cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Case Study: Use of Online Tools in the Classroom and their Impact on Industrial Design Pedagogy

Abstract Industrial Design education is going through a rapid evolution with more Design students making use of internet resources and tools such as crowdsourcing, 3D printing services, and other web-based tools to validate their ideas more quickly. The popularity of online 3D printing services such as Shapeways and Sculpteo accelerate the design process and learning. These services allow the designer to “print” virtually in any material such as plastics or metals. The impact of this new technology and other new web-based tools is significant not only in the industry but in the classroom as well. Current Industrial Design pedagogy is still partially based on technology, materials and processes that were developed a century ago. For example, pencils and paper are still the primary idea development tool. Books and magazines used to be the primary research tool but already have been surpassed by the Internet. Computer technology has improved significantly since the appearance of the first PCs, Macs and CNC machines. With all these advances in technology, one aspect of Industrial Design education that needs to be re-visited is the pedagogy of Design Drafting in this new age of online 3D printing services. The traditional Design pedagogy that was based on the development of different skills or competencies in separate courses or classes have not changed significantly in the last 40 years, 3D printing technology could potentially change this situation. Some new academic papers discuss this newer trend in Industrial Design schools but very few provide examples on how they implemented the new Internet-based 3D printing services in their curriculum. Industrial Design schools need to adapt quickly to the new reality, embracing Internet resources and online tools as core skills that every designer must have. This paper will discuss one case in particular where student projects were developed using online 3D printing services.
Environment-Adaptable Efficient Optimization for Programming of Reconfigurable Radio Frequency (RF) Receivers

Software defined radio has been developed for supporting multi-standard radio receivers, but remains vulnerable to interference. In order to overcome this interference challenge, this paper proposes replacing the fixed wide-band Radio Frequency (RF) front-end in software radio receivers with a reconfigurable RF front-end. We show that a software radio with an optimally chosen reconfigurable RF front-end outperforms fixed RF software radios, when the latter suffers from inter-modulation of blockers caused by non-linearity of its RF front-end. Moreover, we propose a fast optimization algorithm for selecting an optimal configuration of the reconfigurable RF front-end in radio environments with interference. This algorithm selects from among the available configurations of the RF front-end, and improves SINR by adapting to the blockers present, while requiring only a small number of trials to select the appropriate configuration. Thus, a reconfigurable RF front-end, when used in conjunction with a software radio, can effectively realize the development of multi-standard wireless communication systems.
Ferdinand Ebner: na początku było słowo

In the article the author presents a few events, from the past and today, the actual and literary stories, related to the use of language and proposes their dialogical interpretation. The basis for the interpretation is Ferdinand Ebner’s thought, and particularly his concept of the word as a force enabling the development of the human being. In the entire text there are clear theological references, first of all to Saint John’s Gospel and its idea of Logos. The author points out that any encounter between human persons contains in itself a certain spiritual potential, which may be actualized only thanks to love stemming from God. Thus the word reveals its profound religious and therapeutic power.
DIY Hybrid Analog/Digital Modular Synthesis

This paper describes three hardware devices for integrating modular synthesizers with computers, each with a different approach to the relationship between hardware and software. The devices discussed are the USB-Octomod, an 8-channel OSC-compatible computer-controlled control-voltage generator, the tabulaRasa, a hardware table-lookup oscillator synthesis module with corresponding waveform design software, and the pucktronix.snake.corral, a dual 8x8 computer-controlled analog signal routing matrix. The devices make use of open-source hardware and software, and are designed around affordable micro-controllers and integrated circuits.
Brain death and disorders of consciousness

While often confused by non-medical specialists, brain death and disorders of consciousness such as coma, vegetative state, and minimally conscious state are clearly distinct and unambiguously distinguishable. Moreover, biological models underpin each category uniquely and with increasing precision. In this Primer, we frame the distinctions across the different conditions, point to recent work that advances measurements able to identify their differences, and explain two inter-related paradoxes. The first paradox is the brain dead patient whose 'phenotype' betrays the ultimate futility and lack of sustainability of the state. The second paradox is that of patients who retain apparent higher levels of cognitive function but who may be misidentified as remaining in a vegetative state or one of the similar conditions formulated in the recently defined syndrome of cognitive motor dissociation. Building on emerging data and models underlying each of these brain states, we place recent controversies over the assessment of brain dead patients into a scientific and wider societal context. We conclude by placing brain death into a broader conceptual framework that takes account of emerging scientific knowledge about disorders of consciousness.
Burn Prevention for the Surgeon

The burn injury can be a very challenging injury for all the members of the Burn Team, but most especially for the surgeon. It has long been stated that the best way to treat a burn is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. This chapter is designed to provide the surgeon with some basic tools and ideas needed to promote fire and burn safety prevention at the local, state, and regional levels. Since specific prevention topics and efforts may vary depending upon the identified need, location, and audience, it is important that the surgeon consider including all aspects of a well-defined prevention campaign to ensure success.
A 57–66 GHz reflection-type phase shifter with near-constant insertion loss

Integrated 60-GHz reflection-type phase shifter (RTPS) with near-constant insertion-loss for phased array transceivers is demonstrated in this paper. The RTPS is based on a cascaded couplers structure and implemented in a standard 0.12 µm SiGe BiCMOS process, using CMOS features only. The phase shifter is controlled by a 6-bit DAC and achieves >200° phase variation across the 57–66 GHz band with less than ±0.5 dB insertion loss variation over all phase states. The measured insertion loss at 60 GHz is 7.4±0.25 dB. Measured RMS phase error is less than 2.6° and the RMS gain error is less than 0.3 dB over the 57–66 GHz range. The IC occupies area of 400 × 700 µm2 (0.28 mm2), excluding pads.
Cue-induced nicotine-seeking behavior after withdrawal with or without extinction in rats

Exposure to smoking-associated environmental cues during smoke cessation elicits self-reported urge/craving to smoke, which precipitates relapse even after prolonged abstinence. Incubation of cue-induced cigarettes craving during abstinence has been observed in human smokers recently. The present studies assessed cue-induced nicotine-seeking behavior under different withdrawal conditions in rats with a history of nicotine self-administration. We found that non-reinforced operant responding during cue-induced nicotine seeking after different periods of withdrawal from nicotine exhibited an inverted U-shaped curve, with higher levels of responding after 7-21 days of withdrawal than those after 1-day withdrawal. Cue-induced nicotine-seeking responding is long lasting and persists even after 42 days of forced withdrawal in the home cages. Interestingly, repeated testing of cue-induced nicotine seeking at different withdrawal time points (1, 7, 14, 21 and 42 days) in the same individual alleviated responding as compared with the between-subjects assessment. Furthermore, extinction training during nicotine withdrawal significantly decreased cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine-seeking behavior. Together, profound time-dependent incubation of cue-induced craving in nicotine-experienced rats were observed. In addition, repeated cue exposure or extinction training decreases cue-induced craving. The demonstration of incubation of nicotine craving phenomenon in both rat and human studies provides support for the translational potential of therapeutic targets for relapse uncovered through mechanism studies in rats.
Use of the TRB Research Needs Statements Database in an Introductory Transportation Course

The literature recognizes that the initial stages of a research project, including identifying and selecting a research topic, are the most challenging steps of project development for college students in the United States. Nevertheless, very limited literature exists on topic identification and selection, especially for undergraduate studies. TRB has built and maintains an extensive research needs statements (RNS) database. There is great potential for using this database as a tool to assist undergraduate and graduate students in transportation-related disciplines in selecting a research topic. This paper presents a case for using the RNS database for topic identification and selection in an introductory transportation engineering course for undergraduates at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The students used the RNS database for the term design project. Data were collected through a survey distributed at the end of the course that aimed to solicit students’ feedback on their experiences usi...
Cerebral blood oxygenation measurements in neonates with optoacoustic technique

Cerebral hypoxia is a major contributor to neonatal/infant mortality and morbidity including severe neurological complications such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, motor impairment, and epilepsy. Currently, no technology is capable of accurate monitoring of neonatal cerebral oxygenation. We proposed to use optoacoustics for this application by probing the superior sagittal sinus (SSS), a large central cerebral vein. We developed and built a multi-wavelength, optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and laser diode optoacoustic systems for measurement of SSS blood oxygenation in the reflection mode through open anterior or posterior fontanelles and in the transmission mode through the skull in the occipital area. In this paper we present results of initial tests of the laser diode system for neonatal cerebral oxygenation measurements. First, the system was tested in phantoms simulating neonatal SSS. Then, using the data obtained in the phantoms, we optimized the system’s hardware and software and tested it in neonates admitted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The laser diode system was capable of detecting SSS signals in the reflection mode through the open anterior and posterior fontanelles as well as in the transmission mode through the skull with high signal-to-noise ratio. Using the signals measured at different wavelengths and algorithms developed for oxygenation measurements, the laser diode system provided real-time, continuous oxygenation monitoring with high precision at all these locations.
Neurolinguistic Programming in Orientation and Mobility

Neurolinguistic programming is a communication model whose basic principles are that human beings process information through the five senses (representational systems), tend to favor one of the pr...
The proximal-virtual team continuum: A study of performance: Research Articles

Research is beginning to accumulate for proximal and virtual team-based work. However, little if any research has examined the effects of the degrees of virtualization on performance, yet purely proximal or virtual teamwork in most professional organizations is becoming rare. This field study examined the effects of virtualization on social influences and social identity factors, and these effects on performance. We found nonlinear relationships between virtualization and cohesion, and virtualization and conflict. Task-relationship orientation and social-technical skills were also found to interact with virtualization on performance. Consequently, recommendations are made regarding hybridization of teams. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Two-Point Boundary Value Problems

This chapter focuses on two-point boundary value problems. It discusses finite difference approximation of the loaded string equation. A simple differential equation that is of physical significance, fitting for the illustration of finite difference discretization, is that of the stretched string, under unit tension, fixed at both ends, elastically supported on a flexible bed, and loaded along its length. Approximation of a nonlinear differential equation by finite differences is in principle not different from that of the previously discussed linear approximations, except that the resulting system of equations from this operation is nonlinear. While the solution of a linear system of equations is, at least in theory, routine, the solution of nonlinear equations is far from it. The solution of nonlinear systems is algorithmically more complicated, more time consuming, and the outcome less certain. Direct methods of solution are out of the question for nonlinear systems and recourse has to be made to iterative techniques. The method of successive substitutions for the numerical solution of the nonlinear boundary value problem is one of the more attractive algorithms known: It is conceptually easy to program and is likely to converge if the nonlinearity is weak or if the solution to the boundary value problem is insensitive to the nonlinear terms.
Discrepancia ex profeso en Virg., Aen. VI 562-600

As the context of Virg., Aen. VI 565 requires, the ancient interpretation of this line is correct, while the current consensus is mistaken. The Sibyl has never seen Tartarus. Subsequently, when she repeatedly asserts that she has witnessed the punishment of criminals confined in Tartarus, this blatant contradiction imitates the famously contradictory location of Odysseus outside Hades initially but later firmly within it.
Multivariate approaches for the development of quality control in-situ fiber optics dissolution methods for fixed-dose combination tablets

The purpose of this research was to develop a fiber optic (FO) dissolution method for quantification of multiple actives in combination pharmaceutical tablets. FO dissolution allows direct API quan...
“Hearability” Versus “Hearership”: Comparing Garfinkel’s and Schegloff’s Accounts of the Summoning Phone

This paper compares Harold Garfinkel’s phenomenologically informed “radical” ethnomethodology and Emanuel Schegloff’s “classical” Conversation Analysis, by focusing on their treatments of a ringing telephone as a summons. In their diverging accounts, Garfinkel and Schegloff use similar yet different terminologies in relation to the action of hearing. Garfinkel speaks of the “hearability” of the ringing phone, while Schegloff speaks of a recipient’s “hearership”. This lexical distinction is not irrelevant. “Hearership” stresses the obligations of parties to a phone call to speak and listen to each other while co-producing conversation. In contrast, for Garfinkel an analysis limited only to the parties’ work of speaking and listening to each other from within the hearable world glosses over the pervasive presence of the “hearability-structures” of the ordinary world. His “radical” version is predicated on the claim that the ordinary world is a hearable world. Accordingly, a phone summons is a familiar sound in which “hearability” is inseparable from the “hearability-structures” endogenous to the Lebenswelt.
Hemodynamic Profiles in Symptomatic Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis Referred for Aortic Valve Replacement: Experience at a Tertiary Care Center in the Middle East

Objective: Several hemodynamic profiles have been identified in patients with symptomatic, severe aortic stenosis (AS) based on mean valvular gradient, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and...
Size-dependent Creep Master Curve of Individual Electrospun Polymer Nanofibers

While there is great interest in polymer nanofibers due to their high strength, methods to measure their time-temperature superposition (TTS) curves are lacking. The objective of this work is to demonstrate one such method and thereby to predict room temperature creep compliance over many decades of time. A complimentary measurement is also presented to estimate the associated activation energy. The experimental method is demonstrated for polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers using an on-chip surface micromachined stepper motor actuator. It is first shown that the method yields good agreement with previous room temperature measurements. Subsequently, data up to 95 °C, near the glass transition temperature, is presented. Time-temperature superposition master curves are then constructed, and activation energies for two narrow diameter ranges (221 ± 27 nm and 150 ± 9 nm) are determined. The activation energy of the 221 nm fiber agrees well with the bulk PAN value, while the 150 nm fiber is 50% larger, indicating the importance of higher chain packing and reduced chain mobility in thinner fibers. TTS curves spanning 7 (221 nm) and 9 (150 nm) decades are presented. Over this time span the creep compliance increases by a factor of approximately 10 for each. This work demonstrates a viable method to measure polymer nanofiber TTS curves from which quantitative activation energy can be determined, and from which creep compliance values over time can be predicted.
Perceived Access to Abortion Among Women in the United States in 2018: Variation by State Abortion Policy Context.

Objectives. To describe perceptions of access to abortion among women of reproductive age and their associations with state abortion policy contexts.Methods. We used data from the 2018 Survey of Fa...
Crowdsourcing Distribution on Software Market

Software producers may choose to deliver products through a community of external institutions or individuals rather than paid employees. In the model, a computer game producer with a developed “game 1” may [a] sell game 1 allowing modifications (i.e., an external community develops game 2 based on game 1), [b] develop game 2 internally and sell it separately, or [c] develop game 2 internally and sell it as an optional addon to game 1. The firm’s profit and social welfare under each option is explored. An app-storelike market structure (in which the community is allowed to sell game 2) is also considered.
Wood-Related Open-Globe Injuries:

Purpose:This work evaluates the clinical characteristics, visual outcomes, and complications of patients treated for open-globe injuries (OGIs) caused by wooden objects.Methods:A retrospective revi...
Novel Method to Evaluate Diagnostic Shifting After a Pediatric Antibiotic Stewardship Intervention

Background: Audit-and-feedback interventions track clinician practice patterns for a targeted practice behavior. Audit and feedback of antibiotic prescribing data for acute respiratory infections (ARI) is an effective stewardship strategy that relies on administrative coding to identify eligible visits for audit. Diagnostic shifting is the misclassification of a patient’s diagnosis in response to audit and feedback and is a potential unintended consequence of audit and feedback. Objective: To develop a method to identify patterns consistent with diagnostic shifting including both positive shifting (improved diagnosis and documentation) and negative shifting (intentionally altering documentation of diagnosis to justify antibiotic prescribing), after implementation of an audit-and-feedback intervention to improve ARI management. Methods: We evaluated the intervention effect on diagnostic shifting within 12 University of Utah pediatric clinics (293 providers). Data included 66,827 ARI diagnoses: pneumonia, sinusitis, bronchitis, pharyngitis, upper respiratory infection (URI), acute otitis media (AOM), or serous otitis with effusion (OME). To determine whether rates of ARI diagnoses changed after the intervention, we developed logistic generalized estimating equation (GEE) models with robust sandwich standard error estimates to account for clinic-wise clustering. Outcomes included the change in each ARI diagnosis relative to the competing 6 diagnoses included in audit-and-feedback reports before and after intervention implementation. Models tested for a change in outcomes after the intervention (ie, diagnostic shift) after adjustment for month of diagnosis. For each diagnosis, we estimated the population attributable fraction (PAF) for antibiotic prescriptions due to combined shifts in diagnostic frequencies and prescription rates for each diagnosis. The PAF is the estimated fraction of antibiotic prescriptions that would have changed under a population-level intervention. Results: In month-adjusted analyses, diagnoses of pneumonia and OME decreased after the intervention: odds ratio (OR), 0.46 (95% CI, 0.31–0.68) and OR, 0.81 (95% CI, 0.67–0.99), respectively. In addition, URI diagnoses increased: OR, 1.05 (95% CI 1.00, 1.11). We did not detect changes in the diagnosis rates of sinusitis, AOM, bronchitis, and pharyngitis post intervention. The intervention effect on the PAF for antibiotics prescriptions was consistently positive but relatively small in magnitude. PAF was highest for URIs (PAF, 8.87%), followed by AOM (PAF, 3.56%) and sinusitis (PAF, 2.76%), and was lowest for pneumonia and bronchitis (PAF, 0.41% for both). Conclusions: Our analysis found minimal evidence overall of diagnostic shifting after a stewardship intervention using audit and feedback in these pediatric clinics. Small changes in diagnostic coding may reflect more appropriate diagnosis and coding, a positive effect of audit and feedback, rather than intentional negative diagnostic shift. Funding: None Disclosures: None
“For all of us”: Feminine Style in the Rhetoric of Rosalynn Carter

In her essay “A Woman of Power: Rosalynn Carter and the Mental Health Scene,” Marie Whelan provides an insightful neo-Aristotelian analysis of Rosalynn Carter’s rhetorical tactics as she campaigned for mental health care reform in the United States. Whelan’s investigation provides an excellent context for Carter’s feminine persona and role as a mother of the nation figure, though her neo-Aristotelian framework does not fully address the connection between Carter’s rhetorical tactics and her public image. This paper examines Carter’s rhetorical tactics of using personal anecdotes, encouraging unity between herself and her audiences, and inviting audience participation through the lens of the feminine style. Specifically, I examine how Carter utilizes these rhetorical tactics in two newspaper op-eds to effectively support her point while fulfilling her role as a mother of the nation figure. An analysis of Carter’s rhetoric through the lens of the feminine style allows for a more nuanced understanding of Carter’s rhetoric in the context of her public persona and better accounts for the historical period in which she campaigned.
Variation in herbivore grazing behavior across Caribbean reef sites

Herbivorous fish can increase coral growth and survival by grazing down algal competitors. With coral reefs in global decline, maintaining adequate herbivory has become a primary goal for many managers. However, herbivore biomass targets assume grazing behavior is consistent across different reef systems, even though relatively few have been studied. We document grazing behavior of two scarid species in Antigua, Barbuda, and Bonaire. Our analyses show significant differences in intraspecific feeding rates, time spent grazing, and intensity of grazing across sites, which may alter the ecological impact of a given scarid population. We suggest several hypothesized mechanisms for these behavioral variations that would benefit from explicit testing in future research. As managers set targets to enhance herbivory on reefs, it is critical that we understand potential differences in scarid grazing impact. Our findings demonstrate the variability of grazing behavior across different reef sites and call for further investigation of the drivers and ecological implications of these inconsistencies.
Introduction to Numerical Optimization

Optimization methods attempt to find the best solution to a problem which also satisfies all problem constraints. If the best solution can be expressed mathematically in terms of variables, numerical methods will help solve the problem. In many cases, the feasible solution space may be limited by additional mathematical expressions called constraints. Optimization plays a vital role in many situations. Everyday tasks such as walking across campus can be seen as optimization problems: minimize the distance traveled while staying within the bounds of the sidewalks. For engineers working in industry, each company expects employees to help maximize the profit for the company within legal and ethical constraints. For many specific engineering tasks, numerical optimization methods become very useful for finding the best solution to a problem without resorting to trial-and-error methods. This chapter introduces some basic concepts related to numerical optimization of algebraic functions including algebraic constraints. Examples are provided using Solver in Microsoft Excel. Topics considered include the objective function, algebraic constraints, optimality conditions, convexity analysis, classification of solution methods, problem relaxations, and deterministic global solutions.
Emergent gravity from stochastic fluctuations

It is possible that both the classical description of spacetime and the rules of quantum field theory emerge from a more-fundamental structure of physical law. Pregeometric frameworks transfer some...
Differences in Tobacco Product Use by Sexual Orientation and Violence Factors Among United States Youth

Objective To assess differences in the relationship between violence factor exposure and tobacco product pattern use (exclusive and poly), we hypothesized that compared with heterosexuals, sexual minority youth would be more likely to report exclusive-tobacco and poly-tobacco use patterns, and controlling for violence factors would attenuate these associations. Study design Data from 27 513 US high-school youth were analyzed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Factor Surveillance System from 2015 and 2017. We fit sex-stratified, weighted, adjusted log-Poisson models to compare past 30-day exclusive combustible, exclusive e-cigarette, and poly-tobacco use in across sexual orientation. Then, models were adjusted for past-year experiences of physical fighting, bullying, attempting suicide, and physical and sexual dating violence. Results Compared with heterosexual girls with other-sex partners, sexual minority girls were more likely to use exclusive combustible, exclusive e-cigarette, or poly-tobacco products. When adjusting for violence factors, most tobacco use associations were partially attenuated for all sexual minority girls, and completely attenuated for exclusive e-cigarette use among all sexual minority girls. Conclusions Sexual minority girls have greater exclusive- and poly-tobacco use compared with heterosexual girls. Tobacco interventions for sexual minority youth should address the risks of poly-tobacco use as well as violence-based risk factors.
User Experience Design for Human-Machine Teaming in Commanding a Distributed Constellation of Unmanned Assets in Search and Rescue:

Search and rescue missions are time-sensitive, with their duration impacting survivability. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly shortening response time, accelerating area coverage, an...
Sialic Acid Content of Plasminogen 2 Glycoforms as a Regulator of Fibrinolytic Activity ISOLATION, CARBOHYDRATE ANALYSIS, AND KINETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF SIX GLYCOFORMS OF PLASMINOGEN 2

Six glycoforms of plasminogen 2 were isolated using a combination of lectin affinity chromatography and chromatofocussing, and the sialic acid content of each glycoform was determined. The kinetics of activation of each glycoform by tissue-type plasminogen activator were analyzed on a fibrin surface and in solution. The second-order rate constant (measured on a fibrin surface) decreased from 1.65 × 106M−1 s−1 to 3.77 × 104M−1 s−1 as the sialic acid content of the glycoforms increased from 1.3 mol/mol of protein to 13.65 mol/mol of protein. A similar correlation was noted for activation in solution. Each glycoform was converted to plasmin, and the inhibition constants for the reaction between α2-antiplasmin and plasmin glycoforms were determined. All overall Ki' values, reflecting the final essentially irreversible complex, were in the picomolar range. Sialic acid does not affect inhibition of plasmin by α2-antiplasmin; however, hypersialylated plasmin does not appear to have a kringle-dependent component to inhibition.
Proteomic evaluation of mammary glands of rats prepubertally exposed to Bisphenol A

4463 Bisphenol A (BPA), is an industrial compound commonly used in the production of polycarbonate plastic, epoxy resins, and dental sealants. BPA has been shown to advance puberty and disrupt estrous cyclicity, identifying it as an endocrine disruptor. It has previously been reported that rats treated with BPA during the prepubertal period were susceptible to irregular estrous cycles demonstrating that endocrine disruption during this critical developmental period can result in permanent reproductive alterations. The goal of this research was to identify differentially expressed proteins in mammary glands of rats that were treated early in postnatal life with BPA. For this study, lactating dams were gavaged with 250 μg BPA/kg body weight or an equivalent volume of sesame oil on days 1–20 postpartum. On day 21, the female offspring were euthanized and the 4 th abdominal mammary glands were dissected and frozen in liquid nitrogen for later use. These mammary glands were homogenized and subjected to 2-D gel electrophoresis. The gels were analyzed using Progenesis Discovery . Protein spots that were common to all gels were statistically evaluated in order to identify significantly regulated spots. Using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, we have determined that crystallin β-B2 and heat shock 70kD protein 5 (GRP78) were down regulated and RAD51 homolog 2 was up-regulated in mammary glands of BPA rats compared to control rats. Immuno-blot analysis confirmed the differential regulation and identity of these proteins. Crystallin-β B2, a lens protein, is thought to directly interact with various components of programmed cell death machinery and has previously been found to be a marker of lymph node involvement in breast carcinoma. RAD51 homolog 2 functions in DNA maintenance, participating in a common DNA damage response pathway associated with double-strand break repair, and hence up regulated in cancerous tissue. GRP78, a chaperone protein involved in the folding and assembly of proteins, displays increased expression during times of glucose starvation. Our future interests in this study include measuring glucose concentrations in mammary tissue from the animals treated with BPA in order to establish a correlation between glucose levels and down regulation of GRP78. Furthermore, analysis of differentially regulated biomarkers from 50 day animals and comparison with the 21 day data can yield useful information on developmental changes and protein-protein interaction in detailed biochemical pathways related to BPA exposure. The application of proteomics to mammary carcinogenesis studies should aid in identifying key biomarkers that predetermine mammary cancer susceptibility. Specifically, we should be able to compare proteins that are differentially expressed during mammary gland differentiation (day 21) and at time of sexual maturity (day 50). Supported by NIH/NIEHS 1 U01 ES012771.
Regulation and expression of metazoan unconventional myosins.

Abstract Unconventional myosins are molecular motors that convert adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis into movement along actin filaments. On the basis of primary structure analysis, these myosins are represented by at least 15 distinct classes (classes 1 and 3–16), each of which is presumed to play a specific cellular role. However, in contrast to the conventional myosins-2, which drive muscle contraction and cytokinesis and have been studied intensively for many years in both uni- and multicellular organisms, unconventional myosins have only been subject to analysis in metazoan systems for a short time. Here we critically review what is known about unconventional myosin regulation, function, and expression. Several points emerge from this analysis. First, in spite of the high relative conservation of motor domains among the myosin classes, significant differences are found in biochemical and enzymatic properties of these motor domains. Second, the idea that characteristic distributions of unconventional myosins are solely dependent on the myosin tail domain is almost certainly an oversimplication. Third, the notion that most unconventional myosins function as transport motors for membranous organelles is challenged by recent data. Finally, we present a scheme that clarifies relationships between various modes of myosin regulation.
Kinetics and mechanism of isomerization of cyclosporin A.

The kinetics of isomerization of cyclosporin A to isocyclosporin A were studied in various nonaqueous solvents as a function of temperature and added methanesulfonic acid. The rate of isomerization was found to be acid-catalyzed over the acid concentration range studied. The choice of organic solvent significantly altered the rate of isomerization. For a series of alcohols, the rate was enhanced with increasing dielectric constant of the media, however, this correlation did not hold upon introduction of the dipolar aprotic solvent, tetrahydrofuran. Conversion of cyclosporin A to isocyclosporin A in tetrahydrofuran was found to contain diminished side reactions as compared to alcoholic solvents. The rate of conversion of isocyclosporin A to cyclosporin A was determined in aqueous buffers as a function of pH, buffer concentration, and temperature. The rates of conversion were extremely rapid compared to the forward reaction. Based on the pH dependencies of dilute solution reactivities, isocyclosporin A displayed a kinetically generated pKa value of 6.9 for the secondary amine moiety. From pH 8 to pH 10 the pH–rate profile plot is linear, with a slope approximately equal to unity, indicating apparent hydroxide ion catalysis. The break in pH–rate profile suggests a change in the rate-determining step upon protonation of isocyclosporin A. The rate of isomerization in plasma was comparable with that found in a pH 7.4 buffer solution, indicating that plasma proteins do not significantly alter the isomerization kinetics of isocyclosporin A to cyclosporin A.
The generation of N-layered geoacoustic descriptions of the subbottom using NAVOCEANO-collected environmental data

A technique has been developed and implemented by the Naval Oceanographic Office for the generation of N-layer low-frequency bottom-loss (LFBL) databases. This technique employs a data collection methodology, a geoacoustic inversion technique, and fine-scale seismic data interpretation to generate a regional layered geoacoustic (compressional velocity, density, attenuation) definition of the subbottom. These geoacoustic descriptions are optimized to characterize the attenuation of waterborne acoustic energy by the bottom, in the range of 20-1000 Hz. The process begins with the collection of multiple types of environmental data on two types of survey operations. On the first type of survey operation, collocated trackline measurements of broadband transmission loss seismic, chirp, and bathymetry are made. Trackline lengths are generally on the order of 15-20 nmi. In addition, in situ conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) and expendable bathythermograph (XBT) measurements are made. On the second type of survey operation, seismic and chirp data are collected along regional tracklines. The spatial separation of the tracklines is a function of the complexity of the geologic layering and is chosen so that accurate regional layer thickness maps can be generated. From the data collected on the first type of survey, subbottom geoacoustic parameters are inverted for using a global optimization method genetic algorithm (GA). Seismic and chirp data at each transmission-loss location are interpreted for range-dependent layer depths; for each layer a starting field of geoacoustic parameters is generated using sequence stratigraphy, along with empirical relationships between lithology, burial depth, and geoacoustic values. For each geoacoustic parameter, a bound is imposed, representing realistic expected values. The layered starting field of geoacoustics is input to the PE5.0 model and is allowed to iterate through the imposed bounds, using the GA to minimize the error between the transmission-loss model output and the measured transmission-loss data. Regional layered descriptions are generated by extrapolating the inverted for layered descriptions from each transmission-loss measurement location throughout the area. Layer thickness maps are first generated using the regional seismic data. A provinced set of velocities, densities, and attenuations, ground-truthed at the locations at which transmission-loss data were collected, are applied to each layer throughout the region.
Costs and benefits of an organized fecal immunochemical test-based colorectal cancer screening program in the United States.

BACKGROUND Despite clear recommendations and evidence linking colorectal cancer screening to lower incidence and mortality, > 40% of adults are not up to date with screening. Existing domestic and international models of organized cancer screening programs have been effective in increasing screening rates. Implementing an organized, evidence-based, national screening program may be an effective approach to increasing screening rates. METHODS In the current study, the authors estimated the initial investment required and the cost per person screened of a nationwide fecal immunochemical test (FIT)-based colorectal cancer screening program among adults aged 50 years to 75 years. RESULTS The initial additional investment required was estimated at $277.9 to $318.2 million annually, with an estimated 8.7 to 9.4 million individuals screened at a cost of $32 to $39 per person screened. The program was estimated to prevent 2900 to 3100 deaths annually. CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study indicate that implementing a national screening program would make a substantial public health impact at a moderate cost per person screened. Results from this analysis may provide useful information for understanding the public health benefit of an organized screening delivery system and the potential resources required to implement a nationwide colorectal cancer screening program, and help guide decisions about program planning, design, and implementation. Cancer 2014;120:2308–2315. © 2014 American Cancer Society.
The Climate Fix: What Scientists and Politicians Won't Tell You About Global Warming

The world's response to climate change has been deeply flawed. The Climate Fix is where we begin to get it back on track, as science policy expert Roger Pielke, Jr. dissects the disastrous climate debate and offers a solution: expanding energy access and increasing energy security while lowering costs through technological innovation.
Recording and Analyzing Synaptic Currents and Synaptic Potentials

Intracellular recording of synaptic currents (PSCs) under voltage clamp conditions provides the most accurate and direct means for measuring the earliest effects of neurotransmitters. With this tool, combined with pharmacological or ionic manipulations, one can obtain information about the type of transmitter used at a synapse, the dynamics of transmitter-receptor interactions, the types and numbers of receptors activated, the effects of drugs on transmission, functional neural circuitry, and indications about the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity. Each synaptic current or potential is a reflection of many experimental variables: the ionic composition of the solutions, the temperature, the presence of pharmacological agents, the rate of synaptic stimulation, the history of stimulation, the variables of the recording system, as well as other factors unique to each preparation. Correct analysis of data requires all these parameters be considered. Both stimulus-evoked and spontaneous synaptic events are covered in this unit since conclusions about synaptic and drug mechanisms are strongest when based upon recording of both types of activity. This unit outlines basic considerations for recording PSCs and PSPs in addition to guidelines for data analysis.
Generation of alloreactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes: Evidence for a differentiation factor distinct from IL 2

In this report we provide evidence that the generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) involves a differentiation signal in addition to a proliferative signal, and that the differentiation signal is mediated by a factor distinct from interleukin 2 (IL 2). Generation of CTL from nylon wool-nonadherent splenocytes stimulated by heat-treated thymocytes did not correlate with the addition of IL 2-containing supernatants to this factor-dependent bioassay. IL 2 from two different sources and prepared by different methods (purified IL 2 from the LBRM33 cell line and partially purified IL 2 from the EL4 cell line) was not sufficient to generate a cytotoxic response in the bioassay. The inability of IL 2 to generate a cytotoxic response was not due to the use of heat-treated stimulator cells because similar results were obtained with UV-treated cells. As we previously reported, supernatant fluids containing a differentiation/activation factor did generate CTL from nylon wool-nonadherent splenocytes. Supernatant fluid from co-cultures of activated T cells and M phi as well as from cultures of activated M phi contained this CTL helper factor; however, only the former supernatant contained IL 2 activity. These results suggest a factor distinct from IL 2 is providing a differentiation/activation signal that is necessary for CTL development. Although IL 2 was not effective at generating CTL from nylon wool-nonadherent splenocytes, it was capable in some, but not all, experiments of generating a cytotoxic response from unseparated splenocytes. The ability of IL 2 to induce a cytotoxic response from unseparated splenocytes appeared to correlate with the presence of a weak background response seen when unseparated cells were used as responder cells.
Estimating the client costs of addiction treatment: first findings from the client drug abuse treatment cost analysis program (Client DATCAP)

The costs of addiction treatment services are an important determinant of the cost-effectiveness of a program, and therefore, of relevance to addiction treatment providers, insurance companies and, patients. Several methods have been developed to estimate the costs of substance abuse treatment services. One such method is the drug abuse treatment cost analysis program (DATCAP), which collects resource use and cost data from the treatment program perspective and has been used in numerous published economic evaluation studies. However, no single widely-used, standardized instrument is currently available to estimate costs specifically incurred by clients in treatment. In response to that need, this article introduces the Client DATCAP and presents process, survey-specific, and quantitative findings from a Pilot Study to estimate the client costs of attending outpatient and inpatient treatment. The preliminary findings suggest that the self-administered Client DATCAP is a feasible and practical instrument for estimating costs incurred by clients in treatment, with completion time amounting to less than 10 min. Furthermore, client costs had a considerable range across respondents, with time costs consistently accounting for the largest cost component. Findings from the Pilot Study led to the development and release of edition 2 of the outpatient and inpatient modules of the Client DATCAP.
Microwave properties of ceramic materials

A test method used in the characterization of ceramic material systems in the 1-to-15 GHz range is described. Data are presented on the dielectric constant and loss tangent or attenuation of a low-temperature cofired ceramic, a gold conductor system, and a low-dielectric-constant thick-film stratified dielectric system with gold conductors. The test method uses simple microstrip circuit construction techniques to obtain electrical property data more representative of end-use circuit applications than bulk material measurements and readily available fixturing components to characterize microwave properties over a broad frequency range. Applying this technique to well-known material systems has resulted in excellent agreement with manufacturers' data and data from other test methods. >
Effect of ultrasonic cavitation treatment on liberation and hydrocyclone separation of bituminous coal

Testing was conducted to evaluate the effects of hydroacoustic cavitation (HAC) treatment on two bituminous coal slurries and the subsequent separation of each slurry in a classifying hydrocvclone. HAC treatment was performed using a pilot-scale circuit fabricated by Fumess-Newb urge Inc. The circuit was designed to induce cavitation by means of flow through an ultrasonic resonator chamber or enhanced cavitation by initial flow through a cavitation chamber followed by flow through the ultrasonic chamber. The test materials were nominal −1,500-micron and −150-micron lllinois-basin bituminous coal slurries, which were obtained from an operating coal preparation facility. After 5 sec of HAC treatment, the median size of the −1,500-micron material was reduced, with ash values for certain size fractions decreasing more than 5 percent compared with untreated samples. Extending treatment time led to greater degradation of the +1,180-micron material and an increase in the −25-micron material, with ash reductions occurring for material in the −850+150-micron size range. Size degradation was less for the −150-micron material. Subsequent separation of the treated slurries was carried out in a hydrocvclone with diameter of 102 mm. HAC treatment led to a decrease in the ash value and an increase in the heating value of the underflow stream compared with the feed material. For example, the ash value was reduced by about 16 percent for the −1,500-micron material and 25 percent for the −150-micron material with heating value increases of 7 and 33 percent, respectively, after HAC treatment. Overall, HAC treatment appeared to have a slight effect on the size selectivity curves.