cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is temperature an important variable in recovery after mild traumatic brain injury

With nearly 42 million mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) occurring worldwide every year, understanding the factors that may adversely influence recovery after mTBI is important for developing guidelines in mTBI management. Extensive clinical evidence exists documenting the detrimental effects of elevated temperature levels on recovery after moderate to severe TBI. However, whether elevated temperature alters recovery after mTBI or concussion is an active area of investigation. Individuals engaged in exercise and competitive sports regularly experience body and brain temperature increases to hyperthermic levels and these temperature increases are prolonged in hot and humid ambient environments. Thus, there is a strong potential for hyperthermia to alter recovery after mTBI in a subset of individuals at risk for mTBI. Preclinical mTBI studies have found that elevating brain temperature to 39°C before mTBI significantly increases neuronal death within the cortex and hippocampus and also worsens cognitive deficits. This review summarizes the pathology and behavioral problems of mTBI that are exacerbated by hyperthermia and discusses whether hyperthermia is a variable that should be considered after concussion and mTBI. Finally, underlying pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for hyperthermia-induced altered responses to mTBI and potential gender considerations are discussed.
Untapped Potential: Using the HRS-Medicare-Linked Files to Study the Changing Nursing Home Population.

Background Nursing home (NH) care in the United States now includes many short-term admissions to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) for postacute care. Objective To demonstrate the potential of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) linked to administrative data to study this group. Research design Descriptive retrospective panel study. Subjects HRS respondents between 2002 and 2010 linked to administrative data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Measures NH use was defined in 3 ways: by survey responses, Medicare SNF claims, and mandatory NH assessments. Results In total, 8.5% of observation periods (ie, time between 2 consecutive survey dates or 2 years before initial survey) reported by the survey and 26.0% reported by administrative data indicated some NH use. There was 98% agreement between survey responses and administrative data when there was no indication of a NH observation in the administrative data. However, there was only 33% agreement between survey responses and administrative data when a NH stay was indicated in the administrative data. NH stays associated with SNF care were responsible for the discrepancy-they were not consistently captured by the HRS survey. Rates of agreement were highest when a proxy respondent was used, and lowest among respondents who rated themselves in excellent overall health. Rates of agreement were higher later in the decade than earlier. Conclusions The HRS-Medicare-linked files enhance the ability of the HRS to examine the growing use of NH for postacute care as well as offer a more comprehensive view of who uses NHs.
ATTITUDE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS TOWARDS VALUE EDUCATION IN JHARKHAND

Values are essential for positive human behaviour. Education from time immemorial has focused on values. Values form the core of educational goals and objectives. Almost every education policy document has emphasized the role of education in fostering values. Value education seems to be more important and requires more than looking only to curricula. The teachers outcomes are observed, with regard to attitude, motivation, self – esteem and subject knowledge. In India the common language used in educational discourse for the main elements of ‘character education’ has been ‘moral education’ and in more recent times ‘values education’. Character is ultimately about who we are and who we become, good or bad. Values appear to be constantly changing in which children are presented with all kinds of models and exposed to all kinds of opinions about right and wrong. The value education is recognized as the unique needs of the students. In this research, the work basically deals to ascertain the attitude of Secondary School Teachers towards Value Education in Jharkhand. The researcher has not only focused on the standard lesson plan but also the implementation of value education in the day today teaching learning process. The objectives of the study were: to find the significant difference between the mean scores of attitude of secondary school teachers towards value education in Jharkhand on the basis of gender, type of school, area of school and medium of school. Self constructed and validated tool on value education was administered to establish the validity and reliability of the toll. Mean, standard deviation and t-test was used to analys the data to infer the findings. The findings of the study reveal that there is a significance difference between the mean scores of attitude of secondary school teachers towards value education in Jharkhand on the basis of area of school
Discovering Messages in the Medium

To parents and those who work with infants, one of the most remarkable developments during the first year of life is the rapid growth of vocal communication skills prior to language. Initially, the infant communicates by cries, but during the second half-year, the speechlike sounds of babbling emerge. By twelve months, babbling not only conveys feelings and needs to others but may also express infants’ observations of regularities in the events and objects of their world.
Formulation of the relationship between tension loading rate and internal stress for uni-axel bio-materials

The formulation of the relationship among the external applied force, internal stress and strain of bio-material is difficult due to its non-linear properties. Thus for simplification, bio-material relaxation and creep under certain load are mainly discussed under step stress and strain functions. The goal of this study is to show the influence of the external force loading rate on the maximum magnitude of the internal stress or strain. The change of the stress and strain is studied based on the assumption that the volume of the material remains unchanged. The results are used to explain the failure of bio-materials happens at different tensile load under different loading rate. The problem is analyzed and verified using both computer and experimental results. This study provides the basis for the description of the dynamic properties of biomaterials.
Conservation biology: Lessons for conserving natural enemies

Publisher Summary The chapter discusses different theories that are useful in controlling pests in the ecosystem. From ages, different methods are adopted to conserve the natural enemies of the pests. It also explores the way the endangered species or the species that are at the brink of extinction are utilized in the conservation of natural enemies of the pests. Because the endangered species are utilized in controlling pests, it is benefiting the ecosystem. In the last a few decades, different concepts have emerged in the conservation of the natural enemies of the pests. The new concepts that have emerged to conserve the natural enemies of the pests have benefited the ecosystem. Different ecological theories have come up to control pests. The chapter says that one should understand, before thinking of controlling pests, the habitat in which the pests grow. If one can have a clear idea about the environment in which the pests thrive, it is easier to control them. If the target animal species are predatory birds or primary parasitoids, necessary action can be taken depending on that.
Existence of Einstein Metrics on Fano Manifolds

It is a long-standing problem to establish the existence of Kahler- Einstein metrics on Fano manifolds since Yau’s solution for the Calabi conjecture in late 70s. It is also one of driving forces in today’s study in Kahler geometry. In this paper, we discuss a program I started more than twenty years ago on this famous problem. It includes some of my results and speculations on the existence of Kahler-Einstein metrics on Fano manifolds, such as, holomorphic invariants, the K-stability, the compactness theorem for Kahler- Einstein manifolds, the partial CO-estimates and their variations. I will also discuss some related problems as well as some recent advances.
Measuring Influence of Users in Twitter Ecosystems Using a Counting Process Modeling Framework

Data extracted from social media platforms are both large in scale and complex in nature, since they contain both unstructured text, as well as structured data, such as time stamps and interactions between users. A key question for such platforms is to determine influential users, in the sense that they generate interactions between members of the platform. Common measures used both in the academic literature and by companies that provide analytics services are variants of the popular web-search PageRank algorithm applied to networks that capture connections between users. In this work, we develop a modeling framework using multivariate interacting counting processes to capture the detailed actions that users undertake on such platforms, namely posting original content, reposting and/or mentioning other users’ postings. Based on the proposed model, we also derive a novel influence measure. We discuss estimation of the model parameters through maximum likelihood and establish their asymptotic properties. T...
ACCOMPLISHING CLASSROOM LESSONS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses about accomplishing classroom lessons. Teachers and other school officials continually evaluate the child's school performance. The educational method used to evaluate students' abilities parallel the sociological conception of social action. Sociologists typically describe social action in terms of social actors following a set of norms or rules in a social situation. The components of this normative model include one actor in a setting who produces talk or action. The behavior is presumably guided or influenced in some way by societal rules. A second actor, an observer, judges the appropriateness of the first actor's behavior in terms of the system's rules. Applying this model to the educational setting, the child is the producer of the action, which takes the form of classroom talk or action. School officials, in the person of teacher, tester, psychologist, etc., judge the appropriateness of the child's behavior in terms of the educational system's rules. The rules of the educational system, as they pertain to the child, are primarily concerned with the correctness or incorrectness of the child's behavior.
The Ugly, the Uninvited, and the Unseen in the Work of Sia and Emma Sulkowicz

In the global attention economy, what might it mean to deploy “ugliness” to subversive ends? This chapter explores two feminist performance practices framed as strategic deployments of ugliness. The first is the performative practice and persona of contemporary musician Sia, who strategically denies visibility to her audience by refusing to reveal her face on stage. I will also explore a 2016 video installation created by Emma Sulkowicz, an artist and recent graduate of Columbia University who was raped on campus and famously constructed a senior thesis project and subsequent artworks around her experience. The chapter argues that both of these artists involve feminist deployments of “ugliness.” In the case of Sia’s work, they challenge contemporary regimes of visibility, fame, and self-branding. In the case of Sulkowicz’s, they disturb conventional protocol for navigating the interface between sexual fantasy, violence, cyberporn, embodiment, and political correctness. The chapter asks how both artists—by strategically withholding visibility or exploiting the voyeuristic potentials of the camera and making them available to an expanded audience online—rework the meanings of ugliness, embodiment, and community and in so doing, expand the boundaries of the political in the cyber age.
Tunable antibiotic delivery from gellan hydrogels

Hydrogels are used extensively in wound management. Many wounds are highly susceptible to infection and hydrogels can provide localized antibacterial delivery to treat and prevent this infection. There are several key considerations in designing antibacterial hydrogels for wound therapy, including preserving activity of encapsulated antibacterial agents, controlling drug release timescales and concentrations, and having the ability to conform to various wound configurations. In this work, we have used gellan, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved food additive, to develop antibiotic loaded hydrogels focusing on these criteria. These hydrogels were formed to exhibit a range of mechanical properties, which were investigated using oscillatory rheology. We denoted hydrogels formed using 1% w/v gellan and 1 mM CaCl2"ointment" hydrogels and those formed using 4% w/v gellan and 7 mM CaCl2"sheet" hydrogels. Vancomycin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic against Gram-positive bacteria, was encapsulated in these hydrogels both directly and/or in graphitized carbon black nanoparticles (CNPs). We found that vancomycin released from both sheet and ointment hydrogels at therapeutically effective concentrations over 9 days with CNPs and 6 days without CNPs. Applying the Ritger-Peppas and Peppas-Sahlin semi-empirical drug release models to sheet hydrogels, we determined that Fickian diffusion dominates release while case II relaxation also has a small contribution. The sheet hydrogels exhibited a larger overall release of the drug (83.6 ± 1.6% compared to 67.0 ± 2.6% for ointments), which was attributed to the larger swelling resulting from osmotic pressure differences between the hydrogel formulations and the release buffer. We also suggest that final drug release amounts are influenced by intermolecular interactions between vancomycin and gellan, which were observed via quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring. Lastly, we examined the potential for future in vivo translation. We demonstrated in vitro growth inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus in the presence of these hydrogels, demonstrating that vancomycin activity is preserved upon encapsulation. We also showed that these hydrogels are non-toxic to important wound healing cells including fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells.
Atrioventricular Septal Defect, AV Canal

Atrioventricular septal defect (AV canal) includes a spectrum of endocardial cushion defects. This section will review the incidence, physiology, and surgical treatment for this congenital heart anomaly and the anesthetic considerations in pregnancy.
A A Novel Risk Score to Predict New Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Undergoing Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common after cardiac surgery and contributes to increased morbidity and mortality. Our objective was to derive and validate a predictive model for AF after CABG in patients, incorporating novel echocardiographic and laboratory values. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients at our institution without preexisting dysrhythmia who underwent on-pump, isolated CABG from 2011-2015. The primary outcome was new onset AF lasting >1 hour on continuous telemetry or requiring medical treatment. Patients with a preoperative echocardiographic measurement of left atrial diameter were included in a risk model, and were randomly divided into derivation (80%) and validation (20%) cohorts. The predictors of AF after CABG (PAFAC) score was derived from a multivariable logistic regression model by multiplying the adjusted odds ratios of significant risk factors (P < .05) by a factor of 4 to derive an integer point system. Results: 1307 patients underwent isolated CABG, including 762/1307 patients with a preoperative left atrial diameter measurement. 209/762 patients (27%) developed new onset AF including 165/611 (27%) in the derivation cohort. We identified four risk factors independently associated with postoperative AF which comprised the PAFAC score: age > 60 years (5 points), White race (5 points), baseline GFR 4.5 cm (4 points). Scores ranged from 0-18. The PAFAC score was then applied to the validation cohort and predicted incidence of AF strongly correlated with observed incidence (r = 0.92). Conclusion: The PAFAC score is easy to calculate and can be used upon ICU admission to reliably identify patients at high risk of developing AF after isolated CABG.
Variety of Capitalism and overseas Family Businesses: Insights from the Case of Lebanese Diaspora

The emerging work on the internationalization of the family businesses suggests that family businesses in general tend have low levels of internationalization when compared to their non-family counterparts. Here, we use the varieties of capitalism perspective and Parson's structural functionalism perspective to formulate a GILA framework for analyzing the development of the overseas family businesses (OFBs). The framework emphasizes the role of four functions-goal attainment, integration, latency, and adaptation, and shows how these functions are played by business system, family system, ethnic group system, and gender system in the context of the OFBs. We illustrate the framework using the empirical context of the internationalization history of Lebanese Diaspora businesses in West Africa since the late 19 th century. Implications for further research are discussed.
AID: An Adaptive Image Data Index for Interactive Multilevel Visualization

Visualization has become an integral part of big data management and exploration. Big spatial data is visualized on a map by processing the geometry of the data as well as other attributes. To speed up big spatial data visualization, two visualization indexes are currently available, image indexes and data indexes. Image indexes provide an interactive visualization but require a long indexing time, while data indexes are fast to build but are not interactive for big data. This paper introduces the first adaptive visualization index that combines both data and images to provide a scalable, interactive visualization while minimizing the index size and index construction time. They key idea is to identify the regions that are costly to visualize and store them as partial images. The remaining regions are stored as raw data and are visualized on-the-fly at query time. The preliminary results show that the proposed index can provide highly interactive visualization with a minimal indexing time.
Abstract LB-147: Administration of HER2-CAR T cells after lymphodepletion safely improves T cell expansion and induces clinical responses in patients with advanced sarcomas

Background: Patients with advanced sarcoma have limited treatment options and poor survival. In our phase 1 dose-escalation trial, intravenous administration of up to 1x108/m2autologous HER2-CAR T cells in patients with HER2+ sarcoma was safe. The goal of the current study is to evaluate if lymphodepleting chemotherapy can safely improve the expansion of HER2-CAR T cells. Methods: In a phase 1 clinical trial, NCT00902044, we administered 1x108/m2autologous HER2-CAR T cells to patients with recurrent/refractory HER2+ sarcoma following lymphodepletion. Results: Ten patients with refractory/metastatic HER2+ sarcoma (5 osteosarcoma, 3 rhabdomyosarcoma [RMS], 1 Ewing sarcoma, 1 synovial sarcoma) with a median age of 14 (range: 4 to 54) were treated; one RMS patient was re-enrolled and retreated. Each patient received up to 3 infusions of 1x108cells/m2 CAR T cells after lymphodepletion with either fludarabine (Flu; n = 3) or Flu and cyclophosphamide (Flu/Cy; n = 8). Eligible patients were given up to an additional 5 subsequent infusions without lymphodepletion. Flu and Flu/Cy induced lymphopenia with an absolute lymphocyte count of Conclusions: Administration of lymphodepletion chemotherapy followed by autologous HER2-CAR T cells is safely tolerated and is associated with objective clinical benefit in some patients with advanced HER2+ sarcoma. Immune correlative studies suggest that the HER2-CAR T cells given in combination with Flu/Cy lymphodepletion induce endogenous immune reactivity. These findings warrant further evaluation in a phase 2 study as a single agent or in combination with other approaches. Citation Format: Shoba A. Navai, Christopher Derenzo, Sujith Joseph, Khaled Sanber, Tiara Byrd, Huimin Zhang, Melinda Mata, Claudia Gerken, Ankita Shree, Pretty R. Mathew, Olga Dakhova, Vita Salsman, John Hicks, Zhongzhen Yi, Meng-Fen Wu, Tao Wang, Bambi Grilley, Cliona Rooney, Malcom Brenner, Helen Heslop, Adrian Gee, Stephen Gottschalk, Nabil Ahmed, Meenakshi Hegde. Administration of HER2-CAR T cells after lymphodepletion safely improves T cell expansion and induces clinical responses in patients with advanced sarcomas [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-147.
Peripheral nerve stimulation limits of a high amplitude and slew rate magnetic field gradient coil for neuroimaging.

Purpose To establish peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) thresholds for an ultra-high performance magnetic field gradient subsystem (simultaneous 200-mT/m gradient amplitude and 500-T/m/s gradient slew rate; 1 MVA per axis [MAGNUS]) designed for neuroimaging with asymmetric transverse gradients and 42-cm inner diameter, and to determine PNS threshold dependencies on gender, age, patient positioning within the gradient subsystem, and anatomical landmarks. Methods The MAGNUS head gradient was installed in a whole-body 3T scanner with a custom 16-rung bird-cage transmit/receive RF coil compatible with phased-array receiver brain coils. Twenty adult subjects (10 male, mean ± SD age = 40.4 ± 11.1 years) underwent the imaging and PNS study. The tests were repeated by displacing subject positions by 2-4 cm in the superior-inferior and anterior-posterior directions. Results The x-axis (left-right) yielded mostly facial stimulation, with mean ΔGmin = 111 ± 6 mT/m, chronaxie = 766 ± 76 µsec. The z-axis (superior-inferior) yielded mostly chest/shoulder stimulation (123 ± 7 mT/m, 620 ± 62 µsec). Y-axis (anterior-posterior) stimulation was negligible. X-axis and z-axis thresholds tended to increase with age, and there was negligible dependency with gender. Translation in the inferior and posterior directions tended to increase the x-axis and z-axis thresholds, respectively. Electric field simulations showed good agreement with the PNS results. Imaging at MAGNUS gradient performance with increased PNS threshold provided a 35% reduction in noise-to-diffusion contrast as compared with whole-body performance (80 mT/m gradient amplitude, 200 T/m/sec gradient slew rate). Conclusion The PNS threshold of MAGNUS is significantly higher than that for whole-body gradients, which allows for diffusion gradients with short rise times (under 1 msec), important for interrogating brain microstructure length scales.
Exploiting Aurophilic Interactions in a [2 + 2] Photocycloaddition: Single-Crystal Reactivity with Changes to Surface Morphology.

A single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) photodimerization is achieved using Au(I) coordination and aurophilic interactions. The rigid Au2(dppbz)(CF3COO)2 precursor (dppbz = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosph...
Proinflammatory Cytokine Interleukin 1β Disrupts β-cell Circadian Clock Function and Regulation of Insulin Secretion

Intrinsic β-cell circadian clocks are important regulators of insulin secretion and overall glucose homeostasis. Whether the circadian clock in β-cells is perturbed following exposure to prodiabetogenic stressors such as proinflammatory cytokines, and whether these perturbations are featured during the development of diabetes, remains unknown. To address this, we examined the effects of cytokine-mediated inflammation common to the pathophysiology of diabetes, on the physiological and molecular regulation of the β-cell circadian clock. Specifically, we provide evidence that the key diabetogenic cytokine IL-1β disrupts functionality of the β-cell circadian clock and impairs circadian regulation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. The deleterious effects of IL-1β on the circadian clock were attributed to impaired expression of key circadian transcription factor Bmal1, and its regulator, the NAD-dependent deacetylase, Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1). Moreover, we also identified that Type 2 diabetes in humans is associated with reduced immunoreactivity of β-cell BMAL1 and SIRT1, suggestive of a potential causative link between islet inflammation, circadian clock disruption, and β-cell failure. These data suggest that the circadian clock in β-cells is perturbed following exposure to proinflammatory stressors and highlights the potential for therapeutic targeting of the circadian system for treatment for β-cell failure in diabetes.
Correction to: A candidate gene study of intermediate histopathological phenotypes in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.

Author(s): Levine, Andrew J; Soontornniyomkij, Virawudh; Masliah, Eliezer; Sinsheimer, Janet S; Ji, Sarah S; Horvath, Steve; Singer, Elyse J; Kallianpur, Asha; Moore, David J | Abstract: Due to a production error data in Table 1 were not presented correctly.
Using spoken dialogue technology for L2 speaking practice: what do teachers think?

Often, second/foreign (L2) language learners receive little opportunity to interact orally in the target language. Interactive, conversation-based spoken dialog systems (SDSs) that use automated sp...
Hall subgroups and fully extendible characters

Abstract We say that an irreducible character ξ of a subgroup H of G is fully extendible to G if every irreducible constituent of the induced character ξ G is actually an extension of ξ. Now let N ◃ G , where G / N is π-separable for some set π of primes, and let H / N be a Hall π-subgroup of G / N . If ξ ∈ Irr ( H ) is fully extendible to G, we show that a Hall π ′ -subgroup K / N of G / N must be abelian. Also, if λ is an irreducible constituent of ξ N , we show that λ is K-invariant for some Hall π ′ -subgroup K / N of G / N , and furthermore, λ is fully extendible to K. Conversely, if λ ∈ Irr ( N ) is extendible to K, where K / N is a Hall π ′ subgroup of G / N , we show that some irreducible character ξ of H lying over λ is extendible to G.
EFL Instructors’ Ambivalent Ideological Stances Toward Translanguaging: Collaborative Reflection on Language Ideologies

In this chapter, I report findings of a qualitive study I conducted with three Costa Rican EFL instructors regarding their stances toward translanguaging. Using critical dialogues, I document the instructors’ ambivalent ideological postures and the ways these shifted over time. Drawing on a language ideologies lens, I examine how their individual postures are informed by personal, institutional, and societal ideological orientations and how they manage to agentively reconfigure and appropriate them. Findings suggest that critical dialogues play an important role in providing instructors with opportunities to engage in the interrogation of the ideologies undergirding their teaching practices and the examination of the extent to which their pedagogical choices are shaped by circulating language ideologies. By and large, this study highlights (1) the potential of critical dialogues to help instructors develop agency to challenge broader ideologies, and (2) the promises translanguaging holds to serve as an entry point to resist the language ideologies currently shaping the EFL department in question.
Dietary protein intake and circulating advanced glycation end product/receptor for advanced glycation end product concentrations in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study.

BACKGROUND Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) promote adverse health effects and may contribute to the multi-system functional decline observed in aging. Diet is a major source of AGEs, and foods high in protein may increase circulating AGE concentrations. However, epidemiological evidence that high-protein diets increase AGEs is lacking. OBJECTIVES We examined whether dietary protein intake was associated with serum concentrations of the major AGE carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) and the soluble receptor for AGEs (sRAGE) in 2439 participants from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study (mean age, 73.6 ± 2.9 y; 52% female; 37% black). METHODS CML and sRAGE were measured by ELISA, and the CML/sRAGE ratio was calculated. Protein intake was estimated using an interviewer-administered FFQ and categorized based on current recommendations for older adults: <0.8 g/kg/d (n = 1077), 0.8 to <1.2 g/kg/d (n = 922), and ≥1.2 g/kg/d (n = 440). Associations between protein intake and AGE-RAGE biomarkers were examined using linear regression models adjusted for demographics, height, lifestyle behaviors, prevalent disease, cognitive function, inflammation, and other dietary factors. RESULTS CML concentrations were higher in individuals with higher total protein intake (adjusted least squares mean ± SE: <0.8 g/kg/d, 829 ± 17 ng/ml; 0.8 to <1.2 g/kg/d, 860 ± 15 ng/ml; ≥1.2 g/kg/d, 919 ± 23 ng/ml; P for trend = 0.001), as were sRAGE concentrations (<0.8 g/kg/d, 1412 ± 34 pg/ml; 0.8 to <1.2 g/kg/d, 1479 ± 31 pg/ml; ≥1.2 g/kg/d, 1574 ± 47 pg/ml; P for trend < 0.0001). Every 0.1 g/kg/d increment in total protein intake was associated with a 13.3 ± 3.0 ng/ml increment in CML and a 22.1 ± 6.0 pg/ml increment in sRAGE (P < 0.0001 for both). Higher CML and sRAGE concentrations were also associated with higher intakes of both animal and vegetable protein (all P values ≤ 0.01). There were no significant associations with the CML/sRAGE ratio. CONCLUSIONS Higher dietary protein intake was associated with higher CML and sRAGE concentrations in older adults; however, the CML/sRAGE ratio remained similar across groups.
Pathway-specific dysregulation of striatal excitatory synapses by LRRK2 mutations

Parkinson’s disease is caused by progressive damage to regions of the brain that regulate movement. This leads to a loss in nerve cells that produce a signaling molecule called dopamine, and causes patients to experience shakiness, slow movement and stiffness. When dopamine is released, it travels to a part of the brain known as the striatum, where it is received by cells called spiny projection neurons (SPNs), which are rich in a protein called LRRK2. Mutations in this protein have been shown to cause the motor impairments associated with Parkinson’s disease. SPNs send signals to other regions of the brain either via a ‘direct’ route, which promotes movement, or an ‘indirect’ route, which suppresses movement. Previous studies suggest that mutations in the gene for LRRK2 influence the activity of these pathways even before dopamine signaling has been lost. Yet, it remained unclear how different mutations independently affected each pathway. To investigate this further, Chen et al. studied two of the mutations most commonly found in the human gene for LRRK2, known as G2019S and R1441C. This involved introducing one of these mutations in to the genetic code of mice, and using fluorescent proteins to mark single SPNs in either the direct or indirect pathway. The experiments showed that both mutations disrupted the connections between SPNs in the direct and indirect pathway, which altered the activity of nerve cells in the striatum. Chen et al. found that individual connections were more strongly affected by the R1441C mutation. Further experiments showed that this was caused by the re-organization of a receptor protein in the nerve cells of the direct pathway, which increased how SPNs responded to inputs from other nerve cells. These findings suggest that LRRK2 mutations disrupt neural activity in the striatum before dopamine levels become depleted. This discovery could help researchers identify new therapies for treating the early stages of Parkinson’s disease before the symptoms of dopamine loss arise.
Muscarinic M1 Receptors Modulate Working Memory Performance and Activity Via KCNQ Potassium Channels in Primate Prefrontal Cortex

Working memory relies on dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), where microcircuits of pyramidal neurons enable persistent firing in the absence of sensory input, maintaining information through recurrent excitation. This activity critically relies on acetylcholine, though the molecular mechanisms for this dependence are not thoroughly understood. The current study investigated the role of muscarinic M1 receptors (M1R) in dlPFC using iontophoresis coupled with single unit recordings from aging monkeys with naturally-occurring cholinergic depletion. We found that M1R stimulation produced an inverted-U dose response on cell firing, with enhancing effects mediated via closure of KCNQ potassium (“M”) channels. Immunoelectron microscopy localized KCNQ isoforms (Kv7.2, Kv7.3, Kv7.5) on layer III dendrites and spines, similar to M1R. Finally, systemic administration of a M1R positive allosteric modulator produced an inverted-U dose response, enhancing working memory performance at low doses. These results indicate M1R may be an appropriate target to treat cognitive disorders with cholinergic alterations.
Barrier Crossing Dynamics from Single-Molecule Measurements.

Chemists visualize chemical reactions as motion along one-dimensional “reaction coordinates” over free energy barriers. Various rate theories, such as transition state theory and the Kramers theory...
The scaffold protein XRCC1 stabilizes the formation of polβ/gap DNA and ligase IIIα/nick DNA complexes in base excision repair.

The base excision repair (BER) pathway involves gap filling by DNA polymerase (pol) β and subsequent nick sealing by ligase IIIα. X-ray cross-complementing protein 1 (XRCC1), a nonenzymatic scaffold protein, assembles multiprotein complexes, although the mechanism by which XRCC1 orchestrates the final steps of coordinated BER remains incompletely defined. Here, using a combination of biochemical and biophysical approaches, we revealed that the polβ/XRCC1 complex increases the processivity of BER reactions after correct nucleotide insertion into gaps in DNA and enhances the handoff of nicked repair products to the final ligation step. Moreover, the mutagenic ligation of nicked repair intermediate following polβ 8-oxodGTP insertion is enhanced in the presence of XRCC1. Our results demonstrated a stabilizing effect of XRCC1 on the formation of polβ/dNTP/gap DNA and ligase IIIα/ATP/nick DNA catalytic ternary complexes. Real-time monitoring of protein–protein interactions and DNA-binding kinetics showed stronger binding of XRCC1 to polβ than to ligase IIIα or aprataxin, and higher affinity for nick DNA with undamaged or damaged ends than for one nucleotide gap repair intermediate. Finally, we demonstrated slight differences in stable polβ/XRCC1 complex formation, polβ and ligase IIIα protein interaction kinetics, and handoff process as a result of cancer-associated (P161L, R194W, R280H, R399Q, Y576S) and cerebellar ataxia-related (K431N) XRCC1 variants. Overall, our findings provide novel insights into the coordinating role of XRCC1 and the effect of its disease-associated variants on substrate-product channeling in multiprotein/DNA complexes for efficient BER.
Encouraging Equitable Access to Public Bikesharing Systems

North American cities such as Washington, DC; Minneapolis; Denver; Boston; Toronto; and Montreal have implemented public bikesharing systems. These systems allow anyone to check out a bicycle from a station for a small charge, and use it for short journeys. Although many of these systems are regarded as successful, concerns are growing that barriers to use exist for low-income users.
Genetic and Molecular Studies of a Potassium Channel Gene in Drosophila

Molecular studies of functionally important elements in the nervous system have advanced rapidly in certain areas (e.g., studies of acetylcholine receptors and Na+ channels), because there are specific high-affinity toxins and antibodies as well as organisms with specialized tissues that contain a large number of these molecules. Unfortunately, this is not true for most molecules that are important for neural function or development, and purification and biochemical studies of these molecules have been very difficult. Various alternative approaches have been proposed. For instance, “transport specificity fractionation” has been used successfully in the purification of an ATP-dependent calcium transport protein (Papazian et al., 1979). One general approach to studying molecules that is important for neuronal function or neural development is to make use of genetics and molecular biology that has been well developed in certain organisms like Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila. If one can identify genes that are important for the function or development of the nervous system, one should be able to isolate them by molecular cloning and then begin to study these genes and their gene products in molecular terms. In this chapter, we will use the current studies of a gene in Drosophila for a voltage-sensitive K+ channel as an example to illustrate this general approach.
The study of communication and culture in Latin America

(1997). The study of communication and culture in Latin America. The Journal of International Communication: Vol. 4, Communication and Development: Beyond Panaceas, pp. 24-45.
Multidisciplinary Approaches for Characterizing Synaptic Vesicle Proteins

Investigation of synaptic vesicle membrane proteins using multidisciplinary approaches, particularly to characterize synaptic vesicle proteins in synapses, can greatly advance our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved in synaptic vesicle exocytosis and neurotransmission. Three approaches are presented in this unit to identify and characterize synaptic vesicle proteins. The first is a subcellular fractionation method used to isolate synaptic vesicles from rat brain synaptosomal preparations, which can then be used in a variety of biochemical studies on synaptic vesicle proteins. The second is a detailed procedure for pre-embedding immunogold staining and electron microscopic observation, techniques that permit the morphological identification of synaptic vesicle proteins in individual vesicles at the intact synapse. Finally, a protocol for immunocytochemical staining of cultured hippocampal neurons for light microscopic examination is provided, which allows one to stain multisynaptic vesicle proteins and determine their localization in relation to other proteins or subcellular structures in synapses. Keywords: Synaptosomes; hippocampal neurons; synapses; light-microscopy; electron-microscopy; immunocytochemistry; immunoblotting
Evaluation of hook handles in a pulling task.

To evaluate the effect of handle design characteristics on subjective ratings and pulling forces, meat-hook handles with various handle shapes, sizes, and hook positions were tested in a pulling task. Finger and phalange force data measured by force sensitive resistors and subjective ratings of discomfort were also evaluated. Generally subjects preferred 37-mm double frustum, 30-mm oval handles followed by 30-mm double frustum handles, 37-mm oval, and 45-mm double frustum handles. In the analyses of total pulling force, 37- and 45-mm double frustum handles showed less required pulling force than the others. The averages of finger force contributions to the total pulling force were 27.2, 28.1, 23.9, and 20.8% in order from index to little fingers. The average of phalange force contributions were 28.8, 33.6, and 37.6% for the distal, middle, and proximal phalanges, respectively. The findings illustrate that the pulling finger forces and subjective discomfort ratings were related to the handle shape as well as handle size. handle evaluation finger/phalange force contributions hook pulling task
Rapid plaque assay for encephalomyocarditis virus.

Abstract A liquid overlay plaquing technique is described which offers a rapid and simple plaque assay system for small plaque variants of encephalomyocarditis virus.
State of Embarrassment: Kafka's “In der Strafkolonie”

In a letter regarding “In der Strafkolonie” to his publisher, Kurt Wolff, Kafka acknowledges that the story is “peinlich.” Given the torture-apparatus central to the story—and, indeed, the painful historical context in which it was written—the outdated juridical meaning of “peinlich” has typically been privileged over its milder everyday sense, “embarrassment.” This article attends to “embarrassment” as it is elaborated over the course of the novella's publication history, which coincided with the years of the First World War. In a period often characterized by angst, melancholy, or even boredom, Kafka treats Peinlichkeit as the state of the epoch.
Bed and Breakfast: the parasitic life of Proales werneckii (Ploimida: Proalidae) within the alga Vaucheria (Xanthophyceae: Vaucheriales)

The unusual parasitic association between Proales werneckii (Ehrenberg, 1834) (Ploimida: Proalidae) and the psychrophilic, coenocytic, filamentous alga, Vaucheria De Candolle, 1801 (Xanthophyceae: Vaucheriales), is documented using light and electron microscopy. A young female rotifer colonizes a Vaucheria filament (ca. 80 µm × 10 cm) by gaining entrance to the cell at a growing region where the wall has not yet matured. After achieving access to the cell, it disrupts development of either a gametophore or an apical tip by inducing cell hypertrophy and formation of an excrescent gall (ca. 80–120 × 140–1500 µm). Remaining within the vacuole of the gall for the rest of her life, the female deposits her eggs after feeding on the rich food supply furnished by the alga’s organelles which continue to translocate within the cytoplasm. This abundant nourishment provides the adult rotifer with energy sufficient to permit an enormous reproductive potential (e.g. galls with >80 subitaneous eggs have been seen). Upon hatching, some offspring emigrate to other immature gametophores or growing tips within the same filament, while others may leave to colonize new filaments. Here, we present the life history of this parasitic relationship, highlighting previously unknown aspects of the association as well as noting differences among the accounts of previous authors. To our knowledge, this is the first description of this parasitic relationship to include electron photomicrographs.
PRECIPITATION DEPENDENCE ON SYNOPTIC-SCALE CONDITIONS AND CLOUD SEEDING

Precipitation over South Florida, as indicated by radar, was analyzed in order to determine its dependence on synoptic-scale conditions and cloud seeding. The synoptic-scale parameters which are used are the prevailing flow, the humidity, the stability and the vertical wind shear. We found that the variation of synoptic-scale conditions is, by far, much more important that multiple cloud seeding in determining precipitation. This finding indicates that cloud seeding experiments in Florida which do not take into account the effect of the varying synoptic conditions, can lead to misleading conclusions.
Parallel Simulation of Turbulent Flow in a 3-D Lid-Driven Cavity

In this paper we present, a new version of the standard CFD benchmark lid-driven cavity problem in which now all six sides of the 3-D cavity are in motion to promote more efficient mixing. We solve this problem with a, new form of large-eddy simulation at moderate Reynolds number to demonstrate the ability of this procedure to automatically predict transition to turbulence. We report parallel speedups observed on a general-purpose symmetric multiprocessor employing MPI for parallelization.
Prime Numbers and Brownian Motion

(1973). Prime Numbers and Brownian Motion. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 80, No. 10, pp. 1099-1115.
Control of Stochastic Boundary Coverage by Multirobot Systems

This technical brief summarizes and extends our recently introduced control framework for stochastically allocating a swarm of robots among boundaries of circular regions. As in the previous work, a macroscopic model of the swarm population dynamics is used to synthesize robot control policies that establish and maintain stable predictable team sizes around region boundaries. However, this extension shows that the control strategy can be implemented with no robot-torobot communication. Moreover, target team sizes can vary across different types of regions, where a region’s type is a subjective characteristic that only needs to be detectable by each individual robot. Thus, regions of one type may have a higher equilibrium team size than regions of another type. In other work that predicts and controls stochastic swarm behaviors using macroscopic models, the equilibrium allocations of the swarm are sensitive to changes in the mean robot encounter rates with objects in the environment. Thus, in those works, as the swarm density or number of objects changes, the control policies on each robot must be retuned to achieve the desired allocations. However, our approach is insensitive to changes in encounter rate and therefore requires no retuning as the environment changes. In this extension, we validate these claims and show how the convergence rate to the target equilibrium allocations can be controlled in swarms with a sufficiently large free-robot population. Furthermore, we demonstrate how our framework can be used to experimentally measure the rates of robot encounters with occupied and unoccupied sections of region boundaries. Thus, our method can be viewed both as an encounter-rate-independent allocation strategy as well as a tool for accurately measuring encounter rates when using other swarm control strategies that depend on them. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4028353]
Calorimetric and spectroscopic investigation of the helix-to-coil transition of a ribo-oligonucleotide: rA7U7

The double-strand to single-strand transition of the self-complementary ribo-oligonucleotide A 7 U 7 is investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry, equilibrium u.v. melting and temperature-jump spectroscopy. It is found that these different physical techniques provide equivalent means for determining the melting temperature of the transition. The calorimetric experiments provide a value of 99·3 kcal (mol double strand) −1 for the helix-to-coil transition of A 7 U 7 . This represents the first direct determination of the enthalpy change accompanying such a transition in a ribo-oligonucleotide. Assuming all fourteen base-pairs to be equivalent, this corresponds to 7·1 kcal (mol A·U base-pair) −1 . Comparison with data obtained from polymeric systems permits the conclusion that an A·U base-pair in an oligomer is energetically equivalent to an A·U base-pair in a polymer. The data also appear to indicate that there is no significant variation of the ΔH with salt concentration. Values are also calculated for ΔG and ΔS . Values of ΔH V.H. (van't Hoff enthalpy change) are derived from the spectroscopic and calorimetric data and compared with the ΔH obtained directly from the calorimetric experiment. This comparison reveals that the thermally induced helix-to-coil transition of A 7 U 7 is not a two-state process. Calculations presented in the Appendix indicate that the transition is better represented by a model in which terminal base-pair fraying and intermediate states are taken into account. The relative reliability of the various optical techniques is discussed. It is noted that ΔH cal. is in better agreement with the ΔH V.H. derived from a log c versus l/ t m plot ( c is concentration) than from the slope at the midpoint of an α versus t melting curve, where α is the fraction in single strand. In addition, it is better to use a sloping rather than a flat low-temperature baseline to evaluate absorbance versus temperature profiles. Further analysis of the data permits the determination of values for s and β8 (or κ ). 8 is the equilibrium constant for formation of an A·U base-pair in an already existing helix and β8 (or κ ) is the equilibrium constant for bimolecular helix nucleation by an A·U base-pair.