cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
2-Hydroxyethylcellulose and Amphiphilic Block Polymer Conjugates Form Mechanically Tunable and Nonswellable Hydrogels

Herein, we report a family of mechanically tunable, nonswellable hydrogels that are based on a 2-hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) scaffold grafted with amphiphilic diblock copolymers. Poly[(oligo(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate]-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) (POEGMA-b-PMMA) diblock copolymers of different compositions were created via RAFT polymerization using an alkyne terminated macro chain transfer agent (CTA). 2-Hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) was modified with azide groups and the diblock copolymers were attached to the backbone via the copper-catalyzed click reaction to yield HEC-g-(POEGMA-b-PMMA) graft terpolymers. The resulting conjugates were soluble in DMF and able to form hydrogels upon simple solvent exchange in water. By increasing the concentration of the conjugates in DMF, the storage moduli of the hydrogels increased and the pore size in the gel decreased. After hydrogel formation, the structures were also found to be nonswellable (no macroscopic volume change upon incubation in water), whi...
3D PRINTING FOR PROCEDURAL SIMULATION OF TRANSCATHETER MITRAL VALVE REPLACEMENT IN PATIENTS WITH MITRAL ANNULAR CALCIFICATION

Background: 3 dimensional (3D) printing is a novel technique used to fabricate physical models from digital objects allowing visual assessment of the cardiac anatomy including mitral annular apparatus and simulation of percutaneous interventions. Methods: 8 patients with severe mitral annular
Outcome of implantation of a second self-expanding valve for the treatment of residual significant aortic regurgitation.

Background Residual aortic regurgitation (AR) following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is associated with adverse outcome. We sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of second CoreValve (CV) implantation to treat residual AR following the initial CV deployment. Methods and Results TAVR patients treated with a second CV due to moderate and above residual AR were compared to single device implantation. Valvular function parameters were compared at baseline, post procedure, and 30 days. Among 172 CV TAVR patients, 11 required a second device (6%) due to significant residual AR. The main differences between the groups were higher rates of low ejection fraction in patients with 2 CV implanted and higher annular diameter (27 [29–25] vs. 25 [26–24] mm, P = 0.03), requiring a larger device. Although two patients in the two CV group had high initial implantation, low implantation was similar between the groups. A second CV achieved adequate reduction in residual AR in six patients (55%), while an additional four patients had moderate residual AR. Only one remained with moderate to severe AR after 30 days follow-up. There were no cases of peri-procedural stroke or mortality. Conclusions Second implantation of self-expanding valve can successfully reduce residual significant AR following initial CV implantation and should be considered as therapeutic option for this population. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Is There Really Excess Comovement? Causal Evidence from FTSE 100 Index Turnover

Stock returns appear to comove in excess of common news about stock fundamentals. I examine comovement when stocks are added to or deleted from the FTSE 100 stock index, which are events without news about fundamantals. Using a natural experiment created by FTSE’s index balancing rule, I find that random index turnover has no significant effect on comovement. Furthermore, non-random index turnover can introduce a selection bias that overstates the effect on comovement. Index turnover does not cause a change in comovement, but much rather it seems to be the reverse: a change in comovement can cause index turnover. My findings are consistent with the fundamentals-based hypothesis; rejections in the previous literature may be due to non-random index turnover.
Medical School Factors Associated with Changes in Implicit and Explicit Bias Against Gay and Lesbian People among 3492 Graduating Medical Students.

Due to a tagging error, two authors were incorrectly listed in indexing systems. Brook W. Cunningham should be B.A. Cunningham and Mark W. Yeazel should be M.W. Yeazel for indexing purposes.
Costs of task allocation with local feedback: Effects of colony size and extra workers in social insects and other multi-agent systems.

Adaptive collective systems are common in biology and beyond. Typically, such systems require a task allocation algorithm: a mechanism or rule-set by which individuals select particular roles. Here we study the performance of such task allocation mechanisms measured in terms of the time for individuals to allocate to tasks. We ask: (1) Is task allocation fundamentally difficult, and thus costly? (2) Does the performance of task allocation mechanisms depend on the number of individuals? And (3) what other parameters may affect their efficiency? We use techniques from distributed computing theory to develop a model of a social insect colony, where workers have to be allocated to a set of tasks; however, our model is generalizable to other systems. We show, first, that the ability of workers to quickly assess demand for work in tasks they are not currently engaged in crucially affects whether task allocation is quickly achieved or not. This indicates that in social insect tasks such as thermoregulation, where temperature may provide a global and near instantaneous stimulus to measure the need for cooling, for example, it should be easy to match the number of workers to the need for work. In other tasks, such as nest repair, it may be impossible for workers not directly at the work site to know that this task needs more workers. We argue that this affects whether task allocation mechanisms are under strong selection. Second, we show that colony size does not affect task allocation performance under our assumptions. This implies that when effects of colony size are found, they are not inherent in the process of task allocation itself, but due to processes not modeled here, such as higher variation in task demand for smaller colonies, benefits of specialized workers, or constant overhead costs. Third, we show that the ratio of the number of available workers to the workload crucially affects performance. Thus, workers in excess of those needed to complete all tasks improve task allocation performance. This provides a potential explanation for the phenomenon that social insect colonies commonly contain inactive workers: these may be a ‘surplus’ set of workers that improves colony function by speeding up optimal allocation of workers to tasks. Overall our study shows how limitations at the individual level can affect group level outcomes, and suggests new hypotheses that can be explored empirically.
Knowledge Gaps of the Health Benefits of Beans among Low-Income Women.

OBJECTIVES We determined knowledge of the health benefits of consuming beans, and assessed if awareness varied by acculturation status among Hispanic and non-Hispanic low-income women. METHODS We used a self-administered survey with Iowa women aged 18-65 years who were eligible to receive income-based services through 2 healthcare clinics, a WIC clinic, and Extension Outreach. Chi-square and ANOVA were used to compare bean health benefit knowledge, demographics, health-risk factors, nutrition information seeking, and self-efficacy by acculturation categories. RESULTS Of the 158 women who completed the survey, 58% were Hispanic, with a mean age of 36 years. In terms of acculturation, 24% were Hispanic-dominant, 30% bicultural, and 46% English dominant. Over 50% of all respondents did not know bean consumption lowered cholesterol, aided blood glucose control, or reduced some cancer risks. Responses for 5 of 7 knowledge statements differed significantly by acculturation. Hispanic-dominant and bicultural women reported significantly better health, higher bean consumption, and less cigarette smoking than English-dominant women. Bicultural and English-dominant women were more likely to use the Internet for nutrition information. CONCLUSIONS There are knowledge gaps about the health benefits of bean consumption among low-income women. Nutrition education to improve their knowledge may lead to increased bean consumption, reducing health disparities and improving nutrition.
Dissemination of Student Forecasts Through Cooperative Agreements with Commercial and Nonprofit Radio and Television Stations

Students at the University of Lowell provide forecasts for the community in several forms. In addition to a recorded telephone forecast that has been in operation for several years, forecasts are aired on a commercial radio station and a public-access cable television station. These new media forecasts are a result of special cooperative agreements with the stations involved that provide improved educational experiences for the students.
Beware of HCV and HEV in Patients with Suspected Drug-Induced Liver Injury

Without a specific biomarker, the diagnosis of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) relies on exclusion of other causes of liver injury. This review examines the importance of testing for hepatitis C (HCV) and hepatitis E (HEV) in patients with suspected DILI. Several national DILI registries have reported HCV and HEV infection in patients initially diagnosed with DILI. Particularly in patients with suspected DILI who have acute hepatocellular liver injury, acute HCV and acute HEV infection should be considered even in the absence of traditional risk factors. For HCV infection, testing for HCV RNA and HCV antibody are recommended. For HEV, the high prevalence of HEV IgG antibody means that HEV IgM antibody testing is suggested to exclude this infection. There should be a high clinical suspicion for acute HCV and HEV infection in patients with acute hepatocellular liver injury suspected of being due to DILI.
Cisplatin exposure causes c-Myc-dependent resistance to CDK4/6 inhibition in HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

The loss of p16 is a signature event in Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) that leads to increased Cyclin Dependent Kinase 4/6 (CDK) signaling. Palbociclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor, is active for the treatment of a subset of HNSCC. In this study, we analyzed patient response data from a phase I clinical trial of palbociclib in HNSCC and observed an association between prior cisplatin exposure and CDK inhibitor resistance. We studied the effects of palbociclib on cisplatin-sensitive and -resistant HNSCC cell lines. We found that while palbociclib is highly effective against chemo-naive HNSCC cell lines and tumor xenografts, prior cisplatin exposure induces intrinsic resistance to palbociclib in vivo, a relationship that was not observed in vitro. Mechanistically, in the course of provoking a DNA damage-resistance phenotype, cisplatin exposure upregulates both c-Myc and cyclin E, and combination treatment with palbociclib and the c-Myc bromodomain inhibitor JQ1 exerts a synergistic anti-growth effect in cisplatin-resistant cells. These data show the benefit of exploiting the inherent resistance mechanisms of HNSCC to overcome cisplatin- and palbociclib resistance through the use of c-Myc inhibition.
Rapid identification by MALDI-TOF/MS and antimicrobial disk diffusion susceptibility testing for positive blood cultures after a short incubation on the WASPLab

The objectives of this study were to define the shortest incubation times on the WASPLab for reliable MALDI-TOF/MS-based species identification and for the preparation of a 0.5 McFarland suspension for antimicrobial disk diffusion susceptibility testing using short subcultures growing on solid culture media inoculated by positive blood cultures spiked with a wide range of pathogens associated with bloodstream infections. The 520 clinical strains (20 × 26 different species) included in this study were obtained from a collection of non-consecutive and non-duplicate pathogens identified at Geneva University Hospitals. After 4 h of incubation on the WASPLab, microorganisms' growth allowed accurate identification of 73% (380/520) (95% CI, 69.1-76.7%) of the strains included in this study. The identification rate increased to 85% (440/520) (95% CI, 81.3-87.5%) after 6-h incubation. When excluding Corynebacterium and Candida spp., the microbial growth was sufficient to permit accurate identification of all tested species (100%, 460/460) (95% CI, 99.2-100%) after 8-h incubation. With the exception of Burkholderia cepacia and Haemophilus influenzae, AST by disk diffusion could be performed for Enterobacterales and non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli after only 4 h of growth in the WASPLab. The preparation of a 0.5 McFarland suspension for Gram-positive bacteria required incubation times ranging between 3 and 8 h according to the bacterial species. Only Corynebacterium spp. required incubation times as long as 16 h. The WASPLab enables rapid pathogen identification as well as swift comprehensive AST from positive blood cultures that can be implemented without additional costs nor hands-on time by defining optimal time points for image acquisition.
Diversity-Oriented Library Synthesis from Steviol and Isosteviol-Derived Scaffolds

The readily available natural product stevioside provides a unique diterpene core structure that can be explored for small molecule library development by diversity-oriented synthesis and functional group transformations. Validation arrays were prepared from steviol, isosteviol, and related analogues, derived from stevioside, to produce over 90 compounds. These compounds were submitted to the NIH Molecular Libraries Small Molecule Repository for screening in the Molecular Libraries Screening Center Network. Micromolar hits were identified in multiple high-throughput assays for several library members. A cheminformatics analysis of the compounds was performed that verified the expected diversity and complexity of this set of compounds. The screening results indicate that scaffolds-derived natural products can provide screening hits against multiple target proteins.
An Investigation of Undergraduates’ Computational Thinking in a Sophomore-Level Biomedical Engineering Course

This research study presents our work focused on studying the development of introductory computational thinking in undergraduate biomedical engineering students. In response to the growing computational intensity of the healthcare industry, biomedical engineering (BME) undergraduate education is starting to emphasize computation and computational thinking. Computational thinking is a way of thinking that uses concepts and methodologies of computing to solve problems in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary subjects. In broader terms, computational thinking is not only associated with using computational tools but also with the thought process of solving a problem by data representation, problem decomposition, and algorithm design. Despite being so important, there is little research work or information available on the development of computational thinking in BME undergraduate students. Our research focuses on how BME undergraduate students develop computational thinking skills while performing group activities related to problem-solving. In order to conduct this study, we incorporate a teaching methodology that prompts computational thinking in a thermodynamics course being taught at a public mid-western university to approximately 120 sophomore students. We observe classroom activities involving analytical problem solving followed by pseudo code generation for computational coding. In order to investigate computational thinking, we collect classroom observations of small groups of students as they come up with a solution to an analytical problem with each other. We complement the observation notes of the classroom activities with follow up semi structured interviews with individual students from five groups. Thematic analysis of the student interviews is used in order to analyze student responses towards the incorporation of computation intensive teaching methodology. This Work in Progress helps us expand our understanding of computational thinking development and the challenges involved in performing computational thinking activity in BME undergraduate students.
30 – Comparative genomic hybridization

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) in detail. CGH is a "genome scanning" technique that allows entire test genomes to be analyzed for changes in relative deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence copy number. In CGH, total genome DNA from a test sample and from a reference sample (typically normal genomic DNA) are labeled independently with different fluorochromes and cohybridized to normal chromosome preparations. CGH hybridizations are usually analyzed using digital imaging microscopy. The chapter discusses the advantages of using CGH. It maps changes in copy number in complex genomes onto normal metaphase chromosomes so they can be easily related to physical maps and/or physically mapped genes. Also, it employs genomic DNA so that cell culture is not required. As a result, CGH has proven especially useful for analysis of genetic changes in solid tumors, physical deletions, homogeneously staining regions, and double-minute chromosomes of unknown origin. In addition, it has proven useful for detection of segmentalaneusomies during pre or neonatal diagnosis. Finally, a complete protocol is outlined for CGH in this chapter.
Dyspepsia, Functional (Non-Ulcer)

Abstract Dyspepsia refers to symptoms originating in the upper gastrointestinal tract, including upper abdominal pain/discomfort, early satiety, postprandial abdominal bloating/distension, and nausea with or without vomiting. Dyspepsia is a common condition with an estimated prevalence of approximately 20% of the population. Only about 25% of people with dyspeptic symptoms actually seek medical care. Dyspepsia accounts for 2–5% of patient visits to primary care physicians and 8% of patient visits to gastroenterologists. In approximately 60% of patients with dyspepsia, there is no apparent cause for the condition, and the diagnosis is “functional (nonulcer)” dyspepsia.
The Intergenerational Reproduction of Multiethnic Residential Integration

The long run viability of stable multiethnic residential integration is perennially in question. This study compares the intergenerational reproduction of racially segregated residential contexts to the reproduction of multiethnic contexts to provide new insight into the social processes that influence residential integration. The data for this study come from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the U.S. Census. Conditional logit models analyze patterns of residential reproduction and mobility for white and black families across a comprehensive typology of racially segregated and integrated neighborhoods. The results provide some support for the premise of a “diversity effect,” that children raised in integrated settings are more likely to attain diverse neighborhood environments in adulthood. The results also demonstrate a far stronger propensity to reproduce predominantly white and predominantly black neighborhood contexts than multiethnic contexts. The comparative ease through which racially segregated contexts are reproduced presents a challenge to the future growth and stability of multiethnic residential integration. The implications for theories of spatial incorporation that frame debates about race and ethnic relations are discussed.
SIGACT News Complexity Theory Column 105

This is being written during the COVID-19 pandemic, and no one knows what things will be like even when Eshan's article reaches you (psst: please skip this introduction and go right to Eshan's great article now!), much less this coming fall semester, which as this is being written seems likely to be at least in part still shaped by the COVID-19 crisis.
Discovery of TITIN Gene Truncating Variant Mutations and 5-Year Outcomes in Patients With Nonischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

Genetic factors play an important role in nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDC). However, prime opportunities remain for genetic discovery and prognostic understanding. TITIN gene truncating variant mutations (TTNtv) are of interest because of their frequent appearance in NIDC series. We sought to discover known and novel TTNtv mutations in a NIDC cohort and assess 5-year outcomes. Patients with NIDC entered into the INSPIRE Registry with ≥3 years of follow-up were studied. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed using an Illumina Novaseq platform. Genetic analysis used Sentieon software and the GRCh38 human reference genome. Variant calls were annotated with ClinVar. Five-year outcomes were determined by functional assessment and ejection fraction (EF) as recovered (EF ≥50%), persistent (EF 21% to 49%), or progressive (left ventricular assist device, transplant, heart failure [HF] or arrhythmic death, or EF ≤20%). The study comprised 229 NIDC patients (age = 50 ± 15 years, 58% men). TTNtv’s were discovered in 27 patients with 22 unique mutations; (7 known, 15 novel). TTNtv+ patients more frequently presented with severe NIDC (EF ≤20%) (p = 0.032). By 5-year, outcomes were worse in TTNtv+ patients (p = 0.027), and patients less often recovered (11% vs. 30%). Prognosis was similar with known and novel mutations. Nongenetic (e.g., environmental) cocausal risk factors for HF were frequently present, and these factors frequently appeared to act in concert with genetic variants to precipitate clinical HF. In conclusion, our study expands the library of likely pathogenic TTN mutations and increases our understanding of their clinical impact in association with other HF risk factors.
Bandit Problems with Side Observations

An extension of the traditional two-armed bandit problem is considered, in which the decision maker has access to some side information before deciding which arm to pull. At each time t, before making a selection, the decision maker is able to observe a random variable X_t that provides some information on the rewards to be obtained. The focus is on finding uniformly good rules (that minimize the growth rate of the inferior sampling time) and on quantifying how much the additional information helps. Various settings are considered and for each setting, lower bounds on the achievable inferior sampling time are developed and asymptotically optimal adaptive schemes achieving these lower bounds are constructed.
Modeling at‐level allodynia after mid‐thoracic contusion in the rat

BACKGROUND The rat mid-thoracic contusion model has been used to study at-level tactile allodynia, a common type of pain that develops after spinal cord injury (SCI). An important advantage of this model is that not all animals develop hypersensitivity. Therefore, it can be used to examine mechanisms that are strictly related to the development of pain-like behaviour separately from mechanisms related to the injury itself. However, how to separate animals that develop hypersensitivity from those that do not is unclear. METHODS The aims of the current study were to identify where hypersensitivity and spasticity develop and use this information to identify metrics to separate animals that develop hypersensitivity from those that do not to study differences in their behaviour. To accomplish these aims, a grid was used to localize hypersensitivity on the dorsal trunk relative to thoracic dermatomes and supraspinal responses to tactile stimulation were tallied. These supraspinal responses were used to develop a hypersensitivity score to separate animals that develop hypersensitivity, or pain-like response to nonpainful stimuli. RESULTS Similar to humans, the development of hypersensitivity could occur with the development of spasticity or hyperreflexia. Moreover, the time course and prevalence of hypersensitivity phenotypes (at-, above-, or below level) produced by this model were similar to that observed in humans with SCI. CONCLUSION However, the amount of spared spinal matter in the cord did not explain the development of hypersensitivity, as previously reported. This approach can be used to study the mechanisms underlying the development of hypersensitivity separately from mechanisms related to injury alone.
Projecting the combined healthcare burden of seasonal influenza and COVID-19

Abstract The overlapping 2020-2021 influenza season and COVID-19 pandemic may overwhelm hospitals throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Using a mathematical model, we project that COVID-19 burden will dwarf that of influenza. If non-pharmacological mitigation efforts fail, increasing influenza vaccination coverage by 30% points would avert 54 hospitalizations per 100,000 people.
Development and challenges of teaching law and economics online

With the rise of online education as part of the college curriculum, numerous business and law schools have started offering courses online. The COVID-19 pandemic will also be a catalyst for more i...
Synthesis and study of macrocyclic β-hairpin peptides for investigating amyloid oligomers.

Abstract Chemically constrained peptides that self-assemble can be used to better understand the molecular basis of amyloid diseases. The formation of small assemblies of the amyloidogenic peptides and proteins, termed oligomers, is central to amyloid diseases. The use of chemical model systems can help provide insights into the structures and interactions of amyloid oligomers, which are otherwise difficult to study. This chapter describes the use of macrocyclic β-hairpin peptides as model systems to study amyloid oligomers. The first part of the chapter describes the chemical synthesis of the macrocyclic β-hairpin peptides and covalent assemblies thereof. The second part of the chapter describes the characterization of the oligomers formed by the macrocyclic β-hairpin peptides, focusing on SDS-PAGE, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), and X-ray crystallography. The procedures provided focus on the β-amyloid peptide, but these strategies are applicable to a broad range of amyloid-derived peptides and proteins.
Model-Theoretic Semantics for Politically Contested Terminology

This chapter explores the history of model-theoretic semantics, arguing that such theories can provide objective truth conditions for sentences involving “racist” and “woman.” It covers the contributions of Frege, Tarski, and Montague to contemporary formal semantics, at each stage raising considerations about how these theories may interact with subjugated knowledge and power. The concluding section of this chapter argues for the Informed Speaker Constraint, which says that a speaker’s judgments only provide data about the semantics of an expression of a natural language if they can be considered knowledgeable about the elements in the domain of discourse that the expression semantically functions to represent. I also argue that the Informed Speaker Constraint, when applied to politically contested terminology, entails that a science of semantics cannot be politically neutral.
Hydrodynamic Theories of Ship Slamming Review and Extension

A critical review and evaluation of existing hydrodynamic theories of body-water impact is presented. It is shown, partly by comparison with available experimental data, that current fitting methods are adequate only for bodies of reasonably large deadrise angle, particularly during the later stages of the impact process. An improved ellipse-fitting technique is presented that extends to a much broader class of body forms and derives more accurate formulations of the general problem. The refined technique avoids linearization of the free surface boundary condition and accounts for compressibility effects during the initial stage of impact. It is concluded that similar refined methods of predicting slamming pressures are necessary not only for critical ship design problems but also for the assessment of approximate theories used in studies of slamming characteristics of various ship forms.
Structural Behavior of Ba1.24Al2.48Ti5.52O16 Hollandite at High Temperature: An In Situ Neutron Diffraction Study

Titanate hollandites comprise a class of potential waste form phases for immobilization of radioactive Cs (and its daughter product Ba) due to their high thermal and aqueous stability. To study their structural behavior at high temperature, we conducted in situ neutron diffraction experiments of a representative tetragonal phase, Ba1.24Al2.48Ti5.52O16, in the temperature range 300–1173 K. Rietveld analyses of the obtained data show that on heating, unit-cell parameters a and c increase at similar rates. This isotropic nature of thermal expansion can be explained by the increased volume and regularity of [(Ti,Al)O6] octahedra and the widening of the Ti/Al-O2-Ti/Al angle (O2 is corner-shared by two [(Ti,Al)O6] octahedra from neighboring [(Ti,Al)O6] double chains) with increasing temperature. Practically, this property is advantageous, as hollandite-based ceramic or composite products would, upon heating, be less likely to form microcracks. The amplitudes of thermal vibration for Ba, Ti/Al, and O increase with increasing temperature; however, the rate of increase for Ba is much larger. This behavior is due to the occupancy of the box-shaped cavity site by Ba, which has weaker interactions with its neighboring atoms, compared with those for framework Ti/Al and O. On the other hand, the opening of the oxygen-coordinated cavity box is smaller than the size of Ba, even at high temperature, preventing evaporation of Ba from the hollandite structure. These characteristics render titanate hollandites potentially robust waste forms for Cs/Ba.
The Overlapping Generations Model

In this final chapter, we turn to the other major paradigm in general equilibrium theory: the overlapping generations (OLG) model. The OLG models are extensions and elaborations of P. A. Samuelson’s celebrated pure consumption loan model [59]. Unlike the Arrow—Debreu model which has its genesis in the work of L. Walras [67], Samuelson’s model derives from I. Fisher’s classic monograph The Theory of Interest [28]. As such it shares its origins with the models of T. F. Bewley [16] and B. Peleg and M. E. Yaari [53].
22 Systems of Care Outcome Profile for the Hawaii Ohana Project

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the systems of care outcome profile for the Hawaii Ohana project (HOP). The HOP is based on the system of care guiding values and principles that have been promoted by the Child and Adolescent Service System Program. The three basic guiding values are that services should be (1) child- and family-centered—that is, services should flexibly meet unique individual and family needs rather than trying to fit individuals and families into fixed service categories, (2) community-based, providing a full spectrum of services in the community to reduce the need to place youngsters in hospitals or other high-cost restrictive settings, and (3) culturally competent, by being in tune with and building on local values and strengths. A notable feature of the HOP is that it is structured to maximize family and community involvement in the planning and evaluation of services, thereby helping to ensure that services are in tune with the local culture and truly meet local needs. The project helped to organize and launch two of Hawaii's first local Community Children's Councils that bring together family and community members and agency representatives and provide ongoing clerical support and technical assistance.
Sampling biased lattice configurations using exponential metrics

Monotonic surfaces spanning finite regions of Zd arise in many contexts, including DNA-based self-assembly, card-shuffling and lozenge tilings. We explore how we can sample these surfaces when the distribution is biased to favor higher surfaces. We show that a natural local chain is rapidly mixing with any bias for regions in Z2, and for bias λ > d2 in Zd, when d > 2. Moreover, our bounds on the mixing time are optimal on d-dimensional hyper-cubic regions. The proof uses a geometric distance function and introduces a variant of path coupling in order to handle distances that are exponentially large.
Dietary antioxidants and the biochemical response to oxidant inhalation: II. Influence of dietary selenium on the biochemical effects of ozone exposure in mouse lung

We examined the influence of dietary selenium (Se) on the pulmonary biochemical response to ozone (O3) exposure. For 11 weeks, weanling female strain ASt mice were fed a test diet containing Se either at 0 ppm (−Se) or 1 ppm (+Se). Each diet contained 55 ppm vitamin E (vit E). Mice from each dietary group were exposed to 0.8 ± 0.05 ppm (1568 ± 98 μg/m3) O3 continuously for 5 days. After O3 exposure, they were killed along with a matched number of unexposed controls, and their lungs were analyzed for various biochemical parameters. The Se contents of lung tissue and whole blood were determined, and the levels were seven- to eightfold higher in +Se mice than in −Se mice, reflecting the Se intake of the animals. In unexposed control mice, Se deficiency caused a decline in glutathione peroxidase (GP) activity relative to +Se group. After O3 exposure, the GP activity in the −Se group was associated with a lack of stimulation of glutathione reductase (GR) activity and the pentose phosphate cycle (PPC) as assessed by measuring glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD) activities. In contrast, the +Se group after O3 exposure exhibited increases in all four enzyme activities. Other parameters, e.g., lung weight, total lung protein, DNA and nonprotein sulfhydryl contents, and O2 consumption, were not affected by dietary Se in the presence or absence of O3 exposure. The data indicate that dietary Se alters the GP activity, which in turn influences the GR and PPC activities in the lung evidently through a reduced demand for NADPH. The level of vit E in the lung was found to be twofold higher in the −Se group than in the +Se group, suggesting a compensatory relationship between Se and vit E in the lung. With O3 exposure, both Se and vit E contents further increased in the lungs of each dietary group. It is plausible that Se and vit E under oxidant stress are “mobilized” to the lung from other body sites.
Enzymatic sulfation of steroids. VI. A simple, rapid method for routine enzymatic preparation of 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate.

Abstract A rapid method for enzymatic preparation of 3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate (PAPS) is described. The method uses rat liver as the source of the PAPS synthesizing enzymes, and requires 2 days for production of 98 to 151 μmol of purified coenzyme. Purification of crude PAPS begins with ion-exchange chromatography on Dowex 1 columns. Impure PAPS pools from Dowex columns contain 3.1–4.2 μmol of nucleotide/g liver originally used. The final purification step involves chromatography on Sephadex G-10 columns. The resultant purified PAPS (2.0–3.1 μmol/original g liver) is 99 ± 2% pure. PAPS is stored at −20°C as 1.0–1.2 m m solutions in 1.0 m m tris buffer (pH 8.7). These solutions are stable for at least 4–5 weeks. The method could probably be scaled up 6- to 12-fold without increasing total preparation time by more than 24 h.
Polyisoprenyl phosphates in intracellular signalling

In response to environmental stimuli, leukocyte membrane remodelling generates biologically active lipids that can serve as both intra- and extracellular mediators. There are several classes of lipids that can mediate inflammatory reactions. We report here on a new intracellular lipid signal that regulates oxygen-radical formation in neutrophils, a key response in microbial killing, inflammation and tissue injury. Screening of neutrophil-derived extracts rich in phosphorylated, non-saponifiable lipids revealed a potent inhibitor of superoxide anion (O2-) production. Structural analysis of biologically active fractions gave four major phosphorylated lipids: most abundant was presqualene diphosphate (PSDP). Upon activation of neutrophil receptors, PSDP and its monophosphate form, presqualene monophosphate (PSMP), undergo rapid remodelling. At submicromolar concentrations, PSDP but not PSMP inhibit O2- production by human neutrophil cell-free oxidase preparations. We prepared PSDP and PSMP by total organic synthesis and matched both the physical properties and biological activity of the neutrophil-derived compounds. Our results indicate that PSDP, a recognized intermediate of cholesterol biosynthesis, is present in immune effector cells and is a potent regulator of the cellular response in host defence.
Z chromosome divergence, polymorphism and relative effective population size in a genus of lekking birds

Sex chromosomes contribute disproportionately to species boundaries as they diverge faster than autosomes and often have reduced diversity. Their hemizygous nature contributes to faster divergence and reduced diversity, as do some types of selection. In birds, other factors (mating system and bottlenecks) can further decrease the effective population size of Z-linked loci and accelerate divergence (Fast-Z). We assessed Z-linked divergence and effective population sizes for two polygynous sage-grouse species and compared them to estimates from birds with various mating systems. We found lower diversity and higher FST for Z-linked loci than for autosomes, as expected. The πZ/πA ratio was 0.38 in Centrocercus minimus, 0.48 in Centrocercus urophasianus and 0.59 in a diverged, parapatric population of C. urophasianus, a broad range given the mating system among these groups is presumably equivalent. The full data set had unequal males and females across groups, so we compared an equally balanced reduced set of C. minimus and individuals pooled from both C. urophasianus subgroups recovering similar estimates: 0.54 for C. urophasianus and 0.38 for C. minimus. We provide further evidence that NeZ/NeA in birds is often lower than expected under random mating or monogamy. The lower ratio in C. minimus could be a consequence of stronger selection or drift acting on Z loci during speciation, as this species differs strongly from C. urophasianus in sexually selected characters with minimal mitochondrial divergence. As C. minimus also exhibited lower genomic diversity, it is possible that a more severe demographic history may contribute to its lower ratio.
Feedback Based Conflict Identification and Resolution using Duplicate Elimination and Ranking Techniques

Increase in the amount of data provides a huge scope for data analysts to operate and leverage information from them. Problems arise when the data varies in formats and their storage mechanisms become heterogeneous. Hence integration of data and its conversion to a common structure becomes mandatory. This paper presents a mechanism that operates on heterogeneous data sources, identifies conflicts and resolves them using duplicate elimination and ranking techniques. Further, a feedback mechanism is incorporated into the architecture, using which reinforcement learning is imposed on the architecture. This makes the proposed framework a machine learning architecture that is flexible and adapts according to the dynamic environment, which has become a de facto in the current scenario.
Implementing the Climate Change Regime's Clean Development Mechanism

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Framework Convention on Climate Change seeks to reduce the costs for industrialized states of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while supporting abateme...
Interface states in high temperature SiC gas sensing

Silicon carbide based metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices are attractive for gas sensing in harsh, high temperature environments. The response of catalytic gate SiC sensors to hydrogen-containing species has been assumed to be due to the formation of a dipole layer at the metal/oxide interface which gives rise to a voltage translation of the high frequency capacitance voltage (C-V) curve. We have discovered that high temperature (800 K) exposure to hydrogen results in (i) a flat band voltage occurring at a more negative bias than in oxygen and (ii) the transition from accumulation (high capacitance) to inversion (low capacitance) occurring over a relatively narrow voltage range. In oxygen, this transition is broadened indicating the creation of a large number of interface states. We interpret these results as arising from two independent phenomena - a chemically induced shift in the metal/semiconductor work function difference and the passivation/creation of charged states at the SiO/sub 2//SiC interface. MIS capacitance sensors typically operate in constant capacitance mode. These results. affect sensor sensitivity since the slope of the C-V curve changes dramatically with gas exposure.
Closed form jitter methods for neuronal spike train analysis

Interval jitter and spike resampling methods are used to analyze the time scale at which temporal correlations occur in neuronal spike trains. These methods allow the computation of jitter-corrected cross correlograms as well as statistically robust hypothesis testing to decide whether observed correlations at a given time scale are significant. Since currently used Monte Carlo methods are computationally costly, we propose to compute the distribution of the probability of observing a jittered spike train in closed form. We show that this distribution is obtained by computing the analytical solution for each jitter interval and then convolving the distributions of all intervals. For all mean firing rates tested, computing the convolutions in Fourier space rather than directly improves performance considerably without loss of accuracy. Performance increased with mean firing rates and length of spike trains. The method allows for rapid analysis of long spike trains with high accuracy.
Pricing in multiple-item procurement auctions with a common to all items fixed cost

In a sealed bid multiple-item procurement auction, bidders may incur a fixed cost, which is common to all items. The paper develops pricing methods which ensure that a preset percentage profit level is always realized and the fixed cost is completely recovered, even if the eventual order is for some of the items at reduced quantities. One approach sets constraints and determines acceptable orders. Another alternative is to provide appropriate discounts. Finally, a third method considers fixed prices and imposes constraints that address the exposure problem of recovering the fixed cost. These methods may also be used for pricing combinatorial auctions.
Near-field NanoThermoMechanical memory

In this letter, we introduce the concept of NanoThermoMechanical Memory. Unlike electronic memory, a NanoThermoMechanical memory device uses heat instead of electricity to record, store, and recover data. Memory function is achieved through the coupling of near-field thermal radiation and thermal expansion resulting in negative differential thermal resistance and thermal latching. Here, we demonstrate theoretically via numerical modeling the concept of near-field thermal radiation enabled negative differential thermal resistance that achieves bistable states. Design and implementation of a practical silicon based NanoThermoMechanical memory device are proposed along with a study of its dynamic response under write/read cycles. With more than 50% of the world's energy losses being in the form of heat along with the ever increasing need to develop computer technologies which can operate in harsh environments (e.g., very high temperatures), NanoThermoMechanical memory and logic devices may hold the answer.
Effects of four environmental variables on photosynthesis-irradiance relationships in Antarctic sea-ice microalgae

The effects of temperature, salinity, growth irradiance and diel periodicity of incident irradiance on photosynthesis-irradiance (P-I) relationships were examined in natural populations of sea-ice microalgae from McMurdo Sound in the austral spring of late 1984. Both Pmb (photosynthetic rate at optimum irradiance) and αb (initial slope or P-I curve) were temperature-dependent reaching optimal rates at approximately +6° and +2°C, respectively. P-I relationships showed little difference at 20 and 33‰ S; however, no measurable photosynthesis by sea-ice microalgae was detected in a 60‰ S solution of brine collected from the upper layers of congelation ice. Although diel periodicity characteristic of the under-ice light field appeared to have little effect on P-I relationships, changes in growth irradiance had a profound effect. An increase in growth irradiance from 7 μE m-2 s-1 (ambient) to 35 or 160 μE m-2 s-1 resulted in a transient three-fold increase in Pmb and Ik (index of photoadaptation) during the first four days, followed by a sharp decline. The effects of these environmental factors on ice algal photosynthesis may influence the distribution of microalgae in sea-ice environments.
Some Myths You May Have Heard About First Language Acquisition

This article focuses on three assumptions that have been made in recent work on second language acquisition about first language acquisition: Comprehension precedes production; children acquire language in a systematic, rule-governed way; and the impetus behind first language acquisition is communicative need. Research on first language acquisition challenges these assumptions. Empirical evidence indicates that the relationship between comprehension and production is not unidirectional, that children's first steps toward acquisition are haphazard and piecemeal, and that children acquire at least some aspects of language simply "because it is there." Links that have been posited between first and second language acquisition and inferences drawn from them should be reviewed in the light of this evidence.
Light Weight Silicon Mirrors for Space Instrumentation

Each mirror is a monolithic structure from a single crystal of silicon. The mirrors are light weighted after the optical surface is ground and polished. Mirrors made during the initial phase of this work were typically 1/50 lambda or better (RMS at 633 n m)
Human Reliability Analysis: A Case Study

This paper describes a Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) performed using the Technique for Human Error Rate Prediction (THERP) as presented in NUREG/CR-2254. The entire HRA is documented, including the assumptions made based on a task analysis of the plant and of the accident being evaluated, the estimates of human error probabilities (HEPs) found in NUREG/CR-1278, the levels of dependence assigned, and the recovery factors analyzed. The case cited involves the establishment of feed and bleed following a loss of steam generator feed.
Dual-control of the tryptophan operon is mediated by both tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase and the repressor

Abstract Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase, functioning in tandem with the repressor-operator system, mediates homeostatic regulation of tryptophan biosynthetic operon expression. Whereas the repressor, activated directly by tryptophan, binds to the operator and blocks the initiation of transcription at the trp promoter, tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase apparently regulates the termination of transcription at the attenuator site between the operator and the structural genes of the operon. There is an inverse correlation between aminocylation of tRNA Trp and expression of the operon; a relA + ribosomal product (ppGpp?) may be required for maximal expression. None of the recognized structural genes or their products are required for regulation of trp expression.
Evaluation of a fourth-generation focal plane camera for use in plasma-source mass spectrometry

A fourth-generation focal plane camera containing 1696 Faraday-strip detectors was fitted to a Mattauch-Herzog mass spectrograph and characterized for its performance with inductively coupled plasma ionization. The camera provides limits of detection in the single to tens of ng L−1 range for most elements and has a linear dynamic range of at least nine orders of magnitude. Isotope-ratio precision better than 0.02% has also been achieved with this device, and this fourth-generation system features the broadest simultaneous mass range obtainable to date with this family of focal plane camera detectors.