cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Review of Preston, The Fantasy of Disability: Images of Loss in Popular Culture (2017).

Portrayals of disability in mainstream culture and media, and questions about the implications they have for disabled people, are not new. However, in The Fantasy of Disability: Images of Loss in Popular Culture , Jeffrey Preston takes those questions to new places.
Quality of life of patients with gastrointestinal cancers undergoing chemotherapy

Findings regarding changes in the quality of life (QOL) of patients with gastrointestinal cancers (GI) undergoing chemotherapy (CTX) are inconclusive. Purpose was to evaluate for changes in QOL scores of patients with GI cancers over two cycles of CTX. Patients (n = 397) completed disease-specific [i.e., Quality of Life-Scale-Patient Version (QOL-PV)] and generic [12-item Medical Outcomes Study Short Form Survey (SF-12)] measures of QOL a total of six times over two cycles of CTX. Changes in these QOL scores were evaluated using bootstrapped multilevel regression with full information maximum likelihood estimation. Treatment group (i.e., with or without targeted therapy), age, number of metastatic sites, time from cancer diagnosis, number of prior cancer treatments, GI cancer diagnosis (i.e., colon/rectum/anal vs. other), and CTX regimen were evaluated as covariates in the conditional models for each of the QOL scores. During the second cycle of CTX, QOL-PV scores decreased in the week following CTX administration, and then increased the following week. For both cycles of CTX, the physical component summary and mental component summary scores of the SF-12 decreased in the week following CTX administration and then increased the following week. Increased time from cancer diagnosis and a higher number of prior cancer treatments resulted in worse QOL-PV and SF-12 scores at enrollment. While changes in QOL scores over the two CTX cycles were statistically significant, the differences were not clinically meaningful. Future studies need to determine the optimal timing of QOL assessments to assess changes associated with cancer treatments.
Children with Chronic Disease Bear the Highest Burden of Pediatric Sepsis.

Objective To describe the contemporary epidemiology of pediatric sepsis in children with chronic disease, and the contribution of chronic diseases to mortality. We examined the incidence and hospital mortality of pediatric sepsis in a nationally representative sample and described the contribution of chronic diseases to hospital mortality. Study design We analyzed the 2013 Nationwide Readmissions Database using a retrospective cohort design. We included non-neonatal patients Results A total of 16 387 admissions, representing 14 243 unique patients, were for sepsis. The national incidence was 0.72 cases per 1000 per year (54 060 cases annually). Most (68.6%) had a chronic disease. The in-hospital mortality was 3.7% overall—0.7% for previously healthy patients and 5.1% for patients with chronic disease. In multivariable analysis, oncologic, hematologic, metabolic, neurologic, cardiac and renal disease, and solid organ transplantation were associated with increased in-hospital mortality. Conclusions More than 2 of 3 children admitted with sepsis have ≥1 chronic disease and these patients have a higher in-hospital mortality than previously healthy patients. The burden of sepsis in hospitalized children is greatest in pediatric patients with chronic disease.
Providing a Passport to the Future for Foster Youth: A Case for Educational Leadership and Policy.

Carol, a teen forced into foster care, must learn how to navigate the path/road to postsecondary education. This case follows Carol’s matriculation through high school and the challenges she faces ...
The Preferred Learning Style Among Residents and Faculty Members of an Internal Medicine Residency Program

Objective To determine the preferred learning style, as defined by David Kolb, and predictors of the different learning styles among residents and faculty members at an internal medicine residency program. Design/Setting A cross sectional study of internal medicine residents and faculty members at Morehouse School of Medicine was performed using the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI) version 3.1. Measurements The Kolb LSI is a questionnaire of 12 sentences, each with four phrases for sentence completion that are to be ranked according to how they apply to the subject. Results Forty-two out of 59 questionnaires that were given out to residents and attending physicians were properly completed and returned. Assimilating style was the predominant learning style among residents (42%) and attending physicians (55%). There was no significant association between age, gender or medical education status, and learning styles. Conclusions The understanding of residents' learning styles may facilitate instructional rapport between residents and attending physicians, thereby improving residents' academic performance.
Vesiculation of platelets during in vitro aging.

Membranous microparticles (MP) appearing in the supernatant plasma of stored platelet concentrates (PC) were analyzed by flow cytometry. Two populations of MP were arbitrarily delineated by light scatter as larger or smaller than 0.5 micron fluorescent beads. An estimate of MP concentration was obtained by adding a known amount of fluorescent beads to each sample before analysis of a set number of counts on the flow cytometer. The addition of platelet activation inhibitors (prostaglandin E-1, theophylline, and aprotinin) to the anticoagulant during preparation of PC combined with a reduction in surface area of the storage container caused approximately a 40% reduction in the number of MP appearing during storage relative to donor-matched controls. In addition, the inhibited concentrates had 84% less platelet factor 3 (PF3) activity in the supernatant and 61% less released lactic dehydrogenase. A reduction in surface area of the container in the controls partially offset these differences. A significant correlation was found (rs = .748) between PF3 levels and the concentration of larger MP. The inhibitors did not reduce the small number of MP found in stored platelet-poor plasma. Surface antigen analysis showed that the majority of MP in PC were platelet-derived; most were positive for glycoprotein (GP) IIbIIIa (73%) and/or for GPIb (43% to 46%). We conclude that procoagulant MP are released from platelets during storage as a result of platelet activation augmented by interaction of platelets with the bag wall.
Phosphorous in Boreal Peatlands

1. Boreal peatlands are an important global C sink. This C is potentially labile under future global warming scenarios. Nutrient (N and P) availability could influence rates of both C fixation and C oxidation under future warming scenarios. 2. N and P availabilities are closely balanced in boreal peatlands, and N and P are likely to be tightly conserved in these ecosystems. 3. Both N and P can limit NPP in boreal peatlands. Either N or P can be limiting, depending of developmental history and current anthropogenic influence. 4. Little is known about P cycling in boreal peatlands. Three specific areas of research are proposed that would greatly improve our understanding in this area.
Grazing Management and Buffer Strip Impact on Nitrogen Runoff from Pastures Fertilized with Poultry Litter

Nitrogen runoff from pastures fertilized with animal manure, such as poultry litter, can result in accelerated eutrophication. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of grazing management and buffer strips on N runoff from pastures fertilized with poultry litter. A 12-yr study was conducted on 15 small watersheds in Booneville, AR, using five management practices: continuous grazing, haying, rotational grazing, rotational grazing with an unfertilized buffer strip, and rotational grazing with a fenced unfertilized riparian buffer. Poultry litter was applied annually at a rate of 5.6 Mg ha. Concentrations and loads of total N, NO-N, NH-N, organic N, and total organic C in runoff varied intra- and interannually and coincided with precipitation trends. Overall, the greatest component of total N in runoff was organic N. Rotational grazing resulted in the highest concentrations and loads of all forms of N in runoff compared with other treatments, including the continuously grazed paddocks, which were grazed almost twice as much. Total organic C concentrations and loads in runoff were also higher from rotationally grazed watersheds than other treatments. Rotational grazing is considered a best management practice that typically reduces soil erosion; hence, the mechanism by which it caused higher N and C runoff is unclear. Nitrogen runoff losses from rotationally grazed pastures were reduced by 44% with unfertilized buffer strips, by 54% with fenced unfertilized riparian buffers, and by 52% by converting pastures to hayfields.
Social Media as a Passive Sensor in Longitudinal Studies of Human Behavior and Wellbeing

Social media serves as a platform to share thoughts and connect with others. The ubiquitous use of social media also enables researchers to study human behavior as the data can be collected in an inexpensive and unobtrusive way. Not only does social media provide a passive means to collect historical data at scale, it also functions as a "verbal" sensor, providing rich signals about an individual's social ecological context. This case study introduces an infrastructural framework to illustrate the feasibility of passively collecting social media data at scale in the context of an ongoing multimodal sensing study of workplace performance (N=757). We study our dataset in its relationship with demographic, personality, and wellbeing attributes of individuals. Importantly, as a means to study selection bias, we examine what characterizes individuals who choose to consent to social media data sharing vs. those who do not. Our work provides practical experiences and implications for research in the HCI field who seek to conduct similar longitudinal studies that harness the potential of social media data.
Determining asphalt surface temperature using weather parameters

Abstract Temperature affects the structural response of asphalt concrete (AC) pavement. To evaluate the performance, it is important to accurately predict the pavement surface temperature. This study develops three regression models to determine the surface temperature of an asphalt pavement using field measured data such as air temperature, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, and solar radiation. Three models namely, 24-h model, day-time model and night-time model were developed based on one-year continuous data. The weather data were measured from October 2012 to October 2013 at an instrumented pavement section on Interstate I-40 near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The developed regression models were validated using October 2014 to June 2015 weather data, which were not used in developing the regression models. Surface temperatures predicted using the developed regression models were then compared to those predicted using the pavement mechanistic-empirical (ME) software's default model. It is observed that the regression models are better predictors of pavement surface temperatures than the ME default models. A parametric study was also performed in this study to identify the effects of weather parameters on the pavement surface temperature prediction. The authors of this study expect that this study will be useful in pavement design especially in cold regions.
FEMALE FETICIDE – PAVE A WAY TO MASCULINE CELIBATE

Women are murdered all over the world. But in India a most brutal form of killing females takes place regularly, even before they can be born. Female feticide--the selective abortion of female fetuses--is killing upwards of one million females in India annually with far-ranging and tragic consequences. In some areas, the sex ratio of females to males has dropped to less than 8000:1000. Females not only face inequality in this culture, they are even denied the right to be born. Why do so many families selectively abort baby daughters? In a word: economics. Aborting female fetuses is both practical and socially acceptable in India.The main causes of female feticide widely identified Dowry system, Illiteracy, Low Status of women in society, Patriarchal Marriage system, Religious beliefs, Socio-Cultural practices. Consequences of Female Feticide leads to Decrease in the female population. Adverse effect on women's health physically, mentally and emotionally. Women are abused and sexually exploited. Leads to women trafficking., kidnapped, bought and sold for marriage, Suicide rates in women will increase and also a Polyandry system of marriage will emerge. A result of preference for sons. The cultural reasons for sex-selective abortions and the government's current strategies against this problem are identified. However, the problem's scope might be too great for the Indian government. Humanitarian efforts are needed to save the girl child. Strategies to combat domestic violence must deal with the root cause, which is women's powerlessness, as well as women's immediate needs. Community education programs must stress women's rights, the likely consequences of domestic violence, and the need to reverse social norms about male supremacy. Additional research is also needed on the sequelae of domestic violence and the attitudes of violent men.Awareness regarding genderpreference and related law and parental counselling to avoid gender preference with adoption of small family norm is recommended.
A Tight Squeeze: Focal Tamponade and Obstructive Shock From Esophageal Stenting

Cardiac tamponade is a rare cause of shock in the medical intensive care unit. This paper describes the case of a focal cardiac tamponade caused by…
110th Anniversary: Indirect Partial Oxidation of Methane Using a Counter-Current Moving-Bed Chemical Looping Configuration for Enhanced Syngas Production

Syngas is a valuable chemical intermediate for producing commodity chemicals, such as olefins, methanol, liquid fuels, etc. The chemical looping route for syngas production presents an attractive a...
Clinical outcome of African-American women with T4 breast cancer

3837 Prior research has shown that African American women have a higher breast cancer mortality rate and are more likely to be diagnosed at advanced stages when compared with Caucasion women. The objective of this study was to examine the outcomes of African American women with T4 breast cancer. A retrospective analysis of data was obtained from the Howard University Hospital tumor registry. Between 1990 and 2006, 78 patients presented with T4 breast carcinoma. The mean age at presentation was 62 (range, 33-97). Mean tumor size was 5.6cm. Nineteen patients (24%) were treated with surgery alone, thirty one (40%) had combined neoadjuvant chemotherapy/surgery/radiation therapy, ten (13%) had surgery/chemotherapy, eight (10%) had surgery/radiation therapy. Overall survival was defined as the time from the date of diagnosis to death. Survival analysis was determined by the Kaplan-Meier method. The log rank test was used to compare survival between the groups. The overall 5 year survival was 27%. There was no statistical significant difference in the overall 5 year survival (P = .514), between any of the treatment groups. The overall survival in women who received chemotherapy prior to definitive surgery was greater than in those who received surgery before chemotherapy, although not statistically significant (P =.28). Women who were treated by surgery only,chemotherapy only, or that received no definitive treatment had very poor survival. Despite efforts in improving early detection, management of patients with T4 breast cancer remains a prevalent clinical problem. Our study showed that despite the use of different multimodailty regimens, there was no significant improvement in survival in this cohort of African-American women. These results emphasize the importance of identifying new treatment strategies that will improve the clinical outcome in these patients.
Impact Modeling for the Double Asteroid Redirection Test Mission

Abstract We present results from numerical simulations of the DART impact using the CTH shock physics code with 2D homogenous asteroid models. A design of experiments approach was used to create a run matrix of 28 simulations varying 17 different material model inputs for the impactor and target. The resulting values of the momentum transfer efficiency factor β and the crater width and depth were analyzed to determine the relative sensitivity of each parameter for predicting the DART impact outcome. We found that β and crater width/depth ratio are primarily influenced by a small number of material model input parameters, a result which greatly reduces the parameter space required for more expensive 3D simulations.
Thromboelastography to Detect Hypercoagulability and Reduced Fibrinolysis in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Patients

Objectives Microvascular thrombosis contributes to acute respiratory distress syndrome pathophysiology and has been demonstrated in coronavirus disease 2019-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome. Clinical laboratory measurements of coagulation and disseminated intravascular coagulation, such as coagulation factor function, platelet count, and fibrinogen, may not fully reflect the extent of microvascular thrombosis present in these patients. We investigated thromboelastography in patients with coronavirus disease 2019-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome with the objective of characterizing suspected coagulopathy and impaired fibrinolysis. Design Retrospective observational cohort study. Setting Single-center academic medical center. Patients Ten patients with polymerase chain reaction-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 disease complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome. Interventions Measurement of thromboelastography (n = 10) and thrombolysis with alteplase (n = 4). Measurements and main results Hypercoagulability and decreased or absent fibrinolysis were demonstrated by thromboelastography. Thrombocytopenia and hypofibrinogenemia were not observed, while seven of 10 patients had elevated d-dimer values. For patients who received thrombolytic therapy, repeat thromboelastography demonstrated improvements in coagulation index and lysis at 30 minutes reflecting reduced hypercoagulability and increased fibrinolysis. One major bleeding complication was detected following thrombolysis. Eight of 10 patients survived and were successfully extubated, and six of 10 have since been discharged. Conclusions In coronavirus disease 2019 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome in whom thromboelastography was performed, hypercoagulability and impaired fibrinolysis were observed. In the context of autopsy studies demonstrating pulmonary microvascular thromboses in coronavirus disease 2019 patients, noninvasive detection of hypercoagulability and deficient fibrinolysis in coronavirus disease 2019 acute respiratory distress syndrome using thromboelastography could improve understanding and management of coronavirus disease 2019.
Greater intraprocedural systolic blood pressure and blood pressure variability are associated with contrast-induced neurotoxicity after neurointerventional procedures.

Abstract Background Contrast-induced neurotoxicity (CIN) is a rare complication of neurointerventional procedures and its understanding remains limited. We evaluated the association of CIN with systemic hemodynamics in patients undergoing neuroendovascular interventions. Methods We conducted a 1:2 matched case-control study from a prospectively collected database of 2510 neurointerventional patients. We defined CIN as new neurological deficits presented ≤24 h post-operation after excluding other possible etiologies. We obtained demographic, clinical and imaging data, and baseline and intraprocedural blood pressures (BP) from medical records. The area between baseline and intraprocedural BP was used to measure sustained variability of BP over time. A generalized linear mixed model and generalized estimating equation were used to analyze the BP difference between groups over time. Results We evaluated 11 CIN cases and 22 controls. 2746 and 5837 min of continued BP data were analyzed for cases and controls, respectively. CIN cases had higher measurements and greater variability for: Systolic BP (SBP) [median 125 (IQR:121–147) vs. 114 (IQR:107–124) mmHg], median area above baseline [median 350 (IQR:25–1328) vs. 52 (IQR:0–293) mmHg*minutes] and mean arterial pressure (MAP) [median 85 (IQR:79–98) vs. 80 (IQR:74–89) mmHg]. CIN cases demonstrated a significant mean increase in SBP and MAP of 23.41 mmHg (p Conclusion Sustained hypertension and high BP variability may contribute to the pathophysiology of CIN. Acute hypertension can increase blood-brain barrier permeability and potentially allow contrast to leak into the brain parenchyma causing direct toxicity and CIN symptoms.
The relationship between social and environmental factors and symptom severity in the seriously mentally ill population.

Background:The goal of this article is to investigate the relationship of psychiatric symptom severity with internalised stigma, neighbourhood environment, and social support among individuals with...
Reduction of Flicker Phase Noise in High-Speed Photodetectors Under Ultrashort Pulse Illumination

High-fidelity photodetection enables the transfer of the low noise inherent to optical oscillators to the microwave domain. However, when photodetecting optical signals of the highest timing stability, photodiode flicker (1/f) noise can dominate the resulting timing jitter at timescales longer than ∼1 ms. With the goal of improving femtosecond-level timing fidelity when transferring from the optical to microwave domain, we vary the duty cycle of a train of optical pulses and show that the photodetector flicker phase noise on a photonically generated 1 GHz microwave signal can be reduced by ∼10 dB under ultrashort pulse illumination, reaching as low as −140/f dBc/Hz. In addition, a strong correlation between amplitude and phase flicker noise is found, implying a single baseband noise source can modulate both quadratures of the microwave carrier. These findings expand the limits of the ultimate timing stability that can be transferred from optics to electronics.
PROMIS Physical Function Instruments Compare Favorably to Legacy Patient Reported Outcome Measures in Upper and Lower Extremity Orthopedic Patients: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

PURPOSE To compare Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Function (PF) with traditional ("legacy") patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in regard to correlations, ease of use, and quality criteria for upper (UE) and lower extremity (LE) orthopaedic conditions. METHODS A systematic search of the PubMed/MEDLINE database was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to identify published articles that referenced the various PROMIS PF measures. Two authors independently reviewed selected studies. The search returned 857 studies, 85 of which were selected for independent review by 2 authors. Of these, 54 were selected for inclusion. Mixed linear models were performed to assess for differences between legacy PROMs and PROMIS measures. RESULTS The combined sample size of all included studies yielded 6,074 UE and 9,366 LE patients. Overall, PROMIS PF measures demonstrated strong correlations with legacy PROMs among UE (weighted Pearson correlation, 0.624, standard error [SE] = 0.042; weighted Spearman correlation, 0.566, SE = 0.042) and LE patients (weighted Pearson correlation, 0.645, SE = 0.062; weighted Spearman correlation, 0.631, SE = 0.041). PROMIS PF questionnaires completed by UE patients had fewer questions than legacy PROMs (5.9 vs 17.7, P = .0093) and were completed in less time (90.5 vs 223.8 seconds, P = .084). PROMIS PF questionnaires completed by LE patients had fewer questions than legacy PROMs (4.81 vs 15.33, P < .001) and were completed in less time (63.6 vs 203.2 seconds, P = .0063). The differences for the reliability measures were not significant. CONCLUSIONS PROMIS PF scores correlate strongly with commonly used legacy PROMs in orthopaedics, particularly in UE and LE patients. PROMIS PF forms can be administered efficiently and to a broad patient population while remaining highly reliable. Therefore, they can be justified for standardized use among orthopaedic patients with UE and LE conditions, improving the ability to aggregate and compare outcomes in orthopaedic research. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level IV, systematic review of Level I-IV evidence.
DRDrV3: Complete Lesion Detection in Fundus Images Using Mask R-CNN, Transfer Learning, and LSTM

Medical Imaging is one of the growing fields in the world of computer vision. In this study, we aim to address the Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) problem as one of the open challenges in medical imaging. In this research, we propose a new lesion detection architecture, comprising of two sub-modules, which is an optimal solution to detect and find not only the type of lesions caused by DR, their corresponding bounding boxes, and their masks; but also the severity level of the overall case. Aside from traditional accuracy, we also use two popular evaluation criteria to evaluate the outputs of our models, which are intersection over union (IOU) and mean average precision (mAP). We hypothesize that this new solution enables specialists to detect lesions with high confidence and estimate the severity of the damage with high accuracy.
MOVEMENT WITHOUT MOTION: THE RHETORIC OF CONSERVATIVE COUNTER-CLAIMS TO GLOBAL WARMING THEORY

MOVEMENT WITHOUT MOTION: THE RHETORIC OF CONSERVATIVE COUNTER-CLAIMS TO GLOBAL WARMING THEORY By William J. Edwards Jr., BA A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in English, Writing and Rhetoric, at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010 Thesis Director: David J. Coogan Assistant Professor, Department of English Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia Many U.S. conservatives view government mandates to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases as a threat to the economy of the developed world. Conservative think tanks have adopted a common rhetoric to instill doubt about proposed mandates in the minds of elected officials, the media, and the public. Using a survey of the websites of 14 conservative think tanks, this thesis analyzes counter-claims to global warming theory to identify rhetorical artifacts that typically characterize conservative responses to issues, and to show how rhetorical theory can help anticipate the nature of such responses. The research identifies unifying speech codes – such as
PHYSICAL CHEMICAL TREATMENT OF ANAEROBIC FILTER EFFLUENT

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of different physical-chemical treatment processes in removing organic matter in the effluent of an anaerobic filter (AF) treating high strength wastewater. It was found that activated carbon (AC) and reverse osmosis (RO) were effective while ion exchange (IE), ozonation (OZ), ultrafiltration (UF), and chemical precipitation (CP) were less suitable as tertiary treatment processes. Comparison of organic removals obtained by AC and RO before and after AF treatment showed that anaerobic removal of biodegradable organics greatly enhanced the effectiveness of these physical treatment processes. Fractionation of the AF effluent with UF and RO showed that the 150-18,000 MW fraction showed the highest adsorption capacity. The adsorptive capacity of the smaller than 150 MW fraction was considerably lower but improved after aerobic biological polishing of the AF effluent.
Human Resources in R&D

Effective management of technical professionals has been studied for many years, yet it remains a challenging topic for managers and scholars alike. Keywords: human resources planning; rewards; appraising performance; career management; cross-functional teams and global virtual teams; leading to networked scientists and engineers; knowledge and creativity management; demographic diversity; electronic technology; outsourcing; where to go in the field of managing scientists and engineers
γ-Phosphate Protonation and pH-dependent Unfolding of the Ras·GTP·Mg2+ Complex A VIBRATIONAL SPECTROSCOPY STUDY

The interdependence of GTP hydrolysis and the second messenger functions of virtually all GTPases has stimulated intensive study of the chemical mechanism of the hydrolysis. Despite numerous mutagenesis studies, the presumed general base, whose role is to activate hydrolysis by abstracting a proton from the nucleophilic water, has not been identified. Recent theoretical and experimental work suggest that the gamma-phosphate of GTP could be the general base. The current study investigates this possibility by studying the pH dependence of the vibrational spectrum of the Ras.GTP.Mg(2+) and Ras.GDP.Mg(2+) complexes. Isotope-edited IR studies of the Ras.GTP.Mg(2+) complex show that GTP remains bound to Ras at pH as low as 2.0 and that the gamma-phosphate is not protonated at pH > or = 3.3, indicating that the active site decreases the gamma-phosphate pK(a) by at least 1.1 pK(a) units compared with solution. Amide I studies show that the Ras.GTP.Mg(2+) and Ras.GDP.Mg(2+) complexes partially unfold in what appear to be two transitions. The first occurs in the pH range 5.4-2.6 and is readily reversible. Differences in the pH-unfolding midpoints for the Ras.GTP.Mg(2+) and Ras.GDP.Mg(2+) complexes (3.7 and 4.8, respectively) reveal that the enzyme-gamma-phosphoryl interactions stabilize the structure. The second transition, pH 2.6-1.7, is not readily reversed. The pH-dependent unfolding of the Ras.GTP.Mg(2+) complex provides an alternative interpretation of the data that had been used to support the gamma-phosphate mechanism, thereby raising the issue of whether this mechanism is operative in GTPase-catalyzed GTP hydrolysis reactions.
Nonessentiality of the Active Sulfhydryl Group of Rabbit Muscle Creatine Kinase

Abstract When rabbit muscle creatine kinase (EC 2.7.3.2) was titrated with methyl methanethiolsulfonate 1 eq of CH3S— was bound per subunit of enzyme as determined by the amount of 14C incorporated. A substantial amount (18 ± 2 %) of residual enzymatic activity was observed under a variety of inactivating conditions. This same amount of residual activity was found when methoxycarbonylmethyl disulfide was used as titrant. This CH3S— blocking group affords total protection against normally completely inactivating iodoacetamide. Full restoration of enzymatic activity was observed upon treatment with β-mercaptoethanol. Model studies indicate that the sulfhydryl group of cysteine itself readily undergoes reaction with these two reagents to yield the expected mixed disulfide product, S-methanethiol-cysteine. The evidence is consistent with the idea that the free, "active" sulfhydryl group of creatine kinase, thought to be essential to the catalytic mechanism by others, is in fact nonessential.
Build it and they will come: integrating unique collections and undergraduate research

Purpose – The “build it and they will come approach” is a largely accepted proposition in the library community, particularly in the area of special collections. There is, at times, little critical analysis given to collection development, digitization efforts or information literacy instruction in regard to how these hard-to-serve but research-rich materials might be used in the classroom. Instead, there exists a benevolent know-it-all expert determining which collections warrant preservation, digitization, acquisition and, ultimately, attention. At California State University (CSU) Channel Islands (CI), the user – teachers and students – is the focus of all special collection activities, and we have devised innovative ways to both encourage students and faculty to engage these materials as well as foster their appreciation, awareness and use on campus. Design/methodology/approach – This paper explores three ways that librarians at the John Spoor Broome Library encourage and facilitate the use of primary...
Proteolytic enzymes, cell surface changes, and viral transformation.

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the evidence for and against the view that proteolysis plays a role in determining some of the phenotypic characteristics of virus-transformed cells. It discusses some aspects of the structure of the cellular membrane surface because one possible mechanism by which proteases might alter cell properties is via the selective proteolysis of cellular membrane surface components. It also reviews the current knowledge of some cellular phenotypic characteristics that are known to be altered by viral transformation and for which there exists at least suggestive evidence for the involvement of a proteolytic enzyme. The research into the involvement of the limited proteolytic enzymes of serum, in particular plasmin and thrombin, in virus-induced cell transformation has only just begun. It is possible to outline several mechanisms by which the plasmin or the thrombin system, or both, could, by limited proteolysis of the cellular membrane surface, produce several of the phenotypic changes characteristic of virus-transformed cells. A large body of circumstantial evidence implicating these enzyme systems in causing the altered phenotypic characteristics of virus-transformed cells has recently been obtained. However, critical experiments to prove that plasmin, thrombin, or other serum proteases modify the cellular membrane surface under the usual conditions of cell culture, in the presence of serum protease inhibitors, remain to be performed.
Increasing the Use of Evidence-Based Teaching in STEM Higher Education: A Comparison of Eight Change Strategies

Background Prior efforts have built a knowledge base of effective undergraduate STEM pedagogies, yet rates of implementation remain low. Theories from higher education, management, communication, and other fields can inform change efforts but remain largely inaccessible to STEM education leaders, who are just beginning to view change as a scholarly endeavor informed by the research literature. Purpose This article describes the goals, assumptions, and underlying logic of selected change strategies with potential relevance to STEM higher education settings for a target audience of change agents, leaders, and researchers. Scope/Method This review is organized according to the Four Categories of Change Strategies model developed by Henderson, Beach, and Finkelstein (2011). We describe eight strategies of potential practical relevance to STEM education change efforts (two from each category). For each change strategy, we present a summary with key references, discuss their applicability to STEM higher education, provide a STEM education example, and discuss implications for change efforts and research. Conclusions Change agents are guided, often implicitly, by a single change strategy. These eight strategies will expand the repertoire of change agents by helping them consider change from a greater diversity of perspectives. Change agents can use these descriptions to design more robust change efforts. Improvements in the knowledge and theory base underlying change strategies will occur when change agents situate their writing about change initiatives using shared models, such as the one presented in this article, to make their underlying assumptions about change more explicit.
Structural Models of Capital Structure: A Framework for Model Evaluation and Testing

Structural models of capital structure frequently have similar implications for the data that we observe, yet are typically not tested against alternative specifications. We examine the predictions of structural models, and develop a formal methodology for testing amongst alternatives. We show that our approach can provide a powerful yet simple decision-theoretic approach to model comparison, even for non-nested models. We show how our approach can highlight the dimensions on which various models fail, thus providing guidance to researchers for developing better models.
Chronic hypertension increases tyrosine transport across the blood-brain barrier in the rat.

Abstract We investigated the effect of chronic gradual blood pressure elevation on the brain uptake index (BUI) of the neutral amino acid tyrosine. We found a significant correlation between tyrosine's BUI and systolic blood pressure (r=0.580, p
Chromogranin A-immunoreactive cells in the olfactory system of anuran amphibians.

Chromogranin A (CgA) is a member of the granin family of acidic proteins that are present in the secretory granules of many endocrine and neuroendocrine cells. The specific function(s) of these proteins is not known, but they seem to be the precursors of biologically active peptides, and they may act as helper proteins in the sorting and packaging of peptide hormones and neuropeptides. Using indirect immunohistochemistry, we have found CgA immunoreactivity in the primary olfactory epithelia, the vomeronasal epithelia, the olfactory nerves, and the olfactory bulbs of tadpoles of the American toad, Bufo americanus, and the green frog, Rana clamitans. CgA immunoreactivity was present in the early stages of larval development in toads but was not detected in toad tadpoles after the hindlimb buds formed or in toadlets or adults. In green frog tadpoles, CgA-immunoreactive cells were found in pre- and prometamorphic stages but not in late climax. CgA immunoreactivity was also absent in froglets, but it was detected in the vomeronasal epithelium but not the olfactory epithelium of adult green frogs.
Lebesgue Ergodic Rational Maps in Parameter Space

We study a family of quadratic rational maps and discuss dynamical and ergodic theoretic properties associated to various parameters. We prove results about the location of ergodic parameters in parameter space and show computer output illustrating the results. We show that the computer algorithm used to produce Julia sets in this setting is valid for all rational maps.
The effect of glucocorticoid treatment on denervated rat hemidiaphragm

Summary The degenerative process in phrenic nerve motor nerve terminals following nerve section was analyzed in rats that had previously been subjected to an intensive short term regimen of the steroid preparation triamcinolone. Morphological studies indicated that the onset time of degeneration was similar to that of untreated rats but less severe, and the time for maximal degenerative changes was increased. Concurrent to the preservation of motor nerve terminal structure under conditions of denervation, triamcinolone also induced myopathies in the diaphragm, the white muscle fibers being predominantly affected. Due to the structural aberrations of muscle, the indirect and direct twitch response of hemidiaphragms in triamcinolone treated rats we depressed. Data obtained from indirect post-tetanic potentiation (PTP) responses, however, did express the anatomical preservation of motor nerve terminals. These findings may add support to previous observations for the basis of effectiveness of the glucocorticoids in the treatment of neuromuscular disorders.
Kinetics of wetting Ag and Cu substrates by molten 60Sn40Pb

The time and temperature dependence of wetting Cu and Ag substrates by molten 60Sn40Pb drops was determined using several fluxes. Four stages were identified. In Stage I, the solder melts and develops into a spherical cap, which spreads rapidly to the quasi-equilibrium stage II, wherein the contact angle θ changes only slightly with time. This is followed by stage III, where6 decreases with a time exponent of ≈0.2, leading ultimately to stage IV, where θ again changes only little with time. An intermetallic compound was observed at the liquid/solid inter-face throughout stages II to IV. The flux influenced the magnitude of θ and the small time dependence in stage II. For a nonactivated rosin flux, the temperature dependence of θII yielded an apparent activation energy QII a = 2 to 3 kcal/mole for all substrates, including pretinned Cu. It is speculated that the driving force for the decrease in θ during stage III may result from a decrease in the free energy of the system by diffusion, with a corresponding change in one or more of the interfacial tensions. Pretinning Cu, which formed the intermetallic compound Cu3Sn on the surface, had a significant effect on the time dependence of θ, the effect in stage II being relatively greater than in stage III.
Educational Reform for Immigrant Youth in Japan

Transnational migration is seldom associated with Japan even though Japan has been dependent on immigrants for several generations. The research presented in this article explores a reform effort viewed as radical within the Japanese context that took place in a metropolitan school known for having one of the largest number of immigrant students in Japan, most of whom hail from Latin America, Southeast Asia, and China. While many of these “Newcomers” are of Japanese ancestry, absence from the homeland for two to four generations has left them without the cultural and linguistic skills to navigate the nuances of Japanese society. As a result, schools, which have never had to respond to the needs of immigrant youth, find themselves at a loss as to how to integrate young people whose parents have been drawn back from the Japanese diaspora through government policies designed to assuage the labor shortage of the 1980s and 1990s. Over the course of 5 months of ethnographic field work in the community in which this school is located the author offers insights gleaned from extensive time spent with social workers, translators, government workers, teachers, staff, students, parents, and community liaison volunteers, all of whom shared their frustrations and challenges with the education of immigrant youth within the context and constraints of Japanese schools.
Constant-coupling theory of nematic liquid crystals

The well-known constant-coupling theory of ferromagnetism has been adapted to the problem of the nematic liquid crystal. A cluster variational formulation of the theory is developed. The calculations are based on an effective pair potential which is derived from the most general form of interaction by taking suitable averages. Expressions for the long-range order, short-range order, energy, and free energy are derived. Numerical calculations have been performed for a variety of effective interaction potentials. The temperature dependences of the order parameters and thermodynamic functions have been determined. As required by experiment, the theory is found to display a first-order nematic-isotropic phase transition. The results of the present theory are compared to those of previous calculations; questions concerning the validity of the mean-field theory have been clarified. The numerical results are also compared to a variety of experimental data.
(Vapour+liquid) equilibria for binary and ternary mixtures of 2-propanol, tetrahydropyran, and 2,2,4-trimethylpentane at P =101.3kPa

Abstract (Vapour + liquid) equilibrium (VLE) at P = 101.3 kPa have been determined for a ternary system (2-propanol + tetrahydropyran + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane) and its constituent binary systems (2-propanol + tetrahydropyran, 2-propanol + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane), and (tetrahydropyran + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane). Analysis of VLE data reveals that two binary systems (2-propanol + tetrahydropyran) and (2-propanol + 2,2,4-trimethylpentane) have a minimum boiling azeotrope. No azeotrope was found for the ternary system. The activity coefficients of liquid mixtures were obtained from the modified Raoult’s law and were used to calculate the reduced excess molar Gibbs free energy (gE/RT). Thermodynamic consistency tests were performed for all VLE data using the Van Ness direct test for the binary systems and the test of McDermott–Ellis as modified by Wisniak and Tamir for the ternary system. The VLE data of the binary mixtures were correlated using the three-suffix Margules, Wilson, NRTL, and UNIQUAC activity-coefficient models. The models with their best-fitted interaction parameters of the binary systems were used to predict the ternary (vapour + liquid) equilibrium.
Exons 16 and 17 of the amyloid precursor protein gene in familial inclusion body myopathy

Accumulation of β-amyloid protein (Aβ) occurs in some muscle fibers of patients with inclusion body myopathy and resembles the type of amyloid deposits seen in the affected tissues of patients with Alzheimer's disease and cerebrovascular amyloidosis. Because mutations in exons 16 and 17 of the β-amyloid precursor protein (βAPP) gene on chromosome 21 have been identified in patients with early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease and Dutch-type cerebrovascular amyloidosis, we searched for mutations of the same region in patients with familial inclusion body myopathy. Sequencing of both alleles in 8 patients from four unrelated families did not reveal any mutations in these exons. The amyloid deposition in familial forms of inclusion body myopathy may be either due to errors in other gene loci, or it is secondary reflecting altered βAPP metabolism or myocyte degeneration and cell membrane degradation.
Nanostructure-Enhanced Surface Acoustic Waves Biosensor and Its Computational Modeling

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices are considered to be very promising in providing a high-performance sensing platform with wireless and remote operational capabilities. In this review, the basic principles of SAW devices and Love-mode SAW-based biosensors are discussed first to illustrate the need for surface enhancement for the active area of a SAW sensor. Then some of the recent efforts made to incorporate nanostructures into SAW sensors are summarized. After that, a computational approach to elucidate the underlying mechanism for the operations of a Love-mode SAW biosensor with nanostructured active surface is discussed. Finally, a modeling example for a Love-mode SAW sensor with skyscraper nanopillars added to in its active surface along with some selected results is presented.
Radio emission observed by Galileo in the inner Jovian magnetosphere during orbit A-34

Abstract The Galileo spacecraft encountered the inner magnetosphere of Jupiter on its way to a flyby of Amalthea on November 5, 2002. During this encounter, the spacecraft observed distinct spin modulation of plasma wave emissions. The modulations occurred in the frequency range from a few hundred hertz to a few hundred kilohertz and probably include at least two distinct wave modes. Assuming transverse EM radiation, we have used the swept-frequency receivers of the electric dipole antenna to determine the direction to the source of these emissions. Additionally, with knowledge of the magnetic field some constraints are placed on the wave mode of the emission based on a comparative analysis of the wave power versus spin phase of the different emissions. The emission appears in several bands separated by attenuation lanes. The analysis indicates that the lanes are probably due to blockage of the freely propagating emission by high density regions of the Io torus near the magnetic equator. Radio emission at lower frequencies ( f > 80 kHz is consistent with O-mode and Z-mode. Lower frequency emissions could be a mixture of O-mode, Z-mode and whistler mode. Emission for f 5 kHz shows bands that are similar to upper hybrid resonance bands observed near the terrestrial plasmapause, and also elsewhere in Jovian magnetosphere. Based on the observations and knowledge of similar terrestrial emissions, we hypothesize that radio emission results from mode conversion near the strong density gradient of the inner radius of the cold plasma torus, similar to the generation of nKOM and continuum emission observed in the outer Jovian magnetosphere and in the terrestrial magnetosphere from source regions near the plasmapause.