cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inferring Learners' Knowledge From Their Actions

Watching another person take actions to complete a goal and making inferences about that person's knowledge is a relatively natural task for people. This ability can be especially important in educational settings, where the inferences can be used for assessment, diagnosing misconceptions, and providing informative feedback. In this paper, we develop a general framework for automatically making such inferences based on observed actions; this framework is particularly relevant for inferring student knowledge in educational games and other interactive virtual environments. Our approach relies on modeling action planning: We formalize the problem as a Markov decision process in which one must choose what actions to take to complete a goal, where choices will be dependent on one's beliefs about how actions affect the environment. We use a variation of inverse reinforcement learning to infer these beliefs. Through two lab experiments, we show that this model can recover people's beliefs in a simple environment, with accuracy comparable to that of human observers. We then demonstrate that the model can be used to provide real-time feedback and to model data from an existing educational game.
Determination of Biogenic Amines and Their Metabolites in Brain. Cerebrospinal Fluid and Plasma

Abstract A method using reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection for the simultaneous determination of biogenic amines and metabolites has been developed. Two mobile phases one free of involatile substances have been compared for the separation of vanillylmandelic acid, 3,4-dihydroxy-phenylalanine, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, norepinephrine, 5-hydrozyindoleacetic acid, epinephrine, homovanillic acid, dopamine, serotonin, and 3-methoxytyramine. The present method can be applied to the analysis of brain, cerebrospinal fluid and plasma. Minimal sample preparation for brain and cerebrospinal fluid is required before injection into the liquid chromatograph. Molecular sieve chromatography and organic extraction is used for plasma cleanup for homovanillic acid determination. The procedure offers an attractive possibility for routine analysis of biogenic amines and their metabolites.
A distributed routing scheme with mobility handling in stationless multi-hop packet radio networks

A mobile stationless multi-hop packet radio network consists of a set of mobile and geographically distributed nodes (e.g., computers, terminals, etc., equipped with radio units), called packet radio units (PRUs), which communicate using a shared broadcast radio channel without a central station control. In this paper we consider the routing in highly mobile stationless multi-hop packet radio networks, We provide a validation of the use of the tier-ring architecture, and we present a scheme for handling mobile packet radio units in stationless environment by the use of a link-traversal approach when a node (packet radio unit) is no longer in possession of an outgoing link to communicate with the rest of the network.
Stability and sensitivity analysis of periodic orbits in tapping mode atomic force microscopy

In this paper, the most widely used mode of atomic force microscopy imaging where the cantilever is oscillated at its resonant frequency is studied. It is shown that the amplitude and the sine of the phase of the orbit vary linearly with respect to the cantilever-sample distance. Experiments conducted on a silicon cantilever agree with the theory developed.
Processing Unstructured Organizational Transactions: Mail Handling in the U.S. Senate

The conventional view of transaction processing, which has focused primarily on highly structured transactions, oversimplifies the information processing environment confronting most organizations. This exploratory field study investigates how U.S. Senate offices answer constituent mail on legislative issues. The study develops a model which views transaction processing systems TPS as an organizational information system. Using this model, the paper next develops the position that when TPS are viewed this way, the design and functioning of all TPS may be analyzed using the answers to three questions: 1 what transactions will be accepted by the organization for processing, 2 what rules will be used for processing transactions, and 3 how will feedback about these transactions be routed upward? Unlike most structured transactions, mail transactions are designed by the correspondent rather than the organization. As a result, the task of answering mail is characterized by low analyzability and high variety not found in most other routine transaction processing applications. Implications for the design of systems to support the processing of unstructured transactions in other contexts are discussed.
Toothless? The Endangered Manatee and Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act

Despite protective legislation, the number of manatee deaths -- particularly those resulting from collisions with recreational boats -- continues to increase. Experts report the cause is partly due to inadequate enforcement of the protection laws, which in turn diminishes the laws' deterrent effects. These and other serious problems that undermine the MSA's effectiveness indicate that it is time for the Legislature to reexamine the MSA and make necessary revisions, such as clarifying and reducing the rulemaking burdens placed upon DEP, increasing protection laws and requiring their strict enforcement, modifying and replacing water control structures, and empowering the agency to implement an effective state-wide education program. Part II of this Article examines the history of species protection and focuses on why species deserve protection. Part III identifies the particular problems facing the manatee. Part IV explores the development of manatee protection policies, while Part V considers the implementation of these policies. Part VI evaluates the existing manatee protection program and suggests alternatives. Finally, Part VII concludes that although once considered visionary legislation, the MSA today does not effectively serve to protect manatee populations and is in need of legislative amendments to strengthen and expand its protective capabilities.
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and the incidence of atrial fibrillation: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

Aims To assess the prospective association between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and atrial fibrillation (AF) risk. Methods and results We studied 12 303 participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study without baseline AF (1990–92). Baseline serum total 25(OH)D was measured using mass spectrometry. Incident AF cases were identified from electrocardiograms, hospital discharge codes, and death certificates through 2012. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of AF across clinical categories of serum 25(OH)D concentrations with multivariable Cox models, and tested interactions by age, race, and sex. We meta-analysed our results with those from published prospective studies that reported associations between 25(OH)D and AF risk. During a median follow-up of 21 years, we identified 1866 AF events. In multivariable models, deficient 25(OH)D status ( 0.40), was identified, with higher risk of AF among those with deficient 25(OH)D status in younger (HR, 95% CI: 1.35, 1.05–1.73) but not older individuals (HR, 95% CI: 1.02, 0.86–1.21). A meta-analysis of these results and four prospective studies did not support a clinically relevant association of circulating 25(OH)D with AF risk [pooled HR, 95%CI: 1.04, 1.00–1.08, per 1 SD lower 25(OH)D]. Conclusion Low serum 25(OH)D was not associated with incident AF in a community-based cohort and in a meta-analysis of prospective studies. A possible association in younger individuals warrants further investigation.
Movement: How the Brain Communicates with the World

Voluntary movement is a result of signals transmitted through a communication channel that links the internal world in our minds to the physical world around us. Intention can be considered the desire to effect change on our environment, and this is contained in the signals from the brain, passed through the nervous system to converge on muscles that generate displacements and forces on our surroundings. The resulting changes in the world act to generate sensations that feed back to the nervous system, closing the control loop. This Perspective discusses the experimental and theoretical underpinnings of current models of movement generation and the way they are modulated by external information. Movement systems embody intentionality and prediction, two factors that are propelling a revolution in engineering. Development of movement models that include the complexities of the external world may allow a better understanding of the neuronal populations regulating these processes, as well as the development of solutions for autonomous vehicles and robots, and neural prostheses for those who are motor impaired.
In This Issue: Confronting Constraints on Individual Behavior & Outcomes.

This issue of Annals addresses some of the structural and attitudinal boundaries that constrain individual behavior and health outcomes. It is easy to blame individuals for poor choices and to stigmatize groups for bad behavior. Articles in this issue take a more sophisticated and nuanced view to
Ion Mixing of Pulsed Laser Deposited Hydroxylapatite (HA)

The use of ion-beam techniques to enhance selected properties of bioactive materials, such as the adhesion of hydroxylapatite (HA) coatings on titanium-based substrates has been investigated. In this study, very thin HA films on titanium substrates were created by pulsed laser deposition techniques. Ion irradiations were carried out using 260-keV argon ions, with fluences of 0.25-50×1015ions/cm2, and at room temperature. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry was used to evaluate sample composition before and after irradiation. The amount of mixing was quantified by the mixing rate (the amount of atomic displacement due to an irradiation fiuence). This pilot data indicates that mixing was evident after sufficient ion irradiation. The ramification of this preliminary study has provided a quantitative measure of ion mixing as a potential prosthetic biomaterial surface modification technique.
A theory of glacial quarrying for landscape evolution models

Numerical models are used commonly to study the topographic evolution of glacially eroded landscapes. These models are grounded on a power-law rule that relates bedrock erosion rate to either the sliding speed or discharge of glaciers. This rule, however, is poorly linked to the principal process of glacial erosion, quarrying, in which bedrock blocks are dislodged from the bed by sliding ice. A new model of quarrying allows this erosion rule to be evaluated. As in past quarrying models, ice-bed separation during sliding controls deviatoric stresses in the rock that cause crack growth. Unlike past models, bedrock strength heterogeneity resulting from preglacial fractures is included using a Weibull statistical distribution of rock strength. This strength distribution is predicated on the observation that larger rock bodies have lower strengths because they have a greater probability of containing a large fracture. Results can, indeed, be closely fitted with a power-law erosion rule, but its nonlinearity, the range of sliding speed over which it applies, and erosion rates depend sensitively on bedrock strength heterogeneity and effective pressure. This theory anchors large-scale models of glacial erosion to the primary small-scale process that these models hope to simulate and reinforces recent emphasis on the role of bedrock fractures in accelerating geomorphic processes. Moreover, by linking basal water pressure to erosion rate, the theory can improve efforts with numerical models to study feedbacks between subglacial hydrology and landscape evolution.
Vesicouterine fistula caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum.

Syndrome and diagnosis. A 25-year-old Caucasian woman who had been transferred to the high-risk obstetrical service at the Medical Center Hospital in Burlington, Vermont, underwent a second cesarean section because of premature rupture of membranes and premature labor. The patient had been treated with betamethasone (two im doses of 6 mg each 12 hr apart) to enhance the pulmonary lung maturity of the fetus and was delivered of the infant 17 hr after the premature rupture of membranes. The woman's postoperative condition was marked with fever, wound dehiscence on day 3, and leakage of large amounts of fluid via the vagina on day 5. Instillation of methylene blue stain into the bladder and a cystogram revealed a vesicouterine fistula. The patient was given gentamicin and clindamycin iv for 10 days; she subsequently received suppressant antibiotics, and bladder decompression was undertaken. When the woman was discharged from the hospital, she was given instructions on the use of a Foley catheter. Her wound closed within four weeks, and the fistula spontaneously resolved at 2.5 months after discharge. Fusobacterium necrophorum grew from cultures of the wound and blood obtained on day 3 after cesarean section.
An Integrated Process Analytical Technology (PAT) Approach for Pharmaceutical Crystallization Process Understanding to Ensure Product Quality and Safety: FDA Scientist’s Perspective

In this review, a brief overview of the current regulatory science framework pertinent to pharmaceutical crystallization and process characterization is made first. The FDA’s scientific research on pharmaceutical crystallization process understanding and product characterization is then illustrated via several aspects: (1) Combined real-time PAT monitoring and process chemometrics for mapping the state of a pharmaceutical crystallization process; (2) Combined real-time PAT process monitoring and first-principle modeling for elucidating the nucleation mechanisms of a dynamic pharmaceutical crystallization process; (3) Combined real-time PAT process monitoring, Design of Experiments (DOE), and General Linear Modeling (GLM) to establish a hybrid approach for process characterization and process design space development; and (4) Integrated PAT approach for nucleation induction time measurement. Finally, some of the current challenges and future outlook on pharmaceutical crystallization process and product cha...
East Meets East: Chinese Discover the Modern World in Japan, 1854–1898: A Window on the Intellectual and Social Transformation of Modern China

The main title of “East Meets East” derives from Carol T. Reynolds's doctoral dissertation, “East Meets East: Chinese Views of Early Meiji Japan” (Columbia University, 1986), a ground-breaking stud...
Hospital admissions of young children for status asthmaticus in Honolulu, Hawaii, 1986 to 1989.

Asthma admissions of children aged 5 years or younger to the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Honolulu were analyzed for the years 1986-1989. Admissions increased at an annual rate of 4.5% during the study period, in agreement with a worldwide trend. Most children wheezed before their first admission, but their diagnosis was bronchitis rather than asthma. This shows that physicians and it difficult to diagnose asthma in young children. Pneumonia was the initial diagnosis in 25% of admissions, mainly due to overinterpretation of chest radiographs, and this contributed to the overuse of antibiotics. Inpatient treatment with inhaled and systemic bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory agents conformed to standard practice
Defective assembly of membrane proteins in erythroid precursors of beta- thalassemic mice

beta-Thalassemic mice provide a useful model for studying the pathophysiology of human beta-thalassemia in that one can perform experiments that are difficult to perform in humans. The ease of access to beta-thalassemic mouse marrow provided the opportunity to explore the cause of the ineffective erythropoiesis that characterizes severe beta-thalassemia in mouse and man. We hypothesized that the accumulation of excess alpha-globin might interfere with the normal assembly of red blood cell (RBC) membrane proteins, thus contributing to the severe intramedullary lysis. Femoral marrow was obtained from normal and beta-thalassemic mice, and RBC precursors were purified (> 90%) by panning and harvesting CD45- cells. The assembly of RBC membrane proteins was assessed by observing immunofluorescence patterns obtained on fixed permeabilized precursors using rabbit polyclonal antibodies directed against human spectrin, and band 4.1, and murine band 3. The distribution of the proteins was shown with a fluorescein- tagged goat antirabbit antibody. In contrast to normal mice, about 30% of intermediate and late stage erythroblasts in beta-thalassemic mice appear abnormal. Neither spectrin nor band 4.1 formed crisp rim fluorescence in these erythroid precursors of thalassemic mice, whereas assembly of band 3 appeared normal. Therefore, the assembly of membrane skeletal proteins is abnormal in murine beta-thalassemic erythroid precursors perhaps because of the deposition of unmatched alpha-globin chains.
Absence of somatic changes in p21 gene in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chronic myelogenous leukemia

p21 is induced by and mediates the effects of p53 in response to DNA damage arresting the cell in G1 or G2, by inhibiting multiple cyclin-cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) or binding to proliferating-cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), respectively. To determine whether p21 mutants occur in tumors we examined DNA from 188 primary non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma (NHL) tumors and 84 chronic myelogenous leukemia samples for mutational changes in the coding region of p21 by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis and direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified DNA. We did not find mutations in the coding region in these two tumor types. We identified a polymorphic nucleotide change in codon 31 in which a transversion from C to A substituted amino acid arginine for serine. Three of 188 NHL tumors were homozygous for this change, but they were not identified in 84 CMLs or in 97 normal controls. On the other hand, in one CML case a transition from G to A in codon 64 substituted amino acid threonine for alanine. These data do not indicate that derangements in the coding region of p21 contribute to the initiation and/or progression of these tumors.
A Wise Latina or a Baffled Rookie? Media Coverage of Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s Ascent to the Bench

ABSTRACTWe examine newspaper coverage of the US Supreme Court confirmation process to investigate whether Sonia Sotomayor received different coverage than other nominees due to her status as a minority woman. Sotomayor was the only justice seated over the last three decades who received extensive attention to her race and gender, and her coverage was more negatively toned than that received by other nominees. Compared to her counterparts, the press downplayed her intellectual abilities, devoted more negative attention to her judicial temperament, and suggested she would struggle to adjust to her new role. We examine explanations for why Sotomayor received different coverage and conclude that the intersectionality of ethnicity and gender best explains the media’s characterization of her.
Chaparral growth-ring analysis as an indicator of stand biomass development

Chaparral wildfires typically create even-aged stands of vegetation that grow quickly in the first 2 decades following a fire. Patterns of this growth are important for understanding ecosystem productivity and re-establishment success, but are logistically challenging to measure over long time periods. We tested the utility of a novel method of using shrub growth rings to estimate stand-level biomass accumulation at an annual time scale in southern California chaparral. We examined how temporal variation in precipitation and spatial variation in solar irradiation influence that accumulation. Using field measurements and a relationship between stem basal area and aboveground biomass, we estimated current biomass levels in an 11-year-old chaparral stand, and used growth-ring diameters to estimate growth in each year from age 4 to 11 years. We found that annual growth as measured by shrub growth rings tracked closely with patterns of annual precipitation, but not with time since fire. Solar irradiation was not found to be a significant covariate with total biomass by plot, possibly due to sampling area limitations. The close relationship of annual biomass accumulation with annual precipitation indicates that shrub growth-ring measurements can provide a useful metric of stand-level recovery.
An efficient algorithm for finding the minimum energy path for cation migration in ionic materials

The Nudged Elastic Band (NEB) is an established method for finding minimum-energy paths and energy barriers of ion migration in materials, but has been hampered in its general application by its significant computational expense when coupled with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Typically, an NEB calculation is initialized from a linear interpolation of successive intermediate structures (also known as images) between known initial and final states. However, the linear interpolation introduces two problems: (1) slow convergence of the calculation, particularly in cases where the final path exhibits notable curvature; (2) divergence of the NEB calculations if any intermediate image comes too close to a non-diffusing species, causing instabilities in the ensuing calculation. In this work, we propose a new scheme to accelerate NEB calculations through an improved path initialization and associated energy estimation workflow. We demonstrate that for cation migration in an ionic framework, initializing the diffusion path as the minimum energy path through a static potential built upon the DFT charge density reproduces the true NEB path within a 0.2 A deviation and yields up to a 25% improvement in typical NEB runtimes. Furthermore, we find that the locally relaxed energy barrier derived from this initialization yields a good approximation of the NEB barrier, with errors within 20 meV of the true NEB value, while reducing computational expense by up to a factor of 5. Finally, and of critical importance for the automation of migration path calculations in high-throughput studies, we find that the new approach significantly enhances the stability of the calculation by avoiding unphysical image initialization. Our algorithm promises to enable efficient calculations of diffusion pathways, resolving a long-standing obstacle to the computational screening of intercalation compounds for Li-ion and multivalent batteries.
Effect of Retrovirus and Adenovirus Mediated Interferon Gene Transfer on Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Growth

Gene therapy following gene transfer into hematopoietic cells (CD34+) is now being investigated for several genetic disorders. We have applied a similar approach using interferon gene transfer for treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). IFN-α produces a hematologic and cytogenetic response in CML with a survival advantage for cytogenetic responders. Therefore, we examined the effect of transient over- expression of IFN-α using the adenovirus gene transfer approach. The ability of the adenovirus (Adv)-IFN-α gene construct to transfect normal and CML stem cells, CD34+, was examined. The peripheral blood mononuclear fraction from patients with CML treated with G-CSF or GM-CSF/G-CSF was enriched in CD34+ cells. Adv- cytomegalovirus (pCMV) promoter driven IFN-α at multiple doses was assessed to transfect highly purified CD34+ cells in the presence of matrix protein and in co- cultures with the stromal adherent cell layer. The use of cytokines enhances Adv- mediated IFN-α gene transfer into stem cells. Southern blot analysis demonstrated that the Adv-pCMV-IFN-α construct and IFN-α were expressed in cultured CD34+. Transient expression of the IFN-α gene did not suppress proliferation of CD34+ progenitors, CFU-Meg, BFU-E or CFU-CM growth. Reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction (RT/PCR) analysis of RNA from CFU-GM progenitor cells demonstrated transient IFN-α mRNA expression in CD34+ cells. Immunoassay of IFN-α shows that IFN-α suggests that selective expression of IFN-α may be beneficial for CML therapy. We also report on the establishment of novel conditions which permit high efficiency of the retrovirus IFN-α gene into CD34+ cells. Stem cells transfected with retrovirus were infused intravenously to irradiated mice and spleen colony forming units were evaluated for IFN-α marked clones by Southern blot analysis. These studies demonstrate that the overexpression of IFN-α gene can be used suppression of K562 cell proliferation and suggest its possible use as gene therapy of CML. For permanent transfection, we constructed two IFNα cDNA-containing retroviral vectors LSN-IFNα was constructed by cloning human IFNα cDNA at the downstream of the 5′ long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter of the retroviral vector LXSN. Retrovirus-containing supernatants from PA317 cell line was used to infect NIH3T3 fibroblasts and K562 cells. The IFNα gene expression in transfected cells was confirmed by Northern Blot, RT-PCR, radioimmunoassay (RIA), and biological assay. Retroviral mediated IFN-α gene transfer infection results showed that cell proliferation and cell viability were significantly suppressed in LSN-IFNαa-infected K562 cells as compared to LXSN-infected K562. Furthermore, we found that retroviral mediated IFN-α causes upregulation of adhesion molecules such as VLA-4.
Older Rural- and Urban-Dwelling Appalachian Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Purpose Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a well-recognized risk state for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. MCI is rapidly increasing among older adults in general and has not yet been examined in older adults within the Appalachian region. Our objective was to compare MCI symptom severity among older rural and urban Appalachian adults with MCI at an initial neuropsychological testing visit. Methods A cross-sectional, descriptive study of older Appalachian adults with MCI was conducted using data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set. Symptom severity was conceptualized as neuropsychological composite scores across 4 cognitive domains and Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes (CDR-SOB) score. For group comparisons, MANCOVA was used for cognitive domains and ANCOVA for CDR-SOB. Results The sample (N = 289) was about half male (54.3%), predominantly white (91.7%), and living with others (83.5%), with a mean (±SD) 74.6 ± 6.2 years of age and 15.4 ± 3.0 years of education. Rural and urban groups differed significantly in years since onset of cognitive symptoms (2.98 ± 1.91 in rural and 3.89 ± 2.70 in urban adults, t[260] = –2.23, P = .03), but they did not differ across sociodemographic features or comorbid conditions. Rural and urban participants were similar across the 4 cognitive domains and CDR-SOB (P ≥ .05). Discussion No differences were found between rural and urban Appalachian residents on MCI symptom severity. However, urban residents reported a longer time lapse from symptom identification to diagnosis than their rural counterparts. Future studies using more representative population samples of Appalachian and non-Appalachian adults will provide an important next step to identifying disparate cognitive health outcomes in this traditionally underserved region.
A novel access control protocol using proxy signatures for cloud-based health information exchange

Health Information Exchange (HIE) allows various providers to electronically share patient health information, enhancing healthcare delivery through coordinated patient care. A primary concern in HIEs is the need for explicit authorization of information exchange in an auditable manner. However, we find that existing approaches for authorization in health information systems exhibit several drawbacks in meeting the needs of HIE, with non-cryptographic approaches lacking a secure and reliable mechanism for access policy enforcement, while cryptographic approaches being too expensive, complex and limited in specifying policies. This paper aims to overcome these drawbacks by presenting a simple and efficient patient-centric authorization protocol for information sharing in cloud-based HIE systems. The proposed protocol is built using a novel trapdoor hash-based proxy signature scheme, and ensures that the authorization is authentic with respect to both providers and patients, and complies with the established access control policies. Features of the proposed protocol include auditability, non-interactive and on-demand operation, and specification and secure/reliable enforcement of flexible access control policies. A detailed security and performance analysis shows that the proposed protocol is provably secure against forgery under the discrete log assumption, and achieves the best overall performance compared to other well-known schemes in the literature.
D-helix influences dimerization of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter associated with antigen processing 1 (TAP1) nucleotide-binding domain

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters form a large family of transmembrane importers and exporters. Using two nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs), which form a canonical ATP-sandwich dimer at some point within the transport cycle, the transporters harness the energy from ATP binding and hydrolysis to drive substrate transport. However the structural elements that enable and tune the dimerization propensity of the NBDs have not been fully elucidated. Here we compared the biochemical properties of the NBDs of human and rat TAP1, a subunit of the heterodimeric transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP). The isolated human TAP1 NBD was monomeric in solution, in contrast to the previously observed ATP-mediated homodimerization of the isolated rat TAP1 NBD. Using a series of human-rat chimeric constructs, we identified the D-helix, an α-helix N-terminal to the conserved D-loop motif, as an important determinant of NBD dimerization. The ATPase activity of our panel of TAP1 NBD constructs largely correlated with dimerization ability, indicating that the observed dimerization uses the canonical ATP-sandwich interface. The N-terminus of the D-helix from one protomer interacts with the ATP-binding Walker A motif of the second protomer at the ATP-sandwich interface. However, our mutational analysis indicated that residues farther from the interface, within the second and third turn of the D-helix, also influence dimerization. Overall, our data suggest that although the D-helix sequence is not conserved in ABC transporters, its precise positioning within the NBD structure has a critical role in NBD dimerization.
Understanding the Electrochemically Induced Conversion of Urea to Ammonia Using Nickel Based Catalysts

Abstract In this paper, the mechanism of the electrochemically induced hydrolysis of urea to ammonia (eU2A) at 70 °C in alkaline medium using nickel electrodes was investigated. The intermediates and products in the bulk solution were monitored by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The intermediates and products of the reaction on the catalyst surface were analyzed by in-situ Raman spectroscopy. Urea electrolysis and thermal hydrolysis of urea to ammonia (in the bulk solution) take place in parallel to the eU2A process. The ammonia production rate depends strongly on the amount of nickel oxyhydroxide as well as the concentration of OH − ions. The redox couple of Ni 2+ and Ni 3+ ions plays an important role in the mechanism of the reaction.
Identifying demographic and environmental drivers of recruitment and population growth in a cavity‐nesting sea duck population

Traits with the greatest proportional effects on fitness are typically conserved (Stearns 1992), and traits with larger temporal variation frequently play a dominant role in population dynamics (Cooch et al. 2001). We examined recruitment patterns and population growth in Common Goldeneyes (Bucephala clangula; hereafter goldeneye), using Pradel mark-recapture models from a long-term nest box study (1997-2010). Our objectives were to estimate recruitment (f) and population growth (λ) relative to recruitment origin group (in-situ or unknown), investigate environmental and density dependent effects on these parameters, and evaluate potential immigration patterns. We detected group-specific differences for f (in-situ: 0.47± 0.13 SE, unknown: 0.31 ± 0.04), and the proportion of boxes occupied by goldeneyes the year prior to recruitment had a significant negative effect on recruitment for the in-situ group (β = -1.04; 85% CI -1.29, -0.78), and a positive effect for the unknown group (β = 0.45; 85% CI 0.30, 0.61). The negative box occupancy effect in the year prior to recruitment, when in-situ yearling goldeneyes prospect for potential nest sites, suggests that local nesting densities may limit recruitment of locally hatched females. We identified two competitive models for λ, which averaged 1.04 ± 0.03 and included interactions between recruitment origin group and a linear temporal trend, and the proportion of ducklings marked two years prior. By evaluating all levels of marking effort on λ, we determined that even if all hatched ducklings were marked in a given year, the resulting in-situ λ was consistently lower than all observed population-level λs during the study, indicating that individuals produced outside of study area nest boxes contributed to λ. Though female goldeneyes are considered highly philopatric, our results suggest that female natal and breeding dispersal may be more prevalent than previously thought, and the spatial scale at which these processes occur requires further investigation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Innately interesting interactions.

In the current issue of Blood , Dudakov et al present interesting studies of experimental graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occurring in experimental murine models of allogeneic transplantation, highlighting the importance of dysregulation of the thymus in this setting. 1
Firms’ Strategic Leverage of Unplanned Exposure and Planned Advertising: An Analysis in the Context of Celebrity Endorsements

AbstractUsing data on advertising and sales of an innovative piece of golf equipment and the performance of its celebrity endorsers, the authors build a discrete-choice model that incorporates consumer awareness and preferences. They empirically investigate how celebrity endorsements affect consumer choices during new product introductions, the roles of planned advertising and unplanned media exposure, and how firms can strategically leverage the unplanned component. Model estimates reveal that wins in professional golf tournaments (which proxy for unplanned television exposure during weekly golf tournaments) affect awareness and that paid planned advertising impacts awareness and preferences. Focusing on Titleist equipment, counterfactual analysis demonstrates that the unplanned media exposure and planned advertising account for 22% and 24% of sales, respectively. The results also suggest that firms would benefit from coordinating the two. The planned portion should serve as a substitute for unplanned me...
Infection Control and Isolation Considerations for the Pediatric Practitioner

1. Iona Munjal, MD* 1. *Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, NY * Abbreviations: CDC: : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HAI: : health-care–associated infection MDR: : multidrug-resistant PPE: : personal protective equipment RSV: : respiratory syncytial virus With the increasing trend of transitioning acute care to outpatient care, pediatricians in the office setting should be aware of and adopt infection control measures. After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Provide evidence for providers working in all care delivery settings regarding the need for good infection control practices. 2. Define the differences in patient populations and aspects of care delivery that influence isolation practices for pediatric patients. 3. Define the different types of precautions used and emphasize the need for standard precautions, including effective hand hygiene, in all settings. 4. Differentiate between the isolation types based on transmission of the likely pathogen. 5. Identify specific infection control strategies to decrease health-care–associated infections. 6. Outline local, regional, and national strategies to decrease the burden of health-care–associated infections in pediatric patients, including new ideas that may change or contribute to the field in the coming years. Health-care–associated infections (HAIs) continue to represent a major burden to pediatric patients in the United States and are often preventable. (1)(2) It is estimated that 3% to 5% of children admitted to hospitals acquire an HAI, (3) which is associated with significant costs to the health-care system. (4) Infection preventionists have become a staple of acute care facilities, and their efforts have been shown to be cost-effective. (5) In the acute setting, this investment in infection prevention infrastructure is paying off. A significant reduction in central line–associated bloodstream infections was demonstrated between the last 2 major national surveys in 2008 and 2014. There have also been reductions in Clostridium difficile and …
Great Crossings: Indians, Settlers, and Slaves in the Age of Jackson

Great Crossings, by Christina Snyder, is a large history of a small place studied over a twenty-year period. Snyder, an associate professor of history at Indiana University, details the operational...
Observation of superconductivity in BaNb2S5

Abstract Bulk superconductivity is reported in BaNb 2 S 5 at the transition temperature T c = 0.85(1) K. The electrical resistivity ρ versus T is metallic with ρ (2 K) = 42.4 µΩ cm. The magnetic susceptibility is paramagnetic, with temperature-independent contributions due to diamagnetism, Pauli paramagnetism, and Van Vleck paramagnetism; a Curie-Weiss contribution appears to be impurity related. Hall effect measurements show that the majority charge carriers are electrons with charge-carrier concentration n (3 K) = 2.40(2) × 10 21 cm − 3 . Specific heat measurements reveal an electronic specific heat coefficient γ = 11.2(1) mJ/mol K 2 , a Debye temperature Θ D = 126.4(8) K, and an energy gap associated with the superconducting state of E g = 0.184(4) meV. Measurements of ρ ( T ) in magnetic field provide the upper critical magnetic field of about 3055(74) Oe as T → 0 K, which was used to estimate the coherence length ξ = 6.21(15) nm. The results allow classification of BaNb 2 S 5 as a Type II, BCS superconductor in the dirty limit.
Psychology of Latino American Older Adults: Strengths and Challenges to Mental Health in a Shifting Society

This chapter presents information on mental health issues in Latino American older adults, focusing on communication difficulties, acculturative stress, and service utilization as major challenges to the maintenance of mental health in this group; family, cultural values, and religion as strengths contributing to resilience in this group; and several issues relevant to bringing the cultural strengths of this group more effectively into the service of increasing their overall mental health.
The pathogenesis of accelerated fibrinolysis in liver cirrhosis: a critical role for tissue plasminogen activator inhibitor

The pathogenesis of accelerated fibrinolysis in liver cirrhosis was investigated by comparing the results of specific assays for tissue plasminogen activator (tpa) antigen, tpa activity, tpa inhibitor, and alpha-2 plasmin inhibitor (a2PI) in 12 patients with cirrhosis and markedly accelerated fibrinolysis (dilute whole blood clot lysis time (DWBCLT) less than two hours), in nine patients with cirrhosis and moderately accelerated fibrinolysis (DWBCLT two to four hours), and in nine patients with cirrhosis and normal fibrinolysis (DWBCLT greater than four hours). Mean tpa antigen was markedly increased in all three groups, but no correlation was observed between overall fibrinolytic activity as measured by the DWBCLT and the level of tpa antigen. In contrast, there was a significant correlation between overall fibrinolytic activity and tpa activity and an equally significant correlation between fibrinolytic activity and decreased tpa inhibition. Mean a2PI activity was significantly lower than normal in groups 1 and 2 but was normal in group 3. The pathogenesis of accelerated fibrinolysis in liver cirrhosis thus appears to depend critically on the capacity of plasma inhibitors to inhibit increased circulating tpa antigen. Reduced a2PI also appears to play a role.
ANALOGUES OF LINEAR COMBINATIONS OF ORDER STATISTICS IN THE LINEAR MODEL

Publisher Summary This chapter explores analogs of linear combinations of order statistics in the linear model and presents a few results. It highlights the problem of estimating the regression parameters of a linear model as the number of observations becomes large and the number of regression parameters remains fixed. Two classes of procedures have attracted particular attention in this problem (M) (maximum likelihood type) estimates and linear combinations of order statistics. A third class, estimates based on rank tests, also exists. The chapter discusses the extent to which the relatively weak conditions for the asymptotic theory of linear combinations or order statistics suffice in the more general case.
The Long-Term Metabolic Complications of Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity and associated insulin resistance (IR) and hyperinsulinemia (1–6) have broad-ranging metabolic effects that have profound impacts on adult health. They are associated with cardiovascular risk factors, including hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL levels, and high cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, which track with time and are central to the long-term development of impaired fasting glucose (IFG), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and the metabolic syndrome (2, 7, 8) (Fig. 1).
House Price Expectations

House price expectations are not directly observable. This article demonstrates two methods for measuring household price expectations: survey data and economic theory. We show that survey measures do not provide good or unbiased forecasts of house price information. In contrast, information from the household Euler equation implies that in the aggregate, households behave optimally given realised future prices. At the national level, house price expectations appear to be formed rationally. As an illustrative example, pricing errors during the recent boom indicate that exuberant price expectations cannot account for the boom in house prices.
The Organization and Management of a Pediatric Dialysis Unit

The activities and organization of pediatric dialysis facilities have undergone many changes over the past two decades. Along with transplant and peritoneal dialysis, renal replacement therapies for children have expanded to include hemodialysis and a variety of continuous renal replacement therapies. Regardless of which renal replacement therapies a facility may offer, the goal of meeting patient and family needs and promoting the quality of care necessary to maintain optimal patient outcomes is universal. The development of the dialysis facility program must be carefully planned and organized to meet the challenge of this goal. Essential program elements discussed in this chapter include the role of standards, facility design, facility operations, patient care services and quality improvement program.
Medical Therapy and Acute Surveillance

Without appropriate treatment, aortic dissection has a high early mortality in the range of 1–2% per hour1. The dissection flap per se does not result in mortality, but it is when the dissection flap produces branch vessel compromise or severe aortic insufficiency, or the dissected aorta ruptures that patients suffer significant morbidity or death. Consequently, the purpose of therapy for aortic dissection is to prevent progression of the dissection process and reduce the likelihood of aortic rupture or end-organ/limb ischemia. For type A aortic dissection, surgical aortic repair is required to prevent aortic rupture, but medical therapy is still essential to protect the patient while awaiting surgery. For uncomplicated type B aortic dissection, medical therapy—rather than surgery—is the treatment of choice.
Monoclonal IgG anticoagulants delaying fibrin aggregation in two patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

There is paucity of information regarding the prolonged plasma thrombin time known to occur in some patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Detailed investigations of plasma from two such patients disclosed that IgG accounted for this defect in each case. IgG isolated from plasma of either patient possessed the property of delaying fibrin aggregation and prolonging the clotting times of fibrinogen. Preincubation of IgG from either patient with anti-IgG or anti-Fab (rabbit) serum abolished this anticoagulant property. Moreover, the anticoagulant IgG from the first patient was neutralized with anit-k chain and anti-IgG3, that from the second patient with anti-lambda chain and anti-IgG1 serum. These anticoagulants were also dissimilar with respect to their interactions with fibrin(ogen). IgG from the first patient had no anticoagulant activity against fibrin(ogen) species lacking intact Aalpha chains. IgG from the second patient displayed undiminished anticoagulant effect on such fibrin(ogen) species. We conclude that each anticoagulant interacted with a distinct region(s) on the fibrinogen molecule and that these interactions affect or involve sites that participate in the fibrin self-assembly process.
Selenium, Selenoproteins, and Immunity

Selenium is an essential micronutrient that plays a crucial role in development and a wide variety of physiological processes including effect immune responses. The immune system relies on adequate dietary selenium intake and this nutrient exerts its biological effects mostly through its incorporation into selenoproteins. The selenoproteome contains 25 members in humans that exhibit a wide variety of functions. The development of high-throughput omic approaches and novel bioinformatics tools has led to new insights regarding the effects of selenium and selenoproteins in human immuno-biology. Equally important are the innovative experimental systems that have emerged to interrogate molecular mechanisms underlying those effects. This review presents a summary of the current understanding of the role of selenium and selenoproteins in regulating immune cell functions and how dysregulation of these processes may lead to inflammation or immune-related diseases.
ΕΦΗΡΜΟΣΜΕΝΑ ΜΑΘΗΜΑΤΙΚΑ. — Stability concepts of solutions of differential equations with deviating arguments

The majority of physical and social systems can be expressed by relations between quantities under investigation and their rate of change, that is by differential equations.