cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Bacillus anthracis SleL (YaaH) Protein Is an N-Acetylglucosaminidase Involved in Spore Cortex Depolymerization

Bacillus anthracis spores, the infectious agents of anthrax, are notoriously difficult to remove from contaminated areas because they are resistant to many eradication methods. These resistance properties are due to the spore's dehydration and dormancy and to the multiple protective layers surrounding the spore core, one of which is the cortex. In order for B. anthracis spores to germinate and resume growth, the cortex peptidoglycan must be depolymerized. This study reports on analyses of sleL (yaaH), which encodes a cortex-lytic enzyme. The inactivation of sleL does not affect vegetative growth, spore viability, or the initial stages of germination, including dipicolinic acid release. However, mutant spores exhibit a slight delay in the loss of optical density compared to that of wild-type spores. Mutants also retain more diaminopimelic acid and N-acetylmuramic acid during germination than wild-type spores, suggesting that the cortex peptidoglycan is not being hydrolyzed as rapidly. This finding is supported by high-pressure liquid chromatography analysis of the peptidoglycan structure used to confirm that SleL acts as an N-acetylglucosaminidase. When sleL is inactivated, the cortex peptidoglycan is not depolymerized into small muropeptides but instead is retained within the spore as large fragments. In the absence of the sleL-encoded N-acetylglucosaminidase, other cortex-lytic enzymes break down the cortex peptidoglycan sufficiently to allow rapid germination and outgrowth.
A father with postpartum psychosis

Postpartum psychosis is a rare, however severe mood disorder in the perinatal period. It is most commonly associated with postpartum bipolar disorder. The author reports a case where a male patient with psychosis was admitted to the psychiatric unit 5 days after his wife gave birth to their male child. The patient was very concerned about the well being of his child and was afraid that something bad would happen to his child. The patient was diagnosed with an acute manic episode with psychotic symptoms and treated with olanzapine and lithium. The patient has been continued on therapeutic dose of lithium without any relapse of the symptoms, 3 months after the initial episode. The role of psychological stress in precipitating such a severe mood or psychotic disorder needs to be highlighted.
Human Neurobrucellosis with Intracerebral Granuloma Caused by a Marine Mammal Brucella spp.

We present the first report of community-acquired human infections with marine mammal-associated Brucella spp. and describe the identification of these strains in two patients with neurobrucellosis and intracerebral granulomas. The identification of these isolates as marine mammal strains was based on omp2a sequence and amplification of the region flanking bp26.
QoS-Based Service Ranking and Selection for Service-Based Systems

To facilitate rapid development of service-based systems (SBS), many service discovering and matching techniques have been developed to find services according to users' functionality requirements. However, users usually also have requirements on non-functional qualities of services (QoS), such as throughput, delay, reliability and security, which are also critical for the success of SBS. In this paper, a QoS-based service ranking and selection approach is presented to help users to select the service that best satisfies users' QoS requirements from a set of services having already satisfied users' functionality requirements. To determine how well a service satisfies users' concerned QoS requirements, a set of functions is presented to normalize services' QoS on various QoS aspects with different metrics and scales, compute services' satisfaction scores on each QoS aspect, and combine each services' satisfaction scores on all QoS aspects together as an overall satisfaction scores. Compared with existing service ranking and selection techniques, our approach has the following advantages: 1) selects the service that best satisfies users QoS requirements instead of the service with the best QoS which may be much overqualified for the users' QoS requirements, 2) improves the flexibility in users' QoS requirement specification, and 3) uses the prospect theory to more accurately model the relation between services' QoS and their satisfaction scores.
Carbon-isotopic composition of soil-respired carbon dioxide in static closed chambers at equilibrium

The carbon-isotopic composition (delta13C) of soil-respired CO2 has been employed to evaluate soil carbon-cycling processes and the contribution of soil CO2 emissions to canopy and tropospheric air. These evaluations can be successful only when accurate isotope values of soil-respired CO2 are available. Here, we tested the robustness of delta13C values of soil-respired CO2 obtained after long incubations in static closed chambers that were initially flushed with soil air. The rationale of this approach is that the equilibrium carbon-isotope values of chamber-headspace CO2 are theoretically equal to those of CO2 produced within the soil. Static closed chambers were installed in replicated grass monocultures, and measurements of headspace CO2 concentrations and delta13C values were performed at regular time intervals for 24 h in July 2005. The results revealed no significant effects of grass species on headspace CO2 concentrations or delta13C values (repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), P>0.1). As predicted by theory, isotope values asymptotically approached equilibrium conditions, which in our experimental setting occurred after 10 h. This good match between model predictions and our results suggests that an accurate determination of delta13C values of CO2 produced within soils is obtained through the isotopic measurement of chamber-headspace CO2 once equilibrium conditions have been reached with the underlying soils. An additional advantage of this approach is that only one sample per chamber is required, which, combined with the low uncertainties of these measurements, facilitates the investigation of the spatial (landscape) variability of soil-respired CO2.
Virus Occurrence and Transport in a School Septic System and Unconfined Aquifer

Federal efforts to establish reliable natural disinfection criteria for ground water supplies require the identification of appropriate indicator viruses to represent pathogenic viruses and an understanding of parameters affecting virus survival and transport in a variety of hydrogeologic settings. A high school septic system and the associated fecal waste-impacted unconfined sand and gravel aquifer were instrumented to: (1) evaluate if the concentrations of enterovirus and coliphage in this system were sufficient to allow their use as indicator viruses; (2) establish viral transport rates, transport distances, and concentrations in a highly conductive cold water aquifer. Enteroviruses were found in only two of eight assays of the septic tank effluent (0.26 and 4.4 virus/L) and were below detection in eight ground water samples. Male-specific and somatic coliphage were detectable in both the septic tank effluent (averaging 674,000 and 466,000 coliphage/L, respectively) and in the impacted underlying ground water, decreasing to detection limits beyond 38 m of the drainfield. Virus transport parameters in this aquifer were measured by seeding high numbers of MS2 and OX174 coliphage into the ground water and documenting their transport over 17.4 m. A portion of the seeded virus traveled at least as fast as the bromide tracer (1 to 2.9 m/d). Proposed natural disinfection criteria would not be met in this aquifer using standard 30.5 m setback distances. In addition, the virus sorption processes and long survival times resulted in presence of viable seed virus for more than nine months.
Developmental basis of homeosis in precociously germinating Brassica napus embryos: phase change at the shoot apex

Precociously germinating Brassica napus (oilseed rape) embryos produce extra cotyledons or chimeric organs with sectors of cotyledon and leaf tissue, rather than leaves, at the shoot apex. To investigate this phenomenon in more detail, scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the development of organ primordia at the shoot apex. In situ hybridizations with molecular markers of the embryonic phase were used to assess the status of individual cells in the shoot apex with regard to the transition between embryonic and vegetative phases. The results indicate that, under conditions that support precocious germination, primordia develop at the shoot apex in the mode characteristic of postgerminative growth, i.e. they arise sequentially in a spiral phyllotaxy. Cells in the rest of the embryo, however, can continue to express molecular markers of the embryonic phase for several weeks after the start of culture. When patterns of gene expression and the fate of individual primordia were compared, a strong correlation was found between organ identity and the status of cells in the vicinity of the meristem with regard to phase. Primordia that develop in situations where neighboring cells are in the embryonic phase always produce organs with cotyledon morphology. Primordia that develop in situations where neighboring cells have exited the embryonic phase produce leaves. Based on an examination of situations where chimeric organs are produced, I propose that short range interactions or signalling are likely to be involved in communicating information about phase to developing primordia.
Development of Safe and Effective Botanical Dietary Supplements

Regulated differently than drugs or foods, the market for botanical dietary supplements continues to grow worldwide. The recently implemented U.S. FDA regulation that all botanical dietary supplements must be produced using good manufacturing practice is an important step toward enhancing the safety of these products, but additional safeguards could be implemented, and unlike drugs, there are currently no efficacy requirements. To ensure a safe and effective product, botanical dietary supplements should be developed in a manner analogous to pharmaceuticals that involves identification of mechanisms of action and active constituents, chemical standardization based on the active compounds, biological standardization based on pharmacological activity, preclinical evaluation of toxicity and potential for drug-botanical interactions, metabolism of active compounds, and finally, clinical studies of safety and efficacy. Completing these steps will enable the translation of botanicals from the field to safe human use as dietary supplements.
Categorical target templates: Typical category members are found and identified quickly during word-cued search

What information do people use to guide search when they lack precise details about the appearance of their target? In this study, we employed categorical (word-cued) search and eye tracking, to examine how category typicality influences search performance. We found that typical category members were fixated and identified more quickly than atypical categories. This finding held when the participant was cued at the superordinate level (finding “clothing” among non-clothing items) or the basic level (finding a “shirt” among other clothing items). This suggests that categorical target templates may be constructed by piecing together features from the most typical category member(s).
Architecture of the SYMBOL Computer System

Publisher Summary In the 1960s, a wealth of computer science had been accumulated, the new technological era of integrated circuits was beginning to emerge, and economic conditions were healthy. The SYMBOL design team recognized the existence of these conditions and decided that it was the time to design a machine with the user in mind. Until that time, digital computers were designed by engineers and technologists as a technological challenge with little consideration for the users. On the other hand, the users had grown sophisticated and demanding of the capabilities of their machines. They had to resort to large amounts of software to serve their needs. Software became costly and the adequacy of some aspects of the von Neumann architecture was being questioned. SYMBOL represents a major departure from the von Neumann architecture, which is still considered the conventional architecture; SYMBOL was a research project. Its objective was to demonstrate, with a working system, that a high-level, indirectly executable language, a large portion of the time-sharing operating system, and an automatic, virtual-memory management system could be implemented in hardware, resulting in an efficient system. Large portion of that hardware had to be invented. By the time the SYMBOL hardware was functional, the economic conditions of the electronic industry had deteriorated. Thus, even though the experimental objectives of SYMBOL had been accomplished, it was impossible to continue the development of the system with a marketable version.
Women's Human Rights Platform

The women in India very often have to face discrimination, injustice and dishonour. Though women in India have been given more rights as compared to men, even then the condition of women in India is miserable. The paper will throw light on the human rights of women in India and that how all the fundamental rights given to the women are being violated in India, by focusing on the various crimes done against them. An Indian woman uses the rights in some manner or limited area. All above rights has given to human beings like women or men but in reality there is a lack of equality to the women in modern time, women also in the second positions in the society. In any society of the world there should be the necessity of equality men and women. They are related with each other but, in fact this had not happen in the society. Though, Human Rights are the minimum rights which are compulsorily obtainable by every individual as he/she is a member of human society. But it has been found that each and every right of the women is being violated in one or another way. The crimes against women in India are increasing at a very fast pace. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) had predicted that growth rate of crime against women would be higher than the population growth by 2010, which was found to be true. There are many traditions in Indian society and it rejects to human rights. In our country the birth of women or girl known as a curse, therefore the problem of girl abortion is arises. The common people should be aware of their basic Fundamental Rights and to be informed about various laws regarding these problems. In such times of strife and social conflicts, Human Rights professionals should emerge as bacon of hope to the helpless women victims of oppression. Educating the women in this regard must be the aim to liberate the women. More and more legislations for empowerment of women are to be implemented. So that every time we liberate a woman, we liberate a man.
AJAE Appendix: The Commodity Terms of Trade, Unit Roots, and Nonlinear Alternatives

This appendix contains diagnostic test results and supplemental regression results from an evaluation of the Prebisch-Singer Hypothesis that applies smooth transition autoregressions (STARs) to relative prices for 24 primary commodities.
An Economic Analysis of Conflicts of Interest Regulation

This paper models the ethical rules applicable to attorney conflicts of interest as default terms for the attorney-client relationship which the legal system supplies in the absence of complete contracting by the parties. Following an approach which is standard in the literature, we model the attorney-client relationship as an agency relationship characterized by large information and monitoring difficulties. We conclude that, in general, a regime of granting the client the right to bar subsequent, conflicting representation of other parties by the attorney, subject to ex post renegotiation by the attorney and client, represents an optimal approach to the problem. Economic theory predicts, however, that there should be a threshold of harm to the client, below which the attorney should be allowed to represent another party without obtaining the first client's consent. In general, the ABA Model Code of Professional Responsibility and Model Rules of Professional Conduct adopt a regime of conflicts regulation that is quite consistent with economic theory. We suggest that the bar has an incentive to adopt efficient rules in this area because its interests are closely aligned with the public's: both have an interest in facilitating efficient contracting between attorney and client -- the bar, to increase profits; the public, to reduce costs.
Neighbourhood food, physical activity, and educational environments and black/white disparities in obesity: a complex systems simulation analysis

Background Multiple approaches that can contribute to reducing obesity have been proposed. These policies may share overlapping pathways, and may have unanticipated consequences, creating considerable complexity. Aiming to illuminate the use of agent-based models to explore the consequences of key policies, this paper simulates the effects of increasing neighbourhood availability of good food stores, physical activity infrastructure and higher school quality on the reduction of black/white disparities in body mass index (BMI) in the USA. Methods We used an agent-based model, with parameters derived from the empirical literature, which included individual and neighbourhood characteristics over the life course as determinants of behaviours thought to impact BMI. We systematically varied the strength of the 3 policy interventions, examining the impact of 125 different policy scenarios on black/white BMI disparities. Results In the absence of any of these policies, black/white BMI disparities generally increased over time. However, we found that some combinations of these policies resulted in reductions in BMI, yielding decreases in the black/white BMI disparity as large as a 90%. Conclusions Within the structure of relationships captured in this simulation model, there is support for the further use of agent-based simulation models to explore upstream policies as plausible candidates for the reduction of black/white disparities in BMI. These results highlight the potential insights into important public health problems, such as obesity, that can come from uniting the systems science approach with policy analysis.
Unbalanced Policy Priorities and the Interrogation of Terror Suspects

Why do states shift from opposition to torture to its employment in the face of widespread abhorrence and claims that it generates unreliable information? The expected value of acting upon unreliable information depends on the state’s appraisal of the type of error it might be committing. States may value avoiding Type I errors, which result from acting upon incorrect intelligence, differently than avoiding Type II errors, which result from failing to act on an undetected threat. Interrogations yield a mix of truth and lies; operations employing this information will avoid making Type II errors but will also make Type I errors. A state’s preference over error type changes with circumstances (as we show, occurs in Turkey and the United States), leading states to adopt coercive interrogation techniques despite secular abhorrence of torture. Our results suggest anti-torture advocacy might be more effective targeting preferences over error types than reinforcing anti-torture moral imperatives.
PFGE analysis of a food poisoning event caused by multi-serotype Vibrio parahemolyticus

Objective Applying pulsed-field gelelectrophoresis( PFGE) to conduct homology analysis on three serotypes of Vibrio parahemolyticus isolated from a food poisoning event,to understand the infection source of this event. Methods According to WS 271-2007 and other standards,the isolation,biochemical and serological identification,KP test,drug susceptibility test and virulence gene detection of Vibrio parahemolyticus strains were performed. PFGE molecular typing and cluster analysis were also conducted. Results Vibrio parahemolyticus strains were isolated from all 17 samples,which belonged to three serotypes. Serotype O3∶ K6 was dominant. The results of susceptibility test of 17 samples were consistent. The test results of tdh,trh1 and trh2 virulence gene detection were negative except ten samples of O3 ∶ K6 carried tdh virulence genes. PFGE molecular typing and cluster analysis indicated that the samples can be divided into six genotypes based on 100% similarity. Genotype P1 was predominant,while genotypes P2-P6 had different proportions. P1 and P2,P4 and P5 had close genetic relationship. Conclusion This food poisoning event was caused by coinfections of different clonal Vibrio parahemolyticus,with serotype O3∶ K6 being predominant. PFGE can be used in the source tracing and molecular epidemiological study of food poisoning.
Investigate Analysis of the Metabolic Syndrome among Senior Civil Servant in Jiangxi Province

Objective To explore of sickness status and epidemic characteristic of the metabolic syndrome (MS) among senior civil servant in jiangxi province. Methods 1 362 senior civil servants who attended physical examination at jiangxi province health care center and the cadre ward out-patient department were subjected to items of examination as follows:body height,body weight,waist circumference,blood pressure and physical examination,blood-lipid and blood glucose of biochemical index were detection. Results The sickness rate of hypertension in males was significantly higher than that in females (P0.01). No significant difference were found in MS sickness rate between males and females at all ages (P0.05,respectively).The sickness rate of MS of hypertension,blood-lipid abnorm-ality,obese patients was respectively significantly lower than that in diabetic patients (P0.01,respectively). Conclusion The sickness rate of the MS among senior civil servants in jiangxi province was high,and early blood glucose control was the key measure to decrease MS.
Variable Multi-dimensional Co-occurrence for Steganalysis

In this paper, a novel multidimensional co-occurrence histogram scheme has been presented, in which the numbers of quantization levels for the elements in the co-occurrence are variable according to the distance among the elements, referred to as the co-occurrence with variable number of quantization levels, abbreviated as the VNQL co-occurrence or variable co-occurrence. Specifically, the longer the distance the smaller the number of quantization levels used. The dimensionality of the variable co-occurrence is therefore flexible and much smaller than that used in the traditional multidimensional co-occurrence of the same orders. Furthermore, the symmetry existed in the multidimensional co-occurrence is skillfully utilized in the proposed variable co-occurrence. Consequently, the feature dimensionality has been lowered dramatically. Thus, the fourth order variable co-occurrence applied to the residuals used in the spatial rich model results in \(1,704\) features, which work with a G-SVM classifier, can achieve an average detection rate similar to that of achieved by the TOP10 (dimension approximately 3,300) in the spatial rich model with a G-SVM classifier against the HUGO at 0.4 bpp on the same setup. The time consumed by the proposed \(1,704\) features is much shorter that used by the latter. Furthermore, the performance achieved by the proposed \(1,704\) together with a G-SVM classifier is on par with that achieved by the TOP39 with \(12,753\) features and an ensemble classifier on the same setup against two steganographic schemes, the HUGO and the edge adaptive. With another proposed set of \(1,977\) features, generated from the residuals used in the spatial rich model and from a few newly formulated residuals, and the G-SVM classifier, the performance achieved is better than that achieved by using the TOP39 feature-set with ensemble classifier on the same setup against the HUGO.
Wikipedia and e-Collaboration Research: Opportunities and Challenges

Wikipedia's precursor started in the year 2000 as a traditional online encyclopedia with content controlled by a small group of experts. In 2013 Wikipedia's current user-controlled incarnation was such a successful enterprise that an asteroid was named after it. The authors briefly discuss key opportunities and challenges in e-collaboration research on Wikipedia. The opportunities refer to studies on the impact of Wikipedia on individuals and organizations, as well as on the spontaneous formation of online communities. The main challenges discussed refer to the consensus-building nature of content creation in Wikipedia, making practical applications of findings somewhat limited, as well as data compilation difficulties.
Substantivity in feminist metaphysics

Elizabeth Barnes and Mari Mikkola raise the important question of whether certain recent approaches to metaphysics exclude feminist metaphysics. My own approach (from my book Writing the Book of the World) does not, or so I argue. I do define “substantive” questions in terms of fundamentality; and the concepts of feminist metaphysics (and social metaphysics generally) are nonfundamental. But my definition does not count a question as being nonsubstantive simply because it involves nonfundamental concepts. Questions about the causal structure of the world, including the causal structure of the social world, are generally substantive because their answers are not sensitive to any alternate, equally good conceptual choices we could have made. I also argue that such questions are substantive regardless of the ontology of social kinds.
A 1.3 million year record of synchronous faulting in the hangingwall and border fault of a half-graben in the Malawi (Nyasa) Rift

Abstract This paper analyzes throw-depth (T-z) profiles from a high resolution 2D reflection seismic grid in the central basin of Lake Malawi to investigate whether evidence exists: 1) for migration of faulting away from the border fault of the half-graben; and 2) that faults in the hangingwall lengthened over the last 1.3 million years. We use the high-precision age model from a 2005 scientific drilling project in our study area to constrain the ages of our seismic horizons and examine a fault array and two individual faults within the hangingwall of the central basin border fault. We account for climatic and sedimentological controls on stratal growth with a lake-level curve that accompanies the age model. A comparison of our hangingwall T-z profiles with published throw-distance (T-x) profiles for the border fault shows synchronous faulting over the last 1.3 m.y. rather than basinward migration of faulting. Furthermore, we find no evidence for significant propagation of the tips of the hangingwall faults in the last 1.3 m.y. and conclude that the lack of basinward migration of faulting is a consequence of strain localization on faults established at an early stage in basin development.
Do Children’s Attributions Mediate the Link Between Parental Conditional Regard and Child Depression and Emotion?

Both parental conditional regard for academics and depressogenic attributions are related to detrimental psychological outcomes for children. Here we examine associations among parental conditional negative regard, child depressogenic attributions, child depressive symptoms, and emotion reactivity in children between the ages of 8 and 12, as well as whether children’s self-reported and behavioral attributions for negative events mediate associations between parental conditional negative regard for academics with children’s depressive symptoms and emotion reactivity. In Study 1 (N = 108, M age = 9.73, 50 male), children’s self-reported attributions for hypothetical events mediated the link between parental conditional negative regard and child depressive symptoms. In Study 2 (N = 104, M age = 10.28, 54 male), children attempted an impossible puzzle task while their skin conductance level was monitored, after which they completed an interview that was coded for spontaneous attributions for failure. Children’s spontaneous attributions mediated the link between parental conditional negative regard and child emotion reactivity, but not depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that children’s attributions may be a mechanism through which parental conditional negative regard is related to children’s depressive symptoms and emotion reactivity during a performance challenge. These results have implications for developmental models of depression risk and potential areas for clinical interventions with both children and their parents.
Fibronectin contributes to notochord intercalation in the invertebrate chordate, Ciona intestinalis

Genomic analysis has upended chordate phylogeny, placing the tunicates as the sister group to the vertebrates. This taxonomic rearrangement raises questions about the emergence of a tunicate/vertebrate ancestor. Characterization of developmental genes uniquely shared by tunicates and vertebrates is one promising approach for deciphering developmental shifts underlying acquisition of novel, ancestral traits. The matrix glycoprotein Fibronectin (FN) has long been considered a vertebrate-specific gene, playing a major instructive role in vertebrate embryonic development. However, the recent computational prediction of an orthologous “vertebrate-like” Fn gene in the genome of a tunicate, Ciona savignyi, challenges this viewpoint suggesting that Fn may have arisen in the shared tunicate/vertebrate ancestor. Here we verify the presence of a tunicate Fn ortholog. Transgenic reporter analysis was used to characterize a Ciona Fn enhancer driving expression in the notochord. Targeted knockdown in the notochord lineage indicates that FN is required for proper convergent extension. These findings suggest that acquisition of Fn was associated with altered notochord morphogenesis in the vertebrate/tunicate ancestor.
Large-scale Service Systems with Packing Constraints and Heterogeneous Servers

A service system with multiple types of arriving customers and multiple types of servers is considered. Several customers (possibly of different types) can be placed for concurrent service into same server, subject to "packing" constraints, which depend on the server type. Service times of different customers are independent, even if served simultaneously by the same server. The largescale asymptotic regime is considered such that the customer arrival rates grow to infinity. We consider two variants of the model. For the infinite-server model, we prove asymptotic optimality of the Greedy Random (GRAND) algorithm in the sense of minimizing the weighted (by type) number of occupied servers in steadystate. (This version of GRAND generalizes that introduced in [1] for the homogeneous systems, with all servers of same type.) We then introduce a natural extension of GRAND algorithm for finite-server systems with blocking. Assuming subcritical system load, we prove existence, uniqueness, and local stability of the large-scale system equilibrium point such that no blocking occurs. This result strongly suggests a conjecture that the steady-state blocking probability under the algorithm vanishes in the large-scale limit.
Does longer duration of breastfeeding prevent childhood asthma in low-income families?

AbstractObjective: The objective of this study was to examine the relationship of breastfeeding duration with childhood asthma among low-income families in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: Mothers/caregivers of 200 children with asthma and an equal number of children without asthma were interviewed about breastfeeding duration. Based on the responses, 6 different binary variables were constructed: breastfeeding 3 months or less, 6 months or less, 9 months or less, 12 months or less, 18 months or less, and 24 months or less. Asthma status of the child was determined by clinical examination by a primary care physician. Data was analyzed using multiple logistic regression method, adjusted for age and sex of the child, household income, parental ethnicity, number of older siblings, family history of asthma or hay fever, presence of mold, parental smoking, number of people in the household, and body mass index of the child. Results: The average duration of breastfeeding was 21.4 months (SD = 7.33 months). Breastfee...
Increasing the efficacy of rehabilitation protocols for children via a robotic playmate providing real-time corrective feedback

Previous studies have shown that external corrective feedback provided to individuals undergoing physical therapy sessions increases the efficacy of their intervention protocols, thus allowing for the individual to rapidly improve on their performance. However, direct feedback is typically provided by an expert therapist during weekly or monthly visits, which limits improvement on a daily basis. As such, we promote in-home rehabilitation protocols by developing a novel framework that couples serious games with a robotic playmate. After showing in a previous study that a combination of verbal and nonverbal cues is the most efficient method for providing guided instruction, we now show that the efficacy of the intervention protocols can be further increased by embedding human-like behaviors on the robotic platform such that it provides continuous feedback. This would allow user performance to improve at each iteration of feedback and, ultimately, reach an individualized performance goal. To show that users can reach a reference point for a given kinematic parameter, we recruited adults and children to interact with our system. Results from the first round of experiments show that adults who received feedback from an embodied agent need less trials on average to reach their performance goals than the adults who received feedback from a virtual agent. Results from the second round of experiments further support our hypothesis by showing that children also reach their performance goals by receiving feedback from the robotic playmate. We conclude that coupling existing serious games with an embodied robotic agent has the potential of increasing the efficacy of intervention protocols by allowing for use outside the clinical setting thus increasing users' rate of improvement.
Kinetic studies of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase in intact cells.

Since the discovery that a deficiency of the enzyme hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) was responsible for the Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (1,2) and other related ailments of greatly differing severity (3-5), enzyme assays using tissue lysates have failed to demonstrate a correlation between the degree of the enzyme deficiency and the severity of the accompanying clinical manifestations (5). Presumably this is because a mutant enzyme molecule may have decreased stability and show less activity after cell lysis than it actually possesses in vivo (4-6). Particularly noteworthy are cases in which individuals with virtually no demonstrable HPRT activity in their erythrocyte lysates show only hyperuricemia, without the behavioral and neurological abnormalities seen in the Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (5). Several investigators have shown that the activities measured in cell lysates may differ considerably from those measured in the intact cell (4,7). Using the incorporation of radiolabeled hypoxanthine into purine compounds as a measure of HPRT activity in the intact cell, it has been possible to show a close correlation between residual enzyme activity and the severity of the clinical symptoms in HPRT deficiency diseases (9). It appears that this more physiological approach is of greater value in assessing in vivo enzyme function. It is possible that cases in which there is a partial deficiency of HPRT with intermediate severity of symptoms may represent HPRT molecules with increased Km’s.
Abstract C65: Promoting colorectal cancer screening in rural Appalachian emergency department

Objective: To provide a conceptual description of an Emergency Department (ED) placed randomized controlled trial designed to reduce the disproportionate burden of colorectal cancer (CRC) among rural Appalachian residents. Background: Residents of rural Appalachia have a higher incidence and mortality rate from CRC than residents of any other region of the country. The Centers for Disease estimate that as many as 60% of CRC deaths could be prevented if everyone aged 50 and up were screened regularly. One of the primary barriers to CRC screening for rural Appalachian residents is limited access to the health care system resulting in infrequent recommendations for screening and inadequate screening education. Given the propensity of rural Appalachians to accept health related information from trusted community members we designed an intervention to be delivered by local community health workers in the ED while individuals waited for non urgent care or waited with a family member. The ED provides services to a segment of the population that is traditionally hard to reach and at high risk for underutilization of preventive services. ED visits may be the sole point of contact with the health care system for these vulnerable individuals and provides a venue and opportunity for CRC screening promotion and education. Methods: This ED-placed RCT, designed and implemented in collaboration with community members and health care providers in rural Eastern Kentucky, is one of the first to use the ED as a site to promote colorectal cancer screening using a community health worker trained to deliver a motivational interviewing intervention to persons waiting for non urgent care or with a family member, in the ED of rural Appalachian hospitals. Results: We provide a conceptual overview to key elements of the intervention, including intervention development and refinement, theoretical foundations, intervention approach and implementation and evaluation procedures. Conclusion: This RCT has recruited more than 150 persons from rural Appalachian EDs who have not been screened for CRC in accordance with guidelines. It provides promise that CRC screening promotion activities are appropriately placed in rural EDs and provides a solid platform from which researchers and providers may launch efforts to develop targeted preventative health interventions in innovative public health settings. Citation Format: Jennifer Hatcher, Arica Brandford, Adaeze Aroh, Adebola Adegboyega, Brenda Combs, Nancy Schoenberg. Promoting colorectal cancer screening in rural Appalachian emergency department. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Ninth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2016 Sep 25-28; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(2 Suppl):Abstract nr C65.
TRANS*VERSAL ANIMACIES AND THE MATTERING OF BLACK TRANS* POLITICAL LIFE

AbstractThis article explores trans*versal connections between transness, blackness, and the animal. Drawn from the conceptual vocabulary of cultural theorist Felix Guattari, this article argues that the central purpose of transversality is to create linkages between previously unexplored singularities in a field, and then to create connections in other conceptual topographies at different levels of discursivity. The article advances an extension of Guattari’s “transversal” into a more capacious concept of the “trans*versal,” to analyze the #blacklivesmatter and #blacktranslivematter movements that draw on critical animal studies to reveal ways that species hierarchies are always present in processes of racialization that allow some lives to matter more, or less, than others.
HLA donor-specific antibodies in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: challenges and opportunities

Allogenic hematopoietic stem cell recipients may have preformed antibodies directed against foreign HLA antigens. The use of partially HLA-mismatched allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell donors allows for the possibility of the presence of circulating HLA donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) in the recipient. The presence of DSAs at the time of stem cell infusion increases the risk of primary graft failure. More recently developed technology using solid phase immunoassays (SPIs) with fluorochrome-conjugated beads has greatly improved the ability to detect and classify DSAs. When used in combination with the classic lymphocytotoxic complement-dependent and flow cytometric crossmatch tests, SPIs help provide DSA strength assessment. Parous females frequently harbor DSAs. DSAs tend to be of higher intensity when directed against haploidentical first-degree relatives. DSA assessment requires frequent monitoring as their relative strength can change over time. Although the criteria that constitutes a prohibitive DSA is unknown, desensitization techniques can result in engraftment rates as experienced in fully HLA-matched allogeneic blood or marrow transplantation recipients.
Comparison of elemental and organic carbon measurements between IMPROVE and CSN before and after method transitions

Abstract During a transition period from 2007 to 2009, the Chemical Speciation Network (CSN) altered its carbon sampling instrumentation and analysis methods to be more consistent with the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) network. CSN and IMPROVE operated collocated samplers spanning the transition at eight sites. This paper compares elemental, organic, and total carbon (EC, OC, and TC, respectively) measurements at these collocated sites from 2005 through March 2016. Prior to the changes, the concentration measurements between the two networks had imprecisions of 17, 17, and 16% and biases of 0.22, −1.93, and −1.69 μg m−3 for EC, OC, and TC, respectively, with CSN measuring higher OC and TC than IMPROVE. After the sampling equipment and analytical methods were changed, the imprecision improved to 14, 12, and 10% and biases decreased to −0.02, −0.12, and −0.15 μg m−3 for EC, OC, and TC, respectively. The increased comparability, particularly the smaller biases, between the two networks facilitates comparisons between urban and rural aerosols in geospatial analyses.
Claremont Purpose Scale: A Measure that Assesses the Three Dimensions of Purpose among Adolescents

The 12-item Claremont Purpose Scale (CPS) was designed for use with adolescents, and it gauges all three dimensions of the purpose construct, including goal-directedness, personal meaning, and a be...
The Cancer Genome Atlas: Creating Lasting Value beyond Its Data

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) team now presents the Pan-Cancer Atlas, investigating different aspects of cancer biology by analyzing the data generated during the 10+ years of the TCGA project.
Initial test of MITA/DIMM with an operational CBP system

The MITA (Motion Imagery Task Analyzer) project was conceived by CBP OA (Customs and Border Protection - Office of Acquisition) and executed by JHU/APL (Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory) and CERDEC NVESD MSD (Communications and Electronics Research Development Engineering Command Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate Modeling and Simulation Division). The intent was to develop an efficient methodology whereby imaging system performance could be quickly and objectively characterized in a field setting. The initial design, development, and testing spanned a period of approximately 18 months with the initial project coming to a conclusion after testing of the MITA system in June 2017 with a fielded CBP system. The NVESD contribution to MITA was thermally heated target resolution boards deployed to support a range close to the sensor and, when possible, at range with the targets of interest. JHU/APL developed a laser DIMM (Differential Image Motion Monitor) system designed to measure the optical turbulence present along the line of sight of the imaging system during the time of image collection. The imagery collected of the target board was processed to calculate the in situ system resolution. This in situ imaging system resolution and the time-correlated turbulence measured by the DIMM system were used in NV-IPM (Night Vision Integrated Performance Model) to calculate the theoretical imaging system performance. Overall, this proves the MITA concept feasible. However, MITA is still in the initial phases of development and requires further verification and validation to ensure accuracy and reliability of both the instrument and the imaging system performance predictions.
The role of perceived friend depression and perceived stigma on self-reported depression among individuals who use drugs

Depression and substance use are highly comorbid, and stigmatized, mental health conditions influenced by social network factors. The objective of this study was to explore the role of perceived depression and perceived mental health stigma among friends on self-reported depression over time. Between 2009 and 2012, 527 participants who used drugs completed baseline and 6-month follow-up surveys in Baltimore, Maryland. Logistic regression was used to assess whether perceived depression and stigma among friends were associated with personal depressive status before and after accounting for depressive status at baseline. A total of 309 participants (58.6%) had depressive symptoms at baseline, while 207 participants (39.3%) had depressive symptoms at follow-up. Not accounting for baseline depression, perceiving friends as being depressed (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.12, 1.56]) and as having stigmatizing attitudes toward mental health conditions (AOR = 1.92, 95% CI [1.31, 2.79]) were associated with increased odds of personal depression. After accounting for baseline depression, the relationship between personal depression and perceived stigma was marginally significant, while the relationship between personal depression and perceived depression among friends was attenuated. These results suggest that baseline depression is the largest predictor of follow-up depression. Future research should explore whether specific aspects of perceived stigma independently account for personal depression.
The Origins of Competing Claims to Land in East Central Europe - In-Kind Restitution as a Problem of Fair Division

Nations that transition from authoritarian regimes to democracy or emerge after years of protracted civil war often engage in various methods of transitional justice to address wrongs committed in the pre-transition periods. One such transitional justice mechanism that has been variously considered and implemented in these circumstances is the restitution of property, specifically, land. The countries of East Central Europe have presented notorious case studies in this context; they have either avoided property restitution altogether, or they have reallocated property in blatantly unfair ways. But simple solutions or ready-made formulas for property restitution are not, of course, readily available, and each scheme must address the historical, practical, and equitable concerns applicable to the lands and people involved. The impediment to fair restitution on which I focus here is the challenge of historical “layering of claims.” Generally, this “layering” phenomenon arises when the same piece of land is expropriated by an authoritarian regime or occupant and transferred to a new owner. From this owner, the land is then expropriated again - usually by a different autocrat or occupant. But instead of returning the land to its original owner, the property is conveyed to yet another new beneficiary, typically one who is aligned with the authorities effecting the expropriation. This process can be iterated several times, and each stage generates a new class of claimants to the same piece of land.