cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Futures of Teaching in American Education

This article argues that factory model schools, created for a time when most individuals were being prepared for relatively low-skilled jobs, are not adequate to the task of educating most citizens for the knowledge work that will increasingly characterize economies of the 21st century. Although many important reforms have been launched over the last decade, countries that have not invested in the development of sophisticated teaching that can adapt to the needs of students and the demands of more challenging content have reached an impasse. Every aspect of school reform – the creation of more challenging curriculum, the use of more performance-based assessments, the implementation of decentralized management, the invention of new model schools and programs – depends on highly-skilled teachers. Policies aimed at developing a quality teaching system include (1) enacting meaningful standards for teachers as well as students, (2) overhauling teacher education and professional development, (3) addressing teacher recruitment problems and placing qualified teachers in all schools, (4) rewarding teacher knowledge and skills, and (5) redesigning schools so that they support teaching and learning. This article describes successful strategies in each of these areas and paints a picture of the alternative futures for education that rest on policies yet to be decided.
Water availability drives gas exchange and growth of trees in northeastern US, not elevated CO 2 and reduced acid deposition.

Dynamic global vegetation models (DGVM) exhibit high uncertainty about how climate change, elevated atmospheric CO2 (atm. CO2) concentration, and atmospheric pollutants will impact carbon sequestration in forested ecosystems. Although the individual roles of these environmental factors on tree growth are understood, analyses examining their simultaneous effects are lacking. We used tree-ring isotopic data and structural equation modeling to examine the concurrent and interacting effects of water availability, atm. CO2 concentration, and SO4 and nitrogen deposition on two broadleaf tree species in a temperate mesic forest in the northeastern US. Water availability was the strongest driver of gas exchange and tree growth. Wetter conditions since the 1980s have enhanced stomatal conductance, photosynthetic assimilation rates and, to a lesser extent, tree radial growth. Increased water availability seemingly overrides responses to reduced acid deposition, CO2 fertilization, and nitrogen deposition. Our results indicate that water availability as a driver of ecosystem productivity in mesic temperate forests is not adequately represented in DGVMs, while CO2 fertilization is likely overrepresented. This study emphasizes the importance to simultaneously consider interacting climatic and biogeochemical drivers when assessing forest responses to global environmental changes.
Map-reduce programming model and hadoop distributed file system for use in undergraduate curriculum

In this tutorial we will discuss the details of the map-reduce programming model that has been brought to prominence by the Google File System (GFS) [1]. We will also demonstrate the application of MapReduce using Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) [2]. We will discuss two case studies (i) word count on a web log and (ii) financial analytics using Markovitz model [4]. Implementation of HDFS on a single node, two-node and multiple-node cluster will be demonstrated. The challenges in assembling a HDFS and using MapReduce will be discussed. Expected audiences are undergraduate teachers who want to learn about MapReduce and HDFS and those who are interested in introducing these in the curriculum. These two topics were featured very prominently in SIGCSE 2008.
Formation of dynamic reconfigurable electric field gradients in thin lubricant films through transient elastohydrodynamic squeeze film action

Abstract This paper introduces a new method of creating reconfigurable electric field gradients in thin lubricant films through the normal approach of a rigid indenter onto a compliant bearing structure. Assuming a double layer potential with identical electroosmotic flow mobility values on the bearing surfaces, the governing elastohydrodynamic and electrostatic equations can be treated as weakly coupled spatially one-dimensional problems, which greatly facilitates analysis. It is shown that a spatially non-uniform film thickness pocket pinched at the bearing sides can be developed for a considerable length of time from a steady unidirectional load. The time history of predicted side film thickness values and electric field gradients suggests that the proposed method may be applicable for selective trapping of nanoparticles through dielectrophoresis.
Racial and Socioeconomic Gaps in Executive Function Skills in Early Elementary School: Nationally Representative Evidence From the ECLS-K:2011

This brief leverages the first ever nationally representative data set with a direct assessment of elementary school-aged children’s executive function skills to examine racial and socioeconomic ga...
Letter from the Managing Editor

This new issue of Harvard Deusto Business Research presents studies and research on the mismatch between the low level of investment in R&D and the growth of Spanish exports, the implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards in Colombia, the levels of internationalization of Spanish multinational companies and privacy by design.
Promoting sulfur adsorption using surface Cu sites in metal–organic frameworks for lithium sulfur batteries

Despite the promise of high energy density in lithium sulfur (Li–S) batteries, this technology suffers from poor long-term stability due to the dissolution of polysulfides upon battery cycling. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are shown to be effective cathode materials for Li–S batteries, but the nature of sulfur–host interactions in these porous materials is not well-understood. Herein, we provide a detailed analysis on material and chemical properties that have direct influence on sulfur adsorption and battery performance. Favorable binding sites in CuBTC, a MOF proven promising for sulfur adsorption, are identified and characterized by a combination of theoretical, thermogravimetric, spectroscopic, and electrochemical experiments. By manipulating MOF particle size, we further demonstrate that a high density of Cu-rich surface defects drastically improves both maximum discharge capacity and polysulfide retention. Battery cycling data illustrates the significance of these surface Cu sites for the uptake of dissolved polysulfides, which mitigates irreversible capacity loss. In the wider scope of materials development, our findings suggest the use of carefully engineered surface defects in inorganic nanomaterials may enhance sulfur capture in Li–S batteries. This study thus advances chemical understanding towards rational design of porous materials with great implications for energy storage, sulfur removal, chemical sensing, and environmental remediation.
APAC Focus: CFA Institute China 2.0

"CFA Institute China 2.0 is a blueprint to pioneer a new type of professional community. The initiative is built on a commitment to professional excellence and participation, sustained by trust and teamwork, and inspired by future opportunities."
RBA: A Best Effort Resource Allocation Algorithm for Asynchronous Real-Time Distributed Systems.

Journal of Research and Practice in Information Technology, Vol. 33, No. 2, May 2001 158 Copyright© 2001, Australian Computer Society Inc. General permission to republish, but not for profit, all or part of this material is granted, provided that the JRPIT copyright notice is given and that reference is made to the publication, to its date of issue, and to the fact that reprinting privileges were granted by permission of the Australian Computer Society Inc. DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS
Wang–Landau approach to the simulation of water clusters

The Wang–Landau Monte Carlo method [Wang FG, Landau DP. Efficient, multiple-range random walk algorithm to calculate the density of states. Phys Rev Lett. 2001;86:2050-2053; Determining the density...
Legal Briefs: 3 Vacuum-Assisted Deliveries, 3 Bad Outcomes

A 39 2/7–week gestational age female infant with a birthweight of 2,995 g was born to a 31-year-old gravida 3 para 2 woman with an unremarkable pregnancy. Membranes ruptured spontaneously 19 hours before delivery with clear fluid. Because labor was not progressing, oxytocin was used to “expedite” the process. The fetus was initially occiput transverse, then occiput posterior. The obstetrician applied vacuum on the fetal scalp twice, but no descent was recorded. It was unclear what station the fetus was in when the vacuum was applied because of lack of documentation. The obstetrician retained by the plaintiff was critical of the treating obstetrician for not documenting the station of the fetus and repeating the vacuum because no descent was found after the first pull. He stated that without descent, reapplication of the vacuum is below standard. The obstetrician requested Simpson forceps after the failed vacuum. The treating nurse, in her deposition, admitted that it was against hospital policy to use forceps after a failed vacuum and stated that she questioned the obstetrician but that he ignored her. The plaintiff obstetrical nurse said that the nurse should have refused to bring the forceps and should have called her supervisor . The fetal heart rate monitoring tracings were largely unreadable, even when an internal monitor was placed 2 hours before delivery. The plaintiff obstetrician was critical of this and said that the obstetrical team needed to ensure adequate monitoring . The forceps were applied and considered “partially effective,” as documented by the treating obstetrician, but the vacuum was reapplied. The plaintiff obstetrician was highly critical of using forceps after a failed vacuum attempt as well as the reapplication of the vacuum. The treating nurse said that she was uncomfortable with this process and tried to communicate this to the obstetrician. The treating …
Antiseizure and neuroprotective effects of delayed treatment with midazolam in a rodent model of organophosphate exposure.

Objective Exposure to organophosphates (OPs) and OP nerve agents (NAs) causes status epilepticus (SE) and irreversible brain damage. Rapid control of seizure activity is important to minimize neuronal injury and the resulting neurological and behavioral disorders; however, early treatment will not be possible after mass release of OPs or NAs. Methods We utilized a delayed-treatment model of OP exposure in adult rats by administration of diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP) to study the relationship between the antiseizure and neuroprotective effects of the "standard-of-care" benzodiazepine, midazolam (MDZ), when given at 30, 60, and 120 minutes after SE onset. After electroencephalography (EEG) recordings, neural damage in serial brain sections was studied with Fluoro-Jade B staining. Results MDZ-induced seizure suppression was equivalent in magnitude regardless of treatment delay (ie, seizure duration). When assessed globally (ie, normalized across 10 different brain regions) for each treatment delay, MDZ administration resulted in only nonsignificant reductions in neuronal death. However, when data for MDZ treatment were combined from all three delay times, a small but significant reduction in global neuronal death was detected when compared to vehicle treatment, which indicated that the substantive MDZ-induced seizure suppression led to only a small reduction in neuronal death. Significance In conclusion, MDZ significantly reduced DFP-induced SE intensity when treatment was delayed 30, 60, and even up to 120 minutes; however, this reduction in seizure intensity had no detectable effect on neuronal death at each individual delay time. These data show that although MDZ suppressed seizures, additional neuroprotective therapies are needed to mitigate the effects of OP exposure.
Cancer the‘RBP'eutics–RNA-binding proteins as therapeutic targets for cancer

Abstract RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play a critical role in the regulation of various RNA processes, including splicing, cleavage and polyadenylation, transport, translation and degradation of coding RNAs, non-coding RNAs and microRNAs. Recent studies indicate that RBPs not only play an instrumental role in normal cellular processes but have also emerged as major players in the development and spread of cancer. Herein, we review the current knowledge about RNA binding proteins and their role in tumorigenesis as well as the potential to target RBPs for cancer therapeutics.
Malware Detection in Embedded Systems Using Neural Network Model for Electromagnetic Side-Channel Signals

We propose a novel malware detection system for critical embedded and cyber-physical systems (CPS). The system exploits electromagnetic (EM) side-channel signals from the device to detect malicious activity. During training, the system models EM emanations from an uncompromised device using a neural network. These EM patterns act as fingerprints for the normal program activity. Next, we continuously monitor the target device’s EM emanations. Any deviation in the device’s activity causes a variation in the EM fingerprint, which in turn violates the trained model, and is reported as an anomalous activity. The system can monitor the target device remotely (without any physical contact), and does not require any modification to the monitored system. We evaluate the system with different malware behavior (DDoS, ransomware, and code modification) on different applications using an Altera Nios-II soft-processor. Experimental evaluation reveals that our framework can detect DDoS and ransomware with 100% accuracy (AUC = 1.0), and stealthier code modification (which is roughly a 5 μ s long attack) with an AUC ≈ 0.99, from distances up to 3 m. In addition, we execute control-flow hijack, DDoS, and ransomware on different applications using an A13-OLinuXino—a Cortex A8 ARM processor single board computer with Debian Linux OS. Furthermore, we evaluate the practicality and the robustness of our system on a medical CPS, implemented using two different devices (TS-7250 and A13-OLinuXino), while executing control-flow hijack attack. Our evaluations show that our framework can detect these attacks with perfect accuracy.
Why equating all evidence searches to systematic reviews defies their role in information seeking

All too often the quality and rigor of topic investigations is inaccurately conveyed to information professionals, resulting in a mischaracterization of the research, which, if left unchecked and published, may in turn mislead potential readers. Accurately understanding and categorizing the types of topic investigation searches that are requested of information professionals is critical to both meeting requestors’ needs and reflecting their intended methodological approaches. Information professionals’ expertise can be an invaluable resource to guide users through the investigative and publication process.
Beyond Reality: Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality in the Library

Some of the most exciting technologies in the current marketplace are those coming from 2D and 3D information visualization, especially augmented, virtual, and mixed reality. Augmented reality is a...
Syngap1 Dynamically Regulates the Fine-Scale Reorganization of Cortical Circuits in Response to Sensory Experience

Experience induces complex, neuron-specific changes in population activity within sensory cortex circuits. However, the mechanisms that enable neuron-specific changes within cortical populations remain unclear. To explore the idea that synapse strengthening is involved, we studied fine-scale cortical plasticity in Syngap1 mice, a neurodevelopmental disorder model useful for linking synapse biology to circuit functions. Repeated functional imaging of the same L2/3 somatosensory cortex neurons during single whisker experience revealed that Syngap1 selectively regulated the plasticity of a low-active, or silent, neuronal subpopulation. Syngap1 also regulated spike-timing-dependent synaptic potentiation and experience-mediated in vivo synapse bouton formation, but not synaptic depression or bouton elimination in L2/3. Adult re-expression of Syngap1 restored plasticity of silent neurons, demonstrating that this gene controls dynamic cellular processes required for population-specific changes to cortical circuits during experience. These findings suggest that abnormal experience-dependent redistribution of cortical population activity may contribute to the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders.
High-pressure and thermal-assisted pasteurization of habituated, wild-type, and pressure-stressed Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria innocua, and Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract Current study investigated decontamination efficacy of elevated hydrostatic pressure against wild-type, 72-h habituated, and pressure-stressed phenotypes of Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria innocua, and Staphylococcus aureus in milk and orange juice. Pressure intensity levels of 350 and 500 MPa were utilized at 4.4 °C and 60.0 °C for up to 7 min. Temperature was controlled using a stainless steel water jacket surrounding reaction chamber connected to a refrigerated circulating water bath. Results were statistically analyzed using ANOVA. While
Use of Bash History Novelty Detection for Identification of Similar Source Attack Generation

When a cyberattack occurs, tracking the attack back to an actual individual person can be problematic. Even identifying the workstation or device that it originated from does not necessarily identify the attacker, as the attacking device could, itself, be compromised. A system to determine whether activities that occur are from the same user or not facilitates forensic analysis as well as the detection of concurrent attacks from different devices by the same user. This paper proposes a system for identifying attackers based on behaviors expressed via their use of the Bash command line interface, the most common shell on Linux distributions. Prior systems were limited by issues such as requiring labeled user data which is difficult to acquire or not being specific enough to monitor individual persons. The approach proposed herein does not require labeled data and is specific enough to target individual users. The proposed system analyzes the level of variance between commands used and calculates an anomaly score for each given command. It uses these anomaly scores to compare Bash history sets together to identify if they were created by the same user.
Enhanced electro-osmosis in propylene carbonate salt solutions.

Properties of solid–liquid interfaces and surface charge characteristics mediate ionic and molecular transport through porous systems, affecting many processes such as separations. Herein, we report experiments designed to probe the electrochemical properties of solid–liquid interfaces using a model system of a single polyethylene terephthalate (PET) pore in contact with aqueous and propylene carbonate solutions of LiClO4. First, the existence and polarity of surface charges were inferred from current–voltage curves recorded when a pore was placed in contact with a LiClO4 concentration gradient. Second, the electro-osmotic transport of uncharged polystyrene particles through the PET pore provided information on the polarity and the magnitude of the pore walls’ zeta potential. Our experiments show that the PET pores become effectively positively charged when in contact with LiClO4 solutions in propylene carbonate, even though in aqueous LiClO4, the same pores are negatively charged. Additionally, the electro-osmotic velocity of the particles revealed a significantly higher magnitude of the positive zeta potential of the pores in propylene carbonate compared to the magnitude of the negative zeta potential in water. The presented methods of probing the properties of solid–liquid interfaces are expected to be applicable to a wide variety of solid and liquid systems.
The Torch is Passed: In-Chambers Opinions and the Reporter of Decisions in Historical Perspective

This invited contribution to Rapp’s In-Chambers Opinions, a four-volume set published by The Green Bag, traces the history of U.S. Supreme Court Reporters of Decisions from 1791 through the present date. (What, you ask, although the query is irrelevant to this article, is an in-chambers opinion? In-chambers opinions are written by a justice (usually the Justice assigned to the Circuit from which the case arises) to dispose of an application by a party for interim relief, e.g., for a stay, vacation of a stay, or temporary injunction.) In the beginning, when the Supreme Court first assembled in 1790, there was no one to report its decisions to practicing attorneys and lower-court judges. The earliest Reporters of Decisions, beginning with Alexander J. Dallas, were self-appointed entrepreneurs and patriots, many of them young lawyers making their way in a new nation. They went on to become cabinet officers, members of Congress, diplomats, and scholars. Their volumes were privately financed and bore their names. What we know today as 1 United States Reports, was called, in its time, 1 Dallas. The “nominative Reporters” (so-called until Congress assumed the expenses of publication in 1874), besides Dallas, were William Cranch, Henry Wheaton, Richard Peters, Jr., Benjamin C. Howard, Jeremiah S. Black, and John W. Wallace. They were followed by the “anonymous Reporters”: William T. Otto, J.C. Bancroft Davis, Charles Henry Butler, Ernest Knaebel, Walter Wyatt, Henry Putzel, Jr., Henry C. Lind, and the current incumbent, Frank D. Wagner. This is the Reporters’ story.
Linear stability analysis of two fluid columns of different densities and viscosities in a gravity field

The linear stability of a vertical interface separating two miscible fluid columns of different densities and viscosities under the influence of gravity is investigated. This flow possesses a time-dependent reference state (each column accelerates at different rates owing to their different densities) and the interface thickness grows as the square root of time (by diffusion). Numerical integration of the linear initial-value problem is carried out and discussed in detail as a function of vertical and spanwise wavenumbers and the flow parameters. Adjoint-based optimization is performed in order to determine initial conditions that lead to maximum growth of disturbances in finite time. Results indicate that the rate of growth of the perturbation energy at small wavenumbers (less affected by viscosity initially) is dominated by two-dimensional modes (no spanwise variation). Substantial transient growth is observed at higher wave modes initially, followed by asymptotic decay of the perturbations at large time. Sensitivity of perturbation growth with respect to initial time, density and viscosity ratios is investigated. This work is complementary to previous inviscid analysis of this configuration, which showed that the interface was unconditionally unstable at all wave modes, even in the presence of surface tension, and that instability grew as the exponential of time squared.
A Locally Optimized Data-Driven Tool to Predict Sepsis-Associated Vasopressor Use in the ICU.

OBJECTIVES To train a model to predict vasopressor use in ICU patients with sepsis and optimize external performance across hospital systems using domain adaptation, a transfer learning approach. DESIGN Observational cohort study. SETTING Two academic medical centers from January 2014 to June 2017. PATIENTS Data were analyzed from 14,512 patients (9,423 at the development site and 5,089 at the validation site) who were admitted to an ICU and met Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services definition of severe sepsis either before or during the ICU stay. Patients were excluded if they never developed sepsis, if the ICU length of stay was less than 8 hours or more than 20 days or if they developed shock up to the first 4 hours of ICU admission. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Forty retrospectively collected features from the electronic medical records of adult ICU patients at the development site (four hospitals) were used as inputs for a neural network Weibull-Cox survival model to derive a prediction tool for future need of vasopressors. Domain adaptation updated parameters to optimize model performance in the validation site (two hospitals), a different healthcare system over 2,000 miles away. The cohorts at both sites were randomly split into training and testing sets (80% and 20%, respectively). When applied to the test set in the development site, the model predicted vasopressor use 4-24 hours in advance with an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve, specificity, and positive predictive value ranging from 0.80 to 0.81, 56.2% to 61.8%, and 5.6% to 12.1%, respectively. Domain adaptation improved performance of the model to predict vasopressor use within 4 hours at the validation site (area under the receiver operator characteristic curve 0.81 [CI, 0.80-0.81] from 0.77 [CI, 0.76-0.77], p < 0.01; specificity 59.7% [CI, 58.9-62.5%] from 49.9% [CI, 49.5-50.7%], p < 0.01; positive predictive value 8.9% [CI, 8.5-9.4%] from 7.3 [7.1-7.4%], p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Domain adaptation improved performance of a model predicting sepsis-associated vasopressor use during external validation.
Ethics Consultation in U.S. Hospitals: Adherence to National Practice Standards.

Adherence to widely accepted practice standards is a frequently used measure of healthcare quality. In the U.S., the most widely recognized authoritative source of practice standards for ethics con...
Renal and Pancreas Transplantation in Diabetic Chronic Uremic Patients

Despite insulin therapy, diabetes remains a devastating disease, afflicting over five million people in the United States alone. The disease leads inexorably to one or more of the secondary complications, including renal failure, blindness, coronary and peripheral vascular occlusive disease. It is for this, and the numerous concomitant problems that are present in the 45% of diabetics who suffer from end stage renal disease, that the diabetic chronic uremic patient has been consigned to the care of the transplantologist.
Cold protected hearts extract oxygen from Fluosol-DA during cardiopulmonary bypass.

Cold cardioplegic solutions are used widely to help preserve the myocardium during the mandatory period of cardiac arrest required to perform most cardiac operations (Berger RL et al., 1981; Engelman RM et al., 1980; Conti VR et al., 1978). Providing the myocardium with oxygen during the elective ischemic period could prove beneficial. Adequate methods of providing oxygen have not readily been found. Cold oxygenated crystalloid cardioplegia (CP) and cold oxygenated blood CP have been used to deliver oxygen to the arrested heart. Engelman et al., (1980), reported higher levels of creatine phosphate in an isolated pig heart preparation after the use of oxygenated crystalloid cardioplegia solutions or oxygenated blood cardioplegia solutions as compared to an unoxygenated crystalloid solution. Bodenhamer et al., (1983), reported higher postperfusion levels of adenosine triphosphate, less myocardial water accumulation, as well as better functional preservation in dog hearts which received oxygenated crystalloid cardioplegia versus aerated crystalloid cardioplegia. The amount of oxygen that can be delivered to the myocardium by these methods is necessarily limited.
A Case-Based Reasoning Approach to Collaborative Filtering

Collaborative filtering systems make recommendations based on the accumulation of ratings by many users. The process has a case-based reasoning flavor: recommendations are generated by looking at the behavior of other users who are considered similar. However, the features associated with a user are semantically weak compared with those used by CBR systems. This research examines multi-dimensional or semantic ratings in which a system gets information about the reason behind a preference. Experiments show that metrics in which the semantic meaning of each rating is taken into account have markedly superior performance than simpler techniques.
A Tribute to Professor Walter Shepherd Owen ‐ One of the Pioneers in the Field of Martensitic Transformation

This manuscript is a tribute to Professor Walter Shepherd Owen, e, from two of his former students. Professor Owen died on October 10, 2007 in Boston, MA. He was 87. The world lost an internationally recognized scientist, an accomplished academic, an effective administrator, a great communicator, a prolific researcher and a pioneer in the field of physical metallurgy. To both of us he was a beloved friend and mentor. From his early days at Liverpool University to his retirement from MIT, he was an inspired research worker, a dedicated adviser and guide, a distinguished international scientist, and an effective University planner and administrator. The present manuscript provides a brief biography of Professor Owen and an overview of his main contributions to metallurgy and particularly the field of martensitic transformation, to which he contributed greatly over nearly half a century. 1. A SHORT BIOGRAPHY Professor Owen was born and grew up in post-World War One Liverpool in West Derby. While his father provided Professor Owen with the Welsh blood and the family name, his mother instilled in him strong intellectual skills and deep socialist beliefs. Upon completing the elementary and high-school education, he enrolled in the Metallurgy Department at the University of Liverpool from where he graduated with a First Class Honors B. Eng degree in 1940. Although the Second World War interrupted his academic career he was still able to use his skills in the research laboratories at the English Electric Company and was able to earn his M. Eng degree from the University of Liverpool in 1942.
Transvaginal neobladder vaginal fistula repair after radical cystectomy with orthotopic urinary diversion in women

Aim We present the surgical management and outcomes of patients who underwent transvaginal neo-bladder vaginal fistula (NBVF) repair at our institution. Methods Between 2002 and 2012, eight patients underwent transvaginal NBVF repair. The surgical management entailed placing a Foley catheter into the fistula tract. A circumferential incision was made around the fistula tract after which a plane between the serosa of the neobladder and the vaginal epithelium was created. Interrupted polyglycolic acid sutures were used to close the fistula. An additional layer of vaginal wall, Martius, or omental flap was interposed before vaginal wall closure. A urethral catheter was placed for a minimum of 14 days and removed after a negative cystogram and pelvic exam with retrograde neobladder filling without leakage. Results All patients presented with a fistula following radical cystectomy with orthotopic ileal neobladder. Two patients had failed two prior transvaginal fistula repairs. A unilateral Martius flap was used in five patients and an omental flap was used in one patient. The surgery was successful in all patients. After a mean follow up of 33 months [4–117], five patients underwent or are waiting to undergo management of stress urinary incontinence with bulking agents. No patient had a recurrent fistula. Conclusions Management of NBVF is challenging but cure is possible using a transvaginal approach. Most patients will suffer from incontinence after the repair because of a short and incompetent urethra. Patients should be counseled about the high probability of requiring a secondary procedure to achieve continence. Neurourol. Urodynam. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Glycohemoglobin Results in Samples with Hemoglobin C or S Trait: A Comparison of Four Test Systems

A wide variety of commercial methods are available to measure glycohemoglobin (gHb). These methods measure various species of gHb, e.g., total gHb, hemoglobin A1 (Hb A1), or Hb A1c. Some methods are based on charge differences between glycated and nonglycated hemoglobins (e.g., cation-exchange chromatography, electrophoresis, and isoelectric focusing), whereas boronate affinity methods depend upon the binding of the sugar groups on the hemoglobin molecule (1). Immunoassay of Hb A1c depends on the presence of an epitope that includes glucose and N-terminal amino acids of the β chain of hemoglobin. These methods usually measure Hb A1c as a percentage of total hemoglobin. Some immunoassay methods also measure Hb S1c or Hb C1c, whereas others do not (2). The National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program (NGSP) was established to certify the various commercial methods so that they can be related to the candidate reference method used in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) (3)(4). Recently, the effects of Hb AC and Hb AS on one gHb immunoassay method were assessed (5). Samples containing Hb C trait showed modestly higher results than the HPLC method used. Although hemoglobin variants are relatively rare in Caucasians of northern European descent, the African-American population has an 8% prevalence of Hb AS and a 3% prevalence of Hb AC (6)(7). In this study, we describe the influence of Hb AS and Hb AC on four DCCT-traceable gHb methods. A total of 129 samples were collected in evacuated tubes containing EDTA as an anticoagulant. Samples with hemoglobin variants were identified by comparison of retention times on the Diamat system (Bio-Rad Clinical Laboratories) to known retention times for Hb S and Hb C. Of the 129 samples collected, 47 were homozygous for Hb A, 39 were …
Memory performance in relation to age, verbal ability, and activity

Young and old adults completed a vocabulary test, the Activities Frequency Inventory (AFI), the Activity Preference Scale (APS), and memory tests that sampled six domains of everyday memory. The young adults' memory performance was significantly higher than the old adults'. Memory was better for the high-APS young than for the low-APS young and for the high-AFI old than for the low-AFI old. However, the age gap in memory performance was not closed when a subsample of active elderly was compared with a subsample of inactive young. Also, in regression analyses, neither activity measure added significantly to the vocabulary measure in predicting memory performance for either age group.
A case study in bio-inspired engineering design: defense applications of exoskeletal sensors

As part of a bio-inspired design process, the authors examine exoskeletal sensors found in insects and their potential application to armor and hardened buildings. In this way, the outer hardening of a structure or vehicle would not limit the ability of occupants to arrive at an actionable picture of the outer environment. To this end, various sensor modalities employed by insects are compared and contrasted with their current human-engineered equivalents. In several sensing modalities, biosensors perform better, are smaller, and more energy efficient than human-engineered equivalents. They note that biological designs tend to employ non-linear response to signal amplitude and respond with heightened sensitivity over a greater dynamic range of signals than human-engineered sensors. The insect biological sensors have structural and mechanical innovations that preserve the protective capacity of the exoskeleton.
Robust control of dynamically interacting systems

Dynamic interaction with the environment is fundamental to the process of manipulation. This paper describes an approach to the design of ‘interaction controllers’ and contrasts this with an approa...
A meta-analysis of the relationship of child sexual abuse to adult psychological adjustment

This paper reports on meta-analyses of the relations of child sexual abuse to adult psychological adjustment. Results indicated statistically significant relationships between the experience of child sexual abuse and subsequent difficulties in psychological adjustment as measured by psychological symptomatology, depression, and self-esteem. Significant heterogeneity occurred across studies using a variety of different subject populations, research designs, and assessment methods. Some explanation of the effect size variance was partially accounted for by certain identified study characteristics, most notable in regard to sample source used in the included studies. Student samples consistently generated smaller, more homogeneous effect size estimates than did community or clinical samples. This indicates that abused subjects drawn from student samples may experience fewer impairments in psychological adjustment, when compared to abused subjects drawn from community or clinical samples. The implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Measurements of protein stability by H/D exchange and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry using picomoles of material.

Recently, we reported on a new H/D exchange- and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-based technique, termed SUPREX, that can be used to measure the thermodynamic stability of a protein (Ghaemmaghami, S.; Fitzgerald, M. C.; Oas, T. G. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2000, 97, 8296-8301). In the work described here, we report on our efforts to optimize the sensitivity of SUPREX analyses. We describe a new sample handling protocol for SUPREX that involves the use of batch chromatography methods with reversed-phase chromatographic media for the microconcentration and desalting of SUPREX samples. Using ribonuclease A as a model protein system, we demonstrate that our new protocol permits the SUPREX analysis of as little as 10 pmol of protein. This amount of protein is 100-fold less than the amount of material required in our initial SUPREX protocol, and it is 1-2 orders of magnitude less than the amount of material required in conventional spectroscopy-based methods for measuring the thermodynamic stability of a protein.
Lsc activity is controlled by oligomerization and regulates integrin adhesion.

Lsc is a hematopoietic-restricted protein that functions as an effector of Gα12/13-associated G-protein coupled receptors that activates RhoA. In the absence of Lsc leukocytes exhibit impaired migration and B lymphocytes inefficiently resolve integrin-mediated adhesion. Here, we demonstrate that Lsc exists physiologically in primary B lymphocytes as a large molecular weight complex resembling a homo-tetramer. Interfering with the assembly of this large molecular weight Lsc oligomer results in the activation of both Lsc functional activities and leads to cell rounding and inhibition of integrin-mediated adhesion. During cell migration on integrin ligands we find Lsc localizes predominantly toward the rear of migrating cells where we suggest it activates RhoA to resolve integin-mediated adhesion. Together these data demonstrate that Lsc regulates integrin-mediated adhesive events at the trailing edge of migrating cells.
Methadone dose increase and abstinence reinforcement for treatment of continued heroin use during methadone maintenance.

Background Although methadone maintenance is an effective therapy for heroin dependence, some patients continue to use heroin and may benefit from therapeutic modifications. This study evaluated a behavioral intervention, a pharmacological intervention, and a combination of both interventions. Methods Throughout the study all patients received daily methadone hydrochloride maintenance (initially 50 mg/d orally) and weekly counseling. Following baseline treatment patients who continued to use heroin were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 interventions: (1) contingent vouchers for opiate-negative urine specimens (n=29 patients); (2) methadone hydrochloride dose increase to 70 mg/d (n=31 patients); (3) combined contingent vouchers and methadone dose increase (n=32 patients); and (4) neither intervention (comparison standard; n=28 patients). Methadone dose increases were double blind. Vouchers had monetary value and were exchangeable for goods and services. Groups not receiving contingent vouchers received matching vouchers independent of urine test results. Primary outcome measure was opiate-negative urine specimens (thrice weekly urinalysis). Results Contingent vouchers and a methadone dose increase each significantly increased the percentage of opiate-negative urine specimens during intervention. Contingent vouchers, with or without a methadone dose increase, increased the duration of sustained abstinence as assessed by urine screenings. Methadone dose increase, with or without contingent vouchers, reduced self-reported frequency of use and self-reported craving. Conclusions In patients enrolled in a methadone-maintainence program who continued to use heroin, abstinence reinforcement and a methadone dose increase were each effective in reducing use. When combined, they did not dramatically enhance each other's effects on any 1 outcome measure, but they did seem to have complementary benefits.
Adjoint estimation using direct transcription multipliers: compressed trapezoidal method

Direct transcription methods for the numerical solution of optimal control problems have the advantage that they do not require estimates of the adjoint variables. However, it is natural to want to use the discrete NLP multipliers to estimate the adjoint variables. It has been shown earlier in the literature for a large collection of numerical discretizations that order of the state and control variables found are generally independent of the implementation of the chosen discretization if no post processing is used to find the control. This is not always true for the adjoint estimation problem. The compressed trapezoidal discretization is used in some commercial codes. In this paper we show that the second order adjoint estimate result for the uncompressed trapezoidal method does not hold for the compressed trapezoidal method. We also show how to recover the lost order and carefully analyze convergence. Some related results are also discussed.
Neuroscience and simulation int erface for adaptive assessment in serious games

While advances in military relevant simulations provide potential for increasing assessment of Soldier readiness to Return-to-Duty (e.g., following a blast injury), little has been done to develop these simulations into adaptive virtual environments (AVE) for improved neurocognitive and psychophysiological assessment. Adaptive assessments offer the potential for dynamically adapting the difficulty level specific to the patient's knowledge or ability. We present an iteration of the Virtual Reality Cognitive Performance Test (VRCPAT) that proffers a framework for adapting scenarios in the Virtual Battlespace 2 (VBS2) game engine based upon the user's neurocognitive (task performance) and psychophysiological (e.g., heart rate, skin response, heart rate, and pupil diameter) states.
2011 AGU Workshop for Heads & Chairs

The AGU Board of Heads & Chairs of Departments of Earth and Space Sciences (H&C) held its annual workshop on Sunday, 4 December, at the 2011 Fall Meeting. The workshop included presentations on successful strategies for various aspects of the role of department head or chair, as well as time for small group discussions and networking among the group. There were nearly 60 participants, representing all stages of the chair life cycle, from seasoned veterans to those about to assume the role. Participants also represented a variety of institution types, both public and private, from 2-year colleges to research universities.
Abstract 129: AIP1 suppresses tumor metastasis by regulating tumor microenvironment and metastatic niche

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA AIP1 (also called DAB2IP, a new member of RAS-GAP family protein) is downregulated in a variety of human cancer tissues. We and others have recently reported that AIP1 functions as a tumor suppressor in prostate cancer models. However, the role of AIP1 in regulating tumor microenvironment and metastatic niche is not known. In the present study, we implanted tumor cells with the same genetic background into C57BL/6 wild type (WT) and AIP1-deficient (AIP1-KO) mice to address this question. In subcutaneous (SQ) allograft models using B16 melanoma and LLC Lewis lung carcinoma, tumor growth and metastasis to multiple organs including lymph node, lung, liver, spleen and bone marrow were significantly enhanced in AIP1-KO host, suggesting AIP1 in tumor microenvironment limits tumor metastases. However, a direct intravenously injection of tumor cells resulted in no differences in tumor metastasis between WT and AIP1-KO mice, indicating AIP1 in host regulates tumor metastasis at steps prior to extravasation to target tissues. We examined effects of AIP1 deletion on the induction of local inflammation, tumor cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), generation of metastatic routes (formation of new blood and lymphatic vessels) and establishment of pre-metastatic niche in distance tissues. SQ tumors in AIP1-KO host showed more profound increases in macrophage infiltration, tumor cell EMT, intratumoral angiogenesis and peri-tumoral lymphangiogenesis as well as lymphangiogenesis in lymph nodes prior to the detection of metastatic tumor cells. Finally, SQ tumor induced an establishment of pre-metastatic niche in lung as indicated by increased immunostaining for fibronectin and accumulation of VEGFR1, c-Kit and CXCR-positive cells which were augmented in AIP1-KO mice. Importantly, WT recipient with AIP1-KO bone marrow-derived cells showed similar phenotype to AIP1-KO mice in tumor growth and metastasis. Taken together, our data suggest that AIP1 functions as tumor metastasis suppressor by regulating tumor microenvironment, metastatic routes and pre-metastatic niche. Citation Format: Wang Min. AIP1 suppresses tumor metastasis by regulating tumor microenvironment and metastatic niche. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 129. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-129
Reconstruction of gene regulatory networks by stepwise multiple linear regression from time-series microarray data

Gene regulatory networks provide a powerful abstraction of the complex interactions among genes involved in functional pathways. Experimental determination of these interactions using a classical experimental method, although of extreme value, is laborious and prohibitive at large scales. Over the last decade, a number of computational approaches have been developed to infer gene regulatory networks from high-throughput experimental data. In this study, we introduce a new algorithm for regulatory network inference, based on stepwise multiple regression of time-series microarray data. Compared to other existing methods, our regression-based method provides a clear interpretation of the inferred interactions. The statistical significance associated with each prediction can be utilized to rank the interactions, which is important in prioritization of predictions for further experimental verification. We demonstrate the performance of our approach on a well-known yeast cell cycle pathway and show that it makes more accurate predictions than existing methods.