cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sentiment Analysis and Opinion Mining

Sentiment analysis and opinion mining is the field of study that analyzes people's opinions, sentiments, evaluations, attitudes, and emotions from written language. It is one of the most active research areas in natural language processing and is also widely studied in data mining, Web mining, and text mining. In fact, this research has spread outside of computer science to the management sciences and social sciences due to its importance to business and society as a whole. The growing importance of sentiment analysis coincides with the growth of social media such as reviews, forum discussions, blogs, micro-blogs, Twitter, and social networks. For the first time in human history, we now have a huge volume of opinionated data recorded in digital form for analysis. Sentiment analysis systems are being applied in almost every business and social domain because opinions are central to almost all human activities and are key influencers of our behaviors. Our beliefs and perceptions of reality, and the choices we make, are largely conditioned on how others see and evaluate the world. For this reason, when we need to make a decision we often seek out the opinions of others. This is true not only for individuals but also for organizations. This book is a comprehensive introductory and survey text. It covers all important topics and the latest developments in the field with over 400 references. It is suitable for students, researchers and practitioners who are interested in social media analysis in general and sentiment analysis in particular. Lecturers can readily use it in class for courses on natural language processing, social media analysis, text mining, and data mining. Lecture slides are also available online.
Microfluidic-aided genotyping of zebrafish in the first 48 h with 100 % viability

This paper introduces an innovative method for genotyping 1-2 days old zebrafish embryos, without sacrificing the life/health of the embryos. The method utilizes microfluidic technology to extract and collect a small amount of genetic material from the chorionic fluid or fin tissue of the embryo. Then, using conventional DNA extraction, PCR amplification, and high resolution melt analysis with fluorescent DNA detection techniques, the embryo is genotyped. The chorionic fluid approach was successful 78% of the time while the fin clipping method was successful 100% of the time. Chorionic fluid was shown to only contain DNA from the embryo and not from the mother. These results suggest a novel method to genotype zebrafish embryos that can facilitate high-throughput screening, while maintaining 100% viability of the embryo.
Education in science information management. The foundation for quality assurance in the 1990's.

This article explores the need for health care qual ity assurance professionals to keep up with scientific information related to both quality management and clinical medicine. Using data from a recent survey of this nation's primary practitioners and their national opinion leaders, the three basic functions of science information management are reviewed and related to QA tasks. The article suggests that education and training for QA professionals in "science information management" might substantially enhance their im pact in terms of improved outcomes of health care. Finally, several basic educational goals are listed for those who wish to develop proficiency in this devel oping field of information management.
Magnetic induction micromachine-part III:Eddy currents and nonlinear effects

The magnetic induction micromachine fabricated in Part II was not laminated, as designed in Part I. Consequently, eddy currents in the stator core, and the associated nonlinear saturation, significantly decreased its performance from that predicted in Part I. To investigate and explain these phenomena and their consequences, this paper models the behavior of the solid-stator-core machine fabricated in Part II using a finite-difference time-domain numerical analysis. The inherent stiffness in the time-domain integration of Maxwell's equations is mitigated via reducing the speed of light artificially by five orders of magnitude, while taking special care that assumptions of magneto-quasi-static behavior are still met. The results from this model are in very good agreement with experimental data from the tethered magnetic induction micro motor.
Impacts of development and global change on the epidemiological environment

Although improvements in human health represent a crucial aspect of development worldwide, many trends associated with development and global change appear to be reducing health security. In this article, we define the human epidemiological environment and describe key biophysical, economic, sociocultural, and political factors that shape it. The potential impact upon the epidemiological environment of aspects of both development and global change are then examined: the influences of human population size, mobility, geographic distribution, and nutritional status; modernization; loss of indigenous medicinal knowledge; microbial evolution of antibiotic resistance; land conversion and biodiversity loss; agricultural intensification; stratospheric ozone depletion; and climate change. Human vulnerability to infectious disease is often strongly and deleteriously influenced by ongoing, intensifying changes in these factors. An unprecedented level of communication and cooperation between experts, institutions, and nations is required to respond to the increasing threat of epidemic disease, which points to a promising area for enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration.
inAir: a longitudinal study of indoor air quality measurements and visualizations

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is important for health as people spend the majority of time indoors, and it is particularly interesting over outdoor air because it strongly ties to indoor activities. Some activities easily exacerbate IAQ, resulting in serious pollution. However, people may not notice such changes because many pollutants are colorless and odorless, while many activities are inconspicuous and routine. We implemented inAir, a system that measures and visualizes IAQ that households appropriate and integrate into everyday life. The research goals of this work include understanding the IAQ dynamics with respect to habitual behaviors and analyzing behavioral and quantitative changes towards improving IAQ by the use of inAir. From our longitudinal study for four months, we found that inAir successfully elicited the reflection upon, and the modification of habitual behaviors for healthy domestic environments, which resulted in the significant improvement of IAQ.
MED12 exon 2 mutations in uterine and extrauterine smooth muscle tumors

Mutations in exon 2 of the MED12 gene have been reported in 50% to 70% of uterine leiomyomas. To determine the frequency of MED12 mutations in various types of smooth muscle tumors as well as normal uterine myometrium adjacent to a leiomyoma, we selected a total of 143 cases for analysis of MED12 exon 2 mutations by polymerase chain reaction and Sanger sequencing. MED12 mutations were detected in 54% of classical uterine leiomyomas (15/28) and in 15% of cases in myometrium adjacent to leiomyomas (2/13); 34% of leiomyoma/leiomyomatosis in pelvic/retroperitoneal sites (10/29); 0% of extrauterine leiomyomas (0/29); 8% of smooth muscle tumor of uncertain malignant potential (1/12); 30% of uterine leiomyosarcomas (6/20); and 4% of extrauterine leiomyosarcomas (1/25). Mutations were clustered around codons 44, 40, 41, and 36, and consisted primarily of single nucleotide substitutions and small in-frame deletions. Our results confirm the findings of similar recent studies and further show that pelvic and retroperitoneal leiomyomas harbor an increased frequency of MED12 mutations (34%) as compared with other extrauterine sites (0%; P = 0.0006), and that histologically unremarkable adjacent myometrium can harbor similar MED12 mutations. These findings suggest that smooth muscle tumors in pelvic/retroperitoneal sites are subject to the same mutational changes as those of uterine myometrium, and that these mutations may precede the gross or histological development of a leiomyoma.
Saving energy with architectural and frequency adaptations for multimedia applications

General-purpose processors are expected to be increasingly employed for multimedia workloads on systems where reducing energy consumption is an important goal. Researchers have proposed the use of two forms of hardware adaptation - architectural adaptation and dynamic voltage (and frequency) scaling or DVS - to reduce energy. This paper develops and evaluates an integrated algorithm to control both architectural adaptation and DVS targeted to multimedia applications. It also examines the interaction between the two forms of adaptation, identifying when each will perform better in isolation and when the addition of architectural adaptation will benefit DVS. Our adaptation control algorithm is effective in saving energy and exploits most of the available potential. For the applications and systems studied, DVS is consistently better than architectural adaptation in isolation. The addition of architectural adaptation to DVS benefits some applications, but not all. Finally, in a seemingly counter-intuitive result, we find that while less aggressive architectures reduce energy for fixed frequency hardware, with DVS, more aggressive architectures are often more energy efficient.
DISTRIBUTIONAL AND TAXONOMIC NOTES ON SOUTHEASTERN DERMAPTERA AND ORTHOPTERA, AND A NEW SPECIES OF CYCLOPTILUM (GRYLLIDAE)

Most of the records which follow are the compilation of field work during the period of September 1936 to September 1937 and the summer of 1938 while I was a member of the faculty of the University of Miami. Several able Orthopterists, particularly J. A. G. Rehn, Morgan Hebard, W. T. Davis, A P. Morse, and T. H. Hubbell have collected widely in southeastern United States, describing many new species.
The uRNA database

The uRNADB offers aligned, annotated and phylogenetically ordered sequences of several U RNAs. New to this release are RNAs from U7 (14 sequences), U8 (two sequences), U11 (three sequences), U12 (two sequences), U14 (11 sequences), U18, U48 and U49. A total of 34 new sequences were aligned with the previously compiled snRNAs U1, U2, U3, U4, U5 and U6.
The effect of surgical duration of transurethral resection of bladder tumors on postoperative complications: An analysis of ACS NSQIP data

Abstract Introduction Transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) is a common procedure used in the diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer. Despite how often it is performed, not much is known about the risk factors for complications. Traditional surgery has an increase in morbidity and mortality with increasing operative duration. We assess the effect of operative duration on TURBT complications. Methods The years 2006 to 2012 of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) were queried for patients undergoing TURBT. We separated patients into 4 groups based on operative time: 0 to 30 minutes, 30.1 to 60 minutes, 60.1 to 90 minutes, and greater than 90 minutes. Standard statistical analysis including multivariate regression was performed to determine predictors of complications. Results A total of 10,599 TURBTs were included in our analysis. The overall complication rate for TURBT was 5.8% and there was an increase in the rate of complications seen as operative duration increased, which remained after controlling for age, comorbidities, tumor size, and American Society of Anesthesiology classification. Increased operative duration was associated with a greater risk of postoperative urinary tract infection, sepsis or septic shock, pulmonary embolism/deep venous thrombosis, reintubation or failure to wean, myocardial infarction, and death. Larger tumors were related to an increased odds of requiring blood transfusions. Conclusions Using a contemporary multicenter cohort of TURBTs from the ACS NSQIP database, we demonstrate that increased operative duration is associated with serious postoperative complications. This association was found to persist even after adjusting for patient age, comorbidities, tumor size, and functional status.
“Temperate and Nearly Cloudless”: The 9/11 Commission Report as Postmodern Pastiche

“Tuesday, September 11, 2001 dawned temperate and nearly cloudless in the eastern United States”. Thus begins Chapter One of the 9/11 Commission Report, a chapter that bears the title, “‘We have Some Planes’”. As with all good pop fiction, the reader awaits to see what this quote means, although we know already that it will mark a crucial moment, one that renders the innocuous urgent, or gives meaning to a startling chaos of coincidence. Pop culture has taught us the formula well: Everything looks fine; high school kids sip pop and dance in front of the juke box; Ole Doc Jones is mowin’ the lawn while Mrs. Jones makes lemonade. BUT strange noises have been heard in the cellar; no one can find the cat; Mr. Grundy insists he saw flashing lights last night, but no one believes him because Mrs. Grundy says he’s been acting strange ever since she flushed his Viagra; mysteriously, all the clocks in Indianapolis have started running fast or slow by exactly 24 hours. Then we hear the message on the police radio: “we’ve got some planes…as large as football fields hovering over every Wall-Mart in the nation”. At last someone will believe the geeky newspaper boy and his big brother’s girlfriend, who knew all along he was on to something. Let’s hope it’s not too late.
A Simulation of the Sixteenth‐Century Population Collapse in the Basin of Mexico

A system dynamics computer simulation is applied to an analysis of the population dynamics of the Mexican Basin in the sixteenth century. The model simulates the demographic response of the Amerindian population to the web of causal factors that affected it including its demographic epidemiological cultural social and economic aspects. "The results of these simulations indicate that: (1) a very large depopulation was possible given reasonable assumptions as to cause; (2) the overall scale of depopulation was profound--nearly 90 percent over the course of 100 years--from [a population of] more than 1.5 million in 1519 to [one of] less than 200000 by 1610; (3) the temporal pattern of depopulation formed an irregular step-like pattern and most of the population loss occurred in the first fifty years of Spanish occupance; (4) this decline was primarily due to a series of virgin soil epidemic crises although famine was also important; and (5) there is no need to presume an Amerindian population genetically less able to resist disease nor is it necessary to presume Spanish cruelty to explain this holocaust." (EXCERPT)
Avian community composition of kopjes in a heterogeneous landscape

We examined avian communities of kopjes (naturally occurring insular rock outcrops) in grassland and thorn tree woodland habitats in the Seronera region of Serengeti National Park, northwestern Tanzania. Although kopjes cover a small proportion of the Park's area, they provide resources that are uncommon in the Serengeti landscape and are known to host diverse, yet poorly documented, biotic communities. The primary objectives of this study were (1) to compare avian communities of kopjes with those of their surrounding habitat matrixes; (2) to compare the avian communities among kopjes; and (3) to determine the effects of kopje characteristics (e.g., size, vegetation cover, level of human disturbance and matrix type) on avian diversity and community composition. The avian communities of kopjes differed significantly from those of the matrixes in species composition and guild characteristics. Rare species, frugivorous species and nectarivorous species were more abundant on kopjes, whereas there were more ground-feeding species in matrix sites. Species richness was positively correlated with the area of kopjes covered by tall vegetation (5+ m), but neither total habitat area nor total vegetation cover significantly affected avian diversity. The surrounding habitat type, the fruiting phenology of Ficus and Commiphora trees and the level of human disturbance also influenced the presence and abundance of individual species and accounted for differences in community composition among kopjes. Our results show that kopjes support unique avian assemblages comprising many species that are otherwise rare in Serengeti, and consequently that kopjes may be local hotspots of avian diversity in the region.
Design considerations for tunneling MOSFETs based on staggered heterojunctions for ultra-low-power applications

This paper discusses key device design issues for ultra-low-power (0.3V) tunnel-injection nano-MOSFETs that incorporate staggered heterojunctions at the source-channel junction. Material choice, gate alignment, and doping strategy are found to be crucial to preserve essential performance features of a staggered-heterojunction TFET such as steep turn on, high on-state current drive and low off-state leakage.
Examining the Causes and Consequences of Context-Specific Differential DNA Methylation in Maize

DNA methylation is a stable modification of chromatin that can contribute to epigenetic variation through the regulation of genes or transposons. Profiling of DNA methylation in five maize (Zea mays) inbred lines found that while DNA methylation levels for more than 99% of the analyzed genomic regions are similar, there are still 5,000 to 20,000 context-specific differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between any two genotypes. The analysis of identical-by-state genomic regions that have limited genetic variation provided evidence that DMRs can occur without local sequence variation, but they are less common than in regions with genetic variation. Characterization of the sequence specificity of DMRs, location of DMRs relative to genes and transposons, and patterns of DNA methylation in regions flanking DMRs reveals a distinct subset of DMRs. Transcriptome profiling of the same tissue revealed that only approximately 20% of genes with qualitative (on-off) differences in gene expression are associated with DMRs, and there is little evidence for association of DMRs with genes that show quantitative differences in gene expression. We also identify a set of genes that may represent cryptic information that is silenced by DNA methylation in the reference B73 genome. Many of these genes exhibit natural variation in other genotypes, suggesting the potential for selection to act upon existing epigenetic natural variation. This study provides insights into the origin and influences of DMRs in a crop species with a complex genome organization.
Autographa californica Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus Ac92 (ORF92, P33) Is Required for Budded Virus Production and Multiply Enveloped Occlusion-Derived Virus Formation

The Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus orf92 ( p33 ), ac92 , is one of 31 genes carried in all sequenced baculovirus genomes, thus suggesting an essential function. Ac92 has homology to the family of flavin adenine dinucleotide-linked sulfhydryl oxidases and is related to the ERV/ALR family of sulfhydryl oxidases. The role of ac92 during virus replication is unknown. Ac92 was associated with the envelope of both budded and occlusion-derived virus (ODV). To investigate the role of Ac92 during virus replication, an ac92 -knockout bacmid was generated through homologous recombination in Escherichia coli . Titration and plaque assays showed no virus spread in ac92 -knockout bacmid DNA-transfected insect cells. Deletion of ac92 did not affect viral DNA replication. However, ac92 -knockout bacmid DNA-transfected cells lacked multiply enveloped occlusion-derived nucleocapsids; instead, singly enveloped nucleocapsids were detected. To gain insight into the requirement for sulfhydryl oxidation during virus replication, a virus was constructed in which the Ac92 C 155 XXC 158 amino acids, important for sulfhydryl oxidase activity, were mutated to A 155 XXA 158 . The mutant virus exhibited a phenotype similar to that of the knockout virus, suggesting that the C-X-X-C motif was essential for sulfhydryl oxidase activity and responsible for the altered ODV phenotype.
Maquila Age Maya: Changing Households and Communities of the Central Highlands of Guatemala

As rural peoples of Central America and beyond struggle to create and access new forms of market participation and means of survival under the conditions generated by structural adjustment policies, significant social and cultural shifts are taking place at the local level. This paper analyzes on three levels the impact of maquiladora industries: the region and communities, sending households, and individuals. In particular, I address the implications of migration and urbanization for the new communities, the complex nature of diversified households, and attitudes toward industrial and agricultural work. I conclude with a discussion about the implications of these findings for transitions to proletarianization.
Prediction of gene therapy-induced tumor size changes by the vascularity changes measured using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI.

Abstract We studied the changes of tumor size after gene therapy treatment and its relationship with the changes of vascular volume as measured by dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to investigate whether the vascular changes is predictive of tumor regression. The study was carried out using a spontaneously regressing rat tumor model (C6 Glioma grown subcutaneously in rats). Three rats were treated with recombinant adenoviruses expressing three genes, mouse interleukin 1-α (IL1-α), mouse interferon γ (IFN-γ), and human transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), one from each kind. Two rats were treated with saline as controls. Longitudinal studies were performed to monitor the changes of tumor volume (based on T 2 -weighted images) and the vascular volume (based on dynamic contrast enhanced images). In untreated animals, tumor regression was preceded by several days with a decrease in vascular volume. When the tumor growth was perturbed by expression of mouse IL-1α, the increase in vascular volume was correlated with the continuing growth in size, and the decrease in vascular volume was predictive of the onset of tumor regression. As new advances in immunotherapy in cancer treatment emerge, the ability to determine the efficacy of therapy as early as possible will enable optimization of treatment regiments. The vascularity changes measured by dynamic MRI may provide a means to serve for this purpose.
Analysis of a Hybrid Reputation Management System for Mobile Ad hoc Networks

In cooperative systems such as wireless ad hoc networks, tasks are conducted based on the cooperation of nodes in the system. However, selfish nodes may refuse to be cooperative. Reputation system and price-based system are two main solutions to this problem. In this paper, we use game theory to investigate the underlying cooperation incentives of both systems. We found that the strategies of using a threshold to determine the trustworthiness of a node in the reputation system and of rewarding cooperative nodes in the price-based system may be manipulated by clever selfish nodes to gain benefits while still being selfish. Illumined by the investigation results, an integrated system is proposed and studied. Theoretical and simulation results show the superiority of the integrated system over individual reputation system and price-based system in terms of the effectiveness of cooperation incentives. offers forwarding service. Game theory (12) is a theory of applied mathematics that models and analyzes the interactive decision situations. In this paper, we use game theory to model and study the individual reputation system and price-based system, and analyze their underlying incentives and inherent deficiencies. We found that the incentives of both systems can encourage nodes to be coop- erative to a certain extend. The strategies of using a threshold to determine the trustworthiness of a node in the reputation system and the strategies of rewarding cooperative nodes in the price-based system may be manipulated by clever selfish nodes to gain benefits while still being selfish. In addition, we also propose an integrated system combining reputation system and price-based system. The integrated system leverages the advantages of both systems and overcomes their individual disadvantages, making the potential reciprocity the focal point of integration. We build a game theory model for analyzing the integrated system. The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. Sec- tion II provides relative works. Section III presents the analysis based on game theory for individual reputation systems price- based systems and the proposed integrated system. Section IV presents the simulation results. Section V concludes the paper.
Response of biological reactors to sinusoidal variations of substrate concentration

A well-mixed biological reactor with continuous addition of biological solids was subjected to sinusoidal variations in inlet substrate concentration. The phase lag between inlet and outlet concentrations increased with increasing frequency. The deviation of measured substrate concentrations from initial steady-state concentrations was observed to have a maximum near a frequency of 1 cycle per residence time. Measured concentrations of substrate and biomass in the reactor differed significantly from concentrations predicted by the Monod kinetic model.
Definitive diagnosis of mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy by biochemical assays.

Background: Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE) is caused by mutations in the gene encoding thymidine phosphorylase (TP). The clinical manifestations of MNGIE are recognizable and homogeneous, but in the early stages, the disease is often misdiagnosed. This study assesses the reliability of biochemical assays to diagnose MNGIE. Methods: We studied 180 patients with clinical features suggestive of MNGIE, 14 asymptomatic TP mutation carriers, and 20 controls. TP enzyme activity in the buffy coat was determined by a fixed-time method, and the plasma nucleosides thymidine (dThd) and deoxyuridine (dUrd) were assessed by a gradient-elution reversed phase HPLC method. TP was sequenced through standard procedures in patients who met the clinical criteria for MNGIE. Results: Twenty-five of the 180 patients fulfilled the clinical criteria for MNGIE and had homozygous or compound heterozygous TP mutations. All had drastically decreased TP activity [mean (SD), 10 (15) nmol thymine formed · h−1 · (mg protein)−1 vs 634 (217) nmol thymine formed · h−1 · (mg protein)−1 for the controls]. Relative to the control mean, TP activities were reduced to 35% in mutation carriers and 65% in MNGIE-like patients. All 25 MNGIE patients had detectable plasma dThd [8.6 (3.4) μmol/L] and dUrd [14.2 (4.4) μmol/L]. Controls, carriers, and MNGIE-like patients showed no detectable plasma dThd and dUrd. Conclusions: We propose a diagnostic algorithm based on the determination of plasma dThd and dUrd, TP activity in buffy coat, or both to make a definitive diagnosis of MNGIE. Increased concentrations of dThd (>3 μmol/L) and dUrd (>5 μmol/L) in plasma or a decrease in buffy coat TP activity to ≤8% relative to controls is sufficient to diagnose MNGIE.
Writing the Research Proposal

One of the goals of this book is to help prepare a graduate student to develop a research proposal. The research proposal components are an abstract, specific aims, introduction (background and significance; and supporting evidence), and methods. Chapters 1 through 4 in this text pertain specifically to the body of the research proposal. Other chapters relate to various facets of planning a study: hypotheses, designs, measurements, and statistical analyses. This chapter attempts to bring the proposal together.
Weibull Model for Rutting Prediction of Warm-Mix Asphalt Agents: Using Hamburg Wheel-Tracking Device Results

This study used a Hamburg wheel-tracking device in hot-mix asphalt–warm-mix asphalt (HMA-WMA) with different WMA agents to analyze the rutting behavior of asphalt concrete. Five mixtures were collected in New Mexico with the same mixture design. Mixtures differed only in the additive technology. Foaming, chemical, and organic agents were compared with a WMA mixture with modified polymer and a HMA control mixture. Application of the Weibull failure rate function to predict rutting for different WMA agents was developed. Good rutting results were observed when the organic agent was tested compared with other WMA agents. The use of a polymer-modified binder in the WMA mixture with the organic agent significantly decreased rutting. HMA and WMA with foaming had similar rutting behavior, and the mixture with the chemical agent experienced a different performance from that of previous mixtures. Fitted Weibull failure rate function showed good correlation to HMA-WMA mixtures when rutting depths were low, and no h...
Central and peripheral adrenergic modulation of carotid sinus-induced renin release

To study central and peripheral mechanisms that regulate the level of circulating renin during activation of the carotid sinus baroreflex, both carotid sinuses were isolated and perfused at constant flow in chloralase-anesthetized dogs. Sinus pressure was controlled by an adjustable reservoir while systemic pressure was stabilized using an external chamber. Arterial renin activity, measured by radioimmunoassay, was increased during sinus hypotension only if systemic pressure was held constant. The renin response was eliminated by either sinus or renal denervation. Administration of propranolol (iv) or phentolamine directly into the renal artery totally blocked the increase in renin during activation of the reflex. Perfusion of a beta-adrenergic blocker (propranolol) or an alpha-adrenergic blocker (phentolamine) through the third and fourth cerebroventricles had no effect on the increase in renin during sinus hypotension, whereas centrally administered clonidine, and alpha-agonist, blocked the response. We conclude that the sinus reflex arc affecting renin release involves not only activation of peripheral alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptors in the kidney but also inhibition of central alpha-adrenergic receptors. No evidence for central beta-involvement was found.
Electrochemical Detection of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene at Colloidal Gold Nanoparticle Film Assemblies

This work investigates citrate-capped, colloidal gold nanoparticle (AuNP) film assemblies of varying particle sizes (5–50 nm) adsorbed to bulk Au substrates to serve as platform electrochemical sensors to simultaneously detect and reduce TNT to 2,4,6-triaminotoluene (TAT) in solution. The high surface area-to-volume ratio of colloidal AuNPs offers advantages in electrocatalysis and enhanced signal transduction, while the facile immobilization onto a variety of substrates provides an adaptable and reproducible platform technology. In order to validate these AuNP film assemblies as platform sensors, square wave voltammetry is performed to enhance TNT sensitivity and optimize the signal transduction of TNT reduction. The highest sensitivity of TNT reduction is observed on 15 nm AuNP films (high nanomolar limits of detection). It is hypothesized that the 15 nm AuNP film assemblies store charge more efficiently because of their large dielectric constant compared to AuNP films of alternative sizes. It is also observed that upon assembly of the 5, 15, and 30 nm AuNPs, TNT reduction begins at more positive potentials compared to bulk Au and organic monolayer films, suggesting that these films exhibit electrocatalytic properties. The onset reduction potentials for 5, 15, and 30 nm AuNP assemblies were calculated and undergo 70 mV shifts to more positive potentials in comparison to bulk Au and organic monolayer control electrodes.
Elm Spanworm Egg Distribution in a Connecticut Hardwood Forest

Females of Ennomos subsignarius (Hubner) deposited more eggs on boles than branches of hardwood trees in a Connecticut forest. Most of the eggs were deposited 15–40 feet above the ground. A significantly higher number of eggs was deposited on the southeast quadrant than on any other quadrant.
The Alternating Harmonic Series

and t leading to the points (-0.608, 0.544) on the graph of f and (-0.272, -0.074) on the graph of g. The distance between these points is 0.578. To prove that our procedure is valid under the stated conditions, suppose we are given differentiable functions f and g for which the set {[P Q : P = (x, f(x)), Q = (t, g (t)) attains a minimum value d = IPo Qol, where neither Po nor Q0 is an endpoint of one of the graphs. We want to prove that the line segment Po Qo is perpendicular to the tangent lines to f's graph at Po and to g's graph at Q0. To do this, we hold the endpoint Qo = (to, g(to)) fixed and let P = (x, f(x)) vary. The square of the distance from Qo to P is the differentiable function D(x) = (x to)2 + (f(x) g(to))2 whose minimum value occurs where D'(x) = 0:
Cell-mediated cytotoxicity and tumor growth in zinc-deficient mice.

AbstractDietary-induced zinc deficiency results in an impaired cell-mediated immune response to non-H2 allogenic tumor cells in mice. Animals maintained on a zinc-deficient diet for as little as 2 weeks develop a severe impairment in their ability to generate a cytotoxic response in the face of tumor challenge. This impairment is totally reversible by returning zinc-deficient mice to normal dietary zinc intake. Such animals now demonstrate a normal cytotoxic response to tumor challenge. If mice are treated with toxic doses of dietary zinc, a similar impairment of the cell-mediated cytotoxic response occurs. This suggests that either a deficiency or toxic level of zinc impairs the immune response to allogeneic tumor cells.
SLC19A3 Early-Infantile, Lethal Encephalopathy

Investigators from VU Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, identified seven patients with severe encephalopathy who shared a previously undescribed MRI pattern with cystic degeneration of the white matter and progressive cerebral, cerebellar and brainstem atrophy.
The effects of progesterone and human chorionic gonadotropin on ovulation in the in vitro perfused rabbit ovary

The in vitro perfused rabbit ovary preparation was used to study the effect of progesterone on follicle rupture and to determine the minimum level of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) required to induce ovulation in vitro. Both ovaries from an intact female rabbit were removed and simultaneously placed in separate perfusion systems. In four groups of five rabbits each, hCG at a dose of 25, 10, 5, or 1IU was added to the perfusate of both ovaries. An additional group received no hCG. One ovary from each rabbit was treated with progesterone (1mg/150ml of perfusate) together with hCG. The contralateral ovary served as a control, receiving only hCG. The number of ovaries ovulating in each group varied directly with the amount of hCG added to the perfusate (four of five with 25IU, three of five with 10IU, two of five with 5IU, one of five with 1IU, and none of five without hCG). In each group the number of ovulations per ovary did not increase significantly by the addition of progesterone to the perfusate. These data suggest that a dose-response relationship can be established between hCG and ovulation in the in vitro model and that amounts of hCG as small as 1IU can produce ovulation in an in vitro perfused rabbit ovary preparation. Although exogenous progesterone did not appear to influence ovulation in this model, these data do not exclude the possibility that progesterone exerts a direct facilitatory effect on ovulation.
Further Characterization of Erythrocyte p80 and the Membrane Protein Defect of In(Lu) Lu(a–b–) Erythrocytes

We have previously shown that the In(Lu) gene down-regulates expression of an erythrocyte protein antigen identified by murine monoclonal antibody (MoAb) A3D8. In the present study we have examined In(Lu) Lu(a- b-) erythrocytes for expression of additional epitopes on the erythrocyte 80 kilodalton protein (p80) bearing the A3D8 antigen. Using a total of seven additional MoAbs that recognize three epitopes on erythrocyte p80, we have shown that In(Lu) Lu(a-b-) erythrocytes exhibit down-regulation of expression of all three epitopes. In(Lu) erythrocytes also showed a reduction in their reactivity to rabbit antibodies produced against purified p80 from either erythrocytes or lymphocytes. Furthermore the reactivity of the MoAbs was not altered by treatment of the cells with neuraminidase but was substantially reduced by treatment of cells with trypsin or chymotrypsin. The polyclonal anti- p80 sera were shown to react with a fragment of 50,000 daltons, still associated with erythrocyte ghosts, following treatment of the cells with trypsin or chymotrypsin. Treatment of erythrocytes with the thiol- reactive reagent AET decreased their reactivity with the MoAbs but had a variable effect on their reactivity with polyclonal antibodies. Erythrocyte p80 is a glycoprotein with N-linked oligosaccharides, as demonstrated by its binding to concanavalin A (Con A) and Len culinaris lectins. Following Endoglycosidase F treatment, erythrocyte p80 underwent a reduction in apparent mol wt of 11,000. The presence of a reduced amount of an intact p80 glycoprotein, seen by a decrease in reactivity with MoAbs directed at three distinct epitopes and with two different polyclonal antibodies, suggests that the In(Lu) gene interferes with expression by erythrocytes of the entire p80 glycoprotein.
Geography, Not Health System Affiliations, Determines Patients' Revisits to the Emergency Department.

Objectives To determine how frequently patients revisit the emergency department after an initial encounter, and to describe revisit capture rates for the same hospital, health system, and geographic region. Data Sources/Study Setting Florida state data from January 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011, from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Study Design This is a retrospective cohort study of emergency department return visits among Florida adults over an 18-month period. We evaluated pairs of index and 30-day return emergency department visits and compared capture rates for hospital, health system, and geographic units. Data Collection/Extraction Methods Data were obtained from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project and the American Hospital Association Annual Survey Database. Principal Findings Among 9,416,212 emergency department visits, 22.6 percent (2,124,441) were associated with a 30-day return. Seventy percent (1,477,772) of 30-day returns occurred to the same hospital. The 30-day return capture rates were highest within the same geographic area: county-level capture at 92 percent (IQR=86–96 percent) versus health system capture at 75 percent (IQR = 68–81 percent). Conclusions Acute care utilization patterns are often independent of health system boundaries. Current population-based health care models that attribute patients to a single provider or health system may be strengthened by considering geographic patterns of acute care utilization.
Trajectories of Weight Change and Predictors Over 18‐Month Weight Loss Treatment

Background Obesity research has typically focused on weight change patterns using the whole sample in randomized clinical trials (RCTs), ignoring subsets of individuals with varying weight change trajectories (e.g., continuing to lose, or maintaining weight). The purpose was to explore possible trajectories of weight change and their associated predictors. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of data from two RCTs using standard behavioral treatment for weight loss. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to identify distinct classes of percent weight change trajectories over 18 months. Results The sample (N = 338) was primarily female (85.2%), White (73.7 %), 45.7 ± 9.0 years old, with 15.6 ± 2.8 years of education. Three trajectory groups were identified: good responders (>15% weight loss), fair responders (5%–10% weight loss), and poor responders (<5% weight loss). The good responders had a significantly larger decrease in perceived Barriers to Healthy Eating subscale scores than the fair and poor responders (p < .01). Compared to the poor responders, there was a significant decrease in fat gram intake in the good responders (p = .01). Conclusions Good responders differed from poor responders in decreasing their perceived barriers to healthy eating (e.g., managing emotions, social support, and daily mechanics of adopting a healthy diet) and reducing fat intake. Good responders differed from fair responders in perceived barriers to healthy eating. Clinical Relevance Clinicians need to focus on how we can assist those who are being unsuccessful in adopting some of the behaviors observed among those who have experienced successful weight loss and maintainers.
An asymptotic method based on a Hopf–Cole transformation for a kinetic BGK equation in the hyperbolic limit ☆

Abstract We present an effective asymptotic method for approximating the density of particles for kinetic equations with a Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook (BGK) relaxation operator in the large scale hyperbolic limit. The density of particles is transformed via a Hopf–Cole transformation, where the phase function is expanded as a power series with respect to the Knudsen number. The expansion terms can be determined by solving a sequence of equations. In particular, it has been proved in [3] that the leading order term is the viscosity solution of an effective Hamilton–Jacobi equation, and we show that the higher order terms can be formally determined by solving a sequence of transport equations. Both the effective Hamilton–Jacobi equation and the transport equations are independent of the Knudsen number, and are formulated in the physical space, where the effective Hamiltonian is obtained as the solution of a nonlinear equation that is given as an integral in the velocity variable, and the coefficients of the transport equations are given as integrals in the velocity variable. With appropriate Gauss quadrature rules for evaluating these integrals effectively, the effective Hamilton–Jacobi equation and the transport equations can be solved efficiently to obtain the expansion terms for approximating the density function. In this work, the zeroth, first and second order terms in the expansion are used to obtain second order accuracy with respect to the Knudsen number. The proposed method balances efficiency and accuracy, and has the potential to deal with kinetic equations with more general BGK models. Numerical experiments verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
O Gestor Escolar e a Dinâmica Democrática na Educação

A implementacao de uma gestao escolar democratica e atualmente uma exigencia da sociedade, que a entende como um dos possiveis caminhos para uma transformacao social, onde a igualdade e o direito para todos acontecam, de modo que perfil do administrador permita verdadeiras transformacoes sociais. Nesse sentido, objetivo deste artigo refere-se a necessidade de estudar e conhecer o perfil do gestor escolar na perspectiva educacional atual, analisar a tematica da gestao escolar no âmbito estadual, publico e privado. A composicao desta pesquisa torna-se relevante porque servira como base fundamental na minha formacao como mestranda. A metodologia utilizada para a elaboracao deste trabalho consiste na pesquisa bibliografica realizada a partir de referencias publicada, analisada e discutida como contribuicoes culturais e cientificas. Ela constitui uma excelente tecnica para fornecer ao pesquisador a bagagem teorica, de conhecimento, e o treinamento cientifico que habilitam a producao de trabalhos originais e pertinentes.
Segmental isotopic labeling of HIV-1 capsid protein assemblies for solid state NMR.

Recent studies of noncrystalline HIV-1 capsid protein (CA) assemblies by our laboratory and by Polenova and coworkers (Protein Sci 19:716–730, 2010; J Mol Biol 426:1109–1127, 2014; J Biol Chem 291:13098–13112, 2016; J Am Chem Soc 138:8538–8546, 2016; J Am Chem Soc 138:12029–12032, 2016; J Am Chem Soc 134:6455–6466, 2012; J Am Chem Soc 132:1976–1987, 2010; J Am Chem Soc 135:17793–17803, 2013; Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 112:14617–14622, 2015; J Am Chem Soc 138:14066–14075, 2016) have established the capability of solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements to provide site-specific structural and dynamical information that is not available from other types of measurements. Nonetheless, the relatively high molecular weight of HIV-1 CA leads to congestion of solid state NMR spectra of fully isotopically labeled assemblies that has been an impediment to further progress. Here we describe an efficient protocol for production of segmentally labeled HIV-1 CA samples in which either the N-terminal domain (NTD) or the C-terminal domain (CTD) is uniformly 15N,13C-labeled. Segmental labeling is achieved by trans-splicing, using the DnaE split intein. Comparisons of two-dimensional solid state NMR spectra of fully labeled and segmentally labeled tubular CA assemblies show substantial improvements in spectral resolution. The molecular structure of HIV-1 assemblies is not significantly perturbed by the single Ser-to-Cys substitution that we introduce between NTD and CTD segments, as required for trans-splicing.
Tropism and Properties of the HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein in Transmission

The envelope glycoprotein (Env) spikes on transmitting HIV-1 virus particles mediate infection of the first cells in the new host. These Envs must elude host defenses including innate inhibitors and sometimes neutralizing antibodies. They may also direct mechanisms to penetrate epithelial cell barriers to facilitate mucosal transmission. Prophylactic vaccines that elicit neutralizing antibodies and microbicides need to be designed and optimized to target transmitting viruses. However, it is as yet unclear whether Envs of viruses that successfully transmit carry specific properties or vulnerabilities that can be targeted by such strategies. What we do know is that viruses that use the coreceptor, CCR5, are preferentially transmitted and that early data suggest these viruses primarily infect CD4+ T-cells over macrophages or dendritic cells. Some transmitted viruses carry Envs with fewer surface sugars and shorter variable loops that usually protect against neutralizing antibodies. However, it is not known whether the structure of these Envs confers vulnerability to neutralizing antibodies that can be induced by vaccines or to inhibitors that may be used as prophylaxis. The challenge is to exploit our burgeoning knowledge of transmitted, founder viruses to identify their Achilles’ heels in order to design more effective vaccines and prophylactic microbicides.
Reproductive cycling in adult baboons (Papio species) that were intrauterine growth restricted at birth implies normal fertility but increased psychosocial stress.

We investigated menstrual cycles in intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR, 7-10 years, n = 8) and age-matched control (n = 10) baboons. Cycle duration and plasma anti-Mullerian hormone were similar. IUGR spent more days per cycle swollen and had elevated early morning fasted serum cortisol, suggesting normal fertility in the presence of increased psychosocial stress.
A Photo-Signal Transducing Photoreceptor (Stentorin) in Stentor coeruleus: A Brief Review

Stentorin acts as the photosensor molecule in the ciliate Stentor coeruleus. This unicellular protozoan is most sensitive to red light (610 nm). Stentor also senses the direction of light propagation, as evidenced by their light-avoiding and negative phototactic swimming behaviors. This aneural photosensory phenomenon is triggered by the photoreceptor stentorin. The possible involvement of a light-induced proton release from the photoreceptor as the primary mechanism of light-signal processing has been discussed. The primary sensory signal, in the form of proton release, triggers subsequent transduction steps that include calcium ion influx from the extracellular medium. It is proposed that the calcium ion influx causes the Stentor cell to reverse its ciliary beating and subsequently steer away from the light trap.