cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Revisiting the Time Trade-Off Hypothesis: Work, Organized Activities, and Academics During College

How adolescents spend their time has long-term implications for their educational, health, and labor market outcomes, yet surprisingly little research has explored the time use of students across days and semesters. The current study used longitudinal daily diary data from a sample of college students attending a large public university in the Northeastern US (n = 726, M age = 18.4) that was followed for 14 days within each of seven semesters (for up to 98 diary days per student). The study had two primary aims. The first aim was to explore demographic correlates of employment time, organized activity time, and academic time. The second aim was to provide a rigorous test of the time trade-off hypothesis, which suggests that students will spend less time on academics when they spend more time on employment and extracurricular activities. The results demonstrated that time use varied by gender, parental education, and race/ethnicity. Furthermore, the results from multi-level models provided some support for the time trade-off hypothesis, although associations varied by the activity type and whether the day was a weekend. More time spent on employment was linked to less time spent on academics across days and semesters whereas organized activities were associated with less time on academics at the daily level only. The negative associations between employment and academics were most pronounced on weekdays. These results suggest that students may balance certain activities across days, whereas other activities may be in competition over longer time frames (i.e., semesters).
High-field superconductivity in U6Fe and U6Co

Upper critical field data for U6Fe and U6Co are found to be markedly inconsistent with the weak coupling WHHM model. Nevertheless, excellent quantitative fits of Hc2 vs. T are obtained by using a modification of the WHHM model in which the orbital field is multiplied by a temperature-dependent enhancement factor.
Substrate Structure Influences Binding of the Non-Histone Protein HMG-I(Y) to Free and Nucleosomal DNA†

High mobility group protein HMG-I(Y) selectively binds to stretches of A.T-rich B-form DNA in vitro by recognition of substrate structure rather nucleotide sequence. Recognition of altered DNA structures has also been proposed to explain the preferential binding of this non-histone protein to four-way junction DNA as well as to restricted regions of DNA on random-sequence nucleosome core particles. Here we describe experiments that examine the influence of intrinsic DNA structure, and of structure imposed by folding of DNA around histone cores, on the binding of HMG-I(Y). As substrates for binding, we chose defined-sequence DNA molecules containing A.T-rich segments demonstrated previously to have very different structures in solution. These segments are either intrinsically bent (phase A.T tracts), flexible (oligo[d(A-T)]), or straight and rigid [oligo(dA).oligo(dT)]. DNase-I and hydroxyl radical footprinting techniques were employed to analyze protein binding to these DNAs either free in solution or when they were reconstituted into monomer or dinucleosomes in vitro. Results indicate that the DNA structure exerts a significant influence on HMG-I(Y) binding both when substrates are free in solution and when they are wrapped into nucleosomal structures. For example, when DNA is free in solution, HMG-I(Y) prefers to bind to the narrow minor groove of A.T sequences but sometimes also binds to certain GpC residues having narrowed major grooves that are embedded in such sequences. On the other hand, depending on the structure and/or orientation assumed by particular A.T-rich segments on the surface of reconstituted histone octamers, HMG-I(Y) binding site selection on individual nucleosomes differs considerably. Two observations are of particular importance: (i) HMG-I(Y) can preferentially bind to certain types of A.T-DNA located on the surface of nucleosomes; and (ii) HMG-I(Y) binding can induce localized alterations in the helical periodicity and/or rotational setting of DNA on the surface of some nucleosomes. The abilities of HMG-I(Y) suggests that in vivo the protein may play an important role in recognizing and altering the structure of localized regions of chromatin.
The Indians and Brazil

The Indians and Brazil. Mercio P. Gomes. Gainsville: University Press of Florida, 2000. ix. 300 pp., appendix, notes, bibliography.
Perceptually grounded self-diagnosis and self-repair of domain knowledge

We view incremental experiential learning in intelligent software agents as progressive agent self-adaptation. When an agent produces an incorrect behavior, then it may reflect on, and thus diagnose and repair, the reasoning and knowledge that produced the incorrect behavior. In particular, we focus on the self-diagnosis and self-repair of an agent's domain knowledge. The core issue that this article addresses is: what kind of metaknowledge may enable the agent to diagnose faults in its domain knowledge? To address this question, we propose a representation that explicitly encodes metaknowledge in the form of Empirical Verification Procedures (EVPs). In the proposed knowledge representation, an EVP may be associated with each concept within the agent's domain knowledge. Each EVP explicitly semantically grounds the associated concept in the agent's perception, and can thus be used as a test to determine the validity of knowledge of that concept during diagnosis. We present the empirical evaluation of a system, Augur, that makes use of EVP metaknowledge to adapt its own domain knowledge in the context of a particular subclass of classification problem called Compositional Classification.
Immortality in the Secret Police Files: The Iraq Memory Foundation and the Baath Party Archive

Shortly after the 2003 American invasion of Iraq, Kanan Makiya, a long time Iraqi dissident and professor of Middle East studies at Brandeis University, uncovered a major trove of documents belonging to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party and his security forces. The documents proved highly important in reflecting the inner workings of the Baath Party system in his final years in power. Soon after the discovery of the documents, the Iraq Memory Foundation (IMF), a private Washington, D.C.-based group founded by Makiya, took custody of the records, later depositing them with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University to provide a safe haven for them. The deal ignited immediate international controversy and charges of pillage from some Iraqi officials, archival organizations, scholars, and others who also demanded their immediate return to the Iraq National Library and Archive in Baghdad. On the surface, these charges of theft and plunder appear plausible enough, but on examination, a different and complicated narrative emerges in light of the conventions of war, U.S. law, and the Iraqi penal code, as well as the chain of events surrounding their taking and removal by nonstate actors in the Iraqi theatre of war and occupation.
The Language Phenotype of Children and Adolescents With Noonan Syndrome

Purpose This study presents an analysis of language skills in individuals with Noonan syndrome (NS), an autosomal dominant genetic disorder. We investigated whether the language impairments affecti...
Effect of dexmedetomidine on the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane in adults age 55 to 70 years

Abstract Study Objective: To determine the effect of two target dexmedetomidine infusions (0.3 ng/ml and 0.6 ng/ml) on the minimal alveolar concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane in adults age 55 to 70 years. Design: Prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Setting: University-affiliated hospital. Patients: 45 ASA physical status I and II adults, age 55 to 70 years, undergoing elective surgery with at least a 3 inch skin incision. Interventions: Patients were given a dexmedetomidine or placebo infusion for at least 15 minutes before anesthetic induction with sevoflurane in oxygen by face mask. After tracheal intubation, a target sevoflurane concentration was maintained for 15 minutes while the dexmedetomidine or placebo infusion continued to run. Measurements and Main Results: At the time of skin incision, two observers independently determined movement or nonmovement to the incision. Blood samples for dexmedetomidine were taken before the infusion and at the time of skin incision. The dexmedetomidine plasma concentrations were 0 before infusion with all treatment groups. At the time of incision, they were 0 in the placebo group, 0.39 ± 0.13 ng/ml in the 0.3 ng/ml target group, and 0.7 ± 0.13 ng/ml in the 0.6 ng/ml target group. The MAC of sevoflurane was 1.83% in the placebo group, 1.78% in the 0.3 ng/ml target dexmedetomidine group, and 1.51% in the 0.6 ng/ml target dexmedetomidine group. Conclusions: Dexmedetomidine 0.7 ng/ml decreased the MAC of sevoflurane by 17%, whereas there was no difference between the placebo and the dexmedetomidine 0.39 ng/ml group.
THE MECHANISM OF THE ABDERHALDEN REACTION : STUDIES ON IMMUNITY. I.

1. The Abderhalden reaction is specific. 2. The properties of serum on which it depends develop in experimental animals simultaneously with antibodies during the process of immunization. 3. It is impossible to observe by direct methods the presence of digesting ferments in the blood of immune animals. 4. The Abderhalden test may be resolved into two phases. A dialyzable substance appears in the second phase and is the result of the autodigestion of serum. 5. The autodigestion of serum in the Abderhalden test is due to the removal of antitrypsin from the serum by the sensitized substratum.
Partial melting of metapelites at ultrahigh‐pressure conditions, Greenland Caledonides

Eclogite, orthogneiss and, by association, metapelite from an island at 78°N in North-East Greenland experienced ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphism at approximately 970 °C and 3.6 GPa, at the end of the Caledonian collision, 360–350 Ma. Hydrous metapelites contain abundant leucocratic layers and lenses composed of medium-grained, anhedral, equigranular quartz, antiperthitic plagioclase and K-feldspar with minor small garnet and kyanite crystals. Leucosomes are generally parallel to the matrix foliation, are interlayered with residual quartz bands, anastomose around residual garnet and commonly cross-cut micaceous segregations. Textures suggest that the leucosomes crystallized from a syntectonic melt, but crystallized at the end of local high-grade deformation. The metapelite outcrop is < 1.5 km from kyanite eclogites with confirmed coesite, but the metapelites lack coesite and palisade textures diagnostic of coesite pseudomorphs. They do contain highly fractured garnet megacrysts with polycrystalline quartz inclusions (some surrounded by radial fractures) and Ti-rich phengite inclusions that suggest the former presence of coesite. Polyphase inclusions in garnet contain reactants and products of the inferred dehydration melting reaction: Phe + Qtz = Ky + Kfs + Rt + melt. The reactants are thought to have been early inclusions of hydrous phases within garnet that melted and then crystallized new phases. Garnet surrounding these inclusions has patchy zoning with elevated Ca, consistent with experiments that produced similar patchy microstructures in garnet around inclusions with an unequivocal melt origin. The peak UHP metamorphic assemblage in these rocks is inferred to have been phengite, coesite, garnet, kyanite, rutile, fluid ± omphacite ± epidote. Phase diagrams indicate that dehydration melting of phengite in this assemblage would have occurred after decompression from peak pressure, but still above the coesite to quartz transition. Unusual crown- and moat-like textures in garnet around some polycrystalline quartz inclusions are also consistent with the inference that melting took place at UHP conditions.
Psychometric characteristics of dyspnea descriptor ratings in emergency department patients with exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability, content validity, and factor structure of dyspnea sensory quality descriptor ratings in emergency department (ED) patients with exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). During an ED visit 104 patients with COPD rated the intensity of 16 dyspnea sensory quality descriptors (numerical ratings of 0-10) in relation to how they felt when they decided to come to the ED (Decision) and 1 week before the visit. Content validity of 15 descriptors was supported. Factor analysis of Decision ratings resulted in seven descriptors and three factors (alpha=.88; 74% common variance): Smothering/Suffocating/Hunger for air (alpha=.87); Effort/Work (alpha=.87); and Tight/Constricted (alpha=.74). Results indicate that the intensity of sensory quality descriptors can be measured reliably in COPD patients during an exacerbation of COPD. The initial descriptor list of descriptors could be cut by more than half while retaining satisfactory psychometric properties.
The Well‐Made Play and the Theatre of the Absurd: A Study in Attitude Change

The general tenets of balance theory are applied to a study of two dramatic genres, the well-made play and the theatre of the absurd. The theory is used in an attempt to discuss the means by which these different forms achieve their characteristic effects and to place the evolution of dramatic forms within the general context of social change in the last century.
Yersinia enterocolitica Type III Secretion: yscM1 and yscM2 Regulate yop Gene Expression by a Posttranscriptional Mechanism That Targets the 5′ Untranslated Region of yop mRNA

Pathogenic Yersinia spp. secrete Yops (Yersinia outer proteins) via the type III pathway. The expression of yop genes is regulated in response to environmental cues, which results in a cascade of type III secretion reactions. yscM1 and yscM2 negatively regulate the expression of Yersinia enterocolitica yop genes. It is demonstrated that yopD and lcrH are required for yscM1 and yscM2 function and that all four genes act synergistically at the same regulatory step. Further, SycH binding to the protein products of yscM1 and yscM2 can activate yop gene expression even without promoting type III transport of YscM1 and YscM2. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis of yopQ mRNA as well as yopQ and yopE gene fusion experiments with the npt (neomycin phosphotransferase) reporter suggest that yscM1 and yscM2 regulate expression at a posttranscriptional step. The 178-nucleotide 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of yopQ mRNA was sufficient to confer yscM1 and yscM2-mediated regulation on the fused reporter, as was the 28-nucleotide UTR of yopE. The sequence 5′-AUAAA-3′ is located in the 5′ yop UTRs, and mutations that alter the sequence motif either reduced or abolished yscM1- and yscM2-mediated regulation. A model is proposed whereby YopD, LcrH, YscM1, YscM2, and SycH regulate yop expression in response to specific environmental cues and by a mechanism that may involve binding of some of these factors to a specific target sequence within the UTR of yop mRNAs.
Decriminalizing Students with Disabilities

Despite the enactment of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1975, students with disabilities have been disproportionally singled out for school exclusion and “push-out” through disciplinary actions, inadequate educational programs, and criminal prosecution. In Honig v. Doe, 484 U.S. 305 (1988), the United States Supreme Court condemned the disciplinary exclusion of students for behaviors that were manifestations of the students’ emotional disabilities. Criminal prosecution of students for disability-related behavior was curbed in the case of Morgan v. Chris L., 927 F. Supp. 267 (E.D. Tenn 1994), aff’d 106 F.3d 401 (6th Cir. 1997). This article examines the Chris L. litigation, the subsequent legislative changes made to the IDEA, and recent, related litigation. The article calls for a universal halt to criminalizing students - all students - for minor school-related misconduct .
Prediction of the Standard State Partial Molar Volume of Aqueous Electrolytes to High Temperatures and High Pressures

The unified theory of electrolytes (J. Phys. Chem. B 2009, 113, 2398–2403) is used for the prediction of the standard state partial molar volumes of aqueous chlorides and hydroxides of the alkali metals, alkali earth metals, and the first row transition metals to high temperatures and pressures. The only required input to the model is the thermodynamic properties from reference tables at 298.15 K and 0.1 MPa. Comparison of the predicted values for the standard state partial molar volumes of aqueous electrolytes from this study with the available experimental data indicates good agreements to well within the combined uncertainties of the experimental data and the present model up to 623.15 K and 400 MPa. The present model is also compared with the correlations of Sedlbauer–O’Connell–Wood (SOCW) and the revised equation of Helgeson, Kirkham, and Flowers (HKF), which has been incorporated in the SUPCRT92 software.
Solvent-Dependent Pyranopterin Cyclization in Molybdenum Cofactor Model Complexes.

The conserved pterin dithiolene ligand that coordinates molybdenum (Mo) in the cofactor (Moco) of mononuclear Mo enzymes can exist in both a tricyclic pyranopterin dithiolene form and as a bicyclic...
Adriamycin in Children with Acute Leukemia and Other Neoplastic Diseases

At Memorial Hospital, New York, 172 children with leukemia and various types of metastatic cancer have been treated with adriamycin. These included the patients treated, and summarized in two abstracts [1,2]. 51 patients with acute leukemia, and 67 with solid tumors received adriamycin alone. The remaining 54 children were given adriamycin either sequentially or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents, as a multiple drug protocol.
Ambiguous Categories: States, Empires and Nations

(1995). Ambiguous Categories: States, Empires and Nations. Post-Soviet Affairs: Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 185-196.
Process Integration in Sludge Management

Complex interactions occur between individual sludge treatment processes and other sludge management processes. Sludge treatment processes also interact with wastewater treatment processes. Consideration of those interactions has been facilitated in this work by a computerized optimization scheme using models of process performance and cost based on fundamental design and operational variables. Illustrations of the type of results obtained are described. It is indicated that the mean cell residence time of activated sludge processes and the retention time of anaerobic digesters should, with current energy costs, be as short as possible while assuring satisfactory operation. The additional cost of larger gravity thickeners is often offset by savings in anaerobic digestion and other process costs. The method by which sludge is transported to a point of ultimate disposal has an important effect on identification of the lowest cost technique for sludge management. Based on available cost information, ocean disposal, where feasible, is nearly always cost effective and sludge combustion is not. The cost of energy significantly affects optimal design of sludge treatment processes.
Material stiffness effects on neurite alignment to photopolymerized micropatterns.

The ability to direct neurite growth into a close proximity of stimulating elements of a neural prosthesis, such as a retinal or cochlear implant (CI), may enhance device performance and overcome current spatial signal resolution barriers. In this work, spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs), which are the target neurons to be stimulated by CIs, were cultured on photopolymerized micropatterns with varied matrix stiffnesses to determine the effect of rigidity on neurite alignment to physical cues. Micropatterns were generated on methacrylate thin film surfaces in a simple, rapid photopolymerization step by photomasking the prepolymer formulation with parallel line–space gratings. Two methacrylate series, a nonpolar HMA-co-HDDMA series and a polar PEGDMA-co-EGDMA series, with significantly different surface wetting properties were evaluated. Equivalent pattern periodicity was maintained across each methacrylate series based on photomask band spacing, and the feature amplitude was tuned to a depth of 2 μm amplitude ...
Tensile Deformation-Induced Microstructures in Freestanding Copper Thin Films

Existing work in the mechanical behavior of thin films focuses mainly on measurement of macroscopic properties without strong correlation to microstructural features. We used transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to characterize the microstructures of free-standing copper thin films both before and after monotonic tensile deformation in an ex-situ thin film tensile testing system, as well as during in-situ loading in the TEM. The defect structures contributing to plastic deformation were investigated with an emphasis on comparison to mechanisms known to operate in bulk copper. The thin film exhibited much lower ductility (approximately 1%) than that normally observed in bulk form (greater than 40%). The predominant plastic deformation mechanisms did not include the typical dislocation activity that occurs in bulk copper, but rather greatly inhibited dislocation interactions typical of stages I and II hardening only. The absence of those structures normally found in tensile-deformed bulk copper is attributed to the differences in characteristic sizes of features within the microstructure available for deformation in bulk versus evaporated thin film material, that is, grain size and film thickness. The thin film ductility is an order of magnitude lower than what has been observed in bulk, ultrafine-grained copper, implying that a pure thin film effect on ductility exists and is significant. Microstructural features both near to and far from the fracture surface regions will be presented.
Studies on an inhibitor of erythropoiesis. II. Inhibitory effects of serum from uremic rabbits on heme synthesis in rabbit bone marrow cultures (38483).

SummaryThe effects of sera from anephric rabbits on the rate of heme synthesis in erythroid cells were studied in vitro in rabbit bone marrow cultures. Sera from nephrec-tomized rabbits significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited 59Fe incorporation into heme in normal rabbit bone marrow cultures incubated with erythropoietin (ESF) when compared with the response in control cultures with normal serum and ESF. This inhibitory activity increased exponentially with increasing concentrations of the serum in cultures suggesting that a higher concentration of the inhibitor is present in uremia and may be the result of the failure to excrete the inhibitor. This suggests that the retention of this inhibitor may play an important role in the mechanism of the anemia of uremia. The inhibitor of heme synthesis is a low molecular weight substance.
Conceptual Problems Encountered by Children While Learning Logo

For almost a year now, we have been teaching Logo to four- and five-year-old children at the Drexel Early Childhood Center (DECC). The goal is to provide DECC children with new ways of discovering knowledge of mathematics, reading, and problem solving, ultimately enhancing their intellectual development while experiencing the joy of learning. While helping the children accomplish their Logo projects, we find that they have several conceptual problems while working with Logo. This article provides a detailed description of the major conceptual problems we have encountered consistently with most of the DECC children and some of the solutions we have invented to the problems. The observations are interpreted within a theoretical framework. Future implications are discussed.
Gender in family therapy education: reflections of cis‐females

Purpose: Research indicates that family therapy courses in gender studies affect both female and male students to the same degree. How female students experience a gender-focused family therapy class has yet to be explored. This qualitative study focused on self-identified cis-female students' experiences in a ten-week course on gender in family therapy. The purpose of this study was to present female students' critical reflections of taking a clinical training course dedicated to gender studies. Method: Using transcendental phenomenology, we analysed reflections from 86 student-participants regarding how they perceived themselves as gendered and how new information had transformed their thoughts and actions. Thematic analysis from the data was inductive, we read and reread the reflections and then generated several main themes. Results: Participants were challenged to revisit gendered assumptions about significant and insignificant concerns in their development. We organized women's self-reports into four domains: Affect, Identity, Empowerment, and Action. Conclusions: In summary, addressing gender-related topics in the classroom had impacted students intra-personally and interpersonally. As they processed internally, they began to reshape their relationships. Additionally, they planned to become agents of change in therapy room. Practitioner points Therapists recognize how gender-related power differences, gender roles in societal and familial systems, and the ways unequal gender relations affect relationships Therapists address not only the position of women in their cultures but also how their social environment reproduces this positioning within its own ranks Educators ensure that their pedagogies and therapeutic practices constantly reflect gender-aware practices in order to be culturally competent
“But they told me it was professional”: Extrinsic factors in the evaluation of musical performance

This study investigated the performance preferences of listeners without formal training in music. Specifically, it asked whether the quality of the performance (as represented by the status of the performer), the order of presentation of the performances, and extrinsic information about the quality of the performance impacted preferences. In Experiment 1, participants heard pairs of performances of solo piano music and were informed that one was played by a conservatory student, and one by a world-renowned professional. After each pair, they selected the one they thought had been performed by the professional. Their responses seem to have been driven by a combination of a preference for the performance actually played by the professional and a preference for the second performance in the pair. In Experiment 2, they heard the same performance pairs, but this time were informed, correctly or incorrectly, before each performance whether it was played by a student or by a professional. After each pair, they ...
Evaluation on schistosomiasis control in Jingzhou City (2006-2010)

Objective To assess the outcome of schistosomiasis control in Jingzhou City from 2006 to 2010.Methods Retrospective survey was adopted,the coverage situation of comprehensive measures and endemic data in Jingzhou City from 2006 to 2010 were analyzed.Results The control standard of 2008 for schistosomiasis endemic situation was realized,no heavy endemic village(the 1st class or 2nd class village) existed by the end of 2010.Compared with the year of 2006,the number of the 3rd class and 4th class village increased by 166.81% and 82.51% respectively in 2010,while the number of the 5th class village decreased 16.62%.Both human and animal infection rates were controlled below 2.5% in 2010.The village infection rate distribution showed an adverse form of "L" distribution,and the villages reaching critical points showed a high-cut caudate shape.There was no acute schistosomiasis patient reported in 2010.Compared with the data of 2006,the number of advanced schistosomiasis patients in 2010 reduced by 108,and all patients received effective treatment each year.The mortality rate went down from the year of 2007.There was little change about the area with snails and their distribution.The density of infected snails reduced year by year.Conclusion Schistosomiasis prevalence in Jingzhou dropped year by year since 2006,and the comprehensive measures of schistosomiasis control were proved to be effective.However,there is still a long way to go to reach the goal through comprehensive measures.
Tunable Oxygen Functional Groups as Electrocatalysts on Graphite Felt Surfaces for All-Vanadium Flow Batteries

A dual oxidative approach using O2 plasma followed by treatment with H2O2 to impart oxygen functional groups onto the surface of a graphite felt electrode. When used as electrodes for an all-vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) system, the energy efficiency of the cell is enhanced by 8.2 % at a current density of 150 mA cm−2 compared with one oxidized by thermal treatment in air. More importantly, by varying the oxidative techniques, the amount and type of oxygen groups was tailored and their effects were elucidated. It was found that O−C=O groups improve the cells performance whereas the C−O and C=O groups degrade it. The reason for the increased performance was found to be a reduction in the cell overpotential after functionalization of the graphite felt electrode. This work reveals a route for functionalizing carbon electrodes to improve the performance of VRB cells. This approach can lower the cost of VRB cells and pave the way for more commercially viable stationary energy storage systems that can be used for intermittent renewable energy storage.
Twentieth Century Scientists Who Exemplify the Interplay of Creativity and Giftedness

In the 20th century, innovative scientists made many contributions to our society and well-being, as well as expanded our basic understanding of natural phenomena. Children today study the structure and function of cells, DNA, and the atom using computer simulations and videos at home and at school. In this chapter, we focus on the life histories and accomplishments of three 20th century Nobel Prize-winning scientists to gain an understanding of the factors that may have influenced their interest in science and unlocked their creative potential. In particular, we examine the lives and creative achievements of Luis Walter Alvarez, Barbara McClintock, and Peter Mitchell.
Entrainment of overground human walking to mechanical perturbations at the ankle joint

Unlike upper-extremity robotic therapy, robotic therapy of lower extremities has not matched the effectiveness of human-administered approaches. We hypothesize that this may stem from inadvertent interference with natural movement control and investigated the oscillatory dynamics of human locomotion. Specifically, we assessed gait entrainment to periodic mechanical perturbations. Because the treadmills used in most studies necessarily interact with the dynamics of natural walking, we compared our experimental intervention during gait entrainment in treadmill and overground walking. Fourteen healthy subjects walked overground and on a treadmill while wearing an exoskeletal ankle robot which exerted short plantarflexion torque pulses at periods 50 ms shorter or longer than the subjects' preferred stride period. Entrainment to the periodic perturbation occurred in all conditions, however more readily in overground walking. In all cases, the stride period phase-locked with the torque pulse at ‘push-off’ such that it assisted propulsion. This entrainment of the stride period and its sensitivity to context indicate the subtlety and adaptability of human walking. Our observations suggest new avenues for gait rehabilitation and implications for exoskeleton design and legged locomotion research.
Dependency, Postsemantics, Paradigm

The Chomskyan revolution, which replaced the old paradigm that dictated the taxonomic study of natural language with another that proposed a theoretical methodology (of ‘hidden laws’, in Searle’s phrase) for interpreting the data accumulated by that study, has undoubtedly changed forever man’s view of his language and directly or indirectly occasioned much of the theory and research I have been discussing. That paradigm has stirred controversies that extend, like Chomsky’s speculations, far beyond questions about the details of transformational grammar. But, as has been seen, it has serious inadequacies. They raise important questions about the MLM metaphor and encourage speculation about the post-Chomskyan paradigm, which increasingly will be integrated with AI theory and tested by AI research.
Individual Differences in Behavioural Decision Weights Related to Irregularities in Cochlear Mechanics.

An unexpected finding of previous psychophysical studies is that listeners show highly replicable, individualistic patterns of decision weights on frequencies affecting their performance in spectral discrimination tasks—what has been referred to as individual listening styles. We, like many other researchers, have attributed these listening styles to peculiarities in how listeners attend to sounds, but we now believe they partially reflect irregularities in cochlear micromechanics modifying what listeners hear. The most striking evidence for cochlear irregularities is the presence of low-level spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) measured in the ear canal and the systematic variation in stimulus frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs), both of which result from back-propagation of waves in the cochlea. SOAEs and SFOAEs vary greatly across individual ears and have been shown to affect behavioural thresholds, behavioural frequency selectivity and judged loudness for tones. The present paper reports pilot data providing evidence that SOAEs and SFOAEs are also predictive of the relative decision weight listeners give to a pair of tones in a level discrimination task. In one condition the frequency of one tone was selected to be near that of an SOAE and the frequency of the other was selected to be in a frequency region for which there was no detectable SOAE. In a second condition the frequency of one tone was selected to correspond to an SFOAE maximum, the frequency of the other tone, an SFOAE minimum. In both conditions a statistically significant correlation was found between the average relative decision weight on the two tones and the difference in OAE levels.
Anti-Factor VIII A2 Epitopes In a Murine Bleeding Model

Up to 30% of patients with severe hemophilia A will develop inhibitory antibodies to factor VIII (fVIII inhibitors). In addition, autoimmune antibodies to fVIII can develop in non-hemophiliacs, producing acquired hemophilia A, which frequently produces life- or limb-threatening bleeding. Patients with congenital hemophilia who develop inhibitors usually have a polyclonal antibody response directed against the A2 and C2 domains of fVIII. Patients with acquired hemophilia typically have a more limited B-cell epitope response with antibodies directed against the A2 or C2 domain but not both. We have shown that within the C2 domain of fVIII antibody epitope is more important than inhibitory titer in predicting pathogenicity in a murine in vivo bleeding model. In this project we investigated the pathogenicity of a diverse panel of anti-A2 monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) in the murine in vivo bleeding model. We have previously characterized anti-A2 antibodies into groups A, AB, B, BCD, C, D, DE, and E based on the pattern of overlap on the B-cell epitopes in a competition ELISA. [Table 1][1] shows the characteristics of the anti-A2 Mabs. Mabs were injected retro-orbitally into Exon 16 hemophilic (E16) mice at a dose of 0.5 umg per g body weight (∼ 65nM plasma concentration). Fifteen minutes later, mice were injected with B-domain deleted human fVIII at a dose of 180U/kg (∼ 2.5nM plasma concentration). In addition, a subset of Mabs has also been tested at a high dose of 360U/kg (∼5 nM). Two hours after fVIII injection, the mice were anesthetized and a 4mm tail snip was performed. Blood was collected in a tube of normal saline over 40 minutes and measured. 4A4, 2-76, and 1D4 are all high inhibitory titer, type I Mabs that produced significant bleeding with 180 U/kg fVIII when compared to control. In addition, 2-76 and 4A4 were tested at the higher dose of fVIII and significant bleeding was again seen. In comparison, the high titer type II Mab 2-54 had a similar inhibitory titer but no significant bleeding at either dose of fVIII. B94 is a type II inhibitor with a similar inhibitory profile to 2-54, but maximum inhibition is 45% as compared to 82% for 2-54. B94 also was not pathogenic at either fVIII dose tested. Both 4C7—a non-inhibitory Mab—and B25—a very low titer Mab that would be predicted to have residual fVIII activity at the Mab concentration tested—did not produce significant bleeding. The inhibitory titer alone did not predict bleeding phenotype within a diverse panel of anti-A2 Mabs. This discrepancy combined with similar findings in the C2 domain stress the importance of inhibitor properties not detected in the standard Bethesda assay in predicting response to fVIII therapy. View this table: Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. [1]: #T1
Open resonators with resonant conductive inserts for millimeter wave sources

The features of resonant modes in two-dimension open resonators with conductive inserts are considered. The effect of increasing of Q-factor of resonant modes in open resonator with one and two cylindrical inserts with a diameter, sufficient for constructive accommodation and cooling of active elements, is found out
Evaluation of Peanut Meal as an Alternative Dietary Protein Source for Channel Catfish

AbstractUse of peanut meal as an alternative protein source in diets for Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus was evaluated in a 9-week study under controlled laboratory conditions. Five practical diets (28% crude protein and 6% crude lipid) were formulated to contain 0, 10, 15, 20, and 25% peanut meal as a replacement for cottonseed meal and soybean meal in the control diet. The control diet was a plant-based diet containing principally soybean meal (25%), cottonseed meal (20%), corn (20%), and corn germ meal (20%). All diets met or exceeded all known nutrient requirements of Channel Catfish. Twenty Channel Catfish fingerlings (mean initial weight: 12.8 g/fish) were stocked into 25 water flow-through glass aquaria (110 L). The fish were fed once daily to apparent satiation. Among dietary treatments, there were no significant differences in feed consumption, weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and survival, and no differences in muscle protein, fat, or moisture levels. The results demonstrate up to 25% pea...
microRNA Regulation of Skeletal Development

Osteogenesis is a complex process involving the specification of multiple progenitor cells and their maturation and differentiation into matrix-secreting osteoblasts. Osteogenesis occurs not only during embryogenesis but also during growth, after an injury, and in normal homeostatic maintenance. While much is known about osteogenesis-associated regulatory genes, the role of microRNAs (miRNAs), which are epigenetic regulators of protein expression, is just beginning to be explored. While miRNAs do not abrogate all protein expression, their purpose is to finely tune it, allowing for a timely and temporary protein down-regulation. The last decade has unveiled a multitude of miRNAs that regulate key proteins within the osteogenic lineage, thus qualifying them as “ostemiRs.” These miRNAs may endogenously target an activator or inhibitor of differentiation, and depending on the target, may either lead to the prolongation of a progenitor maintenance state or to early differentiation. Interestingly, cellular identity seems intimately coupled to the expression of miRNAs, which participate in the suppression of previous and subsequent differentiation steps. In such cases where key osteogenic proteins were identified as direct targets of miRNAs in non-bone cell types, or through bioinformatic prediction, future research illuminating the activity of these miRNAs during osteogenesis will be extremely valuable. Many bone-related diseases involve the dysregulation of transcription factors or other proteins found within osteoblasts and their progenitors, and the dysregulation of miRNAs, which target such factors, may play a pivotal role in disease etiology, or even as a possible therapy.
Improved maximum torque-per-ampere control of induction machines by considering iron loss

Conventional Maximum Torque-Per-Ampere (MTPA) control was derived from the three-phase induction machine model ignoring iron loss. A new MTPA control is proposed in this digest, whose accuracy is improved by considering machine iron loss using a newly published induction machine iron-loss model. The detailed derivation of the proposed MTPA control and possible enhancement of torque-per-ampere capability are provided. Moreover, a new MTPA controller is designed and implemented in MATLAB/Simulink. The proposed MTPA control is compared with the conventional MTPA control and the indirect field-oriented control (IFOC) of rated flux in simulation. It shows that the proposed MTPA control can provide significantly higher torque than the conventional MTPA control and IFOC at the same current level before saturation, or require significantly less current to support the same load torque. At low-load conditions, the proposed MTPA control shows higher efficiency with minor extra cost of dynamic performance compared to the IFOC. Since the advantages of the proposed MTPA control are more significant for certain combination of machine's iron-loss resistance and the operating frequency, possible targets of the proposed MTPA control are high-speed induction machines and induction machines of relatively large iron loss.
Revisiting Majority-Minority Districts and Black Representation:

What is the minimum black population necessary to elect African-American state lawmakers? We offer the most comprehensive examination of the election of black state legislators in the post-Thornbur...
The Factory is Like the Paddy-field: Gam Udawa Performances, Ethnicity and Neoliberalism in Sri Lanka

AbstractBetween 1978 and 1994, a series of cultural festivals called the Gam Udawa Jayanthiya or Village Re-awakening Celebrations were held in different districts in rural Sri Lanka. The festivals were part of a public housing and development program implemented in the post 1977 era, when the party in power at the time, the United National Party (UNP), directed the country toward neoliberal reforms. Gam Udawa helped consolidate state ideologies at a time when its political and moral authority was being challenged by insurrectionary and separatist groups. The festivals also deployed post- and anticolonial language to legitimize Sinhala Buddhist dominance.
Family Research and Alcoholism

Few anthropological studies on alcoholism and family life exist. This chapter argues for a flexible definition of the contemporary “family” and briefly reviews the orientations in the alcoholism and family literature, noting that the family systems approach currently utilized by clinicians is congenial with basic anthropological approaches and methodologies, such as the tenet of holism, the conceptual “structural functional” approach, and naturalistic field methods classic to anthropological research. The significance of home observation is emphasized. A review of anthropologically oriented studies in the literature by sociologists, psychiatrists, and anthropologists is presented. Contemporary anthropological studies are described, and promising directions for new research that fall within the traditional purview and interests of anthropologists are pointed up.
The effects of combined-cycle generation and hydraulic fracturing on the price for coal, oil, and natural gas: Implications for carbon taxes

Abstract We identify how the increased efficiency of generating electricity using gas-fired combined-cycle technology and the increased production of natural gas due to hydraulic fracturing in the US affect the first purchase price for coal, oil, and natural gas and their prices at electricity generating plants by estimating a cointegrating vector autoregression model from monthly observations between January 1991 and February 2016. Simulation experiments indicate that combined-cycle generation raises the long-run price of natural gas, both at the wellhead and electricity generating plants. Conversely, the increased production of natural gas has a relatively small long-run effect on natural gas prices. Historical counterfactuals indicate increased natural gas production since June 2003 lowers natural gas prices by an average of $0.16 per million BTU while combined cycle generation increases prices by an average of $0.54 per million BTU since April 1999. This increase is captured by natural gas producers such that the margin between prices at electricity generating plants and the wellhead shrinks by about $0.05 per million BTU. This analysis suggests that market relations among energy prices and their statistical ordering will reinforce the direct effects of a carbon tax on relative prices in ways that enhance interfuel substitution towards natural gas.
Sclerochronology and the Size versus Age Problem

The rekindling of interest surrounding the role of heterochrony in the evolution of life has produced many examples of paedomorphosis and peramorphosis among fossil taxa, attesting to the ubiquity of this phenomenon (McNamara, 1986, and this volume). Nevertheless, two significant problems are intimately associated with such heterochronic studies: (1) uncertainties of taxonomy and ancestor-descendant relationships (see Fink, this volume); and (2) the problem of assessing absolute age (and hence growth rate) throughout ontogeny. Whereas both problems may be significant when attempting to distinguish among the various heterochronic processes that might have operated in a particular case, it is my contention that sclerochronology can often help resolve the latter.
Quality of life and symptom burden among myeloproliferative neoplasm patients: do symptoms impact quality of life?

Patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are faced with high disease-related symptom burden and quality of life (QoL) decrements. This analysis assesses the extent to which individual symp...
Abstract TP270: Stroke Code Simulation for Neurology and Emergency Medicine Residents

Background: Simulation-based learning has improved medical knowledge, proficiency and performance. The treatment window for acute stroke is limited, making preparedness exceedingly critical. We aim...
Light-Induced Length Shrinkage of Rod Photoreceptor Outer Segments

Purpose This study was designed to verify light-induced outer segment (OS) length shrinkage of rod photoreceptors and to characterize its anatomic source at disc-level resolution. Methods Frog (Rana pipiens) retinas were used for this study. Time-lapse light microscopy of freshly isolated OSs was employed to test transient rod OS changes at 10 ms temporal resolution. Histological light microscopy of dark- and light-adapted retinas was used to confirm light-induced rod OS length changes; and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to quantify light-driven structural perturbation of rod OSs at disc level resolution. Results Time-lapse light microscopy images verified transient length shrinking responses in freshly isolated rod OSs. Histological light microscopy images confirmed reduced rod OS lengths in light-adapted retinas, compared to that of dark-adapted retinas. TEM images disclosed shortened inter-disc distances in light-adapted retinas compared to dark-adapted retinas. Conclusions Light-induced rod OS length shrinkage was confirmed using time-lapse light microscopy of isolated rod OSs and histological light microscopy of dark- and light-adapted retinas. TEM revealed that the rod OS length shrinkage was correlated to the light-driven decrease of the space between individual discs, not the disc thickness itself. Translational relevance Light-induced transient rod response promises a noninvasive biomarker for early diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, in which the rod photoreceptors are known to be more vulnerable than cone photoreceptors.