cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A High-Throughput, Controllable, and Environmentally Benign Fabrication Process of Thermoplastic Nanofibers

Continuous and uniform yarns of thermoplastic nanofibers were prepared via direct melt extrusion of immiscible blends of thermoplastic polymers with CAB and subsequent extraction removal of CAB. Ratios of thermoplastic/sacrificial polymers, melt viscosity, and interfacial tensions affect the formation of nanofibers. Dominating sacrificing polymer content in the blends and low interfacial tensions between thermoplastic polymer and CAB are two key factors. This fabrication process possesses features of high productivity, versatility of thermoplastics, controllability, and environment friendliness in manufacturing thermoplastic nanofibers.
Brain stem degeneration patterns following tooth extractions: visualization of dental and periodontal afferents

The terminal central nervous system distribution of those primary afferent neurons from the teeth and periodontium in cats was studied by degeneration methods. Lesions were created by combinations of tooth extractions and the brain stem was examined at 14, 30 and 60 days survival for degeneration patterns, with 30 days being the optimal survival time. Degenerating axons and terminals are seen bilaterally, but somewhat less on the side contralateral to the lesions and are concentrated in the ventral half of pars interpolaris and pars caudalis near obex. The results are discussed with regard to the current controversies concerning the primary central termination of these trigeminal neurons.
Ion Leaching from Implantable Medical Devices

Implantable medical devices must be able to withstand the corrosive environment of the human body for 10 or more years without adverse consequences. Most reported research and development has been on developing materials and devices that are biocompatible and resistant to corrosion-fatigue, pitting, and crevice corrosion. However, little has been directly reported regarding implantable materials with respect to the rate at which they generate soluble ions in-vivo. Most of the biocompatibility studies have been done by examining animal implants and cell cultures rather than examining the rate at which these materials leach ions into the body. This paper will discuss what is currently known about the rate at which common implant materials (such as stainless steels, cobalt-chromium alloys, and nitinol) elute ions under in vitro conditions, what the limitations are of such data, and how this data can be used in medical device development.
Hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl acetate by a (N2S(thiolate))zinc hydroxide complex: a model of the catalytically active intermediate for the zinc form of peptide deformylase.

A novel zinc(II) hydroxide complex with a rare alkylthiolate donor in the coordination sphere is formed in aqueous solution from the dissolution of the zinc alkyl precursor complex (PATH)ZnCH3 (PATH = 2-methyl-1-[methyl(2-pyridin-2-ylethyl)amino]propane-2-thiolate) in H2O and protonolysis of the Zn−C bond to give (PATH)ZnOH (1). The (PATH)ZnOH complex has been shown to promote the hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl acetate (4-NA) by a detailed kinetic study and is the first functional model for the zinc form of the enzyme peptide deformylase. From a fit of the sigmoidal pH−rate profile a kinetic pKa of 8.05(5) and a pH-independent second-order rate constant (k‘ ‘max) of 0.089(3) M-1 s-1 have been obtained. The kinetic pKa is similar to the pKa of 7.7(1) determined by a potentiometric study (25 °C, I = 0.1 (NaNO3)). Observation of both rate enhancement and turnover shows that 1 acts as a catalyst for the hydrolysis of 4-NA, although the turnovers are modest. Activation parameters have been obtained from a tempera...
MIDDLE EAR FUNCTION OF NEONATES

Results of impedance audiometry can determine middle ear pressure, eustachian tube function, tympanic membrane mobility, and presence of fluid in the middle ear cavity. The present study utilized an impedance audiometer to measure middle ear function of neonates. Subjects included 20 infants with a mean age of 7.4 hrs. Their average weight was 3120 grams. All were healthy with no obvious congenital defects. Both ears were tested on every baby. The vernix caseosa was removed from the external auditory meatus prior to taking impedance measurements. Results indicated that all of the infants had normal tympanic membrane mobility and normal middle ear pressure. The data show 33 ears with Type Ad tympanograms and 7 Type W tympanograms. The average middle ear pressure was 6.75 mm. (H2O). The average compliance at the tympanic membrane was 1.113 cu. cm. Many pediatric textbooks state that the middle ear of neonates is filled with a mucoid material which is present for the first few days of life and is a factor in the ability of newborns to respond to sound. The finding of normal middle ear function in neonates would suggest that mucous is not commonly present and therefore not a factor in infant's response to sound.
Enhancing Performance with Biomechanics

(1996). Enhancing Performance with Biomechanics. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 67, No. 5, pp. 34-37.
From relational ontology to transformative activist stance on development and learning: expanding Vygotsky’s (CHAT) project

Research in psychology and education today is going through a paradoxical phase, perhaps to such an extent that the cliche “the best of times, the worst of times” cannot be avoided when trying to describe it. On the one hand, we are witnessing much ferment and enthusiasm as novel ideas, exciting discoveries, and innovative methodologies are emerging and flourish across a variety of approaches that explore the effects of culture and society on human development. These new and innovative approaches are often underwritten by a common commitment to social justice and equity (these approaches will be termed sociocultural herein for lack of a better unifying term). On the other hand, it is impossible not to notice a rising tide, indeed a tsunami, of starkly mechanistic views that reduce human development (more boldly now than at any other time in recent history) to processes in the brain rigidly constrained by genetic blueprints passed on to contemporary humans from the dawn of the evolution. The sad irony is that these latter views represent a strikingly united front in sharp ascendance—drawing together resurrected tenets of sociobiology, innatist linguistics, narrowly conceived neuroscience, orthodox modular cognitivism, with the test-and-control, knowledge transmission–based educational models following suit—while the alternative sociocultural approaches remain starkly disconnected, without much dialogue or coordination among them. Indeed, no consensus of a sort now propagated by the “new” reductionist synthesis is apparent in sociocultural approaches that are scattered across areas as diverse as critical pedagogy, social theory, adult learning, disability studies, critical race theory, constructivist education, science studies, human-computer interaction, feminist studies, literary criticism, cultural anthropology, and developmental psychology, among others.
Cross-cultural counseling and psychotherapy: An existential-psychological approach

The purpose of this presentation is to propose a paradigm for cross-cultural counseling and psychotherapy based on existential philosophy that may be applicable to and can be adapted to apply in cultures around the world. Counseling and psychotherapy have similar functions, i.e., to alleviate.distress, to reintegrate the client into his or her culture and to enable the client to respond to cultural roles and to me~et cultural expectations. In general, counseling facilitates and fosters effective problem-solving and psychotherapy is concerned with changing persons, their modes of experience and behavior, i.e., personalities. Since no clear dividing line can be drawn between these two activities, it is fair to assume that there is a great degree of similarity between these two activities (Draguns, 1981). Cross-cultural counseling and psychotherapy has been an area of interest for nearly two decades in the United States (Sue, 1983). A number of approaches to cross-cultural counseling and psychotherapy have been proposed (Sue, 1977; 1978; 1981; Sue, S., 1981; 1983; Arredondo-Dowd and Gonsalves, 1980; Malpass, 1977)along with a number of proposals for counselor preparation (Triandis, 1975; Pedersen, 1976, reference note 3; Sue, 1981). The focus of these approaches has been on majorityminority relations and helping individuals develop skills to work with the ethnically different. In general, the literature available does not address the philosophical assumptions that people hold. The focus of these approaches has been on theory and practice issues. Sue (1983) points out that: (a) information is still lacking regarding the relationship of knowledge of culture and skill development in therapeutic interventions; (b) the discussions of differences between ethnic groups overlook and ignore 'within group' differences; and (c) lack of actual experience and information with the specific ethnic groups leads to inadequately prepared counselors and therapists. Clearly, the work of two decades in the United States on cross-cultural counseling is providing some guidelines for cross-cultural counseling interventions. The lack of a philosophy to understand human beings seems to be one of the most pervasive deficits in the models proposed in the United States. Counseling and psychotherapy are not simple technical activities. The assumptions inherent in
Assessing nitrogen fertilizer response of coastal Douglas-fir in the Pacific Northwest using a paired-tree experimental design

Abstract Nitrogen is the nutrient most limiting growth of coastal Douglas-fir of the Pacific Northwest and, accordingly, urea fertilization has been applied through the region to improve Douglas-fir growth. While factors affecting fertilizer response have been studied for years, changing management techniques and improved genetics warrant new studies that investigate Douglas-fir fertilizer response. This study documents a paired-tree experimental design that tested two-year and four-year basal area, height, and volume response to 224 kg N ha−1 as urea in Douglas-fir plantations in the western Pacific Northwest. Significant fertilizer response for each installation was determined using a paired t-test for each measurement on 12–20 replicates of paired control and fertilized trees per installation. The close proximity of treatments in this study design was also tested as the effect of the number of surrounding fertilized plots on control tree growth using a mixed model. The greatest effect of fertilization was found in two-year basal area response where nearly half of the installations significantly responded to fertilization. Fewer installations responded significantly 2–4 and 0–4 years after fertilization. There was no effect of the number of adjacent fertilized plots on control tree growth. Fertilizer response in the paired-tree installations was similar to a recent single-tree fertilization study and was correlated to previous models of plot fertilizer response. These findings support the use of the paired-tree fertilization design to continue testing fertilizer response in plantation forestry.
Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

31.8 Congenital Eventration of Diaphragm 312 31.8.1 Clinical Features 312 31.8.2 Diagnosis 312 31.8.3 Management 312 31.8.4 Operative Repair 312 31.8.5 Outcome 313
Repeat gamma knife radiosurgery for refractory or recurrent trigeminal neuralgia: treatment outcomes and quality-of-life assessment.

Abstract Purpose Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has become a minimally invasive treatment modality for patients with refractory trigeminal neuralgia. It is unclear, however, how best to treat patients with pain that is refractory or recurrent after initial SRS. We report on treatment outcomes and quality of life for patients treated with repeated SRS for refractory or recurrent trigeminal neuralgia. Methods and materials Between June 1996 and June 2001, 112 patients with trigeminal neuralgia were treated with SRS at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Eighteen patients underwent repeat SRS 3–42 months (median, 8 months) after initial radiosurgery because of unsatisfactory or unsustained pain relief. Patients received a median prescription dose of 75 and 70 Gy, respectively, for the first and second treatments. Self-reports of pain control were assessed with a standard questionnaire containing the complete Barrow Neurologic Institute Pain Scale. Results The median follow-up was 37.5 months (range, 12–68 months) after initial SRS and 24.5 months (range, 6–65 months) after repeat SRS. For the 18 patients in this series, the percentage of patients reporting excellent, good, fair, and poor responses after the initial and repeat SRS was 50%, 28%, 6%, and 16% and 45%, 33%, 0%, and 22%, respectively. None of the 3 patients with pain refractory to initial SRS responded to repeat SRS. Among those with recurrent pain after initial SRS, 14 patients (93%) achieved excellent or good pain outcomes after repeat SRS. The actuarial analysis revealed a 1-year recurrence rate of 22%, with no patients reporting recurrent pain after 9 months of follow-up. Two patients (11%) reported new or increased facial numbness after retreatment, which was described as bothersome by one. Repeat SRS resulted in a median 60% improvement in quality of life, and 56% of patients believed that the procedure was successful. Conclusion Despite a modest dose reduction, repeat SRS provided similar rates of complete pain control as the initial procedure, but was not effective for patients with no response to initial treatment. Repeat SRS was more efficacious for those patients who experienced longer periods of pain relief after the initial SRS. The incidence of complications was not significantly different from that observed for initial SRS. In this series, most patients had significant improvements in quality of life.
Fine dining or fortress? Functional shifts in spider web architecture by the western black widow Latrodectus hesperus

Spiders alter web architecture in response to many environmental factors. Yet, the functional implications of this behavioural plasticity are poorly understood, especially for spiders that spin long-lasting webs such as cobwebs. The western black widow spins a three-dimensional web that captures terrestrial prey and can persist for many days. However, the shape of the cobweb depends upon changes in the spider's body condition. Starved spiders invest more silk in sticky gumfooted threads, whereas sated spiders invest more silk in supporting threads. We tested the hypothesis that the increased investment in sticky gumfooted threads by starved spiders functions to improve the prey capture of their webs. Regardless of intrinsic foraging motivation, both fed and starved spiders captured more prey, more quickly and more efficiently, when hunting on a web that was spun by a starved spider. Our study shows that cobweb spiders actively manipulate web-spinning behaviours in ways that alter the functions of their webs and that even spiders spinning relatively long-lasting webs may use behavioural plasticity to respond to changing selective pressures in their environment.
Public Health’s Falling Share of US Health Spending

We examined trends in US public health expenditures by analyzing historical and projected National Health Expenditure Accounts data. Per-capita public health spending (inflation-adjusted) rose from $39 in 1960 to $281 in 2008, and has fallen by 9.3% since then. Public health's share of total health expenditures rose from 1.36% in 1960 to 3.18% in 2002, then fell to 2.65% in 2014; it is projected to fall to 2.40% in 2023. Public health spending has declined, potentially undermining prevention and weakening responses to health inequalities and new health threats.
DNA fingerprinting in anthropological genetics: past, present, future.

In 1985, Sir Alec Jeffreys developed the variable-number tandem repeat method used to identify individuals and giving researchers the first DNA fingerprints. These initial methods were used in anthropological genetics, a field that uses a comparative approach to answer questions about human history, including the discernment of the origin of Native American populations and the discrimination of clan affiliation from individuals in Siberia. The technological and methodological advances since this time have led to the use of many more markers, including restriction fragment length polymorphisms, Y chromosomal and autosomal short tandem repeats, single nucleotide polymorphisms, and direct sequencing not only to identify individuals, but to examine frequencies and distributions of markers (or “prints”) of entire populations. In the field of anthropological genetics these markers have been used to reconstruct evolutionary history and answer questions concerning human origins and diaspora, migration, and the effects of admixture and adaptation to different environments, as well as susceptibility and resistance to disease. This review discusses the evolution of DNA markers since their application by Sir Alec Jeffreys and their applications in anthropological genetics.
Biochemical characterization of major bone-matrix proteins using nanoscale-size bone samples and proteomics methodology

There is growing evidence supporting the need for a broad scale investigation of the proteins and protein modifications in the organic matrix of bone and the use of these measures to predict fragility fractures. However, limitations in sample availability and high heterogeneity of bone tissue cause unique experimental and/or diagnostic problems. We addressed these by an innovative combination of laser capture microscopy with our newly developed liquid chromatography separation methods, followed by gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry analysis. Our strategy allows in-depth analysis of very limited amounts of bone material, and thus, can be important to medical sciences, biology, forensic, anthropology, and archaeology. The developed strategy permitted unprecedented biochemical analyses of bone-matrix proteins, including collagen modifications, using nearly nanoscale amounts of exceptionally homogenous bone tissue. Dissection of fully mineralized bone-tissue at such degree of homogeneity has not been achieved before. Application of our strategy established that: (1) collagen in older interstitial bone contains higher levels of an advanced glycation end product pentosidine then younger osteonal tissue, an observation contrary to the published data; (2) the levels of two enzymatic crosslinks (pyridinoline and deoxypiridinoline) were higher in osteonal than interstitial tissue and agreed with data reported by others; (3) younger osteonal bone has higher amount of osteopontin and osteocalcin then older interstitial bone and this has not been shown before. Taken together, these data show that the level of fluorescent crosslinks in collagen and the amount of two major noncollagenous bone matrix proteins differ at the level of osteonal and interstitial tissue. We propose that this may have important implications for bone remodeling processes and bone microdamage formation.
Short Equational Bases for Two Varieties of Groupoids Associated with Involuted Restrictive Bisemigroups of Binary Relations

We sharpen the main results in [1] by finding short equational bases for two varieties of groupoids associated with involuted restrictive bisemigroups of binary relations. For the benefit of the reader we use the notation Bredikhin set in [1].
Genetic, Biochemical, and Molecular Characterization of the Polypeptide Transport-Associated Domain of Escherichia coli BamA

ABSTRACT The BamA protein of Escherichia coli plays a central role in the assembly of β-barrel outer membrane proteins (OMPs). The C-terminal domain of BamA folds into an integral outer membrane β-barrel, and the N terminus forms a periplasmic polypeptide transport-associated (POTRA) domain for OMP reception and assembly. We show here that BamA misfolding, caused by the deletion of the R44 residue from the α2 helix of the POTRA 1 domain (ΔR44), can be overcome by the insertion of alanine 2 residues upstream or downstream from the ΔR44 site. This highlights the importance of the side chain orientation of the α2 helix residues for normal POTRA 1 activity. The ΔR44-mediated POTRA folding defect and its correction by the insertion of alanine were further demonstrated by using a construct expressing just the soluble POTRA domain. Besides misfolding, the expression of BamA ΔR44 from a low-copy-number plasmid confers a severe drug hypersensitivity phenotype. A spontaneous drug-resistant revertant of BamA ΔR44 was found to carry an A18S substitution in the α1 helix of POTRA 1. In the BamA ΔR44, A18S background, OMP biogenesis improved dramatically, and this correlated with improved BamA folding, BamA-SurA interactions, and LptD (lipopolysaccharide transporter) biogenesis. The presence of the A18S substitution in the wild-type BamA protein did not affect the activity of BamA. The discovery of the A18S substitution in the α1 helix of the POTRA 1 domain as a suppressor of the folding defect caused by ΔR44 underscores the importance of the helix 1 and 2 regions in BamA folding.
Test Bias and Hispanic Children

Although evidence of test bias with Hispanic children is hard to find and often contradictory, many studies on the item structure of tests such as the WISC-R indicate that bias is not present. This study examines the model typically used in item analyses of bias with Hispanics. It is shown that the model fails to demonstrate bias even for children who come from Spanish-speaking homes. The author suggests that the model's implicit assumptions about how cultures interact may be incorrect.
Stability and Observability

The theme was the effect of perturbations of the defining parameters of a neural network due to: 1) measurements (particularly with analog networks); 2) discretization due to a) digital implementation of analog nets; b) bounded-precision implementation of digital networks; or c) inaccurate evaluation of the transfer function(s); 3) noise in or incomplete input and/or output of the net or individual cells (particularly with analog networks). The workshop presentations address these problems in various ways. Some develop models to understand the influence of errors/perturbation in the output, learning and general behavior of the net (probabilistic in Piche and Tresp; optimization in Rojas; dynamical systems in Botelho & Garzon). Others attempt to identify desirable properties that are to be preserved by neural network solutions (equilibria under faster convergence in Peterfreund & Baram; decision regions in Cohen). Of particular interest is to develop networks that compute robustly, in the sense that small perturbations of their parameters do not affect their dynamical and observable behavior (stability in biological networks in Chauvet & Chauvet; oscillation stability in learning in Rojas; hysterectic finite-state machine simulation in Casey). In particular, understand how biological networks cope with uncertainty and errors (Chauvet & Chauvet) through the type of stability that they exhibit.
Interest Groups and State Medicaid Drug Programs

A simultaneous equations model is estimated to analyze the interaction between state Medicaid pharmaceutical drug reimbursement rates, drug recipients per capita, and expenditures per drug recipient. Interest groups are shown to have a strong positive impact on pharmacy reimbursement rates, which, in turn, have an impact on pharmacy participation rates and drug utilization and expenditure patterns. Finally, a strong inverse relationship exists between expenditures per recipient and program size. The results verify the existence of substantial variation in state Medicaid programs and point to potentially growing disparities as a result of current policies.
Local analysis of co-dimension-one and co-dimension-two grazing bifurcations in impact microactuators

Impact microactuators rely on repeated collisions to generate gross displacements of a microelectromechanical machine element without the need for large applied forces. Their design and control rely on an understanding of the critical transition between non-impacting and impacting long-term system dynamics and the associated changes in system behavior. In this paper, we present three co-dimension-one, characteristically distinct transition scenarios associated with grazing conditions for a periodic response of an impact microactuator: a discontinuous jump to an impacting periodic response (associated with parameter hysteresis), a continuous transition to an impacting chaotic attractor, and a discontinuous jump to an impacting chaotic attractor. Using the concept of discontinuity mappings, a theoretical analysis is presented that predicts the character of each transition from a set of quantities that are computable in terms of system properties at grazing. Specifically, we show how this analysis can be applied to predict the bifurcation behavior on neighborhoods of two co-dimension-two bifurcation points that separate the co-dimension-one bifurcation scenarios. The predictions are validated against results from numerical simulations of a model impact microactuator.
American College of Rheumatology 2010 recommendations for the prevention and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

Guidelines and recommendations developed and/or endorsed by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) are intended to provide guidance for particular patterns of practice and not to dictate the care of a particular patient. The ACR considers adherence to these guidelines and recommendations to be voluntary, with the ultimate determination regarding their application to be made by the physician in light of each patient’s individual circumstances. Guidelines and recommendations are intended to promote beneficial or desirable outcomes but cannot guarantee any specific outcome. Guidelines and recommendations developed or endorsed by the ACR are subject to periodic revision as warranted by the evolution of medical knowledge, technology, and practice.
Energy return on investment, peak oil, and the end of economic growth

Economic growth over the past 40 years has used increasing quantities of fossil energy, and most importantly oil. Yet, our ability to increase the global supply of conventional crude oil much beyond current levels is doubtful, which may pose a problem for continued economic growth. Our research indicates that, due to the depletion of conventional, and hence cheap, crude oil supplies (i.e., peak oil), increasing the supply of oil in the future would require exploiting lower quality resources (i.e., expensive), and thus could occur only at high prices. This situation creates a system of feedbacks that can be aptly described as an economic growth paradox: increasing the oil supply to support economic growth will require high oil prices that will undermine that economic growth. From this we conclude that the economic growth of the past 40 years is unlikely to continue in the long term unless there is some remarkable change in how we manage our economy.
Leveraging single rate schemes in multiple rate multicast congestion control design

A significant impediment to deployment of multicast services is the daunting technical complexity of developing, testing and validating congestion control protocols fit for wide-area deployment. Protocols such as pragmatic general multicast congestion control (pgmcc) and TCP-friendly multicast congestion control (TFMCC) have recently made considerable progress on the single rate case, i.e., where one dynamic reception rate is maintained for all receivers in the session. However, these protocols have limited applicability, since scaling to session sizes beyond tens of participants with heterogeneous available bandwidth necessitates the use of multiple rate protocols. Unfortunately, while existing multiple rate protocols exhibit better scalability, they are both less mature than single rate protocols and suffer from high complexity. We propose a new approach to multiple rate congestion control that leverages proven single rate congestion control methods by orchestrating an ensemble of independently controlled single rate sessions. We describe a new multiple rate congestion control algorithm for layered multicast sessions that employs a single rate multicast congestion control as the primary underlying control mechanism for each layer. Our new scheme combines the benefits of single rate congestion control with the scalability and flexibility of multiple rates to provide a sound multiple rate multicast congestion control policy.
Discovering transcription and splicing networks in myelodysplastic syndromes

More and more transcription factors and their motifs have been reported and linked to specific gene expression levels. However, focusing only on transcription is not sufficient for mechanism research. Most genes, especially in eukaryotes, are alternatively spliced to different isoforms. Some of these isoforms increase the biodiversity of proteins. From this viewpoint, transcription and splicing are two of important mechanisms to modulate expression levels of isoforms. To integrate these two kinds of regulation, we built a linear regression model to select a subset of transcription factors and splicing factors for each co-expressed isoforms using least-angle regression approach. Then, we applied this method to investigate the mechanism of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a precursor lesion of acute myeloid leukemia. Results suggested that expression levels of most isoforms were regulated by a set of selected regulatory factors. Some of the detected factors, such as EGR1 and STAT family, are highly correlated with progression of MDS. We discovered that the splicing factor SRSF11 experienced alternative splicing switch, and in turn induced different amino acid sequences between MDS and controls. This splicing switch causes two different splicing mechanisms. Polymerase Chain Reaction experiments also confirmed that one of its isoforms was over-expressed in MDS. We analyzed the regulatory networks constructed from the co-expressed isoforms and their regulatory factors in MDS. Many of these networks were enriched in the herpes simplex infection pathway which involves many splicing factors, and pathways in cancers and acute or chronic myeloid leukemia.
High-Field Asymmetric-Waveform Ion Mobility Spectrometry and Electron Detachment Dissociation of Isobaric Mixtures of Glycosaminoglycans

High-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) is shown to be capable of resolving isomeric and isobaric glycosaminoglycan negative ions and to have great utility for the analysis of this class of molecules when combined with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry. Electron detachment dissociation (EDD) and other ion activation methods for tandem mass spectrometry can be used to determine the sites of labile sulfate modifications and for assigning the stereochemistry of hexuronic acid residues of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). However, mixtures with overlapping mass-to-charge values present a challenge, as their precursor species cannot be resolved by a mass analyzer prior to ion activation. FAIMS is shown to resolve two types of mass-to-charge overlaps. A mixture of chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) oligomers with 4–10 saccharides units produces ions of a single mass-to-charge by electrospray ionization, as the charge state increases in direct proportion to the degree of polymerization for these sulfated carbohydrates. FAIMS is shown to resolve the overlapping charge. A more challenging type of mass-to-charge overlap occurs for mixtures of diastereomers. FAIMS is shown to separate two sets of epimeric GAG tetramers. For the epimer pairs, the complexity of the separation is reduced when the reducing end is alkylated, suggesting that anomers are also resolved by FAIMS. The resolved components were activated by EDD and the fragment ions were analyzed by FTICR-MS. The resulting tandem mass spectra were able to distinguish the two epimers from each other.
Outcome of patients with hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus infections referred for liver transplantation

The outcome of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) referred for liver transplantation (LT) is unknown. A high frequency of lamivudine-resistant (LAM-R) HBV infection may increase the risk of liver-related death pre-transplantation and prophylaxis failure post-transplantation. We evaluated the association of LAM-R HBV on pre-transplant survival and post-transplant outcomes in 35 consecutive HIV-HBV coinfected patients referred for LT between July 2000 and September 2002. At the time of referral, the median CD4 count was 273/mm, MELD was 14, and LAM-R HBV infection was present in 67%. Among these referred patients, 26% were listed, 29% not listed due to relative/absolute contraindications; 26% not listed as too early for LT; 9% not listed as too sick for LT; and 11% died during transplant evaluation. Of the 9 listed patients, 4 remained listed, 1 died 18 months post-referral, and 4 were transplanted (11% of total) 3 to 40 months after listing. Of 17 evaluated but not listed patients, 5 died (p=0.38 compared to listed group) and all deaths were liver-related. All the HBV-HIV coinfected patients, who were transplanted, are HBsAg negative and have undetectable HBV DNA levels on prophylactic therapy using hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) plus lamivudine, with and without tenofovir or adefovir, with median 33.1 months follow-up. Late referral and the presence of LAM-R HBV pre-transplantation are common in referred HIV-HBV patients. In HIV-HBV coinfected patients undergoing LT, HBV recurrence is successfully prevented with combination prophylaxis using HBIG and antivirals. Liver Transpl 12:801–807, 2006. © 2006 AASLD.
Baryon spectrum in a potential quark model

A quark model suggested by quantum chromodynamics is used to calculate the entire spectrum of baryons containing u, d, s, c, b quarks. A short-range Coulomb potential is used together with a long-range linear potential modified by a harmonic-oscillator potential. This combination leads to a good description of the masses of both positive- and negative-parity baryons based on the five quark masses and four additional parameters related to the chosen potential.
Nanoparticles for Imaging and Non-viral Gene Therapy

Gene therapy has not been investigated as much as pharmacotherapy because of immunogenic issues when a virus was used as a gene delivery vector. Despite the challenges, gene therapy still has attractive aspects. It has less side effects and is more target-specific compared to pharmacotherapy, and it also has potential for generic disease treatment or personalized medicine. Therefore, it would be truly beneficial if safe and reliable vectors are used and targeted for area of interest. Interest in multifunctional nanomedicine for diagnostics and therapeutics has been increasing. For this reason, non-viral gene delivery has been studied, combined with molecular imaging to visualize targeting. In this review, complex nanoparticle systems designed for molecular imaging and gene delivery are discussed. There are design criteria which need to be considered for the nanoparticle complex systems. The criteria are as follows: i) the nanoparticle complex should be stable; ii) it should have efficient targeting capability; iii) controlled release of genes should be available; iv) molecular imaging should be possible; and lastly, v) there should be noticeable therapeutic efficacy. Examples on nanoparticle complex which meet these criteria are described in the review.
Making it in a man's world: the late-nineteenth-century surgical career of Mary Amanda Dixon Jones.

L'A. decrit le phenomene par lequel une femme chirurgien, Dixon Jones (M.A.) fut denigree par l'opinion publique en 1892, puis soutenue par de nombreux hommes medecins qui approuverent sa reputation professionnelle
A radiopaque suture to identify the aorto-saphenous vein graft orifice.

The increasing use of saphenous vein grafts for myocardial revascularization has made imperative the need for postoperative assessment of their fate and function. Angiographic visualization is helpful but may be difficult unless the graft orifice is marked at the time of surgery. We have found that the radiopaque strands which are threaded through the common surgical sponge are excellent markers for this purpose. They can be firmly fixed in place at the time of anastomosis. No complications have developed as yet as a result of their use.
Optimization of active layer thickness in planar organic solar cells via optical simulation methods

Optimizing the efficiency of polymer-based, planar organic solar cells requires nanoscale control of the thicknesses of constituent layer materials composing the device. A thin film optical simulation modeling tool has been used to determine ideal active layer thicknesses for regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) and phenyl-C 61 /C 71 -butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT-PC 61 BM and P3HT-PC 71 BM) organic blends used as photoactive components in polymer solar cells. Using the well understood transfer matrix formalism, solar cells are simulated layer-by-layer after varying such factors as active layer thickness and electron and hole mobilities. Spectral absorption, fill factor (FF), power conversion efficiency (PCE), and current-voltage (I–V) characteristics are obtained and the most effective active layer thicknesses determined that will enable maximum efficiency to be achieved. Figure 1 shows the simulated current densities of P3HT:PC 61 BM and P3HT:PC 71 BM as a function of device thickness and carrier mobility. This device simulation indicates the potential of higher current density achievable using P3HT:PC 71 BM. We will discuss the systematic study of the effect of the charge carrier mobilities on the current density, open circuit voltage, and fill factor as a function of device thickness.
Fundamentals for the Academic Liaison edited by Richard Moniz, Jo Henry, and Joe Eshleman: Chicago: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., 2014. 208p. ISBN 978-1-55570-967-9. $58.00

Fundamentals for the Academic Liaison is one of several books published in the American Library Association (ALA) Fundamentals Series that have, as their primary purpose, the goal of introducing a ...
Adaptive Impedance Control for Bilateral Teleoperation of Long Reach, Flexible Manipulators

Abstract Current applications in the field of telerobotics, such as space based assembly and nuclear waste remediation, require the use of long reach manipulators. These robots are characterized by their large workspace and reduced mass. Unfortunately, this reduction in mass increases structural compliance making these robots susceptible to vibration. Until recently, no attempt has been made to provide the operator any type of force reflection due to the compliance of the slave robot. This research addresses the control of bilateral teleoperation systems that use long reach flexible manipulators. Experiments indicate that the compliance of the slave robot directly affects the stability of the teleoperation system. Our study suggests that this may be controlled by increasing the damping on the master robot. This increase in target damping increases the effort an operator must exert during the execution of a task. To circumvent this limitation, the authors propose an adaptive impedance control paradigm. A new teleoperation strategy adapts the target impedance of the master robot to variations in the identified impedance of the remote environment coupled to the slave robot. Experiments suggest increased performance due to a decrease in the power the operator must provide during the execution of a task.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder in Clinical Health Psychology Practice: Case Studies of Comorbid Psychological Distress and Life-Limiting Illness

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is characterized by a persistent pattern of grandiosity, fantasies of unlimited power or importance, and the need for admiration or special treatment. Individuals with NPD may experience significant psychological distress related to interpersonal conflict and functional impairment. Research suggests core features of the disorder are associated with poor prognosis in therapy, including slow progress to behavioral change, premature patient-initiated termination, and negative therapeutic alliance. The current manuscript will explore challenges of working with NPD within the context of life-limiting illness for two psychotherapy patients seen in a behavioral health clinic at a large academic health science center. The ways in which their personality disorder affected their illness-experience shared significant overlap characterized by resistance to psychotherapeutic change, inconsistent adherence to medical recommendations, and volatile relationships with providers. In this manuscript we will (1) explore the ways in which aspects of narcissistic personality disorder impacted the patients' physical health, emotional well-being, and healthcare utilization; (2) describe psychotherapeutic methods that may be useful for optimizing psychosocial, behavioral, and physical well-being in individuals with co-morbid NPD and life-limiting disease; and (3) review conceptualizations of NPD from the DSM-5 alternative model for assessing personality function via trait domains.
Race, Ethnicity, Class and Identity: Implications for Study Abroad

This study addresses study abroad and second language acquisition. The number of U.S. students studying abroad is increasing. However, students’ cultural and linguistic immersion experiences abroad...
Three-Step Approach to QoS Maintenance in Cloud Computing Using a Third-Party Auditor

Abstract Cloud computing is a rapidly evolving service for potential clients who wish to outsource their data storage or subscribe to cloud services. In a data-driven society, every company needs to make cost-effective and responsible decisions in terms of how they handle their sensitive data. Should a company make the decision to use cloud services, they must complete the arduous task of not only choosing the right CSP for that particular firm, but also the constant monitoring of the data being stored and processed externally. In addition, under certain circumstances, there are laws that might prevent the firm from using certain CSPs. When using a cloud service, there is a need for ongoing agreements between cloud service users (CSUs) and cloud service providers (CSPs). Currently, this comes in the form of written agreements known as cloud service agreements (CSAs). CSAs contain information on the quality of service (QoS) that the CSP is promising to deliver to the CSU. However, CSAs can often be inflexible and unmaintained; therefore, there is a need for constant monitoring of the QoS being provided by the CSP. In this paper, we propose a model in which a third-party auditing body (e.g. cloud carriers, cloud brokers, cloud auditors) can assist a CSU in ensuring that they are receiving the promised services from their chosen CSP. To support this model, we propose a three-step approach for customers to evaluate the service-level agreement (SLA) of their CSAs. The three basic steps of our model are: an initial review of any valuable information useful to a CSA, an assessment of specific cloud metrics, and quarterly reevaluations of the CSA. Our proposed model will allow CSUs to be more confident that they are receiving the services they are subscribed to, as well as receiving the best QoS that a CSP can provide. With our model, any IT department, with the assistance of the third party, should be able to monitor and evaluate their cloud services and CSAs.
Introduction: The Culture of Ubuntu

Bioethics is a relatively new formal academic discipline. An increasing sense of the significance of Global Bioethics is emerging in which indigenous cultures are recognized as making valuable contributions to the general field of bioethics. The culture of Ubuntu is a representative example of an indigenous African ethics that can contribute to an emerging understanding of Global Bioethics. Ubuntu, which has existed for centuries, is a sub-Sahara African culture that refers to respectful treatment of all people as sharing, caring, and living in harmony with all creation.
Diet quality among US-born and foreign-born non-Hispanic blacks: NHANES 2003-2012 data.

Background Non-Hispanic blacks in the United States are less likely to not meet national dietary recommendations than non-Hispanic whites; however, most studies do not consider nativity of US blacks. Objective With the use of the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI-2010) and the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) scores, this cross-sectional study compared diet quality between US-born (n = 3,911) and foreign-born (n = 408) non-Hispanic black adults aged 22-79 y, based on pooled nationally representative data (NHANES 2003-2012) as well as by length of US residency. Design The association between nativity and diet quality was determined by using multivariable-adjusted linear regression for the continuous total diet quality scores and their components or multinomial (polytomous) logistic regression for categorical tertiles (low, medium, or high) of the total scores and their components. Results Foreign-born blacks had significantly higher AHEI-2010 (β: 9.3; 95% CI: 7.5, 11.0) and DASH (β: 3.1; 95% CI: 2.5, 3.8) scores compared with US-born blacks and more favorable intakes for many of the score components. Among foreign-born blacks, diet quality did not significantly differ by length of residency. Foreign-born blacks were more likely to be in the high than in the low tertile for vegetables [excluding starchy vegetables; relative risk ratio (RRR): 1.68; 95% CI: 1.24, 2.29], fruit [excluding and including fruit juice-RRR: 2.42 (95% CI: 1.69, 3.47) and RRR: 2.95 (95% CI: 1.90, 4.59), respectively], percentage of whole grains (RRR: 2.39; 95% CI: 1.64, 3.49), and omega-3 (ω-3) fatty acids (RRR: 2.03; 95% CI: 1.38, 2.97). Conclusions Foreign-born blacks have better diet quality than their US-born counterparts. In nutrition research and public health efforts, considering the place of birth among US blacks may improve the accuracy of characterizing dietary intakes and facilitate the development of targeted nutrition interventions to reduce diet-related diseases in the diverse black population in the United States.
Psychosocial stress as a cause of infertility

An adaptive model for the evolution of reproductive failure predicted psychosocial stress to increase as anatomic causes of infertility decrease. The nonanatomic infertility group in our study reported greater psychosocial stress than intermediate (P < 0.008) or anatomic groups (P < 0.0005). Controls, women with nonanatomic etiologies who were not attempting pregnancy, also reported higher psychosocial stress than the anatomic group (P < 0.007). Results are consistent with the hypothesis that psychosocial distress contributes significantly to the etiology of some forms of infertility.
The Impact of Technology and Theory on Instructional Design Since 2000

The impact of shifting epistemologies in the field of instructional design during the last century has had a major impact on how we design instruction. The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview of important shifts in ideas about what knowledge is, how it can be produced or constructed, and what it has meant for instructional design in the last decade. We discuss how technology has influenced instructor, learner, and designer beliefs about knowledge, instruction, and learning. Furthermore, we look at the changing landscape of theory and research that supports and questions these perspectives, and the implications it has on instructional practices.
Flexible Queries over Engineering Data

The design of complex systems involves many engineering disciplines, and many different tools and formalisms. Solutions such as IBM Rational Engineering Lifecycle Management(RELM) present a unified view of information collected from multiple tools. Various queries and reports are predefined, but engineers need to define their own custom queries, based on their specific processes or products.