cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advertising Influences on Young Children’s Food Choices and Parental Influence

Objective To evaluate whether advertising for food influences choices made by children, the strength of these influences, and whether they might be easily undone by parental influences. Study design Children between 3 and 8 years of age (n=75) were randomized to watch a series of programs with embedded commercials. Some children watched a commercial for a relatively healthy food item, the other children watched a commercial for a less healthy item, both from the same fast-food company. Children were also randomized either to receive parental encouragement to choose the healthy item or to choose whichever item they preferred. Results Results indicated that children were more likely to choose the advertised item, despite parental input. Parental input only slightly moderated this influence. Conclusion Although advertising impact on children's food choices is moderate in size, it appears resilient to parental efforts to intervene. Food advertisements directed at children may have a small but meaningful effect on their healthy food choices.
Small Leucine-Rich Proteoglycans

The small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) comprise an expanding family of proteoglycans and glycoproteins that now encompass five distinct groups including three canonical and two noncanonical classes based on shared structural and functional parameters. SLRPs are tissue organizers by orienting and ordering various collagenous matrices during ontogeny, wound repair, and cancer and interact with a number of surface receptors and growth factors, thereby regulating cell behavior. The focus of this chapter is on novel conceptual and functional advances in our understanding of SLRP biology with special emphasis on genetic diseases, cancer growth, fibrosis, osteoporosis, and other biological processes where these proteoglycans play a central role.
Mass-Encoded, Synthetic Biomarkers and Multiplexed Urinary Monitoring: New Frontiers in Disease Monitoring

In his treatise on the psychology of science, Abraham H. Maslow noted that when the only tool you have is a hammer you tend to think of every problem as a nail (1). One group that appears to personify this principle more so than others are the hi-tech–minded practitioners of applied analytical sciences, in particular those interested in disease biomarkers. Depending on the class of molecules targeted for specific analyses, for example nucleic acids, proteins, or small molecules, the biomarker field can be categorized in subspecialties such as genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, to just name the most prominent ones. It is not surprising that each specialty has its advocates, often using arguments based solely on available expertise. A telling example of the hammer-and-nail theory can occasionally be witnessed at proteomics gatherings when the need is stressed to prioritize analysis of proteins because “they carry out all the work” in a cell whereas a gene/transcript is merely a genetic blueprint. True, except that in the protein biomarker field the emphasis has been almost exclusively on measuring disease-related changes in protein concentrations and modifications, using immunohistochemistry (IHC)2 or mass spectrometry (MS), and not on differential biological activities. Prospective usage in blood-based testing has been one of the key criteria that guided most searches for the perfect disease biomarkers during the past decennia. Aside from a few early hits, such as CA125 and CEA, it does not appear that said IHC/MS approach has been much of a success (2), mainly because the complexity of the blood proteome precludes detection at the low– and sub–nanogram-per-milliliter …
ATP-sensitive potassium channel mediates delayed ischemic protection by heat stress in rabbit heart

Heat shock protects against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury possibly via increased expression of heat shock proteins. The direct evidence of heat shock protein protection in vivo remains cir...
A synthetic peptide derived from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 gp120 downregulates the expression and function of chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR4 in monocytes by activating the 7-transmembrane G-protein-coupled receptor FPRL1/LXA4R.

Because envelope gp120 of various strains of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) downregulates the expression and function of a variety of chemoattractant receptors through a process of heterologous desensitization, we investigated whether epitopes derived from gp120 could mimic the effect. A synthetic peptide domain, designated F peptide, corresponding to amino acid residues 414-434 in the V4-C4 region of gp120 of the HIV-1 Bru strain, potently reduced monocyte binding and chemotaxis response to macrophage inflammatory protein 1β (MIP-1β) and stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1), chemokines that use the receptors CCR5 and CXCR4, respectively. Further study showed that F peptide by itself is an inducer of chemotaxis and calcium mobilization in human monocytes and neutrophils. In cross-desensitization experiments, among the numerous chemoattractants tested, only the bacterial chemotactic peptide fMLF, when used at high concentrations, partially attenuated calcium mobilization induced by F peptide in phagocytes, suggesting that this peptide domain might share a 7-transmembrane, G-protein–coupled receptor with fMLF. By using cells transfected with cDNAs encoding receptors that interact with fMLF, we found that F peptide uses an fMLF receptor variant, FPRL1, as a functional receptor. The activation of monocytes by F peptide resulted in downregulation of the cell surface expression of CCR5 and CXCR4 in a protein kinase C-dependent manner. These results demonstrate that activation of FPRL1 on human moncytes by a peptide domain derived from HIV-1 gp120 could lead to desensitization of cell response to other chemoattractants. This may explain, at least in part, the initial activation of innate immune responses in HIV-1–infected patients followed by immune suppression.
Introducing AHPL

AHPL (A Hardware-Programming language) is a hardware description language based on the notational conventions of APL. AHPL makes use of only those APL operations which can be readily interpreted as hardware primitives. A few special conventions have been added to AHPL to represent unique hardware capabilities such as parallel control sequences and asynchronous and conditional transfers. No attempt will be made in this short article to list every feature of AHPL. A complete description of the language may be found in Reference 1. Our purpose here will be to present the underlying philosophy of AHPL and to illustrate its usefulness as a design tool.
A Novel Methodology for Spatial Damage Detection and Imaging Using a Distributed Carbon Nanotube-Based Composite Sensor Combined with Electrical Impedance Tomography

This paper describes a novel non-destructive evaluation methodology for imaging of damage in composite materials using the electrical impedance tomography (EIT) technique applied to a distributed carbon nanotube-based sensor. The sensor consists of a nonwoven aramid fabric, which was first coated with nanotubes using a solution casting approach and then infused with epoxy resin through the vacuum assisted resin transfer molding technique. Finally, this composite sensor is cured to become a mechanically-robust, electromechanically-sensitive, and highly customizable distributed two-dimensional sensor which can be adhered to virtually any substrate. By assuming that damage on the sensor directly affects its conductivity, a difference imaging-based EIT algorithm was implemented and tailored to offer two-dimensional maps of conductivity changes, from which damage location and size can be estimated. The reconstruction is based on a newly defined adjacent current–voltage measurement scheme associated with 32 electrodes located along the boundary of the sensor. In this paper, we evaluate our methodology first by introducing well-defined damage where sections are either removed or narrow cuts are made on a series of sensor specimens. Finally, a more realistic damage scenario was investigated to show the capability of our methodology to detect impact damage on a composite laminate. The resulting EIT maps are compared to visual inspection and thermograms taken with an infrared camera.
Teaching and assessing professionalism in medicine

Professionalism is the single most important of the clinical competencies. Lack of professional behavior, in turn, is the single most common cause for disciplinary action against third and fourth-year medical students, residents, fellows, and clinical practitioners. Desirable professional attributes include humility, honesty, responsibility, reliability, and accountability. The ability to preserve an appropriate balance between patient care responsibilities and personal commitments also is an important feature of professional behavior. Altruism, respectfulness, loyalty, compassion, sensitivity, and tactfulness are other desirable professional attributes. In addition, professionalism requires a heightened sense of intellectual curiosity, insight into personal strengths and weaknesses, maturity, and commitment to clinical excellence and self-directed learning. Professionalism can be taught and assessed through lectures, small-group seminars, role-playing exercises, directed reading, and one-on-one observation and counseling. However, the most effective way of teaching professionalism is for instructors to model appropriate behavior and to impose a consistent policy of zero tolerance for unprofessional behavior.
Rogers' “Growth Conditions” as a Variable in Interpersonal Attraction

Rogers argues that certain con~munication skills of "warmth," "empathy," and "genuineness" facilitate personality growth in all human interactions-whether specifically labeled therapeutic or nor. A considerable body of research suggests that these skills may indeed be important in producing desirable change in both therapeutic and non-therapeutic situations (1). However, most of this work investigated long-range effects. Little is known about the short-range effects of the growth conditions. One of the few relevant studies is by Truax (2) who found that these conditions can serve as reinforcers which help direct the course of a conversation. The ability of these skills to serve as reinforcers has possible implications for the area of interpersonal attraction. The social exchange theory of interpersonal attraction states that we are attracted to individuals when our interactions with them are reinforcing. Consequently, it is plausible to argue that individuals communicating higher average levels of the growth conditions offer more reinforcement and hence will be liked better than individuals offering low levels of the growth conditions. The present experiment assessed this hypothesis in an attempt to establish further the importance of the growth conditions as a variable in non-therapeutic interactions. Subjects were 19 undergraduate college students who were paid $3.00/hr. to participate. They listened to 16 tape recorded segments from the Carkhuff Communication Index in which an actress role-played portions of a client's conversation with a counselor. The segments were such that they could have come from an individual asking for help in any of a number of different contexts. After each segment, subjects wrote down the response they would have made had they actually been present. The responses were rated blindly by the first author on Carkhuff's 5-point scale for the global evaluation of responses. The first author has a mean discrimination index of 38. After responding to the taped segments, each subject was led to a room where two assistants, naive as to the purpose of the experiment, waited. The subject then had a 5-min. unstructured conversation with the two assistants. After the subject left, the two assistants rated the subject on a 7-point scale, "Disliked talking to this personLiked talking to this person." Subjects' scores on the Communication Index ranged between 1 and 3; M = 1.16, SD = .37. Ratings by the assistants of the extent to which they enjoyed interacting with subjects ranged from 2 to 7; 144 = 4.45, SD = 1.20. Subjects' Communication Index scores correlated .81 with assistants' ratings. Thus, as predicted, individuals do enjoy interacting with those who show relatively high skills in communication more then they enjoy interacting with those who show relatively low levels.
Neither Sinners nor Saints: Complicating the Discourse of Noncitizen Deservingness.

This article explores how non citizens, primarily members of the 1.5-generation, experience and rhetorically contest deservingness. We argue that deservingness is constructed through multiple sources including the media, immigrant rights movements, and the law, resulting in a binary of good/bad migrants that does not fully capture the lived experiences of noncitizens. Drawing from three distinct qualitative projects examining the lives of 133 noncitizens, we demonstrate structural conditions underlying divergent experiences of “illegality” and “deportability” (De Genova, 2002). We further complicate the discourse of migrant deservingness through an explication of the commonalities of a range of noncitizens, including DACA recipients, the formerly documented, undocumented migrants, and deportees, highlighting their humanity and worthiness in the process.
Probe into Stability Improvement of Zero Sequence Voltage Type Generator Stator Earthed Protection

The maloperation rate of base wave zero sequence voltage type generator stator earthed protection is high.Analysis is made to the problems exited in access circuit,logic constitute,setting calculation.The maloperation reasons are pointed out,and solutions are put forward.It is thought that different protection modes shall be adopted for different generators and systems.
Control Strategy of Photovoltaic /Battery System Common DC Bus

The battery energy storage can stabilize the fluctuation of the photovoltaic( PV) power generation due to the environmental change. Based on the mathematical model of PV array and battery,this paper researches the control strategy of the PV / battery common DC bus. The hysteresis control strategy is adopted for DC bus voltage,and the battery charging and discharging are used to maintain the DC bus voltage stability. To prevent the battery from switching back and forth among working state and stopping state,the nonlinear function is taken for battery voltage outerloop control. With PSCAD / EMTDC software,the correctness and validity of the models and control strategies are simulated and verified. The simulation results show that PV system can connect the power grid with constant power under battery regulation,which will be the future trend of the PV systems.
Advances in biometrics and application on identification of individuals in livestock

Biometrics with characters of stability,dependability and not easy to counterfeit,applied to person identity authentication.With the requirement of disease prevention and traceability on livestock,it is a trend that identifying of individuals in livestock with biometrics technology.Firstly,summarized some primary biometrics technologies in present,and compared advantages and disadvantages of various technologies.Secondly,analyzed application of muzzle pattern,retinal vascular pattern and iris pattern on identification of individuals in livestock.Finally summed up trend of application in livestock.
Formal Measures of Dynamical Properties: Robustness and Sustainability

Robustness and its many related concepts (stability, resilience, reliability, sustainability, etc.) are essential to understanding and maintaining systems of all kinds: engineered systems, ecologies, political regimes, computer algorithms, economies, homeostatic organisms, and decision procedures to name a few. However the concepts in this family have not been generally and formally defined and, as a result, the terms' uses across these various applications are inconsistent and sometimes contradictory. As part of a larger research project encompassing several categories of dynamical properties this paper distinguishes among several different robustness-related concepts using formal and general definitions of each. In addition to providing conceptual clarity through rigorous mathematical definitions, the techniques can also be used as domain-agnostic measures of the included properties. To help realize the potential of complex systems models we need such measures to capture features of processes that exhibit feedback, nonlinearity, heterogeneity, and emergence. The paper finishes with several branches of future work involving applications of these measures, more new measures for complex systems, and establishing of equivalence classes for the dynamics of complex systems for behavior-based categorization.
The hemodynamics of counterpulsation.

Summary and conclusions 1. Synchronized counterpulsation was applied to two groups of 9 dogs with the use of a new fluid-coupled pulse generator. Multiple measurements were made of central (cardiac) and peripheral hemodynamics. 2. The counterpulsation pump performance was superior to pneumatically coupled systems previously studied. Synchronization with cardiac events could be regularly achieved even with rapid canine heart rates. 3. Cardiac dynamics could appropriately be termed benefitted by 30 minutes of C-P as evidenced by (a) reduction in left ventricular pressure, (b) reduction in left ventricular external pressure work, and (c) reduction in index for myocardial oxygen consumption. 4. Peripheral hemodynamics were adversely affected by 60 minutes of C-P as evidenced by (a) reduction in cardiac output, (b) reduction in aortic pressure, (c) reduction in renal and carotid artery blood flows, and (d) decrease in central venous oxygen saturation.
Understanding and improving JVM GC work stealing at the data center scale

Garbage collection (GC) is a critical part of performance in managed run-time systems such as the OpenJDK Java Virtual Machine (JVM). With a large number of latency sensitive applications written in Java the performance of the JVM is essential. Java application servers run in data centers on a large number of multi-core servers, thus load balancing in multi-threaded GC phases is critical. Dynamic load balancing in the JVM GC is achieved through work stealing, a well known and effective method to balance tasks across threads. This paper analyzes the JVM work stealing behaviour, and introduces a novel work stealing technique that improves performance, GC CPU utilization, scalability, and reduces the cost of jobs running on Google’s data-centers. We analyze both the DaCapo benchmark suite as well as Google’s data-center jobs. Our results show that the Gmail front-end server shows a 15-20% GC CPU reduction, and a 5% CPU performance improvement. Our analysis of a sample of ~59K jobs shows that GC CPU utilization improves by 38% geomean, 12% weighted geomean. GC pause time improves by 16% geomean, 20% weighted geomean. Full GC pause time improves by 34% geomean, 12% weighted geomean.
The Role of Administrative Factors in Tax Reform: Simplicity, Compliance, and Administration

This paper examines the role of complexity, evasion, and administration in tax reform. We describe the features of tax systems that generate complexity and evasion and explore why, even though almost everyone agrees that taxes should be simple and perfectly enforced, no tax system appears to meet those standards. We describe structural and administrative changes that could significantly simplify the existing system. We show that a national retail sales tax would prove difficult, if not impossible, to administer because of high rates, tax evasion, and political pressure to exempt certain goods. The flat tax would be administrable, but would likely become significantly more complex than proposed due to political pressure to restore popular tax subsidies and reduce tax avoidance. Although it commands widespread support and is technically feasible, substantial tax simplification will prove difficult to achieve in the existing system or a new one.
Vascular Abnormalities in Alternating Hemiplegia

Skin and/or muscle biopsies in 4 patients, ages 18 months, 8, 9, and 16 years, with alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) were examined by electron microscopy and compared with healthy controls in a study at University Hospital, Lille, France.
Abstract 2418: A comparison of NVP-AUY-922 (AUY) and Geldenamycin (G) in human tumor primary culture microspheroids

Introduction: Molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 (HSP 90) maintains the stability and function of client proteins essential for malignant transformation. The ansamycin Geldenamycin (G) and its derivative 17-AAG are potent HSP90 inhibitors with activity observed in human tumors. The resorcinol-based HSP90 inhibitor AUY offers advantages with regard to solubility & DT-diaphorase independence. To evaluate and compare the activity of AUY & G we conducted ex vivo analysis of programmed cell death (EVA/PCD™) on microspheroids isolated from fresh human tumor specimens. Methods: The EVA/PCD™ method as previously reported (Nagourney, RA Anticancer Res. 2012) isolates microspheroids of desired size by mechanical & enzymatic disaggregation followed by precise density centrifugation. Drug activity is measured by delayed loss of membrane integrity & ATP content (luciferase). Lethal concentration (LC50) values are interpolated from 5-point dose response curves and compared by modified Z-Score. Concentrations ranges for AUY were 6.25-100 uM and for G 1.25-20 uM. Results: AUY and G activity compared in 22 parallel analyses by Pearson Moment revealed a correlation coefficient R = 0.59 (p Sarcoma >Melanoma >Ovary>NSCLC>Breast. ERBB2 (+) breast appeared more sensitive as did several EGFr mutation (+) NSCLC specimens. Metachronous assays conducted in 3 EGFr (+) NSCLC pts revealed activity for G following Erlotinib failure. Additional studies with AUY alone and in combination are underway. Conclusions: i) HSP-90 inhibitors are active in human tumor primary cultures ii) AUY and G activity correlate iii) HSP90 inhibitor activities reveal disease & patient-specific profiles iv) EVA/PCD™ analyses could facilitate the development of clinical strategies for the use of HSP90 inhibitors. Supported by The Vanguard Cancer Foundation & The Nagourney Institute. NVP-AUY-922 was the kind gift of Novartis AG. Citation Format: Robert Alan Nagourney, Paula J. Bernard, Federico Francisco, Meghan Cule, Ryan Wexler, Steven S. Evans. A comparison of NVP-AUY-922 (AUY) and Geldenamycin (G) in human tumor primary culture microspheroids. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2418. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2418
YAMAT-seq: an efficient method for high-throughput sequencing of mature transfer RNAs

Besides translation, transfer RNAs (tRNAs) play many non-canonical roles in various biological pathways and exhibit highly variable expression profiles. To unravel the emerging complexities of tRNA biology and molecular mechanisms underlying them, an efficient tRNA sequencing method is required. However, the rigid structure of tRNA has been presenting a challenge to the development of such methods. We report the development of Y-shaped Adapter-ligated MAture TRNA sequencing (YAMAT-seq), an efficient and convenient method for high-throughput sequencing of mature tRNAs. YAMAT-seq circumvents the issue of inefficient adapter ligation, a characteristic of conventional RNA sequencing methods for mature tRNAs, by employing the efficient and specific ligation of Y-shaped adapter to mature tRNAs using T4 RNA Ligase 2. Subsequent cDNA amplification and next-generation sequencing successfully yield numerous mature tRNA sequences. YAMAT-seq has high specificity for mature tRNAs and high sensitivity to detect most isoacceptors from minute amount of total RNA. Moreover, YAMAT-seq shows quantitative capability to estimate expression levels of mature tRNAs, and has high reproducibility and broad applicability for various cell lines. YAMAT-seq thus provides high-throughput technique for identifying tRNA profiles and their regulations in various transcriptomes, which could play important regulatory roles in translation and other biological processes.
Analysis of paddlesport commitment and multiple outcomes: A serious leisure perspective

AbstractPaddlesports as outdoor recreation (OR) have become popular options for leisure time consumption and as a means to obtain well-being. The concept of serious leisure (SL) was used to measure and explain the associations between committed leisure experiences and multiple outcomes in a sample (n = 171) of paddlesport enthusiasts. CFA fit indices revealed that all models demonstrated acceptable fit, which justified the creations of composite-level indicators. A path analysis was then conducted to assess the relationship between the six factors of a SL experience and multiple outcomes: personal, social and financial. Path analysis revealed that SL experiences partially explained the variances of personal outcomes (46%), social outcomes (53%) and financial return (21%). The path model showed that personal and social outcomes were positively associated with most SL factors but financial return was not significantly predicted by any SL factor. SL factor career contingency was negatively associated with pe...
Results of the Fourth NAEP Assessment of Mathematics: Trends and Conclusions

This article is the third one to appear in the Arithmetic Teacher reporting the results of the fourth mathematics assessment of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The first two articles reported achievement of thirdand seventh-grade students in specific content areas (Kouba et al. 1988a, 1988b). This article discusses general achievement trends and changes in performance over time. A parallel article on trends in performance of older students appears in this month's Mathematics Teacher (Silver et al. 1988).
The rewarding nature of social contact.

Some of the most fascinating questions in theology and philosophy are now being tackled by the social and affective neurosciences. For example, are people inherently good? Are our capacities for love, empathy, and altruism uniquely human? Are we designed for monogamy? On page 1406 of this issue, Hung et al. ( 1 ) provide an important step in a long history of scientific attempts to address these questions about our social nature.
Orchestrating phospholipid biosynthesis: Phosphatidic acid conducts and Opi1p performs

Phosphatidic acid (PA) and the conserved integral ER membrane protein Scs2p regulate localization of the transcriptional repressor Opi1p, which controls expression of phospholipid biosynthesis genes, but the mechanisms conducting Opi1p localization are not fully understood. A new study suggests the existence of a distinct pool of PA in the ER that is required for regulation of Opi1p localization and thus phospholipid metabolism in yeast.
Oncogenic KRAS Regulates Amino Acid Homeostasis and Asparagine Biosynthesis via ATF4 and Alters Sensitivity to L-Asparaginase

KRAS is a regulator of the nutrient stress response in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Induction of the ATF4 pathway during nutrient depletion requires AKT and NRF2 downstream of KRAS. The tumor suppressor KEAP1 strongly influences the outcome of activation of this pathway during nutrient stress; loss of KEAP1 in KRAS mutant cells leads to apoptosis. Through ATF4 regulation, KRAS alters amino acid uptake and asparagine biosynthesis. The ATF4 target asparagine synthetase (ASNS) contributes to apoptotic suppression, protein biosynthesis, and mTORC1 activation. Inhibition of AKT suppressed ASNS expression and, combined with depletion of extracellular asparagine, decreased tumor growth. Therefore, KRAS is important for the cellular response to nutrient stress, and ASNS represents a promising therapeutic target in KRAS mutant NSCLC.
Elimination of Cost Sharing for Screening Mammography in Medicare Advantage Plans

Abstract Background The Affordable Care Act (ACA) required most insurers and the Medicare program to eliminate cost sharing for screening mammography. Methods We conducted a difference-in-differences study of biennial screening mammography among 15,085 women 65 to 74 years of age in 24 Medicare Advantage plans that eliminated cost sharing to provide full coverage for screening mammography, as compared with 52,035 women in 48 matched control plans that had and maintained full coverage. Results In plans that eliminated cost sharing, adjusted rates of biennial screening mammography increased from 59.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 54.9 to 65.0) in the 2-year period before cost-sharing elimination to 65.4% (95% CI, 61.8 to 69.0) in the 2-year period thereafter. In control plans, the rates of biennial mammography were 73.1% (95% CI, 69.2 to 77.0) and 72.8% (95% CI, 69.7 to 76.0) during the same periods, yielding a difference in differences of 5.7 percentage points (95% CI, 3.0 to 8.4). The difference in diff...
Tragic Monarchy: Saul and Macbeth

Shakespeare builds Macbeth’s tragedy on the tragedy of Israel’s first king, Saul, who goes mad and visits the witch of Endor. The biblical subtexts of Macbeth enabled Shakespeare to debate James I on favorite scriptural passages. James opens his “Trew Law of Free Monarchies” (1598) with a lengthy reading of I Samuel 8—warning about kings—as an argument for divine right rule. But Samuel is an ambitious cleric and Shakespeare refigured his equivocal prophecy into that which Macbeth receives from witches. For Shakespeare, as for the writer of I Samuel, monarchy is tragic from its inception because it entails the murder of saintly Duncan—a murder which refigures the Israelites’ rejection of God for a king. The corrective to tragic monarchy is a covenantal coalition: Birnan Wood moving toward Dunsinane.
Designing an assembly language using MIT App inventor

Many methods for learning software development neglect computer science concepts for real-world application based education. We combine one computer science concept, hardware-software interaction, and apply it in a software development context using MIT App Inventor. Through App Inventor we have created a virtual computer, implemented with its own binary machine language and assembly language. We hope that students using App Inventor to learn software development by creating apps, use our implementation to learn assembly language concepts by adjusting our languages and virtual hardware for their own purposes and interests. This serves both to help them understand a core computer science concept and to present the concept in a way that encourages practical software development skill improvement.
The Historical Background

During periods of acute social and economic crisis that result in the restructuring of relations between the dominant and the dominated, some factions among the ruling class of a given stratified society will strive to maintain or reestablish the legitimacy of their elevated place within the social order. A key element within the greater process of legitimation is the negotiation of the meaning of material culture (Leone and Potter, 1988; Miller and Tilley, 1984; Shanks and Tilley, 1987); a crucial part of such recurring negotiation is the constant redefinition of space (Lefebvre, 1991:349). In the chapters to follow, I will consider how space was manipulated in nineteenth-century Jamaica, particularly by analyzing manifestations of the three elements of space outlined in Chapter 2. As this is inherently a historical study of plantation life in Jamaica, I will also discuss the historical processes that resulted in the spatial restructuring of nineteenth-century Jamaica. The historical review presented in this chapter considers how contemporary observers perceived the historical crisis gripping Jamaica.
Explorer: Untethered Real-Time Gas Main Assessment Robot System

With funding from the NorthEast Gas Association (NGA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) and NASA, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has developed Explorer, a long range, un-tethered, modular inspection robot for the visual inspection of 6” and 8” natural gas distribution system pipelines. The robot can be launched into the pipeline under live conditions utilizing a commercial no-blow system via a specially designed attachment, and can negotiate diameter changes, 45-deg and 90-deg bends and tees, as well as inclined and vertical pieces of the piping network. The modular design of the system allows it to be expanded in the near future to include additional inspection and/or repair tools. The range of the robot is an order of magnitude higher than present state-of-the-art inspection systems and is expected to fundamentally alter the way gas utilities maintain and manage their systems. A prototype system has been built, and is undergoing extensive laboratory system testing prior to scheduled field demonstrations, expected for the summer and fall of 2003. This paper will describe the overall engineering design and functionality of the design, as well as present preliminary laboratory testing demonstration (a video of the system in operation will be shown at the conference).
The Church of England and the Anglican Communion

Those who have set forth their ideas on how extraterrestrials would fit into Anglican theology have offered every possible solution. Perhaps extraterrestrials will worship God but will not be Christians; perhaps they will worship the Christian Trinitarian God and know, somehow, about Jesus of Nazareth; or perhaps the necessity of knowing about the birth and death of Jesus in order to be a Christian, and the necessity of being a Christian in order to know God, is proof that humans on Earth are the only intelligent beings in the universe.
Polymer crystallinity and the ductile to brittle transition

Abstract The effects of crystallinity and molecular weight on the ductile-brittle transition of a semi-crystalline polyamide were de-coupled. Low molecular weight organic acid solutions were used to accelerate the molecular weight degradation of polyamide-11 to be faster than with water aging at 120 °C. The mass average molecular weight (Mm) of the aqueous acid aged polyamide-11 (PA-11) polymerized from 11- aminodecanoic acid degraded 4 times faster in acetic and 8 times faster in butanoic acid solutions than aging in water. With accelerated Mm degradation, crystallinity increased due to chemi-crystallizaion but at a slower rate than decreases in molecular weight. These accelerated molecular weight degradation techniques made it possible to separate the role of crystallinity from molecular weight on PA-11 ductility. This research on degradation of a semi-crystalline polyamide in acidic solutions and in water shows that reaching a critical crystallinity determines the ductile to brittle phase transition, not chain length as measured by molecular weight.
H 2 roaming chemistry and the formation of H 3 + from organic molecules in strong laser fields

Roaming mechanisms, involving the brief generation of a neutral atom or molecule that stays in the vicinity before reacting with the remaining atoms of the precursor, are providing valuable insights into previously unexplained chemical reactions. Here, the mechanistic details and femtosecond time-resolved dynamics of H3+ formation from a series of alcohols with varying primary carbon chain lengths are obtained through a combination of strong-field laser excitation studies and ab initio molecular dynamics calculations. For small alcohols, four distinct pathways involving hydrogen migration and H2 roaming prior to H3+ formation are uncovered. Despite the increased number of hydrogens and possible combinations leading to H3+ formation, the yield decreases as the carbon chain length increases. The fundamental mechanistic findings presented here explore the formation of H3+, the most important ion in interstellar chemistry, through H2 roaming occurring in ionic species.
Protocol Endomyocardial Biopsy beyond Six Months - It's Time to Move On

Purpose Despite the low incidence of cardiac allograft rejection beyond 6 months after heart transplant (HTX), surveillance endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is commonly performed up-to 1 year and beyond. We aim to investigate the value of routine EMB beyond 6 months. Methods A single center retrospective review was conducted on all adult HTX recipients between 2008 and 2017. Patients who did not complete routine EMB beyond 6 months post-HTX were excluded. EMB results were reviewed for rejections, defined as ISHLT grade ≥ 2R or >pAMR1. Each rejection was then reviewed to determine if it was diagnosed on protocol (at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24, 32, 40, and 52 weeks) or symptom-triggered EMB. Results A total of 2714 EMBs were performed in 198 HTX recipients, characterized by median age 55 (47-63 years), 30% female, 28% African American, 65% with pre-HTX LVAD, and 30% with PRA>30% (MFI > 1000). The incidence of rejection was significantly higher during the first 6 months post-HTX (Figure 1A). Thirty-two out of 1960 EMBs from the first 6 months had rejection (1.62%), compared to 5 rejections in 755 EMBs between 6-12 months post-HTX (0.66%, p=0.05). These rejections occurred in 27 vs. 5 out of 198 patients (13.6% vs. 2.53%, p Conclusion EMB was found to be a low-yield screening modality for rejection beyond 6 months post-HTX. The need for protocol EMB beyond 6 months warrants further investigation.
Exploration of Mechanochemical Activation in Solid-State Fluoro-Grignard Reactions

Owing to the strength of the C-F bond, the 'direct' preparation of Grignard reagents, i.e., the interaction of elemental magnesium with an organic halide, typically in an ethereal solvent, fails for bulk magnesium and organofluorine compounds. Previously described mechanochemical methods for preparing Grignard reagents have involved ball milling powdered magnesium with organochlorines or bromines. Activation of the C-F bond through a similar route is also possible, however. For example, milling 1- and 2-fluoronaphthalene with an excess of magnesium metal for 2 h, followed by treatment with FeCl3 and additional milling, produces the corresponding binaphthalenes, albeit in low yields (ca. 20%). The yields are independent of the particular isomer involved and are also comparable to the yields from corresponding the bromonaphthalenes. These results may reflect similar charges that reside on the α-carbon in the naphthalenes, as indicated by density functional theory calculations.
Colour dimorphism in labrid fishes as an adaptation to life on coral reefs

Conspicuous coloration displayed by animals that express sexual colour dimorphism is generally explained as an adaptation to sexual selection, yet the interactions and relative effects of selective...
Unpredictability vs. volatility and the control of learning

Influential research has stressed the importance of uncertainty for controlling the speed of learning, and of volatility (the inferred rate of change) in this process. This framework recasts biological learning as a problem of statistical inference, to produce prominent computational models that have extensive correlates in brain and behavior and burgeoning applications to psychopathology. Here, we investigate a neglected feature of these models, which is that learning rates are jointly determined by the comparison between volatility and a second factor, unpredictability (reflecting moment-to-moment stochasticity rather than systematic change). For the organism, volatility and unpredictability both manifest as noisy experiences, but for learning, they should have opposite effects: learning should speed up as volatility increases but slow down as unpredictability increases. Like volatility, unpredictability can vary and must be estimated by the learner. Previous work has focused on half this picture, studying how organisms estimate volatility while unpredictability is assumed fixed and known. The question how the brain estimates unpredictability (and ultimately, a full account of volatility, uncertainty and learning rates, which all depend on it) remains unaddressed. We introduce a new learning model, in which both unpredictability and volatility are learned from experience. We show evidence from the behavioral and decision neuroscience literatures that the brain distinguishes these two similar types of noise, so as to produce seemingly contradictory behavior in different situations. Further, the model highlights the extent to which inferences about volatility and unpredictability are interdependent, such that disruptions of computations related to volatility can impact computations related to unpredictability, and vice versa. We argue that this interdependence is apparent in learning following amygdala damage, and may have important implications for ongoing attempts to connect volatility and uncertainty to psychopathology.
The Role of Muscle in Insect Energy Homeostasis

Maintaining energy homeostasis is critical for ensuring proper growth and maximizing survival potential of all organisms. Here we review the role of somatic muscle in regulating energy homeostasis in insects. The muscle is not only a large consumer of energy, it also plays a crucial role in regulating metabolic signaling pathways and energy stores of the organism. We examine the metabolic pathways required to supply the muscle with energy, as well as muscle-derived signals that regulate metabolic energy homeostasis.
El Instituto: Centering Language, Culture, and Power in Bilingual Teacher Professional Development

Teacher education programs have the obligation to prepare bilingual teachers, new and established, to challenge pervasive deficit and racist ideologies, to cultivate students’ identities/knowledges, and to thwart oppressive ideologies through counter-hegemonic discourses. This paper presents a case study of El Instituto, one Hispanic Serving Institution’s immersive professional development program for Spanish-speaking bilingual teachers in Los Angeles County. Conducted entirely in Spanish, the program aimed to center teachers’ sociocultural realities and community cultural wealth while honoring their linguistic capital, deepening their Spanish-language knowledge, and developing critical consciousness. Findings suggest that utilizing a sociocultural approach to simultaneously study Spanish language and critical pedagogy while centering teachers’ community cultural wealth led to deep insights about intersections of languages and culture within larger power structures that cultivate systemic oppression. However, epistemological shifts about fostering more humanizing and critical professional development for bilingual educators are necessary to achieve these goals.
How a Philosopher Reads Kālidāsa: Vedāntadeśika’s Art of Devotion

Vedāntadeśika (c. 14th c.) is one of many Sanskrit intellectuals who wrote prolifically in both poetic and philosophical genres. This essay considers how his poetry is related to his philosophical concerns. Scholars have understood the relationship between his poetry and philosophy in a number of ways, some arguing that his poetry permitted a freer exploration of his philosophical ideas, others wishing to discuss his poems independently of his philosophy. My paper will propose a distinct way of understanding this relationship by focusing specifically on a strain of Vedāntadeśika’s poetry inspired by Kālidāsa (4th c.). Examining selections from his poetry alongside his theological writing on the nature of devotional attention, I will argue that the poetic practice Vedāntadeśika learns by reading Kālidāsa activates the same mental faculty involved in bhakti-yoga, or the devotional contemplation of god. This strain of Vedāntadeśika’s poetry thus amounts to a performance of the devotional practice he describes in his philosophical writings.
Exploring the test-retest differences of self-reported adverse childhood experiences among adolescents in residential treatment

The Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire is one of the most widely used assessments for trauma exposure and adversity experienced during the first 18 years of life (Felitti et al., 1998...
Utilizing Competence-Based Simulation to Improve Orientation Outcomes

Background: New graduate respiratory therapists (NG), regardless of degree program, receive limited preparation in neonatal/pediatric diseases and management. Experienced therapists (Exp) typically have adult knowledge, but limited exposure to pediatrics. We implemented a competence-based simulation program to help improve successful completion of orientation. Methods: A 9-week orientation program curriculum with simulation-based competence assessment was developed to assure all new hires gain foundational knowledge and skills to perform pediatric clinical tasks. Each new hire individually completed the same simulation scenarios during the first week (pre) and last week of orientation (post). Curriculum changes were made based on the performance in the simulations as well as their on-the-job training knowledge and skills during and after orientation. The scoring system changed at the time of curriculum update (between period 1 and 2). Paired and unpaired t-tests with P Results: From Jan 2017–Feb 2020, the program had two curriculum updates (Period 1-3). Period 2 introduced weighted checklists for both simulations and Period 3 introduced 7 weekly didactic sessions. Noninvasive ventilation and decompensating patient scenarios were completed for all periods. Ninety-three new staff were oriented [period 1 = 29 (NG 20, Exp 9); period 2 = 42 (NG 31, Exp 11), period 3 = 22 (NG 22)]. Mitigation during orientation occurred in 16% of the staff. 67% successfully advanced on to ICU orientation after completion of the program. All staff improved scores between pre vs. post simulations in all periods: mean difference ± standard deviation [Period 1: NG 32.1 ± 17.0 P Conclusions: Use of a competence-based orientation program effectively shows educational advancements from orientation and assists with analysis of readiness for orientation completion.
Cooperation between early acting delayed-type hypersensitivity T-cells and cultured effector cells in tumor rejection.

Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) to allogeneic tumor cells exhibits two phases, an early reaction peaking at 2 h, and a late phase at 24 h after challenge with viable tumor cells. The purpose of this study was to determine whether DTH to syngeneic tumors also displays two phases and whether either reactivity is involved in tumor rejection in vivo . When normal animals were immunized and challenged with syngeneic regressor tumors induced by UV radiation, a tumor-specific DTH exhibiting both early and late phases was seen. The cells mediating both reactivities were Thy-1+ and L3T4+, but the early DTH cells manifested their reactivity sooner after immunization than the late DTH cells. Adult-thymectomized, X-irradiated mice did not show any greater ability to reject tumors after immune-system reconstitution with either immune population than after reconstitution with normal cells. However, small numbers of the early acting DTH cells acted synergistically with small numbers of cultured T-cells, the latter capable of in vitro cytolysis, to prevent tumor growth. This indicates that the early phase of DTH may be a valuable tool for the potentiation of immunotherapy using cultured cells.