cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Comparative Analysis of Preferred Learning and Teaching Styles for Engineering, Industrial, and Technology Education Students and Faculty

This study showed that while there was some variation within majors, the overall dominant learning style in the materials process course was the kinesthetic style. While this was a result the researchers expected, the technology education students were unexpected outliers from the rest of the group. From the Kruskal and Wallis test, the researchers observed a statistical significance (0.041*) between the three groups for the read/write learning style with the technology education students rating it the most preferred learning style. This does raise additional questions for researchers. Based on how the curriculum is often developed and delivered, technology education is typically a very hands-on, kinesthetic discipline. In fact, the content is more kinesthetically based than industrial technology and engineering technology programs, yet students from these other disciplines rated kinesthetic learning as more important than the technology education students. Further research is needed to determine if technology education as a discipline should shift a little more toward the read/write delivery method, sacrificing some of the kinesthetic teaching in the process. These results could also be due to the grass being greener on the other side of the fence. As engineering technology and industrial technology students do not have as much kinesthetic-based learning in their programs, they may see it as a better, more preferred, option of getting content. The same may be true of technology education students believing more read/write-based curriculum would be beneficial.
Sensor-based motion planning for highly redundant kinematic structures. II. The case of a snake arm manipulator

For pt. I see IEEE Intl. Conf. on Robotics and Automation (1992). A continuation of the authors' work on sensor-based motion planning for highly-redundant kinematic structures is presented. Previously, a planar, snake-like robot freely moving amidst obstacles of arbitrary shape was considered. It is now assumed that the tail of the snake is fixed, i.e., the snake is a redundant arm manipulator. The manipulator is capable of sensing obstacles in the vicinity of any point of its body. The task is to move the head of the manipulator from a starting position to a target while avoiding collisions with obstacles. A procedure is presented which avoids the computational explosion due to link multiplicity by emulating a passive reaction of the manipulator's body to a continuous pull at the head and to the surrounding obstacles. This results in a local link-by-link (instead of a global closed-form) processing, and produces an efficient real-time algorithm. A computer simulation showing robust motion planning in an obstacle-filled environment is presented. >
Providing Intelligent Language Feedback for Augmentative Communication Users

People with severe speech and motor impairments (SSMI) can often use augmentative communication devices to help them communicate. While these devices can provide speech synthesis or text output, the rate of communication is typically very slow. Consequently, augmentative communication users often develop telegraphic patterns of language usage. A natural language processing technique termed compansion (compression-expansion) has been developed that expands uninflected content words (i.e., compressed or telegraphic utterances) into syntactically and semantically well-formed sentences.
Out-of-Sequence Measurement Processing for Particle Filter: Exact Bayesian Solution

The problem of out-of-sequence measurement (OOSM) processing when the filtering technique used at the tracker is the particle filter (PF) is considered. First, an exact Bayesian algorithm for updating with OOSMs is derived. Then, the PF implementation of the exact Bayesian algorithm, called A-PF, is developed. Since A-PF is rooted in exact Bayesian inference, if the number of particles is sufficiently large, A-PF is the one (and the only one) that is able to achieve the optimal performance obtained from the in-sequence processing. This is confirmed by the simulation results. Also, it is shown that the performance of A-PF is always superior to previous (heuristic) PF-based algorithms with the same number of particles.
Investigation of a co-flowing buoyant jet : experiments on the effect of Reynolds number and Richardson number

The behavior of a vertical jet of helium issuing into a co-flow of air at a fixed exit velocity ratio of 2 was investigated experimentally over a wide range of governing parameters with emphasis on flow structure and the scaling properties of the natural frequency of the jet. The experiments were conducted in a variable-pressure facility, which made it possible to vary the Reynolds number and the Richardson number independently. At all the experimental conditions studied, the flow exhibits a strong self-excited periodicity. A buoyancy Strouhal number is defined and used to correlate frequency data from the approximately seventy different Reynolds and Richardson numbers studied. The buoyancy Strouhal number is found to be nearly independent of Reynolds number and Richardson number for Richardson numbers greater than one.
Diet and phenylketonuria: time for change?

This article is a report of a meeting of dietitians held on 15 September 1992 in Birmingham to discuss the recommendations of a ‘Medical Research Council Working Party on the Dietary Management of Phenylketonuria’. (Contributions on the day of the meeting came from Judith Houghton, Eleanor Weetch, Isabel Smith, Sheena Laing, Ruth Watling, John Walter, Rodney Pollitt.)
A High-Throughput Screening Method for Small-Molecule Inhibitors of the Aberrant Mutant SOD1 and Dynein Complex Interaction

Aberrant protein-protein interactions are attractive drug targets in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases due to the common pathology of accumulation of protein aggregates. In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, mutations in SOD1 cause the formation of aggregates and inclusions that may sequester other proteins and disrupt cellular processes. It has been demonstrated that mutant SOD1, but not wild-type SOD1, interacts with the axonal transport motor dynein and that this interaction contributes to motor neuron cell death, suggesting that disrupting this interaction may be a potential therapeutic target. However, it can be challenging to configure a high-throughput screening (HTS)–compatible assay to detect inhibitors of a protein-protein interaction. Here we describe the development and challenges of an HTS for small-molecule inhibitors of the mutant SOD1-dynein interaction. We demonstrate that the interaction can be formed by coexpressing the A4V mutant SOD1 and dynein intermediate complex in cells and that this interaction can be disrupted by compounds added to the cell lysates. Finally, we show that some of the compounds identified from a pilot screen to inhibit the protein-protein interaction with this method specifically disrupt the interaction between the dynein complex and mtSOD1 but not the dynein complex itself when applied to live cells.
A longitudinal study of physical activity and body mass index among persons with unexplained chronic fatigue.

Abstract Objective and Methods: A cohort of 100 patients with unexplained chronic fatigue (CF) was assessed longitudinally for 1.5 years to determine if physical activity (kcal expended), exercise capacity (VO2max), perceived exertion, and body mass index (BMI) changed over time and were associated with changes in CF-related clinical status. Results: BMI increased significantly over time but did not predict changes in clinical status. Increasing energy expenditure was associated with increasing vitality and decreasing CF symptom severity over time, and decreasing perceived exertion was associated with increasing physical functioning. However, increasing perceived exertion was also associated with increasing CF symptoms. Conclusions: These data do not support models that posit associations between CF and deconditioning.
Hotspots of Community Change: Temporal Dynamics Are Spatially Variable in Understory Plant Composition of a California Oak Woodland

Community response to external drivers such climate and disturbance can lead to fluctuations in community composition, or to directional change. Temporal dynamics can be influenced by a combination of drivers operating at multiple spatial scales, including external landscape scale drivers, local abiotic conditions, and local species pools. We hypothesized that spatial variation in these factors can create heterogeneity in temporal dynamics within landscapes. We used understory plant species composition from an 11 year dataset from a California oak woodland to compare plots where disturbance was experimentally manipulated with the removal of livestock grazing and a prescribed burn. We quantified three properties of temporal variation: compositional change (reflecting the appearance and disappearance of species), temporal fluctuation, and directional change. Directional change was related most strongly to disturbance type, and was highest at plots where grazing was removed during the study. Temporal fluctuations, compositional change, and directional change were all related to intrinsic abiotic factors, suggesting that some locations are more responsive to external drivers than others. Temporal fluctuations and compositional change were linked to local functional composition, indicating that environmental filters can create subsets of the local species pool that do not respond in the same way to external drivers. Temporal dynamics are often assumed to be relatively static at the landscape scale, provided disturbance and climate are continuous. This study shows that local and landscape scale factors jointly influence temporal dynamics creating hotspots that are particularly responsive to climate and disturbance. Thus, adequate predictions of response to disturbance or to changing climate will only be achieved by considering how factors at multiple spatial scales influence community resilience and recovery.
Perception driven 3D facial expression analysis based on reverse correlation and normal component

Research on automated facial expression analysis (FEA) has been focused on applying different feature extraction methods on texture space and geometric space, using holistic or local facial regions based on regular grids or facial anatomical structure. Not much work has been investigated by taking human perception into account. In this paper, we propose to study the facial expressive regions using a reverse correlation method, and further develop a novel 3D local normal component feature representation based on human perceptions. The classification image (CI) accumulated in multiple trials reveals the shape features which alter the neutral Mona Lisa portrait to positive and negative domains. The differences can be identified by both humans and machine. Based on the CI and the derived local feature regions, a novel 3D normal component based feature (3D-NLBP) is proposed to represent positive and negative expressions (e.g., happiness and sadness). This approach achieves a good performance and has been validated by testing on both high-resolution database and real-time low resolution depth map videos.
DIVERSIFICATION BENEFITS OF MANAGED FUTURES

Under the Commodity Exchange Act, all individuals and firms (with certain exceptions) that intend to do business as futures professionals must register with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The commission has authorized the National Futures Association (NFA), a self-regulatory organization, to receive and review applications and grant registrations. The following are two categories of futures professionals that must register: Commodity trading adviser (CTA) — A person, who, for compensation or profit, directly or indirectly advises others as to the advisability of buying or selling commodity futures or option contracts. Commodity pool operator (CPO) — An individual or firm that operates a commodity pool. A commodity pool is an investment trust, syndicate, or similar form of enterprise operated for the purpose of trading commodity futures or options contracts. Many hedge funds, particularly those that trade futures, are registered as CTAs and even CPOs. CTAs generally can be classified as currency, financials, equity, physicals, and diversified. Most are classified as diversified (they trade several markets) and fewer are classified as physicals (they exclusively trade nonfinancial markets such as energy, metals, softs, etc.). I n this article, we examine the diversification benefits of managed futures. We examine alternative ways of investing in managed futures, discuss data sources as well as the impact of survivorship bias, and present our results as they relate to the diversification benefits of managed futures.
BALANCED GROWTH AND INTERNATIONAL SPECIALIZATION: A DIAGRAMMATIC ANALYSIS

IMPORTANT new ideas with strong intuitive appeal are not always rigorously put when they are first formulated. The best indication that the concept of balanced growth is in need of refinement is that few economists agree on its content and meaning. Rather than try and deal exhaustively with the diverse ideas that have been linked with the doctrine, I have singled out one of its interpretations for systematic analysis. Nurkse's original formulation of the problem will be the starting point for this theoretical excursion:
Evaluation of N sources, cover crops, and tillage systems for corn grown under organic management

Public demand for healthier foods and more sustainable food systems in the U.S. has triggered market prices and production of organic alternatives of major crops such as corn (Zea mays L.). Two cover crops and their interactions with tillage systems, N sources and N rates were studied to evaluate the possibility of using these agronomic practices to facilitate growing corn under organic management in Kentucky. A split-split plot design in a RCBD with four replications was evaluated in three environments (SP08, UKR08, UKR09). The main plot treatments were cover crops [hairy vetch, HV (Vicia villosa Roth) and rye (Secale cereale L.)], the split plots were tillage systems [no-till (NT) and moldboard plow (MP)], and the split-split plots were the N treatment factorial combinations including two N sources [Louisville Green (LG) and Nature Safe (NF)] at four rates of N (45, 90, 135 and 180 kg N/ha plus a common control). In addition we conducted a laboratory study of nitrate release for the two selected N sources. Results showed the MP/HV combination resulted in the highest yields at all experimental sites followed by HV/NT. Ear leaf N and grain N content were higher under HV compared with rye at all sites. Nature Safe as N source, increased ear leaf N and grain N more than LG in all experimental sites, and increased yield at two of the three environments. Laboratory incubation studies showed that both N sources stopped mineralizing at 28 days after application, releasing, 55 kg N/ha on average. The MP/HV/NF treatment combination was the best management combination for organic corn production in the environments we studied.
Police killings of unarmed Black people: Centering race and racism in human behavior and the social environment content

ABSTRACTThe academic frames of diversity and, to a lesser extent, intersectionality mute the roles played by race and racism in the recent police killings of unarmed Black people in the United States. Most scholars agree that racism today is systemic, and the authors of this article assert that diversity content fails to prepare social workers to situate client issues in a social work practice that incorporates an understanding of the impact of racialization on Black people seeking social work services. Race and racism in the United States are creations of White supremacy and were initially crafted to justify the enslavement of Africans. The ideologies are a part of the founding principles of the U.S. democracy, and they are the genesis of White advantage in the United States achieved through law and social policy and still enacted daily in human interaction. In this article, the authors place police killings of unarmed Black people in a context that takes into consideration historical and contemporary ev...
Soluble urokinase plasminogen activation receptor - An emerging new biomarker of cardiovascular disease and critical illness

Soluble urokinase plasminogen activation receptor (suPAR) is an emerging new biomarker, which has been shown to not only correlate with traditional biomarkers but also outperform CRP at prognosticating CVD. More clinical trials on suPAR is in the future research agenda.
Toward Generating Low-Friction Nanoengineered Surfaces with Liquid–Vapor Interfaces

Using molecular dynamics (MD), we investigate the importance of liquid–vapor interface topography in designing low-friction nanoengineered superhydrophobic surfaces. Shear flow is simulated on patterned surfaces. The relationship between the effective slip length and bubble meniscus curvature is attained by generating entrapped bubbles with large protrusion angles on patterned surfaces with nanoholes. We show that protruding bubbles can induce significant friction, which hinders the slip characteristics produced on liquid–vapor interfaces. By comparing surfaces with nanoholes and nanopillars, we also demonstrate that the continuity of the liquid–vapor interface can greatly influence slip. Our MD results yield an asymptotic behavior of slip length with varying gas fractions, which are found to be consistent with observations from simulations and analytical models produced in continuum studies.
History, Memory and Identity: A programmatic prolegomenon

Introduisant ce dossier sur la relation entre histoire, memoire et identite dans les Ameriques, l'A. - s'inspirant notamment de Walter Benjamin -, plaide pour de nouvelles orientations de la recherche historique en anthropologie et defend un point de vue conforme a l'objectif (marxiste) d'une histoire en tant que science materialiste, position theorique qui implique des engagements methodologiques et philosophiques, notamment quant a la temporalite et aux discours sur l'histoire. Le defi, pour l'anthropologie, devient, comment construire des typologies pertinentes qui permettent des comparaisons interculturelles qui puissent rendre compte de la circulation des objets, de leur imbrication dans les relations sociales concretes, dans certains types de rapports de production, et de la maniere dont ceux-ci sont relies aux representations du passe (et du futur) que l'on peut observer dans le champ de l'ideologie. Selon l'A., il est important de developper, a l'instar des autres domaines de l'anthropologie, des principes theoriques pour l'analyse interculturelle des relations entre histoire, memoire et identite, et il soutient que l'anthropologie est specifiquement bien placee pour realiser une telle analyse.
BIRTH ORDER AND CONSERVATISM

The relation of birth order to personality characteristics has been studied empirically (5, 6 ) . Recently firstborns have been described as more sensitive to and dependent on adults and socialization practices (1, 3 ) . Others have reported that firstborns tend to be more adult-oriented ( 4 ) and more concerned with preserving cultural norms and expectations in both marriage ( 1 ) and religion ( 2 ) . This pattern suggests that firstborns should be more adult-oriented, well-socialized, and concerned with preserving adult cultural patterns and implies that firstborns ;re more conservative in outlook, values, and personality. Thus, it was predicted that firstborns would be more conservative than later borns. Three undergraduate female volunteers distributed a standard questionnaire to assess conservatism (Form 45-50) to all girls on their respective dormitory floors. Of 107 undergraduates completing the questionnaire, 52 were firstor only-borns and 55 later borns. No control for family size was made. The mean score (with the addition of a constant of 100) for firstborns was 66.84 ( S D = 19.18) and for later borns was 71.52 (SD = 15.73). Firstborns were not more conservative than later borns ( t = 1.38, d j = 105, p = .15); rather, they tended to be less conservative than later borns. With the somewhat restricted range and variability in the conservatism scores for these college-age females, the generalizability of these results is limited. The feminine role may be more adult-oriented and conservative than the masculine role. If less concern with preserving and maintaining adult perspectives and tradition is characteristic of men, differences in conservatism among males might be less restricted and more variable. Although the feminine sex role seems to be changing, these changes may not be as marked for the present Ss. Sex X Birth Order interactions of the type suggested above seem to occur when religion is considered ( 2 ) . A thorough analysis of birth order and conservatism requires testing both male and female Ss.
Swimming for Inclusion

This paper attempts to demonstrate how disabilities are portrayed to children through Walt Disney's popular film Finding Nemo. Through this film, children are exposed to inclusiveness which can then transfer to their overall impressions of disability in society. This film ultimately spins the negative connotation associated with disability and portrays it positively as an exceptionality.
Increasing interest in pediatric dentistry

Increasing numbers of senior dental students anticipate careers in pediatric dentistry. A review is provided of the evolving dental student interests and some insight into these developments--particularly in terms of the increasing numbers of women in dental programs.
Globalization and Austerity Politics in Latin America: Globalization and Austerity Politics

The United States aggressively responded to the 2008–2009 global financial crisis with a flurry of economic stimulus. For the champion of laissez-faire economics, crisis-induced budget spending and interest rate cuts were an about face from its austerity doctrine exported across the globe. Throughout the post- Cold War era, the U.S. Treasury and International Monetary Fund have tied economic aid to restrictive spending and credit policies. From Latin America to East Asia, the United States has advocated for economic stabilization policies in the face of financial crises. Surprisingly, developing country leaders often have doggedly embraced these free-market principles. Many of these countries are young democracies characterized by fervent popular pressures for growth, redistribution, and jobs, yet their politicians pursue conservative non-interventionist policies. In hard times, the political benefits of a short-term soporific should outweigh the long-term self-healing powers of laissez-faire capitalism. What's the political payoff to being a cautious steward of the economy? The appeal of non-interventionist economic policies is even more surprising when chief executives are battling for their political survival. Political economy scholars expect politicians to swell the public purse to gain votes, particularly in newly democratized regions that are plagued by chronic unemployment and high poverty. Some politicians abide by this policy making logic, known as the political business cycle . According to this logic, politicians are consumed with winning the vote. They create a short-term economic boom designed to curry favor with the electorate that often ends in an inflation-induced economic bust.
Nanotechnology in Water: Societal, Ethical, and Environmental Considerations

Potable water is a threatened but critical resource, the scarcity of which is devastating for the developing world. Water-related nanotechnology research has the potential to make safe drinking water inexpensive and accessible to developing countries. This technology also can improve the water infrastructure in developed nations. However, it is imperative that the technology is, first, sustainable and, second, is acceptable by the societies it will serve. This chapter discusses both these issues and addresses what should be considered by researchers and policymakers in the advent of this rapidly developing technology to ensure its responsible development and deployment. Responsible development–including the best use of resources, consideration of societal concerns, and investigation of potential environmental effects—starts in the early stages of research. As the research moves into the development stage, issues of access and parity—including patent and copyright issues and access to the technology—become controversial. Finally, public engagement is necessary to ensure overall acceptance of exotic techniques and novel treatment technologies. Public engagement demands an approach appropriate to both the society as well as the technology, and as such, a relevant case-specific strategy must be developed to coincide with the introduction of new water treatment technologies.
Advances in Surface Chemistry of Nanodiamond and Nanodiamond-Polymer Composites

Nanodiamonds have excellent mechanical and optical properties, high surface areas and tunable surface structures. These properties make ND a highly promising material for nanocomposite applications, in particular, when used in polymer matrix composites. However, to take full advantage of nanodiamonds in composite applications, their purity, rational control of surface chemistry, dispersion in the matrix, and interface between the nanofiller and the matrix need to be considered. This chapter summarizes recent developments in the optimization of nanodiamond surface chemistry and application of this material in polymer matrix composites.
Assembling the Jigsaw: How Multiple Open Standards Are Synergistically Combined in the HALEF Multimodal Dialog System

As dialog systems become increasingly multimodal and distributed in nature with advances in technology and computing power, they become that much more complicated to design and implement. However, open industry and W3C standards provide a silver lining here, allowing the distributed design of different components that are nonetheless compliant with each other. In this chapter we examine how an open-source, modular, multimodal dialog system—HALEF—can be seamlessly assembled, much like a jigsaw puzzle, by putting together multiple distributed components that are compliant with the W3C recommendations or other open industry standards. We highlight the specific standards that HALEF currently uses along with a perspective on other useful standards that could be included in the future. HALEF has an open codebase to encourage progressive community contribution and a common standard testbed for multimodal dialog system development and benchmarking.
Laminar flame speeds of stratified methane, propane, and n-heptane flames

Abstract A numerical study on stratified flames of three hydrocarbon fuels, i.e., methane, propane and n-heptane, is conducted using a unsteady, compressible and reacting flow solver ASURF-Parallel. For each fuel, both fuel consumption speeds and flame front propagation speeds of a rich-to-lean stratified flame are compared to those of their corresponding homogeneous flames. For fuel consumption speeds, the methane/air stratified flame is overall faster than those of homogeneous flames due to chemical activities enhanced by key radicals and species from rich burnt gas mixtures. In contrast, stratified flames of both propane/air and n-heptane/air mixtures have lower fuel consumption speeds compared to their homogeneous flames on the rich side, due to reduced level of key radicals consumed by intermediate hydrocarbon species from rich burnt gases. For flame front propagation speeds, stratified flames of all three fuels are found faster than their corresponding homogeneous flames, due to consistently enhanced total heat release rate. Stronger enhancement of laminar flame speeds of stratified mixtures is observed in methane/air mixtures, compared to propane and n-heptane. Burnt gas of rich methane/air mixtures consists of relatively more molecular hydrogen, which assists fuel consumption and heat release at flame front. Moreover, molecular hydrogen has a stronger impact on laminar flame speeds of methane/air mixtures thus an even stronger enhancement on laminar flame speeds of methane/air stratified mixtures is observed. H/C ratio along with local equivalence ratio at flame front are proposed to provide a unique identification of the exact mixture composition of stratified flames.
Fetal Nasal Bone Length as a Novel Marker for Prediction of Adverse Perinatal Outcomes in the First-Trimester of Pregnancy

Background: Adverse outcomes of pregnancy are a challenging health-care problem. Prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes is important to prevent the morbidities of the foetus and the mother. Aims: To study the clinical interest of fetal nasal bone length in predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes in the first trimester of pregnancy. Study Design: A population-based retrospective cohort study. Methods: Data from 868 women with first-trimester fetal nasal bone length and birth records available were enrolled. Fetal nasal bone length percentiles were determined and evaluated for their ability to predict adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth, preterm labour, preterm premature rupture of membranes, early preterm birth, gestational diabetes mellitus, gestational hypertension-preeclampsia, small-for-gestational age foetuses, macrosomia, oligohydramnios, polyhydramnios and fetal distress. Results: Fetal nasal bone length >95th percentile was significantly associated with preterm labor and preterm premature rupture of membranes (p=0.02, accuracy 0.91 and p=0.001, accuracy 0.94, respectively), whereas nasal bone length >99th percentile was significantly associated with preterm labor and oligohydramnios (p=0.006, accuracy 0.95 and p=0.014, accuracy 0.97). Conclusion: Fetal nasal bone length at high percentiles in the first trimester of pregnancy may aid in the prediction of adverse outcomes such as preterm labour, preterm premature rupture of membranes and oligohydramnios.
Tritium Aspects of Fueling and Exhaust Pumping in Magnetic Fusion Energy

AbstractMagnetically confined fusion plasmas generate energy from deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion reactions that produce energetic 3.5 MeV alpha particles and 14 MeV neutrons. Since the DT fusion reaction rate is a strong function of plasma density, an efficient fueling source is needed to maintain high plasma density in such systems. Energetic ions in fusion plasmas are able to escape the confining magnetic fields at a much higher rate than the fusion reactions occur, thus dictating the fueling rate needed. These lost ions become neutralized and need to be pumped away as exhaust gas to be reinjected into the plasma as fuel atoms.The technology to fuel and pump fusion plasmas has to be inherently compatible with the tritium fuel. An ideal holistic solution would couple the pumping and fueling such that the pump exhaust is directly fed back into pellet formation without including impurity gases. This would greatly reduce the processing needs for the exhaust. Concepts to accomplish this are discussed along wi...
TGF-β Stimulation of EMT Programs Elicits Non-genomic ER-α Activity and Anti-estrogen Resistance in Breast Cancer Cells.

AIM Estrogen receptor-α (ER-α) activation drives the progression of luminal breast cancers. Signaling by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) typically opposes the actions of ER-α; it also induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) programs that promote breast cancer dissemination, stemness, and chemoresistance. The impact of EMT programs on nongenomic ER-α signaling remains unknown and was studied herein. METHODS MCF-7 and BT474 cells were stimulated with TGF-β to induce EMT programs, at which point ER-α expression, localization, and nongenomic interactions with receptor tyrosine kinases and MAP kinases (MAPKs) were determined. Cell sensitivity to anti-estrogens both before and after traversing the EMT program was also investigated. RESULTS TGF-β stimulated MCF-7 and BT474 cells to acquire EMT phenotypes, which enhanced cytoplasmic accumulation of ER-α without altering its expression. Post-EMT cells exhibited (i) elevated expression of EGFR and IGF1R, which together with Src formed cytoplasmic complexes with ER-α; (ii) enhanced coupling of EGF, IGF-1 and estrogen to the activation of MAPKs; and (iii) reduced sensitivity to tamoxifen, an event reversed by administration of small molecule inhibitors against the receptors for TGF-β, EGF, and IGF-1, as well as those against MAPKs. CONCLUSION EMT stimulated by TGF-β promotes anti-estrogen resistance by activating EGFR-, IGF1R-, and MAPK-dependent nongenomic ER-α signaling.
Regional Variation in Performance for Commission on Cancer Breast Quality Measures and Impact on Overall Survival

Adherence to quality measures has become an important indicator of cancer center performance for high-quality cancer care. We examined regional variation in performance for Commission on Cancer breast quality measures and its impact on overall survival (OS) for those measures that have been shown to impact OS. Six breast quality measures were analyzed using the National Cancer Data Base from 2014 to 2015, and a multivariable model was used to assess performance for each measure by region. Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine OS between high- and low-performing centers from 2007 to 2012. Overall, 305,391 women had surgery at 1322 institutions in nine US regions; 90.8% underwent needle biopsy (range 86.0–92.6% between regions, p < 0.01), 69.8% had breast-conserving surgery (BCS) for stage 0–II cancer (60.9–79.3%, p < 0.01), 85.2% aged < 70 years had radiation therapy (RT) after BCS (79.6–90.8%, p < 0.01), 78.3% of women with four or more positive nodes had post-mastectomy RT (70.9–84.5%, p < 0.01), 90.9% with hormone receptor (HR)-positive stage IB–III cancer had hormone therapy (83.7–95.1%, p < 0.01), and 89.4% aged < 70 years with HR-negative stage IB–III cancer had chemotherapy (87.6–91.4%, p < 0.01). Multivariate analyses adjusted for patient and facility factors found that region was the only consistent predictor of non-compliance across measures. With median 65-month follow-up, there was no difference in OS between high- and low-performing centers for the three measures that have been shown to impact OS. There is significant regional variation in performance on the breast quality measures but this variation did not impact OS. Targeted efforts in certain areas of the country may help improve performance on these measures.
Making polysomnography more "child friendly:" a family-centered care approach.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: With the increasing recognition of pediatric sleep disorders, there is a growing demand for pediatric sleep medicine services, including polysomnography. The procedure of polysomnography can be particularly challenging in young children with limited ability to cooperate, especially when they have developmental disabilities or other medical complications. This article describes a family-centered care approach to polysomnography in children that is appropriate in any type of sleep laboratory setting. This approach emphasizes respect for the family, psychological preparation, adaptation of laboratory routines to the needs of the family, substitution of child-friendly terminology for medical jargon, coping strategies for the child and family during the procedure, positioning for comfort, utilization of distraction and medical play, modeling behavior for the parent, and continuous praise and reassurance for the child. In our experience with over 1000 studies in children of all ages with a broad range of comorbidities, implementation of this approach has minimized the burden of the polysomnography for the child, boosted the confidence of the sleep technologist, improved study quality for the diagnostician, and increased patient and family satisfaction.
PROTEASE INHIBITORS PREVENT UV-ENHANCED VIRUS REACTIVATION IN E. COLI BUT NOT IN MONKEY KIDNEY CELLS

ABSTRACT Ultraviolet enhanced virus reactivation (ER) in mammalian cells may be analogous to Weigle reactivation (WR) in bacteria. Antipain, a protease inhibitor, has been shown to inhibit several SOS functions in bacteria. The present study demonstrates that antipain inhibits WR of UV-irradiated λ phage in E . coli C600. A similar experiment performed with CV-1 monkey kidney cells and herpes simplex virus determined that ER of UV-irradiated herpesvirus was not inhibited by protease inhibitors, antipain or leupeptin. Thus, the similarities between WR in E . coli (10) and ER in monkey kidney cells do not extend to inhibition by antipain. Furthermore, if ER is a mammalian cell SOS function and is regulated by a protease, that protease is not inhibited by antipain or leupeptin in CV-1 cells.
Inhibition of DNA polymerase of avian myeloblastosis virus by an alkaloid extract from Narcissus tazetta L.

Abstract An alkaloid extract of the Sacred Lily (narcissus tarzetta L.), a medicinal plant, inhibits the purified DNA polymerase from Avian myeloblastosis virus. The mechanism of action of this inhibitor, differs from that of other known inhibitors. The inhibitor physically combines with the polymerase, it does not affect the binding of the template to the enzyme as demonstrated by classical non-competitive inhibition kinetics and affects either the initiation or elongation phase of the polymerization reaction. The inhibition is the same whether viral 70S RNA or poly d(AT) is used as template.
Optical solitons: Quasi-stationarity versus Lie transform

This paper is a comparitive study of the two approaches namely the quasi-stationarity and the Lie transform that are used for studying the classical optical solitons along with its perturbations governed by the non-linear Schrodinger's equation with Kerr law of non-linearity. The relative advantages and disadvantages of the two methods are enumerated. The study is conducted with both, Hamiltonian as well as non-Hamiltonian type perturbations.
Successful treatment of severe refractory autoimmune hemolytic anemia after hematopoietic stem cell transplant with abatacept.

Background After hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is a known and fairly common complication. It is often refractory to conventional therapies including corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, splenectomy, and the more recently described use of monoclonal antibodies. The high morbidity associated with these severe persistent cases elucidates the gaps in alternative therapies available for treatment. Study design and methods We described the successful use of abatacept for severe refractory AIHA after HSCT in three patients. Results Three pediatric patients with refractory AIHA after allogeneic stem cell transplantation were observed to be unresponsive to multitude immunosuppressive therapies, resulting in persistent transfusion dependency. Treatment with abatacept, a fusion protein that inhibits T-cell activation by binding to CD80/CD86 on antigen-presenting cells (APCs), thus blocking the required CD28 interaction between APCs and T cells, resulted in the resolution of hemolysis. Conclusion Abatacept may provide significant clinical benefit in the management of AIHA after HSCT.
Approaches to evaluating grower irrigation and fertilizer nitrogen amount and timing

Abstract Diversity in the knowledge, mindset, strategies, and tools that growers use to manage irrigation and fertilizer nitrogen culminates in diversity in profitability and environmental impact among farms. As growers, academia, and industry strive together to tackle the technological and non-technological challenges impeding better irrigation and fertilizer nitrogen management, a science-based evaluation of grower input amount and timing becomes an important initial step in the process. Providing such valuable feedback to growers is a high-priority objective for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Testing Ag Performance Solutions (UNL-TAPS) farm management competition. In this competition, each team of mostly growers made management decisions for field corn in three replicated plots within the same field at the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte, NE, and vied for maximum profitability and most judicious input management. The 2017 dataset affirmed existing theory predicting that many efficiency indices strictly decrease in value with increasing seasonal input amount and thus would fail to point towards an appropriate input level. Furthermore, grain yield was heavily affected by cultivar choice, so efficiency indices that depend on yield actually obscured rather than facilitated the evaluation of irrigation and fertilizer nitrogen management. An alternate evaluation approach is to compare a grower’s seasonal input amount or input temporal distribution against an appropriate range enveloped by university recommendations on the high end and observed yield-limiting thresholds on the low end. Where irrigation and fertilizer nitrogen are relatively inexpensive and where producing near-maximum yield is optimal, this approach is suitable for analyzing an input in isolation and for analyzing multiple inputs simultaneously.
Implications of Nontraditional Housing Arrangements for Urban Water Management in the United States Intermountain West

Homeowners living in single-family detached housing have dominated the literature exploring drivers of residential water use. Meanwhile, rentals, multiunit buildings, and residences governed by pri...
Decreasing Wound Edge Stress Enhances Leader Cell Formation during Collective Smooth Muscle Cell Migration

Collective cell migration is vital to tissue remodeling in wound repair, development, and cancer invasion. Nevertheless, studies on collective cell migration have largely focused on epithelial growth and repair mechanisms and have only recently expanded to explore coordinated metastatic cancer and smooth muscle cell behaviors. The regulatory mechanisms of smooth muscle cell collective migration, such as leader–follower organization and mechanosensitivity, remain poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate the involvement of leader cells during collective smooth muscle cell migration using dynamic cell tracking and single cell gene expression analysis. Engineered wound models, including ingrowth, outgrowth, and straight edge geometries, along with traction force microscopy and finite element stress mapping reveal that smooth muscle leader cells are enhanced at the wound edge when the intercellular tension near the cell wound boundary is reduced. Pharmacological perturbation further supports the notion...
Adjuvant treatment and survival in older women with triple negative breast cancer: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results analysis.

Patients with triple negative breast cancer were identified using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Competing risks analysis was used to assess the cumulative incidence of breast cancer-specific mortality (BCSM). Multivariable Fine-Gray regression was used to identify predictors of BCSM. Women age 70+ (n = 4221) were less likely to receive chemotherapy and radiation treatment (P < 0.0001) and had higher BCSM compared to younger women (P < 0.0001). There were no differences in BCSM in patients who received adjuvant treatment (P = 0.10). Stage II patients derived the greatest relative and absolute benefit from adjuvant treatment. Age was not a significant predictor of BCSM.
Conjunctival and Corneal Tumors: Systemic Associations

Conjunctival tumors may be some of the prominent manifestations of systemic inherited diseases. In such instances, ophthalmologists should recognize the systemic association and initiate appropriate systemic and genetic evaluation. Conjunctival tumors and tumor-like conditions associated with systemic disorders can be categorized as pigmented lesions (Peutz–Jeghers syndrome), benign tumors (Goldenhar syndrome), malignant tumors (xeroderma pigmentosum), and amyloidosis. We present a review of this group of conjunctival lesions and their associated systemic disorders. Other entities may also have associated eyelid tumors and are covered in detail elsewhere. Where applicable, the genetic underpinnings of the syndromic association are discussed.
Hierarchical pattern formation during amphibian limb regeneration

In 1901 T.H. Morgan proposed in "Regeneration" that pattern formation in amphibian limb regeneration is a stepwise process. Since, biologist have continued to piece together the molecular components of this process to better understand the "patterning code" responsible for regenerate formation. Within this context, several different models have been proposed; however, all are based on one of two underlying hypotheses. The first is the "morphogen hypothesis" that dictates that pattern emerges from localized expression of signaling molecules, which produce differing position-specific cellular responses in receptive cells depending on the intensity of the signal. The second hypothesis is that cells in the remaining tissues retain memory of their patterning information, and use this information to generate new cells with the missing positional identities. A growing body of evidence supports the possibility that these two mechanisms are not mutually exclusive. Here, we propose our theory of hierarchical pattern formation, which consists of 4 basic steps. The first is the existence of cells with positional memory. The second is the communication of positional information through cell-cell interactions in a regeneration-permissive environment. The third step is the induction of molecular signaling centers. And the last step is the interpretation of these signals by specialized cell types to ultimately restore the limb in its entirety. Biological codes are intertwined throughout this model, and we will discuss their multiple roles and mechanisms.
Correlation of MRI and EEG

Space-occupying lesions have a high correlation with localization of seizure onset in patients with intractable epilepsy, as judged by cessation of seizures after their removal (Rich et al., 1985; Spencer et al., 1984). Atrophy on MRI may also be considered a criterion of the site of seizure onset (Spencer et al., 1991; Spencer, 1993). Some recent studies have used MRI quantitative methods to assess atrophy in temporal lobe (Jack et al., 1990; Lencz et al., 1992). These show nearly 100% specificity and sensitivity of quantitative MRI demonstration of hippocampal atrophy in the prediction of mesial temporal sclerosis, a pathological finding associated with excellent seizure control after temporal lobectomy (Berkovic et al., 1991; Cascino et al, 1991,1992) and therefore implying medial temporal lobe seizure onset. Despite these observations, however, most investigations have failed to prove a high correlation between MRI and EEG localisation of epileptiform abnormalities (Boon et al, 1991; Dowd et al., 1991), at least in other cerebral regions.
One-Dimensional Quaternary and Penternary Alkali Rare Earth Thiophosphates Obtained via Alkali Halide Flux Crystal Growth

Single crystals of nine new quaternary and penternary rare earth containing thiophosphates, Cs2KLn(PS4)2, Rb3-xNaxLn(PS4)2 (Ln = La, Nd), Rb2NaNd(PS4)2, Cs3La(PS4)2, Rb3Gd(PS4)2, and Cs5NaLn2(PS4)4...