cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How Celebrities Feed Tweeples with Personal and Promotional Tweets: Celebrity Twitter Use and Audience Engagement

In contemporary U.S. culture celebrities compete for attention and publicize their work using social media tools. Twitter is a popular platform that celebrities use to post a variety of content, however little is known about the potency of these different types of content to draw audience attention and participation. In this paper, we outline a scheme for classifying content created by celebrity users on Twitter and analyze the audience engagement to these diverse types of tweets. We find that different types of content produce different levels of audience engagement and that a celebrity's everyday usage of Twitter (selfies, photos of travels, humour, etc.) produces the most engagement, followed by self-endorsement and commentary about society. But we also find that these patterns vary between celebrities, and audiences are not identical in their response to the content. We likewise determine that there is some other source of unexplained variation, likely resulting from Twitter's recommendation algorithms or external media coverage. As part of our study, we propose a unique coding scheme which enhances the effectiveness of inter-coder reliability, reducing the time to code.
Determination of the origin of doubly-cationized monosialylated fragments in MS/MS spectra of singly-cationized LSTb and GM1 using ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry

Abstract Sialic acid (NeuAc)-containing fragments [NeuAc-H+2Na]+ were surprisingly detected in MALDI-LID-MS/MS spectra of NeuAc-containing glycosphingolipid (ganglioside) [M+Na]+ ions in a recent study (Rajanayake et al., 2016). To further investigate the origin of these fragments, [M+A]+ (where A is Li+, Na+, K+, or Cs+) ions of a monosialylated glycan (LSTb) and a monosialylated ganglioside (GM1) were analyzed using a variety of MS/MS techniques. [NeuAc-H+2A]+ fragments were observed during MALDI-LID-MS/MS as well as ESI-CID-, ion mobility spectrometry (IMS)-CID-, and HCD-MS/MS of LSTb and GM1 precursor ions whose m/z values corresponded to [M+A]+ ions. Additionally, [NeuAc-H+A1+A2]+ (A1 is Li+, K+, or Cs+ and A2 is Na+) B1 fragments were detected in MALDI-LID-MS/MS spectra of [M+A1]+ ions. Based on ESI-IMS-CID-MS/MS performed at variable collision energies after IMS separation, the [NeuAc-H+2Na]+ B1 ions were detected predominantly due to fragmentation of multiply-charged multimer ions ([nM+nNa]n+, n = 2–3 for LSTb and n = 2–4 for GM1) that were isobaric with [M+Na]+ ions of LSTb and GM1, but were separated at different IMS drift times. However, [NeuAc-H+2Na]+ B1 ions were also detected with low intensities in ESI-IMS-CID-MS/MS spectra of [M+Na]+ ions of LSTb and GM1 at higher collision energies. [NeuAc-H+2A]+ and [NeuAc-H+A1+A2]+ B1 ions observed during MALDI-LID-MS/MS of LSTb and GM1 may also originate from multiply charged multimers of [M+A]+ or [M−H+A1+A2]+ ions. Overall, this study demonstrates that the formation of NeuAc-containing fragments, such as [NeuAc-H+2A]+, originating from sialylated glycan and glycosphingolipid ions and their multimers can be elucidated by combination of IMS separation of precursor ions and MS/MS.
The Cybrarian's Web 2: An A–Z Guide to Free Social Media Tools, Apps, and Other Resources

The Cybrarian's Web 2: An A–Z Guide to Free Social Media, Tools, Apps, and Other Resources is a useful guide to all sorts of free platforms and programs that will make any librarian's online life e...
Focusing on the most important explanations: decision-theoretic horn abduction

This paper describes a new method, called Decision-Theoretic Horn Abduction (DTHA), for generating and focusing on the most important explanations. A procedure is given that can be used iteratively to generate a sequence of explanations from the most to the least important. The new method considers both the likelihood and utility of partial explanations and is applicable to a wide range of tasks. This paper shows how it applies to an important engineering design task, namely Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA). A concrete example illustrates the advantages of the general approach in the context of FMEA.
Vagal Interoceptive Modulation of Motivated Behavior

In addition to regulating the ingestion and digestion of food, sensory feedback from gut to brain modifies emotional state and motivated behavior by subconsciously shaping cognitive and affective responses to events that bias behavioral choice. This focused review highlights evidence that gut-derived signals impact motivated behavior by engaging vagal afferents and central neural circuits that generally serve to limit or terminate goal-directed approach behaviors, and to initiate or maintain behavioral avoidance.
Inputs to medullary respiratory neurons from a pontine subregion that controls breathing frequency.

Neurons in a subregion of the medial parabrachial (PB) complex control expiratory duration (TE) and the inspiratory on-switch. To better understanding the underlying mechanisms, this study aimed to determine the types of medullary neurons in the rhythmogenic preBotzinger/Botzinger Complex (preBotC/BotC) and adjacent areas that receive synaptic inputs from the PB subregion and whether these inputs are excitatory or inhibitory in nature. Highly localized electrical stimuli in the PB subregion combined with multi-electrode recordings from respiratory neurons and phrenic nerve activities were used to generate stimulus-to-spike event histograms to detect correlations in decerebrate, vagotomized dogs during isocapnic hyperoxia. Short-time scale correlations were found in 237/442 or ∼54% of the ventral respiratory column (VRC) neurons. Inhibition of E-neurons was ∼2.5X greater than for I-neurons, while Pre-I and I-neurons were excited. These findings indicate that the control of TE and the inspiratory on-switch by the PB subregion are mediated by a marked inhibition of BotC E-neurons combined with an excitation of I-neurons, especially pre-I neurons.
Implementing Contrast Reaction Management Training for Residents Through High-Fidelity Simulation.

Rationale and Objectives Adverse reactions to intravenous contrast for radiologic examinations can result in significant patient morbidity and mortality. It is critical that radiologists be proficient at recognizing and treating reactions in a timely and appropriate manner. Therefore, we developed a hands-on simulation curriculum to improve residents' ability and comfort in recognizing and responding to contrast reactions. Materials and Methods Contrast reaction management simulations were performed in 2016 and 2017 with 25 and 26 resident participants, respectively. Participants completed pre- and postsimulation surveys both years to assess knowledge and comfort in managing contrast reactions. Results In 2016, 25 participants answered 12 questions assessing knowledge of contrast reaction management. Percentage of correct answers increased from pre- to postsurvey in 83% of questions (10/12). Participants indicated their comfort level in managing contrast reactions increased on all six questions from pre- to postsurvey. In 2017, 26 participants answered 14 questions assessing knowledge of contrast reaction management. Similarly, percentage of correct answers increased from pre- to postsurvey in 86% of questions (12/14). Participant comfort levels also increased on all six questions from pre- to postsurvey. Subgroup analysis performed on 19 participants who completed the curriculum both years demonstrated further improvement in knowledge and comfort after completing the second year, showing added benefit of repeated simulation. Conclusion These results suggest that incorporating high-fidelity contrast reaction management simulation into resident education improves both residents' knowledge and comfort in managing reactions. We have therefore incorporated annual contrast reaction simulation as a standard component of our residency curriculum.
Standardization/Adaptation of International Marketing Strategy

Issues pertaining to the appropriateness of standardization/adaptation of international marketing strategy continue to be paramount to academics and practitioners. While a significant number of studies have been conducted on this important topic, an examination of a selection of seminal articles in the field demonstrates considerable divergence in foundational definitions. This article does not work to resolve these conceptual distinctions but rather to address how differences in approaches to these distinctions have stimulated work in four key areas that are central to the understanding of the standardization/adaptation of marketing strategy: (i) type of standardization/adaptation, (ii) standardization/adaptation unit of analysis, (iii) market homogeneity and the effectiveness/efficiency argument, and (iv) models of standardization/adaptation. Keywords: standardization; adaptation; international marketing strategy; market homogeneity; market heterogeneity; contingency model
Is Left Main Stenting Long-Term after Heart Transplantation Worthwhile?

Purpose Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is one of the major factors limiting long-term survival after HTx. The use of angioplasty and drug-eluting stents is common after HTx. CAV of the left main (LM) coronary artery is known to have high mortality risk. The long-term outcome of stenting for LM disease has not been well evaluated in this cohort of patients. Methods Between 2010 and 2013 we assessed 37 heart transplant patients who underwent stenting of the LM coronary artery post-transplant. A non-left main (no LM disease with another coronary artery stented) population was included (n=27) for comparison. Outcomes included 5-year freedom from restenosis (≥50% stent stenosis) subsequent 5-year survival, subsequent 5-year freedom from any myocardial infarction , and subsequent 5-year freedom from further deterioration in left ventricular function by echocardiogram . Results Subsequent 5-year freedom from restenosis and freedom from further deterioration in LV function was significantly lower in the LM stented group (see table). There was no difference in subsequent 5-year survival or freedom from myocardial infarction. Conclusion Patients with left main stenting appear to be have acceptable survival after heart transplantation despite progression to a lower left ventricular function and more restenosis. Alternatives to treatment for significant LM disease such as coronary bypass surgery and re-transplantation are not practical options in this diffuse disease and scarcity of donor hearts.
The role of occupational therapy in enabling people with chronic pain to return to work or education

Abstract Occupational therapy is based on the premise that there is an intrinsic relationship between occupations, health and wellbeing. Chronic pain restricts the performance of activities that individuals need to, want to and are expected to perform, including working or studying. Young people who have a chronic pain condition may be restricted in their participation with school or higher education which can result in them being disadvantaged regarding their future potential for employment. Work is central to most adults’ occupational identity and is therefore a key focus for occupational therapy intervention. In addition to the strategies used generally with patients, such as activity management, activity adaptation and the development of coping strategies, occupational therapy with young people and adults who want to access work and/or education will address the biological, social and psychological barriers to returning or remaining at school or work. The aim of this article is to explain the role and value of occupational therapy within the pain management team in relation to enabling patients return or remain in work or education.
Veterinary Care Methods for Rats and Mice in Experimental Spinal Cord Injury Studies: An Update

The incidences and causes of traumatic injury to the adult human spinal cord vary throughout the world (Lee et al., Spinal Cord 52:110–116, 2014). Regardless, spinal cord injury (SCI) can result in devastating dysfunctions that lead to tremendous and long-term physical, emotional, and financial hardships not only for the survivor but also for family and friends. For these reasons, both clinical trials and numerous experimental studies of individual and combined protective, reconstructive, and rehabilitative SCI treatments have taken place (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=spinal+cord+injuryS Alilain et al., Nature 475:196–200, 2011; Harrop et al., J Neurosurg Spine 17:230–246, 2012; Steward et al., Exp Neurol 233:597–605, 2012; Lee et al., J Neurosci 33:10591–10606, 2013; Sharp et al., Exp Neurol 248:321–337, 2013; Angeli et al., Brain 137:1394–1409, 2014; Collinger et al., Clin Transl Sci 7:52–59, 2014; Hammond et al., Arch Phys Med Rehabil 95:2342–2349, 2014; Kressler et al., Arch Phys Med Rehabil 95:1878–1887, 2014; Moreno-Duarte et al., Neuroimage 85:1003–1013, 2014; Plemel et al., Prog Neurobiol 117:54–72, 2014; Popovich et al., Exp Neurol 261:97–108, 2014; Ramer et al., Lancet Neurol 13:1241–1256, 2014; Sharp et al., Exp Neurol 254:1–11, 2014; Sharp et al., Exp Neurol 257:186–204, 2014; Ward et al., J Neurotrauma 31:819–833, 2014; Aslan et al., Arch Phys Med Rehabil 97:964–973, 2016; Bonner and Steward, Brain Res 1619:115–123, 2015; Dietrich, Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil 21:174–187, 2015; Dugan and Sagen, J Neurotrauma 32:622–632, 2015; Dvorak et al., J Neurotrauma 32:645–654, 2015; Evaniew et al., J Neurotrauma 33:468–481, 2016; Hosier et al., J Neurotrauma 32:1633–1644, 2015; Lang et al., Nature 518:404–408, 2015; Nagoshi and Fehlings, Expert Opin Investig Drugs 24:645–658, 2015; Ruschel et al., Science 348:347–352, 2015; Sandrow-Feinberg and Houle, Brain Res 1619:12–21, 2015; Siddiqui et al., Prog Brain Res 218:15–54, 2015; Squair et al., J Neurotrauma 32:609–621, 2015; Tazoe and Perez, Arch Phys Med Rehabil 96:S145–S155, 2015; Wang et al., Exp Neurol 271:368–378, 2015; Wang and Pearse, Int J Mol Sci 16:16848–16879, 2015; West et al., Neurorehabil Neural Repair 30:317–327, 2016).
Reticulon proteins modulate autophagy of the endoplasmic reticulum in maize endosperm

Reticulon (Rtn) proteins shape tubular domains of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and in some cases are autophagy receptors for selective ER turnover. We have found that maize Rtn1 and Rtn2 control ER homeostasis and autophagic flux in endosperm aleurone cells, where the ER accumulates lipid droplets and synthesizes storage protein accretions metabolized during germination. Maize Rtn1 and Rtn2 are expressed in the endosperm, localize to the ER, and re-model ER architecture in a dose-dependent manner. Rtn1 and Rtn2 interact with Atg8a using four Atg8-interacting motifs (AIMs) located at the C-terminus, cytoplasmic loop, and within the transmembrane segments. Binding between Rtn2 and Atg8 is elevated upon ER stress. Maize rtn2 mutants display increased autophagy and up-regulation of an ER stress-responsive chaperone. We propose that maize Rtn1 and Rtn2 act as receptors for autophagy-mediated ER turnover, and thus are critical for ER homeostasis and suppression of ER stress.
Social Network Extraction and High Value Individual (HVI) Identification within Fused Intelligence Data

This paper reports on the utility of social network analysis methods in the data fusion domain. Given fused data that combines multiple intelligence reports from the same environment, social network extraction and High Value Individual (HVI) identification are of interest. The research on the feasibility of such activities may help not only in methodological developments in network science, but also, in testing and evaluation of fusion quality. This paper offers a methodology to extract a social network of individuals from fused data, captured as a Cumulative Associated Data Graph (CDG), with a supervised learning approach used for parameterizing the extraction algorithm. Ordered, centrality-based HVI lists are obtained from the CDGs constructed from the Sunni Criminal Thread and Bath’est Resurgence Threads of the SYNCOIN dataset, under various fusion system settings. The reported results shed light on the sensitivity of betweenness, closeness and degree centrality metrics to fused graph inputs and the role of HVI identification as a test-and-evaluation tool for fusion process optimization.
Flavosomes, novel deformable liposomes for the co-delivery of anti-inflammatory compounds to skin

Flavosomes, novel deformable liposomes for the topical delivery of anti-inflammatory compounds have been developed and characterized in this study. The carriers were prepared by incorporating flavonoids, specifically quercetin and dihydroquercetin, into transfersome and evaluated as a potential topical delivery system for meloxicam (MX), a potent hydrophobic NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug). Characterization of the flavosomes was conducted in terms of their vesicle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency and deformability index. Ex vivo skin permeation and confocal laser scanning microscopy studies demonstrated that the flavosome formulations improved the skin permeation of meloxicam compared to that for transfersomes. The dermal and transdermal delivery of meloxicam using these formulations has the potential of being a promising alternative to conventional oral delivery of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with enhanced local and systemic onset of action and reduced gastrointestinal side effects.
Updated deterministic radiation transport for future deep space missions

Abstract NASA's deterministic transport code HZETRN, and its three-dimensional (3D) counterpart, 3DHZETRN, are being used to characterize the space radiation environment over a wide range of scenarios, including future planned missions to the moon or Mars. Combined with available spaceflight measurements, these tools provide the fundamental input for risk models used to quantify possible astronaut health decrements and satisfy agency limits in support of exploration initiatives. Further research is therefore needed to improve radiation transport and nuclear physics models while at the same time continuing to expand the available measurement database (ground-based and spaceflight) to validate such efforts. In this work, significant updates to the deterministic radiation transport models are presented. Charged muons and pions are fully coupled with the existing solutions developed for neutron and light ion (Z ≤ 2) transport. This update includes the 3D nature of pion production as well as the pion interactions, resulting in further production of energetic nucleons within shielding. Additional updates related to low energy proton recoils in hydrogenous materials and capture/decay processes associated with charged pions at rest are also described. Included in this work is the coupling of single and double-differential cross sections from Geant4 into HZETRN and 3DHZETRN. This enables a direct comparison of deterministic and Monte Carlo transport methodologies using the same nuclear databases for specific interactions. Comparisons between Geant4 and 3DHZETRN are shown and establish that the transport methodologies are in excellent agreement when the same cross sections are used. The deterministic codes are also compared to ISS data, and it is found that the updated 3D procedures are within measurement uncertainty (±5%) at cutoff rigidities below 1 GV, which approaches free space conditions.
Bellwether sites for evaluating changes in landslide frequency and magnitude in cryospheric mountainous terrain: a call for systematic, long-term observations to decipher the impact of climate change

Permafrost and glaciers are being degraded by the warming effects of climate change. The impact that this degradation has on slope stability in mountainous terrain is the subject of ongoing research efforts. The relatively new availability of high-resolution (≤ 10 m) imagery with worldwide coverage and short (≤ 30 days) repeat acquisition times, as well as the emerging field of environmental seismology, presents opportunities for making remote, systematic observations of landslides in cryospheric mountainous terrain. I reviewed the literature and evaluated landslide activity in existing imagery to select five ~ 5000-km2 sites where long-term, systematic observations could take place. The five proposed sites are the northern and eastern flanks of the Northern Patagonia Ice Field, the Western European Alps, the eastern Karakoram Range in the Himalayan Mountains, the Southern Alps of New Zealand, and the Fairweather Range in Southeast Alaska. Systematic observations of landslide occurrence, triggers, size, and travel distance at these sites, especially if coupled with observations from in situ instrumental monitoring, could lead to a better understanding of changes in slope stability induced by climate change. The suggested sites are not meant to be absolute and unalterable. Rather, they are intended as a starting point and discussion starter for new work in this expanding landslide research frontier.
Numerical Study of Longshore Variation in Beach Morphodynamics along Eastern Lake Erie Shoreline due to Seiche

Sogut, E. and Farhadzadeh, A., 2021. Numerical study of longshore variation in beach morphodynamics along Eastern Lake Erie shoreline due to seiche. Journal of Coastal Research, 37(1), 92–103. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Extreme coastal events and abrupt changes in atmospheric pressure in an enclosed or semi-enclosed basin can trigger low-frequency water surface oscillations known as seiches. This exploratory study numerically quantifies the effects of seiche on morphological changes along the eastern Lake Erie shoreline. The quantification is made by simulating the hydrodynamics of the lake using a coupled circulation and spectral wave model (ADCIRC+SWAN), providing the flow boundary conditions to the two-dimensional nearshore morphodynamic model, XBeach. The process-based XBeach model is used to simulate the nearshore morphological variations under two water-level conditions: the lake's actual water level and the synthetically generated seiche-free water level. The XBeach model is cross-calibrated using the process-based nearshore morphodynamic model, CSHORE, which was extensively validated using lab and field data. It is found that the seiching motions have a contribution of ∼1.5% to the erosion of beaches along the 2-km stretch of the shoreline in eastern Lake Erie shoreline.
Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (pMUT) with Free Boundary

This work presents theoretical analysis and finite element simulations of a novel piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (pMUT) design. A pMUT with free boundary condition is introduced for the first time and compared with conventional pMUTs of fixed boundary. For the same transducer dimensions, the proposed design has more than 2.5x electromechanical coupling coefficient compared to that from traditional clamped boundary design due to increased mechanical capacitance by the free edge. The cavity underneath the disc behaves as an acoustic resonator. By matching the frequencies of mechanical and acoustical resonances, the fractional bandwidth of the free boundary pMUT has 13x more fractional bandwidth compared to that of the fixed boundary design. In addition, the internal stresses created during microfabrication are expected to be released with the free edges. These results indicate that free pMUTs have the potential for high performance ultrasonic transducer applications.
Transformation-induced plasticity in omega titanium

ω-titanium (Ti) is a high-pressure phase that is conventionally perceived to be brittle and nondeformable, although direct investigations of its deformation process remain scarce. In this work, we perform molecular dynamics simulations to study the deformation process of ω-Ti with initial defects and find that stress-induced ω → α martensitic transformation can cause extensive plasticity in ω-Ti under various loading directions. Moreover, for the first time, we demonstrate that four types of transformation twins— { 11 2 ¯ 1 }, { 11 2 ¯ 2 }, { 10 1 ¯ 2 }, and { 10 1 ¯ 1 } twins—can be formed through the ω → α martensitic phase transformation. This work advances the understanding of plastic deformation in ω-Ti and unveils the essential role of the metastable ω-phase in the formation of transformation twins.
Atlas-aware ConvNetfor Accurate yet Robust Anatomical Segmentation

Convolutional networks (ConvNets) have achieved promising accuracy for various anatomical segmentation tasks. Despite the success, these methods can be sensitive to data appearance variations. Considering the large variability of scans caused by artifacts, pathologies, and scanning setups, robust ConvNets are vital for clinical applications, while have not been fully explored. In this paper, we propose to mitigate the challenge by enabling ConvNets' awareness of the underlying anatomical invariances among imaging scans. Specifically, we introduce a fully convolutional Constraint Adoption Module (CAM) that incorporates probabilistic atlas priors as explicit constraints for predictions over a locally connected Conditional Random Field (CFR), which effectively reinforces the anatomical consistency of the labeling outputs. We design the CAM to be flexible for boosting various ConvNet, and compact for co-optimizing with ConvNets for fusion parameters that leads to the optimal performance. We show the advantage of such atlas priors fusion is two-fold with two brain parcellation tasks. First, our models achieve state-of-the-art accuracy among ConvNet-based methods on both datasets, by significantly reducing structural abnormalities of predictions. Second, we can largely boost the robustness of existing ConvNets, proved by: (i) testing on scans with synthetic pathologies, and (ii) training and evaluation on scans of different scanning setups across datasets. Our method is proposing to be easily adopted to existing ConvNets by fine-tuning with CAM plugged in for accuracy and robustness boosts.
Simultaneous Use of Alcohol and Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems among College Students: Vaping History, Motivations for Use, and Outcome Expectancies

Introduction: Simultaneous polydrug use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and alcohol among college students is not well understood despite high rates of vaping and alcohol use among t...
Outcomes of prior authorization requests for genetic testing in outpatient pediatric genetics clinics.

Genetic testing is an important diagnostic tool in pediatric genetics clinics, yet many patients face barriers to testing. We describe the outcomes of prior authorization requests (PARs) for genetic tests, one indicator of patient access to clinically recommended testing, in pediatric genetics clinics. We retrospectively reviewed PARs for genetic tests (n = 4,535) recommended for patients <18 years of age (n = 2,798) by pediatric medical geneticists at two children’s hospitals in Texas, 2017–2018. We described PAR outcomes, accompanying diagnostic codes, and diagnostic yield. The majority (79.9%) of PARs received a favorable outcome. PARs submitted to public payers were more likely to receive a favorable outcome compared with private payers (85.5% vs. 70.3%, respectively; p < 0.001). No diagnostic codes were associated with higher likelihood of PAR approval for exome sequencing. Among the 2,685 tests approved and completed, 522 (19.4%) resulted in a diagnosis. Though there was a high PAR approval rate, our findings suggest that insurance coverage remains one barrier to genetic testing. When completed, genetic testing had a high yield in our sample. Further evidence of clinical utility and development of clinical practice guidelines may inform payer medical policy development and improve access to testing in the future.
Randomness and Long-Range Laplacian Interactions

We now present another aspect of quenched randomness that occurs in relation to long-range interactions.
Enhanced Control of Voltage Source Converters for DC Shipboard Power Systems

In this paper, an enhanced control scheme for a pulse-width-modulated (PWM) voltage source con- verter (VSC) is proposed for a DC zonal sbipboard power system (SPS). First, the main design parameters of VSC such as switching frequency and DC-link capacitance are investigated and optimized for the SPS application. Then, the nonideal operating conditions such as sudden load change, sudden supply voltage change, and unbalanced supply voltage are considered. To address these issues, the VSC control strategy has been enhanced by (i) adopting a different PWM strategy that changes the carrier frequency under nonideal operating conditions, (ii) adding a negative-sequence controller, and (iii) implementing an instantaneous phase locked loop (PLL). The results show that the proposed controller shows indeed a satisfactory performance for this specific application and it can also operate at unity displacement power factor under nonideal conditions.
Structural organization of the renal medulla has a significant impact on oxygen distribution (890.11)

A theoretical model is presented to analyze the impact on oxygen distribution of the heterogeneous organization of the rat outer and inner medulla revealed in anatomical studies. In the inner strip...
Chaperones Take Flight

The fruit fly is turning out to be a valuable model of human neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson9s disease (PD) and a useful tool for screening potential therapeutics for treating these illnesses. In his Perspective, Helfand discusses a new fly model of PD in which the loss of dopaminergic neurons is prevented by expression of chaperone proteins ( Auluck et al .).
New dynamical symmetry breaking in eletroweak theory

A new dynamical symmetry breaking of $SU(2)_{L}\times U(1)$ caused by the combination of the axial-vector component and the fermion mass is found in electroweak theory. We obtain (m^{2}_{W}={1/2}g^{2}m^{2}_{t}) and (m^{2}_{Z}=\rho m^{2}_{W}/cos^{2}\theta_{W}) with (\rho\simeq 1), (G_{F}={1/2 \sqrt{2}m^{2}_{t}})}}). Two fixed gauge fixing terms for W and Z boson fields are dynamically generated. Massive neutrinos are required.
Corticospinal terminations in two new-world primates: further evidence that corticomotoneuronal connections provide part of the neural substrate for manual dexterity

Anterograde transport of 2–10% WGA-HRP was used to examine the pattern of termination of efferents from the primary motor cortex to cervical segments of the spinal cord in cebus (Cebus apella) and squirrel (Saimiri sciureus) monkeys. We have compared the pattern of termination in these monkeys because of marked differences in their manipulative abilities. Both primates have pseudo-opposable thumbs; however, only cebus monkeys use independent finger movements to pick up small objects. We found that corticospinal terminations in cervical segments of the cebus monkey are located in three main zones: a dorsolateral region of the intermediate zone, a dorsomedial region of the intermediate zone, and the ventral horn. The projection to the ventral horn in these monkeys is particularly dense at C8-T1 segments, where terminations form a “ring” that encircles the lateral motoneuronal cell group. In contrast, there are only two main zones of terminations in the squirrel monkey: a dorsolateral region of the intermediate zone and a dorsomedial region of the intermediate zone. As others have noted, efferents from the primary motor cortex of squirrel monkeys have, at best, only sparse terminations within the ventral horn. Thus, there are marked differences between cebus and squirrel monkeys in the extent of corticospinal terminations within the ventral horn. These observations provide further support for the concept that monosynaptic projections from the primary motor cortex to motoneurons in the ventral horn provide part of the neural substrate for dexterous movements of the fingers.
Transforming growth factor-β and breast cancer: Transforming growth factor-β/SMAD signaling defects and cancer

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is a tumor suppressor, the function of which is compromised in many types of human cancer, including breast cancer. The tumor suppressive effects of TGF-β are caused by potent inhibition of cell proliferation due to cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase. Such antiproliferative responses are mediated by a signaling system that includes two types of cell surface receptors and intracellular signal transducers, the SMAD proteins. Different molecular mechanisms can lead to loss of antiproliferative TGF-β responses in tumor cells, including mutations in components of the signaling system and inhibition of the SMAD signaling pathway by aberrant activities of various regulatory molecules. Some of these mechanisms will be discussed, with emphasis on their potential involvement in breast tumorigenesis.
REPORTERS ON TWITTER

This study examines newspaper reporters’ Twitter use within Kovach and Rosenstiel’s “next journalism” framework, which calls for a shift away from journalism as product toward more of a service for citizens. Drawing from their “essential dimensions” for journalism, it analyzes more than 2700 tweets from reporters at 51 US newspapers. Findings show the reporters engaging in a journalism of service, while also adhering to conventions of product and “lecture by professional authorities.” Evidence for service includes live tweeting news events and retweeting citizen voices. Journalism as product is supported by a significant number of reporters’ links to their own newsroom content, and by their heavy reliance on official sources, despite the networked audience afforded by Twitter.
Bone morphogenetic protein 1 prodomain specifically binds and regulates signaling by bone morphogenetic proteins 2 and 4.

Abstract Highly purified fractions of bone extracts capable of inducing ectopic bone formation have been reported to contain peptides corresponding to the mature active regions of the TGF-β-like bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) 2–7, and to the prodomain region of the metalloproteinase BMP1. Co-purification of BMPs 2–7 with BMP1 prodomain sequences through the multiple biochemical steps used in these previous reports has suggested the possibility of interactions between the BMP1 prodomain and BMPs 2–7. Here we demonstrate that the BMP1 prodomain binds BMPs 2 and 4 with high specificity and with a KD of ∼11 nm, in the physiological range. It is further demonstrated that the BMP1 prodomain is capable of modulating signaling by BMPs 2 and 4 in vitro and in vivo, and that endogenous BMP1 prodomain-BMP4 complexes exist in cell culture media and in tissues.
Meanings and relations: An introduction to the study of language, discourse and networks

Abstract This special issue offers papers that together reach toward sociological understanding of “meaning.” We contextualize that effort in intersecting intellectual trends—the emerging relational sociology of networks and meanings, which has progressed steadily since the 1990s, and the diverse enterprise of sociology of language, which is much less established in the U.S. Given space limitations, we acknowledge others’ work but concentrate on Harrison White's turn to language and linguistics, which influenced all the papers herein. We highlight each paper's contribution to a new relational sociology and new understanding of language as mechanism and methodology, which might change the study of agentic actions, social processes, politics, networks and institutions.
An evolution in interdisciplinary competencies to prevent and manage patient violence.

Patient violence is a growing problem in healthcare institutions. Incidents of violence lead to injuries and increased operating costs. An innovative organizational approach to this problem is inclusion of interdisciplinary competency-based staff education and practice, as a key component of a comprehensive violence prevention program.Interdisciplinary competencies include a variety of behavioral responses, aimed at prevention, environmental, interpersonal, and physical interventions and postvention techniques for aggression and violence. Methods to maintain, monitor, document, and improve staff performance and skills are delineated. Organizational investment in such interdisciplinary competency-based education and practice evolves over time. Results include fewer incidents and injuries and enhanced interdisciplinary cooperation. Language: en
Understanding Cardiac Development Through the Perspective of Gene Regulation and Gene Manipulation

Cardiovascular malformations affect about 1% of newborns, yet much remains to be learned about the pathogenesis of these defects. Advances in understanding some of the molecular events involved in regulating cardiac morphogenesis are providing a new perspective with which to approach complex issues and questions related to congenital heart disease. More important, this new information provides not only unique opportunities for developing specific experimental models of congenital heart disease through direct genetic manipulation but also the basis for developing ways of therapeutically manipulating cardiac gene expression for some forms of heart disease. This review presents recent advances in the understanding of the molecular aspects of cardiac development and. how this information can be used to manipulate cardiac gene expression during development.
FOREBRAIN PATHWAYS MEDIATING STRESS-INDUCED RENIN SECRETION

SUMMARY 1. All stressors tested so far increase plasma renin levels; among these are exposure to foot-shock, immobilization, forced swimming, head-up tilt, exercise, hypotension haemorrhage and conditioned fear. 2. In old rats (22 months old), conditioned fear stress fails to increase plasma renin concentrations to the same level as in young rats (7 months old). 3. Destruction of cells in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH), either electrolytically or with the cell-selective neurotoxin ibotenic acid, prevents the effect of conditioned fear stress, but not of immobilization, on plasma renin concentration. 4. Ibotenic acid-induced lesions in the central amygdaloid nucleus inhibit conditioned fear stress-induced increases in plasma renin concentrations, but do not reduce the renin response to immobilization. Lesions in lateral amygdaloid nuclei do not reduce the renin response to stressors. 5. Although lesions in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) reduce the adrenocortical response to conditioned fear stress, they do not reduce the effect of stress on plasma renin concentration. 6. Destruction of catecholaminergic terminals in the PVH prevents the effect of conditioned fear stress on plasma renin concentration. 7. Electrolytic lesions in the dorsal raphe nucleus, which is a major site of origin of ascending serotonergic pathways, also inhibit the effect of conditioned fear stress on plasma renin concentration. 8. Activation of serotonin1A (5HT1A) receptors with the anti-anxiety drugs buspirone and ipsapirone reduces the firing rate of serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus in the midbrain and decreases the effect of stress on plasma renin concentrations. In contrast, the benzodiazepine anxiolytic drugs, chlordiazepoxide and midazolam, are ineffective in inhibiting the renin response to stress. 9. Chemical sympathectomy combined with adrenal medullectomy does not prevent the effect of conditioned fear stress on plasma renin concentration, suggesting that the sympathetic system is not the sole mediator of the message from the brain to the kidneys. 10. Combined, these observations suggest that aversive information from the cortex is transmitted via the amygdala to catecholaminergic cells in the medulla and to serotonergic cells in the dorsal raphe that stimulate the PVH to increase the release of renin.
Management of Bleb Leaks after Glaucoma Filtering Surgery: Use of Autologous Fibrin Tissue Glue as an Alternative

Purpose: To study the nature of bleb leaks after contemporary glaucoma filtering surgery as well as to evaluate various treatment modalities, including autologous fibrin tissue glue (AFTG) prepared in a modified manner. Methods: Patients who presented to a Glaucoma Service during a 1-year period with a postoperative bleb leak were studied. Evaluation of various treatment modalities, including AFTG, was performed. Results: Thirty-five episodes of bleb leaks were encountered in 25 eyes of 22 patients in a 1-year period. There was no statistically significant association between late or early leaks and the age or the race of the patient, previous eye surgery, or the use of antimetabolites at the time of filtering surgery. Eleven (31.4%) of the leaks were refractory to nonsurgical treatment modalities, 8 of them being of the late type. Successful healing of the leaks was obtained in 9 of the 12 episodes in which AFTG was used. However, there were no statistically significant differences between AFTG and the other treatment modalities. Conclusion: Bleb leaks are a common complication of contemporary glaucoma filtering surgery. Various nonsurgical and surgical modalities can be used in the treatment. In early as well as late bleb leaks, AFTG offers an alternative nonsurgical treatment and is at least as efficacious and may, in some ways, be superior to other nonsurgical modalities of treatment.
Effects of exogenous surfactant on gas exchange and compliance in rabbits after meconium aspiration.

Success in using adjunctive surfactant therapy for meconium aspiration has been inconsistent. We tested the hypothesis that the ability of exogenous surfactant to improve gas exchange and pulmonary compliance after meconium aspiration is related to the method of surfactant administration. In anesthetized rabbits (2.4 +/- 0.16 kg body weight), an endotracheal tube (ETT) was placed in the lower trachea, and the lungs were ventilated mechanically. After a control period, filtered meconium (3-5 mL/kg) was instilled through the ETT. Group 1 (n = 5) was not given surfactant. Thirty minutes after meconium instillation, group 2 (n = 5) was given a bolus of bovine surfactant (Beractant, 4 mL/kg) through the ETT, and group 3 (n = 5) was given an infusion of Beractant (4 mL/kg for 1 hr) through the side-port of the ETT. Thirty minutes after meconium instillation, tracheal pressure increased by 8 +/- 1 cm H(2)O (mean +/- SEM), dynamic compliance decreased by 0.36 +/- 0.07 mL/cm H(2)O/kg, arterial PO(2) (PaO(2)) decreased by 49 +/- 6.0 mmHg, arterial PCO(2) (PaCO(2)) increased by 12 +/- 2.4 mmHg, and arterial pH (pHa) decreased by 0.09 +/- 0.02. After 3 hr of exposure to meconium, tracheal pressure was significantly (P < 0.001) lower in group 3 compared to groups 1 or 2. PaO(2) remained below baseline in all groups. Group 3 had a significantly (P = 0.001) higher dynamic compliance than groups 1 or 2. Likewise, static compliance was higher for group 3 compared to groups 1 or 2, with the greatest difference at low lung volume. Mean arterial blood pressure, pulse rate, PaCO(2), and pHa were not significantly different between groups. These results suggest that continuous infusion of exogenous surfactant is more effective than bolus administration in improving pulmonary function after meconium aspiration.
Edge dislocation slows down oxide ion diffusion in doped CeO 2 by segregation of charged defects

Strained oxide thin films are of interest for accelerating oxide ion conduction in electrochemical devices. Although the effect of elastic strain has been uncovered theoretically, the effect of dislocations on the diffusion kinetics in such strained oxides is yet unclear. Here we investigate a 1/2 {100} edge dislocation by performing atomistic simulations in 4-12% doped CeO2 as a model fast ion conductor. At equilibrium, depending on the size of the dopant, trivalent cations and oxygen vacancies are found to simultaneously enrich or deplete either in the compressive or in the tensile strain fields around the dislocation. The associative interactions among the point defects in the enrichment zone and the lack of oxygen vacancies in the depletion zone slow down oxide ion transport. This finding is contrary to the fast diffusion of atoms along the dislocations in metals and should be considered when assessing the effects of strain on oxide ion conductivity.
Materials challenges and technical approaches for realizing inexpensive and robust iron–air batteries for large-scale energy storage

Abstract A high performance iron–air rechargeable battery has the potential of meeting the requirements of grid-scale energy storage. When successfully demonstrated, this battery technology can be transformational because of the extremely low cost of iron, the extraordinary environmental friendliness of iron and air, and the abundance of raw materials. The key technical challenges that hinder the successful commercialization of the iron–air battery are its efficiency and cycle life. An innovative multi-pronged strategy that aims at raising the round-trip energy efficiency from 50% to 80%, and the cycle life from 2000 to 5000 cycles is therefore necessary to meet the requirements of large scale energy storage.
An electrospray ionization mass spectrometric study of the subunit structure of the giant hemoglobin from the leech Nephelopsis oscura.

The subunit structure of the giant, extracellular hexagonal bilayer (HBL) hemoglobin (Hb) from the leech Nephelopsis oscura was investigated by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) employing a maximum entropy deconvolution of its complex, multiply charged ESI spectra. The denatured unreduced Hb consisted of three monomer globin chains (M), a1=16,535 Da, a2=17,171 Da and a3=17,315 Da, five nonglobin linker chains, L1=24,512 Da, L2=24,586 Da, L3=24,979 Da, L4=25,006 Da, and L5=25,566 Da and two subunits of 32,950 Da and 33,125 Da. ESI-MS of the denatured, reduced Hb showed that the latter were disulfide-bonded heterodimers (D) of globin chains b1=16,322 Da and b2=16,499 Da with chain c=16,632 Da. Time-of-flight ESI-MS of the Hb at pH 3.8, 4.5, 5.0, 5.8 and 7.0 revealed a distribution of charge states from 32+ to 37+ with masses decreasing from 211 to 208.5 kDa with increase in cone voltage from 60 to 160 V, indicating the presence of a subassembly comprising 12 globin chains. The subunit composition 6M + 3D + 12h, where M=16993 Da and D=33004 Da are the weighted masses and h=616.5 Da, provides a calculated mass, 208.37 kDa that is closest to 208.5 kDa. Our experimental findings are consistent with the bracelet model of HBL Hbs, verified by the recent low-resolution crystal structure of Lumbricus Hb, wherein an HBL arrangement of 12 globin dodecamer subassemblies is tethered to a central complex of 36 linker chains for a total mass of 208.37 × 12 + 24.94 × 36=3398 kDa.