cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Getting agriculture moving: do markets provide the right signals?

Abstract Political discrimination has often pushed the domestic value of agriculture in developing countries below its value in markets at the border. This paper seeks to explain the reasons why border prices themselves undervalue the linkages that agriculture has to economic growth in the early stages of development. If agriculture is critically important to stimulating and sustaining rapid economic growth, those countries that fail to correct this discrimination exact a heavy toll in economic performance. Furthermore, the poorest countries will suffer the most. Agricultural development and development of the non-agricultural economy are closely linked. The traditional market-mediated linkages form the core of economic analysis of the role of agriculture in economic development: providing labour for an industrial work-force, food for an expanding population with higher incomes, savings for industrial investments, markets for industrial output, export earnings to pay for imported capital goods, and raw materials for agro-processing industries. A second category of linkages is not well mediated by market forces, even when markets are working well. The impact of agricultural growth on the rest of the economy through non-market linkages can be traced using a simple growth-accounting framework that examines contributions to the labour force, capital investment and the productivity with which these two physical factors are utilised. Several linkages stand out as likely to be important and potentially measurable because they draw on the efficiency of decision making in rural households, the low opportunity cost of their labour resources, the opportunity for farm investment without financial intermediaries, the potential to earn high rates of return on public investments that correct for urban bias, the contribution of food price stability to increased efficiency in investment decisions, and the impact of growth in food production on widespread improvement in nutrient intake and labour productivity. Each of these factors alone, as public investment and favourable policy stimulate growth in the agricultural sector, should cause an increase in the efficiency of resource allocation and thus higher total factor productivity. Several of these mechanisms will also serve to speed factor accumulation by increasing the savings rate or improving factor mobility.
Cholelithiasis in a 2-year-old child with reflux esophagitis and hiatus hernia

DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION of symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux has led to the recognition of an association between cholelithiasis and hiatus hernia in adults? We report the concurrence of gallstones and hiatus hernia in a 2-year-old girl with reflux esophagitis. CASE REPORT A 26-month-old white girl developed nonprojectile vomiting, increasing in frequency for the preceding 14 months. A history of dysphagia with solid foods was obtained. Emesis occurred approximately ten minutes after most meals containing solid foods, but did not occur when foods were pureed Hematemesis was noted on a single occasion approximately one month prior to admission to the University of California San Francisco. Linear growth had been normal during the 14-month period, but a 1.4 kg weight loss was recorded during the month preceding admission. An abdominal roentgenographic study performed prior to a b~irium esophagram at 23 months of age revealed several discrete calcifications in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. An oral cholecystogram at that time failed to opacify the gallbladder. The patient had no history of anemia, jaundice, acholic stools, changes in urine color, exposure to hepatitis, or lung disease. A febrile illness with vomiting had occurred at 6 months of age, and resulted in dehydration requiring hospitalization and intravenous fluid therapy. The family history revealed no gallbladder diseases or hematologic disorders. Physical examination revealed an apparently well-nourished child in no distress. Her height and weight were minus l SD for age. No abnormalities were found on examination. Pertinent laboratory findings included hemoglobin 9.9 gm/dl. hematocrit 29.9~. and corrected reticulocyte count 2.1~ : the red cell indices were consistent with hypochromia and microcytosis. Serum iron concentration was 23 mg/dl, with a total iron-binding capacity of 300 mg/dl. Serum ferritin was 8.5 ng/ml (normal). Results of stool guaiac test was negative. Plasma-free hemoglobin concentration was 8 mg/dl (values consistent with significant hemolysis are generally above 45 mg/dl). The free erythrocyte protoporphyrin concentration was within normal limits as was the hemoglobin electrophoresis. The direct Coombs test was negative, and erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity was normal. Barium esophagram revealed striking gastroesophageal reflux with mucosal irregularity and distal esophageal narrowing. Fluoroscopy during the esophagram revealed a hiatus hernia.
The Integration of Care for Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Other Behavioral Health Conditions into Primary Care: Executive Summary of an American College of Physicians Position Paper

Behavioral health care includes care for patients around mental health and substance abuse conditions, health behavior change, life stresses and crises, and stress-related physical symptoms. Mental and substance use disorders alone are estimated to surpass all physical diseases as a major cause of worldwide disability by 2020. The literature recognizes the importance of the health care system effectively addressing behavioral health conditions. Recently, there has been a call for the use of the primary care delivery platform and the related patient-centered medical home model to effectively address these conditions. This position paper focuses on the issue of better integration of behavioral health into the primary care setting. It provides an environmental scan of the current state of conditions included in the concept of behavioral health and examines the arguments for and barriers to increased integration into primary care. It also examines various approaches of integrated care delivery and offers a series of policy recommendations that are based on the reviewed information and evidence to inform the actions of the American College of Physicians and its members regarding advocacy, research, and practice.
Decision-making and the vulnerability of interdependent critical infrastructure

Interdependencies among critical infrastructure systems are well recognized as key points of vulnerability that can compromise system performance especially during extreme events. At the heart of these vulnerabilities are decisions, often unnoticed and indirect, which occur anywhere from infrastructure planning, siting and design through operation and maintenance. The key contributions of the paper are (i) the presentation of a method for constructing a catalog of infrastructure interdependences, (ii) the construction of a set of indicators transferable to other databases, and (iii) preliminary analytical results of the application of the indicators to a sample database of catalogued events with inter dependencies. This paper addresses how case analysis findings can be used in decision making to promote non-adverse interdependency-related outcomes from extreme events. Critical infrastructure analyzed includes facilities and services for transportation, telecommunications, water supply, wastewater, electric power and other energy infrastructure. Event databases for this research include government, industry, academic and media reports
Current trends in cae: Simulations of latest innovations in injection molding

The advent of CAE (computer-aided engineering) technology for injection molding and related processes is having a rapidly growing impact on the molding industry. Proper use of this technology has enhanced engineers' capability in handling all aspects of the molding process and has been proven to benefit both productivity and product quality. However, while CAE can serve as a powerful tool to help engineers make rational engineering decisions, it is by no means a panacea for solving all molding problems. The viability of CAE packages depends heavily not only on the scientific principles and numerical methods used for developing the software, but also on the reliability of the input data such as material properties and process conditions. This article discusses the state-of-the-art of the technology with an emphasis on simulations of latest innovations in injection molding. A three-layer approach that systematically integrates and efficiently utilizes various CAE tools to solve design problems at different levels of sophistication is also presented. © 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
GLIOMAS PROMOTE INDUCTION OF B7-H1/PD-L1 EXPRESSION ON MONOCYTES: CLINICAL EVIDENCE OF AN IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE MECHANISM THAT CAN BE TARGETED WITH ANTIBODY BLOCKADE

BACKGROUND: Gliomas are known to induce local and systemic immunosuppression, inhibiting T-cell-mediated cytotoxic responses to tumor growth. Tumor-associated macrophages are a significant component of the immune infiltrate in gliomas and may express immunosuppressive surface ligands, such as B7-H1. METHODS: Tumor and peripheral blood samples from patients with glioblastoma (GBM) were analyzed by flow cytometry to evaluate the expression of B7-H1 in circulating and tumor-infiltrating macrophages. Human monocytes from healthy patients were stimulated with conditioned media from glioma cells to evaluate B7-H1 expression. Production of interleukin (IL)-10 by stimulated monocytes was measured by ELISA, and stimulation with IL-10 alone was evaluated for the ability to induce B7-H1 expression. The effect of inhibiting IL-10 and its receptor on glioma-induced B7-H1 expression in monocytes was evaluated. RESULTS: Circulating monocytes in patients with GBM had significantly increased expression of B7-H1 compared with healthy control patients. Tumor-associated macrophages from matched GBM tissue had even greater B7-H1 expression. Treatment of normal monocytes with glioma-conditioned media could significantly increase B7-H1 expression. Stimulation of monocytes with conditioned media resulted in substantial production of IL-10 and upregulation of the IL-10 receptor. Stimulation of monocytes with IL-10 alone could significantly increase B7-H1 expression, sufficient to induce T-cell apoptosis when cocultured with stimulated monocytes. Inhibition of IL-10 and the IL-10 receptor could knock down the effect of glioma media on B7-H1 by more than 50%. CONCLUSIONS: Gliomas can upregulate B7-H1 expression in circulating monocytes and tumor-infiltrative macrophages through modulation of autocrine/paracrine IL-10 signaling, resulting in an immunosuppressive phenotype. These data describe a novel mechanism of immunosuppression that can be targeted with antibody blockade. SECONDARY CATEGORY: Tumor Biology.
Mineral Exploration: Search for the Mechanism of Vascular Calcification and Beyond The 2003 Jeffrey M. Hoeg Award Lecture

Research in the area of vascular calcification has grown rapidly in the past decade, and there is a greater understanding of its active regulatory mechanisms. This brief review covers the ideas presented in the 2003 Jeffrey M. Hoeg Award lecture, including the concepts that bone tissue forms in the artery wall in patients with atherosclerosis, that vascular cells undergo osteoblastic differentiation, that bone morphogenetic protein and matrix GLA protein regulate vascular calcification in opposition, that inflammatory cytokines and lipids promote vascular cell calcification but inhibit osteoblastic cell differentiation, that these same factors promote differentiation of bone-resorbing osteoclasts, and that the artery wall may contain osteoclast-like cells with the potential to resorb calcium mineral. The review closes with a mention of therapeutic possibilities and an evolutionary paradigm to explain the reciprocal responses of vascular and bone mineralization to inflammation.
Fuzzy logic based anomaly detection for embedded network security cyber sensor

Resiliency and security in critical infrastructure control systems in the modern world of cyber terrorism constitute a relevant concern. Developing a network security system specifically tailored to the requirements of such critical assets is of a primary importance. This paper proposes a novel learning algorithm for anomaly based network security cyber sensor together with its hardware implementation. The presented learning algorithm constructs a fuzzy logic rule base modeling the normal network behavior. Individual fuzzy rules are extracted directly from the stream of incoming packets using an online clustering algorithm. This learning algorithm was specifically developed to comply with the constrained computational requirements of low-cost embedded network security cyber sensors. The performance of the system was evaluated on a set of network data recorded from an experimental test-bed mimicking the environment of a critical infrastructure control system.
Fluorescent in situ hybridization for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 assessment in breast cancer: is it applicable as a primary test?

TO THE EDITOR: Recently, Sauter et al reviewing the American Society of Clinical Oncology–College of American Physicians Guidelines for determining human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status in breast cancer patients, suggest fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) as the primary HER2 assay method to select women with breast cancer candidate to targeted therapy. Undoubtedly, the paper has the merit of performing an extremely accurate analysis of all the issues relating to the immunohistochemical preanalytic and analytic critical steps which are responsible for the difficulties and the interlaboratory differences in test interpretation. However, the following points should be addressed: It is true that FISH success rate is high, compared with immunohistochemistry (IHC); however, in daily laboratory practice, FISH analysis on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues present a range of technical problems at least paralleling those met in IHC, as already stated by Peterson et al in 2004. We agree with Sauter et al’s opinion on the interlaboratory reproducibility of FISH test, nevertheless, we believe that only the combination of FISH evaluation with IHC can reduce the possibility of diagnostic pitfalls (see Dowsett et al). Sauter et al do not mention the difference in the performing time of FISH in comparison with IHC and the necessity of dedicated experienced technicians to make the analysis. We totally agree with the large spectrum analysis of the costs made by Sauter et al, but restricting the same analysis to the “pathology laboratory economy,” we are not so sure that the choice to make only FISH for HER2 determination is really sustainable. In conclusion, although we completely share the Sauter et al’s opinion about the crucial role of FISH in correct molecular characterization of breast cancers, and the article has the unquestionable merit of examining all the emergent problems about this topic, we in part disagree on the conclusions both for the points mentioned here and because we think that what Sauter et al propose is not concretely applicable on a large scale. In using FISH as the primary test for HER2 status determination, there would be an increment of the technical and medical daily workload and increased pathology laboratory costs that could not be borne by all the peripheral laboratories. Finally, we believe that both the oncologists and pathologists should not lose trust in IHC, at least as a primary assessment method of HER2 expression.
Clinical considerations for rapid electrochemical detection of glutamate during intra-operative and long-term monitoring

This paper outlines the clinical considerations for the transition to expand our glutamate sensor technology for human application. This work will lay the groundwork for the application of neurochemical sensor technology for intraoperative decision-making as well as for long term monitoring of stimulating devices and pathological processes. More specifically, we will focus on the application and validation of our glutamate sensor technology within the clinical setting of the operating room. We wish to establish a standard of clinical protocol for the detection and quantitative measurement of glutamate in the human brain. As this technology has not yet been applied to human use, our primary objective is to ensure patient safety and to develop standardized protocols for the routine, real-time monitoring of neurotransmitters. To accomplish this goal we have designed a set of experiments that will progressively evaluate the performance of our neurochemical sensors through the transition into clinical use.
Laser-activated RFID-based Indoor Localization System for Mobile Robots

Localization is a fundamental problem in autonomous mobile robot navigation. This paper introduces a new artificial landmark-based localization system for mobile robots navigating in indoor environments. Laser-activated RFID tag is designed and used as the artificial landmark in the proposed localization system. The robot localization is realized via the combination of the stereo vision and laser-activated RFID based on the principle of triangulation. The localization system functions like an indoor GPS. Preliminary research shows that the proposed system is promising to provide a robust and accurate indoor localization method for mobile robots.
Distributed file allocation with consistency constraints

The resource allocation problem in distributed computing systems that have strict mutual consistency requirements is discussed. A model that incorporates the behavior of consistency control algorithms which ensure that mutual consistency of replicated data is preserved even when communication links of the computer network and/or computers on which the files reside fail is presented. The constrained resource allocation problem is formulated as a mixed nonlinear integer program. An efficient algorithm is proposed to solve this problem. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated in terms of its accuracy, efficiency and execution times, using a representative problem set. >
Application of Electrohydraulic Test Machines to Dynamic Testing of Elastomers

Closed loop electrohydraulic servo-controlled test machines have gained rapid acceptance in the dynamic testing field. This paper describes the principles of a particular system designed for use in the Elastomer Test Laboratory. The paper will describe the basic principles of closed loop control, the techniques for calibration of instrumentation and scaling of signals, typical test operation and results, and a unique technique of readout for determining elastic spring rate and damping coefficient.
Fluoride Its Metabolism, Toxicity, and Role in Dental Health

Fluoride is a naturally occurring element with multiple implications for human health. This review discusses its metabolism and toxicity, along with the current understanding of the mechanism of action of fluoride and its role as a safe and effective agent in the prevention of dental caries. The relationship between excessive fluoride intake during periods of dental enamel formation and the development of dental fluorosis is also reviewed.
Organizational Surveys: Using Response Enhancing Techniques and Conducting Nonresponse Analyses

Surveys provide a critical source of data for scholars, yet declining response rates are threatening the quality of the data being collected. This threat is particularly acute among organizational studies that use key informants—the mean response rate for published studies is 34 percent. This article describes several response enhancing techniques and explains how they were implemented in a national study of organizations that achieved a 94 percent response rate. Data from this study are used to examine the relationship between survey response patterns and nonresponse bias by conducting nonresponse analyses for several important individual and organizational characteristics. After identifying the variables most susceptible to nonresponse bias, a final analysis estimates the minimum response rate needed to ensure that those variables will not contain significant nonresponse bias. This study has implications for survey researchers, scholars who analyze survey data, and those who review their research.
Quantum simulations of nuclei and nuclear pasta with the multiresolution adaptive numerical environment for scientific simulations

Background: Neutron star and supernova matter at densities just below the nuclear matter saturation density is expected to form a lattice of exotic shapes. These so-called nuclear pasta phases are caused by Coulomb frustration. Their elastic and transport properties are believed to play an important role for thermal and magnetic field evolution, rotation, and oscillation of neutron stars. Furthermore, they can impact neutrino opacities in core-collapse supernovae.Purpose: In this work, we present proof-of-principle three-dimensional (3D) Skyrme Hartree-Fock (SHF) simulations of nuclear pasta with the Multi-resolution ADaptive Numerical Environment for Scientific Simulations (MADNESS).Methods: We perform benchmark studies of $^{16}\mathrm{O}, ^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$, and $^{238}\mathrm{U}$ nuclear ground states and calculate binding energies via 3D SHF simulations. Results are compared with experimentally measured binding energies as well as with theoretically predicted values from an established SHF code. The nuclear pasta simulation is initialized in the so-called waffle geometry as obtained by the Indiana University Molecular Dynamics (IUMD) code. The size of the unit cell is 24 fm with an average density of about $\ensuremath{\rho}=0.05{\mathrm{fm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$, proton fraction of ${Y}_{p}=0.3$, and temperature of $T=0$ MeV.Results: Our calculations reproduce the binding energies and shapes of light and heavy nuclei with different geometries. For the pasta simulation, we find that the final geometry is very similar to the initial waffle state. We compare calculations with and without spin-orbit forces. We find that while subtle differences are present, the pasta phase remains in the waffle geometry.Conclusions: Within the MADNESS framework, we can successfully perform calculations of inhomogeneous nuclear matter. By using pasta configurations from IUMD it is possible to explore different geometries and test the impact of self-consistent calculations on the latter.
Premonitory seismic-wave phenomena before earthquakes near Fairview Peak, Nevada

abstract Anomalous variations in three different seismic processes have been observed before an earthquake of magnitude 4 on May 14, 1971 in the Fairview Peak region of central Nevada. The data used are the three-component seismograms from Tonopah (TNP) and Battle Mountain (BMN) as well as the vertical-component seismograms from several other seismographic stations. The observed precursory phenomena are (1) reorientation of the compressive stress axis: evidence for this is based on clear reversals of first motion of Pg at certain stations together with reversal of wave form of the SV component of Sg at BMN; (2) vertical migration of hypocenters: the PmP phase is often distinctly observed in central Nevada and the observed temporal variations in t ( PmP )− t ( Pg ) at TNP indicate generally upward migration of foci before the main event; (3) changes in the extent of S -wave splitting: a large precursory increase is observed along the tensile stress direction and a small premonitory decrease along the compression direction. Similar but unidentical results have been obtained before another earthquake of magnitude 4 whereas all events of magnitude 3.5 or larger have been preceded by anomalous S -wave splitting along the tension direction. The various observed pre-earthquake processes appear to be interrelated and may be explained in terms of recent laboratory and theoretical results when applied to the tectonics of central Nevada. It seems highly desirable to attempt simultaneous observations of anomalous changes in more than one seismic process.
Setting IT Standards: The Effect of Coalition Size on the Risk and Return Profiles of Participants

IT standards are sometimes set by a single firm and sometimes set by a group of firms. One reason to do things in groups is to share risk. We theorized that setting standards in a group changes the stock returns and risk profiles of the group members. We tested our theory using a sample of 789 observations over the ten year period 1996-2005, and found that increasing the number of firms in the standard setting process decreases risk adjusted abnormal return and market risk, but increases idiosyncratic risk. Our findings have important implications for management in deciding on strategies in starting or participating in standard setting initiatives. This study contributes to the literature in IT standards and standardization, and expands our understanding of the implications of standardization strategy on shareholder risks.
Leveraging Dual-Observable Input for Fine-Grained Thumb Interaction Using Forearm EMG

We introduce the first forearm-based EMG input system that can recognize fine-grained thumb gestures, including left swipes, right swipes, taps, long presses, and more complex thumb motions. EMG signals for thumb motions sensed from the forearm are quite weak and require significant training data to classify. We therefore also introduce a novel approach for minimally-intrusive collection of labeled training data for always-available input devices. Our dual-observable input approach is based on the insight that interaction observed by multiple devices allows recognition by a primary device (e.g., phone recognition of a left swipe gesture) to create labeled training examples for another (e.g., forearm-based EMG data labeled as a left swipe). We implement a wearable prototype with dry EMG electrodes, train with labeled demonstrations from participants using their own phones, and show that our prototype can recognize common fine-grained thumb gestures and user-defined complex gestures.
FLOW AND HEAT TRANSFER OF MICROFOAMS IN HORIZONTAL MINICHANNELS

Colloidal gas aphrons (CGA) consists of closely packed minute gas bubbles with diameter ranging from 10 to 100 microns. It is produced by stirring a surfactant solution at high speed in a fully baffled beaker. CGA can be used in various applications such as bioremediation, bioreactors, oil recovery, and fire fighting. This paper reports experimental data for (1) adiabatic flow and (2) convective heat transfer of CGA into five 1.58 × 0.76 mm2 mini-rectangular channels. First, it is shown that CGA is a shear thinning fluid. Correlation for the Fanning friction factor as a function of Reynolds number is compared with that of water and macrofoams. Then, the local temperature and heat transfer coefficient along the minichannels are reported as a function of the mass flow rates and imposed heat flux. The heat transfer coefficients for CGA appears to be constant and independent of mass flow rate and imposed heat flux as well known in the case of single phase laminar flow.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
A Study of How Chelating Agents Interact with Neutral Lipid Membranes

Chelating agents are used in a range of areas, from treating metal poisoning in medicine to removing unwanted heavy metal ions from a given solution in biochemistry. Specifically, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) is widely used in biochemistry and other areas of science to sequester polyvalent cations such as Ca2+ and Fe3+ from solutions. Small angle x-ray scattering [1] has shown that low concentrations (mM range) of EDTA in solution introduce a phase coexistence in homogeneous 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) multilamellar vesicles. This suggests that there are interactions taking place between EDTA and the lipid head group. We investigate the interaction of EDTA with lipids in the presence of various cations, using 1H NMR. A discussion of the interactions present between EDTA and lipids will be formulated based on observed proton chemical shifts and relaxation rates.[1] Johnson et al, Langmuir 2014.
Wood Moisture Levels Affect Xyletinus peltatus Infestations

Hatching of Xyletinus peltatus eggs was not significantly decreased by maintaining wood moisture (WM) of yellow poplar as low as 11.1 ± 0.2%, at ca. 54% relative humidity (RH). Low WM may greatly affect larval growth and survival, but effects vary with WM levels, age of larvae when WM is low, and how favorable wood is for growth and survival. In a favorable wood (yellow poplar), no larvae survived when WM was kept below 11.6 ± 0.7% at 59.1 ± 2.6% RH. When WM was below 12.4 ± 0.8% during the first 13 weeks after egg laying, significantly fewer young larvae survived than when WM was at higher levels. However, WM reduced to 11.9 ± 0.4% or lower for 13 weeks after larvae had already reached 3, 6, or 9 months old did not reduce survival. After 110 weeks, fewer beetles survived in wood maintained at reduced WM level (13.2 ± 1.2% for up to 13 weeks, 12.7 ± 0.8% for 14 to 74 weeks) than in wood maintained at 15.5 ± 0.8% or higher WM. Wood with the highest WM produced significantly more adults within 110 weeks than wood with lower WM. Reduced WM retarded larval development, thereby delaying adult emergence for at least a year.
Computational Prediction of MicroRNA Targets

One critical step in miRNA functional studies is to identify the gene targets that are directly regulated by miRNAs. In this chapter, we describe a computational algorithm and an online database, miRDB, for miRNA target prediction. In miRDB, flexible Web search interface has been developed for the retrieval of target prediction results generated by the newly developed computational algorithm. In addition, a wiki editing interface has been established to allow anyone with Internet access to make contributions on miRNA functional annotation. All data stored in miRDB are freely accessible at http://www.mirdb.org.
Increasing Stem Cell Dose Promotes Posttransplant Immune Reconstitution.

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplantation can provide a successful therapeutic option for patients that have no suitable related donor. UCB transplantation is often limited by the relatively small hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) numbers in UCB especially for adult recipients. Early neutrophil and platelet engraftment correlates with the stem cell numbers in UCB transplant. Compared to other HSC sources, immune reconstitution following UCB transplant is slower and complicated by increased frequency of opportunistic infections. The effect of HSC numbers in UCB transplant on immune reconstitution was not thoroughly examined. Using immunocompromised mice transplanted with purified UCB CD34+ stem cells, we have demonstrated that increasing the numbers of CD34+ cells in the transplant promotes hematopoietic and immune reconstitution. At early stages posttransplant, high stem cell dose generated relatively more B cells, while lower dose generated more myeloid and T cells. Thus, the size of the stem cell graft app...
The Role of L11 Stalk Fluctuations in aa-tRNA Accommodation

The ribosome is a large ribonucleoprotein complex that is responsible for translation of proteins in all living organisms. Accommodation is a key conformational change during transfer RNA (tRNA) selection that allows for each molecule to fully associate with the ribosome. During tRNA accommodation, there are large-scale fluctuations in the L11 stalk and the associated protein. Experimental and theoretical work has shown that the L11 protein and RNA exhibit dynamic behavior, where their precise position can significantly affect the dynamics of elongation. To explore the impact of L11 stalk mobility on the kinetics of aa-tRNA accommodation, we used molecular dynamics simulations with a simplified model to evaluate the free-energy as a function of aa-tRNA position. We find that as the flexibility of L11 is decreased, the position of the free-energy minima is robust. In contrast, the magnitude of the free-energy barrier for accommodation depends on the precise scale of L11 fluctuations. We find that increasing the rigidity of the L11 stalk can destabilize the A/T ensemble. In addition to the close relationship between L11 mobility and the free-energy landscape of accommodation, the direction of L11 stalk movement is also correlated with aa-tRNA displacements. To probe the collective motion of the L11 stalk, we performed Principal Component Analysis on the simulated trajectories. When aa-tRNA is first delivered to the ribosome, the stalk moves away from the tRNA and adopts extended configurations. It then relaxes during the accommodation process. Together, these calculations reveal a correlation between fluctuations in the L11 stalk and the dynamics of aa-tRNA during accommodation. This provides a quantitative foundation for interpreting experimental measures of accommodation and suggests how the dynamics of the L11 stalk may contribute to aa-tRNA proof-reading and accommodation.
Mind the Line Tension: New Criteria for Nanodomains in Biological Membranes

The compositionally diverse lipid bilayer that forms the two-dimensional fluid matrix of the cell plasma membrane is not simply a passive boundary but has functionality associated with cholesterol-related heterogeneity (1). A key question is whether this heterogeneity leads to the coexistence of liquid-ordered (Lo) and liquid-disordered (Ld) regions on the nanometer scale (2–4). At the moment, there is little experimental evidence of stable Lo domains (i.e., lipid rafts) in live cells (2,5). The work by Usery et al.
Gender composition of the occupation, sexual orientation, and mental health in young adulthood

The gender composition of the occupation has important implications for work conditions, rewards, and experiences, but little is known about whether it impacts workers' mental health. The present study seeks to answer this question by focusing on depressive symptoms and drug dependence symptoms as mental health outcomes and young adulthood as the life course context. The study further examines whether the association varies by sexual orientation, considering that occupational gender composition affects levels of stress exposure and social support availability in different ways for heterosexuals and sexual minorities. The analysis of the U.S. data, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), shows that among heterosexuals, working in a more female-typical occupation is associated with lower levels of drug dependence symptoms for women and higher levels of depressive symptoms for men. Sexual minorities show a diverging pattern-working in a more female-typical occupation is associated with worse mental health for sexual minority women and better mental health for sexual minority men.
Chapter 8 Looking to the Future

The synopsis of shock wave science presented in this book describes the pioneering research conducted at Sandia over the past 60 years. The shock wave program was organized and conducted rather differently from that of similar research programs at other institutions. Two separate shock wave research efforts were established in the 1950s, one focused on scientific understanding of shock compression processes and the other on engineering applications.
Impulsive Behaviors: Definition, Prevalence, Neurobiology, and Management

In this chapter, we discuss the various forms of impulsive and compulsive behaviors that may occur as a consequence of RLS treatment. These behaviors share certain clinical and pathophysiological features with PD patients on similar medications, but also exhibit key demographic differences. Several tools exist to rapidly and effectively identify behaviors consistent with ICD and in most cases symptoms resolve after removal of the dopamine agent. The manifestations of ICD however can range from behaviors that seem mild or benign on the surface to those that can result in significant financial and criminal ramifications. Thus aside from early identification, it is critical that patients are made aware of this potential adverse effect and the factors that potentially increase the risk for development. With many patients wanting to be more engaged in their treatment plan decisions, health providers should see this as an important disclosure at start and maintenance of therapy for this class of medication.
Budgeting Audit Time: Effects of Audit Step Frame and Verifiability

ABSTRACT: Auditors must ensure that their audit plans budget sufficient time for key audit steps. Research has shown that insufficient audit time budgets can be detrimental to audit quality. We exa...
The Counseling Competencies Scale: Validation and Refinement

Supervisors evaluated counselors-in-training at multiple points during their practicum experience using the Counseling Competencies Scale (CCS; N = 1,070). The CCS evaluations were randomly split t...
Pain, psychological distress, health status, and coping in patients with breast cancer scheduled for autotransplantation.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To describe pain, psychological distress, health status, and coping that patients with breast cancer who were scheduled for autotransplantation experienced; the strength and direction of relationships among pain, psychological distress, health status, and coping; and the percentage of variance within the concept of health status that age, pain, psychological distress, and coping. DESIGN Descriptive, correlational. SETTING An urban, National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center located in the eastern United States. SAMPLE A convenience sample of 83 female patients with breast cancer scheduled for autotransplantation. The population age ranged from 22-59 years (X = 44.47 years) and was comprised of 72 (88%) Caucasians, 6 (7%) African Americans, and 4 (5%) from other minorities. METHODS An oncology clinical nurse specialist in the outpatient medical oncology clinic collected the data during a regularly scheduled visit approximately 20 days prehospitalization for high-dose chemotherapy and autotransplantation. Data were collected using a demographic data from and self-report instruments (Gaston-Johansson Painometer, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form General Health Survey, and Coping Strategies Questionnaire). MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Pain, psychological distress, health status, and coping. FINDINGS Although the subjects experienced low pain intensity, the range of reported pain intensity ratings was wide. Pain locations varied but were reported mainly in the vagina, chest, shoulder, and arm. Although subjects reported primarily mild depression and mild state anxiety, the range of depression and state anxiety scores was wide. Coping strategies used most frequently to deal with pain included positive coping statements, diverting attention, praying and hoping, increasing activity level, and ability to control and decrease pain. Subjects reported moderate total health status and low role functioning. Moderate, positive correlations were seen between state anxiety and depression and physical functioning and role functioning. Sixty-five percent of the variance in health status was explained by sensory pain depression, and catastrophizing. CONCLUSIONS Patients with breast cancer who are scheduled for autotransplantation may experience pain, psychological distress, and alterations in coping and perceived health status. Total pain intensity, sensory pain, depression, and catastrophizing appear to be important variables related to the patient's perceived health status. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE Oncology nurses need to include assessment of pain, psychological distress, health status, and coping in their routine patient assessment prior to autotransplantation to provide appropriate care and make necessary multidisciplinary referrals. Future nursing research should be directed toward the implementation and evaluation of interventions that promote the use of comprehensive coping strategies to decrease pain, anxiety, and depression.
Free-breathing 3D phase-sensitive inversion recovery late gadolinium enhancement at 3.0 Tesla: reliability and image quality in ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy in comparison with multiple breath-hold 3D imaging

Background In both ischemic (ICM) and non-ischemic (NICM) cardiomyopathy late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) is an important cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) technique. LGE CMR, traditionally performed in 2D during multiple breath-holds (MB), is challenging for vulnerable patients and subject to slice misregistration. Therefore, LGE CMR during free-breathing (FB) is more robust and enables to perform 3D acquisition, increase resolution and apply phase-sensitive inversion recovery (PSIR). We developed and clinically tested a high spatial resolution PSIR LGE sequence using a respiratory navigator in both ICM and NICM patients. Reliability and image quality were compared to a multiple breath-hold 3D approach (MB-3D).
Advances in the protoplast culture of woody plants

During the past few years, several laboratories have reported the successful culture of protoplasts from woody species, a group which has long been considered recalcitrant. A review by McCown and Russell [41] covering the literature through May 1986, listed four woody genera (Citrus, Populus, Santalum, and Ulmus) in which protoplasts had been cultured through whole plant regeneration. Now plants have been regenerated from protoplasts of 46 woody genotypes representing 32 species, 18 genera, and 12 families (Table 1). In many of these cases the protoplast source tissue originated from non-seedling (mature) plants (Table 1). Thus, it will be possible to use protoplast-based genetic engineering to add one or a few desirable traits to already proven varieties so that the development time for a saleable product can be reduced.
Pillared Clays and Ion-Exchanged Pillared Clays as Gas Adsorbents and as Catalysts for Selective Catalytic Reduction of No

Pillared interlayered clays (PILC), or pillared clays, are two-dimensional layer materials prepared by exchanging the charge-compensating cations (e.g. Na+, K+ and Ca2+) between the swelling phyllosilicate clay layers with larger inorganic hydroxy cations, which are polymeric or oligomeric hydroxy metal cations formed by hydrolysis of metal salts. Upon heating, the metal hydroxy cations undergo dehydration and dehydroxylation, forming stable metal oxide clusters which act as pillars keeping the silicate layers separated and creating interlayer spacing (gallery spaces) of molecular dimensions. Pillared clay development started in the mid 1950s by Barrer and co-workers1,2 who synthesized high surface area materials by pillaring montmorillonite clay with cations of N(CH3)4 and N(C2H5)4. However, these materials have low thermal and hydrothermal stabilities i.e., up to ca. 250°C for the decomposition temperature of interlayer cations, and are therefore of limited use as adsorbents and catalysts. Much interest and research have, since the 1970s, been directed toward the synthesis of pillared clays with high thermal and hydrothermal stabilities. The most promising ones for use as adsorbents and catalysts are as follows; Al-PILC3-l8, Zr-PILC4,5,19-23, Cr-PILC6,24-28, Fe-PILC29-35, Ti-PILC36-38, Ni-PILC39 and Si-PILC40-41. The choices of hydroxy cations are not limited to those mentioned; in fact any metal oxide or salt that forms polynuclear species upon hydrolysis42 can be inserted as pillars, and all layered clays of the abundant phyllosilicate family as well as other layered clays can be used as the hosts16,43-49. In order to increase the thermal and hydrothermal stabilities and the catalytic activities of pillared clays, mixed pillars have been synthesized using mixed hydroxycations obtained by isomorphous substitution of mvalent cations (e.g. Ga3+, Ce3+, Fe3+, Cr3+) with Al3+ in the AI polyoxocation12,50-52. In addition, positively charged sol
Perceived Discrimination, Ethnic Identity, and Psychological Well-Being Among Arab Americans:

In this study, we examined associations among perceived discrimination, ethnic identity dimensions (exploration, resolution, affirmation), and psychological well-being (self-esteem, life satisfacti...
IHI ID 16 Moving from parallel to serial preoperative process flow utilizing multidisciplinary bedside handoffs improves preoperative task completion

Background Incident reports suggested that patients were reaching the operating room (OR) without completion of necessary preparatory tasks. Incidents included Near Misses with potential for harm. Parallel processing and inadequate communication among preoperative nurses, anesthesia providers, and OR nurses were determined to be root causes of many of these failures. Objectives Significantly increase the number of days-between preoperative task-completion (PTC) failures. Methods Incident reports were analyzed for root causes. Preoperative process flow was mapped. Process flow at other institutions was observed. Multidisciplinary bedside handoffs utilizing a task-completion checklist were tested, adapted, and adopted as a new preoperative process (figure 1). Days-between PTC failures were plotted on an XMR chart as the primary metric. First case procedure start times were plotted on XMR charts as a balancing measure. Qualitative data were collected about process issues identified by the handoff process. Results After introduction of bedside handoffs days-between PTC failures reaching the OR increased from every 5 days to >40 days (figure 2). The average procedure start time was delayed by 8 min (figure 3). A majority of PTC failures that were stopped from reaching the OR were surgeon-specific (figure 4A). Unavailability of nurses was a reported barrier to process success. (figure 4B). Conclusions Bedside handoffs inclusive of preoperative nurses, anesthesia providers, and OR nurses increased the days between PTC incidents reaching the OR. This safety intervention had the tradeoff of a slight decrease in efficiency as measured by procedure start times. Interventions targeting nurse availability and earlier surgeon task completion are still necessary to optimize efficiency.
The Influence of Computer and Internet Use on Teachers’ Pedagogical Practices and Perceptions

AbstractThis study explores the possibility that in schools where an informational and social support network is available and where a sufficient technological infrastructure is in place, computer use may be a powerful catalyst leading to more constructivist practices on the part of teachers. Survey research at 153 schools of the National School Network provides evidence that under these favorable circumstances, teachers’ sustained use of computers and exploration of Internet resources is related to their increased use of constructivist teaching practices and may even change teachers’ pedagogical beliefs that underlie such practices. The relationship between computer use and pedagogical change is particularly strong among secondary teachers in social studies, science, and noncore subjects. This article discusses three alternative theories to account for the observed correlations.
Mobility and Activism Remain the Fabric of Teacher Resistance: A Reflection on Timothy Bergen’s Article, The Young Teacher in the Age of Aquarius

This retrospective celebrates The Clearing House centennial year of publishing and a reminiscence of what authors and readers valued in their teaching practice. The work here considers a 1974 artic...