cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social Media Analytics, Wearable Technology, and the Internet-of-Things

Discusses new areas of development involving social media analytics, wearable technologies, and the Internet of Things.
Justice, Not Jailbreak: The Context and Consequence of the First Step Act

The First Step Act, a legislative endeavor half nearly a decade in the making and advocated for by President Trump, represented the most significant easing of federal criminal punishment to date. T...
A highly sensitive and selective signal-on strategy for microRNA quantification.

Abstract MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are associated with physiological and pathological processes. They are recognized as biomarkers for diseases diagnosis and treatment evaluation. Herein we propose a simple and cost-effective HPLC method for quantitative assay of target miRNAs with femtomolar sensitivity, single-base discrimination selectivity and low background. The assay is based on an innovative signal-on strategy. In this strategy, polyadenylation of poly(A) polymerase extends an all ‘A’ sequence at the end of target miRNA, and the substantially increased number of adenine bases are labeled with 2-Chloroacetaldehyde (CAA) to open a signal-on mode and realize a signal amplification. The linearly amplified fluorescence signal is separated from other inference signals and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FD). Combining with affinity magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE), the method is well suited for analysis of complex biological samples such as serum and cell lysate with nearly zero background fluorescence. Taking miRNA-21 as the model analyte, this absolute quantification method has a limit of detection of 200 fM and a linear calibration curve (R2 = 0.999) in the range from 2.00 pM to 1.00 nM. Using locked nucleic acid (LNA) modified probes rather than ssDNA probes, the assay selectivity is improved. Moreover, analysis of bovine serum and cell lysate samples by using the method is demonstrated. Intracellular content of miRNA-21 is found to be 0.0150 amol/cell in MCF-7 cells with an assay repeatability of 4.0% (RSD, n = 3). The present HPLC quantification of miRNA offers an accurate, reliable, and cost-effective means for quantitative assay of miRNAs occurring in biological samples. Also importantly, it eliminates the need for total RNA isolation for the analysis. It may be useful for more effective diagnosis of diseases and therapeutic evaluation.
Design, Implementation, and Validation of a Pediatric ICU Sepsis Prediction Tool as Clinical Decision Support.

Background Sepsis is an uncontrolled inflammatory reaction caused by infection. Clinicians in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) developed a paper-based tool to identify patients at risk of sepsis. To improve the utilization of the tool, the PICU team integrated the paper-based tool as a real-time clinical decision support (CDS) intervention in the electronic health record (EHR). Objective This study aimed to improve identification of PICU patients with sepsis through an automated EHR-based CDS intervention. Methods A prospective cohort study of all patients admitted to the PICU from May 2017 to May 2019. A CDS intervention was implemented in May 2018. The CDS intervention screened patients for nonspecific sepsis criteria, temperature dysregulation and a blood culture within 6 hours. Following the screening, an interruptive alert prompted nursing staff to complete a perfusion screen to assess for clinical signs of sepsis. The primary alert performance outcomes included sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value. The secondary clinical outcome was completion of sepsis management tasks. Results During the 1-year post implementation period, there were 45.0 sepsis events per 1,000 patient days over 10,805 patient days. The sepsis alert identified 392 of the 436 sepsis episodes accurately with sensitivity of 92.5%, specificity of 95.6%, positive predictive value of 46.0%, and negative predictive value of 99.7%. Examining only patients with severe sepsis confirmed by chart review, test characteristics fell to a sensitivity of 73.3%, a specificity of 92.5%. Prior to the initiation of the alert, 18.6% (13/70) of severe sepsis patients received recommended sepsis interventions. Following the implementation, 34% (27/80) received these interventions in the time recommended, p = 0.04. Conclusion An EHR CDS intervention demonstrated strong performance characteristics and improved completion of recommended sepsis interventions.
CHAPTER XV – Polarization Response

Publisher Summary Polarized light is a tool that has found applications in many diverse fields resulting in numerous conventions. It is another degree of freedom in the characterization of target sources that can be employed to infer target attributes. Polarization is a fundamental property of electromagnetic radiation. The change that takes place in the polarization characteristics of electromagnetic radiation is a convenient and accurate diagnostic tool. There are various representations of the polarization of electromagnetic radiation. The representation of polarization that is the most useful is one that unambiguously describes the behavior and permits the easiest solution of various problems encountered. The locus of the tip of the vector as it passes through the XY-plane is known as the polarization figure. When the vector remains fixed, the polarization is linear. When the vector rotates with time, the polarization is circular or elliptical. This chapter focuses on polarizers and retardation plates. A polarizer is an optical device that, when supplied with unpolarized radiation, can produce a beam that is polarized. An analyzer is distinguished from a polarizer by the role it may perform—the production of polarized radiation or the detection of polarized radiation There are at least four basic mechanisms for performing the function of the polarization of radiation: dichroism, birefringence, reflection, and scattering. The state of polarization of a beam of radiant flux can be accomplished in terms of the Stokes vector, which consists of a set of four entities called Stokes parameters. The chapter also highlights various applications of polarization and defines the infrared polarizer.
Pyk2 deficiency enhances bone mass during midpalatal suture expansion.

Objective To determine if Pyk2-deficiency increases midpalatal suture bone mass and preserves sutural integrity after maxillary expansion. Setting and sample Thirty-six male Pyk2 knockout (KO) and control (WT) mice at 6-weeks of age. Materials and methods Mice received nickel-titanium spring expanders delivering 0g (no intervention control), 10g or 20g force for 14 days. High-resolution micro-CT was used to determine bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV), sutural width and intermolar width. Effects on osteoclasts, chondrocytes and suture morphology were determined by histomorphometry. Results Pyk2-KO controls (0g) had 7% higher BV/TV compared with WT controls. Expanded Pyk2-KO maxillae also exhibited 12% (10g) and 18% (20g) higher BV/TV than WT mice. Although bone loss following expansion occurred in both genotypes, BV/TV was decreased to a greater extent in WT maxillae (-10% at 10g; -22% at 20g) compared with Pyk2-KO maxillae (-11% only at 20g) (p Conclusions These findings suggest that midpalatal suture expansion increases osteoclast formation in WT but not Pyk2-KO mice, leading to higher BV/TV in expanded Pyk2-KO maxillae. These studies suggest Pyk2-targeted strategies may be beneficial to increase bone density and preserve sutural integrity during maxillary expansion.
Effects of individual base-pairs on in vivo target search and destruction kinetics of small RNA

Base-pairing interactions mediate intermolecular target recognition in many biological systems and applications, including DNA repair, CRISPR, microRNA, small RNA (sRNA) and antisense oligo therapies. Even a single base-pair mismatch can cause a substantial difference in biological activity but presently we do not yet know how the target search kinetics in vivo are influenced by single nucleotide level changes. Here, we used high-throughput sequencing to identify functionally relevant single point mutants of the bacterial sRNA, SgrS, and quantitative super-resolution microscopy to probe the mutational impact on the regulation of its primary target, ptsG mRNA. Our super-resolution imaging and analysis platform allowed us to further dissect mutational effects on SgrS lifetimes, and even subtle changes in the in vivo rates of target association, kon, and dissociation, koff. Mutations that disrupt Hfq binding and are distal to the mRNA annealing region still decreased kon and increased koff, providing an in vivo demonstration that Hfq directly facilitates sRNA-mRNA annealing. Single base-pair mismatches in the annealing region reduced kon by 24-31% and increased koff by 14-25%, extending the time it takes to find and destroy the target mRNA by about a third, depending on whether an AU or GC base-pair is disrupted. The effects of disrupting contiguous base-pairing are much more modest than that expected from thermodynamics, suggesting that Hfq also buffers base-pair disruptions.
Challenges Facing Young Scientists in Academia and Industry in the United States from the Lens of a Millennial Academic.

Rising to the challenge: Pictured from left to right: Salma L. Nunez, Albert Reyes and Lisandra Santiago-Capeles, Ph.D. The challenges that young scientists face in academia and industry in the United States are discussed. Prof. Joseph Clark provides insight about how social media, funding, diversity, natural disasters, COVID-19 and student loan debt are impacting young scientists. A discussion of strategies to meet these challenges and support young scientists are presented.
Centering the black slave in Bahāʾ Ṭāhir’s Wāḥat al-ghurūb

This paper constructs the story of Niʿma, a Sudanese or Nubian slave in Bahāʾ Ṭāhir’s Wāḥat al-ghurūb (2006; Sunset Oasis 2009). Set in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Egypt, the novel...
The pelvic flexure separates distinct microbial communities in the equine hindgut

As hindgut fermenters, horses are especially dependent on the microbiota residing in their cecum and large intestines. Interactions between these microbial populations and the horse are critical for maintaining gut homeostasis, which supports proper digestion. The current project was motivated to determine if any features of the fecal microbiota are informative of the microbial communities from the cecum, ventral colon, or dorsal colon. Digesta from the cecum, ventral colon, dorsal colon and feces were collected from 6 yearling miniature horses. Microbial DNA was isolated and the microbiota from each sample was characterized by profiling the V4 region of the 16S rRNA. Principal coordinate analysis of the beta diversity results revealed significant (p = 0.0001; F = 5.2393) similarities between the microbial populations from cecal and ventral colon and the dorsal colon and fecal samples, however, there was little overlap between the proximal and distal ends of the hindgut. These distinct population structures observed in our results coincide with the pelvic flexure, which itself separates intestinal compartments with distinct roles in digestive physiology. An indicator species analysis confirmed the population differences, supported by the identification of several microbial families characteristic of the compartments upstream of the pelvic flexure that were not represented following it. Our data suggest that the fecal microbiota is not informative of the proximal hindgut but can provide insight into communities of the distal compartments. Further, our results suggest that the pelvic flexure might be an important anatomical landmark relative to the microbial communities in the equine large intestine.
Application of negative tissue interstitial pressure improves functional capillary density after hemorrhagic shock in the absence of volume resuscitation.

Microvascular fluid exchange is primarily dependent on Starling forces and both the active and passive myogenic response of arterioles and post-capillary venules. Arterioles are classically considered resistance vessels, while venules are considered capacitance vessels with high distensibility and low tonic sympathetic stimulation at rest. However, few studies have investigated the effects of modulating interstitial hydrostatic pressure, particularly in the context of hemorrhagic shock. The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanics of arterioles and functional capillary density (FCD) during application of negative tissue interstitial pressure after 40% total blood volume hemorrhagic shock. In this study, we characterized systemic and microcirculatory hemodynamic parameters, including FCD, in hamsters instrumented with a dorsal window chamber and a custom-designed negative pressure application device via intravital microscopy. In large arterioles, application of negative pressure after hemorrhagic shock resulted in a 13 ± 11% decrease in flow compared with only a 7 ± 9% decrease in flow after hemorrhagic shock alone after 90 minutes. In post-capillary venules, however, application of negative pressure after hemorrhagic shock resulted in a 31 ± 4% decrease in flow compared with only an 8 ± 5% decrease in flow after hemorrhagic shock alone after 90 minutes. Normalized FCD was observed to significantly improve after application of negative pressure after hemorrhagic shock (0.66 ± 0.02) compared to hemorrhagic shock without application of negative pressure (0.50 ± 0.04). Our study demonstrates that application of negative pressure acutely improves FCD during hemorrhagic shock, though it does not normalize FCD. These results suggest that by increasing the hydrostatic pressure gradient between the microvasculature and interstitium, microvascular perfusion can be transiently restored in the absence of volume resuscitation. This study has significant clinical implications, particularly in negative pressure wound therapy, and offers an alternative mechanism to improve microvascular perfusion during hypovolemic shock.
La posibilidad de un nuevo contrato social desde el poder constituyente

The present work proposes a critical exploration of the epistemological foundations of modern contractualism, showing how its exclusion criteria operate through language games and the configuration of constitutional order. This critical exercise may improve the understanding of the conditions of possibility for a new social pact sense, in a political context marked by the Chilean popular revolt of 2019. Two consequential effects from above: the resignification of constitutional contents and the beginning of a constituent process.
3 He-Rich Solar Energetic Particle Events

He-rich solar energetic particle (SEP) events show huge enrichments of 3 He and association with kilovolt electrons and Type-III radio bursts. Observations from a new gener- ation of high resolution instruments launched on the Wind, ACE, Yohkoh, SOHO, TRACE, and RHESSI spacecraft have revealed many new properties of these events: the particle en- ergy spectra are found to be either power-law or curved in shape, with the 3 He spectrum often being distinctly different from other species. Ultra-heavy nuclei up to >200 amu are found to be routinely present at average enrichments of >200 times solar-system abun- dances. The high ionization states previously observed near ∼ 1M eV /nucleon have been found to decrease towards normal solar coronal values in these events. The source regions have been identified for many events, and are associated with X-ray jets and EUV flares that are associated with magnetic reconnection sites near active regions. This paper reviews the current experimental picture and theoretical models, with emphasis on the new insights found in the last few years.
Difference Co-Chirps-Based Non-Uniform PRF Automotive FMCW Radar

We propose an automotive radar system that transmits at non-uniform pulse repetition frequency (PRF) to achieve high-resolution range and Doppler estimation while transmitting sparsely along slow-time following the difference co-chirps schemes, e.g., coprime and nested chirps. At the receiver, the radar admits undersampled slow-time signals for Doppler estimation. In a single coherent processing interval (CPI), the missing Doppler samples along slow-time are interpolated via a Doppler covariance matrix that is constructed using fast-time samples. Our co-chirp joint range-Doppler estimation with Doppler de-aliasing (CoDDler) algorithm jointly estimates the range and Doppler. The Doppler spectrum obtained from the interpolated Doppler samples are utilized to de-aliase any false Doppler peaks in the sparse estimation. The proposed non-uniform PRF automotive radar provides the possibility for transmission coordination in a time division multiplexing fashion to avoid mutual interference by saving nearly 88% of time-on-target.
The School Textbook and its Role in Strengthening the Reading and Writing Strategies of the Primary School Learner: A Cognitive Linguistic Didactic Approach.

This study tries to highlight factors contributing to ineffective teaching strategies of Arabic reading and writing skills in the 1st and 2nd cycles of basic education, namely in the Moroccan public schools. This study considers that such decay is basically related to school Textbooks designed to pupils at first and second grade. In our opinion, this can be seen through the absence of a systematic vision of the textbook that would develop some of the linguistic abilities and meta-linguistic shown by children in the preschool. According to the analysis provided by the interactive models of the learning processes of reading and writing in its early stages (first and second cycles of basic education), children acquire a large body of tacit knowledge of their mother tongue before (regularite phonologique) (cf.: Ecalle et Meganan.2002); They also develop important cognitive abilities to recognize the alphabet, some of which are supportive of building their future learning abilities of reading and writing. If the achievement of the linguistic competencies associated with the two components of Arabic reading and writing at the primary stage depends mainly on the extent to which the learners are aware of the peculiarities of the sub-lexical level of the language, as it is achieved by activating the procedural link to the lexical level as a basic procedure within the educational learning process, then the purpose of this scientific paper lies in an attempt to answer related questions, such as What are the implications of learning directed to achieve the linguistic competencies of the reading and writing pathways in the early stages of learning? To what extent do the pedagogical and dialectical directions included in the textbooks develop the linguistic abilities that the learners show, and which are specific to the components of reading and writing? Are the competencies of the learners of the first and second levels commensurate with what is supposed to be mentally represented by the learners of this stage about the alphabetical layout? And how can we benefit from the most important results presented by the interactive models to develop the course content of the first and second levels in a way that it becomes more effective in supporting the literacy strategies of the learners of this stage?
WE-G-207-04: Non-Local Total-Variation (NLTV) Combined with Reweighted L1-Norm for Compressed Sensing Based CT Reconstruction

Purpose: Compressed sensing (CS) has been used for CT (4DCT/CBCT) reconstruction with few projections to reduce dose of radiation. Total-variation (TV) in L1-minimization (min.) with local information is the prevalent technique in CS, while it can be prone to noise. To address the problem, this work proposes to apply a new image processing technique, called non-local TV (NLTV), to CS based CT reconstruction, and incorporate reweighted L1-norm into it for more precise reconstruction. Methods: TV minimizes intensity variations by considering two local neighboring voxels, which can be prone to noise, possibly damaging the reconstructed CT image. NLTV, contrarily, utilizes more global information by computing a weight function of current voxel relative to surrounding search area. In fact, it might be challenging to obtain an optimal solution due to difficulty in defining the weight function with appropriate parameters. Introducing reweighted L1-min., designed for approximation to ideal L0-min., can reduce the dependence on defining the weight function, therefore improving accuracy of the solution. This work implemented the NLTV combined with reweighted L1-min. by Split Bregman Iterative method. For evaluation, a noisy digital phantom and a pelvic CT images are employed to compare the quality of images reconstructed by TV, NLTV and reweighted NLTV. Results: In both cases, conventional and reweighted NLTV outperform TV min. in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and root-mean squared errors of the reconstructed images. Relative to conventional NLTV, NLTV with reweighted L1-norm was able to slightly improve SNR, while greatly increasing the contrast between tissues due to additional iterative reweighting process. Conclusion: NLTV min. can provide more precise compressed sensing based CT image reconstruction by incorporating the reweighted L1-norm, while maintaining greater robustness to the noise effect than TV min.
Electrons and Nuclei: Fundamental Interactions and Structure

Examples are given of the usefulness of electrons in interaction with nuclei for probing fundamental interactions and structure
Paths of Innovation: Technological Change in 20th-Century America

1. Introduction 2. The organization and institutionalization of innovation, 1900-1940 3. The internal combustion engine 4. Chemicals 5. Electric power 6 The electronics revolution, 1947-1990 8. Concluding observations.
Studies on the protein composition of rodent saliva. I. Application of methods of paper electrophoresis to two strains of laboratory rat.

Abstract The basic methods used in the collection, electrophoretic separation, staining and characterization of the protein components of pilocarpine-stimulated whole rat saliva were presented. By these methods ten components were routinely demonstrated. A comparison of the occurrence of these components between a caries-susceptible strain of rat and a caries-resistant strain showed that differences occurred in component 5, which contained most of the amylolytic activity of the saliva, and in component 9, which has the same mobility as crystalline lysozyme. Component 5 was significantly higher in the susceptible rats than in the resistant ones, while component 9 was significantly higher in the resistant than in the susceptible rats. Periodic acid-Schiff staining of patterns revealed positive staining areas of components 1, 2, 5 and 8. Component 8 had the most intense staining for the amount of protein present. Selective sialoadenectomy studies showed that the major amounts of protein were derived from the parotid glands, while the major volume of saliva was obtained from the submaxillary-sublingual complex. The ratio of protein concentrations for the two sets of glands are of the order of 2.9:1.0, respectively. Component I was not usually observed in animals with only their parotids intact, while only an occasional trace of component 9 could be observed in animals with their parotids removed.
Genetic enhancement in beta for disease resistance using wild relatives: A strong case for the value of genetic conservation

Wild relatives of our present crop plants, although agronomically undesirable, may have acquired many desirable stress-resistant characteristics as a result of their long exposure to nature’s stresses. Early U.S. collection activities for wild forms ofBeta were conducted by George H. Coons (USDA-ARS) in 1925 and 1935. These collections were mainly wild forms of the sectionBeta, with major emphasis on leaf spot (Cercospora beticola) resistance. Little was done with this collection until 1976, when John McFarlane (USDA-ARS) transferred it to Salinas, California, to regenerate seed for preservation. Unfortunately, about half of the collection had lost germinability. Immunity to Rhizomania, a devastating root disease discovered in California in 1983, was discovered in several accessions of the Coons’ collection by E. D. Whitney. Interestingly, these same accessions subsequently have been found to exhibit Erwinia root rot resistance, sugar beet root maggot tolerance, and moderate leaf spot resistance. The value of wild germplasm is not always apparent immediately. Needs change and the value of wild germplasm may not be realized for years.
Chronic hypoxia suppresses muscarinic-induced contractility in ovine pulmonary arteries (1089.17)

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR)- arterial relaxation is often used to test for a functional endothelium, but some show it can cause constriction. The present studies tested the hypothesis that mAChR activation contracts pulmonary arteries (PA) with intact endothelium and examined age and altitude effects on mAChR activation. This hypothesis was tested by performing wire myography on endothelium intact as well as denuded PA from chronic hypoxic (CH) term-fetal and adult sheep that lived at 3,200 m for >100 days or normoxic sheep that lived at 720 m. Dose-dependent contraction to carbachol (CCH; 1nM-100 μM), a mAChR agonist and bradykinin (BK; 10 pM-1 μM) were examined in phenylephrine preconstricted PA (PE; 10 μM). CCH caused a dose-dependent contraction of PA from adult sheep, while fetal PA contracted to a lesser extent. BK (1 μM) relaxed CCH constricted PA, showing the endothelium was functional. Chronic hypoxia suppressed mAChR- contraction of denuded PA in fetuses and adults. M2 receptors do...
Best Practices in Hosting International Students in the U.S.

The number of international students attending U.S. higher learning institutions has decreased over the past decade (excluding students from China and Saudi Arabia) from 40 percent to 30 percent. These students are an important resource for the U.S. and their native countries in terms of education, culture, and economy. Differences between international and domestic students currently enrolled in a private university were assessed using a new American College of Testing Survey of Student Opinion combined with a socio-cultural adaptation scale. Those analyzed results were incorporated into a customized 18 question survey and interview process to assess international and domestic students who had not graduated. These analyzed assessments identified and increased the understanding of needs—academic and non-academic—so that recommendations could be made to the university on how to better satisfy those needs and thereby recruit and retain more international students.
Transgenic animal studies on the evolution of genetic regulatory circuitries

The ability to transfer genes from one species to another provides a powerful method to study genetic regulatory differences between species in a homogeneous genetic background. A survey of several transgenic animal experiments indicates that the vast majority of regulatory differences observed between species are due to differences in the cis-acting elements associated with the genes under study. A corollary is that in almost all cases the host species provides the necessary regulatory proteins for expression of the transgenes in specific tissues in which the endogenous homolog is not expressed. Although the details of the cis-acting differences are unknown for most cases, it appears that these differences may consist of the acquisition or loss of unique elements or subtle variation of conserved elements. It is unknown whether much of this variation is directly related to adaptive evolution. The identification of the promoter enhancer elements responsible for these differences is an important first step in examining the functional significance of this variation.
Phenotypic modifications in amino acid profiles of cell residues of candida utilis and enterobacter aerogenes

Glucose-limited chemostat cultures of Candida utilis were cultivated at various pH levels (3.0-7.5), temperatures (15-37.5 degrees C), dilution rates (0.006-0.42 hr-1), and with one of two nitrogen sources (NH+4 or NO-3). Enterobacter aerogenes was also cultivated in the chemostat under nitrogen and phosphorus limitations. The amino acid profile of total cell protein is expressed as the content of each amino acid relative to the sum of all amino acids recovered ater acid hydrolysis. Cell residues obtained after hot trichloracetic acid extraction display small variations in amino acid profile. Some of these variations correlate with the growth rate at satisfactory levels of statistical significance. In C. utilis, the correlations cover increased levels of lysine, arginine, and leucine and decreased levels of serine and glutamic acid with increased "reduced dilution rate" (D/Dc). In E. aerogenes, increased levels of lysine and arginine and a decreased level of glutamic acid correlate with increased dilution rate. The directions of most of these correlations and the extents of those pertaining to lysine and arginine are consistent with the change predicted to occur simultaneously in the relative level of the ribosomal protein group.
Brain and Pituitary Angiotensin

I. Introduction Angiotensin(ANG II) was discovered about 50 yr ago (1, 2), and a complete peripheral system for the formation and metabolism of ANG II was soon characterized. It was named the renin-angiotensin system, based on the rate-limiting enzyme, renin, and the active principle, ANG II (3). In the classical peripheral RAS system, a precursor molecule, angiotensinogen (AOGEN), originates in the liver and is cleaved to the essentially inactive decapeptide angiotensin I (ANG I) by an aspartyl protease, renin, synthesized and released to the circulation mainly by the juxtaglomerular cells of the kidney. ANG I is converted to ANG II, the effector peptide of this system, by the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) (4). Circulating ANG II acts on high affinity ANG II receptors located in the vascular smooth muscle, zona glomerulosa of the adrenal gland, and kidney to produce vasoconstriction, aldosterone release, and sodium retention, respectively. Thus, the peripheral RAS is a hormonal system with importan...
Quantification of bacterial chemotaxis by measurement of model parameters using the capillary assay

The capillary assay for quantitative characterization of bacterial motility and chemotaxis is analyzed in terms of a mathematical model for cell population migration, in order to determine values for the cell random motility coefficient, mu and the cell chemotaxis coefficient, chi. The analysis involves both analytical perturbation methods and numerical finite-difference techniques. Transient cell density profiles within the capillary tube are determined as they depend upon micro and chi, providing a means for estimating micro and chi from the common protocol measurements of cell accumulation in the tube at specified observation times. The effects of extraneous factors such as assay geometry, stimulus diffusivity, bacterial density, and observation time are thus separated from the intrinsic cell-stimulus interaction and response. This allows independent population measurements of cell chemosensory movement properties to be extrapolated to situations involving growth and competition of populations, for purposes of better understanding microbial population dynamics in systems of biotechnological and microbial ecological importance.
DETERMINANTS OF LAND USE CHANGE IN GUATEMALAN SECONDARY URBAN CENTERS

The Griffin and Ford model of Latin American internal city structure is used to examine the role of private sector institutions and public agencies as contributors to change in secondary level urban places in Guatemala. The private sector affects change primarily through locational choices in the siting of industry and housing. Public agencies influence change through control of municipal finances and decision making, especially in the construction of public works projects. The findings tend to support the Griffin and Ford model.
Radiofrequency Ablation: Evolution of a Treatment

Superficial venous insufficiency of the lower extremities is a common affliction. There are several modalities available to the clinician to treat this problem. This article specifically examines the technique of radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of superficial venous insufficiency. The evolution of the catheters used in radiofrequency ablation is discussed in detail. The mechanism of action of the radiofrequency energy on the vein wall is explained. Several technical aspects of the technique, such as temperature set point and pull-back speed are described. The importance of tumescent anesthesia and its role in reducing complications are illustrated. Short- and long-term results of radiofrequency ablation are compared to results with both operative therapy or endovenous laser therapy, the results are similar if not better. Complications of radiofrequency ablation therapy are discussed, emphasizing the advent of tumescent anesthesia and the resultant drop in paresthesias. Outcome analysis of radiofrequency ablation is shown to have positive effects on both clinical-etiologic-anatomic-pathophysiologic class and venous clinical severity score. Finally other considerations, including billing and necessary supplies, are summarized. In summary, radiofrequency ablation is shown to be a safe and effective modality in the treatment of superficial venous insufficiency.
No place to call home: Cultural homelessness, self-esteem and cross-cultural identities.

The study examined relations between a cross-cultural geographically mobile childhood and adult cultural identity, attachment to cross-cultural identities (CCIs) and self-esteem. CCIs are loosely defined identities (e.g., third culture kids [TCKs], military brats, missionary kids) that describe some individuals' childhood cross-cultural experience. The 475 participants spent at least two years before age 18 in a culture different from their parents' and completed an online survey including childhood cross-cultural experiences, Cultural Homelessness Criteria, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and Self Label Identity Measure (SLIM) that captured strength of affirmation, belonging and commitment to any CCI. Cultural homelessness (CH) was related to lower self-esteem; higher SLIM scores was related to higher self-esteem and lower CH. TCKs reported lower self-esteem than non-TCKs and older participants experienced less CH and higher self-esteem. SLIM scores buffered the CH-self-esteem relationship, whereas a TCK CCI and having more cross-culturally experienced social networks did not.
Chemisorbed phases of H2O on TiO2 and SrTiO3

Abstract Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy in ultrahigh vacuum has been used to study the interaction of H2O with argon-ion-bombarded and annealed TiO2(110) and SrTiO3 (100) surfaces. At low exposure, evidence is found for the presence of the OH free radical on both bombarded and annealed TiO2. At high exposure, a spectrum of slightly perturbed adsorbed H2O is observed, with the a1 molecular orbital shifted 0.5–1 eV toward tighter binding. This suggests that H2O binds to the surface of TiO2 via its a1, in-plane O lone-pair orbital. No evidence is found for OH on the surface of SrTiO3. The spectrum of H2O adsorbed on bombarded SrTiO3 shows both the a1 and b2 molecular orbitals shifted 0.4 toward tighter binding, indicating a more complicated bonding to the surface. For SrTiO3 that has been bombarded and then annealed, the spectrum of adsorbed H2O shows no significant bonding effects.
Anesthesia for craniotomy: a double-blind comparison of alfentanil, fentanyl, and sufentanil.

Using a prospective, randomized, and double-blind study design, alfentanil (n = 15), fentanyl (n = 14), or sufentanil (n = 16), in combination with N2O, were administered to patients undergoing craniotomy for supratentorial tumor resection. Physicians were given two syringes, one of which was labeled as "load" for the initial loading dose and the other as "maintenance" for continuous infusion. The concentration of drug in each syringe was adjusted to permit administration on a milliliter per kilogram basis. The target loading doses for alfentanil, fentanyl, and sufentanil were 75, 10, and 1 microgram/kg, respectively, and initial infusion rates were 33.5, 2.0, and 0.3 microgram.kg-1.h-1, respectively. Additional supplementary boluses and changes in maintenance infusion rate were made according to predetermined guidelines. Isoflurane, in increasing 0.2% inspired increments, was used only when the maximum allowed opioid dose had been given (i.e., supplementary bolus doses equal to 75% of the calculated loading dose or supplementary bolus doses equal to 50% of the calculated loading dose combined with a 50% increase in the maintenance infusion rate). Opioid infusions were stopped at the time of bone flap replacement. Antihypertensive medications and naloxone were subsequently given at the discretion of the anesthesiologist. Group demographics were not different. Total volumes of drug were similar among groups indicating equipotent preparations. Administration of isoflurane, antihypertensive medications, and naloxone were not different among groups. Although decreases in blood pressure seen with induction were similar among groups, alfentanil-treated patients received ephedrine more frequently before intubation. Thirty minutes after entry into the postanesthesia recovery area, respiratory rate and pH were lowest in sufentanil-treated patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Living in the Moment: Lags, Leads, and the Link Between Legislative Agendas and Interest Advocacy*

Objectives. Based on sharply divergent interpretations about the nature of the politics of organized interests, three competing perspectives imply that organized interests variously lead, lag, or are contemporaneous with legislative agendas. Methods. We contribute to this debate by presenting data using a short-term timeframe to assess the sequence of the relationship between legislative agendas and lobbying activity; we examine the lags and leads in the relationship between legislative agendas in 1995, 1997, and 1999 and the density of state lobbying communities in 1997 using Gray and Lowery's (1996) energy, stability, area (ESA) model of interest system density. Results. The analysis provides little support for the lagging and leading hypotheses and strong support for the contemporaneous hypothesis. Conclusions. Although this analysis will not end all debates over the sequential relationship between legislative agendas and lobbying activity, it suggests that legislative agenda and interest system density are largely governed by within-session dynamics.
Effect of artificial diet composition on wing-production by the aphid Myzus persicae.

Abstract Groups of plant-reared adult apterous Myzus persicae were fed for 1 week on artificial diets differing in the concentration of sucrose, all amino acids, methionine, magnesium chloride, monobasic potassium phosphate, vitamins, trace minerals, and ascorbic acid. The larvae deposited were allowed to develop on the same diets as their mothers received. The proportions of winged individuals among the progeny deposited on each of the 7 days, as well as the growth of these larvae, was markedly effected by the concentrations of the diet. In general, the mothers responded to imbalanced diets by producing a greater proportion of apterous offspring than on a diet on which larval growth was optimal. Thus, except on diets lacking vitamins, trace minerals (EDTA complexes), or ascorbic acid, poor larval growth was associated with the production of apterous rather than alate progeny by their mothers. On diets containing ascorbic acid and the EDTA complexes, a temporary increase in aptera-production was observed and related to similar increases in aptera-production by mothers that were temporarily starved or deprived of all nutrients other than sucrose and water. The results appear to contradict the generally accepted concept that alata-production is enhanced by poor nutrition.
Communication Mediation Model of Late-Night Comedy: The Mediating Role of Structural Features of Interpersonal Talk Between Comedy Viewing and Political Participation

This study advances a communication mediation model of late-night comedy in an effort to understand the process wherein consuming satirical humor indirectly spurs political participation via the conduit of interpersonal talk about politics. The theoretical model was tested utilizing two different research designs. The findings from the experiment and the survey provide considerable support for the model, demonstrating that various structural features of interpersonal talk (e.g., discussion frequency, online interaction, and network size) positively mediate the association between late-night comedy viewing and political participation. Meanwhile, the assessments concerning the mediating role of heterogeneous discussion illustrate that late-night comedy can draw a higher level of political involvement from those who are highly educated. The present study urges the field to extend the scope of the communication mediation model by incorporating a greater number of media channels and more diverse aspects of int...
Liberation groups and life philosophy

Social liberation movements are significant arenas for cultural value growth. I discuss two forms of value growth that occur on the social liberation front-life philosophy value growth and life-style value growth. I show how life philosophy values are personal identity instilling values while life-style values are social identity instilling values. Unfortunately, within many social liberation movements, the two sorts of values often get confused with one another. I discuss some of these confusions within both the black liberation and feminist liberation movements. I also discuss some proper value growth models that work appropriately within these movements.
Combined Tension-Torsion Effects on 2G REBCO Tapes for Twisted Stacked-Tape Cabling

One method of cabling flat REBCO tapes for high-current, high-field magnet applications is the twisted stacked-tape cable (TSTC) which stacks REBCO tapes between copper stabilizing strips and twist them along their axis. During fabrication and operation these TSTC conductors are subjected to various loading states including combined tension-torsion. To better characterize the electromechanical characteristics of the twisted stacked-tape cables the effect of tension on single twisted REBCO tapes was studied. A detailed structural finite-element analysis using ANSYS was done to investigate the stress-strain behavior, torque characteristics and axial elongation of REBCO tapes under pure torsion and tension-torsion loadings. The numerical strain results were combined with an analytical model to predict the critical current performance of these tapes. In addition to the numerical investigation, measurements of torque and critical current dependence on the axial load of twisted REBCO tapes at 77 K and in self-field were performed. A SuperPower sample with a 200-mm twist pitch saw 10% reversible critical current reduction under 700 MPa of tensile stress. Overall, a good agreement between the measurements and the finite element analysis was found validating the capability of the model to capture the electromechanical characteristics of REBCO tapes.
Review: Two Online Curricula on Transitions of Care

Transitional care is an important part of geriatric medicine that has not traditionally been taught to residents through formal curricula. This article reviews two online curricula available through the Portal of Geriatric Online Education. The two products reviewed here, appropriate for resident training, focus on care transitions from hospital to other care settings.
Treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis in a patient with celiac disease.

This Case Study describes a patient diagnosed as having celiac disease as a result of examinations for secondary causes of bone loss. As osteoporosis in patients with celiac disease might result from a reduction of nutrient absorption in the small bowel, leading to calcium and/or vitamin D deficiency, the investigators highlight the need to evaluate secondary causes of osteoporosis in patients with persistent decline in BMD, particularly in postmenopausal women after treatment with hormone replacement therapy. Background. A 62-year-old postmenopausal woman with a family history of breast cancer, mild gastroesophageal reflux disease, iron-deficient anemia and declining BMD was seen in a specialist center for the evaluation and management of osteoporosis. Investigations. Analysis of tissue transglutaminase IgA, endoscopic biopsy, serial BMD scans, FRAX® calculation of osteoporotic fracture risk, Gail model calculation of breast cancer risk, assessment of blood vitamin D concentration and secondary evaluation for osteoporosis. Diagnosis. Osteoporosis, persistent after 12 years of hormone replacement therapy, and celiac disease. Management. The patient was initially treated for bone loss with postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy. DXA analyses showed a continued decline in BMD despite adequate replacement of calcium and vitamin D levels and withdrawal of gluten from the patient's diet. An oral bisphosphonate was recommended with plans to reassess BMD after 1 year.
Studies on a beta-fructosidase (inulinase) produced bySaccharomyces fragilis

A study was made of a β-fructosidase, which is produced extracellularly and intracellularly bySaccharomyces fragilis. The enzyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of inulin, bacterial levans, sucrose, and the fructose portion of raffinose, by splitting off terminal fructosyl units. It attacks β-2,1 as well as β-2,6 linkages. The enzyme content of inulin-grown cells is sufficient to allow fermentation of inulin at the same rate as glucose. The ratio of hydrolysis rates with sucrose and inulin was about 25 for the β-fructosidase ofS. fragilis and about 14,000 for invertase.S. fragilis does not contain significant amounts of invertase and it ferments inulin, sucrose and raffinose with the aid of a related, but different enzyme, inulinase. Conditions of growth were established which favor inulinase synthesis. Highest yields were obtained with inulin as the carbon source, and somewhat lower yields with raffinose. Glucose, fructose and sucrose were poor inducers of inulinase. The pH of the medium during growth on inulin had to be in the range where inulinase could act, otherwise growth was tardy and poor. In an inulin containing medium aeration favored enzyme production as a result of stimulation of growth. The inulinase content of the cells in a unit volume was generally greater than that in the culture medium. The intracellular inulinase could be solubilized quantitatively by autolysis. The intra-and extracellular inulinases were concentrated and purified to the same extent. Comparison of the two preparations with respect to substrate specificity, rate of inactivation by heat, pH optima with sucrose (4.2) and with inulin (5.0), and elution patterns from a column of diethylaminoethyl cellulose, indicated that the intra-and extracellular enzymes were identical.