cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cognition and resting-state functional connectivity in schizophrenia

Individuals with schizophrenia consistently display deficits in a multitude of cognitive domains, but the neurobiological source of these cognitive impairments remains unclear. By analyzing the functional connectivity of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fcMRI) data in clinical populations like schizophrenia, research groups have begun elucidating abnormalities in the intrinsic communication between specific brain regions, and assessing relationships between these abnormalities and cognitive performance in schizophrenia. Here we review studies that have reported analysis of these brain-behavior relationships. Through this systematic review we found that patients with schizophrenia display abnormalities within and between regions comprising (1) the cortico-cerebellar-striatal-thalamic loop and (2) task-positive and task-negative cortical networks. Importantly, we did not observe unique relationships between specific functional connectivity abnormalities and distinct cognitive domains, suggesting that the observed functional systems may underlie mechanisms that are shared across cognitive abilities, the disturbance of which could contribute to the "generalized" cognitive deficit found in schizophrenia. We also note several areas of methodological change that we believe will strengthen this literature.
The Internet and the Network Neutrality Debate

This chapter explores how infrastructure theory applies to the Internet and in particular the network neutrality debate. The chapter demonstrates how the infrastructure analysis, with its focus on demand-side issues and the function of commons management, reframes the network neutrality debate, weights the scale in favor of sustaining end-to-end architecture and an open infrastructure, points toward a particular rule (which the chapter articulates and defends), and encourages a comparative analysis of various nondiscriminatory (commons management compatible) solutions to congestion and supply-side problems. I acknowledge that there are competing considerations and interests to balance, and I acknowledge that quantifying the weight on the scale is difficult, if not impossible. Nonetheless, I maintain that the weight is substantial. The social value attributable to a open Internet infrastructure is immense even if immeasurable. The basic capabilities the infrastructure provides, the public and social goods produced by users, and the transformations occurring on and off the meta-network are all indicative of such value.
Softer Money: Exempt Organizations and Campaign Finance

In this report, Hill examines the complex role of exempt organizations in political fundraising.
“Like a Roaring Lion”: The Overland Trail as a Sonic Conquest

In the opening paragraph o? Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims (1883), the Paiute leader Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins compared the coming of the whites into her homeland to "a lion, yes, ... a roaring lion." A small child when Euro-Americans first invaded her people's land near present-day Humboldt Lake in Nevada in the 1840s, Hopkins never forgot the onslaught. In her narrative and on-stage presentations to north eastern reformers during the mid-1880s, Hopkins detailed the environmental and social devastation wrought by Euro-American conquerors, including the depletion of game, homicides, sexual assaults, and other physical violence. Yet her opening observation sug gests that indigenous peoples also experienced invasion as a sonic conquest. The phrase "roaring lion" alludes not only to the aural volume of conquest but also to the biblical passage that describes the devil as a roaring lion. Mary Peabody Mann, the book's edi tor and a leading Christian reformer, may even have selected the phrase herself to evoke the sinfulness of the Euro-American invasion. Although arguably none of the Euro American emigrants on the Overland Trail, commonly referred to as overlanders, who traveled through the Paiutes' land would have described their trek or America's expan sion as diabolical, many did liken their invasion to a roar. In their diaries, journals, and reminiscences, overlanders speculated about the aural impact of their wagon trains on the indigenous peoples and animals of the western "wilderness"; they portrayed their sounds as having the power to subdue the savage wilds and help transform the West into American territory.1
Land in Spanish Enterprise: Colonial Morelos 1522-1547

THE state of Morelos in today's Mexico comprised two rich and important provinces within the Aztec Confederacy when Spanish forces penetrated it for the first time in March of 1521. In that year of conflict, the Tlahuica and Xochimilca peoples who dominated the numerous settlements and fertile, well-watered, volcanic soils of its mountain-surrounded valleys were producing large quantities of valued agrarian and other goods. For generations, dating back 8,000 or more years, they and their predecessors had done so. The laborers among them—the commoners or macehuales , the serf-like, soil-bound mayeques , and the slaves—used valleys in the high-altitude, temperate to semitropical and semi-arid north and in the less-elevated, tropically hot and humid south to grow maize, beans, chile, tomatoes, peppers, squashes, some fruits, chia (a species of sage), huautli (amaranth), cotton and, perhaps, cacao.
Solving the Level Set Equation Using the High Order Space-time Discontinuous Galerkin Cell-Vertex Scheme

This paper attempts to solve the level set equation using our recently developed high order space time discontinuous Galerkin cell-vertex scheme (DG-CVS). The level set equation describes the evolution of the fluid interface under some velocity field. The fluid interface is implicitly represented by the zero level set of the signed distance function. With DGCVS, no any explicit upwinding technique is needed to ensure the stability of the method. Numerical examples include some second order or fourth order solutions obtained by DGCVS on some well-known benchmark problems. Accuracy will be demonstrated through these examples.
Development of a Speech Controlled Robot in an Engineering Design Class

Project based learning (PBL) is a dynamic classroom approach in which students actively explore solving real world problems and gaining knowledge and skills through developing real products. In this paper, we introduce a student project that focuses on the integration of mechanical and electrical components in the development of a speech controlled service robot. The technical details of this project are presented, including the major components, system integration, and the software that enables the functions of the robot. A robot with such functions can be used in many applications such as military operations, speech controlled appliances, etc. Student assessment has shown that this project helps students learn valuable knowledge of product development that are usually only acquired through real world working experiences.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Determination of biotin in health-care food of nutrition enhancers

Objective: To determine the level of biotin in health-care food of nutrition enhancers by high performance liquid chromatography.Methods: The samples were extracted by ultrasonic wave.The stationary phase was a Symmetry Shield RPC18 column and the mobile phase was 0.05% trifluoroacetic acid solution(pH 2.5).The detective wavelength was set at 201 nm.Results: Baseline separation was achieved for biotin and well-shaped chromatograph peak was obtained in the experiment.The calibration curve were linear over the range of 2.0 μg/ml～40.0 μg/ml(Y=-666+1.02×105X,r=0.9999).The average recoveries ranged from 94.5% to 105% and the relative standard deviations(RSD) were evaluated to be 1.93% and 1.47%(n=6).Conclusion: The proposed method has the advantages of simple,convenient,accurate and good repeatability.It was suitable for the determination of biotin in health-care food of nutrition enhancers.
Wavelet-based estimation of regression function with strong mixing errors under fixed design

AbstractWe consider wavelet-based nonlinear estimators, which are constructed by using the thresholding of the empirical wavelet coefficients, for the mean regression functions with strong mixing errors and investigate their asymptotic rates of convergence. We show that these estimators achieve nearly optimal convergence rates within a logarithmic term over a large range of Besov function classes Bsp, q. The theory is illustrated with some numerical examples. A new ingredient in our development is a Bernstein-type exponential inequality, which is established based on Merlevede et al. (2011), for a sequence of random variables with certain mixing structure and are not necessarily bounded or sub-Gaussian. This moderate deviation inequality may be of independent interest.
Guard cell protoplasts. Isolation, culture, and regeneration of plants.

Guard cell protoplasts have been used extensively in short-term experiments designed to elucidate the signal transduction mechanisms that regulate stomatal movements. The utility of uard cell protoplasts for other types of longer-term signal transduction experiments is just now being realized. Because highly purified, primary isolates of guard cell protoplasts are synchronous initially, they are uniform in their responses to changes in culture conditions. Such isolates have demonstrated potential to reveal mechanisms that underlie hormonal signalling for plant cell survival, cell cycle re-entry, reprogramming of genes during dedifferentiation to an embryogenic state, and plant cell thermotolerance. Plants have been regenerated from cultured guard cell protoplasts of two species: Nicotiana glauca (Graham), tree tobacco, and Beta vulgaris, sugar beet. Plants genetically engineered for herbicide tolerance have been regenerated from cultured guard cell protoplasts of B. vulgaris. The method for isolating, culturing, and regenerating plants from guard cell protoplasts of N. glauca is described here. A recently developed procedure for large-scale isolation of these cells from as many as nine leaves per experiment is described. Using this protocol, yields of 1.5-2 x 10(7) per isolate may be obtained. Such yields are sufficient for standard methods of molecular, biochemical, and proteomic analysis.
The effect of aerobic exercise on dual-task gait in individuals with Parkinson's disease

Background/Aims: Dual tasking exacerbates gait deficits in people with Parkinson's disease. This pilot study aimed to examine the effect of aerobic exercise on dual-task gait in individuals with Parkinson's disease and begin to identify the impact of volitional pedal rate. Methods: Twenty people with Parkinson's disease were recruited and tested at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up for motor (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale) and cognitive function (Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status) and dual-task gait (Time Up and Go) conditions (manual and cognitive). A 12-week aerobic exercise intervention of cycle ergometry was carried out three times a week for 60 minutes each session. To assess our intervention, separate repeated measures of analysis of variance were conducted. As determined a priori, to assess the impact of volitional pedal rate, participants were divided after the intervention into a high-pedal rate group (>60 rpm) and a low-pedal rate group (≤60 r...
Building 3D subsurface models conforming to seismic structural and stratigraphic features

ABSTRACTSubsurface modeling from seismic and borehole data is important for reservoir prediction, geophysical exploration, and production. A reasonable model should honor borehole rock properties and conform to seismic structural and stratigraphic features. Such a subsurface model can be difficult to build in cases complicated by faults and unconformities. Automatic and semiautomatic methods have been proposed to build subsurface models from seismic and borehole data; however, seismic structural and stratigraphic features and borehole measurements are not fully used in most methods. I have developed a workflow to fully use seismic and borehole data to build subsurface models that honor borehole measurements and conform to seismic horizons, faults, unconformities, and stratigraphic features such as channels. In this workflow, I first automatically remove the faulting and folding in seismic and borehole data and map them into an unfaulted and flattened space, in which seismic reflectors and borehole measure...
Shoreline Hardening Affects Nekton Biomass, Size Structure, and Taxonomic Diversity in Nearshore Waters, with Responses Mediated by Functional Species Groups

The article Shoreline Hardening Affects Nekton Biomass, Size Structure, and Taxonomic Diversity in Nearshore Waters, with Responses Mediated by Functional Species Groups.
Disability Distribution Modeling for Universal Product Design

Universal Design can be applied to product design as a means of increasing accessibility and usability of the product by the largest number of users possible. Product designers may tend to consider...
Benjamin D. Wright: A Higher Standard

In 1992, I approached Ben Wright about the vexing problem facing the testing organization with whom I worked. The establishment of effective criterion-referenced standards that could be used without inevitable adjustment seemed out of reach when employing most traditional models. Soon Ben would become my professor, mentor and friend. With his irrepressible energy, he quickly produced a wealth of published and, more importantly, unpublished thought on the matter. During the next 4 years I was fortunate enough to work with Ben in the development of what is now called the Objective Standard Setting model. His vision helped assessment to define a new pathway to equity and meaningful measurement. As he had done for so many others before me including my father, his wisdom and inspiration would help me to find a new and passionate career, and to share that experience with new generations. This paper presents the development of criterion-referenced standard setting and the vital role Benjamin Wright would play in this important pursuit.
An alternative derivation of second law results to better relate derivation to practical exergy analysis

A more general and physically intuitive alternative to the classical macroscopic derivation of second law results is proposed. Instead of using imaginary reversible processes occurring within heat engines that operate between infinite temperature reservoirs, the new derivation is applicable to any arbitrary control volume across which heat and/or work interactions occur. The arbitrary control volume is discretised into infinitesimally small elements. So-called 'Interface Equations' are developed at the interfaces of these elements, utilising the second law statement that heat transfer occurs from higher to lower temperatures. Terms from the interface equations are then rearranged at each element to show that dS ≥ dQ/T; all other second-law formulation follow from this result. The derivation allows reversible processes to be mathematically defined, which in turn, allows irreversibilities and entropy generation to be understood in terms of spatial non-uniformity of temperature distribution.
Post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disorder in pediatric intestinal transplant recipients: A literature review

Intestinal transplantation is a successful treatment for children with intestinal failure, but has many potential complications. PTLD, a clinically and histologically diverse malignancy, occurs frequently after intestinal transplantation and can be fatal. The management of this disease is particularly challenging. The rejection-prone intestinal allograft requires high levels of immunosuppression, a precondition for PTLD. While EBV infection clearly plays a role in disease pathogenesis, the relatively naive immune system of children is another likely contributor. As a result, pediatric intestine recipients have a higher risk of developing PTLD than other solid organ recipients. Other risk factors for disease development such as molecular and genomic changes that precipitate malignant transformation are not fully understood, especially among children. Studies on adults have started to describe the molecular pathogenesis of PTLD, but the genomic landscape of the malignancy remains largely undefined in pediatric intestinal transplant patients. In this review, we describe what is known about PTLD in pediatric patients after intestinal transplant and highlight current knowledge gaps to better direct future investigations in the pediatric population.
Removal of hyperpolarized 129 Xe gas-phase contamination in spectroscopic imaging of the lungs.

Purpose A novel technique is presented for retrospective estimation and removal of gas-phase hyperpolarized Xenon-129 (HP 129 Xe) from images of HP 129 Xe dissolved in the barrier (comprised of parenchymal lung tissue and blood plasma) and red blood cell (RBC) phases. The primary aim is mitigating RF pulse performance limitations on measures of gas exchange (e.g., barrier-gas and RBC-gas ratios). Correction for gas contamination would simplify technical dissemination of HP 129 Xe applications across sites with varying hardware performance, scanner vendors, and models. Methods Digital lung phantom and human subject experiments (N = 8 healthy; N = 1 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) were acquired with 3D radial trajectory and 1-point Dixon spectroscopic imaging to assess the correction method for mitigating barrier and RBC imaging artifacts. Dependence of performance on TE, image SNR, and gas contamination level were characterized. Inter- and intra-subject variation in the dissolved-phase ratios were quantified and compared to human subject experiments before and after correction. Results Gas contamination resulted in image artifacts similar to those in disease that were mitigated after correction in both simulated and human subject data; for simulation experiments performance varied with TE, but was independent of image SNR and the amount of gas contamination. Artifacts and variation of barrier and RBC components were reduced after correction in both simulation and healthy human lungs (barrier, P = 0.01; RBC, P = 0.045). Conclusion The proposed technique significantly reduced regional variations in barrier and RBC ratios, separated using a 1-point Dixon approach, with improved accuracy of dissolved-phase HP 129 Xe images confirmed in simulation experiments.
Development of an Intellectual Property Strategy: Research Notes to Support Department of Defense Programs

Abstract : Intellectual property (IP) is a critical consideration of most acquisitions that require sophisticated items or components and performance. Preparation of an intellectual property strategy is now a required element in Department of Defense acquisition guidance and major efforts such as Better Buying Power 2.0. The IP Strategy serves as a plan for competitive and affordable acquisition and sustainment of license rights in IP over the entire item or component lifecycle. This report is intended to help program managers understand categories of IP, various IP challenges, and approaches to assessing the license rights that the program needs for long-term execution and sustainment. Developing a strategy for the entire product lifecycle to obtain specific rights can be a major challenge. The program manager must now prepare the IP Strategy early in the development lifecycle, prior to release of the solicitation, and update it prior to each milestone.
Residual Strains and Stresses in an Al2O3-Ni Joint Bonded with a Composite Interlayer: FEM Predictions and Experimental Measurements

A cylindrical Al 2 O 3 -Ni joint bonded with a 4.0 mm thick composite interlayer of 40 vol.% Al 2 O 3 -60 vol.% Ni was fabricated by powder processing and the residual stresses and strains in the specimen were studied experimentally using neutron diffraction, x-ray diffraction and optical fluorescence spectroscopy. Experimental measurements were compared with finite element method (FEM) modeling results obtained using a variety of different constitutive assumptions. The predicted residual strain distribution within the Al 2 O 3 along the center of the specimen was in excellent agreement with neutron diffraction measurements. Alternatively, the predicted peak strains and stresses within the Al 2 O 3 along the specimen surface were significantly higher than those measured, suggesting stress-relief occurred near the free-edge during cooling. The mechanisms of stress-relief are uncertain, however localized plasticity and damage within the composite interlayer are believed to play a role.
Tending the Eurasian Garden: Russia, China and the Dynamics of Regional Integration and Order

This chapter examines the public cooperation and hidden rivalry that have characterized Russian and Chinese-led efforts to promote Eurasian economic and security integration. Though both Moscow and Beijing have shared similar concerns about the role and influence of the United States in Central Asia, they each have championed their own preferred regional organizations as instruments of regional cooperation and influence, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Eurasian Economic Union. Though the Central Asian states in the 2000s embraced the presence of multiple external patrons and regional organizations as part of their overall pursuit of multivector foreign policies, post-2014 Western influence in the region has declined, while Russian and Chinese efforts have intensified. However, the asymmetry in power between Moscow and Beijing has led Russia to increasingly accommodate and acquiesce to China’s Eurasian agenda, including the recent Belt and Road Initiative.
Evolving Trends in Insurance Coverage of Vascular Surgery Patients in Academic Practice

Background Insurance coverage of vascular surgery patients may differ from patients with less chronic surgical pathologies. The goal of this study is to identify trends in insurance status of vascular surgery patients over the last 10 years at a busy academic center. Methods All consecutive patient visits for a vascular procedure from 2006 to 2016 were retrospectively reviewed from a prospectively collected institutional database. Data points included insurance status, procedures performed, and date of admission. The insurance status was categorized as Medicare, Medicaid, and uninsured. Samples were divided between 2006–2009 and 2011–2016 for comparison. Unpaired t-test, chi-squared test, and regression analysis were used to determine significant trends over the study period. Results From 2006 to 2016, 6,007 vascular surgery procedures were performed. Procedure volume increased significantly from 1,309 to 4,698 between the 2 timeframes (P Conclusions Insurance status affects access to care and subsequent outcomes. In our busy academic center, insurance coverage for vascular surgery has significantly increased over the past decade. The number of Medicaid and Medicare patients has slowly increased, but a significant and continuing decline in uninsured patients was observed. Implementation of the Affordable Care Act during this time period may have played a role in providing coverage for patient needing vascular surgery.
Abstract TMP54: Carotid Artery Inflammation Following Air Pollution Exposure

Background: The hallmark of inflammation is activation of the immune system, recruitment of leukocytes and induction of proinflammatory cytokines. Air pollution induced nano-size particulate matter...
Perioperative Nutrition Support in Cardiothoracic Surgery

Although nutrition support is a team-based approach, surgeons should be aware of new developments in the identification and assessment of malnutrition, the importance of micronutrients, and evidence-based guidelines for optimal provision of oral, enteral or parental nutrition. A newer definition of malnutrition makes identification easier. Preoperative optimization can be expected to decrease morbidity and mortality. Early postoperative resumption of enteral feeding is encouraged to minimize the stress response, limiting the use of parenteral nutrition to very specific conditions after several days of attempting to optimize enteral nutrition delivery and tolerance. Involvement of inter-disciplinary teams facilitates optimal attention to the perioperative nutritional needs of the cardiothoracic surgical patient.
Sex-Appealing Clothing: Attitudes and Preferences of Young Women in their Ovulation Cycle: An Abstract

This study investigates the impact of female sex hormones (i.e., luteinizing hormone (LH), estrogen, and progesterone) on women’s consumption behaviors on fashion products. Female sex hormones reach peak level when women are near ovulation, and this research examines how these hormones, when at peak level, influence women’s attitudes and purchase intention toward sexy and revealing fashion products. The research is based on two theoretical frameworks: ovulatory shift hypothesis (OSH) and theory of reasoned action (TRA). Moreover, moderating effects of sexy fashion consciousness and self-control are investigated. A within-subject survey design was used to examine the proposed phenomenon. Vietnamese women were recruited for this specific study.
EFFECTS OF HIGHWAY NOISE IN RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES

Four residential communities bisected by interstate highways were examined to determine the effects of highway generated disturbances on property values. Disturbances instrumentally measured within each community included noise, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbons, and particulates. Data on traffic mix, volume and speed were obtained simultaneously. Residents were interviewed to determine their perceptions of the intensity of highway disturbance and other pertinent information. Data were gathered for all valid property sales from 1969–1971. There was a high degree of correlation between measured noise (NPL) and perceived noise.
Monitoring the growth dynamics of colloidal gold-silver core-shell nanoparticles using in situ second harmonic generation and extinction spectroscopy

The growth dynamics of gold-silver core-shell (Au@Ag) nanoparticles are studied using in situ time-dependent second harmonic generation (SHG) and extinction spectroscopy to investigate the nanoparticle shell formation. The silver shell is grown by reduction of silver cations onto a 14 nm gold core using ascorbic acid in colloidal aqueous solution under varying reaction concentrations producing Au@Ag nanoparticles of final sizes ranging from 51 to 78 nm in diameter. The in situ extinction spectra show a rapid increase in intensity on the timescale of 5-6 s with blue shifting and narrowing of the plasmonic peak during the silver shell formation. The in situ SHG signals show an abrupt rise at early times of the reaction, followed by a time-dependent biexponential decrease, where the faster SHG lifetime corresponds to the timescale of the shell growth, and where the slower SHG lifetime is attributed to changes in the nanoparticle surface charge density. A large enhancement in the SHG signal at early stages of the reaction is caused by plasmonic hot spots due to the nanoparticle surface morphology, which becomes smoother as the reaction proceeds. The final extinction spectra are compared to finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations, showing general agreement with experiment, where the plasmon peak red shifts and increases in spectral width as the silver shell thickness increases. These in situ SHG and extinction spectroscopy results, combined with FDTD calculations, help characterize the complicated processes involved in colloidal nanoparticle shell formation in real time for developing potential plasmon-enhanced nanomaterial applications.
Interactive Effects of Large- And Local-Scale Environmental Gradients on Phenotypic Differentiation

Intraspecific differentiation across a steep environmental gradient depends on the relative influences of evolutionary, organismal, and environmental processes. But steep environmental gradients may be nested within larger-scale, regional conditions that could influence these processes at the local scale. Therefore, we hypothesized that phenotypic differentiation along a steep environmental gradient would vary among regions. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a reciprocal transplant experiment on rocky intertidal shores, a habitat characterized by gradients in abiotic and biotic stress, in three regions of the Gulf of Maine. We used the ubiquitous and ecologically important rockweed species Fucus vesiculosus to quantify differentiation in growth, tissue nitrogen, and nitrogen productivity between upper and lower intertidal individuals. We found that phenotypic differentiation between tide heights varied among traits and regions. Although tissue nitrogen did not vary among any treatment combinations, growth and nitrogen productivity response were region specific. A strong effect of transplant height was found in all regions; however, an effect of home (source) height was only detectable in the central Gulf of Maine. Our study reveals that intraspecific responses to steep environmental gradients vary among populations, but the mechanisms underlying these patterns remain unknown. Given the roles that rockweeds play as food and habitat, these in situ patterns of growth and nitrogen productivity could have important community- and ecosystem-level consequences.
Attempting inclusive practice: perspectives of physical educators and adapted physical educators

Inclusive education has become a global area of study, yet research has highlighted challenges with inclusive practices among teachers in integrated physical education contexts. The purpose of this...
Exploring Food Safety Messages in an Era of COVID-19: Analysis of YouTube Video Content.

ABSTRACT: Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is not a proven foodborne pathogen, the COVID-19 pandemic has put the food system on alert, and food safety has been identified as an important pillar in mitigating the crisis. Therefore, an understanding of how popular media are used as a vital disseminator of food safety and health information for the public is more important than ever. YouTube deserves particular attention as one of the most highly trafficked Web sites on the Internet, especially because YouTube has been blamed during the pandemic for spreading misleading or untrustworthy information that contradicts validated information. This study was conducted to evaluate the food safety information and practices circulating on YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic and the alignment of these practices with recommendations from government agencies. A search for videos on YouTube was conducted using the key words "food and COVID-19," "food safety and COVID-19," and "groceries and COVID-19." After applying a series of inclusive and exclusive criteria, 85 videos from the United States and Canada were evaluated. More than half (69%) of the videos presented hand washing procedures, 26% showed kitchen disinfection, and most (86%) showed take-out food or grocery store practices. Multiple produce washing procedures were also shown throughout videos. Food was not considered hazardous in 39% of the videos, but 24% mentioned that food packaging is potentially hazardous. Most videos cited government agencies and had a host or guest who was a health care professional, professor, or expert. Three videos were not aligned with a government agency's guideline or information cited; two were presented by a health care professional. These findings reveal the need to develop educational interventions that increase YouTube video host and guest awareness of social media use as a tool for food safety dissemination and the need to provide trustworthy information.
Incorporating the Critical Music Framework: An Autoethnographic Reflection

I articulate an autoethnographic narrative of using different songs to counter dominant interpretations of gender, class, immigration, slavery, and education in the social studies classroom. Framing it as the Critical Music Framework, the practice of using music addressing social issues and historical representations of women and people of color provided secondary students with reflective, learning opportunities. The resulting conversations illustrate the importance of music not just on the personal, but also the academic aspects of individuals.
Cross-Cultural Convergence of Knowledge Attribution in East Asia and the US

In this paper, we provide new findings that add to the growing body of empirical evidence that important epistemic intuitions converge across cultures. Specifically, we selected three surprising effects of knowledge attribution recently obtained among US-based participants. We translated the vignettes used in the US studies into Mandarin Chinese and Korean and then ran the studies with participants in Mainland China, Taiwan, and South Korea. We found that, strikingly, all three of the effects first obtained in the US also emerged in the East Asian cultures we studied. Our findings not only cohere with but also provide—at least moderate—support for the existence of extensive convergences of important epistemic intuitions across cultures.
Family Functioning Assessment in a Community Sample of African American Caregivers and Children

Racial/ethnic minority youth receive approximately half of the mental health services of their non-minority peers. Improved methods for identifying African American families in need of behavioral health services are necessary. The Family Assessment Device and General Functioning subscale have been found to be reliable and able to detect family functioning impairment in a generalized sample, but less is known about the reliability and validity of the assessment with an African American community sample. Data from 53 African American caregiver-child (ages 7–13) dyads was collected including family demographics and the Family Assessment Device General Functioning (FAD_GF) scale. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to determine the minimal number of FAD_GF items (12 vs. 6 items) that were valid and reliable. The 12-item FAD_GF and the 6-item scale had acceptable psychometric properties, and the 6-item measure demonstrated improved model fit over the 12-item scale and identified more clinically impaired families (6-item: 28% vs. 12-item: 23%). The 6-item measure of family functioning was more sensitive 12-item FAD_GF. This brief measure may prove useful for identifying and assessing African American families.
Medial Axis Seeding of a Guided Evolutionary Simulated Annealing (GESA) Algorithm for Automated Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Treatment Planning

We present a method to optimize Gamma Knife? (Elekta, Stockholm, Sweden) radiosurgery treatment planning. A Guided Evolutionary Simulated Annealing optimization algorithm is used to maximize the therapeutic benefit through a probability model that dissects a patient volume image into three components: normal, critical normal, and tumor tissue. This evolutionary optimization algorithm may be seeded randomly or via an automatically detected medial axis. We use indices of dose conformity, level, and homogeneity to evaluate the degree to which a treatment plan has been optimized. Two clinical examples compare the GESA algorithm with current manual methods. GESA optimization shows therapeutic advantage over the treatment team's manual effort. We find that computation of treatment plans with more than 8 shots require initial medial axis seeding (i.e., shot: number, size, and position) to complete within 8 hours on our workstation.
A calculus for propagating semantic annotations through scientific workflow queries

Scientific workflows facilitate automation, reuse, and reproducibility of scientific data management and analysis tasks. Scientific workflows are often modeled as dataflow networks, chaining together processing components (called actors) that query, transform, analyse, and visualize scientific datasets. Semantic annotations relate data and actor schemas with conceptual information from a shared ontology, to support scientific workflow design, discovery, reuse, and validation in the presence of thousands of potentially useful actors and datasets. However, the creation of semantic annotations is complex and time-consuming. We present a calculus and two inference algorithms to automatically propagate semantic annotations through workflow actors described by relational queries. Given an input annotation α and a query q, forward propagation computes an output annotation α′; conversely, backward propagation infers α from q and α′.
Regulation of purine biosynthesis by a eukaryotic‐type kinase in Streptococcus agalactiae

Group B streptococci (GBS) are the principal causal agents of human neonatal pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis. We had previously described the existence of a eukaryotic-type serine/threonine kinase (Stk1) and phosphatase (Stp1) in GBS that regulate growth and virulence of the pathogen. Our previous results also demonstrated that these enzymes reversibly phosphorylated an inorganic pyrophosphatase. To understand the role of these eukaryotic-type enzymes on growth of GBS, we assessed the stk1-mutants for auxotrophic requirements. In this report, we describe that in the absence of the kinase (Stk1), GBS are attenuated for de novo purine biosynthesis and are consequently growth arrested. During growth in media lacking purines, the intracellular G nucleotide pools (GTP, GDP and GMP) are significantly reduced in the Stk1-deficient strains, while levels of A nucleotides (ATP, ADP and AMP) are marginally increased when compared with the isogenic wild-type strain. We provide evidence that the reduced pools of G nucleotides result from altered activity of the IMP utilizing enzymes, adenylosuccinate synthetase (PurA) and IMP dehydrogenase (GuaB) in these strains. We also demonstrate that Stk1 and Stp1 reversibly phosphorylate and consequently regulate PurA activity in GBS. Collectively, these data indicate the novel role of eukaryotic-type kinases in regulation of metabolic processes such as purine biosynthesis.
A Review on TOA Estimation Techniques and Comparison

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction TOA Estimation Methods Comparison of TOA Estimation Techniques Range Estimation System Design Conclusion References
Adverse Effects of Acne Medications: Recognition and Management

Acne vulgaris is a very common chronic inflammatory disease of the skin. The clinical features of acne range from non-inflammatory comedones to inflammatory nodules. While often perceived as an adolescent disease, the prevalence remains high into adulthood, and the manifestations can have detrimental psychosocial effects. It is therefore not surprising that many patients are motivated to seek treatment. The existing treatment strategies for acne are complex due to the multifactorial pathogenesis of the disease. Although it is difficult to cure, four categories of medications have proved efficacious in reducing acne lesions: topical agents, systemic antibiotics, systemic retinoids, and hormonal agents. Unfortunately, these medications can cause adverse effects that may limit their use. Typically, these adverse effects are mild and transient and can be remedied by altering the dose or frequency of the offending agent. However, more serious adverse effects can occur that pose a significant health risk to the patient. Understanding how to recognize and manage the adverse effects of common acne therapies is imperative to providing the safest and most appropriate treatment for each patient. This article focuses on the recognition and management of adverse effects associated with current acne medications.
Anterior colporrhaphy: a randomized trial of three surgical techniques.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes after anterior colporrhaphy with the use of 3 different surgical techniques. Study Design: One hundred fourteen women with anterior vaginal prolapse were randomly assigned to undergo anterior repair by one of 3 techniques: standard, standard plus polyglactin 910 mesh, or ultralateral anterior colporrhaphy. Before and after operation, patients underwent physical examination staging of prolapse; the International Continence Society system was used. Symptoms were assessed by questionnaire and visual analog scales. We defined "cure" as satisfactory (stage I) or optimal (stage 0) outcome at points Aa and Ba. Results: Of 114 patients who were originally enrolled, 109 patients underwent operation, and 83 patients (76%) returned for follow-up. Mean age (± SD) was 64.7 ± 11.1 years. At entry, 7 patients (7%) had stage I anterior vaginal prolapse; 35 patients (37%) had stage II anterior vaginal prolapse; 51 patients (54%) had stage III anterior vaginal prolapse; and 2 patients (2%) had stage IV anterior vaginal prolapse. At a median length of follow-up of 23.3 months, 10 of 33 patients (30%) who were randomly assigned to the standard anterior colporrhaphy group experienced satisfactory or optimal anatomic results, compared with 11 of 26 patients (42%) with standard plus mesh and with 11 of 24 patients (46%) with ultralateral anterior colporrhaphy. The severity of symptoms that were related to prolapse improved markedly (preoperative score, 6.9 ± 2.7; postoperative score, 1.1 ± 0.8). Twenty-three of 24 patients (96%) no longer required manual pressure to void after operation. Conclusion: These 3 techniques of anterior colporrhaphy provided similar anatomic cure rates and symptom resolution for anterior vaginal prolapse repair. The addition of polyglactin 910 mesh did not improve the cure rate compared with standard anterior colporrhaphy. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;185:1299-306.)
Concomitant Face/Upper Extremity Allotransplantation

Concomitant vascularized composite tissue allotransplantation (VCA) offers single stage restoration of complex anatomical units in a manner that would be difficult, if not impossible to accomplish using conventional reconstructive techniques. However, such extensive and complex transplant procedures have considerable inherent risk. Two cases of concomitant face and hand transplantation have been performed to date, both with significant early complications leading to significant morbidity, and in one case, mortality. These cases highlight some of the unknowns in both perioperative and immunological management that must be addressed if this complex subset of VCA procedures is to be more widely offered. Only once these acute challenges can be reliably managed will focus turn to rehabilitation and long-term outcomes. If these issues can be overcome, concomitant face and upper extremity transplantation could offer patients who have suffered severe, complex injuries unprecedented options for restoration of function and form.
The path matrix and switching functions

Abstract Part I introduces a new matrix, the path matrix, in the theory of linear graph. The matrix is defined and its properties are given in a number of lemmas and theorems. They include (1) a relation between the path matrix and the incidence matrix of a connected graph (Theorem 1) and (2) the rank of the path matrix, which is shown to be e − v + 2 − S (Theorem 3), where e is the number of edges, v the number of vertices and S the number of independent circuits contained in the “path-isolated subgraphs” of a connected graph. It is clear that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the union of all paths between two vertices and a two-terminal switching function. An explicit formula is obtained which relates a switching function to the topology of the graph.The formula shows that a switching function is expressible in terms of the path matrix in much the same manner as the determinant of the admittance matrix is expressed in terms of the vertex matrix. Part II demonstrates a synthesis procedure which obtains a graph from a given path matrix without first converting it into a circuit matrix by means of the “free element” as did Okada, Seshu and Gould.The procedure is based on a number of relations between paths and cut sets, which are derived in the paper. As there is a one-one correspondence between a path matrix and a switching function of n variables, the procedure is directly applicable without modification to the synthesis of a switching function of n variables using n contacts.
Introduction of nonselectible 2 mu plasmid into [cir(o)] cells of the yeast S. cerevisiae by DNA transformation and in vivo site-specific resolution.

The 2μ DNA plasmid of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae does not confer any known selectable phenotype to the host cell carrying it. Selection of cells transformed with purified 2μ DNA therefore cannot be achieved, and the intracellular presence of 2μ can only be assessed by molecular analysis of the DNA complement. In addition, 2μ alone does not replicate in bacterial hosts, thus rendering its amplification by conventional methods impossible. We have isolated a shuttle plasmid, pBH-2L, generated by in vivo sites-pecific recombination between the endogenous 2μ DNA plasmid and pRL, a pBR322 derivative containing the yeast LEU2 gene and one 2μ repeat sequence associated with the origin of replication. This new shuttle plasmid has the property, when transformed into yeast, of undergoing site-specific recombinational resolution between its two direct repeat sequences. This releases 2μ plasmid and pRL as individual molecules. The latter can undergo progressive mitotic loss during growth in nonselective medium, ultimately leaving leucine auxotrophic transformants that contain only 2μ DNA plasmid. This system can be utilized to introduce 2μ DNA alone into cells lacking it, thereby providing a novel means to study the biology and the molecular genetics of the plasmid and its potential practical applications as a vector.
Structural Modifications in Bilayered Molecular Systems Lead to Predictable Changes in Their Electronic Properties

This study uses a novel surface engineering approach to demonstrate the influence of organic functional group substitutions on molecular electronic properties. Specifically, bilayered organic monomolecular systems immobilized on an inorganic electrode as the charge-injecting components of organic electronic devices are compared. Recent literature reports demonstrate that structural modification in functional monolayers have unpredictable effects on their electronic properties. These studies indicate that the structure most certainly plays an important role, but its effect on the molecular resistance is diminished due to differences in other monolayer parameters. It is demonstrated that a separate control over the monolayer geometry and its chemical structure is required in order to observe predictable structure-property relations. Here, bilayered molecular interfaces, comprising inert and functional layers whose properties can be independently controlled, are formed. It is shown that 1) the charge transfer through the bilayered system is sensitive to small structural molecular changes; 2) that it can be controlled and predicted by controlling the electron-withdrawing or donating nature of the organic moiety; and 3) that the differences in the charge transfer dynamics of two bilayered systems can be visualized via patterned electroluminescence.
X-ray Absorption Analysis of KDP Optics

Abstract Potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) is a non-linear optical material used for laser frequency conversion and optical switches. Unfortunately, when KDP crystals are coated with a porous silica anti-reflection coating (Thomas, Appl. Opt. 1986;25(9):1481) and then exposed to ambient humidity, they develop dissolution pits (Wheeler et al., SPIE 1999;3902:451–459; Wheeler et al., Mater. Res. Soc. Conf., San Francisco, 2000). Previous investigations (Wheeler et al., SPIE 1999;3902:451–459) have shown that thermal annealing renders KDP optics less susceptible to pitting, suggesting that a modification of surface chemistry has occurred. X-ray absorption was used to characterize changes in the composition and structure of KDP optics as a function of process parameters. KDP native crystals were also analyzed to provide a standard basis for interpretation. Surface sensitive total electron yield and bulk sensitive fluorescence yield from the K2p, P2p (L2,3-edge) and O1s (K-edge) absorption edges were measured at each process step. Results indicate that annealing at 160°C dehydrates the surface of KDP resulting in a metaphosphate surface composition with K:P:O=1:1:3.