cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Design Strategies for Biocontainment Units to Reduce Risk During Doffing of High-level Personal Protective Equipment

Background Few data exist to guide the physical design of biocontainment units, particularly the doffing area. This can impact the contamination risk of healthcare workers (HCWs) during doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE). Methods In phase I of our study, we analyzed simulations of a standard patient care task with 56 trained HCWs focusing on doffing of high-level PPE. In phase II, using a rapid cycle improvement approach, we tested different balance aids and redesigned doffing area layouts with 38 students. In phase III, we tested 1 redesigned layout with an additional 10 trained HCWs. We assessed the effectiveness of design changes on improving the HCW performance (measured by occurrence and number of risky behaviors) and reducing the physical and cognitive load by comparing the results from phase I and phase III. Results The physical load was highest when participants were removing their shoe covers without any balance aid; the use of a chair required the lowest physical effort, followed by horizontal and vertical grab bars. In the revised design (phase III), the overall performance of participants improved. There was a significant decrease in the number of HCW risky behaviors (P = .004); 5 risky behaviors were eliminated and 2 others increased. There was a significant decrease in physical load when removing disposable shoe covers (P = .04), and participants reported a similar workload in the redesigned doffing layout (P = .43). Conclusions Through optimizing the design and layout of the doffing space, we reduced risky behaviors of HCWs during doffing of high-level PPE.
The emotion of joy: commentary on Johnson

In this contribution, I push for a deeper understanding of the emotion of joy as compared to happiness and to other discrete positive emotions, by specifying its appraisals and functions. I suggest...
Generalized Contact Constraints of Hybrid Trajectory optimization for Different Terrains and Analysis of Sensitivity to Randomized Initial Guesses

To generate a dynamic bipedal walking with foot rolling motion for bipedal robot, hybrid trajectory optimization is capable of planning level walking with great energetic efficiency. However, the direct implementation of this optimization requires different sets of variables to express different active contact constraints, which can be complicated to implement. To simplify the optimization formulation, we propose the generalized contact constraints where the same set of variables are used through all the walking phases. By changing the variable and constraint bounds, different contact constraints for different contact conditions can be generally expressed. The proposed modifications are applied on the bipedal robot AMBER 3, where the optimization results on different terrains are compared and discussed. On the other hand, it is known that a randomized initial guess can be used to solve this optimization, yet its effect on the gaits on different terrains is unclear. As a result, we analyzed the sensitivity of the optimization to a set of randomized initial guesses. The level and downslope walking gaits are also validated via the experiments on AMBER 3.
Not all disengagement coping strategies are created equal: positive distraction, but not avoidance, can be an adaptive coping strategy for chronic life stressors.

Background: Positive distraction involves distracting oneself from a stressor by thinking about or engaging in activities that induce positive emotion. We hypothesized that although it is a disenga...
Outcome evaluation of the Dental Health Outreach Mobile Experience (HOME) Coach Program.

Background The Ohio Department of Health identified dental care as the number one unmet health need for Ohio's children. The Dental Health Outreach Mobile Experience (HOME) Coach is a pediatric mobile dental unit that seeks to meet the dental needs of underserved children in the Columbus City Schools. Purpose The purpose was to conduct an outcome evaluation of the Dental HOME Coach Program and to compare the outcomes before (2010-2014) and after (2015-2019) the incorporation of the new Dental HOME Coach. Methods Using a longitudinal outcome evaluation research design, the data were analyzed from 10 years of the Dental HOME Coach Program at the Ohio State University (OSU) College of Dentistry during the academic years ending in 2010-2019. Results A total of 1063 dental students provided dental care to 26469 children in the Columbus City Schools. The top 3 performed procedures were sealants, prophylaxis, and resin composite fillings. Despite significant increases in the number of dental students providing oral health care, there were significant decreases in the number of amalgam fillings and stainless-steel crowns from before to after the incorporation of the new Dental HOME Coach. Conclusion The outcome evaluation revealed the Dental HOME Coach Program has been providing underserved children with oral health care that offers them a dental "home," giving dental students an array of hands-on learning experiences that include pediatric dentistry treatments performed under the supervision of OSU faculty members, and positively impacting the problems of access to oral health care for Ohio's families.
Advances in extracorporeal membrane oxygenator design for artificial placenta technology.

Extreme prematurity, defined as a gestational age of fewer than 28 weeks, is a significant health problem worldwide. It carries a high burden of mortality and morbidity, in large part due to the immaturity of the lungs at this stage of development. The standard of care for these patients includes support with mechanical ventilation, which exacerbates lung pathology. Extracorporeal life support (ECLS), also called artificial placenta technology when applied to extremely preterm (EPT) infants, offers an intriguing solution. ECLS involves providing gas exchange via an extracorporeal device, thereby doing the work of the lungs and allowing them to develop without being subjected to injurious mechanical ventilation. While ECLS has been successfully used in respiratory failure in full term neonates, children, and adults, it has not been applied effectively to the EPT patient population. In this review, we discuss the unique aspects of EPT infants and the challenges of applying ECLS to these patients. In addition, we review recent progress in artificial placenta technology development. We then offer analysis on design considerations for successful engineering of a membrane oxygenator for an artificial placenta circuit. Finally, we examine next generation oxygenators that might advance the development of artificial placenta devices.
Is AI Taking Over the World? No, but It's Making it Less Private

This talk highlights challenges and opportunities for trustworthy AI with a focus on privacy attacks and countermeasures. AI and machine learning have no future if their privacy and security concerns are not addressed. Machine learning models could hide malicious code or back doors, and leak private information about users. We will explore inference attacks against machine learning models and frameworks (e.g., federated learning), and set out the requirements for privacy-preserving AI systems.
Generation of genetically tailored porcine liver cancer cells by CRISPR/Cas9 editing.

Pigs provide a valuable large animal model for several diseases due to their similarity with humans in anatomy, physiology, genetics and drug metabolism. We recently generated a porcine model for TP53R167H and KRASG12D driven hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by autologous liver implantation. Here we describe a streamlined approach for developing genetically tailored porcine HCC cells by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and isolation of homogenous genetically validated cell clones. The combination of CRISPR/Cas9 editing of HCC cells described herein with the orthotopic HCC model enables development of various porcine HCC models, each with a specific mutational profile. This allows modeling the effect of different driver mutation combinations on tumor progression and in vivo testing of novel targeted therapeutic approaches in a clinically relevant large animal model.
Diversity of developing peripheral glia revealed by single cell RNA sequencing

Abstract The peripheral nervous system responds to a wide variety of sensory stimuli, a process that requires great neuronal diversity. These diverse peripheral sensory neurons are closely associated with glial cells that originate from the neural crest (NC). However, the molecular nature and origins of diversity among peripheral glia is not understood. Here we used single cell RNA sequencing to profile and compare developing and mature glia from somatosensory lumbar dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and auditory spiral ganglia (SG). We found that the glial precursors (GPs) differ in their transcriptional profile and prevalence in these two systems. Despite their unique features, somatosensory and auditory GPs undergo convergent differentiation to generate myelinating and non-myelinating Schwann cells that are molecularly uniform. By contrast, although satellite glia surround the neuronal cell bodies in both ganglia, we found that those in the SG express multiple myelination-associated genes, while DRG satellite cells express components that suppress myelination. Lastly, we identified a set of glial signature genes that are also expressed by placode-derived supporting cells, providing new insights into commonalities among glia across the nervous system. This comprehensive survey of gene expression in peripheral glia constitutes a valuable resource for understanding how glia acquire specialized functions and how their roles differ across sensory modalities.
Flawed Logic for Death Penalty Abolition: An Analysis of Unrequited Innocence in U.S. Capital Cases

This is a response to the recent article, Unrequited Innocence in U.S. Capital Cases: Unintended Consequences of the Fourth Kind which demonstrates many of the problems with abolitionist advocacy. Namely, the conflation of innocence with wrongful convictions and unaddressed issues with policy proposals.
Middle Ear and Temporal Bone Papilloma: A Clinicopathologic Study and Comprehensive Literature Review of 57 Cases.

Sinonasal papilloma (SP), formerly Schneiderian papilloma, represents a rare group of benign epithelial neoplasms, most commonly identified in the sinonasal tract, while less frequently identified in the pharynx, lacrimal sac, and middle ear. Within temporal bone sinonasal-type papilloma (TBSP), there seems to be a much higher recurrence and malignant transformation risk than those identified in the sinonasal tract. Based on this clinical report and a review of the cases reported in the English literature, 49% of the 57 cases developed in the setting of concurrent or antecedent sinonasal or nasopharyngeal SP. There is an equal sex distribution (26 females and 31 males), with a broad age range (19–81 years) at presentation (median 56 years; average 54 years). Three patients had bilateral disease. Symptoms include a mass lesion with hearing loss, otitis media, otorrhea, otalgia, and tinnitus, among others. Inverted SP was identified in 42 patients, oncocytic SP in six, and exophytic SP in four (undefined in the remainder). Recurrence was identified in 38 of 49 patients with follow-up (78%), often with multiple recurrences over time, with carcinoma developing in the temporal bone in 19 patients (33%), with males developing carcinoma by a 1.7:1 ratio over females. Surgery was the treatment of choice (radical mastoidectomy) with 6 patients (10%) dead of disease (median 30 months, mean 38 months), while 47 patients were alive at last follow-up: 31 without disease (mean 33 months); 7 with locally recurrent disease (mean 20 months); 9 patients alive but with unknown disease status; and 4 patients without follow-up. In conclusion, TBSP is frequently identified in the setting of concurrent sinonasal tract disease, showing similar histologic features to sinonasal tract counterparts. There is no sex predilection, with patients most commonly presenting in the sixth decade of life. Recurrences are common, with carcinoma developing much more frequently than in sinonasal tract papilloma (33%), but recognizing that carcinoma may be documented in either or both anatomic sites. Overall outcome is excellent, with long term clinical follow-up warranted to manage recurrence or malignant transformation.
What makes a good fecal egg count technique

The first parasite fecal egg counting techniques were described over 100 years ago, and fecal egg counting remains essential in parasitology research as well as in clinical practice today. Several novel techniques have been introduced and validated in recent years, but this work has also highlighted several current issues in this research field. There is a lack of consensus on which diagnostic parameters to evaluate and how to properly design studies doing so. Furthermore, there is a confusing and sometimes incorrect use of terminology describing performance of fecal egg counting techniques, and it would be helpful to address these. This manuscript reviews qualitative and quantitative diagnostic performance parameters, discusses their relevance for fecal egg counting techniques, and highlights some of the challenges with determining them. Qualitative parameters such as diagnostic sensitivity and specificity may be considered classic diagnostic performance metrics, but they generally only have implications at low egg count levels. The detection limit of a given technique is often referred to as the "analytical sensitivity", but this is misleading as the detection limit is a theoretically derived number, whereas analytical sensitivity is determined experimentally. Thus, the detection limit is not a diagnostic performance parameter and does not inform on the diagnostic sensitivity of a technique. Quantitative performance parameters such as accuracy and precision are highly relevant for describing the performance of fecal egg counting techniques, and precision is arguably the more important of the two. An absolute determination of accuracy can only be achieved by use of samples spiked with known quantities of parasite ova, but spiking does not necessarily mimic the true distribution of eggs within a sample, and accuracy estimates are difficult to reproduce between laboratories. Instead, analysis of samples from naturally infected animals can be used to achieve a relative ranking of techniques according to egg count magnitude. Precision can be estimated in a number of different approaches, but it is important to ensure a relevant representation of egg count levels in the study sample set, as low egg counts tend to associate with lower precision estimates. Coefficients of variation generally provide meaningful measures of precision that are independent of the multiplication factor of the techniques evaluated. Taken together, there is a need for clear guidelines for studies validating fecal egg counting techniques in veterinary parasitology with emphasis on what should be evaluated, how studies could be designed, and how to appropriately analyze the data. Furthermore, there is a clear need for better consensus regarding use of terminology describing the diagnostic performance of fecal egg count techniques.
Associations between remote patient monitoring programme responsiveness and clinical outcomes for patients with COVID-19.

Objective To assess whether engagement in a COVID-19 remote patient monitoring (RPM) programme or telemedicine programme improves patient outcomes. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study analysing patient responsiveness to our RPM survey or telemedicine visits and outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Daily text message surveys and telemedicine consultations were offered to all patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at our institutional screening centres. Survey respondents with alarm responses were contacted by a nurse. We assessed the relationship between virtual engagement (telemedicine or RPM survey response) and clinical outcomes using multivariable logistic regression. Results Between 10 July 2020 and 2 January 2021, 6822 patients tested positive, with 1230 (18%) responding to at least one survey. Compared with non-responders, responders were younger (49 vs 53 years) and more likely to be white (40% vs 33%) and female (65% vs 55%) and had fewer comorbidities. After adjustment, individuals who engaged virtually were less likely to experience an emergency department visit, hospital admission or intensive care unit–level care. Conclusion Telemedicine and RPM programme engagement (vs no engagement) were associated with better outcomes, but this was likely due to differences in groups at baseline rather than the efficacy of our intervention alone.
Structural basis for mismatch surveillance by CRISPR/Cas9

The widespread use of CRISPR/Cas9 as a programmable genome editing tool has been hindered by off-target DNA cleavage (Cong et al., 2013; Doudna, 2020; Fu et al., 2013; Jinek et al., 2013). While analysis of such off-target editing events have enabled the development of Cas9 variants with greater discrimination against mismatches (Chen et al., 2017; Kleinstiver et al., 2016; Slaymaker et al., 2016), the underlying molecular mechanisms by which Cas9 rejects or accepts mismatches are poorly understood (Kim et al., 2019; Liu et al., 2020; Slaymaker and Gaudelli, 2021). Here, we used kinetic analysis to guide cryo-EM structure determination of Cas9 at different stages of mismatch surveillance. We observe a distinct, previously undescribed linear conformation of the duplex formed between the guide RNA (gRNA) and DNA target strand (TS), that occurs in the presence of PAM-distal mismatches, preventing Cas9 activation. The canonical kinked gRNA:TS duplex is a prerequisite for Cas9 activation, acting as a structural scaffold to facilitate Cas9 conformational rearrangements necessary for DNA cleavage. We observe that highly tolerated PAM- distal mismatches achieve this kinked conformation through stabilization of a distorted duplex conformation via a flexible loop in the RuvC domain. Our results provide molecular insights into the underlying structural mechanisms that may facilitate off- target cleavage by Cas9 and provides a molecular blueprint for the design of next- generation high fidelity Cas9 variants that selectively reduce off-target DNA cleavage while retaining efficient cleavage of on-target DNA.
Radiation dose of fluoroscopy-guided versus ultralow-dose CT-fluoroscopy-guided lumbar spine epidural steroid injections

Compare radiation dose of lumbar spine epidural steroid injections (ESIs) performed under fluoroscopy guidance and ultralow-dose CT-fluoroscopy guidance. Retrospective review of consecutive lumbar ESIs performed using fluoroscopy, between May 2017 and April 2019, and using ultralow-dose CT-fluoroscopy, between August 2019 and February 2021, was performed. Ultralow-dose CT-fluoroscopy technique omits a planning CT scan, utilizes CT-fluoroscopy, and minimizes radiation dose parameters. Patient characteristics (age, sex, height, weight, body mass index (BMI)), procedural characteristics (anatomic level, type of ESI, procedure time, pain reduction, complications, trainee participation), and radiation dose were compared. Chi-square tests and two-sample t-tests were performed for statistical analysis. One hundred and forty-seven patients (mean age 55.8 ± 16.7; 85 women) underwent ESIs using fluoroscopy. Sixty-six patients (mean age 60.9 ± 16.7; 33 women) underwent ESIs using ultralow-dose CT-fluoroscopy. The effective dose for the fluoroscopy group was 0.30 mSv ± 0.34, compared to 0.15 mSV ± 0.11 for ultralow-dose CT-fluoroscopy (p < 0.001). The average age in the CT-fluoroscopy group was older (p = 0.04), and there was more trainee participation in the fluoroscopy group (p < 0.001); otherwise there was no statistically significant difference in patient or procedural characteristics between the conventional fluoroscopy group and the ultralow-dose CT-fluoroscopy group. There was no statistically significant difference in immediate post-procedure pain reduction between the groups (p = 0.16). Four intrathecal injections occurred only in the fluoroscopy group, though this difference was not significant (p = 0.18). Ultralow-dose CT-fluoroscopy technique for image-guided lumbar spine ESIs can lower radiation dose compared to fluoroscopy-guided technique.
Improvement in non-linguistic executive functions following reading acceleration training in children with reading difficulties: An ERP study

Abstract The Reading Acceleration Program (RAP) increases reading speed and executive functioning in the linguistic domain in both children with reading disability and typical readers. We tested the effect of the RAP training on executive functions in non-linguistic domains in these two reading groups. Electrophysiological measures were taken while children completed a computerized version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, before and after eight weeks of training. Both reading groups had task improvement following the RAP, indicating improvements in non-linguistic executive functioning that correlated with higher reading scores. Both groups also had increased accuracy and reaction times and decreased N100 and P300 components of event-related potentials (ERP) following the RAP. However, children with reading disability had greater decreases than typical readers in ERP components after training. Based on our results, we suggest that in addition to previous evidence of improvement in the linguistic domain (i.e., reading), the RAP training also affects basic and complex non-linguistic executive functions.
Federal Manpower in Water Resource Engineering

There are over 20,000 water resource engineers employed by all branches of the Federal government. Forecasts indicate more will be needed in the years ahead. Their tasks are constantly changing and they are being required to adapt to amplified responsibilities in connection with the search for new and varied sources of energy in which water plays a critical role. In addition, our engineers are being asked to adopt the role of educator in training and inspiring the engineers of developing nations in order that these countries may become self-sufficient in food and power production. The ways in which formal engineering education itself should modify the traditional approach and broaden the social and political consciousness of the developing engineer and aid the practicing professional are covered. The future requirements for Federal manpower are explored. The varied disciplines necessary to solve new problems in desalting, wastewater treatment, and weather modification are summarized.
High resolution millimeter-wave imaging sensor

A scanning, dual polarization, 3-mm radiometer has been built for use on a small aircraft to produce real-time high angular resolution (0.5°) images of the ground during atmospheric conditions (smoke, dust, and clouds) in which IR and visual sensors are not usable. The preliminary mm-wave images from the first test flights and analysis will be presented.
The Legislative Legacy of Congressional Campaigns: Campaigns as Signals

For promise keeping to occur at high rates, candidates must have the incentive to make sincere appeals in their campaigns and winning legislators must have the motivation and the opportunity to follow through on these appeals once in office. For it to be meaningful, the actions legislators take on their campaign promises must not be solely symbolic. This chapter addresses both of these issues. I first establish in more detail legislators' reasons for engaging in promise keeping and discuss why the content of their governing agendas serves as a useful target for measuring this responsiveness. I then develop hypotheses about variation in this behavior at the individual and aggregate levels. I anticipate that promise keeping will be widespread, but that levels will vary in a predictable fashion across types of appeals, across legislators, across activities, across chambers, and across time. As is conventional in work on legislative behavior, I begin with the assumption that reelection is legislators' most proximate goal (Mayhew 1974). As such, I expect that legislators will not knowingly endanger their electoral prospects and will devote time and effort to actions that promote them. To the extent that promise keeping helps them to accomplish this goal, we should observe them engaging in it at high rates. At the same time, though, I also assume that reelection is not legislators' sole goal, that there is not a single route to achieving it, that it is interconnected with legislators' other goals, and that there is at least some path dependency at work.
Private sector participation and the poor: Realizing the full potential of transactions in the water sector

An increasing number of national and local governments are turning to the private sector to manage and expand their networks for water and sanitation services. The trend has raised concerns about how the poor fare under such arrangements, but a growing body of evidence suggests that private firms are willing and able to serve low-income areas if given the incentives and flexibility to do so.
Towards a comprehensive developmental model of pathological gambling.

Aims To develop a comprehensive etiological model of pathological gambling (PG) for men and women based on Kendler's development model for major depression, which groups 22 risk factors into five developmental tiers (childhood, early adolescence, late adolescence, adulthood, last year). We hypothesized that: (1) all risk factors would be associated significantly with PG; (2) the effect of risk factors in earlier developmental tiers would be accounted for by later tiers; and (3) there would be few gender differences. Design Separate models were built for life-time gambling and for 12-month PG among those with life-time gambling. Setting Data drawn from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) in the United States. Participants Respondents to NESARC wave 1 (n = 43 093). Measurements Odds ratios (OR) and adjusted OR (AOR) were used to determine the risk factors in multiple models. Findings After mutually adjusting for other risk factors, family history of substance use disorders (SUD) or depression, impulsivity, childhood-onset anxiety, number of Axis I and II disorders, history of SUD, nicotine dependence, social deviance in adulthood, and past-year history of SUD, nicotine dependence and independent stressful life events predicted life-time gambling. Past history of PG, number of personality disorders and past year nicotine dependence were associated significantly with 12-month PG (all P < 0.05). There were no significant gender interactions for 12-month PG. Conclusions A modification of Kendler's model for major depression provides a foundation for the development of a comprehensive developmental model of pathological gambling. Life-time history of gambling and 12-month pathological gambling appear to be determined by risk factors in several developmental levels, with the effect of earlier development tiers accounted for by later ones.
Hellenism in Byzantium: “The world a city”: Romans of the East

It is well known that the people we call Byzantines today called themselves Romans (Romaioi). In the middle period of Byzantium's history, with which the second and more narrative part of this study will be chiefly concerned, this “national” label appears or is pervasive in virtually all texts and documents (excluding the strictly theological) regardless of the geographical and social origins of their authors, which, in Byzantium, were diverse. (“Byzantines” were for them only the residents of Constantinople, archaically styled after the City's classical name.) These Romans called their state Romania (Ῥωμανία) or Romais, its capital New Rome (among other names, titles, and epithets), and its rulers the basileis of the Romans, whom we call “emperors.” This Roman identity survived the fall of the empire and Ottoman rule, though it was greatly changed by those events. While in Byzantium the Romans were a highly unified nation, under the Porte they were redefined so as to encompass a multi-ethnic and linguistically diverse religious community. Later, with the foundation of the modern Greek state, romiosyne came to represent the orthodox and demotic aspects of the new Hellenic national persona, complementing the classical and idealistic aspect that was projected abroad. Continuity and change are alike illustrated in a story remembered by Peter Charanis, born on the island of Lemnos in 1908 and later a professor of Byzantine history at Rutgers University.
Effects of Temperature and Salt on Dye Mixtures in the Batch Dyeing Process

For real-time control, it is usually desirable to formulate a mathematical model of the process to be controlled. Such a model assists in the selection of control parameters and enhances the understanding of the underlying processes. A mathematical model for two-dye mixtures is developed comprising a diffusion based model to account for dye penetration into the fiber and a nonlinear distribution function at the fiber surface based on the Langmuir isotherm. Since the behavior of dyes in mixtures often deviates from their behavior when used alone, the dyeing process cannot be modeled by a simple combination of single dye models. Numerical simulations of the behavior of direct cotton dye mixtures under varying conditions of temperature and salt concentration are also presented, and compared with experiments.
Predicting Medical Student Success on Licensure Exams

Many schools seek to predict performance on national exams required for medical school graduation using prematriculation and medical school performance data. The need for targeted intervention strategies for at-risk students has led much of this interest. Assumptions that preadmission data and high stakes in-house medical exams correlate strongly with national standardized exam performance needs to be examined. Looking at prematriculation data for predicting USMLE Step 1 performance, we found that MCAT exam totals and math-science GPA had the best prediction from a set of prematriculation values (adjusted R 2 = 11.7 %) for step 1. The addition of scores from the first medical school exam improved our predictive capabilities with a linear model to 27.9 %. As we added data to the model, we increased our predictive values as expected. However, it was not until we added data from year 2 exams that we started to get step 1 prediction values that exceeded 50 %. Stepwise addition of more exams in year two resulted in much higher predictive values but also led to the exclusion of many early variables. Therefore, our best step 1 predictive value of around 76.7 % consisted of three variables from a total of 37. These data suggest that the preadmission information is a relatively poor predictor of licensure exam performance and that including class exam scores allows for much more accurate determination of students who ultimately proved to be at risk for performance on their licensure exams. The continuous use of this data, as it becomes available, for assisting at-risk students is discussed (251).
Forrest gump—Accountant: A study of accounting in the motion picture industry

Abstract This case is designed to be used in a junior/senior level cost/managerial course or an MBA level managerial course. It provides instructors with the ability to address a wide variety of issues while demonstrating the interrelationships in the various sub-areas of financial, managerial and tax accounting. The entertainment industry is used as a backdrop where the instructor may cover any or all of the following topics: cost terminology, cost behavior, C-V-P analysis, compensation, control, overhead allocation, ethics, revenue recognition, tax recognition, matching, and valuation issues. The case can be used for individual assignments, but it is particularly well suited for a group assignment.
Selection of multiple cued items is possible during visual short-term memory maintenance

Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that maintenance of a selected object feature held in visual short-term/working memory (VSTM/VWM) is supported by the same neural mechanisms that encode the sensory information. If VSTM operates by retaining "reasonable copies" of scenes constructed during sensory processing (Serences, Ester, Vogel, & Awh, 2009, p. 207, the sensory recruitment hypothesis), then attention should be able to select multiple items represented in VSTM as long as the number of these attended items does not exceed the typical VSTM capacity. It is well known that attention can select at least two noncontiguous locations at the same time during sensory processing. However, empirical reports from the studies that examined this possibility are inconsistent. In the present study, we demonstrate that (1) attention can indeed select more than a single item during VSTM maintenance when observers are asked to recognize a set of items in the manner that these items were originally attended, and (2) attention can select multiple cued items regardless of whether these items are perceptually organized into a single group (contiguous locations) or not (noncontiguous locations). The results also replicate and extend the recent finding that selective attention that operates during VSTM maintenance is sensitive to the observers' goal and motivation to use the cueing information.
Stimulation of the adrenal gland of the Mongolian gerbil after ovariectomy.

The effect of ovariectomy on the adrenal gland was studied in the Mongolian gerbil. Castration stimulated cells in the zona fasciculata as well as those in the region between the zona fasciculata and zona reticularis. No alterations occurred in the zona reticularis. The width of the intermediate region was enlarged, the cells were hypertrophic and contained an increased number of concentric whorls of rough endoplasmic reticulum. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum was hypertrophie in cells of the zona fasciculata and intermediate region. Many mitochondria in cells of the intermediate region were larger than those in controls. Stimulation of cellular ultrastructure is directly correlated with a significant elevation in plasma cortisol in ovariectomized gerbils.
Deductive, rather than inductive, instruction leads to more rapid initial learning of a novel morpheme by school-age children with language impairment

Does explicit instruction in combination with modeling and recasting (deductive learning) or modeling and recasting alone (inductive learning) lead to higher rates of production, generalization, an...
Distributed intelligent agents

In Retsina, the authors have developed a distributed collection of software agents that cooperate asynchronously to perform goal-directed information retrieval and integration for supporting a variety of decision-making tasks. Examples for everyday organizational decision making and financial portfolio management demonstrate its effectiveness.
SU-E-I-44: Physics of MR Imaging to Study Whole Brain Atrophy in Ischemic Stroke Patients

Purpose: Studies on Whole brain atrophy (WBA) in ischemic stroke (IS) patients using MRI physics after the onset of stroke symptoms were sporadic in nature. The current work depicts the measurement of atrophy in untreated IS patients using advanced MR Imaging/ processing techniques. Methods: We have retrospectively (with approved IRB protocol) collected serial 19 MRI scans of 9 IS patients of age and gender matched with comparable stroke size (30 + 10 cc) admitted in Mayo Clinic from the past five years and have their MRIs between 1 month + 15 days, 6+1 month and 1 year + 1 month after the occurrence of IS. Two MRI exams were also retrospectively collected for 10 healthy subjects (who were not diagnosed with IS symptoms) with a time interval of 1 year + 1 month. The MR follow-up exams were collected on a 3-Tesla GE or Siemens MRI scanner using a matched MRI protocol which consists of T1 imaging sequence for anatomical volume extraction purposes. The images were post-processed using Analyze 11.0 software to calculate whole brain volumes. The T1/T2 images were processed using Analyze 11.0 software (Biomedical Imaging Resource, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN) and volumes were computed in a semi-automated method. For each patient, atrophy is computed at the second data point which is a ratio of change in volume to the original volume. Results and Conclusion: Compared to the healthy subjects, an increase of 18+10% of whole brain atrophy was observed in IS patients. This may be attributed to the fact that IS patients may suffer increase of atrophy or loss of brain volume compared to the healthy subjects. Additional data is needed to investigate further.
The groundwater land-surface atmosphere connection: Soil moisture effects on the atmospheric boundary layer in fully-coupled simulations

This study combines a variably-saturated groundwater flow model and a mesoscale atmospheric model to examine the effects of soil moisture heterogeneity on atmospheric boundary layer processes. This parallel, integrated model can simulate spatial variations in land-surface forcing driven by three-dimensional (3D) atmospheric and subsurface components. The development of atmospheric flow is studied in a series of idealized test cases with different initial soil moisture distributions generated by an offline spin-up procedure or interpolated from a coarse-resolution dataset. These test cases are performed with both the fully-coupled model (which includes 3D groundwater flow and surface water routing) and the uncoupled atmospheric model. The effects of the different soil moisture initializations and lateral subsurface and surface water flow are seen in the differences in atmospheric evolution over a 36-h period. The fully-coupled model maintains a realistic topographically-driven soil moisture distribution, while the uncoupled atmospheric model does not. Furthermore, the coupled model shows spatial and temporal correlations between surface and lower atmospheric variables and water table depth. These correlations are particularly strong during times when the land-surface temperatures trigger shifts in wind behavior, such as during early morning surface heating.
Structural analysis of the core region of the lipopolysaccharides from eight serotypes of Klebsiella pneumoniae

Abstract The core regions of the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from Klebsiella pneumoniae serotypes O1, O2a, O2a,c, O3, O4, O5, O8, and O12 were analysed using NMR spectroscopy, ESI-MS spectroscopy, and chemical methods. All the LPSs had similar core structures, as shown below, differing only in the number and position of β- d -galacturonic acid substituents: Download : Download full-size image where P is H or α-Hep, J, K is H or β-GalA. LPS from all serotypes contained varying proportions of structures having additional or missing phosphate substituents. The core from serotype O1 contained a minor amount of a previously described variant with α- dd -Hep-(1→2)-α- dd -Hep-(1→6)-α-GlcN-(1→ replacing the α-Hep-(1→4)-α-Kdo-(2→6)-α-GlcN-(1→ component.
The Engineering of Artificial Cellular Systems using Synthetic Biology Approaches

Artificial cellular systems are minimal systems that mimic certain properties of natural cells, including signaling pathways, membranes, and metabolic pathways. These artificial cells (or protocells) can be constructed following synthetic biology approaches by assembling biomembranes (the shell), synthetic gene circuits (the information), and cell-free expression systems (the engine). Specifically, we created new synthetic molecular systems to control genetic circuits of artificial cells. We also implemented a synthetic bacterial consortium for the synthesis of cell-free systems. Furthermore, we designed and tested a novel microfluidic platform for making uniform artificial cells. Since artificial cells are built from bottom-up using minimal and a defined number of components, they are more amenable to predictive mathematical modeling and engineered controls when compared to natural cells. Along this line, we will discuss the applications of artificial cells as drug delivery and in situ protein expression systems. Furthermore, we will discuss potential applications of artificial cells as biomimetic systems to unveil new insights into functions of natural cells, which are otherwise difficult to investigate due to their inherent complexity. It is our vision that the development of artificial cells will bring forth parallel advancements in synthetic biology, cell-free systems, and in vitro systems biology.
Strand scission of superhelical and linear duplex DNAs by the antitumor protein macromomycin. Relationship of in vitro DNA damage to cell growth inhibition.

Abstract Macromomycin, a protein antitumor drug, was found to cause strand scissions in vitro in superhelical PM2 and SV40 DNA as well as linear duplex λDNA. DNA damage appeared to be single rather than double-strand scissions, and there is an indication that DNA breaks occur at some preferential base sites. The DNA breaks were predominantly true single-strand scissions as opposed to alkali-labile bonds. The cutting reaction was inhibited by low temperature (0°C) and reached a maximum at 45°C. The reaction was not affected by 2-mercaptoethanol, although EDTA did cause a slight decrease in the reaction rate. MgCl 2 was found to be an effective inhibitor of the strand scission activity of the drug. The rate of DNA cutting was linear over a wide range of DNA substrate levels. There appeared to be a correlation between the drug's ability to damage DNA and to inhibit cell growth in that similar losses of these two activities occurred as the drug was thermally denatured.
Contrary to adult patients, expression of the multidrug resistance gene (MDR1) fails to define a poor prognostic group in childhood AML.

Contrary to adult patients, expression of the multidrug resistance gene (MDR1) fails to define a poor prognostic group in childhood AML
The effect of coating crystallization and substrate impurities on magnetron sputtered doped LaCrO3 coatings for metallic solid oxide fuel cell interconnects

Abstract For IT-SOFC metallic interconnects, surface coating is effective for reducing Cr poisoning of the cathode and controlling scale growth. In this work, LaCrO 3 and doped LaCrO 3 coatings were deposited by magnetron sputtering on SS446 and Crofer 22 APU substrates. The crystallization process was studied by means of X-ray Diffraction (XRD) during the annealing of the sputter coated samples in ambient and reducing environments. The formation of intermediate phases when annealed in air, LaCrO 4 and La 2 CrO 6 , results in vacancy formation upon subsequent transformation to the LaCrO 3 phase and thus a decreased oxidation resistance. While the avoidance of an intermediate phase change when the coatings are initially annealed in a reducing environment leads to dense and compact coatings. This confirmed both by XRD and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of coating cross-sections. Crofer 22 APU alloys with various silicon and aluminum levels are deposited with doped LaCrO 3 coating to study substrate impurity effects on coating properties. It was found that silicon content in the substrates leads to increased ASR of the coatings. In addition, long term annealing in air shows that aluminum impurities in the substrate can lead to the formation of alumina at substrate grain boundaries, which in turn leads to enhanced Mn migration at the grain boundaries. Increased manganese concentrations at the film/grain boundary interface in coated samples produces larger than normal amounts of (Mn,Cr) 3 O 4 spinel in these regions, which cracks the coating and reduces the ASR value due to extra electronic conduction path. A similar mechanism is not observed in a low Al/Si alloy.
A die sawing technique

Abstract A technique for separating dies when there is insufficient space for a saw blade to cut between them has been described. The technique can be used in crown, fixed partial denture, and indirect inlay fabrication, and it eliminates the possibility of damaging dies by sawing between them from the occlusal surface of the cast.
CCK antagonists interact with CCK-B receptors on human small cell lung cancer cells

Abstract The ability of cholecystokinin (CCK) receptor antagonists to interact with CCK receptors in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells was investigated. L-365,260, CCK-8, L-364,718, CBZ-CCK(27–32)-NH 2 and proglumide analogue 10 inhibited specific 125 I-CCK-8 binding to SCLC cells with IC 50 values of 0.2, 2, 500, 100,000 and 500,000 nM, respectively. Gastrin-I and CCK-8 elevated the cytosolic Ca 2+ when SCLC cells were loaded with Fura 2-AM. L-365,260 inhibited the cytosolic Ca 2+ increase caused by 10 nM CCK-8 in a dose-dependent manner. The effects of 10 nM L-365,260 were reversed by high concentrations of CCK-8. These data indicate that L-365,260 functions as a reversible CCK-8 antagonist using SCLC cells.
Screening for overweight in children and adolescents: a call to action.

In 2003, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that pediatricians calculate and plot the BMI of all children and adolescents at least once a year and that an (upward) change in BMI be used to identify weight gain that is excessive relative to linear growth.1 Recent data, however, indicate that only a minority of pediatricians actually routinely use BMI, with many preferring to rely on “visual impression” to diagnose overweight. Commonly cited barriers to using BMI include lack of patient motivation and/or parent involvement, lack of clinician time, lack of self-efficacy to negotiate patients’ health behavior change, lack of access to referral resources, and lack of reimbursement. The findings of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) published in this issue of Pediatrics ,2 including the conclusion that “the evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against routine screening for overweight in children and adolescents in primary care settings,” highlight the limits of our knowledge. The distinction must be made, however, between absence of evidence (based on strict criteria laid out in the process used by the USPSTF report) and evidence of absence of an effect. The reportdemonstrates the former, not the latter. The gaps in evidence, however, must not lead to complacency. … Address correspondence to Nancy F. Krebs, MD, MS, FAAP, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 4200 E 9th Ave, Box C225, Denver, CO 80262-0001. E-mail: nancy.krebs{at}uchsc.edu
Modulation of Statin-Activated Shedding of Alzheimer APP Ectodomain by ROCK

Background Statins are widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs that act by inhibiting HMGCoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis. Recent evidence suggests that statin use may be associated with a decreased risk for Alzheimer disease, although the mechanisms underlying this apparent risk reduction are poorly understood. One popular hypothesis for statin action is related to the drugs' ability to activate α-secretase-type shedding of the α-secretase-cleaved soluble Alzheimer amyloid precursor protein ectodomain (sAPPα). Statins also inhibit the isoprenoid pathway, thereby modulating the activities of the Rho family of small GTPases—Rho A, B, and C—as well as the activities of Rac and cdc42. Rho proteins, in turn, exert many of their effects via Rho-associated protein kinases (ROCKs). Several cell-surface molecules are substrates for activated α-secretase-type ectodomain shedding, and regulation of shedding typically occurs via activation of protein kinase C or extracellular-signal-regulated protein kinases, or via inactivation of protein phosphatase 1 or 2A. However, the possibility that these enzymes play a role in statin-stimulated shedding has been excluded, leading us to investigate whether the Rho/ROCK1 protein phosphorylation pathway might be involved.