cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Construction and purification of site‐specifically modified DNA templates for transcription assays

Chemical and physical agents can alter the structure of DNA by modifying the bases and the phosphate–sugar backbone, consequently compromising both replication and transcription. During transcription elongation, RNA polymerase complexes can stall at a damaged site in DNA and mark the lesion for repair by a subset of proteins that are utilized to execute nucleotide excision repair, a pathway commonly associated with the removal of bulky DNA damage from the genome. This RNA polymerase-induced repair pathway is called transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair. Although our understanding of DNA lesion effects on transcription elongation and the associated effects of stalled transcription complexes on DNA repair is broadening, the attainment of critical data is somewhat impeded by labor-intensive, time- consuming processes that are required to prepare damaged DNA templates. Here, we describe an approach for building linear DNA templates that contain a single, site-specific DNA lesion and support transcription by human RNA polymerase II. The method is rapid, making use of biotin–avidin interactions and paramagnetic particles to purify the final product. Data are supplied demonstrating that these templates support transcription, and we emphasize the potential versatility of the protocol and compare it with other published methods.
A preliminary evaluation of the reliability of a modified functional scoring system for assessing neurologic function in ambulatory thoracolumbar myelopathy dogs

Background The objective of this study was to develop and assess the reliability of a modified scoring system for evaluating the function of the two pelvic limbs separately, in ambulatory thoracolumbar myelopathy dogs. A previously established neurologic score scale for dogs with T3-L3 lesions was modified in order to provide a separate score for each pelvic limb.
Genetic deficiency of Smad3 protects the kidneys from atrophy and interstitial fibrosis in 2K1C hypertension

Although the two-kidney, one-clip (2K1C) model is widely used as a model of human renovascular hypertension, mechanisms leading to the development of fibrosis and atrophy in the cuffed kidney and compensatory hyperplasia in the contralateral kidney have not been defined. Based on the well-established role of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling pathway in renal fibrosis, we tested the hypothesis that abrogation of TGF-β/Smad3 signaling would prevent fibrosis in the cuffed kidney. Renal artery stenosis (RAS) was established in mice with a targeted disruption of exon 2 of the Smad3 gene (Smad3 KO) and wild-type (WT) controls by placement of a polytetrafluoroethylene cuff on the right renal artery. Serial pulse-wave Doppler ultrasound assessments verified that blood flow through the cuffed renal artery was decreased to a similar extent in Smad3 KO and WT mice. Two weeks after surgery, systolic blood pressure and plasma renin activity were significantly elevated in both the Smad3 KO and WT mice. The cuffed kidney of WT mice developed renal atrophy (50% reduction in weight after 6 wk, P < 0.0001), which was associated with the development of interstitial fibrosis, tubular atrophy, and interstitial inflammation. Remarkably, despite a similar reduction of renal blood flow, the cuffed kidney of the Smad3 KO mice showed minimal atrophy (9% reduction in weight, P = not significant), with no significant histopathological alterations (interstitial fibrosis, tubular atrophy, and interstitial inflammation). We conclude that abrogation of TGF-β/Smad3 signaling confers protection against the development of fibrosis and atrophy in RAS.
The Empty Idea of Authority

The idea of authority is a fabrication. Claims of moral right to be obeyed owe their historic salience to the self-interest of claimants. When Enlightenment scholars demolished the divine right of kings, they should have disabused us of the right, not just of the notions that it came from the divine and belonged to kings. Their effort to salvage the idea of right to rule and to press it into serving as support for their favored governments was understandable but unjustified.Claims of moral right to be obeyed have their origins in creationist accounts of law and government. This article presents an evolutionary account of law and government. The law of a human community is a self-generating, self-recognizing system of human communications that signals likely action within that community. Law is a signaling system that uniquely serves and symbiotically defines a human community. Autopoiesis, not authority, is the phenomenon that authentically animates law and government.No theory of moral right to be obeyed illuminates the nature of law. The most prominent contemporary thesis, Joseph Raz's normal justification of authority, does not identify a right that can honestly be claimed by lawgivers or that ever really belongs to them.Conventionalist analyses of H.L.A. Hart's rule of recognition implicitly acknowledge that a rule's effectiveness may derive exclusively from success in signaling likely human action. This article argues that the character and effectiveness of all law derives exclusively from participating in a self-recognizing system that successfully signals likely human action.Understanding law as an autopoietic signaling system frees us to discard the idea of authority. This article articulates a vision of law-as-signaling-system and surveys some of that vision's implications for contemporary preoccupations of legal theory.
Preforming Analysis of Thermoformable Fiber Mats — Preforming Effects on Mold Filling

A preforming and molding operation for producing an automotive hood was conducted. Irregular flow front profiles were observed because the preforming- induced deformation altered the flow characteristics of the fiber reinforcements. A fiber network model was established to estimate the stretching effect on permeability change. The permeability derived from this model was a function of two factors: porosity and ori entation. The predicted permeabilities compared well with experimental data. Bending- induced channeling was found to be the major cause for the observed irregular flow pat terns. When this effect was accounted for in the flow modeling, the profile of flow front progression could be simulated reasonably well.
Experimental Osteomyelitis. V. Therapeutic Trials with Oxacillin and Sisomicin Alone and in Combination

Oxacillin was used alone and in combination with sisomicin in the treatment of experimental osteomyelitis due to Staphylococcus aureus in rabbits. Within diseased bone, levels of oxacillin and sisomicin remained higher than the minimal inhibitory concentration for 2 and 6 hr, respectively, after injection of 50 mg of oxacillin/kg and 10 mg of sisomicin/kg. Treatment with 50 mg of oxacillin/kg four times daily or 50 mg/kg every 4 hr around the clock for 28 days sterilized 30% of the rabbit bones. Sisomicin (10 mg/kg) injected twice daily for 28 days sterilized only 5% of the rabbit bones. In contrast, treatment with the combination of oxacillin and sisomicin for either 14 or 28 days was significantly more effective, sterilizing 78% and 85%, respectively, of the bones of treated animals. S. Aureus isolated from bones of animals treated with sisomicin alone contained aminoglycoside-resistant microcolonies. Resistant microcolonies were not recovered from animals treated with oxacillin or with the combination of oxacillin plus sisomicin. In vitro studies of bacterial killing by each antibiotic alone and in combination showed more bacterial killing with the combination than with either agent alone; in vitro the combination prevented emergence of resistant microcolonies. Combination antibiotic therapy appears to be more effective in treatment of experimental osteomyelitis due to S. aureus than therapy with a single agent.
A functional hybrid between the cytochrome bc1 complex and its physiological membrane-anchored electron acceptor cytochrome cy in Rhodobacter capsulatus

The membrane integral ubihydroquinone (QH2): cytochrome (cyt) c oxidoreductase (or the cyt bc1 complex) and its physiological electron acceptor, the membrane-anchored cytochrome cy (cyt cy), are discrete components of photosynthetic and respiratory electron transport chains of purple non-sulfur, facultative phototrophic bacteria of Rhodobacter species. In Rhodobacter capsulatus, it has been observed previously that, depending on the growth condition, absence of the cyt bc1 complex is often correlated with a similar lack of cyt cy (Jenney, F. E., et al. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 2496-2502), as if these two membrane integral components form a non-transient larger structure. To probe whether such a structural super complex can exist in photosynthetic or respiratory membranes, we attempted to genetically fuse cyt cy to the cyt bc1 complex. Here, we report successful production, and initial characterization, of a functional cyt bc1-cy fusion complex that supports photosynthetic growth of an appropriate R. capsulatus mutant strain. The three-subunit cyt bc1-cy fusion complex has an unprecedented bis-heme cyt c1-cy subunit instead of the native mono-heme cyt c1, is efficiently matured and assembled, and can sustain cyclic electron transfer in situ. The remarkable ability of R. capsulatus cells to produce a cyt bc1-cy fusion complex supports the notion that structural super complexes between photosynthetic or respiratory components occur to ensure efficient cellular energy production.
Acoustic fluidization: A new geologic process?

A number of geologic processes, particularly seismic faulting, impact crater slumping, and long runout landslides, require the failure of geologic materials under differential stresses much smaller than expected on the basis of conventional rock mechanics. This paper proposes that the low strengths apparent in these phenomena are due to a state of 'acoustic fluidization' induced by a transient strong acoustic wave field. The strain rates possible in such a field are evaluated, and it is shown that acoustically fluidized debris behaves as a newtonian fluid with a viscosity in the range 100,000 to 10,000,000 P for plausible conditions. Energy gains and losses in the acoustic field are discussed, and the mechanism is shown to be effective if internal dissipation in the field gives a Q approximately greater than 100. Whether such values for Q are realized is not known at present. However, acoustic fluidization provides a qualitatively correct description of the failure of rock debris under low differential stresses in the processes of faulting, crater slumping, and long runout landslides. Acoustic fluidization thus deserves serious consideration as a possible explanation of these phenomena.
SHELF‐LIFE AND QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF POULTRY PARTS DIPPED IN POTASSIUM SORBATE

Fresh, broiler parts were dipped 30 or 60 set in solutions of potassium sorbate. Drumsticks were stored at refrigerator temperature and evaluated daily for off-odor development and total counts. Thighs and breasts were baked to internal breast temperature of 85°C cooled, then evaluated for shear press values, moisture retention, and sensory properties. Drumsticks dipped in potassium sorbate developed off-odors later than the controls. Those parts dipped in 10% potassium sorbate had a 20-day shelf-life at 4°C, based on off-odor development and time for total counts to reach 10′. Parts dipped in potassium sorbate for 30 set, drained, then baked had similar Shear Press (tenderness) and Carver Press (moisture retention) values regardless of the sorbate concentration used. Taste panel members could not distinguish between those parts dipped in 5 or 10% potassium sorbate and those parts dipped in distilled water. Sensory evaluations were significantly lower for those parts dipped in 15% potassium sorbate solutions for 1 mm. Parts dipped in 5 or 10% solutions for 1 mm were indistinguishable from the controls.
Complex systems and networks: Challenges and opportunities for chemical and biological engineers

The di5erence between the complicated and the complex is not just quantitative; it is also qualitative. Complexity requires both an augmentation of the conceptual framework and new tools. In this manuscript we describe the challenges faced when studying complex systems and describe how scientists from many di5erent areas have responded to these challenges. We brie:y describe the toolkit used for studying complex systems: nonlinear dynamics, statistical physics, and network theory. We place particular emphasis on network theory due to the explosive rate of advance that the ;eld has recently experienced. We argue that chemical engineering—conversant with a systems viewpoint that is deeply embedded in its culture and the ability to tackle problems across a broad range of length and time scales —is in excellent position to master and develop new tools and to tackle the many challenges posed by complex systems. To illustrate this fact, we brie:y review two cases—ecologic food webs and cellular networks—where chemical engineers could have an immediate impact. ? 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
RICE: a reliable and efficient remote instrumentation collaboration environment

Remote access of scientific instruments over the Internet (i.e., remote instrumentation) demand high-resolution (2D and 3D) video image transfers with simultaneous real-time mouse and keyboard controls. Consequently, user quality of experience (QoE) is highly sensitive to network bottlenecks. Further, improper user control while reacting to impaired video caused due to network bottlenecks could result in physical damages to the expensive instrument equipment. Hence, it is vital to understand the interplay between (a) user keyboard/mouse actions toward the instrument, and (b) corresponding network reactions for transfer of instrument video images toward the user. In this paper, we first present an analytical model for characterizing user and network interplay during remote instrumentation sessions in terms of demand and supply interplay principles of traditional economics. Next, we describe the trends of the model parameters using subjective and objective measurements obtained from QoE experiments. Thereafter, we describe our Remote Instrumentation Collaboration Environment (RICE) software that leverages our experiences from the user and network interplay studies, and has functionalities that facilitate reliable and efficient remote instrumentation such as (a) network health awareness to detect network bottleneck periods, and (b) collaboration tools for multiple participants to interact during research and training sessions.
Immunohistochemical localization of catalase in ocular tissue.

Localization of catalase In rat and bovine ocular tissues was investigated by an immunohistochemical method. Antisera to purified catalase was raised In a rabbit. Purity of catalase was determined ...
Thermal Degradation of Rice Straw and its Components

The disposal of rice crop residues has received increasing attention over a number of years from those both inside and outside the field of agriculture. The residues present a growing and costly management problem as grain yields increased by improved technology are accompanied by increasing straw yields. The traditional method of economical disposal, namely burning, faces growing public opposition and legal regulation, as air pollutant levels from many sources increase and state and local controls are established. To continue utilizing this practice, cleaner burning techniques must be developed. However, to alter the rice straw’s burning mode effectively a better understanding must be obtained of its overall thermal degradation mechanism. Although cellulose, one of the components of rice straw, has been studied extensively by numerous researchers, 1 – 13 rice straw itself has not been given the same consideration.
Considerations for animal models of blast-related traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy

The association of military blast exposure and brain injury was first appreciated in World War I as commotio cerebri, and later as shell shock. Similar injuries sustained in modern military conflicts are now classified as mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). Recent research has yielded new insights into the mechanisms by which blast exposure leads to acute brain injury and chronic sequelae, including postconcussive syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, post-traumatic headache, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a tau protein neurodegenerative disease. Impediments to delivery of effective medical care for individuals affected by blast-related TBI include: poor insight into the heterogeneity of neurological insults induced by blast exposure; limited understanding of the mechanisms by which blast exposure injures the brain and triggers sequelae; failure to appreciate interactive injuries that affect frontal lobe function, pituitary regulation, and neurovegetative homeostasis; unknown influence of genetic risk factors, prior trauma, and comorbidities; absence of validated diagnostic criteria and clinical nosology that differentiate clinical endophenotypes; and lack of empirical evidence to guide medical management and therapeutic intervention. While clinicopathological analysis can provide evidence of correlative association, experimental use of animal models remains the primary tool for establishing causal mechanisms of disease. However, the TBI field is confronted by a welter of animal models with varying clinical relevance, thereby impeding scientific coherence and hindering translational progress. Animal models of blast TBI will be far more translationally useful if experimental emphasis focuses on accurate reproduction of clinically relevant endpoints (output) rather than scaled replication of idealized blast shockwaves (input). The utility of an animal model is dependent on the degree to which the model recapitulates pathophysiological mechanisms, neuropathological features, and neurological sequelae observed in the corresponding human disorder. Understanding the purpose of an animal model and the criteria by which experimental results derived from the model are validated are critical components for useful animal modeling. Animal models that reliably demonstrate clinically relevant endpoints will expedite development of new treatments, diagnostics, preventive measures, and rehabilitative strategies for individuals affected by blast TBI and its aftermath.
Chemical degradation and mechanical testing of polyethylenes

Polyethylene films and sheets were oxidized in oxygen, air, or aqueous nitric acid at temperatures up to 100°C., and the decay of physical properties was measured by mechanical testing. In some instances, weight change and volume of oxygen absorbed were reliable indexes of the physical degradation as measured by a particular property such as ultimate stress or ultimate elongation, but they were unreliable in comparing the degradation of different types of polyethylene. Although the more crystalline polyethylenes absorbed less oxygen than branched polyethylenes, the former degraded more rapidly in air at 100°C. In degradation by air or oxygen, exposure time affected the ultimate elongation more than it did ultimate tensile strength. In nitric acid the reverse was true. The yield elongation and the yield stress were virtually unaffected by any of the degradation methods unless the exposure was very long. A preferential oxidation of the noncrystalline regions is proposed to account for this result. The appropriateness of any tensile property as a measure of degradation is concluded to depend on the intended use of the plastic.
A Novel Technique for Evaluating the Appearance and Quality of a Cotton Fabric 1

The unprinted side of an electronically printed fabric clearly shows almost all the common defects of its constituent fibers, yams, and even its construction, thereby giving a true picture of the fabric's physical appearance. The defects of the constituents may include immature fiber neps, fiber contamination, yam nonuniformity and defects, expo sure of any noncellulosic synthetic fiber core (such as glass) on the surface of a multicomponent core-wrap-yam fabric, and construction faults such as thick and thin places, skewness, and broken ends, among others. Based on this discovery, a novel, computerized method of quickly evaluating the appearance and thus the general quality of a cotton or predominantly cotton fabric is suggested. Basically, the method involves: an electronic "solid printing" (i.e., continuous printing or so-called "electronic dyeing") of one face or side of a greige or bleached fabric specimen with a precontrolled ink jet of any desired color or shade on a computer printer and an evaluat...
Social Protection in Chile: Reforms to Improve Social Equity

At the start of the 1980s, Chile pioneered in Latin America the implementation of structural reforms in social insurance pensions and health care that totally or partially privatized such programs and influenced similar changes in the region and else where. The reforms were implemented without a social dialogue, reduced solidarity and social equity and contributed to increase poverty and inequality. In the last 18 years the democratic governments have corrected many original design flaws of the reforms. The article analyzes social inequities in Chile concerning coverage, gender and financing, evaluates how the corrections have improved social equity and identifies the pending challenges.
Missing the Forest for the Trees: A Response to Paul Cassell's 'Balanced Approach' to the False Confession Problem

This article addresses the issue of false confessions through its directed response to Paul Cassell's Balanced Approaches to the False Confession Problem: A Brief Comment on Ofshe, Leo and Alschuler. In an earlier article, The Decision to Confess Falsely: Rational Choice and Irrational Action, the authors developed a decision model that analyzed and explained how modern methods of psychologically-based interrogation lead both to true confessions from the guilty and false confessions from the innocent. The central point of this earlier article was that false confessions will occur when commonplace interrogation methods are used improperly. In this response to Cassell, the authors declare that Cassell's critique of their article mistakenly focuses on their contention that false confessions are numerous. The goal of their earlier article was to describe how interrogations are conducted in America, explain why they sometimes produce false confessions, and propose the use of mandatory recording of interrogations as a step towards minimizing false confessions. Cassell's response ignored these central points and instead criticized the authors' assertions about the frequency of false confessions and their policy recommendations.
Potential of APDM mobility lab for the monitoring of the progression of Parkinson’s disease

APDM's Mobility Lab system provides portable, validated, reliable, objective measures of balance and gait that are sensitive to Parkinson's disease (PD). In this review, we describe the potential of objective measures collected with the Mobility Lab system for tracking longitudinal progression of PD. Balance and gait are among the most important motor impairments influencing quality of life for people with PD. Mobility Lab uses body-worn, Opal sensors on the legs, trunk and arms during prescribed tasks, such as the instrumented Get Up and Go test or quiet stance, to quickly quantify the quality of balance and gait in the clinical environment. The same Opal sensors can be sent home with patients to continuously monitor the quality of their daily activities. Objective measures have the potential to monitor progression of mobility impairments in PD throughout its course to improve patient care and accelerate clinical trials.
AGGRESSION BETWEEN FLORAL SPECIALIST BEES ENHANCES POLLINATION OF HIBISCUS (SECTION TRIONUM : MALVACEAE )

Specialist oligoleges are bees with narrow dietary niche breadths often touted to have foraging specializations that enhance their pollination efficiency above that of co-foraging generalists (polyleges) such as honeybees Apis mellifera L. This study and many comparative pollinator efficacy studies in crops show that oligoleges on a per bee basis are not always the most efficient pollinators. Percentage of stigmatic contact visits by populations of oligolectic Ptilothrix bombiformis (Cresson) in Maryland and Mississippi show that adult bees contact stigmas and transfer 70+ pollen grains during 2% - 3% of floral visits. As low as these percentages seem, pollination efficiency of this bee varies from negative values due to the removal of stigmatic pollen during some visits to increases of 30% as Hibiscus petals close and spikes of 300% - 1000% as Ptilothrix adults display aggression inside flowers. Aggressive P. bombiformis tussle with each other, often grappling with, lunging at, and biting conspecifics. Opponents will often lose their balance, tumble around inside flowers and, in the process, more efficiently pollinate host blooms . Such aggressive interactions constituted 5% of visitation bouts to Hibiscus flowers, yet accounted for ~20% of contact visits that transferred 10 or more pollen grains per stigma . Tussles therefore represent brief agonistic entanglements that can enhance the pollination efficiency of solitary bees at host plants with large herkogamous blooms. More complex behavioural interactions between different sexes and species of foraging bees may explain the importance of greater bee diversity to overall pollinator effectiveness.
Genetic diversity in Carthamus tinctorius (Asteraceae; safflower), an underutilized oilseed crop

UNLABELLED • PREMISE OF THE STUDY Underutilized crops are potentially valuable resources for meeting increasing food demands. Safflower, an oilseed crop, is an example of one such underutilized crop that thrives in moisture-limited areas. Characterization of the genetic diversity maintained within the gene pools of underutilized crops such as safflower is an important step in their further development.• METHODS A total of 190 safflower individuals, including 134 USDA accessions, 48 breeding lines from two private North American safflower breeding companies, and eight wild safflower individuals, were genotyped using 133 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. We then used the resulting data to assess the amount and distribution of genetic diversity within and among these collections of safflower.• KEY RESULTS Although just a modest reduction in gene diversity was observed in the commercial breeding lines (relative to the other safflower groupings), safflower domestication was accompanied by a significant decrease in allelic richness. Further, our results suggest that most safflower breeding lines originated from a single pool of diversity within the Old World safflower germplasm.• CONCLUSIONS Taken together, our results suggest that both the safflower germplasm collection and related, wild species harbor previously undocumented genetic diversity that could help fuel future improvement efforts. Paired with analyses of functional diversity, the molecular resources described herein will be thus be useful in the continued development of safflower as an oilseed crop.
Analysis of Remanufacturing System with Uncertain Demands

Remanufacturing is an industry in which the deposed or old products are renovated and rebuilt with advanced techniques.The implement of effective production control on the remanufacturing system is of great significance for the production and operation of an enterprise.In this paper,the control mode of the CONWIP(Constant Work-In-Process) and push-pull hybrid control mode are both applied in the remanufacturing system with uncertain demands.The simulation analysis on two control modes were done to find out the optimal control parameters under two modes,aiming at promoting the overall performance of the remanufacturing system.
Faults Analysis of Circuit-breaker Caused by Continuous Lighting Strike on Lines

An accident of breakdown across the interrupter of circuit-breaker caused by multi-lightning strike on lines was introduced.Based on the principle of lightning surge wave,the breakdown reason was analyzed and a simulation model was established according to reality of field engineering,the model was simulated and analyzed by EMTP(electromagnetic transients program).Theoretical analysis and simulation results confirm the interrupter's breakdown.In response to this situation,a method is hence proposed to prevent the fault by setting a mental ZnO surge arrester,or setting a mental ZnO surge arrester with gap at line terminal tower if there is no position for setting the arrester within substation.
Determination method for four kinds of arsenide in human urine in high-arsenic area

Objective To study the determination method for four kinds of arsenide in human urine in high-arsenic area.Method Anion exchange analytical column was applied,,DMA,MMA and were successfully separated with 15mmol/L(NH4)2HPO4(1.0 ml/min)as mobile phase which pH was 6.0 and 1.5%KBH4/0.5%KOH(3.4 ml/min) as reductant.Results The limits of detection were 0.8 μg/L、1.7 μg/L(DMA)、1.3 μg/L(MMA)、3.6 μg/L.Samples of urine were centrifuged and filtered twice through the hydrocellulose acetate film(0.22μm).Average spiked extraction recovery was found to be in the range from 74.5% to 97.4%,RSD was between 1.8% to 4.2%.Conclusion This method is simple,fast and has high accuracy which can be used for the determination of the arsenide in human urine.
Exploring Possible Reasons behind Low Student Retention Rates of Massive Online Open Courses: A Comparative Case Study from a Social Cognitive Perspective.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been widely lauded by the press since its fairly recent inception. Besides its wide popularity among learners worldwide, the majority of MOOCs still present challenges with steep dropout rates in spite of their promising enrollment numbers. While enjoying various benefits MOOCs brings along, learners apparently face new challenges. This paper intends to explore possible reasons behind this phenomenon from a social cognitive perspective by analyzing and comparing the same subject content taught in both the traditional face-to-face setting and on a MOOC-based platform. Based on past research and theories including both the larger distance learning fields as well as recent MOOC-specific ones, three areas, namely, the lack of self-efficacy, self-regulation, and self-motivators are identified to help present an exploratory framework in interpreting findings of this study. Although far from all encompassing, this exploratory framework attempts to enhance our understanding of distinct challenges MOOC learners as well as MOOC designers face.
Compliance and Drop Out Rates Among Minority Patients in Collaborative Care Management for Depression

Treatment compliance continues to be a challenge in chronic disease management. Depression is not an exception with low treatment engagement seen particularly among minority population. The collaborative care model (CCM) has been shown to potentially improve treatment engagement in this group. We conducted a retrospective study aimed at comparing treatment engagement in CCM, measured by compliance and drop-out rates, between minority and non-minority groups. Using the registry, records of patients eligible for CCM from March 2008 until August 2013 were reviewed. Both 6 month compliance and drop-out rates were compared between Caucasian and minority (non-Caucasian) patients followed under CCM. Treatment compliance between minority patients enrolled in CCM and those in usual care (UC) was also evaluated. Of 624 minority patients eligible for CCM, 38.6% (N=241) enrolled; the rest stayed in UC. Compliance with 6 month follow-up was 61.8% (n=149) among minority patients in CCM vs. 12.3% (n=47) in UC (p value =0.0001). Within CCM, compliance was lower in minority group than in Caucasians although not statistically significant (p value=0.058). Six month drop-out rate from CCM was significantly higher in minority patients compared to Caucasians (36.1% vs. 27.9%, p value=0.011). While CCM appear to improve compliance with depression treatment among minority patients, treatment engagement in this population group remains a challenge as reflected by lower compliance and higher dropout rate. Identifying barriers to treatment retention and re-evaluating CCM process to address these barriers are key elements to successful implementation of this model in depression management among minority patients.
The race to build a quantum computer

When Russian physicist Alexei Kitaev heard from a colleague that Peter Shor, a researcher from Bell Labs in New Jersey, had discovered an algorithm for factoring numbers on a quantum computer, he got excited. Kitaev had long pondered how the – at the time – obscure field of quantum computation could be useful, and he knew that the Bell Labs result was likely to radically change our understanding of computing. This was a major result that he just had to understand.
Glutaraldehyde collagen cross‐linking stabilizes resin–dentin interfaces and reduces bond degradation

This study evaluated the stability of resin-dentin interfaces treated with glutaraldehyde-containing agents, and assessed collagen degradation in dentin matrices treated with Gluma. Microtensile bond strength (μTBS) was evaluated 24 h and 6 months after treatment with three desensitizers (Gluma Desensitizer, Gluma Desensitizer Power Gel, and MicroPrime G) and two etch-and-rinse adhesives (Comfort Bond & Desensitizer and iBond TE). Demineralized beams of human dentin were treated with water or Gluma, and the degradation of collagen in these beams was assessed by quantification of the dry mass loss and of the amount of hydroxyproline released from hydrolyzed specimens after 1 or 4 wk. All groups demonstrated significant reduction in μTBS after 6 months, except for Gluma Desensitizer and iBond TE groups, which showed decreases of 7.2% and 10.8%, respectively. The most prevalent failure mode was 'mixed'. Significantly less hydroxyproline was released from Gluma-treated beams than from control beams after 4 wk. Beams treated with Gluma yielded significantly less dry mass loss than did beams in the control group. Collagen cross-linking with glutaraldehyde-containing agents may assist in the stabilization of resin-dentin bonds by reducing the amount of collagen solubilized from dental matrices in the hybrid layer. In turn, this may contribute to the preservation of adhesive interfaces.
Histologic changes of mesenchymal stem cell repair of tympanic membrane perforation

Conclusion: Mesenchymal stem-cells are good candidates for cell-therapy of chronic tympanic membranes perforations.Objectives: To determine the effects of cell-based therapy in tympanic membrane pe...
Magnetic, structural and magnetocaloric properties of Ni-Si and Ni-Al thermoseeds for self-controlled hyperthermia.

Self-controlled hyperthermia is a non-invasive technique used to kill or destroy cancer cells while preserving normal surrounding tissues. We have explored bulk magnetic Ni-Si and Ni-Al alloys as a...
Effect of Split-File Digital Workflow on Crown Margin Adaptation.

Purpose Computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) is becoming increasingly integrated into dental practice workflow at a pace that exceeds scientific validation. The aim of this study is to evaluate a complete digital split-file protocol relative to segmental digital and analog techniques for restoring a single maxillary anterior edentulous space with custom abutment and crown. Materials and Methods Four treatment workflows were assessed: complete digital (CD), segmental digital (SD), milled wax (AM), and heat pressed and hand waxed (AH) and heat pressed. The CD workflow “split” an abutment and crown into separate files to fabricate a zirconia abutment and both zirconia/lithium disilicate crown restorations. The SD workflow scanned the existing abutment for design of segmental restorations in zirconia, lithium disilicate, and milled wax (AM). The AH specimens were conventionally hand waxed. Both the AM and AH specimens were heat pressed with lithium disilicate. All restorations were evaluated with standardized measurements using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as manufactured without internal adjustments and after manual adjustment. The number of adjustments, adjustment time, and location of adjustments were recorded. One-way ANOVA with repeated measures was used to report geometric means with 95% confidence intervals. Results The mean marginal gap after adjustment of the CD group was 69 μm, with an upper bound (UB) of 79 μm and a lower bound (LB) of 60 μm. SD group mean was 26 μm with an UB of 31 μm and LB of 22 μm. The AM group mean was 32 μm, with an UB of 49 μm and a LB of 20 μm; AH group mean of 26 μm with an UB of 34 μm and a LB of 20 μm. The SD, AM, and AH workflows were statistically similar (p = 1.000), and the CD workflow was statistically greater than the other three (p < 0.001). Conclusions The split-file (CD) protocol results in marginal gap size within clinical standards after adjustment; however, 52 of the 60 digitally produced restorations showed a horizontal marginal offset that required adjustment for proper contours.
Electrostatic Interactions at the Dimer Interface Stabilize the E. coli β Sliding Clamp

Sliding clamps are ring-shaped oligomeric proteins that encircle DNA and associate with DNA polymerases for processive DNA replication. The dimeric Escherichia coli β-clamp is closed in solution but must adopt an open conformation to be assembled onto DNA by a clamp loader. To determine what factors contribute to the stability of the dimer interfaces in the closed conformation and how clamp dynamics contribute to formation of the open conformation, we identified conditions that destabilized the dimer and measured the effects of these conditions on clamp dynamics. We characterized the role of electrostatic interactions in stabilizing the β-clamp interface. Increasing salt concentration results in decreased dimer stability and faster subunit dissociation kinetics. The equilibrium dissociation constant of the dimeric clamp varies with salt concentration as predicted by simple charge-screening models, indicating that charged amino acids contribute to the remarkable stability of the interface at physiological salt concentrations. Mutation of a charged residue at the interface (Arg-103) weakens the interface significantly, whereas effects are negligible when a hydrophilic (Ser-109) or a hydrophobic (Ile-305) amino acid is mutated instead. It has been suggested that clamp opening by the clamp loader takes advantage of spontaneous opening-closing fluctuations at the clamp's interface, but our time-resolved fluorescence and fluorescence correlation experiments rule out conformational fluctuations that lead to a significant fraction of open states.
Is bigger better? Metropolitan area population, access, activity participation, and subjective well-being

Researchers have posited that larger, denser metropolitan areas have important consumption advantages. We examine this using Cragg two-part hurdle and ordinary least square (OLS) regression models employing data from the American Time Use Survey. We test whether: 1) large metropolitan area residents participate in more out-of-home activities because these activities are more plentiful, richer, and/or easier to access, 2) large metropolitan areas have lower travel times because of higher densities, and 3) activities in larger metropolitan areas have more positive associations with subjective well-being than those in smaller places. We reject all three hypotheses. Metropolitan area population size is largely unrelated to time spent outside the home, excluding travel. Large-metropolitan-area residents participate in more arts and entertainment activities and eat and drink out more often, but they socialize, volunteer, and care for others outside the home less. Larger metropolitan areas are associated with dramatically more travel time. We find no evidence that large metropolitan area activities contribute any more or less to life satisfaction or affect than activities in smaller places. We also find that life satisfaction does not covary with metropolitan area size. In sum, living in a large metropolitan area may primarily involve a tradeoff of (travel) time for money (higher wages), with little net change in welfare.
Invited) Emission from Strained Germanium Nanocrystals

We analyse the intense photoluminescence (PL) observed at energies from 600 to 1500 meV for many molecular beam epitaxy grown Si1-xGex epitaxial layers. We show that the unexplained broad PL peak is due to self-assembled Ge nanocrystals (NCs) within the SiGe layers. The NCs are assumed lattice matched to the SiGe in the vertical, growth direction. As the Ge-fraction in the SiGe layer increases, the vertical strain in the NCs changes from compressive to tensile at x ~ 0.36, lowering the NC band gap (BG) below that of bulk Ge. We analyse PL results for 64 samples exhibiting this broad PL peak by examining how it follows the strained Ge BG for x from 0.05 to 0.53. The PL is resolvable as two narrower peaks separated by the TO phonon energy for Ge. Strain and confinement shifted NC bound exciton energies calculated numerically agree well with the measured ones.
High Level Synthesis Implementation of Object Tracking Algorithm on Reconfigurable Hardware

This paper presents a variation of Hough Transform (HT) algorithm implementation for symmetrically shaped object detection in the real-time video systems. The proposed algorithm is implemented on Xilinx ZYNQ-7000 series XC7Z010 SoC using High-Level Synthesis (HLS). The integrated system architecture contains a high definition camera that communicates with the SoC through HDMI interface. The algorithm is efficient in terms of memory space, computational resources, performance and accuracy as it only uses one-dimensional HT space instead of two-dimensional HT space. The proposed algorithm does not require an external memory for storing the HT space and does not require complex computations to detect the object. The experimental results show that only 40 18K BRAMs are used to implement the proposed algorithm at 60 frame per second. The proposed architecture is implemented for the video frame size of 1920 × 1080 pixels, at maximum latency of approximately 2099032 clock cycles, i.e., 14.69 ms for this HD video frame. Our algorithm uses only 26 DSP blocks for radius calculation while the entire video processing design uses 19150 slices of ZYBO SoC.
Chlorinated Solvent Chemistry: Structures, Nomenclature and Properties

This chapter summarizes the principles of chlorinated solvent remediation, provides overviews of the biotic and abiotic reactions that can transform and detoxify these compounds, and discusses the remediation challenges posed by the properties and behavior of these compounds in the subsurface environment.
Fluorescence imaging techniques: Application to measuring flow and transport in refractive index-matched porous media

Publisher Summary This chapter is part of an extensive research in laboratories to understand the nature of the microscopic flow and transport processes within porous media. A novel non-intrusive imaging approach has been used to observe the pore-scale flow and transport behavior at high resolution and high accuracy. This chapter reports on: fluorescent particle tracking velocimetry and concentration imaging techniques, direct experimental evaluation of dispersive fluxes and dispersion coefficients, estimates of representative elementary volume (REV), correlations of velocity and concentration results within the porous medium, and 3-D plots of results to gain insights to the pore-scale flow and transport processes. The overall objective is to use these findings toward gaining an understanding of chemical flow and transport in a porous medium and, as a result, provide the basis for improved modeling of these processes. Traditionally, there have been three different approaches to the modelling of flow and transport in porous media. The first approach is a statistical method treating the porous media as a random structure. The second is a geometrical approach assuming a similar geometry to the porous media under study to solve the conservation equations. The third approach (continuum) is a volume averaging procedure that helps to describe porous medium transport in terms of macroscopic rather than microscopic scale variables. All three approaches result in undetermined parameters that must be evaluated from experiments.
Teaching NeuroImages: Vertebral artery atlas loop dissection in 3D T1 MRI multiplanar reconstruction.

A 38-year-old woman presented with left-sided ataxia and a minor ischemic lesion of the left dorsolateral medulla was found on brain MRI. Magnetic resonance angiography was unremarkable (figure 1, A–C). A 3D fat-saturated black-blood 3T T1-weighted sequence (sampling perfection with application-optimized contrast using different flip-angle evolutions [SPACE]) revealed a mural hematoma of the V3 left vertebral artery segment, along the atlas loop (figure 2, A–C, arrows). The excellent volume coverage and mural/luminal distinction characteristics of the SPACE sequence1 allowed the clear depiction of vertebral artery dissection and consequent luminal stenosis, highlighting the need for high-resolution vertebral arteries imaging, particularly in young adult stroke patients.2
A Misconception Driven Student Model to Author Feedback

Getting novice programmers over initial misconceptions is difficult because learning programming is difficult. Practice is one of the best ways for novices to learn. However, in the absence of feedback contextualized to instruction and focused on misconceptions, misconceptions become a difficult hurdle. To improve feedback, I present the Misconception-Driven Student Model (MDSM). MDSM is a cognitive model that lends itself to a framework to scalably deliver Misconception-Driven Feedback (MDF). I show MDF's impact through a quasi-experimental study that indicates that MDF significantly supports programming skill development. I plan on verifying these results by running another experimental study.
Safety Performance Functions for Rural Two-Lane County Road Segments:

Safety performance functions (SPFs) were developed for rural two-lane county roadway segments in Michigan. Five years of crash data (2011 to 2015) were analyzed for greater than 6,500 mi of rural c...
The National Data Center and the Rise of the Data Double

A mid-1960s proposal to create a National Data Center has long been recognized as a turning point in the history of privacy and surveillance. This article shows that the story of the center also demonstrates how bureaucrats and researchers interested in managing the American economy came to value personal data stored as “data doubles,” especially the cards and files generated to represent individuals within the Social Security bureaucracy. The article argues that the United States welfare state, modeled after corporate life insurance, created vast databanks of data doubles that later became attractive to economic researchers and government planners. This story can be understood as helping to usher in our present age of personal data, one in which data doubles have become not only commodities, but the basis for a new capitalism. This essay is part of a special issue entitled Histories of Data and the Database edited by Soraya de Chadarevian and Theodore M. Porter.