cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Understanding how social worker compassion fatigue and years of experience shape custodial decisions

Abstract Background Compassion fatigue (i.e., a worker’s diminished ability to empathize with clients) is common among “helping workers” and can result in psychological detachment from clients as a coping mechanism. Objective In the present research, we explored the relationship between social workers’ compassion fatigue and years of job experience on hypothetical child custody case judgments. Participants and setting In two separate studies, individuals with experience working with children in child dependency court (predominantly social workers, Study 1: N = 173, Study 2: N = 119) were recruited on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and read a vignette depicting a mother attempting to regain custody. Results Supporting hypotheses, compassion fatigue significantly mediated the relationship between increased years of social worker job experience on recommendations that a neglectful mother receive custody, Indirect Effect = .06, CIs [.026, .127] (Study 1). We also found preliminary support for our hypothesized theoretically derived serial path model, in which (a) social worker compassion fatigue predicts anticipated secondary traumatic stress associated with the child neglect case, B = .54, p = .0001; (b) secondary traumatic stress predicts detachment from the neglected child, B = .27, p = .0003; (c) detachment from the child predicts job efficacy cynicism B = .65, p Conclusion Our research shows that compassion fatigue among social workers may change the lens through which they perceive cases of child abuse.
Stable logarithmic maps to Deligne{Faltings pairs I

We introduce a new compactication of the space of relative stable maps. This approach uses logarithmic geoemetry in the sense of Kato-FontaineIllusie without taking expansions of the target. The underlying structures of the stable logarithmic maps are stable in the usual sense.
Some thoughts about the challenge of inferring ecological interactions from spatial data.

Dr. Luis Escobar asked me to provide a joint review of the submissions by Stephens et al. (2019, this issue) and Peterson et al. (2019, this issue). I pulled thoughts together, but by the time I sent them along, he had received other reviews and made an editorial decision. He felt my perspective might nevertheless warrant publishing as a commentary alongside these two pieces. My review was of the original submissions, which are now appearing with minor, mainly cosmetic changes. I have only lightly edited the text of my review, and added a few additional thoughts and pertinent references. Neither group of authors has seen my commentary, and so I am responsible for any omissions or lapses in interpretation. The protocol developed by Stephens seems to me a potentially valuable exploratory tool in describing patterns of co-occurrence, but I note several potential problems in identifying interactions usingsolely this protocol. I also gently disagree with Peterson et al., who state flatly that co-occurrence data can shed no light at all on interspecific interactions. I suggest there are a number of counter-examples to this claim in the literature. I argue that spatiotemporal data, when available, iprovide a much more powerful tool for discerning interactions, than do staticspatial data. Finally, I use a simple thought experiment to point out that biotic drivers could be playing a key causal role in limitnig distributions, even in equisitlvely accurate SDMs that use only abiotic (scenopoetic) data as input data.
Enhanced shrub growth in the Arctic increases habitat connectivity for browsing herbivores.

Habitat connectivity is a key factor influencing species range dynamics. Rapid warming in the Arctic is leading to widespread heterogeneous shrub expansion, but impacts of these habitat changes on range dynamics for large herbivores are not well understood. We use the climate-shrub-moose system of northern Alaska as a case study to examine how shrub habitat will respond to predicted future warming, and how these changes may impact habitat connectivity and the distribution of moose (Alces alces). We used a 19 year moose location dataset, a 568 km transect of field shrub sampling, and forecasted warming scenarios with regional downscaling to map current and projected shrub habitat for moose on the North Slope of Alaska. The tall-shrub habitat for moose exhibited a dendritic spatial configuration correlated with river corridor networks and mean July temperature. Warming scenarios predict that moose habitat will more than double by 2099. Forecasted warming is predicted to increase the spatial cohesion of the habitat network that diminishes effects of fragmentation, which improves overall habitat quality and likely expands the range of moose. These findings demonstrate how climate change may increase habitat connectivity and alter the distributions of shrub herbivores in the Arctic, including creation of novel communities and ecosystems.
Delayed occult gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to ulcer at site of neonatal ileoileostomy

Abstract Meconium peritonitis occurs in neonates after an in-utero bowel perforation. It can sometimes be treated initially with peritoneal drainage, and usually will also require a laparotomy, possibly with enterostomy, in order to evacuate remaining intraluminal meconium to relieve the resulting bowel obstruction. In most neonates with enterostomies, the stoma can be closed and intestinal continuity restored when the patient has reached a sufficient weight and is healthy. Stricture of the anastomosis in such cases is a well-known complication. However, gastrointestinal bleeding from the anastomotic site is less common. Here, we present the case of a young lady who had a neonatal ileostomy followed by ileostomy closure, who developed chronic anemia from occult GI bleeding that did not present for more than a decade. An extensive workup revealed bleeding from the ileoileostomy site, diagnosed during a combined exploratory laparotomy and push enteroscopy procedure. It was treated by segmental small bowel resection with primary anastomosis.
Resonance of Droplets in Constricted Capillary Tubes: Critical Factors and Nonlinearity

A stationary nonwetting droplet in a constricted tube can attain resonance in response to external seismic stimulation. Key parameters controlling droplet resonance are analyzed through a proposed theoretical model. The nonlinear effect of a fluid system on the resonance is also addressed.
EGFR in enterocytes & endothelium and HIF1α in enterocytes are dispensable for massive small bowel resection induced angiogenesis.

Background: Short bowel syndrome (SBS) results from significant loss of small intestinal length. In response to this loss, adaptation occurs, with Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) being a key driver. Besides enhanced enterocyte proliferation, we have revealed that adaptation is associated with angiogenesis. Further, we have found that small bowel resection (SBR) is associated with diminished oxygen delivery and elevated levels of hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF1α). Methods: We ablated EGFR in the epithelium and endothelium as well as HIF1α in the epithelium, ostensibly the most hypoxic element. Using these mice, we determined the effects of these genetic manipulations on intestinal blood flow after SBR using photoacoustic microscopy (PAM), intestinal adaptation and angiogenic responses. Then, given that endothelial cells require a stromal support cell for efficient vascularization, we ablated EGFR expression in intestinal subepithelial myofibroblasts (ISEMFs) to determine its effects on angiogenesis in a microfluidic model of human small intestine. Results: Despite immediate increased demand in oxygen extraction fraction measured by PAM in all mouse lines, were no differences in enterocyte and endothelial cell EGFR knockouts or enterocyte HIF1α knockouts by POD3. Submucosal capillary density was also unchanged by POD7 in all mouse lines. Additionally, EGFR silencing in ISEMFs did not impact vascular network development in a microfluidic device of human small intestine. Conclusions: Overall, despite the importance of EGFR in facilitating intestinal adaptation after SBR, it had no impact on angiogenesis in three cell types–enterocytes, endothelial cells, and ISEMFs. Epithelial ablation of HIF1α also had no impact on angiogenesis in the setting of SBS.
Management of Leaf Rust and Stripe Rust in Hard Red Spring Wheat at Different Timings of Disease Onset

Stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) and leaf rust (Puccinia triticina) can cause significant yield reductions to hard red spring wheat (HRSW) in North Dakota (ND). The use of host res...
Enhanced intersystem crossing of boron dipyrromethene by TEMPO radical.

Radical enhanced intersystem crossing (EISC) of organic chromophores is an important approach to generate a long-lived triplet state for various electronic and optoelectronic applications. However, structural factors and design rules to promote EISC are not entirely clear. In this work, we report a series of boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivatives covalently linked with a 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxyl (TEMPO) radical with varying distances and topologies. We show that the incorporation of the TEMPO radical to BODIPY results in strong fluorescence quenching by up to 85% as a result of EISC and enhanced internal conversion. In BDP-2AR [2-(4-methyleneamino-TEMPO) BODIPY], a dyad with the shortest BODIPY–TEMPO through-bond distance, we observe the fastest EISC rate (τisc = 1.4 ns) and the longest triplet excited state lifetime (τT = 32 µs) compared to other distance and geometry variations. Contrary to previous reports and a general presumption, the BODIPY–TEMPO through-bond distance in this system does not play a significant role on the triplet formation rate and yield. Density functional theory suggests a folding of the TEMPO radical to form a sandwich-like structure with a BODIPY ring that leads to a decrease in the through-space distance, providing a new and an interesting insight for the radical enhanced intersystem.
The benefits of privatization : evidence from Mexico

Critics of privatization often argue that its benefits come at a high cost to society. The authors test the validity of this criticism for Mexico's privatization program, one of the world's largest case-by-case programs. Assessing the performance of newly privatized firms in such areas as profitability and efficiency, they find that these firms quickly close the gap with their peers in the private sector. Their findings suggest that the firms' profit gains come from productivity gains (52 percent), layoffs (33 percent), and higher prices (15 percent).
43. Cell-based modeling of mechanical and chemical stress in tissues during cryoprotocols

Since Mazur’s work a half century ago, modeling of the biophysical processes of single cell cryopreservation has been successful in providing a theoretical groundwork for cryopreservation induced damage hypotheses. Important contributions have included both biophysical explanations of osmotic damage during CPA equilibration due to too aggressive or overly conservative equilibration strategies and estimation of cell injury due to intracellular ice formation through simple or complex ice-growth models. Follow up work by Mazur, Liebo and Chu presented the archetypical single cell protocol optimization using modeling, and subsequent investigators have for the most part followed in their footsteps with more sophisticated models of mass transport, cell damage and ice growth. Expanding on this work, a number of investigators have modeled unique damage pathways for cryopreserved tissues, raising important and challenging questions while providing steps towards optimal protocols. Models have included spatially dependent heat and mass transport, solidification fronts, and thermal and mechanical stresses, and a few models have combined tissue level transport with cell level damage estimators in sparsely celled articular cartilage and in simple spherically symmetrical tissue types. Most tissue modeling paradigms are cell unaware until modeling is complete: either cells are ignored in a continuum hypothesis, or are overlaid in a one-way model of tissue level transport to cell interaction. This approach precludes modeling a number of important cryobiological endpoints that are well understood at the single cell level including cell-to-cell mass transport, intercellular ice propagation, and strains on intercellular adhesion. As computational capabilities increase, cell- or agent-based multiscale modeling paradigms are becoming more realistic for understanding cell interactions, growth, and death in vivo. In these models cell interactions with their environment including cell–cell adhesive forces, transport, and growth and death through a number of mechanisms can be modeled in conjunction with classical heat and mass transport of critical solutes. Importantly from the cryobiological perspective, this approach allows modeling of cell-level tissue damage due to osmotic volume regulation, cell-to-cell ice propagation, and excitingly, the impacts of accumulated damage due to the cryopreservation process on post implantation survival at the single cell level via modeling of apoptotic, necrotic and other pathways. Here we summarize classical tissue cryopreservation modeling and successful approaches to individual cell damage modeling and optimization, and present our vision for the future of tissue and organ cryopreservation modeling and optimization.
Biological Electron Transfer: A Possible Framework for Some of the Biological Effects of ELF Magnetic Fields?

The observed biological effects of ELF fields include changes in calcium efflux; gene transcription, oxidative bursts in neutrophils and changes in cell responses to agents such as hormones and growth factors. Some features that characterize the body of observations especially from the point of view of physics are: 1. The cell can respond to energy input that is low compared to the thermal collision energy, kT. 2. The response is selective in many ways: the biological response is dependent on the state of activity of cells or system at initiation of field exposure; the most relevant field variable is not always the field strength. Depending on the system and response, characteristics of the field such as the frequency, rate of switching on and the background DC magnetic fields are determinants of the response. In particular, the time characteristics of the field seems to affect the biology in peculiar ways.
Role of Low-Affinity Fc Receptors in Antibody-dependent Tumor Cell Phagocytosis by Human Monocyte-derived Macrophages

Human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) mediate efficient antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against a variety of human tumor cell types in the presence of an anti-tumor monoclonal antibody. We have recently shown that the mechanism of this ADCC in our in vitro system involves phagocytosis of intact tumor cells. Some forms of macrophage ADCC have been reported to be inhibited by serum immunoglobulin, which competes with monoclonal antibodies for binding to the high-affinity Fc receptor (FcRI). In this study we investigated the role of the three macrophage FcR-gamma in antibody-dependent tumor cell phagocytosis. Hybridoma cells bearing surface antibody directed against either of the two low-affinity Fc receptors (FcRII or FcRIII) were efficiently phagocytosed by MDM, compared to hybridomas bearing irrelevant antibody. Soluble anti-receptor antibodies against FcRII and FcRIII were able to inhibit ADCC but only when both antibodies were simultaneously present. These data suggest that either low-affinity Fc receptor is capable of functioning independently to mediate phagocytosis of tumor cells. Consistent with a mechanism involving the low-affinity receptors rather than FcRI, antibody-dependent phagocytosis occurred in the presence of human serum, purified human IgG, and irrelevant murine antibody. Greater than 75% of the MDM in our culture system were able to ingest tumor cells when a suitable target was available. Optimal phagocytosis occurred at monoclonal antibody concentrations of 10-100 ng/ml. Like other forms of macrophage phagocytosis, ingestion of tumor cells required the presence of divalent cations (either Ca2+ or Mg2+) and an intact actin cytoskeleton (as indicated by sensitivity to cytochalasin D). Because FcRI is normally occupied in vivo by serum immunoglobulin, the participation of low-affinity FcR in tumor cell phagocytosis is potentially important in establishing the in vivo applicability of this efficient form of cytotoxicity.
Shortenings: Types and Formulations

Shortening was once the reference to naturally occurring fats that are solid at room temperature and were used to “shorten” or tenderize baked foods. The material makeup of shortening has changed from a natural fat to blends of oils with hard fats to hydrogenated liquid oils to blend with additives such as emulsifiers, antioxidants, antifoamers, metal scavengers, and antispattering agents. Shortenings are still intended to tenderize baked goods and to provide other functional attributes. Today’s shortenings are essential ingredients in every type of prepared food product. Shortenings affect the structure, stability, flavor, storage quality, eating characteristics, and eye appeal of the foods prepared. Specific topics discussed in this chapter are source oils, shortening attributes, a base stock system that uses a limited number of hydrogenated stocks for blending, formulations, crystallization, plasticized shortening consistency, liquid opaque shortenings, and shortening chips and flakes. Keywords: shortenings; source oils; flavor; characteristics; chemical adjuncts; emulsifiers; base stock; formulations; liquid shortening; flakes; chips; crystallization; consistency; liquid opaque shortenings
Training at the Collegiate and Precollegiate Interface: STRIKE as an Example

From 1974 to 1976, Morehouse College operated a program designed to increase the pool of minority students in a pathway leading to health careers. This program was a high-school program operated from the base of eight predominantly black high schools in the city of Atlanta.
Bayesian evaluation of groundwater age distribution using radioactive tracers and anthropogenic chemicals

[1] The development of a Bayesian modeling approach for estimation of the age distribution of groundwater using radioactive isotopes and anthropogenic chemicals is described. The model considers the uncertainties associated with the measured tracer concentrations as well as the parameters affecting the concentration of tracers in the groundwater, and it provides the posterior probability densities of the parameters defining the groundwater age distribution using a Markov chain Monte Carlo method. The model also incorporates the effect of dissolution of aquifer minerals on diluting the 14C signature and the uncertainties associated with this process on the inferred age distribution parameters. Two demonstration modeling cases have been performed. First, the method was applied to simulated tracer concentrations at a discharge point of a hypothetical 2-D vertical aquifer with two recharge zones, leading to a mixed groundwater age distribution under different presumed uncertainties. When the error variance of the observed tracer concentrations is considered unknown, the method can estimate the parameters of the fitted exponential-lognormal distribution with a relatively narrow credible interval when five hypothetical samples are assumed to be collected at the discharge point. However, when a single sample is assumed, the credible intervals become wider, and credible estimations of the parameters are not obtained. Second, the method was applied to the data collected at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. In this demonstration application, nine different forms of presumed groundwater age distributions have been considered, including four single forms and five mixed forms, assuming the groundwater consists of distinct young and old fractions. For the medium geometrical standard deviationδc,i = 1.41, the model estimates a young groundwater age of between 0 and 350 years, with the largest odds being given to a mean age of approximately 100 years, and a fraction of young groundwater of between 15% to roughly 60%, with the largest odds for 30%. However, the method cannot definitively rule out larger fractions of young groundwater. The model provides a much more uncertain estimation of the age of old groundwater, with a credible interval of between 20,000 to 200,000 years.
A psychologist's response

Abstract Wisner's article engenders two conflicting reactions in the reader. The first is irritation at the exaggerations and generalizations about both technology and librarianship; the second is sympathy for his reactions to the ramifications of the technological change for the profession and for society. Perhaps reality lies somewhere in between.
A Stirling engine for use with lower quality fuels

Abstract A Stirling engine for use with lower quality fuels was designed. The design is a derivative of the GPU-3 (ground power unit-3), modified to be used with a lower combustion gas temperature (900 °C). It is to be used in a generator set producing 5 kWe. The engine model used is based off of the ideal adiabatic model with decoupled loss mechanisms. Single-cylinder and two-cylinder engines were analyzed using a preheater and CGR (combustion gas recirculation). The analysis shows that the external surface area of the heater plays a very important role in determining the system performance. Maximum system efficiency was found by significantly increasing the surface area at the expense of increased dead volume. A single-cylinder configuration was found to offer the best combination of system efficiency (23.6%) and manufacturing cost.
A dynamic simulation based water resources education tool

Educational tools to assist the public in recognizing impacts of water policy in a realistic context are not generally available. This project developed systems with modeling-based educational decision support simulation tools to satisfy this need. The goal of this model is to teach undergraduate students and the general public about the implications of common water management alternatives so that they can better understand or become involved in water policy and make more knowledgeable personal or community decisions. The model is based on Powersim, a dynamic simulation software package capable of producing web-accessible, intuitive, graphic, user-friendly interfaces. Modules are included to represent residential, agricultural, industrial, and turf uses, as well as non-market values, water quality, reservoir, flow, and climate conditions. Supplementary materials emphasize important concepts and lead learners through the model, culminating in an open-ended water management project. The model is used in a University of Arizona undergraduate class and within the Arizona Master Watershed Stewards Program. Evaluation results demonstrated improved understanding of concepts and system interactions, fulfilling the project's objectives.
Annihilation mechanisms in thin film grain growth

Abstract Grain growth in succinonitrile thin films is dominated by topological effects [ Scripta Metall. Mater. 30 (1994) 633 ; Metall. Mater. Trans. A 26 (1995) 1061 ; Philos. Mag. 79(4) (1999) 763 ]. The topological transformations are effected by the shortened length of the grain boundaries [ R.T. De Hoff, in: H. Weiland, B.L. Adams, A.D. Rollet, Grain Growth in Polycrystalline Materials III, TMS, 1998, p. 225 ; Acta Mater. 48 (1998) 5175 ]. To explain how these events occur in three dimensions each face of a grain is assumed to behave as predicted by Smith [ Metal Interf. 3 (1952) 65 ; Contemporary Phys. 25 (1984) 59 ], and placed in the context of work by Fortes and Ferro [ Acta Metall. 33 (1985) 1697; 1683 ].
Richard Lower, M.D., Physician and Surgeon (1631–1691)

Richard Lower (1631-1691) was a follower of William Harvey and conducted extensive studies of the physiology of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. He employed surgery as a key component of his experimental work. He described and employed cardiac massage and maintained arterial oxygenation through positive-pressure respiration. Making good use of these procedures, he established the role of the lungs in the "admixture of air" to the blood. Lower performed exchange transfusion in dogs and transfused the blood of a sheep into a human. He recognized the role of blood transfusion in replacing blood lost from hemorrhage or other causes. In his work on exchange transfusion, he employed extracorporeal vascular conduits, including arterial heterografts. Through surgical experiments he established that all mesenteric lymph passes through the thoracic duct to the subclavian vein. He performed a variety of procedures through an open thorax, closed the thoracotomy, and observed the animals over a period of days. Lower has not received the recognition he deserves as a pioneer surgical investigator.
Review of Conflicts of Interest and the Future of Medicine: The United States, France, and Japan

This book examines and contrasts the roots of medical conflicts-of-interest in three market economy countries (United States, France and Japan) and provides a wealth of useful background information. The author draws on currently complex and/or non-regulated aspects of medical practice which can give rise to conflicts-of-interest and impact health-care costs and patient health. Remedial and legislative actions are examined and proposed for each country. The author presents an in-depth historical analysis and current situation of the physician patient-centered conflict-of-interest problems in a well-researched and written academic style.
Viscosities and normal stress coefficients of high impact polystyrene‐mineral oil mixtures

Measured melt viscosities and primary normal stress coefficients are presented for a well-characterized, rubbermodified polystyrene as a function of shear rate and mineral oil diluent concentration. The logarithmic blending relationship accurately predicts the observed data. Melt relaxation times and shear compliance data are also calculated. The compliance numbers are consistent with molecular models based on a simple dumbbell (appropriately modified for rubber and mineral oil addition).
Time-delayed 2-Pulse Studies of MALDI Matrix Ionization Mechanisms

Individually subthreshold, time-delayed 355 nm laser pulses were used to investigate matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) ion formation time scales for the matrix 2,5 dihydroxybenzoic acid. With 30 ps pulses, it was possible to identify a prompt, subnanosecond, mechanism and a slow, nanosecond, process involving at least two steps.
180 degree n-p cross sections for fast neutron measurements with counter telescopes

Abstract The validity of phase shift predictions for the 180° cross sections of 1 H(n, n) 1 H needed in recoil-proton neutron counter telescope measurements was tested experimentally at 25.30 and 31.06 MeV. For these two energies absolute center-of-mass cross sections of (34.6±0.9) mb/sr and (29.1±1.0) mb/sr, respectively, were obtained by comparing the proton yields in a counter telescope with the neutron flux measured with a calibrated time-of-flight system and by subsequent normalization to the well established value of 62.9 mb/sr for neutrons of 12.83 MeV. Contrary to previous counter telescope measurements of neutrons from the 3 H(d, n) 4 He reaction with energies above 20 MeV, these results are consistent with phase shift predictions. Too low values of older measurements may have been caused by a background from extraneous protons, e.g., originating from the water spray used to cool the tritium target.
Spectrally resolved imaging of the transverse modes in multimode VCSELs

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) enable a range of applications such as data transmission, trace sensing, atomic clocks, and optical mice. For many of these applications, the output power and beam quality are both critical (i.e. high output power with good beam quality is desired). Multi-mode VCSELs offer much higher power than single-mode devices, but this comes at the expense of lower beam quality. Directly observing the resolved mode structure of multi-mode VCSELs would enable engineers to better understand the underlying physics and help them to develop multi-mode devices with improved beam quality. In this work, a low-cost, high-resolution (<3 pm) Echelle grating spectrometer system is used to map the two-dimensional VCSEL near-field emission profile. The system spectrally disperses the VCSEL beam and images it with high magnification onto a CMOS camera. The narrow spectral content of each LP mode allows direct observation of the modal content of the VCSEL.
A new x-ray scatter reduction method based on frequency division multiplexing x-ray imaging technique

X-ray scatter may significantly degrade imaging performance in x-ray radiography applications, including flatpanel detector-based x-ray imaging, tomosynthesis, and cone-beam CT (CBCT), primarily due to their large projection field sizes. It results in soft tissue contrast reduction, potentially severe image artifacts, and increased patient dose. Several different approaches have been developed to reject the scatter contributions, including analytical calculation, empirical algorithms, Monte-Carlo simulation, blocker based measurement, and slot scan technique. We recently developed a new x-ray scatter rejection method based on nanotechnology-enabled frequency division multiplexing x-ray (FDMX) imaging technique. The key enabling technology is the carbon nanotube (CNT)-based multi-beam field emission x-ray (MBFEX) source technology. The proposed FDMX imaging system has a MBFEX source with an array of x-ray tubes. The x-ray radiation from each individual x-ray tube is modulated at a certain given frequency. The collimated x-ray beams passed through the object and were captured by a high speed x-ray detector. A demultiplexing algorithm was applied to reject the scatter radiation from the primary radiation based on their different modulation frequencies. The x-ray images generated by the FDMX imaging technique clearly demonstrated improved imaging quality in terms of lower scatter-to-primary-ratio (SPR) and higher contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR). It shows great potential of improving x-ray imaging performance and reducing patient dose.
Cellular size as a means of tracking mTOR activity and cell fate of CD4+ T cells upon antigen recognition.

mTOR is a central integrator of metabolic and immunological stimuli, dictating immune cell activation, proliferation and differentiation. In this study, we demonstrate that within a clonal population of activated T cells, there exist both mTORhi and mTORlo cells exhibiting highly divergent metabolic and immunologic functions. By taking advantage of the role of mTOR activation in controlling cellular size, we demonstrate that upon antigen recognition, mTORhi CD4+ T cells are destined to become highly glycolytic effector cells. Conversely, mTORlo T cells preferentially develop into long-lived cells that express high levels of Bcl-2, CD25, and CD62L. Furthermore, mTORlo T cells have a greater propensity to differentiate into suppressive Foxp3+ T regulatory cells, and this paradigm was also observed in human CD4+ T cells. Overall, these studies provide the opportunity to track the development of effector and memory T cells from naive precursors, as well as facilitate the interrogation of immunologic and metabolic programs that inform these fates.
Room-Temperature Healing of a Thermosetting Polymer Using the Diels−Alder Reaction

Self-healing materials are particularly desirable for load-bearing applications because they offer the potential for increased safety and material lifetimes. A furan-functionalized polymer network was designed that can heal via covalent bonding across the crack surface with the use of a healing agent consisting of a bismaleimide in solution. Average healing efficiencies of approximately 70% were observed. The healing ability of fiber-reinforced composite specimens was investigated with flexural, short beam shear, and double cantilever beam specimens. It was found that solvent amount and maleimide concentration play key roles in determining healing efficiency.
Demonstration of human T-cell lymphotrophic virus type I (HTLV-I) from an HTLV-I seronegative South Indian patient with chronic, progessive spastic paraparesis

Here we describe a human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) seronegative patient from South India with a chronic, progressive spastic paraparesis from which HTLV-I has been isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes. HTLV-I pol and tax viral sequences were detected in DNA from fresh peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and liquid hybridization techniques. Southern blot analysis of the PCR products demonstrated a low copy number of HTLV-I at the level of one viral copy per 10,000 fresh PBL. A long-term CD4+ T-cell line was established from PBL of this patient using recombinant interleukin-2, OKT3, and feeder cells. DNA from these cultured lines was amplified and portions of the HTLV-I long terminal repeat (U3), pol, env, and tax regions were sequenced (a total of 1,115 bp). The sequence data showed that the HTLV-I associated with this patient was 98.8% homologous to prototype HTLV-I. Southern blot analysis also confirmed the presence of full-length HTLV-I. These results indicate that HTLV-I can be demonstrated in an HTLV-I seronegative patient from South India with a chronic progressive neurological disorder.
Fluid-controlled faulting process in the Asal Rift, Djibouti, from 8 yr of radar interferometry observations

The deformation in the Asal Rift (Djibouti) is characterized by magmatic inflation, diking, distributed extension, fissure opening, and normal faulting. An 8 yr time line of surface displacement maps covering the rift, constructed using radar interferometry data acquired by the Canadian satellite Radarsat between 1997 and 2005, reveals the aseismic behavior of faults and its relation with bursts of microseismicity. The observed ground movements show the asymmetric subsidence of the inner floor of the rift with respect to the bordering shoulders accommodated by slip on three of the main active faults. Fault slip occurs both as steady creep and during sudden slip events accompanied by an increase in the seismicity rate around the slipping fault and the Fieale volcanic center. Slip distribution along fault strike shows triangular sections, a pattern not explained by simple elastic dislocation theory. These observations suggest that the Asal Rift faults are in a critical failure state and respond instantly to small pressure changes in fluid-filled fractures connected to the faults, reducing the effective normal stress on their locked section at depth.
A Spatial-Temporal Modeling Approach to Reconstructing Land-Cover Change Trajectories from Multi-temporal Satellite Imagery

Temporal trajectories of land-cover change provide important information on landscape dynamics that are critical to our understanding of complex human–environment adaptive systems. The increasing availability of long time series of satellite images, especially the recent free release of multi-decadal Landsat satellite archive, presents a great opportunity to improve our ability to detect land-cover change over multiple dates and advance land change science. In this article, a spatial-temporal modeling approach is developed for reconstructing land-cover change trajectories from time series of satellite images. The change detection method represents an enhancement to the conventional post-classification comparison. The key innovation lies in the use of Markov random field theory to model spatial-temporal contextual information explicitly in the classification of time series images. When evaluated using a time series of seven Landsat images in a case study of southeast Ohio, the spatial-temporal modeling app...
An Evaluation of Clinical Tooth Mobility Measurements

This study evaluated the reliability and reproducibility of the modified Miller Index of horizontal tooth mobility. Each of three periodontists utilizing the modified Miller Index assessed the horizontal tooth mobility of 50 teeth in five subjects. The same teeth were also evaluated by the periodontometer. The results of these two methods were then compared. It was found that: (1) there were a high positive correlation between the periodontists' (pooled) assessment of clinical tooth mobility and the measurements of the periodontometer, (2) in any given patient the three periodontists (pooled) were highly accurate in their ability to rank teeth in order of their mobility as determined by the periodontometer, and (3) the periodontists (individually) were not as consistent when comparing teeth with the Miller Index across different subjects. The periodontists did not accurately utilize the Miller Index as it was originally described. It appears that the periodontists either ignored the reference to 1 mm in the description of the Miller Index, or they were unable to estimate what constitutes 1 mm of movemnet in the mouth. The periodontists all consistently scored as a 2 degrees mobility a tooth that moved approximately 0.5 mm not 1.0 mm as described by Miller. It is suggested that the modified Miller Index as described here provides an efficacious system for evaluating horizontal tooth mobility. It provides accurate, reproducible mobility scores in clinical studies requiring an estimation of this parameter. However, for individual teeth, when the clinician or researcher is trying to evaluate the effects of therapy on the periodontium and relatively few evaluation are made, the modified Miller Index may not provide the required degree of sensitively.
The beginnings of geographical information systems: a personal historical perspective

This paper describes activities at the Harvard Laboratory for Computer Graphics in the years 1963–1970, during which I was a participating member. Among them I and my collaborators conducted some of the earliest experiments in the development and application of GIS.
Use of Photoreactive Substrates for Characterization of Lysophosphatidate Acyltransferases from Developing Soybean Cotyledons

Abstract Photoreactive lipid analogs, namely, 1-acyl-2-(12-azidooleoyl)glycero-3-phosphocholine (N3-PC) and 1-acyl-2-(12-axidooleoyl)glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (N3-PE) have been synthesized as previously described [R. Rajasekharan and J. D. Kemp (1994) J. Lipid Res. 35, 45-51]. Azidophosphatidic acid was produced by hydrolyzing N3-PC with phospholipase D. All of the lysophospholipid analogs, 2-(12-azidooleoyl)glycero-3-phosphate (N3-LPA), 2-(12-azidooleoyl)glycero-3-phosphocholine (N3-LPC), and 2-(12-azidooleoyl)glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (N3-LPE), were produced from appropriate azidophospholipids by lipase treatment. The photoactive lysophospholipid analogs were recognized as substrates by acyltransferases in the dark and as irreversible inhibitors after photolysis with uv light. The photoinactivation of acyltransferases by azidolysophospholipids was protected by the addition of natural lysophospholipids. Incubation of developing soybean microsomal membranes with N3-LPA followed by photolysis resulted in 69% inhibition of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) acyltransferase and also had significant inhibitory effects on lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) acyltransferases, indicating that the LPA analog interacts with all the lysophospholipid acyltransferases. When the membranes were photolyzed with N3-LPC or N3-LPE and assayed, the membranes showed approximately 50% inactivation of LPC and LPE acyltransferase activities, whereas LPA acyltransferase was unaffected, suggesting that a single enzyme might acylate both LPC and LPE. The recognition of these photoreactive lipid analogs by acyltransferases will facilitate the identification and purification of these membrane-bound enzymes.
Effects of early experiences on shock-and illness-induced passive avoidance behaviors.

Rats were either handled, shocked, or unmanipulated during the preweaning period or during the 21 days immediately following weaning. At maturity animals were tested in 2 passive avoidance situations. Half the animals were first tested in an illness-induced taste aversion situation using sour water as the CS and different doses of cyclophosphamide as the US. The remaining animals were first tested in a 1-trial passive avoidance situation using a “step-through” apparatus and a single electric shock. Early experience had no effect on the development of a taste aversion at any dosage of cyclophosphamide. Prior conditioning of a taste aversion did influence performance in the step-through avoidance situation. Fewer of these previously conditioned animals attained the training criterion and, within this previously conditioned population, the handled groups displayed less “emotional” behavior than the controls. Response latencies in the shock-induced passive avoidance test did not differentiate between handled and shocked animals. Animals manipulated prior to weaning had consistently shorter latencies than the unmanipulated controls.
Optimum doses and mask thickness for synchrotron exposure of PMMA resists

Minimizing mask absorber thickness is an important practical concern in producing very small features by the LIGA process. To assist in this minimization, we have developed coupled numerical models describing both the exposure and subsequent development of a thick PMMA resist. The exposure model addresses multi-wavelength, 1D x-ray transmission through multiple beam filters, through the mask substrate and absorber, and the subsequent attenuation and photon absorption in the PMMA target. The development model describes 1D dissolution of a feature and its sidewalls, taking into account the variation in absorbed dose through the PMMA thickness. These exposure and development models are coupled in a single interactive code, permitting the automated adjustment of mask absorber thickness to yield a prescribed sidewall taper or dissolution distance.We have used this tool to compute the minimum required absorber thickness for exposures performed at the ALS, SSRL and NSLS synchrotron sources. Results are presented as a function of the absorbed dose for a range of the prescribed sidewall tolerance, feature size, PMMA thickness, mask substrate thickness and the development temperature.
Superlinear convolution equations in RN

Abstract We give existence results for convolution equations u + κ * g ( · , u ) = v on R N , based on degree theory for Fredholm mappings of index 0. Existence is obtained in Orlicz–Sobolev spaces W 1 L A adapted to the nonlinearity g and, by a limiting process and under weaker conditions, in L loc 1 . The case of R + N (Volterra equations) is also treated and applications to PDEs of the form P ( D ) u + Q ( D ) g ( · , u ) = f are discussed.
Use of mobile application to improve active learning and student participation in the computer science classroom (abstract only)

This poster addresses a significant learning barrier experienced at many CS departments, specially at predominantly minority institutions, which is the problem of students? inability to keep engaged and interested in classroom. In this research, we investigate the applicability of using mobile devices in the classroom and incorporation of interactive problem solving using those devices to increase class engagement and active learning for students. By allowing the students to solve problems in their preferred devices, the research expects to create a friendly learning environment where the students want to retain, be active and skillful. The poster will present the design aspects of Mobile Response System (MRS) software that will be utilized to communicate, collaborate and evaluate interactive problems using mobile devices. The poster will also showcase several interactive problem-solving activities utilizing mobile devices and MRS software, which have been developed and are being adopted in CS and IT courses at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU). It is expected that this research will invigorate interest in Computer Science among minority and underrepresented students through exposure to the technology-rich learning environment. By enhancing student learning and problem solving abilities, it is also expected that this research work will improve the quality and quantity of underrepresented minority students in STEM workforce or graduate study. The successful execution of this project will advance research and the knowledge of mobile device usage in CS classrooms and more importantly the way it impact teaching strategy and student learning at WSSU and other institutions.
Anatomical changes of the ethmoid cavity after endoscopic sinus surgery.

Objective: Alteration of the bony architecture of the sinus cavities has been observed in chronic sinusitis. Plasticity of the ethmoid sinus framework after endoscopic surgery, however, is a newly described entity. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence and extent of changes in ethmoid size after ethmoidectomy. Study Design: Retrospective review performed at an academic medical center. Methods: Computed tomography scans performed from 2006 through 2007 at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (n = 5,131) were reviewed to identify 100 consecutive patients who underwent sinus surgery and met inclusion criteria. Seven dimensions were measured for each pre- and postoperative scan (n = 200) using Voxar 3D software. Results: Computed tomography scans performed before and 2 to 37 months after ethmoidectomy demonstrated a decrease of 1.1 ± 1.6 mm in mean ethmoid cavity width at the level of the cribriform plate and posterior globe after surgery (P 1 mm decrease in mean ethmoid width, and six patients (6%) had a decrease of >2 mm (mean 3.1 ± 0.9 mm). These findings seemed to be the result of postoperative bowing of the medial ethmoid walls with a corresponding increase in orbital volume. These volumetric changes resulted in a postoperative subclinical retrodisplacement (enophthalmos) of the globes (mean 0.2 ± 0.8 mm, P = .008). The extent of surgery, including performance of frontal recess dissection (P = .007) and total ethmoidectomy (P = .021) were found to be independent predictors of the observed changes in sinus dimensions. Conclusions: Postsurgical plasticity of the ethmoid cavity is a new concept supported by observed changes in sinus dimensions after ethmoidectomy. These changes may reflect a loss of internal structural support and forces of contracture during the postoperative healing period.