cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stable Color Center Laser in K-Doped NaCl Tunable from 1.48 µm to 1.76 µm

We have obtained cw operation of a color center laser based on what we have tentatively identified as the ( F 2 + ) A defect in additively-colored potassium-doped NaCl. The laser tunes smoothly from 1.46 to 1.76 μm when pumped with a cw Nd:YAG laser operating at 1.06 μm. To date the best cw power obtained from the laser has been 210 mW. Operation for periods up to 10 hours has been monitored with no observable fading or decrease in output power. Similar to lasers utilizing other known ( F 2 + ) A centers,1,2 the laser crystal must be exposed to an auxiliary light during laser operation to continually reionize the ( F 2 + ) A centers. The 365 nm line of a Hg arc lamp is a convenient source of this auxiliary light. Once additively colored, the crystals may be stored at room temperature with no degradation.
Arbitrated Unconditionally Secure Authentication Can Be Unconditionally Protected against Arbiter’s Attacks

Given an arbiter whose arbitrage is trusted, an authentication scheme is presented which is unconditionally secure against impersonation and/or substitution attacks performed by the arbiter, whereas previous scheme did not protect against such attacks. Furthermore, the scheme protects unconditionally against: impersonation/substitution attacks done by an outsider, against disavowal of a message by the sender, and against the receiver forging a message which was never sent. A practical scheme based on finite geometry is presented. Adaptations of the scheme realize an asymmetric conventional authentication scheme, and the set-up of an unconditionally secure oblivious transfer system.
Head and Neck Trauma

Occlusion classification is defined as follows: Class I: mesiobuccal cusp of maxillary first molar fitting into the buccal groove of the mandibular first molar; Class II: mesiobuccal cusp of maxillary first molar mesial to the buccal groove of the mandibular first molar → “OVERBITE”; and Class III: mesiobuccal cusp of maxillary first molar distal to the buccal grove of the mandibular first molar → “UNDERBITE”
Identification of prohormones and pituitary neuropeptides in the African cichlid, Astatotilapia burtoni

Cichlid fishes have evolved remarkably diverse reproductive, social, and feeding behaviors. Cell-to-cell signaling molecules, notably neuropeptides and peptide hormones, are known to regulate these behaviors across vertebrates. This class of signaling molecules derives from prohormone genes that have undergone multiple duplications and losses in fishes. Whether and how subfunctionalization, neofunctionalization, or losses of neuropeptides and peptide hormones have contributed to fish behavioral diversity is largely unknown. Information on fish prohormones has been limited and is complicated by the whole genome duplication of the teleost ancestor. We combined bioinformatics, mass spectrometry-enabled peptidomics, and molecular techniques to identify the suite of neuropeptide prohormones and pituitary peptide products in Astatotilapia burtoni, a well-studied member of the diverse African cichlid clade. Utilizing the A. burtoni genome, we identified 148 prohormone genes, with 21 identified as a single copy and 39 with at least 2 duplicated copies. Retention of prohormone duplicates was therefore 41 %, which is markedly above previous reports for the genome-wide average in teleosts. Beyond the expected whole genome duplication, differences between cichlids and mammals can be attributed to gene loss in tetrapods and additional duplication after divergence. Mass spectrometric analysis of the pituitary identified 620 unique peptide sequences that were matched to 120 unique proteins. Finally, we used in situ hybridization to localize the expression of galanin, a prohormone with exceptional sequence divergence in cichlids, as well as the expression of a proopiomelanocortin, prohormone that has undergone an additional duplication in some bony fish lineages. We characterized the A. burtoni prohormone complement. Two thirds of prohormone families contain duplications either from the teleost whole genome duplication or a more recent duplication. Our bioinformatic and mass spectrometric findings provide information on a major vertebrate clade that will further our understanding of the functional ramifications of these prohormone losses, duplications, and sequence changes across vertebrate evolution. In the context of the cichlid radiation, these findings will also facilitate the exploration of neuropeptide and peptide hormone function in behavioral diversity both within A. burtoni and across cichlid and other fish species.
Shame and Psychosocial Development in Religiously-Affiliated Sexual Minority Females

Shame and psychosocial developmental difficulties are issues of concern for many sexual minority women most likely due to the negative impact of heterosexism, internalized homophobia, sexual stigma...
Abstract B74: DISPARITIES IN SURVIVAL AMONG HISPANIC CHILDREN WITH CANCER: THE TEXAS EXPERIENCE

INTRODUCTION In 2014, 15,780 incident cancers occurred among US children and adolescents, 15% of whom were Hispanic. Hispanic children with cancer have shown an increased mortality compared to Whites, however, existing studies are small and limited to a few cancer types. We evaluated the association of Hispanic ethnicity with mortality among children with all cancer types. METHODS Using Texas Cancer Registry data, we examined differences in all-cause mortality between Hispanics and Non-Hispanic Whites 0-19 years old diagnosed with a primary malignancy, 1995-2013. Differences in survival were estimated using unadjusted Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models (adjusted for age, sex, year of diagnosis, cancer type, stage). Analyses were conducted for all cancer types and separately by type (leukemia, lymphoma, solid tumors). RESULTS Of 18,687 patients (8,659 Hispanic, 10,028 Non-Hispanic White), 27% had leukemia, 59% a solid tumor, and 13% had lymphoma. In unadjusted Kaplan-Meier analyses, Hispanics with leukemia (p CONCLUSION Hispanic children with leukemia or solid tumors in Texas have higher risk of death, compared to Whites. Future research should seek to understand reasons underlying this disparity and to develop interventions designed to improve survival among Hispanic children with cancer. Citation Format: Erika Lopez Bertiery, Lei Xuan, Sandi Pruitt. DISPARITIES IN SURVIVAL AMONG HISPANIC CHILDREN WITH CANCER: THE TEXAS EXPERIENCE. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Ninth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2016 Sep 25-28; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(2 Suppl):Abstract nr B74.
Word Learning During Reading: Effects of Language Ability in School-Age Children:

Most vocabulary growth during the school-age years occurs incidentally. However, little is understood about the influence of language skills on word knowledge growth during reading. Using a pretest...
A Simplified Theoretical Model for the Vapor-Phase Combustion of Metal Particles†

Abstract An analytic model for the vapor-phase combustion of single metal particles is proposed. The condensation of vaporized oxides on the droplet surface and the motion of condensed oxides are properly accounted for. Three modes of vapor-phase combustion are possible depending on the direction of motion of the condensed oxides formed at the flame. Additional solutions, valid in dilute or enriched atmospheres, are obtained by allowing the flame temperature to decrease or increase, respectively. Flammability limits are also determined. Sample solutions are obtained for the combustion of Al and Be with O2. It is shown that the mass burning rate and the flame stand-off distance are substantially increased by allowing for surface condensation. Be is found to burn much slower than Al, in addition to its tendency to accumulate substantial condensed oxides on the droplet surface. When results of the model are compared with available experimental observation, the agreement is reasonable, both qualitatively and ...
Reproducible imaging features of biologically aggressive gastrointestinal stromal tumors of the small bowel

To identify reproducible CT imaging features of small bowel gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) that are associated with biologic aggressiveness. Patients with histologically proven small bowel GISTs and CT enterography or abdominopelvic CT were included. Biologic aggressiveness was established based on initial histologic grading (very low risk to malignant), with “malignant” assigned if recurrence or metastases developed subsequently. CT exams were independently evaluated by three gastrointestinal radiologists for tumor size, growth pattern, enhancement, tumor borders, necrosis, calcification, ulceration, multiplicity, internal air or enteric contrast, nodal metastasis, liver metastasis, peritoneal metastasis, ascites, and draining vein size. Inter-observer variability and imaging features associated with high-grade and malignant small bowel GISTs were determined. Of 78 patients with small bowel GISTs, 10/78 (13%) were high grade and 18/78 (23%) were malignant. There was moderate to substantial inter-observer agreement (Kappa > 0.4) for all findings except tumor border, ulceration, and nodal metastases. Tumor size, irregular or invasive tumor border, necrosis, liver metastasis, ascites, and iso-enhancement were associated with high-grade/malignant small bowel GISTs (p < 0.04). Internal air or enteric contrast and peritoneal metastases additionally predicted malignant behavior (p < 0.03). When imaging features predicting malignant small bowel GISTs were absent and size was ≤ 3 cm, 0% (0/16), 5% (1/19), and 5% (1/17) of patients had high grade, and 0% (0/16, 0/19, and 0/17) had malignant tumors for the three readers, respectively. Multiple, reproducibly identified, small bowel GIST imaging features suggest biologic aggressiveness. The absence of these imaging features may identify small tumors that can be followed in asymptomatic or high-risk patients.
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering II: concluding remarks

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enables the detection of a large number of different adsorbates at extraordinarily low levels. This plasmonics-based technology has undergone a number of remarkable advances since its discovery over 40 years ago, and has emerged from being an investigative tool confined largely to the research laboratory into a much more usable tool across a broad range of investigative studies, both within the laboratory and beyond. The purpose of this Concluding remarks manuscript is to capture, at least in part, the developments in this area since the first Faraday discussion of SERS over a decade ago. It begins with a brief contextual overview and then moves into describing a few of the many highlights from the meeting. Along the way, we have added a few comments and perspectives as a means to more fully stage where the different areas of research with SERS stand today. An addendum is included that collects a few of the recent perspectives on the original work and activities in this area.
CRISPR-based genetic interaction maps inform therapeutic strategies in cancer

The future of cancer precision medicine lies in the rational design of effective therapies tailored to each patient based on the genetic makeup of their tumor. While the investigation of cancer genomes has successfully revealed cancer driver genes, leading to the development of targeted therapies, drug resistance is a major challenge in the clinic. The focus of this editorial is to highlight the potential of CRISPR-based genetic interaction (GI) maps in cancer cells to elucidate therapeutic targets, biomarkers, resistance mechanisms and combination therapy targets. We introduce the concept of GIs and their relevance to cancer therapy. We discuss systematic large-scale GI maps in mammalian cells using CRISPR-based technologies such as the CRISPR-cutting, CRISPR-interference (CRISPRi) and CRISPR-activation (CRISPRa) approaches.
The Long-Term Impact of Service Failure and Recovery:

This article examines customers’ short-term attitudinal and long-term behavioral responses to service failures and recovery efforts. Our data from a tracking study of casual dining restaurants cust...
Determinants of Potentially Unnecessary Cervical Cancer Screenings in American Women.

OBJECTIVES To identify factors responsible for potentially clinically unnecessary cervical cancer screenings in women with prior hysterectomy. METHODS A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). This study targeted adult women and examined whether they received a both a Papanicolaou (Pap) test and undergone a hysterectomy in the last three years. We conducted multivariate analyses, including weighted proportions and odds ratios (ORs), based on the modified BRFSS weighting method (raking). The inclusion criteria were adult women (>18 years old) who reported having received a Pap test within the last 3 years. RESULTS Of all women (n=252 391), 72 366 had received a Pap test, and 32 935 of those women (45%, or 12.5 million, weighted) had a prior hysterectomy. We found that age, race/ethnicity, marital status, family income, health status, time since last routine checkup, and health insurance coverage were all significant predictors. Black, non-Hispanic women were 2.23 times more likely to receive Pap testing after a hysterectomy than white women (OR, 2.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.99 to 2.50). Similarly, the odds for Hispanic women were 2.34 times higher (OR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.97 to 2.80). The odds were also higher for those who were married (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.27), healthier (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.35), and had health insurance (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.28 to 1.84), after controlling for confounders. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that women may potentially receive Pap tests even if they are not at risk for cervical cancer, and may not be adequately informed about the need for screenings. We recommend strategies to disseminate recommendations and information to patients, their families, and care providers.
Differential Characters and the Abel-Jacobi Map

Products of Cheeger-Simons differential characters are used to derive formulas for the Abel-Jacobi map of groups of cycles on a complex algebraic variety to intermediate Jacobians. These formulas generalize some previously obtained via iterated integrals on Riemann surfaces, and are obtained much more easily. Details are given concerning the representation of differential characters by differential forms with singularities.
Speaker Recognition: A Survey

This paper presents a unified discussion of the scientific and practical issues in the field of speaker recognition. Besides some background on speaker recognition by listening and visual analysis of spectrograms, we survey the computer recognition methods, and briefly discuss some technical aspects of various speaker recognizers, Methods for selecting an efficient set of features, and examples of results of experimental studies are also presented. We then differentiate between the Verification and Identification tasks.
Regional Chemotherapy of Hepatic Metastases

The rationale for the use of hepatic arterial infusion is to achieve higher drug levels in tumorous areas of the liver and lower systemic drug levels. This is possible because malignant lesions in the liver derive most of their blood supply from the hepatic artery, while normal hepatocytes derive most of their blood supply from the portal circulation. This observation was made on the basis of pathological data from animal tumors [1], and in a human study [2] using labeled 5-fluoro-2-deoxy-uridine (FUDR). Ten patients were injected with tritium [3H]-FUDR (1 µCi/kg) in either the hepatic artery or the portal vein. Liver biopsies obtained after injection demonstrated that the mean tumor FUDR levels following hepatic artery infusion were 12.4 nmol/g, while those following portal vein infusion were 0.8 nmol/g (P<0.01). This clearly demonstrates that regional chemotherapy for hepatic metastases of colorectal carcinoma should be administered through the hepatic artery.
Managing technology: Assessing the academic networked environment

Abstract Academic institutions increasingly spend large sums of money to network their campuses and provide network connections to sources outside their campuses. It has been a common phenomenon to undertake such expensive efforts as a sort of institutional act of faith—if we build it they will come. Such behavior has largely been rewarded in the past. Use of computing and network access continues to grow unabated. However campus officials have begun raising serious questions concerning the selection and configuration of appropriate network technologies, the costs of these networks, and the appropriate types and levels of services to provide. Indeed, academic administrators are asking questions about the benefits of networking expenditures and what measurable impact they have on the central missions of higher education—teaching and research. This essay reports on a recently completed study designed to address these and other questions related to assessing network technologies and services at academic institutions. It also introduces a manual that resulted from the study, Assessing the Academic Networked Environment: Strategies and Options.—CBL, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Abstract 145: Pharmacologic inhibition of SIAH2 stabilizes DYRK2 and inhibits survival and self-renewal in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) leukemic stem cells

Leukemia stem cells (LSCs) are a rare population able to sustain and recapitulate leukemia through a poorly understood mechanism of self-renewal. Because more than half of patients relapse after the cessation of TKI therapy, it is clear that a cure is not possible with TKIs alone, and LSC-specific drugs are urgently needed to simultaneously eliminate bulk leukemia with TKIs and LSCs. Here we report that KLF4 promotes disease progression in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) by repressing an inhibitory mechanism in LSCs that can be activated with small molecules. Deletion of the Klf4 gene severely abrogated maintenance of BCR-ABL(p210)-induced CML by impairing survival and self-renewal in LSCs whereas increased self-renewal was observed in hematopoietic stem cells during serial transplantation. Mechanistically, KLF4 represses the Dyrk2 gene and thus loss-of-KLF4 resulted in elevated levels of the DYRK2 kinase in LSCs, which was associated with p53-mediated apoptosis and inhibition of self-renewal through depletion of c-Myc protein. Supporting this model, stabilization of DYRK2 protein, by inhibiting the ubiquitin E3 ligase SIAH2 with vitamin K3, promoted apoptosis in a panel of CML cell lines (K562, KU-812, and KCL-22) by inducing DYRK2 expression. Knocking out the DYRK2 gene in K562 cells by Cas9/CRISPR abrogated cytotoxicity induced by vitamin K3 and the presence of p53 significantly lowered IC50. In vivo treatment of CML mice diminished the number of LSCs evaluated in secondary transplants. In humans, vitamin K3 induced apoptosis in bone marrow cells from CML patients but not in healthy individuals by inducing DYRK2, p53 phosphorylation, and c-Myc depletion; furthermore, vitamin K3 abrogated capacity of CD34 + cells to generate colonies in methylcellulose only in CML. Altogether, our results suggest that DYRK2 is a molecular checkpoint controlling both p53 and c-Myc mediated regulation of survival and self-renewal in CML LSCs that can be activated pharmacologically. Citation Format: Chun Shik Park, Ye Shen, Andrew Lewis, Koramit Suppipat, Monica Puppi, Julie Tomolonis, Taylor Chen, Paul Pang, Toni-Ann Mistretta, Leyuan Ma, Michael Green, Rachel Rau, Daniel Lacorazza. Pharmacologic inhibition of SIAH2 stabilizes DYRK2 and inhibits survival and self-renewal in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) leukemic stem cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 145.
“I’m Not a Science Nerd!”: STEM Stereotypes, Identity, and Motivation Among Undergraduate Women

Stereotypes reduce women’s identification with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), which can decrease their motivation to enter STEM domains. Stereotypes may be gender-based (e.g., S...
Quantifying Proximity and Conformity between Road Networks, Urban Streams, and Watershed Boundaries

Human activity produces distinct patterns within urban watersheds. In some low-relief urban watersheds, road networks frequently emerge as localized topographic highs in the landscape that rearrange the boundary of the watershed and increase the conformity between the stream network and road network. This study introduces and applies a geospatial metric to assess levels of correspondence between watershed characteristics (stream network, watershed boundary) and road network. A modified version of the automated proximity and conformal analysis is used to highlight areas of high, medium, and low conformity between linear features within the Rouge River watershed, a highly urbanized watershed in southeast Michigan. Watershed boundary and stream networks were extracted using high-resolution (<1 m) light detection and ranging data to detect subtle topographic variability. More than 75 percent of the Rouge River watershed boundary is considered “proximal” to the road network (of which more than 70 percent is cl...
Organic Versus Solicited Hotel TripAdvisor Reviews: Measuring Their Respective Characteristics:

Hotels that participate in TripAdvisor’s Review Express review solicitation programs add volume to their review count. But are the incremental reviews generated good for the hotel? This research no...
Communicating with Vulnerable Patient Populations: A Randomized Intervention to Teach Inpatients to Use the Electronic Patient Portal.

Background Patient portals are expanding as a means to engage patients and have evidence for benefit in the outpatient setting. However, few studies have evaluated their use in the inpatient setting, or with vulnerable patient populations. Objective This article assesses an intervention to teach hospitalized vulnerable patients to access their discharge summaries using electronic patient portals. Methods Patients at a safety net hospital were randomly assigned to portal use education or usual care. Surveys assessed perceptions of discharge paperwork and the electronic portal. Results Of the 202 prescreened eligible patients (e.g., deemed mentally competent, spoke English, and had a telephone), only 43% had working emails. Forty-four percent of participants did not remember receiving or reading discharge paperwork. Patients trained in portal use (n = 47) or receiving usual care (n = 23) preferred hospitals with online record access (85 and 83%, respectively), and felt that online access would increase their trust in doctors (85 and 87%) and satisfaction with care (91% each). Those who received training in portal use were more likely to register for the portal (48% vs. 11%; p Conclusion Patients had positive perceptions of portals, and education increased portal use. Lack of email access is a notable barrier to electronic communication with vulnerable patients.
Cleft Palate and/or Velopharyngeal Dysfunction: Assessment and Treatment

Abstract Children with cleft palate and/or velopharyngeal dysfunction often exhibit complicated clinical findings. In order to differentiate a resonance disorder from an articulatory/phonological d...
Association of Cyberbullying Involvement With Subsequent Substance Use Among Adolescents

Abstract Purpose Adolescent involvement in cyberbullying is common and involves several roles (witness, perpetrator, or victim). Whether different cyberbullying roles are differentially associated with substance use is unknown. The present study examined the associations of adolescent cyberbullying involvement with use and polyuse of various substances. Methods A longitudinal cohort of students in Los Angeles, California (N = 2,768) completed surveys at baseline (10th grade, 2014, mean age = 15.5 years) and 12-month follow-up (11th grade, 2015). Five mutually exclusive cyberbullying roles were identified at baseline—no involvement; witness only; witness and victim; witness and perpetrator; and witness, victim, and perpetrator. Past 6-month use of nine substances and poly-use of multiple substances were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Results Most students (52.2%) were involved in >1 cyberbullying roles. Relative to no involvement, all cyberbullying roles, including witnessing only, were associated with increased odds of using most substances and polysubstance use at follow-up, after adjusting for sociodemographics and baseline substance use (odds ratios: 1.44 [95% confidence interval: 1.18–1.76] to 5.24 [2.73–10.05]). Relative to the witness-only role, students involved in all three roles were at greater odds of using several substances at follow-up (odds ratios: 1.47 [95% confidence interval: 1.05–2.05] to 2.96 [1.60–5.50]). Conclusions Cyberbullying involvement, even witnessing, may be associated with future substance use in adolescence. All cyberbullying roles warrant consideration in understanding and preventing youth substance use.
Topics in advanced scientific computation

Topics in Advanced Scientific Computation by Richard E. Crandall 340 pp. $49 Springer-Verlag, New York Telos, Santa Clara, Calif. 1996 ISBN 0-387-94473-7
Evolutionary genomics of host plant adaptation: insights from Drosophila

Variation in gene expression in response to the use of alternate host plants can reveal genetic and physiological mechanisms explaining why insect-host relationships vary from host specialism to generalism. Interpreting transcriptome variation relies on well-annotated genomes, making drosophilids valuable model systems, particularly those species with tractable ecological associations. Patterns of whole genome expression and alternate gene splicing in response to growth on different hosts have revealed expression of gene networks of known detoxification genes as well as novel functionally enriched genes of diverse metabolic and structural functions. Integrating trancriptomic responses with fitness differences and levels of phenotypic plasticity in response to alternate hosts will help to reveal the general nature of genotype-phenotype relationships.
Intimate Homicide Mortality in Alaska

Even though Alaska has one of the smaller populations of all the states of the U.S., it is an interesting case for the study of intimate homicides. Although geographically separate from the rest of the states, and having large urban and rural areas, it is not surprising that Alaska has some unique cultural aspects that affect the relationships between men and women. One is the persistent notion of rugged individualism that could well be influencing domestic violence (Hogan and Pursell 2008). There is a widespread use of weapons in the state. Moreover, Alaska’s employment situation in the past provided ample jobs for men, such as in the pipelines, mining and construction industries. But currently, there are fewer opportunities in these areas. At the same time, there are more opportunities for women in education and government work. Nevertheless, research has shown that women in Alaska earn 77 cents for each dollar earned by men working full time, year-round (Haymes and Spielberger 2012).
Parent Perceptions and Experiences Regarding Medication Education at Time of Hospital Discharge for Children With Medical Complexity

BACKGROUND: Children with medical complexity (CMC) often require complex medication regimens. Medication education on hospital discharge should provide a critical safety check before medication management transitions from hospital to family. Current discharge processes may not meet the needs of CMC and their families. The objective of this study is to describe parent perspectives and priorities regarding discharge medication education for CMC. METHODS: We performed a qualitative, focus-group–based study, using ethnography. Parents of hospitalized CMC were recruited to participate in 1 of 4 focus groups; 2 were in Spanish. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed, and then coded and organized into themes by using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-four parents participated in focus groups, including 12 native English speakers and 12 native Spanish speakers. Parents reported a range of 0 to 18 medications taken by their children (median 4). Multiple themes emerged regarding parental ideals for discharge medication education: (1) information quality, including desire for complete, consistent information, in preferred language; (2) information delivery, including education timing, and delivery by experts; (3) personalization of information, including accounting for literacy of parents and level of information desired; and (4) self-efficacy, or education resulting in parents’ confidence to conduct medical plans at home. CONCLUSIONS: Parents of CMC have a range of needs and preferences regarding discharge medication education. They share a desire for high-quality education provided by experts, enabling them to leave the hospital confident in their ability to care for their children once home. These perspectives could inform initiatives to improve discharge medication education for all patients, including CMC.
The Review of the Economic Legislation in September 2013

In September, the following amendments were introduced into the legislation: the amounts of the initial contract price were determined so that a participant in the purchase was obliged to provide a customer with additional information in case those amounts were exceeded; a decision was made to establish a federal information system: the Federal Register of Apostils Affixed to Documents on Education and (or) Qualification; it was decided that development of proposals on determination of the need in foreign workers and approval of quotas would be carried out by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation.
Selective visual scaling of time-scale processes facilitates broadband learning of isometric force frequency tracking.

The experiment investigated the effect of selectively augmenting faster time scales of visual feedback information on the learning and transfer of continuous isometric force tracking tasks to test the generality of the self-organization of 1/f properties of force output. Three experimental groups tracked an irregular target pattern either under a standard fixed gain condition or with selectively enhancement in the visual feedback display of intermediate (4–8 Hz) or high (8–12 Hz) frequency components of the force output. All groups reduced tracking error over practice, with the error lowest in the intermediate scaling condition followed by the high scaling and fixed gain conditions, respectively. Selective visual scaling induced persistent changes across the frequency spectrum, with the strongest effect in the intermediate scaling condition and positive transfer to novel feedback displays. The findings reveal an interdependence of the timescales in the learning and transfer of isometric force output frequency structures consistent with 1/f process models of the time scales of motor output variability.
Stochastic model predictive control design for load management system of aircraft electrical power distribution

Aircraft Electric Power Systems (EPS) route power from generators to vital avionics loads by configuring a set of electronic control switches denoted as contactors. The external loads applied to an EPS, power requirement of the system, electrical component failure events, and the dynamics of the system are inherently uncertain. In this paper, we address the problem of designing a stochastic optimal control strategy for the EPS contactors. We first represent mathematical models of different components of an EPS, and formalize the performance metrics of the system as well as the constraints that should be satisfied in a stochastic modeling framework. We then formulate the optimization of the system performance as a stochastic model predictive control (SMPC) problem, and present two special cases of the proposed SMPC analysis to approximate the problem with linear mixed-integer optimization problems. Finally, we report simulation results to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Congenital aortic and mitral atresia

Abstract A case of congenital mitral and aortic atresia, associated with hypoplasia of the left atrium and ventricle and compensating patencies of the interatrial foramen and ductus arteriosus, is described. The anomaly is attributed to a developmental misplacement of the interventricular septum. No evidence was found to indicate an inflammatory cause for the defect.
Lipoxin A4 Inhibits IL-1β-Induced IL-6, IL-8, and Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 Production in Human Synovial Fibroblasts and Enhances Synthesis of Tissue Inhibitors of Metalloproteinases

Lipoxins are a novel class of endogenous eicosanoid mediators that potently inhibit inflammatory events by signaling via specific receptors expressed on phagocytic cells. Animal models have shown that lipoxin A 4 (LXA 4 ) down-regulates inflammation in vivo. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, the expression of LXA 4 receptors, and their up-regulation by IL-1β, in normal human synovial fibroblasts (SF). We examined whether exogenous LXA 4 abrogated IL-1β stimulation of SF in vitro. IL-1β induced the synthesis of IL-6, IL-8, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-1 and -3. At nanomolar concentrations, LXA 4 inhibited these IL-1β responses with reduction of IL-6 and IL-8 synthesis, by 45 ± 7% and 75 ± 11%, respectively, and prevented IL-1β-induced MMP-3 synthesis without significantly affecting MMP-1 levels. Furthermore, LXA 4 induced a 2-fold increase of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and a ∼3-fold increase of TIMP-2 protein levels. LXA 4 inhibitory responses were dose dependent and were abrogated by pretreatment with LXA 4 receptor antiserum. LXA 4 -induced changes of IL-6 and TIMP were accompanied by parallel changes in mRNA levels. These results indicate that LXA 4 in activated SF inhibits the synthesis of inflammatory cytokines and MMP and stimulates TIMP production in vitro. These findings suggest that LXA 4 may be involved in a negative feedback loop opposing inflammatory cytokine-induced activation of SF.
Platelet agonist synergism by the acute phase reactant C-reactive protein

C-reactive protein is the prototypic acute phase reactant. A self-complexed form (H-CRP) can induce isolated platelets to undergo aggregation, secretion of dense and alpha-granule constituents, and generation of thromboxane A2, but fails to function in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a direct agonist. In contrast, when PRP was activated with an amount of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) that produced only reversible platelet aggregation, the presence of H-CRP resulted in irreversible aggregation and the secretion of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Following a maximum stimulus with ADP alone, where platelet secretion occurred late during the aggregation response, the presence of H-CRP shifted and increased the secretory burst to a time simultaneous with the onset of aggregation. This hypersecretion required H-CRP to be present prior to platelet stimulation or to be added within 15 to 30 seconds following the addition of ADP. H-CRP also potentiated platelet activation stimulated with epinephrine, thrombin, and collagen. When the synergism generated in PRP by H-CRP in the presence of ADP or epinephrine was compared to the synergism similarly produced by aggregated human IgG, collagen, or thrombin, it more closely resembled that of collagen, as reflected by the kinetics and characteristics of synergism and sensitivity to creatine phosphate/creatine phosphokinase or 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid. These data provide a philosophically ideal niche for the acute phase (and C-reactive protein) in that a platelet-directed activity associated with this acute phase reactant is not utilized unless platelets are otherwise challenged.
Cenozoic Climatic Change and its Cause

Climatic trends have been broadly parallel and synchronous about the world during late Miocene, Pliocene and Quaternary time. The tropics have changed little in total width, although regions now hot deserts were largely tropical during the late Tertiary. Temperate zones, however, extended far poleward of their present limits during the Miocene, and Northern Hemisphere climates were much more equable than they are now. The late Miocene and Pliocene deterioration of climates probably was caused primarily by the increasing altitudes of continents and mountains throughout most of the world, and Quaternary glaciation began when these altitude-dependent changes crossed a climatic threshold. The Quaternary alternations of semi-glacial and full-glacial conditions may be due to rather small variations, back and forth across threshold limits, in insolation.
Masking the bullwhip effect in retail: the influence of data aggregation

Purpose – The accurate measurement of demand variability amplification across different nodes in the supply chain, or “bullwhip effect,” is critical for firms to achieve more efficient inventory, production, and ordering planning processes. Building on recent analytical research that suggests that data aggregation tends to mask the bullwhip effect in the retail industry, the purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate whether different patterns of data aggregation influence its measurement. Design/methodology/approach – Utilizing weekly, product-level order and sales data from three product categories of a consumer packaged goods manufacturer, the study uses hierarchical linear modeling to empirically test the effects of data aggregation on different measures of bullwhip. Findings – The authors findings lend strong support to the masking effect of aggregating sales and order data along product-location and temporal dimensions, as well as the dampening effect of seasonality on the measurement of th...
Promoting Youth Physical Activity in the Classroom Through a Comprehensive Walking Program

According to current guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, youth should be active for at least 60 min each day. This study investigated the effects of a 6-week in-school walking program. The outcomes of interest were the weekly and daily steps that students in Grades 4, 5, and 6 walked as recorded on pedometers. Evaluations were sent to parents before and after the walking program and exit interviews were provided to students and teachers to obtain their perceptions on program effectiveness. Average daily and weekly steps showed an overall upward trend for all students. The largest increase in steps was found among the fourth graders. Six months after the intervention, almost 40% of parents who completed the postevaluation reported that their child continued to use the pedometer. Almost 90% of parents who completed the postevaluation reported that they felt the program was beneficial in promoting physical activity in their child.
Quasi-exact helical cone beam reconstruction for micro CT

A cone beam micro-CT system is set up to collect truncated helical cone beam data. This system includes a micro-focal X-ray source, a precision computer-controlled X-Y-Z-theta stage, and an image-intensifier coupled to a large format CCD detector. The helical scanning mode is implemented by rotating and translating the stage while keeping X-ray source and detector stationary. A chunk of bone and a mouse leg are scanned and quasi-exact reconstruction is performed using the approach proposed in J. Hu et al. (2001). This approach introduced the original idea of accessory paths with upper and lower virtual detectors having infinite axial extent. It has a filtered backprojection structure which is desirable in practice and possesses the advantages of being simple to implement and computationally efficient compared to other quasi-exact helical cone beam algorithms for the long object problem.
Properly reading the histone code by MS-based proteomics.

Histone proteins are essential elements for DNA packaging. Their PTMs contribute in modeling chromatin structure and recruiting enzymes involved in gene regulation, DNA repair, and chromosome condensation. This fundamental aspect, together with the fact that histone PTMs can be epigenetically inherited through cell generations, enlightens their importance in chromatin biology, and the consequent necessity of having biochemical techniques for their characterization. Nanoflow LC coupled to MS (nanoLC-MS) is the strategy of choice for protein PTM accurate quantification. However, histones require adjustments to the digestion protocol such as lysine derivatization to obtain suitable peptides for the analysis. nanoLC-MS has numerous advantages, spanning from high confidence identification to possibility of high throughput analyses, but the peculiarity of the histone preparation protocol requires continuous monitoring with the most modern available technologies to question its reliability. The work of Meert et al. (Proteomics 2015, 15, 2966-2971) establishes which protocols lead to either incomplete derivatization or derivatization of undesired amino acid residues using a combination of high resolution MS and bioinformatics tools for the alignment and the characterization of nanoLC-MS runs. As well, they identify a number of side reactions that could be potentially misinterpreted as biological PTMs.
Analysis of the Type 1 Pilin Gene Cluster fim in Salmonella: Its Distinct Evolutionary Histories in the 5′ and 3′ Regions

The type 1 pilin encoded by fim is present in both Escherichia coli and Salmonella natural isolates, but several lines of evidence indicate that similarities at the fim locus may be an example of independent acquisition rather than common ancestry. For example, the fim gene cluster is found at different chromosomal locations and with distinct gene orders in these closely related species. In this work we examined the fim gene cluster of Salmonella, the genes of which show high nucleotide sequence divergence from their E. coli counterparts, as well as a different G+C content and codon usage. DNA hybridization analysis revealed that, among the salmonellae, the fim gene cluster is present in all isolates of S. enterica but is absent from S. bongori. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of the fimA and fimI genes yield an estimate of phylogeny that is in satisfactory congruence with housekeeping and other virulence genes examined in this species. In contrast, phylogenetic analyses of the fimZ, fimY, and fimW genes indicate that horizontal transfer of this region has occurred more than once. There is also size variation in the fimZ, fimY, and fimW intergenic regions in the 3' region, and these genes are absent in isolate S2983 of subspecies IIIa. Interestingly, the G+C contents of the fimZ, fimY, and fimW genes are less than 46%, which is considerably lower than those of the other six genes of the fim cluster. This study demonstrates that horizontal transmission of all or part of the same gene cluster can occur repeatedly, with the result that different regions of a single gene cluster may have different evolutionary histories.
How much of the Hilbert function do we really need to know

We describe several examples where the leading coefficient of a Hilbert function tells us everything we need. Based on my lectures at Oberwolfach and Stony Brook.
Synthesis and DNA interactions of benzimidazole dications which have activity against opportunistic infections.

Considerable evidence now indicates that DNA is the receptor site for dicationic benzimidazole anti-opportunistic infections agents (Bell, C. A. ; Dykstra, C. C. ; Naiman, N. A. I. ; Cory, M. ; Fairley, T. A. ; Tidwell, R. R. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 1993, 37, 2668-2673. Tidwell, R. R. ; Jones, S. K. ; Naiman, N. A. ; Berger, I. C. ; Brake, W. R. ; Dykstra, C. C. ; Hall, J. E. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 1993, 37, 1713-1716). To obtain additional information on benzimidazole-receptor complexes, the syntheses and DNA interactions of series of symmetric benzimidazole cations, linked by alkyl or alkenyl groups, have been evaluated. Biophysical techniques, thermal denaturation measurement (ΔT m ), kinetics, and circular dichroism (CD) have been used in conjunction with NMR and molecular modeling to evaluate the affinities, binding mode, and structure of complexes formed between these compounds and DNA. All of the compounds bind strongly to DNA samples with four or more consecutive AT base pairs, and they bind negligibly to GC rich DNA or to RNA. Spectral and kinetics characteristics of the benzimidazole complexes indicate that the compounds bind in the DNA minor groove at AT sequences. NMR and molecular modeling of the complex formed between an ethylene-linked benzimidazole derivative, 5, and the self-complementary oligomer d(GCGAATTCGC) have been used to establish structural details for the minor groove complex. These results have been used as a starting point for molecular mechanics calculations to refine the model of the minor groove-benzimidazole complex and to draw conclusions regarding the molecular basis for the effects of substituent changes on benzimidazole-DNA affinities
Death of a king, death of a kingdom? Social pluralism and succession to high office in Dagbon, northern Ghana

The ongoing dynastic dispute in the kingdom of Dagbon in northern Ghana, which led to the killing of the king in 2002, remains unresolved and perhaps unresolvable. This paper updates Staniland's account of Dagomba politics from 1880 to 1974, and elaborates on the contradictions inherent in the social pluralism of a post-colonial state.
Possible effects of electromagnetic fields on the nervous system and development

In spite of a large number of investigations, there is little evidence in support of the hypothesis that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) cause birth defects or genetic abnormalities. Exposure to magnetic fields has, however, been associated with development of brain tumors in both childhood residential and adult occupational studies. Risk ratios are low, but meta-analyses show a statistically significant relationship. Recent reports implicate EMF exposure in the incidence of Alzheimer's disease. While EMF exposure does not appear to be a major factor in neurodevelopmental diseases, further investigations are warranted on nervous system disorders such as brain tumors and Alzheimer's disease. MRDD Research Reviews 1997;3:270–274. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Self-awareness and access to material rated as self-descriptive or nondescriptive

Subjects selected as high or low in self-consciousness rated trait adjectives for self-descriptiveness, meaningfulness, and familiarity, and then were given an unannounced recall test. High self-aware subjects were clearly faster at making self-descriptiveness judgments, relative to low self-aware subjects, a difference that was not significant for meaningfulness or familiarity decisions. These results support the hypothesis that subjects who are more self-aware access personal information more rapidly than less self-aware subjects. There were no self-awareness differences in total recall or the organization of recall, apparently because three successive encoding tasks eliminated such differences. Self-reference decisions were faster than nonself decisions for high self-aware subjects, but slower for less self-aware subjects.
Fossil habrotrochid rotifers in Dominican amber

Flask-shaped microfossils are reported from bracts of a moss in Eocene-Oligocene amber from the northern Dominican Republic. These microfossils are identical with the thecae of certain living moss-dwelling rotifers in the genusHabrotrocha (Bdelloidea), which have previously been reported as fossils only from Holocene peat. What may be an egg and a rotifer body fossil are associated with these thecae and further support the identification of these fossils withHabrotrocha; the fossils are almost identical to extantH. angusticollis. The parthenogenetic bdelloid rotifers have a longer evolutionary history than was previously thought; habrotrochid rotifers seem to have persisted for 35 million years with very little change in morphology or ecological role.