cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sustainable desalination using a microbial capacitive desalination cell

Microbial desalination cells (MDCs) use the electrical current generated by microbes to simultaneously treat wastewater, desalinate water, and produce bioenergy. However, current MDC systems transfer salts to the treated wastewater and affect wastewater's beneficial use. A microbial capacitive desalination cell (MCDC) was developed to address the salt migration and pH fluctuation problems facing current MDCs and improve the efficiency of capacitive deionization. The anode and cathode chambers of the MCDC were separated from the middle desalination chamber by two specially designed membrane assemblies, which consisted of cation exchange membranes and layers of activated carbon cloth (ACC). Taking advantage of the potential generated across the microbial anode and the air-cathode, the MCDC was capable of removing 72.7 mg total dissolved solids (TDS) per gram of ACC without using any external energy. The MCDC desalination efficiency was 7 to 25 times higher than traditional capacitive deionization processes. Compared to MDC systems, where the volume of concentrate can be substantial, all of the removed ions in the MCDC were adsorbed in the ACC assembly double layer capacitors without migrating to the anolyte or catholyte, and the electrically adsorbed ions could be recovered during assembly regeneration. The two cation exchange membrane based assemblies allowed the free transfer of protons across the system and thus prevented significant pH changes observed in traditional MDCs.
Electrokinetic Microflow Instability With Conductivity Gradients

We have experimentally identified and quantified an electrokinetic flow instability that occurs in DC-electric-field driven microfluidic channels with significant conductivity gradients. We have, for the first time, developed a physical model for this instability which captures the interactions between bulk charge accumulation, electromigration, convection, and diffusion. A linear stability analysis based on this model captures key physics of this convective instability with a threshold electric field. The model and experiments show conductivity gradients and their associated bulk charge accumulation are crucial for such instabilities.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Horticulture Therapy Activities for Preschool Children, Elderly Adults, and Intergenerational Groups

Abstract Ten different horticulture therapy (HT) activities that can be adapted for preschool children, elderly adults, and intergenerational groups are outlined here. The goals for these activities included participation, self-motivation, and fun. The children's activities were designed for freedom to explore and learn and to ensure completion of the activity. The elderly adult activities were designed for flexibility to adapt to the different ability levels of the participants. The intergenerational activities were designed for group interaction. While these activities produced variable results for the children's group, the elderly adult group, or the intergenerational group, they were all successful. Guidelines are given for increasing effectiveness and success of activities when working with these populations.
Mitochondrial Ca2+ homeostasis during Ca2+ influx and Ca2+ release in gastric myocytes from Bufo marinus

1. The Ca(2+)-sensitive fluorescent indicator rhod-2 was used to monitor mitochondrial Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]m) in gastric smooth muscle cells from Bufo marinus. In some studies, fura-2 was used in combination with rhod-2, allowing simultaneous measurement of cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and [Ca2+]m, respectively. 2. During a short train of depolarizations, which causes Ca2+ influx from the extracellular medium, there was an increase in both [Ca2+]i and [Ca2+]m. The half-time (t1/2) to peak for the increase in [Ca2+]m was considerably longer than the t1/2 to peak for the increase in [Ca2+]i. [Ca2+]m remained elevated for tens of seconds after [Ca2+]i had returned to its resting value. 3. Stimulation with caffeine, which causes release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), also produced increases in both [Ca2+]i and [Ca2+]m. The values of t1/2 to peak for the increase in [Ca2+] in both cytoplasm and mitochondria were similar; however, [Ca2+]i returned to baseline values much faster than [Ca2+]m. 4. Using a wide-field digital imaging microscope, changes in [Ca2+]m were monitored within individual mitochondria in situ, during stimulation of Ca2+ influx or Ca2+ release from the SR. 5. Mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake during depolarizing stimulation caused depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential. The mitochondrial membrane potential recovered considerably faster than the recovery of [Ca2+]m. 6. This study shows that Ca2+ influx from the extracellular medium and Ca2+ release from the SR are capable of increasing [Ca2+]m in smooth muscle cells. The efflux of Ca2+ from the mitochondria is a slow process and appears to be dependent upon the amount of Ca2+ in the SR.
Perceptions of physical activity, activity preferences and health among a group of adult women in urban Ghana: a pilot study.

Background : Obesity and other lifestyle-related chronic diseases impact urban West African women at high rates. Physical activity (PA) can improve these health outcomes, but there is little published data on the associated psychosocial predictors in this population. Objectives : We aimed to explore preliminary associations between perceptions of PA, PA behaviours, and health in a group of Ghanaian women. Methods : Non-experimental, cross-sectional case study using a mixed-methods approach. Focus groups and in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of Ghanaian women, fitness trainers and clergy comprised the qualitative phase. A self-administered survey (n=218) comprised the quantitative phase. Constant comparative method, logistic regression, component and factor analyses were used for analysis. Results : Women viewed activities of daily living like housework as PA; rarely utilized organized fitness facilities; understood "rigorous" PA as professional male athleticism; and took interest in socialized PA. Mean age was 49.4 years. Mean body mass index was 30.3 kg/m2. The majority (75.9 %) reported exercising sometimes or often. Half (48.4%) reported a lifestylerelated chronic disease. "Weight loss," "health concerns" and "increased energy," were top motivators for PA. "Can't find the time," "work/family obligations," and "don't have a facility" were top barriers. Presence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and prior weight loss correlated with the slimming motivator (adjusted odds ratio 2.59, p=0.008; AOR 3.56, p=0.012; AOR 3.36, p=<0.001). Conclusion : Among those surveyed, PA motivators and barriers were associated with demographics, PA exposure, and health status. Further research on unique PA perceptions, behaviours and health could catalyze health promotion through culturally relevant fitness programming. Keywords : physical activity, Ghana, women, facilitators, barriers.
The characterization and assessment of genetic diversity among maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids that are widely grown in France: chromatographic data and isozymic data

Zein chromatographic and isozyme electrophoretic data were used to characterize 61 hybrids of maize (Zea mays L.) that are of current widespread usage in France. A similar study was also carried out for 88 hybrids that are widely available in the central corn belt of the U.S. Objectives were to 1) investigate the degree to which isozyme and chromatographic data could provide unique hybrid identification; 2) to evaluate the wealth of genetic diversity available among hybrids that are currently cultivated in France and in the U.S.; and 3) to compare the patterns and extent of genetic diversity found in both countries with respect to their registration, breeding, and seed production practices. Isozyme data showed that all French hybrids were unique germplasm. However, numerous hybrids had chromatographic profiles that were identical for 11 major peaks and these hybrids could thus have some common germplasm at least among their female parental lines. Although there was a broad base of isozymic diversity among French hybrids, the amount in cultivation was less since the few most widely used hybrids, which were planted on approximately half the cultivated area, were similar for their isozymic and zein chromatographic profiles. Approximately only 50% of the U.S. hybrids were shown to be unique with the remainder classified into groups; at least some of the hybrids within each group could be genetically identical products. Leading U.S. hybrids were unique germplasm but numerous hybrids that collectively covered a large acreage appeared to encompass a relatively narrow genetic base. For the continued success of agriculture, it will be important to improve breeding, registration, and marketing practices in order to ensure the continued supply of genetically different and improved elite hybrids.
PIM3 Proto-Oncogene Kinase Is a Common Transcriptional Target of Divergent EWS/ETS Oncoproteins

Despite significant structural diversity, present evidence suggests that EWS/ETS fusion proteins promote oncogenesis by transcriptionally modulating a common set of target genes. In order to identify these genes, microarray expression analyses were performed on NIH 3T3 polyclonal populations expressing one of three EWS/ETS fusion genes. The majority of these genes can be grouped into seven functional categories, including cellular metabolism and signal transduction. The biologic significance of these target genes was pursued. The effects of modulating genes involved in metabolism were assessed by flux studies and demonstrated shifts in glucose utilization and lactate production as a result of EWS/FLI1 expression. The proto-oncogene coding for serine/threonine kinase PIM3 was found to one of several genes encoding signal transduction proteins that were up-regulated by EWS/ETS fusions. PIM3 was found to be expressed in a panel of human Ewing's family tumor cell lines. Forced expression of PIM3 promoted anchorage-independent growth. Coexpression of a kinase-deficient PIM3 mutant attenuated EWS/FLI1-mediated NIH 3T3 tumorigenesis in immunodeficent mice.
Lawmaking and Public Opinion Research: The President and Patrick Caddell

The people's sense of what is good and right is both the ultimate source and the ultimate strength of the rules that govern a democratic society. If there is a major discrepancy between that sense and the rules, the rules and those who cling to them will eventually disappear.
Ground Penetrating Radar for Environmental Applications

■ Abstract Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a near-surface geophysical technique that can provide high resolution images of the dielectric properties of the top few tens of meters of the earth. In applications in contaminant hydrology, radar data can be used to detect the presence of liquid organic contaminants, many of which have dielectric properties distinctly different from those of the other solid and fluid components in the subsurface. The resolution (approximately meter-scale) of the radar imaging method is such that it can also be used in the development of hydrogeologic models of the subsurface, required to predict the fate and transport of contaminants. GPR images are interpreted to obtain models of the large-scale architecture of the subsurface and to assist in estimating hydrogeologic properties such as water content, porosity, and permeability. Its noninvasive capabilities make GPR an attractive alternative to the traditional methods used for subsurface characterization.
Post-hypoxic magnesium decreases nuclear oxidative damage in the fetal guinea pig brain

This study was to determine if administration of MgSO4 after the hypoxic insult (post-hypoxia) would attenuate neuronal damage in the fetal guinea pig brain. Pregnant guinea pigs (45–60 days gestation) were exposed to hypoxia (7% O2) for 1 h. Following hypoxia, one group recovered for 24 h with no additional treatment (post-hypoxia) and another group received MgSO4, 300 mg/kg i.p., followed by 100 mg/kg i.p., each hour for three doses (post-hypoxia+Mg) and allowed to recover for 24 h. Fetal brain magnesium content was decreased (P<0.05) 4 h post-hypoxia which was prevented by treatment with MgSO4. High energy phosphates were significantly lower (P<0.05) in the post-hypoxia group which was partially prevented by post-hypoxic magnesium. Na+,K+-ATPase activity was significantly lower (P<0.05) and nuclear membrane fluorescent compounds were significantly higher (P<0.05) in the post-hypoxia group but were not significantly changed in the post-hypoxia+Mg group compared with the normoxic control group. DNA fragmentation was observed to be lower in the Mg-treated post-hypoxic group. This study demonstrates that maternal MgSO4 administration following in utero hypoxia prevents associated decreases in fetal brain magnesium and suppresses alterations in both the neuronal and nuclear membranes and genomic fragmentation in the fetal guinea pig brain.
The phaselet transform-an integral redundancy nearly shift-invariant wavelet transform

This paper introduces an approximately shift invariant redundant dyadic wavelet transform - the phaselet transform - that includes the popular dual-tree complex wavelet transform of Kingsbury (see Phil. R. Soc. London A, Sept. 1999) as a special case. The main idea is to use a finite set of wavelets that are related to each other in a special way - and hence called phaselets - to achieve approximate shift-redundancy; the bigger the set, the better the approximation. A sufficient condition on the associated scaling filters to achieve this is that they are fractional shifts of each other. Algorithms for the design of phaselets with a fixed number vanishing moments is presented - building on the work of Selesnick (see IEEE Trans. Signal Processing) for the design of wavelet pairs for Kingsbury's dual-tree complex wavelet transform. Construction of two-dimensional (2-D) directional bases from tensor products of one-dimensional (1-D) phaselets is also described. Phaselets as a new approach to redundant wavelet transforms and their construction are both novel and should be interesting to the reader, independent of the approximate shift invariance property that this paper argues they possess.
Cerebrospinal Fluid α-Synuclein and Lewy Body-Like Symptoms in Normal Controls, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer's Disease

Background Reduced cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) α-synuclein has been described in synucleinopathies, including dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Common symptoms of DLB include visual hallucinations and visuospatial and executive deficits. Co-occurrence of Lewy body pathology is common in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients, but it is unknown if reduced CSF α-synuclein is associated with Lewy body-like symptomatology in AD.
Integrating Diversity and Cultural Education into Literacy

Most educators understand that our students come from diverse backgrounds. Yet what to do with this diversity remains a key issue. Traditional teaching approaches and curriculum disservice both the mainstream and minority students by focusing mainly on European American perspectives, marginalizing minority students, and depriving all students of opportunities to learn from other experiences. This paper examines a teacher's role in turning diversity into powerful tools of transformation. When teachers integrate diversity and cultural education into literacy instruction, the classroom becomes a space of exploration, in reading and writing, and in cultural knowledge and cross-cultural communication. To do this, teachers need to become familiar with students' cultures, revise curriculum, infuse diverse texts, become facilitator of inter-group dialogue (Clark, 2002), unmark whiteness, and understand how being white shapes people's lives (McIntosh,1988). Such integration empowers students to use literacy as a tool of transformation. Available (open access): http://www.coe.uga.edu/jolle/2006_1/integrating.pdf
The Spiral Ganglion in an Out-of-Body Experience: A Brief History of in Vitro Studies of the Spiral Ganglion

Honor Fell first succeeded in culture of the cochlea in 1928. Throughout most of the time since then, the principal use of cochlear or spiral ganglion cultures has been to facilitate the study of cochlear development: cell differentiation, structural and physiological maturation, and innervation of the sensory cells. More recently, use of spiral ganglion cultures has been extended to additional issues. One of these is neuronal survival in response to neurotrophic factors and electrical activity. The goal of such studies is to prevent degeneration or death of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in the hearing impaired and so improve efficacy of cochlear implants. A second topic is degeneration or death of SGNs following direct trauma, particularly noise-induced excitotoxic trauma. The goal of these studies is to identify means of protecting the SGNs and their synapses on hair cells following trauma and to promote regeneration. The success of these studies has been due to clever exploitation of several technical innovations. Culture conditions have been improved by the use of serum and specialized culture media and the use of more physiological substrate materials. Electrophysiological methods have been applied. Microscopy has advanced from conventional optical methods to the use of electron, conventional fluorescence, and confocal microscopy, greatly improving observations of fixed or live cochlear cultures. Highly specialized substrates have allowed study of SGN axon guidance by chemical or physical cues. There is a greatly expanded repertoire of small molecule pharmacological agents, peptide growth and trophic factors targeting surface molecules and receptors, and cell membrane-permeable reagents for modulating intracellular signaling and regulation. Further expanding the range of experimental manipulations has been the introduction of molecular and genetic techniques, including gene transfer by transfection or viral transduction and culture of cells or organs from transgenic mice. Here we provide a historical overview of the study of the spiral ganglion in vitro noting key experiments exemplifying the application of increasingly sophisticated experimental and observational techniques to the research goals. We hope that readers will obtain, from this overview, ideas for experimental approaches applicable to their own research questions.
Insula reactivity to negative stimuli is associated with daily cigarette use: A preliminary investigation using the Human Connectome Database.

Abstract Background Individuals who smoke more cigarettes per day are at greater risk for developing smoking-related illness and have more difficulty quitting. Withdrawal-related negative mood is one factor thought to motivate drug use. However, heavy smokers are generally more sensitive to negative affect, not just negative emotion stemming from withdrawal. One possibility is that individual differences in how the brain processes negative stimuli may impact smoking use. Given the wealth of data implicating the insula in nicotine dependence and affective processing we hypothesize that the number of cigarettes an individual smokes per day will relate to insula reactivity to negative stimuli. Methods A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) emotional processing task collected by the Human Connectome Project was assessed in 21 daily tobacco smokers who reported smoking between 5 and 20 cigarettes per day. The number of cigarettes smoked per day was correlated with right and left anterior insula reactivity to faces expressing a negative emotion relative to a control. This anterior insula region of interest has been associated with treatment outcome and smoking cue-reactivity in our prior work. Results Those who smoked more daily cigarettes showed greater right insula reactivity to negative stimuli (r = 0.564, p = 0.008). Left insula reactivity was not associated with cigarettes smoked per day. Conclusion Smokers who use more cigarettes per day have greater insula reactivity to negative stimuli, furthering the field's understanding of the insula's involvement in nicotine use. This preliminary work also suggests a mechanism contributing to higher rates of daily smoking.
Effective strategies for encouraging behavior change in people with diabetes

Behavioral management of diabetes leads to better health outcomes. This paper reviews the available literature on facilitators of behavior change in people with diabetes and highlights approaches and strategies diabetes care providers can utilize. The research and clinical evidence points to the critical nature of considering the content and structure of recommendations, and utilizing problem solving and teamwork approaches. Furthermore, close attention to individual and community factors will optimize behavior change. These factors include health literacy, community infrastructure, support within the family, and whether there are co-occurring eating and mood issues. Recommendations are provided to optimize communication and embed behavior change approaches in clinical and community encounters.
Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infections

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) represent a large group of bacteria that have been isolated from environmental sources. When NTM are inhaled by a susceptible individual, infection can occur and lead to progressive lung disease. Epidemiological studies have described increases in the prevalence of NTM disease in multiple areas worldwide. Risk factors for disease include chronic lung diseases, such as bronchiectasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as various forms of immune deficiency. Patients typically present with either fibrocavitary or nodular bronchiectatic disease. Isolation of NTM from respiratory specimens does not always indicate disease so clinicians must evaluate clinical, radiographic and microbiologic information in order to diagnosis NTM-related lung disease. The American Thoracic Society has developed diagnostic criteria that can aid clinicians but the criteria cannot account for all clinical scenarios or for all NTM species given the large spectrum of pathogenicity encountered. Treatment usually consists of at least two antibiotics but the exact regimen will vary depending on the species and there is some variation in recommendations.
Thermal boundary resistance in superfluid 4 He near T λ

New measurements of the boundary resistivity in superfluid4He (2ppb3He) nearT λ are reported as a function of ¦ɛ¦ (ɛ =T/T λ(Q) — 1) and of heat flux Q in a cell with parallel polished copper surfaces. Here we call Tλ(Q) the temperature where the superfluid state abruptly disappears. In this design, the sidewall gaps between the copper pieces and the stainless steel spacer were eliminated. In contrast to several previous experiments but in agreement with those of Li and Lip a, no largeQ-dependent boundary resistivity anomaly was detected. However, as ¦ɛ¦ → 0 the small weakly divergent resistivity was observed and its dependence onQ over the experimental range 1 <Q < 80 μW/cm2 was found to be very small. These new results are compared with previous experiments and predictions. An explanation of the previously observed anomalous transport phenomena is presented in terms of a heat flow through the sidewall gaps in these cells, and its limitation by a critical flow value Φc. This phenomenological model can be fit satisfactorily to the observations. In the appendix we calculate Φc from mutual friction.
Worker-to-Worker Violence in Hospitals Perpetrator Characteristics and Common Dyads

Worker-to-worker (Type III) violence is prevalent in health care settings and has potential adverse consequences for employees and organizations. Little research has examined perpetrator characteristics of this type of violence. The current study is a descriptive examination of the common demographic and work-related characteristics of perpetrators of Type III workplace violence among hospital workers. Analysis was based on documented incidents of Type III violence reported within a large hospital system from 2010 to 2012. Nurses were involved as either the perpetrator or target in the five most common perpetrator-target dyads. Incidence rate ratios revealed that patient care associates and nurses were significantly more likely to be perpetrators than other job titles. By examining characteristics of perpetrators and common worker dyads involved in Type III workplace violence, hospital stakeholders and unit supervisors have a starting point to develop strategies for reducing conflict between workers.
Teaching Clinical Psychology: Four Seminal Lessons That All Can Master

As both a subject area and a potential career, clinical psychology fascinates undergraduates. In this article, the authors present four lessons that all psychology students can master: connecting to psychological science, committing to evidence-based practice, adapting treatment to the person, and becoming all that a clinical psychologist can be (in contrast to providing only psychotherapy). These lessons map directly on research directions in the field and refute common misconceptions about clinical psychology. The authors recommend multiple in-class activities and between-class assignments to illuminate these lessons and to engage students in the material.
HELLP Syndrome a severe form of preeclampsia: A comparative study of clinical and laboratorial parameters

The objective of this study was to compare clinical, laboratorial, maternal and perinatal results between HELLP Syndrome and severe Preeclampsia. An observational study comparing women with HELLP Syndrome (n=71) to women with severe preeclampsia (n=253) was done. The authors analyzed the early course of the pathologies and the outcomes in both groups. HELLP syndrome occurred in 28% of all the cases and was more frequent at gestational age before 32 weeks (n=39 – 55%) than severe preeclampsia (n=108 - 42%), with more newborns weighting less than 1500g (27 – 38.6% vs 65 – 25.6%; p=0.036). Thrombocytopenia below 100 000/µL (aOR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.49 – 3.06) and LDH>1 000 UI/L (aOR: 5.17; 95% CI 2.19 – 12.16) were risk factors for HELLP. Maternal morbidity (eclampsia, abruptio placentae, and acute renal failure) was similar in both cohorts; eight stillbirths (6 in severe preeclampsia and 2 in HELLP Syndrome) occurred. There were no maternal deaths. In conclusion, in this study the authors confirmed that HELLP Syndrome is a severe form of preeclampsia with an earlier presentation in pregnancy, worst laboratorial findings and more prematurity rates.
Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement, by Charlotte Cooper

Charlotte Cooper’s newest text, Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement, is many things. It is, in the author’s own words, a history of fat activism cobbled together from a “scavenged… mixture of r...
Development of a Screening and Brief Intervention Process for Symptoms of Psychological Trauma Among Primary Care Patients of Two American Indian and Alaska Native Health Systems

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people experience high rates of acute, chronic, and intergenerational trauma. Traumatic experiences often increase the risk of both medical and behavioral health problems making primary care settings opportune places to screen for trauma exposure or symptomology. The objective of this study was to determine considerations and recommendations provided by patients, health care providers, health care administrators, and tribal leaders in the development of an adult trauma screening, brief intervention, and referral for treatment process to pilot at two large AI/AN primary care systems. A qualitative and iterative data collection and analysis process was undertaken using a community-based participatory research approach guided by a cross-site steering committee. Twenty-four leaders and providers participated in individual interviews, and 13 patients participated in four focus groups. Data were thematically analyzed to select a trauma screening instrument, develop a screening process, and develop brief intervention materials. The nature of traumas experienced in the AI/AN community, the need to develop trusting patient-provider relationships, and the human resources available at each site drove the screening, brief intervention, and referral process decisions for a future trauma screening pilot in these health systems.
Soviet Psychologists on Sex Differences

As we have already mentioned, Soviet psychologists have shown little interest in producing a comprehensive study of the origins of sex differences in personality, and the process by which these develop. However, a number of them have looked at sex as a possible factor in other areas of psychological concern; for example, the development of skills in childhood, the tackling of mental problems, and the strength of children’s identification with their parents. Such studies appear to be on the increase in accordance with the government interest in the family and with the introduction of the school course on family life. Several of the psychologists whose work we look at point to the current topicality of their subject. Many of them adopt one or more of the Western theories we looked at earlier as their theoretical framework. Kohlberg’s cognitive-development theory appears with particular frequency. One psychologist, however, sees the Soviet position as fundamentally opposed to that of the West, which is epitomized as a feminist desire to promote psychological sex neutrality. In contrast to the expectations we expressed earlier — that Soviet psychology should, according to its own tenets, see psychological sex differences as neither desirable nor inevitable — we will find from these studies that it considers them to be both inevitable and vital.
Dissolved Oxygen Dynamics of a Stream: Model Discrimination and Estimation of Parameter Variability Using an Extended Kalman Filter

A model identification procedure is presented based on an extended Kaiman filter (EKF) applied to the oxygen mass balance equation of a stream. The procedure is used with data from a small Danish stream to discriminate among eight mathematical models of the photosynthesis-light (P-I) response of macrophytes in the stream. Each model was tested for adequacy using objective criteria based on the expected behavior of the innovations sequence (the time series of differences between predicted and observed oxygen concentrations) derived from the EKF. Temporal variation of the model parameters was also examined using the EKF. The maximum photosynthetic rate (Pm) varied slowly over the year but was essentially stationary within any three to six day period. The low light efficiency of photosynthesis (Eo) varied from day to day within any short period, but three to six day means of Eo were essentially stationary over the year. The ratio (Ik = Pm/Eo) was highly correlated with both short and long term variations in daily mean light intensity.
Hierarchical ensemble learning for multimedia categorization and autoannotation

This paper presents a hierarchical ensemble learning method applied in the context of multimedia autoannotation. In contrast to the standard multiple-category classification setting that assumes independent, non-overlapping and exhaustive set of categories, the proposed approach models explicitly the hierarchical relationships among target classes and estimates their relevance to a query as a trade-off between the goodness of fit to a given category description and its inherent uncertainty. The promising results of the empirical evaluation confirm the viability of the proposed approach, validated in comparison to several techniques of ensemble learning, as well as with different type of baseline classifiers
Fate Discrimination of Normal B Cells When Cross-Linked with Anti-IgM Antibodies of Different Affinities and Valence.

Abstract The B-cell receptor (BCR) is a key signaling molecule that engages antigens and triggers pathways that induce survival, proliferation, differentiation, anergy, or apoptosis. The “choice” of which functional fate the B cell makes is decided upon by a series of receptor and cellular interactions. The potential for ligand-initiated signal transduction through the BCR is assessed in terms of ligand binding affinity for membrane Ig. We have used a series of anti-IgM H chain mAb that differ in their affinities (HB57 − Ka = 5x108 “high”, Mu53 − Ka = 2x107 “intermediate”, and P24 − Ka = ~2x106 M−1 “low”) in both soluble and immobilized forms as models for antigenic stimulation of the BCR, and assessed the response of normal B cells isolated by negative selection from peripheral blood. Proliferative responses were observed upon cross-linking the BCR with antibodies of all affinities at 10 ug/ml of immobilized antibodies for 72 hours, with a modest stimulation at 1ug/ml and no stimulation at either 0.01 or 0.1 ug/ml. Interestingly, the low affinity antibody P24 showed the highest proliferative response (3.3 fold), while stimulation with the moderate affinity antibody was intermediate (2.2 fold) and the response of the high affinity antibody, was negligible. Soluble antibodies did not stimulate proliferation at any concentration tested. When B cells were co-incubated with soluble anti-IgM antibodies plus IL 4,10ug/ml of either high or intermediate affinity induced proliferation with stimulation indices of 2.5 and 1.9, respectively, while the low affinity antibody still had no effect. Co-incubation with IL 4 and immobilized anti-IgM antibodies induced the same pattern of responses as seen with antibody alone, slightly increasing proliferation induced with 1 ug/ml low and intermediate and markedly increasing stimulation by all three antibodies at 10ug/ml. Our results suggest that even in the absence of T cell help, normal B cells can be activated via the BCR upon cross-linking and the efficiency at which this is accomplished is largely dependent on affinity for the BCR.
An Exploration of the Existence, Value and Importance of Creativity Education.

This study employed purposive sampling across 20 SE Idaho schools to explore PK-3 educators perceptions regarding the existence, value and importance of creativity education in the early childhood education setting (PK-3). A survey instrument and semi-structured interview protocol were developed for use. Surveys were distributed by mail and through on-site meetings, Interviews were conducted in one-on-one settings. Seventy-three PK-3 educators were surveyed and eight took part in the interviews. The findings indicated that while PK-3 educators valued the concept of creativity, there was a discrepancy between teachers claims of valuing creativity and the realities of their classrooms. Barriers to increasing creativity education were identified as a lack of educators understanding of creativity, childrens freedom of expression, curricular restrictions, and the high-stake testing environment. Needed supports included loosening regulations associated with standardized tests, more curricular flexibility and space for free-play activities, and a clearer, shared understanding of creativity.
Ultrasonic modulation of tissue optical properties in ex vivo porcine skin to improve transmitted transdermal laser intensity.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Applications of light-based energy devices involving optical targets within the dermis frequently experience negative side-effects resultant from surface scattering and excess optical absorption by epidermal melanin. As a broadband optical absorber, melanin decreases the efficacy of light-based treatments throughout the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared spectra while also generating additional heat within the surface tissue that can lead to inflammation or tissue damage. Consequently, procedures may be performed using greater energy densities to ensure that the target receives a clinically relevant dose of light; however, such practices are limited, as doing so tends to exacerbate the detrimental complications resulting from melanin absorption of treatment light. The technique presented herein represents an alternative method of operation aimed at increasing epidermal energy fluence while mitigating excess absorption by unintended chromophores. The approach involves the application of continuously pulsed ultrasound to modulate the tissue's optical properties and thereby improve light transmission through the epidermis. MATERIALS AND METHODS To demonstrate the change in optical properties, pulsed light at a wavelength of 532 nm from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser was transmitted into 4 mm thick samples of porcine skin, comprised of both epidermal and dermal tissue. The light was transmitted using an optical waveguide, which allowed for an ultrasonic transducer to be incorporated for simultaneous paraxial pulsation in parallel with laser operation. Light transmitted through the tissue was measured by a photodiode attached to an integrating sphere. RESULTS Increasing the driving voltage of ultrasonic pulsation resulted in an increase in mean transmitted optical power of up to a factor of 1.742 ± 0.0526 times the control, wherein no ultrasound was applied, after which the optical power increase plateaued to an average amplification factor of 1.733 ± 0.549 times the control. CONCLUSIONS The increase implies a reduction in light either back-scattered or absorbed within the tissue, which would allow for a greater proportion of incident energy to be delivered to the clinical target, thereby improving procedural efficacy and potentially reducing the severity of detrimental side-effects. Apparatus Lasers Surg. Med. 49:666-674, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Activation of Human Basophils by A549 Lung Epithelial Cells Reveals a Novel IgE-Dependent Response Independent of Allergen.

Evidence for epithelial cell (EC)-derived cytokines (e.g., thymic stromal lymphopoietin [TSLP]) activating human basophils remains controversial. We therefore hypothesize that ECs can directly activate basophils via cell-to-cell interaction. Basophils in medium alone or with IL-3 ± anti-IgE were coincubated with TSLP, IL-33, or IL-25. Analogous experiments cocultured basophils (1-72 h) directly with EC lines. Supernatants were tested for mediators and cytokines. Abs targeting receptors were tested for neutralizing effects. Lactic acid (pH 3.9) treatment combined with passive sensitization tested the role of IgE. Overall, IL-33 augmented IL-13 secretion from basophils cotreated with IL-3, with minimal effects on histamine and IL-4. Conversely, basophils (but not mast cells) released histamine and marked levels of IL-4/IL-13 (10-fold) when cocultured with A549 EC and IL-3, without exogenous allergen or IgE cross-linking stimuli. The inability to detect IL-33 or TSLP, or to neutralize their activity, suggested a unique mode of basophil activation by A549 EC. Half-maximal rates for histamine (4 h) and IL-4 (5 h) secretion were slower than observed with standard IgE-dependent activation. Ig stripping combined with passive sensitization ± omalizumab showed a dependency for basophil-bound IgE, substantiated by a requirement for cell-to-cell contact, aggregation, and FceRI-dependent signaling. A yet unidentified IgE-binding lectin associated with A549 EC is implicated after discovering that LacNAc suppressed basophil activation in cocultures. These findings point to a lectin-dependent activation of basophil requiring IgE but independent of allergen or secreted cytokine. Pending further investigation, we predict this unique mode of activation is linked to inflammatory conditions whereby IgE-dependent activation of basophils occurs despite the absence of any known allergen.
Glutamate transport: A new bench to bedside mechanism for treating drug abuse

Drug addiction has often been described as a "hijacking" of the brain circuits involved in learning and memory. Glutamate is the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, and its contribution to synaptic plasticity and learning processes is well established in animal models. Likewise, over the past 20 years the addiction field has ascribed a critical role for glutamatergic transmission in the development of addiction. Chronic drug use produces enduring neuroadaptations in corticostriatal projections that are believed to contribute to a maladaptive deficit in inhibitory control over behavior. Much of this research focuses on the role played by ionotropic glutamate receptors directly involved in long-term potentiation and depression or metabotropic receptors indirectly modulating synaptic plasticity. Importantly, the balance between glutamate release and clearance tightly regulates the patterned activation of these glutamate receptors, emphasizing an important role for glutamate transporters in maintaining extracellular glutamate levels. Five excitatory amino acid transporters participate in active glutamate reuptake. Recent evidence suggests that these glutamate transporters can be modulated by chronic drug use at a variety of levels. In this review, we synopsize the evidence and mechanisms associated with drug-induced dysregulation of glutamate transport. We then summarize the preclinical and clinical data suggesting that glutamate transporters offer an effective target for the treatment of drug addiction. In particular, we focus on the role that altered glutamate transporters have in causing drug cues and contexts to develop an intrusive quality that guides maladaptive drug seeking behaviors.
An open‐population distance sampling framework for assessing population dynamics in group‐dwelling species

1.Effective wildlife management and conservation depends on a detailed understanding of population dynamics at large spatial scales. Distance sampling is an efficient tool for landscape-scale monitoring, and the recent development of the open-population distance sampling framework for analysis allows efficient estimation of population parameters for unmarked populations. 2.Applications of open-population distance approaches are relatively rare, and further development is required to generalize this powerful class of models for use in complex sampling scenarios. 3.Here we extend this class of models to situations where individuals occur in groups and address: the incorporation of group composition information, fluctuations in aggregation among individuals into groups, and non-repeated survey designs. We also describe a new parameter, κ, representing the change in the rate of aggregation of individuals into groups over time. Using simulations, we assess the performance of this extended framework, and demonstrate its utility through an applied example using a Dall's sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) dataset collected in Alaska from 2009-2016. 4.Our simulation study demonstrated that our extended model reliably recovered the data-generating parameter values without bias. In the applied example, we found that an abrupt decline in abundance observed in the Dall's sheep population was driven primarily by reductions in lambs and ewe-like sheep that coincided with the late onset of spring conditions in 2013. Rams were much less affected, suggesting declines in the ewe-like class drove overall population trajectory in this population. 5.This work demonstrates how ecological questions related to the dynamics of group-dwelling species may be assessed in complex sampling situations using an open-population distance sampling framework. The resulting framework is broadly applicable to a variety of species and will be especially useful for evaluating population dynamics in unmarked populations of group-dwelling species at large spatial scales. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Accuracy of apparent diffusion coefficient in differentiating pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour from intrapancreatic accessory spleen.

To evaluate and compare the accuracy of absolute apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and normalised ADC (lesion-to-spleen ADC ratio) in differentiating pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour (NET) from intrapancreatic accessory spleen (IPAS). Study included 62 patients with the diagnosis of pancreatic NET (n=51) or IPAS (n=11). Two independent reviewers measured ADC on all lesions and spleen. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis to differentiate NET from IPAS was performed and compared for absolute and normalised ADC. Inter-reader reliability for the two methods was assessed. Pancreatic NET had significantly higher absolute ADC (1.431x10-3 vs 0.967x10-3 mm2/s; P<0.0001) and normalised ADC (1.59 vs 1.09; P<0.0001) compared to IPAS. An ADC value of ≥1.206x10-3 mm2/s was 70.6% sensitive and 90.9% specific for the diagnosis of NET vs. IPAS. Lesion to spleen ADC ratio of ≥1.25 was 80.4% sensitive, and 81.8% specific while ratio of ≥1.29 was 74.5% sensitive and 100% specific in the differentiation. The area under the curve (AUCs) for two methods were similar (88.2% vs. 88.8%; P=0.899). Both methods demonstrated excellent inter-reader reliability with ICCs for absolute ADC and ADC ratio being 0.957 and 0.927, respectively. Both absolute and normalised ADC allow clinically relevant differentiation of pancreatic NET and IPAS. • Imaging overlaps between IPASs and pancreatic-NETs lead to unnecessary procedures including pancreatectomy. • Uniquely low ADC of spleen allows differentiating IPASs from pancreatic NETs. • Both absolute-ADC and normalised-ADC (lesion-to-spleen ADC-ratio) demonstrate high accuracy in differentiating IPASs from NETs. • Both methods demonstrate excellent inter-reader reliability.
Cross-Modality Generalization in Reading and Spelling Instruction

Abstract Reading and spelling are essential skills for educational success. Spelling instruction research has examined varied modalities but has never directly compared written versus oral spelling...
A 10-Gb/s/ch, 0.6-pJ/bit/mm Power Scalable Rapid-ON/OFF Transceiver for On-Chip Energy Proportional Interconnects

Modern multiprocessor system-on-chips employ network-on-chip (NoC) to efficiently connect different components together. NoCs need global and local interconnects to deliver high on-chip bandwidth and low communication latency to avoid being a performance bottleneck. They must also have high throughput density to reduce area occupied by wires. This paper presents techniques to implement power efficient transceivers for on-chip links that can achieve energy proportional operation. Conventional on-chip links optimized for best energy efficiency at peak data rate suffer from degraded energy efficiency under low utilization conditions. Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling and clock gating can partially alleviate this problem, but become ineffective in applications like mobile devices, where the data traffic can be very sporadic. In this paper, architecture and circuit techniques to improve energy efficiency under all utilization levels are presented. The proposed transceiver uses single-ended signaling with only 0.5 $\mu \text{m}$ width and spacing and achieves 5-Gb/ $\mu \text{m}$ throughput density. Fast locking signaling and clocking circuits greatly reduce the power-ON time. Fabricated in 65-nm CMOS technology, the proposed 10-Gb/s transceiver achieves wake-up time in less than 17 ns. More than 125 $\times $ effective data rate scaling (10 Gb/s to 80 Mb/s) is obtained with an energy efficiency degradation of only 1.6 $\times $ (627 to 997 fJ/b/mm). When the supply voltage is scaled from 1 to 0.7 V, the peak data rate scales from 10 to 6 Gb/s and the power scalable range increases to 208 $\times $ (10 Gb/s to 48 Mb/s) with the energy efficiency degradation of only 1.2 $\times $ (627 to 753 fJ/b/mm).