cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oligomeric State of Purified Wild-Type and Deafness-Associated Mutants Solubilized in Decylmaltoside

Gap-junction channels are formed by head-to-head docking of two hemichannels, which are connexin hexamers. Gap-junction channels and hemichannels are permeable to large hydrophilic solutes (up to Mr ∼1,000, depending on the isoform). Mutations of Cx26 are the most frequent cause of genetic deafness. In these studies, we expressed wild-type Cx26 with a C-terminal His tag to aid in affinity purification. Purified Cx26 solubilized in decylmaltoside was subjected to analytical gel filtration to determine its oligomeric state. We found that purified Cx26 consists of a number of oligomeric states, including monomers, hexamers and dodecamers. Wild-type Cx26 hexamers reconstituted in liposomes formed functional hemichannels, as demonstrated by sucrose-permeability assays. Purification in the presence of the reducing agent TCEP yielded more hexamers and less aggregates, whereas further incubation with TCEP resulted in an increased fraction of Cx26 monomers. We have shown that the dominant mutant R75W is incapable of forming gap-junction channels, but forms hemichannels with altered voltage dependence of the open probability, without changes in single-channel conductance. The R75A mutant does not form functional hemichannels. The fraction of Cx26 that is present as hexamers was similar for the wild type Cx26 and the R75W mutant, but it was reduced significantly in the case of the R75A mutant. The latter also displayed a significant increase in aggregation. These results suggest that the single R75A mutation decreases Cx26 hemichannel stability, which associates with the absence of functional hemichannel formation in frog oocytes injected with Cx26 R75A cRNA. This work was supported in part by NIH grants R01GM79629 and R21DC007150, American Heart Association Grant-in-Aid 0755002Y, and a grant from the Center for Membrane Protein Research of TTUHSC.
“In Vivo” Detection of l-Arabinose-Binding Protein, CRM-Negative Mutants

Abstract An “in vivo” assay for the detection of mutants negative to CRM (cross-reacting material) is described. l-Arabinose-negative mutants of Escherichia coli B/r were grown on Casamino Acids-l-arabinose plates to which a 3-ml agar layer, containing antiserum to the l-arabinose-binding protein (ABP), had been applied. After incubation and partial lysis of the clones “in situ,” the plates were refrigerated for 36 hr, rinsed of colonial growth with water, and observed for the presence or absence of an immune precipitation. ABP-minus and l-arabinose regulator (araC)-minus mutants do not produce a precipitin reaction. l-Arabinose isomeraseless (EC 5.3.1.4; araA), kinaseless (EC 2.7.1.16; araB), and epimeraseless (EC 5.1.3.a; araD) mutants produce precipitin reactions. Mutants of E. coli B/r generated by treatment of the wild type with ethyl methane sulfonate or ultraviolet irradiation were isolated, tested for l-arabinose uptake, and screened for the presence or absence of ABP by the described assay. The applications of such an assay are discussed.
Nanoelectromechanical proximity perturbation switching for transparent wavelength switching of resonant filters

We report an experimental demonstration of nanoelectromechanical proximity perturbation switching for transparent wavelength switching of resonator filters. Proximity perturbation enables ~ 5 dB switching action with ~8 mus switching speeds from bar to cross state.
Comparative mitochondrial and nuclear quantitative PCR of historical marine mammal tissue, bone, baleen, and tooth samples

The use of historical and ancient tissue samples for genetic analysis is increasing, with ever greater numbers of samples proving to contain sufficient mitochondrial and even nuclear DNA for multilocus analysis. DNA yield, however, remains highly variable and largely unpredictable based solely on sample morphology or age. Quantification of DNA from historical and degraded samples can greatly improve efficiency of screening DNA extracts prior to attempting sequencing or genotyping, but requires sequence-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) based assays to detect such minute quantities of degraded DNA. We present two qPCR assays for marine mammal DNA quantification, and results from analysis of DNA extracted from preserved soft tissues, bone, baleen, and tooth from several cetacean species. These two assays have been shown to amplify DNA from 26 marine mammal species representing 12 families of pinnipeds and cetaceans. Our results indicate that different tissues retain different ratios of mitochondrial to nuclear DNA, and may be more or less suitable for analysis of nuclear loci. Specifically, historical bone and tooth samples average 60-fold higher ratio of mitochondrial DNA to nuclear DNA than preserved fresh soft tissue, and the ratio is almost 8000-fold higher in baleen.
Recursive simulation to aid models of decision making

Recursive simulation involves a simulation, or an entity in the simulation, creating another instance of the same simulation, running it and using its results. This is particularly applicable to decisionmaking in a military simulation. Simulation can be used by the simulated command elements to evaluate the implications of the possible choices. The simulation that is already running provides a conveniently available evaluation tool if it can be run recursively. This has been done with the "eaglet" simulation, and data collected that indicates that the quality of decisionmaking by the simulated command elements is improved.
Controlling dynamic pull-in escape in electrostatic MEMS

In this work, we present modeling and experimental data for controlling the dynamic pull-in and the escape-from-potential-well phenomena for a capacitive MEMS device using phase control technique. The device is actuated with a DC voltage superimposed to an AC harmonic voltage. An inevitable escape band of frequencies, where a MEMS resonator is forced to pull-in, is simulated theoretically and found experimentally. To enhance the stability of the MEMS device, a second weak AC signal with a specific phase shift is superimposed to the original AC excitation to be used as the control signal. It is found that this type of control signal can effectively shrink the escape tongue near the primary resonance of the capacitive device, thereby enhancing its stability. A numerical scheme (shooting technique) for finding periodic motion and investigating its stability using Floquet theory is used to simulate the device behavior. Comparison is then made between the simulation results and the obtained experimental data.
A New Formula for Lognormal Characteristic Functions

Numerical computation of lognormal characteristic functions is a challenging problem because the defining integral formulas are not well suited to the more common numerical integration techniques. In this paper, a simple change-of-contour argument is used to convert the integral into one in which the oscillatory nature of the new integrand does not depend on the argument of the characteristic function. Hence, efficient numerical computation of the characteristic function is possible for an extremely large range of its argument. The method generalizes to allow the computation of the moment-generating function when the argument has a negative real part. A simple program for computing the new integral using Gaussian quadrature and another program for generating the quadrature nodes and weights are given
Identification of binding sites for the group A streptococcal global regulator CovR

The CovRS two-component system (also called CsrRS) of the group A streptococcus (GAS) acts as a global regulator, influencing the transcription of at least six virulence factors. The synthesis of the hyaluronic acid capsule, a virulence factor encoded by the hasABC operon, is negatively regulated by CovRS. We confirmed that phosphorylation of CovR increases its binding to a DNA fragment containing the hasA promoter. Using DNase I footprinting, we identified five binding sites surrounding the hasA promoter from bases -79 to +73 (where +1 is the start of transcription). One pair of thymines within each binding site appears to be necessary for CovR binding in vitro, as shown by uracil interference analysis. When each of these thymine pairs was altered by site-directed mutagenesis, CovR binding was reduced in vitro, confirming the role of each thymine pair in binding. Using a transcriptional reporter system with a single chromosomal copy of PhasA-gusA, we demonstrated the importance of each of four of these binding sites for CovR repression of the hasA promoter. Based on this information, we propose a consensus sequence for CovR binding to DNA.
A heuristic approach to establishing punctuation convention in instant messaging

Instant Messaging (IM) features informal writing styles such as the omission of punctuation. Punctuation plays an important role in representing prosody and facilitating syntactic processing during communication. The discrepancy between the recognized importance and actual inadequate usage of punctuation in IM calls for establishing punctuation convention for more effective online communication. The research uniquely reported here addressed two research questions. The first was whether punctuation had an impact on the effectiveness of IM. The results of an empirical study showed that the majority of surveyed participants perceived punctuation to be somewhat important. This led to the investigation of the second research question: how to restore omitted punctuation in instant messaging to help develop punctuation convention effectively? We designed and implemented a technical solution for recovering punctuation based on heuristics rules and an evaluation of this approach showed satisfactory performance. A detailed analysis of punctuation in archived instant messages revealed several patterns of omitted punctuation. The findings of this research not only advance our understanding of the stylistic convention, but also provide positive evidence for establishing punctuation convention in IM. As IM continues to pervade daily communication, punctuation convention in IM deserves closer attention.
Endogenous growth factors as cosmeceuticals.

Background. Research into the pathophysiology of photodamaged skin has revealed correlations with certain aspects of acute and chronic wound healing. In wound healing, growth factors accumulate at the wound site and interact synergistically to initiate and coordinate wound healing. Objectives. To review the effects of topical growth factors in wound healing and their potential use in treating photodamaged skin. Methods. A mixture of multiple growth factors derived from human fibroblasts was applied topically to 14 patients twice daily for 60 days to stimulate the remodeling phase of wound healing. Results. A total of 78.6% of patients with photodamaged skin showed clinical improvement at 60 days. New collagen formation increased by 37%, and epidermal thickening increased by 27%. Conclusions. These data, as well as other studies of growth factors in wound healing, demonstrate positive cosmetic and clinical outcomes of topical application of growth factors for the treatment of photodamaged skin. DR. FITZPATRICK IS THE FOUNDER OF SKIN MEDICA AND OWNS STOCK AS WELL AS STOCK OPTIONS.
Saturated and Capillary Fringe Ground-Water Behavior Near an Excavation

In a hazardous waste disposal facility located in a saturated soil, the local water table and the capillary fringe zone are modified by the presence of the facility. In this paper, a conformal mapping solution to the accompanying ground-water flow is presented. The solution allows one to display, in the two-dimensional approximation, the flow net around an excavation in terms of the capillarity, local geometry, and flow properties. Capillarity can significantly influence net flow into an excavation; typical values can cause net flow to be 10 to 20 percent higher than predicted without capillarity. Anisotropic behavior also can be important. It is shown that anisotropy favoring horizontal flow can greatly alter the flow net and the total flow.
Turbulent free shear layer mixing

Some experimental data on turbulent shear layer growth, mixing and chemical reactions in the limit of fast kinetics are reviewed. The dependence of these phenomena on such fluid and flow parameters as Schmidt number, Reynolds number, and Mach number are discussed with the aid of some recent models and consequences deducible from the large scale organization of the flow.
Antibiotic prescribing for adults in ambulatory care in the USA, 2007–09

Objectives To determine patterns of ambulatory antibiotic prescribing in US adults, including the use of broad-spectrum versus narrow-spectrum agents, to provide a description of the diagnoses for which antibiotics are prescribed and to identify patient and physician factors associated with broad-spectrum antibiotic prescribing. Methods We used data for patients aged ≥ 18 years from the National Ambulatory and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys (2007-09). These are nationally representative surveys of patient visits to offices, hospital outpatient departments and emergency departments (EDs) in the USA, collectively referred to as ambulatory visits. We determined the types of antibiotics prescribed, including the use of broad-spectrum versus narrow-spectrum antibiotics, and examined prescribing patterns by diagnoses. We used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with broad-spectrum antibiotic prescribing. Results Antibiotics were prescribed during 101 million (95% CI: 91-111 million) ambulatory visits annually, representing 10% of all visits. Broad-spectrum agents were prescribed during 61% of visits in which antibiotics were prescribed. The most commonly prescribed antibiotics were quinolones (25% of antibiotics), macrolides (20%) and aminopenicillins (12%). Antibiotics were most commonly prescribed for respiratory conditions (41% of antibiotics), skin/mucosal conditions (18%) and urinary tract infections (9%). In multivariable analysis, among patients prescribed antibiotics, broad-spectrum agents were more likely to be prescribed than narrow-spectrum antibiotics for respiratory infections for which antibiotics are rarely indicated (e.g. bronchitis), during visits to EDs and for patients ≥ 60 years. Conclusions Broad-spectrum agents constitute the majority of antibiotics in ambulatory care. More than 25% of prescriptions are for conditions for which antibiotics are rarely indicated. Antibiotic stewardship interventions targeting respiratory and non-respiratory conditions are needed in ambulatory care.
Reliability of Cu pillar bumps for flip-chip packages with ultra low-k dielectrics

The reliability of Cu/low k interconnect structures using Cu pillar bumps was investigated in this paper. First the characteristics related to electromigration (EM) of Cu pillars with Sn-Ag tips were studied and compared with full Pb-free Sn-Ag solder bumps. The simulation results revealed a significant reduction in the current crowding when Sn-Ag C4 solder was replaced by Cu pillar structures. As a result, the current-induced Joule heating and local temperature gradients were reduced in the Cu pillar structure. This was followed by a study of the impact of the Cu pillar bumps on the mechanical reliability of ultra low-k dielectrics. The crack driving force induced by chip-package-interaction (CPI) for delamination in the ultra low-k interconnect structure was evaluated using a 3D sub-modeling technique. The energy release rate was found to increase significantly for packages with Cu pillar bumps compared with those with Pb-free solder only. Finally, the characteristics of thermal fatigue life of Cu pillar bumps were investigated based on Darveaux's strain energy density model. The results showed that the fatigue life of the solder tips adjacent to Cu pillar could be improved by reducing the Cu pillar height in relation to the solder tip height. Structural optimization of Cu pillar bumps to improve the mechanical stability of packages with ultra low-k dielectrics in the chips was discussed.
Implementation of adaptive recursive echo canceller using the TMS320C25 digital signal processor

An echo canceller using equation error has been implemented using the TMS320C25 digital signal processor. An examination of measurements of the echo path impulse response shows that echoes persist over a long duration, suggesting a pole-zero model for the echo path transfer function. This suggests a pole-zero configuration for the echo canceller, rather than a truncated impulse response. The pole-zero model results in a significant reduction in the number of coefficients due to a finite number of poles and zeros necessary to model the echo path and a high degree of cancellation, since impulse response is not truncated. Simulation results are presented. The echo signal was produced by passing a random noise signal through the analog interface board to a pole-zero bandpass filter. >
Electrophysiological Basis of Arrhythmogenicity of QT/T Alternans in the Long-QT Syndrome: Tridimensional Analysis of the Kinetics of Cardiac Repolarization

Abstract —Tachycardia-dependent QT/T alternans occurs in patients with the congenital or idiopathic form of long-QT syndrome (LQTS) and may presage the onset of polymorphic ventricular tachyarrhythmias. To examine the electrophysiological basis of arrhythmogenicity of QT/T alternans in LQTS, the tridimensional repolarization pattern of QT/T alternans was studied in the anthopleurin-A model of LQTS, a surrogate for LQT3. In 11 anesthetized mongrel puppies, tridimensional repolarization and activation patterns were analyzed from 256 to 384 unipolar electrograms. Cardiac repolarization was evaluated as the activation-recovery interval (ARI) of local electrograms. To induce QT/T alternans, the pacing cycle length (CL) was abruptly shortened in steps of 50 ms from a basic drive of 1000 ms. ARIs were calculated at epicardial (Epi), midmyocardial (Mid), and endocardial (End) sites. ARI restitution at each site was assessed by using a single premature stimulation delivered after the basic drive. ARI alternans occurred at longer CLs at Mid sites compared with End and Epi sites, and the magnitude of alternans at Mid sites was greater. Two factors contributed to the modulation of ARI during QT/T alternans: (1) differences in restitution kinetics at Mid sites, characterized by larger ΔARI and a slower time constant (τ), and (2) differences in diastolic intervals resulting in different input to restitution at the same constant CL. These 2 factors could explain not only the onset of alternans at Mid sites at longer CLs but also the critical observation that ARI dispersion between Epi and Mid sites during alternans was greater than during the slower basic CL. Marked ARI alternans could be present in local electrograms without manifest alternation of the QT/T segment in the surface ECG. The latter was seen at critically short CLs associated with reversal of the gradient of ARI between Epi and Mid sites, with a consequent reversal of polarity of the intramyocardial QT wave in alternate cycles. The arrhythmogenicity of QT/T alternans was primarily due to the greater degree of spatial dispersion of repolarization during alternans than during slower rates not associated with alternans. This could result in functional conduction block and reentrant ventricular tachyarrhythmias during the fixed drive associated with alternans.
Traumatic Grief After Homicide Intersections of Individual and Community Loss

In this article, we examine the impact of community response on the devastating experience of losing a loved one to homicide. Although traumatic grief is deeply personal, an individual’s loss is al...
Defined Contribution Health Benefits: The Next Evolution?

"Defined contribution" (DC) health benefits are an emerging alternative that employers are starting to examine for controlling the resurgence of health care cost inflation. While there is no agreed-upon definition of what exactly constitutes DC health benefits, under this strategy, employers would make a fixed, periodic contribution to a worker's health care account, and the worker would assume full responsibility for self-insuring the care he or she needs by acquiring commercial insurance individually or through other groups. This article summarizes discussion and presentations at EBRI's May 3, 2001, policy forum on defined contribution health benefits, at which policymakers, leading thinkers on benefits, employers, and labor representatives examined some of the implications of DC health plans. They discussed whether DC health benefits would be able to produce long-term health care cost control, which managed care has not succeeded in doing; whether they would offer workers more choice over how their health care money is spent and more flexibility in choosing their providers; and how policy issues, such as adverse selection, equity, and regulation, would be addressed.
Is It Time Yet

This is a story of my impending retirement brought about by three synchronistic events. As the story unfolds, I come to see retirement as a form of symbolic death. That insight teaches me three important lessons. First, that I can forestall this form of death by continuing to write and teach in retirement. Second, that I need to reach out more to others so as not to isolate myself from life. Third, that my habit-driven life style may be a futile hedge against death, symbolic and real, and linked in complex ways to the death of my spouse.
Arteriography in diagnosis of abdominal disease.

Selective arteriography is a valuable aid in the diagnosis of otherwise obscure gastrointestinal disorders. Its usefulness is described with particular reference to lesions of the liver, pancreas and spleen and primary disorders of the gastrointestinal arterial system. Percutaneous selective arteriography of the celiac and the mesenteric arteries has been successfully applied in the preoperative determination of the site of gastrointestinal bleeding.
Epidemiological Characteristics of Malaria in Jingmen City

Objective The morbidity trend and distribution characteristics of malaria were analyzed to master the epidemiological characteristics of malaria in Jingmen city and provide theoretical basis for formulating control strategy. Methods The curve fitting for the recent 20 years was made to analyze the case distribution characteristic.Results The malaria morbidity in Jingmen city for the recent 20 years presented a decreasing trend.The exponential curve of fit is Y=10 2 6370-0.0846 x.The incident numbers were placed from the first to seventh in the notifiable disease. The incidence peak period for one year is from 14 May to 29 September.The incidence rate in An.anthropophagus areas was higher than that in An.sinensis areas.Farmer、middle school student and pupil occupied 85.90% of the total case number.Conclusions The incidence rate will be kept at a lower level if fulfilling all the planned anti-malaria measures.The measures disconnecting route of transmission should begin on 1 May and continue to the middle ten-days of September. The management of the present case should be strengthened.The effect of the eight-day radical cure should be heightened.The key areas of anti-malaria should be in the rural area. The key populations are farmers、students and pupils.The monitoring work should be strengthened to prevent the outbreak and epidemic of malaria.
Trends of hospitalization for schizophrenia in USA: A nationwide analysis

Objectives Schizophrenia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. While schizophrenia has been extensively studied in the past, the contemporary data for impact of schizophrenia on cost of hospitalization are largely lacking. Methods We queried the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's Nationwide Inpatient Sample (HCUP-NIS) dataset between 1998–2011 using the ICD-9 codes. Severity of comorbid conditions was defined by Deyo modification of Charlson comorbidity index. Primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and secondary outcome was total charges for hospitalization. Using SAS 9.2, Chi 2 test, t -test and Cochran-Armitage test were used to test significance. Results A total of 443,659 patients were analyzed; 38.78% were female and 61.22% were male ( P P P Conclusions While mortality has slightly decreased from 1998 to 2011, the cost has significantly increased from $1.75 billion/year to $6.23 billion/year which leads to an estimated $4.48 billion/year additional burden to US health care system. In the era of cost conscious care, preventing schizophrenia related hospitalization could save billions of dollars every year. Focused efforts are needed to establish preventive measures for schizophrenia related hospitalization.
Quantum Model for Conjoint Recognition

In a conjoint memory recognition task, a person is presented a list of target items to remember. Afterwards, a test probe is presented which is sampled from one of three mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories: one is a target from the set of previously presented targets; a second is a non target but meaningfully related to a target; and a third is a non target and unrelated to any target. The episodic overestimate effect refers to the fact that the probability of accepting a probe when asked if it is a target plus the probability of accepting a probe when asked if it is a related non target is greater than the probability of accepting a probe when asked if it is either a target or a non related target. Logically these two probabilities should be identical. Previously these results were explained by a dual process theory. This article presents an alternative quantum memory recognition model for this effect that addresses some problematic issues that arise with the dual process explanation.
The Meaning of Vertical Agreement and the Structure of Competition Law

Competition law’s vertical agreement requirement is widely regarded to be perplexing and to offer a fairly limited unilateral action defense. These views prove to be understated. The underlying distinction is incoherent on a number of levels and difficult to reconcile with pertinent statutes, precedent, and practice. The requirement has little nexus with competition policy, and its satisfaction may even be associated with less, not more, anticompetitive danger. Furthermore, reflection on the thinness or nonexistence of the vertical agreement requirement renders problematic a central feature of competition law: the aim to subject myriad everyday actions of countless firms to more lenient scrutiny than that applicable to agreements, which on reflection are ever-present.
NHE2 contains subdomains in the COOH terminus for growth factor and protein kinase regulation.

The cloned epithelial cell-specific Na+/H+exchanger (NHE) isoform NHE2 is stimulated by fibroblast growth factor (FGF), phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), okadaic acid (OA), and fetal bovine se...
Effects of somatotropin and salbutamol in three genotypes of finishing barrows: blood hormones and metabolites and muscle characteristics.

We evaluated the effects of recombinant porcine somatotropin (pST) and the beta-adrenergic agonist salbutamol on plasam endocrine and metabolite profiles and muscle chemistry in three genotypes of growing barrows (n = 96, 139 d old). Treatments were in a 2 x 2 x 3 factorial arrangement, and main effects were pST (0 or 4 mg/d) and salbutamol (0 or 2.75 ppm); the three genotypes including purebred Meishan (M), 1/4 Duroc, 3/4 White composite (D x Wc), and 1/4 Meishan, 3/4 White composite (M x Wc). Individual pigs were injected daily with buffer or pST at 0700 and allowed ad libitum access to a corn-soybean meal diet (1.2% lysine) and water for 33 d. Plasma was obtained 4 h after injection and 3 h postprandially on d 0, 14, and 28 for determination of growth hormone (GH), insulin, IGF-I, glucose, urea N (PUN), NEFA, triglycerides, and cholesterol. Longissimus and semitendinosus samples were obtained, and protein, RNA, and DNA were quantified and loin chop shear force was measured. In general, plasma hormones and metabolites on d 14 and 28 were not affected by salbutamol in the absence of pST, although salbutamol tended to increase d 14 and 28 GH concentrations. Salbutamol lowered plasma IGF-I (d 14 and 28, P < .05), insulin (d 14, P < .01), and NEFA (d 28, P = .07) when pST was administered, although concentrations still exceeded those for control pigs. Salbutamol reduced (P < .05) IGF-I in M and M x Wc pigs, and GH was not changed in M pigs. Meishan pigs had a greater increase in glucose with pST than M x Wc or D x Wc pigs, although the effect was not consistent over time. Individual treatment with pST caused GH, insulin, IGF-I, glucose, NEFA, and triglycerides to be increased and PUN to be decreased on d 14 and 28. Cholesterol on d 14 and 28 was decreased by pST in M pigs, whereas no effects were found in the other genotypes. Muscle protein and RNA were increased by salbutamol and were consistently lowest for M pigs. Furthermore, pST did not affect muscle protein, but it increased RNA more in M pigs than in the others. Overall, pST and salbutamol seemed to act separately and by different mechanisms to alter muscle composition, but blood criteria generally representing fat metabolism (insulin, glucose, NEFA, triglycerides) were interactively affected. Meishan pigs tended to have greater changes in muscle and plasma composition with pST treatment than did M x Wc or D x Wc pigs.
Immunodeficient Mouse Models to Study Human Stem Cell-Mediated Tissue Repair

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has traditionally been used to reconstitute blood cell lineages that had formed abnormally because of genetic mutations, or that had been eradicated to treat a disease such as leukemia. However, in recent years, much attention has been paid to the new concept of "stem cell plasticity," and the hope that stem cells could be used to repair damaged tissues generated immense excitement. The field is now in a more realistic and critical period of intense investigation and the concept of cell fusion to explain some of the observed effects has been shown after specific types of damage in liver and muscle, both organs that contain a high number of multinucleate cells. The field is still an extremely exciting one, and many questions remain to be answered before stem cell therapy for tissue repair can be used effectively in the clinic. Immune deficient mouse models of tissue damage provide a system in which human stem cell migration to sites of damage and subsequent contribution to repair can be carefully evaluated. This chapter gives detailed instructions for methods to study human stem cell contribution to damaged liver and to promote repair of damaged vasculature in immune deficient mouse models.
Uniquely Pancyclic Graphs

Recall that a pancyclic graph is called uniquely pancyclic, or UPC, if it contains exactly one cycle of every possible length. In 1973, Roger Entringer asked (see Bondy (J. Combinatorial Theory (B) 11:80–84, 1971), p. 247), for what orders do UPC graphs exist? The question remains unsolved, and it is not even known whether the number of UPC graphs is infinite.
Hysteresis in simulations of malaria transmission

Malaria transmission is a complex system and in many parts of the world is closely related to climate conditions. However, studies on environmental determinants of malaria generally consider only concurrent climate conditions and ignore the historical or initial conditions of the system. Here, we demonstrate the concept of hysteresis in malaria transmission, defined as non-uniqueness of the relationship between malaria prevalence and concurrent climate conditions. We show the dependence of simulated malaria transmission on initial prevalence and the initial level of human immunity in the population. Using realistic time series of environmental variables, we quantify the effect of hysteresis in a modeled population. In a set of numerical experiments using HYDREMATS, a field-tested mechanistic model of malaria transmission, the simulated maximum malaria prevalence depends on both the initial prevalence and the initial level of human immunity in the population. We found the effects of initial conditions to be of comparable magnitude to the effects of interannual variability in environmental conditions in determining malaria prevalence. The memory associated with this hysteresis effect is longer in high transmission settings than in low transmission settings. Our results show that efforts to simulate and forecast malaria transmission must consider the exposure history of a location as well as the concurrent environmental drivers.
How Field Relationships Shape Theorizing.

Field relationships shape the questions that researchers ask and the theories they develop. This article compares my interactions with research participants in a study of white supremacists with th...
Improve accessibility of virtual and augmented reality for people with balance impairments

Most people experience some imbalance in a fully immersive Virtual Environment (VE) (i.e., wearing a Head Mounted Display (HMD) that blocks the users view of the real world). However, this imbalance is significantly worse in People with Balance Impairments (PwBIs) and minimal research has been done to improve this. In addition to imbalance problem, lack of proper visual cues can lead to different accessibility problems for PwBIs (e.g., small reach from the fear of imbalance, decreased gait performance, etc.) We plan to explore the effects of different visual cues on peoples' balance, reach, gait, etc. Based on our primary study, we propose to incorporate additional visual cues in VEs that proved to significantly improve balance of PwBIs while they are standing and playing in a VE. We plan to further investigate if additional visual cues have similar effects in augmented reality. We are also developing studies to research reach and gait in VR as our future work.
NADH reduction of nitroaromatics as a probe for residual ferric form high-spin in a cytochrome P450

The existence of a substrate-sensitive equilibrium between high spin (S=5/2) and low spin (S=1/2) ferric iron is a well-established phenomenon in the cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily, although its origins are still a subject of discussion. A series of mutations that strongly perturb the spin state equilibrium in the camphor hydroxylase CYP101A1 were recently described (Colthart et al., Sci. Rep. 6, 22035 (2016)). Wild type CYP101A1 as well as some CYP101A1 mutants are herein shown to be capable of catalyzing the reduction of nitroacetophenones by NADH to the corresponding anilino compounds (nitroreductase or NRase activity). The distinguishing characteristic between those mutants that catalyze the reduction and those that cannot appears to be the extent to which residual high spin form exists in the absence of the native substrate d-camphor, with those showing the largest spin state shifts upon camphor binding also exhibiting NRase activity. Optical and EPR spectroscopy was used to further examine these phenomena. These results suggest that reduction of nitroaromatics may provide a useful probe of residual high spin states in the CYP superfamily. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Cytochrome P450 biodiversity and biotechnology, edited by Erika Plettner, Gianfranco Gilardi, Luet Wong, Vlada Urlacher, Jared Goldstone.
Medicaid expansion and ethnoracial disparities in health insurance coverage

Medicaid expansion, as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), was touted by many policymakers as a potentially powerful force for reducing ethnoracial disparities in health...
Abstract P29: Administrative Data Can Be Used to Decrease Medical Record Review Burden While Maintaining High Sensitivity When Assessing Complex Cardiac Outcomes in Hospitalized Patients

Introduction: Administrative data alone are often inadequate to identify the occurrence of complex clinical outcomes, such as life-threatening arrhythmias (LTA). Although medical record review is more comprehensive, it is resource intensive. Used together, administrative data and medical record review may be an efficient way to obtain valid and reliable outcomes data. Objective: To determine if the use of selected ICD-9-CM codes and pharmacy charges may decrease the number of medical records reviewed to identify patients who had a LTA requiring emergency intervention during their hospitalization. Methods: The PULSE Trial is a multi-site randomized clinical trial examining patient outcomes, including LTAs. Complete medical record review in 2 of 17 participating hospitals identified all LTAs events (asystole, hemodynamically unstable bradyarrhythmia, sustained ventricular tachycardia, torsades de pointes, ventricular fibrillation) that occurred during 3,049 patient encounters from 2/08 to 8/08. We identified 48 codes potentially associated with LTA from review of the ICD-9-CM and HCPCS (Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System) manuals. These 48 codes and demographic data were obtained from hospital administrative databases. Logistic regression identified 9 independent predictors of LTAs; 5 additional variables were included to achieve maximum sensitivity of our final model. Results: Of the 48 codes, 14 codes identified 98.2% of the 54 patient encounters where a LTA had been identified through medical record review (Table). Use of these 14 codes decreases the number of medical records that will need to be reviewed to 22.8% of all 55,000 records for subsequent examination of the occurrence of LTAs. Conclusion: Standardized codes from administrative databases can be used to decrease the volume of medical records that need to be reviewed for determining complex patient outcomes, such as LTA in hospitalized patients, while maintaining high sensitivity.
The Association Between Dispositional Mindfulness and Management Self-Efficacy Among Early Childhood Education Managers in Head Start

Head Start is a federally-funded early childhood education program whose primary goal is to increase school readiness for low-income children less than 5 years of age. Managers in Head Start programs have stressful jobs. They must adhere to complex federal program performance standards while addressing the needs of their staff, who work with children and families facing stressful social circumstances. Dispositional mindfulness is associated with greater self-efficacy in the face of challenges, but there are no data on the association between dispositional mindfulness and management self-efficacy among leaders of early childhood education programs. In 2012, the Pennsylvania Head Start Staff Wellness Survey, an anonymous, web-based survey, was administered to managers in 66 Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Pennsylvania. For 480 of the 552 (87%) managers in these programs, data were available on their levels of dispositional mindfulness (Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised) and management self-efficacy (Principal Self-Efficacy Scale). After adjustment, a 1 SD higher mindfulness score was associated with a 0.41 SD (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.31 to 0.51) higher management self-efficacy score (p < .001). Managers in the highest versus lowest quartile of dispositional mindfulness had a 1.05 SD (95% CI, 0.79 to 1.30) higher management self-efficacy score, after adjustment (p < .001). Managers in Head Start and Early Head Start who had higher levels of dispositional mindfulness reported greater management self-efficacy. Interventions to promote mindfulness among leaders of early childhood education programs may be one approach to improve their management self-efficacy and promote effective leadership.
Absurd Racism Reduction

I would say that at each successive level of my advancement, the racism that I experienced became more intense. It started in high school when I left my all black junior high school and went into a majority white environment. It became worse at my undergraduate university, Mills College.
The EDDY Current Sensing of Gallium Arsenide Crystal Growth: Calculated Response

Gallium arsenide grown by the high pressure liquid encapsulated Czochralski (HPLEC) process suffers from a low yield of electrically useful material and widely varying opto-electronic properties. These types of problems are typical of emerging materials/new processes, and in this case, can be traced back to inadequate process control during crystal growth. In particular, it is important to measure and control local solidifications during crystal growth in order to maintain an optimum liquid-solid interface shape that results in single crystal solidification and more uniform electro-optic properties [1].
Liminal Lives: South Asian Youth and Domestic Violence

This article examines domestic violence experiences among South Asian youth in the United States. The paper uses a broad definition of violence, a continuum which includes aggression, coercion, control, intimidation, assault, to accommodate the meanings suggested by the youth. The main argument of this paper is that the youth's experiences cannot be adequately explained with reference to individual deviance or traditional cultural norms of ethnic groups. Based on a sociological perspective of gender, this paper argues that these youth are placed between mainstream and ethnic gender regimes and their experience of domestic violence depends on how these regimes work in relation to each other. Thus their liminal social structural position emerges as a significant factor in their experiences of violence.
Detecting forest canopy change due to insect activity using Landsat MSS

Multitemporal Landsat multispectral scanner data were analyzed to test various computer-aided analysis techniques for detecting significant forest canopy alteration. Three data transformations - differencing, ratioing, and a vegetative index difference - were tested to determine which best delineated gypsy moth defoliation. Response surface analyses were conducted to determine optimal threshold levels for the individual transformed bands and band combinations. Results indicate that, of the three transformations investigated, a vegetative index difference (VID) transformation most accurately delineates forest canopy change. Band 5 (0.6 to 0.7 micron ratioed data did nearly as well. However, other single bands and band combinations did not improve upon the band 5 ratio and VID results.
Biochemistry of Plasmodium and the Influence of Antimalarials

Publisher Summary Blood is the life-giving fluid, which determines the type of existence of all its environmental cells, the organ and structural tissue cells as well as the circulating erythrocytes. Blood is of paramount importance in a discussion of the intricate mode of life of the blood protozoa, Plasmodium, or malarial parasites that infest red blood cells. These organisms, which belong to the phylum, Protozoa, class Sporozoa, order Haemosporodia and genus Plasmodium, include human, simian, avian, saurian, and rodent species. Biochemical investigators have concentrated the major portion of their studies on the asexual blood forms of only a few of the Plasmodium. Because the malarial parasite inhabits the mammalian host red blood cell during most of its asexual life cycle and draws on the host cell and surrounding plasma for its building blocks, a study of the chemical and metabolic properties of the environmental erythrocytes and plasma should aid in the obtaining of an understanding of the metabolic processes of the parasite.
Analysis of the drivers of cost of management when patients with brain metastases are treated with upfront radiosurgery.

Abstract Objectives We aimed to assess the driving factors for increased cost of brain metastasis management when using upfront stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Patient and Methods 737 patients treated with upfront SRS without whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT). Patients were evaluated for use of craniotomy, length of hospital stay, need for rehabilitation or facility placement, and use of salvage SRS or salvage WBRT. Costs of care of these interventions were estimated based on 2013 Medicare reimbursements. Multiple linear regression was performed to determine factors that predicted for higher cost of treatment per month of life, as well as highest cumulative cost of care for brain metastasis. Results Mean cost of brain metastasis management per patient was $42,658, and $4673 per month of life. Upfront SRS represented the greatest contributor of total cost of brain metastasis management over a lifetime (49%), followed by use of any salvage SRS (21%), use of initial surgery (14%), use of salvage surgery (10%), hospitalization (3%) and cost of salvage WBRT (3%). Multiple linear regression identified brain metastasis velocity (BMV) (p Conclusion The cost of upfront SRS is the greatest contributor to cost of brain metastasis management when using upfront SRS. Higher BMV, progressive systemic disease and presence of symptoms are associated with increased cost of care.
A simple model for the influence of push-morainal banks on the calving and stability of glacial tidewater termini

Push-morainal banks at the grounding lines of tidewater termini of temperate glaciers are the source of two types of restraining forces operating at the glacier terminus. Horizontal normal forces derive from the lateral support and transport of the bank of sediment at the terminus, whereas a horizontal shear force operates along the base of a bank pushed in front of an advancing glacier. The simple model we present suggests that bank-related restraining forces are significantly larger than the restraining force derived from the hydrostatic pressure of water adjacent to the submerged terminus of a glacier. During glacier advance, restraining forces continually increase, resulting in decreasing flow rates, glacier thickening and the eventual cessation of advance. During retreat, restraining forces continually decrease, resulting in increasing flow rates, glacier thinning and the potential for unstable, rapid, sustained retreat. The normal, seasonal, oscillatory advance retreat cycle of a glacier is moderated by restraining forces associated with push moraines. Unstable retreat is likely initiated when bank-related restraining forces fall below some threshold value during the seasonal retreat cycle. Calving is not a primary cause of glacier retreat, but is more likely a short-term response to increased flow rates. Increased flow rates result in glacier thinning and an approach toward buoyancy, both of which fluctuate seasonally in accordance with bank-related restraining forces.
Part II: Songs of the Orient

“Part II: Songs of the Orient” focuses on the sonic exchanges that occurred as travelers from England and Europe ventured eastward through the Ottoman Empire and India; Eastern sounds also featured in soundscapes constructed on the Renaissance English stage. Part II introduces the two chapters “An Organ’s Metamorphosis: Thomas Dallam’s Sonic Transformations in the Ottoman Empire” and “‘Drums Rumble Within’: Embodied Experiences of Temples in the East and on the London Stage.” Though the organ and the drum are not closely related acoustically, both demonstrate the haptic, tangible properties of the soundwave. “Songs of the Orient” echoes the title of a piece performed by Art Hickman’s orchestra—an uncanny blend of East and West, but one in which Western instruments are utilized to sound an Eastern otherness.