cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
"Why did you enroll in this course?": developing a standardized survey question for reasons to enroll

Understanding motivations for enrolling in MOOCs is key for personalizing and scaling the online learning experience. We develop a standardized survey item for measuring learners' reasons to enroll, based on a corpus of open-ended responses from previous course surveys. Online coders were employed in the iterative development of response options. The item was designed to minimize response biases by adhering to best practices from survey design research.
Assessment of Wind Energy for Nevada Using Towers and Mesoscale Modeling

The main objectives of the study were to support wind energy assessment for all of Nevada by providing two annual cycles of high-resolution mesoscale modeling evaluated by data from surface stations and towers, estimating differences between these annual cycles and standard wind maps, and providing wind and wind power density statistics at elevations relevant to turbine operations. In addition to the 65 existing Remote Automated Weather Stations in Nevada, four 50-m-tall meteorological towers were deployed in western Nevada to capture long-term wind characteristics and provide database input to verify and improve modeling results. The modeling methodology using Mesoscale Model 5 (MM5) was developed to provide wind and wind power density estimates representing mesoscale effects that include actual synoptic forcing during the two annual cycles (horizontal resolution on the order of 2 and 3 km). The results from the two annual simulation cycles show similar wind statistics with an average difference of less than 100 W/m2 . The available TrueWind results for the wind power density at 50 m show greater values of wind power density compared to both MM5-simulated annual cycles for most of the area. However, mainly in the Sierras and the mountainous regions of southern and eastern Nevada, the MM5 simulations indicate greater values for wind power density. The results of this study suggest that the synthesis of the data from a network of tower observations and high-resolution mesoscale modeling is a crucial tool for assessing the wind power density in Nevada and, more generally, other topographically developed areas.© 2007 ASME
Coleridge's Aids to Reflection, Print Culture, and Mediated Spiritual Community

When Coleridge wrote Aids to Reflection (1825), he believed print culture was perilously dominated by empirical and utilitarian forms of rationality and manipulative appeals to a rational reading public. By guiding future educators and authors to discover within themselves an indwelling divine Reason (Logos), Coleridge hoped to promote a reformed print network through which the nation would recognize itself as a spiritual republic of letters. To this end, Coleridge addressed young readers of Aids as if he were personally leading them into self-reflection within the classroom of his text. If Coleridge asked readers to confuse print with presence, he used this delusion to undermine a fiction he considered more dangerous – a purely mechanical universe. The new dynamic spirit in science, Coleridge claimed, demonstrated that the book a reader held depended on a level of reality at which his or her deeper self was sustained by the Logos. I argue that one graduate from the virtual academy of Aids, F. D. Maurice,...
Review of Allan H. Meltzer’s A history of the Federal Reserve, Volume 2, University of Chicago Press, 2009

Abstract This is a review of Allan Meltzer's “A History of the Federal Reserve, Volume 2.” By carefully reviewing thousands of transcripts and records, Meltzer's history lets policy makers explain their decisions in their own words, and creatively weaves historical events into a single exceptionally clear story as he did in Volume 1. In this review I first examine the book's main theme—that discretionary monetary policy failed in the Great Depression (1929–1933), in the Great Inflation (1965–1980), and in the recent Great Recession (2007–2009)—and then consider its main conclusion—that monetary policy should be based on less discretion and more rule-like behavior.
Aging Liver and Hepatitis

Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis are the tenth leading causes of death in the United States and results in approximately 25,000 deaths annually. As life expectancy in developed countries has increased, so has the number of elderly patients who have liver disease. With an aging population and chronic liver disease becoming an increasingly significant cause of morbidity and mortality, the various causes for hepatitis will need to be evaluated and available treatments considered, even in elderly population. Common causes for hepatitis in elderly individuals include viral, autoimmune, and drug-induced hepatitis, but evidence for treatment of this population is limited. This article reviews the likely causes of hepatitis in elderly individuals and discusses evidence for treating this population.
Population frequency distribution of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES III], 1988-1994).

The objective of this study was to provide population frequency distribution data for non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (total cholesterol minus HDL cholesterol) concentrations and to evaluate whether differences exist by gender, ethnicity, or level of education. Serum levels of non-HDL cholesterol and sociodemographic characteristics were determined for 3,618 black, 3,528 Mexican-American, and 6,043 white women and men, aged >/=25 years, from a national cross-sectional survey of the US population (National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey III, 1988-1994). Age-adjusted non-HDL cholesterol concentrations were lower in women than men (154.1 vs 160.4 mg/dL, p /=65 years, age was negatively associated with non-HDL cholesterol, and the slope of the association was steeper for men. Black women and men had lower non-HDL cholesterol levels than either Mexican-American or white women and men (women, p <0.02; men, p <0.001, for both ethnic contrasts). Women with less education had higher levels of non-HDL cholesterol than women with more education (p <0.01). These nationally representative population frequency distribution data provide non-HDL cholesterol reference levels for clinicians and investigators and indicate that there are significant variations in non-HDL cholesterol by gender, age, ethnicity, and level of education.
The interactive effect of influence tactic, applicant gender, and type of job on hiring recommendations

The effects of influence tactic, applicant gender, and job type were examined in the selection context. A male or female applicant used either an assertive, rational, or exchange influence tactic in a simulated job interview script for either a sales representative or cost accounting position. Three hundred four managers, (271 male and 26 female, predominantly white) evaluated the applicant and indicated the likelihood that they would recommend hiring the applicant. Results indicated that tactics were differentially effective in generating favorable hiring recommendations and ratings of the applicant, depending on whether the tactic was used by a male or female applicant and on the job type sought.
The Role of Algebra in a Modern K‐12 Curriculum† (Including a Description of the CSMP‡ Algebra Program)

Summary This paper is divided into two main parts. In the first part there is a general discussion of modern algebra and its role in the pre‐college curriculum. The second part gives a general overview of the algebra component of the CSMP K‐12 program. †This paper is based almost entirely on a talk the author gave at the Third CSMP International Conference on the Teaching of Mathematics at the Pre‐College Level: Algebra,held in Carbondale, Illinois, U.S.A. in November 1970. ‡ CSMP = Comprehensive School Mathematics Program. CSMP, located in Carbondale, Illinois, U.S.A., is one of the program activities of CEMREL, St. Ann, Missouri, U.S.A.
Developments in two-wire supervisory systems

SPECIFICATIONS for a supervisory system have been modified only slightly during the last few years, and usually require the following: reliability, low maintenance, high speed, simplicity, flexibility, minimum connecting wires, and good appearance. The requirement of minimum interconnecting wires especially is important when the control is to be extended any distance.
Investigation of a tapered fiber-photonic crystal waveguide coupler: Technology and Spectroscopy

A spectrometry technique based on a full four port modeling and measurement of a tapered fiber-photonic crystal waveguide coupler is proposed and technology implications of utilized fabrication techniques are investigated.
Unusual Benign Breast Lesions

There are a variety of unusual breast lesions that may mimic cancer on physical examination and imaging. Although the optimal management of many of these lesions remains debated in the literature, the developing modality of magnetic resonance imaging continues to provide clues to delineate these benign lesions from breast cancer. This review article discusses some of the unusual benign breast lesions that we have encountered and recommends the appropriate diagnostic work-up and treatment options for patients with such lesions.
‘We are still in the desert’: Diaspora and the (de)territorialization of identity in discursive representations of the US soldier

This paper examines the territorial organization of the US military through the lens of diaspora studies in order to explore how the dynamism of identity is implicated by the constant movement between divergent social and material territories. We contend that military identity is subjected to diasporic intersections, which are moments where identity is tethered to multiple geographies simultaneously. Through an analysis of widely circulated Western war films and narratives produced by military personnel we highlight two prominent diasporic intersections in the US military: regulation of the body and occupational identity connected to labor practices. After discussing the utility of diaspora theory for analyzing military organization, we explore the construction of diasporic intersections in micro and macro discourses, and conclude by presenting avenues for future research.
Risk management strategies in the Physicians' Desk Reference product labels for pregnancy category X drugs.

Background: Drugs that carry a concern for teratogenicity are often classified as pregnancy category X in the drug label and contraindicated for use during pregnancy. Many drug labels can be found in the Physicians’ Desk Reference (PDR), a widely used source of drug information by American clinicians and patients.
Effect of Pectin Methylesterase on Carrot (Daucus carota) Juice Cloud Stability

To determine the effect of residual enzyme activity on carrot juice cloud, 0 to 1 U/g pectin methylesterase (PME) was added to pasteurized carrot juice. Cloud stability and particle diameters were measured to quantify juice cloud stability and clarification for 56 days of storage. All levels of PME addition resulted in clarification; higher amounts had a modest effect in causing more rapid clarification, due to a faster increase in particle size. The cloud initially exhibited a trimodal distribution of particle sizes. For enzyme-containing samples, particles in the smallest-sized mode initially aggregated to merge with the second peak over 5-10 days. This larger population then continued to aggregate more slowly over longer times. This observation of a more rapid destabilization process initially, followed by slower subsequent changes in the cloud, was also manifested in measurements of sedimentation extent and in turbidity tests. Optical microscopy showed that aggregation created elongated, fractal particle structures over time.
Flavor, forced choice and deprivation affect corticosterone selection by the adrenalectomized rat

Abstract Adrenalectomized rats were given access to corticosterone-supplemented (20 μg/ml) and-unsupplemented saline (0.9% NaCl) in two separate bottles and preferences were measured for each. Half of the rats received corticosterone in maple-flavored saline (MAPLE group), while the other half received corticosterone in anise-flavored saline (ANISE group). Each rat also received unsupplemented saline in the alternate flavor. After an initial preference test, preferences were measured again following a period of forced choice (where rats were given the supplemented saline only) and again following a period of deprivation (where rats were given the unsupplemented saline only). All three independent variables (flavor, forced-choice and deprivation) played roles in determining self-administration of corticosterone. Results from the initial preference test demonstrated that both groups preferred the maple-flavored saline whether it contained corticosterone or not. However, consumption of corticosterone-supplemented saline regardless of flavor increased following both forced-choice and deprivation suggesting that the adrenalectomized rats were controlling their corticosterone levels. Strong negative correlations were found between intake of corticosterone-supplemented saline and body weight suggesting that the adrenalectomized rat may be controlling corticosterone levels based on some correlate of body weight.
The relationship between crude oil and gasoline prices

This study investigates the dynamic relationship between crude oil and retail gasoline prices during the last 21 years and determines that, in February 1986, the relationship had drastically changed. Since that date, the results show that gasoline prices include higher profit margins, respond substantially less to changes in crude oil prices(but still within one month), and are more volatile. Also discussed are the developments in crude oil and gasoline markets that have led to the above changes.
A rejoinder to Leaf: What constitutes efficient, applied, and trial and error

In my response to Leaf (2011), we agree that more comparative studies on response prompting procedures need to be conducted, and that it is “hard to justify the use of any trial and error procedure”. There appears to be disagreement, however, on several points, including: a) the need to separate the discussion of a procedure's effectiveness and efficiency; b) what constitutes an applied or functional skill; c) that NNP is a trial and error procedure; d) the importance of researchers explicitly reporting multiple measures of efficiency so that readers can independently evaluate the efficiency of the prompting strategies being compared; and e) that error correction procedures are inappropriate during early stages of learning. I briefly address my position regarding each. Source of funding: No source of funding reported.
Double-layer oxide film formation on elemental metals by cation vacancy diffusion

Abstract A theoretical development for the simultaneous formation of two-layered oxide phases on a planar elemental metal by means of cation vacancy diffusion is presented.
Antimicrobial prophylaxis in noncardiac prosthetic device recipients.

Background: Secondary antimicrobial prophylaxis involves the use of ≥ 1 antimicrobial agent just prior to the time when a diagnostic/therapeutic procedure, which may induce infection, is to be perf...
Fulminant Aeromonas hydrophila infection during acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment

Aeromonas hydrophila septicemia has a fulminant course and it has been usually reported in immunocompromised hosts and rarely among children with leukemia. High morbidity and mortality is associated with A hydrophila infections. We describe the case of a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who presented with septicemia due to A hydrophila. The patient presented with fever and skin discoloration during a febrile neutropenia episode, which rapidly evolved into bacteremia and extensive thigh suppuration, fasciitis, and myonecrosis. Apart from antibiotic treatment, surgical debridement to relieve compartment pressure and prevent further lower extremity compromise was promptly performed. Despite long delays in chemotherapy and an extensive tissue gap, primary closure of the involved area was possible with full cosmetic and functional limb recovery, and the patient has remained in clinical remission for more than 7 years.
On the distribution of independence test for the residuals of space-time arma models

The procedure for building space-time autoregressive moving average (STARMA) models depends on the form of the variance-covariance matrix G of the underlying errors (see Pfeifer Deutsch (1980a,c)). In this paper the distribu¬tion of the statistic for testing the hypothesis that G is diagonal is obtained in a very convenient computational form. A table of critical values for the test is given Comparison is made with the approximate values obtained by Pfeifer Deutsch (1980c)
A SIMPLE SCANNER-DIGITIZER FOR READING POLYGRAPH RECORDS.

A low cost scanner-digitizer is described which was designed to save time and decrease errors in reading polygraph records. It employs a linear cursor potentiometer, a digital voltmeter, and two other potentiometers to permit the conversion of changes in a polygraph line to appropriate physical units.
Acetylation limits 53BP1 association with damaged chromatin to promote homologous recombination

Competitive binding of 53BP1 and BRCA1 determines DNA repair pathway choice at double-strand breaks. New work shows that acetylation of H4K16 by TIP60 tips the balance in favor of BRCA1 by limiting 53BP1 binding, thereby promoting repair through homologous recombination over nonhomologous end joining.
Preservation of Putative Continence Nerves during Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy Leads to More Rapid Return of Urinary Continence

Abstract Objectives. Urinary incontinence is a significant complication of radical pelvic surgery. A better understanding of the neuroanatomy of the rhabdosphincter has led to the modification of the radical retropubic prostatectomy to optimize the recovery of postoperative urinary control. Methods. Mock radical retropubic prostatectomy was performed on fresh cadavers to determine which surgical maneuvers could injure what may be the continence nerves. To assess the clinical significance of modifying the radical retropubic prostatectomy based on these anatomic studies, a contemporary series of 60 consecutive patients who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy with continence nerve preservation was compared with a control group of 38 consecutive patients who had a standard anatomic radical retropubic prostatectomy. Results. At the level of the prostatic apex, both the pelvic and pudendal nerves gave intrapelvic branches that bilaterally coursed to the external urinary sphincter to enter at the 5 and 7 o’clock positions. The mock radical prostatectomy revealed that the nerves to the external urinary sphincter were most prone to injury when a right angle clamp was used to develop a plane between the posterior rhabdosphincter and anterior rectum and if the urethral anastomotic sutures were placed at the 5 and 7 o’clock positions. In addition, blunt dissection of the tips of the seminal vesicles injured the inferior hypogastric plexus. Modifications to preserve the continence nerves were incorporated in the anatomic radical prostatectomy. Although overall continence rates were similar for the two groups (98.3% for continence nerve-preserving radical prostatectomy versus 92.1% for standard prostatectomy), continence nerve preservation decreased the time to achieve continence. Conclusions. During radical retropubic prostatectomy, surgical maneuvers that avoid injury to the continence nerves resulted in the more rapid return of urinary control.
Evidence of a specialized feeding niche in a Late Triassic ray-finned fish: evolution of multidenticulate teeth and benthic scraping in † Hemicalypterus

Fishes have evolved to exploit multiple ecological niches. Extant fishes in both marine (e.g., rabbitfishes, surgeonfishes) and freshwater systems (e.g., haplochromine cichlids, characiforms) have evolved specialized, scoop-like, multidenticulate teeth for benthic scraping, feeding primarily on algae. Here, I report evidence of the oldest example of specialized multidenticulate dentition in a ray-finned fish, †Hemicalypterus weiri, from the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation of southeastern Utah (∼210–205 Ma), USA. †H. weiri is a lower actinopterygian species that is phylogenetically remote from modern fishes, and has evolved specialized teeth that converge with those of several living teleost fishes (e.g., characiforms, cichlids, acanthurids, siganids), with a likely function of these teeth being to scrape algae off a rock substrate. This finding contradicts previously held notions that fishes with multicuspid, scoop-like dentition were restricted to teleosts, and indicates that ray-finned fishes were diversifying into different trophic niches and exploring different modes of feeding earlier in their history than previously thought, fundamentally altering our perceptions of the ecological roles of fishes during the Mesozoic.
Reaction of exo-tricyclo[3.2.1.02,4]-6-Octanone with Zeise's dimer

Abstract Reaction of exo-tricyclo[3.2.1.0,4]-6-octanone with platinum(II) gave two isomeric platinacyclobutane products in a ratio of 2.3 1 . The major isomer was shown by NMR spectroscopy to have resulted from insertion of the platinum into the least substituted cyclopropyl bond which is nearer the ketone. These platinum(IV) complexes were also shown to be surprisingly inert.
Specific heat of normal and superfluid helium-3

Abstract We have measured the specific heat of liquid 3-He in the normal and superfluid phases using a calorimeter of novel design. Our results are in close agreement with data recently reported by the group in Helsinki 1 .
Metabolism of of catecholamines—Identification and quantification of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol glucuronide in human urine

Abstract The glucuronic acid conjugate of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol(MHPG) has been isolated from human urine and its identification is described. This compound has been found to be a metabolite of dl -MHPG- 3 h and of DL-norepinephrine- 14 C. The quantities of MHPG, MHPG sulfate and MHPG glucuronide which are present in normal human urine, and in the urine of patients with neuroblastoma, ganglioneuroma and pheochromocytoma, indicate that the glucuronic acid conjugate is a major metabolite of MHPG. In addition, MHPG and its conjugates are markedly increased in the urine of most patients with tumours of neural crest origin. This finding provides further evidence that MHPG is the major metabolite formed within these tumours, and the assay of urinary MHPG, especially after enzymatic hydrolysis of the glucuronide and sulfate conjugates, should be of value in the diagnosis of tumors of neural crest origin.
Dynamical scaling during interfacial growth in the one-sided model.

We study the temporal evolution of a planar interface that separates two coexisting phases, after it becomes morphologically unstable. We solve numerically the interface equation of motion of the one-sided model in two dimensions. Evidence is presented for the appearance of a regime of self-similar growth in which the evolving pattern is characterized by a single, time-dependent length scale, {ital R}({ital t}), in agreement with earlier similar studies in the two-sided symmetric model. We have implemented a renormalization procedure to obtain the asymptotic time dependence of {ital R}({ital t}). We find {ital R}({ital t}){similar to}{ital t} at sufficiently long times. We also show that the asymptotic scaling behavior is determined by the driving term in the equations of motion. This term is proportional to the flux externally imposed ahead of the moving interface. The stabilizing contribution, which is proportional to the capillary length, is shown to be irrelevant for the large-scale behavior. We finally study the effects introduced by anisotropic surface tension and show that the asymptotic behavior of the system remains unchanged.
PRACTICAL PREPARATION OF RESVERATROL 3-O-β-D-GLUCURONIDE

Abstract A practical synthesis of resveratrol 3-O-β-D-glucuronide, suitable for preparation of large quantities, was developed using selective deacetylation of resveratrol triacetate with ammonium acetate. A simplified procedure for large-scale preparation of resveratrol is also reported.
Formaldehyde-assisted isolation of regulatory elements

Formaldehyde-Assisted Isolation of Regulatory Elements (FAIRE) is based on locus-specific variations in the ability of protein components of chromatin to trap genomic DNA following formaldehyde treatment. This variation is mostly due to uneven nucleosome distribution since histones are the most abundant and highly crosslinkable components of chromatin. The method can identify and enrich for physically accessible DNA segments of the eukaryotic genome corresponding to known regulatory regions and regions that might have thus far unidentified structural role in the nuclear organization of chromatin. The enrichment patterns are cell type specific and thus might provide information about how transcriptional systems are organized and regulated in various tissues and how they might be disrupted in disease states. Analysis of a 268 kb region of chromosome 19 in human fibroblasts shown here demonstrates that while most DNA fragments detected by FAIRE correspond to sites of DNaseI hypersensitivity in active regions of chromatin, some are found in otherwise repressed chromatin domains and at other sites that are not found with other methods used to probe chromatin structure. Further exploration of FAIRE is warrented due to the simplicity of the protocol and recent advancements in massively parallel sequencing.
Case Study: Neuropsychiatric Symptoms Associated With the Antimalarial Agent Mefloquine

The development of acute neuropsychiatric symptoms in a 10-year-old boy subsequent to his return from travel abroad in Africa, where he had taken the antimalarial agent mefloquine (Lariam®), is reported. A 4-week course of cognitive-behavioral therapy was used to effectively treat this substance-induced anxiety disorder, which had been caused by treatment with mefloquine. A review of the literature about adverse neuropsychiatric effects of mefloquine and the differential diagnosis of malaria is provided. In an age in which international travel is occurring with increasing frequency, it is important to obtain travel histories, including exposure to prophylactic medication, when patients present with acute-onset psychiatric symptoms.
The use of magnetic susceptibility and its frequency dependence for delineation of a magnetic stratigraphy in ash-flow tuffs

Variations in the grain size, amount, and mineralogy of magnetic phases in layered volcanic rocks define a magnetic stratigraphy that can be identified by means of magnetic susceptibility measurements. In ash-flow tuffs, grain size and other variables that control susceptibility are to a large extent a function of the cooling and alteration history. The phases responsible for the susceptibility of ash-flow tuffs consist of post-emplacement high-temperature precipitates of Fe-oxides in volcanic glass, and the phenocrystic Fe-Ti oxides. At Yucca Mountain, Nevada, laterally-continuous high-susceptibility ({approximately} 10{sup {minus}2} SI) horizons exist in the Paintbrush Tuff due to the presence of either precipitates or phenocrystic Fe-Ti oxides. The frequency dependence of magnetic susceptibility, {chi}({omega}), can be used to discriminate between horizons with multi-domain phenocrystic material. The {chi}({omega}) exhibits a 26% decrease per decade of increasing frequency for precipitate grain sizes where the superparamagnetic single-domain state gives way to stable single-domain behavior, and thus {chi}({omega}) offers an indirect method for rapid estimation of magnetic grain sizes. The interpretation of variations established by field and laboratory susceptibility data has been constrained by petrography and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
On the estimation of the parameters of a power spectrum

Abstract Three methods of estimating the parameters of a power spectrum are analyzed. The three methods are shown to give consistent and, under certain conditions, asymptotically equivalent results. However, one method, based on an approximate likelihood analysis, is seen to be superior to the other two in some respects.
Effect of deep tillage on soil physical characteristics and corn (Zea mays L.) root growth and production

Abstract In years of low rainfall, corn (Zea mays L.) grain production in parts of Southern Illinois, USA is drastically reduced. The naturally occurring claypans and fragipans in the soils of the region and compaction from farming practices have deleterious effects on crop production. An experiment was conducted from 1989–1993 in Carbondale, IL (USA) on a Stoy silt loam soil (fine-silty, mixed, mesic Aquic Hapludalfs) to investigate the effects of deep tillage (0, 40, 60 and 90 cm) and annual tillage management practices (reduced till and no-till) on soil physical characteristics, corn root development and grain yield. Penetrometer resistance and soil bulk density were reduced to the greatest extent by 90-cm depth of tillage and lesser differences were observed with the other tillage depths. About 35% of the corn root length in the 21–100 cm portion of the soil profile was found below 60 cm depth in the deepest tillage, whereas, less than 5% was below 60 cm in the control. Deep tillage increased root proliferation and the depth to which roots penetrated. In growing seasons with evenly distributed rainfall and lower temperatures, root development was rather uniform in the subsurface soil layers. Deep tillage of the soil resulted in increased corn grain yields with the greatest yield always being obtained with 90 cm tillage. The advantage was dependent on tillage depth and the amount and distribution of rainfall during the growing season. No-till annual management resulted in higher yields than reduced till management (for the 0 and 40 cm tillage depth) mainly because of the moisture conserving properties of the surface residues present. Annual management (no-till vs. reduced till) had less impact on yield as the tillage depth increased.
Letter to the Editor---A Further Note on a Minimax Location Problem

Elzinga and Hearn Trans. Sci. 7, 100--103 have presented a simplified formulation of a multifacility location problem with rectangular distances as a linear program. This paper describes a further simplification which permits a closed-form solution. It is shown that the former simplification can be beneficially used to solve a different version of the problem.
Dialogue between skin microbiota and immunity

Human skin, the body’s largest organ, functions as a physical barrier to bar the entry of foreign pathogens, while concomitantly providing a home to myriad commensals. Over a human’s life span, keratinized skin cells, immune cells, and microbes all interact to integrate the processes of maintaining skin’s physical and immune barrier under homeostatic healthy conditions and also under multiple stresses, such as wounding or infection. In this Review, we explore the intricate interactions of microbes and immune cells on the skin surface and within associated appendages to regulate this orchestrated maturation in the context of both host physiological changes and environmental challenges.
Forgotten Pages: Black Literary Magazines in the 1920s

Towards the end of his life, Langston Hughes wrote an article about Harlem during the 1920s. In his narration, he paused fondly over memories of Sugar Hill. At 409 Edgecombe, the address of the ‘tallest apartment house’ on the hill, lived Walter and Gladys White, who gave frequent parties for their friends; Aaron and Alta Douglas, who ‘ always had a bottle of ginger ale in the ice box for those who brought along refreshments’ Elmer Anderson Carter, who succeeded Charles S. Johnson to the editorship of Opportunity ; and actor Ivan Sharpe and his wife Evie. Just below the hill, in the Dunbar Apartments, lived W. E. B. Du Bois as well as E. Simms Campbell, the cartoonist. Nearby was Dan Burley, a black journalist and a boogie-woogie piano player. Hughes recalled the excitement of those days: ‘Artists and writers were always running into each other on Sugar Hill and talking over their problems and wondering how they could get’ fellowships and grants from benevolent organizations. One evening, Hughes and six of his compatriots gathered in the Aaron Douglas apartment and decided to start a literary magazine,‘the better to express ourselves freely and independently – without interference from old heads, white or Negro.’ From that initial discussion at 409 Edgecombe came Fire in its one and only issue of November 1926. Two years later, some of the same persons began another literary magazine, this time called Harlem .
Use of Hydrogel Breast Biopsy Tissue Markers Reduces the Need for Wire Localization

Background The purpose of this study was to determine whether breast biopsy tissue markers composed of an ultrasound-visible hydrogel reduced the need for preoperative wire localization (WL) in patients undergoing a partial mastectomy.
Morphology engineering of hollow carbon nanotube pillars by oxygen plasma treatment

Oxygen plasma treatment is introduced herein as a novel post-growth fabrication technique to engineer the macroscopic morphology of hollow carbon nanotube (CNT) pillars. Current fabrication techniques for patterned vertically-aligned CNTs only allow for the production of extruded structures with constant cross-sectional area. Oxygen plasma treatment is utilized to rectify this limitation by introducing variation to the cross-sectional area. The results presented herein demonstrate that a conical geometry can be successfully introduced by oxygen plasma treatment to a hollow cylindrical CNT pillars. Using oxygen plasma treatment, the blunt tip of a cylindrical CNT pillar can be controllably sharpened until it reaches a size reduction of more than 93%. A geometric model is presented herein to predict the morphology transformation of a hollow cylindrical CNT pillars during the oxygen plasma treatment. Three distinct phases of CNT structural and morphological evolution induced by oxygen plasma treatment are also identified. A mild CNT functionalization by oxygen adsorbates occurs in the first phase. The second phase is indicated by drastic changes in the macroscopic morphology of CNT pillars. Structural amorphization and collapse of the base of the CNT pillars take place in the final phase.
Infrared and photoelectron spectroscopy study of vapor phase deposited poly (3-hexylthiophene)

Poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) was thermally evaporated and deposited in vacuum. Infrared spectroscopy was used to confirm that the thin films were indeed P3HT, and showed that in-situ thermal evaporation provides a viable route for contaminant-free surface/interface analysis of P3HT in an ultrahigh-vacuum (UHV) environment. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) as well as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) experiments were carried out to examine the frontier orbitals and core energy levels of P3HT thin films vapor deposited in UHV on clean polycrystalline silver (Ag) surfaces. UPS spectra enable the determination of the vacuum shift at the polymer/metal interface, the valence band maximum (VBM), and the energy of the π-band of the overlayer film. The P3HT vacuum level decreased in contrast to that of the underlying Ag as the film thickness increased. XPS and UPS data confirmed the chemical integrity (stoichiometry) of the polymer at high coverage, as well as the shift of the C 1s and S 2p binding energy peaks and the secondary-electron edge with increasing film thickness, indicating that band bending is present at the P3HT/Ag interface and that the measured onset of the valence band is about 0.8 ± 0.05 eV relative to the Fermi level.
Early orthopaedic stabilization of the praemaxilla in complete bilateral cleft lip and palate in combination with the Celesnik lip repair.

Co-ordination of maxillary orthopaedics with two-stage lip surgery according to the c˘eles˘nik principle for complete BCLP is described, and the results of the procedure are analyzed at the 10 to 15 year age level. Taking advantage of the effects of growth within the first 6 to 8 months of the patient's life, orthopaedics and concomitant surgery achieve a considerable degree of alignment and stabilization of the praemaxilla within the alveolar arch without reverting to any active orthopaedic retrusion. Around age 10 the praemaxilla has assumed a normal sagittal position relative to the anterior cranial base. Due to relatively short and retropositioned mandibles all cases in the sample investigated display rather receding ‘Class II type’ profiles in early adolescence.
Importance of 3-hydroxy fatty acid composition of lipopeptides for biosurfactant activity.

ABSTRACT Biosurfactant production may be an economic approach to improving oil recovery. To obtain candidates most suitable for oil recovery, 207 strains, mostly belonging to the genus Bacillus, were tested for growth and biosurfactant production in medium with 5% NaCl under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. All strains grew aerobically with 5% NaCl, and 147 strains produced a biosurfactant. Thirty-five strains grew anaerobically with 5% NaCl, and two produced a biosurfactant. In order to relate structural differences to activity, eight lipopeptide biosurfactants with different specific activities produced by various Bacillus species were purified by a new protocol. The amino acid compositions of the eight lipopeptides were the same (Glu/Gln:Asp/Asn:Val:Leu, 1:1:1:4), but the fatty acid compositions differed. Multiple regression analysis showed that the specific biosurfactant activity depended on the ratios of both iso to normal even-numbered fatty acids and anteiso to iso odd-numbered fatty acids. A multiple regression model accurately predicted the specific biosurfactant activities of four newly purified biosurfactants (r2 = 0.91). The fatty acid composition of the biosurfactant produced by Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis strain T89-42 was altered by the addition of branched-chain amino acids to the growth medium. The specific activities of biosurfactants produced in cultures with different amino acid additions were accurately predicted by the multiple regression model derived from the fatty acid compositions (r2 = 0.95). Our work shows that many strains of Bacillus mojavensis and Bacillus subtilis produce biosurfactants and that the fatty acid composition is important for biosurfactant activity.
Time To Reach Therapeutic Tacrolimus Levels after Pediatric Heart Transplant

Purpose Tacrolimus (TAC) is a mainstay immunosuppressive agent after pediatric heart transplantation (HT). TAC levels are affected in the post-op period by enteral feeding tolerance, renal and hepatic function. Published reports recommend a 0.2 mg/kg/day dose. Our aim was to determine the post-op day after HT when a consistent dose-response to TAC first occurs. Secondary objectives included TAC blood concentrations and mean dose (mg/kg/day) at hospital discharge. Methods and Materials A retrospective cohort design included patients ≤ 21 years receiving enteral TAC within 14 days after HT from 2006–2012. Patients with a BMI ≥ 85%, prior cyclosporine use, death prior to discharge, and retransplants were excluded. TAC dose and levels were collected for each post-op day. Levels and doses were used to determine when a consistent dose-response to TAC first occurs to obtain target concentrations, defined as the day in which dosing resulted in two consecutive levels in a therapeutic range of 10–12 mcg/dL. Levels > 15 mcg/dL were considered supratherapeutic. Results Of 89 patients, 46 met study criteria. The median age was 1.83 years (0.25–20 years), and 59% were female. By post-op day 2, 78% of patients were initiated on TAC at a mean dose of 0.12 + 0.05 mg/kg/day. Consistent dose-response to TAC was reached at day 4, and recommended dose was reached by day 11. [ figure 1 ] Approximately 80% of patients had ≥ 1 supratherapeutic TAC blood level prior to discharge at a median of 6.5 (3-26) days. At discharge, the mean TAC concentration was 11 + 2.9 mg/dL at a TAC dose of 0.18 + 0.12 mg/kg/day. Conclusions Stable TAC levels are achieved 4 days after HT in children. Lower initiation dose TAC early post-op may be warranted to prevent supratherapeutic levels which frequently occur.
Effects of roll visual motion on online control of arm movement : reaching within a dynamic virtual environment

Reaching toward a visual target involves the transformation of visual information into appropriate motor commands. Complex movements often occur either while we are moving or when objects in the world move around us, thus changing the spatial relationship between our hand and the space in which we plan to reach. This study investigated whether rotation of a wide field-of-view immersive scene produced by a virtual environment affected online visuomotor control during a double-step reaching task. A total of 20 seated healthy subjects reached for a visual target that remained stationary in space or unpredictably shifted to a second position (either to the right or left of its initial position) with different inter-stimulus intervals. Eleven subjects completed two experiments which were similar except for the duration of the target’s appearance. The final target was either visible throughout the entire trial or only for a period of 200 ms. Movements were performed under two visual field conditions: the virtual scene was matched to the subject’s head motion or rolled about the line of sight counterclockwise at 130°/s. Nine additional subjects completed a third experiment in which the direction of the rolling scene was manipulated (i.e., clockwise and counterclockwise). Our results showed that while all subjects were able to modify their hand trajectory in response to the target shift with both visual scenes, some of the double-step movements contained a pause prior to modifying trajectory direction. Furthermore, our findings indicated that both the timing and kinematic adjustments of the reach were affected by roll motion of the scene. Both planning and execution of the reach were affected by roll motion. Changes in proportion of trajectory types, and significantly longer pauses that occurred during the reach in the presence of roll motion suggest that background roll motion mainly interfered with the ability to update the visuomotor response to the target displacement. Furthermore, the reaching movement was affected differentially by the direction of roll motion. Subjects demonstrated a stronger effect of visual motion on movements taking place in the direction of visual roll (e.g., leftward movements during counterclockwise roll). Further investigation of the hand path revealed significant changes during roll motion for both the area and shape of the 95% tolerance ellipses that were constructed from the hand position following the main movement termination. These changes corresponded with a hand drift that would suggest that subjects were relying more on proprioceptive information to estimate the arm position in space during roll motion of the visual field. We conclude that both the spatial and temporal kinematics of the reach movement were affected by the motion of the visual field, suggesting interference with the ability to simultaneously process two consecutive stimuli.
Messenger Ribonucleic Acids Encoding a Serotonin Receptor and a Novel Gene Are Induced in Sertoli Cells by a Secreted Factor(s) from Male Rat Meiotic Germ Cells

Using Sertoli cell-germ cell cocultures and messenger RNA (mRNA) differential display, we have identified a complementary DNA of 355 nucleotides that is up-regulated in Sertoli cells by pachytene spermatocytes. The mRNA differential display pattern was confirmed by Northern blotting. Sequence analysis revealed a homology of 91% (nt) and 86% (aa) to a serotonin receptor. The mRNA encoding the serotonin receptor was detected in Sertoli cells after 18 h of coculture. Its induction did not require cell contact, as germ cell-conditioned medium also induced the mRNA. The germ cell factor(s) inducing the serotonin receptor mRNA is more than 10 kDa, survives freezing and thawing, and is heat sensitive. A high dose of serotonin (10μ m) or the serotonin receptor agonists (±)-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane HCl and quipazine induce the serotonin receptor mRNA in Sertoli cells after 24 h. The antagonists, ketanserin and spiperone, inhibit the serotonin-mediated mRNA induction but fail to inhibit the ger...
Connectionist Viterbi training: a new hybrid method for continuous speech recognition

A hybrid method for continuous-speech recognition which combines hidden Markov models (HMMs) and a connectionist technique called connectionist Viterbi training (CVT) is presented. CVT can be run iteratively and can be applied to large-vocabulary recognition tasks. Successful completion of training the connectionist component of the system, despite the large network size and volume of training data, depends largely on several measures taken to reduce learning time. The system is trained and tested on the TI/NBS speaker-independent continuous-digits database. Performance on test data for unknown-length strings is 98.5% word accuracy and 95.0% string accuracy. Several improvements to the current system are expected to increase these accuracies significantly. >
A Performance Evaluation of H.264 FGS Sequences over Hybrid Networks

In this article, we study the performance of transmitting H.264 video sequences over hybrid networks formed by a collection of wired and wireless links. We use the Gilbert-Elliott error model to simulate the wireless transmission channel. Taking the effects of fading into consideration, our numerical results show that the quality of the reconstructed video sequences is seriously degraded. We then investigate how the addition of FEC techniques like the Reed-Solomon codes and the use of MIMO techniques help improve the performance of wireless links and consequently the quality of reconstructed video transmitted over such links.
Toward securing sensor clouds

We aim to secure smart sensor networks, where computationally powerful sensing devices such as smartphones or cognitive radios interact with the cloud. In previous work, we have proposed a large-scale brokering framework, and we are researching several facets of securing sensors in the context of this framework. In this paper we discuss initial results for three portions of this effort, challenges that remain for secure sensor networks, and specific directions we are currently pursuing. In particular, we discuss our work on (i) Sensor risk assessment, relating to the possession and environment of the smartphone sensors, (ii) New malware threats and defenses installed on the sensor network proper, and (iii) Defense against the side-channel analysis on the Software-as-a-Service infrastructure.
Fate of lactic acid in rumen ingesta.

Summary The production of lactic acid in ruminal ingesta in vitro was stimulated by commercial alfalfa meal, heated and unheated alfalfa, glucose, and heated starch. The heating of starch and alfalfa increased production although no substrate, at levels comparable to the amounts of similar material in commercial alfalfa meal, caused as much lactic acid to be produced as did alfalfa meal. Propionate production was stimulated by mixtures of peptone and glucose in the absence of lactic acid accumulation or by alfalfa meal in the presence of lactic acid. Product composition varied with fermentation pH. At pH 6.3, 35% of added uniformly labeled C-14 lactic acid was converted to acetic acid, whereas 33% was recovered in the ether-extracted aqueous residues and 9% in the propionate. The remainder was distributed in other fatty acids and fermentation gases.
Teacher Attitudes Toward the Principles of Bilingual Education and Toward Students’ Participation in Bilingual Programs: Same or Different?

Abstract 794 elementary and secondary teachers filled out a questionnaire probing attitudes toward bilingual education. While support for the principles underlying bilingual education was strong, support for actual participation by students in bilingual programs was not as strong. Those with more supplementary training in ESL and bilingual education were more supportive of bilingual education.