cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development and Validation of the Survey Items of the South Korean Elementary Teachers’ Anxiety about Teaching Mathematics

This article is a report about the development of a new instrument to measure South Korean elementary teachers’ anxiety about teaching mathematics; it explores the instrument’s underlying dimensions by examining the responses of 64 South Korean elementary teachers. From the conceptual framework, I designed three sub-scales in the Survey Items of the South Korean Elementary Teachers’ Anxiety about Teaching Mathematics (S-ATM): preference for mathematics or mathematics instruction, confidence in mathematics or mathematics instruction, and effectiveness of mathematics instruction. I conducted analyses of the principal components to determine the factor structures of the scales. The results showed that the relativity for each sub-scale’s Cronbach’s alpha was greater than .700. I also examined this scale’s validity by surveying the same participants with the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument and comparing the results. The results demonstrated that the mathematics teaching anxiety sub-scales were significantly collated with the validation scale statistically. Its psychometric properties were sound, and the S-ATM instrument can be recommended for use in investigating South Korean elementary teachers’ anxiety about teaching mathematics
Preference Invites Categorization

Past research indicates that positive affect (relative to neutral or negative affect) reduces processing and makes categorization less differentiated. The present experiment demonstrated that preference, even though affectively pleasant, invites finer categorization. Expertise is already known to influence categorization; hence, the present experiment used an associative conditioning task (novel symbols paired with positively or negatively valenced photographs) to create new preferences, thereby demonstrating that preference influences categorization independently of preexisting expertise. These findings cast new light on established theory of affect and cognitive processing and suggest new implications for consumer preference and goal pursuit.
Synthesis of 5-substituted 2′-deoxycytidine 5′-(α-P-borano)triphosphates, their incorporation into DNA and effects on exonuclease

Direct PCR sequencing with boronated nucleotides provides an alternative to current PCR sequencing methods. The positions of boranophosphate-modified nucleotides incorporated randomly into DNA during PCR can be revealed directly by exonuclease digestion to give sequencing ladders. Cytosine nucleotides, however, are especially sensitive to exonuclease digestion and provide suboptimal sequencing ladders. Therefore, a series of 5-substituted analogs of 2'-deoxycytidine 5'-(alpha-P-borano)triphosphates (dCTPalphaB) were synthesized with the hope of increasing the nuclease resistance of deoxycytosine residues and thereby enhancing the deoxycytosine band intensities. These dCTP analogs contain a boranophosphate modification at the alpha-phosphate group in 2'-deoxycytidine 5'-triphosphate (dCTP) as well as a 5-methyl, 5-ethyl, 5-bromo or 5-iodo substitution for the 5-hydrogen of cytosine. The two diastereomers of each new dCTP derivative were separated by reverse phase HPLC. The first eluted diastereomer (putatively Rp) of each dCTP analog was a substrate for T7 DNA polymerase (Sequenase) and had an incorporation efficiency similar to normal dCTP and dCTPalphaB, with the 5-iodo-dCTPalphaB analog being the least efficient. Substitution at the C-5 position of cytosine by alkyl groups (ethyl and methyl) markedly enhanced the dCTPalphaB resistance towards exonuclease III (5-Et-dCTPalphaB >5-Me-dCTPalphaB >dCTPalphaB approximately 5-Br-dCTPalphaB >5-I-dCTPalphaB), thereby generating DNA sequences that better define the deoxycytosine positions. The introduction of modified dCTPalphaB should increase the utility of direct DNA sequencing with boronated nucleoside 5'-triphosphates.
A Millimeter-Wave Circuit Technique

An inductive feedback technique increases the speed of resonant circuits by 62%, allowing operation near the fT of transistors. The technique leads to a fundamental oscillator operating at 128 GHz with a power dissipation of 9 mW and a phase noise of -105 dBc/Hz at 10-MHz offset. A divide-by-two circuit based on the idea and incorporating a sampling mixer achieves a maximum speed of 125 GHz while consuming 10.5 mW. The prototypes have been fabricated in 90-nm CMOS technology.
Impact of Beach Nourishment on Distribution of Emerita Talpoioa , the Common Mole Crab

The ecological impact of beach nourishment on the common mole crab, \IEmerita talpoioa\N, determined through population census surveys, was found to be a redistribution of the organisms along the beach rather than in increase in population mortality. Reductions in population densities at and immediately adjacent to the downcurrent side of the point of discharge were recorded. The population depression was restricted to a 200-ft (6.10-m) section of the beach adjacent to the point of the discharge. Population 600 - 1,000 ft (183 - 305 m) down the beach in the direction of the longshore current increased, indicating a migration of mole crabs in response to nourishment. Tidal, wave, and current motions were found to play an essential role in reducing the mortality of the mole crabs and permitting migrations associated with beach nourishment. Population numbers at the discharge site recovered within a few tidal cycles.
Portraits from Vienna: The Rabbinical Subject and the Female Artist

A series of life portraits of the Hasidic rebbe Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880–1950) rendered by Jewish female artist Gertrud Zuckerkandl throws new light on the modern rabbinical portrait. Gertrud Zuckerkandl, the daughter-in-law of the art patroness Berta Zuckerkandl and the daughter of the psychoanalyst Wilhelm Stekel, rendered four life portraits of the sixth dynastic leader of the Belarusian Chabad dynasty in the fashionable Purkersdorf Sanatorium in Vienna in 1935. These four portraits are first and foremost “pretty,” rendered in a delicate hand and in what would have been seen as a feminine colour palette of pastel pinks, lavenders, and blues. Zuckerkandl's portraits reveal not only a fascinating story of Hasidic cosmopolitanism in the 1930s, but the challenges that female Jewish artists faced at the time in Vienna. While literary accounts of Hasidism dictate strict gender separation and Viennese art critics castigated women artists as incapable of capturing the interior life, these four portrait...
MEMS Based XY Stage With Large Displacement

This paper presents a micro XY stage that employs electrostatic comb-drive actuators and achieves a bi-directional displacement range greater than 225 µm per motion axis. The proposed XY stage design comprises four rigid stages (ground, motion stage, and two intermediate stages) interconnected via flexure modules. The motion stage, which has two translational degrees of freedom, is connected to two independent single degree of freedom intermediate stages via respective parallelogram (P) transmission flexures. The intermediate stages are connected to the ground via respective Clamped paired Double Parallelogram (C-DP-DP) guidance flexures. The C-DP-DP flexure, unlike conventional flexures such as the paired Double Parallelogram flexure (DP-DP), provides high bearing direction stiffness (Kb) while maintaining low motion direction stiffness (Km) over a large range of motion direction displacement. This helps delay the onset of sideways instability in the comb-drive actuators that are integrated with the intermediate stages, thereby offering significantly greater actuation stroke compared to existing designs. The presented work includes closed-form stiffness analysis of the proposed micro XY stage, finite elements simulation, and experimental measurements of its static and dynamic behavior.
Lactic acid fermentation in lower fungi.

SUMMARYSeveral fungi in the Leptomitales are capable of fermenting glucose to D(—) lactic acid. These fungi possess lactate dehydrogenases which are specific for nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide a...
Mind the Gap: The Unique Disadvantage Faced by Indigent Indians

In 2014, the Ninth Circuit created a federal circuit split over the use of tribal court convictions in federal prosecutions that the Supreme Court will soon resolve. In United States v. Bryant, the Ninth Circuit held that tribal court convictions cannot be used as predicate offenses in subsequent federal prosecutions unless the tribal court guarantees a right to counsel commensurate with the Sixth Amendment right. The Court accordingly dismissed a federal domestic assault charge under 18 U.S.C. § 117(a) because the predicate offense upon which the prosecution relied would have violated the Sixth Amendment right to counsel had the case arisen in federal or state court. The Court rooted its decision in the principle commonly espoused in criminal procedure jurisprudence that uncounseled convictions are unreliable. Extending this reliability principle to tribal proceedings is, perhaps predictably, problematic since indigent defendants are rarely guaranteed the right to appointed counsel, and the Constitution itself is without force in tribal courts. The Eighth and Tenth Circuits have thus upheld the use of uncounseled tribal court convictions on comity grounds. This Note analyzes the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuit cases to highlight the unique disadvantage indigent Indian defendants with prior uncounseled tribal court convictions confront when prosecuted under § 117(a). With an eye toward the Supreme Court, this Note proposes an alternative interpretation of the statute that avoids the constitutional quandary created by the Eighth and Tenth Circuits' holdings. This Note concludes by urging the Court to seize the opportunity United States v. Bryant presents to reassess Congress' immense plenary power under the Indian Commerce Clause.
In vitro infection of human intestinal mucosal mononuclear and epithelial cells by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A preliminary report

A method for infecting intestinal lamina propria mononuclear cells with HIV in vitro is described. These cells appear to be more susceptible to HIV than peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and allow replication and release of infectious virus. Evidence that the HIV envelope protein gp120 binds to cultured epithelial cells is also presented, including preliminary data that this binding might be specific. These studies provide additional insight into the mechanisms of AIDS enteropathy.
Receptor-Mediated Ca2+ Signaling

Over the past few years it has become apparent that Ca2+ signaling in many different cell types is initiated by an agonist-induced breakdown of inositol lipids in the plasma membrane (Berridge and Irvine, 1984; Williamsonet al., 1985; Hokin, 1985). This is mediated by a receptor-coupled GTP-binding protein, which is thought to dissociate upon binding of suitable agonists to their receptors to asγ-subunit complex and an α subunit containing bound GTP (Fitzgeraldet al., 1986; Dickeyet al, 1987). The GTP-boundαsubunit then promotes the activity of an inositol lipid phosphodiesterase (phospholipase C) that splits phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate to a lipophilic 1,2-diacylglycerol (the phys iological activator of protein kinase C) and a water-soluble product, inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins-1,4,5-P3). This inositol polyphosphate isomer acts as a Ca2+ -mobilizing second messenger by opening a Ca2+ channel located in a specialized intracellular pool of calcium (Joseph and Williamson, 1986).
Scaling and design of a 16-mega-pixel CMOS image sensor for electron microscopy

The design and scaling of a 21 mm × 21 mm CMOS image sensor for charged-particle imaging, “EM7,” is presented and compared to its smaller prototype, EM5. The sensor contains ~50 million transistors spanning its 16 million pixels, and includes over 4,100 parallel analog processing and A/D conversion circuits, utilizing 12 parallel 10-bit readout busses for high data throughput. The clock distribution design in EM7 minimizes the clock delay by dividing the chip into multiple parallel sections, each driven locally by a tree-like clock structure. By this technique, simulations showed that the readout shift-register clock delay is reduced from 4.7 ns to 0.14 ns, and the row shift-register clock delay is reduced from 1.7 ns to 0.12 ns. With similar local buffering, the ADC gray code counter delay is reduced from 35 ns to 0.9 ns. These improvements allow EM7 to sustain image acquisition at 75 frames/s, for a continuous data throughput of over 10 Gb/s. The large chip dimensions and the increased power consumption in EM7 also require more robust power distribution. A matrix-math simulation shows the worst-case pixel IR voltage drop was improved from 20 mV to 8 mV. Similarly, the pixel's worst-case analog output's IR drop is reduced from 80.7 mV to 2.58 mV, and its bandwidth is thus increased from 6.92 MHz to 14.4 MHz. The power supply IR drop in the output processing stage's op-amps is reduced from 327 mV to 35 mV, their open-loop gain variation is reduced from 525% to 28%, and their worst-case bandwidth is increased from 0.87 MHz to 764 MHz.
Expert system applications at the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration

One of the main developers, funders, and users of expert systems technology in the United States is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). With the movement from the space age to the space shuttle age to the space station age, artificial intelligence (AI) technology, especially expert systems, is expected to play a significant role in space–related activities in the years to come. This paper surveys some of these NASA–supported expert systems applications.
Some Thoughts on Mining and Quarrying in the Ancient Andes

In the following discussion, I offer some thoughts stimulated by the papers brought together in this volume. At the suggestion of the editors, I emphasize the themes in the initial portion of the volume dealing with the extraction of non-metallic deposits.
Neurosurgical Procedures in Patients with Cirrhosis and Acute Liver Failure: Indications, Safety, and Feasibility of Intracranial Pressure Monitor Devices

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is highly associated with elevated intracranial pressure (ICP), as well as hemorrhagic complications associated with liver failure related coagulopathy. To date, invasively ICP monitoring in affected patients has been somewhat controversial because of potential complications, specifically the risk of hemorrhage associated with implantation of the monitoring device, and the paucity of evidence showing the benefit of ICP monitoring. The true risk of hemorrhage remains unknown, as the literature has shown that the risk may be high or low, depending on the study. Therefore, the risk is likely contingent on the protocol and management strategies. Despite this controversy, invasive ICP monitoring remains the most accurate means of tracking a patient’s ICP and could potentially provide benefit in some patients, though the profile of such patients is yet to be elucidated.
A Model of Indirect Negative Social Influence

The purpose of this paper is to develop a model of how deviant workplace behavior scripts are acquired from one employee to another and the conditions upon which subsequent automatic, script-based ...
Abstract 354: Mitochondrial Hyper-function in Renal Proximal Tubule Cells from Young Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Recent evidence suggests that mitochondria play roles in the pathogenesis of hypertension. However, it is not clear whether mitochondrial dysfunction precedes or follows the development of hypertension. We hypothesize that mitochondrial bioenergetics is altered in renal proximal tubule (RPT) cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and this alteration may occur prior to the development of sustained hypertension. Using immortalized RPT cells from 4-8 week old normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and SHRs, we measured oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and compared the parameters of cellular bioenergetic in these RPT cells. Basal OCR was significantly higher in RPT cells from SHRs than WKY rats (245.5±31.9 vs. 154.4±43.7 pmol/min per 20,000 cells, mean±SD, P 0.05). In support of these observations, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels were significantly higher in RPT cells from SHRs than WKY rats. Taken together, the observed bioenergetic alterations may contribute to the early mitochondrial dysfunction in RPT cells from SHRs prior to the onset of sustained hypertension.
Tribute to Raymond Buriel (1948-2017): A Passionate Advocate for Chicana/o Studies and a Pioneer of Latinx Psychology:

On June 21, 2017, the fields of Latinx Psychology, Chicana/o-Latina/o Studies, and education lost a trailblazing researcher, teacher, and mentor. Dr. Raymond Buriel made significant contributions t...
Buying Peace? Civil War Peace Duration and Private Military & Security Companies

Do Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) impact peace duration after civil war? I argue that the role these organisations play in a conflict can impact post-conflict stability. Specifical...
Morbidity and health-related quality of life of patients accessing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: a single-centre cross-sectional study in one province of Canada.

In Canada, severe obesity (BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2) affects 5% or 1.2 million adults. Bariatric surgery is the only effective treatment for severe obesity, but the demand for publicly funded procedures is high and capacity limited. Little is known in Canada about the types of patients undergoing these procedures, especially laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). The study objective is to examine the socio-demographic profile, morbidity and HRQoL of patients accessing LSG in one Canadian province. Health status and HRQoL were examined in patients (n = 195) undergoing LSG. HRQoL was assessed using the EQ-5D-3L, SF-12v2 and the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-lite questionnaire. Mean age and BMI were 44 and 49 kg/m2 and most were women (82%). Pre-surgery, comorbidities were sleep apnea (65%), dyslipidemia (48%), hypertension (47%) and osteoarthritis (44%). Patients reported impaired HRQoL with 44–67% reporting problems in mobility, usual activities, pain and anxiety/depression. Physical health was impaired more than mental health. There were few socio-demographic differences between women and men, but significant differences in comorbid conditions such as sleep apnea, dyslipidemia, hypertension and gout exist (p < .05). Women reported fewer problems with self-care (9.5% vs. 25.0%, p < .05), and better overall health (VAS 61.5 vs. 52.0, p < .05) and General Health (39.3 vs. 32.9, p < .05), but greater impairment in self-esteem (27.3 vs. 44.1, p < .01) and sexual life (49.2 vs. 63.6, p < .05). Before LSG, patients reported significant morbidity and impaired HRQoL. Although baseline characteristics were similar between men and women, gender specific differences were observed in comorbid profile and HRQoL.
Pediatric Posttraumatic Stress

Just like adults, but with enhanced vulnerability, children are susceptible to the experience of traumatic events and the development of pediatric Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and associated functional impairment. Children living in under-resourced communities may be especially vulnerable if they live with multiple stressors, such as community violence and poverty, and if their community lacks resources to aid in these challenges. Studies on pediatric PTSD have shown differences between the aforementioned group and children reporting no trauma, including emotional and behavioral differences. Our research has furthered this line of work by employing a multimethod approach that includes brain anatomy and function and studies of the stress hormone cortisol. In order to equip children with the resources they need to surpass adversity, we have translated research findings into novel compositions of individual therapy and large-scale school-delivered programs. We have also participated in the development of integrative care between primary and mental health service systems and utilized our work to impact policy. It is our goal to further pediatric PTSD treatment through evidence-based research, implementation and dissemination of programs, and policy change. This chapter will elaborate on all of the aforementioned topics.
Exploring the Purposes and Foundations of Black Teacher Preparation: 1890–1940

This chapter will survey the literature on teaching training and its impact of the development of the alternative black curriculum in social studies. This chapter explores the different modes of training teachers to teach history in segregated schools. Unlike in previous chapters, this chapter will focus primarily on black male educators such as Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Reid T. Jackson, and Ambrose Caliver. Of the policy making spaces considered in this book, the discussions in higher education demonstrated the least openness to the ideas of black female educators. The chapter will add dimension to the work of Booker T. Washington in his argument of black teacher training in the twentieth century.
The Role of the (Psychiatric) Expert in the Judicial Process

The touchstone for the role of an expert in the judicial process is helpfulness. It is on that basis, for pretrial or trial purposes, that an attorney engages an expert.
Enterprise Readiness for IT Innovation: A Study of Mobile Computing in Healthcare

This research posits that enterprise-wide information technology (IT) innovation initiatives in uncertain economic times amplify the need and importance for decision makers to systemically evaluate their organization’s capabilities, competencies, and potential risk areas that could either accelerate or impede adoption and implementation. The purpose of this research is to develop a theoretically-grounded, conceptual framework of healthcare enterprise readiness for IT innovation that will aid health IT decision makers with this complex task. We study this in the context of mobile computing which is poised to fundamentally transform healthcare delivery by improving patient care and lowering costs. Preliminary findings of our multi-phase exploratory empirical study with healthcare CIOs reveal the relative importance of several key assessment dimensions and indicators. Our research has important implications for both adopters and providers of health IT and contributes to our broader understanding of IT-enabled transformation of healthcare.
On Fluctuations in Microscopic States of a Large System

We consider a system composed of many small interacting units so that we have a microscopic as well as some aggregated or macroscopic description of the system. We consider specific examples to illustrate the relation between the macrovariables and microvariables with particular attention paid to fluctuations of microvariables compatible with macroscopic states of the systems.
Molecular cloning and characterization of two ARNT (ARNT-1 and ARNT-2) genes in Atlantic croaker and their expression during coexposure to hypoxia and PCB77

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT) is an important transcriptions factor that binds/coactivates drug-metabolizing genes in vertebrates. In this study, we report the cloning and characterization of two ARNT (ARNT-1 and ARNT-2) genes and their mRNA and protein expression in liver tissues of Atlantic croaker after co-exposure to hypoxia and 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB77). The full-length croaker ARNT-1 and ARNT-2 genes encode proteins of 537 and 530 amino acids, respectively, and are highly homologous to ARNT-1 and ARNT-2 genes of other vertebrates. ARNT mRNAs are ubiquitously expressed in all tissues. Hypoxia (dissolved oxygen: 1.7 mg/L) exposure (1-4 weeks) did not affect hepatic ARNTs mRNA levels. Dietary PCB77 treatment (2 and 8 μg/g body weight/day for 4 weeks) caused marked increases in ARNTs mRNA and protein levels in normoxic fish. However, coexposure to hypoxia and PCB77 for 4 weeks significantly blunted the increase in ARNTs mRNA and protein levels in response to PCB77 exposure. These results suggest that ARNT activity and functions induced by exposure to PCB aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists could be compromised in croaker inhabiting hypoxic coastal regions.
Hippocampal gene expression patterns linked to late-life physical activity oppose age and AD-related transcriptional decline.

Abstract Exercise has emerged as a powerful variable that can improve cognitive function and delay age-associated cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. To determine if protective mechanisms may occur at the transcriptional level, we used microarrays to investigate the relationship between physical activity levels and gene expression patterns in the cognitively intact aged human hippocampus. In parallel, hippocampal gene expression patterns associated with aging and AD were assessed using publicly available microarray data profiling hippocampus from young (20–59 years), cognitively intact aging (73–95 years) and age-matched AD cases. To identify “anti-aging/AD” transcription patterns associated with physical activity, probesets significantly associated with both physical activity and aging/AD were identified and their directions of expression change in each condition were compared. Remarkably, of the 2210 probesets significant in both data sets, nearly 95% showed opposite transcription patterns with physical activity compared with aging/AD. The majority (>70%) of these anti-aging/AD genes showed increased expression with physical activity and decreased expression in aging/AD. Enrichment analysis of the anti-aging/AD genes showing increased expression in association with physical activity revealed strong overrepresentation of mitochondrial energy production and synaptic function, along with axonal function and myelin integrity. Synaptic genes were notably enriched for synaptic vesicle priming, release and recycling, glutamate and GABA signaling, and spine plasticity. Anti-aging/AD genes showing decreased expression in association with physical activity were enriched for transcription-related function (notably negative regulation of transcription). These data reveal that physical activity is associated with a more youthful profile in the hippocampus across multiple biological processes, providing a potential molecular foundation for how physical activity can delay age- and AD-related decline of hippocampal function.
From Citizen Control to Co-Production

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Sherry Arnstein’s classic “A Ladder of Citizen Participation” still shapes our understanding of citizen participation within and beyond planning. However, ...
A Good Physician - On Complacency and Communication.

A Good Physician Inspired by William Osler and Anne Fadiman, a physician is haunted by her failure to communicate directly with a deaf patient undergoing heart transplantation. How can doctors over...
Cyclic di-GMP Regulation of Gene Expression

Cyclic di-GMP is a nearly ubiquitous bacterial second messenger signaling molecule that links changes in environmental cues to the regulation of a myriad of phenotypes including but not limited to biofilm formation, motility, virulence, and DNA repair. A complex network of cyclic di-GMP synthesis and degradation enzymes is present in many bacteria, each of which is hypothesized to respond to a different signal that is integrated into changes in cyclic di-GMP levels. Cyclic di-GMP regulates downstream phenotypes via a variety of different mechanisms including control of transcription initiation via direct interaction with transcription factors, binding to RNA riboswitches to control gene expression post-transcriptionally, or direct interaction with enzymes or protein complexes to allosterically regulate their activity. In this chapter, we will review what is known about cyclic di-GMP regulation of gene expression, both transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally, focusing on transcription factors and riboswitches that directly bind to cyclic di-GMP.
Human Factors in Pediatric Surgery

Despite the paucity of data and experience with human factors research in children, pediatric surgery is increasingly recognizing the impacts of human factors on clinical quality, safety, and outcomes, and the avoidable adverse clinical events are generally due to variability, knowledge gaps, or human error. While some interventions have been implemented, such as surgical safety checklists, time-outs, and improvement in handoffs, many others are yet to be addressed. Pediatric surgery requires adaptability as many children are unable to communicate, while others lack the cognitive or communication skills to inform clinicians’ decision-making. This adaptability leads to heuristic approach that employs practical methods sufficient for immediate goals but may cause systemic errors.
Radiative heat loss estimation of building envelopes based on 3D thermographic models utilizing small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS)

Abstract The advent of sUAS (small unmanned aerial systems – or surveying drones) technology has made comprehensive thermographic analyses of the built environment feasible. Advantages over traditional thermal survey techniques include a significant increase in ease of three-dimensional (3D) navigation around large structures as well as the ability to perform data-rich measurements. 3D building envelope thermographic models represent the building surface temperatures and can be created using structure-from-motion photogrammetry techniques with the collected high-overlap sUAS thermographic images. This paper introduces an end-to-end workflow for measuring radiative heat loss from building envelopes. This includes the setup and process required for quickly creating accurate 3D thermographic models and their analysis with software developed for this purpose. Three analytical models for building envelope radiative heat loss are applied and tested for viability through controlled experiments. The workflow is then demonstrated by evaluating the thermal radiation losses of two buildings on the campuses of the University of North Georgia. Our findings suggest the workflow can quickly provide good radiative heat loss measurements and may be a valuable addition to more comprehensive thermal analysis techniques.
Sustainability Reporting: The Black Box

Reporting non-financial data has become a key element of corporate sustainability. Most public companies now offer regular updates on their progress toward voluntary sustainability commitments, reflecting a growing demand from investors and other stakeholders for greater transparency on sustainability-related issues. This chapter examines the evolution of sustainability reporting (SR), including the development of reporting standards and frameworks (e.g., GRI, SASB, IIRC), and their different approaches to SR. It questions SR’s overall effectiveness in terms of advancing corporate sustainability meaningfully, looking under the hood of SR to study it from a systemic point of view. This inquiry considers three possible explanations for SR’s shortcomings: applying a “mechanical” approach instead of a “biological” one, having little to no context, and adhering to a sustainability-as-usual mindset.
Water Through Green Roofs

How green roofs process water is a critical component of their function and effective management. As green roof technology has spread from northern Europe’s relatively cool and humid climate, green roof designs have had to adapt to regional variations in the timing and availability of water. The development of regionally appropriate designs requires a mechanistic understanding of green roof water relations, plant eco-physiology and irrigation technology. Emerging designs effectively match environmental conditions, substrate characteristics, plant physiological traits, plant community interactions, and expert systems for applying supplemental water.
Designing a leadership development program for surgeons.

Abstract Background Although numerous leadership development programs (LDPs) exist in health care, no programs have been specifically designed to meet the needs of surgeons. This study aimed to elicit practicing surgeons' motivations and desired goals for leadership training to design an evidence-based LDP in surgery. Materials and methods At a large academic health center, we conducted semistructured interviews with 24 surgical faculty members who voluntarily applied and were selected for participation in a newly created LDP. Transcriptions of the interviews were analyzed using analyst triangulation and thematic coding to extract major themes regarding surgeons' motivations and perceived needs for leadership knowledge and skills. Themes from interview responses were then used to design the program curriculum specifically to meet the leadership needs of surgical faculty. Results Three major themes emerged regarding surgeons' motivations for seeking leadership training: (1) Recognizing key gaps in their formal preparation for leadership roles; (2) Exhibiting an appetite for personal self-improvement; and (3) Seeking leadership guidance for career advancement. Participants' interviews revealed four specific domains of knowledge and skills that they indicated as desired takeaways from a LDP: (1) leadership and communication; (2) team building; (3) business acumen/finance; and (4) greater understanding of the health care context. Conclusions Interviews with surgical faculty members identified gaps in prior leadership training and demonstrated concrete motivations and specific goals for participating in a formal leadership program. A LDP that is specifically tailored to address the needs of surgical faculty may benefit surgeons at a personal and institutional level.
Production of human antithyroglobulin in vitro. II. Regulation by T cells.

Abstract B cells from patients whose serum contained antithyroglobulin (anti-Tg) were stimulated to produce antithyroglobulin in vitro . The help and suppressive effects of patient and normal T cells on anti-Tg formation were compared. Both T-helper and T-suppressive activity were noted and the activities were similar in patients and normals. The synthesis of IgG by patient B cells was also similarly affected by patient and normal T cells. These observations suggest that the abnormality in immunoregulation responsible for autoantibody production is likely to be found in cells not possessing the characteristics of T cells.
The purification and properties of bovine thrombin.

Abstract A method for the purification of bovine thrombin (EC 3.4.4.13) from Parke-Davis topical thrombin is described. The purified preparation has a constant specific activity although it has previously been shown to contain at least two enzymatically active proteins of similar molecular weights and amino acid composition. The average molecular weight of this purified material as determined by gel filtration, sedimentation equilibrium, and reaction with 14C-diisopropyl-fluorophosphate is shown to be close to 34,000. The carbohydrate content of the purified material is approximately 10% of the protein content, but evidence is presented that this carbohydrate is probably an artifact of the purification procedure. The amino acid composition of the purified thrombin is reported based upon an assumed molecular weight of 34,000.
Use of Epidermolysis Bullosa Biomarkers in Models of Vesicant Injury

Abstract : This study consisted of an SM time course study for gene expression of protease and extracellular matrix related genes and an evaluation of potential medical countermeasures for SM-induced injury in the mouse ear vesicant model. The specific aim of the time course study was to determine whether MMP and MMP substrate (laminin-332) gene expression levels are altered over time (6, 12, 24, 72, 168 h) in mouse ear skin topically exposed to liquid SM. The specific aim of the compound evaluation study was to determine the effectiveness of topically delivered synthetic MMP inhibitors, Ilomastat, GM1489, MMP- 2/MMP-9 Inhibitor I, and MMP-2/MMP-9 Inhibitor II, to protect against SM injury. Protection was quantitatively assessed by measuring MMP and MMP substrate gene expression levels with subsequent correlation to histopathological damage in tissues harvested at 24 h, 72 h and 7 days after SM challenge. Pre-treatment with Ilomastat in conjunction with SM exposure significantly decreased laminin- 2 expression at 72 h and significantly increased laminin332- 3A expression at 72 h as compared to SM-only (no drug compound pre-treatment). This coincided with a slightly improved Draize Score at 72 h with Ilomastat pre-treatment as compared to the other compounds. Pre-treatment with GM1489 in conjunction with SM exposure significantly decreased MMP-9 expression at 72 h and decreased MMP-2 expression at 7 days as compared to SM-only.
NEW APPROACH TO THE FRACTURE TOUGHNESS OF CONCRETE - PROBABILISTIC MODEL

ABSTRACT A statistical theory of failure considering creation of a random fracture surface and based on an approach of averaging over a set of all possible fracture surfaces is applied for the toughness characterization of concrete and formulation of global failure criteria. The size effect on the fracture toughness for brittle failure of concrete is accounted both macroscopically and microscopically. The proposed probabilistic model accounts for both the global stress state and the stochastic nature of the material's microstructure through the probability of failure and the probabilistic measure, respectively.
Abstract 15445: The Sirtuin SIRT3 Blocks Doxorubicin-induced Cardiac Hypertrophic Response of Mice

Background and objective: Doxorubicin is a chemotherapeutic drug widely used to treat variety of cancers. One of the serious side effects of doxorubicin is its toxicity to the heart. Previously, we have shown that overexpression of SIRT3 blocks the hypertrophic response of the heart to agonist treatments. This study was undertaken to investigate whether SIRT3 can also attenuate the doxorubicin-induced cardiac hypertrophic response in mice. Methods and results: Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes overexpressed with SIRT3 and treated with doxorubicin (10μM) showed 28% reduced mean fluorescent intensity for CM-H2DCFDA dye, compared to mock infected control cells treated with doxorubicin, thus suggesting that SIRT3 was capable of blocking doxorubicin-induced ROS synthesis in cardiomyocytes. To examine the cardioprotective effects of SIRT3 in doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in vivo; we used a cumulative dose of 15mg/kg of doxorubicin for two different time points. One group of mice was treated intraperitoneally wit...
Exploring the Number Jungle: A Journey into Diophantine Analysis

Opening thoughts: Welcome to the jungle A bit of foreshadowing and some rational rationale Building the rationals via Farey sequences Discoveries of Dirichlet and Hurwitz The theory of continued fractions Enforcing the law of best approximates Markoff's spectrum and numbers Badly approximable numbers and quadratics Solving the alleged ""Pell"" equation Liouville's work on numbers algebraic and not Roth's stunning result and its consequences Pythagorean triples through diophantine geometry A quick tour through elliptic curves The geometry of numbers Simultaneous diophantine approximation Using geometry to sum some squares Spinning around irrationally and uniformly A whole new world of $p$-adic numbers A glimpse into $p$-adic analysis A new twist on Newton's method The power of acting locally while thinking globally Selected big picture question commentaries Hints and remarks Further reading Acknowledgments Index.
Carbohydrates produced in batch cultures of the surf zone diatom Asterionellopsis glacialis sensu lato: Influence in vertical migration of the microalga and in bacterial abundance

Abstract Surf zone diatoms thrive in the harsh conditions of exposed sandy beaches. The patch-forming Asterionellopsis glacialis sensu lato ( A. glacialis s. l.) is the main producer in a rich food chain in Cassino Beach, southern Brazil. This work aimed to verify the influence of sediment particles on the quantity and composition of carbohydrates produced in cultures with A. glacialis s. l. and to investigate the relationship between carbohydrate composition and bacterial abundance. The non-axenic diatom, isolated from Cassino Beach, was batch cultivated for nine days with calcined sediment (CS), fresh sediment (FR), and without sediment (Ctrl). Higher cell counts (p − 1 ) and FR (30.3 ± 3.3 mg L − 1 ), respectively. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) characterization of particulate carbohydrates showed increases with time in rhamnose, xylose and arabinose in all treatments. The increase of these carbohydrates has the potential to cause A. glacialis s. l. to settle or float by influencing mucus thickness and adhesiveness. A significant decrease (p
Scedosporium inflatum, an emerging pathogen.

Abstract The salient morphologic and physiologic characteristics of 18 isolates of Scedosporium inflatum, a newly reported human pathogen, were compared with those of the morphologically similar fungi Scedosporium apiospermum, Scopulariopsis brevicaulis, and Scopulariopsis brumptii. The formation by S. inflatum of annelloconidia in wet clumps at the apices of annellides with swollen bases was found to be the most useful characteristic in differentiating this potential pathogen.
Targeting Toll-like receptor signaling in plasmacytoid dendritic cells and autoreactive B cells as a therapy for lupus

This review focuses on the role of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in lupus and on possibilities to treat lupus using TLR modulating inhibitory oligodeoxynucleotides (INH-ODNs). TLRs bridge innate and adaptive immune responses and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus. Of particular interest are TLR3, -7, -8, and -9, which are localized intracellularly. These TLRs recognize single-stranded or double-stranded RNA or hypomethylated CpG-DNA. Exposure to higher order CpG-DNA ligands or to immune complexed self-RNA triggers activation of autoreactive B cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells. INH-ODNs were recently developed that block all downstream signaling events in TLR9-responsive cells. Some of these INH-ODNs can also target TLR7 signaling pathways. Based on their preferential cell reactivity, we classify INH-ODNs into class B and class R. Class B ('broadly reactive') INH-ODNs target a broad range of TLR-expressing cells. Class R ('restricted') INH-ODNs easily form DNA duplexes or higher order structures, and are preferentially recognized by autoreactive B cells and plasmacytoid dendritic cells, rather than by non-DNA specific follicular B cells. Both classes of INH-ODNs can block animal lupus. Hence, therapeutic application of these novel INH-ODNs in human lupus, particularly class R INH-ODNs, may result in more selective and disease-specific immunosuppression.
Pharmacokinetics of orally and intravenously administered riboflavin in healthy humans.

The pharmacokinetics and utilization (flavoco-enzyme synthesis) of orally and intravenously administered riboflavin in healthy humans were assessed. After the determination of circadian rhythms of riboflavin concentrations in blood plasma and urine of four males and five females (control period), each of these subjects received three different oral riboflavin doses (20, 40, and 60 mg) and one intravenous bolus injection of riboflavin (11.6 mg). Vitamins were administered in a randomized, cross-over design with 2 wk between each administration. Blood plasma and urine specimens were collected repeatedly over a period of 48 h after each administration. Concentrations of flavocoenzymes and riboflavin were analyzed in blood plasma ; riboflavin was assayed in urine. During the control period, a small circadian variation was observed : plasma concentrations and urinary excretion of riboflavin were low during the afternoon (P 0.05).
Theoretical quantification of the effects of plastic wall thickness on phantom measurements in electromagnetic hyperthermia

A theoretical investigation is presented into the effects of plastic wall thickness on the computed electric field. Design curves are reported which aid in the selecting of an acceptable wall thickness given a maximum degree of wall perturbation that can be tolerated. Many other materials such as rubbers and polystyrenes also have electrical properties within the ranges considered. Hence, the results should apply to a variety of commonly used phantom construction materials. >
Using objective ground-truth labels created by multiple annotators for improved video classification: A comparative study

We address the problem of predicting category labels for unlabeled videos in a large video dataset by using a ground-truth set of objectively labeled videos that we have created. Large video databases like YouTube require that a user uploading a new video assign to it a category label from a prescribed set of labels. Such category labeling is likely to be corrupted by the subjective biases of the uploader. Despite their noisy nature, these subjective labels are frequently used as gold standard in algorithms for multimedia classification and retrieval. Our goal in this paper is NOT to propose yet another algorithm that predicts labels for unseen videos based on the subjective ground-truth. On the other hand, our goal is to demonstrate that the video classification performance can be improved if instead of using subjective labels, we first create an objectively labeled ground-truth set of videos and then train a classifier based on such a ground-truth so as to predict objective labels for the set of unlabeled videos. With regard to how we generate the objectively-labeled ground-truth dataset, we base it on the notion that when a video is labeled by a panel of diverse individuals, the majority opinion rendered by the panel may be taken to be the objective opinion. In this manner, using judgments provided by multiple human annotators, we have collected objective labels for a ground-truth dataset consisting of randomly-selected 1000 videos from the TinyVideos database that contains roughly 52,000 videos from YouTube (courtesy of Karpenko and Aarabi [1]). Through a fourfold cross-validation experiment on the ground-truth set, we demonstrate that the objective labels have a superior consistency compared to the subjective labels when used for video classification. We show that this claim is valid for several different kinds of feature sets that one can use to compare videos and with two different types of classifiers that one can use for label prediction. Subsequently, we use the ground-truth dataset of 1000 videos to predict the objective category labels of the remaining 51,000 videos. We compare the objective labels thus determined with the subjective labels provided by the video uploaders and qualitatively argue for the more informative nature of the objective labels.