cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long-Term High-Resolution Imaging of Developing C. elegans Larvae with Microfluidics

Long-term studies of Caenorhabditis elegans larval development traditionally require tedious manual observations because larvae must move to develop, and existing immobilization techniques either perturb development or are unsuited for young larvae. Here, we present a simple microfluidic device to simultaneously follow development of ten C. elegans larvae at high spatiotemporal resolution from hatching to adulthood (∼3 days). Animals grown in microchambers are periodically immobilized by compression to allow high-quality imaging of even weak fluorescence signals. Using the device, we obtain cell-cycle statistics for C. elegans vulval development, a paradigm for organogenesis. We combine Nomarski and multichannel fluorescence microscopy to study processes such as cell-fate specification, cell death, and transdifferentiation throughout post-embryonic development. Finally, we generate time-lapse movies of complex neural arborization through automated image registration. Our technique opens the door to quantitative analysis of time-dependent phenomena governing cellular behavior during C. elegans larval development.
Ultrasound of the Hip

Ultrasound of the hip is easy to perform and adds useful information to the physical exam, which in the hip has its particular limitations given the depth of the joint and periarticular soft tissues. This chapter provides instruction on how to obtain standard views of the anterior hip and extended standard views of the lateral hip. Important anatomy and findings in the normal hip are reviewed. Commonly encountered pathologies in the hip joint and periarticular soft tissues and imaging findings in greater trochanteric pain syndrome are illustrated. The development of an ultrasound scoring system for large joints in the inflammatory arthritides as it applies to the hip and the inclusion of hip ultrasound in the 2012 European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology provisional classification for polymyalgia rheumatica are discussed. Next follows a demonstration of ultrasound-guided hip joint aspiration/injection as well as ultrasound-guided injection of the trochanteric bursa.
Learning and transferring roles in multi-agent MDPs

Many real-world domains contain multiple agents that play distinct roles in achieving an overall mission. For instance, in tactical battle scenarios, a tank fulfills a much different role than a foot soldier. When learning an overall multi-agent strategy, it is clearly advantageous to have knowledge of the agent roles and the typical behavioral characteristics associated with each role. The goal of this paper is to learn and transfer information about agent role structure in the setting of multi-task reinforcement learning. We present a hierarchical Bayesian framework for representing and learning a distribution over the unknown set of agent roles and policies from a sequence of related multi-agent RL problems. This knowledge is then transferred to new problems by treating the distribution as an informative prior over the roles and policies of individual agents. In particular, in this work, the prior is used to initialize policy-gradient search. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this role transfer method on a real-time strategy game in the context of a sequence of tactical battles, each involving different numbers and types of individual units. The results show that our approach is able to find a set of underlying roles and use them to significantly speed up learning on novel problems.
Solid-State Phase Transformations and Reactions

In Chapters 14 and 15, we discussed grain boundaries (GBs) and phase boundaries (PBs), respectively. Those two chapters described the interfaces and crystal defects. In Chapter 24, we then examined how the movement of GBs can lead to sintering, grain growth, and densification. In the present chapter, we examine how the movement of PBs leads to transformations and reactions. Some examples of reactions involving the movement of a PB are given in Table 25.1: Not all of these are solid-state reactions.
SandTrap: Tracking Information Flows On Demand with Parallel Permissions

The most promising way to improve the performance of dynamic information-flow tracking (DIFT) for machine code is to only track instructions when they process tainted data. Unfortunately, prior approaches to on-demand DIFT are a poor match for modern mobile platforms that rely heavily on parallelism to provide good interactivity in the face of computationally intensive tasks like image processing. The main shortcoming of these prior efforts is that they cannot support an arbitrary mix of parallel threads due to the limitations of page protections. In this paper, we identify parallel permissions as a key requirement for multithreaded, on-demand native DIFT, and we describe the design and implementation of a system called SandTrap that embodies this approach. Using our prototype implementation, we demonstrate that SandTrap's native DIFT overhead is proportional to the amount of tainted data that native code processes. For example, in the photo-sharing app Instagram, SandTrap's performance is close to baseline (1x) when the app does not access tainted data. When it does, SandTrap imposes a slowdown comparable to prior DIFT systems (~8x).
BIOSYNTHESIS OF SUBMAXILLARY MUCINS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the biosynthesis of submaxillary mucins. Sugar additions are carried out by enzymes (glycosyltransferases), which add one sugar at a time to the nonreducing terminus of the incomplete oligosaccharide side chains. This is a non-template mechanism mediated by one enzyme for each linkage, that is, each glycosyltransferase is capable of forming one unique linkage with one sugar. Glycosyltransferases, as found in the cell, are membrane-bound enzymes. The glycosyltransferases can be grouped into families of enzymes based on the type of monosaccharide transferred. The individual members of a family of glycosyltransferases can be distinguished on the basis of the acceptor molecule specificity or by the linkage of the glycose unit to the acceptor molecule. The addition of carbohydrate to proteins is intimately connected to the process of secretion of macromolecules. The glycosyltransferases are grouped together in the cell as particulate complexes or as multiglycosyltransferase systems. The chapter describes the reactions involved in the biosynthesis of ovine and porcine submaxillary mucin.
Cytogenetic studies in animals.

It is clearly impossible to provide a detailed discussion of all the possible areas of research encompassed by the title of this presentation. The intention is to provide some indication of the types of cytogenetic assays that can be performed in order to indicate the clastogenic potential of an agent, whether the data obtained can reasonably be used to estimate the potential genetic or carcinogenic risk to man, and the possible ways in which results can be misinterpreted or over-interpreted.
Machine Listening of Music

The analysis and recognition of sounds in complex auditory scenes is a fundamental step towards context-awareness in machines, and thus an enabling technology for applications across multiple domains including robotics, human-computer interaction, surveillance and bioacoustics. In the realm of music, endowing computers with listening and analytical skills can aid the organization and study of large music collections, the creation of music recommendation services and personalized radio streams, the automation of tasks in the recording studio or the development of interactive music systems for performance and composition.
Leveraging EMS for Children State Partnerships to Improve Pediatric EMS Care

Abstract Emergency Medical Service (EMS) responses for pediatric patients represent 13% of total EMS responses in the United States. 1 Despite that, the average experience of the typical prehospital provider in caring for pediatric patients is highly variable, with more than 39% of EMS services seeing fewer than 13 pediatric patients a year. 2 The requirements for initial EMS provider certification vary, from 4 to 9 hours for emergency medical technicians and 7 to 34 hours for paramedics, often combining pediatrics into a “special populations” domain which includes geriatrics, obstetrics, and other patient types. 3 The lack of operational reinforcement of skills due to low pediatric volume, as well as limited educational opportunities for prehospital providers, results in a lack of comfort when EMS providers find themselves in a situation needing to provide care to an ill or injured child. It is this knowledge and experience gap that the EMS for Children program addresses through state partnership collaborations and regional partnerships.
Creative, Culturally-Sensitive Counseling for Pediatric Oncology Patients Undergoing Treatment

The author presents culturally relevant strategies for creative counseling with children who have been diagnosed with cancer. In addition, therapeutic foundations and cultural considerations for us...
Coriolis and centrifugal forces drive haltere deformations and influence spike timing.

The halteres of flies are mechanosensory organs that serve a crucial role in the control of agile flight, providing sensory input for rapid course corrections to perturbations. Derived from hind wi...
Synthesis and Evaluation of CC-1065 and Duocarmycin Analogs Incorporating the 1,2,3,4,11,11a-Hexahydrocyclopropa[c]naphtho[2,1-b]azepin-6-one (CNA) Alkylation Subunit: Structural Features that Govern Reactivity and Reaction Regioselectivity

The synthesis of 1,2,3,4,11,11a-hexahydrocyclopropa[c]naphtho[2,1−b]azepin-6-one (CNA), a seven-membered C-ring analog of the alkylation subunits of CC-1065 and the duocarmycins, is detailed. The core structure of CNA was prepared through the implementation of an intramolecular Heck reaction for assemblage of the key tricyclic tetrahydronaphtho[2,1−b]azepine skeleton and a final Winstein Ar-3' spirocyclization for introduction of the reactive cyclopropane. A study of the solvolysis reactivity of N-BOC-CNA revealed that incorporation of the seven-membered fused C-ring system increased the reactivity 4750× compared to the corresponding five-membered C-ring analog. Solvolysis occurs with SN2 nucleophilic attack at the more substituted carbon of the activated cyclopropane to afford exclusively the abnormal ring expansion product in a reaction that was shown to proceed with complete inversion of configuration at the reaction center. Single crystal X-ray structure analyses of N-CO2Me-CNA (29) and CNA (11) and t...
Diastereoselective synthesis of glutamate-appended oxolane rings: synthesis of (s)-(+)-lycoperdic acid.

The stereocontrolled synthesis of the glutamate-containing natural product (S)-(+)-lycoperdic acid is described. The key transformation in the synthetic route was an efficient diastereoselective annulation of an oxolane ring onto a pyroglutamate scaffold to construct either a γ,γ-disubstituted glutamate-appended tetrahydrofuran or a γ-lactone. The reaction sequence also featured an improved method for the halogenation of pyroglutamate derivatives in high yield with enhanced stereoselection.
Strategic Gestures in Bill McKibben's Climate Change Rhetoric

Although Bill McKibben is widely recognized as one of the leading strategists of the US climate change movement, several observers identify significant limitations to his approach to climate advocacy and politics. These criticisms are based on his reliance upon “symbolic gestures,” such as campaigns to promote fossil fuel divestment and stop fossil fuel infrastructure construction. In this essay we reconsider McKibben’s work, drawing specifically on his speeches given from 2013-2016 in support of the fossil fuel divestment campaign and campaigns attempting to block the construction of fossil fuel infrastructure, in order to show how McKibben’s strategic orientation is grounded in a politics of gesture. His speeches provide a model for how to reconceive gestures and assemble them for political ends. Beyond the case of McKibben our analysis contributes the concept of strategic gestures to identify and theorize social movement interventions that have significant symbolic and material consequences.
Political Context and Health Financing Reform.

The articles in this special issue make two particularly valuable contributions to understanding health financing reform. First, through historical case studies, they provide rich empirical evidenc...
Leveraging the Rapid Retreat of the Amundsen Gulf Ice Stream 13,000 Years Ago to Reveal Insight Into North American Deglaciation

We examine the influence of different deglacial histories of the North American ice saddle, which connected the Cordilleran ice sheet and western Laurentide ice sheet, on the stability of the fast‐flowing Amundsen Gulf Ice Stream, located in the northwestern Laurentide ice sheet. We use a simplified marine‐terminating ice stream model to simulate grounding line retreat and compare our predictions to geologic evidence for the rapid collapse of the Amundsen Gulf Ice Stream at 13 ka. We show that observations of ice stream retreat can be used to distinguish between past ice unloading histories, and that the rapid retreat of the Amundsen Gulf Ice Stream near 13 ka is most dynamically consistent with substantial deglaciation of the North American ice saddle from 13 to 11.5 ka, during the Younger Dryas cooling episode. These results suggest that short‐lived changes in ice stream behavior may be used to reveal larger‐scale and longer‐duration ice sheet dynamics.
Le Conseil du statut de la femme, un laboratoire d’idées au service de la promotion de l’égalité entre les femmes et les hommes au Québec

L’objectif de ce texte est de montrer que le Conseil du statut de la femme (CSF) a ete un laboratoire d’idees qui a exerce une influence reelle sur l’Etat et sur la societe quebecoise, la conduisant a adherer pleinement au principe de l’egalite entre les femmes et les hommes. Cette influence a ete modulee dans le temps et a fluctue selon plusieurs facteurs, dont : le profil des presidentes qui se sont succede depuis 1973, certains elements de conjoncture politique comme le referendum de 1980 ainsi que les moyens materiels mis a la disposition du CSF pour remplir son mandat.
Universal facial expressions uncovered in art of the ancient Americas: A computational approach.

Central to the study of emotion is evidence concerning its universality, particularly the degree to which emotional expressions are similar across cultures. Here, we present an approach to studying the universality of emotional expression that rules out cultural contact and circumvents potential biases in survey-based methods: A computational analysis of apparent facial expressions portrayed in artwork created by members of cultures isolated from Western civilization. Using data-driven methods, we find that facial expressions depicted in 63 sculptures from the ancient Americas tend to accord with Western expectations for emotions that unfold in specific social contexts. Ancient American sculptures tend to portray at least five facial expressions in contexts predicted by Westerners, including “pain” in torture, “determination”/“strain” in heavy lifting, “anger” in combat, “elation” in social touch, and “sadness” in defeat-supporting the universality of these expressions.
The elephant in the room: A concept analysis of communication and childhood adversity among adults.

BACKGROUND Effective communication by those providing clinical care to adult patients is required to identify and address health disparities associated with childhood adversity. Many primary care NPs are unaware of these relationships, often lacking the communication skills and training needed to elicit this clinically relevant information. OBJECTIVES A systematic review in the form of a concept analysis was undertaken to increase our understanding about patient-to-provider communication of childhood adversity in the context of the primary care setting. Two key concepts, communication and childhood adversity, were examined using the procedures outlined by Walker and Avant. DATA SOURCES A focused literature search using the search engines CINAHL, PubMed, and PsycINFO with inclusion criteria of "adverse childhood experiences (ACE)," "childhood adversity," and "communication" provided boundaries for this analysis. No results were found using the defined conceptual terms. Therefore, concept synthesis was driven by the exploration of seminal and current literature from several disciplines. CONCLUSIONS Findings revealed that effective communication about childhood adversity is an integral and understated element when addressing ACE-related health disparities among adults. Further synthesis is warranted to explore how primary care NPs apply the concepts of effective communication when providing clinical care to adult patients with histories of childhood adversity. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE This concept analysis will serve as a catalyst for informing future research and theory development focused on enhancing ACE-specific communication between NPs and adult patients, which will lead to more personalized approaches to developing novel, ACE-specific interventions, a reduction in health disparities, and improved health outcomes.
An optimization-based planning tool for on-demand mobility service operations

Regions worldwide are adopting and exploring low-speed automated electric shuttle (AES) service as an on-demand shared mobility service in dense geofenced urban areas. Building on this concept, the...
Women With Impact: Taking One Small Step into the Universe

Out of 1,578 cataloged and named craters on the Moon, only 32 are named after women. That is a scant 2%. To highlight the underrepresentation of women in science, the author created two connected a...
Changing the tune using bioelectronics

The desire to harness electricity for improving human health dates back at least two millennia. As electrical signals form the basis of communication within our nervous system, the ability to monitor, control, and precisely deliver electricity within our bodies holds great promise for treating disease. The nascent field of bioelectronic medicine capitalizes on this approach to improve human health, however, challenges remain in relating electrical nerve activity to physiological function. To overcome these challenges, we need more long-term studies on neural circuits where the nerve activity and physiological output is well-established. In this Letter, I highlight a recent study that takes just such an approach.
Endovascular stent-graft repair of transected left subclavian artery.

A 33-year-old female presented to the trauma center with multiple gunshot wounds to her left posterior axilla, right of midline in the upper back, and left lateral thigh. She complained that she did not have sensation in or an ability to move her left upper extremity. The patient was screaming and uncooperative during the examination. Her systolic blood pressure was 110 mm Hg, heart rate was 138 beats per minute, and respiratory rate was 33 breaths per minute with audible breath sounds bilaterally. There was significant bleeding from her left posterior axillary wound, and this was packed with gauze. Her left upper extremity was cool with no palpable radial pulse nor Doppler signal, and she had no strength or sensation in this extremity. Palpable pulses were present in all other extremities. After blood was drawn for type and cross-match, two large bore intravenous catheters were inserted. Given her agitation and inability to cooperate with an examination, she was intubated using rapid sequence induction with 100 mg lidocaine, 150 mg propofol, and 100 mg rocuronium. With induction, she became hypotensive to a systolic blood pressure of 70 mm Hg. With the rapid decline in the patient’s systolic blood pressure, your choice for the next step in management would be: 1. Focused abdominal sonography for trauma (FAST) examination 2. Transfusion of blood products 3. Infusion of 1 liter lactated Ringer’s solution 4. Stat CT aortogram with contrast A Cordis central venous catheter was placed in her right femoral vein under ultrasound guidance, and she was transfused 1 unit of whole blood with a rise in her systolic blood pressure to 140 mm Hg. An extended FAST examination was performed and was negative for any blood in the pericardium, bilateral pleural spaces, or abdomen. An X-ray of her chest showed bullet fragments over her right clavicle and no evidence of an intrathoracic injury, …
Investigating the Role of Cognitive Abilities in Computational Thinking for Young Learners

With the global movement to incorporate computer science instruction into elementary education, learners are being introduced to computer science and computational thinking (CS/CT) ideas at increasingly younger ages. At these early ages, young learners are developing cognitive abilities foundational to their education. While other discipline-based education fields, such as math, science, and reading, have long studied the role of cognitive abilities, such as short-term working memory and long-term retrieval, in their respective fields, similar research in computer science education is relatively sparse. In this exploratory study, we examined the relationship between cognitive abilities and CS/CT performance of fourth-grade students (ages 9-10) who underwent either an introductory CT curriculum based on Use–>Modify–>Create or the same curriculum with additional scaffolding from the TIPP&SEE metacognitive learning strategy. Our analysis revealed performance on CT assessments to be weakly correlated with working memory and long-term retrieval, with correlations increasing as the CT concepts grew more complex. This suggests that scaffolding beyond TIPP&SEE may be needed with more complex CT concepts. We also found that when using TIPP&SEE, students scoring below average on cognitive ability tests performed as well as students in the control condition with average cognitive ability scores. These results indicate TIPP&SEE’s potential in creating more equitable computing instruction. We hope that results from this initial exploration can help encourage further study into the role of cognitive abilities in CS/CT education for young learners.
DocTalk: Combining Dependency-Based Text Graphs and Deep Learning into a Practical Dialog Engine.

Today’s deep learning dominates the field of natural language processing (NLP) with text graph-based approaches being another promising approach. However, both have inherent weaknesses. We present our system called DocTalk that brings together a model that combines the strength of the two approaches. DocTalk’s symbiotic model widens its application domain, enhanced with automatic language detection and effective multilingual summarization, keyword extraction, and question answering on several types of documents. Taking advantage of DocTalk’s flexibility, we built it into a dialog engine, coupled with an easy-to-use web interface.
Bubbles in US gasoline prices: Assessing the role of hurricanes and anti–price gouging laws

Abstract This paper examines the presence of bubbles — price changes that cannot be attributed to market fundamentals — in weekly US retail gasoline prices for ten US cities, and whether these bubbles are affected by hurricane events and anti–price gouging laws. Rolling-window, right-tailed unit root tests were used to identify and date bubbles. The analysis found 6 to 22 bubbles, lasting 4 weeks or longer, in city-level retail gasoline prices between 2000 and 2017. A linear regression model of the adjustment speed coefficients from the bubble identification step found that hurricane events increase the rate of price explosivity (or slow the rate of return to equilibrium) following a shock. The regression estimates also imply that state anti–price gouging laws can counteract these effects.
Representing the Concepts of Personality

In this chapter, the basic concepts of the proposed framework will be introduced, and a structural representation of this framework will be described. The first stage of this discussion will be an elaboration of what is meant by a “basic concept”, primarily by example: three different attempts to specify basic concepts will be described. From this discussion, the concepts of persons, situations, response classes, and occasions will be identified as a set of necessary and sufficient basic concepts for personality psychology. A structural representation of these concepts will be created, and the general utility of this kind of representation will be demonstrated by showing how research designs, molecular life histories, and more molar levels of analysis may all be described within the language of this framework.
Does More Federal Environmental Funding Increase or Decrease States’ Efforts?: Evidence on Flypaper Effects from American Federalism

We estimate the demand for federal grants-in-aid to the states. Specifically, we analyze the flow of funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the states as a function of the structure of state political institutions, the political preferences of citizens and elected officials, the state's economic characteristics, and presence of several types of pollutants. We simultaneously model two dependent variables (the flow of EPA funds, and state environmental and natural resource budgets) to identify the independent causation of the two processes. Our results show that the flow of federal funds to states is greater under Democratic control of the state legislature and when the state has pro-environmental members in Congress. State environmental and natural resources spending is greater under Democratic control of the state legislature and when there are more conservation group members in the state. Republican control of the legislature, a larger manufacturing sector, and higher per capita income all lower state spending. For both dependent variables we find a variety of demographic and environmental quality effects. In contrast, we find no direct evidence for either flypaper or crowding out effects between federal funds and state spending.
Ex Vivo Biomechanical Evaluation of the Canine Cranial Cruciate Ligament-Deficient Stifle with Varying Angles of Stifle Joint Flexion and Axial loads after Tibial Tuberosity Advancement

Objective To evaluate the effect of tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) on cranial tibial thrust (CrTT), retropatellar force (RPF), patellar tendon load (PTL), and patellar tendon angle determined by the tibial plateau angle (PTA(TPA) ) method or common tangent (PTA(CT) ) method in the canine cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL)-deficient stifle joint. Study design Ex vivo cadaver study. Sample population Cadaveric canine hind limbs (n=30). Methods Stifle joints were subjected to 3 differing loading conditions using a constrained limb press model (Group 1: 30% body weight axial load at stifle and talocrural joint angles of 135 ± 5° and 145 ± 5°, respectively; Group 2: 30% body weight axial load at stifle and talocrural angles of 145 ± 5° and 135 ± 5°, respectively; and Group 3: 50% body weight axial load at stifle and talocrural joint angles of 135 ± 5° and 145 ± 5°, respectively). The CrCL was transected in situ under load; sensors allowed direct measurement of CrTT, RPF, and PTL. Lateral radiographic projections were used to assess PTA(TPA) and PTA(CT) . Descriptive statistics were used to report CrTT (by design this force returned to 0-point values, defined as the neutral point of advancement [NPA]). At the NPA, RPF was compared with baseline using a 2-tailed sign test. PTL within groups were compared using a paired t-test; pair-wise comparisons of PTA(TPA) and PTA(CT) were performed using a paired t-test. Comparisons between loading conditions were made with a 1-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test. Equivalence tests were used to test mean PTA(TPA) and PTA(CT) for equivalence to 90°. Significance was set at a P-value of .05. Results CrTT returned to baseline values, and RPF and PTL at NPA were reduced below baseline values in all specimens in a near linear fashion with TTA. At the NPA, PTA(TPA) >PTA(CT) in 2 of the 3 loading conditions, but insufficient evidence to suggest they differed in the third. Mean PTA(TPA) and PTA(CT) varied between loading conditions. The threshold for each of the groups evaluated, at which the PTA could be significantly different from 90°, was larger for PTA(TPA) than PTA(CT) in all groups, as greater variation was observed with PTA(TPA) versus PTA(CT) . Conclusion This study further supports the claim that reduction of CrTT occurs after TTA in the CrCL-deficient stifle joint through an alteration of PTA. Additionally, RPF and PTL also decrease after TTA. The PTA(CT) may be a more precise method of determining PTA.
Breadth and age-dependency of relations between cortical thickness and cognition.

Abstract Recent advances in neuroimaging have identified a large number of neural measures that could be involved in age-related declines in cognitive functioning. A popular method of investigating neural-cognition relations has been to determine the brain regions in which a particular neural measure is associated with the level of specific cognitive measures. Although this procedure has been informative, it ignores the strong interrelations that typically exist among the measures in each modality. An alternative approach involves investigating the number and identity of distinct dimensions within the set of neural measures and within the set of cognitive measures before examining relations between the 2 types of measures. The procedure is illustrated with data from 297 adults between 20 and 79 years of age with cortical thickness in different brain regions as the neural measures and performance on 12 cognitive tests as the cognitive measures. The results revealed that most of the relations between cortical thickness and cognition occurred at a general level corresponding to variance shared among different brain regions and among different cognitive measures. In addition, the strength of the thickness-cognition relation was substantially reduced after controlling the variation in age, which suggests that at least some of the thickness-cognition relations in age-heterogeneous samples may be attributable to the influence of age on each type of measure.
Combined activation of the energy and cellular-defense pathways may explain the potent anti-senescence activity of methylene blue

Methylene blue (MB) delays cellular senescence, induces complex-IV, and activates Keap1/Nrf2; however, the molecular link of these effects to MB is unclear. Since MB is redox-active, we investigated its effect on the NAD/NADH ratio in IMR90 cells. The transient increase in NAD/NADH observed in MB-treated cells triggered an investigation of the energy regulator AMPK. MB induced AMPK phosphorylation in a transient pattern, which was followed by the induction of PGC1α and SURF1: both are inducers of mitochondrial and complex-IV biogenesis. Subsequently MB-treated cells exhibited >100% increase in complex-IV activity and a 28% decline in cellular oxidants. The telomeres erosion rate was also significantly lower in MB-treated cells. A previous research suggested that the pattern of AMPK activation (i.e., chronic or transient) determines the AMPK effect on cell senescence. We identified that the anti-senescence activity of MB (transient activator) was 8-times higher than that of AICAR (chronic activator). Since MB lacked an effect on cell cycle, an MB-dependent change to cell cycle is unlikely to contribute to the anti-senescence activity. The current findings in conjunction with the activation of Keap1/Nrf2 suggest a synchronized activation of the energy and cellular defense pathways as a possible key factor in MB's potent anti-senescence activity.
The Effects of a Mathematics Infusion Curriculum on Middle School Student Mathematics Achievement

Increasing mathematical competencies of American students has been a focus for educators, researchers, and policy makers alike. One purported approach to increase student learning is through connecting mathematics and science curricula. Yet there is a lack of research examining the impact of making these connections. The Mathematics Infusion into Science Project, funded by the National Science Foundation, developed a middle school mathematics-infused science curriculum. Twenty teachers utilized this curriculum with over 1,200 students. The current research evaluated the effects of this curriculum on students' mathematics learning and compared effects to students who did not receive the curriculum. Students who were taught the infusion curriculum showed a significant increase in mathematical content scores when compared with the control students.
Evaluation of the Acid-Fast Smear

A retrospective analysis of the data involving all specimens submitted to the mycobacteriology laboratory over the past 20 months supports the continued use of the acid-fast smear as an aid in the detection of tuberculosis.
Phase 2 trial of sunitinib and gemcitabine in patients with sarcomatoid and/or poor-risk metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is associated with an aggressive biology and a poor prognosis. Poor-risk RCC is defined by clinical prognostic factors and demonstrates similarly aggressive behavior. No standard treatment exists for patients with sarcomatoid RCC, and treatment options for patients with poor-risk disease are of limited benefit. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of antiangiogenic therapy in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy in clinically aggressive RCC. METHODS This was a phase 2, single-arm trial of sunitinib and gemcitabine in patients with sarcomatoid or poor-risk RCC. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints included the time to progression (TTP), overall survival (OS), safety, and biomarker correlatives. RESULTS Overall, 39 patients had sarcomatoid RCC, and 33 had poor-risk RCC. The ORR was 26% for patients with sarcomatoid RCC and 24% for patients with poor-risk RCC. The median TTP and OS for patients with sarcomatoid RCC were 5 and 10 months, respectively. For patients with poor-risk disease, the median TTP and OS were 5.5 and 15 months, respectively. Patients whose tumors had >10% sarcomatoid histology had a higher clinical benefit rate (ORR plus stable disease) than those with ≤10% sarcomatoid histology (P = .04). The most common grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events included neutropenia (n = 20), anemia (n = 10), and fatigue (n = 7). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that antiangiogenic therapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy are an active and well-tolerated combination for patients with aggressive RCC. The combination may be more efficacious than either therapy alone and is currently under further investigation. Cancer 2015;121:3435–43. © 2015 American Cancer Society.
Effects of luminance and stimulus distance on accommodation and visual resolution.

Measurements of accommodation and visual resolution were obtained at a number of luminance levels and stimulus distances. With reductions in luminance the eye approached a “fixed-focus” condition of accommodation for intermediate distances, resulting in successively larger errors in accommodation for both near and far stimuli. The visual resolution values were initially affected by both the luminance and distance of the stimulus. Subsequent measurements of resolution, following the correction of accommodative errors, were found to be independent of the stimulus distance. The findings are discussed with regard to the problems of “night myopia” and variations in visual resolution with stimulus distance.
Business owner-managers' descriptions of entrepreneurship: A content analysis

Abstract Entrepreneurship is one of the most researched topics in business research. Findings have been mixed regarding the traits of entrepreneurs, and interest has grown in examining the behavioral aspects and business operations elements necessary for effective entrepreneurship, branching out from the focus on personality traits that has dominated the literature. We explored the area of entrepreneurship with the goal of developing a useful framework for viewing this domain. Content analysis was used to build the framework from business owner-managers' observations of entrepreneurial effectiveness. The construct categories and the overall dimensions and their relationships to entrepreneurship are reported. The result is the beginning of a process to describe an entrepreneurship system. Suggestions for future research and the continuation of entrepreneurship model development are offered.
"Through a drinking glass and what was found there": pseudocontamination of a hospital's drinking water.

OBJECTIVE: Examination of suspended macroscopic debris that was noted in hospital cafeteria drinking water over a prolonged period of time. SETTING: A tertiary care hospital. DESIGN: A retrospective description of events. METHODS: Conventional medical microbiology techniques were employed to determine if contamination of drinking water had occurred. RESULTS: Microscopic examinations of the debris showed live nematodes similar to Strongyloides stercoralis rhabditiform larvae and amoebic trophozoites. A culture of an ice container in the cafeteria yielded coliform bacteria. Hospital employees lost work because of a diarrheal illness thought to be contracted from drinking cafeteria water. Further investigation revealed that the debris contained numerous ciliated organisms, nematodes, fresh water amoebae, bacterial mats, flagellated fungi, and unidentified cysts suggesting that the debris was of a freshwater origin rather than fecal contamination. Another hospital served by a collateral city water line experienced a similar problem. The debris was observed in November when lake water in the reservoir undergoes inversion. CONCLUSIONS: Nonpathogenic freshwater microbiota probably originating from the city reservoir were the cause of pseudocontamination of hospital drinking water.
TRPV1 structures in distinct conformations reveal activation mechanisms

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are polymodal signal detectors that respond to a wide range of physical and chemical stimuli. Elucidating how these channels integrate and convert physiological signals into channel opening is essential to understanding how they regulate cell excitability under normal and pathophysiological conditions. Here we exploit pharmacological probes (a peptide toxin and small vanilloid agonists) to determine structures of two activated states of the capsaicin receptor, TRPV1. A domain (consisting of transmembrane segments 1-4) that moves during activation of voltage-gated channels remains stationary in TRPV1, highlighting differences in gating mechanisms for these structurally related channel superfamilies. TRPV1 opening is associated with major structural rearrangements in the outer pore, including the pore helix and selectivity filter, as well as pronounced dilation of a hydrophobic constriction at the lower gate, suggesting a dual gating mechanism. Allosteric coupling between upper and lower gates may account for rich physiological modulation exhibited by TRPV1 and other TRP channels.
Strain gradient solution for a finite-domain Eshelby-type plane strain inclusion problem and Eshelby's tensor for a cylindrical inclusion in a finite elastic matrix

Abstract A solution for the finite-domain Eshelby-type inclusion problem of a finite elastic body containing a plane strain inclusion prescribed with a uniform eigenstrain and a uniform eigenstrain gradient is derived in a general form using a simplified strain gradient elasticity theory (SSGET). The formulation is facilitated by an extended Betti’s reciprocal theorem and an extended Somigliana’s identity based on the SSGET and suitable for plane strain problems. The disturbed displacement field is obtained in terms of the SSGET-based Green’s function for an infinite plane strain elastic body, which differs from that in earlier studies using the three-dimensional Green’s function. The solution reduces to that of the infinite-domain inclusion problem when the boundary effect is suppressed. The problem of a cylindrical inclusion embedded concentrically in a finite plane strain cylindrical elastic matrix of an enhanced continuum is analytically solved for the first time by applying the general solution, with the Eshelby tensor and its average over the circular cross section of the inclusion obtained in closed forms. This Eshelby tensor, being dependent on the position, inclusion size, matrix size, and a material length scale parameter, captures the inclusion size and boundary effects, unlike existing ones. It reduces to the classical elasticity-based Eshelby tensor for the cylindrical inclusion in an infinite matrix if both the strain gradient and boundary effects are not considered. Numerical results quantitatively show that the inclusion size effect can be quite large when the inclusion is very small and that the boundary effect can dominate when the inclusion volume fraction is very high. However, the inclusion size effect is diminishing with the increase of the inclusion size, and the boundary effect is vanishing as the inclusion volume fraction becomes sufficiently low.
Analysis of Language-Speech Samples with Salt and Pepper

Microcomputer-aided analysis of spontaneous language-speech samples offers researchers an efficient means of analyzing large amounts of data. It may be necessary, however, to format samples for more than one software program in order to obtain comprehensive morpho-syntactic and phonetic/phonologic analyses. This paper suggests a procedure for the combined use of SALT (Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts, Miller & Chapman, 1985) and PEPPER (Programs to Examine Phonetic and Phonologic Evaluation Records, Shriberg, 1986) that is designed to minimize the duplication of effort involved in following two different formatting procedures. Results of a study undertaken to explore methodological issues in the combined use of SALT and PEPPER generally support the validity, reliability, and efficiency of the procedure. Results also raise some issues concerning the use of narrow phonetic transcription as opposed to standard orthographic transcription of continuous language-speech samples.
Neuroprotective multifunctional iron chelators: from redox-sensitive process to novel therapeutic opportunities.

Abstract Accumulating evidence suggests that many cytotoxic signals occurring in the neurodegenerative brain can initiate neuronal death processes, including oxidative stress, inflammation, and accumulation of iron at the sites of the neuronal deterioration. Neuroprotection by iron chelators has been widely recognized with respect to their ability to prevent hydroxyl radical formation in the Fenton reaction by sequestering redox-active iron. An additional neuroprotective mechanism of iron chelators is associated with their ability to upregulate or stabilize the transcriptional activator, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). HIF-1α stability within the cells is under the control of a class of iron-dependent and oxygen-sensor enzymes, HIF prolyl-4-hydroxylases (PHDs) that target HIF-1α for degradation. Thus, an emerging novel target for neuroprotection is associated with the HIF system to promote stabilization of HIF-1α and increase transcription of HIF-1–related survival genes, which have been reported to...
Dynamical modeling of a planetary wave mechanism for a Martian polar warming

The mechanisms involved in the global dust storm and polar warming seen in the Martian atmosphere by the Viking IRTM during the winter solstice of 1977 are investigated theoretically by means of numerical simulations. A two-component dynamical model (based on the combined action of a zonally symmetric 'Hadley' circulation at low and middle latitudes and a planetary-wave circulation at middle and high latitudes) is constructed by analogy to the model of Holton and Mass (1976) for terrestrial sudden stratospheric warmings. The Viking data and simulation results are presented in extensive graphs and characterized in detail. It is demonstrated that a planetary-wave mechanism, based primarily on wavenumber 1 and including a high degree of topographical or thermal wave forcing, can reproduce the observed polar warming. The roles of radiative damping, dissipation, and the transport of dust and water are explored.
Skeletal remodeling and mineralization as indicators of health: an example from prehistoric Sudanese Nubia

Microscopic analysis of bone is used to examine the physiological processes which underlie skeletal indicators of nutritional deficiency and poor health. Microradiographs were made from 185 adult human femora from archeological cemeteries in Sudancese Nubia. A variety of microstructural features—especially the density and morphology of osteons—provided information on rates of remodeling and mineralization. Among the Nubian burials, the youngest and oldest adult females show the strongest indications of problems with bone maintenance. These problems are related to nutritional stress among the reproducing young females and aging in older females. In addition, the important role of collagen in bone formation and turnover is discussed as an important factor to be considered in isotopic and elemental analyses of bone.
Comparison of flow and heat transfer characteristics in a lid-driven cavity between flexible and modified geometry of a heated bottom wall

Abstract A numerical investigation of steady laminar mixed convection flow and heat transfer in a lid driven cavity with a flexible heated bottom surface is investigated. Moreover, the heated bottom wall is characterized by rectangular and sinusoidal wavy profiles for a rigid wall analysis. A stable thermal stratification configuration was considered by imposing a vertical temperature gradient while the vertical walls were considered to be insulated. The transport equations are solved using a finite element formulation based on the Galerkin method of weighted residuals. For a flexible bottom wall case, a fully coupled fluid–structure interaction (FSI) analysis is utilized and the fluid domain is described by an Arbitrary-Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) formulation that is fully coupled to the structure domain. The results of this investigation revealed that the heat transfer enhancement is noticed in all the studied cases compared with a flat bottom wall case. Furthermore, the contribution of the forced convection heat transfer to that offered by natural convection heat transfer has a profound effect on the behavior of the flexible wall as well as the momentum and energy transport processes within the cavity. Flexible bottom wall case is found to exhibit significant heat transfer enhancement (61.4%) compared with a flat bottom wall case at Grashof number of 104 and Re
Predicting extinction rates in stochastic epidemic models

We investigate the stochastic extinction processes in a class of epidemic models. Motivated by the process of natural disease extinction in epidemics, we examine the rate of extinction as a function of disease spread. We show that the effective entropic barrier for extinction in a susceptible?infected?susceptible epidemic model displays scaling with the distance to the bifurcation point, with an unusual critical exponent. We make a direct comparison between predictions and numerical simulations. We also consider the effect of non-Gaussian vaccine schedules, and show numerically how the extinction process may be enhanced when the vaccine schedules are Poisson distributed.
The Crystal Structure of Sodium Nitrate

The crystal structure of sodium nitrate has been determined from a study of the Laue photographs obtained by passing X-rays through crystal sections. The method of interpretation is similar to that used by Nishikawa in studying spinel.The unit rhombohedron of sodium nitrate is a body-centered structure containing two molecules of NaN${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$. The marshalling of the atoms in the crystal as a whole resembles that within a crystal of sodium chloride with N${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ groups replacing the chlorine atoms of NaCl.