cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Teaching with Simulation

Simulation based medical education (SBME) imitates real healthcare encounters to enable learners to practice and receive feedback in a safe, supported learning environment. SBME can be used to improve competence and performance in clinical skills and procedures, communication skills and teamwork, patient management and decision-making. When used thoughtfully and carefully, simulation can be a transformational learning experience. Medical educators can create effective simulations when they are based on learning theories and evidence-based strategies.
Performance Modeling of Gyrokinetic Toroidal Simulations for a Many-Tasking Runtime System

Conventional programming practices on multicore processors in high performance computing architectures are not universally effective in terms of efficiency and scalability for many algorithms in scientific computing. One possible solution for improving efficiency and scalability in applications on this class of machines is the use of a many-tasking runtime system employing many lightweight, concurrent threads. Yet a priori estimation of the potential performance and scalability impact of such runtime systems on existing applications developed around the bulk synchronous parallel (BSP) model is not well understood. In this work, we present a case study of a BSP particle-in-cell benchmark code which has been ported to a many-tasking runtime system. The 3-D Gyrokinetic Toroidal code (GTC) is examined in its original MPI form and compared with a port to the High Performance ParalleX 3 (HPX-3) runtime system. Phase overlap, oversubscription behavior, and work rebalancing in the implementation are explored. Results for GTC using the SST/macro simulator complement the implementation results. Finally, an analytic performance model for GTC is presented in order to guide future implementation efforts.
Relationships between cholesterol supply and luteal mitochondrial steroid synthesis.

LH acutely increases luteal progestin biosynthesis by stimulating cholesterol side-chain cleavage, a reaction catalyzed by a complex of mitochondrial enzymes containing cytochrome P-450 (1). The steroidogenic action of LH is inhibited by cycloheximide and puromycin, indicating a requirement for protein synthesis (2). It has been suggested that availability of cholesterol governs the rate of side-chain cleavage and that proteins formed under the influence of LH play a role in translocation of cholesterol to the mitochondrial enzyme complex (1,2). In the present study, relationships between cholesterol supply and in vitro steroid synthesis by rat luteal mitochondria were explored.
Immunology of Bordetella pertussis

The importance of whooping cough as a cause of childhood morbidity and mortality has markedly decreased since the beginning of this century as the result of improved supportive care, introduction of antimicrobials, and effective immunization. The advances in therapy and prevention have been achieved without concomitant knowledge of many of the determinants of the host-parasite interaction. For example, unlike with most specific acute childhood infections, the newborn is highly susceptible, even if the mother has either been immunized or contracted natural disease in childhood. In susceptible populations an attack rate startlingly high for a bacterial disease may occur, yet the first events of pathogenesis are uncertain. It is known that the disease is not invasive and that the localization of the organisms in the respiratory tract is on the ciliated epithelim, but only now is information being uncovered which may reveal the precise nature of the receptor-bacterial complex responsible for this striking tropism. A curious phenomenon in whooping cough is the occurrence of the most severe symptoms at a time when it is difficult to recover viable organisms. The causative agent, Bordetella pertussis, produces a wide array of effects in experimental animals. But in most cases the responsible bacterial substances have not been isolated, nor is it known whether they play a primary or secondary role in human disease. Whether the mechanisms of elimination of viable organisms and clinical recovery involve phagocytic cells, opsonic antibody, bactericidal antibody, antitoxic antibody, or a process involving neither conventional cellular nor humoral defenses is a question that still receives only speculative and unproven responses. At the same time, we maintain our ignorance of the protective antigen contained in pertusses vaccine as well as of the immunological response which confers specific resistance in artificially or naturally immunized individuals. There are even those, particularly in the United Kingdom, who believe that pertussis vaccine has too little protective effect, compared to the incidence of adverse reactions, to warrant its use. Consequently, vaccine acceptance has fallen markedly in the British Isles and there has been an associated rise in the incidence of whooping cough.
Intersecting archives and Gaylene Preston’s War Stories Our Mother Never Told Us (1995, New Zealand)

ABSTRACTAnalysis of Gaylene Preston’s War Stories Our Mother Never Told Us (1995, New Zealand) reveals an intersection between three archival mediums: film, photographs, and oral histories. Preston’s ‘deceptively simple’ documentary is comprised of interview footage of seven elderly New Zealand women – Flo Small, Pamela Quill, Tui Preston (the filmmaker’s mother), Jean Andrews, Rita Graham, Neva Clarke McKenna, and Mabel Waititi – who recount, one-by-one, their experiences during World War Two. As each woman speaks, the mid-shot to close-up footage of the interviewee is crosscut with photographs and film clips from national archives in New Zealand, Great Britain, and the United States, as well as personal photographs from the women’s family albums. Despite its seemingly simple formal construction, I propose that Preston’s film is a new type of archival document that not only juxtaposes the public/official history of the archive with the private/personal testimony of oral traditions, but also weaves togeth...
Thromboelastographic analysis of novel polyethylene glycol based low volume resuscitation solutions.

Background Low volume resuscitation (LVR) in shock prevents deleterious effects of crystalloid loading in pre-hospital settings. Polyethylene glycol 20,000 (PEG-20k) based LVR solutions are 20-fold more effective at maintaining perfusion and survival in shock compared to conventional crystalloids. The aim of this study was to determine coagulation and platelet function of whole blood treated with 10% PEG-20k. Methods Citrated blood from volunteers (n = 25) or early admission severely injured trauma patients (n = 9) were diluted 10% with various LVR solutions in a matched design with a paired volume control (saline), and studied using thromboelastography (TEG). Findings In healthy volunteers and patients, 10% PEG-20k significantly increased clot amplification time (k), decreased propagation (angle), maximal clot size and strength (MA), and the overall coagulation index (CI), but not clot initiation (R) or fibrinolysis (Ly30), relative to paired saline dilutional controls. Clinically, K, angle, and MA were just outside of the normal limits in volunteers but not in patients. No statistical differences existed between PEG-20k and Hextend (HES) in either patient population. In a dose response series using volunteer blood, all effects of 10% PEG-20k on TEG were reversed and normalized by lower concentrations (7.5% and 5%). Furthermore, 7.5% PEG-20k produced similar resuscitation effects as 10% PEG in rodent hemorrhagic shock models (n = 5). Conclusions In conclusion, PEG-20k based LVR solutions produced a dose-dependent minor hypocoagulative state, possibly associated with changes in clot propagation and platelet function, which can be reversed by dose reduction in concentration while providing superior LVR, microvascular rescue, and lactate clearance compared to saline or starch.
Amplify Community Service-Learning at Mason: Moving from Placements to Partnerships

Have you considered whether a service project in the local community might engage students with your course content in a more meaningful way? The latest innovations in service-learning are improving practice for faculty, community partners and students.We will explore several useful approaches and models of best practice. In particular we will discuss the success of several sustained partnerships between Mason faculty and community organizations. These relationships enhance mutual understanding of service and course goals and reduce the need to find new service placements for students each time the course is taught.If service-learning might be a fit for your course, but you have concerns about the logistics of finding a community organization to work with, this session will acquaint you with the resources available through MasonA¢â¬â¢s Center for Leadership and Community Engagement.
Risk Informed Licensing Applications for Nuclear Power Plants – An Example Application for I&C Systems

This paper presents a process which the NRC technical branch staff follows to conduct a technical review for a risk informed completion time application. The discussion focuses on the evaluation of the consistency with the defense-in-depth philosophy as described in the RG1.174.
Assessing VIs Calculated From UAS-Acquired Multispectral Imaging to Detect Iron Chlorosis in Grain Sorghum

This study uses a small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) equipped with a multispectral sensor to assess various Vegetation Indices (VIs) for their potential to monitor iron chlorosis levels in a grain sorghum crop. Iron chlorosis is a nutritional disorder that affects various crops grown in high- pH, calcareous soils. Weekly flights were completed over the growing season and processed using Structure-from- Motion (SfM) photogrammetry to create orthorectified, multispectral reflectance maps in the red, green, red-edge, and near-infrared wavelengths. Ground data collection was used to analyze stress and chlorophyll levels, correlating them to the imagery. 25 VIs were calculated using reflectance maps and soil-removed reflectance maps. The separability for each VI was calculated using a two-class distance measure. The field-acquired data was used to conclude which VIs achieved the best results. In conclusion, the soil-removed MERIS Terrestrial Chlorophyll (MTCI), Normalized Difference Red-Edge (NDRE), and Normalized Green (NG) indices achieved the highest amount of separation.
Local vorticity computation approach in double distribution functions based lattice Boltzmann methods for flow and scalar transport

Abstract Computation of vorticity, or the skew-symmetric velocity gradient tensor, in conjunction with the strain rate tensor, plays an important role in the flow classification, in vortical structure identification and in the modeling of various complex fluids and flows. For the simulation of flows accompanied by the advection-diffusion transport of a scalar field (e.g., temperature), double distribution functions (DDF) based lattice Boltzmann (LB) methods, involving a pair of LB schemes are commonly used. We present a new local vorticity computation approach by introducing an intensional anisotropy of the scalar flux in the third order, off-diagonal moment equilibria of the LB scheme for the scalar field, and then combining the second order non-equilibrium components of both the LB methods. As such, any pair of lattice sets in the DDF formulation that can independently support the third order off-diagonal moments would enable local determination of the complete flow kinematics, with the LB methods for the fluid motion and the transport of the passive scalar respectively providing the necessary moment relationships to determine the symmetric and skew-symmetric components of the velocity gradient tensor. Since the resulting formulation is completely local and do not rely on any finite difference approximations for velocity derivatives, it is by design naturally suitable for parallel computation. As an illustration of our approach, we formulate a DDF-LB scheme for local vorticity computation using a pair of multiple relaxation times (MRT) based collision approaches on two-dimensional, nine velocity (D2Q9) lattices, where the necessary moment relationships to determine the velocity gradient tensor and the vorticity are established via a Chapman-Enskog analysis. Simulations of various benchmark flows demonstrate good accuracy of the predicted vorticity fields using our approach against available solutions, including numerical results, with a second order convergence. Furthermore, extensions of our formulation for a variety of collision models, including those based on cascaded and non-cascaded central moments, to enable local vorticity computation are presented.
Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue

An athlete’s skin is susceptible to injury secondary to trauma, mechanical friction, pressure, and the environment. Lacerations refer to full-thickness disruption of the epidermis and dermis secondary to trauma. Meanwhile, friction injuries are superficial and include abrasions, chafing, and blisters. A common pressure injury such as a subungual hematoma is typically seen in long-distance runners. Environmental injuries include sunburn, frostnip, and frostbite. It is essential for a sideline provider to be knowledgeable in the diagnosis and management of skin injuries. This includes techniques for cleansing, repair, prevention, and ultimately the determination for return to play.
Surgical management of catheter‐related right atrial thrombus with superior vena cava syndrome A Case Report

There are no consensus guidelines on the management of catheter-related right atrial thrombus. We present the case of a 29-year-old female with end-stage renal disease who was found to have a large right atrial thrombus associated with her tunneled dialysis catheter during preoperative workup for renal transplant. She exhibited signs and symptoms of superior vena cava syndrome and NYHA class III congestive heart failure. She was successfully treated with surgical thrombectomy and demonstrated rapid resolution of her symptoms postoperatively.
An exploration of sales forecasting: sales manager and salesperson perspectives

An important component of making critical decisions is the ability to accurately predict future performance. This is essential for the sales function of a business, as so many factors hinge on the sales forecast. Accordingly, quantitative data should build projections based on sound data analysis. This study identifies how sales professionals (both sales managers and salespeople) are achieving this, given modern-day tools that are available, as well as the resulting impacts. In addition to some demographics, the study examines the perceptions concerning several forecasting sales force automation components, specifically enterprise resource planning (ERP), and customer relationship management (CRM) software. These perceptions have tremendous impacts on the ability to integrate new state-of-the-art predictive analytic tools to help in the allocation of such resources as time, money, and talent. Perceptions indicate a need to better understand how to integrate the power of CRM, ERP, and other technologies to take advantage of the opportunities provided by such tools. Sales professionals, both salespeople and sales managers, need to harness the capabilities of these new analytical tools to improve corporate metrics and outcomes.
Ciencia ficción conservadora: Los Altísimos de Hugo Correa

Si be Los Altisimos de Hugo Correa ha estat reconegut per la critica especialitzada com un pilar de la ciencia-ficcio xilena, una analisi mes detinguda en relacio amb el seu context sociohistoric es encara una tasca pendent. El present assaig, consequentment, cerca fer una aportacio en aquest ultim en qualificar l'obra de Correa com a una distopia antiutopica, en el sentit que la novel·la erigeix un relat ideologicament conservador vers els processos historics i socials dels anys cinquanta. En concordanca amb aixo darrer, es detallara com, a partir del discurs eclesiastic de l’epoca, Correa cercara advertir al lector de fenomens com l'apogeu popular del comunisme, el desenvolupament tecnologic o be l'alliberament sexual de la dona.
The effects of food quantity, light, and temperature on clearance rates in freshwater bivalves (Cyrenidae and Unionidae)

Assessing the environmental variables that influence freshwater bivalve filtration activity is key to better understand the functioning of stream ecosystems. In the present study, the effects of light (0 ± 0 µmol m−2 s−1 and 19 ± 2 µmol m−2 s−1) and temperature (10, 15, 20 and 25°C) on the clearance rates of two bivalve species: the Asian clam Corbicula fluminea (Cyrenidae) and pocketbook Lampsilis ovata (Unionidae) were assessed under controlled laboratory conditions at two different concentrations of algal food (i.e., 10,000 cells ml−1 and 100,000 cells ml−1). Clearance rates for C. fluminea varied from 0 to 491 ml g−1 h−1, while the observed range for L. ovata was 0 to 905 ml g−1 h−1. We found that the relative contribution of the tested variables was species-dependent. While temperature plays a major role in the clearance rates of C. fluminea, food concentration was the most significant variable in the clearance rate of L. ovata. Our results confirm the complex interactions between abiotic and biotic factors in freshwater bivalve filtration activity. Overall, clearance rates are highly variable especially in C. fluminea and presumably regulated by other untested factors suggesting high plasticity in filtration.
Global portfolio investment network and stock market comovement

Abstract This paper examines the impact of financial connectedness of countries on international stock market comovement. In recent decades, cross-border capital flows have increased dramatically, and I use bilateral cross-border portfolio holdings to create a global portfolio investment network. Using network analysis, I examine the effect of a country's centrality within this network on stock market comovement while also controlling for the country's trade connectedness. The results show that stock markets of countries that occupy highly central positions within the global portfolio investment network exhibit higher comovement after I control for the level of trade connectedness. Countries that simultaneously occupy highly central positions in both financial and trade networks display even higher levels of stock market comovement. Moreover, linkages derived from total portfolio holdings matter just as much as or more than those derived only from equity linkages.
Effects of interaural decoherence on sensitivity to interaural level differences across frequency.

The interaural level difference (ILD) is a robust indicator of sound source azimuth, and human ILD sensitivity persists under conditions that degrade normally-dominant interaural time difference (ITD) cues. Nonetheless, ILD sensitivity varies somewhat with both stimulus frequency and interaural correlation (coherence). To further investigate the combined binaural perceptual influence of these variables, the present study assessed ILD sensitivity at frequencies 250–4000 Hz using stimuli of varied interaural correlation. In the first of two experiments, ILD discrimination thresholds were modestly elevated, and subjective lateralization slightly reduced, for both half-correlated and uncorrelated narrowband noise tokens relative to correlated tokens. Different from thresholds in the correlated condition, which were worst at 1000 Hz [Grantham, D.W. (1984). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 75, 1191–1194], thresholds in the decorrelated conditions were independent of frequency. However, intrinsic envelope fluctuations in narrowband stimuli caused moment-to-moment variation of the nominal ILD, complicating interpretation of measured thresholds. Thus, a second experiment employed low-fluctuation noise tokens, revealing a clear effect of interaural decoherence per se that was strongly frequency-dependent, decreasing in magnitude from low to high frequencies. Measurements are consistent with known integration times in ILD-sensitive neurons and also suggest persistent influences of covert ITD cues in putative “ILD” tasks.
Diarrheal pathogens trigger rapid evolution of the guanylate cyclase-C signaling axis in bats

The pathogenesis of infectious diarrheal diseases is largely attributed to enterotoxins that cause dehydration by disrupting intestinal water absorption. We investigated patterns of genetic variation in mammalian guanylate cyclase-C (GC-C), an intestinal receptor targeted by bacterially encoded heat-stable enterotoxins (STa), to determine how host species adapt in response to diarrheal infections. Our phylogenetic and functional analysis of GC-C supports long-standing evolutionary conflict with diarrheal bacteria in primates and bats, with highly variable susceptibility to STa across species. In bats, we further show that GC-C diversification has sparked compensatory mutations in the endogenous uroguanylin ligand, suggesting an unusual scenario of pathogen-driven evolution of an entire signaling axis. Together, these findings suggest that conflicts with diarrheal pathogens have had far-reaching impacts on the evolution of mammalian gut physiology.
The god Kothos

The Coptic Panegyric of Makarius of Tkow describes the eviction of a pagan deity named Kothos, whose identity has been discussed and disputed since the text was first published in 1980 and most recently in APF 64/1, 2018. The varying identifications are here critically examined and a solution is offered.
Energy-Efficient Federated Learning with Intelligent Reflecting Surface

Federated learning is a new paradigm to support resource-intensive and privacy-aware learning applications. It enables the Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices to collaboratively train a global model to accomplish a machine learning task without sharing private data. In practice, the IoT devices powered by batteries finish the local training and interact with the central server via wireless links. However, the repeated interaction between IoT devices and the central server would consume considerable resources. Motivated by the emerging technology of intelligent reflecting surface (IRS), we propose to leverage the IRS to reconfigure the wireless propagation environment to maximize the utilization of the available resources. Specifically, we consider the critical energy efficiency issue in the reconfigurable wireless communication network. We formulate an energy consumption minimization problem in an IRS-assisted federated learning system subject to the completion training time constraint. An iterative resource allocation algorithm is proposed to jointly configure the parameters with proven fast convergence. Simulation results validate that the proposed algorithm converges fast and can achieve significant energy savings, especially when the number of reflecting elements is large and when the IRS is properly configured.
Statics and Kinetics of Phase Transformations In Bcc Fe-Cr

The Fe-Cr equilibrium phase diagram exhibits a bcc solid solution (α-Fe-Cr) in a wide concentration range at elevated temperatures. The ?-phase which occurs around 50% Cr decomposes eutectoidally below ≈700 K into Fe-rich and Cr-rich bcc phases. Since the formation of ? is sluggish, a metastable miscibility gap for α-Fe-Cr is observed well above this temperature. Recently, demixing in the Fe-Cr system, which is responsible for the “475°C embrittlement” of ferrite chromium steels has received considerable experimental attention. In the following we present applications of the Monte-Carlo technique in the framework of the three-dimensional Ising model to the problem of phase separation in α-Fe-Cr and compare the simulation results with experimental findings.
Incubation of Methamphetamine Craving Is Associated with Selective Increases in Expression of Bdnf and Trkb, Glutamate Receptors, and Epigenetic Enzymes in Cue-Activated Fos-Expressing Dorsal Striatal Neurons

Cue-induced methamphetamine seeking progressively increases after withdrawal (incubation of methamphetamine craving), but the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. We determined whether this incubation is associated with alterations in candidate genes in dorsal striatum (DS), a brain area implicated in cue- and context-induced drug relapse. We first measured mRNA expression of 24 candidate genes in whole DS extracts after short (2 d) or prolonged (1 month) withdrawal in rats following extended-access methamphetamine or saline (control condition) self-administration (9 h/d, 10 d). We found minimal changes. Next, using fluorescence-activated cell sorting, we compared gene expression in Fos-positive dorsal striatal neurons, which were activated during "incubated" cue-induced drug-seeking tests after prolonged withdrawal, with nonactivated Fos-negative neurons. We found significant increases in mRNA expression of immediate early genes (Arc, Egr1), Bdnf and its receptor (Trkb), glutamate receptor subunits (Gria1, Gria3, Grm1), and epigenetic enzymes (Hdac3, Hdac4, Hdac5, GLP, Dnmt3a, Kdm1a) in the Fos-positive neurons only. Using RNAscope to determine striatal subregion and cell-type specificity of the activated neurons, we measured colabeling of Fos with Drd1 and Drd2 in three DS subregions. Fos expression was neither subregion nor cell-type specific (52.5 and 39.2% of Fos expression colabeled with Drd1 and Drd2, respectively). Finally, we found that DS injections of SCH23390 (C17H18ClNO), a D1-family receptor antagonist known to block cue-induced Fos induction, decreased incubated cue-induced methamphetamine seeking after prolonged withdrawal. Results demonstrate a critical role of DS in incubation of methamphetamine craving and that this incubation is associated with selective gene-expression alterations in cue-activated D1- and D2-expressing DS neurons.
Extending file systems using stackable templates

Extending file system functionality is not a new idea, but a desirable one nonetheless[6, 14, 18]. In the several years since stackable file systems were first proposed, only a handful are in use[12, 19]. Impediments to writing new file systems include the complexity of operating systems, the difficulty of writing kernel-based code, the lack of a true stackable vnode interface[14], and the challenges of porting one file system to another operating system. We advocate writing new stackable file systems as kernel modules. As a starting point, we propose a portable, stackable template file system we call Wrapfs (wrapper file system). Wrapfs is a canonical, minimal stackable file system that can be used as a pattern across a wide range of operating systems and file systems. Given Wrapfs, developers can add or modify only that which is necessary to achieve the desired functionality. Wrapfs takes care of the rest, and frees developers from the details of operating systems. Wrapfs templates exist for several common operating systems (Solaris, Linux, and FreeBSD), thus alleviating portability concerns. Wrapfs can be ported to any operating system with a vnode interface that provides a private data pointer for each data structure used in the interface. The overhead imposed by Wrapfs is only 5-7%. This paper describes the design and implementation of Wrapfs, explores portability issues, and shows how the implementation was achieved without changing client file systems or operating systems. We discuss several examples of file systems written using Wrapfs.
A role for Wnts in morpho-genesis and tissue polarity

Recent studies have shown that secreted Wnt proteins control morphogenetic movements in fish and frog embryos. The analysis of Dishevelled, a cytoplasmic mediator of Wnt signalling, reveals unexpected similarity between gastrulation in vertebrates and polarization of cells in Drosophila epithelia.
Functional analysis of antigen-nonspecific T-cell suppression: I. Effect of mitogen-induced T suppressor cells on helper-T-cell clones

Abstract The effect of mitogen-induced nonspecific suppressor T cells (Ts) 2 on T-helper-cell activity was investigated using isolated clones of murine T-helper cells as targets. TNP-self-reactive Thy-1 + , Ly1 + T-cell clones were isolated after continuous culture of T cells derived from picryl chloride-sensitized mice and were characterized by their ability to proliferate in an antigen-specific and MHC-restricted manner. In addition, selected T-cell clones were found to produce both interleukin-2 (Il-2) and T-cell replacing factor (TRF), lymphokines characteristic of helper T cells. Concanavalin A (Con A)-induced Ts cells inhibited the antigen-specific proliferation of these helper-T-cell clones in a noncytotoxic manner even in the presence of exogenous Il-2. This implied that failure to proliferate was not merely due to an inability of these clones to produce Il-2. The kinetics of suppression also suggested that early T-cell activation signals were not affected. Furthermore, coculture experiments indicated that while proliferation could be severely inhibited, the actual secretion of lymphokines such as Il-2 and TRF by the T-helper clones was not. Our data suggest that nonspecific Ts modulation of proliferation versus helper factor production are under separate control in cloned T-cell populations, with lymphokine secretion remaining intact in the presence of Con A-induced Ts cells.
The Effect of a Prior Dissection Simulation on Middle School Students' Dissection Performance and Understanding of the Anatomy and Morphology of the Frog

Science teachers, school administrators, educators, and the scientific community are faced with ethical controversies over animal dissection in classrooms. Simulation has been proposed as a way of dealing with this issue. One intriguing previous finding was that use of an interactive videodisc dissection facilitated performance on a subsequent actual dissection. This study examined the prior use of simulation of frog dissection in improving students' actual dissection performance and learning of frog anatomy and morphology. There were three experimental conditions: simulation before dissection (SBD); dissection before simulation (DBS); or dissection-only (DO). Results of the study indicated that students receiving SBD performed significantly better than students receiving DBS or DO on both actual dissection and knowledge of the anatomy and morphology. Students' attitudes toward the use of animals for dissection did not change significantly from pretest to posttest and did not interact with treatment. The genders did not differ in achievement, but males were more favorable towards dissection and computers than were females.
Bayes nets in educational assessment: Where the numbers come from

As observations and student models become complex, educational assessments that exploit advances in technology and cognitive psychology can outstrip familiar testing models and analytic methods. Within the Portal conceptual framework for assessment design, Bayesian inference networks (BINS) record beliefs about students' knowledge and skills, in light of what they say and do. Joining evidence model BIN fragments--which contain observable variables and pointers to student model variables--to the student model allows one to update belief about knowledge and skills as observations arrive. Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) techniques can estimate the required conditional probabilities from empirical data, supplemented by expert judgment or substantive theory. Details for the special cases of item response theory (IRT) and multivariate latent class modeling are given, with a numerical example of the latter.
Metabolic network reconstruction and flux variability analysis of storage synthesis in developing oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) embryos.

Computational simulation of large-scale biochemical networks can be used to analyze and predict the metabolic behavior of an organism, such as a developing seed. Based on the biochemical literature, pathways databases and decision rules defining reaction directionality we reconstructed bna572, a stoichiometric metabolic network model representing Brassica napus seed storage metabolism. In the highly compartmentalized network about 25% of the 572 reactions are transport reactions interconnecting nine subcellular compartments and the environment. According to known physiological capabilities of developing B. napus embryos, four nutritional conditions were defined to simulate heterotrophy or photoheterotrophy, each in combination with the availability of inorganic nitrogen (ammonia, nitrate) or amino acids as nitrogen sources. Based on mathematical linear optimization the optimal solution space was comprehensively explored by flux variability analysis, thereby identifying for each reaction the range of flux values allowable under optimality. The range and variability of flux values was then categorized into flux variability types. Across the four nutritional conditions, approximately 13% of the reactions have variable flux values and 10-11% are substitutable (can be inactive), both indicating metabolic redundancy given, for example, by isoenzymes, subcellular compartmentalization or the presence of alternative pathways. About one-third of the reactions are never used and aremore » associated with pathways that are suboptimal for storage synthesis. Fifty-seven reactions change flux variability type among the different nutritional conditions, indicating their function in metabolic adjustments. This predictive modeling framework allows analysis and quantitative exploration of storage metabolism of a developing B. napus oilseed.« less
Possbile Triggering of Earthquakes by Underground Waste Disposal in the El Dorado, Arkansas Area

From December, 1983 to September, 1989 twelve small earthquakes were recorded for the El Dorado, Arkansas area. Although the hypocenters for these events are poorly defined, the following observations in concert support the conclusion that the quakes were triggered. Prior to 1983 no seismicity was reported in the area, suggesting that the earthquakes were not naturally occurring and may have been the result of human activity. El Dorado is located at the margin of a region of underground waste brine disposal and along a major fault zone. Elevated pore pressures resulting from brine disposal may have reduced the normal stresses across fault surfaces and triggered fault movement. The two injection wells (Great Lakes Chemical Corporation SWD# 7 and 13) in the El Dorado South field in closest proximity to fault surfaces at the depth of injection also lie at the center of the macroseismic area of a magnitude 2.5 earthquake of December 12, 1988 and show increases in injection rates prior to periods of seismicity. These relationships suggest that pressured fluid injection triggers earthquakes in the area. Seismic energy greatly exceeds injection energy, suggesting that induced earthquakes release tectonic strain.
Cellular Fate Decision by Autocrine and Paracrine in Tumor

Although cellular communication via secretion has been recognized as a critical step in determining cellular fates, its inherent complexity inhibits our in-depth understanding. If either input to cellular system or measurement of secretions is clarified, our intuitive understanding can be further improved. Herein, we demonstrate a microfluidic single-cell analysis platform that can clarify microenvironments around single cells through a predefined fluidics. The microfluidic single-cell analysis platform is capable of isolating thousands of single cells to individual culture chambers and culturing them in a biochemically defined environment during more than 5-time divisions. The automatic microscope imaging allows tracing the lineage of individual cells and discovering the effect of autocrine and paracrine. The experiment using non-small lung cancer cell line, H1975, shows that the cellular proliferation is linearly dependent to the exposure extent to autocrine secretion, the senescent cells supports neighbor cells' proliferation by paracrine secretion, and the combinatory effect of autocrine and paracrine can cause the local variation of proliferation to be more than 5 times. This study can provide biological clues how cancer cells, in a short time (i.e., < a day), determine their fates by secretomic response rather than genomic mutation, extracellular matrix and mechanical factors and how cancer metastasis can be successful in vivo.
Right-Left Discrimination in Learning Disabled and Normal Control Boys

This study was designed to determine whether deficits in right-left discrimination persisted in a sample of older learning-disabled subjects, and whether there was a differentiation in verbal tasks of disturbance of right-left discrimination to self or on a confronting person, or on a spatial task of right-left discrimination. The subjects were 35 right handed boys aged 10 to 12 years. This group was comprised of 15 learning disabled boys with a low verbal/high performance IQ profile, and 20 normal control boys. The learning disabled subjects scored significantly more poorly than the normal control subjects on all tasks except right-left discrimination to one's own body. The task Double Command to Self (e.g. “Put your left hand on your left ear”) best predicted group. Results were discussed in terms of persistent right-left discrimination deficits in at least some types of learning disabilities. The need to evaluate right-left discrimination in a more comprehensive manner was emphasized.
Skin cancer preventative behaviors in state park workers: a pilot study.

Objectives Considering the potential for occupational sun exposure among state park workers, the purpose of this pilot study was to identify skin cancer knowledge, health beliefs, self-efficacy, and sun protection behaviors (SPBs) among state park employees.
The effect of fat extraction on Golgi bodies of kidney cells of the frog

Frog kidney, when fixed in 4 per cent formalin and subsequently treated with Kolatchev solutions, is found to contain osmiophilic bodies which not only appear identical to the Golgi substance of Kolatchev fixed controls but which also resist bleaching in hydrogen peroxide or potassium permanganate solutions. If a formalin fixed kidney is dehydrated and extracted with various fat solvents and subsequently fixed with the Kolatchev technique, Golgi bodies are usually completely removed but occasionally cells are found which contain spherical globules of osmiophilic substance scattered through the cytoplasm. Kidney tissue fixed in a mixture of 95 parts of alcohol plus 5 parts of formalin before application of the Kolatchev solutions does not contain Golgi bodies. The same results are obtained if benzene is used instead of alcohol and formalin. Striated muscle, when treated in a similar manner, contains darkly stained (Z) and (M) membranes, therefore the osmophilic substance present in muscle quite widely daerent, chemically and physically from that contained in kidney cells. It is apparently an established fact that formalin preserves phospholipids in tissues nnd this investigation has shown that Golgi bodies in kidney cells can be demonstrated following fixation in formalin. Moreover, the Golgi bodies, which are preserved by formalin, can be removed by extracting the tissue with fat solvents. This evidence, therefore, strengthens the hypothesis that true Golgi substance is phospholipid in nature.
Initial eccentricity fluctuations and their relation to higher-order flow harmonics

Monte Carlo simulations are used to compute the centrality dependence of the participant eccentricities (${\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}_{n}$) in $\mathrm{Au}+\mathrm{Au}$ collisions for the two primary models currently employed for eccentricity estimates---the Glauber and the factorized Kharzeev-Levin-Nardi (fKLN) models. They suggest specific testable predictions for the magnitude and centrality dependence of the flow coefficients ${v}_{n}$, respectively measured relative to the event planes ${\ensuremath{\Psi}}_{n}$. They also indicate that the ratios of several of these coefficients may provide an additional constraint for distinguishing between the models. Such a constraint could be important for a more precise determination of the specific viscosity of the matter produced in heavy ion collisions.
A spectrophotometric cycling assay for reduced coenzyme A and its esters in small amounts of tissue.

Abstract Sensitive procedures for the assay of a few pmoles of CoASH and its esters in milligram amounts of tissue are described. The cycling method of Stadtman et al. , which involves the arsenolysis of acetyl- P catalyzed by CoA and phosphotransacetylase (PTA), has been used. Selective conversion of various CoA esters to free CoA, followed by oxidation of the CoA so liberated, has enabled the specific assay of CoASH, acetyl CoA, succinyl CoA, and acetoacetyl CoA, and allows partition of the remaining CoA esters into three categories: “other PTA-reactive CoA esters,” probably mostly propionyl CoA; “PTA-unreactive CoA esters plus oxidized CoA;” and long-chain (acid-insoluble) CoA esters. Two inclusive categories are “total acid-soluble CoA” and “total CoA.” Preparation of tissue extracts is described. Rapid tissue fixation is essential for the measurement of cerebral levels of succinyl CoA, which fall 50% or more with decapitation, and of acetyl CoA, which rise 25% when the head is amputated.
Urban activity pattern classification using topic models from online geo-location data

Abstract Location-based check-in services in various social media applications have enabled individuals to share their activity-related choices providing a new source of human activity data. Although geo-location data has the potential to infer multi-day patterns of individual activities, appropriate methodological approaches are needed. This paper presents a technique to analyze large-scale geo-location data from social media to infer individual activity patterns. A data-driven modeling approach, based on topic modeling, is proposed to classify patterns in individual activity choices. The model provides an activity generation mechanism which when combined with the data from traditional surveys is potentially a useful component of an activity-travel simulator. Using the model, aggregate patterns of users’ weekly activities are extracted from the data. The model is extended to also find user-specific activity patterns. We extend the model to account for missing activities (a major limitation of social media data) and demonstrate how information from activity-based diaries can be complemented with longitudinal geo-location information. This work provides foundational tools that can be used when geo-location data is available to predict disaggregate activity patterns.
The geometric structure of some systems of demand equations

Abstract Consider the income compensation function Y = φ ( p , y ; p 0 ) where Y , y ∈ R are income levels and p , p 0 ∈ R n are prices. By holding p 0 fixed we may interpret this as an n -parameter transformation of R to R . With this interpretation we show that a system of demand functions is additively separable in income and prices if and only if φ is a Lie transformation group on R . Sophus Lie's 1888 classification of such groups into three fundamental types provides an alternative derivation of both the rank 3 condition of Gorman and the additively separable functional forms found by him.
DIMM: a distributed metadata management for data-intensive HPC environments

Within the scientific community many high performance applications are used in order to run experiments on data sets. These data sets can be very large in size or in number. Both of these situations can cause problems to the centralized manager scheduling the system. In our approach we minimize the role of the manager by using a distributed hash table. This way all files have a given "home" location to be at if they are going to be used which reduces location maintenance. We further reduce the strain on the central manager by using a counter-based bloomfilter. This allows the central manager to quickly and easily see if a given data set exists in the system without having to use the large storage space of a database. By adding false positive detection in the form of locality checks to the bloomfilter, we can reduce the probability of a false positive causing a problem in our system. In this fashion we can move away from a centralized manager to a more distributed one while reducing the amount of additional metadata the manager needs to maintain. With our approach we show that the workload of the centralized manager directory has been reduced significantly. Not only are we capable of reducing the number of files that must be migrated into the system by up to nearly 90% compared to a centralized storage-aware scheduling but it is also possible to achieve greater hit rates than a standard cache if job placement is influenced by data location. We also show that a significant number of false positives can be detected from the bloomfilter (at least 25%) at the cost of allowing smaller false negative instances to occur at an increased rate.
The Bowdlerization of Rupert Brooke

(2008). The Bowdlerization of Rupert Brooke. ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews: Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 54-61.
Marginalia of a revolution: naming popular ethnography through William W. Bunge's Fitzgerald

Having recently been writing about the geographies of survival, here in this brief essay I extrapolate a methodological and ethico-political sensibility from the scattered fragments of my personal interactions with foundational radical geographer William W. Bunge. This essay is intended to reconcile the marginalization that Bunge experienced, and experiences today, within geography, with the methodological approach he pioneered, even as he is often not recognized for doing so. An exploration through a pile of notes, electronic voice files, and faxes helped me to think through lived forms of intellectual marginalia via the life and methods of William Bunge and possibilities that exist for recovering his method of ‘popular ethnography’.
Surgical Management of Ventricular Septal Defects and Mitral Regurgitation Complicating Acute Myocardial Infarction

Abstract Sixteen patients were studied subsequent to the development of acute ventricular septal rupture in 7 and severe mitral regurgitation in 9. These lesions occurred within two weeks of acute myocardial infarctions. Intraaortic balloon assistance was initiated when cardiovascular deterioration occurred, and hemodynamic improvement was obtained in all patients. Shunting through a ventricular septal perforation was reduced during balloon assistance, and mitral regurgitation, when present, was decreased. These effects were short-lived, and the patients were subsequently studied with coronary angiography and ventriculography. Two of 3 patients with anterior ventricular septal defect underwent successful surgical correction. Three patients had attempted closure of inferior ventricular septal defect without success. The fourth patient with an inferior ventricular septal defect died of his lesion without any attempt at surgical repair. Four patients with rupture of the papillary muscle were long-term surgical survivors. Coronary artery bypass grafting was carried out when indicated in these patients. Two of 5 patients with papillary muscle dysfunction who underwent operation during the acute period of their infarction were long-term survivors. The findings suggest that the mechanical lesions of mitral regurgitation and ventricular septal perforation are amenable to surgical intervention if a sufficient amount of residual functional muscle can be preserved in the left ventricle. Intraaortic balloon assistance allows a period of time to stabilize the condition of patients with these lesions, to reduce myocardial ischemia, and to carry out studies to determine the degree of associated coronary artery disease and the extent of irreversible myocardial damage. Based on the findings from these studies, surgical procedures may be selected.