cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Challenges to Treatment of Chronic Pain and Addiction During the “Opioid Crisis”

Health care in the USA faces a double challenge, the crisis of chronic pain and the crisis of opioid misuse and overdose. Patients have been prescribed opioids at high doses with unclear indications for long periods of time, putting them at high risk for morbidity and mortality. A significant proportion of these patients have comorbid psychiatric or substance use disorders complicating their pain conditions. The challenges to treating these patients adequately are discussed, along with potential solutions to these issues at the level of the individual provider, healthcare systems, and society.
Physical Activity and Adiposity-related Inflammation: The MESA.

ABSTRACTPurposePhysical activity is associated with decreased adiposity-related inflammation in adults. Whether this association is independent of central obesity is unknown but important for understanding the mechanisms associated with reducing cardiometabolic disease risk through physical activity
On Uniqueness in Finite Elasticity

This paper lists counterexamples demonstrating lack of uniqueness for the major boundary-value problems of finite elasticity. Uniqueness is then shown to hold in convex, stable sets of deformations.
Using Semantic Anchoring to Verify Behavior Preservation in Graph Transformations

Graph transformation is often used to transform domain models from one domain specific language (DSML) to another. In some cases, the DSMLs are based on a formalism that has many implementation variants, such as Statecharts. For instance, it could be necessary to transform iLogix Statechart models into Matlab Stateflow models. The preservation of behavior of the models is crucial in such transformations. Bisimulation has previously been demonstrated as an approach to verifying behavior preservation, and semantic anchoring is an approach to specifying the dynamic semantics of DSMLs. We propose a method to verify behavior preservation, using bisimulation in conjunction with semantic anchoring. We will consider two hypothetical variants of the Statecharts formalism, and specify the operational semantics of each variant by semantic anchoring, using Abstract State Machines as a common semantic framework. We then establish bisimulation properties to verify if the behavior models of the source and target Statechart models are equivalent for a particular execution of the transformation.
A cycle-free coordinated traffic intersection policy using time-inconsistent wait-time functions

Sensing and computing capabilities of modern traffic intersections have greatly improved in recent years, but current control policies do not fully utilize these capabilities. In this paper, we present a novel intersection control algorithm based on an objective function that accounts for drivers' time preferences. In particular, the intersection places greater importance on a vehicle which has been waiting at an intersection over one that just arrived. Coordination between intersections is achieved through adding a term to the objective function using the green wave idea. Under this policy and a macroscopic dynamical model, we provide a sufficient condition for the controller to maintain uniformly bounded weighted queues at an intersection given sufficiently small spawn rates. We test our algorithm and results extensively in a realistic microscopic simulation, through measuring queue stability and various performance metrics.
Expression and Purification of Recombinant Human N-Formyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine(FMLP) Receptor. Generation of polyclonal antibody against FMLP receptor.

Abstract The recombinant formyl peptide receptor has been successfully expressed and purified, utilizing an Escherichia coli expression system. Purification of formyl peptide receptor was performed using gel filtration chromatography and affinity chromatography, and the purified protein migrated at an apparent molecular mass of 36,000 Da. The purified recombinant receptor retained functional activity as determined by a ligand binding assay. The yield of the recombinant purified receptor was ~1 mg/2 L of culture, and the binding activity was determined to be ~8 nM, which suggests the conclusion that glycosylation does not affect significantly ligand binding of the N -formyl-l-leucyl-l-phenylalanine (FMLP) receptormolecule. The recombinant receptor protein yield was found to be significantly higher than that obtained from neutrophils. The purified recombinant receptor was then utilized to generate antibody against the same. The reaction of the antibody against recombinant formylpeptide receptor and against native formylpeptide receptor on neutrophils was confirmed by western blot analysis and flow cytometric analysis, respectively. The antibody was also used successfully to defect recombinant formylpeptide receptor expression on transfected 293 cells. These results describe for the first time the expression, purification, and characterization of recombinant FMLP receptor with ligand binding activity and the generation of polyclonal antibody against the same. This work also provides a foundation for future biophysical studies of the FMLP receptor molecule, which have not been possible until now.
Cerebrovascular Events in Glioma Patients Treated with Bevacizumab (P07.013)

OBJECTIVE: Review the incidence, stroke mechanism, and clinical characteristics of glioma patients who developed cerebrovascular events during bevacizumab therapy. BACKGROUND: Bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor antibody, is approved for progressive glioblastoma. Phase II clinical trials suggested an increased risk of ischemic stroke (IS) and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) while on bevacizumab; however, data regarding the incidence, clinical characteristics, and neuroimaging of glioma patients on treatment is lacking. DESIGN/METHODS: A retrospective review of glioma patients on bevacizumab at our institution July 2005 to June 2011 was studied. Patients with MRI-confirmed IS and/or ICH while on bevacizumab was investigated and compared to historical data. Demographics, vascular risk factors, clinical presentations, tumor characteristics, and tumor treatment plans were collected. RESULTS: A total of 162 patients (65% male) received bevacizumab and 23 (14%) developed a cerebrovascular event while on treatment, with 3 (2%) IS and 20 (12%) ICH. All IS and ICH patients received prior brain radiation. In the IS group, 2 (66%) patients were symptomatic, with 1 (33%) cardiembolic and 2 (66%) lacunar strokes. None had risk factors besides hypercoagulable state from malignancy. In the ICH group, 3 (15%) patients had a symptomatic bleed and 6 (30%) had associated hypertension. All ICHs were intratumoral and 16 (80%) associated with tumor progression. Median survival after stroke was 9.8 and 3.7 months in the IS and ICH groups, respectively. Length of bevacizumab treatment was not significantly associated with development of IS (p=0.6) and ICH (p=0.3). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, 78% of strokes were asymptomatic and diagnosed on serial imaging. ICHs were more common, but all were small intratumoral bleeds, mostly seen during tumor progression. Development of cerebrovascular events was not associated with duration of bevacizumab treatment. Our study cannot determine causality and randomized controlled studies are needed to assess the risk of IS and ICH with bevacizumab. Disclosure: Dr. Patel has nothing to disclose. Dr. John has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hashemi-Sadraei has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ahluwalia has received personal compensation for activities with Elkta as an advisory board member, from Monteris Medical as a consultant, and from Merl as a speaker.
Characterization of gene expression profiles of normal canine retina and brain using a retinal cDNA microarray.

PURPOSE Construction of a canine retinal custom cDNA microarray for comprehensive retinal gene expression profiling and application for the identification of genes that are preferentially expressed in the retina and brain lobes using a brain pool reference tissue. METHODS A cDNA microarray was constructed utilizing clones obtained from a normalized canine retinal expressed sequence tag library. Gene expression profiles were analyzed for normal retina, as well as the cortex of the frontal, occipital, and temporal brain regions. Each sample was studied against a reference sample of pooled brain RNA. Data from a quantified scanned image were normalized using the loess subgrid procedure. Retina-enriched genes were identified using the Significance Analysis of Microarrays (SAM) algorithm, and confirmed by northern blot analyses for selected genes. Differences between biological samples were displayed using principal component analysis (PCA). RESULTS Expression profiles for each tissue set were analyzed against the common reference of pooled brain. Changes in expression between the sample and the reference were higher in the retina (27.9%) than the individual brain tissues (2-6.6%). Furthermore, all individual retinal samples were clearly separated from any of the hybridizations using brain tissue in the PCA. The accuracy of observed changes in expression has been confirmed by northern blot analysis using five randomly chosen genes that represented a wide range of different expression levels between retina and brain. CONCLUSIONS We have established an accurate and robust microarray system suitable for the investigation of expression patterns in the retina and brain. Characterization of the gene expression profiles in normal retina will facilitate the understanding of the processes that underline differences between normal and diseased retinas.
Longitudinal Associations Between Visual Impairment and Cognitive Functioning: The Salisbury Eye Evaluation Study.

Importance Worsening vision and declining cognitive functioning are common conditions among elderly individuals. Understanding the association between them could be beneficial in mitigating age-related cognitive changes. Objective To evaluate the longitudinal associations between visual impairment and cognitive function over time in a population-based study of older US adults. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective longitudinal population-based study of older adults in the greater Salisbury area in Maryland. Overall, 2520 community-residing adults aged 65 to 84 years were assessed at baseline between September 1993 and August 1995 (round 1) and 2 (round 2), 6 (round 3), and 8 (round 4) years later. Main Outcomes and Measures Visual acuity (VA) was measured using Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study charts, and cognitive status was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Results Of 2520 individuals, the mean (SD) age was 73.5 (5.1) years, 1458 (58%) were women, and 666 (26%) were black. There were 2240 (89%), 1504 (61%), and 1250 (50%) participants in the second, third, and fourth round of study, respectively, with more than half of the loss being due to death. Both VA and MMSE score worsened over time. The mean biannual decline of VA was 0.022 logMAR (approximately 1 line during 8 years; 95% CI, 0.018-0.026), and the mean biannual worsening of MMSE score was −0.59 (95% CI, −0.64 to −0.54; bothP Conclusions and Relevance In a population-based sample of older US adults, visual impairment measured at distance is associated with declining cognitive function both cross-sectionally and longitudinally over time with worsening vision having a stronger association with declining cognition than the reverse. Worsening vision in older adults may be adversely associated with future cognitive functioning. Maintaining good vision may be an important interventional strategy for mitigating age-related cognitive declines.
Archaea, Origin of

Archaea (formerly archaeobacteria) are a group of microscopic organisms that constitute a phylogenetically separate doman of life distinct from the other two domains, the Bacteria (Eubacteria) and Eucarya (Eukaryotes). Archaea are generally, although not exclusively, found living in extreme terrestrial or aquatic environments such as hot springs, deep-sea thermal vents, or under conditions of extreme pH and/or concentrated salinity. Because of their adaptation to unusual environments, modern Archaea may provide insights into the early history of life on Earth.
TalkMine : a soft computing approach to adaptive knowledge recommendation

We present a soft computing recommendation system named TalkMine, to advance adaptive web and digital library technology. TalkMine leads different databases or websites to learn new and adapt existing keywords to the categories recognized by its communities of users. It uses distributed artificial intelligence algorithms and soft computing technology. TalkMine is currently being implemented for the research library of the Los Alamos National Laboratory under the Active Recommendation Project (http://arp.lanl.gov). TalkMine is based on the integration of distributed knowledge networks using Evidence Sets, an extension of fuzzy sets. The identification of the interests of users relies on a process of combining several fuzzy sets into evidence sets, which models an ambiguous "and/or" linguistic expression. The interest of users is further fine-tuned by a human-machine conversation algorithm used for uncertainty reduction. Documents are retrieved according to the inferred user interests. Finally, the retrieval behavior of all users of the system is employed to adapt the knowledge bases of queried information resources. This adaptation allows information resources to respond well to the evolving expectations of users. In this article the distributed architecture of Talk-Mine is presented together with a description of its implementation in the Active Recommendation Project. In particular, the characterization of information resources as interacting distributed memory banks is presented. Evidence sets and the operations to produce them from several fuzzy sets are detailed. The conversation and adaptation algorithms used by TalkMine to interact automatically with users is described.
DIGITAL AGE DIDACTICS: FROM TEACHING TO ENGINEERING OF LEARNING. PART 1

The digital age demands re-thinking of traditional teaching and learning. Rapidly growing technological innovations in education force a paradigm shift from traditional teaching to engineering of learning. Thus, the main focus of the article is on the design, development, and implementation of effective learning environments through the use of Information and Communication Technologies in various formats: face-to-face, blended, and distance education. Engineering of learning requires new understanding and reconceptualization of traditional didactics toward e-Didactics in order to effectively design and skillfully align learning objectives, content, and assessment in the digital age classroom.
Multi-modal antidepressant-like action of 6- and 7-chloro-2-aminodihydroquinazolines in the mouse tail suspension test.

2-Amino-6-chloro-3,4-dihydroquinazoline (e.g., A6CDQ) represents a novel putative antidepressant originally thought to act through a 5-HT3 serotonin receptor antagonist mechanism. Here, we investigated this further by examining a positional isomer of A6CDQ (i.e., A7CDQ). 5-HT3 receptor and transporter activity (uptake-1 and uptake-2) were investigated using a variety of in vitro assays and the in vivo mouse tail suspension test (TST). Although A7CDQ binds at 5-HT3 receptors with low affinity (Ki = 1975 nM) compared to A6CDQ (Ki = 80 nM), it retained 5-HT3 receptor antagonist action (IC50 = 5.77 and 0.26 μM, respectively). In the mouse TST A7CDQ produced antidepressant-like actions (ED50 = 0.09 mg/kg) comparable to that of A6CDQ. In addition, A6CDQ was found to be a 5-HT releasing agent (Km = 2.8 μM) at hSERT and a reuptake inhibitor (IC50 = 1.8 μM) at hNET, whereas A7CDQ was a weak reuptake inhibitor (Km = 43.6 μM) at SERT but a releasing agent (EC50 = 3.3 μM) at hNET. Moreover, A6CDQ and A7CDQ were potent inhibitors of uptake-2 (e.g.; OCT3 IC50 = 3.9 and 5.9 μM, respectively). A simple shift of a substituent in a common quinazoline scaffold from one position to another (i.e., a chloro group from the 6- to the 7-position) resulted in a common action in the TST but via a somewhat different mechanism. A6CDQ and A7CDQ might represent the first members of a new class of potential antidepressants with a unique multi-modal mechanism of action.
Outcomes of Catheter Ablation for Atrial fibrillation in Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in adult patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. There is paucity of data regarding the safety and outcomes of catheter ablation in these patients. We queried the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) to
Improving student learning performance in a virtual hands-on lab system in cybersecurity education

This Research Work in Progress paper presents a study on improving student learning performance in a virtual hands-on lab system in cybersecurity education. As the demand for cybersecurity-trained professionals rapidly increasing, virtual hands-on lab systems have been introduced into cybersecurity education as a tool to enhance students’ learning. To improve learning in a virtual hands-on lab system, instructors need to understand: what learning activities are associated with students’ learning performance in this system? What relationship exists between different learning activities? What instructors can do to improve learning outcomes in this system? However, few of these questions has been studied for using virtual hands-on lab in cybersecurity education. In this research, we present our recent findings by identifying that two learning activities are positively associated with students’ learning performance. Notably, the learning activity of reading lab materials (p < 0:01) plays a more significant role in hands-on learning than the learning activity of working on lab tasks (p < 0:05) in cybersecurity education.In addition, a student, who spends longer time on reading lab materials, may work longer time on lab tasks (p < 0:01).
Prognosticating the Course of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that can lead to progressive irreversible bowel damage. Selecting the most appropriate therapy for patients is a challenge because not all patients diagnosed with IBD have complications, and the amount of time to develop a complication is different for individuals. Models using patient characteristics, genetics, and immune responses help identify those patients who require early aggressive therapy with a goal to modify their disease course. Future research will help identify the role that the microbiome, metagenomics, metaproteomics, and microRNAs play in a patient prognosis.
League of the South's Internet Rhetoric: Neo-Confederate Community-Building Online

A nationwide backlash against the Confederate flag and other Confederate symbols occurred after the deadly June 17, 2015, church shootings in Charleston, South Carolina, when images of the alleged gunman displaying a Confederate flag surfaced. This backlash sparked a reactionary movement among pro-Confederate supporters who viewed the attacks on Confederate symbols as an affront to their Southern heritage. Some neo-Confederate groups exploited the backlash, and the pro-Confederate sympathy it generated, as an opportunity to build their communities. This essay examines how the neo-Confederate group League of the South (LOS) used its website to attract members to its community in the week before the Confederate flag’s removal from South Carolina’s state capitol on July 10, 2015. Analysis reveals LOS may have aided its community-building efforts by attempting to foster a sense of shared identity within the pro-Confederate community and employing fear-raising rhetoric relating to the backlash against Confederate symbols. The relevance of examining U.S.-based hate groups’ Internet rhetoric has substantially increased in recent years as the United States has witnessed a series of deadly mass shootings perpetrated by various extremists, some of whom were apparently motivated by rhetoric they accessed on U.S.-based extremist sites.
Comparing the microbial communities of natural and supplemental nests of an endangered ecosystem engineer

Supplemental nests are often used to restore habitats for a variety of rare and endangered taxa. However, though supplemental nests mimic the function of natural nests, they vary in design and building material. We know from previous research on human homes and other buildings that these differences in architecture can alter the types of microbes to which inhabitants are exposed, and these shifts in microbial interactions can be detrimental for health and well-being. Yet, no one has tested whether microbial communities in supplemental structures are distinct from those found in natural nests. Here we sampled the bacteria from inside supplemental nests of the endangered Key Largo woodrat (Neotoma floridana smalli). We then compared the diversity and composition of those bacteria to those collected from natural stick-nests and the forest floor in Key Largo, Florida. In addition, we sampled woodrat bodies to assess the microbiota of nest inhabitants. We observed distinct bacterial communities in Key Largo woodrat nests, relative to the forest environment; however, we could not differentiate between the microbial communities collected from supplemental and natural nests. Furthermore, when we considered genera known to contain bacterial pathogens of wild rodents, supplemental and natural nests exhibited similarly low relative abundances of these taxa. Where we expected to see an accumulation of pathogens, we instead observed high relative abundances of bacteria from antimicrobial-producing groups (i.e., Pseudonocardiaceae and Streptomycetaceae). The microbial biota of Key Largo woodrat individuals resembled those of their nests, with low relative abundances of potentially pathogenic bacteria and high abundances of antimicrobial-producing groups. Our results suggest that, although there is some microbial interaction between nests and nest inhabitants, there are no detectable differences in the types of bacteria to which Key Largo woodrats are exposed in supplemental and natural nest structures.
Distant recurrence in a patient with polyp-confined stage IA serous endometrial carcinoma treated with adjuvant chemotherapy: A case report and review of literature

Abstract Uterine serous carcinoma is a rare, high-risk histological subtype of endometrial cancer, and use of adjuvant treatment in early stage IA disease is inconsistent, especially when the tumor is confined entirely within an endometrial polyp. We herein present a case of extrauterine recurrence in a 67-year-old female with polyp-confined, stage IA uterine serous endometrial cancer. She underwent comprehensive surgical staging with the pathology returning a 5 cm uterine serous carcinoma confined completely to a 7 cm polyp with negative margins, negative myometrial and lymphovascular space invasion, and twenty-nine negative para-aortic and pelvic lymph nodes. She went on to complete six cycles of adjuvant carboplatin and paclitaxel. She presented with a new pleural effusion approximately 20 months after receiving definitive treatment, and a diagnosis of recurrent, metastatic uterine serous carcinoma was confirmed through cytology. A review of the literature suggests practice patterns involving adjuvant treatment for polyp-confined stage IA uterine serous carcinoma are highly variable. Prospective studies clarifying the utility of adjuvant treatment for polyp-confined disease in comprehensively staged patients, especially pertaining to the impact this pathology has on recurrence risk, are needed for these patients.
Characterization of a new scintillation imaging system for proton pencil beam dose rate measurements.

Purpose: The goal of this work was to create a technique that could measure all possible spatial and temporal delivery rates used in pencil-beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy. The proposed system used a fast scintillation screen for full-field imaging to resolve temporal and spatial patterns as it was delivered. Methods and Materials: A fast intensified CMOS camera imaged used continuous mode 10 ms temporal frame rate and 1x1 mm^2 spatial resolution, imaging a scintillation screen during clinical proton PBS delivery. PBS plans with varying dose, dose rate, energy, field size, and spot-spacing were generated, delivered and imaged. The captured images were post processed to provide dose and dose rate values after background subtraction, perspective transformation, uniformity correction for the camera and the scintillation screen, and calibration into dose. Results: The linearity in scintillation response with respect to varying dose rate, dose, and field size was within 2%. The quenching corrected response with varying energy was also within 2%. Large spatio-temporal variations in dose rate were observed, even for plans delivered with similar dose distributions. Dose and dose rate histograms and maximum dose rate maps were generated for quantitative evaluations. With the fastest PBS delivery on a clinical system, dose rates up to 26.0 Gy/s were resolved. Conclusions: The scintillation imaging technique was able to quantify proton PBS dose rate profiles with spot weight as low as 2 MU, with spot-spacing of 2.5 mm, having an ultimate 1x1 mm^2 spatial resolution. These dose rate temporal profiles, spatial maps, and cumulative dose rate histograms provide useful metrics for the potential evaluation and optimization of dose rate in treatment plans.
Integration of Laboratory Safety and Green Chemistry: Implementation in a Sophomore Seminar and an Advanced Organic Laboratory

Laboratory safety is a vital part of a chemical education and can be incorporated into courses throughout the chemistry curriculum. Discussions of laboratory safety can serve as an introduction to the important field of green chemistry. Exposure to this field can better prepare students for safer and more sustainable laboratory practices in research laboratories, graduate school, or careers in chemical industry. Activities integrating laboratory safety and green chemistry have been implemented in two undergraduate chemistry courses: a sophomore seminar and an advanced organic chemistry laboratory. Methods for introduction and assessment of these topics in both courses are described.
Designing the modern city: Urbanism since 1850, by Eric Mumford: New Haven, CT, Yale University Press, 2018

As a social science–trained urban planner and student of planning history and politics in a planning school located within a design college, where I have frequently engaged in teaching and research...
Low-voltage capacitive measurement methodology for dielectric elastomers

Dielectric elastomers have emerged in recent years as a smart material capable of acting as an actuator, a sensor, or a generator. When used as a sensor, this soft, flexible material exhibits a change in capacitance as it is deformed in both compression and tension. This has led to the adaptation of dielectric elastomer sensors in the wearable technology space, where careful sensor placement can enable the measurement of biomechanical movement. However, these sensors may not be measured using traditional capacitance measurement techniques due to their increased electrode resistance. Thus, a low frequency, low voltage capacitive measurement methodology needs to be derived for these sensors to thrive in wearable applications. In this work, we propose such a methodology which utilizes phase detection with the Goertzel algorithm. Traditionally used for tone detection, the Goertzel algorithm provides an efficient method for recovering individual terms of the DFT. Our sensing methodology is integrated into a low-cost microcontroller and integrated with a wireless microcontroller to enable remote measurement of the dielectric elastomers. The open sourcing of this device may jump-start the widespread adoption of dielectric elastomers as biomechanical sensors.
User Local Coordinate-Based Accompanying Robot for Human Natural Movement of Daily Life.

Considering the trend of aging societies, accompanying technology can help frail, elderly individuals participate in daily activities. The ideal accompanying robot should accompany the user in a proper position according to the activity scenarios and context; the prerequisite is that the accompanying robot should quickly move to a designated position and closely maintain it regardless of the direction in which the user moves. This paper proposes a user local coordinate-based strategy to satisfy this need. As a proof of concept, a novel “string-pot” approach was utilized to measure the position difference between the robot and the target. We implemented the control strategy and assessed its performance in our gait lab. The results showed that the robot can follow the user in the designated position while the user performs forward, backward, and lateral movements, turning, and walking along a curve.
Sternoclavicular joint injury

Abstract The sternoclavicular joint is the only bony articulation between the upper extremity and the axial skeleton. It provides a physical foundation for the clavicle, which acts as a linkage between the scapula and the torso. Disorders of the sternoclavicular joint (SCJ) are uncommon and can often be overlooked in some patients. The etiology can be traumatic, infectious, neoplastic, or degenerative. In this chapter we will review the anatomy and biomechanics of the SCJ as well as the evaluation and management of the common traumatic disorders. Relevant literature, as it pertains to nonoperative and operative measures will be discussed as well as the author’s preferences.
Supporting students' motivation in college online courses

Students’ motivation has been identified as a critical factor for meaningful engagement and positive academic achievement in various educational settings. In particular, self-regulation strategies have been identified as important skills in online learning environments. However, applying self-regulation strategies, such as goal setting, strategic planning, and reflect performance takes significant effort. Without motivation, students will not enact these types of strategies. Autonomous self-regulation has been investigated in traditional classroom settings and there is ample empirical evidence of a significant relationship between autonomous self-regulation and engagement and academic achievement. However, such research was limited in online learning environments. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that affected students’ autonomous or self-determined forms of regulation as defined in self-determination theory (SDT). The study examined the relations between students’ self-regulated motivation and four other variables (students’ interests in the course, students’ perception of their instructor’s interaction type, students’ technology self-efficacy, and students’ perception of the degree to which their online learning environment used constructivistbased pedagogy), and the interactions among these variables in college online courses. In addition, the study examined the relationship between students’ autonomous forms of regulation and their engagement, learning achievement, interaction behaviors, and satisfaction in the online course. For students’ interaction behaviors, the total number of
Elongation factor Ts directly facilitates the formation and disassembly of the escherichia coli elongation factor Tu·GTP·aminoacyl-tRNA ternary complex

Aminoacyl-tRNA enters the translating ribosome in a ternary complex with elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) and GTP. Here, we describe bulk steady state and pre-steady state fluorescence methods that enabled us to quantitatively explore the kinetic features of Escherichia coli ternary complex formation and decay. The data obtained suggest that both processes are controlled by a nucleotide-dependent, rate-determining conformational change in EF-Tu. Unexpectedly, we found that this conformational change is accelerated by elongation factor Ts (EF-Ts), the guanosine nucleotide exchange factor for EF-Tu. Notably, EF-Ts attenuates the affinity of EF-Tu for GTP and destabilizes ternary complex in the presence of non-hydrolyzable GTP analogs. These results suggest that EF-Ts serves an unanticipated role in the cell of actively regulating the abundance and stability of ternary complex in a manner that contributes to rapid and faithful protein synthesis.
Improved smoothed analysis of the shadow vertex simplex method

Spielman and Teng (JACM '04), proved that the smoothed complexity of a two-phase shadow-vertex method for linear programming is polynomial in the number of constraints n, the number of variables d, and the parameter of perturbation 1//spl sigma/. The key geometric result in their proof was an upper bound of O(nd/sup 3//min (/spl sigma/, (9d ln n)/sup 1/2 /)/sup 6/) on the expected size of the shadow of the polytope defined by the perturbed linear program. In this paper, we give a much simpler proof of a better bound: O(n/sup 2/ d ln n/min (/spl sigma/, (4d ln n)/sup 1/2 /)/sup 2/). When evaluated at /spl sigma/ = (9d ln n)/sup 1/2 /, this improves the size estimate from O(nd/sup 6/ ln/sup 3/ n) to O(n/sup 2/d/sup 2/ ln n). The improvement only becomes better as /spl sigma/ decreases. The bound on the running time of the two-phase shadow vertex proved by Spielman and Teng is dominated by the exponent of /spl sigma/ in the shadow-size bound. By reducing this exponent from 6 to 2, we decrease the exponent in the smoothed complexity of the two-phase shadow vertex method by a multiplicative factor of 3.
Proton nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the manganese (II) binding site of concanavalin A. Effect of saccharides on the solvent relaxation rates.

The longitudinal relaxation rate (1T1p) of water protons was studied in solutions of Mn(II)-concanavalin A at a number of frequencies. These relaxation rates were lowered in the presence of a variety of saccharides which have affinities for concanavalin A which range over two orders of magnitude. A good correlation was found in which saccharides which bind tightly have the greatest effect and saccharides which bind weakly or not at all have little effect on the 1T1p values. The temperature dependence of the proton relaxation rates showed that the lowering of these rates in the presence of saccharides was most likely due to a change in the exchange rate of solvent interacting with protein-bound Mn(II), 1Tm. An analysis of the temperature and frequency dependence of the 1T1p and 1T2p (transverse) solvent proton relaxation rates resulted in evaluation of a number of parameters for solvent water molecules interacting in the first coordination sphere of Mn(II) bound to concanavalin A. The ratio of the number of water molecules (q) to the Mn(II)-proton distance (r) obtained from a computer fit of the data over a limited temperature range is in accord with the findings of Koenig et al. ((1973) Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci.70, 475) and Meirovitch and Kalb ((1973) Biochim. Biophys. Acta303, 258). However, our studies of 1T1p and 1T2p of water over a more extensive temperature range are best fit with the following conclusions: at low temperatures ( 30 °C), the water molecule in the inner coordination sphere of the bound Mn(II) begins exchanging more rapidly and contributes to the relaxation processes (1T1p and 1T2p). The relaxation time of protons in the inner coordination shell, T1M, contributes over the entire temperature range and produces a frequency dependence in the relaxivity data from 6 to 100 MHz since the contributions to the correlation times are in the range 10−9-10−8 sec.
Predicting Partial Paths from Planning Problem Parameters.

Many robot motion planning problems can be described as a combination of motion through relatively sparsely filled regions of configuration space and motion through tighter passages. Sample-based planners perform very effectively everywhere but in the tight passages. In this paper, we provide a method for parametrically describing workspace arrangements that are difficult for planners, and then learning a function that proposes partial paths through them as a function of the parameters. These suggested partial paths are then used to significantly speed up planning for new problems.
Field-quantified responses of tropical rainforest aboveground productivity to increasing CO2 and climatic stress, 1997–2009

[1] A directional change in tropical-forest productivity, a large component in the global carbon budget, would affect the rate of increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide ([CO2]). One current hypothesis is that “CO2 fertilization” has been increasing tropical forest productivity. Some lines of evidence instead suggest climate-driven productivity declines. Relevant direct field observations remain extremely limited for this biome. Using a unique long-term record of annual field measurements, we assessed annual aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and its relation to climatic factors and [CO2] in a neotropical rainforest through 1997–2009. Over this 12 year period, annual productivity did not increase, as would be expected with a dominant CO2 fertilization effect. Instead, the negative responses of ANPP components to climatic stress far exceeded the small positive responses associated with increasing [CO2]. Annual aboveground biomass production was well explained (73%) by the independent negative effects of increasing minimum temperatures and greater dry-season water stress. The long-term records enable a first field-based estimate of the [CO2] response of tropical forest ANPP: 5.24 g m−2 yr−1 yr−1 (the summed [CO2]-associated increases in two of the four production components; the largest component, leaf litterfall, showed no [CO2] association). If confirmed by longer data series, such a small response from a fertile tropical rainforest would indicate that current global models overestimate the benefits from CO2 fertilization for this biome, where most forests' poorer nutrient status more strongly constrains productivity responses to increasing [CO2]. Given the rapidly intensifying warming across tropical regions, tropical forest productivity could sharply decline through coming decades.
Understanding the Mechanism for the Mass Accommodation of Ethanol by a Water Droplet

The interaction of small gas-phase molecules with the liquid/vapor interface of aqueous droplets and their subsequent accommodation into the bulk of the droplet is an integral part of the chemistry...
Mathematical Model of an Electric Glass Furnace: Effects of Glass Color and Resistivity

A quantitative mathematical analysis of coupled electrical power dissipation, heat transfer, and natural convection in a hypothetical all-electric glass tank furnace was conducted using a two-dimensional computer model. The model simulated numerically the complex interactions which occur among charge, mass, energy, and momentum transport in a vertical plane section through the melter. Computer generated contour plots of the power density, isotherms, and stream-lines in the rectangular enclosure are presented for both a flint glass and an amber glass, each with and without the variation of electrical resistivity with temperature taken into account. The total electrical power consumption was held constant in all cases investigated in order to establish a common basis for comparison of the results. It is shown that although the variation in melt resistivity, associated with the range of temperatures encountered in the interior of the hypothetical glass furnace, approaches 10 percent of the mean isothermal value, it has subsequently very little effect on the calculated temperature and velocity distribution within the enclosure over a wide range of effective thermal conductivities. Hence the electrical resistivity can be assumed consistent for all practical purposes when these are the results of primary interest. It is also shown that the electric melting behavior of colored glasses may be quite different from that of a flint glass under the same basic furnace operating conditions.
Rationality in a Political‐Economic Environment

This paper develops a rational expectations model of the circle of public opinion and policy implicit in working democracies. The executive branch of government, in particular, takes into account its own preferences and, indirectly, those of the voters, which are not constant but depend on the policy context in which they are formed. As a result, policies and voter preferences become interdependent stochastic processes rather than solutions of static optimization problems. This interdependence has specific implications for policy and opinion. Most striking, when citizens' opinions develop in this environment, the existence of rationally held belief systems is consistent with the pattern of opinion instability Converse attributes to nonattitudes.
Revitalizing the Parramore heritage renovation area: Florida's state housing initiatives partnership program and Orlando's historic African‐American community

Abstract Housing programs increasingly contribute to broader community revitalization efforts rather than strictly serving production‐oriented goals. As implementation of this strategy moves beyond the traditional housing leaders in cities such as Boston, Cleveland, and Baltimore, an assessment of other areas is instructive. This article examines how the nation's largest housing trust fund, which Florida directs primarily to local governments through the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP), contributed to Orlando's ambitious community revitalization effort in the Parramore neighborhood. Given the consistency between SHIP goals and those of the Parramore project and Orlando's experience with developing partnerships and affordable housing initiatives, SHIP should have proven an effective tool. The initial findings demonstrate that housing programs need to be sufficiently flexible to permit a comprehensive approach to neighborhood revitalization. Such an approach should seek a balance between produc...
Development of a gene capture method to rescue a large deletion mutant of human cytomegalovirus.

Abstract Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an opportunistic human pathogen that causes serious clinical illness in immunocompromised individuals. A major breakthrough in the progression of HCMV genetics studies is the development of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones of the viral genome. Recently, a luciferase reporter gene was inserted in the BAC clone (BAC luc ) which facilitates monitoring of the virus growth both in vitro and in vivo . The virus made from the BAC luc grew with the similar kinetics as the wild-type strain indicating that the luciferase gene insertion does not interfere with the virus growth. Although the construction of the BAC clone has eased genetic studies of herpesviruses tremendously, there are still difficulties in cloning large DNA fragments of the virus to rescue mutations with large deletions. This paper describes a novel method termed “gene capture”, which allows easier cloning of large pieces of DNA. As an application of this method, a 15-kb fragment that was deleted from the HCMV genome was rescued back into the viral genome. A mutant HCMV clone with the 15-kb region deletion was generated first using the λ prophage recombination system in E. coli . Utilizing the new rescue method, the deleted fragment was then rescued in two steps: the 15-kb region was captured into a vector by homologous recombination; and the captured DNA fragment from the vector was inserted back into its native site in the mutant viral BAC by second homologous recombination. This method will be useful particularly for cloning large DNA fragments from any genome without introducing undesired mutations by traditional PCR-based approaches.
An overview of U. S. Department of Energy Coal Preparation Research

The principal thrust of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Coal Preparation R and D Program is to develop technology to reduce the ash and sulfur contents of United States coals to levels such that the resultant product can be formulated into a high quality solid or slurry fuel that could replace oil or natural gas in both new and retrofit applications. Specifically, the objective is to develop and refine cost-effective physical and chemical beneficiation processes to extract 85-95 percent of the total sulfur and ash. The Coal Preparation program is implemented by the Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center (PETC) and is conducted both in-house and by a cross section of industrial organizations, universities, and national laboratories. Research is subdivided into three areas -coal characterization, beneficiation, and ancillary unit operations. This paper provides a brief overview of many of the research projects being carried out in these areas in fiscal year 1984.
Blocking and unblocking of conditioned analgesia

Abstract Two experiments with rat subjects assessed the blocking phenomenon using inhibition of responding to painful thermal stimulation as an index of conditioned analgesia established through conditioned stimulus (CS)-shock pairings. In Experiment 1, a group of rats receiving the standard blocking procedure ( A+ AB+ ) showed shorter response latencies during a hot plate test of pain sensitivity in the presence of the added CS than groups of rats receiving various blocking control procedures. Experiment 2 replicated the blocking outcome of Experiment 1 and also demonstrated that the addition of a second shock unconditioned stimulus (US) during the compound conditioning phase attenuated the blocking effect; i.e., unblocking was observed. However, the deletion of a second shock US during compound conditioning in a group that had received two shocks on each trial in the first phase of the experiment failed to result in unblocking. These data extend the associative account of conditioned analgesia to situations involving stimulus selection and the implications for the analysis of aversive learning are discussed.
Fast and versatile method for full-potential total energies: Applications to ordered and disordered alloys.

A fast linearized method for electronic-structure calculations is introduced and shown to be applicable to disordered alloys and a variety of other systems. The method allows a full-potential solution to the local-density-approximation equations for both ordered and substitutional alloys. The method was used for the challenging problems of evaluating the elastic constants and the relaxation around impurities. As a demonstration of the applicability of the method for more open structures, the vibrational frequencies of doped fullerenes were successfully calculated.
Declining State Capacity, Voluntarism, and the Globalization of the Not-for-Profit Sector.

Since the 1970s, a profound shift has taken place in the roles of the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. In the wake of fiscal crisis, ideological attacks, and privatization, the scope an...
ETHYLENE OXIDE STERILZATION OF SALMONELLA SENFTENBERG AND ESCHERICHIA COLI DEATH KINETICS AND MODE OF ACTION

SUMMARY Death of lyophilized Salmonella senftenberg and Escherichia coli when exposed to gaseous ethylene oxide (ETO) followed first order kinetics. S. senftenberg in whole egg powder was about twice as resistant as it was in the clean state. Supplementation of a minimal growth medium with amino acids, organic acids, the base components of DNA and RNA, vitamins and nucleic acid sugars demonstrated that guanine and guanosine triphosphate were the only supplements which would promote reproduction of cells surviving severe ETO treatment. Treatment of guanine and guanosine triphosphate with ETO prior to adding them to the minimal medium caused guanosine triphosphate, but not guanine, to lose he ability to promote reproduction, indicating that under the conditions of this experiment, only the guanosine triphosphate was alkylatable; and that, it was alkylation of this component of DNA that caused the bacterial cells to lose their power of reproduction.
Physical Properties of a Single-Motif Erythrocyte Spectrin Peptide: A Highly Stable Independently Folding Unit†

Spectrin is a long flexible rod-like actin cross-linking protein mostly comprised of many tandem homologous 106-residue motifs. In this study, the conformational stability and physical properties o...