cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Keratoacanthoma-Like Growths of Incontinentia Pigmenti Successfully Treated with Intralesional Methotrexate

We report the case of a 17-year-old girl with incontinentia pigmenti who developed multiple large hyperkeratotic tumors within Blaschkoid hyperpigmented patches on her left leg. Biopsy demonstrated an endoexophytic nodule with irregular invaginations of keratinizing squamous epithelium and a central keratin-filled crater, consistent with keratoacanthoma-like lesions of incontinentia pigmenti. The tumors were successfully treated with intralesional methotrexate.
Mechanotransduction Effects on Endothelial Cell Proliferation via CD31 and VEGFR2: Implications for Immunomagnetic Separation.

Immunomagnetic separation is used to isolate circulating endothelial cells (ECs) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) for diagnostics and tissue engineering. However, potentially detrimental changes in cell properties have been observed post-separation. Here, we studied the effect of mechanical force, which is naturally applied during immunomagnetic separation, on proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), kinase insert domain-positive receptor (KDR) cells, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Cells were exposed to CD31 or Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 (VEGFR2) targeted MACSi beads at varying bead to cell ratios and compared to free antibody and unconjugated beads. A vertical magnetic gradient was applied to static 2D cultures, and a magnetic cell sorter was used to analyze cells in dynamic flow. No significant difference in EC proliferation was observed for controls or VEGFR2-targeting beads, whereas CD31-conjugated beads increased proliferation in a dose dependent manner in static 2-D cultures. This effect occurred in the absence of magnetic field, but was more pronounced with magnetic force. After flow sorting, similar increases in proliferation were seen for CD31 targeting beads. Thus, the effects of targeting antibody and magnetic force applied should be considered when designing immunomagnetic separation protocols for ECs.
Position, Orientation and Velocity Detection of Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) Using an Optical Detector Array

This paper presents a proof-of-concept optical detector array sensor system to be used in Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) navigation. The performance of the developed optical detector array was evaluated for its capability to estimate the position, orientation and forward velocity of UUVs with respect to a light source fixed in underwater. The evaluations were conducted through Monte Carlo simulations and empirical tests under a variety of motion configurations. Monte Carlo simulations also evaluated the system total propagated uncertainty (TPU) by taking into account variations in the water column turbidity, temperature and hardware noise that may degrade the system performance. Empirical tests were conducted to estimate UUV position and velocity during its navigation to a light beacon. Monte Carlo simulation and empirical results support the use of the detector array system for optics based position feedback for UUV positioning applications.
Population Pharmacokinetics of Fosdagrocorat (PF-04171327), a Dissociated Glucocorticoid Receptor Agonist, in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Dissociated agonists of the glucocorticoid receptor (DAGRs) show similar antiinflammatory effects but improved tolerability compared with standard glucocorticoid receptor (GR) agonists. The prodrug fosdagrocorat (PF-04171327), with active DAGR metabolite PF-00251802 (Metabolite-1), is postulated to show superior efficacy over placebo and prednisone in patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We investigated the population pharmacokinetics of active Metabolite-1 and its active metabolite PF-04015475 (Metabolite-2) in patients with moderate to severe RA enrolled in a 12-week, phase II, randomized, double-blind study (NCT01393639). A simultaneous fit of a two-compartment model for Metabolite-1 and a one-compartment model for Metabolite-2 provided an adequate fit to the data. Significant covariates included weight, with an additional female effect on clearance of Metabolite-1 (∼26%) and Metabolite-2 (∼33%) compared with males. Age influenced clearance of Metabolite-1. In combination, age, weight, and sex predicted >twofold differences in area under the concentration-time curve of Metabolite-1 at the extremes.
The shape of density dependence in fragmented landscapes explains an inverse buffer effect in a migratory songbird.

It is well known that forest fragmentation reduces fecundity in several avian species, including wood thrush, Hylocichla mustelina, a migratory songbird that has been declining for several decades. However, I found that landscape-scale density in wood thrush was lower and population declines steeper in higher quality, less-fragmented landscapes (an inverse buffer effect) than in poor quality landscapes. These patterns suggest that wood thrush was not limited by availability of breeding habitat but that declines were primarily driven by non-breeding season events. A two-season model predicts that if this hypothesis is correct, breeding population trends will be negatively related to the strength of density dependence (b’) in the breeding season. To test this, a site-dependence model was used to construct fecundity-density curves and showed that landscape fragmentation affected the shape of density dependence. In good quality landscapes, the onset of strong density dependence was much more abrupt than in poorer quality landscapes and the realized strength of density dependence, b’, was lower in good quality landscapes. Population trends were negatively associated with b’, providing support for the non-breeding limitation hypothesis. The combination of the negative associations of trends with b’ and b’ with landscape quality explain the inverse buffer effect.
US Counterpoint to Chapter 20

Chapter 20 provides a brief overview of two very different types of implants used in the venous system; namely, inferior vena cava (IVC) filters and stents. Remarkably, there are still no guidelines regarding the proper indications for use, choice of device, or follow-up protocols, especially for IVC filters. The authors offer their own unique views, and it is for the reader to decide whether enough scientific proof is given in evidence to justify adoption of the concepts presented therein. For many types of implanted medical devices discussed in this book, there were many patient support groups, telephone hotlines, websites, and so on, available as resources for those interested in additional information. We know of no such sources, other than device manufacturers and the US Food and Drug Administration, covering caval filters and stents at present.
Adaptive behavior in infants and toddlers with Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome.

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) experience deficits across all domains of adaptive functioning, however little is known about the emergence and age-related changes of these impairments compared to other neurogenetic disorders with similar intellectual disability impairments, such as fragile X syndrome (FXS). Adaptive behavior is key for optimal functioning in these populations. Participants aged 5-45 months comprised three age-matched groups, DS (n = 64), FXS (n = 69), and typically developing controls (TD; n = 69). Adaptive behavior was measured on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II. Regressions were used to examine adaptive behavior in a cross-sectional design across age. DS infants and toddlers evidenced deficits across all areas of adaptive behaviors compared to the age-matched TD group, with clear impairments present in the first year of life. Motor skills were the area of greatest weakness in children with DS with significant impairment evident at 12 months of age that remained low through 3 years. Compared to age-matched children with FXS, children with DS showed initially lower standard scores at 12 months of age, but slower declines in standard scores across age, resulting in less impaired functioning at 36 months. This is the first study to compare adaptive behavior in infants and toddlers with DS to FXS, and demonstrate the phenotypic specificity of adaptive profiles in this diagnostic group. These findings provide evidence that adaptive behavior should be a major target of intervention in children with FXS and DS, and that these differences are potentially driven by unique etiologies attributable to each disorder.
“Of Hagar’s Offspring”: Leah’s possible Christianity in The Merchant of Venice

Perhaps an overlooked “missing mother” in Shakespeare’s work is Leah, the deceased wife of Shylock and mother of Jessica in Merchant of Venice. The only mention of her in the text comes when Jessic...
Comparing the Recovery of Indicator Microorganisms from Beef Trimmings Using Swabbing, Rinsing, and Grinding Methodologies

Different bacterial sampling methods that are destructive or nondestructive in nature have been developed to evaluate the microbial quality of meat and determine if it fulfills criteria for distribution to the public. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of swabbing, rinsing, and grinding as sampling methodologies for recovery of indicator microorganisms on beef trimmings. A total of fifteen samples (n = 15) of beef trimmings were collected using the N60 trim sampling technique adopted by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Each of the 15 samples were divided into 3 parts, with each part assigned to a methodology (swabbing, rinsing, or grinding), and subjected to multiple sequential sampling for a total of three times. A comparison was made between the first sampling and the total bacteria recovered by each methodology. For total aerobic counts (TAC) obtained by the rinse and the grinding methodology, the first sampling as well as the total resulted in aerobic bacteria counts that were not significantly different (P > 0.05); however, swabbing yielded counts that were significantly lower (P 0.05). Linear models showed strong relationships, with a coefficient of determination (r2) of 0.81 (swabbing vs. grinding), 0.67 (swabbing vs. rinsing), and 0.70 (rinsing vs. grinding). Although the sampling methodologies investigated are reliable to determine true bacterial counts of tested samples, consistency and uniformity of sampling is required for the proper interpretation of the acquired results.
Module structures on Hochschild and cyclic cohomology of crossed products

In his foundational work of noncommuatative differential geometry [3] Alain Connes introduced a notion of cyclic theory for cyclic objects in an abelian category. He also introduced a paring theory between cyclic cohomology and K-theory. It turns out that from its invention noncommutative differential geometry plays a key role in the interactions among analysis, dynamics, topology, and geometry. Calculating cyclic cohomology of appropriate algebras will then be a crucial step in realizing these interactions.
Psychological and Psychiatric Consequences of Cocaine

Systematic observations of abuse and abstinence patterns that refine conceptualizations of street cocaine abuse and dependence are rare and, unfortunately, practical and ethical design restrictions on systematic inpatient research render clinical generalization from such studies negligible. Thus, a significant proportion of the clinical research base and clinical consensus is gleaned from experiences with heterogeneous “street” samples.
Histone Acetylation Inhibits RSC and Stabilizes the +1 Nucleosome.

Summary The +1 nucleosome of yeast genes, within which reside transcription start sites, is characterized by histone acetylation, by the displacement of an H2A-H2B dimer, and by a persistent association with the RSC chromatin-remodeling complex. Here we demonstrate the interrelationship of these characteristics and the conversion of a nucleosome to the +1 state in vitro. Contrary to expectation, acetylation performs an inhibitory role, preventing the removal of a nucleosome by RSC. Inhibition is due to both enhanced RSC-histone interaction and diminished histone-chaperone interaction. Acetylation does not prevent all RSC activity, because stably bound RSC removes an H2A-H2B dimer on a timescale of seconds in an irreversible manner.
A novel technique for in situ uniaxial tests of self-assembled soft biomaterials

We introduce a novel method to form 3D biomimetic tissues from a droplet of a cell–extracellular matrix (ECM) mixture on a sensor stage and to quantify tissue force and stiffness as a function of time under optical microscopes. This method exploits advances in micro–nano fabrication and capillarity for self-assembly and self-alignment of tissues on the stage. It allows simultaneous investigation of the microstructure of the tissue in situ while its mechanical response is quantified, thus linking tissue biophysics with physiology and revealing structural–functional properties of 3D tissues. We demonstrate the functionality of the stage by studying the mechanical behavior of different cell–collagen mixtures under mechanical, chemical and electrical stimulation. This includes force evolution in cell-free collagen during curing, myotubes differentiated from muscle cell–collagen/Matrigel ECM subjected to electrical stimulation, and fibroblast–collagen tissue subjected to cancer cell conditioned media (CM) and a Rho-kinase inhibitor, Y27632. Muscle contraction decreases with increasing frequency of electrical stimulation, and fibroblasts respond to CM by increasing contractility for a short time and completely relax in the presence of Y27632 but restore force with Y27632 washout.
Secondary Analysis Research.

In secondary data analysis (SDA) studies, investigators use data collected by other researchers to address different questions. Like primary data researchers, SDA investigators must be knowledgeable about their research area to identify datasets that are a good fit for an SDA. Several sources of datasets may be useful for SDA, and examples of some of these will be discussed. Advanced practice providers must be aware of possible advantages, such as economic savings, the ability to examine clinically significant research questions in large datasets that may have been collected over time (longitudinal data), generating new hypotheses or clarifying research questions, and avoiding overburdening sensitive populations or investigating sensitive areas. When reading an SDA report, the reader should be able to determine that the authors identified the limitation or disadvantages of their research. For example, a primary dataset cannot "fit" an SDA researcher's study exactly, SDAs are inherently limited by the inability to definitively examine causality given their retrospective nature, and data may be too old to address current issues.
Sound, structure and meaning: The bases of prominence ratings in English, French and Spanish

Abstract This study tests the influence of acoustic cues and non-acoustic contextual factors on listeners’ perception of prominence in three languages whose prominence systems differ in the phonological patterning of prominence and in the association of prominence with information structure—English, French and Spanish. Native speakers of each language performed an auditory rating task to mark prominent words in samples of conversational speech under two instructions: with prominence defined in terms of acoustic or meaning-related criteria. Logistic regression models tested the role of task instruction, acoustic cues and non-acoustic contextual factors in predicting binary prominence ratings of individual listeners. In all three languages we find similar effects of prosodic phrase structure and acoustic cues (F0, intensity, phone-rate) on prominence ratings, and differences in the effect of word frequency and instruction. In English, where phrasal prominence is used to convey meaning related to information structure, acoustic and meaning criteria converge on very similar prominence ratings. In French and Spanish, where prominence plays a lesser role in signaling information structure, phrasal prominence is perceived more narrowly on structural and acoustic grounds. Prominence ratings from untrained listeners correspond with ToBI pitch accent labels for each language. Distinctions in ToBI pitch accent status (nuclear, prenuclear, unaccented) are reflected in empirical and model-predicted prominence ratings. In addition, words with a ToBI pitch accent type that is typically associated with contrastive focus are more likely to be rated as prominent in Spanish and English, but no such effect is found for French. These findings are discussed in relation to probabilistic models of prominence production and perception.
Percutaneous minimally invasive thermal ablation for management of osseous metastases: recent advances

AbstractMinimally invasive percutaneous thermal ablation of osseous metastases has proved safe and effective in management of selected patients with bone metastatic disease. These procedures have b...
Connecting the molecular function of microRNAs to cell differentiation dynamics

MicroRNAs form a class of short, non-coding RNA molecules which are essential for proper development in tissue-based plants and animals. To help explain their role in gene regulation, a number of mathematical and computational studies have demonstrated the potential canalizing effects of microRNAs. However, such studies have typically focused on the effects of microRNAs on only one or a few target genes. Consequently, it remains unclear how these small-scale effects add up to the experimentally observed developmental outcomes resulting from microRNA perturbation at the whole-genome level. To answer this question, we built a general computational model of cell differentiation to study the effect of microRNAs in genome-scale gene regulatory networks. Our experiments show that in large gene regulatory networks, microRNAs can control differentiation time without significantly changing steady-state gene expression profiles. This temporal regulatory role cannot be naturally replicated using protein-based transcription factors alone. While several microRNAs have been shown to regulate differentiation time in vivo, our findings provide a new explanation of how the cumulative molecular actions of individual microRNAs influence genome-scale cellular dynamics. Taken together, these results may help explain why tissue-based organisms exclusively depend on miRNA-mediated regulation, while their more primitive counterparts do not.
“Tense” and “lax” in four minority languages of China

The terms “tense” and “lax” have been applied to a number of different distinctions between vowel sets depending on the language(s) being discussed. Linguists working on south-east Asian languages have used these terms to discuss phonological contrasts whose main component we can show to be one of phonation type. Aerodynamic and acoustic data were collected on four languages spoken in south-western China—Jingpho, Hani, Yi and Wa. Vowel quality and duration and some properties of adjacent consonants were involved in the distinction in some of these languages, but not in a consistent way. However, oral airflow is greater for “lax” vowels, particularly when considered in relation to the subglottal pressure (inferred from measurements of the oral pressure in voiceless bilabial stops preceding the vowel). Also the fundamental has greater amplitude relative to the second harmonic in “lax” vowels than in “tense” vowels. The agreement between these two measures confirms that the contrast is one of the phonation type. The historical and descriptive significance of the results is discussed, and an alternative to the tense/lax terminology proposed.
Anthropometric measures of body fat and obesity-related cancer risk: sex-specific differences in Framingham Offspring Study adults

Background/objective Obesity has been associated with the risk of developing certain cancers. A limited number of studies have examined effects of various anthropometric measures of body composition on cancer risk. The aim of this study was to estimate the sex-specific effects of various anthropometric measures on risk of obesity-related cancers (ObCa). Subjects/methods Data on body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and hip circumference (HC) among 3818 45-69-year olds in the Framingham Offspring Study were included. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate adjusted risks of 16 obesity-related cancers, with the most common being postmenopausal breast, endometrial, and colon cancers. Results Obesity as measured by BMI in both men and women was a predictor of ObCa; those in the highest quintile (Q5) of BMI (>30.07 in women; >30.80 kg/m2 in men) had more than twice the risk of ObCa (HR = 2.07; 95% CI: 1.06-4.07 (women) and HR = 2.25; 95% CI: 1.08-4.69 (men)). Waist-related measures (WC, WHtR) were stronger predictors of ObCa in men than in women, and HC confounded the relations between waist size and cancer risk. After adjusting for HC, men in Q5 of WC had more than a threefold increased risk of ObCa (HR: = 3.22; 95% CI: 1.39-7.45). Comparable effects in women were weak and non-statistically significant. Results were similar for WHtR. Finally, an inverse J-shaped relation was found between HC and ObCa after adjusting for WC among men but not in women. Conclusions These results suggest that obesity as measured by BMI is a predictor of obesity-related cancer risk in men and women. They also suggest that waist and hip circumference measures are interrelated and confound the independent effects of each measure. Among men, a large waist size and a small hip size are independent predictors of cancer risk.
Routine preoperative endoscopy in patients undergoing bariatric surgery

Abstract Background The role of routine preoperative endoscopy before primary weight loss surgery remains controversial. Objective We reviewed our experience to determine the frequency of abnormal findings in patients undergoing routine preoperative endoscopy before bariatric surgery. Setting A tertiary level, academic-affiliated bariatric surgery practice. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed between July 2014 and June 2016 of patients undergoing routine preoperative endoscopy before primary bariatric surgery. Variables evaluated included preendoscopy symptoms, planned bariatric surgical procedure, abnormal findings on endoscopy, and changes in planned bariatric surgical procedure after endoscopy. Results A total of 631 patients met inclusion criteria. Of patients, 72% (457) were female. The median age was 44 (interquartile range 36–55). The median body mass index was 46 (interquartile range 42–51). Most patients had no preendoscopy clinical symptoms (61.3%). The most frequent abnormal findings included esophagitis (26.5%), hiatal hernia (27.1%), gastric ulcer (4.9%), and biopsy-proven Barrett’s esophagus (4.6%). Although patients with preoperative symptoms were more likely to have abnormal findings on endoscopy, there were no significant differences in rates of Barrett’s esophagus in patients with (5.3%) or without (4.1%) symptoms. Of the total cohort, 18.4% had a change in their planned operation after endoscopy results. Conclusion The findings in our large series suggest selective screening in symptomatic patients only may lead to failure of discovery of foregut pathology that should prompt consideration for changes in the planned bariatric surgical procedure. Further study is necessary to see if our findings have broad applicability.
Supporting Student Success in Computing Courses Through Personalized Peer Advice

Rapid growth of enrollment has rendered students' academic success in computing courses increasingly important. Given the value of having insight from a peer's point of view, advice from students who have taken such courses will greatly help their peers better prepare for, and be academically successful in, those courses. We present a novel personalized peer advice recommender system called myCCAdvice (my-Computing-Course-Advice), which provides individual students with personalized peer advice on new computing courses. myCCAdvice finds students similar to a given student via multi-criteria rating-based collaborative filtering, using grades and perceived difficulty of the courses' concept and coding components as course ratings. For a given course, myCCAdvice then predicts the given student's personalized grade and perceived difficulty of concept and coding, and suggests personalized textual peer advice for the given student to succeed.
Word length negatively predicts recognition memory performance

We examined how word length affects performance in three recognition memory experiments to resolve discrepant results in the literature for which there are theoretical implications. Shorter and longer words were equated on frequency, orthographic similarity, age of acquisition, and imageability. In Experiments 1 and 2, orthographic length (i.e., the number of letters in a word) was negatively related to hits minus false alarms. In Experiment 3, recognition performance did not differ between one- and two-syllable words that were equated on orthographic length. These results are compatible with single-process item-noise models that represent orthography in terms of features and in which memory representation strength is a product of the probabilities that the individual features have been stored. Longer words are associated with noisier representations than shorter words.
Identifying metabolic features and engineering targets for productivity improvement in CHO cells by integrated transcriptomics and genome-scale metabolic model

Abstract In this study, we presented an integrated systems biology approach to elucidate the key characteristics of cellular metabolism in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells producing monoclonal antibodies (mAb). The cellular metabolism in high and low producers under batch conditions was interrogated dynamically both within and among cells. First, transcriptomics analysis was used to study the time-course change in the metabolic pathway within cells that was correlated with mAb productivity increase. Second, differentially regulated pathways between high and low producers were sought at each growth phase. Several up-regulated pathways were identified in the high producer at the late growth phase, including citrate cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and pentose phosphate pathway. These activities were further analyzed by intracellular flux distributions estimated through a genome-scale CHO model. Our results revealed that these key pathways are identified to be characteristics of high mAb production, not only for the high-producing cell line but also a dynamic phenomenon in mAb-producing cell cultures. This study showed that the approach of integrating transcriptomics and flux analysis leads to a better understanding of cellular metabolism related to mAb productivity. In turn, this allows for the identification of metabolic bottlenecks and potential engineering targets for cell line development and process optimization.
Hybrid passive polarimetric imager and lidar combination for material classification

We investigate the augmentation of active imaging with passive polarimetric imaging for material classification. Experiments are conducted to obtain a multimodal dataset of lidar reflectivity and polarimetric thermal self-emission measurements against a diverse set of material types. Using the assumption that active lidar imaging can provide high-resolution three-dimensional spatial information, a known surface orientation is utilized to enable higher fidelity classification. Machine learning is applied to the dataset of monostatic lidar unidirectional reflectivity and passive longwave infrared degree of linear polarization features for material classification. The hybrid sensor technique can classify materials with 91.1% accuracy even with measurement noise resulting in a signal-to-noise ratio of only 6 dB. The application of the proposed technique is applicable for the classification of hidden objects or could assist existing spatial-based object classification.
Reproductive and hormonal factors and the risk for osteoporosis

Abstract Reproductive hormonal characteristics are a primary influence on the acquisition and maintenance of peak bone mass such that events associated with the reproductive life span and procreation have profound effects on subsequent risk for osteoporosis and fractures. A longer duration of menstruation, either from earlier menarche or later menopause, and the use of estrogen-containing hormonal contraception appear to increase bone mineral density and may reduce fracture risk. Pregnancy and lactation increase bone turnover and decrease bone density, but the effect is subsequently reversed with recovery of density and possible reduction in long-term fracture risk. Conditions that induce amenorrhea or early menopause, and nonestrogen-containing hormonal contraceptives such as depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, are associated with decreased bone density and possibly increased fracture risk. Mechanisms mediating these known or suggested effects are incompletely characterized.
Implementation of an Electronic Travel Navigator to Enable "Identify-Isolate-Inform" for Emerging Infectious Diseases

Background: Travel screening can facilitate the identification of patients at risk for emerging infectious diseases, such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). A travel navigator with associated decision support through a best practice advisory (BPA) was implemented in an electronic health record to build upon the CDC identify-isolate-inform framework. Compliance with documentation of travel history, symptom screening when appropriate, and isolation of suspect MERS patients were assessed. Methods: Adult and pediatric emergency department encounters at the Massachusetts General Hospital, a 1,035-bed, tertiary-care, academic health center in Boston, Massachusetts, from August 2018 to October 2019, were included. We categorized an encounter as adherent to initial travel screening if providers answered foreign, domestic, or no travel to the screen. Encounters were defined as nonadherent if they were recorded as unknown or if an answer was not selected. Adherence to completion of data entry for the subgroup of patients with documented foreign travel was further assessed for region- and country-level specification, completion of symptom screen, and response to the MERS BPA (Fig. 1). Results: In total, 127,866 encounters were included, of which 105,593 (83%) were adherent to initial travel screening. Among 4,498 encounters with documented foreign travel, 2,970 (66%) specified the region of travel, and 710 (16%) selected a country of travel from the listing. Moreover, 214 encounters had documented travel to the Middle East. Selection of Middle East or 1 of the 13 countries identified by the CDC as at risk for MERS triggered symptom screening for fever and cough, which was performed in 139 encounters (65%). Of these, 95 encounters documented absence of fever and cough, 15 documented fever and cough, 12 documented a cough alone, and 17 documented a fever alone through reporting or obtaining vitals. The MERS BPA was triggered in 37 encounters; 10 patients were ordered for isolation using the BPA. Of these, 4 patients met CDC criteria for a MERS patient under investigation and were tested; all were negative. Conclusions: Initial screening to document foreign travel is completed at a high rate; however, use of the travel navigator to specify region and country, key components necessary to prompt clinicians for symptom screening, are documented in a minority of encounters. Future interventions are needed to improve region and country capture and appropriate symptom screening, with isolation when appropriate. Funding: None Disclosures: None
Ambiguous Credentials: How Learners Use and Make Sense of Massively Open Online Courses

Researchers have investigated the demography and styles of engagement of those who enroll in MOOCs but have lent little attention to how learners navigate MOOCs’ ambiguity as academic certification...
The Political Economy of Integration: The Experience of Mercosur

Introduction, Chapter 1: Understanding Integration: The European Model and a South American Case, Chapter 2: A Long-Standing Dream: Historical Experience With Integration In Latin America Chapter 3: The Launching Of Mercosur, Chapter 4: Mercosur's Day In The Sun: Ambition Meets Its Match, Chapter 5: Mercosur in Slow-Motion Crisis, Chapter 6: The Future of Mercosur and the Challenges of Economic Integration in the Developing World.
PARENTAL COMMITMENT TO COMPETITIVE SWIMMING

This research explores the process of parental commitment to sport participation of children. A survey of 464 USA Swimming households showed commitment increased with the number of child swimmers and the belief that swimming enhances child development. However, higher SES and greater commitment to swimming resulted in greater perceived interference of swimming with family life. Results are interpreted in terms of family habitus -interrelated cultural and structural factors associated with the expression of parental commitment.
Lamina-specific expression and activity-dependent regulation of seven GABAA receptor subunit mRNAs in monkey visual cortex

Seven monkey-specific GABAA receptor subunit cDNAs were isolated and cloned; radioactive cDNA and cRNA probes derived from them were used for Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization histochemistry of the primary visual cortex (area 17), with comparative observations on other cortical areas. cDNAs corresponding to alpha 1, alpha 2, alpha 4, alpha 5, beta 1, beta 2, and gamma 2 GABAA receptor subunits were isolated and had sequences unique to the monkey but recognized mRNAs of distinct molecular weights consistent with those reported in other species. mRNAs for the alpha 1, beta 2, and gamma 2 subunits were expressed at much higher levels in area 17 than in motor, somatosensory, or temporal association cortex, possibly reflecting the greater density of GABA cells and synapses in area 17. In areas 17 and 18, each of the seven subunit mRNAs showed individually distinct patterns of laminar distribution. alpha 1, beta 2, and gamma 2 subunit mRNAs, which are thought to form the basis of receptors with the full range of classical GABAA receptor properties in the adult, were particularly enriched in layers II-III, IVC, and VI of area 17, following patterns of receptor distribution previously demonstrated by radioligand binding and immunocytochemistry. alpha 2, alpha 4, alpha 5, and beta 1 transcripts had quite different localization patterns that did not match the antoradiographic or immunocytochemical receptor localization patterns. alpha 2 and alpha 5 subunit mRNAs, which are thought to be the subunits mainly expressed in development, were enriched in layer VI and the underlying white matter, possibly reflecting the involvement of receptors formed from alpha 2 and alpha 5 polypeptides in trophic interactions in the cortical subplate zone during development of the cerebral cortex. Following 8–21 d periods of monocular deprivation induced by intravitreal injection of TTX, levels of alpha 1, beta 2, and gamma 2 subunit mRNAs were substantially reduced in deprived ocular dominance columns of layer IVC in area 17. The effect was greatest for the alpha 1 subunit; for both alpha 1 and gamma 2 subunit mRNAs, it extended into deprived rows of cytochrome oxidase-identified periodicities in other layers. Apart from the alpha 5 subunit mRNA, which showed reduced levels in layer VI, the other subunit mRNAs were unaffected by monocular deprivation. These results demonstrate the heterogeneity of GABAA receptor subunit expression in a complex, multilaminar cortical area. They suggest that receptors with different functional properties may be assembled from different combinations of subunit polypeptides in different layers and show that subunit expression is differentially regulated under activity-dependent conditions.
Versican is a critical extracellular matrix protein in lung and brain during embryonic development in the mouse (1046.9)

Versican, a chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan and a component of the extracellular matrix, is associated with fatal cardiac malformations if absent during embryonic development and is increased with...
Fenómenos de poder en la pareja y en la familia

Frente a una ambigua utilizacion de los terminos para designar el poder en la psicologia del sistema familiar, se haceuna revision critica de los mas utilizados, asi' como de las teorias subyacentes, en la-literatura reciente, analizando sus significados y limites. Por ello se identifican variables, se sugieren algunas no estudiadas y se propone una ordenacion esquematica que integre todos ellas y pueda ser un instrumento para posteriores investigaciones experimentales.
Separation and Determination of Ephedrine Enantiomers and Synephrine by High Performance Capillary Electrophoresis in Dietary Supplements

The chiral separation of ephedrine alkaloids by high performance capillary electrophoresis is of great interest since the enantiomers exhibit quantitative and qualitative differences in pharmacological activity. The isomers of (−)-ephedrine, (+)-pseudoephedrine, (−)-N-methylephedrine, (+)-N-methylpseudoephedrine, (+)-norpseudoephedrine and (−)-norephedrine are the major bioactive components of E. sinica (Ma-Huang) which is a Chinese herb used for weight loss and as an energy booster in the US. However, the compounds stereoisomers are not present in the plant material. The electrophoretic separation was performed using a 110 cm × 50 μm I.D. (101.5 cm effective length) fused silica capillary. The samples were injected by pressure for 5 s at 50 mbar and the running voltage was 30 kV at the injector end of the capillary. Within 23 min, nine ephedrine compounds and synephrine were separated at 210 nm. The method was successively applied to the determination of the ephedrine compounds in dietary supplement products. Parameters affecting the resolution between (+) and (−)-enantiomers, such as pH, cyclodextrin concentration, temperature, organic modifier, buffer concentration and capillary dimensions were reported.
A rate-based overload control method for the radio channel in PCN

A method for overload control for the radio channel in personal communication networks (PCN) is presented. The method is used together with a priority-based scheduling technique. During congestion control periods the method enforces a source rate reduction to avoid sudden degradations in the quality-of-service (QoS). The control is activated when the aggregate rate crosses a predefined threshold that identifies congestion. A performance analysis (based on the construction of a two-dimensional Markov chain) is developed to optimize the system parameter values. The analysis shows that the method reduces the loss probability while attaining high channel utilization. In our approach, we consider a cellular environment where each cell consists of one base station and a number of mobile stations.
Hot-carrier induced instability of 0.5 mu m CMOS devices patterned using synchrotron X-ray lithography

The device characteristics and the radiation damage of n-channel and p-channel MOSFETs patterned using synchrotron X-ray lithography are examined. The effect of radiation damage caused by X-ray lithography on the device reliability during hot electron injection is investigated. Large amounts of positive oxide charge, neutral traps, and acceptor-like interface states are created by X-ray irradiation during the lithography process. Although several annealing steps are performed throughout the entire fabrication process, the radiation damage, particularly neutron traps, is not completely annealed out. The hot-electron-induced instability in p-channel MOSFETs is significantly increased due to the enhanced electron trapping in the oxide by residual traps. The effect of radiation on hot-electron-induced instability is found to be more severe in n/sup +/-poly buried-channel n-MOSFETs than in p/sup +/-poly surface-channel p-MOSFETs. However, the degradation in n-channel MOSFETs due to channel hot carriers is not significantly increased by X-ray lithography since the n-channel MOSFETs hot-carrier-induced degradation is dominated by interface state generation instead of electron trapping. These results suggest that p-channel MOSFETs, in addition to n-channel MOSFETs, need to be carefully examined in terms of hot-carrier-induced instability in CMOS VLSI circuits patterned using X-ray lithography. >
Sonar automatic target recognition for underwater UXO remediation

Automatic target recognition (ATR) for unexploded ordnance (UXO) detection and classification using sonar data of opportunity from open oceans survey sites is an open research area. The goal here is to develop ATR spanning real-aperture and synthetic aperture sonar imagery. The classical paradigm of anomaly detection in images breaks down in cluttered and noisy environments. In this work we present an upgraded and ultimately more robust approach to object detection and classification in image sensor data. In this approach, object detection is performed using an in-situ weighted highlight-shadow detector; features are generated on geometric moments in the imaging domain; and finally, classification is performed using an Ada-boosted decision tree classifier. These techniques are demonstrated on simulated real aperture sonar data with varying noise levels.
Cover, density, and demographics of shortgrass steppe plants mapped 1997–2010 in permanent grazed and ungrazed quadrats

This data set was created to map and analyze demographic rates of many common plant species in the shortgrass steppe of North America under grazed and ungrazed conditions. Twenty-four permanent 1-m2 quadrats were established as part of the Shortgrass Steppe Long Term Ecological Research project in six grazed and ungrazed study sites on the Central Plains Experimental Range in Nunn, Colorado, USA. We used a pantograph to record the location and shape of individual plants annually from 1997 to 2010. These data make it possible to determine the fate of individual plants using a Geographic Information System and spatial analysis techniques. The data provide unique opportunities to test the interactive effects of grazing and climate variables on demographic rates, plant–plant interactions, and population and community dynamics. We provide the following data and data formats: (1) the digitized maps in shapefile format; (2) a tabular representation of centroid or point location (x, y coordinates), and basal cover (m2) for plants mapped as polygons; (3) quadrat information including location (longitude and latitude), elevation, and livestock grazing treatment and history; (4) detailed information on stocking rates during the period of quadrat sampling; (5) daily temperature and precipitation values; (6) a species list including the total records for each species, plant growth forms, and longevity; and (7) an inventory of the years each quadrat was sampled.
Effect of pluronic-F68 on the development of tumor metastasis.

Walker 256 tumor cells were administered intravenously to rats. Treatment with PLF68 decreased the incidence of pulmonary metastasis, probably secondary to its effect on coagulation.
An evaluation of ultrasonic nebulizers as interfaces for capillary electrophoresis of inorganic anions and cations with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric detection

Abstract The ultrasonic nebulizer was studied for use as an interface for capillary electrophoresis of a variety of inorganic anions and cations with element-selective detection using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Two different versions of the nebulizer were ultilized for this work, a low-cost lab-built design and a commercially available device. Interface design features initially developed with the low-cost design were applied and refined with the second design. Extensive optimizations of the interfaces were carried out, and observed detection limits were in the low-ppb to ppt range. Detection limits for the anions studied were reduced from the ppb level to the ppt level by changing from hydrodynamic injection to electrokinetic injection.
Software defined radio based multi-carrier multi-function waveform for cognitive radio

In this paper, we demonstrate an adaptive multicarrier multi-function waveform generator for cognitive radio via software defined radio. Using a USRP (universal software radio peripheral) software defined radio boards and GNU radio software, we implement a multi-carrier waveform generator which can generate multi-function waveforms such as OFDM, NC-OFDM, MC-CDMA, NC-MC-CDMA, CI/MC-CDMA, NCCI/ MC-CDMA, TDCS for cognitive radio. Additionally, we demonstrate a portable overlay cognitive radio using this multicarrier multi-function waveform generator. This cognitive radio is capable of detecting primary users in real time and adaptively adjusting its transmission parameters to avoid interference to primary users. More importantly, this cognitive radio can take advantage of multiple spectrum holes by employing non-contiguous multi-carrier transmission technologies. Additionally, we demonstrate that when the primary user transmission changes, the cognitive radio dynamically adjusts its transmission accordingly. We also demonstrate seamless real time video transmission between two cognitive radio nodes, while avoiding interference from primary users and interference to primary users operating in the same spectrum.© (2010) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Demolition and Dispossession: Toward an Understanding of State Violence in Millennial Mumbai

Slum clearance campaigns and demolition drives have been understood as an integral part of the governance of the Indian city, but little effort has been made to analyze why the Indian state periodically invokes its monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force in this manner. To answer this question, this article analyzes three periods of heightened demolitions in post-independence Mumbai: the mid-1950s, amidst independent state formation; the mid-1970s, during the period of authoritarian rule referred to as the Emergency; and the mid-2000s, when Maharashtra’s Chief Minister initiated a campaign to “transform Mumbai into a world class city.” In each of these periods—as well as during the smaller-scale demolitions that are a consistent feature of life in the city—this article argues that slum evictions cannot be explained solely by what David Harvey and others have referred to as “accumulation by dispossession,” whereby the urban poor is dispossessed to initiate potentially lucrative urban development. Rather, it demonstrates that demolitions are embedded in contestations over authority and sovereignty in the governance of the Indian city. Furthermore, it demonstrates that despite a heightened awareness about this type of state violence, the explanations for demolition drives remain fairly consistent in the current globalizing or neoliberal era.