cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Scheduling Nursing Personnel According to Nursing Preference: A Mathematical Programming Approach

This paper describes a nurse scheduling system, the heart of which poses the scheduling decision as a large multiple-choice programming problem whose objective function quantifies preferences of individual nursing personnel concerning length of work stretch, rotation patterns, and requests for days off. The constraints provide for minimum numbers of nursing personnel of each skill class to be assigned to each day and shift of a four-or six-week scheduling period. The problem is solved by a modification of Balintfy and Blackburn's algorithm for multiple-choice programming problems. We include a description of the implementation of the scheduling system on nursing units of several hospitals.
The Republic of Rock: Music and Citizenship in the Sixties Counterculture

Northwestern University historian Michael J. Kramer explores the audio roots of political socialization in The Republic of Rock. He asserts that rock music fostered rethinking of citizenship respon...
Malnutrition: Risks & Concerns in Dysphagia Management

Malnutrition, particularly undernutrition, negatively affects health outcomes. Risk of malnutrition, often identified by a Registered Dietitian as part of a patient's dietary assessment, increases greatly in the presence of dysphagia. Patient characteristics that may be linked to malnutrition include advanced age, medical diagnoses, level of diet tolerated, actual calorie and protein intake, need for feeding assistance, weight changes, and quality of life issues. Many older adults may be malnourished at the time of their hospital admission or become so during the course of their medical care. Poor physical condition from malnutrition could negatively impact a patient's rehabilitation potential. This article highlights possible causes and effects of undernutrition and the importance of nutrition strategies to patient care through a case study illustration.
Microwave Characterization of Silicon BARITT Diodes Under Large-Signal Conditions

Experimental measurements of the small- and large-signal admittance of a silicon BARITT diode are reported. The structural characteristics of the devices are also reported, so that the results provide a basis for evaluating the Iarge-signal analyses of BARITT diodes. A lumped-element frequency-independent equivalent circuit is proposed to represent the terminal characteristics of the device over a broad-frequency range, and is verified by comparison with the measured admittances. Simple approximations are given to describe the dependence of the device admittance on the three operating point parameters: dc bias current, signal frequency, and RF signal level.
Intracellular inactivation of infective SP82 bacteriophage DNA

Abstract The genetic capacity, and fate of SP82 phage DNA in the infection of competent Bacillus subtilis has been studied by means of the rescue of DNA-introduced markers by superinfecting phage. The following conclusions are drawn. 1. (1) The entire phage DNA molecule can infect competent B. subtilis in 50% of the infective events. 2. (2) An inactivation process exists within the cell that exponentially inactivates and unlinks markers carried by the infecting phage DNA molecule. Markers on the same DNA molecule can be independently inactivated. The rate of this inactivation is proportional to the map distance between marker pairs and, assuming a correspondence of the map and the physical size of the SP82 molecule (120 × 10 6 daltons), can be expressed as 0.3 lethal events per minute per 10 8 daltons at 33 °C. 3. (3) Intracellular inactivation in this system can completely account for the multiple infective DNA requirement that has been observed in previous studies with SP82, and other B. subtilis infective phage DNA's. 4. (4) Intracellular inactivation of infective phage DNA can be modified by the pre-infection of competent B. subtilis with mutant phage. Pre-infection inhibits the intracellular inactivation process.
Constitutive expression of the sRNA GadY decreases acetate production and improves E. coli growth

Escherichia coli responds to acid stress by applying various physiological, metabolic, and proton-consuming mechanisms depending on the growth media composition, cell density, growth phase, pH, and aerobic or anaerobic growth conditions. It was reported that at mild acidic conditions (pH 5.8), the Hfq-associated sRNA GadY is activated. It was also reported that the two decarboxylase systems—the lysine decarboxylase system (LDS) and the glutamate decarboxylase system (GDS)—are activated to maintain intracellular balance of protons. The purpose of this study was to establish the role of GadY in high density growth of E. coli and to evaluate the possibility of using this small RNA to create an acid-resistant strain suitable for industrial applications. Parental E. coli K-12 and constitutively expressing GadY strains were grown to high cell densities in a bioreactor at pH 7.0 and pH 6.0. At pH 7.0, both strains grew to similar cell densities of 43 OD, but the constitutively expressing GadY strain produced around 6 g/L acetate compared with 10 g/L by the parental strain. At pH 6.0, the parental strain grew to an OD of 20 and produced 10 g/L of acetate while the GadY strain grew to an average OD of 31 and produced 4 g/L acetate. After analyzing 17 genes associated with acid stress, it was found that at pH 7.0 LDS was expressed in the early exponential phase and GDS was expressed in the late exponential phase in both strains. However, at pH.6.0, GDS was expressed in the late exponential phase only in the parental strain and not in the constitutively expressing GadY strain, while there was no difference in the LDS expression pattern; it was expressed in the early exponential phase in both strains. This indicates that GadY affects GDS expression at low pH since the GDS was not detected in the GadY strain at pH 6.0. The constitutive expression of GadY improves E. coli growth at pH 6.0 by deactivating the expression of the GDS in the late exponential growth phase. The expression of GadY also decreases acetate production regardless of pH, which decreases the inhibitory effect of this acid on bacterial growth.
Family Law in Africa and the Gendered Politics of Mobility: Domestic Stability as Territorial Fixity in Colonial and Post-Independence Cameroon

My paper presents family law in its myriad forms in twentieth-century Cameroon as a disciplinary instrument that controlled African men and women’s wealth and mobility. The paper sheds light on the historical processes by which the “private,” or the realm of the intimate, became the domain of the “state” (in the forms various imperial and national administrations) through the codification of new types of “family law” that were distinct from criminal codes as they sought to fix exchanges of familial wealth and reshaped conjugal and lineage relationships among Africans. Women’s mobility throughout African society and their access to plural households were threatened by French authorities, and later, African clergy members. Beginning in the early twentieth century, French colonial family law in Cameroon sought to sedentarize relatively unrestricted African females. Simultaneously, the colonial administration sought to “localize” African men via labor demands. This paper ties the history of Africans’ mobility to constantly shifting modes of wielding power. It will argue that mobility became synonymous with a particular kind of power that was built on autonomy and access to colonial legal instruments like tax codes, family law, and tribunals, and that fixity came to symbolize “domestic stability” but also subordination.
Immunogenetic polymorphism of lipoproteins in swine: genetic, immunological and physiochemical characterization of the two allotypes Lpr1 and Lpr2.

ABSTRACT Results of immunogenetic, immunochemical and physicochemical investigations on two serum allotypes of swine are reported. The allotypes, designated Lpr1 and Lpr2, have been identified by specific alloprecipitins in agar gel. Genetic studies indicate that the allotypes are specified by two codominant autosomal allelic genes, Lpr 1 and Lpr 2 . All pigs 3 months of age or older were classified as belonging to one of three phenotypes, Lpr1, Lpr2 or Lpr1,2, each corresponding to one of three genotypes Lpr 1/1 , Lpr 2/2 or Lpr ½ , respectively. The Lpr 1 gene was absent or was found at low frequency in the breeds tested. The allotypes were found to occur in two physicochemical forms; in association with chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and, primarily, as a Lpr multimer free of the major lipoproteins showing very high density (VHD), d > 1.21 g/ml, and MW ± 190,000. Gel-electrophoretic mobility for VHD-Lpr is different for each of the three Lpr genotypes residing in γ-fast and β-slow regions, but is identical for VLD-Lpr in which Lpr was found complexed with apo-B, migrating as VLDL in the α-2 slow (pre-β) region. Serum levels of Lpr varied during the lifetime and between individuals and, especially, between sera of homozygous pigs being higher in Lpr 1/1 than Lpr 2/2 . A linear relationship for Lpr1 and an atypical, inverse relationship for Lpr2 have been observed between the gene dosage, heterozygous vs . homozygous, and the Lpr serum level.
Freeway Surveillance and Control in Chicago Area

The Chicago area expressway network features the world's first and largest freeway traffic surveillance and control system. From pioneer experiments with detector/telemetry/computer monitoring of traffic flow, and the development of entrance ramp metering, the real-time system now covers 110 miles (177 km), with 1,600 detector locations and 70 controlled ramps, all centrally supervised. This paper describes the surveillance and control system and its basic components, discusses the implementation and operational experience to date, and relates the use of electronic traffic aids to overall urban freeway traffic management efforts. The Chicago area case study demonstrates successful progress towards reducing congestion, improving flows, increasing safety, conserving energy, expediting emergency responses, and providing motorist aid and imformation.
Supporting PHY-Layer Security in Multi-Link Wireless Networks Using Friendly Jamming

Friendly jamming is a PHY-layer technique used to secure wireless communications. Unlike previous efforts that fix the placement of the friendly jamming devices, in this paper we consider small- scale multi-link wireless networks, e.g., peer-to- peer or multihop, and jointly optimize the powers and locations of the friendly jamming devices so as to minimize the total jamming power while simultaneously achieving a given secrecy constraint. We use distributed MIMO techniques and incorporate the necessary conditions to ensure nullification of the friendly jamming signals at legitimate receivers. Two optimization strategies are explored: per-link and network-wide. Our optimization framework is based on formulating a signomial programming problem using condensation techniques to approximate the problem as a geometric program, which can then be transformed into a convex problem. We also consider the secrecy-aware routing problem for multihop networks and propose a routing metric based on the total jamming power along the path. Simulations show that our proposed schemes outperform previous schemes in terms of energy efficiency (55%-99% power saving). Moreover, our formulation ensures protecting legitimate transmissions by nullifying friendly jamming signals at legitimate receivers.
Comparing Different Lots of Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time Reagent: Analysis of Two Methods

This study was conducted to compare the performance of 2 different lots of activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) reagent from the same manufacturer. Two hundred plasma samples were analyzed for APTT on the same instrument using 2 separate APTT reagent lots. Results were compared with those obtained from duplicate APTT determinations with 1 reagent lot on an additional 267 plasma samples. Regression analysis of paired APTT data was suboptimal because the disagreement of the results increased as the APTT values became higher. A better approach was the use of the Bland and Altman assessment of agreement method on logarithmically transformed data, which showed that the new reagent lot produced values that were 88.9% of the values produced by the old lot. This importantly reduced the APTT therapeutic range for unfractionated heparin (UH). In comparison, duplicate APTT values were 97.6% of a first APTT value. However, 95% limits of agreement for duplicate APTT determinations were +/-10% over the range of values considered therapeutic for UH. The variability of APTT results within and between reagent lots is one reason that APTT may not be optimum for monitoring UH therapy.
Rapidly Fatal Internal Carotid Artery Mycotic Aneurysm Rupture in a Rheumatoid Patient Taking a TNF-α Inhibitor: Case Report and Literature Review.

Object Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α inhibitors are effective at treating certain inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. They are generally safe; potential adverse events include infections (bacterial, fungal, and viral), congestive heart failure exacerbations, and the potential for demyelinating diseases and possibly certain malignancies. We present the first documented case of fungal internal carotid artery (ICA) mycotic aneurysm in a patient being treated with a TNF-α inhibitor. We also review the literature on infections with TNF-α inhibition and the management of previously reported fungal ICA mycotic aneurysm cases. Case Description A 76-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis, treated with etanercept and methotrexate, presented with a 2-week history of left temporal headaches. She was treated empirically for giant cell arteritis (GCA) with oral prednisone, which provided no symptom relief. She was subsequently hospitalized for a superficial temporal artery biopsy, which was negative for GCA. She returned 2 weeks later after experiencing a left thromboembolic ischemic stroke. She had an acute neurologic decline, and a head computed tomography scan showed diffuse subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured left fusiform paraclinoid ICA aneurysm. She was taken emergently for a craniotomy for clip-wrapping of the aneurysm, but intraoperative ultrasound revealed poor flow in the left anterior cerebral circulation and a complete infarct of the left-sided anterior circulation. The family withdrew care and the patient died. Postmortem analysis demonstrated fungi consistent with Aspergillus invading the necrotic left ICA. Conclusions Although fungal mycotic aneurysms of the ICA are rare, their incidence may increase with the expanded use of immunosuppressive medications. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis who take potent immunosuppression regimens may be prime candidates for mycotic aneurysms because they often have two favoring conditions: atherosclerosis and immunosuppression. These ICA aneurysms carry a high mortality rate, so early diagnosis and aggressive therapy, potentially by endovascular trapping/vessel occlusion coupled with long-term antifungal therapy, is essential.
Dimensions of biological cellulose nanocrystals maximize fracture strength

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) exhibit outstanding mechanical properties exceeding that of Kevlar, serving as reinforcing domains in nature’s toughest biological nanocomposites such as wood. To establish a molecular-level understanding of how CNCs develop high resistance to failure, here we present new analyses based on atomistic simulations on the fracture energy of Iβ CNCs. We show that the fracture energy depends on the crystal width, due to edge defects that significantly reduce the fracture energy of small crystals but have a negligible effect beyond a critical width. Additionally, collective effects of sheet stacking and stabilization by van der Waals interactions saturate at a critical crystal thickness that we predict with an analytical relationship based on a physical model. Remarkably, ideal dimensions optimizing fracture energy are found to be 4.8–5.6 nm in thickness (approximately 6–7 layers) and 6.2–7.3 nm in width (approximately 6–7 cellulose chains), which correspond to the common dimensions...
Incorporation of furan into low band-gap polymers for efficient solar cells.

The design, synthesis, and characterization of the first examples of furan-containing low band-gap polymers, PDPP2FT and PDPP3F, with substantial power conversion efficiencies in organic solar cells are reported. Inserting furan moieties in the backbone of the conjugated polymers enables the use of relatively small solubilizing side chains because of the significant contribution of the furan rings to overall polymer solubility in common organic solvents. Bulk heterojunction solar cells fabricated from furan-containing polymers and PC71BM as the acceptor showed power conversion efficiencies reaching 5.0%.
Effects of thermal environment and surface roughness on LPRT surface temperature measurements

*† ‡ Light-pipe radiation thermometers (LPRTs) are currently becoming important tools for high temperature measurement in many industries, especially in semi-conductor manufacturing. In particular, they are used as wafer temperature monitoring sensors during Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP). In order to calibrate this type of sensor, both the thermal environment surrounding the LPRT and the LPRT surface roughness may influence the temperature indicated by the LPRT sensor. Three different light-pipe materials (fused silica, fused quartz, and sapphire) have been examined in this research. Our experiments use a tube furnace to create a hot radiative environment while the LPRT tip is collecting radiation from a constant radiance blackbody source. To determine the effect of surface imperfections on the light-pipe probe on differences in calibration, three different surface roughness LPRTs are created by using different types of sandpapers. Furthermore, we compare the experimental results with the computer-model results obtained by using the Monte Carlo method.
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α-mediated transcription of miR-301a and miR-454 and their host gene SKA2 regulates endothelin-1 and PAI-1 expression in sickle cell disease.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) play important roles in pulmonary hypertension (PH) in sickle cell disease (SCD). Our previous studies show higher levels of placenta growth factor (PlGF) in SCD correlate with increased plasma levels of ET-1, PAI-1, and other physiological markers of PH. PlGF-mediated ET-1 and PAI-1 expression occurs via activation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). However, relatively little is understood regarding post-transcriptional regulation of PlGF-mediated expression of ET-1 and PAI-1. Herein, we show PlGF treatment of endothelial cells reduced levels of miR-301a and miR-454 from basal levels. In addition, both miRNAs targeted the 3′-UTRs of ET-1 and PAI-1 mRNAs. These results were corroborated in the mouse model of SCD [Berkeley sickle mice (BK-SS)] and in SCD subjects. Plasma levels of miR-454 in SCD subjects were significantly lower compared with unaffected controls, which correlated with higher plasma levels of both ET-1 and PAI-1. Moreover, lung tissues from BK-SS mice showed significantly reduced levels of pre-miR-301a and concomitantly higher levels of ET-1 and PAI-1. Furthermore, we show that miR-301a/miR-454 located in the spindle and kinetochore-associated protein-2 (SKA2) transcription unit was co-transcriptionally regulated by both HIF-1α and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α) as demonstrated by SKA2 promoter mutational analysis and ChIP. Finally we show that fenofibrate, a PPAR-α agonist, increased the expression of miR-301a/miR-454 and SKA2 in human microvascular endothelial cell line (HMEC) cells; the former were responsible for reduced expression of ET-1 and PAI-1. Our studies provide a potential therapeutic approach whereby fenofibrate-induced miR-301a/miR-454 expression can ameliorate PH and lung fibrosis by reduction in ET-1 and PAI-1 levels in SCD.
Data Aggregation System for Meta-data Discovery in CMS Experiment

The Compact Muon Solenoid(CMS) experiment on the Large Hadron Collider(LHC) produces PBs of physics data. Those data not only are huge on volume, but also have complex types and being distributed all over the world. Therefore the meta-data about how to organize those physics data reach TB in size. Those meta-data are kept in different relational or non-relational data sources in different format. In order to meet the data discovery requirement, it is important to provide a unified query interface. By adding a caching layer upon those data sources, this paper implements a data aggregation system, which provides precise keyword style search interface. It demonstrates how to support user queries by multiple mapping and aggregation, and how to manage the cache efficiently. Experimental result shows that more than 70% user queries can be answered by the cache system, and it has well queries performance.
Self-perceptions, parent-perceptions, and meta-perceptions of the interpersonal efficacy of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Background How do adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) perceive their interpersonal skills and are these “self-efficacy perceptions” accurate? And how do they perceive that their parents perceive their interpersonal skills and are these “meta-perceptions” accurate? Method We used the Circumplex Scales of Interpersonal Efficacy to assess self-perceptions and parent-perceptions of the efficacy of adolescents with ASD ( n = 22) and without ASD ( n = 22) for a broad set of social behaviors varying in agency (from assertive and controlling to timid and yielding) and varying in communion (from friendly and cooperative to wary and distancing). We also assessed adolescents’ meta-perceptions of their parents’ perceptions, and parents’ meta-perceptions of the adolescents’ perceptions. Results Parents of adolescents with ASD lacked confidence in their child’s interpersonal skills (especially to connect with and lead others), but correctly predicted that their children would express more confidence than they did. Indeed, adolescents with ASD felt as efficacious as control adolescents and did not realize the degree to which their parents did not share their confidence. Nonetheless, adolescents with ASD and control adolescents did show similar levels of child-parent agreement and meta-perception accuracy regarding the adolescent’s relative strengths/weaknesses. Conclusions Adolescents with ASD were overconfident, which may protect them from feeling discouraged, but ultimately only if they engage in activities and interventions that can improve their social skills. The observed agreement regarding an adolescent’s relative strengths/weaknesses may enable parents and professionals to use relative strengths to bolster adolescents’ confidence while simultaneously working with them on their relative weaknesses.
GMOs and poverty: definitions, methods and the silver bullet paradox

ABSTRACTThe question of whether genetically modified (GM) crops can help the poor is of urgent importance yet difficult to answer. This essay identifies two problem areas: methodology and implementation. Given the extraordinary diversity of both GM crops and poor populations, it is perhaps better to ask “Which poor could a specific GM crop benefit, and how?” Most GM crop analyses use narrow indicators over short time scales and neglect key variables such as institutions. Moreover, they suffer from a “silver bullet” paradox: both proponents and opponents of GM crops agree that they do not solve all the problems of smallholder farmers, yet they are continually adopted as though there were no alternative. The essay concludes with a call for cross-disciplinary approaches and a more differentiated definition of “poor”.
Susceptibility to chronic social stress increases plaque progression, vulnerability and platelet activation

Susceptibility to chronic social stress increases plaque progression, vulnerability and platelet activation -
Biopsy of CT-Occult Bone Lesions Using Anatomic Landmarks for CT Guidance.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the histopathologic diagnostic yield, sample size, procedural time, and dose-length product (DLP) for the biopsy of CT-occult lesions found at MRI or PET or both. MATERIALS AND METHODS. A retrospective review of our radiology information system for biopsies of CT-occult lesions using CT guidance from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2014, was performed and compared with a selection of CT-guided biopsies of CT-evident bone lesions during the same period. The data were then evaluated for diagnostic yield of histopathologic diagnosis, procedural time, use of sedation medication, DLP, and size of specimens obtained. RESULTS. A total of 30 CT-occult biopsies met the inclusion criteria. Twenty-seven of those biopsies had results that were concordant with the patient's primary histopathologic diagnosis, imaging findings, and clinical course. In the CT-evident lesion group, concordant histopathologic abnormalities were identified in 27 of 30 patients. There...
“It’s Not My Fault!” Status, Attributions, and Perceptions of Injustice: The Case of Custodians and Teachers

ABSTRACTPerceptions of injustice rely upon a sense-making process in which individuals attempt to understand why and how it occurs. We draw from the attribution-of-blame model of justice judgments to examine how two work groups of disparate status make sense of the treatment and outcomes engendered by their interactions. Data from 27 in-depth interviews with custodians and teachers reveal that when custodians perceive disrespect from teachers and teachers perceive that custodians do not fulfill properly their duties, their attributions are shaped by their status position. Although both make internal attributions to each other for their injustice, teachers do not recognize how they perpetrate injustice against custodians and custodians perceive greater injustice by identifying how external factors affect their performance and blame. This unjustified blame fosters counterproductive work behaviors, illustrating how interdependencies fuel a cycle of injustice. We discuss the implications of these findings for...
Targeting your audience: wildlife value orientations and the relevance of messages about bear safety

While there is an assumption that wildlife value orientations can be useful in strategic communication, few studies have empirically explored this topic. This article used the concept of wildlife v...
Alterations in cancer stem-cell marker CD44 expression predict oncologic outcome in soft-tissue sarcomas.

Abstract Background Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been shown to resist chemotherapy and promote metastasis after cytotoxic therapies. We sought to determine if the expression of CSC markers (aldehyde dehydrogenase [ALDH], CD44, and epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR]) predicted outcomes in soft-tissue sarcoma (STS) patients. Methods We queried an institutional database of 23 STS patients and evaluated immunohistochemical expression of CSC markers ALDH, CD44, and EGFR. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was also queried for STS clinical and genomic data. Disease-specific (DSS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed by univariate and Kaplan–Meier analysis. Results Of the 23 institutional patients, the majority was female, had high-grade tumors and had extremity tumors. With a median follow-up of 27 months, nine patients (39%) experienced distant recurrence, and four (17%) died of disease. Mean H-scores at diagnosis (±standard error of the mean) for CD44, ALDH1, and EGFR were 169 ± 27, 77 ± 15, and 144 ± 23, respectively. On univariate analysis, there was a trend for increased CD44 score to predict both worse DSS and OS (hazard ratio = 1.01, 95% confidence interval 1-1.02, P = 0.056), whereas ALDH and EGFR scores did not. Analysis of 74 TCGA STS cases with complete clinical and genomic data revealed that CD44 copy number alterations predicted worse DSS (9.89 months versus 72.5 months, P = 0.007) and a trend for worse OS (14.03 months versus 38.6 months, P = 0.12), whereas ALDH1 and EGFR copy number alteration did not. Multivariate analysis of the combined data sets was consistent with worse DSS among patients with higher CD44 expression. Conclusions Institutional and national TCGA data show the association of elevated baseline CD44 expression with worse STS outcomes. Further study of CD44 as a possible novel STS biomarker appears indicated.
Brain activity patterns in high-throughput electrophysiology screen predict both drug efficacies and side effects.

Neurological drugs are often associated with serious side effects, yet drug screens typically focus only on efficacy. We demonstrate a novel paradigm utilizing high-throughput in vivo electrophysiology and brain activity patterns (BAPs). A platform with high sensitivity records local field potentials (LFPs) simultaneously from many zebrafish larvae over extended periods. We show that BAPs from larvae experiencing epileptic seizures or drug-induced side effects have substantially reduced complexity (entropy), similar to reduced LFP complexity observed in Parkinson’s disease. To determine whether drugs that enhance BAP complexity produces positive outcomes, we used light pulses to trigger seizures in a model of Dravet syndrome, an intractable genetic epilepsy. The highest-ranked compounds identified by BAP analysis exhibit far greater anti-seizure efficacy and fewer side effects during subsequent in-depth behavioral assessment. This high correlation with behavioral outcomes illustrates the power of brain activity pattern-based screens and identifies novel therapeutic candidates with minimal side effects. One challenge in drug screening for neurological disorders is how to accurately capture disease pathology and side effects. Here, the authors developed a multi-channel recording platform based on a zebrafish genetic model of epilepsy to screen for antiepileptic drugs.
Changing the Subject: The Place of Revisions in Grammatical Development

Purpose This article focuses on toddlers' revisions of the sentence subject and tests the hypothesis that subject diversity (i.e., the number of different subjects produced) increases the probabili...
Party Brands and the Democratic and Republican National Committees, 1952–1976

Political scientists have traditionally dismissed the Democratic and Republican National Committees as “service providers”—organizations that provide assistance to candidates in the form of campaign funding and expertise but otherwise lack political power. I argue this perspective has missed a crucial role national committees play in American politics, namely that national party organizations publicize their party's policy positions and, in doing so, attempt to create national party brands. These brands are important to party leaders—especially when the party is in the national minority—since they are fundamental to mobilizing voters in elections. In case studies covering the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Republican National Committee (RNC) in the period 1952–1976, I show that minority party committees prioritize their branding role and invest considerably in their publicity divisions, inaugurate new publicity programs, and create new communication tools to reach out to voting groups. Additionally, I show that in cases where the party is out of the White House, the national committees have considerable leeway in deciding what party image to publicize. Rather than being mere powerless service providers, I show that party committees have played crucial roles in debates concerning questions of ideology and issue positioning in both parties.
Markscheiderische Bestandsaufnahme am Steirischen Erzberg

Bestandsvermessungen bilden die Basis zur Nachtragung des Bergbaukartenwerks (§ 42 Markscheideverordnung 2013), und sind gleichermasen zur Massenermittlung, Qualitatssteuerung sowie zur Erhebung des Ist-Zustandes unbedingt erforderlich. Die Bestandsvermessung wird in der Regel als dreidimensionale Gelandeaufnahme durchgefuhrt. Sie dient somit der Erfassung von Punkten des Aufnahmebereichs in Lage und Hohe, wobei die Positionsbeschreibung grafisch (Plan) oder auch numerisch (Koordinaten) erfolgen kann. Aufgrund von baulichen Veranderungen am Gelande der VA Erzberg GmbH bzw. des angeschlossenen Schaubergwerks (im Bereich des sogenannten „Oswaldiruckens“) war es notwendig, im entsprechenden Areal eine markscheiderische Bestandsvermessung durchzufuhren. Die Vermessungen wurden an das System der Landesvermessung angeschlossen und entsprechend den rechtlichen und betrieblichen Vorgaben rechnerisch und zeichnerisch ausgewertet. Zur Verifizierung der Ergebnisse wurden uberdies Vergleichsmessungen mit alternativen Methoden durchgefuhrt, wobei die Genauigkeitsanforderungen der Markscheideverordnung 2013 eingehalten werden konnten.
Pulmonary Disorders and Exercise

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the limitations imposed on exercise by various pulmonary disorders, the methods used for assessing the impairment, and the available therapeutic modalities. Regardless of the nature or severity of the impairment, exercise produces an increase in the level of daily physical activity. Optimal benefit is realized when supervised activity is performed as part of a comprehensive program that involves medical management and education as well as psychosocial and vocational rehabilitation. When exercise is rationally applied, the individual frequently becomes more self-sufficient. The rate at which exercise intensity and duration are increased depends on the individual's age, pulmonary status, and motivation. The initial conditioning exercises can usually be steadily increased. Endurance activity can be gradually accelerated based on the individual's symptoms and heart rate. The chapter discusses a broad spectrum of physiological response to the muscular work that falls within the range of normal. The variability in an individual response to exertion is referred to as the fitness continuum.
Fermentation of galacturonic acid and pectin-rich materials to ethanol by genetically modified strains of Erwinia

Evaluation of the four ethanologenic constructs of bacteria in the genus Erwinia indicates that two strains E. chrysanthemi EC16 and E. carotovora SR38 show promise for development of direct hydrolysis and fermentation of pectin-rich substrates to mixtures of ethanol and acetate. Both strains fermented glucose to ethanol in nearly theoretical yields, but produced mainly acetate and ethanol by fermentation of D-galacturonic acid. Both strains depolymerized citrus pectin, polygalacturonic acid and polysaccharides in citrus peel and converted resulting sugars to carbon dioxide, acetate, ethanol and lesser amounts of formate and succinate.
The Dawning of Statistics

The techniques and study designs used by statisticians today were gradually developed by scientists of vision over many centuries. Those pioneers understood and recorded many of the basic concepts of modern analytic logic. Often, ideas could not be tested or verified because the scientific world and society in general were not ready to accept them. As recently as the late 1940s, Sir Austin Bradford Hill “deliberately left out the words ‘randomization’ and ‘random sampling numbers’” in his articles because he was “trying to persuade the doctors to come into controlled trials in the very simplest form and might have scared them off” (Hill, 1990).
Comparisons of SOCS mRNA and protein levels in Xenopus provide insights into optic nerve regenerative success.

Abstract In vertebrates from fishes to mammals, optic nerve injury induces increased expression of Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3 (SOCS3) mRNA, a modulator of cytokine signaling that is known to inhibit CNS axon regeneration. Unlike amniotes, however, anamniotes successfully regenerate optic axons, despite this increase. To address this seeming paradox, we examined the SOCS3 response to optic nerve injury in the frog, Xenopus laevis, at both the mRNA and protein levels. Far from being only transiently induced, SOCS3 mRNA expression increased throughout regeneration in retinal ganglion cells, but immunostaining and Western blots indicated that this increase was reflected at the protein level in regenerating optic axons but not in ganglion cell bodies. Polysome profiling provided additional evidence that SOCS3 protein levels were regulated post-translationally by demonstrating that the mRNA was efficiently translated in the injured eye. In tumor cells, another member of the SOCS gene family, SOCS2, is known to mediate SOCS3 degradation by targeting it for proteasomal degradation. Unlike the SOCS2 response in mammalian optic nerve injury, SOCS2 expression increased in Xenopus retinal ganglion cells after injury, at both the mRNA and protein levels; it was, however, largely absent from both uninjured and regenerating optic axons. We propose a similar degradation mechanism may be spatially restricted in Xenopus to keep SOCS3 protein levels sufficiently in check within ganglion cell bodies, where SOCS3 would otherwise inhibit transcription of genes needed for regeneration, but allow them to rise within the axons, where SOCS3 has pro-regenerative effects.
Technical Note: Design and implementation of a high-throughput pipeline for reconstruction and quantitative analysis of CT image data.

Author(s): Hoffman, John; Emaminejad, Nastaran; Wahi-Anwar, Muhammad; Kim, Grace H; Brown, Matthew; Young, Stefano; McNitt-Gray, Michael | Abstract: PurposeWith recent substantial improvements in modern computing, interest in quantitative imaging with CT has seen a dramatic increase. As a result, the need to both create and analyze large, high-quality datasets of clinical studies has increased as well. At present, no efficient, widely available method exists to accomplish this. The purpose of this technical note is to describe an open-source high-throughput computational pipeline framework for the reconstruction and analysis of diagnostic CT imaging data to conduct large-scale quantitative imaging studies and to accelerate and improve quantitative imaging research.MethodsThe pipeline consists of two, primary "blocks": reconstruction and analysis. Reconstruction is carried out via a graphics processing unit (GPU) queuing framework developed specifically for the pipeline that allows a dataset to be reconstructed using a variety of different parameter configurations such as slice thickness, reconstruction kernel, and simulated acquisition dose. The analysis portion then automatically analyzes the output of the reconstruction using "modules" that can be combined in various ways to conduct different experiments. Acceleration of analysis is achieved using cluster processing. Efficiency and performance of the pipeline are demonstrated using an example 142 subject lung screening cohort reconstructed 36 different ways and analyzed using quantitative emphysema scoring techniques.ResultsThe pipeline reconstructed and analyzed the 5112 reconstructed datasets in approximately 10ndays, a roughly 72× speedup over previous efforts using the scanner for reconstructions. Tightly coupled pipeline quality assurance software ensured proper performance of analysis modules with regard to segmentation and emphysema scoring.ConclusionsThe pipeline greatly reduced the time from experiment conception to quantitative results. The modular design of the pipeline allows the high-throughput framework to be utilized for other future experiments into different quantitative imaging techniques. Future applications of the pipeline being explored are robustness testing of quantitative imaging metrics, data generation for deep learning, and use as a test platform for image-processing techniques to improve clinical quantitative imaging.
Advancing transformative sustainability: A comparative analysis of electricity service and supply innovators in the United States

The electricity sector is undergoing rapid and dramatic change. The momentum of sustainable energy technologies and business model innovation is giving rise to a “polycentric” framework of policy innovation and action organized by institutions that support customer choice and give customers the means to become electricity generators and service providers in their own right. These local experiments will have to deliver transformative change, flexibly address the electricity sector's legacy of political and administrative complexity, achieve scale and financial sustainability, and enable greater and wider stakeholder participation and choice. This article reviews the evidence to date of the importance of these experiments and examines three innovators—municipal utilities, community choice aggregators, and the sustainable energy utility—to gauge the capacity of pioneers to address climate‐driven and other challenges in the electricity market. This article is categorized under: Energy Efficiency > Economics and Policy Energy Infrastructure > Economics and Policy Energy Efficiency > Systems and Infrastructure
A Maintenance and Energy Saving Joint Control Scheme for Sustainable Manufacturing Systems

Abstract Energy saving has always been a major concern in the design and operation of sustainable manufacturing systems. Optimal maintenance strategies have also been explored intensively to achieve manufacturing sustainability. However, in most of the related studies, the two aspects are considered separately. As a manufacturing system is characterized by its complex and stochastic dynamics, there has been a lack of a general methodology to integrate the two important sectors for a sustainable manufacturing system. In this paper, utilizing the data acquired by the distributed sensors, a data-driven model of multi-stage manufacturing system is established. Based on the proposed model, the losses or benefits of conducting maintenance and energy saving are properly evaluated. Based on the proposed real-time maintenance cost rate, the maintenance control can determine the optimal maintenance level, i.e. perfect, imperfect, or minimal, upon random failures. The energy saving is achieved by switching on or off the machines according to system states. The knowledge-guided genetic algorithm is applied to find the optimal energy saving decisions. The proposed joint control scheme is implemented in a real-time manner to achieve resource-effective and energy-efficient production.
Influence of Nonmetallic Impurity Elements on the Compatibility of Liquid Lithium with Potential CTR Containment Materials

The thermodynamic aspects of nonmetallic element (i.e., oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon) interactions have been analyzed for certain refractory metal-litkium systems of interest for controlled thermon...
Systemic Drugs Used in Dermatology

In this section, we review systemic medications used in dermatology. We discuss conditions for which they can be used, lab monitoring, common side effects and contraindications.
Medical-grade Honey as an Alternative to Surgery: A Case Series.

Introduction Modern wound management continues to present new challenges. Many patients elect to forego operative debridement secondary to high risk, fear, cost concerns, and personal ideologies on healing. Although operative debridement has long been a tenet of proper wound care, alternative innovative approaches to wound management must be considered. Objective This case series describes the successful outcomes of 12 patients with dissimilar wounds who were managed with medical-grade honey (active Leptospermum honey [ALH]) as an alternative to surgery. Materials and methods A case series was identified from clinical experience, chart review, and photographic documentation of all patients evaluated by the acute wound care service. To be included, patients had to decline the recommendation of operative debridement or skin grafting, utilize ALH as an alternative to surgery, and have regular follow-up visits. Results Twelve patients with complex wounds were identified and included in this case series. Five patients were considered high risk for surgery due to comorbidities. Seven patients were at low risk for surgery but desired to avoid operative procedures. The use of ALH facilitated autolytic debridement and healing without surgery or hospital readmission. Conclusions The properties of ALH include autolytic debridement, bacterial growth inhibition, anti-inflammatory mediation, and cytokine release, making it a viable option for wound management for patients with contraindications to surgery. However, surgical debridement should remain a tenet of wound care in appropriate patients.
7,8‐Dihydro‐8‐oxoguanosine Lesions Inhibit the Theophylline Aptamer or Change Its Selectivity

Aptamers are attractive constructs due to their high affinity/selectivity towards a target. Here 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanosine (8-oxoG) has been used, due in part to its unique H-bonding capabilities (Watson-Crick or Hoogsteen), to expand the "RNA alphabet". Its impact on the theophylline RNA aptamer was explored by modifying its binding pocket at positions G11, G25, or G26. Structural probing, with RNases A and T1 , showed that modification at G11 leads to a drastic structural change, whereas the G25-/G26-modified analogues exhibited cleavage patterns similar to that of the canonical construct. The recognition properties towards three xanthine derivatives were then explored through thermophoresis. Modifying the aptamer at position G11 led to binding inhibition. Modification at G25, however, changed the selectivity towards theobromine (Kd ≈160 μm), with a poor affinity for theophylline (Kd >1.5 mm) being observed. Overall, 8-oxoG can have an impact on the structures of aptamers in a position-dependent manner, leading to altered target selectivity.
Processing the Removal and Managing the Moves or Removals of Foster Children: A Qualitative Exploration of Foster Parents' Experiences

Foster parents are crucial to the function of the child welfare system. Despite developments in research related to the grief and loss of foster parents, more research would be helpful in building a stronger understanding and knowledge base for helping foster parents manage the removals of foster children in their home. This study included ten foster parents from the United States and explored their experience with loss and the stress associated with the expected or unexpected removal of a foster child from their home. The findings of the data analysis yielded three overarching themes: (1) managing or coping with ambiguous loss; (2) systemic impacts of a move or removal on a family; (3) need for helpful preparation or support for dealing with the loss of foster child. Implications include better preparation and support for foster parents dealing with moves and removals of foster children, as well as considering less abrupt removals of children from foster homes.
Creating collective poems to teach interpersonal and family communication concepts

Leveraging arts-based pedagogy, this interpersonal and/or family communication activity allows students to engage creatively with a concept of the instructor’s choosing through the creation of a co...
Automatic Detection of Flaws in Recorded Music

This chapter describes the application of wavelet fingerprinting as a technique to analyze and automatically detect flaws in recorded audio. Specifically, it focuses on time-localized errors in digitized wax cylinder recordings and contemporary digital media. By taking the continuous wavelet transform of various recordings, we created a two-dimensional binary display of audio data. After analyzing the images, we implemented an algorithm to automatically detect where a flaw occurs by comparing the image matrix against the matrix of a known flaw. We were able to use this technique to automatically detect time-localized clicks, pops, and crackles in both cylinders and digital recordings. We also found that while other extra-musical noises, such as coughing, did not leave a traceable mark on the fingerprint, they were distinguishable from samples without the error.