cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Robotics and Discovery Learning: Pedagogical Beliefs, Teacher Practice, and Technology Integration

Much educational software is designed from a specific pedagogical stance. how teachers conceive of the pedagogical stance underlying the design will affect how they use the technology; these conceptions may vary from teacher to teacher and from teacher to designer. There may be a conflict between the designer’s pedagogical beliefs inscribed in the educational technology innovation itself, and the teacher’s pedagogical beliefs, which may affect the teachers’ ability or desire to use the educational technology innovation. The purpose of this study is to contribute to our understanding of this issue by examining teachers’ reflections on teaching and learning robotics through the discovery learning method. Data for the study were collected at a teacher professional development workshop series and at a robotics fair. A total of 20 middle and high school teachers participated in the study. Our findings indicate that teachers’ perceptions of student learning needs influence their pedagogical practice and that these perceptions and practices may be affected through teaching and learning with discovery learning-based educational technologies. Teachers developed a strategy aimed at creating and managing a pedagogically productive tension in students. They also devised two modes of learning alongside students. Implications for future research regarding technology integration are discussed.
Study of the near-wall-turbulent region of the high-Reynolds-number boundary layer using an atmospheric flow

(Received 31 March 2005 and in revised form 29 July 2005) Data from the near-wall-turbulent region of the high-Reynolds-number atmospheric surface layer are used to analyse the attached-eddy model of wall turbulence. All data were acquired during near-neutral conditions at the Surface Layer Turbulence and Environmental Science Test (SLTEST) facility located in the western Utah Great Salt Lake Desert. Instantaneous streamwise and wall-normal components of velocity were collected with a wall-normal array of two-component hot wires within the first 2 m above the surface of the salt flats. Streamwise and wall-normal turbulence intensities and spectra are directly compared to corresponding laboratory data and similarity formulations hypothesized from the attached-eddy model of wall turbulence. This affords the opportunity to compare results with Reynolds numbers varying over three orders of magnitude. The wall-normal turbulence-intensity similarity formulation is extended. The results show good support for the similarity arguments forwarded by the attached-eddy model as well as Townsend’s (1956) Reynolds-number similarity hypothesis and lack of the ‘inactive’ motion influence on the wall-normal velocity component. The effects of wall roughness and the spread in the convection velocity due to this roughness are also discussed. An experimental investigation of the near-wall-turbulent (logarithmic) region of the high-Reynolds-number turbulent boundary layer was conducted. The main purpose of this work is to use these data to investigate the attached-eddy model of wallbounded turbulence at high Reynolds numbers. (A good review of the importance of understanding high-Reynolds-number wall-bounded flow is given by Gad-el-Hak & Bandyopadhyay 1994.) The attached-eddy model essentially provides a kinematic description for wall-bounded turbulence. The foundation of the model, which is based on the attached-eddy hypothesis of Townsend (1976), is the observation that wallbounded turbulence contains a collection of coherent structures or eddies. Therefore, the model proposes that the statistical features of wall-bounded turbulence can be modelled by a linear superposition of such eddies. The model has been refined and developed over the past three decades on the data of low-to-moderate Reynoldsnumber wall-bounded turbulence experiments (e.g. pipe and boundary-layer flow) and has led to a number of similarity laws. For a complete review of the attached-eddy model see Perry & Marusic (1995) and the references therein.
In Planta Assessment of the Role of Thioredoxin h Proteins in the Regulation of S-Locus Receptor Kinase Signaling in Transgenic Arabidopsis

The self-incompatibility (SI) response of the Brassicaceae is mediated by allele-specific interaction between the stigma-localized S-locus receptor kinase (SRK) and its ligand, the pollen coat-localized S-locus cysteine-rich protein (SCR). Based on work in Brassica spp., the thioredoxin h-like proteins THL1 and THL2, which interact with SRK, have been proposed to function as oxidoreductases that negatively regulate SRK catalytic activity. By preventing the spontaneous activation of SRK in the absence of SCR ligand, these thioredoxins are thought to be essential for the success of cross pollinations in self-incompatible plants. However, the in planta role of thioredoxins in the regulation of SI signaling has not been conclusively demonstrated. Here, we addressed this issue using Arabidopsis thaliana plants transformed with the SRKb-SCRb gene pair isolated from self-incompatible Arabidopsis lyrata. These plants express an intense SI response, allowing us to exploit the extensive tools and resources available in A. thaliana for analysis of SI signaling. To test the hypothesis that SRK is redox regulated by thioredoxin h, we expressed a mutant form of SRKb lacking a transmembrane-localized cysteine residue thought to be essential for the SRK-thioredoxin h interaction. We also analyzed transfer DNA insertion mutants in the A. thaliana orthologs of THL1 and THL2. In neither case did we observe an effect on the pollination responses of SRKb-expressing stigmas toward incompatible or compatible pollen. Our results are consistent with the conclusion that, contrary to their proposed role, thioredoxin h proteins are not required to prevent the spontaneous activation of SRK in the A. thaliana stigma.
Examination of Annual Variation in the Adult Sex Ratio of Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana)

Abstract The adult sex ratio (ASR) is an important component of a population's demographics and can be used as an indicator of a population's status. However, the causes of annual variation in ASRs are unknown for many species. Fluctuations in ASR can arise through demographic stochasticity and intense selective harvesting. In this study we investigate the long-term patterns of variation in the ASRs (bucks: 100 does) for four populations of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) in western Nebraska. We used multiple variables in a model selection process to predict annual fluctuation of pronghorn ASRs. We found that the number of bucks: 100 does significantly varied over the four populations. The best predictors of annual variation in pronghorn ASRs were variable across all populations. The number of pronghorn bucks harvested in the previous year's hunting season and the previous year's density of pronghorn were the most common predictors of ASR fluctuation. Buck harvest was an important predictor variable in ...
Activity coefficient model of concentrated electrolyte solutions

A new method of correlating data using the Liu et al.'s NRTL model was used in this analysis. The parameters of this analysis are electrolyte-specific, rather than ion-specific, making the model more practical to use. The relationship between the proposed electrolyte-specific parameters is given. The salt-salt interaction parameters in the multicomponent prediction can be obtained from the corresponding binary parameters.
Oxygen administration upon ventricular tachycardia and blood pressure in animals with acute myocardial infarction.

The administration of oxygen, 60 to 70 per cent in inspired air, to dogs with ectopic ventricular tachycardia resulting from myocardial infarction produced no consistent changes in ectopic frequency, but the blood pressure was elevated during oxygen administration in every trial.
Resistance and polarization losses in aqueous buffer–membrane electrolytes for water-splitting photoelectrochemical cells

The recent development of inexpensive catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction has suggested that efficient photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) might be constructed from terrestrially abundant materials. Because these catalysts operate in aqueous buffer solutions at neutral to slightly basic pH, it is important to consider whether electrolytic cells can have low series loss under these conditions. Water-splitting or fuel-forming PECs will likely require porous separators or electrolyte membranes to separate the cathode products from oxygen produced at the anode. For this reason we analyze the individual potential losses in electrolytic systems of buffer solutions and commercially available anion- and cation-exchange membranes. Potentiometric analysis and pH measurements were employed to measure the potential losses associated with solution resistance, membrane resistance, and pH gradient formation at the current density (25 mA cm−2) expected for efficient PECs. The membrane pH gradient is the most problematic source of loss in these systems, but monoprotic buffers can minimize the pH gradient by diffusion of the neutral acidic or basic form of the buffer across the membrane. These results suggest that water-splitting PECs can be viable with properly chosen membrane–buffer combinations.
Analysis of a Chinese hamster ovary cell mutant with defective mobilization of cholesterol from the plasma membrane to the endoplasmic reticulum

The factors involved in shuttling cholesterol among cellular membranes have not been defined. Using amphotericin B selection, we previously isolated Chinese hamster ovary cell mutants expressing defects in intracellular cholesterol transport. Complementation analysis among seven mutants identified one cell line, mutant 3-6, with a unique defect. The present analysis revealed three key features of mutant 3-6. First, the movement of cholesterol both from the endoplasmic reticulum and through lysosomes to the plasma membrane was normal. However, when intact 3-6 cells were treated with sphingomyelinase, movement of plasma membrane cholesterol to acyl CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase in the endoplasmic reticulum was defective. Cellular cholesterol was mobilized to this enzyme upon activation by 25-hydroxycholesterol. Second, mutant 3-6 did not utilize endogenously synthesized sterol or low density lipoprotein-derived cholesterol for growth as effectively as parental Chinese hamster ovary cells. Finally, despite normal movement of cholesterol to the plasma membrane, mutant 3-6 was amphotericin B resistant. The plasma membrane cholesterol content was normal as assessed by cholesterol oxidase treatment and Semliki Forest virus fusion, which suggests that the 3-6 mutation alters the organization of cholesterol in the plasma membrane. Our characterization of this mutant cell line should facilitate the identification of gene(s) required for this transport pathway.
Surface gravity waves at equilibrium with a steady wind

Observations of wave fields' spatial evolution and of gravity wave spectra S(sub omega) are analyzed on the basis of the data reported by several research groups as well as on a 2-year data set of wind and wave measurements by stationary National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration buoys near the Hawaiian Islands. We seek to clarify the role of the wave energy advection (with the wave group velocity) in the overall energy balance. This advective transfer appears to be no less important than the local (breaking wave induced) dissipation as a factor of wind-wave equilibrium. The advection is found to manifest itself in the shape of wave spectra by reducing the rate at which the spectra density of the wave energy, S(sub omega approximately omega (exp -p), falls off as the frequency increases away from the spectra peak. This and other conclusions are derived by comparing the field observations with theoretical predictions of the weak turbulence theory for a spatially inhomogeneous, statistically stationary, wave field. The observations also indicate that the typical wave age xi = C(sub 0)/U in the open ocean is much greater than the limiting value 1.2 attributed to the 'fully developed sea.' Although the observed spectra can be approximated by a power law with a single 'effective' exponent, this apparent exponent, p, is found to depend on the wave age. At high xi and at frequencies below the generation range, -p tends to -3 rather than the value of -11/3 predicted by the Zakharov-Zaslavskii theory. This deviation is interpreted as pointing to a nonconservative nature of the inverse cascade, the latter including a leakage of energy to low-wavenumber modes. Dependence of the overall effective exponent on xi is shown to be responsible for variation in the coefficients b, B, c, C appearing in empirical fetch laws, such as xi = C bar-x (exp c) and e = B bar-x (exp B), where bar-x and e are the dimensionless fetch and wave energy, respectively.
Das parlamentarische Gesetzgebungsverfahren I: Die allgemeinen Gesetze

Bei der Beurteilung der Gesetzgebungsfunktion im Rahmen des Regierungstyps Grosbritanniens sieht man sich einer erstaunlichen Divergenz von Theorie und Praxis gegenubergestellt. Der klassischen Staatslehre gilt die Gesetzgebung als die wesentlichste der Staatsfunktionen und das Parlament als der eigentliche Trager der Gesetzgebungsfunktion. Einer realistischeren Auffassung allerdings erscheint die Gesetzgebung eher als ein Attribut der Regierungsfuhrung, als die Aus- und Durchfuhrung der von der Regierung getroffenen Entscheidungsfallung (policy determination). Aber auch von diesem Gesichtswinkel her betrachtet ist das Parlament nach wie vor zum Erlas der Gesetzgebung formell unentbehrlich. Keine Regierungsvorlage kann ohne die Zustimmung der Commons zum gultigen Gesetz werden. Die Parlamentssouveranitatl gilt also nach wie vor insofern, als jedes allgemein gultige Gesetz — public bill — vom Parlament erlassen werden mus und das dieses jede beliebige Materie zum Gegenstand der Gesetzgebung machen kann. Demgemas gehen die Gerichte von der Grundtatsache aus, das keine andere Instanz zum Erlas von allgemein gultigen Normen berechtigt ist, es sei denn, sie sei dazu durch ein Parlamentsgesetz ermachtigt worden (delegated oder subordinate legislation). Zahlreiche Gerichtsentscheidungen sprechen von der Gesetzgebungsmacht des Parlaments als absolute, supreme, omnipotent, und noch in neuester Zeit konnte ein hoher Richter sagen (National Union of General and Municipal Workers v. Gillian [1946] [1. K. B. 81] [C. A.]): “Parliamenti can make new legal creatures if it desires”. In der Wirklichkeit der Staatspraxis aber ist die theoretisch aufrechterhaltene Gesetzgebungssouveranitat des Parlaments nichts mehr als eine Fiktion. In keiner anderen konstitutionellen Demokratie hat sich Royer Collards Epigramm: “Initier la loi c’est gouverner” mehr bewahrheitet als in Grosbritannien. Mit ganz verschwindenden Ausnahmen der private members besitzt das Kabinett die Gesetzgebungsinitiative und damit das Gesetzgebungsmonopol, da es kraft seiner Beherrschung der Verfahrensordnung und seiner unangreifbaren Mehrheit auch die Macht hat, die schliesliche Verabschiedung gebung nicht in der Hand des angeblich souveranen Parlaments, sondern der Regierung.
ROLE OF DIFFUSION IMPAIRMENT IN GAS EXCHANGE

Publisher Summary This chapter explains the role of diffusion impairment in gas exchange. A method was developed for measuring the distribution of ventilation–perfusion ratios within the lung. This method is based upon measuring the simultaneous elimination of an infused mixture of dissolved inert gases. The main thrust of this approach is to estimate the shape, position, and dispersion of the distribution of ventilation–perfusion ratios within certain limits, but an attractive feature of the method is that it inherently provides a tool for looking at the role of diffusion impairment. In the method, diffusion impairment is studied by quantitatively comparing inert gas elimination with oxygen exchange measured simultaneously. The theory is based on calculations presented in the chapter. The chapter highlights the time course of exchange of both inert gases and oxygen along the pulmonary capillary. While approximately one-third of the time available for gas exchange is required to fully oxygenate hemoglobin, only about 0.4 s are required for the capillary partial pressure of inert gases to come to virtual equilibrium with the corresponding alveolar partial pressures.
Biopharmaceutical Drug Development: A Case History

In the 1980s, human and murine forms of many hematopoietic colony stimulating factors were cloned. One factor that was purified, cloned, and produced in commercial quantities was granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF, Filgrastim), a protein that acts on the neutrophil lineage. Neutrophils are the body’s major defence against infections. The initial licensing indication for Filgrastim was the amelioration of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. It has been approved in more than 75 countries for a variety of uses, including aplastic anaemia, severe chronic neutropenia, and the mobilisation of peripheral blood progenitor cells for transplantation. Filgrastim has an excellent safety profile with the only common side effect of administration reported being mild to moderate bone pain. Current issues being investigated include evaluation of the cost benefit of Filgrastim in various clinical settings and impact on survival in dose-intensive chemotherapy with Filgrastim given as an adjunct treatment.
Rhizomic Resistance Meets Arborescent Assemblage: UNESCO World Heritage and the Disempowerment of Indigenous Activism in New Caledonia

This article draws on Deleuze and Guattari's concepts of arborescent and rhizomic assemblages to examine encounters between large-scale conservation and grassroots resistance to industry. I explore how the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) World Heritage listing of New Caledonia's reefs contributed to the demise of Rheebu Nuu, an indigenous activist group that had been targeting a multinational mining project. I also interrogate how an assemblage's form enables certain modalities of power while constraining others and how these differences in power modalities inform relationships between types of assemblages. Mistakenly expecting assistance in protecting their coral reef from mining impacts, Rheebu Nuu relinquished the coercive power inherent to their rhizomic form in favor of participation in UNESCO's arborescent structure via World Heritage “management committees”—a globally promoted, but locally inappropriate, comanagement diagram that targeted local fishing ac...
Under The Bohemian Crown

Due to partitioning of inheritance, a custom common in Central Europe until the 18th century, the number of princes and heirs in the Piast family grew and Silesia was divided into small principalities. Early in the 14th century, it lost its independence to the Bohemian kings and thus became a part of the German Empire. While Breslau was building its city hall, King John of Bohemia, of the House of Luxemburg, appeared before its gates in 1327 and was welcomed as the new sovereign.
Preferential Adsorption of Zigzag Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on the ST-Cut Surface of Quartz

Synthesis of horizontally aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) has achieved high degree of orientation and selectivity when specific cuts of quartz surfaces are used as support. In this ...
Seasonal Oviposition and Emergence Activity of Bephratelloides cubensis (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), a Pest of Annona Species in Florida

Bephratelloides cubensis (Ashmead), a seed-feeding wasp, is the primary pest of annonas in Florida. The weekly infestation rates of commercially grown sugar apples ( Annona squamosa L.) and atemoyas ( A. squamosa × A. cherimola Miller) by B. cubensis in southern Florida were monitored. Infestation generally increased throughout the summer in atemoyas but remained very low in sugar apples. The observed patterns are attributable to the relative fruiting phenologies of the commercial species and of the overwintering host, the bullock's heart ( A. reticulata L.). We found no evidence that diapause of B. cubensis in atemoya and sugar apple fruits is of economic importance as an overwintering mechanism in Florida.
Rethinking Investment Dynamics: An Alternative Framework of the Global Land Rush

Despite growing interest in "land grabbing," the comparative literature remains biased in several key ways, failing to capture the full diversity of land investments and to incorporate the important findings made by case-study researchers. This paper analyzes in particular three analytical blind spots in current typologies of the global land grab phenomenon: (a) the failure to incorporate nonproductive investments, including speculation; (b) the misguided focus on investor nationality, as opposed to capital flows; and (c) the tendency to ignore how domestic actors shape the terms of a land deal. In drawing attention to these limitations, this paper constructs two typologies of land investment — one describing physical changes in land use, and another mapping interactions between investors and developing country actors. Working in conjunction, they help to explain why land deals occur where they do and how they change not only the land itself, but also people's relation to the land. This paper therefore calls for a more nuanced analysis of the bargaining processes that underlie every land deal and also of the potential policy alternatives that may attract investment without sacrificing the livelihoods or lands of vulnerable local populations.
Ovarian carcinoma: the physician's obligation to improve prognosis.

As many as 80 per cent of ovarian cancers are inoperable when discovered. Only a few are asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. In one study, surgical treatment of operable ovarian carcinoma was inadequate in 50 per cent of cases. These data point to ways of improving prognosis and to the conclusion that periodic pelvic examination between the ages of 30 and 59 years is the only means to achieve a major alteration in survival rate. Physicians who disparage the “routine” pelvic examination forget that it is intended to evaluate all the pelvic structures and provide an opportunity to correct any significant abnormality; discovery of an ovarian lesion is essentially an important by-product of the procedure.
The critical care nurse work environment, physician staffing, and risk for ventilator-associated pneumonia

We examined the relationship between intensivist physician staffing, nurse work environment, and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in 25 intensive care units. We found a significant interaction between the nurse work environment, intensivist physician staffing, and VAP. Future work may need to focus on fostering organizational collaboration between nursing and medicine to leverage skills of both clinician groups to reduce risk for VAP in critically ill patients.
THE USE OF HIGH POWER DRILLS FOR LAMINECTOMY IN SPINAL STENOSIS : TECHNICAL REPORT

High power drill systems are being used for cervical and lumbar spinal stenosis surgeries. The use and comparative analysis of several systems are presented.
Advances in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Approximately 500,000 deaths per year are the result of coronary artery disease. Many of these deaths can be prevented by prompt action to provide basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation. In recent years, a number of new CPR methods have been developed in hopes of improving cardiac output in an arrest situation. This article reviews the physiology of blood flow during CPR and the different methods of CPR administration.
Brief Report: Ultrastructural Localization of Myeloperoxidase in Human Neutrophil and Rabbit Heterophil and Eosinophil Leukocytes

Ultrastructural cytochemical observations revealed peroxidase reactivity in primary (azurophil) granules, but not in secondary (specific) granules, of rabbit and human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Peroxidase reactivity was also observed in the rough endoplasmic reticulum and granules of rabbit eosinophils and in granules of human monocytes.
Partial characterization of a human zinc-deficiency syndrome by differential display.

The effect of the acrodermatitis enteropathica mutation (AE) on gene expression was investigated using differential display. Two differentially expressed cDNAs were partially characterized. The NA8 cDNA (HT11A anchor and HAP 8 random primer pair) was expressed in greater quantity in normal fibroblasts, was 249 bp, and hybridized to three mRNA species (2 kb, 1 kb, 0.8 kb). Northern blot analysis indicated that the relative amounts of the AE mRNA species were reduced by 73%, 75%, and 52%, respectively. The cDNA sequence exhibited 92–93% homology to the human cytochrome oxidase subunit II, as analyzed through the GenBank database. The AEG4 cDNA species (HT11G anchor and HAP 4 random, primer pair) was expressed in greater quantity in AE fibroblasts, was 197 bp, and hybridized to two mRNA species (9 kb, 4 kb). Northern blot analysis indicated that the 9-kb mRNA species was present equally in AE and normal cells, but the 4-kb mRNA species was only present in the AE fibroblasts. The cDNA sequence exhibited 92% homology to LINE1 human retrotransposons, as analyzed through the GenBank database. The functional relationship between the mutation and the reduced expression of cytochrome oxidase subunit II is unknown at this time and needs to be addressed. The increased expression of the LINE1 element in AE fibroblasts may be indicative of an insertion mutation affecting the mRNA of a protein involved in zinc transport, a prospect which requires further investigation.
Sexual Dysfunctions and Their Treatment

If we broadly define sexual dysfunctions as physiological, cognitive-affective, or behavioral problems that prevent an individual from engaging in or enjoying satisfactory sexual activity, intercourse, or orgasm, then we can be sure that sexual dysfunctions have been around as long as sex has. Only recently, however, has a discipline been developed that attempts to describe, assess, and treat sexual dysfunctions in an integrated and scientific manner.
The effect of oxytocin antibodies on the litter size in rats.

Oxytocin antibody (OT-AB) was produced to synthetic OT in rabbits and rats by immunizing with OT coupled to bovine serum albumin by glutaraldehyde. The plasma was screened for antibody to OT by the use of OT 1S1I in double antibody and dialysis procedures. The actively immunized rats were bred with normal male rats of proved fertility. Mean litter size was 8.7 ± 1.0 (S.E.) in actively immunized rats as compared to 11.7 ± 0.4 in controls (P 0.025). Length of gestation was virtually identical in both groups, but lactation seemed impaired in the treated group and there were many pups dead. In another experiment the female rats were passively immunized to OT. The mean litter size for the control rats for passively immunized rats was 11.4 ± 1.0 and for the OT-AB injected group 10.8 ± 1.0. The difference between the litter size in the actively immunized rats and the other groups was highly significant (P 0.025). This study emphasizes that (1) OT improves the fertility rate in rats, possibly by an effect on sperm transport and implantation, and (2) OT is necessary for normal lactation. The study also suggests that the neutralization of OT increases the incidence of fetal abnormalities during parturition.
The NIC is the hypervisor: bare-metal guests in IaaS clouds

Cloud computing does not inherently require the use of virtual machines, and some cloud customers prefer or even require "bare metal" systems, where no hypervisor separates the guest operating system from the CPU. Even for bare-metal nodes, the cloud provider must find a means to isolate the guest system from other cloud resources, and to manage the instantiation and removal of guests. We argue that an enhanced NIC, together with standard features of modern servers, can provide all of the functions for which a hypervisor would normally be required.
Array Normal Model and Incomplete Array Variate Observations

Missing data present an important challenge when dealing with high-dimensional data arranged in the form of an array. The main purpose of this article is to introduce methods for estimation of the parameters of array variate normal probability model from partially observed multiway data. The methods developed here are useful for missing data imputation, estimation of mean, and covariance parameters for multiway data. A review of array variate distributions is included. A multiway semi-parametric mixed-effects model that allows separation of multiway mean and covariance effects is also defined, and an efficient algorithm for estimation based on the spectral decompositions of the covariance parameters is recommended. We demonstrate our methods with simulations and real-life data involving the estimation of genotype and environment interaction effects on possibly correlated traits.
A MINIATURE ACCELEROMETER WITH A FUSED QUARTZ SUSPENSION

Abstract A miniature accelerometer has been constructed which employs a fused-quartz torsion fiber suspension. The purpose was to demonstrate a small yet reasonably accurate component, and at the same time explore the possibilities of fused quartz in a specific application. The accelerometer is based on the well-known force-balance servo principle, and employs a photoelectric pickoff. The design and construction of the device are described. Variation in null offset of ±1/2 × 10-4 g was observed over a 130-day period; linearity error to 1 g of 3 × 10-5 g rms (1σ) was observed. It appears that the torsion fiber suspension can provide a stable support with unusually small uncertainty torques, which is extremely rugged and stable.
The Actors’ Laboratory in Hollywood

Chapter 10 provides a unique look at the Actors’ Lab (1941–1950), which was the creative home for several former members of the Group Theatre and for a number of actors affiliated with New Deal theatre companies, local drama schools, and the studios. Roman “Bud” Bohnen, who was especially active in the Group Theatre after it reorganized in 1937, guided the Lab until his death in 1949, an event triggered by the blacklisting of Bohnen and Lab members Rose Hobart, J. Edward Bromberg, and Will Lee. The chapter elaborates on the Lab’s vision of a modern, conscious approach to acting. It describes the Lab’s acting program, and analyzes the implications of the politics that led to the Lab’s and Modern acting’s erasure from acting history.
The Impact of a Substance Use Prevention Program on the Health Literacy of Youth in Guatemala City

Low health literacy is a major public health concern with serious human and economic implications. Unfortunately, in developing countries little is known about health literacy, and there are often no educational programs to promote it. This report explores the influence of an already existing substance use intervention on the health literacy of youth living in Guatemala City. T-test results indicated that students who went through the substance use prevention program had significantly higher scores on the health literacy assessment than their peers. Likewise, participation in the program significantly predicted differences in health literacy, even when accounting for academic performance and parent education. These findings are of particular importance to resource-poor countries. If health education and prevention programs that are already being utilized are found to have a positive impact on health literacy, policy makers could potentially address two significant public health issues with a single evidence-based program.
Thermal and Mechanical Effects in Polystyrene-Montmorillonite Nanocomposite Foams:

Nanocomposite polystyrene (PS) foams based on montmorillonite layered silicate (MLS) as nanofillers were prepared using in-situ polymerization of styrene. These nanocomposites were characterized fo...
The Average Baseline BCR-ABL Levels Are Significantly Higher in Patients with Resistance to Dasatinib As First-Line Treatment for Early Chronic Phase Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Abstract Abstract 4436 Background: The development of drug resistance remains a problem for some chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients treated with tyrosine kinase. Point mutations are the main mechanism behind drug resistance, and they can occur prior to therapy. Thus, there may be a positive correlation between the baseline BCR-ABL levels and the occurrence of drug resistance. Methods: We define a “relapse/no-response” as a BCR-ABL/ABL transcript ratio of >10% (international scale) at 6 months or later during continuous dasatinib treatment. Statistical analysis is performed an all early chronic phase CML treated with dasatinib as first-line therapy (n=102) in a prospective clinical trial at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The probability of having drug resistant leukemic cells already present at diagnosis is also estimated. Results: Seven of the 90 (7.8%) evaluable patients had a “relapse/no-response”. The mean (median) BCR-ABL/ABL transcript ratio at baseline for the “relapse/no-response” group was 23.3% (20.7%), while for the rest of the patients was 14.1% (9.9%), a statistically significant difference. The incidence rates of “relapse/no-response” for patients with a BCR-ABL/ABL transcript ratio at baseline equal to or larger than 20% was 13.8%, versus 7.8% overall for the entire dataset. Our estimates suggest that if the therapy were to be started on average one month earlier, the probability of a “relapse/no-response” would decrease from 7.8% to 6.9%. Conclusions: The BCR-ABL transcript levels at baseline are significantly higher for those patients later incurring in a “relapse/no-response”. Moreover, our estimates suggest that starting the treatment as soon as possible after diagnosis may be critical for reducing the number of patients developing drug resistance. Disclosures: Kantarjian: Novartis: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Ariad: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding. Jabbour: Pfizer: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria. Cortes: Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Ariad: Consultancy, Research Funding.
Herpesviruses dUTPases: A New Family of Pathogen-Associated Molecular Pattern (PAMP) Proteins with Implications for Human Disease

The human herpesviruses are ubiquitous viruses and have a prevalence of over 90% in the adult population. Following a primary infection they establish latency and can be reactivated over a person’s lifetime. While it is well accepted that human herpesviruses are implicated in numerous diseases ranging from dermatological and autoimmune disease to cancer, the role of lytic proteins in the pathophysiology of herpesvirus-associated diseases remains largely understudies. Only recently have we begun to appreciate the importance of lytic proteins produced during reactivation of the virus, in particular the deoxyuridine triphosphate nucleotidohydrolases (dUTPase), as key modulators of the host innate and adaptive immune responses. In this review, we provide evidence from animal and human studies of the Epstein–Barr virus as a prototype, supporting the notion that herpesviruses dUTPases are a family of proteins with unique immunoregulatory functions that can alter the inflammatory microenvironment and thus exacerbate the immune pathology of herpesvirus-related diseases including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, autoimmune diseases, and cancer.
A systematic review of sex and age factors in neuroleptic malignant syndrome diagnosis frequency.

Objective To examine sex and age distributions in neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) patients based on a systematic literature review. Method EMBASE and PubMed databases were searched to identify any observation of NMS published from January 1, 1998 through November 1, 2014 that was accessible and interpretable (using language translation software). Redundant and equivocal reports were excluded. Sex ratio and age distributions were examined using standard graphical techniques and measures of association. Results Twenty-eight independent sex ratio estimates were included. Males predominated in most (75%) estimates with an overall median sex ratio of 1.47 (95% CI, 1.20–1.80). NMS incidence peaked at age 20–25 years and declined steadily thereafter, with males consistently outnumbering females at all but the oldest age intervals. Conclusion NMS patients are 50% more likely to be males, and NMS is most likely to occur in young adulthood.
Staff Training and Education

Staff training and development in caring for the client with dementia includes organizational development, evaluation of job descriptions, competencies, programs available, as well as whether to develop training programs in a face-to-face or online learning environment. Utilization of adult learning principles to achieve just-in-time training and daily huddles will assist in offering frequent reminders of principles of the formal educational program.
Conversation level syntax similarity metric

The syntax and semantics of human language can illuminate many individual psychological differences and important dimensions of social interaction. Accordingly, psychological and psycholinguistic research has begun incorporating sophisticated representations of semantic content to better understand the connection between word choice and psychological processes. In this work we introduce ConversAtion level Syntax SImilarity Metric (CASSIM), a novel method for calculating conversation-level syntax similarity. CASSIM estimates the syntax similarity between conversations by automatically generating syntactical representations of the sentences in conversation, estimating the structural differences between them, and calculating an optimized estimate of the conversation-level syntax similarity. After introducing and explaining this method, we report results from two method validation experiments (Study 1) and conduct a series of analyses with CASSIM to investigate syntax accommodation in social media discourse (Study 2). We run the same experiments using two well-known existing syntactic metrics, LSM and Coh-Metrix, and compare their results to CASSIM. Overall, our results indicate that CASSIM is able to reliably measure syntax similarity and to provide robust evidence of syntax accommodation within social media discourse.
Reaction between Pyridine and CH3NH3PbI3: Surface-Confined Reaction or Bulk Transformation?

Pyridine molecules have been used to passivate surface Pb2+ sites of CH3NH3PbI3, to recrystallize CH3NH3PbI3, and to bleach CH3NH3PbI3. However, these results contradict each other, as recrystallization and optical-bleach require transformation of bulk CH3NH3PbI3, but surface passivation demands the confinement of the reaction at the surface region. The underlying mechanism for these seemly contradicting results is not yet understood. In this paper, we show, at 25 °C, partial pressure of pyridine vapor is a determining factor for its reaction behaviors with CH3NH3PbI3: one can modify the surface region of CH3NH3PbI3 by using pyridine vapor of pressure 1.15 torr or lower but can transform the whole bulk CH3NH3PbI3 film with a pyridine vapor of 1.3 torr or higher. Our result is the first demonstration that the reaction modes, i.e., surface-confined reaction and bulk transformation, are very sensitive to the partial pressure of under-saturated pyridine vapor. Despite the different reaction behaviors, it is i...
A Novel Fuzzy Logic Model for Multi-label Fine-Grained Emotion Retrieval

The traditional opinion retrieval methods can acquire the topic-relevant and subjective documents or sentences with the issued query. However, these methods usually focus on the sentiment polarities in the retrieval results, but ignore the emotion intensities. In fact, the users may pay more attentions on the emotion similarity between the query words and retrieval results, i.e. the sentences with exactly the same fine-grained emotion labels and similar emotion intensities with the query should be ranked higher. To address the problem, we propose a new method based on fuzzy set theory. According to the theory, we build a model for multi-label fine-grained emotion retrieval, which utilizes fuzzy relation equation to calculate the value of sentiment words and then uses lattice close-degree to retrieval emotions and rank on their intensity. Extensive experiments are conducted on a well-known Chinese blog emotion corpus. Experimental results show that our proposed multi-label fine-grained emotion retrieval algorithm outperforms baseline methods by a large margin.
MUSCLE ENHANCED TRAITS IN CATTLE AND SHEEP

The development of skeletal muscle involves proliferation of muscle precursor cells (myoblasts) and subsequent fusion into myotubes or muscle fibers. Therefore, skeletal muscle growth requires both an increase in cell numbers and an increase in muscle fiber size. Natural mutations exist in both cattle and sheep that affect either proliferation of myoblasts or muscle fiber size. These mutations have been retained in certain breeds due to selection. Inactivation of the myostatin locus in mice and in double muscled cattle has identified an important new negative regulator in skeletal muscle growth. Myostatin has been shown to be important for fetal muscle development and in maintenance of muscle mass in adults. Two loci on sheep chromosome 18 (callipyge and ribeye muscle) are linked to enhanced postnatal skeletal muscle growth in the pelvic limbs and loin. However, the actual mechanism responsible for muscle enhancement in these traits is not yet known. These mutations in livestock will provide new insight into the control of growth and body composition.
Inferential Statistics: Understanding Expert Knowledge and its Implications for Statistics Education

This study investigated the knowledge base necessary for choosing appropriate statistical techniques in applied research. In this study, we compared knowledge used by six experts and six novices in...
Two Cases and a Review of Graft-Versus-Host Disease and the Role of Hepatitis C Treatment in Liver Transplant Patients

Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is a rare but fatal complication after solid organ transplantation arising in 1% to 2% of cases. We report 2 cases of GvHD after orthotopic liver transplantation. Both patients had a history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection prior to transplantation. Both cases presented between 1 and 4 months after transplantation with rash, pancytopenia, and/or diarrhea. Our second case also developed oral and ocular manifestations after liver transplantation, which are more commonly described after stem cell transplantation. Diagnosis in both cases was made by clinical presentation in conjunction with histopathology and flow cytometry. Both patients were treated by increasing immunosuppression with tacrolimus and high-dose steroids. Response to treatment differed based on the degree of pancytopenia. Our case report is distinguished by several factors such as the context of GvHD presentation and the role of HCV treatment. Diagnosis of GvHD is difficult and often delayed due to nonspecific presentation that overlaps with other conditions. Furthermore, the relation between HCV treatment and potential initiation of GvHD in solid organ transplant patients is unclear.
Cystic fibrosis is associated with an increased risk of Barrett's esophagus.

Abstract Background Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients have increased risks of gastrointestinal cancers, including esophageal adenocarcinoma. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is highly prevalent in CF and manifests at early ages. CF patients may be at increased risk for long-term sequelae of chronic GERD, including Barrett's esophagus (BE). We aimed to assess whether patients with CF have an increased risk of BE or related neoplasia. Methods A matched cohort study was performed of adults with and without CF who had undergone upper endoscopy. Non-CF patients were matched in a 4:1 ratio by age, sex, year of exam, and endoscopist. Odds ratios were calculated for the association between CF and BE or related neoplasia, and multivariable logistic regression modeling was performed to adjust for matching variables and additional potential confounders. Results 122 CF patients underwent endoscopy, and 488 matched controls were identified. Seven (5.7%) CF patients had BE or related neoplasia, including one GE junction adenocarcinoma. Mean age of affected CF patients was 36.0, and 85.7% had a prior solid organ transplant. The odds of BE was significantly increased in CF patients (OR 2.91, 95% CI 1.08–7.81). The risk remained significantly increased in a multivariable model including matching variables (OR 3.32, 95% CI 1.19–9.22) and in a parsimonious model (OR 2.99, 95% CI 1.06–8.42). Conclusions Adults with CF have a 3-fold increased risk of BE or related neoplasia and appears to develop at younger ages. Consideration should be given to screening for BE in select CF patients, especially those who have undergone solid organ transplantation.
Senecavirus A 3C Protease Mediates Host Cell Apoptosis Late in Infection.

Senecavirus A (SVA), an oncolytic picornavirus used for cancer treatment in humans, has recently emerged as a vesicular disease (VD)-causing agent in swine worldwide. Notably, SVA-induced VD is indistinguishable from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and other high-consequence VDs of pigs. Here we investigated the role of apoptosis on infection and replication of SVA. Given the critical role of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway on modulation of cell death pathways, we first assessed activation of NF-κB during SVA infection. Results here show that while early during infection SVA induces activation of NF-κB, as evidenced by nuclear translocation of NF-κB-p65 and NF-κB-mediated transcription, late in infection a cleaved product corresponding to the C-terminus of NF-κB-p65 is detected in infected cells, resulting in lower transcriptional activity of this transcription factor. Additionally, we assessed the potential role of SVA 3C protease (3Cpro) in SVA-induced host-cell apoptosis and cleavage of NF-κB-p65. Transient expression of SVA 3Cpro was associated with cleavage of NF-κB-p65 and of Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), suggesting its involvement in virus-induced apoptosis. Most importantly, we showed that while cleavage of NF-κB-p65 is secondary to caspase activation, the proteolytic activity of SVA 3Cpro is essential for induction of apoptosis. Experiments using the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK confirmed the relevance of late apoptosis for SVA infection, indicating that SVA induces apoptosis late in infection, presumably, as a mechanism to facilitate virus release and/or egress from infected cells. Together, these results suggest an important role of apoptosis for SVA infection biology.