cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MAXPLAN: a new approach to probabilistic planning

Classical artificial intelligence planning techniques can operate in large domains but traditionally assume a deterministic universe. Operations research planning techniques can operate in probabilistic domains but break when the domains approach realistic sizes, MAX-PLAN is a new probabilistic planning technique that aims at combining the best of these two worlds, MAX-PLAN converts a planning instance into an E-MAJSAT instance, and then draws on techniques from Boolean satisfiability and dynamic programming to solve the E-MAJSAT instance. E-MAJSAT is an NPPP-complete problem that is essentially a probabilistic version of SAT. MAXPLAN performs as much as an order of magnitude better on some standard stochastic test problems than BURIDAN—a state-of-the-art probabilistic planner—and scales better on one test problem than two algorithms based on dynamic programming.
Pulmonary Carcinogenesis by Two Aryl Hydrocarbons on Three Mouse Strains

A current concept that related the susceptibility to polycyclic hydrocarbon carcinogenesis to the inducible aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) was tested with benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) in 3 mouse strains. The carcinogens were suspended in a gelatin solution and instilled intratracheally into the lungs of mice. The C57BL/6J strain represented highly inducible AHH, the random — bred NIH-Swiss/Mai represented variable induction, and the DBA/2J strain represented low induction of AHH. The 3-MC was more carcinogenic and toxic than BaP to the NIH-Swiss/Mai and C57BL/6J, but had a less toxic effect on the DBA/2J mice. Papillary adenoma was the predominent neoplasm detected in all the lungs. The NIH-Swiss/Mai mice had the highest total lung tumor incidence and the C57BL/6J the lowest. The effective cumulative carcinogenic dose of 3-MC appeared to be 2 mg. All mice were equally resistant to pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma induction by both chemicals regardless of their hepatic AHH activities. The 3-MC induced only a small percentage of this malignancy in the young adults in the 3 strains, but produced a higher incidence in the mature C57BL/6J mice. The results of both the carcinogenesis and the lung clearance rates of the carcinogens in this study suggested 2 possible explanations: a) in the mouse, AHH of the target tissue may be a more reliable indicator than that of the hepatic AHH of susceptibility to polycyclic hydrocarbon carcinogenesis; b) the AHH system may play a subordinate role to genetic, physiologic or viral contribution to tumor formation.
Effects of delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol on drug distribution and metabolism Antipyrine, pentobarbital, and ethanol

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been reported to inhibit drug metabolism in animals. Twenty-two hospitalized healthy volunteer subjects received THC, 60 to 180 mg/day in divided doses for 14 days. Body weight increased and plasma proteins decreased in all subjects, which is consistent with previously reported plasma volume expansion. Total bilirubin was significantly lower, while other liver function tests remained normal. A within-subject comparison of the pharmacokinetics of antipyrine, pentobarbital, or ethanol given before, during, and after THC was performed. Antipyrine plasma half-life increased during THC in 5 of 6 subjects--mean, 7.9 hr +/- 3.3 (SD) to 9.6 +/- 3.8. Pentobarbital half-life increased in 7 of 8 subjects--mean, 16.9 hr +/- 2.0 to 20.8 +/- 4.2. Blood ethanol disappearance rate decreased in 7 of 8 subjects from a mean of 0.26 mg/100 ml/min +/- 0.05 to 0.23 +/- 0.07. The effect of THC on disappearance rate of these drugs appeared to be due to a combination of: (1) increased distribution volume, due in part to expansion of extracellular fluid volume noted during THC ingestion, and (2) diminished metabolic clearance. THC also delayed absorption of pentobarbital and ethanol in several subjects. This is consistent with THC effects of slowing intestinal motility in animals. The effects of THC on absorption and drug elimination must be considered in evaluating interactions with other drugs.
Automatic tag recommendation for software development video tutorials

Software development video tutorials are emerging as a new resource for developers to support their information needs. However, when trying to find the right video to watch for a task at hand, developers have little information at their disposal to quickly decide if they found the right video or not. This can lead to missing the best tutorials or wasting time watching irrelevant ones. Other external sources of information for developers, such as StackOverflow, have benefited from the existence of informative tags, which help developers to quickly gauge the relevance of posts and find related ones. We argue that the same is valid also for videos and propose the first set of approaches to automatically generate tags describing the contents of software development video tutorials. We investigate seven tagging approaches for this purpose, some using information retrieval techniques and leveraging only the information in the videos, others relying on external sources of information, such as StackOverflow, as well as two out-of-the-box commercial video tagging approaches. We evaluated 19 different configurations of these tagging approaches and the results of a user study showed that some of the information retrieval-based approaches performed the best and were able to recommend tags that developers consider relevant for describing programming videos.
Trends 10 years after burn injury: A Burn Model System National Database study.

Abstract Background The Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief (BSHS-B) evaluates 9 aspects of health and has been validated globally. Existing reports typically focus on outcomes shortly after injury. The purpose of this study is to determine whether quality of life remains a concern for burn survivors ten years after-injury. Methods Cross sectional data of survivors admitted from 1994 to 2006 to four US burn centers were collected in the Burn Model System National Database 10 years after injury. Responses to the items in the nine BSHS-B domains range from 0 to 4. Lower scores indicating poorer quality of life. Median scores are reported and differences were compared using Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test. Results Ten-year survivor injury characteristics suggest a moderate severity of injury. Survivors scored lower in heat sensitivity, affect, body image, and work (median = 3.2, 3.6, 2.8, and 3.6, respectively). Affect, body image, and interpersonal scores were significantly lower for females (median = 3.1, 2.8, 3.8, respectively) than males [median = 3.6, 3.3, 4, respectively (p = 0.008, 0.004, 0.022, respectively)]. Conclusions Our results suggest certain domains of burn specific health benefit from support at 10 years after injury, and select populations such as females may necessitate additional treatment to restore burn-specific health. These results support that burn injuries represent a chronic condition and long-term medical and psychosocial support may benefit burn survivor recovery.
Regulatory Perspectives on Risk-Informed Inservice Testing

In this paper, we review the various regulatory mechanisms that are available to licensees today for risk-informing their IST programs and that are acceptable to the NRC staff. These mechanisms have all been available for a decade or more, but have seen little interest or use.Paper published with permission.Compilation Copyright © 2019 ASME
Analysis of Electronic Cigarette-Related Injury Presenting to U.S. Emergency Departments, 2008-2017.

Abstract Background Several types of injuries associated with electronic cigarette malfunction have been reported in the literature since their introduction to the U.S. market in 2007. The traumatic consequences of electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) malfunction remain an under-researched topic. Objectives Using information from a national database of emergency department (ED) visits, we sought to characterize the nature and frequency of ENDS injuries over a 10-year study period. Methods Archived information from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System was accessed for the years 2008 to 2017. Incidents related to ENDS-related trauma were manually identified. Data extracted included patient demographics, injury type and location, and patient disposition. Results A total of 49 incidents were recorded during the years 2008 to 2017, including 18 cases in 2017, 25 cases in 2016, five cases in 2015, and one case in 2013. There were no identified ED visits for an e-cigarette-related burn or explosion prior to 2013. Using statistical weights, the estimated annual national incidence is 835 cases. Most of the injuries were thermal burns. The primary location of injury was in the lower extremity, followed by the upper extremity and hand. Conclusions Our study demonstrates a significant increase in the number of ENDS-related injuries over the study period, particularly in males under the age of 45 years. This rise mirrors the growth of the ENDS market and this trend can be expected to continue. As the use of ENDS is expected to increase, physicians should become familiar with the nature of associated injuries.
Structural insights into the role of the N-terminus in the activation and function of extracellular serine protease from Staphylococcus epidermidis

Extracellular serine protease (Esp) from Staphylococcus epidermidis is a glutamyl endopeptidase that inhibits the growth and formation of S. aureus biofilms. Previously, crystal structures of the matured and active Esp have been determined. Interestingly, many of the staphylococcal glutamyl endopeptidase zymogens, including V8 from Staphylococcus aureus and Esp from S. epidermidis, contain unusually long pro-peptide segments; however, their function is not known. With the aim of elucidating the function of these pro-peptide segments, crystal structures of the Esp zymogen (Pro-Esp) and its variants were determined. It was observed that the N-terminus of the Pro-Esp crystal structure is flexible and is not associated with the main body of the enzyme, unlike in the known active Esp structure. In addition, the loops that border the putative substrate-binding pocket of Pro-Esp are flexible and disordered; the structural components that are responsible for enzyme specificity and efficiency in serine proteases are disordered in Pro-Esp. However, the N-terminal locked Pro-Esp variants exhibit a rigid substrate-binding pocket similar to the active Esp structure and regain activity. These structural studies highlight the role of the N-terminus in stabilizing the structural components responsible for the activity and specificity of staphylococcal glutamyl endopeptidases.
Resource utilization across the continuum of HIV care: An emergency department-based cohort study

Abstract Background The objective of this study was to determine the healthcare resource utilization for people living with HIV (PLWH) presenting to the emergency department (ED) across the HIV Care Continuum. Methods This prospective study enrolled PLWH presenting to an urban ED between June 2016 and March 2017. Subjects were categorized as being linked to care, retained in care, on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and virally suppressed ( Results Overall, 94.3% of 159 enrollees had been linked to care, 75.5% retained in care, 81.1% on ART, and 62.8% virally suppressed. Compared to the general population of the city and of the ED, participants had a higher ED visit rate (3.0 v. 1.2 visits per person-per year) in the past two years, a higher median duration of ED stay (12.6 v. 7.6 h), and a higher hospital admission rate (36.5% v. 24.9%) during their index ED visit. Viral suppression was negatively associated with admission (OR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.72). Forty-eight (30.2%) participants who had at least eight ED visits in the past two years were more likely to have a diagnosed mental health disorder (79.2% v. 62.2%, p=0.036). Conclusions Our results showed that PLWH use more ED resources than the general population and a better engagement in HIV care is linked to lesser ED resource utilization for PLWH, indicating the importance of improved HIV care engagement in healthcare utilization management.
Southern Highbush Blueberry Cultivars from the University of Florida

Southern highbush blueberries combine the fruit quality and productivity of highbush blueberries with the low chilling requirement necessary to produce a crop in the Florida climate. Written by J. G. Williamson, D. A. Phillips, P. M. Lyrene, and P. R. Munoz and published by the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department, this 13-page major revision describes current and historical southern highbush blueberry cultivars released by the University of Florida. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1245
PCS: A Productive Computational Science Platform

As modern supercomputers continue to be increasingly heterogeneous with diverse computational accelerators (graphics processing units (GPUs), fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.), software becomes a critical design aspect. Exploiting this new computational power requires increased software design time and effort to make valuable scientific discovery in the face of the complicated programming environments introduced by these accelerators. To address these challenges, we propose unifying multiple programming models into a single programming environment to facilitate large-scale, accelerator-aware, heterogeneous computing for next-generation scientific applications. This paper presents PCS, a productive computational science platform for cluster-scale heterogeneous computing. Focusing FPGAs, we describe the key concepts of the PCS platform and differentiate PCS from the current state-of-the-art, propose a new multi-FPGA architecture for graph-centric workloads (e.g., deep learning, etc.) with discussions on ongoing work.
English language placement testing at BYU-Hawaii in the time of COVID-19

In this commentary, we describe the English language placement adaptations we were required to make due to the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic. It includes a brief description of our placement test ba...
A Memory Network Information Retrieval Model for Identification of News Misinformation

The speed and volume at which misinformation spreads on social media have motivated efforts to automate fact-checking which begins with stance detection. For fake news stance detection, for example, many classification-based models have been proposed often with high complexity and hand-crafted features. Although these models can achieve high accuracy scores on a targeted small corpus of fake news, few are evaluated on a larger corpus of fake and conspiracy sites due to efficiency limitations and the lack of compatibility with the actual fact-checking process. In this research, we propose a practical two-stage stance detection model that is tailored to the real-life problem. Specifically, we integrate an information retrieval system with an end to end memory network model to sort articles based on their relevance to the claim and then identify the fine-grained stance of each relevant article towards its given claim. We evaluate our model on the Fake News Challenge dataset. The results show that the performance of our model is comparable to those of the state-of-the-art models, average weighted accuracy of 82.1, while it closely follows the real-life process of fact-checking. We also validate our model with a large dataset from a real-life fact-checking website, and the findings demonstrate
A simulation-based evaluation of management actions to reduce the risk of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) to walleye in the Great Lakes Basin.

Abstract Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are ubiquitous, present in complex chemical mixtures, and represent a threat to the Great Lake ecosystem. Mitigation strategies are needed to protect populations of key species, but knowledge about ecological and biological effects of CECs at the population level are limited. In this study, we combined laboratory data on CEC effects at the individual-level with in-situ CEC concentration data in a walleye (Sander vitreus) population model to simulate the effectiveness of different CEC mitigation strategies in the Maumee River and Lake Erie. We compared the effectiveness of moderate mitigation (50% reduction in exposure level) of an entire watershed versus intensive mitigation (reduction of exposure to a level that does not affect walleye) of single river sites for three CEC mixture scenarios (agricultural, urban, and combined). We also explored the impact of hypothetical chemical toxicokinetics (the time course of chemicals in walleye) on the relative effectiveness of the mitigation strategies. Our results suggest that when CECs impact fecundity, single-site mitigation is more effective when it focuses on spawning sites and nearby downstream sites that are substantially impaired. Our simulations also suggest that chemical toxicokinetics are important when evaluating single-site mitigation strategies, but that population characteristics, such as stage-specific mortality rate, are more important when evaluating watershed mitigation strategies. Results can be used to guide fisheries management, such as choosing habitat restoration sites, and identify key knowledge gaps that direct future research and monitoring.
Identification and Treatment of Addiction in Medicaid Health Homes.

Objective: Coordinated care models, such as the Medicaid health home, may be well positioned to identify and address addiction, yet little is known about the strategies health home plans use to ide...
A Case Report of Kratom-Induced Psychosis.

This case report details a patient with a complex medical history who was brought for psychiatric evaluation. An abrupt switch in Kratom use patterns was identified as the most likely causative factor of his symptoms. Adrenal insufficiency and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were considered both in the differential and potential confounding factors in his presentation. This paper discusses current Kratom use trends in the United States, the drug's legal status, and the common reasons patients may use it. Additionally, research gaps regarding the safety and efficacy of Kratom's use for self-medication are addressed.
Dynamic Platform Competition with Malicious Users

Many software products and information technology services are mediated by platforms. Often these platforms feature the simultaneous occurrence of both positive and negative network externalities, e.g., the most popular operating systems are the most attractive platforms for both application developers and hackers alike. In this context, consumers experience a negative network externality in the form of an increased probability of cyber attack (which the platform developer can mitigate by promptly issuing patches, a costly activity) and a positive network externality stemming from increased variety of compatible applications. In this paper, we analyze the interplay between market structure and the provision of quality (in the form of security) by platform developers. The analysis of a differential game model of duopolistic competition by platform developers indicates that the long-run market structure is dependent on the degree to which hackers react to market share asymmetries. When the dominant platform attracts almost the entire hacking activity, the industry evolves toward a less-concentrated market structure even though the net network effect is positive. Conversely, when hacking activity is less sensitive to market share asymmetries, the equilibrium long-run market structure is asymmetric. The degree of asymmetry in long-run equilibrium market shares is decreasing with the increasing hacker sensitivity to market dominance.
Race, Rights, and the Thirteenth Amendment: Defining the Badges and Incidents of Slavery

The Supreme Court has held that the Thirteenth Amendment prohibits slavery or involuntary servitude and also empowers Congress to end any lingering "badges and incidents of slavery." The Court, however, has failed to provide any guidance as to defining the badges and incidents of slavery when Congress has failed to identify a condition or form of discrimination as such. This has led the lower courts to conclude that the judiciary's role under the Thirteenth Amendment is limited to enforcing only the Amendment's prohibition of literal enslavement. This article has two primary objectives. First, it offers an interpretive framework for defining the badges and incidents of slavery that is true to both the Amendment's drafters' original purposes and that can also serve as a vibrant remedy for the legacies of slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment should neither be construed as a dead letter whose purpose was served with the removal of the freedmen's bonds nor as a limitless remedy for all forms of discrimination. Rather, the Amendment must be interpreted in an evolutionary manner, but with specific regard to the experience of the victims of human bondage in the United States (i.e., African-Americans) and the destructive effects that the system of slavery had upon American society, laws, and customs. Second, this Article explains that the judiciary has concurrent power with Congress to define and offer redress for the badges and incidents of slavery. Limiting the Amendment, in the absence of Congressional action, to literal enslavement ignores the Amendment's Framers' expressed original intent that the Amendment itself would eliminate all lingering vestiges of the slave system. Furthermore, such an interpretation violates separation of powers principles by imputing to Congress the ability to legislate under the Amendment's Enforcement Clause against conditions that purportedly do not in any way violate the Amendment itself. Even in the absence of Congressional action, the judiciary should enforce the Thirteenth Amendment's promise to eliminate the badges or incidents of slavery.
Using the web as a collaborative tool

This paper describes how the Internet was used as a collaborative tool in a "real-world" website development project, a group project assigned to students taking an Advanced Computer Applications course. Students worked collaboratively in small groups and coordinated with area businesses, both in person and online, to develop interactive websites for the businesses. The ability to temporarily publish the websites to the university's E-learning server meant that students could work on the project at their convenience and the corresponding businesses were able to review the websites and test the interactive forms at their convenience. E-mail also provided a means of communication among group members, as well as between groups and the corresponding organizations for which the groups were developing websites.As the websites were developed, the sponsoring organizations were asked to provide keywords, words that clients would be expected to use in a search for their type of organization or products and services, as well as a short, one-sentence description of the organization. These were sent to the students via e-mail and the students incorporated the keywords and description into the website through the use of META tags. When the websites were approved by the sponsoring organizations, they were published to actual sites and the sites were submitted to search engines. The students also incorporated interactive forms into the websites, thus allowing the organizations to use the Web to communicate with customers and potential clients. As the world becomes more global in nature, the ability to communicate and collaborate without regard to time or place becomes increasingly important. The Web is an inexpensive and easily accessible tool that can be used effectively to enhance collaborative efforts, in both educational applications and commercial and service settings, especially when schedules or logistics are such that in-person meetings are difficult, if not impossible.
"Well I Got a Few of My Own": Therapists' Reactions to Attraction, Sex, and Love in Psychotherapy

This article serves as an introduction to this issue of the journal on sex, love, intimacy, and attraction in psychotherapy, with a particular emphasis on therapists' reactions to these subjects. A common theme throughout this special issue is that such topics are natural, common, challenging, and potentially dangerous. I call attention to a few of the highlights of each of the articles in the issue, and I offer suggestions on how therapists might effectively manage their own reactions to these challenging topics.
ABI domain‐containing proteins contribute to surface protein display and cell division in Staphylococcus aureus

The human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus requires cell wall anchored surface proteins to cause disease. During cell division, surface proteins with YSIRK signal peptides are secreted into the cross-wall, a layer of newly synthesized peptidoglycan between separating daughter cells. The molecular determinants for the trafficking of surface proteins are, however, still unknown. We screened mutants with non-redundant transposon insertions by fluorescence-activated cell sorting for reduced deposition of protein A (SpA) into the staphylococcal envelope. Three mutants, each of which harboured transposon insertions in genes for transmembrane proteins, displayed greatly reduced envelope abundance of SpA and surface proteins with YSIRK signal peptides. Characterization of the corresponding mutations identified three transmembrane proteins with abortive infectivity (ABI) domains, elements first described in lactococci for their role in phage exclusion. Mutations in genes for ABI domain proteins, designated spdA, spdB and spdC (surface protein display), diminish the expression of surface proteins with YSIRK signal peptides, but not of precursor proteins with conventional signal peptides. spdA, spdB and spdC mutants display an increase in the thickness of cross-walls and in the relative abundance of staphylococci with cross-walls, suggesting that spd mutations may represent a possible link between staphylococcal cell division and protein secretion.
Infectious disease in animal metapopulations: the importance of environmental transmission

Motivated by an array of infectious diseases that threaten wildlife populations, a simple metapopulation model (subpopulations connected by animal movement) is developed, which allows for both movement-based and environmental transmission. The model demonstrates that for a range of plausible parameterizations of environmental transmission, increased movement rate of animals between discrete habitats can lead to a decrease in the overall proportion of sites that are occupied. This can limit the ability of the rescue effect to ensure locally extinct populations become recolonized and can drive metapopulations down in size so that extinction by mechanisms other than disease may become more likely. It further highlights that, in the context of environmental transmission, the environmental persistence time of pathogens and the probability of acquiring infection by environmental transmission can affect host metapopulations both qualitatively and quantitatively. Additional spillover sources of infection from alternate reservoir hosts are also included in the model and a synthesis of all three types of transmission, acting alone or in combination, is performed revealing that movement-based transmission is the only necessary condition for a decline in the proportion of occupied sites with increasing movement rate, but that the presence of other types of transmission can reverse this qualitative result. By including the previously neglected role of environmental transmission, this work contributes to the general discussion of when dispersal by wild animals is beneficial or detrimental to populations experiencing infectious disease.
Electromagnetic Transitions Between μ Meson and Electron

The existence of the ordinary mu decay, mu yields e + nu + nu (bar), seems to prove that the muon andd electron do not differ in any quantum numbers. It follows that weak electromagnetic transitions between muons and electrons could oecurs if there is a mechanism to produce them. The purpose of this effort is to discuss phenomenologically (without attachment to any specific mechanism other kinds of electromagnetic transitions between muon and electron that may be possible even if mu yields e + gamma is somewhat suppressed. (A.C.)
WE‐D‐M100J‐06: Hypofractionation Results in a Decrease in Tumor Cell Killing Compared to Standard Fractionation as a Result of Tumor Hypoxia

Purpose:Tumor hypoxia has been observed in many human cancers and has been shown to correlate with treatment failure in radiotherapy. The purpose of this study is to quantify the effect of radiation fractionation on tumor cell killing assuming a realistic distribution of tumor oxygenation and full reoxygenation between fractions. The sensitivity of the results to variations in the radiobiologically hypoxic fraction, the dose per fraction, and tumor cell intrinsic radiosensitivity is evaluated. Method and Materials: A probability density function for the partial pressure of oxygen in a tumor cell population is quantified as a function of radial distance from the capillary wall. Estimates of the oxygen partial pressures for subpopulations of tumor cells are used to determine the corresponding oxygen enhancement ratios (OERs) for cell killing. The overall surviving fraction of a tumor cell population consisting of maximally resistant cells, cells at intermediate levels of hypoxia, and well‐oxygenated cells is calculated as a function of dose per fraction for an equivalent tumor biological effective dose (BED). Results: Our model predicts that tumor cell killing decreases by a factor of 105 over a radial distance of 130 μm assuming a partial oxygen pressure of 60 mmHg at the capillary wall. For head and neck (α/β = 10 Gy) and prostate (α/β = 3.0 Gy) cancer, the surviving fraction of cells over a full treatment course increases by a factor of 103 as the dose per fraction is increased from 1–24 Gy and 1–18 Gy, respectively. The total dose delivered for each dose per fraction is calculated to achieve equivalent tumor BED values for reference head and neck and prostate treatments.Conclusion: Hypofractionation of a radiotherapy regimen results in reduced tumor cell killing compared to conventional fractionation for tumors with regions of hypoxia.
A processable prepolymer for the preparation of a stable conductive polymer

We recently reported1 the synthesis and polymerization of a completely conjugated acetylene terminated prepolymer into an intrinsically conducting organic polymer. Although this polymer exhibited high thermal and environmental stability, its processing window, i.e., the temperature at which it melted vs. the temperature of the highly exothermic cure, was narrow. We now report the synthesis and polymerization of an isomer of this acetylene terminated material. This change in structure resulted in a 63°C decrease in the melting point (87 vs. 150°C) that provides a more than adequate liquid range between melting and the on-set of curing. Along with the greatly improved processing, this isomer results in an intrinsically conducting, thermally and oxidatively stable polymer equivalent to the original material.
Nonlinear optical molecular imaging enables metabolic redox sensing in tissue-engineered constructs

Tissue-engineered constructs require noninvasive monitoring of cellular viability prior to implantation. In a preclinical study on human Ex Vivo Produced Oral Mucosa Equivalent (EVPOME) constructs, nonlinear optical molecular imaging was employed to extract morphological and functional information from intact constructs. Multiphoton excitation fluorescence images were acquired using endogenous fluorescence from cellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate [NAD(P)H] and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). The images were analyzed to report quantitatively on tissue structure and metabolism (redox ratio). Both thickness variations over time and cell distribution variations with depth were identified, while changes in redox were quantified. Our results show that nonlinear optical molecular imaging has the potential to visualize and quantitatively monitor the growth and viability of a tissue-engineered construct over time. (110 words)
Analysis of Bearing Incidents in Aircraft Gas Turbine Mainshaft Bearings

An examination of approximately 200 bearing incidents in current aircraft engines has shown that damage in the bearing is initiated at the surface. Twenty-one cases were studied in detail, and five typical incidents are presented here. The initial damage was produced by abrasive particles, dents, grinding scores, skidding, large carbides and corrosion pits. The first phase of the failure mechanism appeared to be by peeling, where microscopic regions about 0.13 mm (0.005 in) were removed from the surface, and the peels eventually developed into spalls. These mechanisms of failure are a consequence of the partial EHD lubrication utilized in these bearings, and the consequent sharing of the load by the asperities and the EHD film. Failures of this type were reproduced in lest bearings run under typical engine conditions, and these tests were used to study the peeling mechanism. Techniques for the minimization of surface-initiated fatigue are also discussed. Presented at the 45th Annual Meeting In Denver, Col...
Misoprostol for treatment of early pregnancy failure in women with previous uterine surgery.

Objective Misoprostol use in early pregnancy may incur a risk of uterine rupture in women with previous uterine surgery. Study Design We analyzed 488 women who received misoprostol 800 μg vaginally in a study that evaluated medical and surgical management of early pregnancy failure. Subjects received a repeat misoprostol dose if expulsion was not confirmed 2 days after treatment. We compared efficacy, acceptability, and safety in subjects with a history (n = 78 women) or absence (n = 410 women) of uterine surgery, defined as cesarean delivery or myomectomy. Results Expulsion rates after a single misoprostol dose (69% vs 72%; P = .64) and overall success at 30 days (82% vs 85%; P = .50) were comparable. Pain, bleeding, complications, and acceptability did not differ. No uterine ruptures occurred (95% CI, 0, 3.8%). Conclusion Misoprostol treatment for early pregnancy failure had similar success, acceptability, and complications in women with and without previous uterine surgery.
Reduction of Cr(VI) under Acidic Conditions by the Facultative Fe(III)-Reducing Bacterium Acidiphilium cryptum

The potential for biological reduction of Cr(VI) under acidic conditions was evaluated with the acidophilic, facultatively metal-reducing bacterium Acidiphilium cryptum strain JF-5 to explore the role of acidophilic microorganisms in the Cr cycle in low-pH environments. An anaerobic suspension of washed A. cryptum cells rapidly reduced 50 microM Cr(VI) at pH 3.2; biological reduction was detected from pH 1.7-4.7. The reduction product, confirmed by XANES analysis, was entirely Cr(III) that was associated predominantly with the cell biomass (70-80%) with the residual residing in the aqueous phase. Reduction of Cr(VI) showed a pH optimum similar to that for growth and was inhibited by 5 mM HgCl2, suggesting that the reaction was enzyme-mediated. Introduction of O2 into the reaction medium slowed the reduction rate only slightly, whereas soluble Fe(III) (as ferric sulfate) increased the rate dramatically, presumably by the shuttling of electrons from bioreduced Fe(II) to Cr(VI) in a coupled biotic-abiotic cycle. Starved cells could not reduce Cr(VI) when provided as sole electron acceptor, indicating that Cr(VI) reduction is not an energy-conserving process in A. cryptum. We speculate, rather, that Cr(VI) reduction is used here as a detoxification mechanism.
Linear bounds for on-line Steiner problems

We obtain linear upper and lower bounds for the on-line generalized Steiner problem and on-line Steiner problem on a directed graph.
Selective Attrition in a Newly Hostile Regime: The Case of 1980 Sophomores

For every American birth cohort since 1905 social background effects have declined as the cohort moves through the educational system. Pre-1955 birth cohorts pursued schooling during rapid educational expansion and increasing financial support for higher education. In the 1980s, however, tuitions rose sharply and public financial support for higher education declined. This reversal may have increased the relative importance of social background for college entry. Analysis of High School and Beyond 1980 sophomores suggests that in the 1980s social background became more important for college entry than for high school completion. This finding both captures the experience of more recent cohorts and implies that the previous pattern of declining background effects cannot be understood as primarily the result of selective attrition of the disadvantaged
Valproic acid uptake by bovine brain microvessel endothelial cells: role of active efflux transport.

Abstract The basis for low brain permeability of valproic acid (VPA) appears to be the result of efflux transport at the blood–brain barrier (BBB); however, the identity of the putative efflux transporter has not been investigated. The objective of our studies was to determine whether the multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) might be involved in efflux transport of VPA. Brain microvessel endothelial cells (BMEC) were isolated from cow brains and grown to confluence. MRP messenger RNA (mRNA) in BMEC were verified by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Functional activity was demonstrated using the steady-state retention of calcein and MRP inhibitors, indomethacin (IND) and probenecid (PRB). Probenecid (0.50 mM) and indomethacin (10 μM) produced a 26 and 13% (P 3 H -VPA and 30 μM cold VPA. In contrast, at higher concentrations of probenecid (2 mM) and indomethacin (500 μM), an 11 and 31% reduction in VPA uptake was observed. The biphasic pattern of VPA uptake suggested concurrent inhibition of uptake and efflux transporters by the inhibitor with differing sensitivities, i.e. the efflux transporter being more susceptible to inhibition than the influx transporter. Similar results were obtained in the MRP overexpressing cell line A549. Overall, the results suggest that MRP(s) is(are) involved in the efflux transport of VPA, but do not preclude the possible contribution(s) of other organic anion transporters. The findings also adds to the growing evidence that up-regulation of active drug efflux transporters at the BBB may contribute to the development of drug resistance to antiepileptic drug therapy.
Productivity in Educational Psychology Journals from 2003 to 2008.

Abstract Productivity of individuals and institutions in educational psychology journals has been previously examined in three separate studies (Hsieh et al. [Hsieh, P., Acee, T., Chung, W., Hsieh, Y., Kim, H., Thomas, G. D., et al. (2004). An alternate look at educational psychologist’s productivity from 1991 to 2002. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 29 , 333–343]; Smith et al. [Smith, M. C., Locke, S. G., Boisse, S. J., Gallagher, P. A., Krengel, L. E., & Kuczek, J. E., et al. (1998). Productivity of educational psychologists in educational psychology journals, 1991–1996. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 23 , 173–181]; [Smith, M. C., Plant, M., Carney, R. N., Arnold, C. S., Jackson, A., Johnson, L. S., et al. (2003). Further productivity of educational psychologists in educational psychology journals, 1997–2001. Contemporary Educational Psychology , 28 , 422–430.]) spanning the years 1991–2002. The present study updates this literature by examining the same five journals: Cognition and Instruction , Contemporary Educational Psychology , the Educational Psychologist , Educational Psychology Review , and the Journal of Educational Psychology from 2003 to 2008. Individual productivity was calculated by the number of (a) articles published and (b) points based on a formula that considers author position in relation to the number of authors. The University of Maryland and Richard E. Mayer maintained their positions as the top research institution and author, respectively. There was also growth in collaboration as well as international involvement as measured by number of authors.
Susceptibility of Three Groups of Staphylococcus aureus to Newer Antimicrobial Agents

Because of the need for non-β-lactam antimicrobics with antistaphylococcal activity, 14 antimicrobics (3 penicillinase-resistant penicillins, 7 aminocyclitols [5 new], 2 macrolides [1 new], clindamycin, and a new polysaccharide, everninomicin) were tested in vitro for activity against 22 penicillin-susceptible, 51 penicillin-resistant, and 47 methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus . Gentamicin, tobramycin, sisomicin, and verdamicin inhibited almost all strains at concentrations less than 1 μg/ml. The methicillin-resistant strains were as susceptible as other strains to the aminocyclitols and everninomicin. In contrast, many of the methicillin-resistant strains were also resistant to erythromycin, rosamicin, and clindamycin at attainable serum concentrations. The use of the bacterial synthetic amino acid medium, in comparison with Mueller-Hinton broth, resulted in an increase in the observed resistance of methicillin-resistant strains to the penicillinase-resistant semisynthetic penicillins.
Transgenic modeling of interleukin-13 in the lung.

Interleukin (IL)-13 is a key cytokine in asthma pathogenesis. We used constitutive and inducible overexpression transgenic mice to characterize the mechanisms by which IL-13 causes phenotypic alterations in the lung. These studies demonstrated that chemokine receptor-2, transforming growth factor-β1, and IL-11 play an important role in the regulation of inflammation and remodeling in the IL-13-treated lung. The study results also demonstrated that IL-13 induces vascular endothelial growth factor, which causes bronchial circulation neovascularization in the murine airway. Last, it was demonstrated that IL-13 induces adenosine accumulation and that adenosine in turn stimulates IL-13 elaboration. These approaches validated in vivo genetic targets against which therapies can be directed to selectively regulate aspects of the IL-13 phenotype.
MORNING REPORT: COMBINING EDUCATION WITH PATIENT HANDOVER

Introduction: The advent of resident work hour restrictions has challenged us to train residents within a shorter working week, while ensuring continuity of patient care. We instituted morning report (MR) at the University of Virginia primarily as a means to accomplish these objectives. Serendipitously MR has become an integral educational tool for the surgical residents. The rationale for the format and instructional design are discussed in the context of learning theory. Methods: The chief residents as primary stakeholders were strongly encouraged to play a leadership role in designing MR. A facultyled didactic format was rejected because of the importance of focusing on resident team building, and leadership, but poor faculty participation was also an issue. Results: The initial obstacles included timing, and designing the format. Conclusions: MR is an opportunity for residents to exercise and improve their knowledge, leadership, presentation and problem-solving skills. We would hypothesise that the advantages for teaching are many and include that residents are prepared for actual clinical problems in a supportive environment with opportunities for immediate feedback and assessment. Reports of educational effectiveness of MR are mostly anecdotal and further studies are needed to characterise the types of learning and teaching that occur during MR and to document educational effectiveness.
A standard reference system for spatial vectorcardiography. comparison of the equilateral tetrahedron and the frank systems.

Abstract The sVCG was recorded with both the equilateral tetrahedral and Frank reference systems and carefully studied in 450 patients and normal subjects, the hearts of 30 of these patients being studied carefully at autopsy. Ninety of the patients were geriatric, and all of the other patients had organic heart disease. The sVCG recorded with the two systems were remarkably similar in most instances. However, in many patients with heart disease the tetrahedron produced recordings which were more abnormal than those produced with the Frank system. In only one of the group of sVCG studied with wire models did the Frank system provide more clinical assistance than the tetrahedron, but the tetrahedron was more helpful clinically in detecting cardiac disease in many instances. The latter was especially true in the geriatric patients whose electrocardiograms appeared to be even normal in some instances. The study of these 450 people indicates that for practical clinical purposes the equilateral tetrahedral reference system is definitely superior to the Frank system. The technicians found the tetrahedron to be easier to employ. The back electrode was the only other electrode needed when recording the sVCG with the ECG. This back electrode was easy to place reliably and reproducibly. The Frank system was difficult and at times impossible to employ accurately in newborn infants, obese patients with small or large hearts, patients with deformed chests, very ill people, and in postoperative patients with dressings on the chest. The sVCG recorded with the equilateral tetrahedral system in general revealed abnormalities of the heart earlier and with greater disturbance in contour, direction of rotation, and spatial orientation than the sVCG recorded with the Frank system. The Frank system tended to make the contour of the complexes smooth, thus erasing early and definite irregularities and distortions in configuration which were often related to myocardial disease. We strongly advise the use of the equilateral tetrahedron as the standard system for clinical vectorcardiography the world over. Until a simple, easy, reliable, and reproducible reference system such as the equilateral tetrahedron is accepted for general clinical use, vectorcardiography is unlikely to become a useful routine procedure in clinical practice in hospitals, clinics, and physicians' offices.
Different mechanisms control developmental activation of transcription of genes subject to identical hormonal regulation in adult liver.

Abstract Developmental changes in expression of two genes subject to identical hormonal controls in adult liver were examined in livers of fetal and newborn rats. Both mRNA concentrations and transcription of tyrosine aminotransferase were very low throughout gestation and increased sharply at birth. The mRNA of gene 33 (Lee et al., J. Biol. Chem. 260: 16433–16438, 1985) and its transcription were also low in fetal liver until a significant increase occurred just prior to birth, followed by a further increase at birth. In mutant mice carrying a deletion that prevents developmental activation of aminotransferase transcription, that of gene 33 was not affected. The data indicate that different mechanisms control developmental activation of these genes, in contrast to hormonal regulation of their expression.
An investigation of vapor deposited boron rich carbon – a novel graphite-like material – part I: the structure of BCx (C6B) thin films

Abstract A black reflective solid containing boron and carbon was produced via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) at 700°C. The boron concentration in these films was determined to be 17 at.%. X-ray diffraction has shown the interlayer spacing of this novel compound to be similar to that of graphite (d002=0.3384 nm). Identification of 00l and hk0 reflections have also been made using electron diffraction. The BCx films have a microstructure consisting of regions of textured hexagonal platelets with a diameter (La) of ∼25 nm. BCx has no ABAB layer plane registration. This material is identified as pseudo-hexagonal due to the lack of hkl reflections. Modeling of boron rich carbon was undertaken in order to define the nature of defects in these solids. This solid structure is more accurately defined by the stoichiometry – C6B.