cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Automatic recognition of self-reported and perceived emotion: does joint modeling help?

Emotion labeling is a central component of automatic emotion recognition. Evaluators are asked to estimate the emotion label given a set of cues, produced either by themselves (self-report label) or others (perceived label). This process is complicated by the mismatch between the intentions of the producer and the interpretation of the perceiver. Traditionally, emotion recognition systems use only one of these types of labels when estimating the emotion content of data. In this paper, we explore the impact of jointly modeling both an individual's self-report and the perceived label of others. We use deep belief networks (DBN) to learn a representative feature space, and model the potentially complementary relationship between intention and perception using multi-task learning. We hypothesize that the use of DBN feature-learning and multi-task learning of self-report and perceived emotion labels will improve the performance of emotion recognition systems. We test this hypothesis on the IEMOCAP dataset, an audio-visual and motion-capture emotion corpus. We show that both DBN feature learning and multi-task learning offer complementary gains. The results demonstrate that the perceived emotion tasks see greatest performance gain for emotionally subtle utterances, while the self-report emotion tasks see greatest performance gain for emotionally clear utterances. Our results suggest that the combination of knowledge from the self-report and perceived emotion labels lead to more effective emotion recognition systems.
Clinical Trials to Date

Abstract Diseases that afflict the nervous system remain among the most difficult pathologies for clinicians to manage. Currently there are nearly 1000 clinical trials that have been launched worldwide to study motor neuron disease (MND) clinical pathologies, or validate the safety and efficacy of promising MND therapeutics. Even with this high level of scientific investigation and clinical interest, there are no cures or therapies proven to provide long-term benefits. Efforts are continuing to translate potentially beneficial therapies to the clinic. This chapter outlines the current trials for MNDs.
Toward Quantifying the Climate Heat Engine: Solar Absorption and Terrestrial Emission Temperatures and Material Entropy Production

AbstractA heat-engine analysis of a climate system requires the determination of the solar absorption temperature and the terrestrial emission temperature. These temperatures are entropically defined as the ratio of the energy exchanged to the entropy produced. The emission temperature, shown here to be greater than or equal to the effective emission temperature, is relatively well known. In contrast, the absorption temperature requires radiative transfer calculations for its determination and is poorly known.The maximum material (i.e., nonradiative) entropy production of a planet’s steady-state climate system is a function of the absorption and emission temperatures. Because a climate system does no work, the material entropy production measures the system’s activity. The sensitivity of this production to changes in the emission and absorption temperatures is quantified. If Earth’s albedo does not change, material entropy production would increase by about 5% per 1-K increase in absorption temperature. I...
Techniques for Heart-Lung Imaging

Color labeling and retrospective time-interval selection have been used to produce scintiphotographic images of the central blood flow in conjunction with the radionuclide cardiac flow study. The images are formed by integrating over time intervals, chosen retrospectively to include the entire right heart, lung, or left heart (levo) phase of the radionuclide bolus transit. This provides improved statistical delineation of the images, and also tends to produce an intensity modulation inversely proportional to the local volume flow rate. Selected composite images may then be recorded on Polaroid color film through colored filters to obtain color contrast between adjacent or overlapping areas of the images. Intensity modulation is used in the conventional manner within each monochrome image. The resultant image is easily interpretable and more informative than conventional sequential scintiphotos.
Improving Primary Care Provider Practices in Youth Concussion Management

Primary care providers are increasingly providing youth concussion care but report insufficient time and training, limiting adoption of best practices. We implemented a primary care-based intervention including an electronic health record-based clinical decision support tool ("SmartSet") and in-person training. We evaluated consequent improvement in 2 key concussion management practices: (1) performance of a vestibular oculomotor examination and (2) discussion of return-to-learn/return-to-play (RTL/RTP) guidelines. Data were included from 7284 primary care patients aged 0 to 17 years with initial concussion visits between July 2010 and June 2014. We compared proportions of visits pre- and post-intervention in which the examination was performed or RTL/RTP guidelines provided. Examinations and RTL/RTP were documented for 1.8% and 19.0% of visits pre-intervention, respectively, compared with 71.1% and 72.9% post-intervention. A total of 95% of post-intervention examinations were documented within the SmartSet. An electronic clinical decision support tool, plus in-person training, may be key to changing primary care provider behavior around concussion care.
Behaviors of Preschoolers with Visual Impairments in Indoor Play Settings.

This article reports on a study of the interaction, play, and other behaviors of 24 preschoolers with visual impairments and no other disabilities in the indoor play areas of two programs. The stud...
Japanese Ballet Dancers: Routes of Mobility and the Body

ABSTRACTSince the 1980s, Japanese dancers have won top prizes at some of the most demanding international dance competitions, and several have been promoted to the top ranks of major dance companie...
Algorithms for Cost-Aware Scheduling

In this paper, we generalize classical machine scheduling problems by introducing a cost involved in processing jobs, which varies as a function of time. Before defining the problems formally and discussing the technical novelty, we present a few technological motivations for introducing this model.
IGE and Monoclonal Antibody Reactivities to the Major Shrimp Allergen Pen a 1 (Tropomyosin) and Vertebrate Tropomyosins

Pen a 1, the major shrimp allergen from brown shrimp Penaeus aztecus has been identified as the muscle protein tropomyosin. To identify Pen a 1 IgE binding sites, the reactivities of Pen a 1-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and shrimp-allergic subjects’ IgE to shrimp and homologous mammalian tropomyosins were analyzed. Pen a 1, purified by preparative SDS-PAGE and commercially obtained porcine, bovine and rabbit tropomyosin were cleaved by CNBr or digested by endoproteinases Lys-C, Glu-C, trypsin, Arg-C and chymotrypsin. Reactivities of Pen a 1-specific mAbs and IgE to the resulting peptides were analyzed by dot blot and immunoblotting. The dot blot analysis showed that mAbs and IgE antibodies did not react with any of the mammalian tropomyosins. The immunoblot analysis showed that all Pen a 1 digests bound IgE or mAbs. However, not all peptides in each digest possessed an IgE binding site. IgE binding intensity and frequency varied by subject and peptide digest. IgE and mAb reactivity patterns were similar but no mAb reproduced the IgE binding patterns indicating that subjects’ IgE bound some epitopes that were not recognized by the Pen a 1-specific mAbs. These studies suggest that IgE-binding epitopes are restricted to certain parts of the Pen a 1 molecule, Pen a 1 may have several similar epitopes, and that Pen a 1 epitopes do not appear to be located in the highly homologous parts of the tropomyosin molecule.
The impact of “The Art of Happiness” class on community dwelling older adults: a positive psychology intervention

Mental health is often negatively impacted throughout the aging process and declines in psychological health can result in a decreased sense of well-being and overall quality of life in the older a...
Government as facilitator: how Japan is building its cybersecurity market

This paper explores Japan’s industrial policy toward cyber security. I begin by describing the perceived market failures with regard to cyber security, and the Japanese government’s rationales for intervention. Next, I briefly describe the institutions involved in Japan’s cyber security policy-making. I follow by discussing three models of Japanese intervention: government as provider, government as facilitator, and government as promoter. Then, I examine the factors that have led to this particular constellation of measures. Finally, I look at the effectiveness of these measures as well as make some concluding remarks about likely future trends.
Langasite-based BAW resonator coated with ZnO for high temperature CO2 gas sensing with temperature compensation (Conference Presentation)

This paper presents the design and testing of a new CO2 gas sensor that is based on a piezoelectric Langasite (La3Ga5SiO14) crystal resonator with temperature compensation. CO2 gas concentration change can be measured by monitoring frequency shift due to the adsorption of CO2 gas molecules. The sensor is designed and fabricated as a body acoustic wave (BAW) resonator, and coated with Zinc Oxide thin film for sensitivity improvement. Then it is experimentally tested in the laboratory with a self-designed, temperature controlled gas chamber at a wide CO2 concentration range. Moreover, temperature compensation is formulated and tested by applying the dual mode behavior of the Langasite BAW resonator. The sensor shows a good relationship between CO2 gas concentration and its resonant frequency shift. The proposed sensor can be applied at high temperatures particularly in combustion engines, power plant and other high temperature applications.
An Overview of Methods for Reconstructing 3-D Chromosome and Genome Structures from Hi-C Data.

Over the past decade, methods for predicting three-dimensional (3-D) chromosome and genome structures have proliferated. This has been primarily due to the development of high-throughput, next-generation chromosome conformation capture (3C) technologies, which have provided next-generation sequencing data about chromosome conformations in order to map the 3-D genome structure. The introduction of the Hi-C technique—a variant of the 3C method—has allowed researchers to extract the interaction frequency (IF) for all loci of a genome at high-throughput and at a genome-wide scale. In this review we describe, categorize, and compare the various methods developed to map chromosome and genome structures from 3C data—particularly Hi-C data. We summarize the improvements introduced by these methods, describe the approach used for method evaluation, and discuss how these advancements shape the future of genome structure construction.
COMBINING ABILITY ANALYSIS FOR YIELD AND ITS COMPONENT CHARACTERS IN RICE

This investigation was carried out at the Farm of the Rice Research & Training Center, Sakha Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt during 2012 and 2013 rice growing seasons to estimate the general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) effects for yield and its component characters at the two years and their combined data. The characters were panicles plant-1, filled grains panicle-1, panicle weight, sterility %, 100-grain weight and grain yield plant-1. The results revealed that the parents Giza 178, , IR 65600-38-1-2 and the crosses Giza 178 x BG-35-2, Giza 178 x IET1444, Giza 178 x IR 6560-38-1-2 and BG35-2 x IET 1444 were found to have the most desirable mean values for yield and its components characters under the two years and their combined data. Genotypes, parents and the resultant crosses mean squares were found to be highly significant for all the characters studied. Highly significant positive GCA effects were found from the parents Giza 178, IET 1444 and IR 65600-38-1-2 for filled grain/panicle-1, BG35-2, Nishihomare , RD-25 and IR 65600-38-1-2 for 100-grain weight; Giza 178, IET 1444 and IR 65600-38-1-2 for grain yield plant-1. the most pronounced crosses over the two years and their combined data were Giza 178 x RD-25, Giza 178 x IR 65600-38-1-2 and RD-25 x IR 65600-38-1-2 for grain yield plant-1; Giza 178 x Nishihomare ,Giza178 x IR65600-38-1-2 and RD-25 x IET1444 for panicle weight; Giza 178 x IR65600-38-1-2 RD-25 x IET1444 and IET1444 x Nishihomare for the number of panicles plant-1
Spintronics with compensated ferrimagnets

Magnetic information storage has been achieved by controlling and sensing the magnetic moment orientation of nanoscale ferromagnets. Recently, there has been concentrated effort to utilize materials with antiferromagnetic coupling as a storage medium to realize devices that switch faster, are more secure against external magnetic fields, and have higher storage density. Within this class of materials are ferrimagnets, whose magnetization can be reduced to zero by tuning parameters such as the chemical composition, temperature, and strain. Compared to conventional antiferromagnets, compensated ferrimagnets not only possess the aforementioned speed and density advantages but also allow the use of convenient electrical reading and writing mechanisms due to the existence of inequivalent magnetic sublattices. Recent research has demonstrated fast spin-torque switching, as well as efficient electrical reading with compensated ferrimagnets. Further material and device research using these zero-moment magnets promises a spintronic platform for fast and energy efficient information storage technology.
Detecting Light Dark Matter with Magnons

Scattering of light dark matter with sub-eV energy deposition can be detected with collective excitations in condensed matter systems. When dark matter has spin-independent couplings to atoms or ions, it has been shown to efficiently excite phonons. Here we show that, if dark matter couples to the electron spin, magnon excitations in materials with magnetic dipole order offer a promising detection path. We derive general formulae for single magnon excitation rates from dark matter scattering, and demonstrate as a proof of principle the projected reach of a yttrium iron garnet target for several dark matter models with spin-dependent interactions. This highlights the complementarity of various collective excitations in probing different dark matter interactions.
Trauma exposure, PTSD, and suboptimal HIV medication adherence among marginalized individuals connected to public HIV care in Miami

Individuals living with HIV report disproportionately high levels of trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms, both which have been associated with suboptimal ART adherence. Often conflated, the question arises as to which construct is driving subsequent HIV self-care behavior. Given the HIV disparities among Black and Hispanic/Latinx individuals, and that Miami is a geographic region with a high racial/ethnic minority make up and a unique socioeconomic environment, it is important to explore factors related to HIV outcomes in Miami to mitigate its uncontrolled epidemic. This study aimed to examine the association of trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, and relevant additional key factors with adherence to ART among a sample of majority Black and Hispanic/Latinx individuals who are economically marginalized receiving public HIV care in Miami, FL (N = 1237) via a cross-sectional survey. Sequential linear regression was used to examine the study aim in four blocks: (1) trauma, (2) PTSD symptoms, and key covariates of ART adherence including (3) depression and substance use (potential psychological covariates), and (4) indicators of socioeconomic status (potential structural covariates). In the first block, trauma exposure was associated with worse adherence. However, in the second block, the association with trauma dropped and PTSD was significantly associated with worse adherence. Of note, for those experiencing high levels of trauma exposure, adherence was negatively impacted regardless of PTSD. When other key factors associated with adherence were entered in the third and fourth blocks, neither trauma exposure nor PTSD were uniquely significant. In this final model, depression, substance use, and unstable housing were uniquely associated with worse adherence. Trauma-informed models of HIV care that holistically address co-occurring factors are warranted to cater to communities with HIV health disparities and keep them from falling off the HIV care continuum.
Peer assessment of professionalism in undergraduate medical education.

Fostering professional behaviour has become increasingly important in medical education and non-traditional approaches to assessment of professionalism may offer a more holistic representation of students’ professional behaviour development. Emerging evidence suggests peer assessment may offer potential as an alternative method of professionalism assessment. We introduced peer assessment of professionalism in pre-clerkship phases of undergraduate medical education curriculum at our institution and evaluated suitability of adopting a professional behaviour scale for longitudinal tracking of student development, and student comfort and acceptance of peer assessment. Peer assessment was introduced using a validated professional behaviours scale. Students conducted repeated, longitudinal assessments of their peers from small-group, clinical skills learning activities. An electronic assessment system was used to collect peer assessments, collate and provide reports to students. Student opinions of peer assessment were initially surveyed before introducing the process, confirmatory analyses were conducted of the adopted scale, and students were surveyed to explore satisfaction with the peer assessment process. Students across all phases of the curriculum were initially supportive of anonymous peer assessment using small-group learning sessions. Peer scores showed improvement over time, however the magnitude of increase was limited by ceiling effects attributed to the adopted scale. Students agreed that the professional behaviours scale was easy to use and understand, however a majority disagreed that peer assessment improved their understanding of professionalism or was a useful learning experience. Peer assessment of professional behaviours does expose students to the process of assessing one’s peers, however the value of such processes at early stages of medical education may not be fully recognized nor appreciated by students. Electronic means for administering peer assessment is feasible for collecting and reporting peer feedback. Improvement in peer assessed scores was observed over time, however student opinions of the educational value were mixed and indeterminate.
Rescuing Girls, Investing in Girls: A Critique of Development Fantasies

The girl child increasingly is at the centre of development programming. We draw on Slavoj Žižek's notion of fantasy to show how and, more importantly, why girl-centred initiatives reproduce the shortcomings of women and gender-focused programmes before them. Through an analysis of three girl-centred campaigns, we illustrate how experts identify and diagnose girls' problems and prescribe solutions that not only circumscribe girls' futures, but are also counterproductive. We argue that even as campaigns try to integrate lessons learned from earlier gender and development initiatives, the critical reflection that a Žižekian approach promotes would better enable development actors to reformulate campaigns and fundamental campaign assumptions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Healthy preconception and early-pregnancy lifestyle and risk of preterm birth: a prospective cohort study

Background Preterm birth (PTB) remains a leading cause of neonatal mortality and long-term morbidity. Individual factors have been linked to PTB risk. The impact of a healthy lifestyle, with multiple modifiable prenatal factors, remains unknown. Objectives We aimed to examine the associations of preconceptional and early-pregnancy low-risk modifiable factors (individually and in combination) with PTB risk. Methods This prospective cohort study included 2449 women with singleton pregnancies in the Pregnancy Environment and Lifestyle Study. PTB was defined as ultrasound-confirmed obstetric estimate-based gestational age at delivery Results One hundred and sixty women (6.5%) delivered preterm. Risk of PTB was lower among women who had a healthy weight (aRR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.39, 0.86), high-quality diet (aRR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.39, 0.99), and low-to-moderate stress (aRR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.41, 0.88). Women with 1, 2, or 3 low-risk modifiable prenatal factors compared with none had a 38% (aRR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.45, 1.16), 51% (aRR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.29, 0.84), or 70% (aRR: 0.30; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.70) lower PTB risk, respectively. Associations of having ≥1 low-risk factor with PTB risk were more pronounced for medically indicated than for spontaneous PTB and for late than for early or moderate PTB. Associations also varied by race or ethnicity, although with overlapping 95% CIs. Conclusions A healthy prenatal lifestyle with multiple low-risk modifiable factors was associated with lower risk of PTB. Our findings may inform multicomponent preconceptional or early-pregnancy prevention strategies to mitigate PTB risk.
Continuous Seizure Emergency Evoked in Mice with Pharmacological, Electrographic, and Pathological Features Distinct from Status Epilepticus

Objectives. Benzodiazepines are the standard of care for the management of sustained seizure emergencies, including status epilepticus (SE) and seizure clusters. Seizure clusters are a variably defined seizure emergency wherein a patient has multiple seizures above a baseline rate, with intervening periods of recovery, distinguishing clusters from SE. While phenotypically distinct, the precise pathophysiological and mechanistic differences between SE and seizure clusters are under studied. Preclinical interrogation is needed to help uncover the behavioral, physiological, and pathological mechanisms associated with seizure emergencies in order to better manage these events in the susceptible individual. Methods. Herein, we characterize a novel model of sustained seizure emergency induced in CF-1 mice through the combined administration of high-dose phenytoin (PHT; 50 mg/kg, i.p.) and pentylenetetrazol (PTZ; 100 mg/kg, s.c.). Results. In the present manuscript we describe a mouse model of sustained seizure emergency that is physiologically, pharmacologically, and histologically distinct from SE. Acute administration of PHT 1 hour prior to s.c.PTZ led to significantly more mice with continuous seizure activity (CSA; 73.4%) versus vehicle-pretreated mice (13.8%; p<0.0001). CSA was sensitive to lorazepam and valproic acid when administered at seizure onset, as well as 30-minutes post-seizure onset. Carbamazepine worsened seizure control and post-CSA survival. Mice in CSA exhibited EEG patterns distinct from kainic acid-induced SE and s.c.PTZ alone, clearly differentiating CSA from SE and s.c.PTZ-induced myoclonic seizures. Neuropathological assessment by FluoroJade-C staining of brains collected 24-hours later revealed no neurodegeneration in any mice with CSA, whereas there was widespread neuronal death in brains from KA-SE mice. Significance. This study defines a novel mouse model on which to elucidate the mechanistic differences between sustained seizure emergencies (i.e. SE and seizure clusters) to improve discovery of effective clinical interventions and define mechanisms of seizure termination.
Identifying Synergistic Interventions to Address COVID-19 Using a Large Scale Agent-Based Model

There is a range of public health tools and interventions to address the global pandemic of COVID-19. Although it is essential for public health efforts to comprehensively identify which interventions have the largest impact on preventing new cases, most of the modeling studies that support such decision-making efforts have only considered a very small set of interventions. In addition, previous studies predominantly considered interventions as independent or examined a single scenario in which every possible intervention was applied. Reality has been more nuanced, as a subset of all possible interventions may be in effect for a given time period, in a given place. In this paper, we use cloud-based simulations and a previously published Agent-Based Model of COVID-19 (Covasim) to measure the individual and interacting contribution of interventions on reducing new infections in the US over 6 months. Simulated interventions include face masks, working remotely, stay-at-home orders, testing, contact tracing, and quarantining. Through a factorial design of experiments, we find that mask wearing together with transitioning to remote work/schooling has the largest impact. Having sufficient capacity to immediately and effectively perform contact tracing has a smaller contribution, primarily via interacting effects.
Effect on Nitrogen Retention by Adults of Different Proportions of Indispensable Amino Acids in Isonitrogenous Cereal-Based Diets

Nitrogen retention of adults who consumed diets in which cereals furnished 6.0 g N and 0.9 g of lysine was improved by increasing lysine to 1.8 g without altering other amino acids. In a second experiment, 70% of the 6.0 g of dietary N was supplied by rice + wheat and 30% by mixtures of amino acids so designed that the total intakes of amino acids were equivalent to those in diets containing 6.0 g N from whole egg (E), egg + potato (EP), rice + wheat (RW), rice + soy (RS), wheat + milk (WM) or corn + beans (CB). Mean N balances of young men in descending order were, g/day: E 0.69 ± 0.23, RS 0.44 ± 0.15, EP 0.43 ± 0.09, WM 0.24 ± 0.16, CB 0.16 ± 0.13 and RW -0.02 ± 0.10. In the same order, these diets provided, g/day: lysine 2.6, 1.9, 2.3, 1.6, 1.4 and 1.0; S-acids 2.2, 1.7, 1.6, 2.2, 1.9 and 2.3; and tryptophan 0.7, 0.4, 0.6, 0.5, 0.3 and 0.4. N balances resulting from diets E, RS and EP did not differ significantly from each other but E was superior to CB and RW (P<0.01). Relative amounts and proportions of the essential amino acids could be varied without altering nitrogen retention until at least one amino acid became limiting. Several patterns of indispensable amino acids therefore may be equally effective in meeting needs of adults, but both amounts and relative proportions should be considered.
BPPS: an algorithm for analyzing protein sequence alignments

Aligning multiple biopolymer sequences has been recognized as a central activity in bioinformatics research. But the analysis of the resulting alignments has not been rigorously formulated and mathematically tackled. We have developed statistical procedures to decompose the multiple alignments into distinct categories and to pinpoint critical structural features within each category. A central part of our statistical procedures is a novel algorithm called the Bayesian partitioning with pattern selection (BPPS), which is based on a two-way mixture model and can simultaneously classify protein sequences into distinct subfamilies and select conserved positions that are characteristic of these subfamilies. When applied to P-loop GTPases, this revealed within Rab, Rho, Ras, and Ran a canonical network of molecular interactions centered on bound nucleotide. This network presumably performs a crucial structural and/or mechanistic role considering that it has persisted for more than a billion years after the divergence of these families.
Validation of an intermediate‐complexity model for simulating marine biogeochemistry under anoxic conditions in the modern Black Sea

[1] We test the ability of a new 1-D intermediate-complexity box model (ICBM) that includes process-based C, N, P, O, and S biogeochemistry to simulate profiles and fluxes of biogeochemically reactive species across a wide range of ocean redox states. The ICBM was developed to simulate whole ocean processes for paleoceanographic applications and has been tested with data from the modern global ocean. Here we adapt the circulation submodel of the ICBM to simulate water mass exchange and eddy diffusion processes in the Black Sea but make only very minor changes to the biogeochemical submodel. We force the model with estimated natural and anthropogenic inputs of tracers and nutrients to the Black Sea and compare the results of the simulations to modern observations. Ventilation of the Black Sea is modeled by depth-dependent entrainment of Cold Intermediate Layer water into Bosphorus plume water and subsequent intrusion into deep layers. The simulated profiles of circulation tracers θ, salinity, CFC-12, and radiocarbon agree well with available data, suggesting that the model does a reasonable job of representing physical exchange. Vertical profiles of biogeochemically active components are in good overall agreement with observations. The lack of trace metal (Mn and Fe) cycling in the model results in some discrepancies between the simulated profiles and observation across the suboxic zone; however, the overall redox balance is not sensitive to this difference. We compare modeled basin-wide biogeochemical fluxes to available estimates, but in a number of cases uncertainties in modern budgets limit our ability to test the model rigorously. In agreement with earlier work we find that fixed N losses via thiodenitrification are likely a major pathway in the Black Sea N cycle. Overall, the same biogeochemical submodel used to simulate the modern global ocean appears to perform well in simulating Black Sea processes without requiring significant modification. The ability of a single model to perform across a wide range of redox states is an important prerequisite for applying the ICBM to deep time paleoceanographic problems. The model source code is available as MATLAB™ 7 m-files provided as auxiliary material.
Achievement Grouping with Mathematics Concept and Skill Games

AbstractThe study examined effects of homogeneous and heterogeneous achievement grouping on mathematics learning through concept and skill games. Subjects were 164 seventh graders; half played probability concept games, and half played a fractions skill game. On the basis of scores on pretests related to game content, groups of three or four classmates of similar or different achievement were formed. These groups played the games twenty minutes, twice weekly, for four weeks. For each game-by-achievement grouping combination, posttest scores were higher than pretest scores (p < .01); there were no treatment, sex, or interaction effects. Assignment based on prior achievement to game-playing groups need not be a critical concern either for classroom or research use of games.
Connexin43 Mediated Delivery of ADAMTS5 Targeting siRNAs from Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Synovial Fibroblasts

Osteoarthritis is a joint-destructive disease that has no effective cure. Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) could offer therapeutic benefit in the treatment of arthritic diseases by suppressing inflammation and permitting tissue regeneration, but first these cells must overcome the catabolic environment of the diseased joint. Likewise, gene therapy also offers therapeutic promise given its ability to directly modulate key catabolic factors that mediate joint deterioration, although it too has limitations. In the current study, we explore an approach that combines hMSCs and gene therapy. Specifically, we test the use of hMSC as a vehicle to deliver ADAMTS5 (an aggrecanase with a key role in osteoarthritis)-targeting siRNAs to SW982 synovial fibroblast-like cells via connexin43 containing gap junctions. Accordingly, we transduced hMSCs with ADAMTS5-targeting shRNA or non-targeted shRNA, and co-cultured them with synovial fibroblasts to allow delivery of siRNAs from hMSC to synovial fibroblasts. We found that co-culture of hMSCs-shRNA-ADAMTS5 and synovial fibroblasts reduced ADAMTS5 expression relative to co-culture of hMSCs-shRNA-control and synovial fibroblasts. Furthermore, ADAMTS5 was specifically reduced in the synovial fibroblasts populations as determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, suggesting transfer of the siRNA between cells. To test if Cx43-containing gap junctions are involved in the transfer of siRNA, we co-cultured hMSCs-shRNA-ADAMTS5 cells with synovial fibroblasts in which connexin43 was knocked down. Under these conditions, ADAMTS5 levels were not inhibited by co-culture, indicating that connexin43 mediates the delivery of siRNA from hMSCs to synovial fibroblasts. In total, our findings demonstrate that hMSCs can function as donor cells to host and deliver siRNAs to synovial fibroblasts via connexin43 gap junction in vitro. These data may have implications in the combination of hMSCs and gene therapy to treat diseases like osteoarthritis, in vivo.
Quantifying landscape morphology influence on peatland lateral expansion using ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) and peat core analysis

[1] Northern peatlands contain vast amounts of organic carbon. Large-scale datasets have documented spatial patterns of peatland initiation as well as vertical peat accumulation rates. However, the rate, pattern, and timing of lateral expansion across the northern landscape remain largely unknown. As peatland lateral extent is a key boundary condition constraining the dynamics of peatland systems, understanding this process is essential. Here we use ground penetrating radar (GPR) and peat core analysis to study the effect of local slope and topography on peatland development at a site in south-central Alaska. The study site is unique in that a thick tephra (volcanic ash) layer, visible in the GPR data, interrupted the peatland development for about one thousand years during the mid Holocene. In our analysis, this tephra layer serves as a re-initiation point for peatland development. By comparing the initial mineral basin vs. the post-tephra surfaces, the influence of topography and slope on peatland expansion rate and peat-carbon sequestration was analyzed. Our results show that (1) peatland surface slope becomes progressively shallower over the Holocene, (2) slope affects peatland lateral expansion nonlinearly, (3) the relationship between lateral expansion rate and slope follows a power-law behavior, and (4) peatland expansion becomes slope-limited above a threshold (0.5°). Furthermore, we propose a conceptual model linking slope to peatland lateral expansion where slope gradient and basin topography exert deterministic controls on peatland lateral expansion directly or through hydrology and vertical accumulation rates.
Social Equality and the Mobilization of the Law

Sociolegal scholars refer to the invocation of law or rules during a dispute as the mobilization of law. Most studies of the mobilization of law focus on the mobilization of law by people in non-official capacities, particularly by persons of relatively low social status or in positions of social disadvantage. Early studies debated the effectiveness of court-centered strategies for social justice, examining whether real social change could be achieved through formal judicial means. Scholars now largely agree that law can be effectively mobilized for social change through both direct formal legal action and the indirect radiating effects of legal mobilization. This is because the influence of law goes beyond the courtroom; rights consciousness and legal mobilization help to transform culture and understandings of social status and power. Currently scholars are turning their attention to the mobilization of law within organizations such as schools and workplaces and the mobilization of rights talk and justice talk in unofficial arenas domestically and internationally.
Effectiveness of subject specific instruction on mu-based brain-computer interface training

Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology is a growing field, becoming a more viable aid for individuals who have lost voluntary motor control. The mu rhythm, a sensorimotor rhythm that is suppressed when one imagines motor activity (Event Related Desychronization [ERD]), has been particularly utilized in BCIs because of its potential for diverse applications. This study aimed to improve participants' BCI performance by giving them specific instructions for imagine motor behavior to improve their control over sustained mu power. Participants were provided with instructions that were either non-specific (NS), specific (SP), or participant specific (PS) to imagine motor behavior. The ability to control the strength of the mu rhythm was studied by using a simple feedback based paradigm and a novel BCI targeting game. The results showed that utilizing specific instructions for mu-based BCI systems can lead to decreased training time, increased BCI literacy, and enhanced control over mu-based BCI devices. These results suggest that instruction type can make mu-based BCI devices more accessible to individuals with impaired motor behavior.
Adolescents' perceptions of maternal disapproval of sex: relationship to sexual outcomes.

Abstract Purpose: To examine the relationship between adolescents' perceptions of maternal abstinence attitudes, adolescent–maternal relationship satisfaction, and the occurrence in the ensuing 12 months of: (a) sexual intercourse, (b) the use of birth control at intercourse, and (c) the occurrence of pregnancy. We also examined the accuracy of adolescents in perceiving the attitudes of their mothers as well as factors that predicted underestimations of these attitudes. Finally, the study evaluated the relative predictive power of adolescent perceptions of maternal abstinence attitudes and the actual maternal abstinence attitudes. Methods: This was a prospective study using a subsample of the Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health database, which is a nationally representative school-based sample. The sample for the present study was approximately 10,000 adolescents in grades 7 to 11 who completed 2 interviews in their homes at a 1-year interval. Mothers of the adolescents were interviewed only during Wave 1. Interviews covered a variety of topics, including adolescent risk behaviors and family relationships. Measures at Wave 1 were used to predict outcomes at Wave 2, employing logistic and multiple regression techniques. Results: Adolescents' perceptions of maternal attitudes toward the adolescents' engaging in sexual intercourse, and adolescent satisfaction with the maternal relationship were predictive of the occurrence of sexual intercourse between Wave 1 and Wave 2, as well as the occurrence of pregnancy. The more disapproving adolescents perceived their mothers to be toward their engaging in sexual intercourse and the more satisfied adolescents were with their relationship with their mothers, the less likely adolescents were to initiate sexual activity or to become pregnant. Only relationship satisfaction was predictive of the use of birth control, such that more satisfied adolescents were more likely to use birth control at their most recent intercourse. The correlation between adolescent perceptions of maternal abstinence attitudes and actual maternal attitudes was .26. Adolescent perceptions of maternal attitudes tended to be a more consistent predictor of outcomes than actual maternal attitudes. Conclusions: The results are consistent with a growing body of literature that suggests the importance of adolescents' perceptions of maternal attitudes in determining sexual risk behaviors. Adolescents may misperceive the attitudes of parents, suggesting the need for communication between parent and teen.
Naming of the Waves in the ECG With a Brief Account of Their Genesis

To the Editor: We want to compliment Dr Hurst for his excellent article, “Naming of the Waves in the ECG With a Brief Account of Their Genesis,”1 but we would like to make a few comments. In “Proceedings of the Symposium on Developments in Electrocardiography, 1927 to 1977,”2 G.E. Burch from Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans wrote this about the history of precordial leads in electrocardiography: “The complexes …
Low, rather than high, body mass index confers increased risk for post-liver transplant death and graft loss: Risk modulated by model for end-stage liver disease

With increasing attention being paid to optimizing patient outcomes, it has been proposed that liver transplantation (LT) for individuals with elevated body mass index (BMI) values and high Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores may adversely affect post-LT outcomes. We investigated the impact of BMI on post-LT outcomes in the context of MELD at LT. Using United Network for Organ Sharing data, we identified all adult (≥ 18 years) primary LT recipients from March 1, 2002 to September 30, 2011. BMI categories included the following: underweight, normal, overweight, class I obese, class II obese, and class III obese (<18.5; 18.5-24.9; 25-29.9; 30-34.9; 35-39.9; ≥ 40 kg/m(2), respectively). One-year post-LT death and graft loss were modeled using Cox regression, including interactions between BMI and MELD. A total of 45,551 adult recipients were identified: 68% male; median (interquartile range [IQR]) age 55 years (IQR, 49-60 years); MELD, 19 (IQR, 13-26); and donor risk index, 1.39 (IQR, 1.12-1.69). Representations in the BMI categories were underweight (n = 863, 2%), normal (n = 13,262, 29%), overweight (n = 16,329, 36%), class I obese (n = 9639, 21%), class II obese (n = 4062, 9%), and class III obese (n = 1396, 3%). In adjusted analyses, elevated BMI was not associated with increased risk for death or graft loss. Among the underweight, there were significant interactions between BMI and MELD with respect to death (P = 0.02) and graft loss (P = 0.01), with significantly increased risks for death (hazard ratio [HR], 1.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38-2.09; P = 0.006) and graft loss (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.21-1.74; P = 0.02) among those with low MELD (≤ 26), compared to normal BMI recipients with low MELD. In conclusion, overweight and obese LT recipients do not have increased risk of death or graft loss regardless of MELD. Underweight patients are at increased risk for poor outcomes post-LT, specifically underweight recipients with low MELD have increased risk for death and graft loss. Mechanisms underlying this phenomenon warrant further investigation.
Myocardial infarction and unusual myocardial degeneration in Marfan's syndrome: With dissection of the right coronary artery and aorta∗

Abstract Clinical and necropsy data of a 19 year old boy who had Marfan's syndrome and dissecting aneurysm of the aorta and the right coronary artery are presented. A thrombus distal to the dissected right coronary lumen resulted in a large myocardial infarction. The immediate cause of death was a massive hemopericardium. Chronic intimai proliferation in the proximal right coronary artery was believed to be the cause of an unusual myocardial degeneration seen through diffuse areas of heart muscle.
Temporal gain and energy density profiles for a carbon dioxide laser beam amplifier

The four-temperature kinetic model of Harrach and Einwohner is used to study the performance of a carbon dioxide electron-beam initiated laser amplifier. The model takes into account the effect of adding nitrogen and helium gases, radiation terms and the temperature dependence of vibrational energy transfer rates. Based on this model, a program was written in automatic continuous simulation language (ACSL), to solve the non-linear differential equations, and hence predict certain characteristics of the laser amplifier. The parameters that are varied for the purpose of this investigation are the overall pressure, electric field to neutral particle density (E/N) ratio, gas admixtures and the time duration of the high energy electron beam. The influence the above parameters have on the optical gain and energy density of the laser amplifier is of primary interest to this investigation. If is found that the overall pressure, E/N ratio, and the different gas admixtures have a profound effect on the energy density and gain profiles while the time duration of the electron beam does not. >
Development of an Approach for Estimating Usual Nutrient Intake Distributions at the Population Level

Assessment of the dietary intake of a population must consider the large within-person variation in daily intakes. A 1986 report by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), commissioned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), marked an important milestone in the history of this issue. Since that time, USDA has been working cooperatively with statisticians at Iowa State University (ISU), who have further developed the measurement error model approach proposed by NAS. The method developed by the ISU statisticians can be used to estimate usual dietary intake distributions for a population but not for specific individuals. It is based on the assumption that an individual can more accurately recall and describe the foods eaten yesterday than foods eaten at an earlier time. The method requires as few as two independent days of nutrient intake information or three consecutive days for at least a subsample of the individuals. It removes biases of subsequent reporting days compared with the first day, and temporal effects such as day-of-the-week and seasonal effects can be easily removed. The method developed at ISU is described conceptually and applied to data collected in the 1989-91 USDA Continuing Survey of Food intakes by individuals to estimate the proportion of men and women age 20 y and older having "usual" (long-run average) intakes below 30% of energy from fat, below the 1989 Recommended Dietary Allowances for vitamin A and folate, and above 1000 micrograms for folate. These results were compared with the results from the distributions of 1-d intakes and of 3-d mean intakes to demonstrate the effect of within-person variation and asymmetry on usual nutrient intakes in a population.
Better late than never: the perceived benefits of smoking cessation among women in late midlife.

The current study examined the association of smoking cessation (≥1 year without relapse) and self-reported psychosocial and physical outcomes among a community sample of women (N = 195; mean age = 63.7 years, SD = 5.7 years). Data were collected in 1985–1986 and 2009. Successful smoking cessation for ≥1 year was significantly associated with each of the outcome measures (e.g., less financial stress [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.50; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.25–1.00, P< 0.05), less life dissatisfaction (AOR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.24–1.09, P< 0.05). Findings suggest that older women should be included in smoking cessation programs, and the important benefits of quitting should be used to encourage cessation.