cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long-Term Retention of Gait Stability Improvements

Evidence of long-term modification of behavior-in particular, gait alterations in response to repeated exposure to slips-within the locomotor-balance control system is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine whether improvements in fall-resisting behavior as reflected by improvements in gait stability could be retained on a long-term basis. Eight healthy young subjects were exposed to a block of repeated slip trials during a single acquisition session consisting of five repeated slip exposures; the same subjects were then re-tested using the same protocol at a minimum of 12 mo later. Pre- and postslip gait stability for all slip trials was measured at touchdown (slipping limb) and liftoff (contralateral limb) based on the center of mass state (i.e., its instantaneous position and velocity) relative to the base of support (BOS) and the predicted thresholds for backward loss of balance. In the acquisition session, subjects were able to increase pre- and postslip stability, which significantly correlated with a decrease in the incidence of balance loss from 100% (1st slip) to 0% (5th slip). All subjects exhibited a similar balance loss on the first slip of the follow-up session. Nonetheless, subjects were able to retain the acquired preslip stability with feedforward control on the first slip but not the postslip stability related to the reactive response. Also, the subjects demonstrated a faster re-acquisition, with only one balance loss on the second slip of the follow-up session, as compared with seven balance losses on the acquisition session. Such rapid improvements were achieved by the significantly greater increase in post- compared with preslip stability; this increase was for the most part, a consequence of reductions in slip intensity (i.e., the peak BOS velocity). We concluded that a single acquisition session could only produce limited long-term retainable effects within the locomotor-balance control system. It appeared, however, that the CNS was still primed to more rapidly update its internal representation of gait stability during re-acquisition.
Teaching teamwork communication with Kolb learning style theory

This work-in-progress presentation discusses rationale and techniques for using Kolb learning style theory in the technical communication classroom and in the engineering classroom to train students in teamwork skills. Specifically, the speaker presents Kolb learning style theory and offers practical suggestions for applying it with emphasis on the advantages and challenges to students and instructors. Although not an empirical study itself the presentation describes a few pertinent preliminary results from a ten-year, on-going study of engineering students' learning styles and relates them to classroom teaching.
Technology improves undergraduate sentence-level writing skills

Graduating university seniors are often found to lack proficient writing skills. This places a heavy financial burden on employers and puts job-seeking new graduates at risk. Capstone students at a medium-sized western public university in the USA were studied to assess whether a technology-based writing tutorial and assessment tool developed by the capstone instructor would result in an increase in sentence-level writing proficiency. The research question that is investigated in the study is, "does the technology-based, sentence-level writing tutorial and assessment environment result in superior student writing skills when compared to the paper-based writing improvement methods?". A quasi-experiment was performed to investigate this question. It was found that the technology-based tutorial and assessment environment improved student writing over that of control group methods. The results of this study suggest that the use of such a treatment that was developed using an open-source learning management system platform can be effective in improving sentence-level writing skills that students have difficulty mastering throughout college.
Phosphorylation and Dephosphorylation among Dif Chemosensory Proteins Essential for Exopolysaccharide Regulation in Myxococcus xanthus

Myxococcus xanthus social gliding motility, which is powered by type IV pili, requires the presence of exopolysaccharides (EPS) on the cell surface. The Dif chemosensory system is essential for the regulation of EPS production. It was demonstrated previously that DifA (methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein [MCP]-like), DifC (CheW-like), and DifE (CheA-like) stimulate whereas DifD (CheY-like) and DifG (CheC-like) inhibit EPS production. DifD was found not to function downstream of DifE in EPS regulation, as a difD difE double mutant phenocopied the difE single mutant. It has been proposed that DifA, DifC, and DifE form a ternary signaling complex that positively regulates EPS production through the kinase activity of DifE. DifD was proposed as a phosphate sink of phosphorylated DifE (DifE∼P), while DifG would augment the function of DifD as a phosphatase of phosphorylated DifD (DifD∼P). Here we report in vitro phosphorylation studies with all the Dif chemosensory proteins that were expressed and purified from Escherichia coli. DifE was demonstrated to be an autokinase. Consistent with the formation of a DifA-DifC-DifE complex, DifA and DifC together, but not individually, were found to influence DifE autophosphorylation. DifD, which did not inhibit DifE autophosphorylation directly, was found to accept phosphate from autophosphorylated DifE. While DifD∼P has an unusually long half-life for dephosphorylation in vitro, DifG efficiently dephosphorylated DifD∼P as a phosphatase. These results support a model where DifE complexes with DifA and DifC to regulate EPS production through phosphorylation of a downstream target, while DifD and DifG function synergistically to divert phosphates away from DifE∼P.
Two Commentaries on Ann Raimes's “The TOEFL Test of Written English: Causes for Concern”: A Reader Reacts…

Ann Raimes's article, "The TOEFL Test of Written English: Causes for Concern," (TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 24, No. 3, Autumn 1990) has raised some questions about the assessment of ESL writing skills by means of standardized tests. The ESL assessment field is fortunate to have attracted the interest of a renowned and dedicated composition specialist. In the article, Raimes raises many excellent points. For example, her warning to us ESL teachers against teaching for tests is completely appropriate. Furthermore, I agree with Raimes that we ESL professionals need to reassert our positions as experts in our institutions and participate in deciding about admission policies for ESL students. However, in my view, the article presents several unjustified critiques of the Test of Written English (TWE). In this response, I will confine my remarks to only one area discussed in the article, namely, research on the TWE. Raimes asserts that access to the TWE by researchers is severely limited by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and that there is not enough research conducted on the TWE: "What data are released, what research is carried out and reported, and ultimately what is tested and how, remains the province of the ETS staff" (p. 429). It is understandable that ETS needs to be careful about releasing data because of concerns about the confidentiality of topics and anonymity of students. But the implication that ETS guards its TWE data in order to control the research agenda does not
Akt2 is essential for the full effect of calorie restriction on insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle.

Brief calorie restriction (CR; 20 days of 60% of ad libitum [AL] intake) improves insulin-stimulated glucose transport, concomitant with enhanced phosphorylation of Akt2. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Akt2 is essential for the calorie restriction– induced enhancement in skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity. We measured insulin-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) uptake in isolated extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus muscles from male and female wildtype (WT) and Akt2-null (knockout [KO]) mice after ad libitum or calorie-restricted (20 days at 60% of AL) feeding. In WT mice, calorie restriction significantly enhanced insulin-stimulated 2DG uptake in both muscles regardless of sex. However, in KO mice, calorie restriction did not enhance insulin-stimulated 2DG in male or female EDL or in female soleus. Only in male KO soleus did calorie restriction significantly increase insulin-stimulated 2DG through an Akt2-independent mechanism, although 2DG uptake of the KO-CR group was reduced compared with the WT-CR soleus group. Akt2 serine phosphorylation was enhanced approximately two- to threefold in insulin-stimulated WT-CR versus WT-AL muscles. Calorie restriction induced an 1.5- to 2-fold elevation in Akt1 phosphorylation of insulintreated muscles, regardless of genotype, but this increase was insufficient to replace Akt2 for insulinstimulated 2DG in Akt2-deficient muscles. These results indicate that Akt2 is essential for the full effect of brief calorie restriction on insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle with physiologic insulin. Diabetes 54: 1349 –1356, 2005
Whither the USO under Competitive Entry

The debate over the universal service obligation in postal service (USO) involves many dimensions, for example, the actual definition of the USO, the sustainability of the USO under competitive entry, the desirability of the USO, whether the USO is indeed a burden, to mention just some of the major issues. In this paper we explore these and other questions, but our main concern is the sustainability of the USO under entry.
Automatic and Human Scoring of Word Definition Responses

Assessing learning progress is a critical step in language learning applications and experiments. In word learning, for example, one important type of assessment is a definition production test, in which subjects are asked to produce a short definition of the word being learned. In current practice, each free response is manually scored according to how well its meaning matches the target definition. Manual scoring is not only time-consuming, but also limited in its flexibility and ability to detect partial learning effects. This study describes an effective automatic method for scoring free responses to definition production tests. The algorithm compares the text of the free response to the text of a reference definition using a statistical model of text semantic similarity that uses Markov chains on a graph of individual word relations. The model can take advantage of both corpusand knowledge-based resources. Evaluated on a new corpus of human-judged free responses, our method achieved significant improvements over random and cosine baselines in both rank correlation and label error.
A New Radiosonde System for Profiling the Lower Troposphere

Abstract A new, inexpensive radiosonde transmitter and receiver system has been developed for measuring wind field inhomogeneities in the planetary boundary layer using multiple simultaneously launched balloons. The radiosondes use a narrowband-frequency-modulated carrier signal to transmit atmospheric pressure and temperature information to a surface receiver. The pressure and temperature data transmitted by the radiosondes allow their height above the surface to be ascertained. In addition, the radiosondes can be tracked with a photographic camera system to provide the azimuth and elevation angles of the radiosondes during their ascent, so that their three-dimensional horizontal position can be determined. By tracking the spatial separation of the radiosondes over time, horizontal gradients can be derived. The system hardware and results from preliminary tests are described.
Decoding the genotype of Greenway design thinking and practice: a Steadmanian frame for systematic understanding, synthesis and tracking of multidisciplinary discourse

The concept of Greenway has been gaining strength in its role as an organisational strategy for the matrix of open, naturalistic and urban spaces. Multi-disciplinary approaches and methods have been increasingly making their way into the Greenway design and planning. Multidisciplinary infusions and ongoing evolution of Greenway thinking, places a demand for a frame that facilitates a systematic understanding, synthesis and tracking of the changes in thinking and practice since a clear understanding of the current is fundamental to craft the future. As a response to this need of a universal frame, this paper explores and advocates a Steadmanian frame for genotype and phenotype. A targeted review of ecology-oriented Greenways is undertaken for synthesis of emergent theories, design approaches and practice over the past decade. In conclusion, the article provides clarity to the emergent multi-disciplinary knowledge base, elucidates the genotype, or core principles, of Greenway design thinking and practice, and presents an interdisciplinary universal frame for systematic articulation, presentation and tracking of multidisciplinary Greenway approaches. The article is one in the series on experiments in integration of other, scientific frames in design thinking.
Effect of Dialysis Modality and Membrane Transport Characteristics on Dialysate Protein Losses of Patients on Peritoneal Dialysis

ObjectiveTo determine if peritoneal dialysis modality has an impact on protein losses in dialysate.DesignRetrospective, cross-sectional study.Patients190 patients who had selected peritoneal dialys...
Os and U-Th isotope signatures of arc magmatism near Mount Mazama, Crater Lake, Oregon

Abstract Interaction of mantle melts with the continental crust can have significant effects on the composition of the resulting melts as well as on the crust itself, and tracing this interaction is key to our understanding of arc magmatism. Lava flows and pyroclastic deposits erupted from ∼50 to 7.7 ka at Mt. Mazama (Crater Lake, Oregon) were analyzed for their Re/Os and U–Th isotopic compositions. Mafic lavas from monogenetic vents around Mt. Mazama that erupted during the buildup to its climactic eruption have lower 187 Os/ 188 Os ratios (0.1394 to 0.1956) and high 230 Th excess (( 230 Th/ 238 U) 0 of 1.180 to 1.302), whereas dacites and rhyodacites tend to have higher 187 Os/ 188 Os ratios (0.2292 to 0.2788) and significant 238 U excess (( 230 Th/ 238 U) 0 of 0.975 to 0.989). The less radiogenic Os isotope compositions of the mafic lavas can be modeled by assimilation of young (∼2.5 to 7 Ma), mafic lower crust that was modified during regional extension, whereas the more radiogenic Os isotope compositions of the dacites and rhyodacites can be attributed to assimilation of older (∼10 to 16 Ma), mid to upper crust that acquired its composition during an earlier period of Cascade magmatism. Production of Th excesses in the lower crust requires very young garnet formation accompanying dehydration melting in the lower crust at less than a few 100 ka by heat from recent basaltic magma injection. The results from this study suggest that the combination of Os and Th isotopes may be used to provide insights into the timescales of evolution of the continental crust in arc settings, as well as the influence of the crust on erupted magmas, and suggest a link between the age and composition of the lower and upper crust to regional tectonic extension and/or earlier Cascade magmatism.
Las tres religiones en Terra nostra : nec terra mea, neque terra tua, sed terra nostra

El autor estudia la relacion que Carlos Fuentes establece en su novela entre el mundo de Felipe II con la cultura judia, el misticismo arabe y el folclore mexica. El autor hace una reflexion sobre la filosofia de la historia de Carlos Fuentes y hace una lectura de los simbolos de la cultura hispanica que hemos heredado no por la violencia de la conquista sino por el humanismo y tolerancia de la Espana renacentista.
Marijuana and the limits of knowledge: implications for economic vulnerability and resilience in Northern California

AbstractThis paper explores how subjective meanings of well-being condition the realm of options in defining, assessing and responding to economic vulnerabilities in a region of Northern California I call ‘Claytown’. Economic restructuring has left many Claytown residents with inadequate employment opportunities. Marijuana production, in this context, has filled an important economic gap, bolstering livelihoods and local businesses. However, despite its economic significance, public officials have adamantly avoided public discussion, assessment and planning around the industry. I argue that this construction of marijuana production as a ‘public secret’ not only has implications for socio-economic security in Claytown, but also provides critical insights into the potentials and pitfalls of resilience thinking. To this end, I call for greater attention to the ways in which subjective meanings and discourses condition understandings of socio-economic vulnerability and resilience, treating both terms not as p...
Intestinal nutrient transport during ontogeny of vertebrates

Patterns of transporter development are known for 12 species of vertebrates (2 fish, 1 amphibian, 1 bird, and 8 mammals), ranging from early gestation to adulthood. Although transporters for some nutrients (amino acids and some sugars) appear before the onset of external feeding, species differ in when and which transporters appear. Postnatal changes in the activities of different transporters are twofold: corresponding with shifts in the composition of a species' evolutionary diet, and the need to absorb ever-increasing quantities of food for growth and metabolism. The mechanisms responsible for the age-related shifts in rates of transport include changes in the densities, distribution, and types of transporters for specific nutrients and changes in the physiochemical characteristics of the intestinal brush-border membrane. The signals that trigger the age-related changes originate from internal preprogrammed sources and external sources, with both acting in concert to mediate intestinal development. Although much more is known for the brush-border hydrolases, recent studies with the pig suggest the ontogenetic development of hydrolases and transporters are regulated independently during early development.
Voltage-Controlled Interfacial Layering in an Ionic Liquid on SrTiO3

One prominent structural feature of ionic liquids near surfaces is formation of alternating layers of anions and cations. However, how this layering responds to an applied potential is poorly understood. We focus on the structure of 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium tris(pentafluoroethyl) trifluorophosphate (BMPY-FAP) near the surface of a strontium titanate (SrTiO3) electric double-layer transistor. Using X-ray reflectivity, we show that at positive bias the individual layers in the ionic liquid double layer thicken and the layering persists further away from the interface. We model the reflectivity using a modified distorted crystal model with alternating cation and anion layers, which allows us to extract the charge density and the potential near the surface. We find that the charge density is strongly oscillatory with and without applied potential and that with an applied gate bias of 4.5 V the first two layers become significantly more cation rich than at zero bias, accumulating about 2.5 × 10(13) cm(-2) excess charge density.
Oil-Film Interferometry Shear Stress Measurements in Large Wind Tunnels - Technique and Applications (Invited)

The oil-film interferometry skin-friction technique is described and applied to a wide variety of flows. The paper reviews recent advances in oil-film interferometry and highlights the utility of skin-friction measurements in aerodynamic flows. Over the last few years, the technique has been widely used in large-scale wind-tunnel tests, it has provided data useful for identifying problematic aspects of designs, and has been used for validation of turbulence models.
Traumatic Brain Injury Alters Methionine Metabolism: Implications for Pathophysiology.

Methionine is an essential proteinogenic amino acid that is obtained from the diet. In addition to its requirement for protein biosynthesis, methionine is metabolized to generate metabolites that play key roles in a number of cellular functions. Metabolism of methionine via the transmethylation pathway generates S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) that serves as the principal methyl (-CH3) donor for DNA and histone methyltransferases to regulate epigenetic changes in gene expression. SAM is also required for methylation of other cellular proteins that serve various functions and phosphatidylcholine synthesis that participate in cellular signaling.. Under conditions of oxidative stress, homocysteine (which is derived from SAM) enters the transsulfuration pathway to generate glutathione, an important cytoprotective molecule against oxidative damage. As both experimental and clinical studies have shown that traumatic brain injury (TBI) alters DNA and histone methylation and causes oxidative stress, we examined if TBI alters the plasma levels of methionine and its metabolites in human patients. Blood samples were collected from healthy volunteers (n = 20) and patients with mild TBI (GCS > 12; n = 20) or severe TBI (GCS < 8; n = 20) within the first 24 hours of injury. The levels of methionine and its metabolites in the plasma samples were analyzed by either liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS or GC-MS). Severe TBI decreased the levels of methionine, SAM, betaine and 2-methylglycine as compared to healthy volunteers, indicating a decrease in metabolism through the transmethylation cycle. In addition, precursors for the generation of glutathione, cysteine and glycine were also found to be decreased as were intermediate metabolites of the gamma-glutamyl cycle (gamma-glutamyl amino acids and 5-oxoproline). Mild TBI also decreased the levels of methionine, α-ketobutyrate, 2 hydroxybutyrate and glycine, albeit to lesser degrees than detected in the severe TBI group. Taken together, these results suggest that decreased levels of methionine and its metabolic products are likely to alter cellular function in the injured brain and other body systems.
Aesthetic revolutions: white South African writing and the State of Emergency

The State of Emergency in South Africa, which lasted from 1985 to 1990, presented an unprecedented crisis for white dissident writers. The brutal and systematic violence directed at perceived enemies of the state demonstrated the lengths to which the apartheid regime was willing to go to maintain itself, and made the idea of literature as a politically significant act seem ridiculous – a vestigial remnant of an outdated liberal humanism. Despite their public criticisms of liberal humanism, prominent white South African writers including Andre Brink, J. M. Coetzee, and Nadine Gordimer were themselves branded with this term. Their aesthetic interests were often seen as incompatible with political commitment, an attitude bolstered by Alan Paton's shift from fiction writing after Cry, the Beloved Country (1948) toward politics. Even one of the most prominent black South African novelists, Zakes Mda, declared that the novel is a “luxury” of freedom, a genre better suited to the post-apartheid era than to the political immediacies dictated by the struggle against the apartheid regime. The crisis of relevance experienced by white South African writers became a significant topic for debate among Western European, American, and Canadian academics on postmodernism. Brink and Coetzee were identified as representative figures of a global postmodernism, and their literary works were championed for their purported political relevance. Linda Hutcheon, for instance, cites both authors in her argument that postmodern literature provides a “denaturalizing critique” of ideology.
Recent advances in automatic alignment system for the National Ignition Facility

The automatic alignment system for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a large-scale parallel system that directs all 192 laser beams along the 300-m optical path to a 50-micron focus at target chamber in less than 50 minutes. The system automatically commands 9,000 stepping motors to adjust mirrors and other optics based upon images acquired from high-resolution digital cameras viewing beams at various locations. Forty-five control loops per beamline request image processing services running on a LINUX cluster to analyze these images of the beams and references, and automatically steer the beams toward the target. This paper discusses the upgrades to the NIF automatic alignment system to handle new alignment needs and evolving requirements as related to various types of experiments performed. As NIF becomes a continuously-operated system and more experiments are performed, performance monitoring is increasingly important for maintenance and commissioning work. Data, collected during operations, is analyzed for tuning of the laser and targeting maintenance work. Handling evolving alignment and maintenance needs is expected for the planned 30-year operational life of NIF.
Multi-scale structural similarity for image quality assessment

The structural similarity image quality paradigm is based on the assumption that the human visual system is highly adapted for extracting structural information from the scene, and therefore a measure of structural similarity can provide a good approximation to perceived image quality. This paper proposes a multi-scale structural similarity method, which supplies more flexibility than previous single-scale methods in incorporating the variations of viewing conditions. We develop an image synthesis method to calibrate the parameters that define the relative importance of different scales. Experimental comparisons demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Does treatment at a high volume center mitigate racial and ethnic disparities in ovarian cancer survival

5584Background: Population-based studies of women with advanced ovarian cancer report racial/ethnic disparities in access to high volume centers (HVCs), surgical outcomes after primary debulking su...
Haploinsufficiency of Parkinsonism Gene SYNJ1 Contributes to Dopamine neuron Vulnerability in Aged Mice

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an age-dependent neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of substantia nigra dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons in ventral midbrain (MB). Identification of interactions between aging and the known risk variants is crucial to understanding the etiology of PD. Recessive mutations in SYNJ1 have recently been linked to familial early-onset atypical Parkinsonism. We now show an age-dependent decline of SYNJ1 expression in the striatum as well as in striatal DAergic terminals of aged mice. Heterozygous deletion of SYNJ1 in mice causes selective elevation of PIP 2 in the MB, and manipulation of PIP 2 levels also impairs synaptic vesicle recycling preferentially in MB neurons. SYNJ1 +/- mice display progressive PD-like behavioral alterations and DAergic terminal degeneration. Furthermore, we found down-regulation of human SYNJ1 transcripts in a subset of sporadic PD brains, corroborating the role of an age-dependent decrease in SYNJ1 in predisposing DAergic neuron vulnerability and PD pathogenesis.
Beveled Incisions: What is the Evidence?

Although many aesthetic surgeons believe that beveling the angle of an incision improves the aesthetic outcome with regard to scaring, the literature remains scarce largely because few studies have been conducted. This systematic review therefore aims to identify whether using a beveled incision adds an aesthetic benefit, to determine whether there is a specific angle that yields a superior outcome, and for the first time, to present a complete discussion of this subject for practicing surgeons. A comprehensive literature search was performed using the PubMed database to search for primary articles. The main inclusion criteria were primary journal articles investigating the use of a beveled angle via a controlled study. A total of fifty-four publications were reviewed, with only four publications including 124 patients suitable for use in this systematic review. All the studies concluded that the use of a beveled angle incision improved aesthetic outcomes, with the ideal angle ranging from 10° to 45°. The use of a beveled angle incision can improve scar aesthetics and encourages the regrowth of hair follicles and shafts through the scars via multiple mechanisms. Nevertheless, the paucity of literature available to the practitioner compels further research assessing this important topic. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
Security in Passive Optical Network via Wavelength Hopping and Codes cycling techniques

Passive Optical Network (PON) provides the answer to increasing demand on bandwidth in access networks; however, PON uses shared fiber link with Broadcast and Select (B&S) type of downstream traffic on single wavelength, which introduces data vulnerability to eavesdropping. This paper proposes an approach to enhance security using slow wavelength hopping and codes cycling in order to make it difficult for eavesdropper to collect good sample for crypto-analysis. Current state of optical transmitters and filters technology does not support high data rate operation in fast hopping mode, and the approach for slow hopping based on encoding each Ethernet frame/packet by single wavelength selected from ONU’s specific wavelength sequence generated by mapping ONU’s code matrices to network’s wavelength grid matrix. Multiple code matrices assignment to single ONU cycled in different order enhances security by reducing probability of tracking the hopping pattern.
Genetic Hypertension: The Dahl Substrains of Salt-Sensitive and Salt-Resistant Rats

The two Dahl or Brookhaven substrains of rats were developed by inbreeding at the Brookhaven National Laboratories in the 1960’s. They have been named “salt-sensitive” and “salt-resistant” since one becomes hypertensive when placed on a sodium-rich diet while the other remains normotensive.
The Priority of Existence in Medieval Political Thought

This paper will consider both the pragmatic and intellectual context of the medieval problem of order, politically and philosophically. The struggle for order in the Middle Ages was about more than the contest for jurisdiction between the empire and the church. What emerged from beneath the clamor for legitimate authority was the growing assertion of a more subtle third center of authority, the individual. This paper aims at articulating and charting the emergence of what is called existential authority, drawing on the insights of Eric Voegelin among others.
Collisional Electron Detachment in Dielectric Gases

The collisional dynamics of anions common to the field of gaseous dielectrics is discussed. In particular, the results from recent measurements of absolute, two-body cross sections for detachment and other inelastic processes for collisions of SF 6 - with specific targets is emphasized. These results illustrate that although the “additional” electron attached to SF 6 - is only very weakly bound (or perhaps not bound at all unless some relaxation mechanism has occurred after the anion has formed), the probability of collisionally detaching that electron is extremely small even for collision energies which exceed the electron’s binding energy by a factor as large as one hundred. The dominant collisional decomposition mechanism at low collision energies for sulphur hexafluoride anions is observed to be dissociation into, e.g., SF5 + F-. Measurements of this type can be used to provide insight into macroscopic phenomena such as discharge inception; it is clear however, that our current data base is inadequate to be used to make definitive predictions for such macroscopic phenomena.
Assessment of Growth and Nutritional Status in Children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Growth failure and poor nutritional status are common in children with IBD, and can occur before the presentation of other symptoms, particularly among children with Crohn disease. Low nutritional intake, malabsorption, and increased nutrient requirements may contribute to nutrition-related growth failure in children with IBD. Growth status is a good indicator of overall well-being and nutritional status in children. Clinical assessment of growth and nutritional status requires consideration of current and previous growth status, skeletal and sexual maturation, genetic potential for growth, biochemical indicators of micronutrient status, and evaluation of dietary intake.
Subsidized Housing and Low-Income Mother’s School-Based Parent Involvement: Findings from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study Wave Five

School-based parent involvement is associated with child academic outcomes, positive behaviors, and social skills. Research on school-based parent involvement among low-income mothers is limited and even less understood for low-income mothers who receive financial housing assistance. This study examined the association between low-income mothers who receive housing assistance and school-based parent involvement when their child was 9-years-old. We investigated whether there is a difference in parent involvement for low-income mothers who receive a government housing subsidy (Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and those who reside in a public housing project. Potential barriers to parental involvement are discussed. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, Wave 5 (N = 1351), the current study employed multivariate ordinal logistic regression analyses to examine the above associations. Low-income mothers who receive an HCV are less likely to be involved in their child’s school-based activities than low-income mothers who live in a public housing project. Potential barriers to parental involvement include frequent housing moves and increased work hours. Findings suggest housing type has an important role in school-based parent involvement for low-income mothers. As housing policies move toward deconcentrating poverty by way of government housing subsidies, unintended consequences need to be considered. Considerations should include low-income mothers’ experience of frequent housing mobility and increased work hours as barriers to school-based parent involvement. Additional services and resources beyond financial housing assistance are essential to improve parent involvement among low-income mothers.
High frequency electrical stimulation promotes expression of extracellular matrix proteins from human astrocytes

Therapeutic benefits of deep brain stimulation (DBS), a neurosurgical treatment for certain movement disorders and other neurologic conditions, are well documented, but DBS mechanisms remain largely unexplained. DBS is thought to modulate pathological neural activity. However, although astrocytes, the most numerous cell type in the brain, play a significant role in neurotransmission, chemical homeostasis and synaptic plasticity, their role in DBS has not been fully examined. To investigate astrocytic function in DBS, we applied DBS-like high frequency electrical stimulation for 24 h to human astrocytes in vitro and analyzed single cell transcriptome mRNA profile. We found that DBS-like high frequency stimulation negatively impacts astrocyte metabolism and promotes the release of extracellular matrix (matricellular) proteins, including IGFBP3, GREM1, IGFBP5, THBS1, and PAPPA. Our results suggest that astrocytes are involved in the long-term modulation of extra cellular matrix environments and that they may influence persistent cell-to-cell interaction and help maintain neuromodulation over time.
Swimming with small and large amplitude waves in a confined liquid crystal

Abstract Boundaries can have a significant impact on the physics of microorganism locomotion. Here we examine the effects of confinement by a rigid boundary or symmetric channel on undulatory locomotion in an anisotropic fluid, treated as a nematic liquid crystal. The competition between hydrodynamics, fluid elasticity, and anchoring conditions results in a complex locomotion problem with unique transport properties. We examine this problem analytically using a well-known mathematical model, an infinite swimming sheet with small wave amplitude, and numerically for large amplitude waves using a modification of the immersed boundary method. For a prescribed stroke and strong planar anchoring in the narrow channel, we demonstrate that the swimming speed approaches its Newtonian value, though the power required to maintain the swimmer’s speed depends on the properties of the liquid crystal. We also show that an unusual prograde swimming (in the direction of transverse wave propagation) theorized to exist at small wave amplitude persists at large amplitude, and that the presence of a sufficiently close boundary returns the swimming behavior to the more standard retrograde motion (opposite the direction of the traveling wave).
Collaborative research and teacher education

It’s our place only when we [teachers] make it our place, and we have to work at owning the research. Taking that responsibility may be painful at times. But in order to own teacher research we have to be honest with ourselves, our question, our design, our community, and our place in the larger research picture. We approach this honesty by keeping our commitment to improving our practice, to our students, and to each other. We talk, we teach, we write, we question. And we will not plan future studies without knowing our classrooms, our students, and ourselves. (Keffer, Wood, Carr, Mattison, & Lanier, 1998, p. 34)
Tritium species diffusion on and desorption from γ-LiAlO2 (100) surface: A first-principles investigation

Abstract γ-LiAlO2 enriched in the 6Li isotope is a good candidate for tritium (T, 3H) production in nuclear reactor. To better understand its 3H production performance, first-principles calculations are performed to study the 3H-related species diffusion on and desorption from the γ-LiAlO2 (100) surface. For the diffusion process, we investigate the pathways and energy barriers for the T and OT diffusion on the pristine and defective γ-LiAlO2 (100) surfaces. Our results reveal that the O and Li/Al atoms of the surface layer play important roles for T and OT diffusion, respectively. By comparing with its diffusion barrier in bulk γ-LiAlO2, the order of energy barrier for T diffusion is: bulk
Diplopia following lower blepharoplasty.

Purpose To investigate the likelihood of surgeons performing lower blepharoplasties having cases of diplopia persisting for more than 1 week after surgery. Methods An anonymous survey (13 questions) on the frequency and characteristics of persistent diplopia (lasting >1 week) after lower blepharoplasty was sent to members of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Results Of 703 members, 371 (52.8%) responded to the survey. Of these, 86 (23.2%) had at least 1 case of persistent diplopia following lower blepharoplasty. Complete data were available for 84 of the 86 physicians. The inferior oblique muscle was involved in 51 cases (61%), the inferior rectus muscle in 7 cases (8%), both the inferior oblique and inferior rectus muscles in 4 cases (5%), and the muscle involved was not identified in 22 patients (26%). The diplopia was paretic in 49 patients (58%) and restrictive in 35 (42%). The diplopia persisted in primary position in 7 patients (8%), in gaze positions other than primary position in 16 patients (19%), and resolved completely in 61 patients (73%). Conclusions There is a significant chance of surgeons performing lower blepharoplasties having at least 1 case of diplopia lasting over a week postoperatively. Our survey results indicate that this complication may be more common than is suggested by the medical literature.
R&D Intensity and Acquisitions in High-Technology Industries: Evidence from the US Electronic and Electrical Equipment Industries

Theory suggests R&D intensity and acquisition activity may be either directly or inversely related. However, we know relatively little about which firms are responsible for acquisition activity in high-technology industries, which are not only R&D-intensive, but also have substantial acquisition activity in the United States. Using a panel of 217 US electronic and electrical equipment firms from 1985-93 and limited dependent variable estimation techniques, we find a substantial negative correlation between R&D-intensity and a firm's propensity to acquire. This result is surprisingly robust to numerous sensitivity tests and is significant in both the 'within' and 'between' dimensions of our data.
Osteoporosis treatment in patients undergoing spinal fusion: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE Bisphosphonates and teriparatide are the most common therapies used in the treatment of osteoporosis. Their impact on fusion rates in osteoporotic patients following spinal fusion has yet to be concretely defined, with previous systematic reviews focusing heavily on bisphosphonates and lacking clinical insight on the utility of teriparatide. Herein the authors present an updated meta-analysis of the utility of both bisphosphonates and teriparatide in improving spinal fusion outcomes in osteoporotic patients. METHODS After a comprehensive search of the English-language literature in the PubMed and Embase databases, 11 clinical studies were included in the final qualitative and quantitative analyses. Of these studies, 9 investigated bisphosphonates, 7 investigated teriparatide, and 1 investigated a combination of teriparatide and denosumab. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated where appropriate. RESULTS A meta-analysis of the postoperative use of bisphosphonate demonstrated better odds of successful fusion as compared to that in controls during short-term monitoring (OR 3.33, 95% CI 1.72-6.42, p = 0.0003) but not long-term monitoring (p > 0.05). Bisphosphonate use was also shown to significantly reduce the likelihood of postoperative vertebral compression fracture (VCF; OR 0.07, 95% CI 0.01-0.59, p = 0.01) and significantly reduce Oswestry Disability Index scores (mean difference [MD] = -2.19, 95% CI -2.94 to -1.44, p < 0.00001) and visual analog scale pain scores (MD = -0.58, 95% CI -0.79 to -0.38, p < 0.00001). Teriparatide was found to significantly increase fusion rates at long-term postoperative periods as compared to rates after bisphosphonate therapy, with patients who received postoperative teriparatide therapy 2.05 times more likely to experience successful fusion (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.17-3.59, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The authors demonstrate the benefits of bisphosphonate and teriparatide therapy independently in accelerating fusion during the first 6 months after spinal fusion surgery in osteoporotic patients. In addition, they show that teriparatide may have superior benefits in spinal fusion during long-term monitoring as compared to those with bisphosphonates. Bisphosphonates may be better suited in preventing VCFs postoperatively in addition to minimizing postoperative disability and pain.
A New Assessment of the Performance of Low-noise Organic Photodetectors

An improved characterization of organic photodiode performance enables a reassessment of electronic noise and optimization of large-area organic photodetectors that at visible wavelengths are comparable to low-noise silicon photodiodes in all metrics except response time.
Water-Stable Metal-Organic Frameworks for Water Adsorption

In the past decade, tremendous efforts have concentrated on the synthesis of stable metal-organic frameworks to expand the inventory of their applications. While classic synthetic routes, such as isoreticular chemistry, have been employed to modify and enhance branch known structures of stable MOFs, new synthetic routes, such as preformed metal-containing clusters and use of modulators as competitive species during crystallization, have been discovered to enrich the landscape of stable MOFs. Since these later routes were reported during the past few years, explorations on these new stable MOFs are underestimated. In this chapter, we would give a brief introduction to highlight some prototypes of water-stable MOFs and their structural features and discuss the development of their uses in the water adsorption to practical applications.
Government investments in schooling and infrastructure: Ramsey vs. public choice paths in a lifecycle growth model

Government financing of schooling is necessitated by capital market imperfections. Governments are also res­ ponsible for maintaining a stock of public capital that enters private production function. In this paper the welfare implications and politics of these investments are examined in a version of Diamond (1965) growth model. It is argued that in decentralized environments where the working generation is decisive each period significant underinvestment in both schooling and in­ frastructure will be observed relative to the Ramsey equilibrium.
“I don't know when it might pop up”: Understanding repeat HIV testing and perceptions of HIV among drug users

Abstract Purpose: The study sought to understand the HIV testing patterns of low-income drug users. Methods: Sixty-seven low-income drug users were recruited from street outreach venues in three San Francisco Bay Area counties. Participants were interviewed using an open-ended questionnaire eliciting information on HIV testing histories, sexual behavior, and drug use. Transcripts from interviews were coded and analyzed using methods consistent with the grounded theory approach of qualitative research. Results: Participants identified four themes related to HIV testing: (1) anticipating positive results, (2) belief in a 10-year window period during which the virus is undetectable, (3) regular HIV testing as part of self-care, and (4) the HIV test as a means of control. These themes did not relate to personal risk behavior but rather to the community experience of HIV in small, dense populations of low-income drug users with high rates of HIV infection. Implications: Participants used HIV testing like regular mammograms or blood pressure checks, as if it were a screening procedure for a chronic illness. This is a reasonable response given the context of HIV within their communities. HIV testing in this population should not be limited.
The laboratory opossum (Monodelphis domestica) as a natural mammalian model for human cancer research

This study established that human cancer cells (A375 melanoma, HT-29 colon cancer, PC-3p prostate cancer) that were xenografted into suckling opossums could proliferate and globally metastasize as early as 11 days after injection. Light and electron microscopic examinations (HT-29 colon cancer) determined that the cellular features exhibited by the xenogeneic human tumors grown in laboratory opossums were consistent with those observed in tumors removed from humans. The tumor induction rate, patterns of tumor growth and regression, and types of host immune responses against the xenografted tumors were influenced by injection dosages, injection sites and injection ages of suckling opossums. The results highlight the value of the opossum model as a natural in vivo system for investigating human cancer growth, metastasis and apoptosis at the cellular and molecular levels; enhancing identification of tumor associated antigens or T cell epitopes through use of humoral and cellular expression cloning techniques; elucidating mechanisms utilized by tumor cells to evade host immunosurveillance; and devising diagnostic and therapeutic methods for cancer treatment.
The Dichotomy between Co Absorptions and ca II Emissions in the Sun and Stars: An Indirect Diagnostic for Gas Disturbed by Magnetic Fields? 1

Spectra of the 4.7 um bands of carbon monoxide in absorption, and spectra of the cores of the 0.4 um resonance lines of ionized calcium in emission, might be used to diagnose the presence of atmospheric inhomogeneities, caused by the action of surface magnetic fields, on stars as diverse as the Sun and the red giant Arcturus.