cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Three-microphone probe bias errors for acoustic intensity and specific acoustic impedance

In acoustic intensity estimation, adding a microphone at the probe center removes errors associated with pressure averaging. Analytical bias errors are presented for a one-dimensional, three-microphone probe for active intensity, reactive intensity, and specific acoustic impedance in a monopole field. Traditional estimation is compared with the Phase and Amplitude Gradient Estimator (PAGE) method; the PAGE method shows an increased bandwidth for all three quantities. The two- and three-microphone methods are compared experimentally, showing reduced bias errors with three-microphone PAGE for active and reactive intensity, whereas using two microphones is preferred for specific acoustic impedance.
The joint influence of vowel duration and creak on the perception of internal phrase boundaries

Lengthening and creaky voice are associated with prosodic finality in English. Listeners can use lengthening to identify both utterance-internal and final prosodic phrase boundaries and can use creak to locate utterance endings. Less is known about listeners' use of creak to locate internal prosodic boundaries and the relative importance assigned to duration and creak when both are present. Participants in two experiments segmented structurally ambiguous sentences in which duration and creak were manipulated to signal prosodic boundaries. When duration- and creak-based cues provided redundant information, their effects were additive. When these cues conflicted, the effect of creak was subtractive.
The social provision of healthcare to migrants in the US and in China

This article develops a comparative analysis of healthcare provision to migrants in the US and in China. It proceeds in three parts. First, we begin by describing the growth of the unauthorized population and trace the evolution of social provision of healthcare to immigrants, highlighting the restrictive nature of federal social provisions and greater autonomy of state and local governments in redefining eligibility criteria in the US. Second, we examine the impact of legal status on healthcare access and utilization among Mexicans, using original data from the 2007 Hispanic Healthcare Survey and the Mexican Migration Project. We find that unauthorized immigrants report the lowest level of healthcare access and utilization. Third, we then outline a China–US comparative agenda, pointing to similarities between the two migrant flows. In China, recent developments of healthcare coverage for both rural and urban populations have increased access to healthcare, but rural-to-urban migrants still report many barriers in receiving care and are often left out of this growing safety net. We then close with a discussion of lessons learned from the US experience and remaining questions for future comparative research.
Group Mobility Extending Individual Mobility Models

The group mobility models that can be created from the individual mobility models are discussed. The random waypoint group mobility model, the random direction group mobility model, the Manhattan group mobility model, and the sequential group mobility model which combine the RWP mobility model with the concept of the group are described. The simulation results for the RWG, RDG, MHG, and SQG are explained.
Mechanisms of hypoxia-induced atrial natriuretic factor release from rat hearts.

Potential mechanisms of hypoxia-induced atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) release [A.J. Baertschi, J.M. Adams, and M.P. Sullivan. Am. J. Physiol. 255 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 24): H295-H300, 1988] were ...
A Role for Ectoapyrases and Extracellular ATP in Plant Growth and Development

For those studying signal transduction, familiarity with the enzyme apyrase is likely to be restricted to the context of its use for scavenging unwanted ATP from a solution. Apyrases hydrolyze both the γ and β phosphate on ATP and the terminal phosphate on ADP, and they do so very efficiently. Assays that require the removal of ATP from solutions typically utilize apyrase to achieve this goal.
Extensive Kaposi sarcoma infiltration in bone marrow in a patient with HIV

![Figure][1] A 29-year-old man with treated HIV infection developed pancytopenia (white blood cell count, 3.9 × 109/L; hemoglobin, 5.0 g/dL; and platelets, 11 × 109/L). He had no skin lesions. His CD4 count was 239 cells/μL, serum interleukin-6 was 10 pg/mL (normal, <5 pg/mL), and HIV
Apolipoprotein E-ε4 allele predicts escalation of psychotic symptoms in late adulthood

Abstract Background Research on a putative link between apolipoprotein-e4 allele (APOE-e4) and schizophrenia has been inconclusive. However, prior studies have not investigated the association between APOE-e4 and symptom trajectories, nor has the existing literature taken into account the potentially moderating effect of age in genetic association studies. Methods The association between APOE-e4 and four symptom dimensions was investigated in a longitudinal study of 116 individuals with schizophrenia initially assessed during their first admission for psychosis and evaluated five times over the following 20 years. A meta-analysis identified 29 case-control studies of APOE-e4 allele frequency in schizophrenia, which were analyzed using random-effects meta-regression to test the potentially moderating effect of age. Results Longitudinal models identified a specific association between APOE-e4 and symptom trajectories, showing that APOE-e4 portends worsening severity of hallucinations and delusions in late adulthood among people with schizophrenia, at a rate of a 0.46 standard deviation increase per decade. Meta-analysis showed a significant effect of age: the association between APOE-e4 and schizophrenia was not detectable in younger people but became pronounced with age, such that APOE-e4 increased the odds of diagnosis by 10% per decade. Conclusions Taken together, the meta-analysis and longitudinal analysis implicate APOE-e4 as an age-related risk factor for worsening hallucinations and delusions, and suggest APOE-e4 may play an age-mediated pathophysiological role in schizophrenia. The presence of an APOE-e4 allele may also identify a subgroup of patients who require intensive monitoring and additional targeted interventions, especially in mid-to late-life.
Improving Standardization of Paging Communication Using Quality Improvement Methodology.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Paging is a primary mode of communication in hospitals, but message quality varies. With this project, we aimed to standardize paging, thus improving end user (EU) satisfaction, patient safety, and efficiency. Objectives were to increase the percent of pages containing 6 critical elements (CEs) (ie, the sender’s first and last name, a 7-digit callback number, patient name, room number, and urgency indicator [information only, call, or come] to 90%); improve EU satisfaction to 80% rating paging communication as good or excellent; and decrease the frequency of safety events related to paging. METHODS: This multidisciplinary, system-wide quality improvement study was conducted at our stand-alone academic children’s hospital. CEs were determined by EU consensus. Outcome measures were inclusion of all 6 CEs, provider satisfaction, and frequency of safety events. Process measures were inclusion of individual CEs and appropriateness and timeliness of response to pages. Balancing measures included number of work-arounds (WAs). Interventions included education, engineering a platform with required fields, and optimization enhancements. Statistical process control charts (p-charts; XmR) were used to track the impact of interventions. RESULTS: Special-cause improvement was noted in use of all 6 CEs (4.4%–79.7%) and individual CEs. EU satisfaction improved from 50% to 85% rating paging communication as good or excellent. Safety events related to paging remain infrequent. Specific WA use decreased by 60%. CONCLUSIONS: System-wide use of required fields produced significant improvement in inclusion of all 6 CEs and EU satisfaction. WAs were curbed by improving the ease of CE incorporation. Required fields should be considered at institutions seeking improved paging communication.
Order Aspects of the Essential Hull of a Topological TO-SPACE

Resume Un plongement i:X → E d' espaces topologiques est appele essentiel ssi pour n'importe quelle fonction continue f:E →Y telle que fi soit un plongement, la fonction f est elle-měme un plongement. On dit qu'un plongement essentiel est une cloture essentielle s'il est maximal parmi tous les plongements essentiels. En 1972, B. Banaschewski a construit une cloture essentielle pour des espaces topologiques arbitraires. Evidemment, l' idee de cloture essentielle s'applique a n'importe quelle categorie et on constate que dans plusieurs categories interessantes, les clotures essentielles sont automatiquement injectives. Banaschewski remarquait que cela n'est pas vrai dans les categories d'espaces topologiques et de fonctions continues. Cette observation conduisait done immediatement a la question d'une caracterisation des espaces dont la cloture essentielle est injective. A l'epoque Dana S. Scott venait de caracteriser les espaces topologiques injectifs: en fait, un espace X est injectif si et seulement si on a sur X une structure de treillis continu (terminologie de Scott) telle que la topologie donnee derive de la structure du treillis comme topologie de specialisation. L'article de Banaschewski (qui parait 5 ans apres sa redaction) est done parmi les sources originelles de la theorie des treillis continus sur lesquels on a maintenant plusieurs textes et monographies (par exemple [C-80]). Le concept měme de cloture essentielle amenait une suite de travaux recherchant les liaisons entre ses aspects topologiques et ses aspects d'ordre et notamment ceux de R.-E. Hoffmann. Le moment semble maintenant venu de resumer et de renouveler la theorie de la cloture essentielle et l'injectivite pour les raisons suivantes: premierement, on a maintenant une theorie des treillis continus tres bien developpee et des references bien accessibles. Cela permet de replacer tres commodement la theorie dans le cadre des treillis continus. Deuxiemement, les idees de Banaschewski sont importantes et valables, mais son article est parfois difficile, et une consequence de la proposition centrale (proposition 3) est inexacte.: c'est sur cette consequence que les travaux de Hoffmann sont fondes dans une large mesure. Nous essayons done de redevelopper la theorie dans le cadre des treillis continus et d 'approfondir notre comprehension des phenomenes parfois difficiles qui se presentent dans ce contexte.
Children’s Film and Television: Contexts and New Directions

With the intention of making this volume useful and accessible to all readers, the introduction provides a comprehensive summary of the complexities, tensions, and conflicting impulses of children’s film, including the problem of defining the genre, the impact of technological evolution and the digital divide, issues of censorship and ratings systems, screen time, and the place of children’s film in the larger realm of children’s literature and children’s literacy practices. This chapter also introduces the book’s major themes, including the function of adaptation in children’s film, theories of childhood, the use of children’s film to explore social issues and questions of identity, and the role of film in education.
Acetylcysteine and Fenoldopam Promising New Approaches for Preventing Effects of Contrast Nephrotoxicity

The prevalence of nephrotoxic effects after administration of contrast material is increasing. Other than good hydration before the radiological procedure, previous attempts to prevent the effects of contrast nephrotoxicity have been ineffective. Fenoldopam and acetylcysteine are possible preventive medications being used in selected cases. Both drugs await approval from the Food and Drug Administration for use in preventing contrast-induced nephrotoxic effects. The onset of action of the 2 drugs differs, and each drug has different pharmacological actions. Determining which drug should be used is based on whether the patient can be given anything by mouth, whether the procedure is emergent, cost, degree of renal insufficiency before the radiological procedure, blood pressure, and whether the patient has diabetes. Further studies will determine if one drug is preferred over the other or if their combined use is the preferred approach for high-risk patients. Future options could include an intravenous form of acetylcysteine and an oral form of fenoldopam.
Drawing-to-Learn: Does Meta-Analysis Show Differences Between Technology-Based Drawing and Paper-and-Pencil Drawing?

Drawing-to-learn is a specific learning/reading strategy studied across many domains. In response to gaps in our knowledge about drawing-to-learn, we conducted a systematic meta-analysis of the literature published since the influential 2005 Van Meter and Garner literature review. We analyzed the benefits of directed learner-generated visual representations such as sketching, drawing, or computer-assisted creation of a full or partial static image. Forty-one peer-reviewed articles were screened in, together with 9 dissertations and 2 other documents; published from 2005 to 2018, these included 53 studies and 166 effects based on 8111 participants. The overall effect of drawing-to-learn across all dependent variable types (factual, inferential, and transfer) and both types of effects—comparing different types of drawing and comparing drawing to non-drawing conditions—was a significant g = 0.69. The overall effect was significant but differed across outcomes (g = 0.85 for factual, g = 0.44 for inferential, and g = 0.22 for transfer). Analyses across 6 moderators are presented. Not only does the literature continue to show that drawing-to-learn is better than the status quo, but directed drawing improves factual as well as inferential and transfer learning. Finally, researchers have found ways to improve drawing-to-learn instruction so that it can be even more effective than the simple directive to make a drawing.
Mental health services receipt among caregivers in the child welfare system: A longitudinal analysis

Abstract This study intended to identify factors associated with receipt of mental health services by caregivers substantiated for maltreatment. Longitudinal records for 1445 substantiated caregivers were extracted from a national data set. Generalized estimating equations yielded positive associations between receipt of the services by caregivers and 3 explanatory factors: need for mental health services, inclusion of mental health services in case plan, and second interview wave. The analysis results also yielded negative associations between receipt of the services and 11 explanatory factors: mental health, number of IPV episodes, refusal of services, number of caseworkers worked with, African American, Hispanic, physical maltreatment, sexual maltreatment, neglect, kinship care placement, and out-of-home placement. Mental health services receipt was not associated with substance use, caseworker engagement perceived by caregiver, socioeconomic factors, or other demographic factors. Implications for child welfare efforts include the need to identify mental health problems among caregivers; to ensure case plans state any need for mental health services; to address refusal of services by caregivers; and to ensure cultural competence within agencies serving caregivers of minority ethnicity.
Delayed, two-staged autologous breast reconstruction: an approach to improving delayed reconstructive outcomes

Optimizing esthetics in delayed breast reconstruction is a challenge, as there is a lack of breast volume and native breast skin. Abdominal flaps are commonly used for patients desiring autologous reconstruction, but the result is an unnatural appearing breast as non-breast skin is used to recreate the breast mound. To improve esthetics for these patients, we propose a two-staged approach utilizing prepectoral tissue expander placement. A retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing delayed breast reconstruction with prepectoral tissue expander placement at our single tertiary-care institution was performed. We collected demographics, complication rates, and surgical information from both the first and second stage surgeries for all patients. Charts were further reviewed to determine whether patients pursued revisions. Five patients (eight breasts) met inclusion criteria. Following tissue expander placement, there was one incidence of seroma (n = 1), and no other complication occurred. Complications after autologous reconstruction included donor-site hematoma (n = 1), recipient-site dehiscence (n = 1), and recipient-site fat necrosis (n = 1). No flap losses or other complications occurred for our series of patients. Delayed, two-staged autologous breast reconstruction requires an additional short, surgical procedure that results in a lifelong improved breast esthetic and better lower-pole ptosis. Complication rates remain low, which makes this a viable and safe option to improve outcomes for patients seeking delayed autologous reconstruction. Our study utilizes prepectoral expander placement, which we believe will further enhance the quality of patient care. Level of evidence: Level V, therapeutic study.
Safe Storage Policies and Practices for Firearms Issued to Law Enforcement Officers in Washington State

Law enforcement officers play an important role in promoting the safe storage of firearms. However, the safe storage practices of law enforcement agencies and officers themselves are not well characterized. This study examined the issuance of locking devices and safe storage policies among law enforcement agencies in Washington State. This is an observational survey study of agency policies. One hundred and six agencies responded to a brief survey. Seventy-six percent of agencies reported issuing locking devices for agency-issued firearms, and 76% of agencies also reported offering training in safe storage of firearms. Half (52%) of agencies offered cable locks, 36% provided gun safes, and 31% of agencies provided more than one type of locking device. These findings suggest the need for expanding the routine issuance of locking devices among agencies in Washington State and enhancing the types of locking devices available to law enforcement officers.
Nerve Compression Syndromes of the Shoulder.

Nerve compression syndromes of the shoulder contribute to pain, paresthesia, and weakness of the upper extremity. This review examines the recent literature regarding thoracic outlet syndrome, suprascapular neuropathy, long thoracic nerve palsy, and quadrilateral space syndrome. Overlapping features are common among shoulder pathologies, and thus, key anatomical features, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnostic techniques, and treatments are highlighted for all aforementioned conditions.
Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) processivity factor, ORF59, binds to canonical and linker histones, and carboxy-terminus is dispensable for viral DNA synthesis

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a human oncogenic virus and the causative agent of Kaposi's sarcoma, multicentric Castleman's disease, and primary effusion lymphoma. During lytic reactivation, there is a temporal cascade of viral gene expression that results in the production of new virions. One of the viral factors that is expressed during reactivation is open reading frame 59 (ORF59), the viral DNA polymerase processivity factor. ORF59 plays an essential role for DNA synthesis and is required for the nuclear localization of the viral DNA polymerase (ORF9) to the origin of lytic replication (oriLyt). In addition to its functions in viral DNA synthesis, ORF59 has been shown to interact with chromatin complexes, including histones and cellular methyltransferases. In this study, a series of KSHV BACmids containing 50-amino acid (aa) deletions within ORF59 were generated to determine the interaction domains between ORF59 and histones, as well as to assess the effects on replication fitness as a result of these interactions. These studies show that in the context of infection, ORF59 51 to 100 and 151 to 200 amino acids (aa) are required for interaction with histones, and ORF59 301 to 396 aa are not required for DNA synthesis. Since full-length ORF59 is known to localize to the nucleus, we performed an immunofluorescent assay (IFA) with the ORF59 deletion mutants and showed that all deletions are localized to the nucleus; this includes the ORF59 deletion without the previously identified nuclear localization signal (NLS). These studies further characterize ORF59 and demonstrate its essential role during lytic replication.IMPORTANCE Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is an oncogenic virus and the causative agent of potentially fatal malignancies. Lytic replication of KSHV is an essential part of the viral life cycle, allowing for virus dissemination within the infected host and shedding to infect naive hosts. Viral DNA synthesis is a critical step in the production of new infectious virions. One of the proteins that is vital to this process is open reading frame 59 (ORF59), the viral encoded polymerase processivity factor. Previous work has demonstrated that the function of ORF59 is closely connected to its association with other viral and cellular factors. The studies presented here extend that work to include the interaction between ORF59 and histones. This interaction offers an additional level of regulation of the chromatinized viral genome, ultimately influencing DNA synthesis and transcription dynamics.
Can Entrepreneurship Be Continued from One Generation to the Next? The Answer to that Question Can Be Found in the Socialization Process

In many business owning families, the story behind the founding of the business or the life of the founder can become the stuff of legends. These are almost superhuman individuals who despite insurmountable obstacles and opposition are somehow able to create something from nothing, often through sheer willpower. It is no wonder that subsequent generations are interested, and sometimes even obsessed with perpetuating the family legacy of entrepreneurial success across generations.
Returning to a Normal Life via COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States: A Large-scale Agent-Based Simulation Study.

Background: In 2020, COVID-19 has claimed more than 300,000 deaths in the United States alone. Although nonpharmaceutical interventions were implemented by federal and state governments in the United States, these efforts have failed to contain the virus. Following the Food and Drug Administration's approval of two COVID-19 vaccines, however, the hope for the return to normalcy has been renewed. This hope rests on an unprecedented nationwide vaccine campaign, which faces many logistical challenges and is also contingent on several factors whose values are currently unknown. Objective: We study the effectiveness of a nationwide vaccine campaign in response to different vaccine efficacies, the willingness of the population to be vaccinated, and the daily vaccine capacity under two different federal plans. To characterize the possible outcomes most accurately, we also account for the interactions between nonpharmaceutical interventions and vaccines through 6 scenarios that capture a range of possible impacts from nonpharmaceutical interventions. Methods: We used large-scale, cloud-based, agent-based simulations by implementing the vaccination campaign using COVASIM, an open-source agent-based model for COVID-19 that has been used in several peer-reviewed studies and accounts for individual heterogeneity and a multiplicity of contact networks. Several modifications to the parameters and simulation logic were made to better align the model with current evidence. We chose 6 nonpharmaceutical intervention scenarios and applied the vaccination intervention following both the plan proposed by Operation Warp Speed (former Trump administration) and the plan of one million vaccines per day, proposed by the Biden administration. We accounted for unknowns in vaccine efficacies and levels of population compliance by varying both parameters. For each experiment, the cumulative infection growth was fitted to a logistic growth model, and the carrying capacities and the growth rates were recorded. Results: For both vaccination plans and all nonpharmaceutical intervention scenarios, the presence of the vaccine intervention considerably lowers the total number of infections when life returns to normal, even when the population compliance to vaccines is as low as 20%. We noted an unintended consequence; given the vaccine availability estimates under both federal plans and the focus on vaccinating individuals by age categories, a significant reduction in nonpharmaceutical interventions results in a counterintuitive situation in which higher vaccine compliance then leads to more total infections. Conclusions: Although potent, vaccines alone cannot effectively end the pandemic given the current availability estimates and the adopted vaccination strategy. Nonpharmaceutical interventions need to continue and be enforced to ensure high compliance so that the rate of immunity established by vaccination outpaces that induced by infections.
Reliable Detection of Somatic Mutations for Pancreatic Cancer in Endoscopic Ultrasonography-Guided Fine Needle Aspirates with Next-Generation Sequencing: Implications from a Prospective Cohort Study

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is commonly diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). However, the diagnostic adequacy of EUS-FNA is often limited by low cellularity leading to inconclusive results. We aimed to investigate the feasibility and added utility of targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) on PDAC EUS-FNAs. EUS-FNAs were prospectively performed on 59 patients with suspected PDAC (2014-2017) at a high-volume center. FNAs were analyzed for the presence of somatic mutations using NGS to supplement cytopathologic evaluations and were compared to surgical specimens and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). Fifty-nine patients with suspected PDAC were evaluated, and 52 were diagnosed with PDAC on EUS-FNA. Four of the remaining seven patients had inconclusive EUS-FNAs and were ultimately diagnosed with PDAC after surgical resection. Of these 56 cases of PDAC, 48 (85.7%) and 18 (32.1%) harbored a KRAS and/or TP53 mutation on FNA NGS, respectively. Particularly, in the four inconclusive FNA PDAC diagnoses (false negatives), half harbored KRAS mutations on FNA. No KRAS/TP53 mutation was found in remaining three non-PDAC cases. All EUS-FNA detected KRAS mutations were detected in 16 patients that underwent primary tumor NGS (100% concordance), while 75% KRAS concordance was found between FNA and ctDNA NGS. Targeted NGS can reliably detect KRAS mutations from EUS-FNA samples and exhibits high KRAS mutational concordance with primary tumor and ctDNA. This suggests targeted NGS of EUS-FNA samples may enable preoperative ctDNA prognostication using digital droplet PCR and supplement diagnoses in patients with inconclusive EUS-FNA.
The Scribe Effect: the Impact of a Pre-matriculation Experience on Subsequent Medical School Education.

Medical scribes have been utilized since the 1970s but have been in ever-increasing demand over the past 25 years. The reasons for this growth have been well documented, with positive impacts on provider well-being, patient satisfaction, clinical efficiency, and revenue generation. Many aspiring healthcare providers become medical scribes during or immediately after college, believing it will provide them with helpful experience and increase their chances of gaining entrance into medical education. However, little data exists to justify those beliefs. Through written surveys and semi-structured interviews, we found that scribes feel that their experience shaped their futures in medicine in two broad themes, specifically confirming their commitment to medicine (with subthemes of specialty choice, establishing mentorship, and exposure to difficult topics) and the essential skills of a physician (with subthemes of communication, professionalism, history and physical, terminology and jargon, and clinical reasoning). Understanding the impact of a scribe experience may provide medical school admissions personnel a more thorough sense of the scribe’s strengths and likelihood of success in training, and should generate testable hypotheses for further studies into the learning processes of medical scribes.
A change of mind: Globus pallidus activity and effective connectivity during changes in choice selections.

The basal ganglia are a group of interconnected subcortical nuclei that plays a key role in multiple motor and cognitive processes, in a close interplay with several cortical regions. Two conflicting theories postulate that the basal ganglia pathways can either foster or suppress the cortico-striatal output or, alternatively, they can stabilize or destabilize the cortico-striatal circuit dynamics. These different approaches significantly impact the understanding of observable behaviours and cognitive processes in healthy, as well as clinical populations. We investigated the predictions of these models in healthy participants (N = 28), using dynamic causal modeling of fMRI BOLD activity to estimate time- and context-dependent changes in the indirect pathway effective connectivity, in association with repetitions or changes of choice selections. We used two multi-option tasks that required the participants to adapt to uncontrollable environmental changes, by performing sequential choice selections, with and without value-based feedbacks. We found that, irrespective of the task, the trials that were characterized by changes in choice selections (switch trials) were associated with a neural response that mostly overlapped with a network commonly described for the encoding of uncertainty. More interestingly, dynamic causal modeling and family-wise model comparison identified with high likelihood a directed causal relation from the external to the internal part of the globus pallidus (i.e., the short indirect pathway in the basal ganglia), in association with the switch trials. This finding supports the hypothesis that the short indirect pathway in the basal ganglia drives instability in the network dynamics, resulting in changes in choice selection.
Control of a powered prosthetic device via a pinch gesture interface

A novel system is presented to control a powered prosthetic device using a gesture tracking system worn on a user’s sound hand in order to detect different grasp patterns. Experiments are presented with two different gesture tracking systems: one comprised of Conductive Thimbles worn on each finger (Conductive Thimble system), and another comprised of a glove which leaves the fingers free (Conductive Glove system). Timing tests were performed on the selection and execution of two grasp patterns using the Conductive Thimble system and the iPhone app provided by the manufacturer. A modified Box and Blocks test was performed using Conductive Glove system and the iPhone app provided by Touch Bionics. The best prosthetic device performance is reported with the developed Conductive Glove system in this test. Results show that these low encumbrance gesture-based wearable systems for selecting grasp patterns may provide a viable alternative to EMG and other prosthetic control modalities, especially for new prosthetic users who are not trained in using EMG signals.
Domestic Financial Regulations in Developing Countries: Can They Effectively Limit the Impact of Capital Account Volatility?

This paper identifies two alternative forms of prudential regulation. The first set is formed by regulations that directly control financial aggregates, such as liquidity expansion and credit growth. An example is capital requirements as currently incorporated in internationally accepted standards; namely capital requirements with risk categories used in industrial countries. The second set, which can be identified as the pricing-risk-right approach, works by providing incentives to financial institutions to avoid excessive risk-taking activities. A key feature of this set of regulations is that they encourage financial institutions to internalize the costs associated with the particular risks of the environment where they operate. Regulations in this category include ex-ante risk-based provisioning rules and capital requirements that take into account the risk features particular to developing countries. This category also includes incentives for enhancing market discipline as a way to differentiate risk-taking behavior between financial institutions. The main finding of the paper is that the first set of regulations - the most commonly used in developing economies-- have had very limited usefulness in helping countries to contain the risks involved with more liberalized financial systems. The main reason for this disappointing result is that, by not taking into account the particular characteristics of financial markets in developing countries, these regulations cannot effectively control excessive risk taking by financial institutions. Moreover, the paper shows that, contrary to policy intentions, this set of prudential regulations can exacerbate rather than decrease financial sector fragility, especially in episodes of sudden reversal of capital flows. In contrast, the paper claims, the second set of prudential regulation can go a long way in helping developing countries achieving their goals. The paper advances suggestions for the sequencing of implementation of these regulations for different groups of countries.
Microsatellite loci isolated from the Caribbean coral, Montastraea annularis

We report the isolation and characterization of seven microsatellite loci from the Caribbean reef-building coral, Montastraea annularis. All loci are polymorphic with allele numbers ranging from five to 31 and observed heterozygosities from 0.17 to 0.89. These loci can be used in assessing gene flow patterns and diversity of this stony coral species both for local coral reef management purposes as well as for elucidating population connectivity within the greater Caribbean basin. These markers should also be applicable to other species of Montastraea and for resolving taxonomic relationships within the M. annularis species complex.
The epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase in liver epithelial cells. The effect of ligand-dependent changes in cellular location

Abstract Epidermal growth factor (EGF) activates the intrinsic tyrosine-specific protein kinase of its receptor (EGF-R). We studied the effect of EGF-dependent EGF-R internalization on receptor autophosphorylation and on the appearance of tyrosine phosphoproteins in rat liver epithelial cells. Peak receptor autophosphorylation activity (3- to 6-fold over basal) was found in homogenates of EGF-treated cells at times when the majority of receptors (greater than 90%) had been internalized but not yet degraded (15 to 30 min). Stimulated activity persisted for at least 2 h if EGF-R degradation was blocked by methylamine or 18 degrees C incubation. Detection of stimulated autophosphorylation in homogenates of cells treated with EGF in culture required detergent in the assay. Detergent was not necessary to detect stimulated autophosphorylation when EGF was added directly to homogenates of untreated cells. Immunoblots using antibodies against phosphotyrosine (p-Tyr) demonstrated that EGF treatment of intact cells increased the p-Tyr content of at least seven proteins (EGF-R, 115, 100, 75, 66, 57, and 52 kDa) within 5 s. Incubation of intact cells with EGF at 0 degrees C to prevent endocytosis still resulted in tyrosine phosphorylation of these seven proteins. In contrast, several substrates (120, 78, and 38 kDa) showed delayed increases (45-90 s) in tyrosine phosphorylation at 37 degrees C; their phosphorylation was even slower at 18 degrees C and did not occur at 0 degrees C. In cells incubated with EGF at 18 degrees C or in the presence of methylamine, EGF-R p-Tyr in the intact cell was lost by 2 h even though receptor was not degraded and still exhibited enhanced autophosphorylation in the homogenate assay. These findings suggest that tyrosine phosphorylation in response to EGF occurs predominantly during the initial stages of endocytosis and is mediated for the most part by ligand-receptor complexes at the cell surface. A subset of phosphorylations may require intracellular movement.
Technology Corner: Internet Packet Sniffers

A packet sniffer is a piece of software that allows a person to eavesdrop on computer communications over the internet.Â A packet sniffer can be used as a diagnostic tool by network administrators or as a spying tool by hackers who can use it to steal passwords and other private information from computer users.Â Whether you are a network administrator or information assurance specialist, it helps to have a detailed understanding of how packet sniffers work. Â And one of the best ways to acquire such an understanding is to build and modify an actual packet sniffer.
The Future of Integration, Personalization, and ePortfolio Technologies

These technologies will enable learners to have more control over how, where, and when they experience educational and professional development in pursuit of their individual goals. Learners of all ages and stages will be able to ask themselves, "Where am I now, and where do I want to go?" Their unique learning paths will blend different sources, including e-learning courses from virtual providers, e-learning courses from physical universities around the world, and on-campus courses at local community colleges. Learners also will be able to earn credit for their involvement with professional associations and for skills they acquire through employment and volunteer activities. Ideally, systems for standardizing and validating credit for all of these activities will develop, helping institutions and employers recognize and accept these credentials.
An Unusual Variant of Composite Lymphoma

Abstract We recently encountered an unusual case of composite lymphoma arising in a 73-year-old man with a history of follicular small cleaved cell lymphoma. The neoplasm was composed of follicular small cleaved cell lymphoma and nodular sclerosing Hodgkin disease within a single groin lymph node. In addition to morphologic evidence, the immunologic studies performed in this case demonstrated the simultaneous occurrence of 2 separate lymphocytic proliferations. To the best of our knowledge, only one such histologic type has been reported in the literature.1 Hodgkin lymphoma can develop in patients with non-Hodgkin disease and vice versa, especially after treatment. The simultaneous occurrence of Hodgkin disease and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in a single lymph node is extremely rare. In this article, the relationship between Hodgkin disease and non-Hodgkin lymphoma is explored, possible explanations for the occurrence of composite lymphoma are discussed, and the literature is reviewed.
Performance of Massively Parallel Computers for Spectral Atmospheric Models

Abstract Massively parallel processing (MPP) computer systems use high-speed interconnection networks to link hundreds or thousands of RISC microprocessors. With each microprocessor having a peak performance of 100 or more megaflops per second, there is at least the possibility of achieving very high performance. However, the question of exactly how to achieve this performance remains unanswered. MPP systems and vector multi-processors require very different coding styles. Different MPP systems have widely varying architectures and performance characteristics. For most problems, a range of different parallel implementations is possible, again with varying performance characteristics. In this paper, we provide a detailed evaluation of MPP performance for a spectral transform kernel as used in weather and climate modeling applications. Using a specially designed spectral transform code, the authors study performance on three different MPP systems: Intel Paragon, IBM SP2, and Cray T3D. Great care is taken to...
A roentgenographic film density study of dental restorative materials.

Abstract 1. 1. Restorative dental materials and human materials have been compared objectively on a film-density basis and illustrated graphically in Fig. 1. 2. 2. Equal-thickness samples of individual dental materials are difficult to identify roentgenographically. However, materials can be identified as belonging to a group on the basis of roentgenographic density.
The Great PV Cephei Outflow: A Case Study in Outflow‐Cloud Interaction

We present a set of detailed molecular-line maps of the region associated with the giant Herbig-Haro flow HH 315 from the young star PV Cephei, aimed at studying the outflow-cloud interaction. Our study clearly shows that the HH 315 flow is affecting the kinematics of its surrounding medium and has been able to redistribute considerable amounts of the surrounding medium-density (~103 cm-3) gas in its star-forming core as well at parsec-scale distances from the source. The single-dish observations include a map of the outflow in the 12CO (2-1) line, with a beam size of 27'', and more extended maps of the outflow region in the 12CO (1-0) and 13CO (1-0) lines, with 45'' and 47'' beam sizes, respectively. A companion paper published in this issue presents higher resolution (IRAM 30 m) observations and discusses their implications. The giant molecular outflow HH 315 is a highly asymmetric bipolar flow with a projected linear extent of about 2 pc. Our results indicate that the two outflow lobes are each interacting with the ambient medium in different ways. The southern (redshifted) lobe, with a mass of 1.8 M☉, interacts with a dense ambient medium, very close to the young stellar outflow source, and its kinetic energy is comparable to both the turbulent and gravitational binding energy of its host cloud (of order 1044 ergs). In addition, we find evidence that the southern lobe is responsible for the creation of a cavity in the 13CO emission. In contrast, the northern (mainly blueshifted) outflow lobe, with a total mass of 4.8 M☉, extends farther from PV Cep and interacts with ambient gas much less dense than the southern lobe. There is very little 13CO emission north of the outflow source, and the only prominent 13CO emission is a shell-like structure coincident with the outer edge of the northern lobe, about 1.2 pc northwest of PV Cep. It appears that the northern lobe of the HH 315 outflow has been able to "push" aside a substantial fraction of the gas in the area, piling it in a dense shell-like structure at its edges. In addition, we find that about 50% of the gas in the region of the northern lobe has been put into motion by the outflow and that the northern outflow lobe is responsible for a velocity gradient in the ambient gas.
Semen analysis and fertility assessment in rabbits: Statistical power and design considerations for toxicology studies

Semen analysis is commonly used in evaluating human response to reproductive toxicants. Serial semen samples can be collected from rabbits and fertility assessed by artificial insemination, hence this species is potentially well suited for male reproductive toxicity studies that might be extrapolated to humans. However, the size and cost of rabbits often restricts the number of animals used, reducing the sensitivity of such studies. Therefore, it was of interest to optimize study design for semen analysis and fertility assessment in rabbits. Semen samples were collected weekly from sexually mature New Zealand white rabbits and a range of parameters was analyzed (Semen--pH, volume, osmolality; Sperm--number and concentration, morphology, viability, percentage motility, motion characteristics; Seminal plasma--fructose, citric acid, carnitine and protein concentrations, acid phosphatase activity). Male fertility was assessed by inseminating female rabbits with the minimum number of motile sperm required for normal fertility, determined to be one million. The within- and between-buck variabilities were determined for all parameters and used to calculate the statistical power of different study designs. The variability of sperm number and concentration was decreased when measured in four ejaculates collected within a short period of time rather than in a single ejaculate; this was not true of other endpoints measured. In addition, use of preexposure observations further increased the statistical power for all of the parameters. These data can be used to determine the optimum design for studies of male reproductive toxicity using rabbits, with particular regard to cost and the number of animals used.
Malaria circumsporozoite protein inhibits the respiratory burst in Kupffer cells.

Summary After transmission by infected mosquitoes, malaria sporozoites rapidly travel to the liver. To infect hepatocytes, sporozoites traverse Kupffer cells, but surprisingly, the parasites are not killed by these resident macrophages of the liver. Here we show that Plasmodium sporozoites and recombinant circumsporozoite protein (CSP) suppress the respiratory burst in Kupffer cells. Sporozoites and CSP increased the intracellular concentration of cyclic adenosyl mono-phosphate (cAMP) and inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate in Kupffer cells, but not in hepatocytes or liver endothelia. Preincubation with cAMP analogues or inhibition of phosphodiesterase also inhibited the respiratory burst. By contrast, adenylyl cyclase inhibition abrogated the suppressive effect of sporozoites. Selective protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitors failed to reverse the CSP-mediated blockage and stimulation of the exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (EPAC), but not PKA inhibited the respiratory burst. Both blockage of the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP-1) with receptor-associated protein and elimination of cell surface proteoglycans inhibited the cAMP increase in Kupffer cells. We propose that by binding of CSP to LRP-1 and cell surface proteoglycans, malaria sporozoites induce a cAMP/EPAC-dependent, but PKA-independent signal transduction pathway that suppresses defence mechanisms in Kupffer cells. This allows the sporozoites to safely pass through these professional phagocytes and to develop inside neighbouring hepatocytes.
Feelings: What Are They & How Does the Brain Make Them?

Traditionally, we define “emotions” as feelings and “feelings” as conscious experiences. Conscious experiences are not readily studied in animals. However, animal research is essential to understanding the brain mechanisms underlying psychological function. So how can we make study mechanisms related to emotion in animals? I argue that our approach to this topic has been flawed and propose a way out of the dilemma: to separate processes that control so-called emotional behavior from the processes that give rise to conscious feelings (these are often assumed to be products of the same brain system). I will use research on fear to explain the way that I and many others have studied fear in the laboratory, and then turn to the deep roots of what is typically called fear behavior (but is more appropriately called defensive behavior). I will illustrate how the processes that control defensive behavior do not necessarily result in conscious feelings in people. I conclude that brain mechanisms that detect and re...