cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A fast, robust, and non-stiff Immersed Boundary Method

We propose a fast and non-stiff approach for the solutions of the Immersed Boundary Method, for Newtonian, incompressible flows in two or three dimensions. The proposed methodology is built on a robust semi-implicit discretization introduced by Peskin in the late 70s which is solved efficiently through the novel use of a fast, treecode strategy to compute flow-structure interactions. Optimal multipole-type expansions are performed numerically by solving a least squares problem with a new, fast iterative algorithm. The new Immersed Boundary Method is particularly well suited for three-dimensional applications and/or for problems where the number of immersed boundary points is large. We demonstrate the efficacy and superiority of the method over existing approaches with two simple but illustrative examples in 3D.
The role of nutrition in viral disease

Abstract Malnutrition has been associated with a decrease in immune function. Impairment of immune function may lead to increased susceptibility to infection with viruses. Although there are many studies documenting the effect of host nutritional status on immune functions, fewer studies have examined the effect of host nutritional status on viral pathogenesis. This review examines the relationship between viral infection and the nutritional status of the host, and documents that not only can the nutritional status of the host affect immune function, but can have profound effects on the virus itself. One mechanism by which nutritional status affects the virulence of the viral pathogen involves selection for virulent viral genotypes. Other mechanisms remain to be elucidated.
Thoraco-Abdominal Pressure Gradients During the Phases of Respiration Contribute to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Exaggerated pressure fluctuation between the thorax and abdomen during exercise or with pulmonary disease may challenge the gastroesophageal barrier and allow reflux of gastric juice into the esophagus. The aim of this study was to investigate the pressure differentials in the region of the gastroesophageal junction to better understand the relationship between the thoraco-abdominal pressure gradient and the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) barrier function. We reviewed the esophageal motility and 24-h pH studies in 151 patients with a manometrically normal lower esophageal sphincter who did not have pulmonary disease, history of anti-reflux surgery, hiatal hernia, or ineffective esophageal motility (IEM). Intra-abdominal gastric and intra-thoracic esophageal pressure fluctuations with respiration were measured and the thoraco-abdominal pressure gradients were calculated during both inspiratory and expiratory phases of the respiratory cycle. Predictive factors for an abnormal composite pH score were identified by multivariable analysis. An inspiratory thoraco-abdominal pressure gradient that was higher than the resting LES pressure was found in 27 patients. In 23 of these patients (85.2%) there was increased esophageal acid exposure (OR 13.5, 95% CI 4.4–41.8). An abnormal composite pH score was predicted by a high inspiratory thoraco-abdominal pressure gradient (P < 0.001), greater fluctuation between inspiratory and expiratory thoracic pressure (P = 0.023), lower LES resting pressure (P = 0.049) and a decreased residual pressure after a swallow induced relaxation (P = 0.002). The gastroesophageal barrier function of the LES can be overcome during times when the inspiratory thoraco-abdominal pressure gradient is increased, leading to reflux of gastric juice into the esophagus. This implies that exaggerated ventilatory effort, as occurs with exercise or in respiratory disease, can result in gastroesophageal reflux.
Surgical management of cataracts in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis-associated uveitis.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate outcomes of cataract surgery with posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL) implantation with or without trabeculectomy in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA)-associated uveitis. Design Interventional case series. Methods Retrospective chart review of five patients aged 12 years or younger with JRA-associated uveitis who underwent cataract surgery with posterior chamber IOL with or without trabeculectomy at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation from December 1995 to October 2001. Results Four female patients and one male patient ranging from age 7 to 12 years were identified. One patient had bilateral involvement; six eyes were included in the study. Three eyes underwent cataract extraction with posterior chamber IOL, and three underwent combined cataract surgery with posterior chamber IOL and trabeculectomy. Median age at surgery was 8.5 years, with a median follow-up of 43.5 months. Four of five children (five eyes) were on systemic methotrexate immunosuppressive therapy for a median length of 1.25 years before surgery. Two of five patients (three eyes) were also on additional systemic immunosuppressive or anti-inflammatory treatments. All eyes received frequent topical corticosteroid therapy for a median of 2 weeks preoperatively and 8.5 weeks postoperatively. A final postoperative Snellen visual acuity of 20/40 or better was achieved in all children. A median final visual acuity improvement of 7 Snellen lines was observed after cataract surgery. Conclusions With adequate long-term preoperative and postoperative control of intraocular inflammation with systemic immunosuppressive therapy in addition to intensive topical corticosteroid treatment, children with JRA-associated uveitis can demonstrate favorable surgical outcomes after cataract surgery with posterior chamber IOL.
Seat belt use and accident involvement: A comparison of driving behavior before and after a seat belt law

In an earlier study, researchers at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center found drivers classified as seat belt nonusers on the basis of direct observation and self-reported belt use to be overrepresented in prior accidents and violations. This study represents a follow-up and extension of the earlier study where accident and violation rates over a 2.5-year interval following the classification by seat belt use status are compared. Seat belt nonusers were again found to be overrepresented in both accidents and violations. In other analyses of these data, changes in seat belt use status were found not to be associated with changes in accident or violation rates, and seat belt use rates reported by police in accidents following the mandatory seat belt law greatly exceeded both the observed and self-reported use rates. This was especially pronounced for drivers who responded that they rarely or never used seat belts.
Medical ethics on film: towards a reconstruction of the teaching of healthcare professionals

The clinical vignette remains the standard means by which medical ethics are taught to students in the healthcare professions. Although written or verbal vignettes are useful as a pedagogic tool for teaching ethics and introducing students to real cases, they are limited, since students must imagine the clinical scenario. Medical ethics are almost universally taught during the early years of training, when students are unfamiliar with the clinical reality in which ethics issues arise. Film vignettes fill in that imaginative leap. By providing vivid details with images, film vignettes offer rich and textured details of cases, including the patient's perspective and the clinical reality. Film vignettes provide a detailed ethnography that allows for a more complete discussion of the ethical issues. Film can serve as an additional tool for teaching medical ethics to members of the healthcare professions.
Using socially assistive robotics to augment motor task performance in individuals post-stroke

This paper presents an application of a socially assistive robotics (SAR) system to hands-off post-stroke rehabilitation. We validate the technical feasibility and efficacy of our system in guiding, motivating, and administering an upper extremity rehabilitation task. The robot, which consists of a humanoid torso on a mobile base, monitors user performance on a wire puzzle task through a wearable inertial measurement unit and signals from the puzzle. Smoothness of stroke-affected limb movement is used as the evaluation metric. Five adults of mild to moderate functional ability in the chronic phase of stroke recovery interacted with our SAR system over three separate days. The inertial data from the five participants were analyzed using frequency domain techniques. Subsequently, the amount of power in frequency bands corresponding to voluntary (0.1 to 2Hz) and involuntary motion/jerk (4 to 8Hz) was evaluated. We found that, in adults of mild severity (Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment scores greater than 40), the motion becomes smoother (the amount of jerk is reduced) over 3 days of task practice. In adults of moderate motor severity (scores below 40), the motion became less smooth. This may indicate that the combination of our task and SAR system is better suited for individuals with higher functional ability, and needs augmentation in order to aid those of lower functional ability levels.
Identification and characterization of Nasonia Pax genes

Pax genes are a group of critical developmental transcriptional regulators in both invertebrates and vertebrates, characterized by the presence of a paired DNA-binding domain. Pax proteins also often contain an octapeptide motif and a C-terminal homeodomain. The genome of Nasonia vitripennis (Hymenoptera) has recently become available, and analysis of this genome alongside Apis mellifera allowed us to contribute to the phylogeny of this gene family in insects. Nasonia, a parasitic wasp, has independently evolved a similar mode of development to that of the well-studied Drosophila, making it an excellent model system for comparative studies of developmental gene networks. We report the characterization of the seven Nasonia Pax genes. We describe their genomic organization, and the embryonic expression of three of them, and uncover wider conservation of the octapeptide motif than previously described.
Demand shocks, capacity coordination, and industry performance: lessons from an economic laboratory

Antitrust exemptions granted to businesses under extenuating circumstances are often justified by the argument that they benefit the public by helping producers adjust to otherwise difficult economic circumstances. Such exemptions may allow firms to coordinate their capacities, as was the case of the post-September 11, 2001, antitrust immunity granted to Aloha and Hawaiian Airlines. We conduct economic laboratory experiments to determine the effects of explicit capacity coordination on oligopoly firms' abilities to adjust to negative demand shocks and on industry prices. The results suggest that capacity coordination speeds the adjustment process, but also has a clear procollusive effect on firm behavior.
Fitness Decline under Relaxed Selection in Captive Populations

Abstract: We compared life-history schedules among populations of the housefly ( Musca domestica L.) maintained in the laboratory under curtailed life span, such that selection on mutations that affected only late-life fitness traits was reduced. As a result of this regime, late-life ( but not early-life) fecundity declined within a few generations. The results suggest that if captive populations are maintained with minimal selection, either by direct manipulation of the environment or by equalizing family contributions, the increased frequency of potentially deleterious mutations may rapidly lower the ability of these populations to exist under natural conditions. This would be independent of population size, so expanding captive populations would not alleviate potential fitness reductions due to relaxed selection.
Recruitment and the Role of Nuclear Localization in Polyglutamine-mediated Aggregation

The inherited neurodegenerative diseases caused by an expanded glutamine repeat share the pathologic feature of intranuclear aggregates or inclusions (NI). Here in cell-based studies of the spinocerebellar ataxia type-3 disease protein, ataxin-3, we address two issues central to aggregation: the role of polyglutamine in recruiting proteins into NI and the role of nuclear localization in promoting aggregation. We demonstrate that full-length ataxin-3 is readily recruited from the cytoplasm into NI seeded either by a pathologic ataxin-3 fragment or by a second unrelated glutamine-repeat disease protein, ataxin-1. Experiments with green fluorescence protein/polyglutamine fusion proteins show that a glutamine repeat is sufficient to recruit an otherwise irrelevant protein into NI, and studies of human disease tissue and a Drosophila transgenic model provide evidence that specific glutamine-repeat–containing proteins, including TATA-binding protein and Eyes Absent protein, are recruited into NI in vivo. Finally, we show that nuclear localization promotes aggregation: an ataxin-3 fragment containing a nonpathologic repeat of 27 glutamines forms inclusions only when targeted to the nucleus. Our findings establish the importance of the polyglutamine domain in mediating recruitment and suggest that pathogenesis may be linked in part to the sequestering of glutamine-containing cellular proteins. In addition, we demonstrate that the nuclear environment may be critical for seeding polyglutamine aggregates.
Prevalence of de novo aortic insufficiency during long-term support with left ventricular assist devices

Background Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are increasingly used as long-term therapy for end-stage heart failure patients. We compared the prevalence of aortic insufficiency (AI) after HeartMate II (HMII) vs HeartMate XVE (HMI) support and assessed the role of aortic root diameter and aortic valve opening in the development of AI. Method Pre-operative and post-operative echocardiograms of 93 HMI and 73 HMII patients who received implants at our center between January 2004 and September 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. After excluding patients with prior or concurrent surgical manipulation of the aortic valve, with baseline AI, or without baseline echoes, 67 HMI and 63 HMII patients were studied. AI was deemed significant if mild to moderate or greater. Pathology reports were reviewed for 77 patients who underwent heart transplant. Results AI developed in 4 of 67 HMI (6.0%) and in 9 of 63 HMII patients (14.3%). The median times to AI development were 48 days for HMI patients and 90 days for HMII patients. For patients who remained on device support at 6 and 12 months, freedom from AI was 94.5% and 88.9% in HMI patients and 83.6% and 75.2% in HMII patients (log rank p = 0.194). Aortic root diameters, as determined by echocardiography for the patients with AI, trended to be larger at baseline (3.43 ± 0.43 vs 3.15 ± 0.40; p = 0.067) and follow-up (3.58 ± 0.54 vs 3.29 ± 0.50; p = 0.130) compared with those who did not have AI. Aortic root circumferences were assessed directly by a pathologist in those patients who underwent transplant and were significantly larger in HMII patients who had developed AI compared with those patients who did not (8.44 ± 0.89 vs 7.36 ± 1.02 cm; p = 0.034). Lastly, AI was more common in patients whose aortic valve did not open (11 of 26 vs 1 of 14; p = 0.03). Conclusion Aortic insufficiency occurs frequently in patients who receive continuous-flow support with a HMII LVAD, and may be associated with aortic root diameter enlargement and aortic valve opening. These findings warrant a more thorough preoperative patient evaluation and additional studies to investigate the factors, that may be associated with AI development.
Detection of metal ion hydrolysis by coagulation. VI. Beryllium

Abstract The hydrolysis of beryllium ion was investigated by means of the coagulation method. The charge of the the hydrolyzed species is found to be +3. This finding has been compared with the results of Sillen and collaborators and the differences have been discussed.
Dosimetric Improvements Based on Vacuum Assisted Breast Immobilization Utilized With a Novel Breast Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (BSRT) Device

V20% ,V 50% ,V 80%, and V100% of the ipsilateral breast, which were reduced relative, on average, by 16.5%, 24.5%, 42.0%, 63.3%, and 86.4% (p<0.02). Additionally, the V15% and V40%of the breast skin were reduced by 31.1% and 60.4% (p<0.02), respectively. The chest wall also received reduced dose at multiple dose levels (p<0.04). Sparing of the lung and heart were not statistically significant due to the substantial sparing with the BSRT delivery technique alone. Conclusion: This novel BSRT device yields considerable dosimetric improvements in clinically relevant parameters in part due to its unique immobilization techniques. The reduction in PTV margin from 10 to 3 mm substantially reduces dose to the ipsilateral breast, skin, and chest wall which could have a substantial impact on toxicity and quality of life. Clinical trials utilizing this BSRT device will begin in 2015. Author Disclosure: J.W. Snider: None. Y. Mutaf: None. A. Hall: None. P. Vadnais: None. S. Aggarwal: None. W.F. Regine: Patent/License Fees/ Copyright; Xcision Medical Systems, LLC. E.M. Nichols: None. S.J. Feigenberg: None.
A New Tool: Delineation of Textural Heterogeneities in Unconfined Aquifers, Using Microgravity Surveys During Pumping

Hypothetical models of texturally heterogeneous aquifers indicate that microgravity surveys can be used to locate textural heterogeneities within the cone of depression caused by pumping in an unconfined aquifer. The difference in gravity between an undisturbed water table and a relatively steady drawdown cone is measured on profile lines. Small differences in gravity indicate zones of little dewatering which are typically areas where low hydraulic conductivity and/or low-specific yield materials occur near the water table. Large differences in gravity generally indicate more permeable and higher-specific yield materials. Magnitudes of the anomalies of interest are close to the detection limit. Therefore, it is essential that gravimeters used to conduct the survey are in excellent condition and that field personnel are well-trained. Because the survey delineates zones of fine-grained material in the vicinity of the water table, microgravity surveys may be useful in design of facilities to clean up spills of immiscible fluids that are less dense than water and are substantially influenced by the texture of alluvial deposits in the vicinity of the water table. Zones of fine-grained materials typically inhibit fluid movement and often are more chemically reactive with contaminants. As a result, identification of textural differences provides initial clues to both hydraulic and chemical heterogeneity.
Pineal compounds alter prolactin release from bovine pituitary cells.

SummaryCompounds native to the pineal were screened using a bovine pituitary cell culture system to investigate their effects on pituitary prolactin secretion. Thyrotropin releasing hormone (10−11-10−7M) and arginine vasotocin (10−10-10−6M) increased prolactin in medium and this increase was linearly related to increasing log concentrations of each peptide. In contrast, dopamine (10−9-10−7M) and norepinephrine (10−10-10−8M) decreased prolactin accumulation in medium and decrease was linearly related to increasing log concentrations of catecholamines. Serotonin (10−10-10−6M) also inhibited prolactin release and decrease was linearly related to increasing log concentrations of serotonin. Melatonin, 5-hydroxytryptophol and 5-methoxytryptophol had no direct effect on pituitary prolactin secretion. We conclude that compounds indigenous to the pineal have the potential to regulate PRL secretion from the pituitary.
Pump-probe photoelectron velocity-map imaging of autoionizing singly excited 4 s 1 4 p 6 np 1 ( n = 7 , 8 ) and doubly excited 4 s 2 4 p 4 5 s 1 6 p 1 resonances in atomic krypton

Pump-probe photoelectron velocity-map imaging, using 27-eV high-harmonic excitation and 786-nm ionization, is used to resolve overlapping autoionizing resonances in atomic krypton, obtaining two-photon photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) for singly and doubly excited states. Two features in the photoelectron spectrum are assigned to singly excited 4${s}^{1}$4${p}^{6}$$n{p}^{1}$ ($n$ $=$ 7,8) configurations and four features provide information about double excitation configurations. The anisotropy parameters for the singly excited 7$p$ configuration are measured to be \ensuremath{\beta}${}_{2}$ $=$ 1.61 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.06 and \ensuremath{\beta}${}_{4}$ $=$ 1.54 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.16 while the 8$p$ configuration gives \ensuremath{\beta}${}_{2}$ $=$ 1.23 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.19 and \ensuremath{\beta}${}_{4}$ $=$ 0.60 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.15. These anisotropies most likely represent the sum of overlapping PADs from states of singlet and triplet spin multiplicities. Of the four bands corresponding to ionization of doubly excited states, two are assigned to 4${s}^{2}$4${p}^{4}$5${s}^{1}$6${p}^{1}$ configurations that are probed to different $J$-split ion states. The two remaining doubly excited states are attributed to a previously observed, but unassigned, resonance in the vacuum-ultraviolet photoabsorption spectrum. The PADs from each of the double excitation states are also influenced by overlap from neighboring states that are not completely spectrally resolved. The anisotropies of the observed double excitation states are reported, anticipating future theoretical and experimental work to separate the overlapping PADs into the state resolved PADs. The results can be used to test theories of excited state ionization.
Surgical site infections in gynecology.

ImportanceSurgical site infections (SSIs) are preventable, yet nearly 2% of all surgical cases are complicated by an SSI. Each SSI increases the cost of a postoperative hospital stay by more than $10,000. Thus, SSI prevention has become the focus of health care systems and hospitals because it is a
COLOR VARIATION AND BISEXUAL MUELLERIAN MIMICRY IN AN APOSEMATIC INSECT.

It has long been clear that numerous animal species (insects notable among them) rely upon their distastefulness or offensive habits to discourage potential predator species, and that they frequently advertise such offensiveness with an aposematic or "warning" coloration. The fact that different species often acquire similar warning patterns to advertise their distastefulness (to their mutual benefit, since predators need learn fewer patterns, and so destroy fewer prey in the process) has long been a staple of introductory textbooks, under the name of Muellerian mimicry. The reality of the phenomena is scarcely in doubt, although quantitative work in this area has not been abundant. (See e.g. Wickler, 1968.) It is the purpose of the present paper to examine quantitatively and thoroughly the color variation of an aposematic insect (the soldier beetle Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus Hentz, Cantharidae) in one part of its range (eastern New York State). Various features of the color pattern were studied in order to understand their relationship to one another in determining the important "signal" which is being flashed to the predator, particularly in relation to the following two sorts of question:
In-situ damage detection of plates by the migration technique

Applying the migration technique, which is widely used in geophysical science to obtain an image of earth's interior, on the NDE is shown in this study. This application is illustrated by introducing a linear actuator/receiver array on a square isotropic homogeneous plate with a center hole. The MacCormack 2-4th time-marching finite difference numerical scheme is employed to simulate the one-way elastic Lamb wave. The preliminary results show the image of the circular hole in the plate, which is obtained by the migration technique. Furthermore, this research applies the one-way wave derived from the basic two-way wave theory, which can be used to simulate the symmetric mode of the Lamb waves. The one-way version of the antisymmetric Lamb wave, the bending wave, is also derived in the present research.
Band Instrument Selection and Assignment A Review of the Literature

This review of the literature examines the process of matching students with band instruments as presented in academic research journals and practitioner publications. While some directors may eval...
Robust tactile perception of artificial tumors using pairwise comparisons of sensor array readings

A doctor palpating with his or her fingertips can easily determine whether a patient's tissue contains a solid tumor, regardless of extraneous factors such as the patient's pose. We want to create automatic palpation tools that achieve this same level of robustness, but real tactile sensor signals are sensitive to small physical variations and tend to drift over time. To investigate ways of achieving tactile perceptual invariance, we collected two nearly identical data sets from a SynTouch BioTac palpating at 10,260 points distributed across an artificial tissue sample made from silicone rubber with rigid embedded lumps. Each palpation interaction was distilled down to 20 numbers (19 electrode impedances and one DC pressure). Fitting a multivariate Gaussian distribution to examples recorded far from the lumps achieved near-perfect accuracy, precision, and recall in recognizing other background examples recorded the same day. These models performed miserably, though, when used to classify the other data set. Inspired by robust perceptual methods from computer vision, we transformed the 20 tactile sensor array readings into 190 binary pairwise comparisons and used the log likelihood of observing a given binary pattern to determine whether an example was far from the embedded lumps. This novel approach achieved accuracy, precision, and recall of about 80% on reserved testing data from the same day and yielded roughly similar levels of accuracy and recall with excellent precision on the data set recorded on the other day. Pairwise comparisons between tactile sensor array readings may hold promise for achieving robust automatic tactile perception.
Clinical significance of fetal heart rate patterns during labor. IV. Agonal patterns.

Abstract The characteristics of fetal heart rate (FHR) patterns were reviewed in 11 cases where the infants died either intrapartum or within eight hours of birth as a consequence of distress during labor without prior recovery. The neonatal charts and the autopsy reports were also reviewed. The infants were grouped according to gestational age as premature (four), term (four), and postmature (three). Similarities and differences were studied in an attempt to delineate some common underlying factors. The premature fetuses have an extraordinary capacity to withstand clinical signs of severe distress (late deceleration and fixed and tachycardic base line) for many hours until the very moment of death and rarely pass meconium. The term fetuses can withstand less prolonged periods of severe distress, the fixed FHR base line and impressive decelerations preceding immediate death; they consistently passed meconium, three of four had aspirated meconium. All of the postterm fetuses had massive meconium aspiration, but the FHR patterns had a bizarre appearance; several hours before death some late decelerations were followed by tachycardia and fixed base lines but no decelerations. Subsequent occurrence of erratic severe decelerations immediately preceded sudden death. Possible reasons for these different pathophysiologic responses are discussed. In the study of FHR tracings, a variable of utmost importance is chronologic age of gestation. Its value cannot be overemphasized for an accurate interpretation of the fetal condition and good decisions for management.
Release of striatal dopamine during response inhibition

1282 Objectives Selection of an appropriate response by inhibiting irrelevant options is an important function of the brain. This function is impaired in a number of conditions including ADHD. Since dopamine neurotransmission is dysregulated in these conditions, we examined its role in the processing of response inhibition using a dynamic molecular imaging technique. Methods In this experiment healthy volunteers were asked to perform Eriksen’s flanker task after receiving a radiolabeled dopamine receptor ligand 11C-raclopride. In this task volunteers were shown a series of 7 arrowheads and asked to indicate the direction of the target arrowhead located in the center. In the control (congruent) condition all arrowheads pointed to the same direction while in the test (incongruent) condition the target and flanker arrowheads pointed to different directions. In the test condition volunteers were required to inhibit prepotent responses indicated by a majority of arrowheads (flankers). The inhibition was not needed in the control condition because all arrowheads pointed to the same direction. The control condition was started immediately after the ligand injection and after 25 min it was replaced by the test condition, which continued for 15 min. The PET data acquisition started immediately after the ligand injection in 30 and 60 sec frames. Results The PET data, analyzed using modified version of the simplified reference region model, revealed that the ligand displaced from the receptor sites at significantly higher rate in the test condition. The increase was most significant in the left caudate but observed also in the putamen and right caudate. The ligand binding potential decreased significantly in the same areas indicating release of endogenous dopamine during task performance. Conclusions The results suggest that response inhibition is controlled by striatal dopamine. The finding will help better understanding of the neuropathology of conditions in which inhibitory processes are impaired. This could lead to development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Research Support NIH grant 1R21MH07943
Large-Scale Vertical Velocity and Divergence

The vertical velocity is the only component of the air velocity vector not generally recorded. Yet it produces important effects of turbulence and is basic to the formation of precipitation. On a small horizontal scale it has been measured directly in thunderstorm and turbulence research, but the average vertical velocity over large areas (1014 cm2 or more) must be estimated indirectly.
Symptoms of palliative patients and their providers: depression, pain, nausea, and declines in quality of life.

The July 2016 issue of Annals of Palliative Medicine (APM) features an original article by Olagunju and colleagues examining if the symptom burden of a child with cancer correlates with depressive symptoms among caregivers (1).
Structural abnormalities of the pulmonary trunk in tetralogy of Fallot and potential clinical implications: a morphological study

Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine whether intrinsic histological abnormalities of the pulmonary trunk (PT) are present from birth and interact with palliative surgery and/or repair. Background Little is known about PT histology in patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), especially in the era of surgical intervention in childhood. Methods We studied 39 formalin-fixed necropsy heart specimens with TOF and compared them with 17 normal control heart specimens. Sections of the PT and aorta were studied by light microscopy using various stains; histological findings were graded according to severity. Results Among the TOF group (1 fetus, 11 infants, 14 children, and 13 adults), 11 patients had undergone palliative and 10 patients had undergone reparative surgery at a median age of 8 years (range 2.5 to 18 years). Histological changes of grade 2 or higher were present in 59% (medionecrosis), 36% (fibrosis), 56% (cystlike formation), and 56% (abnormal elastic tissue configuration) of TOF patients. Total histology grading scores were higher in TOF hearts (median 6, range 1 to 9) compared with controls (median 1, range 0 to 6; p Conclusions Marked histological abnormalities in the PT of hearts with TOF exist compared with controls. These changes were present from infancy and among patients who had undergone palliative or reparative surgery, although operations in this cohort were performed late. Our data suggest that structural abnormalities of the PT, similar to these recently shown in the aorta, are intrinsic.
Assessing Visuospatial Skills in Parkinson's: Comparison of Neuropsychological Assessment Battery Visual Discrimination to the Judgment of Line Orientation

Objective Judgment of Line Orientation (JOLO) test is widely used in assessing visuospatial deficits in Parkinson's disease (PD). The neuropsychological assessment battery (NAB) offers the Visual Discrimination test, with age and education correction, parallel forms, and co-normed standardization sample for comparisons within and between domains. However, NAB Visual Discrimination has not been validated in PD, and may not measure the same construct as JOLO. Method A heterogeneous sample of 47 PD patients completed the JOLO and NAB Visual Discrimination within a broader neuropsychological evaluation. Pearson correlations assessed relationships between JOLO and NAB Visual Discrimination performances. Results Raw and demographically corrected scores from JOLO and Visual Discrimination were only weakly correlated. NAB Visual Discrimination subtest was moderately correlated with overall cognitive functioning, whereas the JOLO was not. Conclusions Despite apparent virtues, results do not support NAB Visual Discrimination as an alternative to JOLO in assessing visuospatial functioning in PD.
An Active-Learning Approach to Fostering Understanding of Research Methods in Large Classes:

The current investigation tested the effectiveness of an online student research project designed to supplement traditional methods (e.g., lectures, discussions, and assigned readings) of teaching research methods in a large-enrollment Introduction to Psychology course. Over the course of the semester, students completed seven assignments, each representing a stage of the research process. Students formed hypotheses, tested their hypotheses using data from the class, interpreted their results, generated future directions, created PowerPoint slides summarizing their projects, and presented their results in a poster session. We found support for the hypothesis that the research methods intervention would lead to better performance on a research methods quiz compared to students in a nonintervention section taught by the same instructor. This intervention demonstrated that it is feasible to use project-oriented active-learning techniques to foster understanding of research methods in large classes.
Unstandardized Knowledge for an Uncertain Future

AbstractThe author advocates for a shift in focus in K–12 public schools—from the current emphasis on academic content to unstandardized skills and dispositions, with most curriculum standards developed locally.
Facile synthesis of porous La–Ti–O and LaTiO2N microspheres

Photocatalysts offer an excellent opportunity to shift the global energy landscape from a fossil fuel-dependent paradigm to sustainable and carbon-neutral solar fuels. Oxynitride materials such as LaTiO2N are potential photocatalysts for the water splitting reaction due to their high oxidative stability and their narrow band gaps, which are suitable for visible light absorption. However, facile synthetic routes to metal oxynitrides with controlled morphologies are rare. Ultrasonic spray synthesis (USS) offers a facile method toward complex metal oxides which can potentially be converted to oxynitrides with preservation of the microsphere structures that typify the products from such aerosol routes. Here, La–Ti–O microspheres were facilely produced by USS and converted by ammonolysis to LaTiO2N microspheres with porous shells and hollow interiors. This particle architecture is accounted for by coupling suitable combustion chemistry with the aerosol technique, producing precursor particles where the La3+ and Ti4+ are well-mixed at small length scales; this feature enables preservation of the microsphere morphology during nitridation despite the crystallographic changes that occur. The LaTiO2N microspheres are comparable oxygen evolving photocatalysts to samples produced by conventional solid state methods. These results demonstrate the utility of USS as a facile, potentially scalable route to complex photocatalytic materials and their precursors with distinct morphologies.
Adult Recidivism in United States: A Meta-Analysis 1994–2015

In 2014, adult correctional systems supervised an estimated 6.8 million individuals in the United States with 1 in 36 adults (or 2.8%) being under some form of correctional supervision. Unfortunately, not only are the number of individuals connected to the correctional system and the outlined disparities based on minority status worrisome, there is also the persistent concern of repeat offending. Given the fact that the most recent comprehensive meta-analysis examining predictors of adult offender was published in 1996, a current systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on United States samples of all types of re-offense is necessary for identifying current predictors of adult recidivism with U.S. studies from 1994 through 2015. Specifically, the questions addressed in this meta-analysis include (a) which attributes predict general, sexual, and violent recidivism for adults in the American justice system, and (b) are some characteristics more influential than others? We determined the following domains are statistically significant predictors of recidivism: age (r = .02), antisocial personality scales (r = .13), criminogenic needs (r = .10), distress (r = .06), family criminality (r = .18), family rearing (r = .16), gender (r = .19), history of antisocial behavior (r = .12), risk scales (r = .17), social achievement (r = .05), and substance abuse (r = .07). Implications are provided.
Innovative Healthy Lifestyles School-Based Public–Private Partnerships Designed to Curb the Childhood Obesity Epidemic Globally: Lessons Learned From the Mondelēz International Foundation:

Public–private partnerships (PPPs) have been recognized as central for addressing the childhood obesity epidemic. However, very few real-world examples have been published documenting the workings of effective PPPs. The objective of this article is to identify the factors that enabled the successful implementation of school-based PPPs focusing mainly on nutrition and physical activity in 7 countries located in Asia (China and India), Africa (South Africa), Europe (Germany, United Kingdom), and Latin America (Brazil and Mexico). We triaged qualitative data from (1) proceedings from 2 school-based healthy lifestyles program evaluation workshops in October 2013 and in May 2016; (2) Mondelēz International Foundation (MIF) annual country reports and MIF project reports; and (3) interviews with key program leaders from each program. Extracted data were mapped into each of the 11 guiding principles for effective PPPs recently developed by a multisectoral public–private group of stakeholders in the United States....
La regulación de las telecomunicaciones en Chile: el difícil camino hacia la transparencia

Chile fue el primer pais de America Latina, y uno de los primeros en el mundo, en privatizar el area de las telecomunicaciones. Este pais no cuenta aun, sin embargo, con un sistema regulatorio transparente. Si bien la Subsecretaria de Telecomunicaciones (hasta 1989, una institucion mas bien simbolica) recientemente ha comenzado a incluir a las empresas en las discusiones sobre reglas y normas tecnicas, esta aun no ha generado ningun espacio de participacion para el publico. Esto, junto con la exigencia de la Ley General de Telecomunicaciones de que el proceso tarifario se lleve a cabo en secreto, genera un clima de desconfianza que perjudica las inversiones en este sector. La autora de este articulo explica la necesidad de revertir esta situacion a traves de un sistema mas transparente y participativo.
A Model Program for Physician Education in Environmental Medicine

Studies indicate that the physician is the most trusted source of information in the community; however, in regard to environmental issues, physicians feel that they lack information and resources. Before primary care physicians can assume a more active role in environmental medicine, they will require readily available, accurate information. As an agency involved in promoting education about environmental medicine, we have been concerned about how best to present information to physicians. How can we make the issues of environmental medicine compete for a physician’s time, especially when the occurrence of environmental illness is perceived to be infrequent? The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has prepared materials for the primary care physician about environmental medicine. The initial evaluation of the materials, Case Studies in Environmental Medicine, indicates that they are being well received and meet the needs of the physician. This model for educating physicians on the medical concerns of hazardous substances in the environment can be used to inform physicians of other environmental issues, such as global atmospheric change. Physicians educated in environmental medicine will be better able to respond to the questions of their patients, thereby making the transfer of reliable information more complete.
Inexact matching of ontology graphs using expectation-maximization

We present a new method for mapping ontology schemas that address similar domains. The problem of ontology mapping is crucial since we are witnessing a decentralized development and publication of ontological data. We formulate the problem of inferring a match between two ontologies as a maximum likelihood problem, and solve it using the technique of expectation-maximization (EM). Specifically, we adopt directed graphs as our model for ontologies and use a generalized version of EM to arrive at a mapping between the nodes of the graphs. We exploit the structural and lexical similarity between the graphs, and improve on previous approaches by generating a many-one correspondence between the concept nodes. We provide preliminary experimental results in support of our method and outline its limitations.
Resistance to anti-human immunodeficiency virus therapeutic agents.

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is the causative agent of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and is a member of the lentiviral subfamily of the retroviruses. The virus predominantly infects cells that express the viral receptor, the CD4 cell differentiation antigen, on their surfaces. These include helper T-lymphocytes and cells of monocytic origin. Upon introduction into the human host, the virus establishes a longterm persistent infection that, given the importance of the target cells to immune system function, results in this system’s gradual deterioration. Following an extended period of infection (typically 5–10 years), the deterioration becomes clinically manifest and culminates in the death of the host.
Protein Folding and Stability

This section includes chapters on the process of protein folding and on factors that affect protein stability. The practical benefits of these studies are obvious, both for obtaining improved yields of proteins produced in expression systems and for improving the working properties of commercial enzymes. The basic motivation, however, for most scientists studying protein folding and stability is to help elucidate the mechanisms used to translate the linear amino acid sequence of a polypeptide into the three-dimensional structure of a protein. By studying the folding process, scientists set out to trap folding intermediates in order to determine their structures and find out what interactions stabilize these structures. By analyzing individual factors that affect stability, they can develop general methods for increasing protein stability, based on site-directed mutagenesis, and find out how individual interactions work together to determine the three-dimensional structure of a protein.
Associative and Dissociative Processes in Non-Covalent Polymer-Mediated Intracellular Protein Delivery.

Functional protein delivery has created new opportunities for studying intracellular processes and discovering new therapeutics. To that end, researchers have pursued intracellular protein delivery by using an increasing number of methods. This focus review will highlight polymeric carriers that non-covalently bind and deliver protein cargo in vitro. The correlation between polymer-protein binding and delivery as well as the correlation between complex-membrane binding and delivery is reviewed. Finally, binding and its relation to the intracellular function of the protein post-delivery is considered. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the role that binding interactions play in the non-covalent protein-delivery landscape. Presently, the literature does not adequately resolve how binding throughout the process ultimately affects delivery. The field does contain preliminary insights that are expected to impact future delivery applications when developed further.
Structure-Activity Relationships for Itraconazole-Based Triazolone Analogues as Hedgehog Pathway Inhibitors.

The Food and Drug Administration-approved antifungal agent, itraconazole (ITZ), has been increasingly studied for its novel biological properties. In particular, ITZ inhibits the hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway and has the potential to serve as an anticancer chemotherapeutic against several Hh-dependent malignancies. We have extended our studies on ITZ analogues as Hh pathway inhibitors through the design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel des-triazole ITZ analogues that incorporate modifications to the triazolone/side chain region of the scaffold. Our overall results suggest that the triazolone/side chain region can be replaced with various functionalities (hydrazine carboxamides and meta-substituted amides) resulting in improved potency when compared to ITZ. Our studies also indicate that the stereochemical orientation of the dioxolane ring is important for both potent Hh pathway inhibition and compound stability. Finally, our studies suggest that the ITZ scaffold can be successfully modified in terms ...
Vectorized Efficient Computation of Padé Approximation for Semi-Analytical Simulation of Large-Scale Power Systems

Semi-analytical simulation (SAS) is a methodology that derives power series as an approximate solution in power system steady-state or dynamic analysis. Pade approximation is able to further improve the efficiency of SAS, while its computation for large-scale power systems is time-consuming. This letter proposes a vectorized fast algorithm for computing Pade approximation of a large-scale SAS. The Levinson algorithm is used to reduce the temporal and spatial complexities. Considering the structural homogeneity of computation, a vectorized version of Levinson algorithm is realized to achieve instruction-level parallelism. The novel approach is tested on the SAS of Polish 2383-bus system, which verifies the advantage of Levinson algorithm and vectorization in boosting the computation speed of SAS.
Robots in Healthcare: A Survey

Advances in robotic technology is stimulating growth in new treatment mechanism by enhancing patient outcomes and helping reduce healthcare costs, while providing alternate care apparatus. Provision of care by assistive therapeutic robots has increasingly grown in the past decade. Although the healthcare industry has been lagging in the use of assistive robots; the use of assistive robots in the manufacturing industry has been a norm for a long time. The vulnerable population of patients with illnesses, cognition challenges, and disabilities are some of the causes for the delay in the use of assistive therapeutic robots in healthcare. In this paper we explore the various types of assistive robots and their use in the healthcare industry.
A comparison of microsatellite instability analysis methods in colorectal cancer.

46Background: Use of biomarkers for patient treatment stratification is an increasingly important topic with the recent FDA approval of Pembrolizumab and Nivolumab for microsatellite instability (M...