cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Autonomic hyperreflexia in a pregnant paraplegic patient. Case report.

Background and Objectives Pregnant patients with spinal cord injuries are predisposed to autonomic hyperreflexia, which if unrecognized or untreated can lead to death. Hypertension occurring in laboring patients at risk for autonomic hyperreflexia must be managed aggressively. Methods Epidural anesthesia can safely control autonomic hyperreflexia during labor and delivery, but because spinal cord impaired patients lack sensory and motor function below the level of injury, it is difficult to determine the dermatomal spread of epidural anesthesia by the usual methods. This difficulty is highlighted by the following case, reporting an epidural that failed during labor, with the subsequent development of autonomic hyperreflexia. Results Previously, autonomic hyperreflexia occurring in pregnant patients (undergoing surgical procedures) was treated with intravenous antihypertensive agents. During labor, however, titrating these agents to coincide with uterine contractions is difficult. In this case, epidural anesthesia was repeated and the autonomic hyperreflexia resolved. Conclusions Autonomic hyperreflexia can develop in unanesthetized laboring paraplegic patients (failed epidural) but it can be successfully managed with adequate epidural anesthesia.
New Insights in Vascular Lesions Development and Identification with Immunohistochemical Markers

During the last decade several advances in vascular lesions pathology have been achieved, mostly derived from discoveries in molecular genetics and biochemistry. These new discoveries have contributed to the understanding of endothelial cell proliferation and neoplastic transformation. Concurrently, new immunohistochemical markers have been developed, some of them with proved clinical utility in diagnostic histopathology. In this chapter we will review the most relevant advances in the pathogenesis of vascular lesions and we will summarize the application of new vascular markers including: endoglein, ERG, FLI-1, HIF-1 alpha, LMO-2, Lyve-1, c-Myc, Prox-1, TEMs, VEGFRs, and WT-1, among others, in the evaluation and diagnosis of vascular lesions.
Development of an Earth Smallsat Flight Test to Demonstrate Viability of Mars Aerocapture

Mission Timeline Control Scheme • Jettison timing controls amount of aerocapture ΔV • Guidance algorithm: numerical predictor-corrector • Only atmospheric accelerometer measurements required • Monte Carlo results show robustness to uncertainties in entry FPA, atmosphere, and burns Trajectory Modeling • End-to-end simulation models vehicle trajectory and uncertainties • 3-DOF integration of atmospheric equations of motion • Key outputs: • Deceleration • Heat Rates • Orbit uncertainties
Sulfur in oleylamine as a powerful and versatile etchant for oxide, sulfide, and metal colloidal nanoparticles

Understanding of crystal growth is essential to the design of materials with improved properties. Unfortunately, still very little is understood about the basic growth mechanisms of nanostructures, even in the most established colloidal synthetic routes. Etching is one of the most important mechanisms to consider during particle growth, but it is rarely considered in the syntheses of oxide or chalcogenide nanostructures. Here, we report that the most common precursor for the synthesis of sulfide nanostructures – the mixture of sulfur and oleylamine – acts as a very powerful etchant for oxide, chalcogenide, and metal nanostructures. Specifically, we discuss its effect on several nanoparticle compositions (PbS, Cu2S, Fe3O4, and Au) and compare it to control conditions in which only oleylamine is present. Our experiments suggest that the etching results from the evolution of H2S from the sulfur–oleylamine precursor. We predict that the simultaneous role of this precursor as both etchant and ligand stabilizer will make it a useful tool for the chemical post-processing (e.g., size reduction, focusing of size distributions, faceting) of nanocrystal dispersions.
Planar dipole antenna for tri-band PCS and WLAN communications

This paper presents the design of tri-band planar dipole antenna for PCS and WLAN services. A modification is made in the previously presented dipole antenna design [1]. The configuration of the proposed dipole antenna is given in Figure 1(a). The antenna design consists of a printed dipole and two parasitic elements which are behaving as resonators by coupling from the driving element. The proposed antenna is fed by using a balun which consists of a microstrip line with a radial stub [1]. From simulation, the resonant frequencies noted are 1.825 GHz, 2.54 GHz, and 5.20 GHz having impedance bandwidths 296 MHz, 139 MHz, and 130MHz for return loss less than −10 dB as shown in Figure 1(b). The gains at the resonant frequencies are 1.3, 2.26, and 1.8 dBi, respectively.
The Concept of Opportunity to Learn (OTL) in International Comparisons of Education

Items addressing the Opportunity to Learn (OTL) construct, the idea that the time a student spends in learning something is related to what that student learns, was included in the mathematics portion of PISA 2012 for the first time. Several questions on the student survey were designed to measure students’ opportunity to learn important concepts and skills associated with the assessed mathematical literacy. This chapter traces the development of this type of information in international comparisons of education and discusses four types of items that have been developed for this purpose. It also discusses the unique challenge of measuring this concept in PISA as it focuses on literacy, the knowledge students have acquired over their schooling to date, rather than on the content knowledge students have gained from schooling during a particular year or at a particular grade level. The specific OTL items and their purpose are identified from the Student Questionnaire section of Appendix A in the PISA 2012 Assessment and Analytic Framework.
Nanopteron solutions of diatomic Fermi–Pasta–Ulam–Tsingou lattices with small mass-ratio

Abstract Consider an infinite chain of masses, each connected to its nearest neighbors by a (nonlinear) spring. This is a Fermi–Pasta–Ulam–Tsingou lattice. We prove the existence of traveling waves in the setting where the masses alternate in size. In particular we address the limit where the mass ratio tends to zero. The problem is inherently singular and we find that the traveling waves are not true solitary waves but rather “nanopterons”, which is to say, waves which are asymptotic at spatial infinity to very small amplitude periodic waves. Moreover, we can only find solutions when the mass ratio lies in a certain open set. The difficulties in the problem all revolve around understanding Jost solutions of a nonlocal Schrodinger operator in its semi-classical limit.
Understanding the massive open online course (MOOC) student experience

During the widespread development of open access online course materials in the last two decades, advances have been made in understanding the impact of instructional design on quantitative outcomes. Much less is known about the experiences of learners that affect their engagement with the course content. Through a case study employing text analysis of interview transcripts, we revealed the authentic voices of participants and gained a deeper understanding of motivations for and barriers to course engagements experienced by students participating in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). We sought to understand why learners take the courses, specifically Introduction to Chemistry or Data Analysis and Statistical Inference, and to identify factors both inside and outside of the course setting that impacted engagement and learning. Thirty-six participants in the courses were interviewed, and these students varied in age, experience with the subject matter, and worldwide geographical location. Most of the interviewee statements were neutral in attitude; sentiment analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that 80 percent of the statements that were either extremely positive or negative were found to be positive rather than negative, and this is important because an overall positive climate is known to correlate with higher academic achievement in traditional education settings. When demographic data was added to the sentiment analysis, students who have already earned bachelor's degrees were found to be more positive about the courses than students with either more or less formal education, and this was a highly statistically significant result. In general, students from America were more critical than students from Africa and Asia, and the sentiments of female participants' comments were generally less positive than those of male participants. An examination of student statements related to motivations revealed that knowledge, work, convenience, and personal interest were the most frequently coded nodes (more generally referred to as codes). On the other hand, lack of time was the most prevalently coded barrier for students. Other barriers and challenges cited by the interviewed learners included previous bad classroom experiences with the subject matter, inadequate background, and lack of resources such as money, infrastructure, and internet access. These results are enriched by illustrative quotes from interview transcripts and compared and contrasted with previous findings reported in the literature, and thus this study enhances the field by providing the voices of the learners. Display Omitted Sentiment analysis revealed that participants were generally positive in statements about the courses and MOOCs in general.Bachelor's degree learners were the most positive: a highly statistically significant result.Knowledge, work, convenience, and personal interest were the most prevalent motivations.Most interviewees were ambivalent about the certificates.Lack of time was most common barrier; others were previous bad experience &inadequate background.
Single Stage Tandem Mass Spectrometry Assignment of the C-5 Uronic Acid Stereochemistry in Heparan Sulfate Tetrasaccharides using Electron Detachment Dissociation.

The analysis of heparan sulfate (HS) glycosaminoglycans presents many challenges, due to the high degree of structural heterogeneity arising from their non-template biosynthesis. Complete structural elucidation of glycosaminoglycans necessitates the unambiguous assignments of sulfo modifications and the C-5 uronic acid stereochemistry. Efforts to develop tandem mass spectrometric-based methods for the structural analysis of glycosaminoglycans have focused on the assignment of sulfo positions. The present work focuses on the assignment of the C-5 stereochemistry of the uronic acid that lies closest to the reducing end. Prior work with electron-based tandem mass spectrometry methods, specifically electron detachment dissociation (EDD), have shown great promise in providing stereo-specific product ions, such as the B3 ´ –CO2, which has been found to distinguish glucuronic acid (GlcA) from iduronic acid (IdoA) in some HS tetrasaccharides. The previously observed diagnostic ions are generally not observed with 2-O-sulfo uronic acids or for more highly sulfated heparan sulfate tetrasaccharides. A recent study using electron detachment dissociation and principal component analysis revealed a series of ions that correlate with GlcA versus IdoA for a set of 2-O-sulfo HS tetrasaccharide standards. The present work comprehensively investigates the efficacy of these ions for assigning the C-5 stereochemistry of the reducing end uronic acid in 33 HS tetrasaccharides. A diagnostic ratio can be computed from the sum of the ions that correlate to GlcA to those that correlate to IdoA.
A review of input–output models on multisectoral modelling of transportation–economic linkages

Understanding the role of transportation in urban and regional economy is a persistent analytical topic within the transportation research community. Multi-sectoral input–output (IO) modelling, as ...
Altered hippocampal synaptic function in transgenic mice with increased astrocyte expression of CCL2 after withdrawal from chronic alcohol.

Abstract CNS actions of the chemokine CCL2 are thought to play a role in a variety of conditions that can have detrimental consequences to CNS function, including alcohol use disorders. We used transgenic mice that express elevated levels of CCL2 in the CNS (CCL2-tg) and their non-transgenic (non-tg) littermate control mice to investigate long-term consequences of CCL2/alcohol/withdrawal interactions on hippocampal synaptic function, including excitatory synaptic transmission, somatic excitability, and synaptic plasticity. Two alcohol exposure paradigms were tested, a two-bottle choice alcohol (ethanol) drinking protocol (2BC drinking) and a chronic intermittent alcohol (ethanol) (CIE/2BC) protocol. Electrophysiological measurements of hippocampal function were made ex vivo, starting ∼0.6 months after termination of alcohol exposure. Both alcohol exposure/withdrawal paradigms resulted in CCL2-dependent interactions that altered the effects of alcohol on synaptic function. The synaptic alterations differed for the two alcohol exposure paradigms. The 2BC drinking/withdrawal treatment had no apparent long-term consequences on synaptic responses and long-term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampal slices from non-tg mice, whereas synaptic transmission was reduced but LTP was enhanced in hippocampal slices from CCL2-tg mice. In contrast, the CIE/2BC/withdrawal treatment enhanced synaptic transmission but reduced LTP in the non-tg hippocampus, whereas there were no apparent long-term consequences to synaptic transmission and LTP in hippocampus from CCL2-tg mice, although somatic excitability was enhanced. These results support the idea that alcohol-induced CCL2 production can modulate the effects of alcohol exposure/withdrawal on synaptic function and indicate that CCL2/alcohol interactions can vary depending on the alcohol exposure/withdrawal protocol used.
Laparoscopic Common Bile Duct Exploration for Choledocholithiasis: Analysis of Practice Patterns of Intermountain HealthCare.

Background The ideal management of common bile duct (CBD) stones remains controversial, whether with single-stage management using laparoscopic CBD exploration (LCBDE) during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, or with 2-stage management using preoperative or postoperative ERCP. We wished to elucidate the practice patterns within our health system, which includes both large urban referral centers and small rural critical access hospitals. Study Design We conducted a retrospective data analysis from our 22-hospital, not-for-profit, integrated healthcare system. All patients with a diagnosis of choledocholithiasis who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and either ERCP or LCBDE for duct clearance between 2008 and 2013 were included. Demographic data, along with disease-specific characteristics and outcomes, were collected and compared. Results During the study period, 37,301 patients underwent LC. Of these, 1,961 (5.3%) met inclusion criteria. Single-stage management with LC+LCBDE was performed in 28% of patients, and the remaining 72% underwent 2-stage management with ERCP (73% postoperative ERCP, 27% preoperative). Mean total number of procedures was lowest in the LC+LCBDE group vs the post-cholecystectomy ERCP group vs the preoperative ERCP group (mean 1.4 vs 2.1 vs 2.3; p Conclusions Single-stage management of CBD stones resulted in the fewest procedures and lower hospital charges without an increase in complications. Single-stage management (LC+LCBDE) of CBD stones is underused and can offer better value in today's cost-constrained environment.
Reestimating the Cost of Production in a Fuzzy Technological Environment

Most profit maximizing firms are aware that the boundary of the feasible set of technological opportunities is fuzzy. The neoclassical theory of the firm assumes that the boundary of the feasible set of technological opportunities is well-defined. We use a spheroidal neighborhood of a neoclassical profit maximizing equilibrium as a suitable approximation of a fuzzy input demand correspondence. Using trigonometric functions this spheroidal neighborhood is parameterized and a fuzzy cost function is generated. We use Nerlove’s (1963) famous electric utility data to estimate a generalized Leontief cost function, with and without inclusion of a fuzz factor. The concept of fuzz used here seems to be in accord with Popper’s (1973) notion of “plastic control” and Simon’s notion of “bounded rationality”. For concreteness we plot a fuzzy isoquant for Nerlove’s data. We also report numerical estimates of scale elasticity, marginal cost, Hessian matrix, etc.
Correlated lip motion and voice audio data

Abstract This data set is comprised of correlated audio and lip movement data in multiple videos of multiple subjects reading the same text. It was collected to facilitate the development and validation of algorithms used to train and test a compound biometric system that consists of lip-motion and voice recognition. The data set is a collection of videos of volunteers reciting a fixed script that is intended to be used to train software to recognize voice and lip-motion patterns. A second video is included of the individual reciting a shorter phrase, which is designed to be used to test the recognition functionality of the system. The recordings were collected in a controlled, indoor setting with a 4K professional-grade camcorder and adjustable, LED lights.
Neurological Underpinnings to Understanding and Dealing with Stress at Work

AbstractIn 1992, a United Nations report had called work stress as ‘The 20th Century Disease’. The ‘always on’ economy of the 21st century has ensured that the prevalence of work-related stress is ...
Safe Motion Planning for Steerable Needles Using Cost Maps Automatically Extracted from Pulmonary Images

Lung cancer is the deadliest form of cancer, and early diagnosis is critical to favorable survival rates. Definitive diagnosis of lung cancer typically requires needle biopsy. Common lung nodule biopsy approaches either carry significant risk or are incapable of accessing large regions of the lung, such as in the periphery. Deploying a steerable needle from a bronchoscope and steering through the lung allows for safe biopsy while improving the accessibility of lung nodules in the lung periphery. In this work, we present a method for extracting a cost map automatically from pulmonary CT images, and utilizing the cost map to efficiently plan safe motions for a steerable needle through the lung. The cost map encodes obstacles that should be avoided, such as the lung pleura, bronchial tubes, and large blood vessels, and additionally formulates a cost for the rest of the lung which corresponds to an approximate likelihood that a blood vessel exists at each location in the anatomy. We then present a motion planning approach that utilizes the cost map to generate paths that minimize accumulated cost while safely reaching a goal location in the lung.
Recent advances in organic optoelectronic devices for biomedical applications

Bio-integrated organic optoelectronics is an emerging research field that takes advantage of the soft and deformable properties of organic semiconductor materials for applications at the interface of optoelectronics and biology. The results are advanced flexible, and even stretchable, wearable, and implantable systems that allow intimate and long-term integration with biological tissues to enable new opportunities for high-fidelity healthcare monitoring, therapeutics, human-machine interfaces, etc. In this review, we introduce the field, and present an overview of recent advances in materials, devices, integration strategies, current applications, and future challenges of bio-integrated organic optoelectronics.
Media in the Post #GamerGate Era: Coverage of Reactionary Fan Anger and the Terrorism of the Privileged:

History has recorded the aggressive fandom campaigns of the 2010s, which drove vulnerable minority actors from their careers and homes. #GamerGate was the most iconic of these movements with its cl...
Experience-Consolidation Systems: A Sketch of a Theory of Computer-Based Instruction in Ill-Structured Domains

Experience-Consolidation Systems are microcomputer software intended primarily as training devices. In particular, their purpose is to “telescope” some aspects of the process by which practical field experience leads to the acquisition of judgemental expertise. In situations where rules, general principles or statistical models are insufficient, some other way of thinking is required for correct performance, one that is more appropriate and impressionistic. In the inexact language of everyday usage, that mode of thought is commonly referred to as “intuition.” It is what allows people to think for themselves when explicit guidelines are lacking. Intuitive judgements are required when complex, overlapping patterns of rules and past behavior must be analyzed and weighed. This pattern information and the intuitive process that utilize it are built up over the years from experience with large numbers of richly textured cases. Experience-Consolidation Systems aim to shorten the time required for experience to accumulate, so that acquisition intervals can be measured in hours and days instead of years.
A Tragedy of Autonomy. self-driving cars and urban congestion externalities

Much recent work on autonomous vehicles has focused on the ability of autonomous vehicles to form platoons, decreasing average vehicle headways and thereby increasing road capacities. However, it has recently been noted that autonomous vehicles could also effectively reduce passenger throughput despite the benefits of platooning due to a variety of effects, including the presence of unoccupied vehicles and the fact that increased road capacities can inadvertently lead to increases in aggregate congestion through various selfish routing paradoxes. This paper poses a model of urban traffic congestion in which occupants may choose to exit their vehicles at a workplace and then send the vehicle on to park itself-thus leading to an increased presence of unoccupied vehicles in urban centers. We show how this sets the stage for a tragedy of the commons, as it has the potential to amplify the already-present congestion externalities and how this can lead to increased aggregate congestion for a wide range of parameter values.
Extending the effective temperature model to the large strain hardening behavior of glassy polymers

Abstract Amorphous polymers exhibit a viscoplastic strain hardening behavior at large strains. To describe this hardening behavior, we have developed an effective temperature model for the nonequilibrium behavior of amorphous polymers that incorporate the effects of network orientation and relaxation at large plastic deformation. The development of network orientation is introduced as a backstress that produces kinematic hardening in the stress response, while network relaxation describes the effects of temperature and strain rate on the hardening response. The model was applied to simulate the thermomechanical behavior of polycarbonate (PC) to determine the model parameters from standard dynamic frequency sweep and differential scanning calorimetry tests. The simulation results showed that the model can quantitatively capture the dependence of the hardening modulus on strain, strain rate, and temperature, as well as the unloading and reloading behavior measured in uniaxial compression tests. We applied the model to investigate the effect of plastic dissipation on the peeling of a polymer filament from a rigid substrate to guide the design of peel tests to measure the intrinsic fracture toughness of polymers fabricated by melt extrusion additive manufacturing processes.
Grain-Size Analysis of Hurricane-Induced Event Beds in a New England Salt Marsh, Massachusetts, USA

Castagno, K.A.; Donnelly, J.P., and Woodruff, J.D., 2021. Grain-size analysis of hurricane-induced event beds in a New England salt marsh, Massachusetts, USA. Journal of Coastal Research, 37(2), 326–335. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Tropical cyclones pose a growing threat to coastal infrastructure and livelihood. Because instrumental and historic records are too short to help us understand interactions between tropical cyclones and climate on a longer scale, proxy records are the only means for reconstructing millennia of tropical cyclone impacts. This study determines grain-size trends in storm-induced overwash deposits along a transect of sediment cores from a salt marsh in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, to characterize sorting trends and compare deposits associated with individual storms. The overwash deposits preserved within the high-marsh peat provide a record spanning the last two millennia. Building on a 2010 study, a different approach was used to accurately determine the grain-size distribution of overwash deposits from cores in a transect running perpendicular to the adjacent sandy/gravely barrier. Although maximum grain-size values are expected to decrease as distance from the barrier increases, not all event deposits that were studied follow this trend within uncertainty. Analysis of the storm event beds reveal a significant difference in settling trends between historic and prehistoric deposits, with historic deposits largely displaying landward-fining trends and prehistoric deposits largely displaying landward-coarsening trends. This suggests changes in the hydrodynamic or that geomorphic regime may have altered the way in which storm beds were deposited at this site. This new in-depth, transect-based approach has utility for improving the accuracy of future storm reconstructions, particularly for events for which no historic record exists.
Proximal Hamstring Tendons

Injuries to the proximal hamstring are common, including injuries to the myotendinous junction, the proximal free tendon, or the ischial apophysis. Uncomplicated injuries often can be diagnosed by history and examination, without the need for imaging, though magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US) have utility in cases where there is weakness or prolonged recovery. Most hamstring conditions, including myotendinous injuries and proximal hamstring tendinopathy, can be treated non-operatively using a graded rehabilitation approach. Here we review the types of injury, risk factors, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment options, and prognosis for proximal hamstring injuries.
Keeping Faith in the Public Square: An Autobiographical and Contextual Approach:

How do we live authentically as a people of faith within our secularized societies? The challenges to public representations of faith underline the tension between personal expression and corporate...
A Chronology of Forged Aluminum Wheel Development at Alcoa

In the late 1940's Alcoa began marketing forged aluminum disc wheels for Class VII and VIII highway tractors, and in 1972 stylized passenger car wheels. This paper covers the evolution of some early pre-production designs to the present.
Control of Trapped-Ion Quantum States with Optical Pulses

We present new results on the quantum control of systems with infinitely large Hilbert spaces. A control-theoretic analysis of the control of trapped-ion quantum states via optical pulses is performed. We demonstrate how resonant bichromatic fields can be applied in two contrasting ways--one that makes the system completely uncontrollable and the other that makes the system controllable. In some interesting cases, the Hilbert space of the qubit-harmonic oscillator can be made finite, and the Schrodinger equation controllable via bichromatic resonant pulses. Extending this analysis to the quantum states of two ions, a new scheme for producing entangled qubits is discovered.
Design, build, and test of an autonomous myRIO based Segbot

This paper describes the design, programming, and construction of a battery operated autonomous Segbot. The Segbot, a two wheeled robot, has some similarities to the inverted pendulum cart system in that it is underactuated, exhibits non-minimum phase behavior, and requires a stabilizing controller to stand upright. The Segbot differs from the inverted pendulum cart system in that the dynamics are nonholonomic. The National Instruments® myRIO microcontroller is used for control implementation. The myRIO allows WiFi communication between the Segbot and a host computer for supervisory control. The LabView® VI used for real-time data acquisition and control consists of two main loops. The first loop collects state measurements from an accelerometer, rate gyros, and wheel position encoders. These measurements are passed to the second loop which calculates the desired control law. Included is a summary of the system identification procedure used to determine parameters that cannot be directly measured and the use of a CAD program to estimate inertial values and mass center location. An example of the Segbot tracking a figure-8 path with a novel navigation controller, derived herein, is presented. Finally, a URL link is included for CAD device drawings, a parts list, control programs, wiring diagrams, and a video demonstration of the Segbot.
Supporting collaborative clinical trial protocol writing through an annotation design

Clinical trial protocols are important documents that guide clinical research. Modern protocol development requires collective expertise from a group of Loosely-Coupled protocol writers, who work across distances and time zones. Email has been the primary communication tool for these protocol writers. Unfortunately, it inadequately supports collaborative writing tasks. Without appropriate groupware technology, these protocol writers often compromise work efficiency and the degree of collaboration to complete their tasks. This situation is exhibited at the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), one of the Cooperative Group Programs under the direction of NCI. While it is clear that its current work practices do not support optimal collaboration, it is unclear how to improve the collaboration and communication in such group work because the complexities of collaborative protocol development has rarely been studied. This research utilizes and extends Computer-supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) theories to identify the problems in protocol development and to design groupware technology for supporting this group work. This dissertation consists of four parts: (1) qualitative fieldwork of the collaborative protocol writing process at SWOG; (2) a design of an annotation model that facilitates in-context communication around evolving documents during the iterative reviewing and revising process; (3) a design and an implementation of a protocol collaborative authoring tool (PCAT) that embodies the annotation model from #2 to address group work problems identified in #1; and (4) a validation of the usability of the annotation model and the PCAT prototype. In addition, this dissertation implements a grounded design process and contributes a socio-technical design of groupware technology in a healthcare setting to the literature of socio-technical approaches for system design.
Nonlinear signatures in active microbead rheology of entangled polymer solutions

We present experimental data and numerical modeling of a nonlinear phenomenon in active magnetic microbead rheology that appears to be common to entangled polymer solutions (EPS). Dynamic experiments in a modest range of magnetic forces show (1) a short-lived high viscosity plateau, followed by (2) a bead acceleration phase with a sharp drop in apparent viscosity, and (3) a terminal steady state that we show resides on the shear-thinning slope of the steady-state flow curve from cone and plate data. This latter feature implies a new protocol to access the nonlinear steady-state flow curve for biological EPS available only in microliter-scale volumes. We use the moment-closure form of the Rolie–Poly kinetic model for EPS hydrodynamics, together with a decoupling approximation that obviates the need for a full three-dimensional (3D) flow solver, to qualitatively reproduce this dynamic experimental sequence. We thereby explain the phenomenon in terms of entangled polymer physics, and show how the nonlinear event (acceleration and termination on the shear-thinning response curve) is tunable by the interplay between molecular-scale mechanisms (relaxation via reptation and chain retraction) and magnetic force controls. The experimental conditions mimic movement of cilia tips, bacteria, and sperm in mucus barriers, implying a physiological relevance of the phenomenon and compelling further quantitative kinetic-flow 3D numerical modeling.
Algorithm and Complexity for a Network Assortativity Measure

We show that nding a graph realization with the minimum Randi c index for a given degree sequence is solvable in polynomial time by formulating the problem as a minimum weight perfect b-matching problem. However, the realization found via this reduction is not guaranteed to be connected. Approximating the minimum weight b-matching problem subject to a connectivity constraint is shown to be NP-Hard. For instances in which the optimal solution to the minimum Randi c index problem is not connected, we describe a heuristic to connect the graph using pairwise edge exchanges that preserves the degree sequence. In our computational experiments, the heuristic performs well and the Randi c index of the realization after our heuristic is within 3% of the unconstrained optimal value.
Analysis of Genetic Linkage Data for Mendelian Traits

This unit describes linkage analysis, an invaluable tool in mapping human disease genes. Linkage analysis is one of several methods used to map genes. Specifically, in linkage analysis, cosegregation of two or more genes (traits) is examined in a family unit to determine if they segregate independently of each other according to Mendel's laws or if they do not segregate independently because of their close physical proximity. The procedures outlined in this unit are not always straightforward, and a number of caveats are presented in the commentary regarding possible complications and confounding factors that may arise. Specific examples are given, but it is not possible to cover all possible scenarios or variables. The intention is to enable the reader to master basic principles used in the linkage approach, and thus be in a position to undertake, with proper consultation, a linkage-analysis study. This unit deals specifically with lod score analysis in Mendelian disorders.
Approaching the Symbol-Grounding Problem with Probabilistic Graphical Models

n order for robots to engage in dialog with human teammates, they must have the ability to map between words in the language and aspects of the external world. A solution to this symbol grounding problem (Harnad, 1990) would enable a robot to interpret commands such as “Drive over to receiving and pick up the tire pallet.” In this article we describe several of our results that use probabilistic inference to address the symbol grounding problem. Our speciﬁc approach is to develop models that factor according to the linguistic structure of a command. We ﬁrst describe an early result, a generative model that factors according to the sequential structure of language, and then discuss our new framework, generalized grounding graphs (G3). The G3 framework dynamically instantiates a probabilistic graphical model for a natural language input, enabling a mapping between words in language and concrete objects, places, paths and events in the external world. We report on corpus-based experiments where the robot is able to learn and use word meanings in three real-world tasks: indoor navigation, spatial language video retrieval, and mobile manipulation.
Gold and Systemic Risk

This study tests gold as a hedge and safe haven asset against systemic risk in 21 emerging and developed countries from 1979 to 2012. Generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) dynamic conditional correlation analysis indicates that gold serves as an effective hedge against systemic risk. Gold also provides a safe haven in times of extreme market volatility and during periods of financial crises in most countries.
Second Stem Cell Transplants for Multiple Myeloma. If at once you don't succeed, should we really try, try again?

1. ElsnerHA, BlasczykR. Sequence similaritymatching: proposal of a structure-based rating system for bone marrow transplantation. Eur J Immunogenet. 2002;29:229-236. 2. Spellman S, Klein J, Haagenson M, et al. Scoring HLA Class I Mismatches by HistoCheck Does Not Predict Clinical Outcome in Unrelated Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2012;18:740-747. 3. ElsnerHA,DeLucaD, Strub J, Blasczyk R.HistoCheck: rating of HLA class I and II mismatches by an internet-based software tool. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2004;33:165-169. 4. Lee SJ, Klein J, Haagenson M, et al. High-resolution donorrecipient HLA matching contributes to the success of unrelated donor marrow transplantation. Blood. 2007;110:4576-4583.
Rat liver levels of coenzyme A-glutathione and of enzymes in its metabolism.

Abstract Coenzyme A-glutathione disulfide has been demonstrated to be a normal constituent of rat liver in an amount of 36 nmoles per gram. The normal levels of two enzymes which act on coenzyme A-glutathione were established. They are glutathione: coenzyme A-glutathione transhydrogenase and coenzyme A-glutathione reductase. The level of coenzyme A-glutathione did not change in diabetic rats nor did the activities of either of these enzymes if they were expressed as units per mg of protein. Methods are described for the preparation of [14C]coenzyme A, [14C]coenzyme A disulfide, and [14C]coenzyme A-glutathione disulfide, each labeled in the adenine ring, as well as [3H]coenzyme A-glutathione disulfide labeled in the glutathione moiety.
Susceptibility of larvae of Hemerocampa leucostigma to several varieties of crystalliferous bacteria

Abstract Twelve isolates belonging to six H-antigen serotypes were evaluated for their effectiveness against Hemerocampa leucostigma larvae. All except one, Bacillus finitimus var. finitimus produced high levels of mortality in 4 days. In adition, we found no difference in susceptibility to Bacillus thuringiensis var. thuringiensis among first-through fifth-instar larvae.
Pathophysiology of leukocyte-mediated tissue injury☆

C ONSIDERABLE new insights have been obtained regarding mechanisms of leukocyte-mediated tissue injury. Since endothelial cell injury often occurs during the acute inflammatory response, much work has been done to define in vitro mechanisms involving the killing of endothelial cells by activated neutrophils. At the same time, the use of in vivo models of acute lung injury has allowed definition of events that can be linked to the development of acute vascular injury by products of activated phagocytic cells. We will briefly review recent studies that affect both topics.
Use of HLA marker associations and HLA haplotype linkage to estimate disease risks in families with gluten-sensitive enteropathy

Based on a two-locus, double recessive model, we derive formulas for the risks that relatives of individuals with gluten-sensitive enteropathy (GSE) will also develop the disease. The calculations take advantage of: (i) the linkage between the HLA locus and one of the two proposed GSE loci, and (ii) the preferential association of the HLA-DR3 and DR7 alleles with the GSE disease allele that occupies the HLA-linked locus. We use Bayes' rule to quantitate the strength of the association between the GSE disease allele and the HLA marker allele. This method predicts that siblings of the proband have an overall 10% risk for GSE, which is consistent with observed family data. This predicted risk rises to 30% when siblings are HLA-identical to the proband (also consistent with observed data) or when the sibling has the DR3 allele in the HLA haplotypes not shared with the proband. In those populations where DR7 also is associated with GSE, siblings of probands have a 10% predicted risk for GSE when only one HLA haplotype is shared with the proband and DR7 is included in the unshared haplotype. Other DR alleles are associated with much lower disease risks. By separating individuals into high and low risk groups, HLA typing identifies those individuals who would benefit from further diagnostic procedures. This general strategy should be applicable to other multilocus, marker-associated diseases.
Ischemia-induced arrhythmia: the role of connexins, gap junctions, and attendant changes in impulse propagation☆

Sudden cardiac death accounts for more than half of all cardiovascular deaths in the US, and a large proportion of these deaths are attributed to ischemia-induced ventricular fibrillation. As such, the mechanisms underlying the initiation and maintenance of these lethal rhythms are of significant clinical and scientific interest. In large animal hearts, regional ischemia induces two phases of ventricular arrhythmia. The first phase (1A) occurs between 5 and 7 min after arrest of perfusion. This phase is associated with membrane depolarization, a mild intracellular and extracellular acidification and a small membrane depolarization. A second phase (1B) of ventricular arrhythmia occurs between 20 and 30 minutes after arrest of perfusion. This phase occurs at a time when ischemia-induced K+ and pH changes are relatively stable. The arrhythmia is presumed to relate to the process of cell-to-cell electrical uncoupling because a rapid increase of tissue impedance precedes the onset of the arrhythmia. Of note is that tissue resistance is primarily determined by the conductance properties of the gap junctions accounting for cell-to-cell coupling. Impulse propagation in heart is determined by active and passive membrane properties. An important passive cable property that is modulated by ischemia is intercellular resistance and is determined primarily by gap junctional conductance. As such changes in Impulse propagation during myocardial ischemia are determined by contemporaneous changes in active and passive membrane properties. Cellular K loss, intracellular and extracellular acidosis and membrane depolarization are important factors decreasing excitatory currents, while the collapse of the extracellular compartment and cell-to-cell electrical uncoupling increase the resistance to current flow. The time-course of cellular coupling is closely linked to a number of physiological processes including depletion of ATP, and accumulation of intracellular Ca2+. Hence, interventions such as ischemic preconditioning attenuate the effect of subsequent ischemia, delay the onset of cell-to-cell electrical uncoupling and likewise delay the onset of ischemia-induced arrhythmia.
Catalytic square-wave voltammetric detection of DNA with reversible metallopolymer-coated electrodes

Abstract Pyrolytic graphite electrodes with adsorbed poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PVP) with attached Ru(bpy) 2 2+ gave reversible voltammetry, facilitating reusable DNA sensors. These electrodes gave catalytic voltammetric responses to poly(guanylic) acid and DNA at about 0.75 V vs SCE caused by catalytic oxidation of guanine moieties in these polynucleotides. ss-DNA gave twice the square-wave voltammetric catalytic current compared to an equivalent amount of ds-DNA, suggesting that the [Ru(bpy) 2 –PVP] 2+ polymer may be useful for detection of DNA hybridization and damage.
Epidermal Growth Factor Stimulates Cell Proliferation and Inhibits Functional Differentiation of Mouse Mammary Epithelial Cells in Culture

Mouse mammary epithelial cells cultured on collagen gels multiplied and produced casein and alpha-lactalbumin in response to insulin, cortisol, and PRL. The addition of epidermal growth factor (EGF) at 50 ng/ml increased the total number of epithelial cells by 30-40% and thymidine incorporation into DNA 4.7-fold after 5 days of culture. In contrast, EGF inhibited hormonal induction of the synthesis of casein and alpha-lactalbumin in those cells by about 45% and 55%, respectively, without inhibiting total protein synthesis. Furthermore, EGF decreased casein mRNA activity by 55% and increased total mRNA activity by 66% in cells cultured with the three hormones. These effects of EGF were apparent at 0.1 ng/ml and were maximal at 50-100 ng/ml and could be reversed by its removal from the medium, followed by the addition of anti-EGF antibody. The inhibition of casein synthesis by EGF was unaffected by the concentrations of insulin, cortisol, and PRL. Other growth factors, such as fibroblast growth factor, multiplication-stimulating activity, nerve growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor, did not simulate the effects of EGF. Cytarabine (1 microgram/ml), which inhibited thymidine incorporation into DNA by 94%, did not block the inhibitory action of EGF on casein synthesis. These results suggest that EGF serves as a regulator of hormone-dependent growth and differentiation of mammary epithelial cells.
Nanoscale hybrid protein/polymer functionalized materials

Block copolymer-based membrane technology represents a versatile class of nanoscale materials in which biomolecules, such as membrane proteins, can be reconstituted. Our work has demonstrated the fabrication of large-area, protein-enhanced membranes that possess significant performance improvements in protein functionality. Among its many advantages over conventional lipid-based membrane systems, block copolymers can mimic natural cell biomembrane environments in a single chain, enabling large-area membrane fabrication using methods like Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) deposition, or spontaneous protein-functionalized nano-vesicle formation. The membrane protein, Bacteriorhodopsin (BR), found in Halobacterium Halobium, is a light-actuated proton pump that develops gradients towards the demonstration of coupled functionality with other membrane proteins to effect ATP production, or production of electricity through Bacteriorhodopsin activity-dependent reversal of Cytochrome C Oxidase (COX), found in Rhodobacter Sphaeroides. Using quantum dot-labeled, engineered protein constructs, we have demonstrated large-scale insertion of proteins into block copolymer Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films as well as measurable pH changes based upon light-actuated proton pumping. Light actuated-activity across the protein-functionalized membrane when fully enclosed in a sol-gel matrix has also been observed using impedance spectroscopy. Initial data has suggested a significant pH change of up to 1.75 in a volume of 100 μL and surface area of 0.317cm 2 , a level that is capable of powering a number of proton-gradient dependent proteins towards the buildup of a robust, hybrid protein/polymer device. Recent atomic force microscopy studies of the protein-embedded polymer film samples have revealed the formation of protein aggregate-based pattern generation with very uniform torus-shaped rings. Current work focused towards characterizing the effects that various pattern formations can have on the efficiency of protein functionality, as well as film stability in an effort to develop a robust polymer membrane will also be discussed.