cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trafficking of M2 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors

Internalization is an important mechanism regulating the agonist-dependent responses of G-protein-coupled receptors. The internalization of the M2 muscarinic cholinergic receptors (mAChR) in HEK293 cells has been demonstrated to occur by an unknown mechanism that is independent of arrestins and dynamin. In this study we examined various aspects of the trafficking of the M2mAChR in HEK293 cells to characterize this unknown pathway of internalization. Internalization of the M2 mAChR was rapid and extensive, but prolonged incubation with agonist did not lead to appreciable down-regulation (a decrease in total receptor number) of the receptors. Recovery of M2 mAChRs to the cell surface following agonist-mediated internalization was a very slow process that contained protein synthesis-dependent and -independent components. The protein synthesis-dependent component of the recovery of receptors to the cell surface did not appear to reflect a requirement for synthesis of new receptors, as no changes in total receptor number were observed either in the presence or absence of cycloheximide. Phosphorylation of the M2 mAChR did not appear to influence the rate or extent of the recovery of receptors to the cell surface, as the recovery of a phosphorylation-deficient mutant M2 mAChR, the N,CAla-8 mutant, was similar to the recovery of the wild type M2 mAChR. Finally, the constitutive, nonagonist-dependent internalization and recycling of the M2 mAChR was very slow and also contained protein synthesis-dependent and -independent components, suggesting that a similar pathway controls the recovery from agonist-dependent and -independent internalization. Overall, these data demonstrated a variety of previously unappreciated facets involved in the regulation of M2 mAChRs.
Inside Quality: Examination of Quality Improvement Processes in Afterschool Youth Programs

Using a case study method, afterschool site leader experiences and organizational factors related to youth program quality improvement processes were examined. Responding to issues identified by site leaders, external technical assistance targeted both program structure and content. Staff beliefs of internal program quality standards, such as a mandatory focus on academics, affected learning and quality improvement processes. Hierarchical organizational program standards and supports, including internal self-assessments, did not appear to foster buy-in, learning, or site-based problem-solving for quality improvement. Results indicated the need for further examination of the theory of change and pedagogical approaches to quality technical assistance.
Influence of Dietary Phytase Supplementation on Incidence and Severity in Broilers Divergently Selected for Tibial Dyschondroplasia

Abstract A study was conducted to determine the effect of dietary supplementation of phytase on the incidence and severity of tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) in chickens selected for high (HTD) and low (LTD) incidences of TD for 11 generations. By feeding a phosphorus-deficient diet (0.1% nonphytate phosphorous; nPP), HTD and LTD chickens were further identified as high-sensitivity birds (HS) and low-sensitivity birds (LS) to phosphorus deficiency based on mortality. Two hundred forty 1-d-old chicks from HTD and LTD lines (five replications of four birds per treatment) were randomly assigned to a control diet with 0.5% nPP and two treatment diets (0.1% nPP) with and without 600 phytase units (FTU) Natuphos® phytase/kg. Feed consumption and growth rate were measured for 3 wk, and both tibiae were scored for TD incidence, average TD score, and total number of TD lesions with the most severe form of the abnormality (lesions that were scored 3). The addition of phytase had no influence on TD incidence and lesion scores of 3 in HTD chicks. However, a nonsignificant reduction in TD incidence (P = 0.07), TD score, and no. 3 lesions (P
The Application of Electron Microscopy to Synthetic Fibers

A review of present electron microscope techniques used in the study of synthetic fibers is presented. These include surface replication and ultrathin sectioning. A new method is introduced in which the region to be studied is made insoluble either by chemicals or 60 kv. electrons and then the unaffected region is removed by solvents. The application of this technique to surface or internal fiber structure is reported.
Trends in Work-Family Context among U.S. Women by Education Level, 1976 to 2011

This study compares trends in work-family context by education level from 1976 to 2011 among U.S. women. The major aim is to assess whether differences in work-family context by education level widened, narrowed, or persisted. We used data from the 1976-2011 March Current Population Surveys on women aged 25-64 (n=1,597,914). We compare trends in four work-family forms by education level within three race/ethnic groups. The work-family forms reflect combinations of marital and employment status among women with children at home. Trends in the four work-family forms exhibited substantial heterogeneity by education and race/ethnicity. Educational differences in the work-family forms widened mainly among white women. Compared with more-educated peers, white women without a high school credential became increasingly less likely to be married, to be employed, to have children at home, and to combine these roles. In contrast, educational differences in the work-family forms generally narrowed among black women and were directionally mixed among Hispanic women. Only one form-unmarried and employed with children at home-became more strongly linked to a woman's education level within all three race/ethnic groups. This form carries an elevated risk of work-family conflict and its prevalence increased moderately during the 35-year period. Taken together, the trends underscore recent calls to elevate work-family policy on the national agenda.
Adopting the operating microscope in thyroid surgery: safety, efficiency, and ergonomics.

Background. Our aim was to assess the safety and efficiency of operating microscope use by surgeons in thyroid surgery to reduce static neck flexion. Methods. A retrospective case review comparing thyroidectomies performed using an operating microscope to those using surgical loupes was done. Operative times and incidence of complications were compared between total thyroidectomy procedures done with either microscope or loupes. Results. The use of microscope in 51 thyroidectomies (including 20 for malignancy with central compartment node dissection [CND] and 9 for substernal goiter [SG]) was compared with 65 cases (15 with CND and 11 with SG) done previously using loupes. Surgical times using the microscope were longer (p = .0001), but the increase was significant only in the subset of patients who underwent thyroidectomy with CND. There was no difference in complications between the groups. Conclusion. The use of an operating microscope during thyroidectomy is safe with modest increases in surgical time. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2010
Validation of the cardiosphere method to culture cardiac progenitor cells from myocardial tissue.

Background At least four laboratories have shown that endogenous cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) can be grown directly from adult heart tissue in primary culture, as cardiospheres or their progeny (cardiosphere-derived cells, CDCs). Indeed, CDCs are already being tested in a clinical trial for cardiac regeneration. Nevertheless, the validity of the cardiosphere strategy to generate CPCs has been called into question by reports based on variant methods. In those reports, cardiospheres are argued to be cardiomyogenic only because of retained cardiomyocytes, and stem cell activity has been proposed to reflect hematological contamination. We use a variety of approaches (including genetic lineage tracing) to show that neither artifact is applicable to cardiospheres and CDCs grown using established methods, and we further document the stem cell characteristics (namely, clonogenicity and multilineage potential) of CDCs. Methodology/principal findings CPCs were expanded from human endomyocardial biopsies (n = 160), adult bi-transgenic MerCreMer-Z/EG mice (n = 6), adult C57BL/6 mice (n = 18), adult GFP(+) C57BL/6 transgenic mice (n = 3), Yucatan mini pigs (n = 67), adult SCID beige mice (n = 8), and adult Wistar-Kyoto rats (n = 80). Cellular yield was enhanced by collagenase digestion and process standardization; yield was reduced in altered media and in specific animal strains. Heparinization/retrograde organ perfusion did not alter the ability to generate outgrowth from myocardial sample. The initial outgrowth from myocardial samples was enriched for sub-populations of CPCs (c-Kit(+)), endothelial cells (CD31(+), CD34(+)), and mesenchymal cells (CD90(+)). Lineage tracing using MerCreMer-Z/EG transgenic mice revealed that the presence of cardiomyocytes in the cellular outgrowth is not required for the generation of CPCs. Rat CDCs are shown to be clonogenic, and cloned CDCs exhibit spontaneous multineage potential. Conclusions/significance This study demonstrates that direct culture and expansion of CPCs from myocardial tissue is simple, straightforward, and reproducible when appropriate techniques are used.
Importance of the kind of cue for judgments of learning (JOL) and the delayed-JOL effect

The delayed-JOL effect is the finding in which judgments of learning (JOLs) are more accurate at predicting eventual recall when they are made a short time after study rather than immediately after study. The present research replicated this effect and found that the kind of cue that is used for JOLs is critical. In particular, following the study of stimulus-response paired associates, there is an extremely robust delayed-JOL effect when the cue for JOLs is the stimulus alone (every one of 45 subjects showed the effect); however, there is little, if any, delayed-JOL effect when the cue for JOLs is the stimulus-response pair. This finding has important implications for education: To have the greatest accuracy at predicting eventual recall, a person should make JOLs not immediately after study but, instead, shortly after study (i.e., delayed JOLs) with the cue for JOLs being the stimulus alone. The theoretical mechanisms for the delayed-JOL effect are currently unknown, but some speculations are offered.
Parasitic diseases: opportunities and challenges in the 21st century

The opportunities and challenges for the study and control of parasitic diseases in the 21st century are both exciting and daunting. Based on the contributions from this field over the last part of the 20th century, we should expect new biologic concepts will continue to come from this discipline to enrich the general area of biomedical research. The general nature of such a broad category of infections is difficult to distill, but they often depend on well-orchestrated, complex life cycles and they often involve chronic, relatively well-balanced host/parasite relationships. Such characteristics force biological systems to their limits, and this may be why studies of these diseases have made fundamental contributions to molecular biology, cell biology and immunology. However, if these findings are to continue apace, parasitologists must capitalize on the new findings being generated though genomics, bioinformatics, proteomics, and genetic manipulations of both host and parasite. Furthermore, they must do so based on sound biological insights and the use of hypothesis-driven studies of these complex systems. A major challenge over the next century will be to capitalize on these new findings and translate them into successful, sustainable strategies for control, elimination and eradication of the parasitic diseases that pose major public health threats to the physical and cognitive development and health of so many people worldwide.
A scalable signal processing architecture for massive graph analysis

In many applications, it is convenient to represent data as a graph, and often these datasets will be quite large. This paper presents an architecture for analyzing massive graphs, with a focus on signal processing applications such as modeling, filtering, and signal detection. We describe the architecture, which covers the entire processing chain, from data storage to graph construction to graph analysis and subgraph detection. The data are stored in a new format that allows easy extraction of graphs representing any relationship existing in the data. The principal analysis algorithm is the partial eigendecomposition of the modularity matrix, whose running time is discussed. A large document dataset is analyzed, and we present subgraphs that stand out in the principal eigenspace of the time-varying graphs, including behavior we regard as clutter as well as small, tightly-connected clusters that emerge over time.
A Regional Export-Weighted Dollar: An Examination of the Regional Impact of Exchange Rate Change

Midwest manufacturing has experienced a resurgence in its competitiveness in export markets during the last decade. There is a widely held view that this increased competitiveness is importantly attributable to the depreciation in the foreign exchange value of the dollar. This article questions this view, in particular with regard to selected geographical regions of the United States. Based on the development of real regional export-weighted aggregate exchange rate indexes, this study finds that since 1988 Midwest exporters of manufactured goods, in the aggregate, have faced an appreciating (not depreciating) dollar.
Effect of Infestation by the Rice Stink Bug, Oebalus pugnax, on Yield and Quality in Rice

Studies were conducted during 1960 and 1961 to evaluate effects or rice stink bug ( Oebalus pugnax (F.)) infestations on rice in Louisiana. Five varieties of rice grown under screened cages were infested during the early heading stage with adults and late-instar nymphs. Infestation levels were varied to determine effect on quality and yield. Quality was affected to the extent that federal support prices for four varieties were reduced even at the lowest infestation which averaged between seven and eight stink bugs per 1,000 panicles. Consistent and severe losses in yields resulted from infestations which averaged approximately 230 or more bugs per 1,000 panicles. Viability of kernels was lowered by injury resulting from stink bug feeding. Greatest reductions occurred in damaged kernels which were injured in the germ region or which were severely atrophied.
Fault detection, identification and estimation in the electro-hydraulic actuator system using EKF-based multiple-model estimation

In this paper, a fault detection, identification and estimation approach has been developed for the condition monitoring of the electro-hydraulic actuator (EHA) system using the multiple-model (MM) estimation algorithm. The MM estimation algorithm makes use of the extended Kalman filter (EKF) technique to generate estimates of states and key physical parameters, which are related to faults in the EHA system. The proposed fault detection and identification (FDI) is formulated as a hybrid interacting multiple-model estimation scheme. The interaction scheme between multiple models is introduced into the MM estimation algorithm to yield more robust detection and estimation. Estimates of the key physical parameters in the EHA system are assessed against baseline values and fused with the FDI results for higher level monitoring purposes. Two parameters of interests, namely torque motor equivalent resistance and the effective bulk modulus are investigated for the EHA system condition monitoring purpose. The simulation results highlight the considerable potential of the proposed technique for achieving improved condition monitoring of the EHA system.
Action Recognition Using Sparse Representation on Covariance Manifolds of Optical Flow

A novel approach to action recognition in video based onthe analysis of optical flow is presented. Properties of opticalflow useful for action recognition are captured usingonly the empirical covariance matrix of a bag of featuressuch as flow velocity, gradient, and divergence. The featurecovariance matrix is a low-dimensional representationof video dynamics that belongs to a Riemannian manifold.The Riemannian manifold of covariance matrices is transformedinto the vector space of symmetric matrices underthe matrix logarithm mapping. The log-covariance matrixof a test action segment is approximated by a sparse linearcombination of the log-covariance matrices of training actionsegments using a linear program and the coefficients ofthe sparse linear representation are used to recognize actions.This approach based on the unique blend of a logcovariance-descriptor and a sparse linear representation istested on the Weizmann and KTH datasets. The proposedapproach attains leave-one-out cross validation scores of94.4% correct classification rate for the Weizmann datasetand 98.5% for the KTH dataset. Furthermore, the methodis computationally efficient and easy to implement.
O2- and host defense: the production and fate of O2- in neutrophils.

— The neutrophil is a circulating cell whose function is to find, ingest and destroy invading microorganisms. Among the weapons used by this cell against its target is a series of powerful oxidizing agents produced by the partial reduction of oxygen. Generation of these oxidizing agents is initiated when the neutrophil encounters its target. This encounter activates a flavoenzyme, dormant in resting cells, which catalyzes the reduction of oxygen to O2- using NADPH as the electron donor. The dismutation of O2- either spontaneously or under catalysis by superoxide dismutase, then gives rise to H2O2, a compound which is used in combination with Cl- and myeloperoxidase to provide an exceedingly powerful antimicrobial system. O2- also serves as a precursor of OH, another powerful oxidant which may be employed by the neutrophil as an antimicrobial agent. Singlet oxygen may also be formed in neutrophils.
Efficient formal verification of pipelined processors with instruction queues

Presented is a method for formal verification of pipelined processors with long instruction queues. The execution engine and the fetch engine (where the instruction queue is) are formally verified separately, after abstracting the other engine with a non-deterministic FSM derived from the high-level specification of that engine. Without the presented method, the monolithic formal verification of 9-stage, 9-wide VLIW processors--implementing many realistic and speculative features inspired by the Intel Itanium--scaled for models with 5 instruction-queue entries, but ran out of memory if the instruction queue was longer. The presented method resulted in 2 orders of magnitude speedup for the processor with 5 instruction-queue entries, and enabled scaling for designs with 64 instruction-queue entries.
It's Time to Compare Anemia Management Strategies in Hemodialysis

Randomized trials of intravenous (IV) iron have repeatedly demonstrated a rise in hemoglobin (Hgb), an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) dose-sparing effect, and apparent safety. Such benefits were confirmed in a trial in hemodialysis patients with high ferritin receiving high ESA doses. But long-term randomized safety trials of IV iron have not been performed, which critics blame on IV iron manufacturers, leading some to question widespread use of IV iron to optimize Hgb and reduce ESA dose. ESAs increase risks of cardiovascular events and death when used to target higher versus lower Hgb values. Association studies report increasing risk with higher ESA doses at approved Hgb targets. Nevertheless, ESAs remain essential in dialysis practice. After early termination of the Normal Hematocrit Trial in 1996, analysis suggested IV iron was a risk factor for harm. In 2006, dangers related to ESA use were recognized. Trial results demonstrating IV iron was efficacious and ESA-sparing even at higher serum ferritin have intensified the focus on iron safety. Two principal alternatives in the management of anemia among dialysis patients are: (1) more intensive ESA dosing sparing iron dosing and (2) more intensive iron dosing sparing ESA dosing. Extended safety trials of IV iron versus no iron will become confounded by ESA dose differences between arms. Similarly higher ESA doses are associated with increased mortality risk, but trials comparing ESA doses will be confounded by Hgb differences. Rather than focus on individual products, we should perform trials comparing anemia management strategies to assess safety, efficacy, and cost.
The mechanistic basis of aerobic performance variation in red junglefowl.

We examined aerobic performance, organ and muscle mass and enzymatic activity in red junglefowl (Gallus gallus). We tested three models of performance limitation (central limits, peripheral limits, symmorphosis) and explored relationships between basal metabolic rate (BMR), aerobic capacity (V (O2max)) and social rank. Males had a lower BMR, a higher V (O2max) and a greater aerobic scope than females. Females possessed larger peritoneal and reproductive organs, while males had larger hearts, lungs and leg muscles. In females, BMR was correlated with spleen mass and V (O2max) was correlated with hematocrit and large intestine mass. Male BMR was correlated with intestinal tract and lung mass, and V (O2max) was correlated with heart and pectoralis mass. Male citrate synthase activity averaged 57 % higher than that of females and was correlated with V (O2max) (this correlation was not significant in females). Female social status was not correlated with any variable, but male dominance was associated with higher aerobic scope, larger heart and lungs, smaller peritoneal organs and greater leg citrate synthase activity. We conclude that aerobic capacity is controlled by system-wide limitations (symmorphosis) in males, while in females it is controlled by central organs. In neither sex is elevated aerobic capacity associated with increased maintenance costs.
Summary Lecture: Vacuum Structure in Intense Fields

After ten very intense days of lectures on our subject of interest, little new re­mains to be said, but a great deal needs to be reviewed. Alluding to Pete Carruthers’ inspiring lecture, one might say that, in heaven, summer schools are held at Cargese, while in hell, one gives the summary talk at this splendid place. Despite recurring re­grets to have agreed to take on this task, I have also greatly enjoyed the preparations for it, because of the very high level of the lectures presented at this school.
Impact of temperature-accelerated voltage stress on PMOS RF performance

The thermal electrochemical analysis and modeling of negative bias temperature instability, oxide breakdown, and hot-carrier injection effects on metal-oxide-semiconductor devices are performed. The temperature-accelerated voltage stress has been examined experimentally. A subcircuit model aiming to evaluate the stress-induced degradation via simulation is developed. The measured and simulated performance for fresh and stressed devices at different temperatures is presented. The radio frequency performance degradation of a test circuit due to temperature-accelerated voltage stress is investigated.
An empirical investigation demonstrating the multidimensional DIF paradigm: A cognitive explanation for DIF

Differential Item Functioning (DIF) is traditionally used to identify different item performance patterns between intact groups, most commonly involving race or sex comparisons. This study advocates expanding the utility of DIF as a step in construct validation. Rather than grouping examinees based on cultural differences, the reference and focal groups are chosen from two extremes along a distinct cognitive dimension that is hypothesized to supplement the dominant latent trait being measured. Specifically, this study investigates DIF between proficient and non-proficient fourth- and seventh-grade writers on open-ended mathematics test items that require students to communicate about mathematics. It is suggested that the occurrence of DIF in this situation actually enhances, rather than detracts from, the construct validity of the test because, according to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), mathematical communication is an important component of mathematical ability, the dominant construct being assessed. However, the presence of DIF influences the validity of inferences that can be made from test scores and suggests that two scores should be reported, one for general mathematical ability and one for mathematical communication. The fact that currently only one test score is reported, a simple composite of scores on multiple-choice and open-ended items, may lead to incorrect decisions being made about examinees.
Gendered construction of the American Indian in popular media

Contemporary popular culture is permeated with images of Native Americans, who have become symbols of wisdom, beauty, peace, and nostalgia. In this paper, I trace the changes in this imagery over time, with particular emphasis on the role of gender, and how Native American men and women have become sexualized in relation to the White gaze, which is an important component of colonial domination. Many other Americans never encounter a Native American, and media fill a knowledge vacuum with outmoded and limited stereotypes. The 1990s lovely princess and Native American stud may be more benign images than the earlier squaw or crazed savage, but they are equally unreal and dehumanizing.
Improving Enrollment in the Master of Construction Management Program at Bowling Green State University

The Master of Industrial Technology in Construction Management program at Bowling Green State University has been experiencing undesirably low enrollment recently, which has led to an examination of the need for the continuation of the program. The program administrators researched their target students regarding their educational backgrounds, knowledge needs, preferred promotion channels, favored means of course delivery, financial restrictions, and time constraints to gain insight in order to enhance the existing curriculum and enrollment. The needs of the employers of the program’s graduates were also considered. The research tools were a questionnaire and reviews of the websites and literature of 42 master’s programs in construction management. This paper presents the findings of a questionnaire that was designed to identify the reasons for and solutions to this problem. Data analysis of the questionnaire identified issues of promotion, curriculum content, and course delivery. The respondents indicate...
On Mobility in Afghan History

If we leave aside the imperial histories of those powers for which Afghanistan has been a strategic concern, Afghan historiography has tended to follow a single trajectory: the history of the Pashtuns and their principal royal clan, the Durrani. The non-Pashtun part of the human ecology of the country tends to be summed up as “other groups,” as if that 60 percent of the population only has a history in relation to the royal clan and its state. As the other essays in this roundtable argue, there are many ways to approach Afghanistan's history more inclusively than through Kabul-centric, Pashtun-dominated, top-down narratives or those that focus on the strategic concerns of superpowers. Nile Green sees a half-century gap in the historiography, between the nation-building of the 1920s and the nation-demolishing of the 1990s and beyond, and proposes the study of “subnational and transnational groups” as one way to refine our understanding of the politics of the country during that middle era. James Caron traces an imagined bond with place reflected in rural oral imagery, while Amin Tarzi approaches Afghan historiography itself as a productive field of study. Other areas hardly touched in the existing scholarship are institutional histories (judicial, educational, and fiscal), for which there is a wealth of untapped documentation; the built environment (following the seminal works of Szabo and Barfield on domestic and rural architecture and Schinasi on urban architecture); labor history (including the interconnections of work specializations and industry with ethnic groups); and the history of human bondage in the country.
With the Future Behind Them: Convergent Evidence From Aymara Language and Gesture in the Crosslinguistic Comparison of Spatial Construals of Time

Cognitive research on metaphoric concepts of time has focused on differences between moving Ego and moving time models, but even more basic is the contrast between Ego- and temporal-reference-point models. Dynamic models appear to be quasi-universal cross-culturally, as does the generalization that in Ego-reference-point models, FUTURE IS IN FRONT OF EGO and PAST IS IN BACK OF EGO. The Aymara language instead has a major static model of time wherein FUTURE IS BEHIND EGO and PAST IS IN FRONT OF EGO; linguistic and gestural data give strong confirmation of this unusual culture-specific cognitive pattern. Gestural data provide crucial information unavailable to purely linguistic analysis, suggesting that when investigating conceptual systems both forms of expression should be analyzed complementarily. Important issues in embodied cognition are raised: how fully shared are bodily grounded motivations for universal cognitive patterns, what makes a rare pattern emerge, and what are the cultural entailments of such patterns?
Serotonin Transporter Occupancy in Rats Exposed to Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors In Utero or via Breast Milk

Rigorous data regarding fetal central nervous system (CNS) exposure after antidepressant exposure are sparse. The magnitude of serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) CNS exposure was measured in three groups of rats using ex vivo autoradiography of the serotonin transporter (SERT): 1) in utero, 2) postnatal clearance after birth, and 3) exposure through lactation. Rats were exposed to one of five SRI-type antidepressants (escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, and venlafaxine) administered continuously via osmotic minipumps to pregnant or nursing dams. Dam dosing was adjusted to reflect the 50th and 85th percentiles of serum concentrations observed in pregnant women. Embryonic day 21 rat pups exposed in utero exhibited >80% SERT occupancy in brain tissue, which is equivalent to that of the pregnant dam and similar to that reported for human pharmacotherapy. Venlafaxine was the exception with occupancies ranging from 61 to 92% across different litters. The magnitude of SERT occupancy is essentially equivalent between dams and fetuses. By postnatal day 4, high SERT occupancy was observed only in fluoxetine-exposed pups (41–92% occupancy). Significantly less, but measurable, exposure occurred via breast milk exposure even in the absence of detectable drug concentrations in nursing pup sera. Pups exposed to SRIs via breast milk for 3 or 7 days exhibited varying SERT occupancies (0–57% depending on the individual medication and dam dose). These data highlight the need for animal modeling of fetal and nursing infant drug exposure using clinically meaningful dosing strategies and appropriate CNS measures to develop rational treatment guidelines that systematically minimize fetal and neonatal medication exposure in humans.
Learning and using relational theories

Much of human knowledge is organized into sophisticated systems that are often called intuitive theories. We propose that intuitive theories are mentally represented in a logical language, and that the subjective complexity of a theory is determined by the length of its representation in this language. This complexity measure helps to explain how theories are learned from relational data, and how they support inductive inferences about unobserved relations. We describe two experiments that test our approach, and show that it provides a better account of human learning and reasoning than an approach developed by Goodman [1].
Promoting Conceptual Understanding of Biotechnology: Writing to a Younger Audience

It made me concentrate more on it (biotechnology]. I had to concentrate because I had to make it so that I could understand it and explain it to seventhgraders. Ifelt like I had to learn it, so I just did. Students in all four classes (N = 73) indicated that their writing was instrumental in learning difficult concepts. In this article, we share our lesson procedure, report students' perspectives, and provide examples of their written work.
The ground reaction force thresholds for detecting postural stability in participants with and without flat foot

Foot mobility commonly contributes to injury via altered motion of the lower extremities. However, there is a lack of understanding of sensitive kinetic changes with flat foot. The purpose of this study was to investigate the threshold that best distinguishes between participants with and without flat foot. The kinetic stability index was developed based on the three-dimensional data from the ground reaction force (GRF) during one leg standing. In total, 34 control participants and 30 participants with flat foot were asked to maintain one leg standing for 25s with the contra lateral hip and knee flexed approximately 90°. The various thresholds (3, 7, 15, 30, 50, and 200N) were analyzed by the kinetic stability index. The standing time was not significantly different between groups (t=1.07, p=0.28); however, there were significant differences on threshold level (F=369.23, p=0.001) as well as group interactions with threshold (F=6.72, p=0.01). The post hoc test indicated that less than 15N was the best to detect the kinetic stability index between the groups. Clinicians need to understand sensitive threshold settings to differentiate the participants with and without flat foot. The threshold changes might be altered to detect postural deficits by the kinetic stability index.
Strange Bedfellows: How and When to Work with Your Enemy (Transcript of Discussion)

This paper contains the presentation and discussion associated with Jaggard and Wright’s paper in this volume “Strange Bedfellows: How and When to Work with Your Enemy”.
Male Circumcision Pilot Program in Lilongwe, Malawi

Male circumcision is one method of effective prevention against HIV/AIDS. In Malawi, however, male circumcision is not the predominant practice. Project Malawi conducted a pilot program of male circumcision for villagers with fully subsidized operation costs. After we conducted sensitization programs to create demand for circumcision, the rate of male circumcision has increased. This pilot project allowed us to consider the acceptability of male circumcision in Malawi. Unsafe surgery, a long recovery period, religious beliefs, and age were the mostcited reasons Malawians rejected male circumcision. We also have found three critical barriers—operation cost, transportation cost, and opportunity cost—which can largely explain the limited accessibility of male circumcision procedures. Lastly, in order to scale up male circumcision in Malawi, the importance of delivering the complete information and significant availability issues need to be addressed.
How Does Wear Rate Compare in Well-functioning Total Hip and Knee Replacements? A Postmortem Polyethylene Liner Study.

Background The longevity of total hip (THR) and knee replacements (TKR) that used historical bearing materials of gamma-in-air sterilized UHMWPE was affected more by osteolysis in THRs than in TKRs, although osteolysis remains a concern in TKRs. Therefore, the study of polyethylene wear is still of interest for the knee, particularly because few studies have investigated volumetric material loss in tibial knee inserts. For this study, a unique collection of autopsy-retrieved TKR and THR components that were well-functioning at the time of retrieval was used to compare volumetric wear differences between hip and knee polyethylene components made from identical material.
Progressive change in sleep over multiple nights of intracranial EEG monitoring

Abstract Objective We evaluated changes to sleep structure during continuous intracranial EEG (icEEG) monitoring of epilepsy patients undergoing localization of the seizure onset area. Methods We studied 28 adult epilepsy patients who underwent icEEG monitoring for a median of 12 nights. We used a metric calculated from relative delta power (RDP) to evaluate the emergence of sleep cycles for every night of monitoring. We further evaluated the effect of seizures and AEDs on trends in the RDP metric. Results We observed oscillations corresponding to sleep cycles in the RDP time-series. There was a significant increasing trend in our RDP sleep metric over the course of monitoring. Seizures and AEDs did not significantly affect this trend. Conclusions The RDP metric increased during icEEG monitoring, independent of seizures and AEDs. This increase may be due to a number of factors and these factors appear to outweigh the effects of seizures and AEDs. Significance Our results indicate that sleep is not uniform during icEEG monitoring, rather there is a considerable increasing, multi-night change in sleep structure.
Labor-Force Participation Rates of the Population Age 55 and Older, 2011: After the Economic Downturn

This paper examines the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data on labor-force participation among Americans age 55 and older in 2011, including the trends after the economic recession that started in late 2007-early 2008 and thereafter. The labor-force participation rate measures the fraction of individuals within a specific group (in this case those 55 or older) who are working or actively pursuing work. This rate reflects both the desire and/or the need of individuals to work in a particular group. The first section uses annualized data on labor-force participation from the Current Population Survey (CPS), available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. However, these data provide only an overall picture, with few specific demographic details. In order to examine additional demographic trends of the U.S. population, the second section uses data from the March 2011 Supplement to the CPS. The labor-force participation rate for those age 55 and older has remained above its level before the economic downturn. For those ages 55-64, this is almost exclusively due to the increase of women in the work force; the male participation rate is flat to declining. However, among those age 65 and older, labor-force participation increased for both males and females. This upward trend is not surprising and is likely to continue because of workers’ need for continued access to employment-based health insurance and for more earning years to accumulate savings in defined contribution (401(k)-type) plans. Older Americans, particularly those in the private sector, increasingly have less access to guaranteed levels of income (such as pensions) or health insurance benefits when they retire; consequently, they have a greater need to work to help make their assets last longer or to continue to build up (or to rebuild) the assets they had or were not able to accumulate previously. However, financial concerns are not the only incentives involved here -- there also is an increased desire among many Americans to work longer, particularly among those with more education, for whom more meaningful jobs are often available that can be done well into older ages. The recent economic downturn did not alter the trend of older workers increasingly being in the labor force; rather, it appears that this remains the trend, as more opportunities for older workers exist and there is a greater necessity for them to remain in the labor force to accumulate sufficient or adequate resources for retirement.The PDF for the above title, published in the February 2012 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the fulltext of another February 2012 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: “Employer and Worker Contributions to Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements, 2006-2011.”
microRNAs and cilia. An ancient connection.

Cilia are cell protrusions containing an axoneme of microtubules. There are two types of cilia: non-motile cilia which mediate signaling perception, and motile cilia which are required for cell mot...
Power usage pattern and consumption separation method by load devices based on remote metering system's Load profile data

In electrical engineering, a Load profile is a graph of the variation in the electrical load versus time. A Load profile will vary according to customer type (typical examples include residential, commercial and industrial), temperature and holiday seasons. This paper is a study about Load profile data, which is acquired from low and high-voltage automatic remote metering system's metering data, based energy diagnosis system that includes power usage pattern and consumption separation method classified by load devices during 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month and a certain time interval.
Influence of secretin and pentagastrin on acid secretion and parietal cell number in rats.

Four groups of male rats were surgically prepared with gastric cannulas. Basal and maximal acid outputs were determined three times before starting injections. Each rat was injected three times per day for 14 days with either 250 μg per kg of pentagastrin, 250 μg per kg of pentagastrin and 100 U per kg of secretin, 100 U per kg of secretin, or saline. At 14 days, the pentagastrin group showed a 78% increase in basal and 85% increase in maximal acid output. Secretin decreased basal output 7% and decreased maximal output 3%. In the pentagastrin-secretin group, basal output increased 13% and maximal output decreased 27%. In the saline control group, basal output decreased 6% and maximal output increased 42%. The average parietal cell count in millions was 56.5 ± 1.5 for the pentagastrin group, 28.6 ± 1.2 for the secretin group, 40.1 ± 3.8 for the pentagastrinsecretin group, and 37.7 ± 4.8 for saline control groups. In a larger group of animals without fistulae, pentagastrin-injected rats had 54.6 ± 2.2; sa line-injected, 34.0 ± 3.2; pentagastrin plus secretininjected, 42.8 ± 3.9; and secretin-injected, 29.5 ± 2.6 × 106 parietal cells. We conclude that secretin blocks the increase in number of parietal cells and increased acid secretory capacity produced by pentagastrin.
Using Mixed Methods to Understand the Positive Correlation between Fear of Cyberbullying and Online Interaction

This study examines the relationship between online interaction and fear of cyberbullying. A mixed method approach is adopted to explore not only the statistical correlation between them, but also the qualitative meaning behind this correlation. The quantitative analysis reveals a positive correlation between these two constructs, suggesting a higher level of fear of cyberbullying is associated with more frequent online interactions. Although seemingly fear of cyberbullying does not reduce online interaction, the qualitative analysis reveals how fear of cyberbullying might still impact online interaction.
A Model for Evaluating Online Programs

According to the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation (1994), “Program evaluation is a systematic investigation of the worth of an ongoing or continuing distance education activity” (Simonson, 1997, p. 88). As such, this article addresses the issue of evaluating programs rather than courses. Although it is true that content, instructional design, and delivery greatly affect the quality of the program, course evaluation is a topic in and of itself. Frydenberg (2002) noted that program evaluation was frequently listed as a separate item in standards documentation: “While assessment of student achievement is normally described as part of instructional design and tied to specific course objectives, program evaluation is an activity that incorporates all the aspects of the e-learning experience” (p. 7). High-level aspects of course design are, however, built into program evaluation as you will see because it is impossible to evaluate an educational program without looking at courses.
Nonequilibrium Lattice Fluid Modeling of Gas Solubility in HAB-6FDA Polyimide and Its Thermally Rearranged Analogues

For the first time, a theoretical analysis of gas sorption, based on the nonequilibrium lattice fluid (NELF) model, in chemically imidized HAB-6FDA polyimide and its thermally rearranged analogues is presented. Because of the inaccessibility of pVT data in the rubbery region, the characteristic lattice fluid parameters of the polymers considered in this study were obtained from a collection of infinite dilution solubility data at multiple temperatures. Hydrogen, nitrogen, and methane sorption isotherms at 35 °C were fit to the NELF model using one adjustable parameter, i.e., the polymer–penetrant binary interaction parameter, k12. The optimal value of k12 for each polymer–penetrant pair was used to predict hydrogen, nitrogen, and methane sorption isotherms at other temperatures and at pressures up to 6 MPa. For carbon dioxide, a second adjustable parameter, the swelling coefficient, was introduced to account for sorption-induced matrix dilation. The ideal solubility–selectivity is also predicted for sever...
Flared oscillator waveguide diodes (FLOW-diodes) enable high brightness fiber-coupled modules

Broad area lasers having narrower rear-facet width compared to front-facet have been fabricated to achieve suppression of higher order mode in the lateral direction. Consequently, slow-axis divergence has been reduced by over two times at current density >3kA/cm2 making possible fiber-coupled power >200 W from 105µm and 0.15NA beam.
Cloud Data Analytics for Security: Applications, Challenges, and Opportunities

In this keynote, I describe the emerging need of cloud data analytics for security and call for the security community to devote to closing the gap between research innovation and practical deployment. Cloud data analytics refer to cloud platforms that provide pattern recognition and data discovery services to clients. This talk will discuss how cloud data analytics can be designed to achieve system security, that is, securing clients' systems against advanced exploits and attacks by providing transparent and seamless automatic data gathering, system behavior monitoring, and feedback. Such a cloud framework has the potential to provide practical security services and has multiple advantages, e.g., update-to-date security protection, scalability, individualized anomaly detection, and ease of deployment. It would allow clients to outsource complex system security monitoring and computation tasks to the cloud/security service providers, without having to tend to tedious low-level details (e.g., model training and tuning, update).This new direction of security analytics in the cloud presents a wide range of exciting research and business opportunities, as well as unique technical and privacy challenges. I survey the existing data-driven system and network monitoring techniques and discuss what it will take to outsource them to the cloud. The talk will draw from my research experiences on a number of data-driven security projects, including program anomaly detection, data-leak detection as a service, and network traffic causal analysis.
Fluorinated methacrylamide chitosan sequesters reactive oxygen species to relieve oxidative stress while delivering oxygen

Antioxidants play an important role in regulating overabundant reactive oxygen species (ROS) in wound healing to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. In this work, we demonstrate for the first time that functionalization of methacrylamide chitosan (MAC) with aliphatic pentadecafluoro chains, to synthesize pentadecafluoro-octanoyl methacrylamide chitosan (MACF), enhances the antioxidant capacity of the MAC base hydrogel material, while being able to deliver oxygen for future enhanced wound healing applications. As such, MACF was shown to sequester more nitric oxide (p < 0.01) and hydroxyl (p < 0.0001) radicals as compared to the negative control even when delivering additional oxygen. MACF's beneficial antioxidant capacity was further confirmed in in vitro cell culture experiments using human dermal fibroblasts stressed with 2,2'-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH). © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2368-2374, 2017.