cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reliability of a faculty evaluated scoring system for anesthesiology resident applicants (Original Investigation).

Abstract Study Objective To assess reliability and reproducibility of a recently instituted anesthesiology resident applicant interview scoring system at our own institution. Design Retrospective evaluation of 2 years of interview data with a newly implemented scoring system using randomly assigned interviewing faculty. Setting Interview scoring evaluations were completed as standard practice in a large academic anesthesiology department. Subjects All anesthesiology resident applicants interviewed over the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons by a stable cohort of faculty interviewers. Data collection blinded for both interviewers and interviewees. Interventions None for purposes of study – collation of blinded data already used as standard practice during interview process and analysis. Measurements None specific to study. Main Results Good inter-rater faculty reliability of interview scoring (day-of) and excellent inter-faculty reliability of application review (pre-interview). Conclusions Development of a department-specific interview scoring system including many elements beyond traditional standardized tests shows good-excellent reliability of faculty scoring of both the interview itself (including non-technical skills) and the application resume.
Effect of increasing degradable intake protein on intake and digestion of low-quality, tallgrass-prairie forage by beef cows

Five ruminally and duodenally fistulated Angus x Hereford cows were used in a 5 x 5 Latin square to monitor intake, ruminal fermentation responses, and site and extent of digestion associated with providing increasing amounts of supplemental degradable intake protein (DIP). Cows had ad libitum access to low-quality, tallgrass-prairie forage (1.9% CP, 77% NDF) that was fed twice daily. The supplemental DIP (sodium caseinate; 90% CP) was infused intraruminally at 0630 and 1830 immediately before feeding forage. Levels of DIP were 0, 180, 360, 540, and 720 g/d. Each period consisted of 14 d of adaptation and 6 d of sampling. Forage OM intake increased quadratically (P < .01) with increasing supplemental DIP reaching a peak at the 540 g/d level. True ruminal OM and NDF digestion increased with the addition of 180 g/d supplemental DIP, but exhibited only moderate and somewhat variable responses when greater amounts of supplemental DIP were infused (cubic, P < or = .03). Microbial N flow and efficiency increased linearly (P < .01) with increasing supplemental DIP. However, a quadratic effect (P < .01) was observed for total duodenal N flow, which was maximized at 540 g/d supplemental DIP. A linear (P = .02) treatment effect was observed for ruminal fluid dilution rate. Total ruminal VFA and ammonia concentrations increased (P < .01) in response to DIP supplementation. In conclusion, increasing supplemental DIP generally improved forage utilization; intake of digestible OM was maximized when it contained approximately 11% DIP.
Pushing the “Speed Limit”: High-Accuracy US Traffic Sign Recognition With Convolutional Neural Networks

This paper presents a novel convolutional neural network (CNN)-based traffic sign recognition system and investigates pre- and post-processing methods for enhancing performance. We focus on speed limit signs, the most difficult superclass in the US traffic sign set. The Cuda-convnet is chosen as a suitable model for the traffic sign recognition task with low-resolution training images and limited dataset size. We test on the world's largest public dataset of US traffic signs, the LISA-TS extension, and testing dataset. Compared with the current state-of-the-art aggregated channel features detector that has achieved near-perfect detection accuracy except for US speed limit signs, our approach improves the area under precision–recall curve (AUC) of the speed limit sign detection by more than 5%. We also discuss potential improvements of the CNN-based traffic sign recognition method.
Tyrosine and Histidine Decarboxylase Activities of Pediococcus cerevisiae and Lactobacillus Species and the Production of Tyramine in Fermented Sausages

In investigating formation of tyramine and histamine in a model system, it was found that four commercial sausage starter cultures did not exhibit appreciable tyrosine or histidine decarboxylase activity. In addition, other species of Pediococcus cerevisiae and Lactobacillus did not display appreciable decarboxylase activity. Mixtures of P. cerevisiae and Lactobacillus plantarum were also unable to produce significant levels of these amines. One species of Streptococcus tested was able to produce 34.5 μg of tyramine/hour under the assay conditions. When P. cerevisiae and L. plantarum were used as starter cultures to prepare sausages, it was found that this treatment resulted in lower tyramine levels (approximately 200 μ/g) than when the Streptococcus sp. was used as a starter culture (approximately 300 μ/g). However, the use of P. cerevisiae and L. plantarum did not result in a significantly lower tyramine level than when no starter culture was used.
Efficient Z gates for quantum computing

For superconducting qubits, microwave pulses drive rotations around the Bloch sphere. The phase of these drives can be used to generate zero-duration arbitrary virtual $Z$ gates, which, combined with two ${X}_{\ensuremath{\pi}/2}$ gates, can generate any SU(2) gate. Here we show how to best utilize these virtual $Z$ gates to both improve algorithms and correct pulse errors. We perform randomized benchmarking using a Clifford set of Hadamard and $Z$ gates and show that the error per Clifford is reduced versus a set consisting of standard finite-duration $X$ and $Y$ gates. $Z$ gates can correct unitary rotation errors for weakly anharmonic qubits as an alternative to pulse-shaping techniques such as derivative removal by adiabatic gate (DRAG). We investigate leakage and show that a combination of DRAG pulse shaping to minimize leakage and $Z$ gates to correct rotation errors realizes a 13.3 ns ${X}_{\ensuremath{\pi}/2}$ gate characterized by low error $[1.95(3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}]$ and low leakage $[3.1(6)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}]$. Ultimately leakage is limited by the finite temperature of the qubit, but this limit is two orders of magnitude smaller than pulse errors due to decoherence.
Optimal Adenosine Stress for Maximum Stress Perfusion, Coronary Flow Reserve, and Pixel Distribution of Coronary Flow Capacity by Kolmogorov-Smirnov Analysis.

Background—Different adenosine stress imaging protocols have not been systemically validated for absolute myocardial perfusion and coronary flow reserve (CFR) by positron emission tomography, where...
Cell-to-Cell Movement of Tobacco Mosaic Virus

Following initial infection, many plant viruses spread from cell to cell through plant intercellular connections, the plasmodesmata. This cell-to-cell movement is mediated by virus-encoded movement proteins (MP) which act to increase plasmodesmal permeability and transport viral nucleic acids through the enlarged plasmodesmal channels (reviewed by Lucas, Gilbertson, 1994; Carrington et al., 1996; Ghoshroy et al., 1997).
Maladaptive Coping and Depressive Symptoms Partially Explain the Association Between Family Stress and Pain-Related Distress in Youth With IBD.

Objective To extend existing research on the pain burden experienced by youth with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by examining the complexity of psychosocial factors involved in pain-related distress. Methods Parents completed measures of family stress and their child's pain-related expressions of distress and coping. Youth with IBD rated their depressive symptoms (n = 183 dyads). Mediation analyses were performed using regression-based techniques and bootstrapping. Results Greater family stress was positively related to children's pain-related expressions of distress and passive coping. Significant indirect effects were found in the relationship between family stress and expressed pain-related distress through parent-reported passive coping, depressive symptoms, and both passive coping and depressive symptoms sequentially. Conclusions Results suggest that family stress can place children at risk for greater expressed pain-related distress through effects on coping and depressive symptoms. Addressing psychosocial difficulties is important for closing the gap between disability and health in youth with IBD.
Lifestyle, gene gain and loss, and transcriptional remodeling cause divergence in the transcriptomes of Phytophthora infestans and Pythium ultimum during potato tuber colonization

How pathogen genomes evolve to support distinct lifestyles is not well-understood. The oomycete Phytophthora infestans, the potato blight agent, is a largely biotrophic pathogen that feeds from living host cells, which become necrotic only late in infection. The related oomycete Pythium ultimum grows saprophytically in soil and as a necrotroph in plants, causing massive tissue destruction. To learn what distinguishes their lifestyles, we compared their gene contents and expression patterns in media and a shared host, potato tuber. Genes related to pathogenesis varied in temporal expression pattern, mRNA level, and family size between the species. A family’s aggregate expression during infection was not proportional to size due to transcriptional remodeling and pseudogenization. Ph. infestans had more stage-specific genes, while Py. ultimum tended towards more constitutive expression. Ph. infestans expressed more genes encoding secreted cell wall-degrading enzymes, but other categories such as secreted proteases and ABC transporters had higher transcript levels in Py. ultimum. Species-specific genes were identified including new Pythium genes, perforins, which may disrupt plant membranes. Genome-wide ortholog analyses identified substantial diversified expression, which correlated with sequence divergence. Pseudogenization was associated with gene family expansion, especially in gene clusters. This first large-scale analysis of transcriptional divergence within oomycetes revealed major shifts in genome composition and expression, including subfunctionalization within gene families. Biotrophy and necrotrophy seem determined by species-specific genes and the varied expression of shared pathogenicity factors, which may be useful targets for crop protection.
Calorimetric Study of the Activation of Hydrogen by Tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane and Trimesitylphosphine

The mechanism of H2 heterolysis by the frustrated Lewis pair of B(C6F5)3 and P(mes)3 was investigated by isothermal reaction calorimetry in the temperature range from 30 to 90 °C. The experimental heat curves were modeled in Berkeley Madonna to obtain both kinetic and thermodynamics data simultaneously. The H2 activation reaction is treated as a single, termolecular step with a rate constant of 0.61 M–2 s–1 at 303 K with an exothermic enthalpy of reaction, ΔHH2 = −141 kJ/mol. An Eyring analysis gave activation parameters of ΔH‡ = 13.6(9) kJ mol–1 and ΔS‡ = −204(85) J K–1 mol–1. Using D2 gas in place of H2 gas provided an opportunity to measure the relative rates of D2 versus H2 heterolysis to yield a the kinetic isotope effect, KIE = 1.1(1).
The Force of Being, Life Stories, and Counter-Narrative: A Brief Comment on Cultural Trauma and Resiliency

Chapter 4 examines what may have compelled Frederick Douglass to write four autobiographies over the course of his life. In this chapter, the third theme required to cultivate one’s interior force of being is examined; the creation of life stories—the practice of bearing witness to one’s personhood by constructing, deconstructing, and reconstructing personal testimony and life narratives. In an extreme environment such as the slavocracy, the redemptive practice of creating life-stories reflects positing counter-narratives that subvert the death-dealing master-narratives used to justify and sacralize the enslavement of Frederick Douglass and his fellow contemporaries. While some Douglass-scholars may tend to objectively identify inconsistencies in the autobiographies, I suggest that changes in the way Douglass presents himself is in response to his interior force of being; a contextually contingent counter-resistance to the degradation of his humanity in the slavocracy and postbellum era.
On spinor classifications

A spinor, first introduced by E. Cartan [1], is an element of the vector space on which a certain representation of the orthogonal Lie algebra operates. This representation is called the spin representation, the group it represents is called the spin group. The significance of the theory of spinors has long been recognized by its application in mathematics as well as in the mathematical modeling of many physical phenomena. In this paper we shall summarize some results on the classification of spinors under the even Clifford group GSpin m , over archimedean as well as finite fields of characteristic different from 2. Specifically, we shall exhibit (1) the decomposition of the space of spinors into GSpin m -equivalence classes or “orbits”, and (2) the structure of the stabilizer of GSpin m for each orbit.
First Teach Their Teachers: Technology Support and Computer Use in Academic Subjects.

AbstractIf school-based computer coordinators spent more time helping teachers understand how computers can best be used in U.S. classrooms, would students use school computers more routinely in their academic work? My analysis applies innovation diffusion theory to U.S. public school data (n = 6,085) from Stage II (1992) of the Computers in Education Study (CompEd) conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) (Pelgrum, Janssen, & Plomp, 1993). I investigate effects of the allocation of computer coordinator work time on incidence of student computer use in academic subjects in Grades 5 and 11. Findings suggest that teacher support is more critical to student use than student support, that effects differ in different grades, and that the effectiveness of technology support for teachers may be contingent on the degree to which the computer coordinator’s job resembles that of the client teacher.
CATMS: an ATMS which avoids label explosions

Assumption-based truth maintenance systems have developed into powerful and popular means for considering multiple contexts simultaneously during problem solving. Unfortunately, increasing problem complexity can lead to explosive growth of node labels. In this paper, we present a new ATMS algorithm (CATMS) which avoids the problem of label explosions, while preserving most of the querytime efficiencies resulting from label compilations. CATMS generalizes the standard ATMS subsumption relation, allowing it to compress an entire label into a single assumption. This compression of labels is balanced by an expansion of environments to include any implied assumptions. The result is a new dimension of flexibility, allowing CATMS to trade-off the query-time efficiency of uncompressed labels against the costs of computing them. To demonstrate the significant computational gains of CATMS over de Kleer's ATMS, we compare the performance of the ATMS-based QPE [9] problem-solver using each.
MOLECULAR RESONANCES AND THE PRODUCTION OF FAST auPARTICLES IN THE REACTION OF 160 WITH 12,13C NUCLEI

A search was made for a resonant, final-state interaction between carbon ions produced in the reactions /sup 12/C+/sup 16/O..--> cap alpha..+/sup 12/C+/sup 12/C and /sup 13/C+/sup 16/O..--> cap alpha..+/sup 12/C+/sup 13/C at E/sub lab/=140 MeV. However, the ..cap alpha..-/sup 12/C coincidence spectra for both /sup 12/C and /sup 13/C targets were instead found to be dominated by the excitation and subsequent ..cap alpha.. decay of states in the projectile.
Abstract LB-011: Novel nano-formulation of paclitaxel for pancreatic cancer therapy

Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality in the United States due to very limited therapeutic options. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop novel therapeutic strategies for the management of this disease. Paclitaxel (PTX), a natural product derived from the Pacific Yew tree, is an agent typically used in combination therapy for PanCa. Currently, PTX nanoparticles (Abraxane®) along with gemcitabine are in use for the treatment of advanced PanCa. Herein, we have generated and characterized a novel nano-formulation of PTX comprised of PLGA core, stabilized with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and coated with poly-L-lysine (PLL). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) characterization indicated that the average particle size of this formulation was approximately 160 nm, and exhibited Zeta potentials of ~ -6.02 mV in 10% serum, along with an outstanding PL loading efficiency. We also evaluated the uptake mechanism of PPNPs in PanCa cells using different endocytosis inhibitors (Genistein, amiloride, nocodazole, chlorpromazine, and methyl beta cyclodextrin). Our results demonstrated that PPNPs were taken up mainly by lipid raft mediated endocytosis pathway in an energy-dependent manner. Next, we evaluated its therapeutic efficacy and underlying molecular mechanisms in human PanCa cells (HPAF-II, Panc1, and MiaPaCa-2) by performing various in vitro experiments. We first performed MTS and colony formation assays to determine the effects of free PTX and PPNPs on growth of PanCa cells. In this experiment, cells were treated with various concentrations of free PTX or abraxane, or PPNPs (2.5-160 nM) for 48 hrs. As a result, the PPNPs formulation showed more therapeutic effect over free abraxane as determined by decrease in cell proliferation and enhanced apoptosis induction in PanCa cells. PPNPs also showed a significant (P Citation Format: Bilal B. Hafeez, Andrew E. Massey, Vivek K. Kashyap, Mohammad Sikander, Advit Shetty, Mehdi Chaib, Hassan Mandil, Mohan Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan. Novel nano-formulation of paclitaxel for pancreatic cancer therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-011.
Extraneous Factors in Usability Testing: Evidence of Decision Fatigue During Sequential Usability Judgments:

Previous work has examined if cognitive fatigue caused subjects to negatively evaluate products on subjective usability measures but failed to find an effect. The authors suggested that methodologi...
The Role of Social Context in the Talent Development Process at the Higher Education Level.

This small-scale study addresses the limited research available on the lifeworld experiences of gifted tertiary level students. Whilst there is a wealth of research on the experiences of gifted students at the primary and secondary school level, not much is known about the learning experiences of gifted undergraduates. This study seeks to give a voice to gifted undergraduates through a phenomenological framework, which is a methodology that allows the perceptions of the participant rather than that of outside researchers to take precedence. Four gifted graduates (2 male and 2 female) who attended a small, urban university in New South Wales and had achieved in the top 2% of their cohort were selected for this study. Participants described the types of learning environments that had supported their talent development such as mentorship and cross level classes, as well as types of social contexts that impeded the talent development process. Different types of social coping strategies were also uncovered. One interesting outcome of this study was the finding that many of the social coping strategies used by gifted students at the high school level were still in operation at the tertiary level. The implications of this study should help educators at the tertiary level better understand how to support the talent development process and develop optimal learning environments for their gifted student populations.
Short-Term Load Forecasting

Some of the decision and control functions discussed in this book require knowledge of future load behavior. In unit commitment, for example, hourly system loads for the next 24–72 hours are required. Some unit commitment programs even require knowledge of future loads for the next week, i.e., 168 hours. At the other extreme, although present forms of AGC do not utilize any forms of forecasting, some convincing research has shown that knowledge of load trends in the next few minutes can help in designing better AGC control strategies. In security assessment, future knowledge of all bus loads for the next 1–24 hours can be used to check for those periods of potential system vulnerability and to plan maintenance outages for lines, transformers, and generators. Table 9.1 provides a summary of existing and potential uses of short-term load forecasting.
Dancing while Aging: A Study on Benefits of Ballet for Older Women

As people age, experiences of depression, loneliness and loss of physical capabilities can emerge. As with previous work on the benefits of music as an intervention for social belonging and valued social identity, dance may increase similar feelings. Although theoretical chapters have been written on dance as it relates to social identity, belonging, and health, little empirical work has been conducted on the benefits of ballet as a recreational activity for older adults. The study reported here is framed by the “communication ecology model of successful aging,” and modestly embellishes this framework based on this study’s findings. Using interviews from 24 American female recreational ballet dancers ranging in age from 23-87 in a small West Coast town, this study investigates, for the first time, how ballet is incorporated into their self-concept and physical, mental, and social experiences of aging. Findings indicate that participating regularly in ballet is a core aspect of most women’s self-concept and means of self-expression. All women discussed how ballet has improved their physical and mental wellness, helping them have a more positive experience of age-related changes. Results showed that most women regard ballet as a very social activity, such that it helps them to feel a sense of community or even kin-like relationships with the other people regularly in class. All women interviewed mentioned that ballet is so integrated into who they are that it is something they hope to do for as long as possible.
No Laughing Matter: Proliferation of Predatory Journals.

Well, we very badly run in short, of articles to release the Volume 4 Issue 3 of (name of journal withheld)…So now I was pushed by my Editorial team to publish a minimum number of articles to the s...
Identifying as Muslim and American: The Role of Discrimination

This study uniquely examines the relationship between specific forms of discrimination and how Muslim young adults in the United States choose to identify. A survey was distributed to Muslim young adults in Genesee County, Michigan, where 2.6% of the population is Muslim. Some experiences of discrimination were significantly related to identifying as a Muslim and not also as an American. In particular, experiences of being accused or suspected of doing something wrong because of one’s identity significantly predicted responses on the identity variable above and beyond other experiences of discrimination. The probability of a Muslim young adult identifying only as a Muslim when sometimes experiencing being accused of something wrong is 43.1%. This probability drops to 32.8% for those never experiencing this form of discrimination. The article discusses the implications of increasing discrimination on future generations of Muslims and their identity development.
How Feedback From an Online Video Game Teaches Argument Writing for Environmental Action

Literacy researchers have explored how video games might be used as supplementary texts in secondary English language arts (ELA) classrooms to support reading instruction. However, less attention h...
Interactions between plants and pollinators across urban and rural farming landscapes

Abstract Arthropods are responsible for pollinating the majority of food and fuel crops worldwide. However, global declines in bee populations threaten the delivery of pollination services in both managed and natural ecosystems. Alternative pollinators such as flies, butterflies, beetles, and wasps may provide a buffer that protects agriculture from bee population declines. Flower-visiting flies are abundant in both rural and urban agricultural settings, and in some cases may pollinate plants avoided by bees. Here we explored the structure of plant-pollinator networks for both bee and non-bee pollinator communities across rural and urban farms in western Washington State, USA. We identified several broad groups of pollinators comprising 13 morphogroups of insects and arthropods. While bees were the pollinators observed on reproductive parts of flowers most frequently, syrphid flies contributed to a high number of arthropod-flower visits. We also found that syrphid flies visited four plant types not visited by bees, and that urban and rural farm settings were characterized by different syrphid fly communities. When comparing the networks of plant-arthropod interactions, urban farm settings had more diverse networks overall, with a greater richness of plant-arthropod interactions for both bee and non-bee pollinators. These findings underscore the need for greater focus on alternative pollinators as contributors to pollination services, particularly in urban settings where pollination services may be more impacted by bee declines and habitat loss. Our work will inform specific pollinator conservation efforts in the Pacific Northwest region and more broadly across the United States.
A qualitative exploration of interactions with natural environments among immigrant women in Norway

The role of nature in potentially improving people’s health – including immigrant women, who are particularly prone to health challenges – has been highlighted. Success in this public health arena ...
Effects of Sensory Diets: A Single Subject Study

To compare the effect of sensory diets on children’s sensory processing, psychosocial skills, and classroom engagement to a control intervention of non-therapeutic fine-motor or visual activities.A...
Introduction: ‘Pluralizing North African historiography: Susan Gilson Miller and the history of Morocco’

In this introduction, we chart the intellectual journey of Susan Gilson Miller and discuss her scholarly contributions to the field of North African Studies, Moroccan historiography and Moroccan Je...
Breath analysis for detection and trajectory monitoring of acute respiratory distress syndrome in swine

Despite the enormous impact on human health, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is ill-defined, and its timely diagnosis is difficult, as is tracking the course of the syndrome. The objective of this pilot study was to explore the utility of breath collection and analysis methodologies to detect ARDS through changes in the volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles present in breath. Five male Yorkshire mix swine were studied and ARDS was induced utilising both direct and indirect lung injury. An automated portable gas chromatography device developed in-house was used for point of care breath analysis and to monitor swine breath hourly, starting from the initiation of the experiment until the development of ARDS, which was adjudicated based on the Berlin criteria at the breath sampling points and confirmed by lung biopsy at the end of the experiment. A total of 67 breath samples (chromatograms) were collected and analyzed. Through machine learning, principal component analysis, and linear discrimination analysis, seven VOCs biomarkers were identified that distinguished ARDS. These represent seven of the nine biomarkers found in our breath analysis study of human ARDS corroborating our findings. We also demonstrated that breath analysis detects changes 1–6 h earlier than the clinical adjudication based on the Berlin criteria. The findings provide proof of concept that breath analysis can be used for the identification of early changes associated with ARDS pathogenesis in swine. Its clinical application could provide intensive care clinicians with a non-invasive diagnostic tool for early detection and continuous monitoring of ARDS.
Salmonella prevalence and antimicrobial resistance in swine from 5 US states from 2003 to 2005

The Collaboration 1n Ammal Health and Food Safety Epidemiology (CAHFSE), a USDA JOint program of ARS, APHIS, and FSIS was established to track food borne pathogens and monitor animal health issues. Fecal samples (n=9020) were collected and cultured for Salmonella from pens of p1gs near slaughter we1ght (generally~ 22 weeks old) from swine farms 1n five U.S. states. A prevalence of 8.0, 10.1, and 8.5% was observed 1n 2003, 2004, and 2005, respectively The top 10 serotypes accounted for 94% of the total Salmonella isolates with S. Derby (45%), S. Typhimurium var. 5- (15%), and S Heidelberg (9%) comprising the top three serotypes each year. Salmonella G1ve was found in 8% of samples in 2003, 3% of samples m 2004, but was not found in the top 10% of ISolates m 2005. The percentage of Salmonella isolates that were susceptible to all of the 16 antimicrobials tested increased from 6% in 2003 to 15% in 2005. At the same time, the percentage of 1solates res1stant to 1 0 or more antim1crob1als increased from 1% to 15%. The mcrease 1n multiple drug res1stance was comc1dent with an mcrease 1n the percentage of S. Derby isolates. Overall, frequency of resistance to individual antimicrobials was relatively stable from 2003 to 2005 and observed differences were related to changes in serotypes over time, which highlights the Importance of reporting res1stance data by mdiv1dual serotype. CAHFSE prov1des a mechanism to monitor changes 1n serotypes of Salmonella as well as antimicrobial resistance patterns over t1me
Conformations of organophosphine oxides

The conformations of a series of organophosphine oxides, OP(CH3)2R, where R = methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, tert-butyl, vinyl, and phenyl, are predicted using the MP2/cc-pVTZ level of theory. Comparison of potential energy surfaces for rotation about P–C bonds with crystal structure data reveals a strong correlation between predicted location and energetics of minima and histograms of dihedral angle distributions observed in the solid state. In addition, the most stable conformers are those that minimize the extent of steric repulsion between adjacent rotor substituents, and the torsional barriers tend to increase with the steric bulk of the rotating alkyl group. MM3 force field parameters were adjusted to fit the MP2 results, providing a fast and accurate model for predicting organophosphine oxides shapes—an essential part of understanding the chemistry of these compounds. The predictive power of the modified MM3 model was tested against MP2/cc-pVTZ conformations for triethylphosphine oxide, OP(CH2CH3)3, and...
Investigation of degradation mechanisms of perovskite-based photovoltaic devices using laser beam induced current mapping

Solution processed thin film photovoltaic devices incorporating organohalide perovskites have progressed rapidly in recent years and achieved energy conversion efficiencies greater than 20%. However, an important issue limiting their commercialization is that device efficiencies often drop within the first few hundred hours of operation. To explore the origin of the device degradation and failure in perovskite solar cells, we investigated the spatial uniformity of current collection at different stages of aging using two-dimensional laser beam induced current (LBIC) mapping. We validated that the local decomposition of the perovskite material is likely due to interactions with moisture in the air by comparing photocurrent collection in perovskite devices that were maintained in different controlled environments. We show that the addition of a poly(methyl methacrylate)/single-wall carbon nanotube (PMMA/SWCNT) encapsulation layer prevents degradation of the device in moist air. This suggests a route toward perovskite solar cells with improved operational stability and moisture resistance.
Building a cheaper artificial brain

This paper presents a methodology for building artificial brains that is much cheaper than the first author's earlier attempt. What initially cost $500,000, now costs about $3000. The much cheaper approach uses a Celoxica(.com) programmable board containing a Xilinx Virtex II FPGA chip with 3 million programmable logic gates, to evolve neural networks at electronic speeds. The genetic algorithm (GA) and the neural network model are programmed using a high level language called Handel-C, whose code is (silicon) compiled into the chip. The elite circuit is downloaded from the board into the memory of a PC. This process occurs up to several 10,000 s of times, once for each neural net circuit module having a unique function. Special software in the PC is used to specify the connections between the modules, according to the designs of human BAs (brain architects). The PC is then used to execute the neural signaling of the artificial brain (A-brain) in real time, defined to be 25 Hz per neuron. At this speed, the PC can handle several 10,000 s of modules. We would use our A-brain to control the behaviors of a small, four wheeled radio controlled robot with a CCD camera and gripper. The robot's task is to detect and collect unexploded cluster bomblets and deposit them in some central place. The total price of the PC, Celoxica board, and robot is less than $3000, making it affordable to virtually any research group interested in building artificial brains.
The summer disease. Some field evidence on seasonality in childhood lead poisoning.

Abstract Blood leads of 32 well children measured before and after the summer show a significant elevation indicating that circulating lead is seasonally mobilized from the body burden. In a larger sample of 243 well children, white, black and Chicano, of mean age 36 ± 16 months, tested for blood leads, analysis reveals a close correlation between month of birth and lead level; spring-born and summer-born children constitute low and high blood-lead groups, respectively. Seasonal variations of placental transfer of lead to the foetus is implicated; as are other factors. Density of skin pigments affecting biosynthesis of vitamin D apparently causes seasonality variations among the three ethnic groups. The seasonality factor accounts for 16% of explained variance of blood-leads of black children, 12% for Chicano, and 4% for white children. Public health screening programs should ideally be conducted in summer to identify the maximum number of children at risk. Where year-round readings are taken, proportional adjustments should be made in the order of 30–50% to allow for summer elevations. Physicians should be particularly alerted to summer elevations in black children.
Re-lectura de nada menos que todo un hombre: alegoría a la creación

ABSTRACT: In the prologue to the Tres novelas ejemplares, Unamuno proposes that in his novels the concept of ..querer ser" or desire is represented in the form of characters depicted with realistic language. The present article argues that this combination of a concept developed in mimetic language generates an incommensurability between signified and signifier whose consequence is allegory. Although the Romantic tradition considers allegory an aesthetically inferior representational form, contemporary criticism has overturned such notions and resurrected allegory as characteristic of the twentieth century. The article proceeds to analyze Nada menos que todo un hombre as an allegory that explores what Unamuno considered one of the great mysteries of being, the idea of creation. Alejandro Gomez believes that he can create his world from no more than his own will but eventually discovers that on the contrary, his creation creates him. The creative self is always created by the other, and Alejandro becomes a character in a melodramatic tale created by his wife, Julia Yanez.
Alterations in White Matter Microstructure in Women Recovered from Anorexia Nervosa

Objective: A recent study of ill individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) reported microstructural alterations in white matter integrity including lower fractional anisotropy and higher mean diffusivity. This study was designed to determine whether such alterations exist in longterm recovered AN individuals and to examine potential associations with underlying AN traits. Method: Twelve adult women recovered from restricting-type AN and 10 control women were studied using diffusion tensor imaging. Results: Overall, there was no significant fractional anisotropy alteration in recovered AN, in contrast to a prior study reporting lower fractional anisotropy in ill AN. Further, recovered AN showed lower mean diffusivity in frontal, parietal and cingulum white matter relative to control women, contrary to elevated mean diffusivity previously reported in ill AN. Lower longitudinal diffusivity in recovered AN was associated with higher harm avoidance. However, more severe illness history was associated with worse white matter integrity after recovery in the same direction as reported in prior work. Discussion: Our findings suggest that fractional anisotropy in recovered AN is not different from controls, however, a novel pattern of lower mean diffusivity was evidenced in recovered AN, and this alteration was associated with harm avoidance. Notably, severity of illness history may have long-term consequences, emphasizing the importance of aggressive treatment.
Betty Kirby: Travels and Translations in the Kindergarten

This article examines the pervasive influence of progressive education and travel on a public school kindergarten teacher's professional life. In a statement included in her handwritten list of goals for the children in her classroom, she echoed John Dewey, noting that a kindergarten child should “…. live life fully and well because this is a year of his life and not just a time to get ready to live.” 1 Kirby put this statement into practice as she translated her personal travel experiences to kindergarten children through the information she shared and the opportunities she provided for them. The children, in turn, translated her teaching back to her through their highly individual artistic creations, paintings, wood structures, and dramatic play. Kirby's teaching was grounded in progressive education as promoted in her college education, in her school district, and was further influenced by a rich lifetime of travel.
Phycoerythrin fluorescence-based assay for peroxy radicals: a screen for biologically relevant protective agents.

Under the conditions of this assay, antioxidants that react rapidly with peroxy free radicals (e.g., ascorbate, vitamin E analogs, urate), protect phycoerythrin completely from damage by such radicals generated by thermal decomposition of 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane); other compounds provide partial concentration-dependent protection. Change in phycoerythrin fluorescence emission with time provides a measure of the rate of free radical damage. The assay exploits the unusual reactivity of phycoerythrin toward these peroxy radicals. On a molar basis, phycoerythrin reacts with these radicals over 100-fold slower than do ascorbate or vitamin E analogs, but over 60-fold faster than other proteins. Applications of this assay to the estimation of the peroxy radical scavenging capacity of human plasma are described, and to the comparison of the scavenging properties of several proteins and of DNA, of vitamins and their derivatives, of catecholamine neurotransmitters, and of a variety of other low molecular weight biological compounds.
Interleukin-21 and cellular activation concurrently induce potent cytotoxic function and promote antiviral activity in human CD8 T cells.

Infection with HIV-1 induces a progressive deterioration of the immune system that ultimately leads to AIDS. Mouse models indicate that the common gamma chain (γc)- sharing cytokine interleukin (IL)-21 and its receptor (IL-21R) play a crucial role in maintaining polyfunctional T cell responses during chronic viral infections. Therefore, we analyzed the ability of this cytokine to modulate the properties of human CD8 T cells in comparison to other γc-sharing cytokines (IL-2, IL-7 and IL-15). CD8 T cells from healthy volunteers were stimulated in vitro via T cell receptor signals to mimic the heightened status of immune activation of HIV-infected patients. The administration of IL-21 up-regulated cytotoxic effector function and the expression of the costimulatory molecule CD28. Notably, this outcome was not accompanied by increased cellular proliferation or activation. Moreover, IL-21 promoted antiviral activity while not inducing HIV-1 replication in vitro. Thus, IL-21 may be a favorable molecule for immunotherapy and a suitable vaccine adjuvant in HIV-infected individuals.
cin-4, a Gene With Homology to Topoisomerase II, Is Required for Centromere Resolution by Cohesin Removal From Sister Kinetochores During Mitosis

The back-to-back geometry of sister kinetochores is essential in preventing loss or damage of chromosomes during mitosis. Kinetochore orientation is generated in part by a process of resolving kinetochores at the centromere (centromere resolution) prior to spindle interactions. Because few of the genes required for centromere resolution are known, we used Caenorhabditis elegans to screen for conditional mutants defective in orienting sister kinetochores during mitosis. C. elegans is ideal for such screens because its chromosomes are holocentric. Here we identified an essential gene, cin-4, required for centromere resolution and for removal of cohesin from sites near sister kinetochores during mitosis. Given that compromised cohesin function restores centromere resolution in the absence of cin-4, CIN-4 likely acts to remove cohesin from the CENP-A chromatin enabling centromere resolution. CIN-4 has a high amino acid identity to the catalytic domain of topoisomerase II, suggesting a partial gene duplication of the C. elegans topoisomerase II gene, top-2. Similar to CIN-4, TOP-2 is also required for centromere resolution; however, the loss of TOP-2 is phenotypically distinct from the loss of CIN-4, suggesting that CIN-4 and TOP-2 are topoisomerase II isoforms that perform separate essential functions in centromere structure and function.
Air pollution-mortality models: A demonstration of the effects of random measurement error

Errors of measurement have long been recognized as a chronic problem in statistical analysis. Although there is a vast statistical literature of multiple regression models estimating the air pollution-mortality relationship, this problem has been largely ignored. It is well known that pollution measures contain error, but the consequences of this error for regression estimates is not known. We use Lave and Seskin's air pollution model to demonstrate the consequences of random measurement error. We assume a range of 0% to 50% of the variance of the pollution measures is due to error. We find large differences in the estimated effects on mortality of the pollution variables as well as the other explanatory variables once this measurement error is taken into account. These results cast doubt on the usual regression estimates of the mortality effects of air pollution. More generally our results demonstrate the consequences of random measurement error in the explanatory variable of a multiple regression analysis and the misleading conclusions that may result in policy research if this error is ignored.
Strain-induced dislocation emission from grain boundaries in stainless steel

Abstract The uniaxial tensile straining of stainless steel 304 sheet material and transmission electron microscope observations of representative electron-transparent thin sections prepared from variously strained samples showed that dislocation profiles extending from the grain boundaries, and associated with ledges on the boundary plane, increase in frequency (the number of profiles per unit length of grain boundary plane) with increasing strain. Because of the nature of these profiles, gleaned from numerous observations, the majority are considered to be emission profiles, particularly at low plastic strains (ϵp ⩽ 2%). Consequently, grain boundaries in stainless steel are concluded to be the principal sources for initial dislocations. These conclusions were supported by the in situ straining of thin microtensile specimens of stainless steel 304 and direct observations of dislocation emission from grain boundaries in a high voltage electron microscope. In these observations, dislocation profiles resembling dislocation pile-ups were observed to form at grain boundary ledges, and ledges were observed to form by the glide motion of dislocations in the grain boundary plane. Grain boundary dislocations moving in the interface plane were observed in some cases to dissociate apparently into lattice dislocations which were emitted from the grain boundary to form profiles gliding on the {111} planes. Although in situ high voltage electron microscopy experiments proved to be extremely difficult, unpredictable and lacking in the ability to record elegant and sequential images attesting to the dynamic features of dislocation emission from grain boundaries in response to an applied strain, the results obtained confirm the feasibility of the experiments and provide direct evidence and corroboration for conclusions drawn from standard post-deformation experiments.
A new indirect measure of diffusion model error

Abstract We define a new indirect measure of the diffusion model error called the diffusion model error source. When this model error source is added to the diffusion equation, the transport solution for the angle-integrated intensity is obtained. This source represents a means by which a transport code can be used to generate information relating to the adequacy of diffusion theory for any given problem without actually solving the diffusion equation. This source can be interpreted as the residual obtained by inserting the transport solution for the angle-integrated intensity into the diffusion equation. Perhaps the most well-known indirect measure of the diffusion model error is the Eddington tensor. This tensor provides a great deal of information about the angular dependence of the angular intensity solution, but it is not always simple to interpret. In contrast, our diffusion model error source is a scalar that is conceptually easy to understand. In addition to defining the diffusion model error source analytically, we show how to generate this source numerically for the radiation transport equations with linear-discontinuous Galerkin spatial discretization and S n angular discretization. This numerical source is computationally tested and shown to reproduce the transport solution for a Marshak-wave problem when added to the diffusion equation written in first-order or P1 form and discretized in a manner consistent with the transport equations.
Performance Outcomes After Repair of Complete Achilles Tendon Ruptures in National Basketball Association Players

Background:A complete rupture of the Achilles tendon is a devastating injury. Variables affecting return to competition and performance changes for National Basketball Association (NBA) players are not readily evident.Hypothesis:Players in the NBA who ruptured their Achilles tendons and who underwent surgical repair would have more experience in the league, and the performance of those who were able to return to competition would be decreased when compared with their performance before injury and with their control-matched peers.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:Data for 18 basketball players with Achilles tendon repair over a 23-year period (1988-2011) were obtained from injury reports, press releases, and player profiles. Variables included age, body mass index (BMI), player position, and number of years playing in the league. Individual season statistics were obtained, and the NBA Player Efficiency Rating (PER) was calculated for 2 seasons before and after injury. Controls were ma...