cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Goals, Beliefs, and Concerns of Urban Caregivers of Middle and Older Adolescents with Asthma

Objective: Caregiver goals, an integral part of a partnership for asthma management, have been found to influence asthma outcomes in children. These goals are likely to change during the transitional period of adolescence to address the needs of teenagers as they mature and assume greater responsibilities for their own care. Little is known about the goals, beliefs, and concerns of caregivers as they begin to shift responsibilities for asthma management to teens. This study sought to identify the asthma management goals, beliefs, and concerns of primarily African American caregivers of urban middle and older adolescents. Methods: Fourteen caregivers of urban African American adolescents aged 14–18 years with asthma participated in a focus group session. An iterative process was used to identify themes from the session related to asthma management goals, concerns, and beliefs of caregivers. Results: Caregivers identified goals that related to supporting their teens’ progress toward independent asthma self-...
Design and implementation of power line sensornet for overhead transmission lines

The task of monitoring asset status and optimizing asset utilization for the power grid, given millions of assets and hundreds of thousands of miles of power lines distributed over millions of square miles, seems costly, if not impossible. Given the traditionally high cost of sensing and communications, the current grid has minimal ‘smarts’ with much of the intelligence located at major substations. Dramatic reductions in sensor, computing and communications costs, coupled with significant performance enhancements has increased the possibility of realizing widely and massively power line sensor networks (PLSNs) to monitor utility asset status. A NSF funded a project, “Power Line Sensornet for Enhancing Line Reliability and Utilization”, has led to the development of an integrated multi-task power line sensor (PLS) module. This paper mainly addresses the design and implementation issues for such a sensor module.
Desires, scope and tense

I want to discuss a certain argument for the claim that definite descriptions are ambiguous between a Russellian quantificational interpretation and a predicational interpretation. The argument is found in James McCawley’s (1981) book Everything Linguists Have Always Wanted to Know about Logic (but were ashamed to ask). The argument has also been resuscitated by Richard Larson and Gabriel Segal in their more recent (1995) book Knowledge of Meaning. If successful, the argument would not only show that descriptions have both quantificational and predicational interpretations, but would also provide confirmation for the commonly held view that the verb ‘to be’ is ambiguous in its interpretation—that it sometimes expresses the ‘‘‘is’ of identity’’ and sometimes the ‘‘‘is’ of predication.’’ But the argument is not successful; it contains an obvious flaw. What’s interesting is that when you try to correct the flaw, certain puzzles arise about the nature of propositional attitudes and the semantics of their ascriptions.
Collaborative Issues in Language Variation Documentaries

Documentaries about language variation create a unique opportunity for linguists to collaborate with communities and producers in the representation of community language. At the same time, they present a series of challenges that extend from the selection of speakers who represent the community to the final editing decisions that ultimately reflect the producer’s interpretation of the subject matter. Productive collaboration involves input from the community in the conceptualization, the collection of footage, and the editing process. At the same time, producers, linguists, and community members may bring to the project different perspectives on language, different goals for the documentary, and different areas of knowledge and expertise that need to be accommodated. Linguists, producers, and the community can enable the collaborative base through adopting a set of strategies that include the selection of different community voices, restricted narration, limited use of outside experts, transparency in representing the recording process, and positive cultural framing of the community.
Implementing tax abatements in Michigan: A study of best practices

Because the use of tax abatements to foster local economic development is widespread despite uncertainty about their effectiveness, is it possible to allocate abatements in a way that increases the likelihood that tangible benefits will result? This research suggests that few municipalities place conditions on abatements, most never evaluate the performance of firms granted abatements, and abatement requests are seldom or never rejected. The project focuses on the implementation of tax abatements, explores the use of tax abatements over a relatively long time period, and makes explicit policy recommendations for more effective policy implementation. Changes in state enabling legislation targeting abatements to distressed areas and adding requirements for evaluation may produce more effective use of abatements at the local level.
Bleaching of the giant barrel sponge Xestospongia muta in the Florida Keys

The giant barrel sponge Xestospongia muta is now the dominant habitat-forming organism on many Caribbean coral reefs and has been observed to undergo cycles of bleaching similar to those seen for reef-building corals. We examined bleaching of X. muta at 15-m, 20-m, and 30-m depths over 2000–2005 on Conch Reef, Key Largo, Florida, to determine the spatial and temporal patterns of bleaching, whether bleaching affected sponge mortality, and whether there was a relationship between bleaching and seawater temperatures. Bleaching increased significantly with depth and was greater in autumn than spring, but the response was not uniform across the sponge population. Bleaching of X. muta did not result in sponge mortality, corroborating the conclusion that cyanobacterial symbionts of the sponge provide little or no benefit to the host. There was greater sponge bleaching with higher minimum daily seawater temperature anomalies within 30 d of surveys in the spring. For both the spring and autumn, there was greater bleaching with a higher number of positive 0.5uC daily anomalies within 14 d before surveys. Anomalously warm seawater temperatures fail to completely explain the variability of the observed bleaching response, however, and additional work would be required to conclusively determine whether a causal relationship between bleaching and temperature exists. As has been described for corals, bleaching of X. muta is likely a complex response that may be affected by multiple factors, including light availability and differences in bleaching susceptibility among Synechococcus symbionts.
Simple confocal microscopy based on single hollow-core photonic bandgap fiber

Confocal microscopes built with single hollow-core fibers were experimentally analyzed. Reduction of Fresnel reflection at the fiber tips and mirror-with-a-hole beamsplitter reduced background level and eliminated wavelength-dependent optical components.
Safety or Liberty?: The Bogus Trade-Off of Cross-Deputization Policy

The discussion of cross-deputization (mandating that police officers enforce immigration policies) is often framed as a referendum on civil rights and racial politics. Those who oppose cross-deputization often maintain that asking police to target individuals based on their immigration status endangers civil rights. Those who support cross-deputization, on the other hand, argue that enforcing immigration laws is necessary to maintain a culture of lawfulness and to preserve public safety. Previous research on the psychology of legitimacy and procedural justice, however, suggests that this is likely a false dichotomy (e.g., Alpert & Dunham, 2004; Jost & Major, 2001; Tyler & Huo, 2002), a perspective we adopt in this article. Drawing on the psychological literature on legitimacy and on our own research in the area of policing and immigration, we find that ensuring civil rights—and the perception of police fairness—does not conflict with public safety in either perception or reality. Rather, the public's belief in the fairness of law enforcement is a necessary precondition of public safety and lawfulness. In other words, because law enforcement requires legitimacy to be effective, wide-ranging concerns about racism actually become a threat to public safety. Implications for public policy are discussed. “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” — Benjamin Franklin
Leadership That Settled the Frontier

This idea brief explores the leadership lessons dis played by the characters of Louis L’Amour’s western novels. Western fiction can be a powerful tool to engage students and demonstrate many leader ship theories and models. This brief examines how L’Amour’s characters can be used to illustrate Kouzes and Posner’s Five Practices of Ex emplary Leaders. The author will demonstrate how western literature, spe cifically L’Amour’s novels, can be a tool to help students see leadersh ip in a new light.
Design of closed circuit television for consumer applications

This paper discusses several experimental closed circuit TV prototype units intended for consumer applications. It concludes with a detailed circuit description of the unit believed to be most practical for home use. The equipment described is fully transistorized, with the preferred unit using silicon types for all but one function.
Consultation with the specialist: malaria prophylaxis in children.

1. Holly D. Maples, PharmD* 2. Gordon E. Schutze, MD† 1. *Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Ark 2. †Professor of Pediatrics, Section of Retrovirology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Tex After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Differentiate among the four species of Plasmodium. 2. Recognize the life cycle stages of the malaria parasite. 3. Identify the geographic areas endemic for chloroquine-sensitive and chloroquine-resistant malaria. 4. Identify the appropriate chemoprophylactic regimen(s) for malaria in areas with and without chloroquine resistance. 5. Recognize the site of action of the chemoprophylactic agents in the life cycle of the parasite. 6. List nonchemoprophylactic prevention strategies for malaria. An 8-year-old girl weighing 25 kg presented at the clinic with a 2-day history of fever, chills, malaise, fatigue, cough, and one episode of vomiting. The child had been born in Nigeria, immigrated to the United States at the age of 2 years, and just returned 5 days ago from a 3-week visit to Nigeria with her parents. Two weeks prior to travel, the entire family had been prescribed weekly chloroquine for malaria chemoprophylaxis. The girl had taken the initial 250-mg dose of chloroquine and subsequently had followed the weekly regimen; she took the last dose the day she presented to the clinic. The clinician initially diagnosed the girl with an upper respiratory tract infection along with nausea and vomiting and prescribed an oral cephalosporin antibiotic and an antiemetic agent. However, the girl’s symptoms continued, and 4 days later she collapsed, was transported to a local hospital, and died in the emergency department. Examination of a peripheral blood film on stored blood from the clinic visit and a film from blood taken in the emergency department demonstrated Plasmodium falciparum parasites. A blood sample taken postmortem revealed a chloroquine level of 1,800 ng/mL whole blood, a level consistent with recent ingestion of chloroquine and sufficient to inhibit P falciparum parasites sensitive to the drug . Malaria is the world’s most important and devastating parasitic disease, affecting more than 300 million …
Text Versus Hands-On Science Curriculum Implications for Students with Disabilities

This paper describes recent educational reform efforts in science education and their potential impact on students with disabilities. An analysis of the curriculum in science education in four school districts from four different states is presented. Two districts employ a content approach using textbooks as the dominant instructional medium, while the other two districts employ a hands-on approach using manipulative activities and thematic units. Comparisons are made within and across the activities-oriented and textbook approaches. Implications for students with disabilities are discussed.
Novel approaches to improving qualities of maize endosperm

xiii Preface xiv Rationale xiv Dissertation organization xiv Authors’ roles xiv Chapter 1. General Introduction 1 Malnutrition 1 The problem of malnutrition 1 Potential solutions to malnutrition 1 Biofortification 3 Iron deficiency and improvements in dietary iron 4 Iron deficiency and absorption 4 Inhibitors and enhancers of iron bioavailability 5 Iron forticants 6 Biofortification of iron 8 Hemoglobin 9 Plant hemoglobin 9 Protein deficiency and seed storage proteins in maize 11 Protein deficiency 11 Dietary requirements for protein 12
Emergence of immune escape variant of mammary tumors that has distinct proteomic profile and a reduced ability to induce “danger signals”

Breast tumors are shaped, in part, by a process termed immunoediting which selects for immunologically evasive phenotypes. In the present study we used the rat neu-transgenic mouse model of breast cancer and its congenic non-transgenic parental strain, FVB, to explore the phenotype of tumors that emerge in the presence of an immune response directed against the neu antigen. When inoculated into parental FVB mice, a neu-overexpressing mouse mammary carcinoma (MMC) cell line isolated from spontaneous breast tumors of the FVB neu (FVBN202) transgenic mouse, elicited a neu-specific immune response resulting in a tumor rejection because of the presence of the rat neu antigen. However, a neu negative variant (ANV) of MMC arose after a long latency in spite of the neu-specific immune response. We show that compared to MMC, ANV tumor cells have a significantly reduced ability to secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines and the CCL5 chemokine, to express immunostimulatory chaperones, and they have a distinct expression of proteins involved in cell motility, and metabolic and signal transduction pathways. These studies suggest that tumor escape through immunoediting can not be explained by the loss of a single tumor antigen, but rather by a selection process of a tumor variant that has a reduced ability to induce “danger signals” together with up-regulation of proteins involved in the tumor survival. Based on these findings, we propose to target novel antigens over-expressed in the escape variant of breast tumors to treat primary tumor and to prevent tumor relapse.
Physics of lithium bromide (LiBr) solution dewatering through vapor venting membranes

The physics of water desorption from a lithium bromide (LiBr) solution flow through an array of microchannels capped by a porous membrane is studied. The membrane allows the vapor to exit the flow and retains the liquid. Effects of different parameters such as wall temperature, solution and vapor pressures, and solution mass flux on the desorption rate were studied. Two different mechanisms of desorption are analyzed. These mechanisms consisted of: (1) direct diffusion of water molecules out of the solution and their subsequent flow through the membrane and (2) formation of water vapor bubbles within the solution and their venting through the membrane. Direct diffusion was the dominant desorption mode at low surface temperatures and its magnitude was directly related to the vapor pressure, the solution concentration, and the heated wall temperature. Desorption at the boiling regime was predominantly controlled by the solution flow pressure and mass flux. Microscale visualization studies suggested that at a critical mass flux, some bubbles are carried out of the desorber through the solution microchannels rather than being vented through the membrane. Overall, an order of magnitude higher desorption rate compare to a previous study on a membrane-based desorber was achieved.
The Function of Legal Rights in the Health Care Setting

It has become fashionable to talk about ‘rights’ for everyone, and patients and their providers are no exception. While there are many groups in society that desperately need to have their rights recognized and enforced, such as prisioners, suspects, aliens, tenants, debtors, employees, etc., perhaps none is as vulnerable as the desperately ill patient. This vulnerability and the potential abuses it permits have led many to suggest that the provider-patient relationship should be made more equitable, and that the status of the patient should be improved with this goal in mind [1].
Do Solar Coronal Holes Affect the Properties of Solar Energetic Particle Events

The intensities and timescales of gradual solar energetic particle (SEP) events at 1 AU may depend not only on the characteristics of shocks driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), but also on large-scale coronal and interplanetary structures. It has long been suspected that the presence of coronal holes (CHs) near the CMEs or near the 1-AU magnetic footpoints may be an important factor in SEP events. We used a group of 41 E≈ 20 MeV SEP events with origins near the solar central meridian to search for such effects. First we investigated whether the presence of a CH directly between the sources of the CME and of the magnetic connection at 1 AU is an important factor. Then we searched for variations of the SEP events among different solar wind (SW) stream types: slow, fast, and transient. Finally, we considered the separations between CME sources and CH footpoint connections from 1 AU determined from four-day forecast maps based on Mount Wilson Observatory and the National Solar Observatory synoptic magnetic-field maps and the Wang–Sheeley–Arge model of SW propagation. The observed in-situ magnetic-field polarities and SW speeds at SEP event onsets tested the forecast accuracies employed to select the best SEP/CH connection events for that analysis. Within our limited sample and the three analytical treatments, we found no statistical evidence for an effect of CHs on SEP event peak intensities, onset times, or rise times. The only exception is a possible enhancement of SEP peak intensities in magnetic clouds.
Approximate Yield Criterion for Anisotropic Porous Sheet Metals and its Applications to Failure Prediction of Sheet Metals Under Forming Processes

An approximate anisotropic yield criterion for anisotropic sheet metals containing spherical voids is validated using a three-dimensional finite element analysis. An aggregate of periodically arranged cubes containing spherical voids is modeled using a unit cell method. Hill’s quadratic anisotropic yield criterion is used to describe the normal anisotropy and planar isotropy of the matrix. The metal matrix is first assumed to be elastic perfectly plastic and incompressible. The results of the finite element analysis can be in good agreement with those based on the proposed yield criterion by introducing three fitting parameters in the yield criterion. This modified yield criterion is adopted in a failure prediction methodology that can be used to determine the failure of sheet metals under forming operations. The material imperfection approach is employed to predict failure/plastic localization by assuming a slightly higher void volume fraction inside randomly oriented imperfection bands. Finally, the failure prediction methodology is applied to predict the failure of a mild steel sheet metal in a fender forming process.
Evaluation of a Prototype Soft-Structured Thoracic Posture Support Garment

A prototype soft-structured thoracic posture support garment was evaluated for postural alignment effectiveness, wearer acceptability, ease of movement and fit as compared to a sports bra (no postu...
Regulation of growth of renal clear cell carcinoma by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma

B67 Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma (RCC) is the tenth most prevalent cancer , accounting for 80% of all renal cancers. Recent results of a 15.3 year epidemiological study indicate that a diet of fatty fish offers significant protection against RCC, results which were attributed to omega-3 fatty acids. The question arises as to the molecular mechanisms by which such omega-3 fatty acids exert their protective effect. One possible mechanism is through the activation of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors (PPARS) by omega-3 fatty acids, which presumably is altered during the process of tumorigenesis. In order to examine this hypothesis, normal renal proximal tubule cells have initially been examined with regards to their growth responses to PPAR agonists (the RCC is of renal proximal tubule origin). Towards these ends the effects of PPAR alpha and PPAR gamma agonists on the growth of a well-characterized primary renal proximal tubule cell culture system have been examined. The primary cultures were initiated from purified rabbit renal proximal tubules in serum free medium supplemented with 5 microgram/ ml bovine insulin, 5 microgram/ml human transferrin and 5 x 10-8 M hydrocortisone. Fibrate drugs and thiazolidinediones (TZDs) have been identified which have a high affinity for PPAR alpha and PPAR gamma, respectively. The effects of the TZD drug troglitazone on the growth of primary proximal tubule cells were examined over a concentration range between 10-7 and 10-4 M. After a 7 day incubation period, cells were removed from culture dishes by trypsinization, and counted in a Coulter Counter. The results of 3 independent studies indicated that troglitazone caused a 4-fold increase in cell number over a concentration range of 10-6 to 5 x 10-6 M. A physiologic PPAR gamma agonist, Prostaglandin J2 (PGJ2), was also growth stimulatory, albeit to a lesser extent than troglitazone. Both PPAR alpha and PPAR gamma are expressed in the renal proximal tubule. However, fenofibrate, a PPAR alpha agonist, had no significant affect on renal proximal tubule cell growth over a concentration range of 10-7 to10-4 M. Unlike the results that we have obtained with our normal renal proximal tubule cells, several recent studies have indicated that troglitazone, and other TZDs (PPAR gamma agonists) induce growth arrest and apoptosis in RCC, as well as other urological cancers. Presumably, PPAR gamma signaling is altered in RCC. Indeed PPAR gamma is included amongst the proteins that are up-regulated in RCCs as a consequence of mutations in the von Hippel-Lindau suppressor gene (VHL). Thus, omega-3 fatty acids may act to prevent the progression of the tumor stem cells which have arisen as a result of such mutations in the VHL gene. Alternatively, omega-3 fatty acids may act to prevent metabolic processes necessary for the emergence of RCC cells, with their distinctive lipid droplets.
Comparison of wavelength conversion in SOA and EDFA fiber ring systems

We report on two types of wavelength conversion techniques that are based on gain saturation effect in semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA). In these amplifiers the gain saturation occurs when the optical density at the gain medium is high enough to result in depletion of the population inversion by stimulated emission. In each case, the fiber ring laser is assembled using a variable fiber coupler, a narrowband optical filter and the gain medium. For external input power values higher than the determined threshold value of the ring resonator, the gain will be saturated. Because the wavelength of the external laser is different from the oscillating wavelength of the ring resonator, the optical power at the output of the resonator is drastically decreased (low-state). On the other hand, when the input of the external laser is below the threshold value the output power of the resonator increases (high-state). In our experiment the operating wavelengths of the ring resonators are 1314 nm and 1553 nm for the SOA and EDFA respectively. The input signal is modulated around the threshold value for frequencies of 20 MHz and 1 MHz and resonator lengths of around 8 m and 16 m for the SOA and EDFA cases respectively. Both systems exhibit high contrast modulation of 41 dB and 33 dB at the output port for the low/high states of the SOA and EDFA ring lasers respectively.
The History of Rubber—A Survey of Sources about the History of Rubber

Abstract This paper is a bibliographic survey of the major sources of information about historical aspects of rubber and rubber products that appeared in the 20th century. These sources, primarily those in the English language, on various aspects of rubber history have been categorized according to whether the emphasis is on natural or synthetic rubber, general rubber history and processing, rubber organizations, and people and companies that have played an important role. A section on the history of tires is included.
Antimicrobial Packaging for Fresh and Minimally Processed Fruits and Vegetables

Fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables are highly perishable and readily subjected to postharvest physiological changes and microbial contaminations during postharvest transportation, processing, storage, and retail display. Antimicrobial packaging systems have been studied extensively and some have been applied commercially. These may include active packaging, such as inserted antimicrobial sachets inside the packaging, the controlled release of antimicrobial substances embedded within polymer packaging materials, antimicrobial edible coatings, and modified atmosphere packaging with antimicrobial function. This chapter discusses the principles, research development, and commercial applications of these antimicrobial packaging systems in fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables. The further developments in the antimicrobial packaging with desired functionality are also discussed.
The Fatigue Behavior of γ/α2 Titanium Aluminides

Axial load controlled high cycle fatigue experiments were conducted on the ℸ /α2 alloy, Ti-48Al-IV-0.2C (at%), at 23 and 815°C. Four different microstructures, produced through thermomechanical processing, were evaluated to examine the influence of grain size and α2 content on fatigue behavior. The load controlled fatigue life was significantly reduced by increasing grain size and unaffected by α2 content at both 23 and 815°C. Although, α2 content did not greatly influence high cycle fatigue life, the room temperature crack initiation and fast fracture was changed from transgranular to partially intergranular as the volume fraction of α2 was reduced in the fine grain size material. The fatigue strength at 107 cycles (FS) to ultimate tensile strength (UTS) ratio was 0.8 to 0.9 at 23°C and 0.5 to 0.6 at 815°C for all microstructures examined. Low tensile ductility, high work hardening rate and the difficulty in forming strain local-izations all aided the high FS/UTS ratio. The dislocation microstructures produced by fatigue at room temperature were examined in the fine grained high α2 (ductile) microstructure. They consisted of loop patches of all <110] regular dislocations without any <101] or <011] super dislocations because of the large difference in CRSS for these dislocation. The inability to nucleate and move superdislocations inhibited the formation of persistent slip bands as is often found in high and intermediate stacking fault FCC metals.
An IRF5 Decoy Peptide Reduces Myocardial Inflammation and Fibrosis and Improves Endothelial Cell Function in Tight-Skin Mice

Interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) has been called a "master switch" for its ability to determine whether cells mount proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory responses. Accordingly, IRF5 should be an attractive target for therapeutic drug development. Here we report on the development of a novel decoy peptide inhibitor of IRF5 that decreases myocardial inflammation and improves vascular endothelial cell (EC) function in tight-skin (Tsk/+) mice. Biolayer interferometry studies showed the Kd of IRF5D for recombinant IRF5 to be 3.72 ± 0.74x10-6M. Increasing concentrations of IRF5D (0-100 μg/mL, 24h) had no significant effect on EC proliferation or apoptosis. Treatment of Tsk/+ mice with IRF5D (1mg/kg/d subcutaneously, 21d) reduced IRF5 and ICAM-1 expression and monocyte/macrophage and neutrophil counts in Tsk/+ hearts compared to expression in hearts from PBS-treated Tsk/+ mice (p<0.05). EC-dependent vasodilatation of facialis arteries isolated from PBS-treated Tsk/+ mice was reduced (~15%). IRF5D treatments (1mg/kg/d, 21d) improved vasodilatation in arteries isolated from Tsk/+ mice nearly 3-fold (~45%, p<0.05), representing nearly 83% of the vasodilatation in arteries isolated from C57Bl/6J mice (~55%). IRF5D (50μg/mL, 24h) reduced nuclear translocation of IRF5 in myocytes cultured on both Tsk/+ cardiac matrix and C57Bl/6J cardiac matrix (p<0.05). These data suggest that IRF5 plays a causal role in inflammation, fibrosis and impaired vascular EC function in Tsk/+ mice and that treatment with IRF5D effectively counters IRF5-dependent mechanisms of inflammation and fibrosis in the myocardium in these mice.
Patent ductus arteriosus surgical ligation: Still a lot to understand.

From the Department of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Division of Neonatalogy and Perinatology, and Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. Disclosures: Authors have nothing to disclose with regard to commercial support. Received for publication April 3, 2016; accepted for publication April 4, 2016; available ahead of print May 6, 2016. Address for reprints: David Kalfa, MD, PhD, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY (E-mail: dk2757@cumc. columbia.edu). J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2016;152:505-6 0022-5223/$36.00 Copyright 2016 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2016.04.013
Microscale tissue-engineered models: overcoming barriers to adoption for neural regeneration research.

The last decade has seen a steady proliferation in the use of tissue-engineered cell culture systems(Deforest and Anseth,2012),and these have been put to good use for studying neural axon growth and guidance(Li and Hoffman-Kim,2008;Roy et al.,2013).These systems have been designed to more closely mimic the natural microenvironment of the developing or repairing nervous system and to enable spatiotemporal control over certain aspects of the microenvironment.The 3D nature of these
Behavior Modification in Management: A Review and Critique

The use of operant principles and of behavior modification techniques in the management literature is reviewed and critiqued. Included are studies explaining operant principles, organizational rese...
Micromachining techniques for advanced SiC MEMS

This paper reviews the development of a multilayer, micromolding-based surface micromachining process for SiC microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The micromolding process uses polysilicon and SiO 2 thin films that are deposited onto polysilicon and SiO 2 sacrificial layers, patterned into micromolds by reactive ion etching, filled with polycrystalline SiC (poly-SiC), planarized by mechanical polishing, and eventually dissolved and released in selective wet chemical etchants. In addition, a SiC lift-off technique that exploits the microstructural differences between SiC films deposited on Si, SiO 2 and Si 3 N 4 surfaces has been developed. The micromolding and lift-off techniques are being used as the basic patterning processes for a four-layer, poly-SiC surface micromachining process that we call the MUSiC ( M ulti- U ser SiC ) process.
Case Management: Considerations for Coordinating Quality Services in Rural Communities

Case management is a growing phenomenon, being implemented across the continuum of care, employing a variety of models and approaches, and appearing in a spectrum of geographic locations. Implementing case management in rural communities involves unique dimensions. Consideration of these dimensions is critical to effective provision of quality health care services through case management.
The Study of the New Style Macromolecule FiltratingStuff and Application on Wire Rolling Mill ofAnshan Iron and Steel Company

To counter the existing problems of the lubricating in the high wire and rod mill, the new style macromolecule filtrating stuff are studied,developed and applied successfully.
Staining of Fungi in Plastic-Embedded Tissue

Tissues embedded in plastic are sometimes stained with a special stain for fungi. Sections of plastic-embedded tissue were stained using both the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) reaction and Grocott’s methenamine silver (GMS) method. The periodic acid-Schiff reaction is a more rapid and less complicated stain, which stained evenly. Grocott’s methenamine silver method stained inconsistently, occasionally caused sections to detach from the slides, and is a longer and more complicated stain. Thus, the periodic acid-Schiff reaction is recommended for demonstrating fungi in plasticembedded tissue.
Information Sharing in the U.S. Electronics Industry: a Preliminary Report

Marketing academicians continually refine the very definition of marketing, however the philosophy at American Express is simple: “Marketing is simply the art of connecting the unconnected (Ryan 1989). Central to connectivity is information. Glazer (1991) points out that in marketing theory and practice, relatively little formal attention has been paid to the effects of the transformation from a “matter and energy” resource dominated era to an “information economy.” Technology has enabled phenomenal growth in the production and distribution of information. Marketing may have been a latecomer to the information age, however marketing information systems have developed to become important not only to their developing firms for their internal value, but also as critical ties between companies and their customers. Both practitioners and academics have recognized the importance of access to information (Peters 1991). Anderson and Hoyer (1991) emphatically state that "Today the intelligence dependence of organizations in securing and sustaining surviv-al….transcends all other priorities. The effectiveness of marketing strategy…is…directly proportional to the quality (of information) on which it is based” (p.38). Glazer (1991) notes that knowledge or information itself has emerged as an asset in its own right, often with significant market value at the same time that the current boundaries between traditional conceptual categories have blurred, such as between the firm and the outside world.
Has the Policy Window Closed? A Critical Analysis of South Africa’s Inclusive Education Policy

To assess whether the policy window opened by White Paper Six (WP6) has closed, this article traces the historical path of the policy and reviews pertinent policy documents and research to date on inclusive education in South Africa. Two research questions are explored: 1. What is the present state of inclusive education for students with disabilities in South Africa? 2. What factors facilitate or inhibit the understanding and implementation of WP6? Results reveal a negative state of inclusion in present day South Africa based on teacher, student, and parent attitudes towards the policy and disability. Furthermore, many barriers and few facilitators of inclusion were found. The analysis concludes by making policy recommendations and posing alternatives.
GG-02 Epigenetic reprogramming in NAïVE CD4+ T cells favouring T cell activation and NON-TH1 effector T cell immune response as an early event in lupus flares

Background Systemic lupus erythematosus is a relapsing autoimmune disease that affects multiple organ systems. T cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of lupus, however, early T cell events triggering disease flares are incompletely understood. We studied DNA methylation in naive CD4+ T cells from lupus patients to determine if epigenetic remodelling in CD4+ T cells is an early event in lupus flares. Materials and methods A total of 74 lupus patients with disease activity ranging from 0–18 as measured by the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) were included in this study. Naive CD4+ T cells were isolated from peripheral blood samples and DNA extracted for genome-wide methylation assessment. RNA was also extracted from a subset of patients to determine the relationship between epigenetic changes and transcriptional activity using RNA sequencing and microRNA arrays. Results We demonstrate that naive CD4+ T cells in lupus undergo an epigenetic pro-inflammatory shift implicating effector T cell responses in lupus flare. This epigenetic landscape change occurs without expression changes of corresponding genes, and poises naive CD4+ T cells for Th2, Th17, and Tfh immune responses, and opposes inhibitory TGF-β signalling. Bioinformatics analyses indicate that the epigenetic modulator EZH2 might be playing an important role in shifting the epigenetic landscape with increased disease activity in lupus naive CD4+ T cells. Further, the expression of miR26a and miR101, which are sensitive to glucose availability and target EZH2, negatively correlated with disease activity in lupus patients. Conclusion An epigenetic landscape shift in naive CD4+ T cells that favours T cell activation and non-Th1 immune responses predates transcriptional activity and correlates with lupus activity. A role for EZH2 dysregulation in triggering lupus flares warrants further investigation. The proposed T cell epigenetic model of disease flare in lupus patients is depicted in Figure 1. Acknowledgements This work was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01AI097134.
Abstract P015: Bilateral Common Carotid Artery Stenosis in Hypertensive Rats Impairs Dilation in Penetrating Arterioles and Posterior Communicating Arteries

Hypertension and chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) are leading risk factors for cognitive impairment. We induced hypoperfusion in stroke prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) by bilateral carotid artery stenosis (BCAS) to create a novel, physiologically relevant model of cognitive impairment. We hypothesized that BCAS in SHRSP would impair endothelium dependent dilation and lead to outward remodeling of the penetrating arterioles (PAs) and posterior cerebral arteries (PCAs). The PAs are critical for maintaining parenchymal perfusion and controlling blood flow to the neurovascular unit, and the PCAs are integral in regulating the severity of CCH. Both artery types were studied by pressure myography and data are shown as mean±SEM, SHAM vs BCAS (an n =4 to 12 in each group) with p -6 M). BCAS impaired endothelial function in PAs, as evidenced by the abolition of the dilation (14±3.3% vs -10±4.7%) but did not significantly alter sodium nitroprusside induced dilation (60 ± 9.7% vs. 49 ± 6.4%). Inhibition of nitric oxide and prostacyclin production with L-NAME (100 μM) and indomethacin (10 μM), respectively, did not change dilation in either group. This suggests that endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor plays a role in PA dilation in SHRSP. PAs from BCAS rats had a reduced wall thickness (at 60 mmHg: 7±0.5 vs 5±0.6 μm), and wall-to-lumen ratio (at 60 mmHg: 0.10±0.002 vs 0.07±0.0001). BCAS increased wall stress in PAs (at 60 mmHg: 306±30.2 vs 427±48.3 dynes/cm 2 ). Endothelial dysfunction also was evident in the PCAs after BCAS (50 ± 13.0% vs 3 ± 14.9%) but the pattern of remodeling in these larger arteries was different. We did not observe a change in the wall thickness or wall-to-lumen ratio in PCAs after BCAS, but the lumen diameter was increased (at 80 mmHg: 105±7.7 vs 116±5.7 μm). These data suggest that endothelial dysfunction in the PAs and PCAs may worsen the severity of cerebral hypoperfusion and cognitive decline in SHRSP. The thinner walls in the PAs may also increase the risk of hemorrhage in the BCAS rats.
Mechanism Design with Unknown Correlated Distributions: Can We Learn Optimal Mechanisms?

Due to Cremer and McLean (1985), it is well known that in a setting where bidders' values are correlated, an auction designer can extract the full social surplus as revenue. However, this result strongly relies on the assumption of a common prior distribution between the mechanism designer and the bidders. A natural question to ask is, can a mechanism designer distinguish between a set of possible distributions, or failing that, use a finite number of samples from the true distribution to learn enough about the distribution to recover the Cremer and Mclean result? We show that if a bidder's distribution is one of a countably infinite sequence of potential distributions that converges to an independent private values distribution, then there is no mechanism that can guarantee revenue more than \epsilon greater than the optimal mechanism over the independent private value mechanism, even with sampling from the true distribution. We also show that any mechanism over this infinite sequence can guarantee at most a (Theta + 1)/(2 + epsilon) approximation, where Theta is the number of bidder types, to the revenue achievable by a mechanism where the designer knows the bidder's distribution. Finally, as a positive result, we show that for any distribution where full surplus extraction as revenue is possible, a mechanism exists that guarantees revenue arbitrarily close to full surplus for sufficiently close distributions. Intuitively, our results suggest that a high degree of correlation will be essential in the effective application of correlated mechanism design techniques to settings with uncertain distributions.
Postexercise essential amino acid supplementation amplifies skeletal muscle satellite cell proliferation in older men 24 hours postexercise.

Abstract Aged skeletal muscle has an attenuated and delayed ability to proliferate satellite cells in response to resistance exercise. The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway is a focal point for cell growth, however, the effect of postexercise mTORC1 activation on human skeletal muscle satellite cell (SC) proliferation is unknown. To test the proliferative capacity of skeletal muscle SC in aging muscle to a potent mTORC1 activator (i.e., EAA; essential amino acids) we recruited older (~72y) men to conduct leg resistance exercise (8setsx10reps) without (−EAA; n = 8) and with (+EAA: n = 11) ingestion of 10 g of EAA 1 h postexercise. Muscle biopsies were taken before exercise (Pre) and 24 h postexercise (Post) for assessment of expression and fiber type‐specific Pax7 + SC, Ki67 + Pax7 + SC and MyoD + SC. −EAA did not show an increase in Pax7 + satellite cells at Post( P > 0.82). Although statistical significance for an increase in Pax7 + SC at 24 h post‐RE was not observed in +EAA versus −EAA, we observed trends for a treatment difference ( P P = 0.076; and %/myonuclei: P = 0.065) for a greater increase in +EAA versus −EAA. Notably, we found an increase SC proliferation in +EAA, but not −EAA with increase in Ki67 + SC and MyoD + cells ( P + SC also exhibited a significant group difference Post ( P + SC in fast twitch myofibers did not change and were not different between groups ( P > 0.10). CDK2, MEF2C, RB1 mRNA only increased in +EAA ( P
Diagnostic Virology — Then and Now

Several technical approaches are required for the laboratory diagnosis of viral infections. For example, over a 30-year span, laboratory methods have ranged from serology for demonstrating acute phase infection or for measuring immunity or evidence of past infection with a virus and use of cell cultures for demonstration of cytopathic effects (CPE) to amplification and detection of nucleic acid sequences of agents by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Between these extremes, enzyme immunoassay (EIA), immunologic detection of early antigens, and nucleic acid probes have expanded our ability to diagnose viral infections much more rapidly than in the past. Because the types and prevalence of viral infections vary according to the specific clinical practice, i,e, children’s hospital, tertiary care clinic, or State Public Health Laboratory, each individual virology laboratory must design their service tests to support these special needs. In a children’s hospital, methods for the diagnosis of respiratory tract are of greatest significance, whereas detection of herpesvirus infections is most important in tertiary care practice. Further, epidemiologic goals of State Health Laboratories may indicate use of serology for enterovirus serotyping or conventional tube cell cultures exclusively for detection of influenza virus CPE.
Carrying the Team: The Importance of One Player’s Survival for Team Success in League of Legends:

Objective: This research investigates the effect of “critical” team members and team familiarity on team performance in the Multi-player Online Battle Arena gaming environment, League of Legends™. Background: A critical team member is any member of a team whose presence (or absence) can have a dramatic impact on the team’s ability to reach their objective, while team familiarity can be viewed as the knowledge team members have about one another and the knowledge team members have about the tasks that must be accomplished. Methods: Data visualization techniques and logistic regression is used to explore team data collected from publicly accessible sources for the online game League of Legends, which is one of the most popular games in the world. Results: The proportion of time a team’s “Carry” is incapacitated (the “critical” team member) during a given match has a direct impact on how the team performs. Conclusions: The results show that critical team positions exist on teams, and can have a significant e...
Function of Adenylyl Cyclase in Heart: the AKAP Connection

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), synthesized by adenylyl cyclase (AC), is a universal second messenger that regulates various aspects of cardiac physiology from contraction rate to the initiation of cardioprotective stress response pathways. Local pools of cAMP are maintained by macromolecular complexes formed by A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs). AKAPs facilitate control by bringing together regulators of the cAMP pathway including G-protein-coupled receptors, ACs, and downstream effectors of cAMP to finely tune signaling. This review will summarize the distinct roles of AC isoforms in cardiac function and how interactions with AKAPs facilitate AC function, highlighting newly appreciated roles for lesser abundant AC isoforms.