cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What lies beneath.

A veterinarian married to a biologist, Abbie Gascho Landis became fasci­nated by the seemingly uncharismatic bivalves known as freshwater mussels after tagging along on a research trip in 2009. Freshwater mussels are im­portant because their filter feeding can purify the water, benefiting other organisms in the environment. Unfortunately, problems with both water quality and water quantity have re­duced their populations to such a degree that many mussel species are endangered. In engaging and personal prose, Landis traces the growing perils faced by the freshwater mussel, and outlines a path forward to ensure their survival.
Insight for Optimal Learning and Education

In Chapters 1–8, I have summarized principles and practice involved in brain-based learning and education. This chapter will further discuss several remaining topics related to optimal learning and education for future education.
How does framing affect policy support for emissions mitigation? Testing the effects of ocean acidification and other carbon emissions frames

Abstract Public support for carbon emissions mitigation is crucial to motivate action to address global issues like climate change and ocean acidification (OA). Yet in the public sphere, carbon emissions mitigation policies are typically discussed in the context of climate change and rarely in the context of OA or other global change outcomes. In this paper, we advance research on OA and climate change perceptions and communication, by (i) examining causal beliefs about ocean acidification, and (ii) measuring support for mitigation policies from individuals presented with one of five different policy frames (climate change, global warming, carbon pollution, air pollution, and ocean acidification). Knowledge about OA causes and consequences is more widespread than we anticipated, though still generally low. Somewhat surprisingly, an “air pollution” mitigation frame elicits the highest degree of policy support overall, while “carbon pollution” performs no better than “climate change” or “global warming.” Framing effects are in part contingent on prior knowledge and attitudes, and mediated by concern. Perhaps due to a lack of OA awareness, the OA frame generates the least support overall, although it seems to close the gap in support associated with political orientation: the OA frame increases support among those (few) conservatives who report having heard of OA before the survey. These findings complement previous work on climate change communication and suggest the need for further research into OA as an effective way to engage conservatives in carbon emissions mitigation policy. Potentially even more promising is the air pollution framing.
Matrix Completion With Deterministic Pattern: A Geometric Perspective

We consider the matrix completion problem with a deterministic pattern of observed entries. In this setting, we aim to answer the question: Under what conditions will there be (at least locally) unique solution to the matrix completion problem, i.e., the underlying true matrix is identifiable? We answer the question from a certain point of view and outline a geometric perspective. We give an algebraically verifiable sufficient condition, which we call the well-posedness condition , for the local uniqueness of minimum rank matrix completion (MRMC) solutions. It appears that this condition is basic for the analysis of MRMC, and we show that, in a sense, the condition is generic. We also argue that the low-rank approximation approaches are more stable than MRMC and further propose a sequential statistical testing procedure to determine the “true” rank from observed entries. Finally, we provide numerical examples aimed at verifying validity of the presented theory.
The impact of telemedicine on the quality of newborn resuscitation: A retrospective study

Abstract Objective We hypothesized that telemedicine consults provided by neonatologists to local care teams (termed teleneonatology) would improve the quality of high-risk newborn resuscitations that occur in community hospitals. Methods This retrospective cohort study compared 47 newborns who received a teleneonatology consult during their resuscitation at a community hospital to 45 controls who did not. Controls were matched on gestational age, sex, admission diagnosis, and level of newborn care. A two-person expert panel blinded to the intervention reviewed demographic and resuscitation data for each patient and assigned a resuscitation quality rating using a 1–10 descriptive rating scale. Paired comparisons between groups were evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed rank test for continuous measures and the McNemar’s test for dichotomous measures. Results The median resuscitation quality rating was 7 for the teleneonatology group and 4 for the control group, with a median difference of 1 between matched pairs (P = .002). Neonates who received a teleneonatology consult were more likely to undergo measurement of temperature, glucose, and blood gases. When analyzing the 35 matched pairs that had a consult within one hour of birth, the positive impact of teleneonatology was greater (median rating 8 vs 4, median difference 2, P = .003). Subgroup analysis demonstrated teleneonatology significantly improved the resuscitation of preterm neonates (median rating 8 vs 4, median difference 1.5, P = .004) Conclusion Teleneonatology improves the quality of high-risk newborn resuscitations that occur in community hospitals and increases adherence to process metrics. Earlier teleneonatology consults appear to have greater positive impact.
Autoantibodies to IgE and FcεRI and the natural variability of spleen tyrosine kinase expression in basophils

Background Secretion from human basophils and mast cells requires spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) activity, but SYK expression is highly variable in the general population, and this variability predicts the magnitude of IgE-mediated secretion. One known mechanism of modulating SYK expression in human basophils is aggregation of FceRI. Objective This study examines the possibility that functional autoantibodies are present in a wide variety of subjects and, in particular, subjects whose basophils poorly express SYK. It also tests whether any found antibodies could modulate SYK expression in maturing basophils and whether interaction with FcγRIIb/CD32b modulates the effect. Methods An experimental algorithm for classifying the nature of histamine release induced by serum from 3 classes of subjects was developed. Results The frequency of functional autoantibodies that produce characteristics concordant with FceRI-mediated secretion was zero in 34 subjects without chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). In patients with CSU, the frequency was lower than expected, approximately 7%. For the 5 of 68 unique sera from patients with CSU tested that contained anti-FceRI or anti-IgE antibodies, these antibodies were found to induce downregulation of SYK in both peripheral blood basophils and basophils developed from CD34+ progenitors. Blocking interaction of these antibodies with CD32b did not alter their ability to downregulate SYK expression. Conclusions This study establishes that functional autoantibodies to IgE/FceRI do not provide a good explanation for the variability in SYK expression in basophils in the general population. They do show that if antibodies with these characteristics are present, they are capable of modulating SYK expression in developing basophils.
Epidemic Models for SARS and Measles.

(2007). Epidemic Models for SARS and Measles. The College Mathematics Journal: Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 246-259.
A Normal Approximation for the Number of Local Maxima of a Random Function on a Graph

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the normal approximation for the number of local maxima of a random function on a graph. It discusses the conditions for the approximate normality of the distribution of the number of local maxima of a random function on the set of vertices of a graph when the values of the random function are independently identically distributed with a continuous distribution function. For a regular graph, the distribution of the number of local maxima is approximately normal if its variance is large. The basic idea of a normal approximation theorem is to exploit a sum of indicator random variables. The chapter discusses a basic lemma on normal approximation for sums of indicator random variables.
Item recommendation on monotonic behavior chains

'Explicit' and 'implicit' feedback in recommender systems have been studied for many years, as two relatively isolated areas. However many real-world systems involve a spectrum of both implicit and explicit signals, ranging from clicks and purchases, to ratings and reviews. A natural question is whether implicit signals (which are dense but noisy) might help to predict explicit signals (which are sparse but reliable), or vice versa. Thus in this paper, we propose an item recommendation framework which jointly models this full spectrum of interactions. Our main observation is that in many settings, feedback signals exhibit monotonic dependency structures, i.e., any signal necessarily implies the presence of a weaker (or more implicit) signal (a 'review' action implies a 'purchase' action, which implies a 'click' action, etc.). We refer to these structures as 'monotonic behavior chains,' for which we develop new algorithms that exploit these dependencies. Using several new and existing datasets that exhibit a variety of feedback types, we demonstrate the quantitative performance of our approaches. We also perform qualitative analysis to uncover the relationships between different stages of implicit vs. explicit signals.
Long-Term Memory in Adults Exposed to Childhood Violence: Remembering Genital Contact Nearly 20 Years Later:

Recent changes in statutes of limitations for crimes against children permit accusations of decades-old child sexual abuse to be considered in court. These laws challenge scientists to address the ...
Autonomous motivation in medical education

Intrinsic motivation was a reining concept for many years in self-determination theory (SDT) research. Since the last 10 years, the concept of autonomous motivation is used more commonly by some researchers. Autonomous motivation means motivation arising out of genuine interest or personal endorsement or valuing of an activity. Autonomous motivation is a combination of intrinsic motivation and identified regulation type of extrinsic motivation. This article aims to clarify and put forth the concept and use of autonomous motivation in the practice of medical education.
School Psychologists’ Job Attitudes: A Systematic Review

We conducted a systematic review of research on school psychologists’ job attitudes. To do so, all available published research and dissertations (N = 58) on school psychologists’ job attitudes were gathered and evaluated to address three research questions. First, we identified themes in the study of school psychologists’ job attitudes. Themes identified were how job attitudes relate to roles, differences between actual and ideal roles, place of school psychology practice, personality and individual characteristics, and burnout. Second, we documented types of job attitudes studied. Here, results indicated that job satisfaction was the most commonly studied job attitude with most school psychologists reporting average to above average levels of job satisfaction. Finally, we attempted to examine the link between school psychologists’ job attitudes with productive and counterproductive work behaviors. However, our review indicated that there has been no examination of the relationship between these variables. Future research will want to explore the link between job attitudes, such as job satisfaction, but others attitudes as well, and job behaviors. This is important as the field of school psychology is facing critical labor shortages, and research in this area will assist with recruitment and retention efforts.
The Challenge of Equitable Algorithmic Change

Boston Public Schools tried to implement comprehensive change to school start times and bus schedules using a set of MIT-developed algorithms.The science was first-rate and the efforts to correct for historic inequities admirable. But because the algorithms optimized for equity and efficiency, at the expense of stability, the process foundered on public outrage. More might have been done to engage the public around the model and render more transparent the tradeoffs between various objectives. Absent such engagement, there's a risk of algorithmic scapegoating where the public blames the technology for political process failure.
Exploring the Breadth of Terminal Ligands Coordinated in [Mo 6 X 8 ] 4+ - and [Re 6 Q 8 ] 2+ -Based Cluster Complexes

This survey provides an overview of the different types of terminal ligands incorporated into molybdenum halide and rhenium chalcogenide cluster complexes. While the incorporation of halide and pseudohalide ligands is prevalent with these systems, this article focuses on the coordination of other nitrogen-, oxygen-, sulfur-, and carbon-donor ligands. Emphasis has been placed on synthetic methodologies and the significance behind coordination of these ligands to discrete cluster complexes.
Caring for People With Untreated Pectus Excavatum: An International Online Survey.

Background Pectus excavatum is a chest wall deformity with no known cause and no standardized guidelines for evaluation or management. There is a pressing need to characterize the symptoms that these individuals experience and to evaluate a potential mismatch between their expected and observed experiences with health care. We hypothesized that these individuals would feel that their health-care needs are not adequately met. Methods A total of 331 participants with untreated pectus excavatum from 47 countries recruited from the Pectus Awareness and Support Group completed a questionnaire about living with pectus excavatum. We focused on characterizing physical and psychosocial symptom frequency and whether these problems were discussed with providers during encounters related to pectus excavatum. Results A total of 46% and 31% of participants experience daily physical and psychosocial symptoms, respectively, but providers disproportionally focus on physical symptoms. Seventy-seven percent and 61% of participants thought their providers could do more to address their physical and psychosocial symptoms, respectively. Only 8% of participants were very satisfied after their most recent health-care visit about pectus excavatum. The overwhelming majority of participants have encountered providers that lacked basic knowledge about pectus. Conclusions The results of this questionnaire expose a major discrepancy between expectations and delivery of care for people with pectus excavatum. These individuals should be routinely screened for both physical and psychosocial symptoms by general practitioners.
Comparison of Traditional and Skin-Sparing Approaches for Surgical Treatment of Necrotizing Soft-Tissue Infections

Background: A skin-sparing approach for the treatment of necrotizing soft-tissue infections (NSTIs) removes necrotic tissue planes while leaving viable overlying skin. Subsequent closure of the spa...
Supervisees’ of Differing Genders and Races Perceptions of Power in Supervision

In the current study, we examined the extent to which supervisees’ perceptions of power dynamics related to gender and race in a sample of 229 trainees. Overall, we did not find systematic differen...
A Dictionary-Based Generalization of Robust PCA With Applications to Target Localization in Hyperspectral Imaging

We consider the decomposition of a data matrix assumed to be a superposition of a low-rank matrix and a component which is sparse in a known dictionary, using a convex demixing method. We consider two sparsity structures for the sparse factor of the dictionary sparse component, namely entry-wise and column-wise sparsity, and provide a unified analysis, encompassing both undercomplete and the overcomplete dictionary cases, to show that the constituent matrices can be successfully recovered under some relatively mild conditions on incoherence, sparsity, and rank. We leverage these results to localize targets of interest in a hyperspectral (HS) image based on their spectral signature(s) using the a priori known characteristic spectral responses of the target. We corroborate our theoretical results and analyze target localization performance of our approach via experimental evaluations and comparisons to related techniques.
CHoCC: Convex Hull of Cospherical Circles and Applications to Lattices

Abstract We discuss the properties and computation of the boundary B of a CHoCC (Convex Hulls of Cospherical Circles), which we define as the curved convex hull H ( C ) of a set C of n oriented and cospherical circles { C i } that bound disjoint spherical caps of possibly different radii. The faces of B comprise: n disks, each bounded by an input circle, t = 2 n − 4 triangles, each having vertices on different circles, and 3 t ∕ 2 developable surfaces, which we call corridors. The connectivity of B and the vertices of its triangles may be obtained by computing the Apollonius diagram of a flattening of the caps via a stereographic projection. As a more direct alternative, we propose a construction that works directly in 3D. The corridors are each a subset of an elliptic cone and their four vertices are coplanar. We define a beam as the convex hull of two balls (on which it is incident) and a lattice as the union of beams that are incident each on a pair of balls of a given set. We say that a lattice is clean when its beams are disjoint, unless they are incident upon the same ball. To simplify the structure of a clean lattice, one may union it with copies of the balls that are each enlarged so that it includes all intersections of its incident beams. But doing so may increase the total volume of the lattice significantly. To reduce this side-effect, we propose to replace each enlarged ball by a CHoCC and to approximate the lattice by an ACHoCC, which is an assembly of non-interfering CHoCCs for which the contact-faces are disks. We also discuss polyhedral approximations of CHoCCs and of ACHoCCs and advocate their use for processing and printing lattices.
Comparative effectiveness of external vs blended facilitation on collaborative care model implementation in slow-implementer community practices.

Objective To evaluate the comparative effectiveness of external facilitation (EF) vs external + internal facilitation (EF/IF), on uptake of a collaborative chronic care model (CCM) in community practices that were slower to implement under low-level implementation support. Study setting Primary data were collected from 43 community practices in Michigan and Colorado at baseline and for 12 months following randomization. Study design Sites that failed to meet a pre-established implementation benchmark after six months of low-level implementation support were randomized to add either EF or EF/IF support for up to 12 months. Key outcomes were change in number of patients receiving the CCM and number of patients receiving a clinically significant dose of the CCM. Moderators' analyses further examined whether comparative effectiveness was dependent on prerandomization adoption, number of providers trained or practice size. Facilitation log data were used for exploratory follow-up analyses. Data collection Sites reported monthly on number of patients that had received the CCM. Facilitation logs were completed by study EF and site IFs and shared with the study team. Principal findings N = 21 sites were randomized to EF and 22 to EF/IF. Overall, EF/IF practices saw more uptake than EF sites after 12 months (ΔEF/IF-EF = 4.4 patients, 95% CI = 1.87-6.87). Moderators' analyses, however, revealed that it was only sites with no prerandomization uptake of the CCM (nonadopter sites) that saw significantly more benefit from EF/IF (ΔEF/IF-EF = 9.2 patients, 95% CI: 5.72, 12.63). For sites with prerandomization uptake (adopter sites), EF/IF offered no additional benefit (ΔEF/IF-EF = -0.9; 95% CI: -4.40, 2.60). Number of providers trained and practice size were not significant moderators. Conclusions Although stepping up to the more intensive EF/IF did outperform EF overall, its benefit was limited to sites that failed to deliver any CCM under the low-level strategy. Once one or more providers were delivering the CCM, additional on-site personnel did not appear to add value to the implementation effort.
Mother and Father

William Bradford Shockley, a genius of the kind that appears on the Earth only every few centuries, was born on Sunday, February 13, 1910 at 69 Victoria St., London. His independent and free-thinking American born parents, May Bradford and William Hillman Shockley, married in 1908, and lived in London from 1909 to 1913.
Macrophage inflammatory and regenerative response periodicity is programmed by cell cycle and chromatin state

Cell cycle (CC) is a fundamental biological process with robust, cyclical gene expression programs to facilitate cell division. In the immune system, a productive immune response requires the expansion of pathogen-responsive cell types, but whether CC also confers unique gene expression programs that inform the subsequent immunological response remains unclear. Here we demonstrate that single macrophages adopt different plasticity states in CC, which is a major source of heterogeneity in response to polarizing cytokines. Specifically, macrophage plasticity to interferon gamma (IFNG) is substantially reduced, while interleukin 4 (IL-4) can induce S-G2/M-biased gene expression. Additionally, IL-4 polarization shifts the CC-phase distribution of the population towards G2/M phase, providing a mechanism for reduced IFNG-induced repolarization. Finally, we show that macrophages express tissue remodeling genes in the S-G2/M-phases of CC, that can be also detected in vivo during muscle regeneration. Therefore, macrophage inflammatory and regenerative responses are gated by CC in a cyclical phase-dependent manner. HighlightsO_LISingle-cell chromatin maps reveal heterogeneous macrophage polarization states C_LIO_LICell cycle coincides with heterogeneity and alters macrophage plasticity to polarizing cytokines C_LIO_LIMacrophage polarization is a cell cycle phase-dependent immunological process C_LIO_LIS-G2/M-biased gene expression is linked to tissue remodeling and detected in proliferating macrophages during muscle regeneration C_LI
House Price, Credit Supply, and Government Policy in China

This paper compares the effects of macroprudential policy, fiscal policy, and two liberalization policies on house prices and bank balance sheets and examines the welfare and distributional implications of each policy. Three prominent features of the Chinese economy, including monopolistically competitive banks, a managed float, and capital controls, are built into a New Keynesian dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model to produce a quantitative analysis of these policies. The model is estimated with Bayesian methods using Chinese data from 1998Q1 to 2016Q4. Results show that macroprudential policy greatly improves welfare and is the most effective tool for strengthening banks' balance sheets.
Reassessing relationships between appetite and adiposity in people at risk of obesity: A twin study using fMRI

Abstract Background Neuroimaging studies suggest that appetitive drive is enhanced in obesity. Objective To test if appetitive drive varies in direct proportion to the level of body adiposity after accounting for genetic factors that contribute to both brain response and obesity risk. Subjects/Methods Participants were adult monozygotic (n = 54) and dizygotic (n = 30) twins with at least one member of the pair with obesity. Body composition was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Hormonal and appetite measures were obtained in response to a standardized meal that provided 20% of estimated daily caloric needs and to an ad libitum buffet meal. Pre- and post-meal functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) assessed brain response to visual food cues in a set of a priori appetite-regulating regions. Exploratory voxelwise analyses outside a priori regions were performed with correction for multiple comparisons. Results In a group of 84 adults, the majority with obesity (75%), body fat mass was not associated with hormonal responses to a meal (glucose, insulin, glucagon-like peptide-1 and ghrelin, all P>0.40), subjective feelings of hunger (β=−0.01 mm [95% CI −0.35, 0.34] P = 0.97) and fullness (β=0.15 mm [−0.15, 0.44] P = 0.33), or buffet meal intake in relation to estimated daily caloric needs (β=0.28% [−0.05, 0.60] P = 0.10). Body fat mass was also not associated with brain response to high-calorie food cues in appetite-regulating regions (Pre-meal β=−0.12 [−0.32, 0.09] P = 0.26; Post-meal β=0.18 [−0.02, 0.37] P = 0.09; Change by a meal β=0.29 [−0.02, 0.61] P = 0.07). Conversely, lower fat mass was associated with being weight reduced (β=−0.05% [−0.07, −0.03] P Conclusions In a large study of adult twins, the majority with overweight or obesity, the level of adiposity was not associated with excess appetitive drive as assessed by behavioral, hormonal, or fMRI measures.
Rationale and Benefits of Surveillance After Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty and Stenting of Iliac and Femoral Arteries

Surveillance following lower extremity bypass, carotid endarterectomy, and endovascular aortic aneurysm repair has become the standard of care. Conversely, surveillance following lower extremity endovascular interventions is performed somewhat sporadically, in part because the duplex criteria for recurrent stenoses have been ill-defined. Duplex surveillance provides objective, hemodynamic, and anatomic data both pre and post intervention. It appears that duplex surveillance after peripheral endovascular interventions, as with conventional bypass, is beneficial in identifying recurrent lesions which when accompanied by reintervention may preclude failure and occlusion. Although not yet well-studied, it appears that applying routine surveillance following lower extremity endovascular interventions may assist in preventing failure of endovascular interventions.
A high speed motion estimator using 2-D log search algorithm

Summary form only given. This paper describes the design of a high speed motion estimator using the 2-D log search algorithm. The architecture consists of 5 simple processing elements (PE) where each PE is capable of computing the sum-of-absolute-difference (SAD) to exploit the parallelism. For each step in the 2-D log search procedure, the 5 SADs of the 5 search points are computed in parallel. The design is implemented using Verilog and synthesized using Synopsys. Simulations show that the architecture is able to generate the motion vector for each 16/spl times/16 macroblock in 14.58 /spl mu/s for 3-step log search, and 24.30 /spl mu/s for 5-step log search. The architecture is thus well suited for encoding MPEG2 video up to MP@ML.
Compatible analog/digital techniques for a monolithic process

The significant economic and performance advantages which may be realized over conventional monolithic techniques by employing, on a monolithic process, digital devices or compatible analog and digital devices to provide either analog and digital functions or improve analog circuit performance, will be assessed.
Testing an Academic Library Website for Usability with Faculty and Graduate Students

Objectives - This usability study was developed to observe faculty and graduate students’ reactions to a recent redesign of the University of Kansas (KU) Libraries’ website. The redesign included new navigational features, introduction of a federated search tool, a quick search box on the front page, and research subject pages. The study also provided the opportunity to observe the practices of faculty and graduate students in locating and retrieving information on the Libraries’ website. Methods - Ten participants (five faculty and five graduate students) representing diverse disciplines were solicited for the study. Participants were required to access the Libraries’ website to answer a series of questions regarding new and updated features of the website. Observational analysis using Morae™ software was conducted and interviews with each participant provided details of their opinions on how these new features would influence their research and teaching activities. Results - Most of the participants either did not notice or ignored the major website changes. Links to and locations of commonly used resources (e.g. catalogue; databases; e-journals) had been changed minimally, and the faculty and graduate student participants gravitated to those familiar features to complete tasks. Prior to the study, participants had not accessed the new discovery tools; however, once previewed, responses to the tools’ utility were generally favourable. After using the federated search tool on a familiar topic, several participants noted that, when directed to databases they had not previously considered, they were able to locate citations they had missed in the past. Observers noted pitfalls in navigating the site such as inconsistent underscoring of links, ambiguous terminology, and unclear icons meant to expand subject heading lists. Unexpected searching behaviours were observed, including inconsistent and lack of conceptual understanding in searching for e-journal content. Conclusions - This study provides evidence regarding the usability of a library website with a population already familiar with library resources. It demonstrated that faculty and graduate students are not interested in experimenting with new discovery tools but are amenable to their potential value to undergraduate students. The recent trend toward minimizing content and links on websites satisfies this population, one which is already comfortable with the basic attributes of a library’s website.
Cellular differences in lipoprotein lipase-mediated uptake of low density lipoproteins.

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) increases the cellular uptake and degradation of LDL by fibroblasts and macrophages via a heparin-sensitive process. The roles of the LDL receptor, LDL receptor-related protein (LRP), and proteoglycans in this process were studied. In up-regulated human fibroblasts, LPL increased degradation of 125I-low density lipoprotein (LDL) (5 micrograms/ml) only 30% during a 6-h incubation at 37 degrees C. Monoclonal antibody 47 (which interacts with the receptor binding region of apoB) decreased LDL degradation 93% in the absence of LPL, but did not reduce the LPL-mediated increase in degradation. In contrast, addition of the 39-kDa receptor-associated protein (RAP) caused a 43% decrease in the LPL-dependent LDL degradation in non-up-regulated fibroblasts. Monoclonal antibody 47 did not decrease LDL degradation by THP-1 macrophages and RAP caused a 30% of pericellular heparan sulfate was lost between 2-4 h of the chase period. Therefore, some of the LPL-mediated LDL degradation in the THP-1 cells could be accounted for by internalization of cell surface proteoglycans. We conclude that LRP, but not the LDL receptor, is involved in LPL-mediated degradation of LDL in fibroblasts. This process is much more rapid in THP-1 cells and in addition to LRP may involve other receptors and internalization of proteoglycans.
Oxidative metabolism in Pediococcus pentosaceus. I. Role of oxygen and catalase.

Dobrogosz, Walter J. (Pennsylvania State University, University Park) and Robert W. Stone. Oxidative metabolism in Pediococcus pentosaceus. I. Role of oxygen and catalase. J. Bacteriol. 84:716–723. 1962.—Studies were conducted on the physiological behavior of several strains of Pediococcus pentosaceus isolated from alfalfa silages. Although these organisms are regarded as homofermentative lactic acid bacteria which metabolize carbohydrates via the classic reactions of glycolysis, this investigation showed that they were capable of developing other physiologically important reactions related to carbohydrate metabolism. Growth on glycerol, for example, was shown to depend on the development of aerobic reactions, and was directly related to the catalase content of the various strains tested. These organisms were shown to be devoid of a cytochrome system, thus implicating an active flavoprotein system in oxidative reactions. A study of the end products of aerobic glycerol metabolism suggested that glycerol was oxidized to the pyruvate level, with subsequent reactions involving pyruvate leading to the accumulation of lactate, acetate, acetoin, and CO2 in a molar ratio of approximately 1:1:1:3.
A nonlinear PIN diode model for use in multi-diode microwave and RF communication circuit simulation

A nonlinear p-i-n diode model suitable for use in microwave and RF communication circuit simulation is presented. The circuit nonlinear transfer functions are computed and verified with experimental distortion measurements on series and shunt reflective attenuators. These transfer functions are useful in circuit and device simulation since they are algebraic in nature and require minimal computation time. The model presented is applicable to both gallium arsenide and silicon p-i-n diodes, in packaged, beam lead or chip form. >
Research Methodology for Studies of Diagnostic Tests

Much of clinical research is aimed at assessing causality. However, clinical research can also address the value of new medical tests, which will ultimately be used for screening for risk factors, to diagnose a disease, or to assess prognosis. In order to be able to construct research questions and designs involving these concepts, one must have a working knowledge of this field. In other words, although traditional clinical research designs can be used to assess some of these questions, most of the studies assessing the value of diagnostic testing are more akin to descriptive observational designs, but with the twist that these designs are not aimed to assess causality, but are rather aimed at determining whether a diagnostic test will be useful in clinical practice. This chapter will introduce the various ways of assessing the accuracy of diagnostic tests, which will include discussions of sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, likelihood ratio, and receiver operator characteristic curves.
Educational Leadership Preparation: What Supervisors, Candidates, And Mentors Said

The findings of this study identified practicum areas that meet the educational demands of candidates while highlighting practicum areas that need improvement. The study contributes to the knowledge base of the field by drawing upon feedback from university supervisors, school mentors and program candidates to evaluate and improve the practicum experience in the educational leadership program. Program candidates are in the best position to discuss their recent experiences of exposure to the real world. Supervisors and mentors can witness from their first hand experience how effective practicum activities work. Responses from supervisors, mentors and candidates regarding leadership practicum experiences are valuable to program developers in their future program redesign effort. Practicum experiences expose candidates to real-world school leadership experiences. Unfortunately, because of all kinds of conditional limitations, such practicum experiences can only be offered in conjunction with candidates' regular work in school. However, leadership practicum experiences can be well planned with a high collaboration of supervisors, mentors and candidates who have an invested interest in school improvement. In this study, what we learn from the differences of perceptions among supervisors, mentors and candidates is a caution to all stakeholders that we need to do a better job to prepare the next generation of school leaders. Supervisors, mentors and candidates need to form a coalition to explore other options, especially out-of-the-box strategies, to deliver a highly effective practicum program for potential educational leaders.
The epidemiology of hepatitis C infection in the United States

The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the United States has remained constant from 1988 through 2002, although the peak age of infection has increased. While the number of new HCV cases is declining, the rates of HCV-associated morbidity and mortality are increasing. We reviewed the risk factors for HCV infection, the laboratory methods used to diagnose it, the dynamics of disease progression, and the natural history of HCV infection. Medline searches were performed using the key word HCV, together with incidence, risk factors, demographics, diagnostic methods, disease progression, natural history, normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT), fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Three characteristics—abnormal serum ALT, history of injection drug use, and blood transfusion before 1992—identified 85% of HCV-positive individuals 20–59 years old. About 75%–85% of acutely infected individuals progress to chronic infection, with up to 20% developing liver cirrhosis over 20–25 years, putting them at increased risk for end-stage liver disease and/or HCC. HCV-associated cirrhosis is the leading cause of liver transplantation in the United States. Rates of infection are higher in non-Hispanic blacks than in non-Hispanic whites and Mexican Americans and higher in men than in women. In the United States, over 70% of HCV-infected individuals are infected with genotype 1. HCV infection is more prevalent than human immunodeficiency virus or hepatitis B virus infection and is particularly common among certain demographic groups. Individual rates of fibrosis progression vary, but identification of host and viral characteristics associated with disease progression may reveal the mechanisms of HCV-associated hepatic fibrosis/cirrhosis.
Simultaneous directed assembly of three distinct heterodimeric coiled coils.

We describe simultaneous formation of three distinct heterodimeric coiled coils from a mixture of six different peptides. The choice among electrostatically viable complexes is governed by alignmen...
Multilayer optical storage by low-coherence reflectometry.

We propose and analyze the use of optical coherence domain reflectometry (OCDR) in multilayer optical storage, permitting higher data density and detection sensitivity with lower interlayer cross talk and scattering. An experimental OCDR image of data on a CD-ROM is compared with an image obtained with direct detection.
Language Issues for Cognitive Radio

This paper discusses various aspects of formal languages in the context of cognitive radio. A bottom up approach is taken in which an example of a specification of a feature of cognitive radio in a selected language is shown, followed by an example of a feature that cannot be expressed in the language and the identification of a capability that needs to be added to the language in order to cover the identified gap in the expressiveness. Following this pattern, we start with a language based on description logics and add the capability of expressing rules, then functions, and finally behavioral aspects. The running example used in this paper - conveying the description of a component to be synthesized by another radio - covers two major aspects of a cognitive radio: an ability to express own capabilities and an ability to interoperate with other cognitive radios.
Temperature effects on rigid pavements

An analysis technique, to be used in conjunction with packaged finite‐element programs, is developed for the study of rigid pavements subjected to temperature loading. For illustrative purpose, the pavement is idealized as a thin isotropic plate resting on a Winkler‐type elastic foundation. Since two‐dimensional plate elements are limited to linear temperature distribution through the thickness, the advantage of the proposed method lies in its capability to superimpose the effect of the nonlinear temperature distribution on the finite‐element solution. This obviates the need to use three‐dimensional (or brick) elements, which would significantly increase the input and execution time. Results are presented and compared for both linear and nonlinear temperature variations. The results clearly show that disregarding temperature stresses in rigid pavement design is unconservative.
Human surfactant protein D: SP-D contains a C-type lectin carbohydrate recognition domain

Abstract Lung surfactant protein D (SP-D) shows calcium-dependent binding to specific saccharides, and is similar in domain structure to certain members of the calcium-dependent (C-type) lectin family. Using a degenerate oligomeric probe corresponding to a conserved peptide sequence derived from the amino-terminus of the putative carbohydrate binding domain of rat and bovine SP-D, we screened a human lung cDNA library and isolated a 1.4-kb cDNA for the human protein. The relationship of the cDNA to SP-D was established by several techniques including amino-terminal microsequencing of SP-D-derived peptides, and immunoprecipitation of translation products of transcribed mRNA with monospecific antibodies to SP-D. In addition, antibodies to a synthetic peptide derived from a predicted unique epitope within the carbohydrate recognition domain of SP-D specifically reacted with SP-D. DNA sequencing demonstrated a noncollagenous carboxy-terminal domain that is highly homologous with the carboxy-terminal globular domain of previously described C-type lectins. This domain contains all of the so-called “invariant residues,” including four conserved cysteine residues, and shows high homology with the mannose-binding subfamily of C-type lectins. Sequencing also demonstrated an amino-terminal collagenous domain that contains an uninterrupted sequence of 59 Gly-X-Y triplets and that also contains the only identified consensus for asparagine-linked oligosaccharides. The studies demonstrate that SP-D is a member of the C-type lectin family, and confirm predicted structural similarities to conglutinin, SP-D, and the serum mannose binding proteins.
INFUENCE OF SEED COATING WITH MICRONUTRIENTS ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF WINTER WHEAT IN SOUTHEASTERN COASTAL PLAINS

Polymer seed coating with micronutrients may provide important nutrients during plant growth and impro ve yields. The objective of this study was to determin e the effect of three seed application rates (265, 395 and 530 mL 100 kg seeds -1 ) of polymer based mixture of Copper (Cu), Manganese (Mn) and Zinc (Zn) micronutrients on dryland winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) near Blackville, SC from 2010 to 2012. Compared to untreated control, seed coating signifi cantly increased grain yields by 5.0 and 2.1% with seed applications at 530 and 395 mL 100 kg seeds -1 , respectively. Dry matter yield improved over cont rol by 13.4, 22.6 and 20.7%, N uptake by 13.9, 24.6 and 19 .3% and P in plant biomass by 16.0, 23.3 and 21.3% with seed applications at 265, 395 and 530 mL 100 kg seeds -1 , respectively. Coating application of 265 mL 100 kg seeds -1 increased grain N content by 5.0% compared to control. Grain P uptake was greater with seed application rates of 265 and 395 mL 100 kg see ds -1 (0.415 and 0.399%, respectively) than 530 mL 100 kg seeds -1 (0.385%). Significantly higher grain Cu uptake was observed at rate of 395 mL 100 kg seeds -1
Millikan’s measurement of Planck’s constant

Robert Millikan is famous for measuring the charge of the electron. His result was better than any previous measurement and his method established that there was a fundamental unit of charge, or charge quantization. He is less well-known for his measurement of Planck’s constant, although, as discussed below, he is often mistakenly given credit for providing significant evidence in support of Einstein’s photon theory of light.1 His Nobel Prize citation was “for his work on the elementary electric charge of electricity and the photoelectric effect,” an indication of the significance of his work on the photoelectric effect.
Association mapping and marker-assisted selection of the lettuce dieback resistance gene Tvr1

Background Lettuce (Lactuca saliva L.) is susceptible to dieback, a soilborne disease caused by two viruses from the family Tombusviridae. Susceptibility to dieback is widespread in romaine and leaf-type lettuce, while modern iceberg cultivars are resistant to this disease. Resistance in iceberg cultivars is conferred by Tvr1 - a single, dominant gene that provides durable resistance. This study describes fine mapping of the resistance gene, analysis of nucleotide polymorphism and linkage disequilibrium in the Tvr1 region, and development of molecular markers for marker-assisted selection.
Platelet function in scurvy and experimental human vitamin C deficiency

Abstract A consistent clinical feature of human scurvy is mucocutaneous hemorrhage which has been attributed to abnormal blood vessel structure secondary to deficient collagen synthesis. Quantitative and qualitative platelet abnormalities have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of scorbutic bleeding in some studies; however, the presence of other nutritional deficiencies has clouded interpretation of these results. To further evaluate the effect of vitamin C deficiency on platelet number and function, we studied one patient with typical perifollicular hemorrhagic manifestations of scurvy and five normal subjects fed a diet deficient only in ascorbic acid. Markedly decreased plasma (0.07 mg/dl) and leukocyte (4.92 μg/10 8 cells) ascorbic acid was found in the scurvy patient, and similar levels developed in the normal subjects fed the ascorbic acid deficient diet (mean plasma level 0.12 mg/dl; mean leukocyte level 8.1 μg/10 8 cells). Platelet number; glass bead column retention; aggregation in response to ADP, collagen, epinephrine, sodium arachidonate and ristocetin; serotonin release; bleeding time and platelet retention during bleeding were all normal in the patient with scurvy. Platelet retention during bleeding decreased in all five normal subjects when they became vitamin C deficient, but none became abnormal. The bleeding time remained normal in all five subjects. Slight thrombocytopenia developed in one subject, but otherwise platelet number and all of the above platelet functions were normal in the ascorbic acid deficient control subjects. We conclude that mucocutaneous hemorrhage in scurvy is not a consequence of impaired platelet function. Previously reported abnormal platelet function in scurvy is probably not the result of vitamin C deficiency per se, but may be the consequence of other coexisting nutritional deficiencies.
Notetaking Formats for Learning Disabled Adolescents

Notetaking is an important skill for secondary students in content-area classes. While most research on notetaking indicates its usefulness for effective recall of academic information, little literature exists on notetaking techniques for learning disabled adolescents, who often have problems organizing information. This article suggests two notetaking formats for learning disabled adolescents, as well as general instructional guidelines for notetaking. Since notetaking is not a singular process, it must be coordinated with other areas such as listening and study/test-taking strategies. Finally, notetaking is viewed as an individualized, active process on the part of students.