cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Virtual reality robotic surgical simulation: An analysis of gynecology trainees

Study Objective To analyze the learning curves of gynecology trainees on several virtual reality da Vinci Skills Simulator exercises. Design Prospective cohort pilot study. Setting Academic hospital-based gynecology training program. Participants Novice robotic surgeons from a gynecology training program. Methods Novice robotic surgeons from an academic gynecology training program completed 10 repetitions of 4 exercises on the da Vinci Skills Simulator: matchboard, ring and rail, suture sponge, and energy switching. Performance metrics measured included time to completion, economy of instrument movement, excessive force, collisions, master workspace range, missed targets, misapplied energy, critical errors, and overall score. Statistical analyses were conducted to define the learning curve for trainees and the optimal number of repetitions for each exercise. Results A total of 34 participants were enrolled, of which 9 were medical students, 22 were residents, and 3 were fellows. There was a significant improvement in performance between the 1st and 10th repetitions across multiple metrics for all exercises. Senior trainees performed the suture exercise significantly faster than the junior trainees during the first and last repetitions (p = 0.004 and p = 0.003, respectively). However, the performance gap between seniors and juniors narrowed significantly by the 10th repetition. The mean number of repetitions required to achieve performance plateau ranged from 6.4 to 9.3. Conclusion Virtual reality robotic simulation improves ability through repetition at all levels of training. Further, a performance plateau may exist during a single training session. Larger studies are needed to further define the most high-yield simulator exercises, the ideal number of repetitions, and recommended intervals between training sessions to improve operative performance.
Variational principle and reaction‐diffusion front speeds in random flows

We summarize recent advances of analyzing Kolmogorov-Petrovsky-Piskunov (KPP) fronts in random compressible and incompressible flows. In particular, a long standing open problem of the existence and characterization of the so called turbulent flame speed is resolved for KPP fronts in space-time random incompressible flows under certain regularity and moment conditions on the flow fields. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Can colors, voices, and images help learners acquire the grammatical gender of German nouns?:

Knowledge of lexical items is arguably the most essential aspect of being able to communicate in a foreign language (Richards, 2000). Many studies have examined effective strategies for retaining the meaning of foreign words, but studies investigating the effectiveness of different methods for the retention of essential grammatical features of those words are unfortunately fewer. This study investigates whether memorizing the gender of German nouns concomitantly to their meaning results in a decreased ability by undergraduate native speakers of English to remember noun meaning, and whether a mnemonic approach to retaining the grammatical gender of German nouns may prove effective. In possibly the largest study of its kind (n = 283), the effectiveness of several mnemonic devices (colors, voices, images, and a combination of these) is also investigated for the retention of noun gender in German. The sole use of images simultaneously coding for noun meaning and gender led to the best observed results, as indicated by scores on two post-tests. The use of images seems to be a promising mnemonic technique for helping learners remember the gender of German nouns, while at the same time not significantly compromising their ability to recall noun meaning. The results of the present study have possible implications for German materials development and teaching, and for computer assisted language learning (CALL) in general.
Pituitary-Testicular Axis Dysfunction in Burned Men

Plasma total testosterone, free testosterone, LH, and sex hormone-binding globulin (testosterone-estradiol-binding globulin) were measured in adult men hospitalized for treatment of burns. Total testosterone was below the normal range in 37 of 41 patients. Free and total testosterone levels declined very rapidly after the burn, remained low for weeks, and rose toward the end of hospitalization, but usually had not reached normal levels at discharge. The more severe the burns, the lower were the testosterone levels. LH levels were below normal during the first 4 days after the burn and remained in the low or mid normal range thereafter. Sex hormone-binding globulin levels were normal or slightly low. The data suggest the presence of a central defect in the release of LH. Large doses of opiate analgesics or an increase in endogenous opiate peptides related to severe persistent pain might be contributing factors to the pituitary-testicular hypofunction found in burned men.
Structural fingerprinting of nanocrystals in the transmission electron microscope

It is well known that nanocrystals cannot be fingerprinted structurally from laboratory based powder X-ray diffraction patterns [1]. Three novel strategies for the structurally identification of nanocrystals in a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) are, therefore, presented. Either a single High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) image or a single Precession Electron Diffractogram (PED) can be employed. The structural identification information is in both cases collected from an individual nanocrystal. PED from fine-grained crystal powders may also be utilized. Automation of the former two strategies shall lead to statistically significant results on ensembles of nanocrystals and is currently in progress. The structural information that can be extracted from a HRTEM image of an approximately 5 to 10 nm thick nanocrystal is the projected reciprocal lattice geometry, the plane symmetry group, and a few structure factor amplitudes and phase angles. While the structure factor amplitudes suffer from dynamical diffraction effects and are in addition modified by the (not precisely known) contrast-transfer function of the objective lens, the structure factor phase angles are remarkably stable against dynamical diffraction effects and slight crystal misorientations [1,2].
A Minimally Invasive Method for Extraction of Sturgeon Oocytes

Abstract Fishery biologists, hatchery personnel, and caviar fishers routinely extract oocytes from sturgeon (Acipenseridae) to determine the stage of maturation by checking egg quality. Typically, oocytes are removed either by inserting a catheter into the oviduct or by making an incision in the body cavity. Both methods can be time-consuming and stressful to the fish. We describe a device to collect mature oocytes from sturgeons quickly and effectively with minimal stress on the fish. The device is made by creating a needle from stainless steel tubing and connecting it to a syringe with polyvinyl chloride tubing. The device is filled with saline solution or water, the needle is inserted into the abdominal wall, and eggs are extracted from the fish. Using this device, an oocyte sample can be collected in less than 30 s. Such sampling leaves a minute wound that heals quickly and does not require suturing. The extractor device can easily be used in the field or hatchery, reduces fish handling time, and mini...
Pomegranate juice decreases amyloid load and improves behavior in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Although there are no proven ways to delay onset or slow progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD), studies suggest that diet can affect risk. Pomegranates contain very high levels of antioxidant polyphenolic substances as compared to other fruits and vegetables. Polyphenols have been shown to be neuroprotective in different model systems. We asked whether dietary supplementation with pomegranate juice (PJ) would influence behavior and AD-like pathology in a transgenic mouse model. Transgenic mice (APPsw/Tg2576) received either PJ or sugar water control from 6 to 12.5months of age. PJ-treated mice learned water maze tasks more quickly and swam faster than controls. Mice treated with PJ had significantly less (∼50%) accumulation of soluble Aβ42 and amyloid deposition in the hippocampus as compared to control mice. These results suggest that further studies to validate and determine the mechanism of these effects, as well as whether substances in PJ may be useful in AD, should be considered.
Recent Developments in Trace Element Metabolism and Function: Role of Metallothionein in Copper and Zinc Metabolism

Metallothionein is a copper- and zinc-bind ing protein present in most, if not all, tissues of higher eukaiyotic species of animals. This reviewfocuses on what is currently known about the characteristics, detection, oc currence, synthesis and turnover of metallothionein, spe cifically in livestock animals. The function of metallothi onein in copper and zinc metabolism, though widely acknowledged, remains controversial. Current evidence in support of a role in the detoxification as well as in the homeostasis of copper and zinc is presented, along with a proposed model summarizing the involvement of me tallothionein in basic cellular metabolism of copper and zinc. Also discussed are potential implications of metal lothionein in animal agriculture. J. Nutr. 119:1062 -1070, 1989.
Effects of Inhibitors and Retarders on Low Temperature Free Radical Crosslinking Polymerization between Styrene and Vinyl Ester Resin

Many composite manufacturing methods are room temperature processes, which require the resins to be cured at low temperatures. Examples are Seemann Composite Resin Infusion Molding Process (SCRIMP)-a vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process, hand lay-up and spray-up. Vinyl ester resins have been widely used in this type of processes because of their versatility as a composite matrix. Low temperature polymerization between styrene and vinyl ester tends to be complex because of the presence of different curing agents. This paper reports on 1) the effects of a promoter (cobalt naphthenate) on the initiation at low temperatures, and 2) the effects of a retarder (2,4-pentanedione) and an inhibitor (1,4-benzoquinone) on the pot life, gel time, and cure kinetics. A differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer were used to investigate the reaction kinetics of vinyl ester resins. The influence of the retarders and inhibitors on the rheological changes of the resin during curing was also studied using a Rheometrics Dynamic Analyzer (RDA).
Molecular weight dependence of the intrinsic viscosity of polymer solutions. II

Intrinsic viscosities of polystyrene and polyisobutylene fractions in good and in “ideal” solvents have been examined from the point of view of their dependence on molecular weight. A compilation of results is presented which covers exceptionally wide ranges, from several thousand to several to million, in molecular weight. The intrinsic viscosity in an “ideal” solvent (i.e., cyclohexane at 34°C. for polystyrene, or benzene at 24° for polyisobutylene) is remarkably well fitted over the molecular weight range cited above by the relation: where K is a constant, independent of molecular weight, for a particular polymer at a given temperature. The molecular expansion factor α3 which applies in good solvents (e.g., toluene for polystyrene and cyclohexane and diisobutylene for polyisobutylene) as calculated from: increases with molecular weight approximately in accordance with the relationship: However, the quantity (α5 − α3)/M1/2 changes appreciably with M in some cases. This is particularly true for molecular weights below 50,000. Results of an examination of the effect of rate of shear on the viscosity of polystyrene in benzene at 25° and in cyclohexane at 34°, and of the intrinsic viscosity-molecular weight relation for polystyrene in benzene at 25°, are reported.
Stem cells and cardiovascular disease.

Several recent discoveries have shifted the paradigm that there is no potential for myocardial regeneration and have fueled enthusiasm for a new frontier in the treatment of cardiovascular disease—stem cells. Fundamental to this emerging field is the cumulative evidence that adult bone marrow stem cells can differentiate into a wide variety of cell types, including cardiac myocytes and endothelial cells. This phenomenon has been termed stem cell plasticity and is the basis for the explosive recent interest in stem cellubased therapies. Directed to cardiovascular disease, stem cell therapy holds the promise of replacing lost heart muscle and enhancing cardiovascular revascularization. Early evidence of the feasibility of stem cell therapy for cardiovascular disease came from a series of animal experiments demonstrating that adult stem cells could become cardiac muscle cells (myogenesis) and participate in the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis and vasculogenesis) in the heart after myocardial infarction. These findings have been rapidly translated to ongoing human trials, but many questions remain. This review focuses on the use of adult bone marrowuderived stem cells for the treatment of ischemic cardiovascular disease and will contrast how far we have come in a short time with how far we still need to go before stem cell therapy becomes routine in cardiovascular medicine.
Evidence-Based Guidelines for Weaning and Discontinuing Ventilatory Support*

2001;120;375-396 Chest Neil R. MacIntyre Medicine and the American College of Critical Care American Association for Respiratory Care; American College of Chest Physicians; the Collective Task Force Facilitated by the Discontinuing Ventilatory Support : A Evidence-Based Guidelines for Weaning and http://chestjournal.org services can be found online on the World Wide Web at: The online version of this article, along with updated information and ). ISSN: 0012-3692. http://www.chestjournal.org/misc/reprints.shtml ( copyright holder reproduced or distributed without the prior written permission of the 60062. All rights reserved. No part of this article or PDF may be American College of Chest Physicians, 3300 Dundee Road, Northbrook IL It has been published monthly since 1935. Copyright 2007 by the CHEST is the official journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.
eQTL epistasis: detecting epistatic effects and inferring hierarchical relationships of genes in biological pathways

MOTIVATION Epistasis is the interactions among multiple genetic variants. It has emerged to explain the 'missing heritability' that a marginal genetic effect does not account for by genome-wide association studies, and also to understand the hierarchical relationships between genes in the genetic pathways. The Fisher's geometric model is common in detecting the epistatic effects. However, despite the substantial successes of many studies with the model, it often fails to discover the functional dependence between genes in an epistasis study, which is an important role in inferring hierarchical relationships of genes in the biological pathway. RESULTS We justify the imperfectness of Fisher's model in the simulation study and its application to the biological data. Then, we propose a novel generic epistasis model that provides a flexible solution for various biological putative epistatic models in practice. The proposed method enables one to efficiently characterize the functional dependence between genes. Moreover, we suggest a statistical strategy for determining a recessive or dominant link among epistatic expression quantitative trait locus to enable the ability to infer the hierarchical relationships. The proposed method is assessed by simulation experiments of various settings and is applied to human brain data regarding schizophrenia. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The MATLAB source codes are publicly available at: http://biomecis.uta.edu/epistasis.
Pain and effusion and quadriceps activation and strength

Context: Quadriceps dysfunction is a common consequence of knee joint injury and disease, yet its causes remain elusive. Objective: To determine the effects of pain on quadriceps strength and activ...
How to survive a Lunar night

Abstract In the frame of the recent worldwide activities of Lunar research, including various studies for surface stations, the aspect of longevity of such stations has been identified as a particular technical challenge. The reason for this lies in the long (about 14 days) and cold Lunar night during which it is non-trivial to keep spacecraft systems alive and sensitive equipment within an acceptable temperature range. The following paper analyzes and compares various concepts to survive Lunar night, both with and without radioisotope heater technology. The latter normally implies the use of highly toxic material (typically plutonium), which is politically problematic and a driver for cost and safety procedures. Concepts without radioisotope heating need to foresee special measures, like extremely efficient thermal insulation or sub-surface positioning of all temperature sensitive components. Special emphasis has been taken on the thermal analysis of a penetrator-type surface station. The relevant issues are discussed and results for day–night cycles are presented, assuming a typical set of engineering parameters. This concept appears to be the easiest to implement from a thermal point of view, if the use of radioisotope heaters has to be avoided.
NK cells rapidly remove B16F10 tumor cells in a perforin and interferon-gamma independent manner in vivo

Natural killer (NK) cells have been shown critical in reducing tumor lung metastasis in various murine cancer models. Effector molecules such as perforin and IFN-γ may play important roles in inhibition of metastasis. However, most of these conclusions were based on experiments that involved quantitation of metastatic colonies several weeks after tumor challenge. The roles of NK cells and their effector molecules (perforin and IFN-γ) in the initial immune responses against tumor metastasis in lungs are still unknown. By using the B16F10 melanoma tumor model combined with confocal microscopy, we observed an increase in numbers of B16F10 cells in NK-depleted mice at 60 min post tumor inoculation, but this effect was independent of perforin or IFN-γ. In addition, NK cell numbers in lungs after tumor injection rapidly increased suggesting a redistribution of NK cells in the lungs. However, NK cells were not found in contact with tumor cells until day 6 or later. Our data indicate that during early responses against B16F10 cells, NK cells use another mechanism(s) besides perforin and IFN-γ to prevent tumor metastasis.
Logic‐Embedded Vectors for Intracellular Partitioning, Endosomal Escape, and Exocytosis of Nanoparticles

A new generation of nanocarriers, logic-embedded vectors (LEVs), is endowed with the ability to localize components at multiple intracellular sites, thus creating an opportunity for synergistic control of redundant or dual-hit pathways. LEV encoding elements include size, shape, charge, and surface chemistry. In this study, LEVs consist of porous silicon nanocarriers, programmed for cellular uptake and trafficking along the endosomal pathway, and surface-tailored iron oxide nanoparticles, programmed for endosomal sorting and partitioning of particles into unique cellular locations. In the presence of persistent endosomal localization of silicon nanocarriers, amine-functionalized nanoparticles are sorted into multiple vesicular bodies that form novel membrane-bound compartments compatible with cellular secretion, while chitosan-coated nanoparticles escape from endosomes and enter the cytosol. Encapsulation within the porous silicon matrix protects these nanoparticle surface-tailored properties, and enhances endosomal escape of chitosan-coated nanoparticles. Thus, LEVs provide a mechanism for shielded transport of nanoparticles to the lesion, cellular manipulation at multiple levels, and a means for targeting both within and between cells.
Comparative Study of Reproductive Skew and Pair-Bond Stability Using Genealogies from 80 Small-Scale Human Societies

Objectives Genealogies contain information on the prevalence of different sibling types that result from past reproductive behavior. Full sibling sets stem from stable monogamy, paternal half siblings primarily indicate male reproductive skew, and maternal half siblings reflect unstable pair bonds. Methods Full and half sibling types are calculated for a total of 61,181 siblings from published genealogies for 80 small-scale societies, including foragers, horticulturalists, agriculturalists, and pastoralists from around the world. Results Most siblings are full (61%) followed by paternal half siblings (27%) and maternal half siblings (13%). Paternal half siblings are positively correlated with more polygynous marriages, higher at low latitudes, and slightly higher in nonforagers, Maternal half sibling fractions are slightly higher at low latitudes but do not vary with subsistence. Partible paternity societies in Amazonia have more paternal half siblings indicating higher male reproductive skew. Conclusions Sibling counts from genealogies provide a convenient method to simultaneously investigate the reproductive skew and pair-bond stability dimensions of human mating systems cross-culturally. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
GPS ground antenna and monitor station upgrades: software requirements analysis

This paper discusses the software aspects of the Global Positioning System (GPS) remote site modernization study, specifically, the software requirements analysis. At the beginning of the software requirements analysis phase, a qualitative trade-off study was performed to determine if a structured analysis or an object-oriented analysis (OOA) approach would be followed. The latter was chosen because it offers a number of advantages over the life-cycle of a software development project. This paper outlines these advantages. In conjunction with this methodology study, a study of Computer-aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools was performed to ascertain if available software requirements analysis and design tools would aid the software development process, in general, and requirements analysis, in particular. The results of this study are also summarized in this paper. The paper also discusses the experiences of Draper Laboratory software engineers in using OOA to perform software requirements analysis for a large software project (over 100,000 lines of Ada source code estimated), and how this approach was followed while specifying requirements using the Software Requirements Specification Data Item Description (DID) that accompanies DOD-STD-2167A.
Time-dependent snapback in thin-film SOI MOSFET's

During pulsed stressing of SOI MOSFETs for ESD characterization, the turn-on voltage of the parasitic bipolar transistor was observed to be a function of the stress pulse-width. This observation can be understood in terms of a capacitive charging model. The theory behind this time-dependent snapback is presented in this letter along with the experimental results. Comparisons with bulk-Si devices indicate that this phenomenon is specific to SOI and is a manifestation of the floating body effect.
The Mesoscale Stability of Entrainment into Cloud-Topped Mixed Layers

The Lilly-type models for stratocumulus-capped mixed layers are shown to allow for a mesoscale instability in which mesoscale fluctuations of buoyancy and humidity are reinforced in phase by entrainment. In a model of an AMTEX mixed layer, this mesoscale instability has a maximum growth rate of about 0.00002 per sec at wavelengths 30 times the depth of the mixed layer. The instability is able to account for the existence and broad scale of the stratiform cloud patterns known as mesoscale cellular convection.
Health Promotion Research Methods: Preparing Students to Publish

Since few Master’s level students publish papers, we specifically designed our course in Health Promotion Research to facilitate the process. Students learned about research design and theory in the first half of the course and prepared a paper on archival data for journal submission in the second half. The content and approach for the 16 class sessions varied in approach and included lectures, discussion and homework assignments. Students worked on papers in 2 groups of three and had a chance to meet with a journal editor to discuss the publishing process along the way. Students gave a power point presentation of their findings at the end of the semester along with submitting their finished paper. Overall, students reported learning a lot in the class and they appreciated the chance to publish a paper. Suggestions for improvements included incorporating the paper topics more into the first half of the course.
Food Banks and Investment Banks: Clinic Design for Corporate Practice

The Organizations and Transactions Clinic at Stanford Law School ("OT OT describes the client, project execution and classroom approach; and discusses potential criticisms of the model.
Effect of hydrochlorothiazide on calcium excretion by the isolated perfused rat kidney.

SummaryThe effect of hydrochlorothiazide on calcium excretion was studied in the isolated, perfused rat kidney. Thiazide produced a diuresis of sodium, calcium, potassium and water, but retarded the excretion of calcium relative to that of sodium, so that cCa/cNa fell by 20%. This was not observed after furosemide, which induced a comparable diuresis of sodium and water but did not change cCa/cNa. A direct action of thiazides on renal tubules may contribute to the relative hypocalciuria produced by these drugs in vivo.
Interface Roughness, Composition, and Alloying of Low-Order ALAS/GAAS Superlattices Studied by X-Ray Diffraction

Low-order, monolayer by monolayer (1×1) AlAs/GaAs superlattices grown by MBE using different growth techniques have been studied by X-ray diffractometry. High-resolution multiple-crystal diffractometry was used to study diffraction features near the [004] peaks due to the substrate and epilayers. Using this technique, we have investigated the effect of growth techniques on the strain and tilt of the superlattices. High-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) results suggest that the sample grown by migration-enhanced epitaxy (MEE) is more highly strained and has more tilt than the same superlattice sample grown using the interrupted growth (IG) technique.
Flight and Ovipositional Activity of the Elm Spanworm Egg Parasitoid, Ooencyrtus sp.

An undescribed encyrtid egg parasitoid, Ooencyrtus sp. was the primary cause of the collapse of the elm spanworm, Ennomos subsignarius (Hubner), in Connecticut in 1973 (Kaya and Anderson 1974). Substantial information has already been published on this Ooencyrtus sp. (Kaya and Anderson 1972, Anderson and Kaya 1973a, b, 1974), but no information has previously been published on its flight and ovipositional behavior. Such information would be helpful in under-standing the parasitoid's relationships with its host and in establishing adult sampling procedures for this parasitoid. We report here the diel periodicity of flight and ovipositional activities of Ooencyrtus sp.
Disparate response of articular- and auricular-derived chondrocytes to oxygen tension

ABSTRACTPurpose/Aim: To determine the effect of reduced (5%) oxygen tension on chondrogenesis of auricular-derived chondrocytes. Currently, many cell and tissue culture experiments are performed at 20% oxygen with 5% carbon dioxide. Few cells in the body are subjected to this supra-physiological oxygen tension. Chondrocytes and their mesenchymal progenitors are widely reported to have greater chondrogenic expression when cultured at low, more physiological, oxygen tension (1–7%). Although generally accepted, there is still some controversy, and different culture methods, species, and outcome metrics cloud the field. These results are, however, articular chondrocyte biased and have not been reported for auricular-derived chondrocytes. Materials and Methods: Auricular and articular chondrocytes were isolated from skeletally mature New Zealand White rabbits, expanded in culture and differentiated in high density cultures with serum-free chondrogenic media. Cartilage tissue derived from aggregate cultures or ...
Detection of 28 Kinds of Pesticide Residues in Vegetables in Handan City in 2008

[Objective]To understand the situation of pesticide residues in vegetables in Handan City, establish food contaminants monitoring system and network of early warning platform of Handan City, and provide basic data for determining the level of national food contamination and health hazards. [Methods]Vegetable samples from large supermarkets, farmers markets and the field of food sales closely related to consumers in counties and districts of Handan City were collected and detected by gas chromatograph. [Results]17 kinds of pesticides were detected positive, 5 kinds of pesticides, which exceeded the standard, were methamidophos, dichlorvos, acephate, omethoate and cypermethrin. Pesticide residues in vegetables were ① leafy vegetables: methamidophos exceeded 56%, omethoate exceeded 16%, cypermethrin exceeded 12%;②fruit vegetables: methamidophos exceeded 28%, DDVP exceeded 12%; ③ cucurbit vegetables: methamidophos exceeded 60%; ④ bulb vegetables: methamidophos exceeded 57%, acephate exceeded 14%; ⑤ beans vegetables: methamidophos exceeded 16%, dichlorvos exceeded 16%. ⑥ brassica vegetables: methamidophos exceeded 12%; ⑦ root vegetables: methamidophos exceeded 47%, DDVP exceeded 13%. [Conclusion]28 kinds of pesticide residues detection show that various degrees of pollution exists in Handan region.
Cationic liposome-mediated gene transfer to tumor cells in vitro and in vivo.

Development of safe and effective technology for delivering functional DNA into cells in an intact organism is crucial to broad applications of gene therapy to human disease. Both viral and nonviral vectors have been developed. Of the technologies currently being studied, liposomal delivery system is particularly attractive. Cationic liposome-mediated gene transfection (lipofection), a relatively new technique pioneered by Felgner and coworkers (1), was highly efficient for transfecting cells in culture. The liposomes were composed of an equimolar mixture of a synthetic cationic lipid N-[1-(2,3,-dioleyloxy)propyl]-N,N,N,-trimethylammonium chloride (DOTMA) and a helper lipid dioleoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) Fig. 1). The DOTMA/DOPE mixture (Lipofectin) forms complexes with DNA by charge interaction upon mixing at room temperature. Other catronic lipids are DOTAP, LipofectAMINE, Lipofectam, and DC-chol. The DOTAP is a diester analog of DOTMA and commercially available. LipofectAMINE and Lipofectam are polycationic lipids with a spermine head group that show increased frequency and activity of eukaryotic cell transfection (2,3). 3β-[N-(N',N'-dimethyaminoaminoethane) carbamoyl] cholesterol (DC-chol) (Fig. 1), a cationic cholesterol derivative, was introduced by Gao and Huang (4) and is routinely used in our laboratory. The DC-chol is now commercially available but can be easily synthesized with a single-step reaction from N,N-dimethylethylenediamine and cholesterol chloroformate (4), and improves the efficiency of transfection with minimal toxicity.Liposomes prepared with DC-chol and DOPE (3∶2 molar ratio) are stable at 4°C for at least 1 yr (unpublished data).
Unexpected suppression of spin–lattice relaxation via high magnetic field in a high-spin iron(III) complex

A counterintuitive three-order of magnitude slowing of the spin-lattice relaxation rate is observed in a high spin qubit at high magnetic field via multifrequency pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance measurements.
The Concept of Artistic Paternity in “Scylla and Charybdis”

To suggest his own biographical relationship to Ulysses Joyce has Stephen propose his expressive theory of the relationship between Shakespeare’s art and life. What makes Shakespeare a man of genius is that he encompassed in his vision “all in all in all of us” (U.213; IX.1049–50). Joyce recreates Shakespeare according to his own experience of him and thus becomes the father of his own artistic father and the artist whose imagination is so inclusive and vast that it contains the “all in all” of Shakespeare plus the very substantial addition — or, in current terminology, the supplement — of his own imagination. Like Joyce, Shakespeare used the details of everyday life for his subject: “All events brought grist to his mill” (U.204; IX.748). The major creative artist discovers in his actual experience the potential within his imagination: “He found in the world without as actual what was in his world within as possible” (U.213; IX.1041–2).
Constructing and Enforcing the “Medicine Line”: A Comparative Analysis of Indian Policy on the North American Frontier

ABSTRACTThe national self-images of the United States and Canada have been shaped, in part, by their contrasting histories and mythologies of westward expansion and nation-building. Those narratives are most distinct with regard to government policies toward aboriginal peoples on either side of the 49th parallel, what Indians called “the medicine line.” The purpose of this article is two fold: (1) to specify and develop a three-part conceptual framework (consisting of the Turnerian discourse, the Lipset Thesis, and Borderlands Studies) for examining the history of the North American frontier and (2) utilizing a wide range of scholarly literature, to apply that framework in a comparative analysis of national policies toward Indians and First Nations in the post–Civil War/post–Confederation period on the Great Plains and Prairies. Several explanatory factors for cross-national difference will be identified and examined, including variance in geography and geology; demography, demographic trends, and politic...
Mathematics teacher educators’ perspectives on their design of content courses for elementary preservice teachers

This descriptive case study examines six mathematics teacher educators’ (MTEs) perspectives on their design of content courses for elementary preservice teachers. By focusing on MTE’s design goals and considerations for their mathematics content courses, the means by which they achieved these course design goals, and the challenges they encountered as they carried out their design goals, this study adds to the image of mathematics content courses, and sheds light on the work of MTEs. Our findings indicate that MTEs design content courses that take a learner-centered approach to instruction and that in designing learner-centered content courses, MTEs face a variety of challenges. Implications for the professional development of MTEs are discussed.
Chapter 3 Caribbean Voices and Competing Visions of Post-Colonial Community

This chapter assesses the extent to which Henry Swanzy’s editorial emphases on “local color” and social realism influenced the shape of Anglophone Caribbean literature in the post-war period of its development. These emphases, as a result of the wide reach of the BBC radio broadcast, influenced imaginings of future post-colonial community in the region beyond the literary realm. As a result, the collapse of the short-lived West Indies Federation (1958–1962) was not only a product of the political and economic exigencies of the day, but was also the by-product of a regional post-colonial imaginary that had been ideologically acculturated to territorial rather than regional nationalism consequent on eight years of Caribbean Voices broadcasts that emphasized territorial rather than regional nationalism.
Changes in microRNA abundance may regulate diapause in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga bullata.

Diapause, an alternative developmental pathway characterized by changes in developmental timing and metabolism, is coordinated by molecular mechanisms that are not completely understood. MicroRNA (miRNA) mediated gene silencing is emerging as a key component of animal development and may have a significant role in initiating, maintaining, and terminating insect diapause. In the present study, we test this possibility by using high-throughput sequencing and qRT-PCR to discover diapause-related shifts in miRNA abundance in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga bullata. We identified ten evolutionarily conserved miRNAs that were differentially expressed in diapausing pupae compared to their nondiapausing counterparts. miR-289-5p and miR-1-3p were overexpressed in diapausing pupae and may be responsible for silencing expression of candidate genes during diapause. miR-9c-5p, miR-13b-3p, miR-31a-5p, miR-92b-3p, miR-275-3p, miR-276a-3p, miR-277-3p, and miR-305-5p were underexpressed in diapausing pupae and may contribute to increased expression of heat shock proteins and other factors necessary for the enhanced environmental stress-response that is a feature of diapause. In S. bullata, a maternal effect blocks the programming of diapause in progeny of females that have experienced pupal diapause, and in this study we report that several miRNAs, including miR-263a-5p, miR-100-5p, miR-125-5p, and let-7-5p were significantly overexpressed in such nondiapausing flies and may prevent entry into diapause. Together these miRNAs appear to be integral to the molecular processes that mediate entry into diapause.
Government incentive impacts on private investment behaviors under demand uncertainty

Abstract This paper elaborates the impacts of government incentives on the private investment behaviors including the choices of investment timing, capacity, and price under demand uncertainty. The results suggest that revenue guarantee, concession period extension, lump-sum subsidy, and unit subsidy can induce timely investment. Revenue guarantee and concession period extension have limited impacts on the choices of capacity and price. Lump-sum subsidy leads to a smaller capacity and a higher price, while unit subsidy leads to a larger capacity and a lower price when comparing to the choices by a monopoly without government incentives.
Genomic alterations of ERBB receptors in cancer: clinical implications

The ERBB family of receptor tyrosine kinases has been implicated in carcinogenesis for over three decades with rigorous attention to EGFR and HER2. ERBB receptors, consisting of EGFR, HER2, HER3, and HER4 are part of a complicated signaling network that activates downstream signaling pathways including PI3K/AKT, Ras/Raf/MAPK, JAK/STAT and PKC. It is well established that EGFR is amplified and/or mutated in gliomas and non-small-cell lung carcinoma while HER2 is amplified and/or over-expressed in breast, gastric, ovarian, non-small cell lung carcinoma, and several other tumor types. With the advent of next generation sequencing and large scale efforts to explore the entire spectrum of genomic alterations involved in human cancer progression, it is now appreciated that somatic ERBB receptor mutations occur at relatively low frequencies across multiple tumor types. Some of these mutations may represent oncogenic driver events; clinical studies are underway to determine whether tumors harboring these alterations respond to small molecule EGFR/HER2 inhibitors. Recent evidence suggests that some somatic ERBB receptor mutations render resistance to FDA-approved EGFR and HER2 inhibitors. In this review, we focus on the landscape of genomic alterations of EGFR, HER2, HER3 and HER4 in cancer and the clinical implications for patients harboring these alterations.
CRT-100.85 Epidemiology and Predictors of In-hospital Mortality of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is an increasingly reported transient non-ischemic regional systolic dysfunction of the left ventricle. We sought to examine temporal trends in incidence of TCM and identify clinical characteristics and predictors of in-hospital mortality. The study population was
Predictors of Binge Eating among Bariatric Surgery Candidates: Disinhibition as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Depressive Symptoms and Binge Eating

Background Current and lifetime psychopathology is common in adult patients seeking bariatric surgery, with major depressive disorder and binge eating disorder affecting a higher proportion of this group than the general population. While depressive symptoms have been previously associated with eating pathology, potential mediators of this relationship are not well understood.
Adolescent precursors of young adult drinking motives.

Abstract Introduction Numerous cross-sectional and shorter-term longitudinal studies have supported the role of drinking motives as potent proximal predictors of alcohol phenotypes (e.g., alcohol use, heavy episodic drinking). However, missing from this literature is a focus both on the stability of drinking motives across young adulthood and on adolescent precursors of drinking motives. Methods We investigated the adequacy of using a latent trait-state model (LTSM) to investigate three-wave data on social, enhancement, and coping motives for drinking with a community sample of young adults (N = 1004) at the mean ages of 23.8 years, 28.9 years, and 33.5 years. We further investigated adolescent (M age = 16.73 years) predictors of young adult drinking motives using data collected on the sample approximately seven years prior to the first young adult data collection. Results Findings indicated that all three drinking motives across young adulthood were modeled adequately via the LTSM, and that drinking motives manifested high stability (i.e., rank order) across individuals. Significant common (e.g., being male, alcohol-using peers, stressful life events, boredom susceptibility) and specific (e.g., depressive symptoms for coping motives; heavy episodic drinking for enhancement motives) adolescent precursors of young adult drinking motives were identified. Conclusions Common and unique adolescent factors predicted trait-like drinking motives during young adulthood. These findings suggest the utility of intervening during the teen years to prevent or interrupt the development of cognitive motivations that encourage alcohol use for the purpose of affect regulation.
Expression of Hypoxia Inducible Factor 1alpha Is Protein Kinase A-dependent in Primary Cortical Astrocytes Exposed to Severe Hypoxia

The hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) and the cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) are two transcription factors that have been studied in the context of neuronal survival and neurodegeneration. HIF-1 upregulation and CREB activation have been observed not only in neurons but also in astrocytes under conditions of hypoxia. We hypothesized that activation of CREB regulate HIF-1α expression in the nucleus of cortical astrocytes under in vitro ischemic condition. To test the hypothesis, we determined the effects of inhibiting the CREB activation pathway on the expression of HIF-1α protein in astrocytes exposed to CoCl2 and severe hypoxia (near anoxia, 0.1% O2). The results demonstrated that inhibition of CaMKII and CaMKIV had no effect on both HIF-1α and pCREB expression in cortical astrocytes exposed to CoCl2 and anoxia. In contrast, PKA inhibition lowered the expression of HIF-1α and pCREB expression. Furthermore, the inhibition of PKA but not CaMKII or CaMKIV increased cell death of astrocytes exposed to near anoxia. The results suggest that PKA plays an important role in the cell survival signaling pathways in astrocytes.
Hydrophobicity of the peptide C=O...H-N hydrogen-bonded group.

The hydrophobicity of the peptide CO···HN hydrogen-bonded group is an important parameter that determines the structure of proteins in water and in biological membranes, and therefore the free energy of transferring this group from water to non-polar solvents should be determined accurately. The essential work on this problem was carried out by Klotz and co-workers, and has been summarized elsewhere. Using N-methylacetamide as a model peptide, the free energies of the following processes were determined; (1) formation of the CO···HN bond in water, (2) formation of the CO···NN bond in CCl4, and (3) transfer of N-methylacetamide from water to CCl4. (4) From (3), the free energy of transferring the non-hydrogen bonded (CO, HN) group from water to CCl4 was calculated. When the free energies of (1), (2) and (4) are combined, one finds that the free energy of transferring the CO···HN group from water to CCl4 is a surprising −1.4 kcal/mol (1 cal = 4.184 J). This number does not seem reasonable, since it implies that the CO···HN group is about as hydrophobic as an isopropyl group, i.e. the side-chain of valine. In the present report, it is shown that this apparent hydrophobicity results from an underestimation of the free energy contribution that the methyl groups make to the transfer of N-methylacetamide from water to CCl4. When appropriate methyl group transfer free energies are used, one finds that the free energy of transferring the CO···HN group from water to CCl4 is +0.62 kcal/mol. Therefore, this group is relatively insensitive to solvent polarity. A similar calculation shows that the free energy of transferring the CO···HO hydrogen-bonded group from water to benzene is +0.55 kcal/mol.
The CVD of Ceramic Materials: Oxides

This chapter reviews the basic properties, major chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactions and processes, and the present and potential applications of the ceramic materials, particularly oxides. Oxides are the largest group of ceramic materials with remarkable chemical inertness, good high temperature properties, and resistance to oxidation. They have the characteristics of ionic crystals—optical transparency when pure, high electrical resistivity, low thermal conductivity, diamagnetism, and chemical stability. One of the important oxides is aluminum oxide. It is also known as alumina, which is a highly stable compound. It is readily obtained by CVD. Its CVD reactions include: the hydrolysis of aluminum trichloride for the deposition of alumina. This reaction, based on the water-gas reaction, takes place in excess hydrogen, at an optimum temperature of 1050°C and at a low pressure (ca. 1 Torr). Metallo-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) is also used to deposit alumina at lower temperatures. A common reaction is the pyrolysis of an aluminum alkoxide such as aluminum isopropoxide. Some of its applications include: coatings for carbide tools, sealant coatings for plasma-sprayed oxides, and thin films in the fabrication of transistors (FET) and other semiconductor applications.
Resilience and risk analysis of fault-tolerant process control design in continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing

Abstract The shift from batch to continuous manufacturing, which is occurring in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry has implications on process safety and product quality. It is now understood that fault-tolerant process control of critical process parameters (CPPs) and critical quality attributes (CQAs) is of paramount importance to the realization of safe operations and quality products. In this study, a systematic framework for fault-tolerant process control system design, analysis, and evaluation of pharmaceutical continuous oral solid dosage manufacturing is proposed. The framework encompasses system identification, controller design and analysis (controllability, stability, resilience, etc.), hierarchical three-level control structures (model predictive control, state estimation, data reconciliation, etc.), risk mapping, assessment and planning (Risk MAP) strategies, and control performance evaluation. The key idea of the proposed framework is to identify the potential risks associated with the control system design itself, the material property variations, and other process uncertainties, under which the control strategies must be evaluated. The framework is applied to a continuous direct compaction process, specifically the feeding-blending subsystem, wherein the major source of variance in the process operation and product quality arises. It is demonstrated, using simulations and experimentally, that the process operation failures and product quality variations in the feeding-blending system can be mitigated and managed through the proposed systematic fault-tolerant process control system design and risk analysis framework.