cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Southeast Asian Studies In The United States After Vietnam

In the past five or six years crisis has settled upon Southeast Asian studies in the United States, and among those close to the field professionally it is common to blame the Vietnam conflict and related post-war mentality, the so-called ‘Vietnam syndrome’, for this unhappy circumstance. Thegeneral atmosphere in the United States at the present time makes it difficult to conclude otherwise. We live, on theonehand, ina time of forgetting, when small-town mayors remark, ‘Vietnam? I can't think of anything that concerns me less,’ and profes-sors speak bookishly butnota great deal more eloquently of ‘premeditated amnesia.’ On the other hand, we also come into daily contact with what in large part arethelong-term results of ourVietnam involvement: a highly inflationary economy, confusion in foreign affairs, lingering social and political malaise, and a controversial refugee policy. Little wonder that the vast majority of Americans, for whom the words ‘Southeast Asia’ have come to mean simply Vietnam and possibly Cambodia, prefer to ignore the entire region as much as possible and fortherest seek solace ina feweasy myths and characterizations.
Phospholipase C Signaling via the Parathyroid Hormone (PTH)/PTH-Related Peptide Receptor Is Essential for Normal Bone Responses to PTH

We have previously shown that differentiation of hypertrophic chondrocytes is delayed in mice expressing a mutated PTH/PTHrP receptor (PTHR) (called DSEL here) that stimulates adenylyl cyclase normally but fails to activate phospholipase C (PLC). To better understand the role of PLC signaling via the PTHR in skeletal and mineral homeostasis, we examined these mice fed a normal or calcium-deficient diet. On a standard diet, DSEL mice displayed a modest decrease in bone mass. Remarkably, when fed a low-calcium diet or infused with PTH, DSEL mice exhibited strikingly curtailed peritrabecular stromal cell responses and attenuated new bone formation when compared with Wt mice. Attenuated in vitro colony formation was also observed in bone marrow cells derived from DSEL mice fed a low-calcium diet. Furthermore, PTH stimulated proliferation and increased mRNAs encoding cyclin D1 in primary osteoblasts derived from Wt but not from DSEL mice. Our data indicate that PLC signaling through the PTHR is required for skeletal homeostasis.
Spectrally Compliant Waveforms for UWB Radio with an Auto-Correlation Criterion

A key feature of ultra wideband (UWB) communications is the high degree of multipath diversity in the channel. Although pulse shaping has been traditionally used to limit out of band emissions of the power spectrum, we show in this paper that the shape of the transmit monocycle can be leveraged to enhance the utilization of the available multipath diversity. In particular, we consider the IEEE 802.15.3a channel model with Rake receivers, where due to the large channel bandwidth, separation between the multipath components (MPCs) is extremely small. Thus, interference among the signal echoes is observed, with the result that the Rake outputs are correlated. It is shown that a monocycle with a narrow auto-correlation function (ACF) can mitigate the effect of self interference, and thus enhance the receiver performance. We also present new monocycles that carry a high energy content within the FCC spectral mask and possess narrow and rapidly decaying ACFs. While the high energy content enhances the signal to additive-noise ratio, the narrow ACF property maximizes energy-capture by the Rake receiver. Numerical results verify the performance gains accrued by employing these monocycles.
Culturing Crappies in Indoor Water Recirculating Aquaculture Systems

AbstractFour experiments with feed-trained crappies Pomoxis spp. were conducted to enhance the knowledge of growing crappies as food fish. Two experiments compared growth performance of juvenile Black Crappies P. nigromaculatus and White Crappies P. annularis (1) between fish that were fed two locally available commercial feeds or (2) among fish reared at densities of 0.81, 1.62, 3.25, and 6.50 g/L. No significant difference in growth performance between species was detected. Performance was significantly affected by commercial feed, but survival and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were not. An inverse relationship existed between density and growth variables except final biomass, which had a direct relationship with density; survival rate was not different among density levels. For the third experiment, Black Crappie growth in light-blue control tanks was compared with growth in environmentally enhanced tanks (150 L) that had top cover structure (TCS), bottom dark coloring (BDC), or a combination of both. Fi...
Probing gas-phase dynamics with picosecond transient grating spectroscopy

Abstract The application of the transient grating method to the understanding of gas-phase velocity distributions and collisional effects is presented. Theoretical models are discussed in view of the experimental data obtained from iodine vapor. Applications of the transient grating method to other gas-phase problems are also mentioned.
Amino acid ingestion improves muscle protein synthesis in the young and elderly

We recently demonstrated that muscle protein synthesis was stimulated to a similar extent in young and elderly subjects during a 3-h amino acid infusion. We sought to determine if a more practical ...
Portal hypertension: a review of portosystemic collateral pathways and endovascular interventions

The portal vein is formed at the confluence of the splenic and superior mesenteric vein behind the head of the pancreas. Normal blood pressure within the portal system varies between 5 and 10 mmHg. Portal hypertension is defined when the gradient between the portal and systemic venous blood pressure exceeds 5 mmHg. The most common cause of portal hypertension is cirrhosis. In cirrhosis, portal hypertension develops due to extensive fibrosis within the liver parenchyma causing increased vascular resistance. In addition, the inability of the liver to metabolise certain vasodilators leads to hyperdynamic splanchnic circulation resulting in increased portal blood flow. Decompression of the portal pressure is achieved by formation of portosystemic collaterals. In this review, we will discuss the pathophysiology, anatomy, and imaging findings of spontaneous portosystemic collaterals and clinical manifestations of portal hypertension with emphasis on the role of interventional radiology in the management of complications related to portal hypertension.
Flies dynamically anti-track, rather than ballistically escape, aversive odor during flight

Tracking distant odor sources is crucial to foraging, courtship and reproductive success for many animals including fish, flies and birds. Upon encountering a chemical plume in flight, Drosophila melanogaster integrates the spatial intensity gradient and temporal fluctuations over the two antennae, while simultaneously reducing the amplitude and frequency of rapid steering maneuvers, stabilizing the flight vector. There are infinite escape vectors away from a noxious source, in contrast to a single best tracking vector towards an attractive source. Attractive and aversive odors are segregated into parallel neuronal pathways in flies; therefore, the behavioral algorithms for avoidance may be categorically different from tracking. Do flies plot random ballistic or otherwise variable escape vectors? Or do they instead make use of temporally dynamic mechanisms for continuously and directly avoiding noxious odors in a manner similar to tracking appetitive ones? We examine this question using a magnetic tether flight simulator that permits free yaw movements, such that flies can actively orient within spatially defined odor plumes. We show that in-flight aversive flight behavior shares all of the key features of attraction such that flies continuously 'anti-track' the noxious source.
Cardiopoietic programming of embryonic stem cells for tumor-free heart repair

Embryonic stem cells have the distinct potential for tissue regeneration, including cardiac repair. Their propensity for multilineage differentiation carries, however, the liability of neoplastic growth, impeding therapeutic application. Here, the tumorigenic threat associated with embryonic stem cell transplantation was suppressed by cardiac-restricted transgenic expression of the reprogramming cytokine TNF-α, enhancing the cardiogenic competence of recipient heart. The in vivo aptitude of TNF-α to promote cardiac differentiation was recapitulated in embryoid bodies in vitro. The procardiogenic action required an intact endoderm and was mediated by secreted cardio-inductive signals. Resolved TNF-α–induced endoderm-derived factors, combined in a cocktail, secured guided differentiation of embryonic stem cells in monolayers produce cardiac progenitors termed cardiopoietic cells. Characterized by a down-regulation of oncogenic markers, up-regulation, and nuclear translocation of cardiac transcription factors, this predetermined population yielded functional cardiomyocyte progeny. Recruited cardiopoietic cells delivered in infarcted hearts generated cardiomyocytes that proliferated into scar tissue, integrating with host myocardium for tumor-free repair. Thus, cardiopoietic programming establishes a strategy to hone stem cell pluripotency, offering a tumor-resistant approach for regeneration.
Learning About Systems-Based Practice in the Informal Curriculum: A Case Study in an Academic Pediatric Continuity Clinic

Objective Pediatric residents learn about systems-based practice (SBP) explicitly in the formal curriculum and implicitly in the informal curriculum as they engage in practice alongside physician faculty. Recent studies describe innovative ways to address SBP in the formal curriculum for SBP, but the informal curriculum has not been explored. We examined what, and how, third-year pediatric residents learn about SBP in the informal curriculum at one continuity clinic, and to consider how this learning aligns with the formal curriculum. Methods A case study involving 10 third-year pediatric residents and 10 continuity preceptors was conducted at one continuity clinic, housed in a community-based, pediatric primary care center. Data were derived from 5 months (100 hours) of direct observation in the precepting room at the case clinic, semistructured interviews with residents (before and after observation) and with preceptors (after observation). Interview transcripts and notes from observation were inductively coded and analyzed for major themes. Results Two themes emerged in the informal curriculum. Residents perceived "our system," the academic health system in which they trained and practiced as separate and distinct from the "real system," the larger, societal context of health care. Residents also understood SBP as a commitment to helping individual patients and families navigate the complexities of "our system," dealing with issues that concerned them. Conclusions Residents learn important lessons about SBP in the informal curriculum in continuity clinic. These lessons may reinforce some elements of the competency-based formal curriculum for SBP, but challenge others.
Focused fluid flow along faults in the Monterey Formation, coastal California

Fluid flow in fractured siliceous mudstone of the Miocene Monterey Formation of California is inferred to be highly focused toward map-scale faults that locally contain extensive amounts of carbonate and minor silica cement. The distance of cross-stratigraphic flow, as inferred based on the strontium isotopic composition of carbonate fault cement, is close to the thickness of the Monterey Formation of 700 m in one of two study locations, Jalama Beach, and less than the formation thickness at another location, Arroyo Burro Beach. Fluid is thus derived from within the Monterey Formation rather than from underlying older units. Based on mass-balance estimates of the fluid volume required for fault cementation at Jalama Beach, the minimum distance of formation-parallel flow into the fault zone is 4 km and possibly >12 km. The inferred distance of flow parallel to the formation into this fault thus exceeds the distance of cross-formational upward flow along the fault by at least a factor of six. The mass-balance estimate requires that fluid flow along the fault is channeled into a pipe-shaped conduit rather than distributed along fault strike. Fluid flow from the surrounding formation into fault pipes is inferred to follow a radial rather than uni- or bilateral flow symmetry, using bedding-confined sets of extension fractures and stratabound breccia bodies. Radial fluid flow toward fault pipes requires fairly isotropic fracture permeability for flow along bedding and a low permeability across bedding. The inferred flow geometry illustrates the combined effect of fault permeability structure, permeability anisotropy of the surrounding formation, and hydraulic head distribution in controlling basinal fluid flow in faulted sequences.
Treating Adolescent Obesity Long-range Evaluation of Previous Therapy

In a follow-up study of 65 obese adolescents, 19 had achieved a non obese status while 46 remained obese. Twelve adolescents maintained the weight loss initiated during clinic attendance. Obese adolescents given dietary instruction and placed on a diet were more successful at losing and maintaining their lower weight than those treated with a nondietary approach. Although nine adolescents lost weight who had not received a diet, only two maintained this weight loss and none achieved a nonobese status. Group treatment did not ap pear to produce better long-term results than individual treatment.
Effect of vascular seal configuration using the LigaSure on arterial challenge pressure, time for seal creation, and histologic features.

Objective To determine the effectiveness of a vascular sealing technology on canine carotid arteries using various seal configurations to achieve maximal vessel security. Study Design Ex-vivo study. Animals Dogs (n = 20). Methods Carotid arteries (n = 40) were removed from the mid-cervical region of recently euthanatized dogs. Harvested vessels were closed with 2 circumferential ligatures (Group 1) or a vascular sealing device using 1 of 4 seal configurations of 1 or 2 seals combined with 1 or 2 machine activations/seal. The artery was instrumented to measure intraluminal pressure to evaluate the security of each seal during saline infusion. Maximum intraluminal pressure was recorded for each group, and time for application of each sealing protocol was compared using 1-way ANOVA and Tukey's test for multiple comparisons. Histologic features of the sealing protocols were evaluated. Results Arterial closures for each group were effective in preventing leakage up to 300 mmHg. There was no significant difference in maximum intraluminal pressure between any group. A significant difference (P ≤ .001) was observed for time to seal creation between the groups using 1 and 2 seals. Histologic evaluation showed no differences between the different sealing protocols. Conclusion Vessel sealing using a single seal created with a single activation cycle was adequate for sealing canine carotid arteries. Histologic examination did not demonstrate any disadvantages to multiple seals or multiple cycle activations.
All Together Now: When Dissociations Between Knowledge and Action Disappear

Why do people sometimes seem to know things but fail to act appropriately on the basis of this knowledge? Such dissociations between knowledge and action often occur in infants and children, and in adults following brain damage. These dissociations have supported inferences about the organization of cognitive processes (e.g., separable knowledge and action systems) and their development (e.g., knowledge systems develop before action systems). The current study tested the basis for knowledge-action dissociations in a card-sorting task in which children typically correctly answer questions about sorting rules while sorting cards incorrectly. When questions and sorting measures were more closely equated for the amount of conflict that needed to be resolved for a correct response, children showed no systematic dissociation between knowledge and action. The results challenge standard interpretations of knowledge-action dissociations and support an alternative account based on graded knowledge representations.
Cross-Cultural Guidelines in Family Therapy Practice:

This article provides a description offour cross-cultural issues and specific guidelines for dealing with these issues during the family therapy process with families from the African American, Ame...
A kinematic relationship in the field of motion in storms

In this paper a method is suggested for estimating the direction of the basic flow field in the presence of a disturbance in that field. It is reasonable to consider, as a disturbance entity, the pair of singularities consisting of a cyclonic point, cyclonic indraft point, and so forth, and the accompanying hyperbolic point. In most cases for young disturbances a valid estimate of the direction of the embedding current is 180° apart from the value of the isogon directly joining the two singular points of such a disturbance. It is possible to recognize from the map whether or not this rule should apply.
Clinical germline genetic testing for melanoma.

Summary Clinical genetic testing for mutations in CDKN2A (cyclindependent kinase inhibitor 2A), a melanoma susceptibility gene, is now available. The International Melanoma Genetics Consortium advocates that genetic testing for CDKN2A should be done only as part of a research protocol Experience with genetic testing for other cancersusceptibility genes indicates that CDKN2A testing has enormous potential for the prevention and detection of a deadly disease. However, clinicians need to understand the benefits and shortcomings of clinical CDKN2A testing so that it can be used advantageously. Here, we examine whether CDKN2A meets the recommendations of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for cancersusceptibility genetic testing. Although genetic testing for hereditary melanoma should, whenever possible, occur within research protocols, it might be successfully done outside of research protocols if attention is paid to selection, education, and counselling needs of patients; valid test interpretation; and the changing of medical management in appropriate individuals.
Synthesis and Structural Characterization of a Novel Indium Mercapto Derivative [clln(sch2(co)o)2]2-[(4-mepyh)2]2+

The synthesis and structural characterization of a novel In(III) complex is described. The reaction between InCl3 with sodium mercapto-acetic acid, (NaSCH2(CO)OH) in 4-methylpyridine, (CH3(C5H5N), (4-Mepy)) at 25 C affords [ClIn(SCH2(CO)O)2]2- [(4-MepyH)2]2+. X-ray diffraction studies show it to have a distorted square pyramidal geometry, with the [(-SCH2(CO)CO-)] ligands in a trans conformation. The compound crystallizes in the P(raised dash) 1 (No. 2) space group with a = 7.8624 Angstrom, b = 9.950 Angstrom, c = 13.793 Angstrom, alpha = 107.60 degrees, beta= 90.336 degrees, gamma = 98.983 degrees, V = 1014.3 Angstroms (sup 3), R(F(raised circle)) = 0.037, and R(sub w) = 0.048.
Carcinoma of the gallbladder.

Summary 1.Carcinoma of the gallbladder is not a rare disease. Cholelithiasis and cholecystitis are common antecedents, and one to ten per cent of this category may have biliary cancer depending upon the decade of life. 2.The concept of "silent stone" should receive no lenient interpretation in the individual patient, regardless of age. The complications of calculi in the biliary tract are well known. The added threat of malignancy, especially in the seventh decade, is too significant to overlook. 3.When a preoperative diagnosis of biliary carcinoma is possible by present day studies, it is beyond surgical resection or palliation. This represents the textbook picture of cancer of the gallbladder, usually a "too late" clinical picture: jaundice, mass, hepatomegaly, marked weight loss and marked anemia. 4.Our study indicates that a high index of suspicion and a careful evaluation of gallbladder patients may help reduce the mortality. We would consider the following syndrome suggestive of cancer of the gallbladder: cholelithiasis, sixth decade or older and any history of dyspepsia. The first indications of weight loss, anemia, icterus and change in status of well being or physical fitness should be judged gravely in any patient with cholelithiasis.
Monitoring sources of event memories: A cross-linguistic investigation

When monitoring the origins of their memories, people tend to mistakenly attribute memories generated from internal processes (e.g., imagination, visualization) to perception. Here, we ask whether speaking a language that obligatorily encodes the source of information might help prevent such errors. We compare speakers of English to speakers of Turkish, a language that obligatorily encodes information source (direct/perceptual vs. indirect/hearsay or inference) for past events. In our experiments, participants reported having seen events that they had only inferred from post-event visual evidence. In general, error rates were higher when visual evidence that gave rise to inferences was relatively close to direct visual evidence. Furthermore, errors persisted even when participants were asked to report the specific sources of their memories. Crucially, these error patterns were equivalent across language groups, suggesting that speaking a language that obligatorily encodes source of information does not increase sensitivity to the distinction between perception and inference in event memory.
SEED OSMOCONDITIONING: PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES

Osmotic seed treatment is an effective physiological method for improving seed performance, and is of particular significance in increasing the agricultural productivity of a number of crop plants. The various requirements necessary for the successful osmo-conditioning of different species are discussed, as are the biochemical changes associated with it.
Association between adiposity and cognitive function in young men: Hormonal mechanisms.

Objective To determine the association between adiposity, hormones, and cognition in young men with abdominal obesity. Methods In this cross-sectional observational study, 53 nondiabetic men with abdominal obesity (mean body mass index, 37.3 kg/m2; age, 22-45 years) and normal intelligence underwent detailed measures of body composition, hormonal profiles, and cognition. Age- and education-adjusted performance in five cognitive domains was examined. Results Total fat percentage was negatively associated with visuospatial skills (P = 0.002) and visual memory (P = 0.012). Insulin resistance (homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance) was also negatively associated with these domains (P = 0.05 and trend, P = 0.06, respectively). Total testosterone levels were negatively associated with executive function and verbal learning and memory (P = 0.04 for each), but free testosterone was not. Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) was also inversely associated with performance in these domains (P = 0.015 and trend, P = 0.09, respectively). In a stepwise regression model including percentage fat, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, SHBG, and free testosterone, SHBG was the only variable selected for executive function (P = 0.05) and showed a trend for verbal learning and memory (P = 0.09). Conclusions Adiposity and insulin resistance were associated with worse function in visual domains. An unexpected negative association is reported between SHBG and cognitive measures, which seemed to be independent of free testosterone levels.
The University Library and the Problem of Knowledge

The problem of knowledge, on the broadest level, is that the scope, specialization, and cross-disciplinarity of the research enterprise have long so-passed any overarching framework. The key question, on the campus level, is whether the development of research collections by the library is aligned with the university's strategic aims and overall institutional development. A straightforward (though uncommon) way to make the university/library relationship more effective in this regard is for the library to have a meaningful role in the academic program review process. This essay describes such a role, singling out the particular situation of some 40 predominately undergraduate institutions that have been reclassified as research-level in the Carnegie scheme. As a rule, when a university's institutional identity or ambition outstrips its library's capability, collection development is bound to become a campuswide concern.
Growth Profile of Crown Gall Cells of Tobacco in Suspension Culture

In order to obtain a basic information of plant cell suspension culture as a step toward the development of large scale culture, culture conditions of crown gall cells (auxin non-requiring cells) were investigated. Addition of yeast extract to culture medium was significantly effective for the growth and cell dispersion.In experiments on the ability of the cultured cells to utilize sugars as the carbon source, it was observed that galactose, added to the culture medium, markedly inhibited the cell growth.Pasteurization of the medium containing fructose as carbon source made it brownish by Maillard reaction and the medium apparently restrained the cell growth. However, the fructose medium sterilized by filtration was excellent for the cell growth as well as sucrose or glucose medium. In a jar fermentor, even the glucose medium became brownish by heat sterilization and the brown colored medium restrained the cell growth. Under optimum conditions, the doubling time was 1.1 day in exponential phase and 2.0 g ...
Effect of Turbulence Structure on Broadband Fan Noise

The effects of turbulence energy spectra on fan broadband noise are examined. The acoustic power density (APD) spectra scattered from the fan are calculated using our recently developed code BB3D. A parallelization scheme based on the master-slave paradigm is implemented on BB3D to reduce computational time. We use the geometry and inflow conditions of NASA STD low-count fan stator. The effects of the popular Liepmann, von Karman and Gaussian isotropic turbulence energy models are analyzed. The difference between the Liepmann and von Karman models on the APD is much smaller than that indicated by the turbulence energy models, particularly at higher fan-relevant frequencies. The Gaussian model yields markedly different APD spectra. At low and moderate frequencies, reducing the turbulence integral length scale strongly reduces the APD level. At higher frequencies, however, larger turbulence length scales yield slightly lower APD level. At higher Mach number the effect of reducing the turbulence length scales is even stronger at low frequencies but much reduced at higher frequencies. Finally, the effect of increasing the Mach number is strongly frequency-dependent. It generally increases the APD level, however, this increase is much stronger at high frequency. This suggests that fan broadband noise has no simple dependence on the Mach number.
Reduction of post-surgical scarring with the use of ablative fractional CO2 lasers: A pilot study using a porcine model.

Background and Objective Wound healing inevitably leads to scarring, which leads to functional and cosmetic defects. It is the goal of this study to investigate the immediate use of ablative fractional CO2 lasers to reduce post-operative scarring secondary to surgical wounds. Study Design/Materials and Methods In this prospective controlled study, 20 surgical incisions were created on each of three pigs. Fifteen of the incisions were treated with an ablative fractional CO2 laser at one of three laser settings. The remaining five incisions served as a control. Punch biopsies were taken post-operatively over time. Digital photographs were taken of each incisional scar at each time period. Blinded evaluators used a previously verified scoring system to score photographs of the incisional scars taken at the 6 month time period. Results With regards to the comparison between the three individual laser treatment groups and the control, there were no statistically significant effects for treatment (P = 0.40), time (P = 0.48), or for the interaction of time and treatment (P = 0.57). With regards to the visual assessment tool, there were no statistically significant differences between treatments for Overall Appearance (P = 0.21) or for Total Score (P = 0.24). Conclusions In the limited setting of this pilot study, treatment of surgical incisions with ablative fractional CO2 lasers does not significantly lessen scar formation. In addition, photographic analysis was not able to demonstrate a significant difference. Future studies on this topic will need a larger sample size to better answer whether a statistically significant difference may exist. Lasers Surg. Med. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Study on genetic diagnosis of human glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency by reverse transcriptase-PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis

Objective To investigate the feasibility of genetic diagnosis of human glucose-6- phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency by reverse transcriptase-PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (RT-PCR-DGGE).Methods Grouped by the routine method named NBT G6PD/6PGD ratio,three groups [G6PD-deficiency group(60 cases),uncertainty group(51 cases)and G6PD-normal group(100 cases)]of samples were collected.Total RNAs of peripheral blood were prepared and reverse-transcripted into cDNA; For 17 mutation sites of G6PD cDNA described in the Chinese population,6 pairs of primer for DGGE were designed,mutations in the coding region of G6PD gene were screened and genotyped by combination of PCR- DGGE and DNA sequencing.Results Nine kinds of site mutation(A95G,G392T,TS17C,G871A,C1024T, C1360T,G1376T,G1388A and a novel site)were detected.The detection rate of site mutation in G6PD- deficiency group,uncertainty group and G6PD-normal group were 88.3%,77.3% and 14.0%, respectively.Conclusions Mutation detection rate of method RT-PCR-DGGE for G6PD-deficiency group and uncertainty group is very high.High detection rate for heterozygotes in uncertainty group by RT-PCR- DGGE has significance clinically.
Piezoelectric-Excited Millimeter-Sized Cantilever Biosensors

In this chapter, method of fabricating a cantilever biosensors and their use in measuring the presence of a protein is described. There are many variations in construction of a cantilever sensor. A simple and an easy version is described in this chapter. The specificity of the sensor is obtained by immobilizing an antibody specific to the antigen of interest. The piezoelectric cantilever sensors are very sensitive and can easily detect a 60 kDa protein at 100 fg/mL concentration. Experimental procedure for carrying out detection of a target analyte is outlined and a sample set of results is included.
Editorial: human dynamics in the mobile and big data era

Human dynamics is a term that has been used and investigated by researchers in various fields from very different perspectives. Barabasi’s (2005) publication of ‘The origin of bursts and heavy tail...
Origin and modulation of ACh release from rat airway cholinergic nerves

The release of acetylcholine (ACh) from airway parasympathetic nerves was studied in rat trachea. We established stimulus parameters, examined the role of extracellular Ca2+, and investigated the origin of the released ACh by use of vesamicol, an inhibitor of ACh uptake in synaptic vesicles. The role of muscarinic autoreceptors and prostanoids on ACh release was also studied. Tracheal rings were incubated in Krebs-Henseleit solution containing neostigmine and guanethidine with or without atropine. ACh release was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. ACh release was dependent on frequency (0.5-16 Hz), voltage (10-25 V), and pulse duration (0.5-4 ms). At 4 Hz, one-fifth of electrical field stimulation-induced ACh release was extracellular Ca2+ independent and vesamicol resistant, indicating its nonvesicular origin. Three-fifths were Ca2+ dependent and vesamicol sensitive, indicating that it was newly synthesized, and one-fifth was Ca2+ dependent but vesamicol resistant, indicating its origin from prestored vesicles. At 16 Hz, two-fifths were nonvesicular and three-fifths were newly synthesized. Blockade of the muscarinic autoreceptor by atropine potentiated the release of ACh four- to fivefold. Neither of the cyclooxygenase inhibitors indomethacin or meclofenamate nor exogenous prostaglandin E2 affected ACh release, indicating that inhibitory prostanoids do not modulate ACh release.
States of Violence and the Right to Exclude

ABSTRACTDo states have a right to exclude immigrants? The conventional view is states have some authority in restricting its borders. Others reject this and argue for open borders. Two restrictionist perspectives are critically evaluated: Wellman’s (2011) and Macedo’s (2007). The former deontological view argues because legitimate states have a right to self-determination and freedom of association is integral to political self-determination therefore legitimate states have a right to exclude. The latter offers an iteration of the threats to the public order argument, namely, that because high levels of immigration contribute to the creation of poverty and increase levels of unemployment then the U.S. should restrict immigration. This paper thinks though some of the ways of avoiding the limits of the political ontologies undergirding their idealized notions of states which inform their analyses of political self-determination and the way immigrants get cast as causes of poverty (i.e. threats to the econom...
Schellenberg's evolutionary religion: how evolutionary and how religious?

In Evolutionary Religion, J. L. Schellenberg synthesizes his previous impressive contributions to an understanding of religion by formulating an account of religion supported by a Darwinian evolutionary theory understood as a science of the deep future. Such a future enables the realization that our present understandings of religion are immature, that future understandings of divine reality may be radically altered and that religious practice may become the centre of human well-being. In this article, I argue that Schellenberg's evolutionary religion represents at best but half the evolutionary story, its epistemic side. Ontologically, it remains fundamentally non-evolutionary. Positively, I suggest naturalistic alternatives to Schellenberg's Ultimate. I conclude that Schellenberg's evolutionary religion is neither adequately evolutionary nor adequately religious.
Community-based student learning via participation in humanitarian FOSS projects

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) projects offer a rich learning environment for computing students due to the transparent nature of the process and artifacts used to develop the product. Student participation in such a project allows students to learn collaboratively within a professional community while working on a real-world, frequently international project. This learning differs from a traditional classroom environment because students learn from the community itself and the instructor becomes a guide rather than the main source of knowledge. Humanitarian FOSS (HFOSS) projects have the additional benefit of attracting students due to their altruistic nature and the possibility for benefiting the human condition.
Innovating My Thinking and Practices as a Language Teacher Educator Through My Work as a Researcher

The innovation presented in this chapter represents how my research on language teacher identity using the concept of identity-in-activity transformed my instructional practices as a language teacher educator. I first describe two of Vygotsky’s (1987) concepts, everyday and academic concepts, that are crucial to my practices as a teacher educator and researcher. I demonstrate how my writing up of research on one teacher’s identity served as “narrative as externalization”, enabling me to use the academic concept of identity-in-activity as a psychological tool that informed the way I integrated teacher identity into my instructional practices. I then detail how identity-in-activity functions within my Vygotskian grounded theoretical approach to teacher education through a prototypical case of a teacher. I hope to demonstrate how by intentionally incorporating language teacher identity-in-activity into professional development practices, beginning teachers can use identity-in-activity as a psychological tool to articulate the teacher identity to which they aspire, develop instructional practices aligning with that identity, apprehend the discourses shaping their identity-in-activity, and thereby gain increasing control of their teaching worlds. I also hope this will contribute to language teacher educators’ ways of knowing by making what we do and why we do it explicit, as well as providing a window on the impact of what we do on teachers’ development.
Do Performance Trends Suggest Wide-spread Collaborative Cheating on Asynchronous Exams?

Using a data set from 29,492 asynchronous exams in an on-campus proctored computer-based testing facility (CBTF), we observed correlations between when a student chooses to take their exam within the exam period and their score on the exam. Somewhat surprisingly, instead of increasing throughout the exam period, which might be indicative of widespread collaborative cheating, we find that exam scores decrease throughout the exam period. While this could be attributed to weaker students putting off exams, this effect holds even when accounting for student ability as measured by a synchronous exam taken during the same semester. This suggests that precautions can be taken by a CBTF to maintain cheating at a low level (e.g., the level of proctored synchronous exams), in spite of the fact that students are taking their exams over a multi-day period.
Image restoration in fiber-coupled imagers using space-variant impulse response characterization.

Fiber-coupled image sensors have attracted interest in recent years for high-resolution conformal image transfer, including mapping of the spherical image surface of a monocentric wide-angle lens to one or more flat focal plane sensors. However, image resolution is lost due to fiber bundle defects, moire from lateral fiber-sensor misalignment, and blur due to the nonzero gap between fiber bundle and the image sensor. Here we investigate whether subpixel impulse response characterization of the strongly shift-variant impulse response can be used with existing image-processing techniques to recover the resolution otherwise lost in image transfer. We show that the submicrometer impulse response is experimentally repeatable, and can be used to recover image data and reveal fine features of the input surface structure of a 2.5 μm pitch fiber bundle.
Demographic-aware word associations

Variations of word associations across different groups of people can provide insights into people’s psychologies and their world views. To capture these variations, we introduce the task of demographic-aware word associations. We build a new gold standard dataset consisting of word association responses for approximately 300 stimulus words, collected from more than 800 respondents of different gender (male/female) and from different locations (India/United States), and show that there are significant variations in the word associations made by these groups. We also introduce a new demographic-aware word association model based on a neural net skip-gram architecture, and show how computational methods for measuring word associations that specifically account for writer demographics can outperform generic methods that are agnostic to such information.
HDAC inhibitor suppresses proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells through regulation of miR-200c targeting CRKL

Although histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have been shown to effectively induce the inhibition of proliferation and migration in breast cancer, the anticancer mechanism remains poorly understood. Our studies show that miR-200c was significantly downregulated in breast cancer cell lines compared to normal cell lines and inversely correlated with the levels of class IIa HDACs and CRKL. HDAC inhibitors and the ectopic expression of miR-200c as tumor suppressors inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of breast cancer cells by downregulating CRKL. These results indicate that the anticancer mechanism of HDAC inhibitor was realized partially by regulating miR-200c via CRKL targeting. Our findings suggest that the HDAC-miR200c-CRKL signaling axis could be a novel diagnostic marker and potential therapeutic target in breast cancer.
Timber harvesting patterns for major states in the central, northern, and mid-Atlantic hardwood regions.

Timber harvesting is a major disturbance agent influencing the composition and structure of eastern hardwood forests. To better understand timber harvesting practices, we examined roundwood harvesting patterns in 13 eastern states in the Central, Mid-Atlantic, and Northern regions that contained high proportional volumes of hardwood in their forest inventories. Nearly 5400 Forest Inventory and Analysis sample plots in which timber was cut and assumed to be used were examined for the period 2009-2015. Nine patterns based on basal area removed were isolated and defined, of which six were partial removals and three were clear-cuts. Of the patterns observed, four involved primarily hardwoods, three involved primarily softwood, and two were mixed. Large diameter–influenced partial hardwood harvesting practices were found to be predominant in the Central hardwood region, but mixed diameter hardwood and softwood partial harvesting patterns were noted in Wisconsin, Michigan and Maine. Harvesting patterns examined in Pennsylvania and New York appeared to be a transition between the patterns found in the Central and three most Northern states. Large diameter–influenced harvesting also occurred less frequently in the Mid- Atlantic states. Clear-cuts were noted in all states examined but were associated with higher levels of removal in the Mid-Atlantic states. Softwood cuts were more common in the Northern and Mid-Atlantic states and pine thinning cuts were noted in Tennessee, Wisconsin, Michigan, Virginia, and North Carolina. Although this study provides insight into current timber harvesting processes, additional information is needed to determine how timber management practices can be developed to complement the economic considerations associated with harvests.
Predictors of Recurrence, Progression, and Retreatment in Basilar Tip Aneurysms: A Location-Controlled Analysis.

Background Endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms is associated with higher rates of recurrence and retreatment, though contemporary rates and risk factors for basilar tip aneurysms (BTAs) are less well-described. Objective To characterize progression, retreatement, and retreated progression of BTAs treated with microsurgical or endovascular interventions. Methods We retrospectively reviewed records for 141 consecutive BTA patients. We included 158 anterior communicating artery (ACoA) and 118 middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms as controls. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to calculate rates of progression (recurrence of previously obliterated aneurysms and progression of known residual aneurysm dome or neck), retreatment, and retreated progression. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to characterize 24-mo event rates for primary outcome prediction. Results Of 141 BTA patients, 62.4% were ruptured and 37.6% were unruptured. Average radiographical follow-up was 33 mo. Among ruptured aneurysms treated with clipping, there were 2 rehemorrhages due to recurrence (6.1%), and none in any other cohorts. Overall rates of progression (28.9%), retreatment (28.9%), and retreated progression (24.7%) were not significantly different between surgical and endovascular subgroups, though ruptured aneurysms had higher event rates. Multivariate modeling confirmed rupture status (P = .003, hazard ratio = 0.14) and aneurysm dome width (P = .005, hazard ratio = 1.23) as independent predictors of progression requiring retreatment. In a separate multivariate analysis with ACoA and MCA aneurysms, basilar tip location was an independent predictor of progression, retreatment, and retreated progression. Conclusion BTAs have higher rates of progression and retreated progression than other aneurysm locations, independent of treatment modality. Rupture status and dome width are risk factors for progression requiring retreatment.
MDS and secondary AML: an evolutionary perspective.

The way in which medicine explains disease determines, to a great extent, the approach that is taken to treatment and prevention ([Thagard, 1999]). Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and its frequent sequela, secondary Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), have been explained as clonal disorders of hematopoietic stem cells, which arise as the result of exposure to genotoxic agents, particularly cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation ([Lichtman and Brennan, 2001]). Treatment has until recently been guided by viewing MDS as a disorder of differentiation, or an incipient malignancy requiring additional genotoxic agents to suppress. These assumptions regarding etiology and therapy may be inadequate to answer fundamental questions regarding this disease, such as why only certain individuals exposed to the same chemotherapeutic agents develop MDS/secondary AML, why certain individuals evolve from MDS to secondary AML more rapidly than others, and why treatment with additional genotoxic agents has not proven curative.
Distal, Equicontinuous, Zero Characteristic, and Recurrent Dynamical Systems

Distal, equicontinuous, and zero characteristic continuous and discrete dynamical systems are characterized using the fundamental relations. Recurrent dynamical systems are classified similary. Interrelationships among these flows are given.
Mortality and Risk for Chronic Disease

Most people are interested in the positive aspect of taking risks. We accept risks to maximize successes, health, fitness, and happiness. We prefer to look at the sunshine and not the shadow, and early in our lives, that is usually the dominant theme, though that has not always been the case in human history. The concept of health risk in relation to diet and lifestyle may be unclear in the absence of a means for quantification. In a statistical sense, risk is defined as the likelihood that an individual will die or suffer a specific disease during a stated interval. Although risk cannot truly be determined for a given individual, levels of risk associated with particular behaviors or conditions can be estimated from epidemiological correlations between the factor of interest and the incidence of disease or death in a population. It is possible to estimate accurately the number of people who will die from cancer of the colon next year in the United States, but utterly impossible to say who will die. The goals of this chapter are to discuss general ideas about risk and to use STELLA® to simulate the risk for coronary artery disease (CAD). The model should quantitatively describe the relationship of the specific behaviors to predicted life span. However, we are justified in emphasizing the positive side of this—namely, risk reduction, prevention, and the advantages of survivorship. One would like to know what preventative steps to take early, and not merely what palliatives may be available when a disease has irreversibly progressed.