cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cardiac myosin binding protein-C modulates actomyosin binding and kinetics in the in vitro motility assay

The modulatory role of whole cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) on myosin force and motion generation was assessed in an in vitro motility assay. The presence of cMyBP-C at an approximate molar ratio of cMyBP-C to whole myosin of 1:2, resulted in a 25% reduction in thin filament velocity (P < 0.002) with no effect on relative isometric force under maximally activated conditions (pCa 5). Cardiac MyBP-C was capable of inhibiting actin filament velocity in a concentration-dependent manner using either whole myosin, HMM or S1, indicating that the cMyBP-C does not have to bind to myosin LMM or S2 subdomains to exert its effect. The reduction in velocity by cMyBP-C was independent of changes in ionic strength or excess inorganic phosphate. Co-sedimentation experiments demonstrated S1 binding to actin is reduced as a function of cMyBP-C concentration in the presence of ATP. In contrast, S1 avidly bound to actin in the absence of ATP and limited cMyBP-C binding, indicating that cMyBP-C and S1 compete for actin binding in an ATP-dependent fashion. However, based on the relationship between thin filament velocity and filament length, the cMyBP-C induced reduction in velocity was independent of the number of cross-bridges interacting with the thin filament. In conclusion, the effects of cMyBP-C on velocity and force at both maximal and submaximal activation demonstrate that cMyBP-C does not solely act as a tether between the myosin S2 and LMM subdomains but likely affects both the kinetics and recruitment of myosin cross-bridges through its direct interaction with actin and/or myosin head.
Sensitivity to estrogen of uteri of ovariectomized mice in relation to age.

SummaryUteri of ovariectomized immature mice did not show subnormal growth. No increase in uterine sensitivity to estrogen was observed at about the age of expected puberty in comparison to those of ovariectomized immature rats.
The mobilization of bone mineral by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in hypophosphatemic rats

Administration of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 to thyroparathyroidectomized, hypophosphatemic rats on a low-phosphorus diet increases serum inorganic phosphorus and calcium concentrations. Experiments utilizing such rats treated with 45Ca and 32P ten days before use revealed that the rise in serum phosphorus in response in 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 is derived at least in part from bone mineral. This suggests that under conditions of hypophosphatemia, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 can mobilize bone in the absence of parathyroid hormone.
Patterns, correlates, and reduction of homework copying

Submissions to an online homework tutor were analyzed to determine whether they were copied. The fraction of copied submissions increased rapidly over the semester, as each weekly deadline approached and for problems later in each assignment. The majority of students, who copied less than 10% of their problems, worked steadily over the three days prior to the deadline, whereas repetitive copiers those who copied 30% of their submitted problems exerted little effort early. Importantly, copying homework problems that require an analytic answer correlates with a 2 decline over the semester in relative score for similar problems on exams but does not significantly correlate with the amount of conceptual learning as measured by pretesting and post-testing. An anonymous survey containing questions used in many previous studies of self-reported academic dishonesty showed 1 /3 less copying than actually was detected. The observed patterns of copying, free response questions on the survey, and interview data suggest that time pressure on students who do not start their homework in a timely fashion is the proximate cause of copying. Several measures of initial ability in math or physics correlated with copying weakly or not at all. Changes in course format and instructional practices that previous self-reported academic dishonesty surveys and/or the observed copying patterns suggested would reduce copying have been accompanied by more than a factor of 4 reduction of copying from 11% of all electronic problems to less than 3%. As expected since repetitive copiers have approximately three times the chance of failing, this was accompanied by a reduction in the overall course failure rate. Survey results indicate that students copy almost twice as much written homework as online homework and show that students nationally admit to more academic dishonesty than MIT students.
Neurotransmitter receptors and voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels encoded by mRNA from the adult corpus callosum.

Abstract The presence of mRNAs encoding neurotransmitter receptors and voltage-gated channels in the adult human and bovine corpus callosum was investigated using Xenopus oocytes. Oocytes injected with mRNA extracted from the corpus callosum expressed functional receptors to glutamate, acetylcholine, and serotonin, and also voltage-operated Ca2+ channels, all with similar properties in the two species studied. Acetylcholine and serotonin elicited oscillatory Cl- currents due to activation of the inositol phosphate-Ca2+ receptor-channel coupling system. Glutamate and its analogs N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), kainate, quisqualate, and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) induced smooth currents. The non-NMDA responses showed a strong inward rectification at positive potentials and were potently blocked by 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione, as observed for the AMPA/kainate glutamate receptors GLUR1 and GLUR3. Furthermore, in situ hybridization experiments showed that GLUR1 and GLUR3 mRNAs are present in corpus callosum cells that were labeled with antiserum to glial fibrillary acid protein and that, in primary cell cultures, had the morphology of type 2 astrocytes. These results indicate that glial cells in the adult corpus callosum possess mRNA encoding functional neurotransmitter receptors and Ca2+ channels. These molecules may provide a mechanism for glial-neuronal interactions.
An Ultra-High-Frequency Measuring Assembly

A system for measuring the ultra-high frequencies is described. The general requirements of such a system are similar to those usually necessary for measurements at the lower frequencies; i.e., (1) a standard frequency source, (2) a method for generating standard harmonics and their subdivisions, and (3) a means for locating a signal with respect to these harmonics. The accuracy of the laboratory arrangement described was about one in fifty thousand at a frequency of 180 megacycles. An elaboration of this equipment should allow the accuracy of a secondary standard to be attained. A by-product of this investigation was a simple method for calibrating a Lecher frame, which is described in Appendix B.
The committee assignment process as an optimal contracting problem

This paper adapts a simple model from the optimal contracting literature to explain the relationship between political parties and non-incumbent candidates. The model predicts that legislators with a higher opportunity cost of government service will receive better committee assignments. Using data that spans 12 Congresses (97th to 108th), I find that when the opportunity cost of Senate service is measured by previous occupation, freshmen senators with a high opportunity cost for serving (those who were lawyers) were given good committee assignments, while freshmen senators with a low opportunity cost for serving (professors, and those with relatives already in politics) were given worse committee assignments.
A segmentation analysis for pharmacists' and patients' views of pharmacists' roles

Abstract Background Pharmacists' roles in health care systems are expanding. However, some patients are slow to accept and make use of this expanded role. Objectives The objectives for this study were to identify and describe segments of pharmacists and patients based upon their perceptions of the pharmacist's role in serving as an advisor on medication use. Methods Data were collected from random samples of pharmacists and patients in 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, and 2010. Overall, 1518 pharmacists (overall response rate = 47%) and 1278 patients (overall response rate = 42%) were surveyed from 1995 through 2010. Factor analysis was applied to a Counselor Role Orientation measure and identified three factors for use in segmentation analysis. The factors were: (1) Time Pressures, (2) Reliance on Physician, and (3) Pharmacist Restrictions. Segmentation analysis was conducted using a two-step cluster analysis with an agglomerative hierarchical clustering method and a log-likelihood (probability) distance measure. Descriptive statistics were used to describe identified segments. Results Cluster analysis identified four segments which were named: (1) All Low, (2) Time Pressures, (3) Reliance On Physician, and (4) All High. The largest segment for pharmacists was Time Pressures (45% of pharmacists) and for patients was Reliance on Physician (50% of patients). Composition of the four segments was consistent over time between the years 1995 through 2010. Conclusions The pattern of findings suggested a cycle of dysfunction in which many pharmacists, hindered by Time Pressures, do not provide patient care beyond the dispensing of a product. In turn, patients, relying on their physician for advice about medications, do not acknowledge the pharmacist as an advisor for medications. This cycle has reinforced dysfunctional behaviors and creates no motivation for either party in this dyadic relationship to change.
A kinetic fluorescence assay reveals unusual features of Ca ++ uptake in Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes

Background: To facilitate development within erythrocytes, malaria parasites increase their host cell uptake of diverse solutes including Ca ++ . The mechanism and molecular basis of increased Ca ++ permeability remains less well studied than that of other solutes. Methods: Based on an appropriate Ca ++ affinity and its greater brightness than related fluorophores, Fluo-8 was selected and used to develop a robust fluorescence-based assay for Ca ++ uptake by human erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium falciparum. Results: Both uninfected and infected cells exhibited a large Ca ++ -dependent fluorescence signal after loading with the Fluo-8 dye. Probenecid, an inhibitor of erythrocyte organic anion transporters, abolished the fluorescence signal in uninfected cells; in infected cells, this agent increased fluorescence via mechanisms that depend on parasite genotype. Kinetic fluorescence measurements in 384-well microplates revealed that the infected cell Ca ++ uptake is not mediated by the plasmodial surface anion channel (PSAC), a parasite nutrient channel at the host membrane; it also appears to be distinct from mammalian Ca ++ channels. Imaging studies confirmed a low intracellular Ca ++ in uninfected cells and higher levels in both the host and parasite compartments of infected cells. Parasite growth inhibition studies revealed a conserved requirement for extracellular Ca ++ . Conclusions: Nondestructive loading of Fluo-8 into human erythrocytes permits measurement of Ca ++ uptake kinetics. The greater Ca ++ permeability of cells infected with malaria parasites is apparent when probenecid is used to inhibit Fluo-8 efflux at the host membrane. This permeability is mediated by a distinct pathway and may be essential for intracellular parasite development. The miniaturized assay presented here should help clarify the precise transport mechanism and may identify inhibitors suitable for antimalarial drug development.
Synthesis of mapping logic for generating transformed pseudo-random patterns for BIST

During built-in self-test (BIST), the set of patterns generated by a pseudo-random pattern generator may not provide a sufficiently high fault coverage. This paper presents a new technique for synthesizing combinational mapping logic to transform the set of patterns that are generated. The goal is to satisfy test length and fault coverage requirements while minimizing area overhead. For a given pseudo-random pattern generator and circuit under test, there are many possible mapping functions that will provide a desired fault coverage for a given test length. This paper formulates the problem of finding a mapping function that can be implemented with a small number of gates as a one of finding a minimum rectangle cover in a binate matrix. A procedure is described for selecting a mapping function and synthesizing mapping logic to implement it. Experimental results for the procedure are compared with published results for other methods. It is shown that by performing iterative global operations, the procedure described in this paper generates mapping logic that requires less hardware overhead to achieve the same fault coverage for the same test length.
Catheptic carboxypeptidase B as a major component in "T-cell activating factor" of macrophages

TAF (T-cell activating factor), produced by peritoneal macrophages and assayed by its ability to potentiate DNA synthesis in macrophage-depleted lymph node cells stimulated with Phytochemagglutinin-concanavalin A, was shown to contain catheptic carboxypeptidase B (CPB) which accounted almost quantitatively for its potentiating activity. TAF action was inhibited by CPB inhibitors and could be mimicked by commercial pig pancreas CPB. The activity was absorbed from active supernatants on EACA-Sepharose and could be eluted with free EACA (epsilon aminocaproic acid).
Next-generation QTL mapping: crowdsourcing SNPs, without pedigrees.

For many molecular ecologists, the mantra and mission of the field of ecological genomics could be encapsulated by the phrase ‘to find the genes that matter’ (Mitchell-Olds 2001; Rockman 2012). This phrase of course refers to the early hope and current increasing success in the search for genes whose variation underlies phenotypic variation and fitness in natural populations. In the years since the modern incarnation of the field of ecological genomics, many would agree that the low-hanging fruit has, at least in principle, been plucked: we now have several elegant examples of genes whose variation influences key adaptive traits in natural populations, and these examples have revealed important insights into the architecture of adaptive variation (Hoekstra et al. 2006; Shapiro et al. 2009; Chan et al. 2010). But how well will these early examples, often involving single genes of large effect on discrete or near-discrete phenotypes, represent the dynamics of adaptive change for the totality of phenotypes in nature? Will traits exhibiting continuous rather than discrete variation in natural populations have as simple a genetic basis as these early examples suggest (Prasad et al. 2012; Rockman 2012)? Two papers in this issue (Robinson et al. 2013; Santure et al. 2013) not only suggest answers to these questions but also provide useful extensions of statistical approaches for ecological geneticists to study the genetics of continuous variation in nature. Together these papers, by the same research groups studying evolution in a natural population of Great Tits (Parus major), provide a glimpse of what we should expect as the field begins to dissect the genetic basis of what is arguably the most common type of variation in nature, and how genome-wide surveys of variation can be applied to natural populations without pedigrees.
ONE-LOOP RADIATIVE CORRECTIONS TO A HEAVY TOP DECAY IN THE STANDARD MODEL

We study one-loop radiative corrections to the top-quark decay: t→bW. For a heavy top (i.e. mt≳100 GeV), simple analytic formulas are derived. For the inclusive process, t→bW+X due to QCD, cancellations of infrared and mass singularities are shown explicitly. The final result agrees with an earlier calculation in the literature, and is an 8% reduction in the partial width for αs=0.1. Also, leading terms of the electroweak corrections are shown to be proportional to an enhancement factor . Their effect is about 1-3%. We also study the angular distributions of the leptons from the subsequent exclusive (or semi-inclusive) W decay. An asymmetry parameter which measures the polarizations of the W is introduced. We find that it is sensitive to the QCD corrections especially in the vicinity of .
Clinical Outcomes Associated with Concomitant Use of Atazanavir and Proton Pump Inhibitors

Background:Pharmacokinetic studies have shown that the concomitant use of atazanavir and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) decreases atazanavir plasma concentrations. Data describing clinical outcomes associated with this drug interaction are limited.Objective:To describe the clinical outcomes, in terms of viral load (VL) suppression, associated with the concurrent use of ritonavir-boosted or unboosted atazanavir and PPIs.Methods:A retrospective chart review of 301 HIV-positive adults attending an Ohio infectious diseases clinic was performed to identify patients prescribed atazanavir, with or without ritonavir, and a PPI. The primary outcome was achievement/maintenance of VL less than 400 copies/mL for 2 or more months during concomitant atazanavir and PPI therapies. Data collected included VL and CD4+ cell count at initiation of coadministered atazanavir and PPIs, genotype/phenotype, prior protease inhibitor experience, length of concurrent atazanavir/PPI therapy, and adherence.Results:Twelve patients met i...
Multidimensional AM-FM models and methods for biomedical image computing

This paper provides an overview of multidimensional AM-FM methods for analyzing medical images and videos. Over the last decade, several new AM-FM demodulation methods have been developed. We provide a discussion of what many of these methods share in common, and give some details on recent, Hilbert-based approaches. Medical image applications range from medical image segmentation, resolution enhancement, classification, reconstruction to new methods for video motion estimation. A brief summary of suggestions for future work in this area is also given.
Estimation of the movement trajectories of non-crucial articulators based on the detection of crucial moments and physiological constraints

This study develops a mathematical model that estimates the movements of (linguistically) non-crucial articulators in speech production, which provides a systematic way to study the relationship between the behaviors of crucial and non-crucial articulators; crucial articulators are those essential for realizing a speech task. The underlying assumption of our model is that non-crucial articulatory movements are governed by the physiological constraints in relation to the corresponding crucial articulators as well as by the contextual constraint from the nearest crucial time of the non-crucial articulator. These constraints have been generally assumed in the speech production literature, but they have not been incorporated directly into articulatory models. The crucial articulatory moments in an utterance are automatically determined by a novel forced-alignment algorithm for articulatory trajectories, which uses the inherent physical properties of crucial articulatory movements. Experimental results suggest that the proposed algorithm is capable of estimating non-crucial articulatory positions well in both neutral and emotional speech, significantly better than the simple interpolation of crucial points. Index Terms: non-crucial articulators, articulatory modeling, emotional speech
Rivers in the Critical Zone

Abstract River systems, which include channels, floodplains, and hyporheic zones, integrate fluxes of water, sediment, and solutes that occur within and beyond drainage basin boundaries. River systems thus exemplify the definition of the Critical Zone as a heterogeneous, near-surface environment in which complex interactions regulate habitat and determine the availability of resources. These interactions reflect the transfer of matter or energy between different components of the Critical Zone, which is described by the concept of connectivity. Rivers reflect connectivity in: the formation of channels and spatial zonation of drainage basin process and form; the reach-scale characteristics of river systems; and river adjustments through time and space to changes in external variables. Rivers influence connectivity by governing downstream fluxes of material such as sediment or organic carbon. People have altered the connectivity of river systems in diverse ways for hundreds of years, with the net effect of reducing river connectivity by impeding longitudinal (e.g., dams), lateral (e.g., levees), and vertical fluxes (e.g., channelization) within river networks. Consequently, river restoration commonly focuses on restoring at least some degree of connectivity within river systems. Although rivers occupy a very small portion of Earth’s surface and account for a tiny fraction of total fresh water, river systems are disproportionately important for landscape evolution, for fluxes of diverse materials and organisms, and for biotic communities, including humans.
Interfacial Tensions of Aged Organic Aerosol Particle Mimics Using a Biphasic Microfluidic Platform

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles are a major component of atmospheric particulate matter, yet their formation processes and ambient properties are not well understood. These complex particles often contain multiple interfaces due to internal aqueous- and organic-phase partitioning. Aerosol interfaces can profoundly affect the fate of condensable organic compounds emitted into the atmosphere by altering the way in which ambient organic vapors interact with suspended particles. To accurately predict the evolution of SOA in the atmosphere, we must improve our understanding of aerosol interfaces. In this work, biphasic microscale flows are used to measure interfacial tension of reacting methylglyoxal, formaldehyde, and ammonium sulfate aqueous mixtures with a surrounding oil phase. Our experiments show a suppression of interfacial tension as a function of organic content that remains constant with reaction time for methylglyoxal—ammonium sulfate systems. We also reveal an unexpected time dependence o...
Alkylphenols and Bisphenol A as Environmental Estrogens

A diverse number of chemicals present in the environment may be detrimental to the development and reproduction of wildlife and humans. These chemicals exert their effect through mimicking endogenous estrogens. Two xenoestrogens that are currently produced in large volumes are alkylphenols and bisphenol A (BPA). These chemicals demonstrate estrogenic activity; they increase the proliferation of estrogen target cells, induce estrogen-specific genes and reporter genes, increase the wet weight of the uterus, and induce proliferation of the epithelium in the endometrium and vagina. Alkylphenols are widely distributed through their use as antioxidants and in the synthesis of alkylphenol polyethoxylates for detergents. The release of these chemicals into natural waters and wastewater treatment plants results in exposure of aquatic wildilife. The extent of exposure to non-aquatic organisms is unknown, but it is likely that exposure occurs in species that eat contaminated fish. Humans are exposed primarily through the use of spermicides containing nonoxynol. BPA is used in the packaging of food and beverages, and in health-related products. This chemical and its derivatives leach from such polycarbonate and epoxy resin products leading to exposure of humans predominantly. Evidence from field studies and laboratory experiments indicate that alkylphenols and BPA have the potential to cause ecological problems and affect human health. Degradation products of alkylphenol polyethoxylates have caused feminization of fish in efflunt polluted rivers, and can alter reproductive parameters in rodents. BPA is able to induce feminization of neonatal amphibia, proliferative activity in the uterus and mammary glands, alterations in the neuroendorine axis, and compromise fertility. In utero exposure to this chemical causes alterations in the onset of sexual maturity in females and changes in the development of male reproductive organs. The most disturbing findings reveal that low doses of BPA, which are physiologically relevant to human exposure, cause the most profound biological effects. These data attest to the urgent need for re-evaluating issues of production, use, and waste treatment programs pertaining to all endocrine disrupting chemicals.
g-LIMIT - A microgravity vibration isolation system for the International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) is being envisioned as a laboratory for experiments in numerous microgravity (μg) science disciplines. Predictions of the ISS acceleration environment indicate that the ambient acceleration levels will exceed levels that can be tolerated by the science experiments. Hence, microgravity vibration isolation systems are being developed to attenuate the accelerations to acceptable levels. While passive isolation systems are beneficial in certain applications, active isolation systems are required to provide attenuation at low frequencies and to mitigate directly induced payload disturbances. To date, three active isolation systems have been successfully tested in the orbital environment. A fourth system called gLIMIT is currently being developed for the Microgravity Science Glovebox and is manifested for launch on the UF-1 mission. This paper presents an overview of microgravity vibration isolation technology and the g-LIMIT system in particular.
Modeling demographic processes in an endangered population of bighorn sheep

We developed a demographic simulation model to explore how population vital rates, initial size, and the addition of animals influenced the viability of an endangered population of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) consisting of 8 subpopulations. Perturbation analyses indicated that quasi-extinction risk was more sensitive to changes in adult female survival than to changes in reproduction or survival of young animals. This pattern was similar in 8 subpopulations that had different initial sizes, survival rates, and recruitment rates. Subpopulation viability was related to the initial number of females and to adult female survival, but not reproduction. Management actions that increase adult survival may be most effective when implemented in the largest subpopulations, whereas actions involving the addition of animals may be most effective if implemented in subpopulations with high survival rates. Subpopulation augmentation in yearly increments was more effective at reducing quasi-extinction risk than was adding the same total number of animals at the beginning of the simulation. The level of augmentation needed to substantially reduce quasi-extinction risk exceeded reported levels of female movement among populations or subpopulations. This finding led us to speculate that rescue effects, which are uncommon events for bighorn sheep, may be too rare or of inadequate magnitude under current conditions to effectively reverse bighorn sheep population declines.
Analysis of New Breeding Rice Variety Yield Components in 2006 Jilin Province

Twenty seven rice varieties developed in Jilin 2006 rice regional trial were used as materials,and the rice varieties′ yield components of early,middle,late heading of 4 mature stages were analyzed.The results showed that there should be different standards in choosing different maturity rice varieties in rice high yield breeding.Middling panicles,grain number per panicle and 1 000-grain weight,high seed setting rate rice varieties should be chosen in high yield breeding of early maturity.Middling plant height,big panicle and high seed setting rate rice varieties should be chosen in high yield breeding of middle and middle-late maturity.To late maturity rice varieties high yield breeding,all the yield components should be considered.The common point in all matutity of high yield breeding was to choose high seed setting rate rice variety.
Occupations, National Identity, and Immigrant Integration:

This article examines strategies for immigrants to improve integration by exploring the relationship between occupational choice and assimilation. I ask whether immigrant-origin individuals will be viewed as better representatives of the nation when employed in occupations that reflect national identity. I examine this question with data from original surveys in France, Germany, and the United States. Results suggest that native and immigrant-origin individuals in occupations that reflect national identity are more likely to be seen as ideal representatives of the nation. Yet, the benefits of an occupation that reflects national identity are fairly minor for immigrant-origin individuals in France and Germany and roughly one third the size of the benefit for native-origin individuals. In comparison, native and immigrant-origin individuals in the United States have the same increase in likelihood of being seen as ideal representatives of the nation. These findings have implications for our understanding of ...
Ethical Issues in Colorectal Surgery

Ethics, at its most fundamental level, is a way to answer the question, “what should we do?” In this chapter, I define what “ethical dilemmas” are and discuss one approach for resolving them. I discuss informed consent, surrogate decision-making, futility, and refusal of care. I analyze the current state of disparities in surgical outcomes by race and socioeconomic status. Finally, I consider the problem of financial conflicts of interest, and the recent “Sunshine law.”
Adapting to a US Medical Curriculum in Malaysia: A Qualitative Study on Cultural Dissonance in International Education.

CONTEXT Minimal research has examined the recent exportation of medical curricula to international settings. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, USA partnered with Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and implemented the same curriculum currently used at Johns Hopkins University to teach medical students at Perdana University. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of first-year medical students at Perdana University, focusing on issues of cultural dissonance during adaptation to a US curriculum. METHODS In-depth semi-structured interviews with the inaugural class of first-year students (n=24) were conducted, audio-recorded, and transcribed. Two reviewers independently coded and analyzed the qualitative data for major themes. RESULTS The most prominent themes identified were the transition from a "passive" to an "active" learning environment and the friendliness and openness of the professors. Students noted that "[Perdana University] is a whole new, different culture and now we are adapting to the culture." Being vocal during classes and taking exams based on conceptual understanding and knowledge application/integration proved to be more challenging for students than having classes taught entirely in English or the amount of material covered. DISCUSSION This study reinforced many cultural education theories as it revealed the major issues of Malaysian graduate students adapting to a US-style medical curriculum. Despite coming from a collectivistic, Confucian-based cultural learning background, the Malaysian students at Perdana University adopted and adapted to, and subsequently supported, the US learning expectations.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF BASIC LANGUAGE COMPUTER PROGRAMS TO ASSIST IN THE DESIGN OF ENERGY EFFICIENT RESIDENCES

The following is concerned with the development of simple computer programs to assist in the heat loss-gain considerations for the design of residences and other small buildings. A program to calculate heat loss is presented as an example. This program was originally written in BASIC language, on the CYBER 175, one of the larger digital computers. However, it has been revised in the BASIC language of one of the small minicomputers, the APPLE II. This was done in the belief that in the future, architecture and engineering firms will be as likely to have access to a minicomputer as they will to have access to one of the large systems of IBM, Control Data, Burroughs and the other computer giants.
Management trends for men with early-stage nonseminomatous germ cell tumors of the testicle: An analysis of the National Cancer Database.

BACKGROUND Surveillance has been recommended more frequently as a postorchiectomy management option for men with early stage nonseminomatous germ cell tumor (NSGCT) of the testicle. It is unknown how contemporary treatment patterns reflect these recommendations. METHODS Data from the National Cancer Database were extracted on all men who were diagnosed with clinical stage (CS) IA or CSIB NSGCT between 2004 and 2013. Temporal trends in the use of chemotherapy, retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND), and surveillance were measured; and multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the association of patient and clinical covariates with use of surveillance. RESULTS Of the 4080 men with CSIA NSGCT, 70%, 17%, and 13% received surveillance, RPLND, and chemotherapy, respectively. Surveillance increased in this group from 65% (2004-2005) to 74% (2012-2013: adjusted odds ratio, 1.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.14-1.98; P = .004). Of the 2580 men who had CSIB NSGCT, 46%, 20%, and 34% received surveillance, RPLND, and chemotherapy, respectively. In this group, 48% of men underwent surveillance in the years 2004 to 2005 and 2012 to 2013 (adjusted P = .8). Upon multivariable analyses, higher income and the oldest age quartile were associated with increased odds of surveillance among men with CSIA NSGCT (both P < .050). Hispanic men with CSIB NSGCT were more likely to receive surveillance compared with non-Hispanic white men (P = .001). CONCLUSIONS Nearly 75% of men with CSIA NSGCT and nearly 50% of men with CSIB NSGCT received surveillance in 2012 and 2013. The likelihood of receiving surveillance increased from 2004 through 2013 for men with CSIA NSGCT but was unchanged for men with CSIB. Cancer 2017;123:245–252. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
Tragic Time and Choice in Videogames

This chapter argues that while engaging the player as spectator, actor, and author, videogames both draw on and revert back to the essential tensions inherent in the tragic experience of time. Through a discussion of serious narrative games such as The Wolf Among Us, Heavy Rain, Mass Effect, and The Stanley Parable, the chapter describes how games thrive through creating an environment of choice in which the player is constantly offered options of speech and action, and in this, a form of authorship to create both plot and character. While they may evoke the harrowing sensation familiar from tragedy of having to act in a crisis, yet they can also offer the player the chance to undo that decision by reversing time, revisiting the past in a new present, and then moving forward having learned what the future will bring. This replay may feel like asserting freedom from the “tyranny” of the story because one can repeat and remain in a present time when all things seem possible and under the player’s control. However, one cannot forget that the player is operating within the context of the program, limited by the choices offered and the game’s intent. The chapter ends by considering the role of cheating and modding in the disruption of game plotting.
Increases in Physical Activity Result in Diminishing Increments in Daily Energy Expenditure in Mice.

Summary Exercise is a common component of weight loss strategies, yet exercise programs are associated with surprisingly small changes in body weight [1–4]. This may be due in part to compensatory adaptations, in which calories expended during exercise are counteracted by decreases in other aspects of energy expenditure [1, 5–10]. Here we examined the relationship between a rodent model of voluntary exercise— wheel running— and total daily energy expenditure. Use of a running wheel for 3 to 7 days increased daily energy expenditure, resulting in a caloric deficit of ∼1 kcal/day; however, total daily energy expenditure remained stable after the first week of wheel access, despite further increases in wheel use. We hypothesized that compensatory mechanisms accounted for the lack of increase in daily energy expenditure after the first week. Supporting this idea, we observed a decrease in off-wheel ambulation when mice were using the wheels, indicating behavioral compensation. Finally, we asked whether individual variation in wheel use within a group of mice would be associated with different levels of daily energy expenditure. Despite a large variation in wheel running, we did not observe a significant relationship between the amount of daily wheel running and total daily energy expenditure or energy intake across mice. Together, our experiments support a model in which the transition from sedentary to light activity is associated with an increase in daily energy expenditure, but further increases in physical activity produce diminishingly small increments in daily energy expenditure.
The Strength of Dissimilar Fractal Joints

In this investigation, the influences of fractal geometry and material properties on the strength of dissimilar joints were studied. The fractal geometry explored was an iterative Koch curve. The interfacial layer joining two different materials was designed to be a Koch layer with three different numbers of iteration. The mechanical behaviors of the fractal dissimilar joints under both normal tensile traction and shear traction were simulated via finite element (FE) method.In the three-phase FE models, isotropic elasto-perfect-plastic material models with different stiffness and yielding strength were used for all three phases. By varying the stiffness and strength ratio of the Koch layer and the dissimilar materials, fractal dissimilar joints with both perfect bonding and imperfect bonding were simulated and compared. It was found that the fractal geometry plays a very important role in enhancing both the tensile and shearing strength of dissimilar joints, especially for the cases with imperfect bonding.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Public Health, Ethics, and Autonomous Vehicles

With the potential to save nearly 30 000 lives per year in the United States, autonomous vehicles portend the most significant advance in auto safety history by shifting the focus from minimization of postcrash injury to collision prevention.I have delineated the important public health implications of autonomous vehicles and provided a brief analysis of a critically important ethical issue inherent in autonomous vehicle design.The broad expertise, ethical principles, and values of public health should be brought to bear on a wide range of issues pertaining to autonomous vehicles.
Exploring Spanish Register among Graduate Students: A Pilot Study of Spanish at a University in Southern California

This article expands the study of registers in conversational and written language with empirical data collected from different situations throughout the daily activities of two bilingual populations at a university in Southern California. It explores the importance of register distinction in the classroom. This is done by studying the use of formal and informal register at the university between two bilingual populations throughout the tasks they perform on a daily basis. Language samples used in a normal day were collected and transcribed for analysis. A qualitative analysis was performed using characteristics previously studied by Valdes and Geoffrion-Vinci in 1998: lexical choice, integration versus fragmentation and detachment versus involvement. Results indicated similarities in the use of Spanish register used among the two populations studied. A presence of informal register was found in formal contexts by both bilingual populations. Implications for curriculum and course development including register topics are discussed.
PAFRAG Modeling and Experimentation Methodology for Assessing Lethality and Safe Separation Distances of Explosive Fragmentation Ammunitions

The fundamental vision of the US Army Armaments Research, Design and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal is that the fragmentation ammunition has to be safe for the soldier and lethal for the adversaries. PAFRAG (Picatinny Arsenal Fragmentation) is a combined analytical and experimental technique for determining explosive fragmentation ammunition lethality and safe separation distance without costly arena fragmentation tests. PAFRAG methodology integrates high-strain high-strain-rate computer modelling with semi-empirical analytical fragmentation modelling and experimentation, offering warhead designers and ammunition developers more ammunition performance information for less money spent. PAFRAG modelling and experimentation approach provides more detailed and accurate warhead fragmentation data for ammunition safe separation distance analysis, as compared to the traditional fragmentation arena testing approach.
The News You Choose: news media preferences amplify views on climate change

How do choices among information sources reinforce political differences on topics such as climate change? Environmental sociologists have observed large-scale and long-term impacts from news media...
Exploring the intersection of settlement, subsistence and population in Manuā.

The archaeology of Sāmoa has been structured around the investigation of settlement patterns and systems since the 1960s, and such investigations have been variously used to explore questions of temporal change relating to, among other things, political structure and subsistence. This same intellectual structure is applied here to the evaluation of variation between the geographically close islands of Ofu and Olosega, extending previous approaches by considering population estimates. These analyses, which include a calculation of carrying capacity and population estimates based on settlement patterns, suggest that Olosega supported a higher population density than Ofu, perhaps because of investments in tree cropping on the former. Variation in settlement distribution, subsistence strategies and population density has important implications for population resiliency and vulnerability in small-island societies.
Evaluation of Fracture Characteristics of Aluminum Alloys at Cryogenic Temperatures

Experience indicates that with the development of materials with higher strengths, the tendency toward catastrophic low-ductility fractures increases, particularly at cryogenic temperatures. Continued efforts to use these higher-strength materials in structural units and yet to ensure against catastrophic low-ductility fractures have markedly increased the efforts aimed at evaluating the resistance of materials to rapid crack propagation. Formerly, coarse qualitative measures were sufficient, but more critical criteria for quantitatively rating materials and for realistically designing with them are now needed.
Dynamic modeling and model predictive control of an RCCI engine

Abstract Reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) is a low temperature combustion strategy that offers one of the highest reported indicated thermal efficiencies for internal combustion engines, while having ultra-low nitrogen oxides (NOx) and soot emissions. The complex nature of RCCI makes it challenging to control combustion for an optimum heat release shape at broad engine operation with low cyclic variability and without exceeding maximum allowable in-cylinder pressure rise rate. This study aims at developing a control oriented model (COM) and a model predictive controller (MPC) to adjust combustion phasing, including crank angle by which 50% of fuel mass is burnt (CA50) and load, including indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) during both steady-state and transient RCCI operations. A new COM is developed using a combination of physics-based and empirical models. An MPC with a 5-cycle prediction horizon is developed and implemented on an experimental RCCI engine setup. The IMEP and CA50 are controlled by adjusting injected fuel quantity, dual-fuel premixed ratio (PR), and start of injection (SOI) timing. To extend the controller operating range, switched MPCs are developed using PR as the scheduling variable. In addition, a sensitivity-based control strategy is developed to select between PR and SOI as the control variable. Experimental validation results show that the designed controller can track desired CA50 and IMEP with less than 1.4 CAD and 15 kPa tracking errors on a range of RCCI operation.
Systematic review of mobile phone-based teledermatology

Teledermatology is an expanding field within dermatology that has grown and become more clinically accepted by both patients and doctors. With approximately 260 million mobile phone users in the US and 4–6 billion worldwide with access to mobile phones, teledermatology serves as a potentially useful tool for diagnosis and management (Samkange-Zeeb and Blettner in Emerg Health Threats J, https://doi.org/10.3134/ehtj.09.005 , 2009). In this review, we provide a detailed overview of mobile phone technology and the accumulating evidence for its incorporation into dermatology. Key questions addressed include accuracy and concordance between mobile teledermatology and face-to-face dermatology for the diagnosis of skin conditions. Similarly, accuracy and concordance were compared for the management of skin conditions. To track the development of mobile phone technology, we also assessed how data were captured, stored, and displayed in teledermatology studies.
CHAPTER 6.5 – Developing uses of topical liposomes: Delivery of biologically active macromolecules

This chapter outlines the developing uses of topical liposomes and the delivery of biologically active macromolecules. There are a number of compelling reasons why biologically active macromolecules are the best drug candidates for topical liposomal delivery. Many difficult-to-treat skin diseases are caused by infectious agents (e.g., herpes and genital warts) or by immunological reactions. Although present topical treatments for these and other skin diseases are palliative at best, there have been a number of clinical observations wherein either the systemic or intralesional administration of specific polypeptides have resulted in a pronounced amelioration of clinical symptoms. In situations where a drug's actions are non-selective, adequate systemic regimens to suppress skin symptomology invariably result in adverse effects. Administering a drug systemically may still not overcome the inaccessibility of the skin tissue to the drug. This chapter focusses that the successful treatment of cutaneous diseases with a variety of macromolecules relies on an ability to effectively deliver them to appropriate sites within the skin. So far it has proven almost impossible to control many of these skin disorders using conventional dermatological formulations. Because the nonionic liposomes developed for these studies are stable, they also appear to offer a pharmaceutically practical system for formulating active macromolecules.
Community Characteristics and Regional Variations in Diabetes Prevalence in Texas Counties.

Abstract Diabetes has become a critical population health issue in the United States. Although researchers have focused on diabetes prevalence at the individual level, few studies address community...
Improved wireless power transfer efficiency with non-perfect lenses

Negative refractive index metamaterials (MMs) have found widespread interest in shaping electromagnetic waves. One attractive area is energy transfer using low frequency magnetic waves or wireless power transfer (WPT). Previous reports have presented an isotropic metamaterial with μr = −1 as a “perfect lens” to focus energy and enhance WPT efficiency. In this work, we show that, while the perfect lens condition does enhance efficiency, anisotropic MMs with μr ≠ −1 can provide a larger enhancement in efficiency. These “non-perfect” lenses offer higher efficiency by enhancing the coupled field while incurring lower losses in the magnetostatic waves excited in or on the materials.