cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Investigation of Engineering Design Cognition and Achievement in Primary School

This study examined the design cognition and achievement results of both kindergarten and fourth grade students engaged in engineering design-based instructional activities. Relationships between design cognition and student grade level, as well as quality of student work, were investigated. 30 concurrent think-aloud protocols were collected from individual primary students as they worked in groups to design and make a solution to a design task. The concurrent think-aloud protocols were examined and coded to determine the duration of time the participants devoted to a pre-established set of mental processes for technological problem solving. Significant differences between kindergarten and fourth grade participants were found in the amount of time various cognitive processes were employed. Fourth grade students dedicated significantly more time to the mental processes of Creating, Defining Problems, Measuring, and Testing than kindergarten students. In addition, when examining the think-aloud protocols along with the evaluations of the participant’s design work, it was found that more time devoted to the cognitive process of Managing could be a significant predictor of lower design achievement. These findings can highlight potential areas for improving educational practice based on the cognitive abilities of students at different grade levels and the quality of their design work. As engineering design-based activities become more prevalent for the teaching of STEM-related content and practices, the results of this research, and the employed methodology, may demonstrate a promising practice for better understanding and assessing such education efforts.
Reduced Intensity Conditioning for Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Utilizing Cladribine and Melphalan

Introduction Reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has been shown to be successful; however, the ideal RIC regimen is not known. In this study, we report the pooled results of three separate prospective studies utilizing cladribine (2CdA) and melphalan (Mel) based conditioning in patients undergoing allogeneic HCT. Objectives To determine the feasibility, toxicity, and efficacy of a 2Cda/Mel based regimen in patients requiring RIC HCT. Methods 63 adult patients were treated with 2Cda/Mel and included for analysis (84% greater than 50 years of age). 40 men and 23 women received HCT between 1999 and 2014 at Scripps Clinic. 17 patients had previously undergone autologous HCT. All patients received 2CdA 0.14 mg/kg/day for either 4 or 5 days and Mel at either 100 mg/m2 or 180mg/m2 total dose. All patients received rabbit-derived anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG). 22 unrelated recipients received Methotrexate. 41 related recipients received oral cyclosporine as GVHD prophylaxis. 22 patients received tacrolimus as GVHD prophylaxis. Donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) were allowed but not scheduled. Results Two patients expired prior to neutrophil engraftment; for the remaining 61 the median time to recovery of absolute neutrophil count > 0.5 × 109/L was 12 days (range 9-21). 7 patients expired prior to platelet engraftment; for the remaining 56 the median time to platelets >20 × 109/L without transfusion support was 19 days (12-55). Median overall survival for all 63 patients was 17 months (11 days to 16 years). 10 patients expired prior to day 100, 19 between day 101 and 365, and 14 greater than one year. Diseases included AML (18), Lymphoma (15), MDS (8), Multiple Myeloma (5) and others (17). Non-relapse mortality (NRM) at 100 days, NRM at 365 days, and 1 year OS were 18%, 53%, and 26% for AML, 0%, 37%, and 63% for MDS, and 13%, 27%, and 73% for Lymphoma. In evaluable patients, Grade 2-4 acute GVHD was seen in 47%. Grade 3-4 acute GVHD was seen in 34%. Chronic GVHD was seen in 45% of patients. For 2 patients, acute GVHD was the primary cause of death. 18 patients received DLI; reasons for DLI were relapse (11), mixed chimerism (5), post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) (1), and idiopathic hemolytic anemia (1). Several patients developed second malignancies after HCT including non-melanoma skin cancers (8), melanoma (1), PTLD (4), myeloproliferative disorder (1), breast cancer (1), cervical cancer (1), and tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma (1). Conclusion 2CdA and Mel are effective agents for RIC HCT. This is the largest study of this regimen published to date. Though it is difficult to fully compare the results from different non-randomized trials, rates of NRM, OS, and GVHD appear similar to other published RIC regimens.
Targeting study of HepG2 hepatoma cells in vitro by drug-loaded pectin-based nanoparticles

Abstract The biodegradable and biodegradable natural polysaccharide has always been used as a drug delivery system, and has the following advantages: It can prolong the biological half life of the drug and reduce the side effects of the drug. This experiment aimed to prepare a 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) nanoparticle (P-5-FU) drug-loading system based on pectin, and explored a large number of pectin-based nano drug-loading systems. The galactose residue is a natural target that targets human hepatoma cell HepG2. MTT assay was used to determine the proliferation inhibition effect of drug-loaded pectin-based nanoparticles on HepG2 and A549 cells. MTT assay showed that P-5-FU inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner, and the effect was stronger than 5-FU. P-5-FU also inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner, but there was no significant difference compared with 5-FU. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on two kinds of cells loaded with drug-loaded nanoparticles the uptake and targeting were measured. The results of cell uptake showed that the uptake of P-5-FU by HepG2 cells was significantly higher than that of 5-FU, but there was no significant difference in the uptake of P-5-FU and 5-FU by A549 cells. There was no significant difference in the uptake of P-5-FU and 5-FU between the two cells after the galactose-saturated ASGPR binding site. The results indicate that pectin-based nano drug-loaded particles can specifically target highly expressed cells.
Development and initial psychometric evaluation of the computer-based prostate Cancer screening decision aid acceptance scale for African-American men

To reliably evaluate the acceptance and use of computer-based prostate cancer decision aids (CBDAs) for African-American men, culturally relevant measures are needed. This study describes the development and initial psychometric evaluation of the 24-item Computer-Based Prostate Cancer Screening Decision Aid Acceptance Scale among 357 African-American men. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with maximum likelihood estimation and polychoric correlations followed by Promax and Varimax rotations. EFA yielded three factors: Technology Use Expectancy and Intention (16 items), Technology Use Anxiety (5 items), and Technology Use Self-Efficacy (3 items) with good to excellent internal consistency reliability at .95, .90, and .85, respectively. The standardized root mean square residual (0.035) indicated the factor structure explained most of the correlations. Findings suggest the three-factor, 24-item Computer-Based Prostate Cancer Screening Decision Aid Acceptance Scale has utility in determining the acceptance and use of CBDAs among African-American men at risk for prostate cancer. Future research is needed to confirm this factor structure among socio-demographically diverse African-Americans.
Feasibility of transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) using the Medrobotics Flex® System

The use of transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) for treatment of rectal cancer is growing, but anatomic constraints prevent access to the proximal rectum with rigid instruments. The articulated instrumentation of current surgical robots is promising in overcoming these limitations, but the bulky size of current platforms inhibits the proximal reach of dissection. Flexible robotic systems could overcome these constraints while maintaining a stable platform for dissection. The goal of this study was to evaluate feasibility of performing taTME using the semi-robotic Flex® System (Medrobotics Corp., Raynham, MA) in human cadavers. taTME was performed by two surgeons in six fresh human cadaveric specimens using the Flex® System, with or without transabdominal laparoscopic assistance. Both mid- and low-rectal lesions were simulated. Metrics including quality of visualization, maintenance of pneumorectum, maneuverability of instruments, effectiveness of pursestring suture placement, and dissection in an anatomically correct plane were evaluated. The semi-robotic endoluminal platform allowed for excellent visualization, insufflation, and dissection during taTME. Adequate pursestring occlusion of the rectum was achieved in all six cases. In cadavers with simulated mid-rectal lesions (N = 4), dissection and anterior peritoneal entry was achieved in all cases, with abdominal assistance utilized in two of four cases. In cadavers with simulated low-rectal lesions (N = 2), dissection was incomplete and aborted due to difficulty maneuvering instruments in close proximity to the rigid transanal port. Use of the Flex® system for taTME is feasible for mid-rectal dissection. Advantages over the traditional multi-armed robot include longer reach of instruments with the ability to dissect up to 17 cm from the anal verge, as well as tactile feedback. The current design of the flexible platform does not permit safe dissection in the distal rectum, although this constraint may be resolved with future adjustments to the equipment.
A real-life cyborg brain

A wireless brain neural interface and four-limp exoskeleton enabled a tetraplegic man to grasp and walk again.
Cardiomyopathy Mutation Alters End-to-End Junction of Tropomyosin and Reduces Calcium Sensitivity.

Abstract Muscle contraction is governed by tropomyosin (Tpm) shifting azimuthally between three states on F-actin (B-, C-, and M-states) in response to calcium binding to troponin and actomyosin cross-bridge formation. The Tpm coiled coil polymerizes head to tail along the long-pitch helix of F-actin to form continuous superhelical cables that wrap around the actin filaments. The end-to-end bonds formed between the N- and C-terminus of adjacent Tpm molecules define Tpm continuity and play a critical role in the ability of Tpm to cooperatively bind to actin, thus facilitating Tpm conformational switching to cooperatively propagate along F-actin. We expect that a missense mutation in this critical overlap region associated with dilated cardiomyopathy, A277V, will alter Tpm binding and thin filament activation by altering the overlap structure. Here, we used cosedimentation assays and in vitro motility assays to determine how the mutation alters Tpm binding to actin and its ability to regulate actomyosin interactions. Analytical viscometry coupled with molecular dynamics simulations showed that the A277V mutation results in enhanced Tpm end-to-end bond strength and a reduced curvature of the Tpm overlap domain. The mutant Tpm exhibited enhanced actin-Tpm binding affinity, consistent with overlap stabilization. The observed A277V-induced decrease in cooperative activation observed with regulated thin filament motility indicates that increased overlap stabilization is not correlated with Tpm-Tpm overlap binding strength or mechanical rigidity as is often assumed. Instead, A277V-induced structural changes result in local and delocalized increases in Tpm flexibility and prominent coiled-coil twisting in pseudorepeat 4. An A277V-induced decrease in Ca2+ sensitivity, consistent with a mutation-induced bolstering of the B-state Tpm-actin electrostatic contacts and an increased Tpm troponin T1 binding affinity, was also observed.
An analysis of Mandarin Chinese final particle ba in dispreferred responses

In Mandarin Chinese conversation, the final particle ba is considered to performvariousfunctions. Using conversation analysis, this article examines the use of thefinal particle ba in dispreferred responses. It is argued that the particle ba is usedto mitigate negative valence with delays, alternative choices, accounts, and pro-formaagreement as well as other linguistic features in disagreements and decliningsuggestions or invitations. Also, the results reveal a close relationship between theparticle ba functioning as a mitigator or displaying a speaker's uncertainty in socialactions as well as sequential positions.
Humanitarian Local and Regional Economic Development: A Potential Answer to Sustainability and Conflict Prevention in the Information Age

We live in a new world made and remade by many factors ranging from disruptive technological revolutions, globalization, conflict and migration, depletion of national resources and environmental degradation, and deterioration of traditional protective institutions. Their impact on the local and regional economic development process appears to become more pressing, and the magnitude of the challenges is immense. There is a circular and cumulative relationship between these issues and local and regional economies, in some cases resulting in a vicious cycle that requires a clear understanding of the entire set of factors to interrupt this cycle. This paper tries to understand the relationship between these factors within the local and regional development framework.
Non-realizability of the pure braid group as area-preserving homeomorphisms

Let be the group of orientation-preserving homeomorphisms of fixing the boundary pointwise and marked points as a set. The Nielsen realization problem for the braid group asks whether the natural projection has a section over subgroups of . All of the previous methods use either torsion or Thurston stability, which do not apply to the pure braid group , the subgroup of that fixes marked points pointwise. In this paper, we show that the pure braid group has no realization inside the area-preserving homeomorphisms using rotation numbers.
Anomalous Origin of the Right Coronary Artery From the Ascending Aorta Above the Left Sinus of Valsalva

Congenital anomalous origin of the coronary arteries is a rare but well-described cause of myocardial ischemia and sudden cardiac death. Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the ascending aorta is an extraordinarily rare occurrence. We report a case of anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the ascending aorta posteriorly above the left sinus of Valsalva found during coronary angiography for evaluation of newly diagnosed cardiomyopathy.
Unsupervised Machine Learning for Identifying Challenging Behavior Profiles to Explore Cluster-Based Treatment Efficacy in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Retrospective Data Analysis Study

Background: Challenging behaviors are prevalent among individuals with autism spectrum disorder; however, research exploring the impact of challenging behaviors on treatment response is lacking. Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify types of autism spectrum disorder based on engagement in different challenging behaviors and evaluate differences in treatment response between groups. Methods: Retrospective data on challenging behaviors and treatment progress for 854 children with autism spectrum disorder were analyzed. Participants were clustered based on 8 observed challenging behaviors using k means, and multiple linear regression was performed to test interactions between skill mastery and treatment hours, cluster assignment, and gender. Results: Seven clusters were identified, which demonstrated a single dominant challenging behavior. For some clusters, significant differences in treatment response were found. Specifically, a cluster characterized by low levels of stereotypy was found to have significantly higher levels of skill mastery than clusters characterized by self-injurious behavior and aggression (P<.003). Conclusions: These findings have implications on the treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Self-injurious behavior and aggression were prevalent among participants with the worst treatment response, thus interventions targeting these challenging behaviors may be worth prioritizing. Furthermore, the use of unsupervised machine learning models to identify types of autism spectrum disorder shows promise.
Design and in-vitro testing of a portable patient isolation chamber for bedside aerosol containment and filtration

The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has imposed a multitude of complications on healthcare facilities. Healthcare professionals had to develop creative solutions to deal with resource shortages and isolation spaces when caring for COVID positive patients. Among many other solutions, facilities have utilized engineering strategies to mitigate the spread of viral contamination within the hospital environment. One of the standard solutions has been the use of whole room negative pressurization (WRNP) to turn a general patient room into an infection isolation space. However, this has not always been easy due to many limitations, such as direct access to the outdoors and the availability of WRNP units. In operating rooms where a patient is likely to go through aerosol-generating procedures, other solutions must be considered because most operating rooms use positive pressure ventilation to maintain sterility. The research team has designed, built, and tested a Covering for Operations during Viral Emergency Response (COVER), a low-cost, portable isolation chamber that fits over a patient's torso on a hospital bed to contain and remove the pathogenic agents at the source (i.e., patient's mouth and nose). This study tests the performance of the COVER system under various design and performance scenarios using particle tracing techniques and compares its efficiency with WRNP units. The results show that COVER can dramatically reduce the concentration of particles within the room, while WRNP is only effective in preventing the room-induced particles from migrating to adjacent spaces.
Evolving use of ancestry, ethnicity, and race in genetics research-A survey spanning seven decades.

Summary To inform continuous and rigorous reflection about the description of human populations in genomics research, this study investigates the historical and contemporary use of the terms "ancestry," "ethnicity," "race," and other population labels in The American Journal of Human Genetics from 1949 to 2018. We characterize these terms' frequency of use and assess their odds of co-occurrence with a set of social and genetic topical terms. Throughout The Journal's 70-year history, "ancestry" and "ethnicity" have increased in use, appearing in 33% and 26% of articles in 2009–2018, while the use of "race" has decreased, occurring in 4% of articles in 2009–2018. Although its overall use has declined, the odds of "race" appearing in the presence of "ethnicity" has increased relative to the odds of occurring in its absence. Forms of population descriptors "Caucasian" and "Negro" have largely disappeared from The Journal (
Theorie des Verhaltens von Meßinstrumenten in schwingungstechnischer Beziehung

Bei last allen Mesinstrumenten konnen wir von einer Masse m sprechen, die durch irgendein elastisches Zwischenglied mit der Federkonstanten c mit einen feststehenden Gehause verbunden ist. Unter den technischen Mesinstrumenten nenne ich unter anderen das Manometer, den Indikator, das Tachometer, den Torsiographen, den Seismographen, Vibrographen, Pallographen, Voltmeter, Amperemeter, Galvanometer, Oszillographen, Frequenzmesser, Dehnungs- und Spannungsmesser usf. Es kommt, wie gleich vorausgeschickt sei, vorlaufig gar nicht darauf an, ob das elastische Zwischenglied Dreh- oder Langsbewegungen der Masse m zulast, ob es auf Drehung, Biegung oder Langung beansprucht wird. Ebenso ist es gleichgultig, wie die Masse aussieht; dieselbe ist z. B. beim Indikator der Kolben samt Federanteil und Gestange, beim Torsiographen die Schwungscheibe, beim Seismographen die sog. trage Masse, beim Voltmeter das Weicheisenstuck samt Zeiger, beim Dehnungsmesser der starken Vergroserung wegen in der Hauptsache der Zeiger allein. Beim Tachographen sind es die rotierenden Schwunggewichte, bzw.
Kinetic characterization of a beta-glucosidase from a yeast, Candida wickerhamii.

The extracytoplasmic, cell-bound beta-1,4-glucosidase of Candida wickerhamii was characterized kinetically. The enzyme was found to produce glucose from cellobiose and cellodextrins (degree of polymerization from three to six) by catalyzing the removal of the terminal glucose moiety from the nonreducing end of these beta-glucans. The Km values for the series, cellobiose through cellohexaose, were 210.7, 106.6, 106.3, 105.9, and 79.8 mM, respectively, whereas the kcat values were 14.79, 13.24, 13.78, 15.13, and 7.66 mumol of glucose.min-1.mg-1 of protein, respectively. A computer program was developed to estimate the integrated rate equation. When the above kinetic constants were used in the computer model, the predicted rates of glucose formation agreed well with the experimental data. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is unable to ferment cellobiose or cellodextrins, ferments glucose about twice as fast as C. wickerhamii. If S. cerevisiae is cultured on cellobiose or cellodextrins and the purified C. wickerhamii beta-glucosidase is added to the S. cerevisiae culture at levels that mimic the production of beta-glucosidase by a C. wickerhamii culture with time, the two cultures produce ethanol at equivalent rates. This suggests that the rate-limiting step in the fermentation of cellobiose/cellodextrins by C. wickerhamii is the production of beta-glucosidase.
Cholesterol in Vascular and Valvular Calcification

In the early 1990s, the late Jeff Hoeg had the foresight to ask whether vascular calcification relates to the duration and severity of exposure to cholesterol. In a group of homozygous hyperlipidemic patients for whom detailed records of cholesterol levels were available over a long period of time, he and his colleagues found that coronary calcification scores by ultrafast computed tomographic scanning correlated significantly with the cholesterol year product.1 Studies that lack long-term cholesterol history may miss a correlation between lipids and calcification, because current treatments so dramatically change cholesterol levels as to make them unrepresentative of long-term exposure. See p 1927 In the present issue of Circulation , Pohle et al2 successfully overcame these difficulties by studying the rate of change in calcification as a function of change in lipid levels, excluding patients in whom treatment was altered during the study period. These investigators found that both coronary calcification and aortic valve calcification progress more rapidly in subjects with levels of LDL >130 mg/dL. This finding dovetails with those of Callister et al,3 who discovered that patients who successfully lowered their cholesterol levels with lipid-lowering agents significantly reduced the progression of coronary calcification. In a large population of young subjects, the risk factor that correlated most significantly with coronary calcification was LDL cholesterol.4 This relation was stronger than the correlation with age, smoking, fasting insulin, blood pressure, or male sex.4 In another study of asymptomatic outpatients, LDL cholesterol was the only risk factor correlating with progression of coronary calcification by electron-beam computed tomography over an 18-month period.5 The correlation of LDL cholesterol exposure to valvular and vascular calcification raises the possibility of a mechanistic role, which is also supported by in vitro studies. Two groups …
Rights to Health Care in the US: Inherently Unstable

Although international covenants have long recognized a fundamental right to health care, and other countries provide health care coverage for all of their citizens, rights to health care in the United States have been adopted only grudgingly, and in a manner that is inherently unstable. While a solid right to health care would provide much benefit to individuals and society, the political and judicial branches of the U.S. government have granted rights that are incomplete and vulnerable to erosion over time. Unfortunately, enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) does not change these fundamental weaknesses in the regime of U.S. health care rights. Millions of Americans will remain uninsured after ACA takes full effect, and rather than creating a more stable right to health care, ACA gives unstable rights to more people. As a result, the chief threat to health care access comes not from the constitutional challenges to ACA but from the potential for attrition of the rights that ACA provides.
Skip residues modulate the structural properties of the myosin rod and guide thick filament assembly

The rod of sarcomeric myosins directs thick filament assembly and is characterized by the insertion of four skip residues that introduce discontinuities in the coiled-coil heptad repeats. We report here that the regions surrounding the first three skip residues share high structural similarity despite their low sequence homology. Near each of these skip residues, the coiled-coil transitions to a nonclose-packed structure inducing local relaxation of the superhelical pitch. Moreover, molecular dynamics suggest that these distorted regions can assume different conformationally stable states. In contrast, the last skip residue region constitutes a true molecular hinge, providing C-terminal rod flexibility. Assembly of myosin with mutated skip residues in cardiomyocytes shows that the functional importance of each skip residue is associated with rod position and reveals the unique role of the molecular hinge in promoting myosin antiparallel packing. By defining the biophysical properties of the rod, the structures and molecular dynamic calculations presented here provide insight into thick filament formation, and highlight the structural differences occurring between the coiled-coils of myosin and the stereotypical tropomyosin. In addition to extending our knowledge into the conformational and biological properties of coiled-coil discontinuities, the molecular characterization of the four myosin skip residues also provides a guide to modeling the effects of rod mutations causing cardiac and skeletal myopathies.
Detection of time-pressure induced stress in speech via acoustic indicators

We use automatically extracted acoustic features to detect speech which is generated under stress, achieving 76.24% accuracy with a binary logistic regression. Our data are task-oriented human-human dialogues in which a time-limit is unexpectedly introduced partway through. Analysis suggests that we can detect approximately when this event occurs. We also consider the importance of normalizing the acoustic features by speaker, and detecting stress in new speakers.
Tests of cosmic ray radiography for power industry applications

In this report, we assess muon multiple scattering tomography as a non-destructive inspection technique in several typical areas of interest to the nuclear power industry, including monitoring concrete degradation, gate valve conditions, and pipe wall thickness. This work is motivated by the need for imaging methods that do not require the licensing, training, and safety controls of x-rays, and by the need to be able to penetrate considerable overburden to examine internal details of components that are otherwise inaccessible, with minimum impact on industrial operations. In some scenarios, we find that muon tomography may be an attractive alternative to more typical measurements.
Mixed cellular and antibody-mediated rejection in heart transplantation: In-depth pathologic and clinical observations

Background Little is known about mixed cellular and antibody-mediated rejection (MR) in heart transplantation. It remains unclear whether cardiac MR has distinctive pathologic and clinical features beyond those of simultaneous cellular rejection (CR) and antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). In this study we systematically explore the pathologic and clinical characteristics of MR in heart transplantation. Methods The UTAH Cardiac Transplant Program database was queried for transplant recipients who survived long enough to have at least one endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) between 1985 and 2014. Only EMBs with both CR and AMR scores documented were included. In addition to detailed pathologic analyses, we also examined the incidence and prevalence of MR, the likelihood to transition from and to MR, and mortality associated with MR. Results Patients ( n = 1,207) with a total of 28,484 EMBs met the study inclusion criteria. The overall prevalence of MR was 7.8% and it was nearly twice as frequent within the first year post-transplant. Mild MR was by far the most common occurrence and was typically preceded by an immune active state. When CR increased in severity, AMR tended to follow, but the reverse was not true. On pathology, individual features of CR and AMR were more easily separated in cases of mild MR, whereas they substantially overlapped in more severe cases. MR was associated with a significant cardiovascular death risk that was incremental with severity. Conclusions MR is not common, usually occurs early after transplant, and is associated with worse outcomes. MR reflects a complex interplay between cellular and humoral processes, which varies with rejection severity.
Resolution of sensory and mucoid glycoconjugates with terminal ?-galactose residues in the mucomicrovillar complex of the vomeronasal sensory epithelium by dual confocal laser scanning microscopy

The organization of the mucomicrovillar complex of the vomeronasal sensory epithelium of adult rats was examined using confocal laser scanning microscopy. In specimens labeled with the FITC-conjugated isolectin B4 of Bandeiraea simplicifolia, which recognizes terminal α-galactose sugar residues of glycoconjugates, we demonstrated that the mucomicrovillar complex was composed of islet-like structures with a high-density α-galactose core. The mucomicrovillar complex was further resolved into sensory and mucoid components in double-labeling and dual scanning experiments. The sensory component, which consists of the dendritic terminals of olfactory marker protein-immunoreactive vomeronasal receptor neurons, contained cytosolic glycoconjugates with terminal α-galactose sugar residues. The extracellular mucoid component consisted of glycoconjugates containing terminal α-galactose derived from the glands associated with the vomeronasal organ. These results demonstrated the complex microchemical organization of the sensory and mucoid components of the mucomicrovillar complex.
Rheological Master Curves of Viscoelastic Surfactant Solutions by Varying the Solvent Viscosity and Temperature

In this paper we present a study of the rheological properties of aqueous cetylpyridinium chloride/sodium salicylate solutions that have been measured as a function of both sucrose concentration an...
A simple application of the Newman-Penrose spin coefficient formalism. I

As a simple application of the Newman-Penrose spin coefficient formalism, useful for beginners, we find the vacuum spherical symmetry (Schwarzschild) solution. The calculations also show that all spherically symmetric metrics are Petrov typeD.
Modeling and detection of quasi-static nanotesla magnetic field variations using magnetoelectric laminate sensors

Laminated composites of magnetostrictive and piezoelectric layers have been developed for their magnetoelectric (ME) product tensor properties. In spite of the considerable progress in materials aspects, little attention has been given to ME laminate incorporation into a detection technology. Here, we present a ME technology including the laminate equivalent model, detection circuitry consideration and noise mitigation for ME laminate sensors operated at quasi-static (≤10 Hz) frequencies. We then constructed a passive magnetic field prototype sensor unit and detected a 2.6 nanotesla magnetic signal at 1 Hz frequency.
A Historical Perspective of the Women's Health Nurse Practitioner

There are more than 12,000 women's health nurse practitioners (WHNPs) currently certified by the National Certification Corporation (NCC) and practicing in a wide range of roles. The purpose of this article is to describe the historical development of the WHNP specialty, and to review the evolution of the specialty from an initially very focused practice in the area of family planning into obstetric and gynecologic care to today's more diffuse role inclusive of primary care. Women's health nurse practitioners must broaden their educational background to include the lifespan of women, not just the reproductive years. With the inclusion of chronic disease management of the middle-aged and elderly woman, WHNPs will provide more comprehensive and integrative health care to women in all areas of the United States.
Strained germanium membrane using thin film stressor for high efficiency laser

A novel method to introduce more than 0.6% biaxial tensile strain and achieve a 60meV direct band gap reduction in epitaxially grown germanium is demonstrated. Possible applications include high efficiency germanium lasers on silicon substrates.
Duration dependence in US business cycles: An analysis using the modulated power law process

The modulated power law process is used to analyze the duration dependence in US business cycles. The model makes less restricting assumptions than traditional models do and measures both the local and global performance of business cycles. The results indicate evidence of positive duration dependence in the U.S. business cycles. Structural change after WWII in both expansion and contraction phases of business cycles is also documented. Hypothesis tests confirm that the model fits US business cycles.
Evolutionary Trees from the Tabloids and Beyond

In this special issue of Evolution: Education and Outreach, many authors (notably Brooks 2010) argue for the importance of helping students understand phylogenetics and outline innovative ways of introducing key concepts regarding tree reading (Mclennan 2010a) and tree building (Kumala 2010b). As argued by (Brooks 2010) and Kumala (2010a, c), evolutionary relationships (represented in phylogenies) can serve as the basic structure on which students hang their understanding of the biological world, providing a meaningful way to organize and remember facts, as well as serve as a constant reminder of the processes that have shaped biodiversity.And of course, phylogenetics is important to understand in its own right. Biology has experienced something of a phylogenetic revolution in the last few decades (Losos 1996). Technology has advanced in several fields, making genetic sequences cheaper and faster to obtain and vastly improving our ability to analyze those data through increased computi... Language: en
Symmetric exclusion process with a localized source.

We investigate the growth of the total number of particles in a symmetric exclusion process driven by a localized source. The average total number of particles entering an initially empty system grows with time as $\sqrt{t}$ in one dimension, $t/\mathrm{ln}t$ in two dimensions, and linearly in higher dimensions. In one and two dimensions, the leading asymptotic behaviors for the average total number of particles are independent of the intensity of the source. We also discuss fluctuations of the total number of particles and determine the asymptotic growth of the variance in one dimension.
QTc compared to JTc for monitoring drug-induced repolarization changes in the setting of ventricular pacing

Background QT prolongation is a risk factor for proarrhythmia when beginning antiarrhythmic drug therapy (AAD). However, there are no data regarding monitoring repolarization changes during a ventricular paced (VP) rhythm. Objective The purpose of this study was to compare serial changes in corrected QT and JT intervals, during native conduction (NC) and VP rhythms when initiating Class III AADs. Methods Twenty-two patients (73% men; mean age 65 ± 11 years) with an implantable device and with Results During AAD loading, mean QTc increased significantly during NC (431 ± 28 ms to 463 ± 33 ms, P = .002) but not with VP (520 ± 48 ms to 538 ± 45 ms, P = .07). Mean percent increase in peak QTc during NC was significantly greater than during VP (12% vs 7%, P = .003). In contrast, peak JTc during AAD loading was not significantly different between NC and VP (P = .67). Conclusion When initiating AAD, the change in QTc during VP does not correlate with the change in QTc during NC; thus, the VP QTc is inadequate for monitoring repolarization changes. However, VP JTc correlates well with JTc during NC. When initiating Class III AADs in patients with VP rhythms, the JTc, and not the QTc, interval is the useful marker for assessing repolarization.
Infant feeding causes all cases of asthma, eczema, and hay fever. Or does it?

If one does not feed babies, one can be absolutely certain that they will not develop atopic disease—clear proof of the dangers of infant feeding. The logic of this statement may seem a little fuzzy, but medical journals abound with this sort of nonsense, especially when it comes to the topic of infant feeding and allergy. Unusually, this issue contains a paper that will save lives—not babies’ but midwives’.1 The received wisdom, more of a religious belief than a scientific fact, has been that a single bottle of milk formula is enough to totally destroy the delicate balance of the infant’s protective immune system, leading to the very worst atopic mayhem that the forces of the immune system can muster. This idea gathered momentum as a result of gently massaged intervention studies that—for example, classified respiratory symptoms as “cough” in breast fed babies but as “wheezing/asthma” in bottle fed babies; the so called unblinded observer method. Bolstered by this sort of data, the hunt was on for midwives who allowed breast fed newborns so much as a sniff of a …
Garbage collection of strings and linked data structures in real time

Modern high-level languages frequently need to collect garbage not only from regions of linked structures similar to LISP's dotted pairs, but also from string regions where data is organized as an array of characters. Some characteristics of string regions that make garbage collection particularly difficult are as follows: multiple pointers to the same characters within the array are allowed and encouraged; all possible character values are legitimate as data, so it is not possible to ‘mark’ a string by overwriting with a reserved character; and a character is generally much smaller than a pointer, so it is not possible to overwrite a single character value with a forwarding pointer to a new location for a particular string. This paper describes the addition of certain information to a string descriptor and enhancements to existing copying garbage collection algorithms that permit linked data structures and strings to be allocated and garbage collected from a shared region of memory in real time. This algorithm is real-time in the sense that the time required for allocation of each basic unit of memory is bounded by a constant. An analysis of performance is reported, and comparisons are made with traditional garbage collection.
Coupled atmosphere-ocean-vegetation simulations for modern and mid-Holocene climates: role of extratropical vegetation cover feedbacks

A full global atmosphere-ocean-land vegetation model is used to examine the coupled climate/vegetation changes in the extratropics between modern and mid-Holocene (6,000 year BP) times and to assess the feedback of vegetation cover changes on the climate response. The model produces a relatively realistic natural vegetation cover and a climate sensitivity comparable to that realized in previous studies. The simulated mid-Holocene climate led to an expansion of boreal forest cover into polar tundra areas (mainly due to increased summer/fall warmth) and an expansion of middle latitude grass cover (due to a combination of enhanced temperature seasonality with cold winters and interior drying of the continents). The simulated poleward expansion of boreal forest and middle latitude expansion of grass cover are consistent with previous modeling studies. The feedback effect of expanding boreal forest in polar latitudes induced a significant spring warming and reduced snow cover that partially countered the response produced by the orbitally induced changes in radiative forcing. The expansion of grass cover in middle latitudes worked to reinforce the orbital forcing by contributing a spring cooling, enhanced snow cover, and a delayed soil water input by snow melt. Locally, summer rains tended to increase (decrease) in areas with greatest tree cover increases (decreases); however, for the broad-scale polar and middle latitude domains the climate responses produced by the changes in vegetation are relatively much smaller in summer/fall than found in previous studies. This study highlights the need to develop a more comprehensive strategy for investigating vegetation feedbacks.
Evidence for an involvement of GABA in the mediation of the cerebellar cGMP decrease and the anticonvulsant action of diazepam

Subcutaneous injections of isoniazid or picrotoxin increase the cerebellar content of 3′,5′-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) without changing the 3′,5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate cAMP. This increase was dose dependent and the threshold for the cGMP increase was lower than that for convulsions. In cerebellum the increase of cGMP content elicited by isoniazid but not that caused by picrotoxin was paralleled by a decrease of GABA content. Diazepam doses starting from 1.74 μmol/kg intraperitoneally produced a dose dependent decrease of cerebellar cGMP concentration without changing cAMP or GABA content. Smaller doses of diazepam (0.5 μmol/kg i.p.) failed to decrease the basal cerebellar content of cGMP. However, this dose of diazepam antagonized the increase of cGMP produced by isoniazid but not that produced by picrotoxin. Higher doses of diazepam were necessary to block the increase of cerebellar cGMP elicited by picrotoxin. Low doses of diazepam (0.14 μmol/kg) antagonized the convulsions in 50% of the rats injected with 3.3 mmol/kg of isoniazid. The doses of diazepam required to block picrotoxin, pentylenetetrazol or strychnine convulsions were 7, 25 and 40 times higher than those required to block isoniazid convulsions, respectively. Desmethyldiazepam, chloridiazepoxide, oxazepam were also several times more potent in antagonizing isoniazid than picrotoxin, pentylenetetrazol, or strychnine convulsions. In contrast, barbiturates were equipotent against all the convulsants studied. These experiments suggest that diazepam may act in the CNS either by altering the disposition of endogenous GABA or by mimicking the action of GABA at specific synaptic receptors.
Derivation and characterization of a transgene-free human induced pluripotent stem cell line and conversion into defined clinical-grade conditions.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can be generated with lentiviral-based reprogramming methodologies. However, traces of potentially oncogenic genes remaining in actively transcribed regions of the genome, limit their potential for use in human therapeutic applications1. Additionally, non-human antigens derived from stem cell reprogramming or differentiation into therapeutically relevant derivatives preclude these hiPSCs from being used in a human clinical context2. In this video, we present a procedure for reprogramming and analyzing factor-free hiPSCs free of exogenous transgenes. These hiPSCs then can be analyzed for gene expression abnormalities in the specific intron containing the lentivirus. This analysis may be conducted using sensitive quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which has an advantage over less sensitive techniques previously used to detect gene expression differences3. Full conversion into clinical-grade good manufacturing practice (GMP) conditions, allows human clinical relevance. Our protocol offers another methodology—provided that current safe-harbor criteria will expand and include factor-free characterized hiPSC-based derivatives for human therapeutic applications—for deriving GMP-grade hiPSCs, which should eliminate any immunogenicity risk due to non-human antigens. This protocol is broadly applicable to lentiviral reprogrammed cells of any type and provides a reproducible method for converting reprogrammed cells into GMP-grade conditions.
Investigations on the Effect of Backward-Facing and Forward-Facing Steps on Turbulent Mixed-Convection Flow Over a Flat Plate

The effects of backward-facing and forward-facing steps on a turbulent buoyancy-dominated mixed-convection flow over a flat plate are examined experimentally. Air velocity and temperature distributions and their turbulent fluctuations are measured simultaneously by using a two-component laser-Doppler velocimeter and a cold wire anemometer, respectively. The experiment was carried out for a step (backward-facing/forward-facing) height of 22 mm, a temperature difference, ΔT, of 30°C between the heated walls and the free-stream air (corresponding to a local Grashof number Gr xi = 6.45 × 1010), and a free-stream velocity of 0.48 m/s. It was found that the introduction of backward- and forward-facing steps increases the turbulence intensity of the velocity and temperature fluctuations downstream of the step. The present results also reveal that the maximum local Nusselt number occurs in the vicinity of the reattachment zone, and it is approximately twice for the case of the backward-facing step and three times...
A model of exploration and goal-searching in the cockroach, Blaberus discoidalis

Cockroach shelter-seeking strategy may initially look like an undirected random search, but we show that they are attracted to darkened shelters. They arrive at a shelter in about half the time control cockroaches take to reach the same location with no shelter present. We were able to identify six statistically significant trends from the behavior of 134 cockroaches in 1-min naA¯ve walking trials with four different shelter configurations. By combining these trends into a model, we built a stochastic algorithm that significantly biases a simulated agent toward a target location. We call this model RAMBLER (Randomized Algorithm Mimicking Biased Lone Exploration in Roaches). RAMBLER could be adapted for a mobile robot equipped with an onboard camera and antenna-like contact sensors.
Characterization of signals in the solution 1H NMR spectrum of poly(isobutylene‐co‐p‐methylstyrene) and their utility

Poly(isobutylene-co-p-methylstyrene) is an important precursor to Exxpro™ elastomers. A previous report detailed the characterization of both the proton and the carbon NMR spectra of the copolymer.1 However, several resonances in the proton NMR spectrum of the copolymer were not assigned. Specifically, the proton methine resonance of the BSB triad sequence is now identified and used to calculate BSB triad contribution to the copolymer microstructure. This report describes the assignment of this resonance and other resonances associated with microstructural sequence distribution around p-methylstyrene. The proton NMR signals of interest resonate at 2.8 ppm and 2.5 ppm in a typical spectrum for poly(isobutylene-co-p-methylstyrene). The nature of these resonances were determined by preparation and characterization of specifically deuterated poly(isobutylene-co-p-methylstyrene)s employing both one and two dimensional NMR techniques. The 2.8 ppm signal is assigned as the methine proton of a p-methylstyrene incorporated between two isobutylene units (the BSB triad). The signal at 2.5 ppm is assigned to the meso-BSS triad. Determination of these resonances allows for rapid evaluation of isolated p-methylstyrene units (BSB triads) present in the copolymer using only 1H NMR. The utility of this technique is demonstrated by comparing BSB triad values determined by 1H and 13C NMR analysis. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1680–1686, 2000