cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
P130 Improving Student Engagement and Learning Environment Through Formative Assessment of an Online, Advanced Nutrition Course

Objective To conduct formative assessment to improve online learning environment for an advanced nutrition course. Use of Theory or Research Utilizing aspects of Theory of Instructional Design, formative assessment was conducted to engage students in a web-delivered advanced nutrition course. Previous research is generally based on online introductory nutrition courses but there exists a gap with web-based, advanced nutrition courses. Target Audience Undergraduate Students Program Description The three-credit, advanced nutrition course was taught to graduating Dietetics seniors (n = 44) and was delivered online. Students were engaged via various activities including case studies/worksheets, blogs/discussion forums, group projects, exams/quizzes, essays/writing projects, multiple short videos/lectures with PowerPoint slides, long video lecture, research articles, and reading book chapter/assigned pages. Evaluation Methods Online survey administered to students (n = 29, response rate = 65.9%) which included four quantitative and one qualitative question to assess engagement and improvement in online delivery Results Of the nine media of teaching and learning assessment, students ranked (1 = highest, 9 = lowest) multiple short videos as most preferred (mean ± SD = 2.43 ± 2.01) followed by case studies/worksheets (3.46 ± 1.43). Lowest ranked were group projects (7.43 ± 2.03) with second lowest being essays/writing projects (7.04 ± 2.01). With regards to online exam administration, 100% of the students preferred to have timed exams available over a number of days. Furthermore, students (62.07%) found the online delivery format easy or extremely easy to follow. Only 24.14% students preferred in-person instruction with majority preferring the online format in various degrees. Via an open-ended question, the students provided suggestions to improve online delivery of the course such as utilizing different types of instructional methods, elimination of group projects, provision of study guides and reminders/feedback and live lectures with questions and answers. Conclusion Formative assessment is an effective and feasible method to improve student engagement in an advanced, online nutrition course. More pedagogical research is needed for comparing online vs. face-to-face instruction for advanced nutrition courses. Funding None.
Evaluating Domestic Sheep Survival with Different Breeds of Livestock Guardian Dogs

Abstract Livestock guard dogs (LGDs; Canis familiaris) have been widely adopted by domestic sheep (Ovis aries) producers because they reduce predation by wild carnivores. LGDs were originally used in the United States to reduce coyote (Canis latrans) depredations, but their efficacy against a suite of large carnivores, including wolves (Canis lupus), brown bears (Ursus arctos), black bears (Ursus americanus), and cougars (Puma concolor), and whether specific breeds perform better than others remains unclear. To assess breed-specific effectiveness at reducing depredations from a suite of livestock predators, we compared survival rates of sheep protected by different breeds of LGDs, including three breeds from Europe (Turkish kangal, Bulgarian karakachan, and Portuguese cao de gado transmontano) and mixed-breed LGDs, “whitedog,” common in the United States. With the help of participating sheep producers, we collected cause-specific mortality data from domestic sheep in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Wyoming between 2013 and 2016. All three of the novel breeds of LGD tested were associated with overall reductions in sheep depredation relative to whitedogs, ranging from 61% to 95% (P
Weight loss and co-morbidity resolution between different races and ethnicities after gastric bypass.

Abstract Background Several studies have demonstrated that minorities and Hispanic ethnicities have disproportionally greater burden of morbid obesity in the United States. However, the majority of bariatric procedures are performed in the non-Hispanic white population. Objectives The objective of this study was to investigate the weight loss and remission of obesity-related co-morbidities based on race and ethnicity. Setting The Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery prospective, multicenter, observational study was used to collect patients from 10 different health centers across the United States. Methods Retrospective analysis of a prospective, multicenter, observational study over a 5-year follow-up. Results All patients who underwent primary gastric bypass and provided racial/ethnic information were included in the study (n = 1695). Regardless of race or ethnicity, total weight loss was maintained over a 5-year follow-up, which included 87% of the original cohort. However, whites had on average 1.94% higher adjusted total weight loss compared with blacks (P Conclusion All patients regardless of race or ethnicity have significant and sustained total weight loss and resolution of co-morbidities after gastric bypass at 5-year follow-up.
Enchantment in psychiatric medicine.

Abstract Max Weber’s 1918 essay “Science as a Vocation” posits that increasing scientific knowledge has contributed to a disenchantment of the natural world. His argument has implications for medicine, an applied science aimed at the improvement of health, including psychiatric medicine. Using Weber’s argument, this paper discusses the ambivalent relationship psychiatry has with technology. On one hand, based on the historical roots of the specialty and the influence of psychodynamic psychotherapy, psychiatrists believe themselves to be masters of the invisible space between physicians and their patients. They claim to have the skills and insight that enable them to establish a unique kind of relationship in which communication not only allows them to diagnose, but also to heal through a variety of psychotherapeutic techniques. As a result, many psychiatrists are wary of the introduction of technology into therapeutic setting and the potential for this type of communication to be disrupted or diminished in value, often basing their concern on the ways in which technology has been witnessed to be “disenchanting” in other medical specialties. On the other hand, others see the future practice of psychiatry best guided through whole-hearted embrace of brain-based medical technology, which has been stunted by the complexity of the brain and relative lack of research funding compared to other medical specialties. This discussion within the field is timely, as on the horizon lies the holy grail of technological advancement for psychiatric practice: definitive biomarkers to diagnose mental illness and provide individualized treatments.
Gender Perspective on Drivers of Cigarette Smoking: Two Part Model Approach

An estimated 2.5 million Kenyans which is over 11 percent of the country’s adult population currently use tobacco thus informing the need to take strong action to reduce tobacco use. Therefore, this study conducted a gender analysis on drivers of cigarette smoking in Kenya. The study heavily relied on data from Kenya Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2014. Specifically, two-part model was used to establish the effect of demographic and psychosocial drivers on both smoking participation and intensity among men and women. The study found that price of cigarette had an insignificant effect on men participation in smoking while age and years spent in education had a significant and negative effect on women smoking participation. Smoking rules inside home had a negative effect on women participation in smoking while smoking policy at indoor work place had a negative and significant effect on men smoking participation. Overally, cigarette tax adjustment had a negative and significant effect on both men and women participation in smoking. Work status had a negative and very significant effect on both men and women smoking intensity. The findings, therefore, confirmed the significant effect of smoking policy and cigarette tax adjustment on both smoking participation and smoking intensity among men and women.
Fitness benefits to intrasexual aggression in female house wrens, Troglodytes aedon

Males frequently compete for access to mates, sometimes at a cost to parental behaviour and self-maintenance. Theory predicts that aggressive competition among females should be less common and intense due to a trade-off between competition and future reproductive investment. However, the consequences of female aggression across the reproductive cycle are unknown in many species. In this study, we addressed four questions about female intrasexual aggression in the house wren. (1) Does intrasexual aggression help females during periods of increased competition over breeding resources? (2) Do aggressive females have higher-quality mates? (3) Do aggressive females invest less in reproduction? (4) Does female aggression affect offspring size and survival? We experimentally increased competition over nestboxes in one year by evicting a subset of birds. Females that were more aggressive during previous simulated female intrusions protected more eggs from house wren ovicide, which increased following our manipulation. In two other years, we monitored the mating patterns and reproductive performance of females. Aggressive females had mates that provided more direct benefits in the form of nestling provisioning. They did not invest less in reproduction and, in fact, provisioned their nestlings more frequently. As a result, aggressive females had heavier offspring at multiple points during development. The offspring of more aggressive females were also more likely to fledge. Overall, female aggression appeared to have fitness benefits directly following an experimental increase in competition and throughout the reproductive cycle in nonexperimental years.
Membrane-mediated ligand unbinding of the PK-11195 ligand from the translocator protein (TSPO)

The translocator protein (TSPO), previously known as the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor, is of longstanding medical interest as both a biomarker for neuroinjury and a potential drug target for neuroinflammation and other disorders. Recently it was shown that ligand residence time is a key factor determining steroidogenic efficacy of TSPO-binding compounds. This spurs interest in simulations of (un)binding pathways of TSPO ligands, which could reveal the molecular interactions governing ligand residence time. In this study, we use a weighted ensemble algorithm to determine the unbinding pathway for different poses of PK-11195, a TSPO ligand used in neuroimaging. In contrast with previous studies, our results show that PK-11195 does not dissociate directly into solvent but instead dissociates via the lipid membrane by going between the trans-membrane helices. We analyze this path ensemble in detail, constructing descriptors that can facilitate a general understanding of membrane-mediated ligand binding.
Quality of Life Assessment of Severely Visually Impaired Individuals Using Aira Assistive Technology System.

Purpose To assess patient-reported quality of life outcome improvements in severely visually impaired (SVI) individuals using the Aira system over a 1-year follow-up period. Methods Aira is an on-demand assistive technology designed for SVI. Aira subscribers were recruited and administered the validated 28-item Impact of Vision Impairment-Very Low Vision Questionnaire by phone before starting Aira with follow-ups at 3 months and 1 year. Total score and validated subset scores of activities of daily living, mobility, and safety (ADLMS) and emotional well-being (EWB) were assessed. Pearson correlation analyses and paired t-tests were used to examine the data. Results Fifty participants (mean, age, 52.5 years; 25 males, 25 females) were recruited with a mean of 401 ± 66.3 days to follow-up. The initial total score (mean, 53.1 ± 18.9) significantly improved at 1 year (mean, 63.1 ± 16.2; P = 0.0002). The initial ADLMS score (mean, 30.7 ± 11.3) significantly improved at 1 year (mean, 37.2 ± 10.7; P = 0.001). The initial EWB score (mean, 22.5 ± 8.5) significantly improved at 1 year (mean, 25.9 ± 8.0; P = 0.0001). There was no significant difference between the 3-month and 1-year total (P = 0.972), ADLMS (P = 0.897), and EWB scores (P = 0.700). There was a significant correlation between minutes used and improvement in total (r = 0.371; P = 0.009), ADLMS (r = 0.302; P = 0.035), and EWB (r = 0.439; P = 0.002) scores. Conclusions Aira use significantly improves Impact of Vision Impairment-Very Low Vision total, ADLMS, and EWB scores for SVI individuals at 3 months. This improvement is sustained at the 1-year follow-up and correlated with total minutes used. Translational relevance Aira technology may provide sustained improvement in quality of life for SVI, and further study to evaluate the usefulness of this technology to assist SVI may be beneficial.
Heartphone: Mobile evaluative conditioning to enhance affective processes and promote physical activity.

Objective Most American adults fail to achieve recommended levels of physical activity and, as a result, are at elevated risk for many chronic diseases. Affective processes have been validated as targets for increasing physical activity but are rarely targeted directly by behavioral interventions. This article describes 2 early phase studies used to develop HeartPhone, a smartphone application for conditioning associations between physical activity and pleasure. HeartPhone exposes users to brief doses of evaluative conditioning stimuli via background images on a smartphone lock screen. Method Study 1 evaluated the feasibility of delivering mobile evaluative conditioning and estimated doses received over 7-21 days in a small sample of users (n = 6). Study 2 used a single-group prepost design to evaluate user experience and determine whether any change in reflective motivation or physical activity was possible over 8 weeks of HeartPhone use (n = 19). Results In Study 1, users accumulated almost 2 min/day of exposure to conditioning stimuli, indicating the feasibility of delivering microdoses of evaluative conditioning via smartphone lock screens. In Study 2, adults reported accepting the application and conditioning stimuli, improved affective judgments of physical activity (enjoyment, intrinsic motivation, integrated regulations), and increased physical activity. Conclusions These results provide proof-of-concept for a low-friction approach for enhancing affective processing and increasing physical activity. Based on early phase success as a tool for engaging smartphone users in behavior change, the HeartPhone intervention is ready for a Phase IIb pilot and III efficacy trials. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Evaluation of select biochars and clays as supports for phytase to increase the fertilizer potential of animal wastes

Abstract Manures may contain considerable amounts of organophosphates (org-P) that must be enzymatically converted to inorganic phosphate (i.e., PO4-P) to be plant available. Although adding enzymes into manures can facilitate mineralization of org-P to PO4-P, enzymes that are not immobilized are easily lost through leaching, degradation, or denaturation. In this study, the immobilization of enzymes onto nine different biochar surfaces was explored. Phytase, which mineralizes a main class of org-P, was used as the model enzyme. Immobilization methods included covalent grafting accomplished by the carbodiimide crosslinker method and physical sorption. The results showed that physisorption was as effective as grafting for loading phytase to the biochars. Phytase loading after mixing 0.1 g biochar and 2 mg phytase correlated positively with biochar C:H ratio (an indicator of aromatic content) suggesting the importance of the hydrophobic effect. An increase in pH led to a decrease in phytase loading consistent with repulsion between negatively charged sites on phytase and the increasing negative charge on biochar. Less than 4% of the immobilized phytase leached after sequential extractions over seven days using manure dissolve organic matter solutions. However, the activity of immobilized phytase decreased markedly compared to the free state phytase. The specific activity of immobilized phytase was two orders of magnitude lower than that of free phytase at pH 5 and 7. Nevertheless, results showed that deactivation of phytase by biochars were reversible once the phytase was detached from the surfaces. Compared to the biochars, clay minerals (montmorillonite, kaolinite and hematite) tended to have greater loading rates and higher phytase activity. Composting manures with coamendments of biochar and minerals may enhance both short- and long-term P mineralization potential.
Metabolic actions of kisspeptin signaling: Effects on body weight, energy expenditure, and feeding

Kisspeptin (encoded by the Kiss1 gene) and its receptor, KISS1R (encoded by the Kiss1r gene), have well-established roles in stimulating reproduction via central actions on reproductive neural circuits, but recent evidence suggests that kisspeptin signaling also influences metabolism and energy balance. Indeed, both Kiss1 and Kiss1r are expressed in many metabolically-relevant peripheral tissues, including both white and brown adipose tissue, the liver, and the pancreas, suggesting possible actions on these tissues or involvement in their physiology. In addition, there may be central actions of kisspeptin signaling, or factors co-released from kisspeptin neurons, that modulate metabolic, feeding, or thermoregulatory processes. Accumulating data from animal models suggests that kisspeptin signaling regulates a wide variety of metabolic parameters, including body weight and energy expenditure, adiposity and adipose tissue function, food intake, glucose metabolism, respiratory rates, locomotor activity, and thermoregulation. Herein, the current evidence for the involvement of kisspeptin signaling in each of these physiological parameters is reviewed, gaps in knowledge identified, and future avenues of important research highlighted. Collectively, the discussed findings highlight emerging non-reproductive actions of kisspeptin signaling in metabolism and energy balance, in addition to previously documented roles in reproductive control, but also emphasize the need for more research to resolve current controversies and uncover underlying molecular and physiological mechanisms.
Establishing the reliability of rhesus macaque social network assessment from video observations

Understanding the properties of a social environment is important for understanding the dynamics of social relationships. Understanding such dynamics is relevant for multiple fields, ranging from animal behaviour to social and cognitive neuroscience. To quantify social environment properties, recent studies have incorporated social network analysis. Social network analysis quantifies both the global and local properties of a social environment, such as social network efficiency and the roles played by specific individuals, respectively. Despite the plethora of studies incorporating social network analysis, methods to determine the amount of data necessary to derive reliable social networks are still being developed. Determining the amount of data necessary for a reliable network is critical for measuring changes in the social environment, for example following an experimental manipulation, and therefore may be critical for using social network analysis to statistically assess social behaviour. In this paper, we extend methods for measuring error in acquired data and for determining the amount of data necessary to generate reliable social networks. We derived social networks from a group of 10 male rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta, for three behaviours: spatial proximity, grooming and mounting. Behaviours were coded using a video observation technique, where video cameras recorded the compound where the 10 macaques resided. We collected, coded and used 10 h of video data to construct these networks. Using the methods described here, we found in our data that 1 h of spatial proximity observations produced reliable social networks. However, this may not be true for other studies due to differences in data acquisition. Our results have broad implications for measuring and predicting the amount of error in any social network, regardless of species.
Thurstone, Louis Leon

This article has no abstract. Keywords: factor analysis; measurement of attitudes; measurement of intelligence; primary mental abilities; SAT
Ethnic Rebellion against the State: Perils of the Periphery

Despite extensive inquiries into the causes of civil war within and across countries, there are relatively few tested theories explaining why some ethnic groups, and not others, become involved in these conflicts. I argue that the historical manner in which Africa developed, both politically and economically, placed certain ethnic groups at greater risk of rebelling against the state by virtue of their distant geographic location relative to the center of power. These peripheral groups are more prone to rebel principally because of four factors: (1) the state’s decreased ability to monitor these societies; (2) their lack of economic development relative to other groups in the country; (3) a lower probability of having one of their own hold national power; and (4) their proximity to international neighbors who are willing to finance and supply insurgencies across their borders. This paper uses an original data set with the ethnic group as the unit of analysis across 48 African countries to study the determinants of ethnic rebellion from 1980-2006. Data on these groups’ natural geography and resources, political representation, and economic status are used to test observable implications of the argument presented, as well as alternate theories.
Ranking Automata and Games for Prioritized Requirements

Requirements of reactive systems are usually specified by classifying system executions as desirable and undesirable. To specify prioritizedrequirements, we propose to associate a rank with each execution. This leads to optimization analogs of verification and synthesis problems in which we compute the "best" requirement that can be satisfied or enforced from a given state. The classical definitions of acceptance criteria for automata can be generalized to ranking conditions. In particular, given a mapping of states to colors, the Buchi rankingcondition maps an execution to the highest color visited infinitely often by the execution, and the cyclic rankingcondition with cycle kmaps an execution to the modulo-kvalue of the highest color repeating infinitely often. The well-studied parity acceptance condition is a special case of cyclic ranking with cycle 2, and we show that the cyclic ranking condition can specify all i¾?-regular ranking functions. We show that the classical characterizations of acceptance conditions by fixpoints over sets generalize to characterizations of ranking conditions by fixpoints over an appropriately chosen lattice of coloring functions. This immediately leads to symbolic algorithms for solving verification and synthesis problems. Furthermore, the precise complexity of a decision problem for ranking conditions is no more than the corresponding acceptance version, and in particular, we show how to solve Buchi ranking games in quadratic time.
An integrated crustal velocity field for the central Andes

[1] We present an integrated velocity field for the central Andes, derived from GPS observations collected between January 1993 and March 2001 that eliminates the velocity bias between the South America-Nazca Plate Project (SNAPP) and central Andes GPS Project (CAP) velocity fields published by Norabuena et al. [1998] and Bevis et al. [1999]. The reference frame is realized by minimizing the motion of eight continuous GPS stations and one rover GPS station located in the stable core of the South American plate. The RMS horizontal motion of these stations is just 1.1 mm/yr. The amplitude of these residual motions is roughly compatible with expected levels of measurement error. In our new solution, five of the six SNAPP stations located just outside the orogenic belt are effectively stationary, and the velocities for adjacent CAP and SNAPP stations now agree at a level consistent with their formal uncertainties.
Dissociation and Reconstitution of the Transcriptase and Template Activities of Vesicular Stomatitis B and T Virions

Transcriptase activity was dissociated from vesicular stomatitis virions by highionic-strength buffer containing Triton X-100. Considerable enzyme activity could be restored by recombining inactive sedimentable and nonsedimentable virion fractions. Reconstituted transcriptase activity was dependent on the presence of all four nucleoside triphosphates and the concentration of heat-labile molecules in both supernatant and pellet fractions. Lower NaCl concentrations removed approximately 46% of virion protein, but did not release transcriptase activity from the pellet fraction, nor could incorporation of (3)H-uridine-5'-triphosphate by complete virions be increased by adding soluble transcriptase. Evidence that the virion nucleocapsid is the transcription template was provided by finding that the pellet contained predominantly virion core nucleoprotein, ribonucleic acid, and homogeneous nucleocapsid coils when viewed by electron microscopy. Removal of envelope G and M proteins by Triton and low-salt buffer without decreasing nucleocapsid polymerase activity indicates that neither G nor M protein is necessary for transcription. Additional data are required to determine whether the minor nucleocapsid proteins L or NSl, or both, which are at least partially solubilized in high-salt buffer, are the transcriptase. Preliminary data suggest that the major N nucleoprotein, which was not solubilized by high-salt buffer, is also required for transcription. Defective T virions contained at least as much transcriptase per weight as did B virions, as determined by restoration with T supernatant fluids of transcription function to B nucleocapsid template. However, the T nucleocapsid would not serve as template for B or T transcriptase, a finding which is interpreted as evidence of T template defectiveness. The presence of defective T nucleocapsids did not interfere with B or T transcriptase function reconstituted with B template.
Do Palliative Care Clinics Screen for Substance Abuse and Diversion? Results of a National Survey

Abstract Background: Opioids are the mainstay of treatment of cancer pain. With increased use there have been concerns about rising rates of prescription drug abuse and diversion. Although there has been an increase in research and practice guidelines about the scope of the problem for chronic, nonmalignant pain, less information is available about both the frequency of the problem and current practices regarding screening for substance abuse and diversion in patients and family members seen in palliative care clinics. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree to which palliative programs felt that substance abuse and diversion was an issue, and to identify practices regarding care of patients with potential substance misuse issues. Methods: We sent a survey regarding substance abuse perception, policies, training, and screening to 94 accredited palliative medicine fellowship program directors as obtained by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) directory. Resu...
Privacy and the Information Technology Act in India

This paper evaluates the Information Technology Act, 2000 as a tool to preserve our privacy. It begins with an analysis of the various provisions under the Act that could be used to resist intrusion either by the state or private parties. It then goes on to provide a hands on guide on how to use the IT Act as a tool to protect our privacy, and what kind of remedies one may expect.This paper was written for Privacy India as a part of an ongoing research project funded by Privacy International and IDRC, Canada.
Laser Cooling: Chilling dense atomic gases

Laser-based Doppler cooling is a popular method for reducing the temperature of atoms, but it is limited to dilute gases. Now, researchers in Germany have demonstrated a laser scheme for cooling a highly dense gas mixture.
The Transcription Factor AmrZ Utilizes Multiple DNA Binding Modes to Recognize Activator and Repressor Sequences of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Virulence Genes.

AmrZ, a member of the Ribbon-Helix-Helix family of DNA binding proteins, functions as both a transcriptional activator and repressor of multiple genes encoding Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence factors. The expression of these virulence factors leads to chronic and sustained infections associated with worsening prognosis. In this study, we present the X-ray crystal structure of AmrZ in complex with DNA containing the repressor site, amrZ1. Binding of AmrZ to this site leads to auto-repression. AmrZ binds this DNA sequence as a dimer-of-dimers, and makes specific base contacts to two half sites, separated by a five base pair linker region. Analysis of the linker region shows a narrowing of the minor groove, causing significant distortions. AmrZ binding assays utilizing sequences containing variations in this linker region reveals that secondary structure of the DNA, conferred by the sequence of this region, is an important determinant in binding affinity. The results from these experiments allow for the creation of a model where both intrinsic structure of the DNA and specific nucleotide recognition are absolutely necessary for binding of the protein. We also examined AmrZ binding to the algD promoter, which results in activation of the alginate exopolysaccharide biosynthetic operon, and found the protein utilizes different interactions with this site. Finally, we tested the in vivo effects of this differential binding by switching the AmrZ binding site at algD, where it acts as an activator, for a repressor binding sequence and show that differences in binding alone do not affect transcriptional regulation.
Transnasal endoscopy for enteral feeding tube placement in critically ill patients.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: Early enteral feedings may improve outcomes in critically ill patients. Recently, transnasal endoscopy with an ultrathin transnasal endoscope has been shown to be of value for diagnostic endoscopy without conscious sedation. We developed a technique for the placement of postpyloric feeding tubes in critically ill patients using transnasal endoscopy. We describe our initial experience in a consecutive series of patients. METHODS: We collected data on consecutive intensive care unit patients undergoing bedside transnasal endoscopy for nasoenteric feeding tube placement using a standardized technique. Tube position was confirmed in all patients with a plain abdominal radiograph. Tube placement was deemed successful if the feeding tube traversed the pylorus. RESULTS: Transnasal endoscopy was completed in all fourteen patients, as was placement of a feeding tube. Feeding tubes were successfully placed in the jejunum or duodenum in 13 of the 14 patients (93%). Tubes remained in place from 3 to 45 days (mean 16 days). Two patients required conscious sedation during tube placement, and two ultimately required percutaneous gastrostomy. CONCLUSIONS: Transnasal endoscopy allows simple and successful postpyloric feeding tube placement at the bedside of critically ill patients. This method can facilitate early enteral feeding in intensive care units.
Ideology, Class Formation, and Resistance in the Inca State

Discussion du probleme de l'ideologie dominante dans une societe de classes a partir du cas de l'Empire Inca : nature de cette ideologie, son effet sur la classe dominante et les classes dominees, sa transmission a l'interieur de la societe, le principe de coherence de cette societe, et la relation de l'economique au politique et a l'ideologie puisque la domination et l'exploitation ne sont pas dominees par cette meme ideologie
A numerical method for multigroup slab-geometry discrete ordinates problems with no spatial truncation error

Abstract A generalization of the one-group Spectral Green's Function (SGF) method is developed for multigroup, slab-geometry discrete ordinates (SN) problems. The multigroup SGF method is free from spatial truncation errors; it generates numerical values for the cell-edge and cell-average angular fluxes that agree with the analytic solution of the multigroup SN equations. Numerical results are given to illustrate the method's accuracy.
The conversion of glutamate to alanine in the tsetse fly (Glossina morsitans).

Abstract C1-labelled glutamate shows little or no incorporation into alanine whilst C3-, C4- or C5-labelled glutamate does show incorporation into alanine.
The Role of Growth Factor Receptor Pathways in Human Breast Cancer Cells Adapted to Long-term Estrogen Deprivation

To study the long-term effects of estrogen deprivation on breast cancer, MCF-7Ca human estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells stably transfected with human aromatase gene were cultured in the steroid-depleted medium for 6 to 8 months until they had acquired the ability to grow. Proliferation of these cells (UMB-1Ca) was accompanied by increased expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, increased activation of AKT through phosphorylation at Ser473 and Thr308, and increased invasion compared with parental MCF-7Ca cells. Estrogen receptor expression was also increased 5-fold. Although growth was inhibited by the antiestrogen fulvestrant, the IC50 was 100-fold higher than for parental MCF-7Ca cells. Aromatase inhibitor letrozole also inhibited growth at 10,000-fold higher concentration than required for MCF-7Ca cells, whereas anastrozole, exemestane, formestane, and tamoxifen were ineffective at 100 nmol/L. Growth of UMB-1Ca cells was inhibited by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin (IC50 approximately 25 nmol/L) and epidermal growth factor receptor kinase inhibitor gefitinib (ZD 1839; IC50 approximately 10 micromol/L) whereas parental MCF-7Ca cells were insensitive to these agents. Concomitant treatment of UMB-1Ca cells with the signal transduction inhibitors and anastrozole and tamoxifen restored their growth inhibitory effects. These studies show that estrogen deprivation results in up-regulation of growth factor signaling pathways, which leads to a more aggressive and hormone refractory phenotype. Cross-talk between ER and growth factor signaling was evident as inhibition of these pathways could restore estrogen responsiveness to these cells.
Strategies for characterizing complex phenotypes and environments: general and specific family environmental predictors of young adult tobacco dependence, alcohol use disorder, and co-occurring problems.

Background Defining phenotypes in studies of tobacco and alcohol misuse is difficult because of the complexity of these behaviors and their strong association with each other and with other problem behaviors. The present paper suggests a strategy for addressing this issue by conceptualizing and partitioning variance in phenotypes into either general or substance/behavior-specific. The paper also applies the general or substance/behavior-specific conceptualization to environmental predictors of tobacco and alcohol misuse and other problem behaviors.
Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels: Insights from computation

Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) conduct upon the binding of an agonist and are fundamental to neurotransmission. New insights into the complex mechanisms underlying pLGIC gating, ion ...
Heat Shock Proteins in Association with Heat Tolerance in Grasses

The grass family Poaceae includes annual species cultivated as major grain crops and perennial species cultivated as forage or turf grasses. Heat stress is a primary factor limiting growth and productivity of cool-season grass species and is becoming a more significant problem in the context of global warming. Plants have developed various mechanisms in heat-stress adaptation, including changes in protein metabolism such as the induction of heat shock proteins (HSPs). This paper summarizes the structure and function of major HSPs, recent research progress on the association of HSPs with grass tolerance to heat stress, and incorporation of HSPs in heat-tolerant grass breeding.
Obstetrician-gynecologists' practices regarding preterm birth at the limit of viability

Objectives. To assess obstetrician-gynecologists' judgments of gestational age of viability and earliest age of medical intervention for preterm delivery, and to associate these practice decisions with physician characteristics.Methods. Questionnaires were mailed to 1193 members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).Results. The response rate was 59%. The majority of respondents considered 24 weeks the earliest age a fetus is potentially viable (57%) and at which they would routinely perform cesarean section for fetal distress (58%). Those respondents who judged viability as 23 weeks or less were more likely to have been in practice for a shorter period (p < 0.05), be a maternal-fetal medicine specialist (p < 0.005), and be from southern or central states (p < 0.005). Similarly, those respondents who would not intervene for fetal distress until 26 weeks gestation were more likely to have been in practice for longer (p < 0.01), to have performed fewer deliveries (p < 0.05), to b...
Spam, damn spam, and statistics: using statistical analysis to locate spam web pages

The increasing importance of search engines to commercial web sites has given rise to a phenomenon we call "web spam", that is, web pages that exist only to mislead search engines into (mis)leading users to certain web sites. Web spam is a nuisance to users as well as search engines: users have a harder time finding the information they need, and search engines have to cope with an inflated corpus, which in turn causes their cost per query to increase. Therefore, search engines have a strong incentive to weed out spam web pages from their index.We propose that some spam web pages can be identified through statistical analysis: Certain classes of spam pages, in particular those that are machine-generated, diverge in some of their properties from the properties of web pages at large. We have examined a variety of such properties, including linkage structure, page content, and page evolution, and have found that outliers in the statistical distribution of these properties are highly likely to be caused by web spam.This paper describes the properties we have examined, gives the statistical distributions we have observed, and shows which kinds of outliers are highly correlated with web spam.
Coeliac disease: Missing villi? The search for coeliac disease in the Asia-Pacific region

Epidemiology studies have shown an ∼1% prevalence of coeliac disease in Europe, North America, the Middle East and South America, but the prevalence in the Asia–Pacific region remains relatively unknown. Now, Makharia et al. have proposed much needed recommendations to help tackle the problem of coeliac disease in this region.
A gradient-controlled improved proportionate multi-delay filter

As an attractive alternative to time domain solutions, the frequency domain multi-delay filter has gained attention in acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) because of its efficient implementation. This paper proposes a new gradient-controlled improved proportionate multi-delay filter (GC-IPMDF) for AEC. It uses the magnitude of a time-averaging gradient estimate as the step size distribution vector instead of the magnitude of the current coefficients estimate that is used in the existing improved proportionate multi-delay filter (IPMDF). Simulation results demonstrate that it can speed up the convergence process while maintaining the same steady-state error performance as compared with the previously proposed approach.
The retrograde aortic arch in the hybrid approach to hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Background Before palliative stage 2 for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the coronary and cerebral circulations are often dependent on retrograde perfusion by means of the aortic arch. Results of hybrid palliation with a focus on patients exhibiting retrograde aortic arch obstruction (RAAO) were analyzed. Methods From July 2002 to March 2008 66 consecutive hybrid procedures for hypoplastic left heart syndrome were performed. Patients requiring RAAO intervention based on cardiology–surgery consensus were defined as group 1 (n = 16), whereas all other hypoplastic left heart syndrome patients formed group 2 (n = 50). Results At birth there were no differences between groups in terms of demographics or cardiac function. Group 1 had more patients with aortic atresia (94% versus 58%; p = 0.01), and 69% of patients had initial echocardiographic comments regarding incipient RAAO versus 26% in group 2 ( p = 0.007). The type of ductal stent, balloon versus self-expandable, did not influence the subsequent development of RAAO. Before RAAO intervention (mean age, 74 days), group 1 patients had significantly more tricuspid regurgitation. The main treatment for RAAO in group 1 was coronary stent insertion, with 3 patients having a reverse central shunt. At a mean follow-up of 611 days, group 1 had reduced survival interstage (56.3% versus 88%; p = 0.005) and overall (43.7% versus 70%; p = 0.03). Conclusions Clinically important RAAO occurred in 24% of the hypoplastic left heart syndrome patients in this series. If RAAO is detected at birth or early interstage, a Norwood operation is now favored. Palliative interventional catheterization remains very important mid and late interstage for continuing the hybrid strategy toward comprehensive stage 2.
Fresnel Drag In Single-Mode Optical Fiber Waveguides

One of the quantities to be determined in building low noise fiber ring interferometer gyroscopes is the temperature sensitivity of the dispersion term in the Fresnel drag coefficient. Some experiments have been performed to show that the Fresnel drag measurement is useable for determining the size and the temperature dependence of dispersion in single mode fibers. The limits of accuracy of such an experiment will be discussed.© (1978) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Computer Simulation of Electrical Breakdown in Gases; Avalanche and Streamer Formation

This paper presents a new method for the simulation of electrical-breakdown phenomena, and plasma phenomena where both binary electron-neutral-gas-molecule collisions and collective interactions among charged particles are important. Elastic, exciting, and ionizing electron-neutral-gas-molecule collisions are included using a Monte Carlo technique. Electron-ion pairs are released in ionizing collisions. The simulation also includes the release of electron-ion pairs by photoionization. Collective interactions (space-charge effects) are included using a one-dimensional-plasma model which regards the charged particles as charge sheets. Poisson's equation is solved in one dimension based on the positions of the charge sheets to find the accelerating forces on the sheets. The method is used to simulate the growth of electron avalanches and anode- and cathode-directed streamers in nitrogen-filled parallel-plane gaps. Avalanche-simulation results are used to calculate values for the drift velocity and the ionization coefficient in nitrogen. The calculated values for these quantities agree with experimental values over a wide range of $\frac{E}{p}$, the applied electric field divided by the pressure. Velocities for anode- and cathode-directed streamers are calculated based on the streamer-simulation results. The calculated streamer velocities agree with available experimentally measured streamer velocities. The streamer-simulation results also show that photoionization is the essential mechanism for streamer formation and growth.
Nuclear forward scattering of synchrotron radiation.

The coherent nuclear reemission in the forward direction has been measured following excitation of the M\"ossbauer transitions in polycrystalline $^{57}\mathrm{Fe}$ foils by synchrotron radiation. The excited resonances are sufficiently narrow in energy that the time dependence of their decay can be straightforwardly observed, and in particular the details of the collective response to single-photon excitation can be studied. The collective nuclear scattering conditions were varied directly over a large range by using foil thicknesses between 0.5 and 28.5 \ensuremath{\mu}m. The envelope of the time evolution showed significant changes with increasing foil thickness. For thin foils (up to 3 \ensuremath{\mu}m) the envelope was exponential in the observed time window, with a decay time decreasing with increasing foil thickness. For thicker foils an oscillatory modulation of the envelope and a significant shift in the phase of the beat pattern were observed. A simple optical model can explain all the observed phenomena.
Calcium-dependent protein kinases and neuronal function

Abstract Dramatic increases in intracellular free Ca 2+ levels are elicited by diverse extracellular signals including neurotransmitters, hormones and growth factors. In brain, Ca 2+ acting as a ‘second messenger', activates several novel protein kinases that amplify the initial signal and may mediate many of the effects of Ca 2+ on neuronal function. Protein kinases activated by a Ca 2+ -calmodulin complex and by Ca 2+ , phospholipid and diglyceride have been discovered. Neuronal functions, such as neurotransmitter synthesis and release, or motility and cell shape may be regulated by such Ca 2+ -dependent protein kinases.
ACTIVE BOUNDARY CONTROL OF ELASTIC CABLES: THEORY AND EXPERIMENT

Cables are lightweight structural elements used in a variety of engineering applications. In this paper an active boundary control system is introduced that damps undesirable vibrations in a cable. Using Hamilton's principle, the governing non-linear partial differential equations for an elastic cable are derived, including the natural boundary conditions associated with boundary force control. Based on Lyapunov theory, passive and active vibration controllers are developed. A Galerkin approach generates the linearized, closed loop, modal dynamics equations for out-of-plane vibration. Simulations and experiments demonstrate the improved damping provided by the active boundary controller.
Re-Examining the Similarities Between Teacher and Student Conceptions About Physical Science

There is a large body of research that has explored students’ misconceptions about science phenomena. Less research, however, has been devoted to identifying teachers’ misconceptions, but the results of the few existing studies demonstrate that teachers and students possess similar misconceptions. This study explored the physical science conceptions of 103 elementary science teachers to determine whether, after three decades of misconception research, teachers still possess conceptions similar to those held by students. We found that our teachers expressed misconceptions regarding gravity, magnetism, gases, and temperature that were similar to common student misconceptions. Suggestions for improving science professional development programs are discussed.