cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Granting Forgiveness or Harboring Grudges: Implications for Emotion, Physiology, and Health

Interpersonal offenses frequently mar relationships. Theorists have argued that the responses victims adopt toward their offenders have ramifications not only for their cognition, but also for their emotion, physiology, and health. This study examined the immediate emotional and physiological effects that occurred when participants (35 females, 36 males) rehearsed hurtful memories and nursed grudges (i.e., were unforgiving) compared with when they cultivated empathic perspective taking and imagined granting forgiveness (i.e., were forgiving) toward real-life offenders. Unforgiving thoughts prompted more aversive emotion, and significantly higher corrugator (brow) electromyogram (EMG), skin conductance, heart rate, and blood pressure changes from baseline. The EMG, skin conductance, and heart rate effects persisted after imagery into the recovery periods. Forgiving thoughts prompted greater perceived control and comparatively lower physiological stress responses. The results dovetail with the psychophysiology literature and suggest possible mechanisms through which chronic unforgiving responses may erode health whereas forgiving responses may enhance it.
Self-Segregation or Deliberation? Blog Readership, Participation, and Polarization in American Politics

Political scientists and political theorists debate the relationship between participation and deliberation among citizens with differ ent political viewpoints. Blogs provide an important testing ground for their claims. We examine deliberation, polarization, and political participation among blog readers. We find that blog readers gravitate toward blogs that accord with their political beliefs. Few read blogs on both the left and right of the ideological spectrum. Furthermore, those who read left-wing blogs and those who read right-wing blogs are ideologically far apart. Blog readers are more polarized than either non-blog-readers or consumers of various television news programs, and roughly as polarized as US senators. Blog readers also participate more in politics than non blog readers. Readers of blogs of different ideological dispositions do not participate less than those who read only blogs of one ideological disposition. Instead, readers of both left- and right-wing blogs and readers of exclusively leftwing blogs participate at similar levels, and both participate more than readers of exclusively right-wing blogs. This may reflect social movement-building efforts by left-wing bloggers.
Age-related changes in the transcriptional profile of mouse RPE/choroid

To evaluate the age-related changes in gene expression occurring in the complex of retinal pigmented epithelium, Bruch’s membrane, and choroid (RPE/choroid), we examined the gene expression profile...
Anatomic Renal Artery Branch Microdissection to Facilitate Zero-Ischemia Partial Nephrectomy

Abstract Background Robot-assisted and laparoscopic partial nephrectomies (PNs) for medial tumors are technically challenging even with the hilum clamped and, until now, were impossible to perform with the hilum unclamped. Objective Evaluate whether targeted vascular microdissection (VMD) of renal artery branches allows zero-ischemia PN to be performed even for challenging medial tumors. Design, setting, and participants A prospective cohort evaluation of 44 patients with renal masses who underwent robot-assisted or laparoscopic zero-ischemia PN either with anatomic VMD (group 1; n =22) or without anatomic VMD (group 2; n =22) performed by a single surgeon from April 2010 to January 2011. Intervention Zero-ischemia PN with VMD incorporates four maneuvers: (1) preoperative computed tomographic reconstruction of renal arterial branch anatomy, (2) anatomic dissection of targeted, tumor-specific tertiary or higher-order renal arterial branches, (3) neurosurgical aneurysm microsurgical bulldog clamp(s) for superselective tumor devascularization, and (4) transient, controlled reduction of blood pressure, if necessary. Measurements Baseline, perioperative, and postoperative data were collected prospectively. Results and limitations Group 1 tumors were larger (4.3 vs 2.6cm; p =0.011), were more often hilar (41% vs 9%; p =0.09), were medial (59% and 23%; p =0.017), were closer to the hilum (1.46 vs 3.26cm; p =0.0002), and had a lower C index score (2.1 vs 3.9; p =0.004) and higher RENAL nephrometry scores (7.7 vs 6.2; p =0.013). Despite greater complexity, no group 1 tumor required hilar clamping, and perioperative outcomes were similar to those of group 2: operating room time (4.7 and 4.1h), median blood loss (200 and 100ml), surgical margins for cancer (all negative), major complications (0% and 9%), and minor complications (18% and 14%). The median serum creatinine level was similar 2 mo postoperatively (1.2 and 1.3mg/dl). The study was limited by the relatively small sample size. Conclusions Anatomic targeted dissection and superselective control of tumor-specific renal arterial branches facilitate zero-ischemia PN. Even challenging medial and hilar tumors can be excised without hilar clamping. Global surgical renal ischemia has been eliminated for most patients undergoing PN at our institution.
A hybrid epidemic model: combining the advantages of agent-based and equation-based approaches

Agent-based models (ABMs) are powerful in describing structured epidemiological processes involving human behavior and local interaction. The joint behavior of the agents can be very complex and tracking the behavior requires a disciplined approach. At the same time, equation- based models (EBMs) can be more tractable and allow for at least partial analytical insight. However, inadequate representation of the detailed population structure can lead to spurious results, especially when the epidemic process is beginning and individual variation is critical. In this paper, we demonstrate an approach that combines the two modeling paradigms and introduces a hybrid model that starts as agent-based and switches to equation-based after the number of infected individuals is large enough to support a population-averaged approach. This hybrid model can dramatically save computational times and, more fundamentally, allows for the mathematical analysis of emerging structures generated by the ABM.
Single Injections of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin or Mammalian Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone Analog at Low Dosages Induce Ovulation in White Bass

Abstract Spawning trials were conducted to determine an efficacious dosage of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and to investigate the potential of mammalian gonadotropin releasing hormone analog (mGnRHa) to induce ovulation in white bass Morone chrysops. White bass broodstock were habituated to indoor tanks and subjected over several months to photoperiod-temperature regimes simulating the seasons to induce gonadal maturation. Various hCG dosages (0, 10, 25, 50, 150, 170, 250, 280, and 830 IU/kg body weight) were tested in single injections. We demonstrated that white bass can be successfully spawned with an hCG dosage as low as 50 IU/kg. However, this dosage did not result in all fish ovulating in a subsequent trial. We found no significant differences between 150 IU hCG/kg and higher dosages in ovulation response (ovulation success and time to ovulation), egg production (number of eggs/kg), or egg quality (fertility and hatch rates). Single injection of mGnRHa at 50 μg/kg did not consistently cause ov...
Intrinsic neuronal properties control selective targeting of regenerating motoneurons

Despite advances in microsurgical techniques, recovery of motor function after peripheral nerve injury is often poor because many regenerating axons reinnervate inappropriate targets. Consequently, surgical repair must include treatment strategies that improve motor axon targeting. Development of such treatments will require a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing selective motor axon targeting. This study used a well-established model of nerve transection and repair to examine (1) whether intrinsic differences exist between different pools of motoneurons after peripheral nerve injury, (2) if such differences regulate selective axon targeting, (3) if regenerating motor axons must express polysialic acid (PSA) in order to preferentially reinnervate muscle and (4) whether brief electrical stimulation improves regeneration accuracy because it increases PSA expression on regenerating axons. We found that different motor pools differentially express PSA after injury and that the capacity to re-express PSA appears to be an intrinsic neuronal property established during development. Second, motoneuron pools not up-regulating PSA did not preferentially reinnervate muscle after injury. Third, brief electrical stimulation of the proximal nerve stump immediately after injury only improved selective motor axon targeting if the motoneurons were capable of up-regulating PSA. Finally, the benefits of stimulation were completely abolished if PSA was removed from the regenerating axons. These results indicate that (1) intrinsic neuronal differences between motor pools must be considered in the development of treatments designed to improve axon targeting and (2) therapeutics aimed at increasing PSA levels on regenerating motor axons may lead to superior functional outcomes.
Shaping Duration: Bergson and Modern Sculpture

In this article, I consider the relevance of Bergson's theory of duree for an understanding of sculpture by focusing on the work of three canonical artists in the history of twentieth-century modernism: the French Cubist Raymond Duchamp-Villon, the Italian Futurist Umberto Boccioni, and the London-based Vorticist Henri Gaudier-Brzeska. While these sculptors produced widely divergent aesthetic forms, I argue that they all endorsed Bergson's notion of duree as a spontaneous process of qualitative differentiation. These artists reconfigured their medium in terms of Bergson's process philosophy, whether in the guise of an artists’ generative imagination (Duchamp-Villon), representations of the human body as a living center of indetermination (Boccioni), or the act of direct carving as an intuitive response to a sculptor's chosen material (Gaudier-Brzeska). These Bergsonian paradigms enable us to reassess Jack Burnham's evaluation of Bergson's impact in his seminal text Beyond Modern Sculpture: The Effects of ...
In Vivo Gas Body Efficacy for Glomerular Capillary Hemorrhage Induced by Diagnostic Ultrasound in Rats

Glomerular capillary hemorrhage (GCH) in rat kidney provided a model for assessing in vivo gas body efficacy in diagnostic or therapeutic applications of ultrasound. Two diagnostic ultrasound machines were utilized: one monitored the harmonic B-mode contrast enhancement of the left kidney and the other exposed the right kidney for GCH production. Definity contrast agent was infused at 1, 2, 5, or 10 ?L/(kg·min) and infusion durations were 30, 60, 120, or 300 s. Exposure of the right kidney was at a peak rarefactional pressure amplitude of 2.3 MPa at 1.5 MHz. The circulating dose was estimated with a simple model of agent dilution and gas body loss. For 300 s infusion at 5 ?L/(kg·min), the left kidney image brightness increased to a plateau with an estimated 6.4 ± 1.3 ?L/kg circulating dose with no GCH in histological sections. Exposure of the right kidney with a 1-s image interval reduced the estimated circulating dose to 1.3 ± 0.3 ? L/kg and induced 68.4% GCH. Dose and duration increases gave rapidly diminishing treatment effectiveness per gas body. The effective in vivo agent dose in rats can be reduced greatly due to high gas body destruction in the small animal, complicating predictions for similar conditions of human treatment.
Taste and pheromone perception in mammals and flies

The olfactory systems of insects and mammals have analogous anatomical features and use similar molecular logic for olfactory coding. The molecular underpinnings of the chemosensory systems that detect taste and pheromone cues have only recently been characterized. Comparison of these systems in Drosophila and mouse uncovers clear differences and a few surprising similarities.
Minding the Gap: Connexin40 at the Heart of Renin Release

A key component of the kidney’s ability to maintain body fluid homeostasis resides in one of its endocrine functions: the production of renin. Control of renin release by renal juxtaglomerular (JG) cells serves to regulate the renin-angiotensin system, 1 which is of critical importance for extracellular fluid volume and BP regulation. Physiologic control of renin release is influenced by three major variables: renal sympathetic nerve activity, sodium chloride delivery to the macula densa, and renal perfusion pressure. Although the nature of the renal baroreceptor has been deliberated for nearly40years, 2 themolecularmechanismsunderlyingpressure control of renin release have remained elusive. Previous workbyKurtzandcolleagues 3–5 andothers 6 hasestablisheda keyroleforconnexinproteinsinthisprocess.Muchhasbeen learned from transgenic mouse models with alterations in connexins, including globally-deficient connexin40 (Cx40) knockout mice, 5,6,7 renin cell-specific Cx40 knockout mice, 3 and now from mice expressing a novel point mutation in Cx40, as reported in this issue of JASN. 8 Disruption of Cx40 leads to loss of pressure control of renin secretion and devel
Nitrate-Reducing Bacteria at the Nitrate and Radionuclide Contaminated Oak Ridge Integrated Field Research Challenge Site: A Review

Mining and enrichment of uranium (U) for nuclear weapons and energy has left this radionuclide an important groundwater contaminant in the United States and worldwide. The use of nitric acid in these processes has also resulted in low pH and high nitrate concentrations in U-contaminated subsurface sediments. This presents problems for bioremediation strategies to control the migration of U in groundwater, usually achieved through microbial reduction of soluble U(VI) to insoluble U(IV) upon electron donor addition to the subsurface. Nitrate, which serves as a competitive electron acceptor in the subsurface, can inhibit or retard U(VI) reduction efforts; as well, intermediates of nitrate respiration (or denitrification), such as nitrite, can lead to U(IV) oxidation and remobilization. The Integrated Field Research Challenge site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee provides an ideal location to address the challenges nitrate poses to uranium bioreduction as the site encompasses several different geochemical conditions: ...
Evolution of columns, modules, and domains in the neocortex of primates

The specialized regions of neocortex of mammals, called areas, have been divided into smaller functional units called minicolumns, columns, modules, and domains. Here we describe some of these functional subdivisions of areas in primates and suggest when they emerged in mammalian evolution. We distinguish several types of these smaller subdivisions. Minicolumns, vertical arrays of neurons that are more densely interconnected with each other than with laterally neighboring neurons, are present in all cortical areas. Classic columns are defined by a repeating pattern of two or more types of cortex distinguished by having different inputs and neurons with different response properties. Sensory stimuli that continuously vary along a stimulus dimension may activate groups of neurons that vary continuously in location, producing “columns” without specific boundaries. Other groups or columns of cortical neurons are separated by narrow septa of fibers that reflect discontinuities in the receptor sheet. Larger regions of posterior parietal cortex and frontal motor cortex are parts of networks devoted to producing different sequences of movements. We distinguish these larger functionally distinct regions as domains. Columns of several types have evolved independently a number of times. Some of the columns found in primates likely emerged with the first primates, whereas others likely were present in earlier ancestors. The sizes and shapes of columns seem to depend on the balance of neuron activation patterns and molecular signals during development.
Conflict between Place and Response Navigation Strategies: Effects on Vicarious Trial and Error (VTE) Behaviors.

Navigation can be accomplished through multiple decision-making strategies, using different information-processing computations. A well-studied dichotomy in these decision-making strategies compares hippocampal-dependent "place" and dorsal-lateral striatal-dependent "response" strategies. A place strategy depends on the ability to flexibly respond to environmental cues, while a response strategy depends on the ability to quickly recognize and react to situations with well-learned action-outcome relationships. When rats reach decision points, they sometimes pause and orient toward the potential routes of travel, a process termed vicarious trial and error (VTE). VTE co-occurs with neurophysiological information processing, including sweeps of representation ahead of the animal in the hippocampus and transient representations of reward in the ventral striatum and orbitofrontal cortex. To examine the relationship between VTE and the place/response strategy dichotomy, we analyzed data in which rats were cued to switch between place and response strategies on a plus maze. The configuration of the maze allowed for place and response strategies to work competitively or cooperatively. Animals showed increased VTE on trials entailing competition between navigational systems, linking VTE with deliberative decision-making. Even in a well-learned task, VTE was preferentially exhibited when a spatial selection was required, further linking VTE behavior with decision-making associated with hippocampal processing.
Coconut oil and sesame oil affect lymphatic absorption of cholesterol and fatty acids in rats

Five groups of male Wistar rats weighing approximately 200 g consumed 12 or 24% sesame oil or coconut oil diets or a control diet (14% corn oil) ad libitum for 4 wk. The thoracic ducts of these rats were cannulated, and a lipid emulsion containing [3H]cholesterol and [14C]oleic acid was given through a duodenal catheter. Lymph was collected for 24 h and the isotopic tracers for cholesterol and fatty acid were measured. Rats fed the 24% sesame oil diet had significantly lower lymphatic cholesterol and fatty acid compared with the control group. Absorption of oleic acid in rats fed 24% coconut oil was significantly greater than in controls during 0-8 h but was not significantly different during 0-24 h. There were no differences among groups in the distribution of cholesterol and oleic acid either in the lymph lipoproteins or in the lipid classes. The significant reduction in lymph cholesterol and fatty acids due to sesame oil feeding may be an important factor in reducing hypercholesterolemia.
Total laparoscopic hysterectomy and laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy

Laparoscopic hysterectomy was first performed in 1989 and has become one of the procedures that may be offered to women with significant gynecologic symptoms. This article describes alternatives to hysterectomy, indications for laparoscopic hysterectomy, and outcomes and complications of laparoscopic hysterectomy as compared with vaginal and abdominal hysterectomy. Surgical technique for both total and supracervical hysterectomy are described as well as the learning curve, training, and credentialing for these procedures.
Multiattributional Causality: A Five Cross-National Samples Study

This study elaborated upon the internal-external locus of control dimension in cross-national achievement research by including a measure of a stable-unstable dimension, four individual causal attributions (ability, effort, context, and luck), and success and failure conditions. Subjects were 684 university students from India, Japan, South Africa, the United States, and Yugoslavia, majoring in education, social science, and physical science. Results supported the usefulness of this expanded perspective in understanding beliefs of responsibility for achievement outcomes. Subjects across all countries attributed their achievement more to their own effort (internal, unstable) than to ability, luck, or context. Differences among countries were significant for attributions to ability, context, and luck and for the stability composite. Differences among the countries for effort attributions and overall internality were not statistically significant. Across countries individuals made differential attributions d...
Subtidal variability of estuarine outflow, plume, and coastal current: a model study

Abstract The time evolution of an estuary plume and its coastal front over a continental shelf is numerically calculated here using a three-dimensional model with eddy mixing based on the turbulence kinetic energy closure. The plume and front system is found to be unsteady with a natural period of about 5–10 days, during which the plume pulsates and intermittent coastal currents propagate down the coast.
Cocaine Hydrolase Gene Transfer Demonstrates Cardiac Safety and Efficacy against Cocaine-Induced QT Prolongation in Mice

Cocaine addiction is associated with devastating medical consequences, including cardiotoxicity and risk-conferring prolongation of the QT interval. Viral gene transfer of cocaine hydrolase engineered from butyrylcholinesterase offers therapeutic promise for treatment-seeking drug users. Although previous preclinical studies have demonstrated benefits of this strategy without signs of toxicity, the specific cardiac safety and efficacy of engineered butyrylcholinesterase viral delivery remains unknown. Here, telemetric recording of electrocardiograms from awake, unrestrained mice receiving a course of moderately large cocaine doses (30 mg/kg, twice daily for 3 weeks) revealed protection against a 2-fold prolongation of the QT interval conferred by pretreatment with cocaine hydrolase vector. By itself, this prophylactic treatment did not affect QT interval duration or cardiac structure, demonstrating that viral delivery of cocaine hydrolase has no intrinsic cardiac toxicity and, on the contrary, actively protects against cocaine-induced QT prolongation.
Probable plesiosaur gastroliths from the basal Kiowa Shale (Early Cretaceous) of Kiowa County, Kansas

Abstract Rounded and polished igneous or metamorphic pebbles that occur in sedimentary deposits generally are considered to be true gastroliths only when associated with the remains of vertebrate animals. In the Kansas Cretaceous, with the exception of two unusual specimens, a shark and a mosasaur, gastroliths are known to be associated only with the remains of extinct marine reptiles called plesiosaurs (Sauropterygia; Plesiosauroidea). Examples of non-associated, gastrolith-like stones are rare in the fossil record of Kansas. The recent discovery of rounded and polished stones from two localities in the basal Kiowa Shale (Albian, Early Cretaceous) coincides with the documented presence of plesiosaur remains in that formation, including one specimen associated with over 200 gastroliths. Similar sized stones collected from the underlying Cheyenne Sandstone were composed predominately of quartz and are lithologically distinct from the probable gastroliths. The rounded, polished appearance of these stones, i...
Trends in complications and outcomes of patients undergoing transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement: Experience from the PARTNER continued access registry

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to examine trends in the rates of complications and outcomes of patients undergoing transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TF-TAVR). Background It is unknown whether an evolution of case selection or accrual of case experience over time has resulted in a change in the rates of complications and outcomes of patients undergoing TF-TAVR. Methods TF-TAVR patients enrolled in the PARTNER (Placement of AoRTic TraNscathetER Valve Trial) nonrandomized continued access registry (N = 1,063, enrolled March 2011 to January 2012 after completion of the randomized trial) were divided into tertiles (T1 through T3) based on enrollment date. Patient characteristics and rates of adverse events were compared over time. Results There were no significant differences in sex, New York Heart Association functional classes III/IV, diabetes, coronary artery disease, previous revascularization, pulmonary hypertension, renal disease, or liver disease. There was an increase in mean age, but a decrease in porcelain aorta, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (including oxygen-dependent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), previous chest wall radiation, and a slight decrease in the median Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality score. There was a significant decline in the frequency of patients deemed “inoperable” (cohort B) and in need for post-dilation. Percutaneous access increased significantly. There were no differences in post-procedural stroke, major bleeding, major vascular complications, or the need for aortic valve reintervention over time. The incidence of moderate/severe paravalvular regurgitation declined significantly as did all-cause mortality at 1 and 2 years. Conclusions A significant reduction in the incidence of moderate/severe paravalvular regurgitation as well as longer term all-cause mortality was observed over time. The cause of these reductions was likely multifactorial, including improved case selection and procedural techniques and increased site experience. (THE PARTNER TRIAL [Placement of AoRTic TraNscathetER Valve Trial]; NCT00530894 )
Advances in Imaging of Vertebral and Spinal Cord Injury

AbstractBackground/Objectives: Imaging technology is an important part of the diagnosis and management of spinal trauma. Indications and findings in post-traumatic imaging of the vertebral column and spinal cord are reviewed.Methods: An extensive literature review was performed on the imaging of vertebral and spinal cord injury. Relevant images from a Level I trauma center were included as examples.Results: Imaging plays an important role in the evaluation of acute and chronic spinal injury. Spinal cord and soft-tissue injuries are best evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), whereas spinal fractures are better characterized by computed tomography (CT). Vascular injuries can be evaluated using CT or MR angiography.Conclusions: Imaging using CT and MRI is essential in the management of spinal cord injuries, both in the acute and in the chronic settings. MRI shows the status of ligamentous integrity and visualizes internal derangement of the spinal cord. Vascular compromise can be diagnosed by MR and...
Smart Shopping and the African American Consumer

Since the early 1960’s, for many disciplines in the academy, the cognitive skills of African Americans has been a sensitive, if not taboo, subject Arguably many well intentioned researchers and theorist in marketing have shied away from exploring the full behavioral components (cognitive and affective) of the African American consumer. Few major marketing journals have published much about the African American consumer, let alone tackle issues in the cognitive realm, Indeed, much of the work published has predominantly dealt with African American shopping patterns, response to advertising mediums and layouts demographics, social-economic issues (e.g., Do African Americans pay more? Are they treated differently by retailers and dealers?). Relegating research and conceptualization to African American’s activities, interest, opinions, and attitudes concerning marketing strategy at the omission of studying African American’s cognitive marketplace skill levels, is intellectually dishonest and, worst yet, deprives thoughtful marketing academics, practitioners, and even public policy analysts important theoretical and empirical ground for analysis and decision making.
Rural Coöperative Credit in China A Record of Seven Years of Experimentation

Spread of Raiffeisen type to the Orient, 484. — Famine the impetus to the movement in China, 485. — The model constitution of 1923, 486. — The Central Bank and its policy, 487. — Its educational activities, 489. — Credit unions, 491. — Growth of cooperatives, 491. — Status and purpose of loans, 492. — Comparative cost of loans, 495. — The outlook, 496.
Glioblastoma Presenting with Pure Alexia and Palinopsia Involving the Left Inferior Occipital Gyrus and Visual Word Form Area Evaluated with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Tractography

Background Rapid word recognition and reading fluency is a specialized cortical process governed by the visual word form area (VWFA), which is localized to the dominant posterior lateral occipitotemporal sulcus/fusiform gyrus. A lesion of the VWFA results in pure alexia without agraphia characterized by letter-by-letter reading. Palinopsia is a visual processing distortion characterized by persistent afterimages and has been reported in lesions involving the nondominant occipitotemporal cortex. Case Description A 67-year-old right-handed woman with no neurologic history presented to our emergency department with acute cortical ischemic symptoms that began with a transient episode of receptive aphasia. She also reported inability to read, albeit with retained writing ability. She also saw afterimages of objects. During her stroke workup, an intra-axial circumscribed enhancing mass lesion was discovered involving her dominant posterolateral occipitotemporal lobe. Given the eloquent brain involvement, she underwent preoperative functional magnetic resonance imaging with diffusion tensor imaging tractography and awake craniotomy to maximize resection and preserve function. Conclusions Many organic lesions involving these regions have been reported in the literature, but to the best of our knowledge, glioblastoma involving the VWFA resulting in both clinical syndromes of pure alexia and palinopsia with superimposed functional magnetic resonance imaging and fiber tract mapping has never been reported before.
Blinded by the whites: why race still matters in 21st-century America

For many Americans, Barack Obama's election in 2008 as the first African-American president of the United States sealed the reality of the country's post-racialism. He was a new type of president f...
The community FabLab platform: applications and implications in biomedical engineering

Skill development in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education present one of the most formidable challenges of modern society. The Community FabLab platform presents a viable solution. Each FabLab contains a suite of modern computer numerical control (CNC) equipment, electronics and computing hardware and design, programming, computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided machining (CAM) software. FabLabs are community and educational resources and open to the public. Development of STEM based workforce skills such as digital fabrication and advanced manufacturing can be enhanced using this platform. Particularly notable is the potential of the FabLab platform in STEM education. The active learning environment engages and supports a diversity of learners, while the iterative learning that is supported by the FabLab rapid prototyping platform facilitates depth of understanding, creativity, innovation and mastery. The product and project based learning that occurs in FabLabs develops in the student a personal sense of accomplishment, self-awareness, command of the material and technology. This helps build the interest and confidence necessary to excel in STEM and throughout life. Finally the introduction and use of relevant technologies at every stage of the education process ensures technical familiarity and a broad knowledge base needed for work in STEM based fields. Biomedical engineering education strives to cultivate broad technical adeptness, creativity, interdisciplinary thought, and an ability to form deep conceptual understanding of complex systems. The FabLab platform is well designed to enhance biomedical engineering education.
Cardiovascular Differences Between High and Low Blood Pressure Chickens

Abstract Sturkie et al. (1956) were the first to show evidence of a relationship between mortality and level of blood pressure in chickens. Later it was shown (Sturkie and Textor, 1961) that birds with low blood pressure were more susceptible to certain physical stresses than birds exhibiting either normal or high blood pressure. Consequently, it was deemed worthwhile to examine other hemodynamic differences, such as cardiac output and peripheral resistance, between high- and low-blood-pressure birds. PROCEDURE Cardiac outputs were determined on males and females (12–18 months of age) by the Hamilton dye-dilution method as adapted for chickens (Sturkie and Vogel, 1959), except that a Waters continuous flow densitometer and indocyanine green were used. Total peripheral resistance (TPR) was calculated by dividing mean blood pressure by cardiac output and is expressed as relative units per kg of body weight. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The results are shown in Table 1. The cardiac outputs …
Metabolism of Muscle of Cockroach Blaberus giganteus

Red coxal and femoral muscles and white tibial muscles from meso- and metathoracic legs of adult Blaberus giganteus (L.) were studied. Oxygen consumption was measured in Ca++ and glucose-free Pringle-phosphate buffer, pH 6.8, in 20% 02 at 25°C. The effects of added substrates, 0.01 M glucose, 0.01 M pyruvate, 0.01 M succinate, 0.03 M malonate, and 0.003 M fumarate, on male and female oxidative metabolism were compared. Glycogen content was determined; mitochondria were isolated and counted. Oxygen consumption was significantly higher in red than in white muscles. Between the sexes, differences were slight in oxidative metabolism of mixed red and white muscles. Incremental increases in oxygen uptake were substantial in the presence of each added substrate except malonate. The degree of respiratory inhibition differed only slightly between the sexes but markedly between age groups. In general, the results appear to be correlated with a higher concentration of mitochondria, enzymes, and substrates in red than in white muscle. Other implications are considered.
Regulation of energy metabolism and maintenance of metabolic homeostasis: the adiponectin story after 20 years

Thecurrentobesityepidemicanditsmajorsequelae, includingtype2diabetes,atherosclerosis,andcardiovascular diseases, threaten human health, productivity, and life quality. Recent studies, which continue tofurtherclarifythemolecularbasisofthesediseases, aim to ultimately provide a path to better diagnoses and therapies for disease prevention and reversal. Insulin resistance is a defining feature of obesitylinked type 2 diabetes and nearly always coexists withreducedplasmaadiponectinlevelsandaconstellationofotherabnormalitiesthatincreasetherisksfor
The effects of scene walkthrough on nurses' coordination abilities of emergency department during obstetrics branch relocation

Objectives To investigate the effects of scene walkthrough on nurses' coordination ability of emergency department during obstetrics branch relocation. Methods The exercise schemes of nurse were constituted by nursing department according the general schemes of relocation designed by medical department of our hospital.20 nurses of emergency department were enrolled in the scene walkthrough of relocation. Those "three basic" knowledge and nursing skills were assessed before and after scene walkthrough of relocation of obstetric and neonatal paediatrics.The nurses' s coordination abilities during scene walkthrough and actual removal were evaluated and summarized. Results Scene walkthrough may improve the nurses' levels of "three basic" knowledge and nursing skills.The abilities of nursing,emergency and communication significantly increased,and problems significantly decreased in actual removal.Conclusion Scene walkthrough might improve nurses' coordination abilities of emergency department during obstetrics branch relocation.
Testing Automated Call-Recognition Software for Winter Bird Vocalizations

Abstract Automated recording devices and call-recognition software are technologies available to survey vocal fauna. We evaluated the Song Scope® call-recognition software designed by Wildlife Acoustics to automatically identify vocalizations of 3 North American winter bird species. We used a Wildlife Acoustics SM-2 automated recorder to record winter avian vocalizations and then screened these field recordings using the Wildlife Acoustics Song Scope software programmed with recognition models, or recognizers, we created. Song Scope correctly identified an average 39% of target vocalizations to species using featured recognizers, with some recognizers performing better than others (accuracy range = 20–59%). Screening a 10-h field recording with Song Scope took an average of 7 minutes per recognizer. Call-recognition software can be used to survey vocal species; however, when biologists use this software to determine species presence or density, they need to be aware of potential bias in survey results bec...
Nitrogen fertilization challenges the climate benefit of cellulosic biofuels

Cellulosic biofuels are intended to improve future energy and climate security. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer is commonly recommended to stimulate yields but can increase losses of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) and other forms of reactive N, including nitrate. We measured soil N2O emissions and nitrate leaching along a switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) high resolution N-fertilizer gradient for three years post-establishment. Results revealed an exponential increase in annual N2O emissions that each year became stronger (R 2 > 0.9, P < 0.001) and deviated further from the fixed percentage assumed for IPCC Tier 1 emission factors. Concomitantly, switchgrass yields became less responsive each year to N fertilizer. Nitrate leaching (and calculated indirect N2O emissions) also increased exponentially in response to N inputs, but neither methane (CH4) uptake nor soil organic carbon changed detectably. Overall, N fertilizer inputs at rates greater than crop need curtailed the climate benefit of ethanol production almost two-fold, from a maximum mitigation capacity of −5.71 ± 0.22 Mg CO2e ha−1 yr−1 in switchgrass fertilized at 56 kg N ha−1 to only −2.97 ± 0.18 Mg CO2e ha−1 yr−1 in switchgrass fertilized at 196 kg N ha−1. Minimizing N fertilizer use will be an important strategy for fully realizing the climate benefits of cellulosic biofuel production.
Texturing Space, Emplacing Gender: Claudia Mendez's “Constructing History, Constructing Identities”

In March 2012 a temporary exposition took place in Mexico’s Palacio de Bellas Artes, the Palace of Fine Arts (PBA)—a space that, upon its inauguration in 1934, was heralded as a crucial site throug...
SV40 Chromatin Structure

Some features of the 80S nucleoprotein extracted from the nuclei of SV40-infected cells have been explored. A region of the SV40 genome including the origin of replication and about 400 base pairs of adjacent sequence is contained in an altered chromatin structure, rendering it hypersensitive to endonuclease digestion and accessible to exonuclease digestion once an endonucleolytic cut has been introduced. DNA sequences within this region are responsible for the nuclease-sensitive configuration. At least two genetic elements, each of which can generate a hypersensitive site, have been mapped to the region between nucleotide positions 37 and 287. Insertion of segments of DNA at position 37/38 does not disrupt the hypersensitive site but moves it away from the origin of replication. Insertion of 90 base pairs or more causes the origin to lie outside the hypersensitive site and the resulting genome replicates inefficiently. This result suggests that efficient functioning of the viral replication origin may depend on location within a hypersensitive site in the chromatin. The same may be true for viral promoters although the genetic evidence is incomplete.
Product Bundling: a Normative Model Based on an Orientation Perspective

This paper synthesizes the existing bundling literature into a conceptual framework and suggests a propositional inventory for the bundling/unbundling decision.The objective is to take a first step toward building a theory of product bundling.
Brain Lesion Analysis in Clinical Research

Brain lesion analysis has been used in clinical research for more than a century. From the discoveries of Broca and Wernicke to the offerings of modern neuroimaging, the method of lesion analysis has been the source of current theories regarding the processing of language in the brain. This chapter discusses current methodological issues in lesion analysis and reviews work in this area since 1990. Moving beyond attempts to localize aphasia syndromes, lesion analysis is now exploring the specific deficits within such areas as semantics, syntax, and speech production and is beginning to guide in the diagnosis and prognosis of aphasic patients.
The Battle Against Counterfeit Products: Dealers’ Willingness to Help Manufacturers Fight Counterfeiters

Counterfeiting of products is a growing problem in the United States, a threat to both the success of business firms and the welfare of consumers. Manufacturers are mounting programs to combat counterfeiting, and these programs depend importantly on the participation of their dealer network• This study found dealers’ willingness to help manufacturers is positively associated with dealers' Dependence on and Satisfaction with these manufacturers, and negatively associated with their perceptions of channel conflict and manufacturers’ control over them. These findings suggest several channels strategy implications for manufacturers who seek to enlist the help of their distributors in fighting counterfeiting.
Sparse Polynomial Interpolation by Variable Shift in the Presence of Noise and Outliers in the Evaluations

We compute approximate sparse polynomial models of the form \(\widetilde{f}(x) = \sum _{j=1}^t \widetilde{c}_j (x - \widetilde{s})^{e_j}\) to a function \(f(x)\), of which an approximation of the evaluation \(f(\zeta )\) at any complex argument value \(\zeta \) can be obtained. We assume that several of the returned function evaluations \(f(\zeta )\) are perturbed not just by approximation/noise errors but also by highly perturbed outliers. None of the \(\widetilde{c}_j\), \(\widetilde{s}\), \(e_j\) and the location of the outliers are known beforehand. We use a numerical version of an exact algorithm by [4] together with a numerical version of the Reed–Solomon error correcting coding algorithm. We also compare with a simpler approach based on root finding of derivatives, while restricted to characteristic \(0\). In this preliminary report, we discuss how some of the problems of numerical instability and ill-conditioning in the arising optimization problems can be overcome. By way of experiments, we show that our techniques can recover approximate sparse shifted polynomial models, provided that there are few terms \(t\), few outliers and that the sparse shift is relatively small.
Hatha Yoga Practice Improves Attention and Processing Speed in Older Adults: Results from an 8-Week Randomized Control Trial

Abstract Background: Age-related cognitive decline is well documented across various aspects of cognitive function, including attention and processing speed, and lifestyle behaviors such as physical activity play an important role in preventing cognitive decline and maintaining or even improving cognitive function. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an 8-week Hatha yoga intervention on attention and processing speed among older adults. Methods: Participants (n = 118; mean age, 62 ± 5.59) were randomly assigned to an 8-week Hatha yoga group or a stretching control group and completed cognitive assessments—Attention Network Task, Trail Making Test parts A and B, and Pattern Comparison Test—at baseline and after the 8-week intervention. Results: Analyses of covariance revealed significantly faster reaction times for the yoga group on the Attention Network Task's neutral, congruent, and incongruent conditions (p ≤ 0.04). The yoga intervention also improved participants' visuospa...
Mononuclear Phagocytes Are Dispensable for Cardiac Remodeling in Established Pressure-Overload Heart Failure

Background Although cardiac and splenic mononuclear phagocytes (MPs), i.e., monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs), are key contributors to cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction, their role in pressure-overload remodeling is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that these immune cells are required for the progression of remodeling in pressure-overload heart failure (HF), and that MP depletion would ameliorate remodeling.
A Self-Determination Perspective on Self-Regulation across the Life Span

As a core component of human functioning, self-regulation has persisted as a focus of psychological inquiry since the field’s inception. The study of self-regulation plays a central role in understanding the development of self-determination, particularly within the context of initiating and sustaining agentic action. This chapter examines the role of self-regulation in self-determination, explores uses of the self-regulation construct in psychology, and examines how theories of self-regulation relate to and differ from self-determination and, specifically, Self-Determination Theory. The chapter examines a continuum of regulation ‘types’ that range from extrinsically motivated to intrinsically and autonomously motivated, then concludes with a discussion of the development of self-regulation across multiple age spans.
Preference and Choice-Expression

Under Causal Agency Theory, volitional action is based on conscious choices that reflect one’s preferences. Conscious choices are intentionally conceived, deliberate acts that occur without direct external influence. The expression of preference and choice making are critical components of this process. This chapter reviews the literature in preference and choice making as it pertains to human agentic action and self-determination and provide a description of the development of these skills.
Fertility and urban context: A case study from Ghana, West Africa, using remotely sensed imagery and GIS

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest levels of fertility in the world, despite rapid urban growth in most nations of the region. While there are many reasons for the fact that fertility decline is slow in Africa, we hypothesize that the relationship between fertility and urbanization is obscured by the fact that urbanization takes place along a gradient. In the most urban places (e.g., neighborhoods of the largest cities), fertility is apt to be very low, but most urban residents are residing in places that are somewhere along a continuum from completely rural to the most urban possible. All previous attempts to define that urban gradient and relate it to fertility levels rely in one form or another on census data. Because sub-Saharan-African countries are among the least prolific in terms of census gathering, a measure that relies solely on satellite imagery to gage a place's position along the urban gradient could be extremely useful. This paper describes a methodology for doing this and then uses data from the West African country of Ghana to examine how spatial patterns of land cover are associated with fertility. Satellite imagery and landscape metrics are used to create an urban context definition based on landscape patterns using a gradient approach. Census data are used to model the association between urban context and fertility through ordinary least square regression and spatial autoregressive models. Results indicate that there are significant differences in fertility between different urban contexts.