cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Figuring out what works in education.

In his article “Meager evaluations make it hard to find out what works,” J. Mervis writes about the difficulties of assessing education research (News of the Week, 11 June, p. [1583][1]). The only way to establish a curriculum's effectiveness is through randomized, control trials similar to those used in clinical research. The idea of controlled trials in evaluation is certainly not new, and I learned about them in the 1970s while studying for a Ph.D. in education. Unfortunately, interest in educational program evaluation has remained theoretical in schools. In fact, in frustration, I left education studies and moved to academic medicine, where effectiveness research and systematic literature reviews to find best practices are the norm ([1][2]). I take issue with the idea that controlled studies are difficult to do because “[i]t's hard to exclude people from a program that they think is working.” Controlled studies are based on rational inclusion and exclusion criteria and aim to demonstrate under which circumstances and for whom programs work best (if they work at all). Also, although it is true that measuring human behavior is “hard to quantify,” that does not mean we cannot do it reasonably well. In academic medicine, we have found ways to measure concepts like satisfaction, decision-making, and quality of life. Surely, with effort, educational evaluators can identify valid measures of educational outcomes. One possible explanation for the poor studies we find in education is that evaluations cost as much as program development. The best ones are conducted by multidisciplinary teams of educational researchers and experts in design, measurement, and data analysis. Educational programs are always in a cash crisis. Yet the consequences of implementing programs of unknown quality are likely to be even more costly in terms of the educational opportunity they waste. 1. 1.[↵][3] 1. B. Stein 2. et al. , JAMA 290, 603 (2003) See, for example. [OpenUrl][4][CrossRef][5][PubMed][6][Web of Science][7] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.304.5677.1583 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1. in text" [4]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DJAMA%26rft.stitle%253DJAMA%26rft.issn%253D0002-9955%26rft.aulast%253DStein%26rft.auinit1%253DB.%2BD.%26rft.volume%253D290%26rft.issue%253D5%26rft.spage%253D603%26rft.epage%253D611%26rft.atitle%253DA%2BMental%2BHealth%2BIntervention%2Bfor%2BSchoolchildren%2BExposed%2Bto%2BViolence%253A%2BA%2BRandomized%2BControlled%2BTrial%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1001%252Fjama.290.5.603%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F12902363%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [5]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1001/jama.290.5.603&link_type=DOI [6]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=12902363&link_type=MED&atom=%2Fsci%2F305%2F5691%2F1715.1.atom [7]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000184558500014&link_type=ISI
The Application of Virtual Reality Technology in Transmission Live Working Training

This paper introduces the basic concepts and characteristics of virtual reality technology briefly and analyzes the defects of the artificial guiding teaching of the current live working from the angle of skills and safety, combing the power grid’s physical characteristics and virtual reality techniques. By summing up the transmission live working running operating procedures, the methods and means of using virtual reality technology in the teaching and training of the transmission network for live working are proposed. Summary transmission live working training status and analyze the application prospect of the virtual reality technology in the power transmission network live working on the basis of summarizing the power transmission network live working training status. The transmission live working simulation training method brings a new look to the power companies and also does great benefit for the enhancement of the operators' skill level and the improvement of their security awareness of operating.
COMPARISONS BETWEEN VARIATIONAL, PERTURBATIONAL, AND EXACT SOLUTIONS FOR SCATTERING FROM A RANDOM ROUGH-SURFACE MODEL.

This paper considers the scattering of an electromagnetic wave from a simplistic model of a random rough surface. The model surface is an ensemble of systems each of which consists of two conducting, parallel, Rayleigh hemicylinders of infinite length and equal radius on an infinite conducting plane. This is the simplest multiple-scattering case of the N-hemicylinder problem, and is examined to gain insights into the approximation methods used to study the more general case. The separation distance between the protrusions varies randomly from one member of the ensemble to another except that the hemicylinders are not permitted to overlap. This surface is illuminated by a plane wave whose electric field vector is parallel to the hemicylinder axes, i.e., having TM polarization. The exact solution for the ensemble average of the square of the scattering amplitude shows that multiple scattering makes a significant contribution to the correction term introduced by the no-overlap condition. The correction term is about a factor of 2 greater than that calculated by first-order perturbation theory, which neglects multiple scattering. This contradicts the tenet that perturbation theory is correct in the limit of small (i.e., Rayleigh) scatterers. We also use a recently developed variational principle to study scattering from the random rough-surface model and find a correction term in essential agreement with the exact result.
Tree Mortality following Prescribed Fire and a Storm Surge Event in Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa) Forests in the Florida Keys, USA

In fire-dependent forests, managers are interested in predicting the consequences of prescribed burning on postfire tree mortality. We examined the effects of prescribed fire on tree mortality in Florida Keys pine forests, using a factorial design with understory type, season, and year of burn as factors. We also used logistic regression to model the effects of burn season, fire severity, and tree dimensions on individual tree mortality. Despite limited statistical power due to problems in carrying out the full suite of planned experimental burns, associations with tree and fire variables were observed. Post-fire pine tree mortality was negatively correlated with tree size and positively correlated with char height and percent crown scorch. Unlike post-fire mortality, tree mortality associated with storm surge from Hurricane Wilma was greater in the large size classes. Due to their influence on population structure and fuel dynamics, the size-selective mortality patterns following fire and storm surge have practical importance for using fire as a management tool in Florida Keys pinelands in the future, particularly when the threats to their continued existence from tropical storms and sea level rise are expected to increase.
Patient Activation and Mental Health Care Experiences Among Women Veterans.

We utilized a nationally representative survey of women veteran primary care users to examine associations between patient activation and mental health care experiences. A dose–response relationship was observed, with odds of high quality ratings significantly greater at each successive level of patient activation. Higher activation levels were also significantly associated with preference concordant care for gender-related preferences (use of female providers, women-only settings, and women-only groups as often as desired). Results add to the growing literature documenting better health care experiences among more activated patients, and suggest that patient activation may play an important role in promoting engagement with mental health care.
Bovine viral diarrhea virus fetal persistent infection after immunization with a contaminated modified-live virus vaccine

The objective was to determine whether a multivalent modified-live virus vaccine containing noncytopathic bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) administered off-label to pregnant cattle can result in persistently infected fetuses and to assess whether vaccinal strains can be shed to unvaccinated pregnant cattle commingling with vaccinates. Nineteen BVDV-naive pregnant heifers were randomly assigned to two groups: cattle vaccinated near Day 77 of gestation with modified-live virus vaccine containing BVDV-1a (WRL strain), bovine herpes virus-1, parainfluenza 3, and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (Vx group; N = 10) or control unvaccinated cattle (N = 9). During the course of the study a voluntary stop-sale/recall was conducted by the manufacturer because of the presence of a BVDV contaminant in the vaccine. At Day 175 of gestation, fetuses were removed by Cesarean section and fetal tissues were submitted for virus isolation, and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction using BVDV-1- and BVDV-2-specific probes. Nucleotide sequencing of viral RNA was performed for quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction-positive samples. Two vaccinated and two control heifers aborted their pregnancies, but their fetuses were unavailable for BVDV testing. Virus was isolated from all eight fetuses in the Vx group heifers and from 2 of 7 fetuses in the control unvaccinated heifers. Only BVDV-2 was detected in fetuses from the Vx group, and only BVDV-1 was detected in the two fetuses from the control group. Both BVDV-1 and BVDV-2 were detected in the vaccine. In conclusion, vaccination of pregnant heifers with a contaminated modified-live BVDV vaccine resulted in development of BVDV-2 persistently infected fetuses in all tested vaccinated animals. Furthermore, BVDV was apparently shed to unvaccinated heifers causing fetal infections from which only BVDV-1 was detected.
Effect of the TNF-α–promoter polymorphism on cardiac allograft rejection

Abstract Background A polymorphism exists in the tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) promoter (position −308, G/A = TNFA1/TNFA2). The TNFA2 allele is associated with increased TNF-α production in vitro and has been reported to increase the risk of allograft rejection in pediatric recipients of cardiac transplantation. We examined the effect of the TNFA2 allele on the risk of allograft rejection in adult cardiac transplant recipients. Methods We prospectively analyzed 57 subjects (aged 54 ± 11 years, 84% men, 49% ischemic) who underwent cardiac transplantation between October 1996 and July 2001. Patients were observed after transplantation (mean, 910 ± 605 days) and the frequency of allograft rejection (biopsy Grade ≥2) in patients with the TNFA2 allele (Group A, n = 15) was compared with TNFA1 homozygotes (Group B, n = 42). Overall survival and time to rejection episodes also were compared between groups. Results The frequency of allograft rejection was similar between groups (Group A, 8/15 [56%]; Group B, 22/42 [52%]; p = 0.77). Time to rejection also was comparable (Group A, 17 ± 11 days; Group B, 20 ± 20 days, p = 0.74). Overall post-transplant survival was similar between groups (1- and 2-year percentage survival: Group A, 87% and 78%, Group B, 88% and 82%, p = 0.35). Conclusion The TNFA2 allele was not associated with increased risk of rejection in adult cardiac transplant recipients. The impact of this polymorphism on overall post-transplant outcomes will require investigation in larger multicenter studies.
Peer-assisted AAC roles in support of communication and social skill development of learners with autism: Unconvincing and insufficient preliminary findings

This review provides a summary and appraisal commentary on the treatment review by Strasberger, S., & Ferreri, S.J. (2014). The effects of peer assisted communication application training on the communication and social behaviors of children with autism. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 26, 513–526.Source of funding and disclosure of interests: No source of funding reported. The original authors do not report any conflicts of interests.
The effect of a timed writing assessment on ESL undergraduate engineering students

Pressure from engineering faculty and external accreditors to improve the quality of undergraduates' communication skills led to the development of a timed writing assessment, which has resulted in an unproportionally high failure rate among English as Second Language (ESL) students. This paper provides explanations for why some ESL writers are unable to successfully negotiate a timed writing instrument, the types of rhetorical and linguistic errors they commonly display in this context, and suggestions for instructors of ESL writing and engineering courses to become more proactive in helping prepare students to write under pressure as undergraduates and in their future professional lives.
Roles of Attention Shifting and Inhibitory Control in Fourth‐Grade Reading Comprehension

Executive functioning (EF) refers to a set of higher order, core cognitive processes that facilitate planning, problem solving, and the initiation and maintenance of goal-directed behavior. Although recent research has established the importance of EF for word reading development in early childhood, few studies have investigated the role of EF in reading comprehension during middle childhood. This study investigated the relations between two specific dimensions of EF—attention shifting and inhibitory control—and reading comprehension for students in fourth grade (N = 120). Specifically, we used path analysis to investigate the direct, unique associations of attention shifting and inhibitory control with reading comprehension as well as the indirect associations with reading comprehension via language comprehension and word reading, controlling for working memory, processing speed, and phonological awareness. Results indicated that both attention shifting and inhibitory control demonstrated unique direct associations with reading comprehension. Attention shifting also demonstrated a significant indirect association via language comprehension. Findings support growing evidence for the importance of these EF dimensions to reading, raise questions about potential mechanisms underlying links between EF and reading comprehension, and offer implications for understanding and addressing reading comprehension difficulties.
Heavy Flavor Production and Spectroscopy with CDF

Abstract Using data from p p ¯ collisions at s = 1.96 TeV recorded by the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron, we present three recent results on heavy flavor production: an observation of the excited resonance state Λ b ⁎ 0 in its fully reconstructed decay mode to Λ b 0 π + π − , a study of quark fragmentation using kaons produced in association with prompt D s ± / D ± mesons, and the measurement of angular distributions of muons from ϒ ( 1 S , 2 S , 3 S ) decays in both the Collins-Soper and the s-channel helicity frames.
Modularization and hierarchy in a family of operating systems

This paper describes the design philosophy used in the construction of a family of operating systems. It is shown that the concepts of module and level do not coincide in a hierarchy of functions. Family members can share much software as a result of the implementation of run-time modules at the lowest system level.
Acute exercise improves physical sexual arousal in women taking antidepressants.

Background Antidepressants can impair sexual arousal. Exercise increases genital arousal in healthy women, likely due to increasing sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity.
A Virtual Pyrogram Generator to Resolve Complex Pyrosequencing Results

We report a freely available software program, Pyromaker, which generates simulated traces for pyrosequencing results based on user inputs. Simulated pyrograms can aid in the analysis of complex pyrosequencing results in which various hypothesized mutations can be tested, and the resultant pyrograms can be matched with the actual pyrogram. We validated the software using the actual pyrograms for common KRAS gene mutations as well as several mutations in the BRAF, GNAS, and p53 genes. We demonstrate that all 18 possible single-base mutations within codons 12 and 13 of KRAS generate unique pyrosequencing traces and highlight the distinctions between them. We further show that all reported codon 12 and 13 complex mutations produce unique pyrograms. However, some complex mutations are indistinguishable from single-base mutations. For complicated pyrograms, Pyromaker was used in two modes, one in which hypothesis-based simulated pyrograms were pattern-matched with the actual pyrograms. In a second strategy with only the pyrogram, Pyromaker was used to identify the underlying mutation by iteratively reconstructing the mutant pyrogram. Either strategy was able to successfully identify the complex mutations, which were confirmed by cloning and sequencing. Using two examples of KRAS codon 12 mutations (specifically GGT→TTT, G12F and GGT→GAG, G12E), we report which combinations of five approaches permit unambiguous mutation identification. The most efficient approach was found to be pyrosequencing with Pyromaker.
The Jones Family's Culture of Literacy.

This article considers the uses of literacy within the Jones family (all names are pseudonyms), an African American family who lives in the rural South of the United States. Drawing on life history data with three women in the Jones family—Harriet Jones (grandmother), Sally Harris (mother), and Lola Harris (granddaughter)—the author traces how literacy has been practiced intergenerationally within the family. As such, the Joneses' intergenerational literacy practices comprise a culture of literacy within the family. Such a culture of literacy serves as a potential pedagogical resource for supporting the education of the family's youngest member, KiKi Reynolds (great-granddaughter), who has just completed her kindergarten year. Through this exploration of literacy within the Jones family, the author argues that family must be considered a cultural context for literacy learning. In asking literacy educators and researchers to widen their lenses on the cultural contexts in which children engage in literacy practice, intergenerational literacy can offer teachers more complex, asset-oriented interpretations of their students and their families.
Stroke Volume Variation as a Predictor of Fluid Responsiveness in Patients Undergoing One-Lung Ventilation

(SVI) after volume loading (SVV: p 25%), and 15 (50%) were nonresponders (an increase in SVI <25%). The area under the ROC curve was 0.900 for SVV (95% confidence interval, 0.809-0.991), whereas the optimal threshold value of SVV to discriminate between responders and nonresponders was 10.5% (sensitivity: 82.4%, specificity: 92.3%). Conclusions: The authors found that SVV measured by the Vigileo-FloTrac system was able to predict fluid responsiveness in patients undergoing surgery with OLV with acceptable levels of sensitivity and specificity. © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Using Classroom Data to Teach Students about Data Cleaning and Testing Assumptions

This paper discusses the influence that decisions about data cleaning and violations of statistical assumptions can have on drawing valid conclusions to research studies. The datasets provided in this paper were collected as part of a National Science Foundation grant to design online games and associated labs for use in undergraduate and graduate statistics courses that can effectively illustrate issues not always addressed in traditional instruction. Students play the role of a researcher by selecting from a wide variety of independent variables to explain why some students complete games faster than others. Typical project data sets are “messy”, with many outliers (usually from some students taking much longer than others) and distributions that do not appear normal. Classroom testing of the games over several semesters has produced evidence of their efficacy in statistics education. The projects tend to be engaging for students and they make the impact of data cleaning and violations of model assumptions more relevant. We discuss the use of one of the games and associated guided lab in introducing students to issues prevalent in real data and the challenges involved in data cleaning and dangers when model assumptions are violated.
Inferring Policy Diffusion Networks in the American States

For decades scholars of state politics have studied the ways in which innovations in public policy diffuse across the states. Several studies indicate that policy diffusion is an explicitly dyadic process whereby states learn and adopt policies from their neighbors in geographic, social, economic, and political space. This dyadic diffusion process implies the existence of a policy diffusion network among the states. Using a dataset consisting of 189 policies, we introduce and apply algorithms designed to directly infer a diffusion network from a sample of policy adoption sequences. In addition to presenting the network inference algorithm, we offer three substantive contributions with regard to research on policy diffusion in the American states. First, we summarize and analyze the structure of the inferred diffusion network and assess the ways in which it has changed over the last several decades. Second, we demonstrate how the inferred diffusion network can be integrated into conventional statistical models of state policy adoption. Third, we estimate models to explain the pattern of diffusion ties and test a variety of theoretical expectations about who states choose to emulate.
Approaching the Tarmac: Examining Target Date Funds and Balanced Funds

This paper is divided into three distinct sections. The first provides a brief summary of target date funds and statistics as of December 2008. The second presents analysis of one specific cohort, 2010 target date funds. The third and final section describes a long-term performance simulation that compared target date funds and balanced funds, the two prominent qualified default investment alternatives specified in the Pension Protection Act of 2006.
Primary Considerations in an Integrated Microsurgical-Stereotactic Approach to Lesions Affecting the Third Ventricular Chamber

The complexity of variables related to lesions affecting the third ventricular chamber provides both intellectual and technical challenges to the neurological surgeon responsible for management of such situations.
Closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect

Perhaps the single most frequent, most crucial, most difficult, and least precisely described technical step in operations for congenital heart disease is the closure of the posterior aspect of a perimembranous ventricular septal defect. The frequency of the maneuver stems from the fact that the most common congenital cardiac anomaly is the ventricular septal defect, and the perimembranous defect is the most common type. Ventricular septal defects of this type are commonly associated with other defects in complex malformations of the heart. Also, closure of this posterior aspect is basically the same whether the approach is transatrial or transventricular, and whether the defect is simply closed or used as a tunnel repair of double-outlet right ventricle, truncus arteriosus, or for the Rastelli operation for transposition of the great arteries. The technique is crucial particularly because of the proximity of the common and branching portions of the bundle of His, which are vulnerable to even minor trauma. It is a difficult technical procedure because the septal defect usually lacks a discrete rim posteriorly, where its border is formed by the junction of the atrioventricular valves, and also because this is the most obscure area to expose during operation. The technical aspects of closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect have been imprecisely described and illustrated, probably again because of the depth and poor exposure of the defect. Only a first assistant has any chance of seeing exactly how an experienced surgeon is placing each individual suture in this hidden area, and even his view may be fleeting and distorted. Furthermore, the variations in anatomic detail are marked. This study is presented to illustrate the considerable variability as well as the aspects in common in the technique of closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect as practiced by experienced surgeons.
Patent ducts arteriosus in premature infants. Incidence, relation to pulmonary disease and management.

Abstract Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) developed in 17 of 111 premature infants (birth weight 1750 g or less) born during a four-year period (15.3 per cent incidence). During that time we treated 29 such infants, 17 born at our own institution and 12 similar infants transferred from other hospitals. Sixteen of the 29 had cardiac catheterization, 10 had operative closure of the PDA, and 24 survived. When the PDA became evident, 23 infants had no pulmonary disease, were recovering from the idiopathic respiratory-distress syndrome (IRDS) or had chronic lung disease; all survived. In six infants with severe IRDS, onset of PDA was associated with a worsening of the pulmonary status; only one survived. We recommend cardiac catheterization and operative closure of the PDA in neonates when heart failure cannot be controlled medically. The prognosis is good in infants in whom onset of PDA is not associated with progressively worsening IRDS.
Sex accessory fructose: an evaluation of biochemical techniques.

SummarySex accessory fructose was analyzed from both trichloroacetic acid and ethanol-heavy metal filtrates using either the resorcinol reaction or the cysteine-carbazole method. Sex accessory fructose levels (mg/100 mg of wet wt.) were consistently higher in tissues homogenized in trichloroacetic acid than in those tissues extracted with ethanol and heavy metals. Several factors were demonstrated to affect the measurable amount of sex accessory fructose. Not only does the manner of tissue extraction affect levels, but the particular method of chemical determination leads to differences in the detectable amounts of this sugar.
Selective deposition of CdSe nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide to understand photoinduced charge transfer in hybrid nanostructures.

A linker-free reduced graphene oxide (R-GO)-CdSe nanoparticle (CdSe NP) hybrid nanostructure was synthesized using a chemical vapor deposition method. CdSe NPs were selectively deposited on the surface of R-GO with controlled NP size and coverage. The distribution and morphology of CdSe NPs on R-GO were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The resulting hybrid nanostructure exhibited photoresponse to both laser and simulated sunlight AM 1.5G excitation. The hybrid structure with low CdSe NP coverage showed distinct photoresponse times in air, N2, NH3, and NO2, while high CdSe NP coverage led to nearly constant but three orders of magnitude smaller response time in all gases. Such a difference in photoresponse as a function of NP coverage is attributed to the energy band bending at the interface between the R-GO and the CdSe NP. The selective deposition of CdSe NPs on R-GO and the understanding of the subsequent photoinduced charge tr...
Abstract B5: Tumor-cell-induced angiopoietin-2 secretion from endothelial cells results in destabilization of the endothelial/smooth muscle cell interaction of blood vessels.

The angiopoietin-Tie2 axis is considered to be a key contributor in tumor associated angiogenesis. Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) is an endothelial cell secreted protein that is upregulated by angiogenic stimuli that leads to vessel destabilization by facilitating the disruption of cell-cell contacts between endothelial and periendothelial cells (ie. smooth muscle cells) in the vasculature. Ang-2 is stored in Weibel-Palade bodies and quickly secreted by stimuli such as hypoxia and inflammation; conditions commonly found in solid tumors. In the present study, the effect of renal cell carcinoma tumor cells (Caki-1, Caki-2) on endothelial cell secretion of Ang-2 and the ability to destabilize endothelial-smooth muscle cell co-culture spheroids was evaluated. As anticipated, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed only minimal Ang-2 secretion from Caki tumor cells; 0.02 ng/ml (Caki-1) and 0.005 ng/ml (Caki-2). However, stimulation of endothelial cells with Caki conditioned media showed high levels of Ang-2 secretion from endothelial cells; 1.9 ng/ml (Caki-1) and 3.6 ng/ml (Caki-2), a 95-fold and 720-fold increase respectively. Furthermore, a greater increase in the level of Ang-2 secretion was observed when endothelial cells were stimulated with Caki cells maintained under hypoxic conditions; 3.5 ng/ml (Caki-1) and 5.5 ng/ml (Caki-2), a 1.8-fold and 1.5-fold increase, respectively, compared to cells maintained under normoxic conditions. When media collected from Caki-1 and Caki-2 cells were added to endothelial-smooth muscle cell co-culture spheroids, endothelial cells were rapidly lost from the smooth muscle cell core. Consistent with the levels of Ang-2 secretion, media collected from Caki-2 cells had a greater effect on endothelial cell dissociation from the co-culture spheres than did media from Caki-1 cell culture. This endothelial cell loss was further enhanced when co-culture spheres were exposed to media derived from tumor cell cultures maintained under hypoxic conditions. Using an in vitro endothelial-smooth muscle cell co-culture sphere model we demonstrate that tumor cells can modulate endothelial cell Ang-2 secretion and thereby destabilizing the endothelial cell/smooth muscle cell association of blood vessels. These results support a rationale for targeting Ang-2 as a novel anti-angiogenic strategy in cancer therapy. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2011 Nov 12-16; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2011;10(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B5.
Evolutionary engineering of Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius for improved ethanol production

The ability to grow at high temperatures makes thermophiles attractive for many fermentation processes. In this work, we used evolutionary engineering to increase ethanol production in the thermophile Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius. This bacterium is a facultative anaerobe, grows at an optimal temperature of 60°C, and can ferment diverse carbohydrates. However, it natively performs mixed-acid fermentation. To improve ethanol productivity, we first eliminated lactate and formate production in two strains of G. thermoglucosidasius, 95A1 and C56-YS93. These deletion strains were generated by selection on spectinomycin, which represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first time this antibiotic has been shown to work with thermophiles. Both knockout strains, however, were unable to grow under microaerobic conditions. We were able to recover growth in G. thermoglucosidasius 95A1 by serial adaptation in the presence of acetic acid. The evolved 95A1 strain was able to efficiently produce ethanol during growth on glucose or cellobiose. Genome sequencing identified loss-of-function mutations in adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (aprt) and the stage III sporulation protein AA (spoIIIAA). Disruption of both genes improved ethanol production in the unadapted strains: however, the increase was significant only when aprt was deleted. In conclusion, we were able to engineer a strain of G. thermoglucosidasius to efficiently produce ethanol from glucose and cellobiose using a combination of metabolic engineering and evolutionary strategies. This work further establishes this thermophile as a platform organism for fuel and chemical production. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 2156-2167. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Increasing Attentional Load Boosts Saccadic Adaptation.

PURPOSE: Visual exploration relies on saccadic eye movements and attention processes. Saccadic adaptation mechanisms, which calibrate the oculomotor commands to continuously maintain the accuracy of saccades, have been suggested to act at downstream (motor) and upstream (visuoattentional) levels of visuomotor transformation. Conversely, whether attention can directly affect saccadic adaptation remains unknown. To answer this question, we manipulated the level of attention engaged in a visual discrimination task performed during saccadic adaptation. METHODS: Participants performed low or high attention demanding orientation discrimination tasks on largely or faintly oriented Gabor patches, respectively, which served as targets for reactive saccades. Gabor patches systematically jumped backward during eye motion to elicit an adaptive shortening of saccades, and replaced 50 msec later (100 msec in two subjects) by a mask. Subjects judged whether Gabors' orientation was "nearly horizontal" versus "nearly vertical" (low attention demanding) or "slightly left" versus "slightly right" (high attention demanding), or made no discrimination (control task). RESULTS: We found that the build-up and the retention of adaptation of reactive saccades were larger in the "high attention demanding" condition than in the "low attention demanding" and the no-discrimination control conditions. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that increasing the level of attention to the perceptual processing of otherwise identical targets boosts saccadic adaptation, and suggest that saccadic adaptation mechanisms and attentional load effects may functionally share common neural substrates. Language: en
Two structural states of Z-bands in cardiac muscle.

We have compared the form and dimensions of the Z-band lattice in rat papillary muscle fixed at rest with and without ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) us...
The genetics of glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase in Drosophila melanogaster

A survey of 29 laboratory populations of Drosophila melanogaster for glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) variation revealed that the Got-1 locus was polymorphic in three stocks recently collected from nature. The Got-1 locus was fixed for the same allozyme in the remaining 26 laboratory populations. Testcross matings to multiply marked stocks established that Got-1 is located at 4.8 centimorgans on chromosome 2.
The cosmic ray radio detector data acquisition system

Cosmic rays with kinetic energy larger than 10/sup 20/ eV have been detected by two experiments, AGASA and HIRES. The nature and origin of these particles are not known. Acceleration mechanisms that can produce particles at these energies could be due to yet unknown sources of energy. The extreme energy cosmic rays (EECR) are rare reaching earth at a rate of few per square kilometer per year. The rarity of these events implies that large detector arrays are required making construction cost one of the main issues. We are exploring the possibility to detect EECR using bi-static radar technique. For a proof of principle we use broadcast TV stations as source of RF. After our first round of data taking, a more reliable DAQ was built addressing problems found such as loss of data and inaccurate time stamping. The new DAQ design uses a real time operating system and multithreaded software. To solve the time stamping problem, a GPS bit stream and the precision 1 pps are now included in the data stream.
Towards Interval Techniques for Processing Educational Data

There are many papers that experimentally compare effectiveness of different teaching techniques. Most of these papers use traditional statistical approach to process the experimental results. The traditional statistical approach is well suited to numerical data but often, what we are processing is intervals (e.g., a means anything from 90 to 100). We show that the use of interval techniques leads to more adequate processing of educational data.
Potential role for nuclear matrix proteins hnRNPH1 and SAFB-2 in ethnic disparity of prostate cancer

B99 The underlying role of genomic alterations in the disproportionate incidence and mortality of prostate cancer (CaP) in African Americans (AA) as opposed to Caucasians (CS) are not well understood. We, for the first time, identified a CaP genes that are differentially expressed in CaP cells of age-(50-60 years) and tumor grade-matched (Gleason score 6) AA and CS patients. Race-based CaP specific cDNAs were enriched by suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) analysis on in vivo -derived genetic material originating from flash-frozen specimen. The cDNA SSH libraries were used to construct two unique sets of microarray chips with ~750 CaP genes for each race group. Using microarray, DNA sequencing, qPCR and IHC analyses on biopsies of large cohort of patients we identified selective upregulation (~ 90%) of nuclear matrix genes, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein H1 (hnRNP-H1) and scaffold attachment factor B2 (SAFB-2), in CaP cells of AA men. The proteins were found to be constitutively expressed in AA-derived MDA-CaP-2b cells, but not the CS-derived LNCaP or PC-3 cells, and that their siRNA silencing inhibited growth of MDA-PCa-2b cells only. Hyperacetylation by HDAC inhibitor hn380 increases expression of hnRNPH1 in MDA-PCa-2b cells, suggesting an epigenetic mechanism is selectively involved in upregulating this gene in CaP cells of AA men. Co-IP and reporter assays demonstrate that hnRNP-H1 protein binds to and transactivates androgen receptor (AR) in a ligand-independent manner in both MDA-PCa-2b and COS-7 cells. Intriguingly, hnRNPH1 induces an additive or synergistic induction of androgen-induced AR transactivation in these cells. Our results suggest that overexpression of nuclear matrix proteins may stimulate prostate tumor growth in part by activating AR target genes in AA men. Our studies suggest differences in the biology of CaP may account in part for ethnic disparity of disease morbidity and mortality and further identified a potential target to circumvent the disease in AA men.
Distinct Patterns of Acral Melanoma Based on Site and Relative Sun Exposure

Acral melanoma is distinct from melanoma of other cutaneous sites, yet there is considerable variation within this category. To better define this variation, we assessed melanomas occurring on dorsal (n = 21), volar (n = 9), and subungual/interdigital (n = 13) acral skin as well as acral nevi (n = 24) for clinical, histologic, and molecular features. Melanomas on dorsal acral surfaces demonstrated clear differences compared with volar and subungual/interdigital melanomas. The latter two groups exhibited significantly less frequent BRAF mutations (P = 0.01), were significantly less likely to have the superficial spreading histologic subtype (P = 0.01), occurred in older patients (P = 0.05), and had more frequent involvement in non-Caucasians (P = 0.01). These differences can be explained by differing levels of UV exposure. Subungual/interdigital melanomas had the most diverse group of oncogenic mutations including PIK3CA (2/13), STK11 (2/13), EGFR (1/13), FGFR3 (1/13), and PTPN11 (1/13). In addition, subungual/interdigital melanomas had a significantly higher frequency of copy number aberrations (67%) than other subgroups (P = 0.02), particularly in CDK4 and cyclin D1, and were less likely to have BRAF mutations or a superficial spreading histologic subtype (P = 0.05) compared with volar acral melanomas. Although based on a limited sample size, differences between volar and subungual/interdigital melanomas in our study may be the result of differing levels of UV exposure.
Lifecycle Fertility and the Impact of Family Planning Programs: Evidence from Southern Africa

The impact of family planning programs on fertility in developing countries is contested, with empirical evidence finding negative effects on completed fertility but no consistent effect on short-run fertility. Using a lifecycle model of fertility control choice, we theoretically and empirically show that differential responses of short-run and completed fertility are consistent with a single behavioral response to improved contraceptive access — a shifting of births earlier in the lifecycle due to improved control over fertility outcomes. Women without access to modern contraceptives use traditional methods to delay wanted births because of a precautionary motive to avoid exceeding their target fertility; improved contraceptive access relaxes this precautionary motive and can increase short-run, but not completed, fertility. Using a difference-in-difference design that exploits the legalization of injectables in Zambia, we show that an expansion of the type and availability of modern contraceptives increases use of injectables and modern contraceptives by 350% and 50%, respectively; decreases use of traditional fertility control methods such as unsafe abortions, coital infrequency, and postpartum behaviors; and increases short-run fertility by 10%. Consistent with the predictions of our model, completed fertility does not increase and short-run fertility increases are confined to rural women 20–45. Our results confirm that improved control over unwanted pregnancies can produce the divergent fertility responses found in the literature and suggest that access to modern contraceptives is welfare-improving for women, despite having counterintuitive implications for fertility.
The Rotation and Spin Groups in Three and Four Dimensions

Among the basic symmetry groups of the physical world is the orthogonal group SO(3) of rotations about a point in three-dimensional space.
Ligand-Mediated Deposition of Noble Metals at Nanoparticle Plasmonic Hotspots

We report the use of gold nanoparticle surface chemistry as a tool for site-selective noble metal deposition onto colloidal gold nanoparticle substrates. Specifically, we demonstrate that partial passivation of the gold nanoparticle surface using thiolated ligands can induce a transition from linear palladium island deposition to growth of palladium selectively at plasmonic hotspots on the edges or vertices of the underlying particle substrate. Further, we demonstrate the broader applicability of this approach with respect to substrate morphology (e.g., prismatic and rod-shaped nanoparticles), secondary metal (e.g., palladium, gold, and platinum), and surface ligand (e.g., surfactant molecules and n-alkanethiols). Taken together, these results demonstrate the important role of metal–ligand surface chemistry and ligand packing density on the resulting modes of multimetallic nanoparticle growth, and in particular, the ability to direct that growth to particle regions of impact such as plasmonic hotspots.
Intrathecal Trialing of Continuous Infusion Combination Therapy With Hydromorphone and Bupivacaine in Failed Back Surgery Patients.

Objectives Intrathecal (IT) trial is a prognostic interventional pain management procedure employed to determine the potential success of treating intractable pain with an implantable infusion device system. There is a dearth of data regarding trials with continuous infusion of combination therapy (e.g. opioid combined with local anesthetic). The objective of the this study was to determine the overall outcomes of continuous infusion IT trials and factors influencing long-term success of IT therapy in patients with chronic intractable pain post-laminectomy. Materials and methods This is a retrospective analysis of all patients with lumbar failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) who were trialed with a combination of hydromorphone and bupivacaine with a temporary externalized IT catheter from March 2007 to June 2014. Results From a cohort of 62 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria, 54 (87.10%) patients had successful IT trials. No significant differences were found between successful and failed trial patients with regards to age, sex, pre-trial pain numeric rating scale scores, pre-trial morphine equivalent daily dose, or trial dosages. Significant positive correlations were found between pretrial oral opioid intake and end of trial hydromorphone dose and hydromorphone dose escalation at 12 months and 24 months. Conclusions Patients with refractory low back pain due to FBSS who underwent successful combination IT trial with hydromorphone and bupivacaine infused through a temporary IT catheter had significantly improved pain intensity scores following permanent implant. Higher pre-trial MEDD was correlated with higher trial and post-implant opioid doses and higher rates of opioid dose escalation post-implant.
Parallel Iterative CT Image Reconstruction on a Linux Cluster of Legacy Computers

The expectation maximization (EM) algorithm is one of the iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms that enable to reconstruct superior CT images, compared with the conventional filtered back-projection (FBP) method. The EM-IR algorithm can also be used when the data is incomplete. The major disadvantage of the EM-IR is its high demand on computation and slow reconstruction. To improve the performance, we developed a parallel EM on a Linux cluster composed of legacy (recycled) and heterogeneous PCs. The system, speed-up and efficiency from our parallel computations are presented. The study provides basic insight into how to conduct medical image reconstruction using junk PCs to simulate a heterogeneous parallel system.
The Last Deception: Failed Messiahs and Jewish Conversion in Early Modern German Lands

Jewish and Christian religious messianic traditions collided, intersected, and reverberated in an endless cycle which continually revised and reworked mutual perceptions and definitions. This paper will study the interplay between Christian expectations concerning Jewish conversion, Jewish messianism, and Jewish deceitfulness in early modern German literary culture. Jewish conversion to Christianity, collective or individual, and expressions of Jewish messianism constituted two extreme reactions to the Christian claims concerning the messiah. The former was interpreted by both Christians and Jews as a capitulation to the Christian interpretation of history, whereas the latter utterly rejected those claims. Christian notions of Jewish deceit undermined the meaning of both these Jewish responses and reinterpreted them, reshaping the signs of the endtime to carry a far more sinister meaning, in which conversions were transformed into new avenues of subversion and messianic claimants into predictable precursors of the Antichrist. They took on particular configurations in early modern German culture.
Immigrants in the Labour Force of Atlantic Canada

Declining population growth in Atlantic Canada has increased the role of immigration in the growth of its labour force. As Chart 1 shows, participation of new immigrants caused the Atlantic labour force to grow by only about 5 % in the early 1980s. During 1996–2001, however, new immigrants increased the region’s labour force by about 45 %, some nine times their earlier contribution. While this contribution was lower during 2006–2010, it still reached 34 %. However, the composition of immigrants in the total labour force declined between 1981 and 2010, from 4.5 to 3.7 %, while increasing nationally from 19 to 21 % (data not shown here).
The economic and social costs of drug abuse among the rural population.

There is no doubt that drug abuse among the rural population has increased and that differences in rural/urban prevalence rates have diminished (Ennett et al. 1993; Johnston et al. 1993; Wargo et al. 1990). Some rural/urban differences remain, but many would argue that the problem is as serious—if not more serious—in rural than urban areas (Donnermeyer 1992; Edwards 1992; Kingery et al. 1991; Leukefeld et al. 1992).
Potentia est scientia: security and privacy implications of energy-proportional computing

The trend toward energy-proportional computing, in which power consumption scales closely with workload, is making computers increasingly vulnerable to information leakage via whole-system power analysis. Saving energy is an unqualified boon for computer operators, but this trend has produced an unintentional side effect: it is becoming easier to identify computing activities in power traces because idle-power reduction has lowered the effective noise floor. This paper offers preliminary evidence that the analysis of AC power traces can be both harmful to privacy and beneficial for malware detection, the latter of which may benefit embedded (e.g., medical) devices.