neighbourhood moderates the association between neighbourhood poverty history and psychosocial well-being. Methods Data come from the Geographic Research on Well-being (GROW) Study, a subsample of mothers who completed the population-based California Maternal and Infant Health Assessment in 2003–2007 and were reinterviewed in 2012–2013. Poverty histories of neighbourhoods were constructed using the Neighbourhood Change Database (1970–2000) and American Community Survey (2005–2009). The analytic sample included 2726 women from GROW residing in 1906 census tracts. Results Adjusting for individual socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, women living in neighbourhoods where poverty decreased over the 40-year period had lower odds of depressive symptoms and a greater sense of control than women living in long-term, low-poverty neighbourhoods. Women living in long-term high-poverty neighbourhoods or in neighbourhoods where poverty increased over the 40-year period reported lower sense of control than women living in long-term, low-poverty neighbourhoods and these effects were modified by length of time living in the neighbourhood. No significant effects of neighbourhood poverty histories were found for number of stressors. Conclusions Policies aimed at reducing neighbourhood poverty may improve mothers9 psychosocial well-being.
Alternative Social Media: From Critique to Code

In the past decade, corporate social media, for all its variety, has converged on a dominant model: the sites are owned and controlled by a few people; they rely on their users to provide content; and user activity is monitored and the resulting data is sold to marketers. This model, largely an American one, is not without its critics, especially because the dominance of American corporate social media sites means that non-U.S. users are subject to U.S. government surveillance. An interesting subset of corporate social media critics are those who are actively building alternative social media systems that seek to retain the pleasures of corporate social media while excising the problems of centralized control and surveillance. This chapter theorizes alternative social media and distinguishes it from corporate social media along three main lines: technical infrastructures (software platforms, network topologies, and interface design), political economy (funding models, labor practices, and use of intellectual property regimes), and cultural practices (surveillance, activism, and social interaction). The empirical data for this study comes from the author's analysis and participation in a diverse range of alternative social media sites, including Twister, Diaspora, Ello, GNU social, and several Dark Web social media systems, as well as interviews with alternative social media creators and users.
Alterations in Spectral Attributes of Surface Electromyograms after Utilization of a Foot Drop Stimulator during Post-Stroke Gait.

Background: A foot drop stimulator (FDS) is a rehabilitation intervention that stimulates the common peroneal nerve to facilitate ankle dorsiflexion at the appropriate time during post-stroke hemiplegic gait. Time-frequency analysis of nonstationary surface electromyograms (EMG) and spectral variables such as instantaneous mean frequency (IMNF) can provide valuable information on the long term effects of FDS intervention in terms of changes in the motor unit (MU) recruitment during gait, secondary to improved dorsiflexion. Objective: To apply a wavelet based time-frequency analysis approach to assess the changes in neuromuscular activation of the tibialis anterior (TA), soleus (SOL) and gastrocnemius (GA) muscles after utilization of a FDS during gait post stroke. Methods: Surface EMG were collected bilaterally from the TA, SOL and GA muscles from 6 participants (142.9±103.3 months post stroke) while walking without the FDS at baseline and 6 months post FDS utilization. Continuous wavelet transform (CWT) was performed to get the averaged time-frequency distribution of band pass filtered (20-300 Hz) EMGs during multiple walking trials. IMNFs were computed during normalized gait and were averaged during the stance and swing phases. Percent changes in the energies associated with each frequency band of 25 Hz between 25 to 300 Hz were computed and compared between visits. Results: Averaged time-frequency representations of the affected TA, SOL and GA EMG show altered spectral attributes post FDS utilization during normalized gait. The mean IMNF values for the affected TA were significantly lower than the unaffected TA at baseline (p=0.026) and follow up (p=0.038) during normalized stance. The mean IMNF values significantly increased (p=0.017) for the affected GA at follow up during normalized swing. The frequency band of 250-275 Hz significantly increased in the energies post FDS utilization for all muscles. Conclusions: The application of wavelet based time-frequency analysis of EMG and outcome measures (IMNF, energy) extracted from the time-frequency distributions suggest alterations in MU recruitment strategies after the use of FDS in individuals with chronic stroke. This further establishes the efficacy of FDS as a rehabilitation intervention that may promote motor recovery in addition to treating the secondary complications of foot drop due to post-stroke hemiplegia.
Association between ABO blood type and live-birth outcomes in single-embryo transfer cycles.

Objective To investigate the association between ABO blood type and live-birth outcomes in patients undergoing IVF with day 5 single-embryo transfer (SET). Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting University-affiliated center. Patient(s) Normal responders, Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Live-birth rate was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were birth weight and gestational age at delivery. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between blood type and live birth, while controlling for confounders. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for live birth were estimated. Result(s) A total of 2,329 patients were included. The mean age of the study cohort was 34.6 ± 4.78 years. The distribution of blood types was as follows: A=897 (38.5%); B=397 (17.0%); AB=120 (5.2%); and, O=1,915 (39.3%) patients. There was no difference in the baseline demographics, ovarian stimulation, or embryo quality parameters between the blood types. The unadjusted ORs for live birth when comparing blood type A (referent) with blood types B, AB, and O were 0.96 (95% CI, 0.6–1.7), 0.72 (95% CI, 0.4–1.2), and 0.96 (95% CI. 0.6–1.7), respectively. The adjusted ORs for live birth remained not significant when comparing blood type A to blood types B, AB, and O individually. No difference in birth weight or gestational age at delivery was noted among the four blood types. Conclusion(s) Our findings suggest that ABO blood type is not associated with live-birth rate, birth weight, or gestational age at delivery in patients undergoing IVF with day 5 SET.
Direct acting antivirals for the treatment of hepatitis C in ethnic minority populations.

Introduction: Direct acting antivirals (DAA’s) have revolutionized the treatment of hepatitis C (HCV). However, questions persist concerning their efficacy in minority populations.Areas covered: In...
Laser Emission Microscopy: A Novel Tool for High-contrast Cancer Screening with Nuclear Biomarkers

We developed a scanning laser-emission microscope capable of mapping lasing emission from nuclear biomarkers in both frozen and paraffin-embedded human tissues, which may open a new field in bioimaging with unprecedented contrast for cancer screening, immunodiagnosis, and cell biology.
Identification and hormonal control of sex steroid receptors in the eye

During the past several decades, it has become quite evident that androgens, estrogens and progestins may exert a significant influence on the structure and/or function of a variety of ocular tissues, including the lacrimal gland, meibomian gland, conjunctiva, goblet cells, cornea, anterior chamber, lens and/or retina.1,2 The nature of these sex steroid effects appears to involve modulation of such ocular parameters as tissue morphology, gene expression, protein synthesis, lipid production, mucous secretion, aqueous tear output, tear film stability, immunological activity, corneal curvature, aqueous humor outflow and visual acuity.1,2 In addition, these hormones have been proposed as topical therapies for such conditions as dry eye syndromes (both aqueous-deficient and evaporative), corneal wound healing and high intraocular pressure.1,3,4 However, despite these findings, very little information exists concerning the precise target cells for sex steroid action, the specific ocular processes controlled by these hormones, or the mechanisms (e.g. classical vs. non-classical) underlying potential sex steroid-eye interactions.