cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endourological Reconstruction of Posterior Urethral Disruption

AbstractWhile conventional methods of urethroplasty for posterior urethral disruption usually are successful technically, they may be associated with complications and often require the expertise of a specialist. Therefore, the option of an endourological approach to the treatment of the obliterated posterior urethra would be highly desirable If a comparable surgical outcome could be achieved. We describe a closed controlled method of posterior urethral reconstruction following traumatic avulsion of the posterior urethra. Urethral continuity was re-established by endoscopic Identification of the true prostatic outlet, its fixation with an angiography wire and a Goodwin sound, retrograde visual urethrotomy through the fibrotic segment and balloon dilation of the entire posterior channel Postoperative anatomical and functional results were excellent, and were achieved with much less risk and cost to the patient than those of a perineal or transpubic urethroplasty.
Predictors of Hospital Readmission in Patients Receiving Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy

tudy Objective Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) is increasingly used, and unfortunately, readmissions during OPAT are common. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of hospital readmission among patients receiving OPAT. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Large academic tertiary care hospital. Patients A total of 216 adults who were discharged and received OPAT through a peripherally inserted central catheter for at least 2 days for treatment of an active infection, excluding patients with cystic fibrosis, between January 2012 and August 2013. Of these patients, 43 had hospital readmissions and 173 did not. Measurements and Main Results The median age of all study patients was 56 years. Common infections included bone and joint (32%), genital/urinary tract (16%), endocarditis (14%), central nervous system (9.7%), and pneumonia (9.7%). For the 43 patients (20%) who had readmissions, reasons for readmission were infection recurrence or progression (33%), adverse drug reactions (24%), central catheter–associated issues (16%), or non-OPAT–related reasons (27%). In the multivariate analysis, patients assigned to a primary care physician were less likely to be readmitted (odds ratio [OR] 0.286, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.115–0.711), whereas factors independently associated with an increased readmission rate included previous hospital admission in the past 12 months (OR 2.588, 95% CI 1.159–5.778), medical history of malignant lymphoma (OR 25.172, 95% CI 2.311–272.209), and increased planned OPAT duration (OR 1.058, 95% CI 1.034–1.082). Conclusion Readmissions while patients received OPAT were common. Therefore, proactive interventions including primary care physician assignment to facilitate follow-up and communication should be implemented to decrease the risk of readmission, particularly in the identified high-risk populations.
End Points of Sepsis Resuscitation

Resuscitation goals for the patient with sepsis and septic shock are to return the patient to a physiologic state that promotes adequate end-organ perfusion along with matching metabolic supply and demand. Ideal resuscitation end points should assess the adequacy of tissue oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption, and be quantifiable and reproducible. Despite years of research, a single resuscitation end point to assess adequacy of resuscitation has yet to be found. Thus, the clinician must rely on multiple end points to assess the patient's overall response to therapy. This review will discuss the role and limitations of central venous pressure (CVP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and cardiac output/index as macrocirculatory resuscitation targets along with lactate, central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2), central venous-arterial CO2 gradient, urine output, and capillary refill time as microcirculatory resuscitation endpoints in patients with sepsis.
Ignoring theory and evidence: commentary on Kok et al. (2018).

Kok, Peters, Kessels, ten Hoor, and Ruiter (2017) make a forceful argument that researchers have ignored and/or misinterpreted scientific evidence on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of fear app...
IBM SanFrancisco: Java Based Business Components and New Tools to Develop Applications

IBM SanFrancisco provides application developers with a base set of object-oriented infrastructure and application logic components. These components are delivered as a set of frameworks, currently covering the domains of general ledger, warehouse management, order management, accounts receivable, and accounts payable. After a brief overview of the IBM SanFrancisco frameworks, its structure and contents, we will discuss the requirements for new application development tools, and practical research done to show the effectiveness of such tools.
Chamberlain, Basil Hall (1850–1935)

Basil Hall Chamberlain (1850–1935), professor of Japanese and philology at Tokyo University, was among the first Westerners to do serious advanced research on Japanese language and linguistics. Chamberlain also studied Japanese language variants used in the Ryukyu Islands, the Ainu language, and Korean. He investigated possible affinities among northeast Asian languages, initiating comparative research continued by Japanese linguists two generations later. He completed an annotated English translation of the Kojiki, the oldest history text in Japanese, and also wrote popular books on Japanese language and culture. Many of his books remain in print and are still read today. While his friend Lafcadio Hearn (1850–1904) popularized folkloric and artistic aspects of Japanese culture, Chamberlain was the first Westerner to publish serious scholarly studies of Japanese language and history.
Condensation heat transfer on nickel tubes: The role of atomic layer deposition of nickel oxide

Abstract The search for durable surfaces offering sustainable high rates of condensation is very essential for many applications. Most of the metal surfaces are subject to oxidization when exposed to water vapor and air, as is the case during the condensation under saturation conditions. Due to the relative stability of nickel and nickel oxide (NiO) among other common metals, they were considered herein as the substrates for condensing saturated water vapor under the atmospheric conditions. The main objective of this study was to investigate the influence of NiO layer(s) that would be formed during practical applications on the condensation performance. To mimic such oxide formation, different thicknesses of NiO layers were deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) method on the surface of smooth nickel tubes. The influence of the oxide layers on the condensation rate was then experimentally characterized, and the droplet dynamic was analyzed. Due to the presence of the large amount of hydrophobic carbon contents in the deposited NiO-ALD layers, especially at the initial stages of the ALD deposition process, a suitable wettability contrast degree with the corresponding deposited hydrophilic NiO was established. Thus bi-philic wettable surfaces were achieved. The degree of contrast in the wettability was varied by the number of the deposited NiO-ALD layers. It was found that samples with a higher carbon to NiO ratio exhibited a higher condensation heat transfer performance, reaching a maximum heat flux and heat transfer coefficient (HTC) of about 3.9 and 4.2 times that of the filmwise condensation (FWC) at subcooling temperatures of 11.0 °C and 3.5 °C, respectively.
Deep Interpretable Non-Rigid Structure from Motion

All current non-rigid structure from motion (NRSfM) algorithms are limited with respect to: (i) the number of images, and (ii) the type of shape variability they can handle. This has hampered the practical utility of NRSfM for many applications within vision. In this paper we propose a novel deep neural network to recover camera poses and 3D points solely from an ensemble of 2D image coordinates. The proposed neural network is mathematically interpretable as a multi-layer block sparse dictionary learning problem, and can handle problems of unprecedented scale and shape complexity. Extensive experiments demonstrate the impressive performance of our approach where we exhibit superior precision and robustness against all available state-of-the-art works. The considerable model capacity of our approach affords remarkable generalization to unseen data. We propose a quality measure (based on the network weights) which circumvents the need for 3D ground-truth to ascertain the confidence we have in the reconstruction. Once the network's weights are estimated (for a non-rigid object) we show how our approach can effectively recover 3D shape from a single image -- outperforming comparable methods that rely on direct 3D supervision.
Modulating Mitochondrial Fusion/Fission Induces Immunoprotective Effects in Models of Cardiac Transplantation

Purpose Microvascular endothelial cells (mECs) are central to promoting recipient T-cell responses by acting as semi-professional antigen-presenting cells. Alterations to mECs as a consequence of brain death, organ preservation, and ischemia reperfusion injury act to further increase mEC immunogenicity. Recent studies have demonstrated that altering mitochondrial fusion/fission can change the phenotype of T cells and dendritic cells. However, whether this has an impact on mECs has not been described. Therefore, in the present study, we sought to modulate mitochondrial fusion/fission in donor mECs prior to transplantation and assessed the in-vitro and in-vivo impacts on mEC-T cell interaction. Methods The functional consequence of mEC mitochondrial fusion on T-cell responses was investigated in a co-culture system, whereby mECs were pre-treated with M1, a fusion promoter, and Mdivi1, a fission inhibitor, to promote mitochondrial fusion prior to being co-cultured with allogeneic CD8+ T-cells for 7 days. T-cell granzyme B, interferon gamma, and mEC surface proteins were assessed after co-culturing. In addition, Balb/c brain-dead donor hearts were pre-treated with M1/Mdivi1 and were then heterotopically transplanted into C57BL/6 recipients. In-vivo donor mEC mitochondrial fusion was validated by confocal microscopy at the end of donor pre-treatment, and survival rates of the transplanted hearts were determined. Results In vitro, pre-treating mECs with M1/Mdivi1 significantly decreased granzyme B and interferon gamma release from co-cultured CD8+ T-cells. Treatment with M1/Mdivi1 led to decreases in VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 and an increase in PD-L1 EC surface expression. Pre-treating donor hearts with M1/Mdivi1 elongated mEC mitochondria in vivo and resulted in a significant improvement in cardiac allograft survival post transplantation (with a median of 9.5 days in M1/Mdivi1-pretreated group vs 6 days in control group, n=4, p=0.0091). Conclusion Promoting mitochondrial fusion/inhibiting fission in donor mEC induces immunoprotective effects both in vitro and in vivo in cardiac transplantation.
Conflict, Consistency and Consonance in Belief Functions: Coherence and Integrity of Belief Systems

This paper discusses how the belief function formalism gives rise to new concepts of conflict and nonspecificity that are more important than conflict in the case of probability theory; assessing this conflict can be important for the strategic choices of whether to seek additional evidence or to discount or retract existing evidence, and which beliefs to retract; it is important to consider not just the external conflict between beliefs, but the internal conflict within belief functions arising from masses assigned to non-intersecting focal elements. The paper considers six measures of conflict: two that apply only to separable belief functions, and that require the canonical decomposition to be found (based on Shafer’s work), and four based on extension of the entropy concept (by Yager, Hohle, Ramer, Klir and others). Detailed computations of the various measures are exhibited for two illustrative examples. Axioms for conflict in the context of its intended use are given, and it is argued that dissonance may be the conflict measure that fits them most closely. Finally, a method is given for using conflict to decide which of a set of beliefs to retract (or discount).
Mental Health Diagnoses of Youth Commercial Sex Exploitation Victims: an Analysis within an Adjudicated Delinquent Sample

Existing criminology and victimization research suggests that youth victims of commercial sex often have mental health issues stemming from their sex victimization and/or emerging out of their long histories of family abuse, neglect and family conflict. However, what is not known is whether youth commercial sex victims, when compared to adjudicated delinquent, serious adolescent offenders, present unique mental health issues when they contact the juvenile justice system. We use the Pathways to Desistance longitudinal data that contains a sample of 1354 serious, adjudicated, juvenile offenders from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Phoenix, Arizona to address this question. According to our analyses, youths who had ever been paid for sex had significantly higher rates of several mental health disorders when compared to their high risk, adjudicated delinquent peers who had not engaged in commercial sex. We explain our findings concerning the potentially increased mental health diagnoses for youth commercial sex exploitation victims during and after their periods of adjudication.
Spiked Laplacian Graphs: Bayesian Community Detection in Heterogeneous Networks

In network data analysis, it is becoming common to work with a collection of graphs that exhibit \emph{heterogeneity}. For example, neuroimaging data from patient cohorts are increasingly available. A critical analytical task is to identify communities, and graph Laplacian-based methods are routinely used. However, these methods are currently limited to a single network and do not provide measures of uncertainty on the community assignment. In this work, we propose a probabilistic network model called the ``Spiked Laplacian Graph'' that considers each network as an invertible transform of the Laplacian, with its eigenvalues modeled by a modified spiked structure. This effectively reduces the number of parameters in the eigenvectors, and their sign patterns allow efficient estimation of the community structure. Further, the posterior distribution of the eigenvectors provides uncertainty quantification for the community estimates. Subsequently, we introduce a Bayesian non-parametric approach to address the issue of heterogeneity in a collection of graphs. Theoretical results are established on the posterior consistency of the procedure and provide insights on the trade-off between model resolution and accuracy. We illustrate the performance of the methodology on synthetic data sets, as well as a neuroscience study related to brain activity in working memory. Keywords: Hierarchical Community Detection, Isoperimetric Constant, Mixed-Effect Eigendecomposition, Normalized Graph Cut, Stiefel Manifold
Direct-to-Consumer Neurotechnology: A Grounded Appraisal.

Kreitmair (2019) paints a picture of a consumer wearables utopia, one in which all consumer technology contributes in some way to “human flourishing.” In this Eden of ethical technology, my Inbox w...
Combined Compression and Shear Impact Response of Polycrystalline Metals at Elevated Temperatures

In this paper, we present results from a series of elevated temperature combined pressure-and-shear plate impact (PSPI) experiments conducted on polycrystalline commercial purity aluminum (99.999%) and magnesium (99.9%) samples at temperatures ranging from 23 °C to 320 °C. These experiments are designed to study the effect of temperature on flow stress of fcc and hcp metals at ultra-high shear strain rates (greater than 105/s) and high shear strains (approaching 50%). In order to conduct this research, the single-stage gas-gun facility at Case Western Reserve University was modified to include a breech-end sabot heater system and a fully fiber-optics based combined NDI/TDI interferometer. The flow stress of commercial purity aluminum and magnesium, as inferred from the transverse particle velocity record measured at the free surface of a fully elastic Tungsten Carbide (WC) target plate reveal that both sample materials soften when heated to temperatures approximately 50% of their melt temperatures.
Antibiotic stewardship teams and Clostridioides difficile practices in United States hospitals: A national survey in The Joint Commission antibiotic stewardship standard era.

Objective Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) can be prevented through infection prevention practices and antibiotic stewardship. Diagnostic stewardship (ie, strategies to improve use of microbiological testing) can also improve antibiotic use. However, little is known about the use of such practices in US hospitals, especially after multidisciplinary stewardship programs became a requirement for US hospital accreditation in 2017. Thus, we surveyed US hospitals to assess antibiotic stewardship program composition, practices related to CDI, and diagnostic stewardship. Methods Surveys were mailed to infection preventionists at 900 randomly sampled US hospitals between May and October 2017. Hospitals were surveyed on antibiotic stewardship programs; CDI prevention, treatment, and testing practices; and diagnostic stewardship strategies. Responses were compared by hospital bed size using weighted logistic regression. Results Overall, 528 surveys were completed (59% response rate). Almost all (95%) responding hospitals had an antibiotic stewardship program. Smaller hospitals were less likely to have stewardship team members with infectious diseases (ID) training, and only 41% of hospitals met The Joint Commission accreditation standards for multidisciplinary teams. Guideline-recommended CDI prevention practices were common. Smaller hospitals were less likely to use high-tech disinfection devices, fecal microbiota transplantation, or diagnostic stewardship strategies. Conclusions Following changes in accreditation standards, nearly all US hospitals now have an antibiotic stewardship program. However, many hospitals, especially smaller hospitals, appear to struggle with access to ID expertise and with deploying diagnostic stewardship strategies. CDI prevention could be enhanced through diagnostic stewardship and by emphasizing the role of non-ID-trained pharmacists and clinicians in antibiotic stewardship.
Energy Storage Requirements for Inverter-Based Microgrids Under Droop Control in d-q Coordinates

This article proposes a novel distributed control approach for Hamiltonian Surface Shaping and Power Flow Control (HSSPFC) method to determine Energy Storage Systems (ESSs) requirements for three-phase, inverter-based Microgrids (MGs). Here, local system references are obtained through a primary d-q droop control which is supported by a level-zero Hamiltonian controller. ESS devices are the actuators of the system to enforce reference points. The control approach as well as power flow and energy transfer model of the MG enables the ESS capacity and bandwidth to be obtained. As a result, a zero-output ESS element analysis is defined which can further be used to study storage requirements versus additional constraints. Communication network update-rate can affect ESSs and filtering requirements. The developed analysis is demonstrated in parallel and looped nine-bus WSCC reduced-order MG system examples to obtain ESS requirements versus communication network update-rate (bandwidth).
Augmentation of brain tumor interstitial flow via focused ultrasound promotes brain-penetrating nanoparticle dispersion and transfection

The delivery of systemically administered gene therapies to brain tumors is exceptionally difficult because of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and blood-tumor barrier (BTB). In addition, the adhesive and nanoporous tumor extracellular matrix hinders therapeutic dispersion. We first developed the use of magnetic resonance image (MRI)-guided focused ultrasound (FUS) and microbubbles as a platform approach for transfecting brain tumors by targeting the delivery of systemically administered "brain-penetrating" nanoparticle (BPN) gene vectors across the BTB/BBB. Next, using an MRI-based transport analysis, we determined that after FUS-mediated BTB/BBB opening, mean interstitial flow velocity magnitude doubled, with "per voxel" flow directions changing by an average of ~70° to 80°. Last, we observed that FUS-mediated BTB/BBB opening increased the dispersion of directly injected BPNs through tumor tissue by >100%. We conclude that FUS-mediated BTB/BBB opening yields markedly augmented interstitial tumor flow that, in turn, plays a critical role in enhancing BPN transport through tumor tissue.
On earth as it is in hell

Broken Vessels Directed by Scott Ziehl A-Pix Entertainment, on worldwide general release Bringing Out the Dead Directed by Martin Scorsese Touchstone Pictures, on worldwide general release Two recent films, Broken Vessels and Bringing Out the Dead , portray the lives of those who work for the emergency medical services in urban America. Or at least they claim to. Broken Vessels tells the story of Tom (Jason London), an emergency medical technician who arrives in Los Angeles while trying to escape his past in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He lands a job as an ambulance driver and is teamed up with Jimmy (Todd Field), a senior Los Angeles paramedic whose best skill seems to be snatching his sunglasses off his face and trying to look cool. Ten minutes into the movie the two are drinking alcohol, picking up women, having sex, buying heroin on the street corner, and getting high. All of this happens while they are …
The effect of epistemic cognition interventions on academic achievement: A meta-analysis.

Epistemic cognition involves the thinking executed as people discern what they know versus what they question, doubt, or disbelieve. Effective or adaptive epistemic cognition underlies the higher-order thinking required for life in the 21st century and has been positively correlated with academic achievement. As such, researchers have designed a number of educational interventions with the goal of developing students’ epistemic cognition, but no comprehensive examination of their efficacy exists. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to better understand the effect of epistemic cognition interventions upon academic achievement and what characteristics differentiated their efficacy. Twenty-six experimental and quasi-experimental studies met our inclusion criteria. Using 28 independent samples and 59 effect sizes, we found epistemic cognition interventions had a statistically significant, medium-level effect on academic achievement (Cohen’s d = 0.509, p < .001). Moderator analyses revealed interventions based in guided forms of instruction and models emphasizing justification and reconciliation of objectivity and subjectivity were more successful than other interventions, suggesting several promising directions for future research and practice. Surprisingly, we found that shorter interventions were generally more successful in promoting academic performance than longer ones. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Have I Been Exploited

Ethereum Smart Contracts, also known as Decentralized Applications (DApps), are small programs which orchestrate financial transactions. Though beneficial in many cases, such contracts can and have been exploited, leading to a history of financial losses in the millions of dollars for those who have invested in them. It is critical that users be able to trust the contract code they place their money into. One way for verifying a program’s integrity is Symbolic Execution. Unfortunately, while the information derived from symbolic execution is beneficial, performing it is often financially and technically infeasible for users to do. To address this problem, this paper describes the design and implementation of a registry of vulnerable Ethereum contracts. The registry compiles the results of exhaustive application of symbolic analysis to deployed contracts and makes it available to users seeking to understand the risks associated with contracts they are intending to utilize.
Human breast milk enhances intestinal mucosal barrier function and innate immunity in a pediatric human enteroid model

Breastfeeding has been associated with long lasting health benefits. Nutrients and bioactive components of human breast milk promote cell growth, immune development, and shield the infant gut from insults and microbial threats. The molecular and cellular events involved in these processes are ill defined. We have established human pediatric enteroids and interrogated maternal milk9s impact on epithelial cell maturation and function in comparison with commercial infant formula. Colostrum applied apically to pediatric enteroid monolayers reduced ion permeability, stimulated epithelial cell differentiation and enhanced tight junction function by upregulating occludin expression. Breast milk heightened the production of antimicrobial peptide alpha-defensin 5 by goblet and Paneth cells, and modulated cytokine production abolishing apical release of pro-inflammatory GM-CSF. These attributes were not found in commercial infant formula. Epithelial cells exposed to breast milk elevated apical and intracellular pIgR expression and enable maternal IgA translocation. Proteomic data revealed a breast milk-induced molecular pattern associated with tissue remodeling and homeostasis. Using a novel ex vivo pediatric enteroid model, we have identified cellular and molecular pathways involved in human milk-mediated improvement of human intestinal physiology and immunity.
Untapped endocannabinoid pharmacological targets: Pipe dream or pipeline?

Abstract It has been established that the endogenous cannabinoid (endocannabinoid) system plays key modulatory roles in a wide variety of pathological conditions. The endocannabinoid system comprises both cannabinoid receptors, their endogenous ligands including 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), N-arachidonylethanolamine (anandamide, AEA), and enzymes that regulate the synthesis and degradation of endogenous ligands which include diacylglycerol lipase alpha (DAGL-α), diacylglycerol lipase beta (DAGL-β), fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), α/β hydrolase domain 6 (ABHD6). As the endocannabinoid system exerts considerable involvement in the regulation of homeostasis and disease, much effort has been made towards understanding endocannabinoid-related mechanisms of action at cellular, physiological, and pathological levels as well as harnessing the various components of the endocannabinoid system to produce novel therapeutics. However, drug discovery efforts within the cannabinoid field have been slower than anticipated to reach satisfactory clinical endpoints and raises an important question into the validity of developing novel ligands that therapeutically target the endocannabinoid system. To answer this, we will first examine evidence that supports the existence of an endocannabinoid system role within inflammatory diseases, neurodegeneration, pain, substance use disorders, mood disorders, as well as metabolic diseases. Next, this review will discuss recent clinical studies, within the last 5 years, of cannabinoid compounds in context to these diseases. We will also address some of the challenges and considerations within the cannabinoid field that may be important in the advancement of therapeutics into the clinic.
Corpus callosum size and homotopic connectivity in Autism spectrum disorder

By examining how morphology of the corpus callosum (CC) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may affect functional communication across hemispheres, we hope to provide new insights into the structure-function relationship in the brain. We used a sample of 94 participants from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) database (55 typically-developing (TD) and 39 with ASD). The CC was segmented into five sub-regions (anterior, mid-anterior, central, mid-posterior, posterior) using FreeSurfer software, which were further examined for group differences. The total volume and specific sub-region volumes of the CC, and interhemispheric (homotopic) functional connectivity were calculated, along with the relationship between volume and connectivity. These measures were correlated with social ability assessed by the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). The central sub-region of CC was significantly smaller in ASD, although there was no group difference in total CC volume. ASD participants also showed stronger homotopic connectivity in the superior frontal gyrus. SRS scores were negatively correlated with the CC central sub-region volumes in ASD. The findings of this study add to the body of research showing morphological differences in the CC in ASD as well as connectivity differences. The absence of a significant relationship between structure and homotopic functional connectivity aligns with previous findings.
A review of the tortuous path of nonviral gene delivery and recent progress.

Abstract Gene therapy encompasses the transfer of exogenous genetic materials into the patient's target cells to treat or prevent diseases. Nevertheless, the transfer of genetic material into desired cells is challenging and often requires specialized tools or delivery systems. For the past 40 years, scientists are mainly pursuing various viruses as gene delivery vectors, and the overall progress has been slow and far from the expectation. As an alternative, nonviral vectors have gained substantial attention due to their several advantages, including superior safety profile, enhanced payload capacity, and stealth abilities. Since nonviral vectors encounter multiple extra- and intra-cellular barriers limiting the transfer of genetic payload into the target cell nucleus, we have discussed these barriers in detail for this review. A direct approach, utilizing physical methods like electroporation, sonoporation, gene gun, eliminate the requirement for a specific carrier for gene delivery. In contrast, chemical methods of gene transfer exploit natural or synthetic compounds as carriers to increase cellular targeting and gene therapy effectiveness. We have also emphasized the recent advancements aimed at enhancing the current nonviral approaches. Therefore, in this review, we have focused on discussing the current evolving state of nonviral gene delivery systems and their future perspectives.
Biorobotic insights into neuromechanical coordination of undulatory swimming

Skin sensors on an eel-like robot couple external hydrodynamic pressure with internal neural patterns for robust swimming.
The Patterns of In-Home Service Use and Their Relationships with Child Out-of-Home Care

The passage of 2018 Family First Prevention Services Act reflects a shift in child welfare policy, prioritizing in-home services in the hope of preventing children from entering out-of-home care. This study aims to examine service use patterns among families and children involved with child welfare system, and to investigate associations between class membership of service use and the subsequent out-of-home care. Data were from Waves 1 (baseline) and 2 (18 months follow-up) of the second cohort of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well Being. This study included measures on the following service types at Wave 1: (a) employment assistance, (b) adult mental health, (c) child mental health, (d) family mental health, (e) caregiver substance abuse treatment, (f) domestic violence, (g) legal assistance, (h) housing assistance, and (i) parenting support. A latent class analysis with the BCH Method and regression auxiliary model was used to examine the research questions. Findings showed the following four classes of service use: (1) housing services, (2) family-focused services, (3) parent-focused services, and (4) no services. When services were only focused on parents, particularly mental health and parenting services, children were more at risk of out-of-home care than when there were no services received. However, there was no difference in out-of-home care risk comparing the family-focused service group and the no service group. Mental health services for parents may be more effective in reducing risk of out-of-home care if combined with mental health services for children and families.
Electromechanical suspension performance testing

Abstract : Under contract DAAEO7-98-C-L020 testing was conducted at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Grounds by the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, Research, Development and Engineering Center and the University of Texas Center for Electromechanics during 8, 9, and 10 November 1999 between an active (electromechanical suspension) and passive High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) to determine performance improvements. Two tests, RMS Courses and Lane Change Maneuver, produced the most complete performance results for Ride Quality and Maneuverability determination. For the Lane Change Maneuver, the active HMMWV has much less sprung mass (frame) acceleration, over 5 times reduction at higher speeds, than the passive HMMWV. For the active HMMWV, sprung mass acceleration remains mostly constant at around 0.1 g's to 55 MPH while the passive HMMWV shows noticeable increases, at times in excess of I g. For the RMS Courses, a comparison shows a 5 times reduction in absorbed power over courses 2 to 5 with the active HMMWV. The active HMMWV has much less sprung mass acceleration, over 4 times reduction at higher speeds, than the passive HMMWV. For the active HMMWV it remains mostly constant at around 0.75 g's to higher speeds while the passive HMMWV shows noticeable increases, at times in excess of 2 g's. Total peak power usage was in the range of 3 kW (RMS and Lane Change Maneuver Courses) and total peak regeneration in the range of 6 kW (RMS Courses) for the active suspension.
Revolutionizing French Economics

The French economics establishment has been under assault from some of its students, and sympathetic professors, for several years. Many contend that it is too grounded in mathematical models and that the classical approach should be supplemented by more studies of alternatives ideas and economic history. An American economist interviews Gilles Raveaud, a doctoral student at the prestigious Ecole Normale Superieure, who is a leading student activist.
Abstract 16870: Dissociation of Mitochondrial HK-II Triggers Mitochondria Specific Autophagy

Introduction: There is emerging evidence that the metabolic pathway interplays with the survival pathway to preserve cellular homeostasis. Hexokinases (HKs) catalyze the first step of glucose metabolism and hexokinase-II (HK-II) is the predominant isoform in the heart. Our recent study revealed that HK-II positively regulates general autophagy in the absence of glucose. Mitochondrial HK-II (mitoHK-II) is regulated by Akt and provides cardioprotection while it is decreased in the ischemic heart. Hypothesis: We tested the hypothesis that mitoHK-II dissociation triggers mitochondria specific autophagy (mitophagy). Results: As previously reported, mitoHK-II levels were decreased by ~40% in the perfused mouse heart subjected to global ischemia and in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) subjected to simulated ischemia. To assess the role of mitoHK-II dissociation, mitoHK-II dissociating peptide (15NG) was expressed in NRVMs. MitoHK-II was decreased by 40% in NRVMs expressing 15NG which was accompanied with Parkin translocation to mitochondria and ubiquitination of mitochondrial proteins. This response was attenuated by Parkin knockdown and reversed by the recovery of mitoHK-II by co-expression of HK-II but not by that of mitochondria binding deficient mutant. 15NG expression did not induce mitochondrial membrane depolarization nor PINK1 stabilization at mitochondria, suggesting that the effects of mitoHK-II dissociation is not dependent on the previously established mitochondria depolarization/PINK1 pathway. This was confirmed by the experiments using PINK1 siRNA. Modest dissociation of mitoHK-II (by 20%) did not induce mitophagic responses but remarkably enhanced FCCP induced mitophagy, indicating that these two pathways are synergetic. We will be analyzing 15NG transgenic mice generated in our lab to determine the mitophagic role of mitoHK-II dissociation in vivo. Conclusions: These results suggest that mitoHK-II dissociation can regulate Parkin dependent mitophagy, in conjunction with depolarization dependent mechanisms and that HK-II could confer cardioprotection by switching the cell from an energy production to an energy conservation mode under ischemia.
3-D Human Modeling and Animation

From the Publisher: Ideal for graphic designers, artists, and others, 3-D Human Modeling and Animation builds a bridge from traditional figure drawing, painting, and sculpture to the creation and animation of figures using computer technology. With a step-by-step approach, the book leads readers through the process of modeling human figures, with specific yet flexible techniques that can be applied to many different hardware/software setups. Separate chapters cover different areas of the body, and contain everything readers need to know about proportion, basic design strategies, 3-D construction methods, and other essential information. The final chapters show how to prepare figures for animation and get them up and runningand jumping, walking, turning, and twisting! Complete with illustrations, helpful exercises, and more, 3-D Human Modeling and Animation opens up a whole new world of creative possibilities to explore.
Morphological survey of microbial mats near deep-sea thermal vents.

A microscopic survey is presented of the most commonly observed and morphologically conspicuous microorganisms found attached to natural surfaces or to artificial materials deposited in the immediate vicinity of thermal submarine vents at the Galapagos Rift ocean spreading zone at a depth of 2,550 meters. Of special interest were the following findings: (i) all surfaces intermittently exposed to H 2 S-containing hydrothermal fluid were covered by layers, ca. 5 to 10 μm thick, of procaryotic, gram-negative cells interspaced with amorphous metal (Mn-Fe) deposits; (ii) although some of the cells were encased by dense metal deposits, there was little apparent correlation between metal deposition and the occurrence of microbial mats, (iii) highly differentiated forms appeared to be analogues of certain cyanobacteria, (iv) isolates from massive mats of a prosthecate bacterium could be identified as Hyphomicrobium spp., (v) intracellular membrane systems similar to those found in methylotrophic and nitrifying bacteria were observed in approximately 20% of the cells composing the mats, (vi) thiosulfate enrichments made from mat material resulted in isolations of different types of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria including the obligately chemolithotrophic genus Thiomicrospira. Images
Epstein-Barr Virus and Human Herpesvirus 8

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or human herpesvirus 4 (HHV-4) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated virus (KSHV or HHV-8) are distantly related gammaherpesviruses, both of which have associations with cancer in humans. Developments in nucleic acid detection techniques have brought new diagnostic capabilities to bear, revealing new associations and activities of these viruses in the setting of immunosuppression. In this chapter, the authors review these disease associations and the techniques that are currently being used to diagnose EBV and KSHV infections. Therefore, diagnostic approaches to EBV infection rely mainly on detecting serologic responses to classical EBV antigens and more recently, on nucleic acid amplification and quantitation techniques. EBV serology is based on detecting humoral responses to the following three classes of antigen: viral capsid antigen (VCA), early antigen (EA), and Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen (EBNA). The major concern with using detection of viral DNA as a marker of viral infection is an apparent lack of sensitivity and indecision on which tissue type is best suited for detection of viral DNA. In summary, serological assays are the best method for determining HHV-8 infection, and assays designed to detect lytic cycle proteins, especially lytic immunofluorescence assays (IFAs), are the most sensitive assays currently available.
Ara Irititja: Protecting the Past, Accessing the Future—Indigenous Memories in a Digital Age

Ara Irititja: Protecting the Past, Accessing the Future—Indigenous Memories in. Digital Age. digital archive project of the Pitjantjatjara Council.KIMBERLYCHRISTEN
Toxicity of cadmium to helisoma anceps and its effect on kidney ultrastructure

Abstract When specimens of Helisoma anceps were exposed to water containing 0.1, 1, and 5 ppm cadmium, mortality was proportional to concentration but tissue levels of Cd were not. The shell was the site of highest concentration and total amount of Cd due to adsorption and active accumulation. Concentrations of Cd in the kidney and mantle were equal to or greater than the remaining soft tissue. Ultrastructural changes in the kidney associated with Cd exposure were almost exclusively confined to the nephrocytes. Graded transformation of the residual body to a secondary lysosome was proportional to the Cd concentration of the medium and length of exposure. Atypical nucleoli and reticular bodies appeared in the 1-ppm Cd dose. Only after autolysis of the nephrocytes in 5 ppm did ultrastructural changes occur in the ureter cells. Ultrastructural changes in the kidney epithelia were proportional to Cd dosage but were not necessarily indicative of the tissue burden of Cd.
Belinfante tensors induced by matter-gravity couplings

We show that any generally covariant coupling of matter fields to gravity gives rise to a conserved, on-shell symmetric energy-momentum tensor equivalent to the canonical energy-momentum tensor of the flat-space theory. For matter fields minimally coupled to gravity our algorithm gives the conventional Belinfante tensor. We establish that different matter-gravity couplings give metric energy-momentum tensors differing by identically conserved tensors. We prove that the metric energy-momentum tensor obtained from an arbitrary gravity theory is on-shell equivalent to the canonical energy-momentum tensor of the flat-space theory.
Location of commissural neurons in the vestibular nuclei of the cat.

Abstract Commissural neurons were studied in 14 cats by examining the contralateral location of neurons labeled 24 h after the injection of horseradish peroxidase into the vestibular nuclei. After establishing the distribution of labeled cells in a group of seven animals, the changes in this pattern were examined when the retrograde flow of tracer was impeded by midline transection in a second group of seven cats. These results indicated that commissural units were located mainly in the superior and medial vestibular nuclei. The Group Y nucleus also represents a connecting link to the contralateral brain stem, and a moderate number of commissural neurons were found in the descending vestibular nucleus.
How novice physics students deal with explanations

An extensive study was conducted of students’ explanations written in response to ‘what if...?’ questions in elementary mechanics. The study showed that the structure of students’ explanations yields roughly the same ranking of students as do problem‐solving tests, but in addition provides a wealth of insights into (1) context dependence and categorization in students’ use of concepts, (2) the effect of misconceptions on context dependence, and (3) the types of explanations that students tend to produce. A follow‐up study, in which students were presented with pairs of pre‐written explanations to ‘what if...?’ questions and asked to indicate a preference, showed that students do not necessarily prefer the types of explanations they write, and have greater difficulty assessing the correctness of explanations that are counter to preference type. Evidence is presented that, for many students, the links between physics thinking and real‐world thinking are all too tenuous.
Particle Size Measurements Based on Use of Mean Scattering Cross Sections

Two methods for the determination of the mean size of polydispersions may be based on measurement of optical scattering cross section. The first requires a single spectral transmittance together with a knowledge of particle concentration obtained independently. This method is applicable for any ratio of particle size to wavelength. Both mean size and concentration can be measured by a spectrophotometric method, which is based on measurement of spectral transmittance at two suitably selected wavelengths. The spectrophotometric method is applicable to the measurement of mean particle size of either stationary or moving polydispersions and is particularly useful for the immediate evaluation of the mean size of a polydispersion which is inaccessible except to optical observation. These two methods of size measurement are demonstrated on polydispersions of known mean diameter in an aqueous suspension.
Design strategies to alleviate negative psychological and physiological effects in underground space

Abstract This paper summarizes negative psychological and physiological effects associated with underground buildings, identifies design strategies to alleviate them, and evaluates the effectiveness of some of these design techniques. The focus of the paper is on deep underground space with limited connection to the surface environment. A case study of design strategies used in deep underground office space is presented, and two proposed projects that further illustrate design techniques for deep mined space underground environments are described.
Cooperative learning: Lessons and insights from thirty years of championing a research-based innovative practice

Innovation according to Denning and Dunham (2010) is “the adoption of a new practice in a community.” I argue that our innovations need to be based on good learning theory and good instructional practice. The Johnson and Johnson conceptual model of cooperative learning is an excellent example of a widely adopted evidence-based practice. I identified cooperative learning as important for engineering education in about 1974, tried it in my classes and did some systematic research on it with David and Roger Johnson, introduced it to the engineering education community in 1981 (FIE conference and JEE paper), and it took over 25 years for it to become widespread practice. My point in presenting this story is I don't think we can afford to wait 25 or more years for the current innovations to make it into practice. This paper summarizes the history of the emergence of cooperative learning in engineering education; documents the development of the theoretical, empirical, and practical support; maps the milestones and lessons learned; and provides insights and guidance for engineering education researchers and innovators especially concerning increasing the rate of adoption of evidence-based promising practices.
Purification of a Potent Antitumor Agent from a Tahitian Sea Anemone and Methods of Administration Studies With Ehrlich Ascites Tumor in Mice

An antitumor substance, stoichactin, was obtained from an aqueous alcoholic extract of the sea anemone, identified as most probably being Stoichactis kenti, using dialysis and gel permeation chromatography. The drug is effective at very low dosages using several different methods of administration in the control and cure of Ehrlich ascites tumor in mice.