cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PLASTICITY | Dendritic Abnormalities in Epilepsy

Dendritic abnormalities have been reported in both humans and animal models of epilepsy. Decreases in spine density and branching complexity have been observed. These observations appear paradoxical. Decreases in postsynaptic surface area suggest that neurons in the epileptic brain receive less excitatory synaptic input – and thus would be expected to be less excitable. However, patients and animals have epilepsy. This article discusses this paradox and suggests that the changes seen in dendritic structure may contribute to cognitive comorbidities. Potential mechanisms responsible for the structural abnormalities are discussed, as are new resources and techniques available to further the understanding of the underlying mechanisms and their consequences.
Simultaneous Assessment of Human Sperm Motility and Morphology by Videomicrography

AbstractVideotapes were analyzed to assess sperm motility and morphology in the semen of 5 fertile donors and 20 infertile patients. The slow motion playback control of the video recorder allowed simultaneous assessment of the motility and morphology of individual sperm cells. Similar values were obtained with this method for living sperm cells and for sperm on fixed, Papanicolaou-stained seminal smears. Spermatozoa with abnormal morphology more often were immotile or weakly motile than were the normal sperm in the same ejaculates. Normal oval sperm in the semen of infertile men were less likely to be motile and tended to swim more slowly than did morphologically normal sperm in the semen of fertile men.
Space- and intensity-constrained reconstruction for compressed ultrafast photography

The single-shot compressed ultrafast photography (CUP) camera is the fastest receive-only camera in the world. In this Letter, we introduce an external CCD camera and a space- and intensity-constrained (SIC) reconstruction algorithm to improve the image quality of CUP. The external CCD camera takes a time-unsheared image of the dynamic scene. Unlike the previously used unconstrained algorithm, the proposed algorithm incorporates both spatial and intensity constraints based on the additional prior information provided by the external CCD camera. First, a spatial mask is extracted from the time-unsheared image to define the zone of action. Next, an intensity threshold is determined based on the similarity between the temporally projected image of the reconstructed datacube and the time-unsheared image. Both simulation and experimental studies show that the SIC reconstruction improves the spatial resolution, contrast, and general quality of the reconstructed image.
Modular engineering of cellular signaling proteins and networks

Living cells respond to their environment using networks of signaling molecules that act as sensors, information processors, and actuators. These signaling systems are highly modular at both the molecular and network scales, and much evidence suggests that evolution has harnessed this modularity to rewire and generate new physiological behaviors. Conversely, we are now finding that, following nature's example, signaling modules can be recombined to form synthetic tools for monitoring, interrogating, and controlling the behavior of cells. Here we highlight recent progress in the modular design of synthetic receptors, optogenetic switches, and phospho-regulated proteins and circuits, and discuss the expanding role of combinatorial design in the engineering of cellular signaling proteins and networks.
Nonlinear Analysis of Perturbed Rotating Whirlpools in the Ocean and Atmosphere

A non-linear, uniformly stratified ocean model is used to investigate the stability and existence of perturbed rotating whirlpools that represent a certain class of exact solutions for the governing nonlinear equations describing the propagation of internal gravity waves in stratified media. A cut-off frequency ϒ is identified, beyond which the flow is completely stable to linear disturbances. An analysis close to cut-offs reveals the latitude-dependent distribution of eigenfrequencies of oscillatory and evanescent perturbations of whirlpools.
“What’s Disability Got to Do With It?” Examining Ability Privilege in a Disability Studies Course

AbstractAlthough much research addresses prejudice toward and discrimination of individuals with disabilities, few studies engage with the concept of ability privilege, or the benefits that typically abled individuals are afforded in relation to their position within the hegemony. Given the fledgling nature of research on ability privilege, it is both useful and necessary to examine how and where this construct might be discussed. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how undergraduate students in an introduction to disability studies course, premised on a social justice orientation, engaged with ability privilege. Findings revealed that coursework and related partnerships provided participants with exposure to ability privilege, and participants utilized the constructs of ableism, rhetoric, and accessibility in order to recognize advantages they were afforded on account of their ability status. The results of this study have direct significance in aiding the design of coursework that ...
Display of DNA on Nanoparticles for Targeting Antigen Presenting Cells

Efficient delivery of antigens is of paramount concern in immunotherapies. We aimed to target antigen presenting cells (APCs) by conjugating CpG oligonucleotides to an E2 protein nanoparticle surface (CpG-PEG-E2). Compared to E2 alone, we observed ∼4-fold increase of in vitro APC uptake of both CpG-PEG-E2 and E2 conjugated to non-CpG DNA. Furthermore, compared to E2-alone or E2 functionalized solely with polyethylene glycol (PEG), the CpG-PEG-E2 showed enhanced lymph node retention up to at least 48 h and 2-fold increase in APC uptake in vivo, parameters which are advantageous for vaccine success. This suggests that enhanced APC uptake of nanoparticles mediated by oligonucleotide display may help overcome delivery barriers in vaccine development.
Impact of duration of hypotension prior to norepinephrine initiation in medical intensive care unit patients with septic shock: A prospective observational study

Abstract Purpose To determine the impact of duration of hypotension prior to norepinephrine initiation on outcomes in MICU patients with septic shock. We hypothesized increased duration of hypotension prior to norepinephrine initiation would be associated with an increased risk for ICU mortality. Materials and methods We conducted a prospective-observational study in the MICU of a single-center tertiary academic medical center. We enrolled 160 adults ≥ 18 years old with septic shock. Descriptive statistics were computed for demographic and outcome variables. Primary logistic regression analysis was adjusted for severity of illness. Results The mean age of our patients was 59 years (± 17); 42% were female; the mean APACHE II score was 24.1 (± 8.0), and the mean SOFA score was 9.6 (± 4.0). Median duration of hypotension prior to norepinephrine initiation was 3.6 h (IQR 1.6–9.9). Duration of hypotension prior to norepinephrine did not increase the risk for ICU mortality (OR 1.03 per hour after hypotension, 95% CI: 0.98–1.09, p = 0.20). Conclusion Duration of hypotension less than one hour and greater than one hour prior to norepinephrine initiation in MICU patients with septic shock is not associated with an increased risk for ICU mortality.
Comparative Metabolic Response between Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and Corn (Zea mays) to a Cu(OH)2 Nanopesticide

Due to their unique properties, copper-based nanopesticides are emerging in the market. Thus, understanding their effect on crop plants is very important. Metabolomics can capture a snapshot of cellular metabolic responses to a stressor. We selected maize and cucumber as model plants for exposure to different doses of Cu(OH)2 nanopesticide. GC-TOF-MS-based metabolomics was employed to determine the metabolic responses of these two species. Results revealed significant differences in metabolite profile changes between maize and cucumber. Furthermore, the Cu(OH)2 nanopesticide induced metabolic reprogramming in both species, but in different manners. In maize, several intermediate metabolites of the glycolysis pathway and tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) were up-regulated, indicating the energy metabolism was activated. In addition, the levels of aromatic compounds (4-hydroxycinnamic acid and 1,2,4-benzenetriol) and their precursors (phenylalanine, tyrosine) were enhanced, indicating the activation of shikima...
Coordination in Noncooperative Three-Person Games under Different Information Structures

Although game theory discusses focal point effects in pure coordination games, it is largely silent with respect to the game properties that render an equilibrium salient. Schelling (1960), and subsequently Mehta et al. (1994), started a program of developing a descriptive theory of focal points in pure coordination games by showing that strategy labelling makes an equilibrium salient by deriving its significance from the common experience and beliefs of the players. We report three experiments on noncooperative three-person coordination games in extensive form which show that, in addition to strategy labeling, players choose equilibria based on information about the temporal order of play, which is considered irrelevant by classical game theory.
Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc. (A): Acquisition Suitors at the Door

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield were best friends and socially conscious entrepreneurs when they founded Ben & Jerry's Homemade in the 1970s in Burlington, Vermont. The company was well-known for being offbeat, quirky, and committed to socially responsible ventures and using organic ingredients in its products. When the company went public in 1984, most people bought the stock because they believed in the company's values and mission. In late 1999, the financial and economic world was quite different, and two suitors—Unilever and Dreyer's Ice Cream—appeared, both very interested in acquiring Ben & Jerry's. This case describes not only the background and history of Ben & Jerry's, but the factors involved in the founders' having to decide what course of action to take. Excerpt UVA-E-0225 Rev. Aug. 26, 2008 BEN & JERRY'S HOMEMADE, INC. (A): Acquisition Suitors at the Door “Don't sell out Vermont!” —Spray-painted by a vandal on Ben & Jerry's Church Street scoop shop, December, 1999. . . .
Cloud thermodynamic phase detection using an all-sky imaging polarimeter

At any given time, clouds cover approximately 60% of the Earth’s surface and they strongly influence weather and climate; however, they are one of the largest sources of uncertainty in climate models and predictions of atmospheric effects on remote sensing measurements. Knowing the cloud thermodynamic phase – whether a cloud is composed of ice crystals or liquid particles – is critical in these applications. Knobelspiesse et al. (Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 1537–1554, 2015) showed theoretically that the sign of the S1 Stokes parameter can be used to detect cloud thermodynamic phase when observed with a ground-based passive polarimeter and demonstrated this principle with a zenith-viewing polarimeter. In this theory, a positive S 1 value indicates a liquid cloud, while a negative S 1 value indicates an ice cloud. In this paper, we report the use of our all-sky polarimeter, operating at 450 nm (10 nm band) to detect ice, liquid, and multi-layered clouds. The cloud thermodynamic phase was independently verified with a dual-polarization lidar pointed at the zenith.
Temporal variation in total phosphorus concentrations revealed from a multidecadal monitoring program on Big Platte Lake, Michigan

Effective water quality management depends on enactment of appropriately designed monitoring programs to reveal current and forecasted conditions. Because water quality conditions are influenced by numerous factors, commonly measured attributes such as total phosphorus (TP) can be highly temporally varying. For highly varying processes, monitoring programs should be long-term and periodic quantitative analyses are needed so that temporal trends can be distinguished from stochastic variation, which can yield insights into potential modifications to the program. Using generalized additive mixed modeling, we assessed temporal (yearly and monthly) trends and quantified other sources of variation (daily and subsampling) in TP concentrations from a multidecadal depth-specific monitoring program on Big Platte Lake, Michigan. Yearly TP concentrations decreased from the late 1980s to late 1990s before rebounding through the early 2000s. At depths of 2.29 to 13.72 m, TP concentrations have cycled around stationary points since the early 2000s, while at the surface and depths ≥ 18.29 concentrations have continued declining. Summer and fall peaks in TP concentrations were observed at most depths, with the fall peak at deeper depths occurring 1 month earlier than shallower depths. Daily sampling variation (i.e., variation within a given month and year) was greatest at shallowest and deepest depths. Variation in subsamples collected from depth-specific water samples constituted a small fraction of total variation. Based on model results, cost-saving measures to consider for the monitoring program include reducing subsampling of depth-specific concentrations and reducing the number of sampling depths given observed consistencies across the program period.
Structure and Properties of Chocolate

Abstract Chocolate is seemingly a simple food, yet it is actually quite a complex material. Manufacture of chocolate from cocoa beans requires careful control of both ingredients and manufacturing steps. Differences in these two aspects leads to the wide variations in commercial chocolate quality and characteristics. Key manufacturing steps in chocolate production include fermentation and drying of the beans, refining, roasting, conching, and tempering of the finished chocolate. Key attributes that go into making a good chocolate include flavor, smoothness or particle size, and flow properties or rheology. If both ingredients and process are controlled properly, high quality chocolate can be produced that is resistant to the main defect in chocolate, bloom.
The Cradle of Abuse: Evaluating the Danger Posed by a Sexually Predatory Parent to the Victim's Siblings

Despite unmistakable evidence that incestuous parents rarely stop with one child, courts in the US and elsewhere routinely fail to protect an incest victim's siblings. Many courts simple deny that a parent's sex act with one child signals risk to others. But even those courts that acknowledge a sibling's risk reach wildly different results when confronting similar cases. Courts are split over whether a parent who molests his stepchild is equally likely to victimize biological offspring or whether a father who violates a daughter will also victimize sons. Courts reach such fundamentally different conclusions because they operate in a vacuum of sound evidence, without the benefit of expert testimony. This article argues that the substantial body of research about sexually exploited children and incestuous parents can aid courts to better gauge a sibling's risk. Because the first act of incest creates a corresponding risk of some - but not all - children in the family, this article argues in favor of a presumption of risk that offenders may rebut. It then examines whether a sibling's gender or genetic ties to the offender, or the offender's treatment, mitigate the threat and consequently should serve as a basis for rebutting the presumption. The article ultimately concludes the law can safeguard children from this threat of sexual exploitation only if guided by substantial evidence of how abusive families function.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Combat)

In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM) nosologic system formally defined and recognized the cluster of acute, and potentially chronic, symptoms often seen in victims of traumatic events (e.g., combat, sexual, and physical assault), naming this condition post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; APA, 1994). Since DSM-IV (APA, 1994), the disorder has been classified as an “anxiety” disorder and is defined by six basic criteria: (1) the historical antecedent of a traumatic event that involves both actual or threatened death or serious injury, and an intense response of fear, helplessness, or horror; (2) persistently re-experiencing the traumatic event through intrusive memories, dissociative flashbacks, recurrent distressing dreams, and/or psychological or physiological reactivity upon exposure to associated cues; (3) avoidance of stimuli associated with the event, or a numbing of general responsiveness, including efforts to avoid thoughts and feelings related to the trauma, efforts to avoid activities or situations that arouse recollections of the trauma, loss of interest in significant activities, social detachment, and/or reduced affect; (4) existence of persistent symptoms of increased arousal such as hypervigilance, sleep disturbance, irritability or outbursts of anger, impaired concentration, and/or exaggerated startle response; (5) duration of the disturbance for at least one month; (6) the pervasive effects of the disturbance causing clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
The Conservative–Liberal Alliance Against Freedom

This chapter proposes a fourfold political classification: social conservatives, libertarian conservatives, social liberals, and civil liberties liberals. It points out that social conservatives outnumber libertarian conservatives and that social liberals outnumber civil liberties liberals in the United States. As a result of an unrecognized de facto alliance between social conservatives and social liberals, freedoms have been limited, including those relevant to therapy and research.
Argon laser trabeculoplasty. Studies of mechanism of action.

Abstract The effects of argon laser trabeculoplasty (LTP) on outflow facility, Schlemm's canal morphology, trabecular cellularity, and trabecular glycosaminoglycan composition were determined in 33 pairs of eye-bank human eyes. At two levels of intraocular pressure, measured outflow facility did not immediately drop in response to LTP. Schlemm's canal distention was observed only at 40 mmHg intraocular pressure, where the canal normally tends to collapse. Trabecular cell density was reduced by about 40% in the eyes receiving laser treatment. The organ cultured trabecular meshworks in response to LTP altered their incorporation of 35 S-sulfate, compared to controls, suggesting a change in the synthesis or turnover of the extracellular matrix of the trabeculum after trabeculoplasty. At least three potential mechanisms were identified in response to laser trabeculoplasty, including some mechanical distortion of the trabeculum at high intraocular pressures. We also hypothesize that laser trabeculoplasty dislodges some trabecular cells and may stimulate the remaining cells to renew more active synthesis and/or turnover of the trabecular extracellular matrix.
Struggling for Survival: Louisiana College in World War II

Pickard focuses on the Louisiana College’s significant financial difficulties during America’s participation in World War II (1941–1945). The school actively participated in the war effort and a considerable number of its students left the school to serve their country. He analyzes how the substantial decrease in enrollment and the accompanying decline in tuition revenue put the school in a very precarious financial position. He also provides an account of how Baptist groups in Louisiana came to the school’s aid by providing the financial support to the college after learning of the school’s fiscal difficulties.
Can the Trading System Survive US–China Trade Friction?

Donald Trump has sought to change US trading relationships by raising protection at home and taxing the offshore activities of US companies abroad. These measures, which both use and violate trade rules, have provoked retaliation from other countries. Such friction has restricted and distorted trade and investment, undermined the rules‐based trading system and perhaps permanently damaged global value chains that depend on stable rules for market access. Trump has justified some of his measures as a response to China's alleged unfair practices and indeed, China has adopted industrial and technology policies that are formally neutral between domestic and foreign firms but in practice have led foreign firms to complain about discriminatory practices that favor Chinese firms. The US friction with China is unfortunate because instead of trying to bully China into submission in a tariff war, the US could have dealt with many of its concerns more effectively by cooperating with other countries and taking actions that are consistent with maintaining the rules‐based system. While the US has undermined its leadership role, the overall damage to the trading system could still be limited if other countries, especially China, take actions that sustain and strengthen it.
A Two-Beam Eight-Element Direct Digital Beamforming RF Modulator in 40-nm CMOS

A digital eight-element beamforming RF modulator allows accurate steering of multiple independent beams. The key to the efficiency is the pairing of area-efficient bandpass $\Delta \Sigma $ modulation with N-path filtering to suppress quantization noise. Beamforming digital signal processing (DSP) is enabled by careful frequency management, which facilitates efficient digital phase shifting, upsampling, and upconversion. A 40-nm CMOS prototype generates two 1.2-GHz beams, with 40-MHz RF bandwidth. The prototype consumes 128 mW and occupies an active area of only 0.19 mm2, which is only 16 mW and 0.02 mm2 per element. This represents an order-of-magnitude improvement in area and power consumption per element compared to the state-of-the-art digital to RF modulators.
Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis for Health Technology Assessment of Medical Devices: A Winning Hospital-Based Experience

Health technology assessment (HTA) refers to the systematic evaluation of properties, effects, and/or impacts of health technologies. It is a multidisciplinary process to evaluate the social, economic, organizational and ethical issues of a health intervention or health technology, aiming to inform a policy decision making and to support decisions pertaining to the allocation of resources.
The Effect of a Community Based Educational Intervention on Oral Health Knowledge Levels of Adult Caregivers of Young Children in the Rural Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Low levels of oral health literacy in parents and caregivers may place a child at risk for poor oral health (Miller, Lee, DeWalt, & Vann, 2010). The purpose of this project was to determine baseline oral health literacy levels for a sample of adult caregivers of young children living in rural communities and to determine the effectiveness of a community-based education program on increasing these baseline levels of knowledge. A convenience sample of sixty-four participants who attended educational programs aimed at adult caregivers of young children comprised the sample. The Upper Peninsula Oral Health Literacy Assessment Survey was administered prior to and after participants attended the educational programming. A paired sample t-test was utilized to analyze the data. There was a statistically significant increase in oral health literacy levels after the implementation of a community-based educational program. Scores reflecting oral health literacy rose from 68.8% on the pre-test to 92.6% on the post-test. This study confirms a need for further oral health education. Increasing oral health literacy levels in adult caregivers of young children may lead to an increase in oral health seeking behaviors and a decrease in preventable dental caries in the pediatric population.
Pediatric Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Louisiana: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities for Enhanced Quality of Care

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common pediatric condition with significant developmental, social, educational, and safety implications. The American Academy of Pediatrics has developed guidelines to support quality care of children with ADHD, but studies demonstrate that the guidelines are variably followed. Methods: This review highlights patterns of diagnosis and treatment of children with ADHD nationally and in Louisiana and provides examples of system- and practice-level opportunities to improve adherence to quality standards. Results: Possible contributors to the higher prevalence of ADHD and medication use in Louisiana compared to the nation are specialty workforce shortages, factors in the educational system, and factors associated with race and geography. Innovative system approaches have been developed to address workforce shortages and training limitations. Practice-level innovations include improving the use of validated measures, offering adequate scheduling, and identifying relevant resources and sharing the information with families. Conclusion: Despite the availability of evidence-based recommendations and resources, significant opportunities exist to provide enhanced ADHD care at the primary care level, especially in Louisiana where the high prevalence of some risk factors for ADHD and the high rates of ADHD and medication prescriptions have been noted nationally and at the state level. Attention to these factors can potentially help address these disproportionalities. Additionally, innovative models of training and collaboration in pediatrics are imperative. Pediatric clinicians, mental health providers, and families can work together to increase awareness about the needs of children and families affected by ADHD in medical, educational, and policy arenas and move the system forward for children.
Stream Clustering and Visualization of Geotagged Text Data for Crisis Management

Social media and microblogging services produce vast amounts of streaming data, and one of the most important ways of analyzing and discovering interesting trends in streaming data is through clustering. When clustering streaming data, it is desirable to perform only a single pass over the incoming data, such that we don’t need to process old data again, and the clustering model should evolve over time not to lose any important feature statistics of the data. In this research, we have developed a new clustering system that clusters social media data based on their textual content and displays the clusters and their locations on the map. It allows at-a-glance information to be displayed throughout the evolution of a crisis. Our system takes advantage of a text stream clustering algorithm called TextClust [4], which uses two-phase clustering, composed of micro-clustering and macro-clustering. The online micro-clustering phase incrementally creates micro-clusters that represent enough information about topics occurring in the text stream. The off-line macro-clustering phase clusters micro-clusters for a user-specified time interval. Our system allows users to change the macro-clustering algorithm interactively, in order to evaluate the micro-clustering results in a seamless manner and improve the overall clustering result. Our experiments demonstrated that the performance of our system is very scalable. Our system can be easily used by first responders and crisis management personnel to quickly determine if a crisis is happening, where it is concentrated, and what resources are best to deploy to the situation.
The OPTIMIZE study: protocol of a pragmatic sequential multiple assessment randomized trial of nonpharmacologic treatment for chronic, nonspecific low back pain

Low back pain is a prevalent condition that causes a substantial health burden. Despite intensive and expensive clinical efforts, its prevalence is growing. Nonpharmacologic treatments are effective at improving pain-related outcomes; however, treatment effect sizes are often modest. Physical therapy (PT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) have the most consistent evidence of effectiveness. Growing evidence also supports mindfulness-based approaches. Discussions with providers and patients highlight the importance of discussing and trying options to find the treatment that works for them and determining what to do when initial treatment is not successful. Herein, we present the protocol for a study that will evaluate evidence-based, protocol-driven treatments using PT, CBT, or mindfulness to examine comparative effectiveness and optimal sequencing for patients with chronic low back pain. The Optimized Multidisciplinary Treatment Programs for Nonspecific Chronic Low Back Pain (OPTIMIZE) Study will be a multisite, comparative effectiveness trial using a sequential multiple assessment randomized trial design enrolling 945 individuals with chronic low back pain. The co-primary outcomes will be disability (measured using the Oswestry Disability Index) and pain intensity (measured using the Numerical Pain Rating Scale). After baseline assessment, participants will be randomly assigned to PT or CBT. At week 10, participants who have not experienced at least 50% improvement in disability will be randomized to cross-over phase-1 treatments (e.g., PT to CBT) or to Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE). Treatment will consist of 8 weekly sessions. Long-term outcome assessments will be performed at weeks 26 and 52. Results of this study may inform referring providers and patients about the most effective nonoperative treatment and/or sequence of nonoperative treatments to treat chronic low back pain. This study was prospectively registered on March 1, 2019, with Clinicaltrials.gov under the registration number NCT03859713 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03859713).
Beta Turn Propensity and Polymer Scaling Exponent Identify Intrinsically Disordered Proteins that Phase Separate

The complex cellular milieu can spontaneously de-mix in a process driven in part by proteins that are intrinsically disordered (ID). We hypothesized that protein self-interactions that determine the polymer scaling exponent, v, of monomeric ID proteins (IDPs), also facilitate de-mixing transitions into phase separated assemblies. We analyzed a protein database containing subsets that are folded, ID, or IDPs identified previously to spontaneously phase separate. We found that the subsets differentiated into distinct protein classes according to sequence-based calculations of v and, surprisingly, the propensity in the sequence for adopting the β-turn. Structure-based simulations find that transient β-turn structures reduce the desolvation penalty of forming a protein-rich phase. By this mechanism, β-turns act as energetically favored nucleation points, which may explain the increased propensity for turns in IDPs that are utilized biologically for phase separation.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.View Full Text
Revisiting the Past for the Present: The Wedding Ritual Performance in the Turners’ Seminar

This chapter explores ethnographic performance as an embodied form of pedagogy that influences students’ success in the classroom today. I revisit the performance of the Anglo-American wedding in the Turners’ seminar in Charlottesville based upon what I had learned in my Ph.D. research. The perspective of a graduate student was a bit different from the story shared by the Turners in Chapter 3 of this volume. I also share the ethnographic exercises that emerged from that initial experience, which I incorporate into my classes today, and include thoughtful comments on this experience shared by my students. In addition, Susan Brownell (co-editor of this volume), Abigail Adams, and I organized a workshop for the 2019 American Anthropological Association (AAA) meetings in Vancouver on “Performing Gender in the Classroom: Ethnographic Performance of a Bridal Shower and Bachelor Party.” This successful event, designed to explore the pedagogy we are offering in this book, bore a great deal of resemblance to the learning outcomes in my classroom, even if the participants were not undergraduate students. I incorporate a brief discussion of this workshop and share some of the participants’ comments as well.
Wound Care for Venous Ulceration

Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) affect as many as 20% of patients with advanced chronic venous insufficiency and are associated with significant morbidity and health care costs. VLUs are the most common cause of leg ulcers; however, other etiologies of lower extremity ulcerations should be investigated, most notably arterial insufficiency, to ensure appropriate therapy. Careful clinical examination, standardized documentation, and ultrasound evaluation are needed for diagnosis and treatment success. Reduction of edema and venous hypertension through compression therapy, local wound care, and treatment of venous reflux or obstruction is the foundation of therapy. As key providers in venous disease, interventional radiologists should be aware of current standardized disease classification and scoring systems as well as treatment and wound care guidelines for venous ulcers.
Phase 1 Study Evaluating the Effects of the Proton Pump Inhibitor Rabeprazole and Food on the Pharmacokinetics of Lorlatinib in Healthy Participants.

Lorlatinib is approved worldwide as treatment for anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive and c-ros oncogene 1-positive non-small cell lung cancer. The objectives of this phase 1, open-label crossover study (NCT02569554) in healthy adult participants were to determine (1) the effects of the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) rabeprazole on lorlatinib pharmacokinetics (PK), (2) the effects of a high-fat meal on lorlatinib PK, and (3) the relative bioavailability of an oral solution to tablet formulation of lorlatinib under fasted conditions. Participants were followed on-study for ≥50 days after the first dose of lorlatinib. Participants received treatments over 4 periods, with a washout of ≥10 days between consecutive lorlatinib doses. Twenty-seven participants were enrolled and received lorlatinib, and all were assessed for PK and safety. Results showed no effect of multiple doses of rabeprazole on the total plasma exposure of a single oral dose of lorlatinib 100-mg tablets. The results also indicated that a high-fat meal had no effect on lorlatinib PK after a single 100-mg oral dose. In addition, the relative bioavailability of lorlatinib oral solution compared with lorlatinib tablets was complete (approximately 108%). The safety profile of lorlatinib was consistent with that reported in previous studies, and most treatment-related adverse events were mild to moderate. These data indicate that lorlatinib can be administered with drugs that modify gastric acid, including PPIs, without restriction. These results also confirm that lorlatinib can be administered regardless of food intake.
Bearing Forces as a Function of Mechanical Stiffness and Vibration Isolation in a Fourbar Linkage

A fourbar linkage test-bed has been designed, built, and instrumented to measure the effects of dynamic balancing, vibration isolation and system stiffness on the dynamic forces and torques generated at the pivot bearingsand on the ground plane. The system was initially designed and modelled using the Aries solids modelling package, the ADAMS dynamic simulation package, program DYNAFOUR, and ANSYS finite element analysis software. The theoretical dynamic forces and accelerations at particular points on the links were calculated in advance, based on the system kinematics and the mass properties of all moving members as defined by the Aries solids modeller. The device was built using accurate NC machining equipment. The finished assembly is instrumented with piezoelectric accelerometers and force transducers. The design allows three bivalent modalities of operation, unbalanced/dynamically balanced, stiff/compliant torque coupling, stiff/compliant motor mounts, all of which may be intermixed in various combinations. The assembly was run under all combinations of modalities and the dynamic forces and accelerations measured and transformed to the frequency domain. The results were subjected to an analysis of variance and compared to those of the theoretical model. The differences were statistically significant in all but a few cases. As expected, the compliances and clearances in the physical model created significantly larger dynamic accelerations, torques and forces on the bearings than was predicted theoretically by a rigid dynamic model. These increased forces will affect bearing and journal wear. This paper reports on the details of this experimental/theoretical study and draws some conclusions relevant to making design decisions applicable to similar mechanical devices. Work is continuing on the theoretical modelling of the system's nonlinearities as well as on measurement of the effects of bearing clearances on the vibration and modal behavior of the physical system.
Accuracy of a prey-specific DNA assay and a generic prey-immunomarking assay for detecting predation

Summary Predator gut examinations are useful for detecting arthropod predation events. The accuracy and reproducibility of two different gut assays are tested on various predator species that consumed Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) that was externally labelled with rabbit immunoglobulin (IgG). Each predator homogenate was examined in triplicate for prey remains by both a conventional PCR assay to detect for C. carnea DNA and a generic ELISA to detect for rabbit IgG-marked prey. The ability of each method to detect predation over time was compared among predators, and between assay types were determined using a novel three-dimensional contingency table approach. Both assays reliably detected prior predation (e.g. at least one of the three subsamples yielded a positive reaction) for 6–12 h after feeding. However, the generic ELISA was more reproducible (e.g. all three subsamples yielded the same outcome) than the PCR. This shows that it was important to assay the predators in triplicate by PCR to avoid a high occurrence of false-negative reactions. Conversely, reproducible results from the ELISA procedure were not dependent on duplicate subsamples. Overall, the generic immunomarking gut assay procedure proved an effective method to assess predation.
Application of Self-Optimizing Controllers to Variable Time-Delay Processes

A comparison of model-free and model-based controllers is made for a stochastic process with a variable time-delay. A process is controlled by a modified Nelder-Mead evolutionary optimization technique suitable for noisy systems, the self-tuning controller of Vogel-Edgar and a developed method combining a self-tuning controller with a Smith predictor. An algorithmic approach to explicit dead-time estimation is presented. Controller performance is studied using a laboratory scale thermal process unit. Of the three controllers, the developed self-tuning controller was found to respond the best in the variable time-delay environment.
Substrate specificity of Acanthamoeba myosin I heavy chain kinase as determined with synthetic peptides.

Phosphorylation of a single threonine (myosin IA) or serine (myosins IB and IC) in the heavy chains of the Acanthamoeba myosin I isozymes is required for expression of their actin-activated Mg2(+)-ATPase activities. We now report that the synthetic peptide Gly-Arg-Gly-Arg-Ser-Ser-Val-Tyr-Ser, which corresponds to the phosphorylated region of Acanthamoeba myosin IC, is a good substrate for myosin I heavy chain kinase: Km = 54 microM, and Vmax = 15 mumols/min.mg. The same serine is phosphorylated as in the native substrate (residue 6 in the above sequence), and kinase activity with the synthetic peptide as substrate is also stimulated by phosphatidylserine-enhanced autophosphorylation of the kinase. These results indicate that all of the essential sequence determinants of kinase specificity are contained within this 9-residue peptide. With the peptide as substrate, we found that another acidic phospholipid, phosphatidylinositol, also enhances autophosphorylation of the kinase whereas the neutral phospholipids phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine do not. By comparing the Km and Vmax values for a series of synthetic peptide substrates, we established that 1 basic amino acid is essential on the NH2-terminal side of the phosphorylation site, and two are preferable, and that a tyrosine is essential 2 residues away on the COOH-terminal side. There is a slight preference for arginines over lysines. All of these local sequence specificity determinants are present in the three native substrates, Acanthamoeba myosins IA, IB, and IC, and in two Dictyostelium myosin I isozymes that are putative substrates for the kinase. Similar sequences do not occur in the myosins I from intestinal brush border, which is not a substrate for the Acanthamoeba kinase.
Power management in the Intel Xeon E5 v3

The Intel Xeon E5 v3 family is the latest generation of enterprise-grade, high-performance, Xeon microprocessors. It implements several new power-management technologies and features aimed at improving power/performance efficiency, increasing performance, and improving power delivery. It is the first commercial x86 processor to manage voltage/frequency optimizations on a per-core granularity. This is done by combining a) fine-grained on-die per-core voltage regulators, enabling every core on the processor to run at a different voltage, b) per-core clock management, enabling each core to run at a different frequency, and c) advanced power management algorithms for optimizing the frequency and voltage of each core based on OS requests, system utilization, on-die sensors, and silicon characteristics. The Xeon E5 v3 family also introduces a new maximum-power-draw (Pmax) management approach. This paper describes some of the technical challenges, solutions, and lessons learned during the architecture, design, and productization of this new generation of microprocessor architecture, as well as the power/performance improvements measured for server workloads.
Zebrafish sparse corresponds to an orthologue of c-kit and is required for the morphogenesis of a subpopulation of melanocytes, but is not essential for hematopoiesis or primordial germ cell development

The relative roles of the Kit receptor in promoting the migration and survival of amniote melanocytes are unresolved. We show that, in the zebrafish, Danio rerio, the pigment pattern mutation sparse corresponds to an orthologue of c-kit. This finding allows us to further elucidate morphogenetic roles for this c-kit-related gene in melanocyte morphogenesis. Our analyses of zebrafish melanocyte development demonstrate that the c-kit orthologue identified in this study is required both for normal migration and for survival of embryonic melanocytes. We also find that, in contrast to mouse, the zebrafish c-kit gene that we have identified is not essential for hematopoiesis or primordial germ cell development. These unexpected differences may reflect evolutionary divergence in c-kit functions following gene duplication events in teleosts.
Protective Mechanical Ventilation: Lessons Learned From Alveolar Mechanics

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a serious pulmonary disease characterized by respiratory failure with marked hypoxemia secondary to diffuse bilateral non-hydrostatic pulmonary edema and atelectasis. A formal definition of ARDS and acute lung injury (ALI) was introduced by an American-European Consensus Conference [1]. ALI has a devastating clinical impact, and current data estimates 190,600 new cases of ALI per year with 74,500 annual deaths in the United States alone [2]. The majority of patients with ALI, and in particular ARDS, require supportive therapy with mechanical ventilation. It has been shown, both clinically and experimentally, that improper mechanical ventilation causes ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI), which exacerbates the underlying ALI, leading to an increase in mortality [3].
IMMUNOTHERAPY OF COLON CANCER USING CHIMERIC MAB 31.1

We have produced two monoclonal antibodies specific for membranes of colon carcinoma cells that demonstrate minimal if any cross reactivity with normal colon tissue. The antigen of one of the two antibodies (mAb 33.28) is extremely immunogenic eliciting both cell mediated and humoral immunity. The monoclonal antibodies developed in in vitro studies suggested strong antibody dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC) for both antibodies, but somewhat stronger for the mAb 31.1. The murine version of mAb 31.1 produced approximately 90% tumor cell destruction in the same period of time. Nude mice with LS174T xenografts (human colon carcinoma) were challenged with 1 x 10(6) cells given subcutaneously in the thigh. By day 10, well animals were incapacitated by tumor growth. Among those animals receiving 400 micrograms of intraperitoneal chimeric 31.1 at day one, all were protected and remained free of disease. Those challenged with chimeric antibody and human effector cells at day 7 demonstrated regression of established tumor nodules among 80% of the animals so treated. Therapy of patients with extensive primary as well as metastatic colon cancer may be found to respond to the above form of therapy post surgery, when employed alone or in combination with an effective cytotoxic (chemotherapeutic) agent.
UAV navigation by an expert system for contaminant mapping with a genetic algorithm

Source characterization for an unknown contaminant release can be achieved by inverting an atmospheric transport and dispersion model given concentration observations from a moderately dense spatial array at one or more times. Achieving the required observation density over large geographic regions can, however, be prohibitively expensive if fixed sensors are employed. Mobile sensors provide a cost-saving alternative, with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) being particularly well suited for these large-area problems because of their relatively high speed. The challenge then becomes to devise a set of navigation rules by which the aircraft can determine the route which most expeditiously acquires the required concentration observations. This task involves physical reasoning based on the wind vector, ongoing concentration observations, and current estimates of source position to plan leg length and direction. Each flight leg is planned based on data from all of the prior legs, the flight plan adapts to the observations as they are taken. Expert system navigation systems are developed for two situations: instantaneous (puff) and continuous (plume) releases. Of the two the puff poses the greater challenge because it provides a moving target rather than a quasi-steady concentration pattern. Thus, this rule-based navigation system must guide the UAV to an intercept for each pass through the puff rather than just sweeping across the contaminant field at multiple downwind distances as suffices with a plume. The navigation systems are tested in a virtual world consisting of a single fixed wind and concentration sensor, a UAV with wind and concentration sensing capability, a uniform wind at a significant fraction of the UAV airspeed, and a simple Gaussian dispersion model. The resulting concentration data is used to characterize the source strength and location by using a genetic algorithm to tune the variables until the model output matches the observations. Tests conducted using randomized source locations indicate that these UAV navigation systems are sophisticated enough to successfully acquire the necessary concentration data in the majority of the cases. The success rate is greatly improved by using an ensemble of non-communicating UAVs and taking the median of the resulting source variables. This process eliminates the outliers that result from occasional navigational failures.