cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A qualitative assessment of preservice elementary teachers' formative perceptions regarding engineering and K-12 engineering education

Current teacher education programs provide limited instruction for preservice elementary teachers regarding the incorporation or teaching of engineering concepts and skills in their classrooms. Few studies have been conducted that focus specifically on preservice elementary teachers’ formative perceptions and receptivity towards engineering education. That is, not enough is known about what preservice teachers know and think about engineering. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate how forty-four preservice elementary teachers’ from a large Midwestern university approached engineering design, the perceptions of engineering and K-12 engineering education that they possessed, and their level of receptiveness with regards to K-12 engineering education. Data were collected using a demographic survey, journal entries, observations, and focus group discussions. The written, verbal, and visual data collected in this study were analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis, which consisted of inductively developing categories and codes after repeatedly examining the data. The results of the study indicate that the preservice elementary teachers did not utilize any deliberate design process when engaged in a design task. Engineering was perceived as being synonymous with construction and that engineering design consists of trial and error. Participants envisioned their students succeeding in engineering due to their students’ prior knowledge, not necessarily the actions of themselves as the teacher. With regards to receptivity, participants expressed apprehension and optimism along with fear and pessimism. Tangential factors also impacted the receptivity of participants.
Analog Simulation of Activated Sludge Systems

Analog computer solutions of activated sludge design equations are presented for constant, shock, and periodic feed input conditions. System responses of the aerated lagoon, extended aeration, and separate sludge wasting activated sludge systems to these different inputs are analyzed with the following conclusions: (1) The analog computer can be used to solve nonlinear differential equations for both steady-state and transient solutions; (2) operational changes caused by different plant influents, e.g., shock and periodic loads, and response comparisons of different activated sludge systems to such inputs can be determined using the analog computer; and (3) research is necessary to confirm the ability of present design expressions to describe transient changes in actual treatment plants.
An efficient method for in vitro regeneration from immature inflorescence explants of Canadian wheat cultivars

Fertile, green plants were regenerated from immature inflorescence explants from each of four Canadian wheat cultivars. The cultivars were representative of four classes of Canadian wheat. Explants from immature inflorescences of three size ranges were cultured on two types of media: MSI/MSR, which contains 1650 mg l-1 NH4NO3and sucrose as a carbon source, and BII/BIR, which contains 250 mg l-1 NH4NO3and maltose as a carbon source. Regeneration from all cultivars was significantly better on BII/BIR media than on MSI/MSR media. On BII/BIR media, `AC Karma', `Plenty', and `Fielder' gave the highest number of shoots per 10 explants, where the explants were derived from immature inflorescences 5.1 to 10.0 mm in length. 'Columbus' did not regenerate on MSI/MSR medium, and regenerated poorly on BII/BIR medium. Differences were found between cultivars with regard to the number of regenerant plants produced with the best treatments: `Plenty' produced 16.1 shoots per 10 explants, `AC Karma' 12.4, `Fielder' 6.4, and `Columbus' 2.2.
Abstract 3216: H2AX is a novel prognostic marker of breast cancer

INTRODUCTION: Phosphorylation of histone variant H2AX, termed gamma-H2AX, is well known for its role in DNA damage repair. On the other hand, clinical relevance of expression of H2AX in breast cancer remains to be elucidated. Previously we found that H2AX determines clonogenic cell survival under metabolic oxidative stress and cellular levels of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). In this study, we investigated the impact of H2AX expression on breast cancer patients9 survival, as well as underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Breast cancer patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset were classified as either high or low expression of H2AX. Overall Survival (OS) and Disease-Free Survival (DFS) as well as Gene Set Enrichment were compared between these two groups. Gene expression of each cell lines was analyzed by RNA-seq. Radiation sensitivity was quantified using cells from patient-derived xenograft (PDX). Gene expression level after neoadjuvant chemo-radio therapy was compared using publically available database (GSE25113). RESULTS: H2AX expression level is higher in triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) than non-TNBC (p CONCLUSIONS: Advanced Stage breast cancers that express high levels of H2AX associated with worse OS and DFS, but showed higher sensitivity to radiation. H2AX can be a prognostic biomarker for recurrent tumor that may be sensitive to radiation therapy. Citation Format: Eriko Katsuta, Mutsuko Ouchi, Toru Ouchi, Kazuaki Takabe. H2AX is a novel prognostic marker of breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3216.
Reference Velocity and Acceleration Group Mobility

The reference velocity and acceleration group mobility model that uses the distance, velocity, and acceleration as mobility parameters for network partition prediction is described. In addition, the clustering algorithm for the RVAG mobility model is defined along with partitioning time prediction knowing the characteristics of the mobility pattern in the mobile ad hoc network. The re-routing scheme is also articulated for recovering the broken paths.
Vision Can Make a Difference: Transboundary Issues

Water makes earth unique among the planets in the solar system. People, plants, and animals cannot survive without water. Cultures develop that revolve around water. Then cultures establish guides or principles for living. These principles, however, must change as the increasing human population threatens to undermine the health of earth's ecology. Increased demands for national resources strain the freedom of people who live in a competitive, economic society. People are naturally aggressive as they try to satisfy their demands for living. This aggressiveness creates conflicts that should be resolved by peaceful solutions. Political aspirations must be tempered with negotiations in lieu of military action when seeking solutions to issues involving water allocation and appropriate use. Processes must be developed by the citizens of this rapidly changing world, if we are to resolve issues over our shared water resources. More than 200 river basins are shared by two or more countries, an area that comprises about 50 percent of the planet's land surface. These processes include: collection of appropriate high-quality data, education of water resources, users, and demands upon academia to examine and to convey potential solutions to these issues with national and binational leaders. These processes must be investigated at this first conference of academic water professional.
High expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 in ocular adnexal sebaceous carcinoma

Ocular adnexal sebaceous carcinoma (OASC) is an aggressive malignancy that frequently recurs locally and metastasizes. Surgical extirpation may produce significant aesthetic morbidity, and effective systemic therapies for locally advanced or metastatic disease are largely ineffective. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown efficacy in the management of several solid tumors where tumor cell PD-L1 expression correlates with improved response. To determine whether OASC might be amenable to immune checkpoint blockade, we performed comprehensive immune profiling for CD3, CD8, PD-1, FOXP3, and PD-L1 in 24 patients with primary OASC. The composition, distribution and density of the tumor associated immune infiltrate were quantified by automated image analysis and correlated with measures of clinical outcome. Tumor cells in 12 OASCs (50%) expressed PD-L1. Higher densities of CD3+ (p = 0.01), CD8+ (p = 0.006), and PD-1+ (p = 0.024) tumor-associated T cells were associated with higher T category (≥T3a per the 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging manual). Higher tumor cell expression of PD-L1 correlated with higher density of PD-1+ tumor-associated T cells (p = 0.021). Since a CD3+ CD8+ PD-1 + T-cell infiltrate represents a "suppressed T-cell phenotype" apparently permissive toward OASC progression, our findings provide a mechanistic rationale for the effective application of immune checkpoint blockade in OASC to abrogate PD-1/PD-L1 interaction and effectively unleash the immune infiltrate to treat higher-stage tumors.
What’s the Matter with Ghost Stories?

In this short reflection I report on a pair of ghostly encounters. Such experiences are by no means rare, but geographers, like other social scientists, have been reluctant to treat ghosts as a ser...
Curvature and Skew in Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording

Curvature of recorded bit and skew are two factors limiting further improvement of the areal density capacity of heat-assisted magnetic recording. Performance degradation due to curvature and skew is evaluated using micromagnetic modeling and spin-stand measurements. Here, we propose two techniques for curvature reduction. One is a forked writer which can provide a cross-track magnetic field gradient that, combined with the thermal profile, mitigates the curvature of the recorded transitions. The other is a near-field transducer (NFT) design which can provide flat temperature contour at the write positions. The forked writer has practical limitations, such as short rise time requirement and insufficient field gradient, when it is integrated with NFTs. By comparing two types of NFT designs which providing curved and straight transitions, respectively, curvature is shown to be the main noise sources at certain track densities. Curvature reduction can provide more bit error rate gain for the same signal-to-noise ratio improvement. On the other hand, we also show that NFTs producing transitions with less curvature usually have the lower thermal gradient. Therefore, curvature and thermal gradient are two design targets that need to be balanced to provide the best recording performance. We also investigate the effect of recording skew on curvature at fixed linear velocity. At skew, the reader sees more curvature, which is one of the primary noise sources at non-zero skew. Consequently, the cross-track reader position should be optimized as a function of skew angle to reduce the effect of curvature.
The New York State Safe Motherhood Initiative: Early Impact of Obstetric Hemorrhage Bundle Implementation.

Objective To determine the effects of the Safe Motherhood Initiative's (SMI) obstetric hemorrhage bundle in New York State (NYS). Study Design In 2013, the SMI convened interprofessional workgroups on hemorrhage, venous thromboembolism, and hypertension tasked with developing evidence-based care bundles. Participating hospitals submitted data measured before, during, and after implementation of the hemorrhage bundle: maternal mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, cardiovascular collapse, hysterectomy, and transfusion of ≥4 units of red blood cells (RBCs). Data were analyzed for trends stratified by implementation status. Results Of the 123 maternity hospitals in NYS, 117 participated, of which 113 submitted data. Of 250,719 births, transfusion of ≥4 units RBCs (1.8 per 1,000) and ICU admissions (1.1 per 1,000) were the most common morbidities. Four hemorrhage-related maternal deaths (1.6 per 100,000) and 10 cases of cardiovascular collapse requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (4.0 per 100,000) occurred. Hemorrhage morbidity did not change over the five quarters studied. Risks were similar across hospital level of care and implementation status. Conclusion Statewide implementation of bundles is feasible with resources critical to success. The low hemorrhage-related maternal death rate makes changes in mortality risk difficult to detect over short time intervals. Long-term and timely data collection with individual expert case review will be required.
Stop the bleed: The impact of trauma first aid kits on post-training confidence among community members and medical professionals

Abstract Introduction Bystander training to control life-threatening hemorrhage is an important intervention to decrease preventable trauma deaths. We asked if receiving a trauma first aid (TFA) kit in addition to Bleeding Control (BC) 1.0 training improves self-reported confidence among community members (CM) and medical professionals (MP). Methods Anonymous pre- and post-course surveys assessed exposure to severe bleeding, BC knowledge, and willingness to intervene with and without TFA kits. Surveys were compared using chi-squared tests. Results 80 CM and 60 MP underwent BC training. Both groups demonstrated improved confidence in their ability to stop severe bleeding after the class; however, post-class confidence was significantly modified by receiving a TFA kit. After training, CM confidence was 36.1% without versus 57.0% with a TFA kit(p = 0.008) and MP confidence was 53.8% without versus 87.6% with a TFA kit(p = 0.001). Conclusion Receiving a TFA kit was significantly associated with increased post-training confidence among CM and MP. Summary Stop the Bleed training improves confidence in stopping severe bleeding among both medical professionals and community members. By providing participants with a trauma first aid kit, post-class confidence improves significantly regardless of medical training.
Practical Guide for Quantification of In Vivo Degradation Rates for Therapeutic Proteins with Single-Cell Resolution Using Fluorescence Ratio Imaging

Many tools for studying the pharmacokinetics of biologics lack single-cell resolution to quantify the heterogeneous tissue distribution and subsequent therapeutic degradation in vivo. This protocol describes a dual-labeling technique using two near-infrared dyes with widely differing residualization rates to efficiently quantify in vivo therapeutic protein distribution and degradation rates at the single cell level (number of proteins/cell) via ex vivo flow cytometry and histology. Examples are shown for four biologics with varying rates of receptor internalization and degradation and a secondary dye pair for use in systems with lower receptor expression. Organ biodistribution, tissue-level confocal microscopy, and cellular-level flow cytometry were used to image the multi-scale distribution of these agents in tumor xenograft mouse models. The single-cell measurements reveal highly heterogeneous delivery, and degradation results show the delay between peak tumor uptake and maximum protein degradation. This approach has broad applicability in tracking the tissue and cellular distribution of protein therapeutics for drug development and dose determination.
Prediagnosis dietary pattern and survival in patients with multiple myeloma

Inflammation and endogenous growth factors are important in multiple myeloma (MM) pathogenesis. Although diets that modulate these biologic pathways may influence MM patient survival, studies have not examined the association of dietary patterns with MM survival. We conducted pooled prospective survival analyses of 423 MM patients from the Nurses' Health Study (1986-2016) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1988-2016) using Cox regression models. We used data from repeated food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) to compute dietary patterns as of the last prediagnosis FFQ, including the Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)-2010, alternate Mediterranean Diet, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, Prudent, Western and empirical dietary inflammatory patterns and empirical dietary indices for insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia. During follow-up, we documented 295 MM-related deaths among 345 total deaths. MM-specific mortality was 15-24% lower per one standard deviation (SD) increase (e.g., toward healthier habits) in favorable dietary pattern scores. For example, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio [HR] and 95% confidence interval [CI] per 1-SD increase in AHEI-2010 score were 0.76, 0.67-0.87 (p < 0.001). In contrast, MM-specific mortality was 16-24% higher per 1-SD increase (e.g., toward less healthy habits) in "unhealthy" diet scores; for example, the multivariable-adjusted HR, 95% CI per 1-SD increase in Western pattern score were 1.24, 1.07-1.44 (p = 0.005). Associations were similar for all-cause mortality. In conclusion, our consistent findings for multiple dietary patterns provide the first evidence that MM patients with healthier prediagnosis dietary habits may have longer survival than those with less healthy diets.
Heterogeneous secretory response of parathyroid cells.

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of heterogeneous secretory response of parathyroid cells. The parathyroid cell is unusual in that decreasing concentrations of calcium inhibit the secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH). In turn, PTH maintains calcium homeostasis through its effects on target tissues, bone, and kidney. The inverse relationship between calcium and PTH secretion is well established. Early studies in animals and in isolated cells demonstrated that hypocalcemia increased PTH secretion and hypercalcemia decreased PTH release. In these studies, the observations have been made with respect to intact animals or to groups of dispersed cells. Recent work has demonstrated the heterogeneity of cell populations in many endocrine and nonendocrine cells. To determine the mechanism responsible for the secretion of PTH in response to differing concentrations of calcium, a reverse hemolytic plaque assay is established for the quantitative measurement of parathyroid hormone from single, isolated parathyroid cells. The assay also allows examination of secretory heterogeneity that occurs in a large number of tissues and is underestimated by the traditional method of evaluating secretory activity by measurement of hormone release in cell supernatants.
Laparoscopic Proctocolectomy with the Construction of an Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis

Laparoscopic proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is the removal of the entire colon and rectum with creation of an ileal neo-reservoir. It is performed for patients with inflammatory or neoplastic processes isolated to the colon and rectum with good sphincter control and without involvement of the small bowel or anus.
Medical micro/nanorobots in complex media

Medical micro/nanorobots have received tremendous attention over the past decades owing to their potential to be navigated into hard-to-reach tissues for a number of biomedical applications ranging from targeted drug/gene delivery, bio-isolation, detoxification, to nanosurgery. Despite the great promise, the majority of the past demonstrations are primarily under benchtop or in vitro conditions. Many developed micro/nanoscale propulsion mechanisms are based on the assumption of a homogeneous, Newtonian environment, while realistic biological environments are substantially more complex. Moving toward practical medical use, the field of micro/nanorobotics must overcome several major challenges including propulsion through complex media (such as blood, mucus, and vitreous) as well as deep tissue imaging and control in vivo. In this review article, we summarize the recent research efforts on investigating how various complexities in biological environments impact the propulsion of micro/nanoswimmers. We also highlight the emerging technological approaches to enhance the locomotion of micro/nanorobots in complex environments. The recent demonstrations of in vivo imaging, control and therapeutic medical applications of such micro/nanorobots are introduced. We envision that continuing materials and technological innovations through interdisciplinary collaborative efforts can bring us steps closer to the fantasy of “swallowing a surgeon”.
Liver Lesions in Congestive Hepatopathy

Chronic congestive hepatopathy predisposes to the development of benign regenerative nodules or focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) and malignant hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, characteristic parenchymal abnormalities within the congested liver at computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may result in an abnormal appearance of benign regenerative nodules or FNH. The American College of Radiology Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System criteria therefore no longer consider traditional enhancement characteristics applicable in patients with cardiac congestion and hepatic vascular disease. Imaging findings concerning for HCC in the congested liver include a heterogeneous or mosaic appearance of a mass, necrosis, internal lipid content, rapid growth, and venous tumor thrombus. Further evaluation of nodules with a hepatobiliary contrast agent or imaging follow-up is recommended to detect nodules with malignant potential in patients with congestive hepatopathy.
Cyclic-di-GMP induces STING-dependent ILC2 to ILC1 shift during innate type 2 lung inflammation

ABSTRACT Type 2 inflammation is found in most forms of asthma, which may co-exist with recurrent viral infections, bacterial colonization, and host cell death. These processes drive the accumulation of intracellular cyclic-di-nucleotides such as cyclic-di-GMP (CDG). Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are critical drivers of type 2 lung inflammation during fungal allergen exposure in mice; however, it is unclear how CDG regulates lung ILC responses during lung inflammation. Here, we show that CDG induced early airway type 1 interferon (IFN) production and dramatically suppressed both lung proliferating CD127+ST2+ ILC2s and Alternaria- and IL-33-induced lung inflammation. Further, transcriptomic analysis of CD127−ST2− Thy1.2+ ILCs, which were expanded and activated by CDG, revealed an ILC1 signature. CDG administration led to accumulation of IFNγ+ and T-bet+ ILC1s, as well as neutrophilia, independent of IL-18R, IL-12, and STAT6 but dependent on stimulator of interferon genes (STING) and partially dependent on type 1 IFN signaling. Thus, CDG potently suppresses ILC2-driven lung inflammation and promotes ILC1 responses. These results suggest potential therapeutic modulation of STING to suppress type 2 inflammation and/or increase anti-viral responses during respiratory infections.
Postchill Antimicrobial Treatments To Control Salmonella, Listeria, and Campylobacter Contamination on Chicken Skin Used in Ground Chicken.

ABSTRACT Ground poultry products are frequently contaminated with foodborne pathogens. With the potential for increased regulatory scrutiny, it is important to use sufficient intervention strategies to control pathogen levels effectively. A large proportion of the bacteria introduced to ground chicken are likely to come from broiler skin, which is added to achieve target fat content and maintain product texture and taste. In this research, antimicrobials, including 50 ppm of chlorine and 1,200 ppm of peracetic acid (PAA), were applied in a postchill system to reduce the number of Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter coli inoculated on chicken skin used to formulate ground chicken. Results showed that chlorine provided no significant effect in reducing the number of pathogens in ground chicken made with treated skin compared with water treatment but that it did help decrease pathogens in postchill water. PAA was found to be an effective (P ≤ 0.05) antimicrobial agent, not only ...
Low-temperature creep in pure metals and alloys

Many crystalline materials are known to exhibit creep at low temperatures (T < 0.3T m). Here, we review and analyze the phenomenological relationships that describe primary creep. The discussion focuses on the controversy as to whether power-law or logarithmic descriptions better describe the experimental database. We compile data from the literature as well as new copper data recently taken by the authors. Depending on the material, it appears that the logarithmic form can somewhat better describe creep behavior at low temperatures, while the power-law behavior manifests at intermediate temperatures. The basic mechanism(s) of low-temperature creep plasticity is examined, as well.
Tracking Not Yet Published Material: Using Bibliographic Record the Smart Way

In July 2001, the Pennsylvania State University Libraries stopped placing purchase orders for materials that were deemed not yet published or available. It was important that our carry-over encumbrances not be too high since that would impact the Libraries' purchasing power for the following year. In addition, it was felt that the collections budget should be spent on titles that are readily available, rather than tied up in materials that may not be published for one to two or even five more years. In should be noted that Penn State's fiscal cycle runs July 1 to June 30, at which time State appropriated funds should be fully expended. Any outstanding orders for library materials are then applied against the new year budget(s). For the first year of implementation of this new policy, manual files that were reviewed at specified intervals, were kept of all titles not yet published. This was a time-consuming and tedious process. In an effort to make this process much more efficient, and to take advantage of our new library management system's capabilities, our Budget Coordinator worked with a group of individuals' in Acquisitions Services to develop a procedure that was not only automated, but would allow selectors to gain up to the minute information on not yet published requests via the Web with a WebCat (public catalog) view of their titles.
Passive exercise system: effect on muscle activity, strength, and lean body mass.

There is little information concerning the effects of passive exercise training in healthy humans. This prompted an investigation to evaluate muscle activity and the associated changes in strength and lean body mass resulting from a passive exercise program. Twenty-eight healthy volunteers, aged 26 to 44 years, participated in this six-week study. Lean body mass changes were evaluated by tetrapolar bioelectric impedance measurements, strength changes by isokinetic strength evaluation, and muscle activity by surface EMG techniques. Reproducible muscle activity was recorded in all three muscles studied during two of three preselected exercises. This involuntary muscle activity was attributed to fusimotor and postural reflexes. No significant change (p greater than .05), however, occurred in muscle strength or lean body mass at the end of the six weeks. Lack of these physiologic changes in light of the documented muscle activity is attributed to insufficient training effect.
Reductions and Convergence Rates of Average Time

Using a fast convergence rate to measure computation time on average has recently been investigated [CS95a], which modifies the notion of T-time on average [BCGL92]. This modification admits an average-case time hierarchy which is independent of distributions and is as tight as the Hartmanis-Sterns hierarchy for the worst-case deterministic time [HS65]. Various notions of reductions, defined by Levin [Lev86] and others, have played a central role in studying average-case complexity. However, unless the class of admissible distributions is restricted, these notions of reductions cannot be applied to the modified definition. In particular, we show that under the modified definition, there exists a problem which is not computable in average polynomial time, but is efficiently reducible to one that is. We hope that this observation can further stimulate research on finding suitable reductions in this new line of investigation.
Entre consenso y hegemonía: Notas sobre la forma hegemónica de la política moderna

Resumen es: La mayoria de los interpretes de la modernidad han considerado que la politica moderna es ideologica y consensual. Sin embargo, la politica moderna no e...
Rent-seeking with non-identical sharing rules: An equilibrium rescued *

Nitzan's (1991) analysis of differential sharing rules in a collective rent-seeking setting is reconsidered. Two groups, each with more than one member, are presumed to use different linear combinations of two sharing rules, one based on an equal-division of the prize, and the other on each member's relative effort. We show that an equilibrium always exists for this type of game, and then characterize the equilibrium. Our result is contrary to Nitzan's claims that (a) in the general case an equilibrium often does not exist, and (b) an equilibrium never exists when the groups use the polar extreme rules.
Physicians’ Perspectives on the Uncertainties and Implications of Chromosomal Microarray Testing of Children and Families

Chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) has improved the diagnostic rate of genomic disorders in pediatric populations, but can produce uncertain and unexpected findings. This article explores clinicians' perspectives and identifies challenges in effectively interpreting results and communicating with families about CMA. Responses to an online survey were obtained from 40 clinicians who had ordered CMA. Content included practice characteristics and perceptions, and queries about a hypothetical case involving uncertain and incidental findings. Data were analyzed using nonparametric statistical tests. Clinicians' comfort levels differed significantly for explaining uncertain, abnormal, and normal CMA results, with lowest levels for uncertain results. Despite clinical guidelines recommending informed consent, many clinicians did not consider it pertinent to discuss the potential for CMA to reveal information concerning biological parentage or predisposition to late-onset disease, in a hypothetical case. Many non-genetics professionals ordering CMA did not feel equipped to interpret the results for patients, and articulated needs for education and access to genetics professionals. This exploratory study highlights key challenges in the practice of genomic medicine, and identifies needs for education, disseminated practice guidelines, and access to genetics professionals, especially when dealing with uncertain or unexpected findings.
VASCULAR ACCESS GRAFT AND NATIVE ARTERIAL BRANCH FISTULOUS FORMATION

This is the first reported case of an unusual complication of upper extremity swelling of the arm in a patient with an arteriovenous (AV) graft for haemodialysis. A graftogram demonstrated an aberrant fistula formation between the native arterial branch and the AV graft (aberrant arterio-graft fistula). Inadvertent back wall laceration of the AV graft during haemodialysis cannulation was postulated to be the aetiology. Aberrant arterio-graft fistula formation may be hard to diagnose because of the presence of thrill or bruit at the level of the anastomoses and rarity of the complication. Progression of extremity swelling with or without central venous occlusion should raise the suspicion and sought further investigation. Proper cannulation techniques prior to haemodialysis may prevent such complications.
A Multimedia Interactive Environment Using Program Archetypes: Divide-and-Conquer

As networks and distributed systems that can exploit parallel computing become more widespread, the need for ways to teach parallel programming effectively grows as well. Even though many colleges and universities provide courses on parallel programming [1], most of those courses are reserved for graduate students and advanced undergraduates. There is a demand for ways to teach fundamental parallel programming concepts to people with just a working knowledge of programming. By using the idea of a software archetype, and providing a learning environment that teaches both concept and coding, we hope to satisfy this need. This paper presents an overview of the multimedia approach we took in teaching parallel programming and offers Divide-and-Conquer as an example of its use.
Why Can We See a Local Spread of Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) Infection

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that causes acute fever and acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain in humans [1]. CHIKV represents a new global health threat [2]. As of August 29, 2014, local transmission had been identified in 31 countries or territories in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, or North America. A total of 650,468 suspected and 8,899 laboratory-confirmed chikungunya cases had been reported from these areas ( Updated data from the Pan American Health Organization -[PAHO]) [3]. With the recent outbreaks in the Caribbean and the Pacific, the number of chikungunya cases among travelers visiting or returning to the United States from affected areas will continue to increase. These imported cases could result in local spread of the virus in the continental United States [4]. The mosquitoes that transmit the virus are found throughout much of the Americas, including parts of the United States. Since CHIKV is new to the Americas, most people in the region are not immune. This means they can be infected and spread the virus to other mosquitoes [3]. There are two main vectors of CHIKV, Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus . Both mosquito species are widely distributed throughout the tropics with Ae. Albopictus also present at more temperate latitudes. Given the vectors’ distribution throughout the Americas, the entire region is susceptible to the virus’ invasion and spread [5]. As of now CHIKV infection has been found in people with a history of travel to areas endemic for CHIKV but given the reasons above, it will not be long before we see the local spread of CHIKV infection in areas that are not endemic for CHIKV. Prevention of CHIKV infection consists of minimizing mosquito exposure [6]. Treatment of CHIKV infection consists of supportive care including anti-inflammatory agents that relieve symptoms in many patients and analgesic agents [7]. No antiviral agents have been shown to be effective in human infection, although ribavirin and interferon-alpha appear to have in vitro activity against virus replication [8]. Chloroquine sulfate has been suggested as a possible treatment because of its anti-inflammatory properties but has not been demonstrated to be effective [9].
SEM Isn't Just the Schoolwide Enrichment Model Anymore: Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in Gifted Education

Structural equation modeling (SEM) refers to a family of statistical techniques that explores the relationships among a set of variables. Structural equation modeling provides an extremely versatile method to model very specific hypotheses involving systems of variables, both measured and unmeasured. Researchers can use SEM to study patterns of interrelationships among variables, compare different groups to each other, study change over time, and do many other types of sophisticated analyses. This paper will present an overview of SEM, present an illustration of research using SEM, and provide suggestions for ways that this powerful technique can be used to answer a variety of research questions within the field of gifted education.
Executive dysfunction is independently associated with reduced functional independence in heart failure

Aims and objectives To examine the independent association between executive function with instrumental activities of daily living and health behaviours in older adults with heart failure. Background Executive function is an important contributor to functional independence as it consists of cognitive processes needed for decision-making, planning, organising and behavioural monitoring. Impairment in this domain is common in heart failure patients and associated with reduced performance of instrumental activities of daily living in many medical and neurological populations. However, the contribution of executive functions to functional independence and healthy lifestyle choices in heart failure patients has not been fully examined. Design Cross-sectional analyses. Methods One hundred and seventy-five heart failure patients completed a neuropsychological battery and echocardiogram. Participants also completed the Lawton–Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale and reported current cigarette use. Results Hierarchical regressions revealed that reduced executive function was independently associated with worse instrumental activity of daily living performance with a specific association for decreased ability to manage medications. Partial correlations showed that executive dysfunction was associated with current cigarette use. Conclusions Our findings suggest that executive dysfunction is associated with poorer functional independence and contributes to unhealthy behaviours in heart failure. Future studies should examine whether heart failure patients benefit from formal organisation schema (i.e. pill organisers) to maintain independence. Relevance to clinical practice Screening of executive function in heart failure patients may provide key insight into their ability to perform daily tasks, including the management of treatment recommendations.
Aldosterone Secretion Rates in Abnormal Pregnancy

Aldosterone secretion rates were determined in 8 patients with mild preeclampsia and in 3 patients with severe preeclampsia. In the majority of the mild preeclamptics the aldosterone secretion was within the range previously established for normal pregnancy. In severe pre-eclampsia, the aldosterone secretion rate was markedly depressed to nonpregnant levels. In 8 subjects with a dead fetus in utero, the aldosterone secretion rate approached normal nonpregnant levels. Administration of 200 mg of progesterone per day to 5 normal pregnant women and 3 women with an intrauterine fetal death led to an increase in the aldosterone secretion rate.
Electrospun fibrous scaffolds of Poly(glycerol-dodecanedioate) for engineering neural tissues from mouse embryonic stem cells.

For tissue engineering applications, the preparation of biodegradable and biocompatible scaffolds is the most desirable but challenging task. Among the various fabrication methods, electrospinning is the most attractive one due to its simplicity and versatility. Additionally, electrospun nanofibers mimic the size of natural extracellular matrix ensuring additional support for cell survival and growth. This study showed the viability of the fabrication of long fibers spanning a larger deposit area for a novel biodegradable and biocompatible polymer named poly(glycerol-dodecanoate) (PGD)1 by using a newly designed collector for electrospinning. PGD exhibits unique elastic properties with similar mechanical properties to nerve tissues, thus it is suitable for neural tissue engineering applications. The synthesis and fabrication set-up for making fibrous scaffolding materials was simple, highly reproducible, and inexpensive. In biocompatibility testing, cells derived from mouse embryonic stem cells could adhere to and grow on the electrospun PGD fibers. In summary, this protocol provided a versatile fabrication method for making PGD electrospun fibers to support the growth of mouse embryonic stem cell derived neural lineage cells.
On some identities of Schur Q-functions

Abstract We give a proof of the Jozefiak-Pragacz Identity using the representation theory of affine Lie algebras. New results of this type are also obtained.
Protein Restriction in Renal Disease

Early stages of renal disease alter the metabolism of nutrients and their end products. In addition, food intake is limited because of gastrointestinal distress, depression, superimposed illness, and restrictive diets. Treatment of chronic renal failure (CRF) is multifactorial and should focus on dealing with uremia, muscle wasting, metabolic acidosis, blood pressure, and adequate energy intake. Protein intake is a modulator of renal function. Conventional protein restriction of about 0.6 g/kg body weight/day has been recommended in patients with moderate CRF to reduce signs and symptoms of uremia and to delay the progression of renal disease. Like healthy individuals, CRF patients seem able to activate normal compensatory responses to dietary protein restriction in order to maintain lean body mass and nutritional status. Low-protein diets do not seem to worsen survival during dialysis. In contrast, high dietary protein intake results in metabolic acidosis and anorexia. Anorexia, in turn, limits energy intake and reduces the efficiency of protein utilization. Thus, a low-protein diet that approaches the minimal requirement for reducing anorexia while preventing malnutrition is a clinical challenge for the treatment of CRF patients not yet on dialysis. To successfully achieve the goals of protein-restricted regimens, intensive nutritional counseling (at no less than 1- to 3-month intervals) should be a routine component of care in this patient population.
Elastic wave velocities in single-walled carbon nanotubes

This paper reports an atomistic simulation of single-walled carbon nanotubes subjected to harmonic waves, using the molecular structural mechanics method and normal mode superposition. The velocities of longitudinal, transverse, and torsional waves propagating in single walled carbon nanotubes are obtained. The results indicate that the longitudinal wave velocity is roughly twice as much as that of torsional wave. The velocity of the transverse wave in carbon nanotubes is dependent on wave frequency. The nanotube diameter and chirality also have some effects on wave propagation, especially on the torsional wave. The frequency of wave propagating in carbon nanotubes can reach the terahertz range.
A maximum entropy framework for nonexponential distributions

Probability distributions having power-law tails are observed in a broad range of social, economic, and biological systems. We describe here a potentially useful common framework. We derive distribution functions for situations in which a "joiner particle" k pays some form of price to enter a community of size , where costs are subject to economies of scale. Maximizing the Boltzmann-Gibbs-Shannon entropy subject to this energy-like constraint predicts a distribution having a power-law tail; it reduces to the Boltzmann distribution in the absence of economies of scale. We show that the predicted function gives excellent fits to 13 different distribution functions, ranging from friendship links in social networks, to protein-protein interactions, to the severity of terrorist attacks. This approach may give useful insights into when to expect power-law distributions in the natural and social sciences.
THE ULTRASTRUCTURE OF GRANA IN MESOPHYLL PLASTIDS OF ZEA MAYS

The compartments of the grana of mesophyll plastids of Zea mays are extensively interconnected. In median sections of grana, 16.5% of compartment margins were involved in a Y-shaped conjunction of the loculi of two consecutive compartments with the loculus of an attached fret. Various configurations accounted for the remainder of the compartment margins seen in median sections of grana. Tangential views of grana and serial sections revealed an oblique relationship between the frets and the grana. Analysis of serial sections allows the conclusion that the components of the fretwork are helically wound around a granum.
Microneurosurgical management of ophthalmic segment of the internal carotid artery aneurysms: single-surgeon operative experience from Louisiana State University, Shreveport.

Background Surgical clipping of ophthalmic segment aneurysms is more technically challenging than other anterior circulation aneurysms. Objective To analyze whether surgical clipping is an effective treatment for ophthalmic segment aneurysms with good clinical outcomes and acceptable complication rates. Methods From 1994 to 2009, a total of 86 aneurysms of the ophthalmic segment of the internal carotid artery were surgically clipped in 80 patients. We retrospectively reviewed the records of these patients to analyze the clinical outcome. Results Of the 86 aneurysms, 68 (79%) were large or giant. Cranial base modification was required in 28 operations. Drilling of the anterior clinoid process was performed in 49 operations. The mean follow-up was 27.38 months. Of the 80 patients, 76 were assessable for clinical outcome. At the last follow-up, 5 patients had a Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score of 1, 4 had a GOS score of 3, 10 had a GOS score of 4, and 57 had a GOS score of 5. Thus, the clinical outcome was good (GOS scores of 5 and 4) in the majority (88%) of patients. Of the 15 patients who presented with visual problems before surgery, 77% showed improvement after surgical clipping. The overall visual morbidity rate was 2.5%. Outcome assessment indicated that infarcts (P = .000), hydrocephalus (P = .001), and poor grade (P = .000) were significant negative predictors of outcome. Conclusion Surgical clipping is an effective treatment for ophthalmic segment of the internal carotid artery aneurysms with excellent or good clinical outcome. Infarcts, hydrocephalus, and poor grade were significant negative predictors of outcome. Surgical clipping may facilitate improvement in vision by decompression of the visual apparatus.
Automatic analysis of speech quality for aphasia treatment

Aphasia is a common language disorder which can severely affect an individual’s ability to communicate with others. Aphasia rehabilitation requires intensive practice accompanied by appropriate feedback, the latter of which is difficult to satisfy outside of therapy. In this paper we take a first step towards developing an intelligent system capable of providing feedback to patients with aphasia through the automation of two typical therapeutic exercises, sentence building and picture description. We describe the natural speech corpus collected from our interaction with clients in the University of Michigan Aphasia Program (UMAP). We develop classifiers to automatically estimate speech quality based on human perceptual judgment. Our automatic prediction yields accuracies comparable to the average human evaluator. Our feature selection process gives insights into the factors that influence human evaluation. The results presented in this work provide support for the feasibility of this type of system.
Use of Methacrylate De-embedding Protocols for In Situ Hybridization on Semithin Plastic Sections with Multiple Detection Strategies

New plastic resins are gradually replacing traditional paraffin-embedding in situ hybridization (ISH) strategies. One unique resin that has not been fully investigated or exploited with respect to light microscopic ISH is a methacrylate mixture. The advantage of this resin is its ability to be removed from tissues postsectioning, dramatically increasing hybridization signal compared to that obtained in other plastics. The goal of this study was to evaluate the general applicability of the methacrylate embedding acetone de-embedding (MEADE) technique for ISH investigations. Several high-resolution, high-sensitivity ISH protocols are described, using both end-labeled oligonucleotides and randomly primed DNA probes (200-400 BPS), signal amplification by catalyzed reporter deposition (CARD), and chromogenic and fluorescent detection methods. With slight modification, the MEADE ISH technique permitted localization of bacterial symbionts in fragile gill tissue and collagen transcripts in foot tissue of two marine bivalves. MEADE ISH has proved extremely versatile and will likely be suitable for many future applications.