cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Glycosylphosphatidylinositols are required for the development of Trypanosoma cruzi amastigotes

Induction of a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) deficiency in Trypanosoma cruzi by the heterologous expression of Trypanosoma brucei GPI-phospholipase C (GPI-PLC) results in decreased expression of major surface proteins (N. Garg, R. L. Tarleton, and K. Mensa-Wilmot, J. Biol. Chem. 272:12482-12491, 1997). To further explore the consequences of a GPI deficiency on replication and differentiation of T. cruzi, the in vitro and in vivo behaviors of GPI-PLC-expressing T. cruzi were studied. In comparison to wild-type controls, GPI-deficient T. cruzi epimastigotes exhibited a slight decrease in overall growth potential in culture. In the stationary phase of in vitro growth, GPI-deficient epimastigotes readily converted to metacyclic trypomastigotes and efficiently infected mammalian cells. However, upon conversion to amastigote forms within these host cells, the GPI-deficient parasites exhibited a limited capacity to replicate and subsequently failed to differentiate into trypomastigotes. Mice infected with GPI-deficient parasites showed a substantially lower rate of mortality, decreased tissue parasite burden, and a moderate tissue inflammatory response in comparison to those of mice infected with wild-type parasites. The decreased virulence exhibited by GPI-deficient parasites suggests that inhibition of GPI biosynthesis is a feasible strategy for chemotherapy of infections by T. cruzi and possibly other intracellular protozoan parasites.
On the electromagnetic field in a cavity fed by a tangential electric field in an aperture in its wall

Heretofore, the electromagnetic field produced by a specified tangential electric field in an aperture in the wall of an arbitrarily shaped cavity has most often been expanded in terms of cavity modes. An alternative approach, that of the electric field integral equation is presented. In this approach, the cavity field is expressed as the field of a surface density of tangential electric current, or a surface density of tangential magnetic current, or a combination of surface densities of tangential electric and magnetic currents on the boundary of the cavity. Each surface density is characterized by a single tangential vector function which is determined by the integral equation requiring that the part of the electric field tangent to the boundary of the cavity must reduce to the specified tangential electric field in the aperture and zero elsewhere on the boundary of the cavity. The electric field integral equation method is specialized to more easily determine the field inside an arbitrary cylindrical cavity excited by a tangential electric field in an aperture in its lateral wall. The method is further specialized to a circular cavity. >
Using Padé Approximants and Curve-fitting to Approximate Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors for Large Design Changes

Our overall goal is to develop software that facilitates the interactive participation of the designer in the optimization process. We are focusing this research on problems which use finite element solutions as part of the objective function. One challenge to implementing interactive participation in these types of problems is the high computational burden of computing a finite element solution for each design change. The research presented here focuses on a unique method to develop fast approximations for natural frequencies and mode shapes which can be used to avoid the time-consuming re-solution process and which will facilitate interactive design for systems with even large design changes.
Sentinel Node Biopsy is Important in Mastectomy for Ductal Carcinoma In Situ

There is uncertainty about the utility of sentinel node biopsy (SNB) for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and its potential to avoid axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) in patients undergoing mastectomy for DCIS. A review was conducted of 179 patients who underwent mastectomy with sentinel node biopsy for DCIS without invasion or microinvasion on premastectomy pathology review. The sentinel node identification rate was 98.9% (177/179). Twenty (11.3%) of 177 mastectomies for DCIS had a positive SNB: two micrometastasis (pN1mi) and 18 isolated tumor cells [pN0(i+)]. Unsuspected invasive cancer was found in 20 (11.2%) of 179 mastectomies, eight T1mic, five T1a, three T1b, and four T1c tumors. Sentinel nodes were identified in 19 of 20 patients with invasive cancer and four were positive: one pN1mi and three pN0(i+). Eighteen of 19 patients with unsuspected invasive cancer were able to avoid axillary dissection on the basis of SNB results. Of the 159 patients whose final pathology revealed DCIS without invasion, a sentinel node was identified in 158 (99.4%). The SNB was positive in 16 patients (10.1%): one pN1mi and 15 pN0(i+). Three patients underwent ALND on the basis of positive SNBs and in each the SNB was the only positive node. 11% of patients undergoing mastectomy for DCIS were found to have invasive cancer on final pathology. The use of SNB during mastectomy for DCIS allowed nearly all such patients to avoid axillary dissection. These results support routine use of SNB during mastectomy for DCIS.
Apparent oxygen utilization rates calculated from tritium and helium-3 profiles at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study site

Abstract. We present three years of Apparent Oxygen Utilization Rates (AOUR) estimated from oxygen and tracer data collected over the ocean thermocline at monthly resolution between 2003 and 2006 at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site. We estimate water ages by calculating a transit time distribution from tritium and helium-3 data. The vertically integrated AOUR over the upper 500 m, which is a regional estimate of export, during the three years is 3.1 ± 0.5 mol O2 m−2 yr−1. This is comparable to previous AOUR-based estimates of export production at the BATS site but is several times larger than export estimates derived from sediment traps or 234Th fluxes. We compare AOUR determined in this study to AOUR measured in the 1980s and show AOUR is significantly greater today than decades earlier because of changes in AOU, rather than changes in ventilation rates. The changes in AOU are likely a methodological artefact associated with problems with early oxygen measurements.
AB INITIO TREATMENT OF A PHOSPHORUS COORDINATE, TRIGONAL BIPYRAMIDAL TO PENTAFLUORIDE-PYRIDINE REACTION SQUARE PYRAMIDAL TO OCTAHEDRAL

Abstract Ab initio calculations of the interaction of pyridine with PF5 show that the initial trigonal bipyramidal geometry isomerizes to a square pyramid before forming an octahedron as pyridine enters the coordination sphere. The calculated reaction trajectory mimics that found for sulfur donor actions in cyclic pentaoxyphosphoranes where X-ray studies show a range of geometries toward increasing octahedral character from a square pyramid as the P-S interaction increases. It is concluded that inclusion of the donor atom as part of a cyclic system does not control the observed geometrical changes on going from five- to six-coordinate phosphorus.
Multiscale modeling of the brittle to ductile transition

A recently introduced method of crack representation as a distribution of three-dimensional Volterra dislocations is used in conjunction with two-dimensional dislocation dynamics simulations to study the brittle to ductile transition behavior of Ferritic Steels. The crack-tip plasticity zone is represented as an array of discrete dislocations emitted from crack-tip sources. The dislocations shield the crack and result in an increase of the applied stress intensity for fracture from the pure Griffith value. The crack system responsible for fracture in Ferritic Steels is modeled by a macrocrack and a microcrack in its field. Crack-tip plasticity of microcrack is also modeled by arrays of emitted dislocations. The simulations are performed for different friction stresses corresponding to different yield stresses or temperatures. The brittle to ductile transition fracture toughness curve is obtained and compared to experiments.
Response of Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Coleoptera: Silvanidae) to Food Odor Emanating Through Consumer Packaging Films

The sawtoothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), is an important pest of packaged consumer foods, yet little is known of its behavioral response to food odors. Adults and larvae are not believed to chew holes through packaging materials, but they may invade packaged food by entering through openings caused by improper sealing or handling, through holes intentionally placed in packages by the manufacturer, or through openings made by insects or other organisms. To better understand the mechanism of infestation of packaged foods by the sawtoothed grain beetle, we determined how food odor coming through the surface and through holes in consumer food packaging materials influences female sawtoothed grain beetle movement. Mated female beetles responded with an area-concentrated search to the odor of dog food emitted from 0.5-mm-diameter holes punctured in two commonly used food packaging materials (Cello and 120 AB-X). Holes emitting no food odor did not influence beetle behavior. Velocity and distance moved differed between film types, perhaps because of surface characteristics of the film influencing traction, but no influence of food odors coming through the films was detected. This study indicates the necessity for improved package designs and better sealing and handling methods to prevent flaws in packaging through which insects may enter.
EDUCATION AND THE NATIONAL WEALTH OF THE UNITED STATES

Human capital theory has motivated a great many empirical investigations into the relationship between education and earnings potential. These studies test refinements of the theory, but do not attempt to value education for the economy as a whole. This study develops series which track human wealth and its educational components for the United States from 1946 to 1980. Three related educational time sequences emerge: (1) schooling wealth, the present value of the current and future contributions of the existing schooling stock to national income; (2) net change in schooling wealth, the amount added to present value in that year; and (3) schooling investment, the present value of the future contributions of the new schooling conducted in that year. One important lesson of this exercise is that the last two series can be quite different as a result of the pattern of appreciation and depreciation of human wealth over the lifetimes of individuals. Moreover, education increases the age of peak human wealth and thus should shorten the period during which individuals save for retirement. This phenomenon may induce a demographic cycle in the nation's savings rate, especially evidenced with the aging of the baby-boom cohort. The magnitudes of the human and schooling wealth estimates are large when compared to financial wealth. For a 4 percent rate, the period-wide average for human wealth is five times-and schooling wealth 2.6 times-the Federal Reserve Board's measure of household net worth. These estimates are naturally sensitive to the discount rate chosen, but show that the gap between human and financial wealth has been widening and that the value of schooling provided in any year greatly exceeds its cost. Schooling represents a form of saving whose value is several times the conventional measure of saving.
Intracellular Inactivation of Bacteriophage T4 Early Deoxyribonucleic Acid

Abstract As previously shown, a small amount of polynucleotide material is added to parental T4 deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules within the first 5 min of infection. I have asked whether this process is essential for phage replication. Two approaches—one involving decay of 32P incorporated into this “early DNA” and the other involving photoinactivation of bromodeoxyuridine-containing early DNA—indicate that it is.
The Synthetic Bard: Dramatic Condensation from the Futurists to the Reduced Shakespeare Company

The Futurists criticized Shakespeare as the epitome of passeist drama in several of their manifestos, and, at times, followed up on their own proposal to reshape his dramaturgy through their synthetic techniques. The Reduced Shakespeare Company abridged the entire Bard‘s oeuvre to a single evening, but without reference to the Futurists. This article, going beyond the usual placement of the American troupe within the framework of popular Shakespeare, views their work as a contemporary embodiment of the Futurist Synthetic Theatre. Although Shakespeare is frequently quoted as stating that ―brevity is the soul of wit,‖ in reality it is one of his characters who pronounces these words in an ironic context. Polonius contradicts their literal sense by adding a plethora of long–winded expressions to the simple statement that Hamlet is mad. 1 In truth, despite employing brevity locally as a rhetorical device (Smith), the Bard never really took it to a global level: after all, even his shortest play, The Comedy of Errors, remains a full–length work. But, due to its popularity, Shakespeare‘s oeuvre has often inspired reactions and rewritings in a more or less parodic tone, many of which resorted to abbreviation. Among these, two artistic experiences in the last one hundred years stand out because they based their notion of theatre on extreme dramatic condensation: the Futurist Synthetic Theatre and the Reduced Shakespeare Company. Thus, what brings together early twentieth– century Italian Futurism 2 and a contemporary American troupe beyond their 1 ―POLONIUS. My liege, and madam, to expostulate / What majesty should be, what duty is, / Why day is day, night night, and time is time, / were nothing but to waste night, day, and time. / Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, / and tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, / I will be brief. Your noble son is mad. / Mad call I it, for to define true madness, / What is‘t but to be nothing else but mad?‖ (Ham. 2.2.86–94). For the widespread appropriation of Shakespeare out of context in support of practically any agenda, see Drakakis. 2 The movement was officially born on 20 February 1909 with the publication of The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism on the French newspaper Le Figaro and ―was the first European avant-garde that aspired to embrace and penetrate reality in all its aspects‖ (Antonucci, Storia 17). Led by the indefatigable Marinetti, Futurism gradually attracted an extremely diverse group of artists whose creativity was applied to everything, from
Covalent immobilization of collagen on titanium through polydopamine coating to improve cellular performances of MC3T3-E1 cells

Surface modification of orthopedic implants is critical for improving the clinical performance of these medical devices. Herein, collagen was covalently immobilized onto a titanium implant surface via a novel adherent polydopamine coating inspired by mussel adhesive proteins. The formation and composition of the collagen coating was characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Fluorescent labeled collagen was also used to examine the formation and uniformity of the collagen coating. The resultant collagen coating with a polydopamine supporting substrate demonstrated better uniformity and distribution on the titanium surface compared to a physical adsorption of collagen. The covalent immobilized collagen coating is biologically active, as evidenced by its ability to enhance MC3T3-E1 cell adhesion, support cell proliferation and promote early stage osteogenic differentiation of pre-osteoblasts. Our study suggests covalent immobilization of collagen through the polydopamine coating might be an efficient way to improve the cellular performance of implant surfaces.
Role of G-CSF in monophosphoryl lipid A-mediated augmentation of neutrophil functions after burn injury

Infection is the leading cause of death in severely burned patients that survive the acute phase of injury. Neutrophils are the first line of defense against infections, but hospitalized burn patients frequently cannot mount an appropriate innate response to infection. Thus, immune therapeutic approaches aimed at improving neutrophil functions after burn injury may be beneficial. Prophylactic treatment with the TLR4 agonist monophosphoryl lipid A is known to augment resistance to infection by enhancing neutrophil recruitment and facilitating bacterial clearance. This study aimed to define mechanisms by which monophosphoryl lipid A treatment improves bacterial clearance and survival in a model of burn-wound sepsis. Burn-injured mice were treated with monophosphoryl lipid A or vehicle, and neutrophil mobilization was evaluated in the presence or absence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Monophosphoryl lipid A treatment induced significant mobilization of neutrophils from the bone marrow into the blood and sites of infection. Neutrophil mobilization was associated with decreased bone marrow neutrophil CXCR4 expression and increased plasma G-CSF concentrations. Neutralization of G-CSF before monophosphoryl lipid A administration blocked monophosphoryl lipid A-induced expansion of bone marrow myeloid progenitors and mobilization of neutrophils into the blood and their recruitment to the site of infection. G-CSF neutralization ablated the enhanced bacterial clearance and survival benefit endowed by monophosphoryl lipid A in burn-wound-infected mice. Our findings provide convincing evidence that monophosphoryl lipid A-induced G-CSF facilitates early expansion, mobilization, and recruitment of neutrophils to the site of infection after burn injury, allowing for a robust immune response to infection.
Public policy, local labor demand, and migration in Sweden, 1979-84.

A model of private local labor demand and interjurisdictional migration is presented and estimated using data from Swedish counties and municipalities for 1979-84. Our goal is to compare the effects on local labor markets of distinctive public-sector programs with those of traditional market variables. We find that local income taxes and tax-equalization grants have important effects on local labor markets; regional development policy measures and geographical-mobility subsidies do not. Thus recent efforts scaling back some of these programs may not materially alter the regional economys performance. Wages and other traditional market variables are also often found to influence significantly local labor markets. (EXCERPT)
THEORY OF PROTEIN FOLDING: The Energy Landscape Perspective

▪ Abstract The energy landscape theory of protein folding is a statistical description of a protein's potential surface. It assumes that folding occurs through organizing an ensemble of structures rather than through only a few uniquely defined structural intermediates. It suggests that the most realistic model of a protein is a minimally frustrated heteropolymer with a rugged funnel-like landscape biased toward the native structure. This statistical description has been developed using tools from the statistical mechanics of disordered systems, polymers, and phase transitions of finite systems. We review here its analytical background and contrast the phenomena in homopolymers, random heteropolymers, and protein-like heteropolymers that are kinetically and thermodynamically capable of folding. The connection between these statistical concepts and the results of minimalist models used in computer simulations is discussed. The review concludes with a brief discussion of how the theory helps in the interpre...
Clearinghouses and the Origin of Central Banking in the United States

B EGINNING with Coase's famous essay "The Theory of the Firm," a large literature has developed which seeks to explain why organizations, such as firms, are preferred to a price system for allocating resources.1 The structure of the U.S. banking industry prior to the existence of the Federal Reserve System is a unique example of such a nonprice allocation system. An essential feature of the banking industry then was the endogenous development of the clearinghouse, a governing association of banks to which individual banks voluntarily abrogated certain rights and powers normally held by firms. Behaving most of the time as the dominant authority in a market-like setting, the clearinghouse was capable of temporarily behaving as a single firm during banking panics. The powers and functions that clearinghouses developed most resembled those of a central bank. In fact, it is almost literally true that the Federal Reserve System, as originally conceived, was simply the nationalization of the private clearinghouse system. Studying the organization of the pre-1914 banking industry, and, in particular, the role of the clearinghouse, is likely to have implications for assessing the efficiency and uniqueness of contractual arrangements in banking. My note suggests some working hypotheses about banking industry products and structure and focuses on the New York City Clearinghouse Association (NYCHA) response to banking panics.
The Association Between Osteoporosis and Oral Bone Loss

Background: Osteoporosis and osteopenia are characterized by reductions in bone mass and may lead to skeletal fragility and fracture. The purpose of this paper is to review studies to determine the relationship between oral bone loss and osteoporosis. In addition, the major modes of therapy for osteoporosis are discussed.Methods: In this convenience review, papers studying the possible correlation between oral bone loss and osteoporosis in humans, written in the English language since 1983, were reviewed.Results: The methods used to assess oral and systemic bone varied greatly from study to study. Therefore, the results were not amenable to meta-analysis. Thirteen of the 15 studies did show a positive correlation between systemic bone mass and oral bone mass (or bone loss).Conclusion: Studies to date indicate a possible correlation between systemic and oral bone loss.
Primary osteoarthritis: Epidemiology, clinical aspects, and general management

The etiology of osteoarthritis, the most common articular disorder, is still unknown. Epidemiologic studies demonstrate a relationship to aging and to certain occupations; relationships to obesity as an etiologic factor remain controversial. An inverse relationship of osteoarthritis and bony density has been observed. Medical management is primarily symptomatic; surgery, particularly of the hip or knee, restores function and relieves pain at late stages of the disease. Investigational trials of specific therapeutic agents suggest possible forthcoming interventions to prevent, retard, or reverse the disease process.
Effects of water and ice layers on the scattering properties of diffuse reflectors

Measurements were made of the angular distribution of power scattered from a diffuse reflector illuminated by a laser beam directed normal to the surface of the reflector. Experiments were performed on dry, wet, and ice-covered planar targets. They revealed that the diffuse component of scattered power from a wet or icecovered target is reduced by an amount proportional to the inverse of the square of the index of refraction of the layer, which is consistent with simple theory. Backscattered radiation from a water-or ice-covered target was found to be enhanced compared with that from a dry target in the region about a cone centered on the line normal to the target. The half-angles of the cones for dry, water-covered, and ice-covered targets were 2.5, 12.5, and 30 degrees , respectively. The large half-angles of the covered targets may be due to multiple reflections within the layer. Small air bubbles in the ice and the roughness of the ice surface may be responsible for the particularly large increase in half-angle of the ice-covered target.
PARP9-DTX3L ubiquitin ligase targets host histone H2BJ and viral 3C protease to enhance interferon signaling and control viral infection

Enhancing the response to interferon could offer an immunological advantage to the host. In support of this concept, we used a modified form of the transcription factor STAT1 to achieve hyper-responsiveness to interferon without toxicity and markedly improve antiviral function in transgenic mice and transduced human cells. We found that the improvement depended on expression of a PARP9-DTX3L complex with distinct domains for interaction with STAT1 and for activity as an E3 ubiquitin ligase that acted on host histone H2BJ to promote interferon-stimulated gene expression and on viral 3C proteases to degrade these proteases via the immunoproteasome. Thus, PARP9-DTX3L acted on host and pathogen to achieve a double layer of immunity within a safe reserve in the interferon signaling pathway.
IS THE GRASS REALLY GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE

I investigate whether households face reduced access to energy efficient goods in low income, high minority, or polluted neighborhoods. Using data from over 27,000 zip codes, I uncover empirical regularities in access to three categories of Energy Star goods: light bulbs, electronics, and appliances. I find (1) lower income neighborhoods experience reduced access to Energy Star goods; (2) racially diverse areas have less access to energy efficient light bulbs but greater access to energy efficient electronics; and (3) more polluted areas are not at a disadvantage in accessing Energy Star products. This is the first study examining this issue.
Immunologic classification of lymphocytic leukemias based on monoclonal antibody-defined cell surface antigens

A panel of monoclonal antibodies reactive with normal lymphocyte subsets was used to classify cases of lymphocytic leukemia on the basis of cell surface antigen expression. The antibodies employed were commercially available and included a common framework HLA-DR antibody, two pan-T antibodies (Leu-1 and OKT-3), and antibodies defining cytotoxic/suppressor (Leu-2 and OKT-8) and helper/inducer (Leu-3 and OKT-4) subpopulations of normal T lymphocytes. Cases of ALL could be subgrouped into non-T non-B, pre-T and T-ALL on the basis of reactivity with HLA-DR, Leu-1, and OKT-3 antibodies. Leukemic cells from patients with T-cell CLL could be divided into Leu-2/OKT-8 reactive and Leu-3/OKT-4 reactive subpopulations, as well as a subgroup in which the majority of cells were unreactive with either of these antibodies. With the exception of one individual, all Sezary cell leukemias expressed a phenotypic pattern similar to that of the Leu-3 subgroup of T-CLL. Malignancies of B-cell lineage (B-CLL, prolymphocytic leukemia, and lymphosarcoma) that were examined were reactive with both the HLA-DR and Leu-1 antibodies. On the contrary, normal B lymphocytes and lymphoid cell lines of B-cell origin did not express surface antigens recognized by the Leu-1 antibody.
Systemic LPS and inflammatory response during consecutive days of exercise in heat.

This investigation studied circulating LPS activity, potential intestinal damage, and the systemic inflammatory response (SIR) during the exercise heat acclimation process. 8 healthy males (Age=24±3 years) ran in a hot environment on 5 consecutive days until core temperature (Tc) was elevated 2°C above rest. Plasma was obtained pre-, post-, 1 h post-, and 3 h post-exercise on the 1(st), 3(rd), and 5(th) day of exercise and analyzed for TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, IL-1ra, LPS, and intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP). Plasma LPS (1.1 EU·ml(-1)±0.1 vs. 0.7 EU·ml(-1)±0.03; P<0.01) and I-FABP (930.7 pg·ml(-1)±149.0 vs. 640.2 pg·ml(-1)±125.0; P<0.001) were significantly increased post-exercise each. The SIR remained largely unchanged during the study except for TNF-α. Plasma TNF-α was significantly lower on Day 5 at 1 h (3.2 pg·ml(-1)±0.6 vs. 4.5 pg·ml(-1)±0.8; P=0.01) and 3 h (3.6 pg·ml(-1)±0.8 vs. 4.8 pg·ml(-1)±0.9; P=0.05) post-exercise as compared to Day 1. Findings indicate that adaptations to exercise in the heat resulting in reductions of intestinal damage and plasma LPS activity require longer time periods in moderately trained males.
Caregiver Reports: A Systematic Method of Comparison with Clinical Impressions

We describe one method for comparing clinician and caregiver perspectives on dementia patients, avoiding classifying perspective either as correct (a “gold standard”). Sixty-two individuals (31 patients with formal diagnoses of dementia and each patient's primary caregiver) served as study participants. Caregivers completed questionnaires about their perceived caregiver burden, their mood state and various aspects of patients' functioning. For comparison purposes, both clinicians and caregivers completed ratings and rankings of dementia-related problems in 4 domains of functioning. A majority of clinician-caregiver comparisons were incongruent, predominately for patients with a moderate degree of dementia. Overall caregiver burden (r = .63, p < .05) and care-giver mood state (F(1,29) = 7.14, p < .05) were both significantly related to clinician-caregiver incongruence.
Radiation Dose Reduction in CT-Guided Spine Biopsies Does Not Reduce Diagnostic Yield

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: CT-guided biopsy is the most commonly used method to obtain tissue for diagnosis in suspected cases of malignancy involving the spine. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that a low-dose CT-guided spine biopsy protocol is as effective in tissue sampling as a regular-dose protocol, without adversely affecting procedural time or complication rates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent CT-guided spine procedures at our institution between May 2010 and October 2013. Biopsy duration, total number of scans, total volume CT dose index, total dose-length product, and diagnostic tissue yield of low-dose and regular-dose groups were compared. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients were included, of whom 31 underwent low-dose and 33 regular-dose spine biopsies. There was a statistically significant difference in total volume CT dose index and total dose-length product between the low-dose and regular-dose groups ( P P = .3385), duration of procedure ( P = .149), or diagnostic tissue yield ( P = .6017). CONCLUSIONS: Use of a low-dose CT-guided spine biopsy protocol is a practical alternative to regular-dose approaches, maintaining overall quality and efficiency at reduced ionizing radiation dose.
Development and Testing of a Virtual Flow Meter Tool to Monitor the Performance of Cooling Plants

Abstract This paper introduces a graphical user interface (GUI) for a virtual flow meter (VFM) Tool that estimates the chilled and condenser water mass flow rates through the evaporator and condenser, respectively, of a chiller. The quasi steady-state thermodynamic mathematical model uses six different scenarios of available sensors, which could be available in a building automation system (BAS) to facilitate the use of the model for a large portion of the building stock. The developed model can be used for reciprocating and centrifugal chillers. A case study from an institutional building is used to demonstrate the use of the VFM Tool during the summer months of 2014. The VFM Tool was able to estimate the chilled and condenser water mass flow rate s with a coefficient of variance of the root mean squared error (CV(RMSE)) ranging from 4.9% to 13.4% and the normal mean bias error (NMBE) ranging from -12.2% to -1.4%, depending on the number of sensors available.
Phosphorylation of β-Tubulin by the Down Syndrome Kinase, Minibrain/DYRK1a, Regulates Microtubule Dynamics and Dendrite Morphogenesis

Dendritic arborization patterns are consistent anatomical correlates of genetic disorders such as Down syndrome (DS) and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). In a screen for abnormal dendrite development, we identified Minibrain (MNB)/DYRK1a, a kinase implicated in DS and ASDs, as a regulator of the microtubule cytoskeleton. We show that MNB is necessary to establish the length and cytoskeletal composition of terminal dendrites by controlling microtubule growth. Altering MNB levels disrupts dendrite morphology and perturbs neuronal electrophysiological activity, resulting in larval mechanosensation defects. Using in vivo and in vitro approaches, we uncover a molecular pathway whereby direct phosphorylation of β-tubulin by MNB inhibits tubulin polymerization, a function that is conserved for mammalian DYRK1a. Our results demonstrate that phosphoregulation of microtubule dynamics by MNB/DYRK1a is critical for dendritic patterning and neuronal function, revealing a previously unidentified mode of posttranslational microtubule regulation in neurons and uncovering a conserved pathway for a DS- and ASD-associated kinase.
Validation of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being-expanded (FACIT-Sp-Ex) across English and Spanish-speaking Hispanics/Latinos: Results from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study.

The validity of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-Sp) has been examined in primarily non-Hispanics/Latinos with chronic illness. This study assessed the psychometric properties of the non-illness, expanded FACIT-Sp (FACIT-Sp-Ex) in 5,163 U.S. Hispanic/Latino adults. Measures were interviewer-administered in English or Spanish. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated four factors: Meaning, Peace, Faith, and Relational. The scale demonstrated measurement invariance across English and Spanish. Subscales displayed adequate internal and test-retest reliability. Scores were positively associated with Duke Religion Index (DUREL) subscales. When all subscales were entered in a single model, Meaning and Peace were inversely associated with depressive symptoms and positively associated with HRQOL. Faith was positively associated with depressive symptoms and inversely associated with HRQOL. Relational was not associated with any outcome. FACIT-Sp-Ex subscales were generally more strongly associated than DUREL subscales with well-being. The FACIT-Sp-Ex appears to be a valid measure of spiritual well-being in U.S. Hispanics/Latinos.
Biogeophysical Feedbacks Between Land Cover and Climate

The various vegetated biomes of the world affect climate through exchanges of energy, water, and momentum with the atmosphere. By altering net radiation, sensible heat, latent heat, and the hydrologic cycle, changes in land cover from one biome type to another, either through natural vegetation dynamics or human uses of land, can alter climate. Clearing of natural vegetation for agricultural uses is one means by which climate changes. Tropical deforestation and overgrazing of tropical grasslands warm climate, primarily through a strong reduction in evapotranspiration that offsets a moderate increase in surface albedo. Temperate deforestation cools climate, primarily through a moderate increase in albedo and a moderate increase in evapotranspiration. Boreal deforestation cools climate through a strong increase in surface albedo. The land surface models used with climate models are being further developed to include natural and human changes in land cover and their effects on climate.
Learning Outcomes of Study-Abroad Programs: A Meta-Analysis

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development estimates that close to 5 million higher-education students will be attending school abroad in 2014. Understanding the learning outcomes of these investments is an imperative. In this study, we meta-analyzed 39 studies published between 1996 and 2014 that explore learning outcomes from studying abroad. Following research trends, we concentrated on three broad areas of learning: cognitive, affective, and personal development. For research purposes, we further sub-divided affective learning into attitudinal and behavioral developments. Results indicate positive gains in all four areas (cognitive d = 0.856; attitudinal d = 1.159; behavioral d = 0.566; and personal d = 0.717) with none of their 95 % confidence intervals including zero values. We also found that destination is a significant moderator of learning (p < .05.) However, results failed to support the notion that time of sojourn impacts learning outcomes. We discuss results in light of the us...
Optimal control of indoor-air cooling in buildings using a reduced order model

Abstract In this work, we use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to generate the distributed dynamic responses of temperature and moisture in a restaurant that correspond to perturbations of input variables. The CFD model is validated with experimental data of the roof top units return temperatures. A Reduced Order Model (ROM) is developed by approximating the responses to these perturbations using a linear time-invariant model. The resulting indoor-air model is coupled to a dynamic envelope model with longer time scales. Assuming the outside temperature distribution and the occupants' loads are known throughout the day, optimal control is applied to our coupled model to minimize the cooling power subject to local and global comfort constraints. The results show that the applied method is more efficient and comfortable than the results given by the experimentally measured response of a conventional set-point control strategy.
My Identical Twin Sequenced our Genome

With rapidly declining costs, whole genome sequencing is becoming feasible for widespread use. Although cost-effectiveness is driving increased use of the technology, comprehensive recommendations on how to handle ethical dilemmas have yet to reach a consensus. In this article, Sam shares her experience of undergoing whole genome sequencing. Despite the deeply private nature of the test, the results do not solely belong to Sam; her identical twin sister, Arielle, shares virtually the same genome and received results without a formal consent process. This article explores their parallel experiences as a way of highlighting the controversial ethics of a private test with familial implications.
Socio-scientific Issues for Scientific Literacy – The Evolution of an Environmental Education Program with a Focus on Birds

Students can relate with birds in a variety of contexts, from casual observations of birds in the schoolyard to keeping birds as pets or engaging in bird identification. In this chapter, we describe the evolution of an environmental education program for high school students that has used ornithology as an organizing theme. A central component of the program is student participation in a bird banding research program. Initially, the program adopted a relatively simple citizen science model: students collected data on birds, following protocols provided by ornithology researchers, and then submitted their findings to a national database. An early modification to the program was the addition of water quality monitoring at the site of the avian field research. The latest innovations involve incorporating citizen science activities related to birds and water within a broader socio-scientific issues (SSI) approach. This chapter will describe and document ways in which this shift from stand-alone citizen science projects to a coherently framed SSI-based learning experience enhanced the extent to which the program met its ultimate goals for student learning including development of scientific literacy in a derived and progressive sense.
Safety Planning for Children of Undocumented Parents

Safety planning for children of undocumented parents is an increasingly specialized and necessary tool for the child's lawyer. This article flags legal areas of concern for practitioners to help them better protect their child clients in the event their parents are detained and/or deported.
Diagnosing assumption problems in safety-critical products

Problems with the correctness and completeness of environmental assumptions contribute to many accidents in safety-critical systems. The problem is exacerbated when products are modified in new releases or in new products of a product line. In such cases existing sets of environmental assumptions are often carried forward without sufficiently rigorous analysis. This paper describes a new technique that exploits the traceability required by many certifying bodies to reason about the likelihood that environmental assumptions are omitted or incorrectly retained in new products. An analysis of over 150 examples of environmental assumptions in historical systems informs the approach. In an evaluation on three safety-related product lines the approach caught all but one of the assumption-related problems. It also provided clearly defined steps for mitigating the identified issues. The contribution of the work is to arm the safety analyst with useful information for assessing the validity of environmental assumptions for a new product.
Runway detection using unsupervised classification

Recent advances in the field of remote sensing technology have opened new prospects and impelled the way of analyzing images from remote sensing satellites to detect or identify an object, or a place which is selected as area of interest. The detection of airport becomes a motivating topic recently because of its applications and importance in military and civil aviation fields. This paper presents an approach for airport detection using remote sensing images by implementing conventional K-means unsupervised classification and implementing unsupervised classification based on decomposed polarimetric features that includes Entropy (H), Anisotropy (A), and Alpha angle (α). The obtained preliminary results reveal that classification based on decomposed polarimetric features provided better results than the conventional unsupervised classification for the detection of target. In this work, the effectiveness of the algorithms was demonstrated using quadpolarimetric L-band Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (polSAR) imagery from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL's) Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR). The study area is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, LA, USA.
Alpine plants show species-level differences in the uptake of organic and inorganic nitrogen

As an estimate of species-level differences in the capacity to take up different forms of N, we measured plant uptake of 15N-NH4+, 15N-NO3− and 15N, [1]-13C glycine within a set of herbaceous species collected from three alpine community types. Plants grown from cuttings in the greenhouse showed similar growth responses to the three forms of N but varied in the capacity to take up NH4+, NO3− and glycine. Glycine uptake ranged from approximately 42% to greater than 100% of NH4+ uptake; however, four out of nine species showed significantly greater uptake of either NH4+ or NO3− than of glycine. Relative concentrations of exchangeable N at the sites of plant collection did not correspond with patterns of N uptake among species; instead, species from the same community varied widely in the capacity to take up NH4+, NO3−, and glycine, suggesting the potential for differentiation among species in resource (N) use.
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of accelerated fracture healing by COX2 gene therapy: studies in a mouse model of multiple fractures.

article i nfo This study sought to determine the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) gene therapy to accelerate fracture repair in a mouse multiple tibial fractures model. The lenti-COX2 (or lenti-gfp control vector) was injected into fractures on day 1 post-fracture. At days 3-7, the COX2 treatment increased Sdf1-, Cxcr4-, Nes-, and Podxl-expressing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) within fracture calluses, suggesting an enhanced MSC recruitment or expansion. The COX2-treated mice formed smaller cartilaginous calluses that had less cartilage tissues than control mice. The expression of Sox9 mRNA was 7-fold less in COX2-treated than in control calluses at day 14, implying that COX2 reduces chondrocytic differentiation of MSCs. The therapy also enhanced angiogenesis as reflected by increased immunostaining of CD31, vWF, and α-SMA over controls in the cartilaginous callus at day 14-21. At which time, the COX2 gene therapy pro- moted bony remodeling of the cartilaginous callus to bridge the fracture gap that was accompanied by 2-fold increase in osteoclasts along the surface of the woven bone and an onset of osteogenesis. Blocking angiogen- esis with daily injection of endostatin from day 4 to day 10 into fracture sites blocked the COX2-mediated re- duction of callus size that was associated with an increase in hypertrophic chondrocytes and concomitant reduction in osteoclasts. In conclusion, COX2 accelerates fracture healing in part through three biological actions: 1) increased recruitment/expansion of MSCs; 2) decreased cartilaginous callus formation; and 3) increased angiogenesis-dependent cartilage remodeling. These effects were associated with an earlier onset of bony bridg- ing of the fracture gap.
Proline transport by rabbit ciliary body-iris in vitro.

The rabbit ciliary body-iris preparation in vitro shows concentrative uptake of li> C-proline which is resistant to anoxia and to cyanide; inhibited by ouabain; and abolished in the absence of external sodium or by cold (0° C). It has a Q,o (27 to 37° C.) of 1.7. Uptake is decreased by preloading with unlabeled proline. Exchange diffusion of the accelerative type is demonstrable during efflux of 1J >C-proline. Inhibitory effects of other neutral amino acids in this tissue differ from effects in rabbit choroid plexus and optic nerve. In the ciliary bodyiris preparation the neutral amino acids do not divide themselves into a high-affinity group, the imino acids, and a group with lesser affinity. Neither arginine nor aspartic acid inhibits the uptake of 1J >C-proline. Saturable proline uptake is nearly completely inhibited by 50 mM N-methylalanine. Thus, proline is concentrated in the ciliary body-iris preparation by a mobile carrier system largely of the Ehrlich cell A type. Alanine uptake is only partly inhibited by N-methylalanine, and the residual saturable uptake is only partly sodium dependent. The ciliary body-iris preparation, therefore, transports alanine by three carrier systems like those described in the Ehrlich cell as the A, the ASC, and the L mediations. The functional role of these carrier systems is discussed.
Experimental Research in HCI

In Experiments, researchers set up comparable situations in which they carefully manipulate variables and collect people’s behavior in each condition. Experiments are very effective in determining causation in controlled situations and complement techniques that investigate ongoing behavior in more natural settings. For example, experiments are excellent for determining whether increased audio quality reduces blood pressure of participants in a video conference, and can add important insights to the larger question of when people choose video conferences over audio-only ones.
Experimental Study of Elastic Constants of a Dense Foam with Weak Cosserat Coupling

A dense closed cell foam is studied to determine which continuum theory of elasticity is applicable. Size effects inconsistent with classical elasticity are observed. The material exhibits a characteristic length scale considerably larger, by more than a factor 6, than the largest observable structure size. The Cosserat coupling number $N$ is shown to be small, via measurements of size effects in square section bars, comparison with size effects in round section bars, and determination of warp of a square section bar in torsion. For this material, the couple stress theory is excluded and the modified couple stress theory is excluded. Theories that force constants to their thermodynamic limits do not apply to this foam. The role of other generalized continuum theories is considered.