cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Increasing student interest by the use of interactive computer simulations

Two methods of increasing the involvement of introductory social psychology students with the topic of “person perception” were implemented and compared. Students either experienced two computer simulations of situations which illustrated person-perception principles or participated in a typical person-perception experiment. Students with computer experience, perhaps because of the individualized nature of the simulations, rated “person perception” as more interesting and more important than the experiment-participation students. Knowledge concerning person perception did not differ between groups.
Identification of a triad of arginine residues in the active site of the ArsC arsenate reductase of plasmid R773

ArsC from plasmid R773 catalyzes reduction of arsenate in Escherichia coli. Arg-60, Arg-94 and Arg-107 are near the active site residue Cys-12, suggesting that they form an anion binding pocket in the active site and/or participate in catalysis. These three arginine residues were altered to a variety of other residues by site-directed mutagenesis. Only mutants with arginine-to-lysine substitutions conferred arsenate resistance in vivo, although purified R60A, R60E, R60K exhibited varying levels of enzymatic activity. The data support the hypothesis that this triad of arginine residues is involved in arsenate binding and transition-state stabilization.
The role of vascular endothelial growth factor-induced activation of NADPH oxidase in choroidal endothelial cells and choroidal neovascularization.

Rac1, a subunit of NADPH oxidase, plays an important role in directed endothelial cell motility. We reported previously that Rac1 activation was necessary for choroidal endothelial cell migration across the retinal pigment epithelium, a critical step in the development of vision-threatening neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Here we explored the roles of Rac1 and NADPH oxidase activation in response to vascular endothelial growth factor treatment in vitro and in a model of laser-induced choroidal neovascularization. We found that vascular endothelial growth factor induced the activation of Rac1 and of NADPH oxidase in cultured human choroidal endothelial cells. Further, vascular endothelial growth factor led to heightened generation of reactive oxygen species from cultured human choroidal endothelial cells, which was prevented by the NADPH oxidase inhibitors, apocynin and diphenyleneiodonium, or the antioxidant, N-acetyl-l-cysteine. In a model of laser-induced injury, inhibition of NADPH oxidase with apocynin significantly reduced reactive oxygen species levels as measured by dihydroethidium fluorescence and the volume of laser-induced choroidal neovascularization. Mice lacking functional p47phox, a subunit of NADPH oxidase, had reduced dihydroethidium fluorescence and choroidal neovascularization compared with wild-type controls. Taken together, these results indicate that vascular endothelial growth factor activates Rac1 upstream from NADPH oxidase in human choroidal endothelial cells and increases generation of reactive oxygen species, contributing to choroidal neovascularization. These steps may contributed to the pathology of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
NANOINDENTATION STUDY OF AMORPHOUS METAL MULTILAYERED THIN FILMS

Nanoindentation studies were preformed on amorphous metal, multilayered thin films containing alternating layers of Fe50Ti50 and Cu35Nb65 in order to investigate the mechanism for plastic deformation in metallic glass. Films with a total thickness of 1μm and bilayer repeat lengths ranging from 2 to 50 nm were magnetron sputter-deposited onto sapphire substrates. In contrast to many crystalline multilayered systems, where large hardness enhancements have been observed when the bilayer repeat length is reduced below about 10 nm, no significant hardness enhancement as a function of bilayer repeat length was observed in the Fe50Ti50/ Cu35Nb65 amorphous metal system. This result suggests that a dislocation-like mechanism for plastic deformation may not be appropriate for these amorphous metals.
CARDIOMYOCYTE-SPECIFIC DELETION OF LEPTIN RECEPTORS CAUSES LETHAL HEART FAILURE IN CRE-RECOMBINASE MEDIATED CARDIOTOXICITY

Although disruption of leptin signaling is associated with obesity as well as cardiac lipid accumulation and dysfunction, it has been difficult to separate the direct effects of leptin on the heart...
New Zealand Caprellidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda)

Summary The New Zealand Caprellidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) are reviewed. Only two species previously recognised from New Zealand, Caprella equilibra Say and Caprellina longicollis (Nicolet) are accepted. A new monospecific genus near to Protomima is described.
The political ecology of transboundary development: Land use, flood control and politics in the Tijuana river valley

Scholars (Alegria O. 1992, Fernandez 1977, Gildersleeve 1978, Griffin and Ford 1976, Herzog 1990, Hoffman 1983) have long argued that cultural, social and economic linkages have formed spatially unified cities along the Mexico-United States border. Overlooked, however, are the impacts of transboundary interaction on the biophysical resources of the border region. This oversight can partially be explained by the region's arid environment which is viewed as having little biological diversity and thus few differences. This popular characterization is incorrect. The dramatic increase in the human population since the 1950s has dramatically altered the region's flora, fauna and hydrology. Not only have environmental changes occurred, but they differ on either side of the border. Contrasts in population density and distribution, and levels of economic development, each a function of legislation that regulates urban areas, have internationally different consequences. This article examines how politics affects the biophysical environment of Mexico-U.S. twin border cities. The focus of the study is the Tijuana River Valley in the Tijuana-San Diego metropolitan region. Crossed by the international boundary, this valley consists of two separate and contrasting parts that illustrate the divergent effects of politics on natural resources in an otherwise unified ecosystem.
Comparative Effects of Three Beta Blockers (Atenolol, Metoprolol, and Propranolol) on Survival After Acute Myocardial Infarction*

The beneficial impact of beta blockade after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is clear, but beta-adrenergic blockers differ in multiple characteristics, including lipophilicity and selectivity. The impact of these factors on the effects of beta blockade is unknown. We therefore compared the effects of different beta blockers on mortality after AMI. Charts of 201,752 patients with AMI were abstracted by the Cooperative Cardiovascular Project, a quality assurance program sponsored by the Health Care Financing Administration. Of the 69,338 patients prescribed beta blockers, we compared mortality of patients receiving different beta-adrenergic blockers using the Cox proportional-hazards model accounting for multiple factors that might influence survival. The mortality rates of the 2 selective agents, metoprolol and atenolol, were virtually identical (13.5% and 13.4% 2-year mortality, respectively). Compared with metoprolol, patients discharged on propranolol had a slightly increased mortality (15.9% 2-year mortality), which may be related to undetected differences at baseline. Survival with all of the drugs was superior to the 23.9% 2-year mortality seen in patients not receiving beta blockers. Beta blockade overall was associated with a 40% improvement in survival. Although the use of beta blockade after AMI has major prognostic importance, the present study suggests that the specific beta blocker chosen will have little influence on mortality.
On the longitudinal vibrations of a bar with viscous boundaries: Super-stability, super-instability, and loss of damping

Abstract This paper presents the investigation of the longitudinal motions of a bar subjected to viscous boundary conditions at each end. These viscous boundary conditions can also be thought of in terms of boundary feedback control. The system is not self-adjoint and for certain parameter regimes exhibits super-stable, super-unstable, and undamped behavior. Closed form solutions to the response of the system subjected to initial conditions and external excitation are obtained. The physical origins of the super-stable and super-unstable behavior are investigated and their intricate connectedness with the continuum model used to understand the dynamics is explained. The issue of discretization of the continuous system is discussed and it is shown that the continuum assumption bestows certain features to the response of the system that no finite dimensional approximation can qualitatively capture. Computational results corroborating the theoretical analysis are presented.
Effect of N2-guanyl modifications on early steps in catalysis of polymerization by Sulfolobus solfataricus P2 DNA polymerase Dpo4 T239W.

Translesion DNA polymerases are more efficient at bypass of many DNA adducts than replicative polymerases. Previous work with the translesion polymerase Sulfolobus solfataricus Dpo4 showed a decrease in catalytic efficiency during bypass of bulky N 2 -alkyl guanine (G) adducts with N 2 -isobutylG showing the largest effect, decreasing ~120-fold relative to unmodified deoxyguanosine (Zhang, H., Eoff, R. L., Egli, M., Guengerich, F. P. Versatility of Y-family Sulfolobus solfataricus DNA polymerase Dpo4 in translation synthesis past bulky N 2 -alkylguanine adducts. J. Biol. Chem. 2009; 284: 3563-3576). The effect of adduct size on individual catalytic steps has not been easy to decipher because of the difficulty of distinguishing early noncovalent steps from phosphodiester bond formation. We developed a mutant with a single Trp (T239W) to monitor fluorescence changes associated with a conformational change that occurs after binding a correct 2'-deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate (Beckman, J. W., Wang, Q., Guengerich, F. P. Kinetic analysis of nucleotide insertion by a Y-family DNA polymerase reveals conformational change both prior to and following phosphodiester bond formation as detected by tryptophan fluorescence. J. Biol. Chem. 2008; 283: 36711-36723) and, in the present work, utilized this approach to monitor insertion opposite N 2 -alkylG-modified oligonucleotides. We estimated maximal rates for the forward conformational step, which coupled with measured rates of product formation yielded rate constants for the conformational step (both directions) during insertion opposite several N 2 -alkylG adducts. With the smaller N 2 -alkylG adducts, the conformational rate constants were not changed dramatically (< 3-fold), indicating that the more sensitive steps are phosphodiester bond formation and partitioning into inactive complexes. With the larger adducts (≥ (2-naphthyl)methyl), the absence of fluorescence changes suggests impaired ability to undergo an appropriate conformational change, consistent with previous structural work.
Wnt Signaling Influences the Development of Murine Epidermal Langerhans Cells

Langerhans cells (LCs) are distinct dendritic cells (DCs) that populate stratified squamous epithelia. Despite extensive studies, our understanding of LC development is incomplete. Transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) is required for LC development, but other epidermis-derived influences may also be important. Recently, EpCAM (CD326) has been identified as a cell surface protein discriminating LCs from Langerin + dermal DCs and other DCs in the skin. EpCAM is a known transcriptional target of the Wnt signaling pathway. We hypothesized that intraepidermal Wnt signaling might influence LC development. Addition of Wnt3A into cultures of bone-marrow-derived cells in combination with TGFβ1, GM-CSF, and M-CSF resulted in increased (33%; P + DCs. In contrast, addition of the Wnt antagonist dickkopf-related protein 1 (Dkk1) decreased the number of EpCAM + DCs (21%; P K14-KRM1; K5-rtTA; tetO-Dkk1 triple-transgenic and K5-rtTA; tetO-Dkk1 double-transgenic mice to test the in vivo relevance of our in vitro findings. Feeding doxycycline to nursing mothers induced expression of Dkk1 in the skin of transgenic pups, causing an obvious hair phenotype. Expression of Dkk1 reduced LC proliferation (40%; P P
Leucoaraiosis, nigrostriatal denervation and motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease

Leucoaraiosis is associated with motor symptoms in otherwise normal older adults. Comorbid leucoaraiosis is predicted to contribute also to motor features in Parkinson’s disease but previous studies of white matter changes in Parkinson’s disease show variable results. No prior studies have compared directly the effects of both leucoaraiosis and the degree of nigrostriatal dopaminergic denervation on motor features. We investigated the effect of leucoaraiosis severity on motor impairment independent of the degree of nigrostriatal dopaminergic denervation in Parkinson’s disease. Seventy-three subjects with Parkinson’s disease (Hoehn and Yahr stages 1–3) underwent brain magnetic resonance and [11C]dihydrotetrabenazine vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 positron emission tomography imaging. Automated assessment of supratentorial fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance hyperintense white matter voxels was performed using cerebellar white matter as the intensity reference. White matter signal hyperintensity burden was log-transformed and normalized for brain volume. Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale total and subscore ratings were assessed to determine motor impairment. Subjects receiving dopaminergic medications were examined in the clinically defined ‘OFF’ state. Multivariate regression analysis with measures of white matter signal hyperintensity burden and nigrostriatal denervation as independent variables demonstrated a significant overall model for total motor Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores ( F = 11.4, P < 0.0001) with significant regression effects for both white matter signal hyperintensity burden (t = 2.0, β = 0.22, P = 0.045) and striatal monoaminergic binding ( t = −3.5, β = −0.38, P = 0.0008). Axial motor impairment demonstrated a robust association with white matter signal hyperintensity burden ( t = 4.0, β = 0.43, P = 0.0001) compared with striatal monoaminergic binding ( t = −2.1, β = 0.22, P = 0.043). White matter signal hyperintensity burden regression effects for bradykinesia had borderline significance. No significant white matter signal hyperintensity burden effects were found for rigidity or tremor subscores. White matter signal hyperintensity burden was significantly higher in the subgroup with postural instability and gait difficulties compared with the tremor-predominant subgroup despite no significant differences in age or duration of disease. These findings indicate that increased white matter signal hyperintensity burden is associated with worse motor performance independent of the degree of nigrostriatal dopaminergic denervation in Parkinson’s disease. Comorbid white matter disease is a greater determinant of axial motor impairment than nigrostriatal dopaminergic denervation. * Abbreviations : UPDRS : Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale
Gorillas’ (Gorilla gorilla) use of experimenter-given manual and facial cues in an object-choice task

Several experiments have been performed to examine the great apes’ use of experimenter-given manual and visual cues in object-choice tasks. Considering their use of referential gestures in gaze-following paradigms, great apes perform surprisingly unsuccessfully in object-choice tasks. However, the large majority of object-choice experiments have been conducted with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) with very few experiments including other great ape species, making it difficult to generalize about the great apes. Interestingly, the only object-choice task conducted with gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) has indicated successful use of both manual and visual cues. It was the aim of the present study to gather more data on gorillas’ use of human manual and facial cues on the object-choice task. Gorilla subjects in this study did not show consistent use of three types of referential cues.
NSF Continental Lithosphere Program

For several months the Continental Lithosphere Program (CL) of the National Science Foundation has been subject to a major review. The process was stimulated by a series of budget setbacks over the past few years. Although Presidential budget requests have been very favorable for the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR), and there has been strong support within the National Science Foundation and Congress, actual appropriations by Congress have been disappointing. In each year the final allocation to EAR has been affected by external factors beyond the control of the Foundation. In the four fiscal years from 1986 through 1989 the factors include reductions tied to the Gramm-Rudman deficit reduction measures, congressional reaction to the October 1987 stock market crash, and two years of protection for the Ocean Sciences part of the NSF budget that was paid for from the budgets of the Atmospheric and Earth Sciences divisions.
A Comparison of Enthalpies of Formation in Solution and Enthalpies for HPLC Retention for Hydrogen‐Bonded Host—Guest Complexes

New methods that rapidly and accurately measure the stability of molecular complexes can greatly assist molecular recognition studies. Enthalpies of complexation, in particular, have proven valuable in understanding the origin of stabilities of host-guest compounds.['] We recently reported that enthalpies of retention of nitroaromatic analytes-conveniently determined by their temperature-dependent retention (vide infra) by tweezer molecules attached to HPLC stationary phaseswere within experimental error of the analogous complexation enthalpies measured in free solution.[', '] This result required both a minimal amount of retention by nonspecific interactions and a similar molecular recognition event in solution and on the silica surface. To test the generality of this method, we have now examined host-guest systems in which complexation is driven by hydrogen bonding or a combination of hydrogen bonding and n-stacking. In contrast to the earlier study, the current hosts are more exposed for potential interaction with the silica surface, and nonspecific retention of the more polar heterocyclic analytes is more likely. A broad range of such host-guest systems has been examined, and we report herein a comparison of enthalpies determined in solution and by HPLC; the latter were determined on 1 -3, stationary phases containing chemically bonded hosts.
Following the Paper Trail: Measuring the Economic and Environmental Impact of Digital Content Delivery

We provide an overview of a framework for measuring the economic and environmental impact of digital content delivery currently being pilot tested in the College of Business at the University of Dallas. This framework is based on Elkington’s Triple Bottom Line (TBL) model of sustainability which includes Economic (Profit), Environmental (Planet) and Social (People) dimensions [1]. We first describe the development of a rubric for quantifying online digital content followed by an overview of the process for assessing the environmental and economic effects of digital versus traditional paper delivery. Results are based on archival data generated with the rubric and survey data collected from 1,039 online students in the spring and summer semesters of 2009. We conclude with suggestions for establishing measurement models at other institutions where fostering partnerships between university administrators, faculty and students holds promise for increasing the sustainable impact of eLearning.
Magnetic polyacrylonitrile-Fe@FeO nanocomposite fibers - Electrospinning, stabilization and carbonization

Uniform and bead-free pure polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and its magnetic polymer nanocomposite (PNC) fibers reinforced with different core-shell Fe@FeO nanoparticles (NPs) loadings are prepared using electrospinning method. The morphology of the resulting products is correlated to the corresponding rheological behaviors of the pure PAN and PAN/Fe@FeO solutions. The diameter of the PAN fibers is linearly related to the polymer solution concentration. However, with a fixed PAN concentration of 10 wt %, the Fe@FeO NP loading shows a negligible effect on the morphology of the PNC fibers. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results indicate an enhanced thermal stability of the PNC fibers than that of the pure PAN fibers. Magnetic carbon nanocomposite (MCNC) fibers are prepared through the stabilization and carbonization of the electrospun PNC fibers. The effects of the heating procedures, including the stabilization and carbonization temperature and time, on the fiber morphology are systematically investigated. Both short and long MCNC fibers could be easily produced by changing the heat procedures. Room temperature magnetic properties of the nanocomposite fibers based on different heating procedures are also studied in this work.
KATTS: a framework for maximizing NCLEX-RN performance

A key indicator of the quality of a nursing education program is the performance of its graduates as first-time takers of the NCLEX-RN. As a result, nursing schools are open to strategies that strengthen the performance of their graduates on the examination. The Knowledge base, Anxiety control, Test-Taking Skills (KATTS) framework focuses on the three components of achieving a maximum score on an examination. In KATTS, all three components must be present and in proper balance to maximize a test taker's score. By strengthening not just one but all of these components, graduates can improve their overall test scores significantly. Suggested strategies for strengthening each component of KATTS are provided. This framework has been used successfully in designing remedial tutoring programs and in assisting first-time NCLEX test takers in preparing for the licensing examination.
The ephemeral life of a salt marsh

Salt marshes are disappearing around the world at an alarming rate. A common tenet of marsh vulnerability is that, for elevated rates of sea level rise, accretion of the marsh platform is unable to keep pace with sea level leading to marsh drowning ([Reed, 1995][1]; [Morris et al., 2002][2]). Recent
A 500-MHz 16*16 complex multiplier using self-aligned gate GaAs heterostructure FET technology

The authors report a three-stage pipelined 4500-gate 16*16 complex multiplier with a multiply rate of 500 million products per second, producing a complex product which requires four multiplications and two additions every 8 ns at a power dissipation of 4.0 W. The multiplier uses a modified Booth's algorithm to reduce the number of adders in the multiplier net. The basic building block of the adders and registers is a DCFL NOR gate with a special load structure. The heterostructure active layers were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on 3-in semi-insulating LEC (liquid encapsulated Czochralski) GaAs substrates. The output of bits 1 and 5, operating in the self-test mode, is shown. The circuit was found to perform vector rotations correctly at a clock rate of 560 MHz with a power dissipation of 6.2 W and at 520 MHz with a power dissipation of 4 W. The 520-MHz clock at 4 W corresponds to 96 ps/gate and 0.89 mW/gate because the pipelined stages are limited to 20 gate delays. This performance represents a loaded delay with each gate driving an average fan-out of 2.5 and about 1000 mu m of interconnects at close to minimum spacing. >
Associations of family characteristics with perceptions of care among parents of children with autism.

Background Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an increasingly common chronic disability, primary care provider (PCPs) report deficits in providing primary care for children with ASD, and parents report lapses in receipt of medical home services. In this study, we describe parental experiences with specific medical home components for their children with ASD. Methods We analysed data from all children within the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs database with ASD and a usual place for care (n = 2859). We evaluated the receipt of core medical home components: accessible, comprehensive, coordinated, family centred and compassionate and culturally sensitive care. Results Children were mean age 10.1 years, and respondents were 75% mothers and 95% reported having a primary care provider (PCP). Seventy-one percent reported care to be usually comprehensive, over three-fourths of respondents reported care to be family centred and compassionate and 87% reported care to be culturally sensitive. Of the parents who reported a need for care coordination (n = 1049), only 14% of parents reported usually getting the help they needed. More educated, English-speaking, non-Hispanic White mothers of older children supported by private insurance were more likely to report never getting as much help coordinating care as desired. Coordination with education services are especially important for children with ASD, yet 27% of parents reported dissatisfaction with PCPs' communication with schools or early intervention. Conclusion Although parents report a high level of access to PCPs and places for care as well as receiving most core components of the medical home, care coordination activities are lacking for children with ASD. More resourced families are particularly likely to report unmet needs.
Returning to Work after the Onset of Illness: Experiences of Right Hemisphere Stroke Survivors.

Experiences of right hemisphere stroke survivors in their attempts to return to work after the onset of stroke were explored through an interdisciplinary qualitative investigation. Key findings ind...
Treatment during transition from prison to community and subsequent illicit drug use

This study examined the effects of postrelease transitional therapeutic community treatment on the drug use and employment rates of drug involved prisoners in the Delaware corrections system followed for up to 5 years after release. A comparison group received standard postrelease supervision. Abstinence rates were 32.2% in the treatment group and 9.9% in the no-treatment group, and the treatment group had a higher overall proportion of time free of drug use. Time to relapse was a mean of 28.8 months in the treatment group versus 13.2 months in the no-treatment group. Relapse was defined as any use of any drug and was confirmed by urinalysis. Positive effects were seen even for those who did not complete treatment. The treatment group had a significantly higher rate of employment after leaving work release (54.6%) than did the no-treatment group (45.4%). Treatment during the transitional period between prison and community showed substantial and persistent benefits even for a cohort marked with extensive criminal history, low rates of marital bonds, and substantial unemployment.
Children's expectancies and perceptions of adults: effects on rapport.

Interpersonal expectancy effects are less thoroughly understood in children than in adults, yet they can have practical implications for children's interactions. To understand better children's expectancies, this study extended earlier work to include expectancies of adults, preexisting (i.e., noninduced) expectancies, and joint effects of expectancies and subsequent perceptions. Children (N = 81) in Grades 4 through 6 (i.e., 9- to 12-year-olds) indicated their expectancies of adults who subsequently interacted with them using a style of either autonomy support (AS) or control (CN). After each interaction, children reported on perceived AS and on rapport. Results indicated that children's expectancies and subsequent perceptions interact to predict rapport, adult AS is associated with increased rapport, and the effect of children's expectancies on rapport is only partially mediated by their perceptions.
Properties of the clathrates of hydrogen and developments in their applicability for hydrogen storage

Abstract In contrast with the previously accepted paradigm, it is now well established that molecular hydrogen may be contained within the nano-sized cavities of clathrates. Specifically, water-based clathrate hydrates can host a significant amount of H 2 within hydrogen-bonded water cages, with interesting features such as multiple cavity occupation. Additionally, clathrate hydrate analogues have been demonstrated to hold hydrogen and novel hydrogen clathrate materials are continuing to be developed. This work discusses the structures, stabilities, occupancies, and dynamics of hydrogen clathrates and highlights recent developments towards hydrogen storage.
Profiles of punishment and privilege : secret and disputed deviance during the racialized transition to American adulthood

This paper combines Glenn Loury’s (The anatomy of racial inequality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2002) thought experiments about racial inequality with Howard Becker’s (Outsiders: Studies in the sociology of deviance. New York, NY: Free, 1963) typology of deviance to guide the analysis of three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The results reveal the racial anatomy of punishment and privilege during the transition to American adulthood. Our analysis points to a substantial pool of white American youth and emerging adults whose partying behavior is a prevalent form of unsanctioned secret deviance. These disproportionately white and economically advantaged secret deviants contrast with a smaller but significant number of African-American youth and emerging adults who dispute their designations by the juvenile and criminal courts as official deviants. While the privileged position of a party subculture may in social–psychological terms be enabling and even empowering for youthful and affluent white Americans, the selective punishment of other forms of drug activity and delinquency is disabling for African-Americans in profound and less recognized ways. The importance of the data presented in this paper is to expose the comparative probabilities of black and white punishment and privilege. The results reveal concealed racial conventions involved in the construction of the American collective conscience, which Loury identifies as a source of our cognitive imprisonment.
PREVENTING POSTOPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS IN THE ELDERLY

Postoperative complications are directly related to poor surgical outcomes in the elderly. This review outlines evidence based quality initiatives focused on decreasing neurologic, cardiac, and pulmonary complications in the elderly surgical patient. Important anesthesia quality initiatives for prevention of delirium, the most common neurologic complication in elderly surgical patients, are outlined. There are few age-specific quality measures aimed at prevention of cardiac and pulmonary complications. However, some recommendations for adults can be applied to the geriatric surgical population. In the future, process measures may provide a more global assessment of quality in the elderly surgical population.
Sorting out noncanonical, paracrine functions of vitamin D: focus on "Vitamin D receptor activation and downregulation of renin-angiotensin system attenuate morphine-induced T cell apoptosis".

vitamin d and its essential role in curing rickets was discovered in the early part of the last century. The term vitamin is actually a misnomer as vitamin D is better characterized as a pre-pro-hormone (see [Fig. 1 A ][1] for chemical modifications required for hormonal activity). [Figure 1 B ][1]
Effects of ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate on cotton fabric

The effect of ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate (NH3/NH4SCN) treatment of the swelling behavior, structural changes, and physical properties of cotton sheeting was compared with that of sodium hydroxide and liquid ammonia mercerization. Increased percent shrinkage, accessibility to a large dye molecule, dyestuff absorption, swelling with water, and water imbibition showed that NH3/NH4SCN had improved the accessibility of the cotton fabric. X-ray diffractograms showed the characteristic Cellulose I crystal lattice. X-ray diffraction and infrared absorption spectroscopy indicated that the crystallite size was unchanged and the swelling from the NH3/NH4SCN treatment occurred in the amorphous regions of the cellulose since the observed crystal structure was unchanged. Moisture regain determinations and barium hydroxide absorption suggested that some recrystallization of the cellulose may have occurred from the NH3/NH4SCN treatment. Fibers treated with NH3/NH4SCN showed a cross sectional shape similar to that of the origianl fibers but with reduced lumen area.
Experimental observation of thermal-blooming phase-compensation instability

We have made the first experimental observations to our knowledge of thermal-blooming phase-compensation instability. We identified the instability by impressing a spatial intensity modulation on the laser beam and watching this modulation grow as thermal-blooming compensation was performed with a 69-channel phase-conjugate adaptive-optics system.
Factors affecting the growth of tubercle bacilli in liquid media.

1. Certain water-soluble esters of long chain fatty acids (in particular of oleic acid) favor submerged and diffuse growth of mycobacteria throughout the depth of synthetic liquid media. 2. Esters of oleic acid increase considerably the amount of growth yielded by avian strains in synthetic media. 3. The addition of serum albumin to synthetic liquid media permits visible growth of minimal inocula of virulent human tubercle bacilli (10(-8) mg.) within 11 to 15 days. 4. Cultures growing diffusely in media containing the water-soluble esters- with or without albumin-consist of cells of classical morphology and staining properties, which again exhibit the usual mode of growth when returned to the standard synthetic or egg yolk media.
Idealism versus pragmatism in user evaluations of allocation systems

Abstract Permit allocation systems in recreation settings attempt to distribute permits in a manner which is “socially just.”; “Distributive justice,”; however, is an ideal that can be defined in terms of several competing social goals, and practical allocation alternatives may not explicitly address any of them. In addition, individuals may not evaluate systems based upon such ideals, but rather upon a pragmatic assessment about whether a system is likely to favor them. Data from a survey of river runners on the Snake River in Hell's Canyon are used to analyze evaluations of allocation alternatives, based on perceived fairness and perceived chances of success. Results suggest that willingness to try an alternative is a pragmatic evaluation more strongly associated with perceived likelihood of success than with fairness or acceptability. In contrast, acceptability is a more idealistic evaluation strongly associated with fairness, which in turn is associated with likelihood of success. Implications for des...
Syntactic regression testing for tree-structured output

Regression testing is used by software developers to ensure that program modifications have not negatively impacted the correctness of code. While regression testing has been successfully applied in many domains, programs such as web applications, XML processors, and compilers remain expensive to test because harmless program evolutions make the tests appear to fail: in our experiments 82% of test case output differences are false positives. We present an automated tool that measures syntactic differences in the tree-structured output of such programs to reduce the number of false positives in, and thus the cost of, regression testing. We model test case outputs that merit human inspection through a set of structural and domain-specific features. We evaluate the performance of our technique on over 20,000 test case output comparisons, and find that we are three times as accurate as a naive comparator.
Meningitis Update of Recommendations for the Neonate

Our series of children with meningitis shows an increase in the frequency of isolation of Hemophilus influenzae type B. This increase is most marked among children between one and two months of age. Since H. influenzae was found in five of the seven children between thirty and sixty days of age, we recommend the use of chloramphenicol for the initial treatment of bacterial meningitis after the first month of life. Additionally, our mortality data suggest that early diagnosis and intensive supportive therapy can contribute to a further decrease in the fatality rate of this disease.
A student task model method for assessing and improving a Model-Eliciting Activity

Model-Eliciting Activities (MEAs) are a class of interdisciplinary problems designed to simulate authentic, client-driven situations in classroom settings. MEAs allow teachers and researchers to observe student development of conceptual models by requiring students to make their models explicit through design-test-revise cycles. Here, we present a method for assessing the design of MEAs and the learning that occurs by applying a task model to student work products. We examine the relationship between the number of deep strategies employed and the usefulness of the mathematical model produced in solving an MEA in an undergraduate engineering course. A task model was created to represent the areas for strategy deployment, as well as to specify shallow and deep strategies utilized by student teams in these areas. Student work products were coded according to this model and data was analyzed using non-parametric statistical analyses. By explicitly modeling the problem-solving strategies, optimal pathways for task success were highlighted, providing information for instructors on valuable feedback for students engaging in the activity, as well as validation of holistic assessments of student work. This analysis also has implications for determining the specific learning that occurs during a complex problem-solving activity.
Mid‐ocean ridge magma chamber processes: Constraints from olivine zonation in lavas from the East Pacific Rise at 9°30′N and 10°30′N

[1] Lavas from the northern East Pacific Rise with both robust (9°30′N) and nonrobust (10°30′N) ridge morphologies have compositionally diverse populations of plagioclase and/or olivine due to magma mixing. We interpret zoning in olivines to be primarily due to diffusion after mixing events, which allows us to calculate the residence times of individual crystals in the magma. For the four studied samples, olivine populations exhibit exponential distributions of calculated diffusion times, with short times exponentially more abundant than longer times. We model this distribution as resulting from mixing in an open-system axial magma chamber. Magma residence times in axial chambers at East Pacific Rise 9°30′N and 10°30′N for the four studied samples are of the order of months. Surprisingly, we find that the differences in mineralogy and magma residence times between robust and nonrobust East Pacific Rise segments are not significant. Taken together, our observations and measurements suggest that the seismically imaged melt lens of the axial magma chamber does not play a significant role in controlling the crystal content and characters of erupted lavas.
Surface states associated with chemisorbed species on zinc oxide

Abstract This paper introduces a new method for measuring electronic energy levels (surface states) associated with foreign species on zinc oxide and describes early results. The method is based on electrostatic charging from the gas phase. The surface is shifted far from electronic equilibrium by depositing negative ions on the surface, created by a corona discharge in oxygen, and the surface potential is subsequently monitored as electrons are injected from the surface states to restore equilibrium. Measurements of the rate of injection as a function of temperature can be interpreted in terms of the surface state energy. Various behavior patterns have been observed for the zinc oxide surface with and without surface additives. With no intentionally added surface states, the return to equilibrium seems to be dominated by donor diffusion and by surface decomposition of the ZnO, rather than injection from surface states. With many additives, e.g., methanol, the injection from the surface states seems to follow theory, and the surface state energies are discussed in terms of the chemical and physical properties of the species. With some additives (e.g., H2 and H2O) an interaction between surface states may be involved, with the product providing the active surface state.
Novel mycolic acid-containing bacteria in the family Segniliparaceae fam. nov., including the genus Segniliparus gen. nov., with descriptions of Segniliparus rotundus sp. nov. and Segniliparus rugosus sp. nov.

Four strains of novel, rapidly growing, acid–alcohol-fast-staining bacteria were characterized with a polyphasic approach. Isolates were received by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from domestic health department laboratories for reference testing as unidentifiable, clinical mycobacteria. Bacteria were rod-shaped and produced non-pigmented (white to beige), non-photochromogenic, smooth or wrinkled-rough colonies on Middlebrook 7H10 and 7H11 media at 33 °C. The smooth and wrinkled colony forms were representative of two species with 68·0 and 72·0 mol% DNA G+C content. The cell wall contained meso-diaminopimelic acid and mycolic acids. Species were characterized by cellular fatty acids of C10 : 0, C14 : 0, C16 : 1ω9t, C16 : 0, C18 : 1ω9c and 10-methyl C18 : 0 (tuberculostearic acid). HPLC analysis of mycolic acids produced a novel late-emerging, genus-specific mycolate pattern. TLC analysis demonstrated a novel α +-mycolate. Species were 98·9 % similar by comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences; however, the DNA–DNA association was <28 %. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences demonstrated an association with Rhodococcus equi, although a DNA–DNA relatedness value of 2 % did not support a close relationship. PCR analysis of a proposed, selected actinomycete-specific 439 bp fragment of the 65 kDa heat-shock protein was negative for three of the four isolates. The creation of Segniliparaceae fam. nov. is proposed to encompass the genus Segniliparus gen. nov., including two novel species, the type species Segniliparus rotundus sp. nov. and Segniliparus rugosus sp. nov., with the respective type strains CDC 1076T (=ATCC BAA-972T=CIP 108378T) and CDC 945T (=ATCC BAA-974T=CIP 108380T).
T-Cell Therapy for Multiple Myeloma Using NY-ESO-1+ T-Cell Antigen Presenting Cells (T-APC) Combined with Adoptive Cellular Transfer (ACT) to Augment Immunotherapy

Abstract T cells have been previously genetically manipulated to act as a cellular vaccine to present viral antigens such as MP1 from influenza A. We have now genetically modified T cells as antigen presenting cells (T-APC) to express the tumor-associated antigen (TAA) NY-ESO-1 ( Figure 1 ). This TAA is reportedly found in the majority of patients with high risk multiple myeloma, as well as other malignancies, but expression is absent from normal tissues. Therefore, immunologic targeting of NY-ESO-1 may be a potential treatment strategy for myeloma that is resistant to conventional therapies. One approach to improve therapeutic outcome is by adoptive transfer of T cells rendered specific for a TAA preferentially expressed on tumor cells. T-cell specificity can be redirected to intracellular TAAs by enforced expression of a characterized T-cell receptor (TCR) or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that recognizes processed antigen in the context of restricting human leukocyte antigen (HLA). However, persistence of these infused genetically modified cells, which is directly related to a favorable clinical response, may be variable. Therefore, T-APC may have a dual function of increasing persistence of adoptively transferred CAR+ and/or TCR+ T cells as well as inducing long term immunity through direct and cross priming of endogenous immune cells. To enhance these presentation functions, a new co-stimulatory molecule that tethers IL-15 to the cell surface (membrane-bound IL-15, mIL15) was expressed on NY-ESO-1+T-APC using the Sleeping Beauty (SB) gene transfer system. NY-ESO-1-specific HLA A2+ T cells expressing TCR and CAR could be selectively propagated ex vivo on autologous mIL15+NY-ESO-1+T-APC. The T-APC were also able to selectively propagate NY-ESO-1-specific T cells from autologous peripheral blood which can be described by binding of specific pentamer ( Figure 2 ). Our data demonstrate that it is feasible to generate T-APC that can activate T cells engineered to have a defined specificity for NY-ESO-1 as well as grow out NY-ESO-1-specific T cells. The SB system is in place for genetic modification of clinical-grade T cells to express CAR, TCR, NY-ESO-1, and mIL15. Thus, we are proceeding to a human trial to infuse T-APC with and without genetically modified T cells in patients with NY-ESO-1+ tumors such as myeloma. Download : Download high-res image (215KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure 1 . Download : Download high-res image (294KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure 2 . Disclosures Cooper: InCellerate: Equity Ownership; Sangamo: Patents & Royalties; Targazyme: Consultancy; GE Healthcare: Consultancy; Ferring Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; Fate Therapeutics: Consultancy; Janssen Pharma: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy; Miltenyi: Honoraria.
Productivity in Parallel Programming: A Decade of Progress: Looking at the design and benefits of X10

In 2002 DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) launched a major initiative in HPCS (high-productivity computing systems). The program was motivated by the belief that the utilization of the coming generation of parallel machines was gated by the difficulty of writing, debugging, tuning, and maintaining software at peta scale.
A Review Of Innovative International Financing Mechanisms To Address Noncommunicable Diseases

Noncommunicable diseases have become prevalent in low- and middle-income countries. A key question that remains unresolved is how to support the development of systems to prevent and treat noncommunicable disease through international financing mechanisms. We conducted a review of articles and grey literature published from 2000 through 2014 on innovative financing models proposed or used for other disease control efforts. We found that the greatest available evidence supported pooled funding models, where funding from multiple groups is combined for a specific investment, with such models previously deployed in vaccine and infectious disease funding areas. Robust evidence also supported the viability of international transactions taxes or levies placed on specific transactions to fund investments in drug procurement and supply, and of the front-loading of development aid through bond sales, particularly to stabilize funding and subsidize drug procurement. Far less compelling evidence was available to sup...
Pathophysiology and diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease

The pathophysiology and diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are discussed. GERD is a clinical syndrome involving the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus. It is distinguished from the reflux that occurs normally in the general population. A low pressure exerted by the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and inappropriate spontaneous relaxation of the LES may contribute to the development of GERD. Other possible contributory factors are increased intra-abdominal pressure and impaired esophageal clearance. The amount and concentration of refluxed gastric acid, proteolytic enzymes, and bile acids are among the determinants of the extent of esophageal injury. Heartburn is a specific symptom of GERD. Other symptoms include coughing, wheezing, hoarseness, epigastric pain, and regurgitation. Upper-GI roentgenography, endoscopy, biopsy, 24-hour ambulatory pH monitoring, and esophageal manometry have been used to diagnose and evaluate the disease. The complications of GERD are strictures, hemorrhaging, perforation, aspiration, and Barrett esophagus. The causes of GERD are incompletely understood, but low LES pressure seems important. GERD may lead to serious complications. A broad array of diagnostic approaches is available.