cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Massed group desensitization in reduction of test-anxiety.

30 test-anxious nursing students were randomly assigned to either a massed desensitization, placebo, or control group. All treatment was applied in 3 2-hr. and 20-min. sessions over an 8-day period. The massed group desensitization sessions began with 20 min. of recorded relaxation instructions. The remainder of the sessions consisted of Ss visualizing items from a test-anxiety hierarchy while concentrating on remaining relaxed. The placebo group sessions began with 20 min. of a recorded presentation on the merits of good study techniques, concentration, learning, and personal efficiency. Lectures on these topics comprised the remainder of the sessions. The control Ss merely received the pre- and post-treatment measures. A significant difference (p.01) was obtained on the posttest measure between the massed desensitization group and the placebo group and between the massed desensitization and control groups. The results of this study agree with earlier studies which indicate that massed group desensitizat...
Modeling and design for beyond-the-die power integrity

Power integrity gains growing importance for integrated circuits in 45nm technology and beyond. This paper provides a tutorial of modeling and design for beyond the die power integrity. We explain the background of simultaneous switching noise (SSN) and its impacts on circuit designs. We discuss various models of different accuracy and complexity for the board, package and chip, and suggest how to select proper ones for board-package-chip co-simulation and co-design of SSN. We then review different design techniques to suppress SSN, including I/O planning and placement, decoupling capacitor allocation, package layer stacking and power/ground plane stapling.
Nuclear magnetic resonance of the liver, spleen, and pancreas

This review includes the initial experience with NMR imaging of the liver, spleen, and pancreas at the University of California, San Francisco, using a prototype 0.35 Tesla system. This experience shows great promise for detection of hepatic metastases using T1-weighted pulse sequences. T2-weighted pulse sequences appear sensitive for detecting cavernous hemangioma of the liver and may allow tissue specific discrimination of the benign lesion from cancer. NMR is also suitable for evaluating diffuse metabolic alterations and is sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of iron overload. Detection of fatty liver requires use of chemical shift techniques as conventional NMR imaging pulse sequences are relatively insensitive. Motion artifacts and lack of an effective bowel contrast agent limits imaging of the pancreas and retroperitoneum, where CT remains the procedure of choice. The normal spleen has longer T1 and T2 relaxation times than liver or pancreas and NMR has not been successful in diagnosing splenic metastases or lymphoma on a routine basis. We conclude that NMR imaging will be valuable in the diagnosis of focal liver disorders; until fast scan techniques and effective magnetic contrast agents are available for oral and/or intravenous use, other abdominal applications will remain limited.
A Kronecker Based Theory for Robust Root Clustering of Linear State Space Models with Real Parameter Uncertainty

In this paper, the problem of matrix root clustering in subregions of complex plane for linear state space models with real parameter uncertainty is considered. An existing theory for nominal matrix root clustering using Kronecker Matrix Algebra is extended to the perturbed matrix case and bounds are derived on the perturbation norms to maintain root clustering inside a given region. The theory allows us to get an explicit relationship between the parameters of the root clusterinlg region and the uncertainty region of the parameter space. The current literature available for robust stability becomes a special case of this unified theory. The proposed analysis is much less conservative compared to the existing methods because it is specifically tailored to real parameter uncertainty.
Tomographic imaging of deep velocity structure beneath the Eastern and Southern Carpathians, Romania: Implications for continental collision

The Vrancea seismic zone, located beneath the “elbow” of the Eastern and Southern Carpathians, is characterized by intermediate-depth seismicity associated with subduction and plate collision. Among many strong earthquakes that have occurred in the region, the 1977 Vrancea earthquake (March 4, 1977, Ms = 7.1, depth of 86 km) caused extensive damage and fatalities. The Vrancea seismic zone is defined by a tabular region of seismicity that extends from the surface to a depth of 200 km. The small size (about 80 km in length and 40 km in width) and geometry of the seismic zone have made it difficult to interpret the kinematics of subduction and continental collision in the Romanian Carpathians. To better understand the collision/subduction environment, body wave seismic tomography was used to image the deep structure beneath the Eastern and Southern Carpathians in Romania. A total of 7837 P and 2292 S arrival times from 433 shallow and intermediate-depth earthquakes recorded by local and regional seismic stations were inverted for the three-dimensional (3-D) seismic velocity structure. The travel times and ray paths were calculated by an efficient 3-D ray-tracing technique. By utilizing the LSQR algorithm, P and S wave velocity perturbations were determined from the surface down to a depth of 200 km. The high-resolution P wave tomographic images reveal a pattern of broad heterogeneity in the velocity structure of the region. One of the most important features is a high-velocity body existing beneath the Carpathian arc at depths between 100 and 170 km. This high-velocity body outlines a slab dipping near vertically where most of the intermediate-depth earthquakes occur. Beneath the Transylvanian Basin, a high-velocity zone is dipping toward the SE and may represent the base of lithosphere, which is in convergence with the subducted slab. Low-velocity bodies are found along the forearc of the Carpathian foredeep down to depths of 70 to 80 km. These low-velocity bodies may be correlated with the shallow sedimentary layer in the foreland and may represent crustal materials wedged and underthrust along with the subducted lithosphere.
Sex Determination: Controlling the Master

Sex is determined in Drosophila by the activity of the Sex-lethal master regulator. Activity of Sex-lethal is initiated early in females by chromosome-counting transcription factors, then reinforced by signaling through the Janus kinase pathway.
Teacher Learning and Power in the Knowledge Society

Teacher Learning and Power in the Knowledge Society has distinctive aims, detailed within its introduction, that focus on teachers as ‘knowledgeable workers’. Clark, Livingstone and Smaller state t...
X-ray and Auger transition rates and energies of 33′ states of two-electron ions

Abstract X-ray and Auger transition rates and transition energies are calculated for helium-like iron ions in the 3 l 3 l ′ configurations. This work is an extension of our previous studies on the atomic parameters of doubly-excited two-electron atoms. The calculations have been performed using the Hartree-Fock-Slater atomic model. The effects of configuration interaction, spin-orbit coupling, and relativity have been included in the calculation. The autoionizing channel 3 l 3 l ′→2pϵ l is seen to be the most favored mode of deexcitation.
Supramolecular Catalysis of Unimolecular Rearrangements: Substrate Scope and Mechanistic Insights

A cavity-containing metal-ligand assembly is employed as a catalytic host for the 3-aza Cope rearrangement of allyl enammonium cations. Upon binding, the rates of rearrangement are accelerated for all substrates studied, up to 850-fold. Activation parameters were measured for three enammonium cations in order to understand the origins of acceleration. Those parameters reveal that the supramolecular structure is able to reduce both the entropic and enthalpic barriers for rearrangement and is highly sensitive to small structural changes of the substrate. The space-restrictive cavity preferentially binds closely packed, preorganized substrate conformations, which resemble the conformations of the transition states. This hypothesis is also supported by quantitative NOE studies of two encapsulated substrates, which place the two reacting carbon atoms in close proximity. The capsule can act as a true catalyst, since release and hydrolysis facilitate catalytic turnover. The question of product hydrolysis was addressed through detailed kinetic studies. We conclude that the iminium product must dissociate from the cavity interior and the assembly exterior before hydroxide-mediated hydrolysis, and propose the intermediacy of a tight ion pair of the polyanionic host with the exiting product.
Notes on separate-bias estimation

Properties of the separate-bias estimation technique introduced in 1969 [1] are reviewed, including the interpretation of the result as the estimation of a constant embedded in white noise. The equations may be rearranged to permit a simpler calculation of the bias which is particularly useful if only infrequent estimates of the bias are needed. It is also shown that the assumption of a nondecreasing bias-covariance matrix leads to a time-invariant filter without steady-state errors in estimation of the state or the bias.
Factors Related to Loss of Child Custody in HIV+ Women in Drug Abuse Recovery

Background: Mothers who are dually-diagnosed with HIV/ AIDS and drug abuse are particularly burdened and vulnerable to loss of child custody. Objectives: This study explores factors associated with child custody loss among HIV+ women in drug abuse recovery, and compares mothers who have custody of their children to mothers who do not have custody of all of their children. Methods: Descriptive analyses were conducted on 68 HIV+ mothers in drug recovery, 46% who had custody of all of their children, and 54% who did not. Results: The lost-custody group was less likely to be employed and had more history of violent impulses and arrest, particularly on drug charges. The groups reported similar recent and lifetime drug use patterns, but the custody group had received more drug treatment. Post-hoc analyses found the lost-custody group had lower rates of participation in the interventions offered in the parent clinical trial and higher avoidant coping. Conclusions: The sample in the current study supports that HI...
Tongue engorgement with prolonged use of the esophageal-tracheal combitube

We report a case of massive tongue engorgement associated with placement of an esophageal-tracheal twin-lumen airway device (Combitube) in a morbidly obese patient. Approximately 4 hours after atraumatic placement of the Combitube, tongue swelling occurred. An emergency tracheostomy was needed for airway management before removal of the Combitube. Ischemia-reperfusion injury or compression of glossal blood vessels, specifically lingual veins, was the most likely cause for the patient's tongue engorgement. An exhaustive search for other causes revealed nothing. Prolonged use of the Combitube may incur greater risk of airway complications such as tongue engorgement.
Energy Distribution of K Mesons Produced in Nuclei

$K$ mesons produced by internal target bombardment at the Brookhaven Cosmotron and Berkeley Bevatron are assumed to be made by the reaction: $p+N\ensuremath{\rightarrow}Y+N+K$, where $N=\mathrm{nucleon}$, $Y=\mathrm{hyperon}$. The expected energy distribution of the $K$ particles is calculated for several laboratory angles at proton bombarding energies of 2.9 Bev and 4.8 Bev, assuming various angular and energy distributions of the $K$ mesons in the center-of-mass system of the incoming proton and target nucleon. The internal motions of the target nucleons were taken into account by using both the Gaussian and the Fermi momentum distributions.
Few-body ultracold reactions in a Bose-Fermi mixture

The spectrum of two bosons and two fermions in a trap is calculated using a correlated-Gaussian basis throughout the range of a broad Fano-Feshbach resonance. The calculations provide a few-body solution to the magneto-association of fermionic Feshbach molecules. This solution is used to study the time evolution of the system as the scattering length changes, mimicking experiments with Bose-Fermi mixtures near Fano-Feshbach resonances. The structure of avoided crossings in the few-body spectrum enables an interpretation of the dynamics of the system as a sequence of Landau-Zener transitions. The calculated molecule formation rate is compared with experimental observations.
Chemokines in nasal secretions of normal adults experimentally infected with respiratory syncytial virus.

The goal of this study was to determine time courses of upregulation of several chemokines in nasal secretions after inoculation of human subjects with a low dose of live respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Healthy, nonsmoking young adults were admitted to an inpatient clinical research unit. After baseline studies, subjects were nasally inoculated with approximately 10(3) plaque-forming units of RSV (strain A2), followed by daily nasal lavages. Nasal lavage fluid (NLF) was assayed for chemokines by specific ELISA. Of 10 subjects inoculated with RSV, 3 developed clinical symptoms of upper respiratory infection and also shed virus. Among infected subjects, there was a transient postinoculation increase in interleukin-8 (IL-8) in NLF to an average of 2.7-fold compared to baseline, followed by a prolonged increase (maximum mean 5.4-fold) during virus shedding. RANTES, MIP-1alpha, and MCP-1 all increased during virus shedding only (maximum mean increases of 5.3-fold, 13-fold, and 7.2-fold, respectively). Semiquantitative RT-PCR in brushed nasal epithelial cells on day 6 after inoculation suggested upregulation of RANTES, but not IL-8, mRNA during virus shedding. We conclude that chemokines IL-8, RANTES, MIP-1alpha, and MCP-1 are all increased in nasal secretions in human RSV infection at the time of virus shedding and symptomatic illness and that the epithelium lining the nasal turbinate contributes to the increase in RANTES.
The Ecology of Wealth-in-People: Agriculture, Settlement, and Society on the Perpetual Frontier

For the Susu of northwestern Sierra Leone, rural settlement dynamics reflect a frontier culture history and the perpetuation of frontier sociopolitical arrangements in village life. Under frontier conditions people are wealth. The competition among male elders for wealth-in-people is a major determinant of village movements and the organization and deployment of agricultural labor. In this article, I explore the implications of frontier social arrangements, as illustrated in the careers and lives of individual elder men, for the ecology of swidden agriculture. One significant result is a competitive scramble for labor, which both hinders crop production and leads to problems of intensification and resource degradation. I conclude that local problems of resource management are the result of individual efforts to achieve and maintain social position in the context of established systems of hierarchy.
Particle damage observed in ring shear tests on sands

In this paper, particle damage of three test sands with different mineralogical compositions is studied using stress–displacement response measured in ring shear tests, particle-size distributions ...
Evaluation of a hygiene and dry period therapy program for mastitis control.

Abstract In two trials half of the cows were subjected to a postmilking test dip and and dry period therapy of all quarters while the other half were untreated controls. In the first trial involving 120 cows over 2 years the proportion among treated cows of quarters infected with Streptococcus agalactiae decreased from 21.8 to 1.6% and with Staphylococcus aureus from 9.5 to 2.9% whereas controls showed much smaller changes. The new infection rate was 1.03 infections per cow-year in treated cows and 1.50 in controls. Clinical mastitis was not reduced in treated cows due in part to an increase in coliform infections. Wisconsin Mastitis Test scores of quarter samples were significantly reduced in treated cows. The second trial involved 80 cows over 60 weeks; these cows had a low initial intramammary infection. Among treated cows S. agalactiae infection, new infection rate, and cases of clinical mastitis were reduced from controls, and there was no increase in coliform infections.
Comparative Sequence Analysis of Plasmids from Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Construction of a Shuttle Cloning Vector

While plasmids are very commonly associated with the majority of the lactic acid bacteria, they are only very rarely associated with Lactobacillus delbrueckii, with only four characterized to date. In this study, the complete sequence of a native plasmid, pDOJ1, from a strain of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus was determined. It consisted of a circular DNA molecule of 6,220 bp with a G+C content of 44.6% and a characteristic ori and encoded six open reading frames (ORFs), of which functions could be predicted for three-a mobilization (Mob) protein, a transposase, and a fused primase-helicase replication protein. Comparative analysis of pDOJ1 and the other available L. delbrueckii plasmids (pLBB1, pJBL2, pN42, and pLL1212) revealed a very similar organization and amino acid identities between 85 and 98% for the putative proteins of all six predicted ORFs from pDOJ1, reflecting a common origin for L. delbrueckii plasmids. Analysis of the fused primase-helicase replication gene found a similar fused organization only in the theta replicating group B plasmids from Streptococcus thermophilus. This observation and the ability of the replicon to function in S. thermophilus support the idea that the origin of plasmids in L. delbrueckii was likely from S. thermophilus. This may reflect the close association of these two species in dairy fermentations, particularly yogurt production. As no vector based on plasmid replicons from L. delbrueckii has previously been constructed, an Escherichia coli-L. delbrueckii shuttle cloning vector, pDOJ4, was constructed from pDOJ1, the p15A ori, the chloramphenicol resistance gene of pCI372, and the lacZ polylinker from pUC18. This cloning vector was successfully introduced into E. coli, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus, and Lactococcus lactis. This shuttle cloning vector provides a new tool for molecular analysis of Lactobacillus delbrueckii and other lactic acid bacteria.
InAs/AlSb double-barrier structure with large peak-to-valley current ratio: a candidate for high-frequency microwave devices

Negative differential resistance (NDR) in InAs/AlSb/InAs/AlSb/InAs double-barrier structures with peak-to-valley current (PVC) ratios as large as 11 at room temperature and 28 at 77 K is reported. This is a large improvement over previous results for these materials and is also considerably better than those obtained for the extensively studied GaAs/AlGaAs material system. The peak current density was also improved by reducing the barrier thickness, and values exceeding 10/sup 5/ A/cm/sup 2/ have been observed. These results suggest that InAs/AlSb structures are interesting alternatives to conventional GaAs/AlGaAs structures in high-frequency devices. NDR in a InAs/AlSb superlattice double-barrier structure with a lower PVC ratio than in the solid barrier case has also been observed. This result indicates that valley current contributions arising from X-point tunneling are negligible in these structures, consistent with the large band offset. >
Representational momentum in children: dynamic information and analogue representation.

Strmmary.-Two groups of children and a control group of adults complered a visual memory task previously shown to produce representarional momentum in adults. In the task, a computer-animated rarger was shown moving either horizontally or vertically, and the target vanished without warning. After the target vanished, observers indicated the location at which ir had vanished. Both children and adults exhibited representational momenrum, i.e., indicated locarions slighdy beyond where the rarger acrually disappeared, and the magnitude of representational momentum was larger for younger children than adults. Implications of the results for issues of sensitivity to dynamics and for reliance on analogue representation are discussed.
Automated Nanomanipulation with Atomic Force Microscopes

Automation has long been recognized as an important goal in AFM (atomic force microscope) nanomanipulation research. For the precise manipulation of small particles with sizes on the order of 10 nm, however, automation has remained an elusive goal, primarily because of the spatial uncertainties associated with the positioning mechanisms of the AFM and with the manipulation process itself. Extensive user intervention has been necessary for the construction of desired nanostructures with the AFM, resulting in very low throughput, and severely limiting the complexity of structures that could be built with a reasonable amount of time and labor. This paper describes a fully automatic system for building arbitrary planar patterns of nanoparticles by AFM manipulation. Given an initial, random distribution of particles on a substrate surface and a desired pattern to be formed with them, a planner determines the paths required to perform the manipulation operations. The output of the planner is a sequence of primitive commands for positioning and pushing operations involving motion along line segments. The primitive commands are executed through software that compensates for thermal drift, creep and hysteresis. Experimental results presented here show that the system can build in minutes a pattern that normally would take an experienced user a whole day to construct interactively.
Self-authorization: A characteristic of some elements in certain self-organizing systems

Abstract As defined by W. Ross Ashby, a self-organizing system consists of organisms and their environments. As the system moves toward its stable equilibrial slates, it organizes itself, hence the name. A group of human beings in which each person is adapting to his or her social environment could be regarded as a self-organizing system Scholars from several disciplines are interested in the behaviors that people adopt in order to orient themselves to their social environments and in how these behaviors change. This paper describes a behavior adopted by some people and inquires how this behavior comes about The term “self-authorization” refers to the fact that some people do not wait for someone in authority to “authorize” them to engage in activities that promote the general welfare. These people authorize themselves. Assuming that self-authorizing people, as defined above, are valuable to a society, what educational or personal experiences are necessary or helpful in leading people to become self-autho...
The inconstant gut microbiota of Drosophila species revealed by 16S rRNA gene analysis

The gut microorganisms in some animals are reported to include a core microbiota of consistently associated bacteria that is ecologically distinctive and may have coevolved with the host. The core microbiota is promoted by positive interactions among bacteria, favoring shared persistence; its retention over evolutionary timescales is evident as congruence between host phylogeny and bacterial community composition. This study applied multiple analyses to investigate variation in the composition of gut microbiota in drosophilid flies. First, the prevalence of five previously described gut bacteria (Acetobacter and Lactobacillus species) in individual flies of 21 strains (10 Drosophila species) were determined. Most bacteria were not present in all individuals of most strains, and bacterial species pairs co-occurred in individual flies less frequently than predicted by chance, contrary to expectations of a core microbiota. A complementary pyrosequencing analysis of 16S rRNA gene amplicons from the gut microbiota of 11 Drosophila species identified 209 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs), with near-saturating sampling of sequences, but none of the OTUs was common to all host species. Furthermore, in both of two independent sets of Drosophila species, the gut bacterial community composition was not congruent with host phylogeny. The final analysis identified no common OTUs across three wild and four laboratory samples of D. melanogaster. Our results yielded no consistent evidence for a core microbiota in Drosophila. We conclude that the taxonomic composition of gut microbiota varies widely within and among Drosophila populations and species. This is reminiscent of the patterns of bacterial composition in guts of some other animals, including humans.
Interfacial Ion Fluxes at Nanostructured Thin Films

Thin films derived from nanocrystal cores and functionalized linkers provide large surface-to-volume ratio and three-dimensional ligand framework. This paper describes the results of an investigation of the interfacial ion fluxes associated with redox reactivity and structural properties of such films using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical quartz-crystal nanobalance, surface infrared reflection spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Films from gold nanocrystals of 2 nm core sizes and 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid were studied as a model system. First, the film coated on electrode surface displays redox-like voltammetric waves characteristic of the deprotonation-reprotonation of the carboxylic acid groups in the nanostructured network. This process is accompanied by mass changes. Secondly, the film exhibits capability for the complexation of copper ions via the nanostructured carboxylate framework. This process is also accompanied by interfacial fluxes of electrolyte cations across the electrode | film | electrolyte interface which compensate electrostatically the fixed negative charges in the reduction process.
AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGES IN CHILDREN'S FEARS

Summary A total of 54 kindergarten, second and sixth grade children expressed their fears verbally while representing them iconically in drawings during individual interviews conducted in an investigation designed to describe developmental changes in the structure of fears. Analysis of interview content revealed decreases with grade level in the frequency of occurrence of fears with imaginary themes such as fear of ghosts and monsters, of bedtime fears and of frightening dreams, and an increase in the frequency of realistic fears involving bodily injury and physical danger. Results are discussed in terms of stages in the development of children's perception of reality, socialization processes and emergence of children's conceptions of death.
Respiratory Care Billing Using a Personal Digital Assistant

In 2003 I reported how my respiratory care department at Tufts-New England Medical Center developed an inexpensive, in-house, computerized clinical-information-management system, in which the respiratory therapists carry handheld computers during their rounds, entering clinical information into the handhelds as they work and later downloading that information to a database in a desktop computer. Now we have added a billing module to our customized software. This article describes the design, use, and attributes of this billing system, including improved charge-capture, which increased department revenue substantially. Our system has several other important advantages over traditional billing systems.
Hemoglobin Parchman: double crossover within a single human gene

Structural analysis of a new variant hemoglobin revealed tryptic peptides with the amino acid composition of normal delta-globin, except for two internal peptides, which had the compositions of normal beta-globin. The most likely explanation for these findings is that a double, nonhomologous crossover between the delta-and beta-globin genes had occurred.
Estimation of time-varying coherence function using time-varying transfer functions

We introduce a new method to estimate reliable time-varying coherence functions (TVCF). The technique is based on our previously developed method to estimate time-varying transfer functions (TVTF), known as the time-varying optimal parameter search algorithm (TVOPS). The TVCF is estimated by the multiplication of the two TVTFs. The two TVTFs are obtained using signal x as the input and signal y as the output to produce the first TVTF, and signal y as the input and signal x as the output to produce the second TVTF. Demonstration of the feasibility and efficacy of the proposed approach is provided with both simulation examples and application to renal blood flow and pressure data. The proposed approach provides higher time-frequency resolution TVCF than afforded by the short time Fourier transform based TVCF.
Minimum Requirements for Cocos to be Included in Regulatory Capital and for Getting an S&P Investment-Grade Rating

The following excerpts are taken from Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), European Banking Authority (EBA), and Standard and Poor's (S&P) publications. They are intended to show the wide discretion which regulators demand over the interest payments and conversion of cocos and the equity-like features they impose on them already from the time they are issued. These regulatory requirements are not compatible with an investment-grade rating by S&P.
Quantum Fluctuations in Granular Superconductors

A 1/z expansion is used to study the coupling of phase fluctuations in an array of superconducting grains. By lowering Tc. and increasing the critical grain diameter 6hc,fluctuations suppress the long-range order in the material. When the temperature T is of order U = e2/C, where C is the grain capacitance, peaks appear in the fluctuation corrections to both the specific heat and the short-range order parameter. These peaks are induced by the coupling between thermal fluctuations of the charge and quantum fluctuations of the phase on neighboring grains.
Differential seed maturation uncouples fertilization and siring success in Oenothera organensis (Onagraceae)

Differential seed maturation uncouples fertilization and siring success in Oenothera organensis (Onagraceae)
The Correlation of Mechanical and Physiological Measures of Work for Movement of the Upper Limb

Abstract This article discusses an experimental approach to the correlation of some mechanical measures of work with some physiological measures of work for a task performed by the upper limb. The seven mechanical measures of work considered were velocity and acceleration of movement, total mechanical energy, force, torque, linear impulse, and angular impulse. The three physiological measures were pulmonary ventilation rate, pulse rate, and oxygen consumption. Pulmonary ventilation rate was found to correlate best with all the mechanical measures, with shoulder angular impulse and average shoulder torque having the highest correlation of the mechanical measures (r = 0.53).
A review of the potential roles for phagosomal NADPH oxidase and redox sensitive cysteine cathepsins during adaptive immune responses in EAE.

This review discusses the role of redox-sensitive cysteine cathepsins during MHC-II- restricted MOG antigen processing, and MOG- induced experimental autoimmune...
Effects of Al Addition on Forming of Mechanical Alloyed Fe-48at%Cr Alloys by SPS Process

Fe-48at%Cr alloy powders were synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) of Fe powder and Cr powder using a planetary ball milling for 180ks under 1.33kPa argon gas atomosphere. In order to consolidate the MA powder at a lower temperature, 0.5-5.0mass%Al powders were mixed with the MA powder for 36ks by a planetary ball mill. The results of DSC indicated that Al powders were not reacted with mechanical alloyed powders and remained as primary powders. The obtained mixed powders were consolidated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) apparatus.By the addition of Al, the starting temperature of the shrinkage of mixed powders during SPS was reduced to lower of 100-150K than that of mechanical alloyed powders. However, the sintered bodies containing more than 2.5mass%Al were brittle because of the formation of FeAl intermetallic compound during a sintering process. The sintered body which contained 0.5mass%Al had fine microstructure and the hardness of 350-370Hv.
Development of Location System for Dangerous Goods Vehicle Based on WMMP

A real-time location system for dangerous goods vehicle was designed by using WMMP protocol.This system was consisted of vehicle location terminal and vehicle monitoring center servers.The real-time information was collected and transmitted by vehicle location terminal.The vehicle location information was received and processed by monitoring center server.So it could instantly understand the operation of the monitored vehicle by the GIS monitoring system.The safety for transporting dangerous goods was improved by this system.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Genital Anomalies

Magnetic resonance imaging, a new radiographic modality that is not dependent on ionizing radiation or intravenous contrast agents, was used to identify undescended testes in 11 patients. Of 14 undescended testes 13 were identified and the only testis that was not seen was in a patient with surgically proved unilateral anorchism. We also used magnetic resonance imaging in 9 patients with various types of intersex. The anatomy of the corpora cavernosa, vagina, uterus and gonads was well seen in each instance.
The incidence rate and characteristics of clinically diagnosed defecatory disorders in the community

Background Defecatory disorders (DD) are defined by clinical and objective features of impaired rectal evacuation. The epidemiology of DD in the population is unknown, partly because many constipated patients do not undergo anorectal tests. Our objectives were to estimate the incidence rate and clinical features of DD in the community. Methods We reviewed the medical records of all patients older than 16 years in Olmsted County, MN, who had constipation and underwent anorectal manometry from 1999 through 2008. Criteria for diagnosing DD were constipation for 6 months or longer and one of the following: (i) abnormal rectal balloon expulsion test; (ii) reduced or increased perineal descent; or (iii) two or more abnormal features with defecography or surface electromyography. Key Results Of 11 112 constipated patients, 516 had undergone anorectal tests; 245 of these (209 women, 36 men) had a DD. The mean (±SD) age at diagnosis was 44 years (±18) among women and 49 years (±19) among men. The overall age- and sex-adjusted incidence rate per 100 000 person-years was 19.3 (95% CI: 16.8–21.8). The age-adjusted incidence per 100 000 person-years was greater (p < 0.0001) in women (31.8, 95% CI: 27.4–36.1) than in men (6.6, 95% CI: 4.4–8.9). Prior to the diagnosis of DD, nearly 30% of patients had irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), 48% had a psychiatric diagnosis, 18% had a history of abuse, and 21% reported urinary and/or fecal incontinence. Conclusions & Inferences Among constipated patients, DD are fourfold more common in women than men and often associated with IBS and psychiatric diagnoses.
Abstract 143: Mutational landscape of colorectal adenomas reveals potential signatures for progression

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to rank as one of the most common cancers in the U.S. and around the world. Colorectal adenoma is the well-established precursor of CRC, yet only a very small proportion of adenomas progress to CRC. Therefore, identification of biomarker associated with adenoma progression is vital for risk stratification and development of intervention strategies. We hypothesize that genomic analysis of adenoma will lead to better understanding of tumorigenesis and identification of novel biomarkers. Methods: We carried out whole exome sequencing (WES) on tissues and paired blood in 14 sessile serrated adenoma (SSA) and 36 tubulovillous adenoma (TVA) patients. Frequently mutated genes from TVA along with significantly mutated genes of TCGA colorectal adenocarcinoma were further investigated in an additional 100 pairs of TVA by targeted sequencing. Results: 1) WES revealed similar somatic mutation frequency but distinctive mutated genes in TVA and SSA. 2) All adenomas included in WES were non-hypermutators with mutation frequency ranged from 0.55 to 3.71 (average: 1.49) non-silent somatic mutations per million base, which is significantly lower than that of TCGA non-hypermutators that ranged from 0.48 to 10.11 (average 4.47, p Conclusions: We discovered a set of genes with distinctive mutation pattern between adenoma and adenocarcinoma. We are conducting functional analysis to explore the potential of these genes as progression driver and risk predictors. We predict that the findings of this project will help lay the foundation to inform development of surveillance program and preventive intervention in CRC. Citation Format: Shu-Hong Lin, Gottumukkala S. Raju, Chad Huff, Jian Gu, Jiun-Shen Chen, Scott Kopetz, David G. Menter, Ernest Hawk, Lopa Mishra, Yuanquing Ye, Xifeng Wu. Mutational landscape of colorectal adenomas reveals potential signatures for progression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 143.
Performance guaranteed human-robot collaboration through correct-by-design

With the advances of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and autonomous robotics, robots are increasingly involved closely with human society, such as in manufacturing system, autonomous driving and intelligent service robots. While robots are good at handling repeated routine work, human are more adaptive and flexible to changing factors that may bring uncertainties and cost non-trivial efforts for robots to overcome. Thus efficient collaboration between human and robots can bring huge economic profits, but also require high standard for robot controller during task completion because the safety of human must be guaranteed. In this paper, we build a formal design theory enabling an automated human-robot collaboration with performance guarantees. Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) are used to model robots with uncertainties and Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) are used to model human with hidden intents. Within a supervisory control framework, we propose to use L* learning algorithm to learn a correct supervisor such that global collaboration task given as Probabilistic Computation Tree Logic (PCTL) can be satisfied. An example from manufacturing system is discussed to further illustrate the design method.
Large polarization-dependent exciton optical Stark effect in lead iodide perovskites

A strong interaction of a semiconductor with a below-bandgap laser pulse causes a blue-shift of the bandgap transition energy, known as the optical Stark effect. The energy shift persists only during the pulse duration with an instantaneous response time. The optical Stark effect has practical relevance for applications, including quantum information processing and communication, and passively mode-locked femtosecond lasers. Here we demonstrate that solution-processable lead-halide perovskites exhibit a large optical Stark effect that is easily resolved at room temperature resulting from the sharp excitonic feature near the bandedge. We also demonstrate that a polarized pump pulse selectively shifts one spin state producing a spin splitting of the degenerate excitonic states. Such selective spin manipulation is an important prerequisite for spintronic applications. Our result implies that such hybrid semiconductors may have great potential for optoelectronic applications beyond photovoltaics. The band gap of bulk semiconductors widens when excited by sub-bandgap wavelengths at low temperature—it’s the optical Stark effect. Here, the authors measure a room temperature optical Stark effect in lead halide perovskite films, due to their well-resolved excitonic transitions.
Haploidentical cord transplantation—The best of both worlds

Haploidentical (haplo)-cord transplantation combines infusion of an umbilical cord blood (UCB) unit with CD34-selected cells usually from human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatched donors. Initial rapid count recovery from the haplo-hematopoietic progenitors, is gradually replaced by durable engraftment from UCB progenitors. UCB grafts used for haplo-cord are smaller, but better matched than those required for single or double UCB stem cell transplant (SCT). More than 200 patients with hematological malignancies have been transplanted. Median age was 54 years (range 17–74) and 77 were over age 60. One-year survival was 64% for patients with intermediate- and low-risk disease, with no deaths beyond 2 years. In high-risk disease, 1-year survival was 44%. In a comparison with patients undergoing double UCB SCT, haplo-cord transplant resulted in faster hematopoietic recovery, lower rates of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), lower rates of disease recurrence, and improved GVHD- and relapse-free survival (GRFS). Excellent results were also reported for patients with aplastic anemia where 18 of 21 patients had sustained cord blood engraftment. Rates of GVHD and of disease recurrence after haplo-cord are encouraging. However, in the approximately 10% of patients with failure of the UCB graft disease recurrence is high, supporting the important role of UCB-mediated graft-versus-leukemia (GVL). Ongoing efforts are aimed at identifying determinants of UCB engraftment, at reducing rates of disease recurrence in high risk patients and at optimizing dose and schedule of ATG -necessary to avoid early haplo-graft rejection, but also contributing to early post-transplant immunocompromise. For those lacking haploidentical donors, unrelated donors have been successfully utilized.
Integrating the Principles of Socioecology and Critical Pedagogy for Health Promotion Health Literacy Interventions.

While health literacy research has experienced tremendous growth in the last two decades, the field still struggles to devise interventions that lead to lasting change. Most health literacy interventions are at the individual level and focus on resolving clinician–patient communication difficulties. As a result, the interventions use a deficit model that treats health literacy as a patient problem that needs to be fixed or circumvented. We propose that public health health literacy interventions integrate the principles of socioecology and critical pedagogy to develop interventions that build capacity and empower individuals and communities. Socioecology operates on the premise that health outcome is hinged on the interplay between individuals and their environment. Critical pedagogy assumes education is inherently political, and the ultimate goal of education is social change. Integrating these two approaches will provide a useful frame in which to develop interventions that move beyond the individual level.
Inexpensive Physics Toys for Demonstrations and Hands-on Learning

Use of demonstration equipment and hands-on tools for learning has become order of the day in physics education. Research has proven time and again that learning is most effective when students build their own understanding by constructing models, building circuits, and testing their own system. Making hands-on activities viable, however, is not an easy task due to geographical and economic constraints in many parts of the world. Either due to lack of expertise or due to limited budget, many classrooms cannot afford equipment for demonstrations and hands-on learning. In this article, I discuss a useful series of videos that show how inexpensive, day to day objects can be used to create physics ‘toys’ that can become useful classroom demonstration equipment or hands-on activity themes for elementary-, middleand high-school students.
Control of gdhR Expression in Neisseria gonorrhoeae via Autoregulation and a Master Repressor (MtrR) of a Drug Efflux Pump Operon.

The MtrCDE efflux pump of Neisseria gonorrhoeae contributes to gonococcal resistance to a number of antibiotics used previously or currently in treatment of gonorrhea, as well as to host-derived antimicrobials that participate in innate defense. Overexpression of the MtrCDE efflux pump increases gonococcal survival and fitness during experimental lower genital tract infection of female mice. Transcription of mtrCDE can be repressed by the DNA-binding protein MtrR, which also acts as a global regulator of genes involved in important metabolic, physiologic, or regulatory processes. Here, we investigated whether a gene downstream of mtrCDE, previously annotated gdhR in Neisseria meningitidis, is a target for regulation by MtrR. In meningococci, GdhR serves as a regulator of genes involved in glucose catabolism, amino acid transport, and biosynthesis, including gdhA, which encodes an L-glutamate dehydrogenase and is located next to gdhR but is transcriptionally divergent. We report here that in N. gonorrhoeae, expression of gdhR is subject to autoregulation by GdhR and direct repression by MtrR. Importantly, loss of GdhR significantly increased gonococcal fitness compared to a complemented mutant strain during experimental murine infection. Interestingly, loss of GdhR did not influence expression of gdhA, as reported for meningococci. This variance is most likely due to differences in promoter localization and utilization between gonococci and meningococci. We propose that transcriptional control of gonococcal genes through the action of MtrR and GdhR contributes to fitness of N. gonorrhoeae during infection.
Josephson Junction Bolometer

A bolometer for use in the submillimeter and far infrared is described. The temperature sensitive element is an SNS Josephson junction. The electrical NEP is 5 × 10−15 W/Hz1/2 and the detectivity, D∗, is 1014 cm Hz1/2 W−1.
Use of a Plasticizer for Physical Stability Prediction of Amorphous Solid Dispersions

Utilizing glycerol as a plasticizer, an accelerated physical stability testing method of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) was developed. The influence of glycerol concentration on the glass transition temperature and α-relaxation time (a measure of molecular mobility) of amorphous ketoconazole, celecoxib, and the solid dispersions of each prepared with polyvinylpyrrolidone was investigated. By temperature scaling (Tg/T), the effects of glycerol concentration and temperature on the relaxation time were simultaneously evaluated. Glycerol, in a concentration dependent manner, accelerated crystallization in all of the systems without affecting the fragility. In celecoxib-PVP ASDs, the drug crystallization was well coupled to molecular mobility and was essentially unaltered at glycerol concentrations up to 2% w/w. The acceleration in crystallization brought about by glycerol expedited the determination of the coupling between molecular mobility and crystallization. As a result, we were able to predict the ph...
The effectiveness of Habitat for Humanity as a neighborhood stabilization program.: The case of Charlotte, North Carolina

Habitat for Humanity has been in operation since 1976 as a popular organization that provides housing to low-income families. In more recent years, the organization has gradually shifted its priori...