cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Synthetic Peptide Corresponding to the Extracellular Loop 2 Region of Claudin-4 Protects against Clostridium perfringens Enterotoxin In Vitro and In Vivo

Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) action starts when the toxin binds to claudin receptors. Claudins contain two extracellular loop domains, with the second loop (ECL-2) being slightly smaller than the first. CPE has been shown to bind to ECL-2 in receptor claudins. We recently demonstrated that Caco-2 cells (a naturally CPE-sensitive enterocyte-like cell line) can be protected from CPE-induced cytotoxicity by preincubating the enterotoxin with soluble full-length recombinant claudin-4 (rclaudin-4), which is a CPE receptor, but not with recombinant nonreceptor claudins, such as rclaudin-1. The current study evaluated whether a synthetic peptide corresponding to the claudin-4 ECL-2 sequence can similarly inhibit CPE action in vitro and in vivo. Significant protection of Caco-2 cells was also observed using either rclaudin-4 or the claudin-4 ECL-2 peptide in both a preincubation assay and a coincubation assay. This inhibitory effect was specific, since rclaudin-1 and a synthetic peptide based on the claudin-1 ECL-2 offered no protection to Caco-2 cells. However, the claudin-4 ECL-2 peptide was unable to neutralize cytotoxicity if CPE had already bound to Caco-2 cells. When the study was repeated in vivo using a rabbit small intestinal loop assay, preincubation or coincubation of CPE with the claudin-4 ECL-2 peptide significantly and specifically inhibited the development of CPE-induced luminal fluid accumulation and histologic lesions in rabbit small intestinal loops. No similar in vivo protection from CPE was afforded by the claudin-1 ECL-2 peptide. These results suggest that claudin-4 ECL-2 peptides should be further investigated for their potential therapeutic application against CPE-associated disease.
Noncommutative graded domains with quadratic growth

Letk be an algebraically closed field, and letR be a finitely generated, connected gradedk-algebra, which is a domain of Gelfand-Kirillov dimension two. Write the graded quotient ringQ(R) ofR asD[z,z−1; δ], for some automorphism δ of the division ringD. We prove thatD is a finitely generated field extension ofk of transcendence degree one. Moreover, we describeR in terms of geometric data. IfR is generated in degree one then up to a finite dimensional vector space,R is isomorphic to the twisted homogeneous coordinate ring of an invertible sheaf ℒ over a projective curveY. This implies, in particular, thatR is Noetherian, thatR is primitive when |δ|=∞ and thatR is a finite module over its centre when |δ|<∞. IfR is not generated in degree one, thenR will still be Noetherian and primitive if δ has infinite order, butR need not be Noetherian when δ has finite order.
Amplification and expression of genes from the 17q11∼q12 amplicon in breast cancer cells

Amplification of a portion of 17q11∼q12 involving the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2/neu) gene is common in solid tumors. HER-2/neu amplification in breast cancer is associated with a poor prognosis and may predict response to therapeutic interventions. The molecular complexity and informative content of the 17q11∼q12 amplified DNA remain largely unknown. Study of available sequence information in public database allowed us to construct a contig in bacterial artificial chromosome that covers this region. We have identified a several hundred kilobase core segment from this region that is amplified in three out of three breast cancer cell lines with HER-2/neu amplification. There is striking correlation between amplification and overexpression of genes from this region. Amplified and overexpressed genes, in addition to HER-2/neu, may play functional roles in the pathogenesis of breast cancer and may serve as additional targets for therapy. Published by Elsevier Science Inc.
Exploring efficient architecture design for thread-level speculation---power and performance perspectives

With the advent of multi-threaded (e.g. simultaneous multi-threading (SMT) [1, 2]) and/or multi-core (e.g. chip multiprocessors (CMP) [3, 4]) architectures, now the challenge is to utilize these architectures to improve performance of general-purpose applications. However, traditional parallelizing compilers often fail to effectively parallelize general-purpose applications which typically have complex control flow and excessive pointer usage. Thread-Level Speculation (TLS) have been proposed to simplify the task of parallelization by using speculative threads. Though the performance of TLS has been studied in the past, its power consumption, power efficiency and thermal behavior are not well understood. Also previous work on TLS have concentrated on multi-core based architectures and relatively little has been done on supporting TLS on multi-threaded architectures. With increasing multi-threaded/multi-core design choices, it is important to understand the benefits of the different types of architectures. The goal of this dissertation is to explore architecture techniques to efficiently implement TLS in future multi-threaded/multi-core processors. The dissertation proposes a novel cache-based architecture to support TLS in multi-threaded SMT architecture. A detailed study on the efficiency of different TLS architectures was conducted by comparing their performance, power and thermal characteristics. To improve efficiency, the dissertation proposes a novel SMT-CMP based heterogeneous architecture which combines the advantages of both SMT and CMP architectures. The dissertation also proposes novel architecture and compiler techniques to efficiently extract speculative parallelism from multiple loop levels.
Practical multiuser diversity with fair channel assignment

Inspired by the information theoretic results concerning multiuser diversity, we address practical issues in implementing multiuser diversity in a realistic multiple access wireless setting. The users are allowed to have different average channel powers and the important issue of fairness is investigated. Using a fair channel assignment strategy that assigns the channel to only the user with the greatest instantaneous SNR-to-average-SNR ratio, our emphasis is on the effect of channel feedback delay in downlink transmissions. A novel optimization criterion based on an outage probability constraint is proposed. Applying the outdated channel feedback model, we illustrate the impact of channel feedback delay on the achievable multiuser diversity gain with the number of users. A robust, constant power, variable rate M-QAM scheme that is less sensitive to feedback delay is proposed using the optimal set of switching thresholds, which is derived to maximize the average throughput, subject to an outage probability constraint.
Low genetic diversity in an endangered species: recent or historic pattern?

Abstract Examining patterns of genetic diversity has become an integral component of many management plans concerning endangered species, yet interpreting the processes underlying such patterns remains challenging. We demonstrate low genetic diversity in a critically endangered small mammal population. A common interpretation of this pattern would be that it is the result of a known, recent decline in this population. We test this interpretation and find it to be incorrect. Instead, by using museum voucher specimens, we show that the pattern of low genetic diversity is historical. This study demonstrates the importance of choosing appropriate reference groups by which to interpret modern levels of genetic diversity in endangered species. We conclude that analysis of archival specimens may be essential in cases where genetic diversity is driving conservation management decisions because it may allow us to distinguish the effects of low genetic diversity from the process of losing diversity. We recognize that this approach can be limited due to several sampling issues: archival material may not be available, statistical power needs to be evaluated, sample sizes and sequence lengths may be suboptimal due to intrinsic difficulties associated with amplification of degraded DNA. These issues are discussed and possible solutions identified.
Beating non-linearities: improving the baryon acoustic oscillations with the linear point

We propose a new way of looking at the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation in the large-scale-structure clustering correlation function. We identify a scale s_LP that has two fundamental features: its position is insensitive to non-linear gravity, redshift-space distortions and scale-dependent bias at the 0.5 per cent level; it is geometrical, i.e. independent of the power spectrum of the primordial density fluctuation parameters. These two properties together make s_LP, called the ‘linear point’, an excellent cosmological standard ruler. The linear point is also appealing because it is easily identified irrespectively of how non-linearities distort the correlation function. Finally, the correlation function amplitude at s_LP is similarly insensitive to non-linear corrections to within a few per cent. Hence, exploiting the particular baryon features in the correlation function, we propose three new estimators for growth measurements. A preliminary analysis of s_LP in current data is encouraging.
Asset-Based Financing and the Determinants of Capital Structure in the Small Firm

Small firm debt financing differs from large firm debt financing. Most studies of the determinants of capital structure examine large, publicly owned and traded firms that rely on the issuance of bonds for their debt fmancing. This study examines the determinants of capital structure in small, privately owned firms that rely heavily on secured commercial loans (Asset-Based Loans) for their debt financing. The results of the empirical analysis indicate that a small firm’s asset structure is the most important determinant of the use of debt financing.
Epidemiology of Mental Disorders in Middle Age and Late Life: Conceptual Issues

One of the "uses of epidemiology" described by Morris (1) is to complete the clinical picture in describing the natural history of disease. This arena for epidemiologic inquiry is especially important in relation to psychiatric disturbances. Most adults with psychiatric complaints and symptoms, especially older adults, do not receive care in the mental health sector (2-4). Distorted views of the nature of these disturbances can result when studies sample only from those individuals who are treated by psychiatrists or other specialists (5, 6). This has led to greater interest in previously neglected venues such as nursing homes, home care, and the primary health care services (7-12). Improved detection and treatment of mental disturbances in primary health care may be an essential key to enhance the effectiveness of community treatment (13). Completing the clinical picture is a critical task indeed. The purpose of this review is to introduce several conceptual issues important to completion of the clinical picture in epidemiologic research on risk and protective factors for mental disorders across the life course, with a focus on adulthood and late life. These issues are 1) the measurement of psychiatric disturbances in populations, 2) methodological considerations in surveys of older adults, and 3) the life course perspective on risk factors for psychiatric disturbances.
The $4$-rank of $Ksb 2(O)$

Let 0 F) denote the integers of an algebraic number field F. Classically the Dirichlet Units Theorem gives us the structure of the K-group K1(0 F). Then recently the structure of the K-group K3(0 F) was found by Merkurjev and Suslin, [11]. But as of now we have only limited information about the structure of the tame kernel K2(0 F).
A Water-Soluble Deep Cavitand Acts as a Release Trigger for a Supramolecular Nanocap†

A selective nanogated ensemble has been developed to allow the selective release of bound molecules from a gold-nanoparticle-capped mesoporous silica aggregate. The gating mechanism exploits supramolecular host−guest properties of a deep, water-soluble cavitand to interrupt the charge-based interaction between the nanoparticle and silica.
Rhetorical Delivery as Technological Discourse: A Cross-Historical Study, by Ben McCorkle: Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2012. xiii + 207 pp. $35.00 (cloth)

I was recently given a Kindle. But because it is bound inside a hardback black leather carrying case with an elastic strap around it, when I received the gift I thought I held in my hands a Moleski...
Mycangial Fungi of Dendroctonus frontalis (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) and thier Relationship to Beetle Population Trends

Females from eight endemic populations of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman, were examined to Determine which of two fungi were present in the mycangium. The fungi Ceratocystis minor (Hedgcock) Hunt var. barrasii Taylor and an unidentified basidiomycete were found together in 10 to 20% of the beetles. Less than 10% of each population had neither fungus in the mycangium, whereas 13 to 47% had C. minor var. barrasii alone. The basidiomycete was the most prevalent fungus in most populations and occurred alone in 38 to 75% of the beetles. Frequency of occurrence of the fungi varied significantly among the eight populations studied. The mean mass of individual females varied significantly (P those with both fungi > those with only C. minor var. barrasii > those with neither fungus. Brood increase ratio and brood survival were significantly related to the frequency of occurrence of the mycangial fungi. The strongest relationship was found between these indices of population trends and the frequency of occurrence of the basidiomycete. Both indices were negatively correlated with the percentage of C. minor var. barrasii in a population.
Depression Among Mexican Women: The Impact of Nonviolent Coercive Control, Intimate Partner Violence and Employment Status

There is significant empirical evidence documenting the link between intimate partner violence (IPV) and incidence of depression symptoms. This study explores the impact of intimate partner violence, nonviolent spousal coercive control, and women’s employment status on the incidence of depression symptoms in a sample of Mexican women. Results from regression models suggest different types of abusive relationships have differential impacts on incidence of depression. Specifically, a woman’s employment status contributed to the risk of depression in the context of prevalent nonviolent spousal controlling behaviors. On the other hand, employment status did not contribute to the risk of developing depression symptoms when women were in relationships where physical violence was not coupled with controlling behaviors. Results of the study are discussed in the context of the Mexican culture, as well as implications for the treatment of IPV among Mexican women.
A yeast-leavened, low-protein, low-electrolyte bread.

The need of uremic patients for limited protein and of patients with PKU for limited phenylalanine, makes this product, developed after much experimentation and trial and error, of interest. An ingredient in the recipe is methyl cellulose.
P-wave duration and dispersion in patients with peripheral edema and its amelioration.

BACKGROUND Attenuation of the P-wave amplitudes in patients with peripheral edema (PERED) has been recently reported, with P-waves regaining some of their amplitude in patients, who subsequently experienced amelioration of their PERED. Changes in the P-waves correlated with the corresponding alterations in the QRS complexes. Also since amplitudes and durations of QRS complexes changed in parallel in patients with PERED, it was hypothesized that similar changes in the P-wave amplitudes, mean P-wave duration (P-du-mean), and P-wave dispersion (P-d), would occur in such patients. METHODS Measurements of P-wave amplitude, P-du-mean and P-d in patients who developed, or experienced alleviation, of PERED, were carried out and analyzed. RESULTS Although P-wave amplitudes and P-wave areas decreased with development of PERED (N = 16), and increased with its amelioration (N = 6), P-dur-mean before PERED was 66.8+/-14.5 ms, and at peak weight gain it was 65.2+/-11.9 ms, p = 0.66; also at peak weight gain and subsequent lowest weight, in the patients who lost weight, it was 66.5+/-9.9 ms and 72.3+/-12.0 ms, respectively, p = 0.38. Similarly the P-d prior to PERED was 62.3+/-25.2 ms, and at peak weight gain it was 74.3+/-29.3 ms, p = 0.09; also at peak weight and subsequent lowest weight, in the patients who lost weight, it was 58.8+/-34.2 ms, and 61.3+/-13.6 ms, respectively, p = 0.87. CONCLUSION P-du-mean and P-d did not change in patients who developed PERED; their stability is attributed to the offsetting of the electrophysiologically-mediated real changes, by opposite apparent changes, imparted by PERED.
Export Controls and US Research Universities

Abstract United States export controls have historically focused on physical exports leaving the United States for other destinations. However, these regulations have been increasingly used to govern the exportation of controlled technical data since the 1990s, including the creation of the “deemed export rule,” which regulates the transfer of export-controlled technical data to foreign nationals in the United States. Attempts to broaden regulatory jurisdiction to include traditionally academic activities such as publication of scholarly works, scientific communication among peers, and instruction of foreign students were met with legal challenges in the 1980s, ultimately resulting in the creation of a national policy on the transfer of scientific, technical, and engineering information. This chapter will explore the legal underpinnings of export controls, the deemed export rule, and key terms like fundamental research. The relevant regulations and federal agencies will be identified, and common export control challenges encountered in the academic environment will be discussed.
Toward the elucidation of cytoplasmic diversity in North American grape breeding programs

Plants have an intriguing tripartite genetic system: Nuclear genome × Mitochondria × Plastids and their interactions may impact germplasm breeding. In grapevine, the study of cytoplasmic genomes has been limited, and their role with respect to grapevine germplasm diversity has yet to be elucidated. In the present study, the results of an analysis of the cytoplasmic diversity among 6073 individuals (comprising cultivars, interspecific hybrids and segregating progenies) are presented. Genotyping by sequencing (GBS) was used to elucidate plastid and mitochondrial DNA sequences, and results were analyzed using multivariate techniques. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) effects were annotated in reference to plastid and mitochondrial genome sequences. The cytoplasmic diversity identified was structured according to synthetic domestication groups (wine and raisin/table grape types) and interspecific-hybridization-driven groups with introgression from North American Vitis species, identifying five cytoplasmic groups and four major clusters. Fifty-two SNP markers were used to describe the diversity of the germplasm. Ten organelle genes showed distinct SNP annotations and effect predictions, of which six were chloroplast-derived and three were mitochondrial genes, in addition to one mitochondrial SNP affecting a nonannotated open reading frame. The results suggest that the application of GBS will aid in the study of cytoplasmic genomes in grapevine, which will enable further studies on the role of cytoplasmic genomes in grapevine germplasm, and then allow the exploitation of these sources of diversity in breeding.
Pioneering Health Care for Children with Disabilities: Untold Legacy of the 1916 Polio Epidemic in the United States

ABSTRACTIn 1916, the United States experienced its first polio epidemic, resulting in 6,000 deaths and 21,000 injured individuals. Medical practices were ill prepared to stop the disease and treat survivors. Historians have documented the creation of the polio vaccine during the 20th century, but less is written about efforts to provide rehabilitation services to children afflicted with polio. This research looked at Polio After-Care Committees, a new form of community practice that provided care to children with disabilities. The Committees worked to change community-level systems of care while providing medical care, demonstrating that new forms of community-based service organization could reach children.
Lone Pediatric Atrial Fibrillation in the United States: Analysis of Over 1500 Cases

Little is known about lone atrial fibrillation (AF) in pediatrics and its risk factors due to low prevalence. We sought to determine risk factors and estimate recurrence rates in children with lone AF using a large clinical database. Using the Explorys clinical database, we retrospectively identified patients who were below 20 years of age at the time of their AF diagnosis. Patients with congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy, prior open heart surgery, or thyroid disease were excluded. Out of 7,969,230 children identified, 1910 had AF and 1570 met the definition of lone AF. The prevalence of lone AF was 7.5 per 100,000 children. In comparison to young children (0-4 years), risk for lone AF increased with age (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.2 [95% CI 0.9-1.5, P = 0.21] in those 5-9 years, aOR 1.7 [95% CI 1.3-2.1, P < 0.001] in those 10-14 years, and aOR 10.7 [95% CI 8.7-13.2, P < 0.001] in those 15-19 years). Risk of lone AF was also higher in males than females (aOR 1.7 [95% CI 1.5-1.9, P < 0.001]), and was higher in obese children (BMI ≥ 95th percentile) versus children with normal BMI (aOR 1.3 [95% CI 1.1-1.5], P < 0.001), but there was no difference between overweight (BMI = 85th-94th percentile) and normal (P = 0.14). One-month recurrence rate was 15%, and increased with age. In this large pediatric cohort, the prevalence of lone AF was low, but risk was higher in males and increased with age and obesity. Older children with lone AF had higher rates of recurrence.
The Cleveland Clinic-Nimbus total artificial heart: In vivo hemodynamic performance in calves and preclinical studies

In vitro function of the Cleveland Clinic-Nimbus electrohydraulic total artificial heart met National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute hemodynamic guidelines for such devices. In a series of in vivo experiments, we implanted the total artificial heart in eight calves (mean weight 87 kg), one for a short-term experiment and seven for long-term experiments. The mean blood flow during support was 7.7 + 1.6 L/min with left atrial pressure 13 ± 6 mm Hg, right atrial pressure 13 ± 4 mm Hg, and aortic pressure 97 ± 9 mm hg. Maximum pump flow (9.6 L/min) occurred after 4 days of support as a result of the high resting cardiac output of the animals. A 10 % to 15 % right pump stroke-volume limit effectively balanced atrial pressures, and afterload insensitivity was confirmed by the in vivo studies. Calves tolerated treadmill exercise studies well, with an average duration of 22 minutes and an average top speed of 2.1 mph. The experiments were terminated after 1 day to 120 days of support (mean 32 days). Most experiments were terminated as a result of correctable mechanical problems. In a separate study of six adult human patients undergoing orthotopic cardiac transplantation, five showed an excellent fit for the Cleveland Clinic-Nimbus total artificial heart. Further studies using chest roentgenograms, chest measurements, and transesophageal echocardiography should help predict fit of the total artificial heart in potential candidates. Initial candidates for a "vented-electric" version of the Cleveland Clinic-Nimbus total artificial heart are patients for whom univentricular (left ventricular assist device) support is not appropriate, but who require mechanical support as a bridge to cardiac transplantation.
Polymer Performance and Aging in a Tritium Environment

AbstractIn an ideal tritium system, we would be able to remove all polymer components due the damage incurred by the resulting beta decay and reduce the required maintenance of the systems and its ...
Postmarket surveillance approaches for biomaterials and medical devices in the USA

This chapter describes the sponsor/manufacturer’s requirements after FDA approves a biomaterial product for marketing. It explains various postmarket surveillance approaches based on the classification of a product as medical device, biologic, or combination. Further, the importance of post-approval studies, periodic reports and routine monitoring activities is also illustrated to make the readers understand that if safety signals are detected early, effective controls can be implemented on-time to minimize damage. With the help of some case studies, real-life surveillance examples have been provided for a better comprehension of the ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ of FDA requirements.
Police Powers and Accountability in a Democratic Society: Introductory Report

This article by general rapporteur Joachim Kersten introduces the reports which were presented at the Twelfth Criminological Colloquium, organised by the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, from 24-26 November 1999. Europe is undergoing a phase of rapid change. This affects the conditions of policing in each country and on the European continent as a whole. It is actually the legal, political and cultural context of policing that is undergoing rapid change. This colloquium and earlier ones carried out by the Council of Europe served a crucial purpose: they are an assessment in the European context of what is happening in relation to the police, police ethics and human rights in democratic societies.
Concrete-Polymer Materials: How Far Have We Come, and Where Do We Need to Go?

Concrete-polymer materials (CPMs) include polymer-impregnated concrete (PIC), polymer concrete (PC), and polymer-modified concrete (PMC) along with sulfur concrete and crack-filling resins and monomers. These materials began to be developed in the 1950s, but it was not until the early 1970s that they began to be well known in the industry. PIC is no longer being used, but PC and PMC are widely used as are the crack-filling monomers. The materials have come a long way in the nearly 50 years after they became known. Many conferences and workshops have been held, hundreds of papers have been published, and the American Concrete Institute Committee 548 has produced many special publications, guides, and specifications for the use of the materials. The future is bright. New polymers are coming on stream that offer many potential benefits for CPM. Nanotechnology will likely play an important role. Many innovative applications and processes to use CPC including 3D printing and new and exciting products using precast PC are on the horizon.
Effect of severe bioprosthetic valve tissue ingrowth and inflow calcification on valve-in-valve performance.

While in vivo studies clearly demonstrate that supra-annular Valve-in-Valve (ViV) implantation provides the highest probability for optimal post-ViV pressure gradients (PG), there is still no physical insight into explaining anomalies where some supra-annular ViV implantations yield high pressure gradients while some sub-annular implantations yield low pressure gradients. The aim of this study is to explain how severe tissue ingrowth and calcification (TIC) in a surgical aortic valve (SAV) can be one physical mechanism leading to anomalous ViV performance characteristic. The ViV hemodynamic performance was evaluated as a function of axial positioning -9.8, -6.2, 0, and +6 mm in SAVs with and without TIC. Effective orifice area (EOA) and PG were compared. Leaflet high-speed imaging and particle image velocimetry were performed to elucidate flutter and forward jet characteristics. ViV without TIC showed significantly lower PG and greater EOA (p < 0.01). EOA and PG improve with supra-annular deployment (p < 0.01) while for ViV with TIC, EOA and PG worsen as the deployment varies from -9.8 mm to 0 mm (p < 0.01) only to recover at + 6 mm (p < 0.01). Separated jet flow at the TIC site, and consequently induced stronger TAV leaflet fluttering highlight the dynamic compromising nature of TIC on jet width and performance reduction. We conclude that the inflow TIC greatly influence ViV performance due to dynamic effects that results in a real anomalous performance characteristic different than that seen in most ViV in vivo. Further in vivo studies are needed to evaluate ViV outcomes in the presence of severe TIC in SAVs.
Law & Economics in Japan

Although law & economics scholarship has grown rapidly in recent years, Japanese scholars (with prominent exceptions, to be sure) have embraced the approach less enthusiastically than their U.S. peers. I explore some "reasons" for this reticence -- particularly, the location of legal education in the undergraduate curriculum, and the long-term Marxist domination of economics faculties. Ultimately, these "explanations" remain unsatisfactory. The undergraduate location of law does not explain law & economics' reception across a broader sample of countries, or why universities keep law in these undergraduate departments in the first place. And Marxist dominance is not the cause of an intellectual outcome. Instead, it is itself an intellectual outcome. At root, the reason for the difficulty in explaining patterns of intellectual diffusion lies in the paucity of hard-edged incentives in higher education. Although universities compete, they do not compete with anything approaching the intensity of for-profit firms. As a result, the mechanisms behind the equilibrium outcomes we observe in economic markets simply do not apply in education. Lacking those mechanisms, universities might still converge on superior intellectual approaches. Or they might not.
Problem-based medical education: effect on library use

Problem-based learning (PBL) is being adopted by U.S. medical schools. Information-seeking skills are central to the PBL curriculum, which emphasizes self-directed learning and the acquisition of problem-solving and lifelong learning skills. The purpose of this study is to begin exploring the relationship between the PBL curriculum and student information and library use. Medical students in PBL and conventional medical school curricula were compared on library and information-seeking competencies, behaviors, and perceptions. A survey was sent to second-year students in four medical schools, two schools with two curricular tracks (one PBL and one conventional), one PBL school, and one conventional school. The results showed certain significant differences (P less than 0.05) between PBL and conventional curriculum students, suggesting that PBL students were the more frequent library users, used information resources that supported the independent learning process, acquired information-seeking skills at an earlier stage in their medical education, and reported greater ease in using these skills.
Neurogenesis in Xenopus: a molecular genetic perspective.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses neurogenesis in Xenopus . The chapter reviews both embryological and molecular studies and provide a framework within which it may be possible to imbue the genes with embryological significance. The chapter discusses how many of the genes that appear to be involved are homologs of developmentally significant genes that were first identified in Drosophila as developmental mutants. This, of course, is no accident, but part of a strategy to move directly into the molecular basis of Xenopus development, shortcutting some of the biochemical purifications that haunted the embryologists of the previous era. From the establishment of the organizer to the beginnings of the neural tube, there are various inductive events and responses. The chapter shows an impressive collection of genes that are already known to be involved in this process. Therefore, it is fair to say that the search for a single simple molecular solution to the problem of neural induction—considered to be a holy grail by a previous generation of embryologists—is turning out to uncover a rich molecular network that cannot resolve into a simple or solitary pathway.
Adverse Events During Hemodialysis in LVAD Recipients

Introduction Over the past decade, implantable left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) have become an acceptable alternative to support patients with advanced heart failure, either as a bridge to transplantation or as destination therapy for patients who are not candidates for heart transplantation. As the number of LVAD implantation increases, greater number of LVAD recipients requiring long term renal replacement therapy (RRT), usually chronic hemodialysis (HD), will be seen. This is due to common simultaneous chronic kidney disease in patients with heart failure, but more frequently due to irreversible acute kidney injury occurring in the peri-implantation period. There though is limited data on HD in LVAD recipients. We sought to assess adverse events that required early termination of HD sessions in HeartWare LVAD recipients while they were hospitalized after LVAD implantation. Methods Between 2015 and 2017 at the University of Maryland Medical Center, 7 patients required HD after LVAD implantation. These 7 patients had a total of 92 HD sessions during their hospitalizations. The average age of the patients was 46 +/- 11.9 years old. Two patients had ESRD and were on HD prior to LVAD implantation. The remaining five patients had CKD but were not on HD. The pre-LVAD creatinine average for all 7 patients was 2.55 +/- 1.8. After LVAD implantation, all of the patients were initially on continuous renal replacement therapy before being transitioned to HD. HD was started anywhere from within 2 to 57 days after LVAD implantation. Results LVAD settings were typically not adjusted during HD sessions. Additionally, during HD all patients were on midodrine, vasopressors, or fludrocortisone to help increase blood pressure. There were seven HD sessions that required early termination due to symptomatic hypotension (3), asymptomatic hypotension (2), sinus tachycardia and cramping and discomfort. The average duration of all HD sessions was 172 minutes and the average duration of HD sessions that were terminated early was 148 minutes. Low flow LVAD alarms did not activate during any of the sessions. Conclusion 7 out of 92 sessions required early termination and the most common reasons (5 out of 7) were related to hypotension. Complications related to blood pressure was also found to be the most common reason for termination of HD in previous study of HD sessions in Heartmate LVAD patients. As a result of continuous-flow technology, in most LVAD recipients, there is an absence of pulse, precluding the standard assessment of blood pressure, making assessment of blood pressure during dialysis difficult. There needs to be more research on how to address this in addition to how to optimize and change LVAD settings during HD sessions.
Electrophoretic Separation of the Soluble Protein of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, S. trifoliorum and S. Minor

Abstract. Soluble proteins extracted from 3 species of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, S. trifoliorum and S. minor were separated on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The three species of Sclerotinia could be distinguished by their protein patterns. Ringkasan. Ekstrak protein dari Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, S. trifiliorum dan S. Minor, sebagai jamur penyebab penyakit sayur-sayuran, telah dapat dipisahkan dengan cara “polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis”. Berdasarkan pola-pola protein yang dibentuk, maka ketiga species tersebut dapat dibedakan, walaupun masih ada beberapa protein yang homolog yang dipunyai oleh ketiga species tersebut.
Characteristics of Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil (GRS) Walls: an Overview of Field-Scale Experiments and Analytical Studies

This article starts with an overview of reinforced soil retaining walls, in that the fundamental differences in design concepts between externally and internally stabilized reinforced soil walls were explained. Mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls belong to the former, whereas geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) walls belong to the latter. MSE walls with geosynthetics as reinforcement have sometimes been referred to as GMSE walls. GMSE walls have seen to suffer from an unusually high failure rate of about 5 to 8%. GRS walls, on the other hand, have seen a very low failure rate. This article addresses 11 major features of GRS which help to explain the very low failure rate. The features, learned from field-scale experiments and analytical studies, include the following: (1) behavior of internally stabilized reinforced soil mass, (2) effect of tight reinforcement spacing, (3) the lateral earth pressure (“bin pressure”) against facing, (4) facing connection strength of GRS, (5) relative roles of reinforcement spacing vs. reinforcement strength in GRS, (6) the Wu-Pham GRS load-carrying capacity equation, (7) approaching a K0 stress condition in GRS, (8) rational evaluation of pullout failure of GRS, (9) seismic resistance of GRS, (10) creep and stress relaxation of GRS, and (11) GRS with truncated base. It is the author’s hope that the article will add to reader’s understanding of GRS and make better use of this novel technology in wall construction.
Hanging Bridge: Racial Violence and America’s Civil Rights Century

In his harrowing local study Hanging Bridge: Racial Violence and America’s Civil Rights Century, Jason Morgan Ward lays bare a putrid truth of Jim Crow America—that whites sought to enforce their s...
Late Quaternary vertebrates from the Upper Gunnison Basin, Colorado, and small-mammal community resilience to climate change since the last glacial maximum

The Upper Gunnison Basin (UGB), Colorado, is a montane region characterized by unusual physiography and topographic isolation. Excavations of three caves in the UGB provide one of the most diverse records of high-elevation late Quaternary vertebrates in North America. The localities, Haystack Cave (2450 m above sea level [m asl]), Cement Creek Cave (2860 m asl), and Signature Cave (3055 m asl), together provide a near-continuous record of vertebrate communities that extends from before the last glacial maximum to the present. These communities largely represent a sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe-tundra environment that prevailed throughout the UGB in the late Pleistocene. At least five taxa of extinct large mammals disappear from the UGB by the Early Holocene; one small mammal (the short-faced skunk Brachyprotoma cf. B. brevimala) also became extinct. The fossil record further indicates that only four small extant mammals (Sorex preblei, Dicrostonyx sp., Lemmiscus curtatus, and Urocitellus elegans) were extirpated from the UGB by the Early Holocene, in part because of community restructuring and loss of open habitats with expansion of forests to higher elevations. An analysis of taxonomic richness and evenness at Cement Creek Cave indicates high resilience in the small mammal community despite major climate shifts over the past 40,000+ yr.
Geriatric Assessment in a Primary Care Environment: A Standardized Patient Case Activity for Interprofessional Students

Introduction Given the aging population and the benefits of comprehensive geriatric assessment to this subset of patients, an interprofessional education training approach may be advantageous for l...
Embryology and Teratology

Abstract This chapter provides an update on rat (Rattus norvegicus) embryology, including the steps of preimplantation, implantation, and gastrulation. It also describes the process of organogenesis in the rat, with emphasis placed on neural tube formation, craniofacial development, and limb development. Teratology is the study of abnormalities of physiological development. Experimental teratology gained its current relevance after the thalidomide tragedy, which led to the development and revision of specific regulatory guidelines in drug safety. In studies to evaluate effects on embryo–fetal development, usually the rat is used as the primary species and rabbits as the secondary species. The International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use guidelines state that the rat is the most often used rodent species for reasons of practicality, general knowledge of pharmacology in this species, and the large amount of historical background data. This chapter describes in detail the various aspects of embryo–fetal developmental study design using the rat as the primary species.
Ice Mining in Lunar Permanently Shadowed Regions

The Colorado School of Mines has developed a system architecture for a lunar permanently shadowed region (PSR) mining operation to extract and process water ice into liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen p...
Chapter 8 – Miniaturization

Publisher Summary Interest in miniaturization is increasing with the growing environmental concerns over waste disposal and the high cost of many biological samples. Because of high resolution, selectivity, sensitivity, and speed, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) have become the methods of choice for a vast array of analytical separations. Miniaturization of these techniques offers many advantages. This chapter presents an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of various types of miniaturization, and the requirements they impose on instrument design. One advantage is that HPLC, which uses high pressure and high flow rates, can be more readily interfaced with spectroscopic identification techniques such as mass spectrometry, which require much lower flow rates. Interest in the miniaturization of CE has progressed in the direction of CE on a silicon chip.
Putting the Theory Back in 'Music Theory'

What is music theory? This foundational question is scarcely even broached in textbooks and classrooms, and that fact has allowed naive views to persist among students and teachers alike. This state of affairs has also perpetuated an unfortunate disconnectedness in institutional and disciplinary conceptions of music theory, including through the devaluing of music theory "fundamentals." In this essay, I argue for a purposeful centering of theory as an intellectual enterprise; I describe a subtle reformulation of elementary music theory that celebrates its epistemological essence and methodological complexities; and I identify meta-theoretical issues that can be seamlessly introduced early in the music theory curriculum without compromising the delivery of content itself. I begin by describing a classroom discussion prompt that motivates a working definition of "theory" in general, which in turn can be leveraged throughout the music theory curriculum. I then describe several interactive lessons that highlight the theoretical underpinnings of certain venerable topics in tonal music. The study of music theory, even from the very first rudiments, is thus transformed from a stern rite of passage mired in dry technicalities, into an expansive intellectual endeavor—reminding students that they themselves are theorists, both in class and in life.
Inclusion of electronic sports in the Olympic Games for the right (or wrong) reasons

With so many popular and unique sports played around the world, one of the most important challenges for the International Olympic Committee is deciding which ones merit inclusion in the Olympic Ga...
Paying for Sustained Private-Public Vaccine Co-Development: COVID-19 and Beyond

The United States is pursuing a vaccine for COVID-19 with a bottom-up, mission-based private-public industrial policy. This is a pivot from its earlier industrial policy of supporting the global vaccine development ecosystem. With so much development cost already borne by governmental investors, there should be opportunities to recycle revenue from successful vaccines to strengthen ongoing support for vaccine preparedness. Sooner or later the U.S. will return to the vaccine ecosystem support mode. Methods of pricing the vaccine and recouping revenue to support that ongoing research are presented. Because development is a process of uncertainty reduction, the initial co-development contracts should use differing payment mechanisms at different stages of co-development, the final portion of which is the allocation of revenue to both public and private investors. The public part can be recycled into future vaccine preparedness.
On the Minimum Node Degree and k-Connectivity in Inhomogeneous Random K-Out Graphs

Inhomogeneous random K-out graphs were recently introduced to model heterogeneous sensor networks secured by random pairwise key predistribution schemes. First, each of the $n$ nodes is classified as type-1 (respectively, type-2) with probability $0 (respectively, $1-\mu$ ) independently from each other. Next, each type-1 (respectively, type-2) node draws 1 arc towards a node (respectively, $K_{n}$ arcs towards $K_{n}$ distinct nodes) selected uniformly at random, and then the orientation of the arcs is ignored. It was recently established that the inhomogeneous random K-out graph is 1-connected asymptotically almost surely (a.a.s.) if and only if $K_{n}=\omega (1)$ . In this work, we analyze the $k$ -connectivity of inhomogeneous random K-out graphs; i.e., with $k=1, 2, \ldots $ , the property that the network remains connected despite the removal of any $k-1$ nodes or links. We first establish a zero-one law for the property that the minimum node degree is at least $k$ . In particular, we present scaling conditions on $\mu $ and $K_{n}$ such that the resulting graph has minimum degree at least $k$ with probability approaching one (respectively, zero) constituting the one-law (respectively, zero-law), as the number of nodes gets large. We show that for $k=2, 3, \ldots $ , we need to set $K_{n} = \frac {1}{1-\mu }(\log n +(k-2)\log \log n + \omega (1))$ for the network to have a minimum node degree of at least $k$ a.a.s. Next, we prove that having $K_{n} = \frac {1}{1-\mu }(\log n +(k-2)\log \log n + \omega (1))$ also ensures that the graph is $k$ -connected a.a.s., meaning that the zero-one laws for minimum node degree and $k$ -connectivity coincide. We present simulation results to demonstrate the usefulness of the results in the finite node regime. The results given here indicate an interesting fact about inhomogeneous random K-out graphs, i.e., that the number of additional edges needed to go from 1-connectivity to $k$ -connectivity with $k \geq 2$ is unexpectedly larger as compared to many classical random graph models studied before.
Association of adenovirus type 12 deoxyribonucleic acid with host cell chromosomes.

Abstract Preparations of purified 3H-labeled adenovirus type 12 (3H-Ad. 12) were analyzed for radioactive impurities by Millipore filtration and ultracentrifugation. It was found that only about 1% of the isotope activity was separable from the virions. Exposure of hamster cell lines to 3H-Ad. 12 resulted in nonlytic infections, and autoradiography indicated that viral deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), or parts thereof, became associated with host cell chromosomes. Usually, the label was observed in the form of small clusters of grains, as described previously for lytic adenovirus infections of human embryonic kidney cells. The uptake of labeled virus by the PT-K1 line of ratkangaroo cells was close to background level. These cells did not adsorb the virus to any significant extent. Ultraviolet irradiation of the virus for as long as 8 min did not affect viral adsorption onto susceptible cells, nor did it alter the association of viral DNA with host cell chromosomes. The capacity of the virus to induce chromosomal aberrations decreased linearly with an increase in the dose of irradiation, but the decrease occurred at a rate which was four- to fivefold slower than the rate of inactivation of viral infectivity. These results suggest that the capacity to induce chromosomal aberrations is controlled by viral genes.