cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Roles of theaflavins in inflammatory airway mucus hypersecretion

Objective To investigate the roles of theaflavins(TFs) in airway mucus hypersecretion induced by human neutrophil elastase(HNE). Methods Human lung adenocarcinoma cell A549 was stimulated by HNE for mucus hypersecretion,and TF monomers(TF1,TF2 and TF3) were used for intervention.The effects of TF monomers on viability of A549 cells were examined by MTT method.After the effective doses of TFs were determined,A549 cells were divided into 4 groups for experiment.In control group,A549 cells were cultured with serum-free medium.In HNE treatment group,A549 cells were treated with HNE(50 nmol/L) for 24 h.In TF monomer intervention groups,A549 cells were pre-treated with TF1,TF2 or TF3(50,100 or 200 μg/mL) for 24 h,and were then treated with HNE for another 24 h.In AG1478 intervention group,A549 cells were pre-treated with AG1478(5 μmol/L),an epidermal growth factor receptor blocker for 30 min,and were then treated with HNE for another 24 h.The changes in mucin(MUC) after treatment by different doses of TF1,TF2 and TF3,and by TF3(200 μg/mL) for different time(12 h,24 h and 36 h) were detected.The changes in MUC5AC mRNA expression and MUC5AC protein expression were detected by RT-PCR and ELISA,respectively. Results The MUC5AC mRNA expression and protein expression in HNE treatment group were significantly higher than those in control group(P0.01).Compared with HNE treatment group,these two parameters were significantly down-regulated in a dose-dependent manner after pre-treatment with TF1,TF2 and TF3(P0.01 for all),with the lowest expression being found after pre-treatment with TF3.The action time of TF3 was positively related to the down-regulation of MUC5AC.The down-regulation effect was more significant in AG1478 intervention group than that in TF monomer intervention groups(P0.01). Conclusion TFs,especially TF3,can significantly inhibit the inflammatory airway mucous hypersecretion.
Stability criterion and controller parameter design of radial-line renewable systems with multiple inverters

To address the instability issue in renewable systems of a radial-line structure with multiple current-controlled interface inverters, this paper proposes a practical stability criterion to easily analyze the system stability and a controller parameter design method to guarantee stable system operation with good oscillation damping performance. The proposed impedance-based sufficient stability criterion does not need the pole calculation of the return ratio matrices, while the phase margin of the system can still be obtained for system dynamic performance evaluation. Based on the phase margin information, design rules of inverter controller parameters are further proposed for system stability. The output admittance model of current-controlled inverters in an arbitrary d-q frame is also derived to facilitate the stability analysis. Simulation and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed stability criterion and controller parameter design method.
Single-particle s 1 / 2 and d 5 / 2 states in N 15 and O 15

For states in $^{15}\mathrm{N}$ and $^{15}\mathrm{O}$ that have large single-particle strengths for $2{s}_{1/2}$ and $1{d}_{5/2}$, I have computed energy differences for mirror states and widths for unbound states in $^{15}\mathrm{O}$. I consider both $T=1$ and $T=0$ cores. Calculated and experimental energies agree well. Results indicate that actual $\ensuremath{\ell}=0$ spectroscopic factors for two $3/{2}^{+}$ states are significantly smaller than those recently reported.
An integrated model of national HRD and critical HRD: considering new possibilities for human resource development

ABSTRACTThough both National Human Resource Development (NHRD) and Critical Human Resource Development (CHRD) have received an increasing amount of attention, only two published works have used an explicitly critical approach to discuss NHRD norms, policies, and practices. The purpose of this article was to examine and articulate the relationship between NHRD and CHRD and make a case for the importance of that relationship to the field of HRD. We identify some commonalities between NHRD and CHRD, including the shared priorities of context, culture, and empowerment, which provide a strong foundation for future focuses on theory-sharing, global awareness, holistic and socially conscious economic development, negotiated power and performance, and emancipation in HRD research and practice.
Design Factors of Longitudinal Smartphone-based Health Surveys

Phone-based surveys are increasingly being used in healthcare settings to collect data from potentially large numbers of subjects, e.g., to evaluate their levels of satisfaction with medical providers, to study behaviors and trends of specific populations, and to track their health and wellness. Often, subjects respond to such surveys once, but it has become increasingly important to capture their responses multiple times over an extended period to accurately and quickly detect and track changes. With the help of smartphones, it is now possible to automate such longitudinal data collections, e.g., push notifications can be used to alert a subject whenever a new survey is available. This paper investigates various design factors of a longitudinal smartphone-based health survey data collection that contribute to user compliance and quality of collected data. This work presents the design recommendations based on analysis of data collected from 17 subjects over a 1-month period.
Vasopressin and Oxytocin Reduce Food Sharing Behavior in Male, but Not Female Marmosets in Family Groups.

Oxytocin is critical for lactation and maternal care, but oxytocin and the related nonapeptide vasopressin are important for caregiving behaviors in fathers and alloparents as well. This experiment tested the effects of vasopressin and oxytocin on food sharing in marmoset families. We treated caregivers (parents, siblings) with intranasal vasopressin, oxytocin, or saline, and then paired them with the youngest marmoset in the family. Caregivers were given preferred food, and then observed for food sharing and aggressive behavior with young marmosets. Oxytocin reduced food sharing from male alloparents to youngest siblings, and fathers that received vasopressin refused to share food with their youngest offspring more often than when treated with oxytocin. Vasopressin increased aggressive vocalizations directed toward potential food recipients in all classes of caregivers. These results indicate that vasopressin and oxytocin do not always enhance prosocial behavior: modulation of food sharing depends on both sex and parental status.
Designing Brittle Fracture Specimens to Investigate Environmentally Assisted Crack Growth

Subcritical crack growth can occur in a glass when the stress intensity factor is less than the fracture toughness if water molecules are present. A novel bi-material beam specimen is proposed to investigate environmentally assisted crack growth (EACG). Two materials with different coefficients of thermal expansion are diffusion bonded at high temperature and cooled to the room temperature which introduces residual stress in the beam. A Finite element (FE) model is developed and initially validated with an analytical model. Steady-state crack (SSC) depth at which mode II stress intensity factor (KII) is zero and the corresponding mode I stress intensity factor (KI) value are obtained for different material pairs and thickness ratios of the top and bottom materials using the FE model. Crack propagation path is also predicted. We finally modify the geometry of the specimen to generate non-constant KI values as the crack propagates.
Focused Arousal, 40-Hz EEG, and Dysfunction

There is a considerably body of information on the concept of attention in the mainstream of cognitive psychology (Estes, 1976; Lachman, Lachman, & Ruther-ford, 1979; Norman, 1976; Solso, 1975; Weimer & Palermo, 1982), in specialized extensions of such psychology (Broadbent, 1971;Kahneman, 1973; Riley & Leith, 1976; Posner, 1980), and in the brain-behavior literature (Kinsbourne, 1973; Mirsky & Orren, 1977; Mountcastle, Andersen, & Motter, 1981; Naatanen, 1982; Posner, 1975; Weinberger, 1971). Its complexity is indicated in one way by the various modifying adjectives used to identify different aspects of attention, more or less dissociated by behavioral operations: intensive attention (Berlyne, 1960), selective attention (Treisman, 1969), voluntary attention (Kahneman, 1973), sustained attention (Douglas, 1974), and focused attention (Shriffin, 1975), among others. In neuropsychology, almost every brain impairment involves a deficit in some aspect of attention, both because of its multifunctional character and because it is directly involved in such cognitive processing as perception, memory, and learning.
Efficient Optimal Surface Texture Design Using Linearization

Surface textures reduce friction in lubricated sliding contact. This behavior can be modeled using the Reynolds equation, a single partial differential equation (PDE) that relates the hydrodynamic pressure to the gap height. In a previous study, a free-form texture design optimization problem was solved based on this model and two competing design objectives. A pseudo-spectral method was used for PDE solution, which was treated as a black box in the optimization problem. This optimization implementation did not exploit model structure to improve numerical efficiency, so design representation fidelity was limited. Here a new strategy is introduced where design representation resolution and computational efficiency are improved simultaneously. This is achieved by introducing a new optimization variable involving both pressure gradient and the cube of gap height at each mesh node location, and simultaneously solving the flow and texture design problems. This transformation supports linearization of the governing equations and design objectives. Sequential Linear Programming (SLP) is used with the epsilon-constraint method to generate Pareto-optimal texture designs with high resolution and low computational expense. An adaptive trust region is used, based on solution improvement, to manage linearization error. Comparing to the non-linear programming implementation, the solution converged to a set of slightly suboptimal points (maximum 25% objective function degradation when normalized apparent viscosity is 0.5, and moderately better when normalized apparent viscosity is 0.2), but results in significant improvement in computational speed (8.4 times faster).
Empirical Modeling of Acoustic Signal Attenuation in Municipal Sewer Pipes for Condition Monitoring Applications

An important challenge for a smart city is to prevent occurrence of sewer system overflows (SSOs) that can degrade the environment and pose a public health hazard. To prevent SSOs, timely detection and cleaning of clogged sewer pipes is essential. Present industry standard to detect sewer blockage is based on passing a close circuit television (CCTV) mounted crawler through the pipes. An operator observes the video and annotates it based on the condition of a pipe. This system is complex, expensive and man-hour intensive. There is a need to develop an acoustic based method that can replace the traditional CCTV based system. Clogged pipes cause severe attenuation on acoustic signals which can be used as a measure of existence and extent of blockage. This study reports an empirical based approach to determine acoustic signal attenuation in sewer pipes. Extensive field measurements were made in Charlotte, North Carolina to collect in-pipe signal propagation data from installed sewers to support this work. The findings were used to justify further research and development by a technology startup company that successfully produced an acoustic based sewer line blockage detection system.
Clinical Anatomy of the Equine Head

This topical presentation emphasizes the structures most likely to be encountered in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the equine head. Most of the approaches are from superficial to deep. Anatomic variations associated with aging are described. The larynx and guttural pouches are not included in this article.
Combined Celiac Ganglia and Plexus Neurolysis Shortens Survival, Without Benefit, vs Plexus Neurolysis Alone.

Background & Aims Pancreatic cancer produces debilitating pain that opioids often ineffectively manage. The suboptimal efficacy of celiac plexus neurolysis (CPN) might result from brief contact of the injectate with celiac ganglia. We compared the effects of endoscopic ultrasound-guided celiac ganglia neurolysis (CGN) vs the effects of CPN on pain, quality of life (QOL), and survival. Methods We performed a randomized, double-blind trial of patients with unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and abdominal pain; 60 patients (age 66.4±11.6 years; male 66%) received CPN and 50 patients (age 66.8±10.0 years; male 56%) received CGN. Primary outcomes included pain control and QOL at week 12 and survival (overall median and 12 months). Secondary outcomes included morphine response, performance status, secondary neurolytic effects, and adverse events. Results Rates of pain response at 12 weeks were 46.2% for CGN and 40.4% for CPN (P = .84). There was no significant difference in improvement of QOL between the techniques. The median survival time was significantly shorter for patients receiving CGN (5.59 months) compared to (10.46 months) (hazard ratio for CGN, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.02–2.19; P = .042), particularly for patients with non-metastatic disease (hazard ratio for CGN, 2.95; 95% CI, 1.61–5.45; P Conclusion In a prospective study of patients with unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and abdominal pain, we found CGN to reduce median survival time without improving pain, QOL, or adverse events, compared to CPN. The role of CGN must be therefore be reassessed. Clinicaltrials.gov no: NCT01615653.
Studying Heterotypic Cell–Cell Interactions in the Human Brain Using Pluripotent Stem Cell Models for Neurodegeneration

Human cerebral organoids derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide novel tools for recapitulating the cytoarchitecture of the human brain and for studying biological mechanisms of neurological disorders. However, the heterotypic interactions of neurovascular units, composed of neurons, pericytes (i.e., the tissue resident mesenchymal stromal cells), astrocytes, and brain microvascular endothelial cells, in brain-like tissues are less investigated. In addition, most cortical organoids lack a microglia component, the resident immune cells in the brain. Impairment of the blood-brain barrier caused by improper crosstalk between neural cells and vascular cells is associated with many neurodegenerative disorders. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), with a phenotype overlapping with pericytes, have promotion effects on neurogenesis and angiogenesis, which are mainly attributed to secreted growth factors and extracellular matrices. As the innate macrophages of the central nervous system, microglia regulate neuronal activities and promote neuronal differentiation by secreting neurotrophic factors and pro-/anti-inflammatory molecules. Neuronal-microglia interactions mediated by chemokines signaling can be modulated in vitro for recapitulating microglial activities during neurodegenerative disease progression. In this review, we discussed the cellular interactions and the physiological roles of neural cells with other cell types including endothelial cells and microglia based on iPSC models. The therapeutic roles of MSCs in treating neural degeneration and pathological roles of microglia in neurodegenerative disease progression were also discussed.
Nucleoside analogues for the treatment of coronavirus infections

Recent outbreaks of SARS-Coronavirus and MERS-Coronavirus (CoV) have heightened awareness about the lack of vaccines or antiviral compounds approved for prevention or treatment of human or potential zoonotic CoVs. Anti-CoV drug development has long been challenged by the activity of a 3′ to 5′ proofreading exoribonuclease unique to CoVs. Recently, a promising nucleoside analogue with broad-spectrum activity against CoVs has been identified. This review will discuss progress made in the development of antiviral nucleoside and nucleotide analogues targeting viral RNA synthesis as effective therapeutics against CoV infections and propose promising strategies for combination therapy.
A Novel Dual Lentiviral CRISPR-based Transcriptional Activation System for Gene Expression Regulation in Neurons

Robust and efficient gene expression control enables the study of a gene's function in the central nervous system. Advances in CRISPR-based technology provide new avenues not only for gene editing, but for complex transcriptional control. Here, we describe a protocol to generate high-titer lentiviruses with neuron-optimized CRISPR-activation constructs (dual lentiviruses consisting of a gene-specific single guide RNA and the CRISPR-activator) for use in primary neurons in vitro or in the adult brain in vivo. This protocol enables modular, scalable, and multiplexable gene regulation in the nervous system and does not require a transgenic model organism.
Human Neural Stem Cells Flown into Space Proliferate and Generate Young Neurons.

Here we demonstrate that human neural stem cells (NSCs) proliferate while in space and they express specific NSC markers after being in space. NSCs displayed both higher oxygen consumption and glycolysis than ground controls. These cells also kept their ability to become young neurons. Electrophysiological recordings of space NSC-derived neurons showed immature cell membrane properties characterized by small capacitance and very high input resistance. Current injections elicited only an incipient action potential. No spontaneous synaptic events could be detected, suggesting their immature status even though most recorded cells displayed complex morphology and numerous cell processes. Ascertaining the origin of the NSCs’ increased energy requirement is of the essence in order to design effective measures to minimize health risks associated with long-duration human spaceflight missions.
For the Benefit of Students: Memory and Anatomical Learning at Bologna in the Fourteenth to Early Sixteenth Centuries

The anatomical textbook in the late Middle Ages was one part of a greater pedagogical process that involved students' seeing, hearing, reading, and eventually knowing information about the human body. By examining the role of the anatomical textbook and accompanying bodily images in anatomical learning, this article illuminates the complexity and self-consciousness of anatomical education in the medieval university, as professors focused on ways to enhance student memory of the material. Traditionally, the history of anatomy has been heavily influenced by the anatomical Renaissance of the late-sixteenth century, highlighting a focus on innovative medical knowledge and the scientific method. However, if we engage a pedagogical lens when looking at these medieval authors, it becomes quickly obvious that the whole point of university medicine was not to explore unknown boundaries and discover new ideas of medicine, but rather to communicate the current and established body of knowledge to those not familiar with it.
COMPARISON OF OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT: REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION VS. MID-RANGE EJECTION FRACTION

Patients with mid-range left ventricular ejection fraction (HFmEF), 41% to 49% are not well studied when compared with patients with HF with persevered ejection fraction and HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). To our knowledge, this is the first study that compares outcomes of patients with
The association between ACLS guideline deviations and outcomes from in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Abstract Aim of study In hospital cardiac arrests occur at a rate of 1–5 per 1000 admissions and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to investigate the association between deviations from ACLS protocol and patient outcomes. Methods This retrospective review was conducted at a single academic medical center. Data was collected on patients who suffered cardiac arrest from December 2015-November 2019. Our primary endpoint was return of spontaneous circulation. Secondary endpoints included survival to discharge and discharge with favorable neurological outcomes. Results 108 patients were included, 74 obtained return of spontaneous circulation, and 23 survived to discharge. The median number of deviations from the ACLS protocol per event in ROSC group was 1 (IQR 0–3) compared to 6.5 (IQR 4–12) in non-ROSC group (p Conclusion Our findings highlight the importance of adherence to the ACLS protocol. We found that deviations from the algorithm are associated with decreased rates of ROSC and survival to discharge. Additionally, higher rates of protocol deviations may be associated with higher rates of neurological impairments after cardiac arrest.
Phase separation enables heterochromatin domains to do mechanical work

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) has emerged as a major driver of cellular organization. However, it remains unexplored whether the mechanical properties of LLPS domains are functionally important. The heterochromatin protein HP1-α (and the orthologous Swi6 in S. pombe) is capable of LLPS in vitro and promotes formation of LLPS heterochromatin domains in vivo. Here, we demonstrate that LLPS of Swi6 contributes to the emergent mechanical properties of nuclei. Using nuclear fluctuation analysis in live cells and force spectroscopy of isolated nuclei, we find that disrupting histone H3K9 methylation or depleting Swi6 compromises nuclear stiffness, while heterochromatin spreading through loss of the H3K9 demethylase, Epe1, increases nuclear stiffness. Leveraging a separation−of−function allele, we demonstrate that phase separation of Swi6−not only its histone binding or dimerization−is essential for Swi6′s mechanical role. These findings demonstrate that altering chromatin state has mechanical consequences and highlights that phase-separated domains can do mechanical work.
Excitation-contraction coupling and its relation to synaptic dysfunction in Drosophila

The Drosophila neuromuscular system is widely used to characterize synaptic development and function. However, little is known about how specific synaptic deficits alter neuromuscular transduction and muscle contractility that ultimately dictate behavioural output. Here we develop a system for detailed characterization of excitation-contraction coupling at Drosophila larval NMJs and demonstrate how specific synaptic and neuronal manipulations disrupt muscle contractility. Muscle contraction force increases with motoneuron stimulation frequency and duration, showing considerable plasticity between 5-40 Hz, while saturating above 50 Hz. Temperature is negatively correlated with muscle performance and enhanced at lower temperatures. A screen for modulators of muscle contractility led to the identification and characterization of the molecular and cellular pathway by which a specific FMRFa peptide, TPAEDFMRFa, increases muscle performance. These findings indicate Drosophila NMJs provide a robust system to relate synaptic dysfunction to alterations in excitation-contraction coupling.
Nanosecond Pulsed Laser Patterning of Interdigitated Back Contact Heterojunction Silicon Solar Cells

Careful control of the laser patterning for the fabrication of an interdigitated back contact heterojunction (IBC-HJ) solar cell is needed to avoid laser-induced defects and heat-induced crystallization, which can produce higher carrier recombination and lower power conversion efficiency. The results of nanosecond laser patterning of an IBC-HJ test structure are reported, and it was shown that optimized laser ablation conditions using a sacrificial layer eliminates laser-induced damage of the underlying passivation layer. A rigorous set of characterizations, comprising of minority carrier lifetime, spatially resolved μ-photoluminescence, optical microscopy, ellipsometry, Essential Macleod program simulations, scanning electron microscopy, line-mapping energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, were undertaken to provide a deeper understanding of the nanosecond laser processing under a wide range of laser fluence. The evolving changes in surface morphologies of top sacrificial a-Si and SiNx and the use of color chart simulation for ablation-depth analysis were investigated. The μ-photoluminescence, carrier lifetime, and crystallinity in the passivation layer were evaluated. The trend in the change in the surface chemical constituency was determined in terms of Si/N ratio. Finally, the minimum laser fluence for the IBC-HJ test structure was determined and a negligible change in the implied open-circuit voltage was demonstrated.
Seven practical strategies to add active learning to a science lecture

Multiple research studies have shown active learning can increase student performance, reduce fail rates, and increase the success of marginalized students in STEM. In this mini-review we discuss a simple framework for planning and implementing active learning in the classroom. We provide seven strategies to support faculty members who want to implement this framework, with five suggested teaching activities and two mechanisms of creating space in the lecture to use the activities. Each strategy is given with a foundational research paper describing the evidence that it improves learning, engagement and inclusion in the classroom. We include our own experiences using these strategies in large biology lectures that had segments devoted to neuroscience topics, but they are effective in smaller classes as well.
The Pain is Worth the Gain: The Advantages and Liabilities of Agreeing with Socially Distinct Newcomers

The impact of newcomer's social similarity and opinion agreement with old timers is examined. Much of the research about newcomers has ignored the role of social similarity, generally conflating newcomer status with out-group status. The current investigation addresses this confound by manipulating the social similarity of the newcomer to oldtimers, as well as the level of opinion agreement among the two. We find that there is a divergence between how socially validated old timers feel and their performance. In groups with in-group newcomers those that ally with the newcomer feel socially validated, yet perform worse than those who do not ally with the newcomer, whereas allies of out-group newcomers feel less socially validated, but actually perform quite well. We argue that allying with an out-group newcomer can represent a threat to one's social relationships with fellow in-group members (Phillips, 2003), which leads to an increased task focus that results in superior performance for oldtimers in the group. Implications for understanding the impact of newcomers on groups will be discussed.
Tobacco Use Is Associated with More Severe Adverse Outcomes Than Morbid Obesity after Aseptic Revision TKA.

The association of morbid obesity with increased revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA) complications is potentially confounded by concurrent risk factors. This study was performed to evaluate whether morbid obesity was more strongly associated with adverse aseptic rTKA outcomes than diabetes or tobacco use history-when present as a solitary major risk factor. Demographic characteristics, surgical indications, and adverse outcomes (reoperation, revision, infection, and amputation) were compared between 270 index aseptic rTKA performed for patients with morbid obesity (n = 73), diabetes (n = 72), or tobacco use (n = 125) and 239 "healthy" controls without these risk factors at a mean 75.7 (range: 24-111) months. There was no difference in 2-year reoperation rate (17.8 vs. 17.6%, p = 1.0) or component revision rate (8.2 vs. 8.4%) between morbidly obese and healthy patients. However, higher reoperation rates were noted in patients with diabetes (p = 0.02) and tobacco use history (p < 0.01), including higher infection (p < 0.05) and above knee amputation (p < 0.01) rates in patients with tobacco use history. Multivariate analysis retained an independent association between smoking history and amputation risk (odds ratio: 7.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.7-55.2, p < 0.01). Morbid obesity was not associated with an increased risk of reoperation or component revision compared with healthy patients undergoing aseptic revision. Tobacco use was associated with increased reoperation and above knee amputation. Additional study will be beneficial to determine whether risk reduction efforts are effective in mitigating postoperative complication risks.
Deep learning based HEVC in-loop filter and noise reduction

Abstract The lossy compression techniques at low bit rate often create ringing and contouring effects on the output images and introduce various blurring and distortion at block bounders. To overcome those compression artifacts different neural network based post-processing techniques have been experimented with over the last few years. The traditional loop-filter methods in the HEVC frame-work support two post-processing operations namely a de-blocking filter followed by a sample adaptive offset (SAO) filter. These operations usually introduce extra signaling bits and become overhead to the network with high-resolution video processing. In this study, we came up with a new deep learning-based algorithm for SAO filtering operations and substantiated the merits of the proposed method. We introduced a variable filter size sub-layered dense CNN (SDCNN) to improve the denoising operation and incorporated large stride deconvolution layers for further computation improvement. We demonstrate that our deconvolution model can effectively be trained by leveraging the high-frequency edge features learned in a shallow network using residual learning and data augmentation techniques. Extensive experiments show that our approach outperformed other state-of-the-art approaches in terms of SSIM, Bjontegaard delta bit-rate (BD-BR), BD-PSNR measurements on the standard video test set and achieves an average of 8.73 % bit rate saving compared to HEVC baseline.
Advancing Sociotechnical-Pedagogical Heuristics for the Usability Evaluation of Online Courses for Adult Learners

Online courses often include interface designs that do not support a positive learner experience. Literature shows a variety of heuristics to detect issues of online courses. While heuristic-based inspection of usability is a dominant method for evaluating digital systems, these methods cannot be easily transferred to online courses. To close this gap, we identified an initial set of social, technical, and pedagogical related items (STP) heuristics based on literature. Next, we analyzed this set using empirical data from two online courses. In total, we analyzed 195 problems with the goal to substantiate a final set of 14 STP heuristics. This new set allows for efficiently evaluating online courses by supporting evaluators and instructional designers in uncovering the most crucial issues and improving the learner experience. Finally, based on this work, we discuss a definition of learner experience for the emerging field of learner experience design and research.
Equilibrium with Behavioral Preferences

This chapter illustrates structural issues, involving the manner in which equilibrium prices reflect S-shaped utility and the location of investors' reference points. One of the examples shows how prospect theory preferences impact the nature of mean-variance returns for an economy featuring some investors with traditional concave utility functions and some investors with S-shaped utility functions. It also examines how SP/A theory portfolios impact equilibrium prices. This discussion demonstrates how the main results, such as the aggregation theorem and the decomposition of the log-SDF can be generalized to accommodate both behavioral beliefs and behavioral preferences. In this regard, it provides a unifying structure for the SDF approach to behavioral asset pricing. Prospect theory preferences primarily impact the SDF in the region of loss states. The shape of the SDF is determined by both the utility (value) function and weighting function(s). In particular, convex utility in the domain of losses leads probabilities, rather than aggregate consumption growth, to determine the shape of the SDF in the region of loss states. A special case is purchase put options on their risky assets in order to limit possible losses. The relationship between risk and return under portfolio insurance pricing is explored within a mean-variance example.
Anecdotes, Metaphors, and Stories

Abstract The beginning of group therapy can be an unruly time for the novice and even experienced counselors. Through the use of Anecdotes, Metaphors and Stories (AMS), counselors can effectively begin a group and tap into the unconscious emotions and representational systems of their group members. Additionally, through the use of AMS, counselors can facilitate the process of group therapy at any stage. This article provides a review of anecdotes, metaphors and stories and how they can be applied in the group therapy setting. Additionally, theoretical and practical application of these techniques are explained and illustrated. Finally, how this set of interrelated techniques may be applied at the specific stages of group development is presented.
Constructing the Innocence of the First Textual Encounter

Three faculty members from UMass Boston's English Department—a team responsible for the department's M.A. course on the Teaching of Literature and for the training of novice teachers of literature—examine the complex process of reading texts that they teach as if they are encountering them as their students do, for the first time. Accepting the proposition that reading texts in the classroom places the student at the center of an experience that originates in the instructor, they sug- gest that teachers must be prepared to relinquish their "expert" attachment to the text by defamiliar- izing it to themselves. Instructors must work to "construct" the innocence of a first encounter, recognizing the artifice of the constructed innocence even as they seek it. The authors share three approaches to this process of estrangement, what they call "the innocence of the material text," "the pedagogy of restraint," and "the suspension of mastery." By having their students read first print- ings of novels, interpret poetry without the aid of scholarly commentary, and defer their desire to fully comprehend literary texts, teachers can use these "innocent" encounters to balance confident and uncertain readings and enrich the literary experience in the classroom.
Mutagenic Atmospheric Aerosol Sources Apportioned by Receptor Modeling

During winter 1985 EPA collected air quality samples and data in residential locations in Albuquerque, NM and Raleigh, NC as part of its Integrated Air Cancer Project. Major objectives of the study were to evaluate new sampling, analysis and receptor modeling procedures and to apportion fine particle mass and mutagenic activity of the organic fraction of fine particles to appropriate sources. Samples were collected in the two cities for 12-hour periods beginning at 7:00 am and 7:00 pm. The schedule was followed to aid in resolving the organic and inorganic chemical species emitted from residential wood burning (normally a night time activity) and from mobile source emissions. Samples were analyzed for mutagenicity, organic carbon, 14C content and inorganic species. Data from these analyses served as input to a multi-linear regression (MLR) model that calculates the relative contribution of extractable particulate organic matter and mutagenic activity observed in these two cities. The {sup 14}C results were used to validate the MLR model. Even though the monitoring sites in these cities, were both selected and found to be heavily impacted by residential wood burning (83% 94% of the organic aerosol mass due to wood burning), a proportionately larger % of the mutagenicitymore » of the fine particles was attributed to mobile sources (25 and 37%).« less
Cosmic dust investigations: II. Instruments for measurement of particle trajectory, velocity and mass

Abstract A series of experiments have been completed using accelerator dust particles in the mass range ∼10−9–10−6 g and velocity range ∼2–12 km/s to measure the velocity loss and degree of fragmentation for dust particles penetrating 6 and 28 μm thick polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) dust detectors. These measurements prove that even for a ratio of PVDF foil thickness to particle diameter as large as 0.6, the velocity loss and fragmentation is far less than expected from earlier reports in the literature. For example, for 28 μm thick PVDF foils the velocity loss is ∼ 20%, the fraction of particles suffering serious fragmentation is ∼ 50% and the angular dispersion or “spray angle” of the fragments from the incident particle direction is ≤ 3°. For 6 μm thick foils the velocity loss is ≤ 5%. These experiments are based on an extension of our earlier work which showed that two PVDF foils spaced a given distance apart could provide accurate time-of-flight (TOF) information due to the fast pulse rise time of PVDF detector response. We also report on our present state of development of PVDF position-sensing detectors which identify the x, y coordinates of particle impact, using detector and electronic pulse techniques adapted from our semiconductor position-sensing cosmic-ray detectors. Typical position errors of ∼ 1 mm are readily achieved. Finally, we have combined the above developments into a dust-particle telescope which accurately (∼ 1° angular accuracy) measures the trajectory of the incident particle as well as its mass and incident velocity, irrespective of whether it is a charged or neutral particle. We discuss how this practical dust telescope can be combined with dust capture cells for space flight and later recovery for laboratory determination of elemental and isotopic composition of captured dust. We also describe a simpler trajectory array based on discrete mosaics of thin detectors which would measure trajectories with a mean angular error of ∼ 4°. We discuss the application of these instruments for distinguishing between interplanetary dust of cometary and asteroidal origin, and for measurements on a space station, from near-Earth trapped dust of artificial origin.
Urban Network Privatization: Example of a Small Network

The majority of recent private facilities are rural highways (outside city boundaries), but privatization of other types of roads could be more beneficial to society. Increasing congestion problems and the existence of transportation modes other than private cars suggest the privatization of urban roads. This study examines the effects of privatization strategies on a simple network with two modes of transportation, such as private cars and buses. With refinement of the general costs of travel, the choice of the links to be privatized, and the enabling policies, a more efficient roadway usage can be achieved. The results from this test network show that (a) in some cases a monopoly ownership performs better than an oligopoly one and (b) privatizing arterials (secondary roads) as well as freeways (primary roads) can lead to lower total costs than privatizing only freeways. This study helps to provide the foundation for more large-scale exploration.
Verification of full functional correctness for imperative linked data structures

We present the verification of full functional correctness for a collection of imperative linked data structures implemented in Java. A key technique that makes this verification possible is a novel, integrated proof language that we have developed within the context of the Jahob program verification system. Our proof language allows us to embed proof commands directly within the program, making it possible to reason about the behavior of the program in its original context. It also allows us to effectively leverage Jahob's integrated reasoning system. Unlike conventional program verification systems that rely on a single monolithic prover, Jahob includes interfaces to a diverse collection of specialized automated reasoning systems—automated theorem provers, decision procedures, and program analyses—that work together to prove the verification conditions that the system automatically generates. Our proof language enables the developer to direct the efforts of these automated reasoning systems to successfully verify properties that the system is unable to verify without guidance. Our specifications characterize the behavior of the data structures in terms of their abstract state, resulting in verified interfaces that can be used to reason about the behavior of the data structures without revealing the underlying representation. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proof language and integrated reasoning approach, and provide valuable insight into the specification and verification of imperative linked data structures. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Increasing use of atypical antipsychotics and anticonvulsants during pregnancy

Purpose To quantify maternal use of atypical antipsychotics, typical antipsychotics, anticonvulsants and lithium during pregnancy.
Source of the Histamine Released During Damage to the Gastric Mucosa by Acetic Acid

Summary The stomachs of pylorus-ligated rats were filled with 154 mm NaCl or 100 mm acetic acid plus 54 mm NaCl. After various intervals, the stomach contents were removed and the amount of histamine present was determined by bioassay on the guinea pig ileum. Homogenates were made from some rat stomachs. These were centrifuged, and the supernatant fluids were used as preparations of the enzyme, histidine decarboxylase. The activity of the enzyme was determined by counting the 14 CO 2 evolved when 14 C-carboxyl histidine was incubated with the enzyme. This measurement was converted to the histamineforming capacity (HFC). Acetic acid damage released significant amounts of histamine into the gastric contents. Release was complete after 30 min of irrigation. After 15 min of irrigation the HFC of the rats treated with acetic acid was increased 3-fold and was twice that of the NaCl-treated controls. After 2 hr the HFC of damaged stomachs had increased 12-fold as compared with a 6-fold increase in the control animals. Rats were treated with the mast cell histamine depletor, compound 48/80, and their stomachs were filled with either NaCl or acetic acid. At the end of 30 min there was no histamine present in NaCl irrigation fluids and less than one-tenth the amount normally found in the contents of acetic acid damaged stomachs. Since the releasable histamine pool is exhausted within 30 min, 48/80 prevents histamine release, and the HFC remains high after release is complete, it is concluded that the mucosal mast cells are the source of the histamine. It is hypothesized that the histamine release triggers an adaptive increase in the HFC. The increased enzyme activity furnishes more histamine to the damaged mucosa. Since activity is high throughout injury, the elevated HFC may serve some function during later stages of damage.
Joint decoding of independently encoded compressive multi-view video streams

We design a video coding and decoding framework for multi-view video systems based on compressed sensing imaging principles. Specifically, we focus on joint decoding of independently encoded compressively-sampled multi-view video streams. We first propose a novel distributed coding/decoding architecture designed to leverage inter-view correlation through joint decoding of the received compressively-sampled frames. At the encoder side, we select one view (referred to as K-view) as a reference for the other views (referred to as CS-views). The video frames of the CS-view are encoded and transmitted at a lower measurement rate than those of the selected K-view. At the decoder side, we generate side information to decode the CS-views as follows. First, each K-view frame is down-sampled and reconstructed, and then compared with the initially reconstructed CS-view frame to obtain an estimate of the inter-view motion vector. The original CS-view measurements are then fused with the generated side image to reconstruct the CS-view frame through a newly designed algorithm that operates in the measurement domain. We also propose a blind video quality estimation method that can be used within the proposed framework to design channel-adaptive rate control algorithms for quality-assured multi-view video streaming. We extensively evaluate the proposed scheme using real multi-view video traces. Results indicate that up to 1.6 dB improvement in terms of PSNR can be achieved by the proposed scheme compared with traditional independent decoding of CS frames.
Language minority achievement, family inequality, and the impact of bilingual education

Abstract Language minority students experience depressed patterns of achievement, on average, compared to their native, English-speaking counterparts—a pattern that bilingual education programs enacted since the 1960s have attempted to address. In this paper, we extend the literature by considering the background disadvantages language minority students face and the impact of bilingual education involvement. Our analyses of eighth graders, drawn from the National Educational Longitudinal Survey (NELS), suggest that a significant portion of the achievement gap between language minority students and the more general student population is explained by family background inequalities. Deficits in achievement persist, however, even once family attributes are considered. Further analyses of our language minority subsample demonstrate a strong, positive influence of early elementary bilingual program involvement on both math and reading achievement. In contrast, enrollment in later elementary grades has no apparent impact while prolonged involvement has a weak, negative influence. These findings, which are consistent for Latino, Asian, Black, Native American, and White language minority students, are discussed relative to educational stratification theory and in light of current demographic trends and federal cutbacks in bilingual education spending.
Erratum for “Twin differences in birth weight: The effects of genotype and prenatal environment on neonatal and post-neonatal mortality” [Econ. Hum. Biol. 4 (2006) 151–183]

Erratum for ‘‘Twin differences in birth weight: The effects of genotype and prenatal environment on neonatal and post-neonatal mortality’’ [Econ. Hum. Biol. 4 (2006) 151–183] Dalton Conley , Kate W. Strully *, Neil G. Bennett c a Department of Sociology, New York University and National Bureau of Economic Research, 295 Lafayette Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10012, United States b Department of Sociology, University at Albany, State University of New York, United States c Baruch School of Public Affairs and Graduate Center, City University of New York and National Bureau of Economic Research, United States
Gastric H+/K+-ATPase: targeting signals in the regulation of physiologic function

Abstract The H+/K+-ATPase of gastric parietal cells catalyzes acid secretion in the stomach. Regulation of this pump's function involves its targeting to an intracellular storage compartment, which fuses with the apical plasma membrane in response to secretagogue stimulation. The H+/K+-ATPase must also be returned to this intracellular storage compartment to inactivate acid secretion. Recent research suggests that a number of targeting signals and protein—protein interactions participate in governing this process.