cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Culturally-Relevant Online Education Improves Health Workers' Capacity and Intent to Address Cancer.

To address a desire for timely, medically-accurate cancer education in rural Alaska, ten culturally-relevant online learning modules were developed, implemented, and evaluated with, and for, Alaska’s Community Health Aides/Practitioners (CHA/Ps). The project was guided by the framework of Community-Based Participatory Action Research, honored Indigenous Ways of Knowing, and was informed by Empowerment Theory. Each learner was invited to complete an end-of-module evaluation survey. The survey asked about changes in intent to share cancer information with patients as a result of the module. In 1 year, August 1, 2016–July 31, 2017, 459 surveys were completed by 79 CHA/Ps. CHA/Ps reported that, because of the modules, they felt more knowledgeable about cancer, and more comfortable, confident, and prepared to talk about cancer with their patients, families, and communities. All learners shared that because of the modules, they intended to talk with their patients more often about cancer screenings, tobacco cessation, physical activity, or nutrition. These findings suggest that the application of this collaboratively developed, culturally-relevant, health promotion intervention has supported increased CHA/P capacity and intent to interact with patients about cancer. In the words of a learner: “Doing all these courses makes me a ton times more comfortable in talking about cancer with anyone. I didn’t know too much about it at first but now I know a whole lot. Thank you”.
Neuropsychological Assessment and Intervention with Asian Americans

The relative lack of serious consideration of cultural variables as a relevant factor in neuro-psychology has led to a shortage of adequate knowledge and skills necessary for a viable cross-cultural neuropsychology (Ardila, 1995; Ardila, Rosselli, & Puente, 1994; Wong, Strickland, Fletcher-Janzen, Ardila, & Reynolds, Chapter 1, this volume). This has become even more apparent in recent years, as practitioners are being asked more frequently to evaluate patients who are of different ethnic, cultural, or language backgrounds than themselves, and are finding few resources to aid them. Clinical neuropsychologists, in particular, rely heavily on tests and procedures that are standardized and validated in order to reliably assess neuro-cognitive and neurobehavioral function, yet they find few such instruments available to evaluate the culturally dissimilar patient. However, assessment at some level must proceed. Though it is clear that, ultimately, more systematic research in cross-cultural neuropsychology is necessary (Ardila, 1995) as our society becomes more culturally and ethnically diverse, the immediacy of the clinical neuropsychologist’s need for increased understanding and direction in this domain becomes more acute.
“MY DEAR SIR”: HOLMES TO SIMMS ON THE PRESENT STATE OF LETTERS

The focus of this paper is the correspondence between George Frederick Holmes and William Gilmore Simms. These two outstanding individuals had one of the more memorable friendships and collaborations in the intellectual history of the South. Holmes was a literary journalist, critic, essayist, commentator, appraiser, analyst, moralist and reviewer whose output in these forms over a long career was prodigious. He was as an outstanding contributor to various journals and periodicals, some of which were edited by Simms and within which the southern intellectual discussion was to a large measure carried on. In 1844 Holmes submitted a series of letters to Simms who at the time was the editor of the "Southern Literary Messenger." Holmes wished to use his old friend's magazine in order to excoriate his age for its devotion to magazines and periodicals and to discourse at length on how these journals have a corruptive effect on literary standards and taste. In his guise as a literary critic Holmes is writing to an editor who is a great writer in his own right in order to stress upon their readership the importance of adhering to the highest standards of the literary tradition in the face of the rise and growth of popular literature.
Abstract 16868: Extent and Severity of Perfusion Metabolism Mismatch is Associated With Adverse Events in Patients Undergoing FDG-PET Imaging for Sarcoidosis

Introduction: Cardiac PET with FDG imaging has been found to have diagnostic and prognostic value in cardiac sarcoidosis. However, prior work has utilized a binary grading (both normal, one abnormal, both abnormal) of perfusion (Rb82) and metabolism (FDG) for prognostication. We evaluated the prognostic value of semiquantitative assessment of perfusion abnormality and FDG uptake. Methods: We identified 203 patients (age 52 +/- 11, 46% male, 60% Caucasian) who underwent FDG-PET for evaluation of cardiac sarcoidosis and were followed for events (death, cardiac arrest, aborted ventricular tachycardia or heart transplantation; mean follow-up 1.8 years). Both resting perfusion (Summed rest score[SRS]) and FDG uptake were scored on a 0-4 scale/17 segment model. The coefficient of variation (CoV), defined as the FDG uptake standard deviation divided by its mean, was calculated after obtaining standardized uptake values. The association between SRS, FDG uptake, and adverse cardiac events was evaluated using multivariable Cox modeling. Results: In all, 61 patients (30%) met the composite endpoint. Either a perfusion or metabolism defect on FDG-PET was found in 109 patients. After Cox model adjustment for a clinical score, a medication score, ejection fraction, and prior history of VT (stratified by ICD presence), neither binary grading for presence or absence of FDG and perfusion abnormalities, rest defect and FDG-uptake extent, nor SRS and FDG-uptake added incremental information. Only the SRS in segments with abnormal FDG uptake (hazard ratio[HR] 1.23, p=0.007) and the CoV (HR 1.05, p=0.04) were associated with adverse cardiac events and added incremental information (Figure 1). Conclusions: In patients who underwent FDG-PET imaging for evaluation of cardiac sarcoidosis, only the SRS of segments with abnormal FDG uptake and CoV were associated with adverse cardiac events after extensive risk adjustment.
Contemporary Trends in the Surgical Management of Nasal Septal Perforations: A Community Survey.

There currently exists an overabundance of publications advocating different septal perforation repair methods. The objective of this article was to examine the preponderance of techniques and trends in the surgical management of septal perforations in the practices of otolaryngologists, rhinologists, and facial plastic surgeons. The study was designed as a multicenter cross-sectional survey. The participants were members of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Rhinologic Society. Septal perforation closure rates and perforation repair approach, technique, and interposition graft material preferences were the main outcomes. A total of 320 respondents completed the survey, of whom 75% performed perforation repairs. The success rates in closing perforations 2 cm were 84%, 64%, and 31%, respectively. The respondents had a similar preference for the endoscopic (52%) and external rhinoplasty (49%) approaches, followed by the endonasal approach (43%). Bilateral intranasal mucosal advancement flaps (79%) and unilateral intranasal mucosal rotational or advancement flaps (60%) were the favored repair techniques. Most respondents (84%) incorporated an interposition graft and intranasal splints (89%) for the repair, and the most popular interposition graft material was acellular dermis (63%). The self-reported perforation closure success rates in this survey were lower than those published in the literature, a phenomenon possibly explained by the premise that surgeons with favorable outcomes are more apt to share their results. The preferred surgical approach was evenly distributed between the external rhinoplasty and endoscopic approaches and influenced by a surgeon's training, perforation size and location, and the need for concomitant rhinoplasty. This study is the first to characterize contemporary community trends in the surgical closure of septal perforations and demonstrates that while preference for perforation repair approach among the respondents varied, surgeons favored septal perforation repair using bilateral intranasal mucosal advancement flaps with an interposition graft.
Clinical outcome and CD4+ differentiation in anti-CTLA-4/radiation and anti-CTLA-4/steroid therapy.

3019 Background: Combination of anti-CTLA-4 and radiation therapy with or without steroids are common in the management of melanoma patients. However, their clinical results and effects on immunity...
Exchange saturation transfer and associated NMR techniques for studies of protein interactions involving high-molecular-weight systems

A brief overview of theoretical and experimental aspects of the Dark state Exchange Saturation Transfer (DEST) and lifetime line broadening ([Formula: see text]) NMR methodologies is presented from a physico-chemical perspective. We describe how the field-dependence of [Formula: see text] can be used for determining the exchange regime on the transverse spin relaxation time-scale. Some limitations of DEST/[Formula: see text] methodology in applications to molecular systems with intermediate molecular weights are discussed, and the means of overcoming these limitations via the use of closely related exchange NMR techniques is presented. Finally, several applications of DEST/[Formula: see text] methodology are described from a methodological viewpoint, with an emphasis on providing examples of how kinetic and relaxation parameters of exchange can be reliably extracted from the experimental data in each particular case.
Association of Limiting Opioid Prescriptions With Use of Opioids After Corneal Surgery

Importance Opioids, which carry a high risk for addiction and overdose, are commonly prescribed after corneal surgery. Data are lacking describing opioid prescribing practices and opioid needs by patients after ophthalmic surgery. Objectives To quantify opioid use and to assess the association of decreasing the number of opioid tablets prescribed after corneal surgery with postsurgical use. Design, Setting, and Participants This prospective cohort study investigated opioid use after corneal surgery using direct interviews of 2 adult patient cohorts separated by an updated opioid prescribing guideline. The first cohort survey assessed the quantity of opioid tablets used after surgery. The cornea division of a tertiary care academic medical center reviewed the use needs and decreased the number of tablets prescribed after routine cases. Simultaneously, a statewide opioid monitoring program began that provided patients with opioid information. A second unique cohort received a more detailed survey to assess use, opioid disposal, and pain control. Data for the first cohort were collected from December 1, 2017, through January 19, 2018; for the second cohort, from June 1 to September 15, 2018. Data were analyzed from October 24, 2018, through September 24, 2019. Exposure Corneal surgery. Main Outcomes and Measures Differences in use of opioid tablets used by both patient cohorts, assessed using the 2-samplettest. Results Of 112 eligible, contacted patients, 82 consented to participate (42 men [51%]; mean [SD] age, 42.5 [17.8] years) and were included in the analysis; 38 of 42 participated in the first cohort and 44 of 70 participated in the second cohort. Of those receiving opioid prescriptions, the first cohort was prescribed significantly more tablets than the second cohort (mean [SD], 18.8 [4.2] vs 6.6 [3.1]; difference, 12.2 [95% CI, 10.4-14.0];P Conclusions and Relevance After an assessment of opioid needs, physicians prescribed fewer opioid pills. However, patients who underwent cornea surgery and received fewer tablets continued to have adequate pain control and used even fewer tablets compared with the initial cohort. Patients with unused opioid tablets did not dispose of them properly.
STASH : Fast Hierarchical Aggregation Queries for Effective Visual Spatiotemporal Explorations

The proliferation of sensors and observational instruments enable scientists to explore natural, spatiotemporal phenomena via explorative analysis and advanced modeling. Geospatial visualization, in particular, is an intuitive tool to identify patterns, enhance understanding of the data, and plan for subsequent analysis. However, seamless interactions between end-user devices and the sheer volume of data have been a challenge due to the limited bandwidth and data access latencies.In this paper, we introduce Stash, a distributed, in-memory cache for hierarchical aggregation and query evaluations. Stash is a middleware which can be loaded on top of a distributed file system. Users perform queries from a lightweight visualization interface at the front-end and the evaluations occur over the back-end storage system housing the raw data over which summarization and subsequent visualizations are to be performed. Stash facilitates fast exploratory analytics by caching relevant past query results based on their frequency and freshness to assist similar, future queries and avoid expensive disk I/O and network usage, thus reducing their latency. Additionally, Stash handles any hotspot that might result from a spike in user requests due to the spatial and temporal locality of their access patterns.Our empirical benchmarks show that a Stash-enabled system reduces query latency of a basic system by over 5-folds and brings it down to interactive speed even for large country-sized spatiotemporal queries. We have contrasted Stash with existing cache-enabled analytics engines, such as ElasticSearch, and found that our STASH-enabled system reduced the aggregation query latency up to ~70%. STASH also alleviated skewed workloads through its dynamic replication scheme and improved throughput by ~40% in hotspot scenarios.
Engaging the Practitioner: “But Wait, That’s Not All!”—Collaborations with Practitioners and Extending the Reasons You Started Doing Research in the First Place

For many researchers and practitioners, working individually versus working as part of teams is a voluntary act. Although the broader social and cultural context is shifting in ways more amenable to team science approaches (Stokols et al. Am J Prev Med 35:S96–115, 2008), the nature of the research environment is still that there is still an inherent element of individual decision-making and individual choice in whether and how one involves oneself in team science. Given this, encouraging researchers to become involved in team science approaches will require not only selling its value for the field (a point made in several of the other chapters in this book) but also making clear why team science can be tremendously advantageous for the individual researcher or practitioner. This chapter provides a framework for thinking about motivations for individuals to engage in team science and ways in which researchers interested in team science collaborations can move forward with developing collaborations in ways that satisfy those motivations.
Overcoming Melphalan Resistance By Targeting Crucial DNA Repair Pathways in Multiple Myeloma

High dose melphalan (MEL) and autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) is the standard of care in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM). Resistance to MEL has been linked to increased DNA repair. Here we sought to identify which DNA repair pathways lead to MEL resistance. As inhibitors of the single strand DNA repair enzyme PARP1 are clinically available, we first examined whether PARP1 gene expression affected clinical outcomes. In a dataset of 414 patients treated with tandem ASCT, high PARP1 expression lead to reduced survival compared to patients with low expression (42.7 months vs. median not reached, p=0.003). We therefore tested in vitro the cytotoxicity of PARPi with veliparib (VEL), olaparib (OLA) or niraparib (NIRA) in RPMI8226 and U266 MM cell lines as well as their MEL resistance counterparts, RPMI8226-LR5 (LR5) and U266-LR6 (LR6). At physiologic doses PARPi alone was not cytotoxic. However, the MEL IC50 in RPMI8226 cells decreased from 27.8 to 23.1, 22.5 and 18.0 µM with the addition of VEL, OLA and NIRA respectively. Similarly, MEL IC50 decreased in U266 cells from 6.2 to 3.2, 3.3 and 3.0 µM. However, in LR5 and LR6 cells, PARPi did not completely reverse MEL resistance. We confirmed this in a NOD/SCID/gamma null xenograft mouse model with either MEL sensitive (RPMI8226) or resistant (LR5) MM. Treatment with a MEL-VEL combination prolonged survival in RPMI8226 mice compared to MEL alone (107 vs. 67.5 days, p=0.0009), but not in LR5 mice (41 vs. 39 days, p=0.09). Next we tested whether the double strand DNA repair mechanisms, homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), cause MEL resistance which is not overcome by PARPi. Using an HR assay, LR6 cells had 4.5 fold higher HR ability than parent U226 cells (p = 0.05) showing this to be a possible mechanism of resistance. However, LR5 cells had equivalent HR ability to parent RPMI8226 cells. We therefore hypothesized that NHEJ may be a mediator of MEL resistance in LR5 cells. As DNA-PK is integral to NHEJ and may be a therapeutic target, we treated LR5 cells with the DNA-PK inhibitor NU7026 in combination with MEL. Although NU7026 alone at 2.5 µM had no cytotoxicity, in combination it completely reversed resistance to MEL resulting in a lower IC50 than even parent RPMI8226 cells (46.4 vs. 14.4 µM). Based on our findings, we hypothesized that combined expression of the HR gene BRCA1, the NHEJ gene DNA-PK, and PARP1 may predict survival in patients undergoing ASCT. Using the same clinical dataset, we found that overexpression of 0 (n=101), 1-2 (n=287), or all 3 genes (n=26) strongly predicted median survival (undefined vs. 57.8 vs. 14.8 months, p Here we demonstrated that MEL resistance is not completely reversed by PARPi, while it may be overcome by targeting HR and NHEJ pathways. In addition, we observed that a 3 gene analysis pre-ASCT may help predict patients that are inherently resistant or sensitive to high dose MEL.
Cultural Considerations for Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders Part I: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Prevalence

Schizophrenia is a severe psychotic disorder that is characterized by one or more psychotic symptoms in five different symptom domains (hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thought, disorganized behavior, and negative symptoms). Schizophrenia is one of the leading causes of disability in the USA due to the marked functional impairment in psychological, medical, and financial domains. Research over the past two decades has begun to focus on cultural factors in assessment and treatment of schizophrenia. With so much new knowledge emerging, there is an unmet need to review this research for behavioral healthcare providers. Such a review will fill this gap and provide clinicians and researchers with an accessible resource that will inform their practice and research. In this chapter, we begin with a review of the most up-to-date prevalence information, taking into consideration differences in geographic location, age, gender, and ethnic or racial background, in order to help providers draw conclusions about their local base rates considering various cultural factors. We then provide an overview of psychotic symptoms and conclude with a discussion of the DSM-5 Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorder diagnostic criteria. Throughout, we address how cultural factors can be considered by behavioral health specialists in the differential diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
The visual representation of dual language education

Despite well documented benefits of dual language (DL) programs which deliver educational content in two languages, there are still few DL programs in the United States. As such, there is a need to...
The Effect of Simulation Wars on EM Residents' Global Rating Scales and In-Training Examination Scores.

Purpose The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) restricted the duty hours for residents training in 2004. With less time to learn medicine, residents may not develop the clinical reasoning skills needed. Simulation can provide a remedy for this lack of time by allowing residents to practice skills and develop clinical reasoning in a simulated environment. Simulation Wars (SimWars), a clinical reasoning simulation has been shown to improve clinical reasoning skills. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of Simulation Wars on In-Training Examination (ITE) Scores and Global Rating Scale (GRS) Scores in Emergency Medicine (EM) residents. Methods The Quasi-Experimental design was used in this retrospective study. The main comparison was between historical controls, the residents who did not participate in the Simulation Wars, and the intervention group comprised of residents who participated in the SimWars. Results A total of 127 residents were participants in this study including 70 from the intervention and 57 from the historical control group. There were no significant differences found in GRS scores between both groups except for Communication and Professionalism (p<0.001). No overall improvement in ITE scores for the control group and for the intervention group was found. Furthermore, within the intervention group, while comparing those residents who participated in certain subcategories of SimWars and those who did not, there was a significant improvement in ITE scores in the subcategories of Thoracic Disorders, Abdominal/Gastrointestinal, Trauma Disorders and OBGyn. Conclusion SimWars in the subcategories of Abdominal/Gastrointestinal, Thoracic, OBGyn and Trauma were found to be associated with improved ITE scores in those subcategories. Since Emergency Medicine utilizes extensive clinical reasoning skills, SimWars may provide better educational opportunities for EM residents.
Response persistence: the effects of stimulus control on negatively reinforced problem behavior in a concurrent operant.

In the context of instructional demands, compliance and problem behavior can be considered concurrent operants. Of applied interest is increasing one response (i.e., compliance) while decreasing the other (i.e., problem behavior). Strategic arrangement of reinforcement can alter response allocation accordingly. Such schedules can also influence response persistence and generalization. A case study is used to illustrate the effects of stimulus–reinforcer relations in a concurrent-operants arrangement involving an adult with developmental disabilities and problem behavior. Results are discussed in the context of basic operant research findings in the areas of stimulus control and behavioral persistence.
Low-wage Work Conditions and Mother–Infant Interaction Quality Across the Transition to Parenthood

The present investigation examined the relationship between workplace conditions and mother–infant interaction quality among 65 low-wage, employed mothers. It was hypothesized that the demanding work conditions that new mothers encountered when they returned to paid employment after birth would interfere with parenting quality via increases in maternal depression and anxiety, and that positive work conditions would enhance parenting. Partial support was found for these hypotheses. Mothers who reported greater autonomy at work were less distressed and, in turn, more responsive with their babies. In contrast, workplace urgency—when predictive of increased depression and anxiety—had a deleterious effect on future parenting quality. Contrary to hypotheses, supervisor support did not moderate the negative effects of workplace demands on mothers’ distress or parenting. Results indicate that the conditions of low-wage employment have a meaningful effect on mothers’ mental health and capacity to engage in sensitive parenting during the transition to parenthood.
Taking Administrative Law to Tax

Not too long ago, an academic symposium on Taking Administrative Law to Tax would have been just that -- academic. For decades, the tax law sat comfortably isolated from administrative law doctrines that governed other areas of law. Courts frequently applied tax-specific deference standards to IRS guidance, and the tax bar was largely indifferent to the Treasury's many violations of the Administrative Procedure Act. But all that changed when the Supreme Court rejected tax exceptionalism in Mayo v. United States. As the articles in this Symposium show, the Court’s decision has brought great attention to the intersection between tax and administrative law, and this increased attention will have significant consequences for tax administration. This foreword weaves together and discusses the highlights of the articles in a short, easily digestible format, and it will get the reader up to speed on Mayo's potential impact on tax law.
Homology as an Adversarial Attack Indicator

In this paper we show how classical topological information can be automated with machine learning to lessen the threat of an adversarial attack. This paper is a proof of concept which lays the groundwork for future research in this area.
George Bernard Dantzig: The Pioneer of Linear Optimization

George Dantzig introduced the world to the power of optimization, creating trillions of dollars of value and saving countless years of life across the globe. In this laudation, John Birge describes the fascinating life and incredible accomplishments of a scholar whose footprints led the way to almost everything the global economy produces.
Molecular mechanism of Arp2/3 complex inhibition by Arpin

Positive feedback loops involving signaling and actin assembly factors mediate the formation and remodeling of branched actin networks in processes ranging from cell and organelle motility to mechanosensation. The Arp2/3 complex inhibitor Arpin controls the directional persistence of cell migration by interrupting a feedback loop involving Rac-WAVE-Arp2/3 complex, but Arpins mechanism of inhibition is unknown. Here, we describe the cryo-EM structure of Arpin bound to Arp2/3 complex at 3.24-A resolution. Unexpectedly, Arpin binds Arp2/3 complex similarly to WASP-family nucleation-promoting factors (NPFs) that activate the complex. However, whereas NPFs bind to two sites on Arp2/3 complex, on Arp2-ArpC1 and Arp3, Arpin only binds to the site on Arp3. Like NPFs, Arpin has a C-helix that binds at the barbed end of Arp3. Mutagenesis studies in vitro and in cells reveal how sequence differences within this helix define the molecular basis for inhibition by Arpin vs. activation by NPFs.
Social and Behavioral Impacts of COVID-19 on People Living with HIV: Review of the First Year of Research.

Purpose of the review The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic brought unprecedented social change with the most severe impacts on the most vulnerable populations, including people living with HIV (PLWH). This review examined findings from empirical studies of social and behavioral impacts of COVID-19 on PLWH in the first year of the pandemic. Recent findings Impacts of COVID-19 on PLWH fit within an HIV syndemics framework, with overlapping COVID-19 and HIV comorbid conditions concerning mental health and structural inequality. Early impacts of COVID-19 on social isolation, emotional distress, stigma, and substance use varied across studies with few consistent patterns. Structural inequalities, particularly impacts on food security and housing stability, were observed more consistently and globally. COVID-19 intersects with HIV infection along with multiple interlocking comorbidities that are best characterized and understood within a syndemics framework.
Urogynecologic conditions: interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome.

Abstract Interstitial cystitis, also known as painful bladder syndrome, is a debilitating condition. The diagnosis is difficult and often is one of exclusion. Cystoscopy is the best way to confirm the diagnosis, but treatment can be initiated based on symptoms alone. Most patients benefit from an array of different drugs, including pentosan polysulfate, amitriptyline, hydroxyzine, and cimetidine. These treatments must be tailored for each patient. If oral drugs are ineffective, intravesical therapy can be attempted with dimethyl sulfoxide, heparin, or an anesthetic therapeutic combination containing lidocaine. Fulguration typically is performed if Hunner ulcers are found on cystoscopy. Hydrodistention, sacral neuromodulation, and intradetrusor onabotulinumtoxinA are sometimes useful.
ELASTIC INTERACTION OF A CRACK WITH MICROCRACKS

ABSTRACT Elastic interactions of a crack with an array of microcracks located near the tip and imitating “damage” is analyzed. The stress field and the effective stress intensity factor are considered based on the double layer potential technique (known also as representation of cracks by dislocations) and polynomial conservation theorem. Two examples are given: (1) one microcrack on continuation of the crack line (stress “amplification”) and (2) two microcracks parallel to the main crack and located at certain distance from the crack line; in this case, both stress “amplification” and stress “shielding” are possible depending on the microcrack's location.
Asymptotic Behavior of Difference Equations

In Chapters 4 and 5 we were mainly interested in stability questions. In other words, we wanted to know whether solutions of a difference equation converge to zero or to an equilibrium point. In asymptotic theory, we are concerned rather with obtaining asymptotic formulae for the manner in which solutions tend to zero or a constant. We begin this chapter by introducing the reader to the tools of the trade.
Creating an Online Tutorial and Pathfinder

Mr. Hook explores the educational potential of Web-based tutorials and pathfinders. He discusses how the multimedia environment can effectively reach a broad range of learner types, explaining how the disciplines of information architecture and information visualization can contribute to designing a successful tutorial and pathfinder.
Teleoperation of multi-agent systems with nonuniform control input delays

Consensus and coordination of multiple teleoperated agents has been a control topic of growing interest over the last decade due, in part, to its many potential applications and related complex challenges. One of these challenges is to guarantee stability and motion coordination in the presence of inherent communication and input delays as well as system nonlinearities in the multi-agent system. Addressing this challenge herein, we report on a model reference robust control framework that guarantees stability, motion coordination, and formation control of N output strictly passive, nonlinear Lagrangian systems with arbitrarily large, nonuniform control input delays. The control framework is comprised of a reference model coupled to the nonlinear systems via the use of N modified scattering transformation blocks. It is shown that the overall control architecture is stable for any large constant delay, robust to system uncertainties, and that the control parameters are delay-independent. A numerical example with four nonlinear planar manipulators and another example with six ground vehicles are finally presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed controller.
Performances of impulse train modulated ultra-wideband systems

This paper analyzes the performances of three impulse train modulated ultra-wideband (UWB) communications systems in an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. First, the mathematical models for describing biphase, pulse position and hybrid modulated ultra-wideband signals are developed and the decision rules for detecting them with only AWGN interference are proposed. Then, the exact formulae of the bit error probabilities of these UWB systems and their closed-form approximations are derived. Finally, the derived formulae are applied to optimize the modulation parameter of a Gaussian monocycle UWB impulse radio.
Chromosomal Speciation in Primates

What can differences in the arrangements of genes on the chromosomes of humans and chimps tell us about how we became a separate species? Plenty, according to Rieseberg and Livingstone in their Perspective, which discusses an exciting comparative study of human and chimp chromosomes (Barton and Navarro).
Triggers, bundles, protocols, and checklists–what every maternal care provider needs to know

The rise in maternal morbidity and mortality has resulted in national and international attention at optimally organizing systems and teams for pregnancy care. Given that maternal morbidity and mortality can occur unpredictably in any obstetric setting, specialists in general obstetrics and gynecology along with other primary maternal care providers should be integrally involved in efforts to improve the safety of obstetric care delivery. Quality improvement initiatives remain vital to meeting this goal. The evidence-based utilization of triggers, bundles, protocols, and checklists can aid in timely diagnosis and treatment to prevent or limit the severity of morbidity as well as facilitate interdisciplinary, patient-centered care. The purpose of this document is to summarize the pertinent elements from this forum to assist primary maternal care providers in their utilization and implementation of these safety tools.
Global Climate Change and Local Severe Weather Phenomena: Is There a Possible Synthesis Among These Apparent Antitheses?

A significant percentage of atmospheric threats for people and property are associated to severe weather events, e.g., to phenomena that occur at small scales (say a few kilometres) and in short amounts of time (say from a few minutes up to a few hours). For this reason adaptation policies would achieve relevant benefits from a circumstantial estimate of how frequency and intensity of these severe weather events might change in the future due to the global climate change. Even if state-of-the-art climate models, both global and regional, can supply precise information on how much and how fast global temperature and rain pattern might change due to climate variations, the same numerical models can not take into account directly small scale events. Nevertheless, the challenge of global change impacts on severe weather is not a lost battle, or at least a battle that is not worth to be fight, this because there are a few possible and complementary approaches, both based on climate models, that can be taken into account. Unfortunately, even the previous mentioned approaches would be correct, state-of-the-art climate models might still be not ready for this task because of their troubles in reproducing correctly the large scale quantities (the ingredients) necessary to infer the needed information on the future frequency and intensity of local severe weather events. Climate models, however, already have a lot of room to be improved with parametrizations (the so called “physics” of the models) that might better reproduce a wide variety of atmospheric behaviours. A lot of work has to be done, but the road is not yet closed, and does not seem, so far, that there are insurmountable walls at the horizon.
Using visual logic©: three different approaches in different courses - general education, CS0, and CS1

One of the main challenges students in introductory programming courses face is learning the syntax of a particular programming language, such as C++ or Java, while they simultaneously try to understand the fundamental logic of programming constructs. Visual Logic© (www.visuallogic.org) is an interactive, graphical, flowchart tool that can be used to address this challenge. In this paper, we present three different courses, developed independently at three different colleges, using Visual Logic with completely different approaches. The first course is a General Education CS course introducing algorithmic thinking. The second is a CS0 course which uses Visual Logic for six weeks and then transitions to Python. The third course is a CS1 course which uses Visual Logic as a tool to teach programming concepts and to brainstorm solutions. Visual Logic is not taught separately, but integrated with the various Java control structures. Once students gain an understanding of basic programming logic concepts, the transition to a programming language such as Python or Java, in the same course or the next course, is often much easier for them. Though these are different approaches in three different courses, using Visual Logic has shown an increase in the interest level of the students and enhanced their learning.
Variance in Egg Quality Measurement Data as Related to Sampling Frequency

Abstract SINCE the introduction of variance component analysis (Crump, 1946), investigations have been conducted in many fields to evaluate existing sampling procedures and study allocations of resources to provide the greatest precision in the sample estimates. Principal attention in poultry sciences has been given to sampling for production and general egg quality. This study was designed to determine the direct effects of various dietary treatments and housing arrangements on external and internal characteristics of eggs and to determine what sampling structure would be best for measuring these characteristics in future studies of this type. Evaluation of the effects of treatments was made in an analysis of variance and these results are presented elsewhere (Kurnick et al., 1960). This paper is directed at the study of sampling procedures used and the relative efficiency of using other sampling schemes in estimating these egg characteristics. PROCEDURE The information was obtained from data collected on …
The Mechanism of Action of β-d-2′-Deoxy-2′-Fluoro-2′-C-Methylcytidine Involves a Second Metabolic Pathway Leading to β-d-2′-Deoxy-2′-Fluoro-2′-C-Methyluridine 5′-Triphosphate, a Potent Inhibitor of the Hepatitis C Virus RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase

beta-D-2'-Deoxy-2'-fluoro-2'-C-methylcytidine (PSI-6130) is a potent inhibitor of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA replication in an HCV replicon assay. The 5'-triphosphate of PSI-6130 is a competitive inhibitor of the HCV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and acts as a nonobligate chain terminator. Recently, it has been shown that the metabolism of PSI-6130 also results in the formation of the 5'-triphosphate of the uridine congener, beta-D-2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-2'-C-methyluridine (PSI-6206; RO2433). Here we show that the formation of the 5'-triphosphate of RO2433 (RO2433-TP) requires the deamination of PSI-6130 monophosphate and that RO2433 monophosphate is subsequently phosphorylated to the corresponding di- and triphosphates by cellular UMP-CMP kinase and nucleoside diphosphate kinase, respectively. RO2433-TP is a potent inhibitor of the HCV RdRp; however, both enzymatic and cell-based assays show that PSI-6130 triphosphate is a more potent inhibitor of the HCV RdRp than RO2433-TP.
A unified theory of periodic and promotion effects in transition metal sulphide hydrodesulphurization catalysts

The dependence of the hydrodesulphurization (HDS) activity of monometallic transition metal sulphides for thiophenic species is an electronic effect: the quality of the active site determines the rate of the rate-limiting step in the HDS process. It is shown that the strength of the interaction between the metal d electrons and sulphur 3p electrons,I, correlates well with catalytic activity.I depends strongly on the oxidation state of the transition metal. The synergistic promotion effect in Co-Mo-S and Ni-Mo-S is explained in terms of electron transfer from Co(Ni) to Mo. This corresponds to the removal of σ metal-sulphur antibonding electrons from Co(Ni), greatly increasing their intrinsic catalytic activity. It follows that Co and Ni are the active elements in these mixed sulphides.
Residence time distributions in systems with internal reflux

Abstract A general method for calculating residence time distributions for systems with internal reflux is described. The method allows the derivation of the Laplace transform of any system composed of mixed vessels with both forward and backward flow between them. In particular, the properties of a linear cascade of mixed vessels with forward and backward flow between the vessels is discussed.
A reconnaissance of the boron isotopic composition of tourmaline

Abstract A preliminary investigation of the boron isotopic composition of tourmaline from some boron-rich associations has been made. The results for tourmaline from metasedimentary parageneses (n = 12) range from δ11B = −22 to +22 per mil. These data mainly fall between the boron isotopic compositions of normal marine sediments with δ11B = −2 to +5 per mil and seawater with δ11B = +39.5 per mil. Tourmaline samples from granitic pegmatites (n = 6), on the other hand, range from δ11B = −12 to −5 per mil. The data provide a rudimentary indication of the range of boron isotopic variation in tourmaline, some of the processes leading to this range, and some possible geochemical tracer applications.
Maximal activity of an erythroid-specific enhancer requires the presence of specific protein binding sites in linked promoters

High level expression of many eukaryotic genes is achieved through the action of distal regulatory sequences or enhancers. We have utilized the interaction between the erythroid-specific enhancer in hypersensitivity site 2 (HS2) of the human beta-globin locus control region and the globin gene promoters as a model to elucidate the mechanisms governing promoter/enhancer interactions. HS2 contains a 400-base pair core element consisting of tandem AP1/NF-E2 motifs flanked by binding sites for multiple ubiquitous and erythroid-specific factors. We have compared the enhancer activity of this core element with a synthetic enhancer lacking the factor binding sites flanking the AP1/NF-E2 motif (HS2(M)). In fetal/erythroid K562 cells, enhancement of a linked gamma-promoter was significantly greater with wild-type HS2 than with HS2(M). In contrast, the increase in beta-promoter activity in these cells was equivalent with either enhancer fragment. Truncation of the binding site for the fetal/erythroid-specific stage selector protein in the gamma-promoter abolished the additional enhancer activity of HS2. Similarly, insertion of the stage selector protein site into the beta-promoter boosted enhancer activity observed with HS2 but not HS2(M). In adult erythroid MEL cells, enhancement of a linked beta-promoter was significantly greater with HS2 than with HS2(M). This effect was dependent on the binding of the adult stage-specific factor, erythroid Kruppel-like factor, to the beta-promoter. Taken together, this data suggests that the stage-specific factors binding the proximal globin promoters and the factors flanking the AP1/NF-E2 motif of HS2 act in synergy.
Conference on planning the school of the future: A summary

Many forces converged on America's schools four short years ago to create what is now commonly referred to as the classroom computer revolution. Perhaps the most important force was public opinion. On a personal level, parents turned to schools for some assurance that their youngsters would have the necessary computer skills to be employable in an increasingly high-technology economy. In a more general, but no less potent sense, the nation was turning to its schools at a time of perceived difficulty. In this case, Americans felt they were losing a race for global economic supremacy to Japan and other nations. On at least these levels, then, the educational computer revolution was a grassroots phenomenon. It has posed challenges and opportunities for educators. It has forced a healthy debate on what America's public schools should be doing for children, what they must do to meet future challenges, and how technology can be harnessed to fulfill educational goals. In summarizing the conference, "Planning the School of the Future", two major undercurrents apply: The public gave educators a mandate to embark on a bold new path in which technology, often poorly understood by both parents and educators, will play a central role. But that same public probably had no intention of permitting educators to use the microcomputer to radically alter traditional school arrangements and relationships. Simply stated, conferees came to grips with one of the more difficult paradoxes posed by the microcomputer: Education experts are now offering exciting visions of the "classroom of the future", but those visions may be too sweeping for the public to accept. The question of what the school of the future will look like may well turn out to be an issue about the culture of the school and the culture of
Abrasive wear mechanisms and the grit size effect

Abstract The classical cutting model for abrasive wear deviates from reality in that it cannot predict the effect of grit size on wear and that the observed wear rates are at least an order of magnitude smaller than the predicted values. Through experimental and theoretical work it is shown in this paper that the grit size effect is a consequence of the transition from a cutting mechanism to a sliding wear mechanism. The wear coefficient is shown to be less than that predicted by a cutting model owing to the plastic deformation of the surface being worn.
Investigation of low tryptophan induced cataract in weanling rats.

Abstract Cataracts were induced in young rats by feeding a semi-purified diet containing l -amino acids as the primary source of nitrogen and a quantity of tryptophan sufficient only to allow slight but constant weight gain. Tryptophan was thereby isolated as the sole limiting nutrient without accompanying general malnutrition. After three or seven weeks, low-tryptophan intake retarded lens growth by 20–40% but concentration and distribution of lens proteins were comparable to pair-fed or ad libitum-fed controls. Between the seventh and ninth week 80% of the low tryptophan-fed animals developed cataract concurrent with a 33% increase in lens wet weight, a 22% increase in insoluble protein, and a disappearance of the B H -crystallins. The data suggest that this cataract may not be a consequence of diminished crystallin synthesis as has been previously proposed.
Nonlinear multigrid methods of optimization in Bayesian tomographic image reconstruction

Bayesian estimation of transmission tomographic images presents formidable optimization tasks. Numerical solutions of this problem are limited in speed of convergence by the number of iterations required for the propagation of information across the grid. Edge-preserving prior models for tomographic images inject a nonlinear element into the Bayesian cost function, which limits the effectiveness of algorithms such as conjugate gradient, intended for linear problems. In this paper, we apply nonlinear multigrid optimization to Bayesian reconstruction of a two-dimensional function from integral projections. At each resolution, we apply Gauss-Seidel type iterations, which optimize locally with respect to individual pixel values. If the cost function is differentiable, the algorithm speeds convergence; if it is nonconvex and/or nondifferentiable, multigrid can yield improved estimates.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.