cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of a multi-electrode array for spinal cord epidural stimulation to facilitate stepping and standing after a complete spinal cord injury in adult rats

Background: Stimulation of the spinal cord has been shown to have great potential for improving function after motor deficits caused by injury or pathological conditions. Using a wide range of animal models, many studies have shown that stimulation applied to the neural networks intrinsic to the spinal cord can result in a dramatic improvement of motor ability, even allowing an animal to step and stand after a complete spinal cord transection. Clinical use of this technology, however, has been slow to develop due to the invasive nature of the implantation procedures, the lack of versatility in conventional stimulation technology, and the difficulty of ascertaining specific sites of stimulation that would provide optimal amelioration of the motor deficits. Moreover, the development of tools available to control precise stimulation chronically via biocompatible electrodes has been limited. In this paper, we outline the development of this technology and its use in the spinal rat model, demonstrating the ability to identify and stimulate specific sites of the spinal cord to produce discrete motor behaviors in spinal rats using this array. Methods: We have designed a chronically implantable, rapidly switchable, high-density platinum based multi-electrode array that can be used to stimulate at 1–100 Hz and 1–10 V in both monopolar and bipolar configurations to examine the electrophysiological and behavioral effects of spinal cord epidural stimulation in complete spinal cord transected rats. Results: In this paper, we have demonstrated the effectiveness of using high-resolution stimulation parameters in the context of improving motor recovery after a spinal cord injury. We observed that rats whose hindlimbs were paralyzed can stand and step when specific sets of electrodes of the array are stimulated tonically (40 Hz). Distinct patterns of stepping and standing were produced by stimulation of different combinations of electrodes on the array located at specific spinal cord levels and by specific stimulation parameters, i.e., stimulation frequency and intensity, and cathode/anode orientation. The array also was used to assess functional connectivity between the cord dorsum to interneuronal circuits and specific motor pools via evoked potentials induced at 1 Hz stimulation in the absence of any anesthesia. (Continued on next page)
Two new species of the genus Austrocotesia Austin & Dangerfield (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from the Andean region of South America

The microgastrine braconid wasp genus Austrocotesia was erected by Austin & Dangerfield as a new, apparently endemic Australasian genus. In the past 8 years a series of specimens clearly belonging to the genus have been collected throughout South America and Mesoamerica. In the present paper, Austrocotesia croizati n. sp. and A. renei n.sp. are described and illustrated from the Andean region of South America. In addition, a key to the known species is presented, and the relationships and taxonomic status of the genus are briefly discussed.
Unitary Space–Time Constellation Designs From Group Codes

In this correspondence, we propose new unitary space-time constellation designs with high diversity products. Our Hamiltonian and product constellations are based on Slepian's group codes, and can be used for any number of antennas and any data rate. Our Hamiltonian constellations achieve the theoretical upper bound of diversity product when the number of transmitter antennas is even and the cardinality of the signal constellation is less than or equal to 5. Many of our Hamiltonian and product constellations outperform, and have higher diversity products than, the best known designs in the literature. These include orthogonal designs, dicyclic groups, cyclic groups, parametric codes, numerical approaches, nongroup designs, Cayley codes, TAST codes and some constellations obtained from fixed-point free groups.
Conserved RNA-Binding Proteins Required for Dendrite Morphogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans Sensory Neurons

The regulation of dendritic branching is critical for sensory reception, cell−cell communication within the nervous system, learning, memory, and behavior. Defects in dendrite morphology are associated with several neurologic disorders; thus, an understanding of the molecular mechanisms that govern dendrite morphogenesis is important. Recent investigations of dendrite morphogenesis have highlighted the importance of gene regulation at the posttranscriptional level. Because RNA-binding proteins mediate many posttranscriptional mechanisms, we decided to investigate the extent to which conserved RNA-binding proteins contribute to dendrite morphogenesis across phyla. Here we identify a core set of RNA-binding proteins that are important for dendrite morphogenesis in the PVD multidendritic sensory neuron in Caenorhabditis elegans. Homologs of each of these genes were previously identified as important in the Drosophila melanogaster dendritic arborization sensory neurons. Our results suggest that RNA processing, mRNA localization, mRNA stability, and translational control are all important mechanisms that contribute to dendrite morphogenesis, and we present a conserved set of RNA-binding proteins that regulate these processes in diverse animal species. Furthermore, homologs of these genes are expressed in the human brain, suggesting that these RNA-binding proteins are candidate regulators of dendrite development in humans.
The Functions of Reflection in High‐Stakes Assessment of World Language Teacher Candidates

In response to the call for improving teacher candidates' familiarity with the assessment tasks and format of the edTPA (Hildebrandt & Swanson, 2014), this single case study investigated the reflective writing development of Jena, a K–12 Spanish teacher candidate, and her evolution in a pedagogy that focused on the development of writing two reflective genres: personal private reflection (PPR) and critical academic reflection (CAR). Findings from functional linguistic analysis provide insights into the impact of explicit instruction in the organizational and linguistic features of CAR and clearly differentiate it in function and purpose from PPR. The linguistic analysis is supported by qualitative data regarding Jena's writing development and her performance on the edTPA. Data suggest that further research could investigate the positioning of PPR as a resource for developing CAR in ways that value the contribution of each type of writing in supporting the development of teacher candidates as individuals and as professionals.
Use of the Family Interaction Macro-coding System with Families of Adolescents: Psychometric Properties Among Pediatric and Healthy Populations

Objective To examine reliability and validity data for the Family Interaction Macro-coding System (FIMS) with adolescents with spina bifida (SB), adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), and healthy adolescents and their families. Methods Sixty-eight families of children with SB, 58 families of adolescents with T1DM, and 68 families in a healthy comparison group completed family interaction tasks and self-report questionnaires. Trained coders rated family interactions using the FIMS. Results Acceptable interrater and scale reliabilities were obtained for FIMS items and subscales. Observed FIMS parental acceptance, parental behavioral control, parental psychological control, family cohesion, and family conflict scores demonstrated convergent validity with conceptually similar self-report measures. Conclusions Preliminary evidence supports the use of the FIMS with families of youths with SB and T1DM and healthy youths. Future research on overall family functioning may be enhanced by use of the FIMS.
In vitro estimates of power output by epaxial muscle during feeding in largemouth bass.

Abstract Recent work has employed video and sonometric analysis combined with hydrodynamic modeling to estimate power output by the feeding musculature of largemouth bass in feeding trials. The result was an estimate of ∼ 69 W kg − 1 of power by the epaxial muscle during maximal feeding strikes. The present study employed in vitro measurements of force, work and power output by fast-twitch epaxial muscle bundles stimulated under activation conditions measured in vivo to evaluate the power output results of the feeding experiments. Isolated muscle bundles from the epaxial muscle, the sternohyoideus and the lateral red or slow-twitch muscle were tied into a muscle mechanics apparatus, and contractile properties during tetanic contractions and maximum shortening velocity ( V max ) were determined. For the epaxial muscles, work and power output during feeding events was determined by employing mean stimulation conditions derived from a select set of maximal feeding trials: 17% muscle shortening at 3.6 muscle lengths/s, with activation occurring 5 ms before the onset of shortening. Epaxial and sternohyoideus muscle displayed similar contractile properties, and both were considerably faster ( V max ≈ 11–13 ML s − 1 ) than red muscle ( V max ≈ 5 ML s − 1 ). Epaxial muscle stimulated under in vivo activation conditions generated ∼ 60 W kg − 1 with a 17% strain and ∼ 86 W kg − 1 with a 12% strain. These values are close to those estimated by hydrodynamic modeling. The short lag time (5 ms) between muscle activation and muscle shortening is apparently a limiting parameter during feeding strikes, with maximum power found at an offset of 15–20 ms. Further, feeding strikes employing a faster shortening velocity generated significantly higher power output. Power production during feeding strikes appears to be limited by the need for fast onset of movement and the hydrodynamic resistance to buccal expansion.
CommunityCommands: command recommendations for software applications

We explore the use of modern recommender system technology to address the problem of learning software applications. Before describing our new command recommender system, we first define relevant design considerations. We then discuss a 3 month user study we conducted with professional users to evaluate our algorithms which generated customized recommendations for each user. Analysis shows that our item-based collaborative filtering algorithm generates 2.1 times as many good suggestions as existing techniques. In addition we present a prototype user interface to ambiently present command recommendations to users, which has received promising initial user feedback.
Secular Purpose, Accommodations, and Why Religion is Special (Enough)

This article is a response to Micah Schwartzman's What If Religion Is Not Special? (U. Chi. L. Rev. (2012)) Schwartzman argues that existing approaches to the First Amendment's Religion Clauses are either (1) internally inconsistent because they because they treat religion as special for some purposes but not others or (2) unfair to both religion and nonreligion because they wrongly treat religion as different from deep or comprehensive nonreligious moral theories. He ultimately concludes that no existing theory is satisfactory and suggests expanding the clauses' reach to encompass comprehensive nonreligious moral views as well - which means that such views, like religious views, should be exempted from burdensome laws and should also be restricted in serving as the basis for legislation. Schwartzman argues that we are driven inexorably to this sort of general Rawlsian limitation on comprehensive theories as grounds for laws. I argue that despite the virtues of his analysis, Schwartzman overstates two of his main conclusions. First, contrary to his charges of inconsistency, a theory may coherently treat religion as special for some purposes and not others. In particular, it is perfectly consistent to support religious accommodations while concluding that any constitutional restrictions on religion as a grounding for secular laws should be minimal, perhaps nonexistent. Second, the charge that it is unfairn to treat religion and nonreligion differently is also overstated. Religion has distinguishing features that justify treating it distinctively. We can extend such treatment to systems that share the same features but have not traditionally been called religious, but the extension should be limited - more limited than Professor Schwartzman proposes.
Technical Note-Bayesian Decision Making with Ordinal Information

Conventional Bayesian decision-making models require decision makers to stipulate numerically, either directly or indirectly, a specific set of conditional densities posterior distributions on the state/ signal set. The method presented permits decision makers to use a Bayesian approach when only ordinal information, in the form of partial orders possibly incomplete, exists concerning the likelihood of individual and/or joint state/signal occurrence. From the partial orders provided, the mean values of the reward functions may be statistically approximated and the choice of a best action selected. We present a variation of a well-known Bayesian decision problem.
Combined histone deacetylase inhibition and tamoxifen induces apoptosis in tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer models, by reversing Bcl-2 overexpression

The emergence of hormone therapy resistance, despite continued expression of the estrogen receptor (ER), is a major challenge to curing breast cancer. Recent clinical studies suggest that epigenetic modulation by histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors reverses hormone therapy resistance. However, little is known about epigenetic modulation of the ER during acquired hormone resistance. Our recent phase II study demonstrated that HDAC inhibitors re-sensitize hormone therapy-resistant tumors to the anti-estrogen tamoxifen. In this study, we sought to understand the mechanism behind the efficacy of this combination. We generated cell lines resistant to tamoxifen, named TAMRM and TAMRT, by continuous exposure of ER-positive MCF7 and T47D cells, respectively to 4-hydroxy tamoxifen for over 12 months. HDAC inhibition, along with pharmacological and genetic manipulation of key survival pathways, including ER and Bcl-2, were used to characterize these resistant models. The TAMRM cells displayed decreased sensitivity to tamoxifen, fulvestrant and estrogen deprivation. Consistent with previous models, ER expression was retained and the gene harbored no mutations. Compared to parental MCF7 cells, ER expression in TAMRM was elevated, while progesterone receptor (PGR) was lost. Sensitivity of ER to ligands was greatly reduced and classic ER response genes were suppressed. This model conveyed tamoxifen resistance through transcriptional upregulation of Bcl-2 and c-Myc, and downregulation of the cell cycle checkpoint protein p21, manifesting in accelerated growth and reduced cell death. Similar to TAMRM cells, the TAMRT cell line exhibited substantially decreased tamoxifen sensitivity, increased ER and Bcl-2 expression and significantly reduced PGR expression. Treatment with HDAC inhibitors reversed the altered transcriptional events and reestablished the sensitivity of the ER to tamoxifen resulting in substantial Bcl-2 downregulation, growth arrest and apoptosis. Selective inhibition of Bcl-2 mirrored these effects in presence of an HDAC inhibitor. Our model implicates elevated ER and Bcl-2 as key drivers of anti-estrogen resistance, which can be reversed by epigenetic modulation through HDAC inhibition.
Consensus costs and conflict in a collective movement

Aggregation, whether it be in natural or artificial systems, provides numerous benefits to both the individual and the group. However, aggregation has costs and frequently involves inter-individual conflict. Although conflicts in natural systems is understood to be at times beneficial, as well as detrimental, conflict in artificial systems, such as a team of robots, is frequently viewed as inhibiting consensus and, therefore, success. This is particularly the case in large-scale aggregations where ensuring consensus is especially challenging. In response, mechanisms are often integrated into the group's control systems to minimize, or even eliminate, conflicts of interest. As a result, the potential benefits of losing consensus, such as increased diversity and reduced consensus costs, are not available. Using a biologically-based collective movement model, we demonstrate that not enforcing consensus and allowing conflict to evolve as agents make decisions results in a system in which agents meet their own needs, thus minimizing consensus costs, while still maintaining group cohesion when possible. Simulations predict that conflict balances consensus costs with individual preferences such that both individual and group goals are met.
RNA Sequence and Base Pairing Effects on Insertion Editing in Trypanosoma brucei

RNA editing inserts and deletes uridylates (U's) in kinetoplastid mitochondrial pre-mRNAs by a series of enzymatic steps. Small guide RNAs (gRNAs) specify the edited sequence. Editing, though sometimes extensive, is precise. The effects of mutating pre-mRNA and gRNA sequences in, around, and upstream of the editing site on the specificity and efficiency of in vitro insertion editing were examined. U's could be added opposite guiding pyrimidines, but guiding purines, particularly A's, were required for efficient ligation. A base pair between mRNA and gRNA immediately upstream of the editing site was not required for insertion editing, although it greatly enhanced its efficiency and accuracy. In addition, a gRNA/mRNA duplex upstream of the editing site enhanced insertion editing when it was close to the editing site, but prevented cleavage, and hence editing, when immediately adjacent to the editing site. Thus, several aspects of mRNA-gRNA interaction, as well as gRNA base pairing with added U's, optimize editing efficiency, although they are not required for insertion editing.
Superior Vena Cava Syndrome in Infants

Superior vena cava syndrome is uncommon in infants. With the increased use of central venous catheters, however, there has been an increased incidence of central venous occlusion. We report a case of superior vena cava syndrome occurring on two separate occasions in a premature infant with an indwelling central line. We discuss current concepts of prevention and management.
SYSTEMIC CAUSES OF DYSPHAGIA IN ADULTS

The act of swallowing is the most intricate neuromuscular action carried out in the body. It involves a myriad of cranial nerves, both sensory and motor, parasympathetic nerves, and both skeletal and smooth muscle. Special senses, such as smell and taste, and dental and salivatory functions also are involved. Because of its complexity, swallowing is affected by many systemic diseases. 6 Even within a specific disorder, such as multiple sclerosis or the autoimmune diseases, swallowing dysfunctions may vary. It is necessary, therefore, to prepare a detailed differential diagnosis in all patients with dysphagia, even if there is an apparent cause.
AUSTRALASIAN TRAVEL DEMAND ELASTICITIES - AN UPDATE OF THE EVIDENCE

The last substantial published review of evidence on travel demand elasticities in Australia was published in 1993 and most of the studies it covers date from the 1980s. Since that time a considerable amount of further evidence has become available. This paper presents an update and re-examination of travel demand elasticity evidence for Australia and also brings together evidence from New Zealand. The emphasis is on urban public transport direct elasticities (fares and service levels) and cross-elasticities with respect to car travel times and usage costs. Particular attention is paid to segmentation of elasticity estimates by key variables, including long run and short run differences, trip length differences, and time of day/trip purpose differences. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E210413.
Re-searching my scar: Interrogating otherness in The Searchers and in my racial rearing

This essay juxtaposes the process of “Othering” in the 1956 John Ford western The Searchers with my own indoctrination into White privilege as a child growing up in suburban Atlanta during the mid-to-late 1960s. The film’s stark portrayal of anti-Native American attitudes confronts the problematic construction of the non-White racial “Other” in westerns as a threat to racial and sexual purity. Its relentless pursuit of the implications of racism triggers my own confrontation with the subtle but persistent degradations of African Americans in my upbringing.
Medication Pitfalls in the CKD Clinic: Case Presentations

The kidney plays a major role in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs; therefore, medication errors can result from failure to properly adjust medications in patients with CKD. It is the responsibility of all health-care providers to work collectively when reviewing medications, initiating new medications, and adjusting doses of current medications. Awareness of appropriate dosing recommendations can significantly decrease medication error–associated morbidity, mortality, and cost.
Predicting Developmental Change in Healthy Eating and Regular Exercise Among Adolescents in China and the United States: The Role of Psychosocial and Behavioral Protection and Risk

This article reports a cross-national study of developmental change in health-enhancing behavior—healthy eating and regular exercise—among adolescents in China and the United States. The application of a conceptual framework comprising psychosocial and behavioral protective and risk factors—both proximal and distal and at both the individual and social contextual level—is shown to provide a substantial account of variation in change in those behaviors over a 2-year interval. The explanatory account has generality across gender, the 3 grade cohorts, and most importantly, across the 2 markedly diverse societies.
Dynamic parallelization of JavaScript applications using an ultra-lightweight speculation mechanism

As the web becomes the platform of choice for execution of more complex applications, a growing portion of computation is handed off by developers to the client side to reduce network traffic and improve application responsiveness. Therefore, the client-side component, often written in JavaScript, is becoming larger and more compute-intensive, increasing the demand for high performance JavaScript execution. This has led to many recent efforts to improve the performance of JavaScript engines in the web browsers. Furthermore, considering the wide-spread deployment of multi-cores in today's computing systems, exploiting parallelism in these applications is a promising approach to meet their performance requirement. However, JavaScript has traditionally been treated as a sequential language with no support for multithreading, limiting its potential to make use of the extra computing power in multicore systems. In this work, to exploit hardware concurrency while retaining traditional sequential programming model, we develop ParaScript, an automatic runtime parallelization system for JavaScript applications on the client's browser. First, we propose an optimistic runtime scheme for identifying parallelizable regions, generating the parallel code on-the-fly, and speculatively executing it. Second, we introduce an ultra-lightweight software speculation mechanism to manage parallel execution. This speculation engine consists of a selective checkpointing scheme and a novel runtime dependence detection mechanism based on reference counting and range-based array conflict detection. Our system is able to achieve an average of 2.18× speedup over the Firefox browser using 8 threads on commodity multi-core systems, while performing all required analyses and conflict detection dynamically at runtime.
Generation of rectangular duals of a planar triangulated graph by elementary transformations

In the rectangular dual approach to the floorplan design, it is important to incorporate efficient rectangular dual transformation techniques in the iterative optimal-search algorithms. A solution to the rectangular dual transformation problem by directly using the properties of oriented graphs is proposed. The definitions of elementary components and elementary transformation are given. It is shown that any two rectangular duals of a graph can be converted into each other by a finite sequence of elementary transformations. As a result, all rectangular duals of a graph are derivable from each other. >
School Districts and Student Achievement

AbstractSchool districts are a focus of education reform efforts in the United States, but there is very little existing research about how important they are to student achievement. We fill this gap in the literature using 10 years of student-level, statewide data on fourth- and fifth-grade students in Florida and North Carolina. A variance decomposition analysis based on hierarchical linear models indicates that districts account for only a small share (1 to 2 percent) of the total variation in student achievement. Nevertheless, the differences between lower- and higher-performing districts are large enough to be of practical and policy significance, with a one standard deviation difference in district effectiveness corresponding to about 0.11 standard deviations in student achievement (about nine weeks of schooling). District performance is generally stable over time, but there are examples of districts that have shown significant increases or decreases in performance.
Transaction Structures in the Developing World: Evidence from Private Equity

While variations in public securities markets across nations have attracted increasing scrutiny, private financings have received little attention. But in developing nations, the bulk of financings are private ones. This paper analyzes 210 private equity transactions in developing countries. We find that unlike in the U.S., where convertible preferred securities are ubiquitous, in developing nations a much broader array of securities are employed and private equity investors often have fewer contractual protections. The choice of security appears to be driven by the legal and economic circumstances of the nation and the private equity group. Investments in common law nations are structured similar to those in the U.S., being less likely to employ common stock or straight debt, and more likely to use preferred stock with a variety of covenants. By way of contrast, in nations where the rule of law is less established, private equity groups are likely to use common stock and own the majority of the firm's equity if the investment encounters difficulties. Private equity groups based in the U.S. and U.K. rely more on preferred securities but also adapt transactions to local conditions. These contractual differences appear to have real consequences: larger transactions with higher valuations are seen in common law countries. These findings suggest that the structure of a country's legal system affects private contracts and cannot easily be undone by (bi-lateral) private solutions.
Consumer Complacency and Grandfather Clauses

We examine firms' motivations for implementing grandfather clauses that allow certain consumers to continue access to a service at a favorable, but no longer available price. We find that when consumers are fully cognizant of their valuations for available product alternatives, firms are typically better off offering all potential consumers the optimal uniform price. However, if grandfathered consumers are made complacent, failing to reevaluate the service over time, grandfather clauses may permit firms to profitably price discriminate between early adopters and new consumers in exchange for forfeiting the right to optimally set prices for early adopters.
Infertility Update: Use of Assisted Reproductive Technology

Abstract Objective To describe assisted reproductive technology (ART) and use of medications during these procedures. Data Sources Recent clinical literature. Study Selection Not applicable. Data Extraction Not applicable. Data Synthesis ARTs are procedures used in treatment of infertility that involve removal of oocytes and their manipulation outside the woman's uterus. The simplest form of ART, in vitro fertilization, involves aspirating eggs from the ovaries, fertilizing them outside the body, and transferring the embryos into the uterus at the four- to eight-cell stage. Experimental regimens for in vitro fertilization include use of various medications (gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, human menotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone, growth hormone) at varying points in the menstrual cycle and after introduction of the embryo into the uterus. Human chorionic gonadotropin has been used to increase implantation of embryos during the woman's luteal phase. Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) involves transfer of oocytes and sperm into the fallopian tubes, where fertilization takes place. This technique has the advantage of causing the zygote to enter the uterus at the time it would during natural conception. Zygote intrafallopian transfer is similar to GIFT, except that fertilization occurs in vitro, with embryos placed in the fallopian tubes at the two-cell stage. Various micromanipulation techniques and innovative sperm aspiration procedures are currently under development. Conclusion Many advancements have been made in ART, and pharmacists who understand these procedures can serve patients by providing medication information in an empathetic and supportive manner.
Singlet fraction in p̄p→ΛΛ

Abstract An origin of the suppression of the singlet fraction of Λ Λ produced in pp annihilation is given.
On the stability of fuzzy control rulebase for a nonlinear process

In this paper, an input-output stability analysis is developed for a nearly linear plant. In the stability analysis, the implicit equilibrium states are studied, instead of the zero equilibrium state of an unforced system, in the classical sense. The system being analyzed is actually being driven by fuzzily derived controlled inputs. The stability of such a system is referred to as the stability of a fuzzy controlled system. It is assumed that the nonlinear process model is available either for analysis or for design. A nearly-linear assumption is verified for a class of physical process set-point control processes. This is essentially the method of diminishing nonlinearity. Once this is verified, it remains to show that the linear part of the system is dissipative from an input-output point of view. The stability requirements are verified analytically, where possible or via simulation. The application of the theorem extends to a rule-base designed either by the operator manual type IF-THEN rules or other more systematic design approaches, as long as an approximate model of the process is available for analysis. >
Giant voltage controlled magnetic anisotropy in heavy metal/ferromagnet/insulator junctions(Conference Presentation)

The realization of the MeRAM is based on the voltage control of the interfacial magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) of heavy-metal/ferromagnet/insulator (HM/FM/I) nanojunctions, where the non-magnetic HM contact electrode (Ta, Pd, Pt, Au) has strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Employing ab initio electronic structure calculations we have investigated the effect of electric-field (E-field) and epitaxial strain on the MCA of Ta/FeCo/MgO heterostructure. We predict that uniaxial strain leads to a wide range of interesting voltage behavior of the MCA ranging from linear behavior with positive or negative magnetoelectronic coefficient, to non-monotonic ⋁-shape or inverse-⋀-shape E-field dependence with asymmetric magnetoelectronic coefficients. The calculations reveal that under a 4% compressive strain on MgO reaches the giant value of ~ 1126 fJ/(V.m). The underlying mechanism is the synergistic effects of strain and E-field on the orbital characters, the energy level shifts of the SOC d-states, and the dielectric constant of MgO. These results demonstrate for the first time the feasibility of highly sensitive E-field-controlled MCA through strain engineering, which in turn open a viable pathway towards tailoring magnetoelectric properties for spintronic applications. * nick.kioussis@csun.edu This research was supported by NSF Grant No. ERC-TANMS-1160504
An analysis of student behavior in two massive open online courses

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have high potential for improving education worldwide, but understanding of student behavior and situations is difficult to achieve in online settings. Network analytics and visualizations can assist instructors with supporting understanding of student behavior as courses unfold. In this work, we perform a visual comparative analysis of two different MOOC courses to analyze the impacts of course structure differences and demonstrate the benefits of visual network analysis in this context. We present several insights: (1) behavior features that are best for prediction of student attrition varied with course structure, (2) a large proportion (about 35%) of students never received a reply to their original post and this was correlated with an eventual dropout, and (3) students that received a reply to their original post were twice as likely to post again. We contribute several information visualizations of student network data and draw recommendations for MOOC instructors and designers of course systems.
Electrical characterization of carbon nanotube metal matrix composite solar cell electrodes under mechanical stress

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) have been fabricated as potential advanced solar cell electrodes. Test structures have been developed for evaluating electrical performance of the MMC electrodes upon substrate fracture and under subsequent tensile stress to simulate stress fractures and mechanical fatigue of solar cell electrodes. Electrical analysis reveals that MMCs utilizing single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) provide electrical continuity for gaps of ∼6 μm or less; however, incorporation of longer multi-walled CNTs (MWCNTs) into the MMCs enables bridging of gaps approaching 30 μm. The results indicate that CNT-MMCs may provide a more robust solar cell electrode, particularly for fragile IMM solar cells.
Clinical diagnosis of congenital and acquired heart disease in children: Do non paediatrician doctors feel competent?

Background: The diagnosis of congenital and acquired heart disease is almost always first clinical, before confirmation by ancillary investigations by the specialist paediatricians to whom these patients are usually referred. Since early diagnosis and appropriate intervention is the only hope for such children, inability to pick up these children on clinical examination with their usual peculiar clinical features and murmurs connotes a disaster for such children. Objective: To determine if non paediatrician doctors in the Delta state of Nigeria possess the confidence to make clinical diagnoses of congenital or acquired heart disease in children. Method: An anonymous structured questionnaire was administered to 116 doctors randomly selected from the estimated 600 doctors in both private and public sectors of the Delta state. Results: Sixty nine (59.5%) have attempted to diagnose congenital or acquired heart disease by identifying a murmur whilst 47 (40.5%) have never made such an attempt. Forty six (40%) feel confident in making a clinical diagnosis after examining the child, while 70 (60%) do not feel confident to make such a diagnosis from clinical examination. Twenty nine (37.7%) blame their inadequate undergraduate training / clinical exposure for their lack of confidence, 40 (51.9%) believe such diagnosis is reserved to specialist paediatricians while 8 (10.4%) could not give any specific reasons for their lack of confidence to make such diagnosis. Conclusion: Only 40% of non paediatrician doctors in the Delta state of Nigeria feel confident of diagnosing congenital or acquired heart disease in children.
Infection and Complications After Low-velocity Intra-articular Gunshot Injuries.

Objectives The purpose of this study is to characterize the demographics, interventions, infection rates, and other complications after intra-articular (IA) gunshot wounds. Design Retrospective review. Setting Level I trauma center. Patients/participants Fifty-three patients with 55 civilian low-velocity IA gunshot injuries with a minimum of 4 weeks follow-up were included in the study. Seven patients had associated vascular injuries. Interventions Most patients (84.9%) received antibiotic prophylaxis, consisting most often of cefazolin (93.3%). Based on injury pattern and surgeon preference, joint injuries were either treated nonoperatively (43.6%), with surgical debridement only (20.0%), with surgical debridement plus fracture fixation and/or neurovascular repair (32.7%), or with percutaneous fracture fixation without debridement (3.6%). Main outcome measures Incidence of deep infection. Results Two joints (3.6%) developed deep infections. Both had associated vascular injuries. Patients with vascular injuries were at higher risk of infection compared with those without vascular injury (28.6% vs. 0.0%, P = 0.02). Two of 24 (8.3%) injuries that were originally managed nonoperatively required delayed surgical procedures, 1 for bullet removal and 1 for ulnar nerve allograft. No patient treated nonoperatively developed an infection. Conclusions The incidence of infection after IA gunshot injuries is low with the routine use of antibiotic prophylaxis. In the absence of IA pathology, IA gunshot injuries do not appear to necessitate surgical debridement to decrease the risk of infection. Patients with vascular injury deserve special attention, as they are at higher risk of infection. Level of evidence Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
On the Numerical Treatment of Partial Differential Equations in the Neighborhood of Isolated Singularities with Applications

Problems arising in pumping fluids from the ground are treated. Several of the problems are formulated in detail, existence and uniqueness questions are discussed and numerical methods for solving the relevant problems are given.
An approach for automated multimodal analysis of infants' pain

Current practices of assessing infants' pain depends on the observer's subjective and potentially inconsistent judgment and requires continuous monitoring by care providers. Therefore, pain may be misinterpreted or totally missed leading to misdiagnosis and over/under treatment. To address these shortcomings, current practices can be augmented with a machine-based assessment system that monitors various pain cues and provides an objective and continuous assessment of pain. Although several machine-based pain assessment approaches have been introduced, the majority of these approaches assess pain based on analysis of a single pain indicator (i.e., unimodal). In this paper, we propose an automated multimodal approach that utilizes a combination of both behavioral and physiological pain indicators to assess infants' pain. We also present a unimodal approach that depends on a single pain indicator for assessment. Recogsnizing pain using a single indicator yielded 88%, 85%, and 82% overall accuracies for facial expression, body movement, and vital signs, respectively. Combining facial expression, body movement, and changes in vital signs (i.e., the multimodal approach) for assessment achieved 95% overall accuracy. These preliminarily results indicate that utilizing both behavioral and physiological pain indicators could provide a better and more reliable assessment of infants' pain.
Heparan Sulfate Glycosaminoglycans in Glioblastoma Promote Tumor Invasion.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor of adults and confers a poor prognosis due, in part, to diffuse invasion of tumor cells. Heparan sulfate (HS) glycosaminoglycans, present on the cell surface and in the extracellular matrix, regulate cell signaling pathways and cell–microenvironment interactions. In GBM, the expression of HS glycosaminoglycans and the enzymes that regulate their function are altered, but the actual HS content and structure are unknown. However, inhibition of HS glycosaminoglycan function is emerging as a promising therapeutic strategy for some cancers. In this study, we use liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis to demonstrate differences in HS disaccharide content and structure across four patient-derived tumorsphere lines (GBM1, 5, 6, 43) and between two murine tumorsphere lines derived from murine GBM with enrichment of mesenchymal and proneural gene expression (mMES and mPN, respectively) markers. In GBM, the heterogeneous HS content and structure across patient-derived tumorsphere lines suggested diverse functions in the GBM tumor microenvironment. In GBM5 and mPN, elevated expression of sulfatase 2 (SULF2), an extracellular enzyme that alters ligand binding to HS, was associated with low trisulfated HS disaccharides, a substrate of SULF2. In contrast, other primary tumorsphere lines had elevated expression of the HS-modifying enzyme heparanase (HPSE). Using gene editing strategies to inhibit HPSE, a role for HPSE in promoting tumor cell adhesion and invasion was identified. These studies characterize the heterogeneity in HS glycosaminoglycan content and structure across GBM and reveal their role in tumor cell invasion. Implications: HS-interacting factors promote GBM invasion and are potential therapeutic targets. Mol Cancer Res; 15(11); 1623–33. ©2017 AACR.
A closed-form solution of the interfacial stresses and strains in steel beams strengthened with externally bonded plates using ductile adhesives

Abstract Ductile adhesives are known to be beneficial in enhancing the capacity and ductility of bonded joints. However, there is a lack of closed-form analytical solutions for plated metallic beams that account for adhesive plasticity. This paper presents a first order, elastic-plastic bond analysis for beams strengthened with externally bonded fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) plates using ductile adhesives, based on a shear-lag formulation. This model is able to analyze arbitrary mechanical and thermal loading conditions and closed-form solutions under shearing and peeling are given. Following a review of the existing stress-based analytical solutions, a comparison between the existing and proposed analyses is also presented. The shear solution was validated by comparing with the experimental results of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) strengthened steel beams under moderately elevated temperatures. A comprehensive parametric study has been conducted to illustrate the effects of different design parameters on the bond behavior. It is found that the adhesive shear toughness is the most critical parameter in determining the debonding failure load while the adhesive Young’s modulus does not significantly affect the bond stresses in the elastic-plastic regime. Further, the magnitude of the peak peeling stresses is self-limiting after shear yielding, and the use of a thinner plate with higher Young’s modulus is beneficial in further reducing the peeling stress.
Prospective evaluation of cardiac ultrasound performance by general internal medicine physicians during a 6-month faculty development curriculum

Point-of-care (POCUS) education is rapidly expanding within medical schools and internal medicine residency programs, but lack of trained faculty is a major barrier. While POCUS training can improve short-term outcomes, knowledge and skills rapidly decay without deliberate practice and feedback. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU) by volunteer general internal medicine (GIM) faculty participating in a longitudinal POCUS curriculum. Participants: Nine GIM clinician-educators participated in a 6-month POCUS curriculum. Faculty performance was compared to three cardiology fellows. Three diagnostic cardiac sonographers (DCS) were also evaluated and served as the gold standard. Evaluation: the primary outcome was a FCU efficiency score, calculated by dividing image quality score by exam duration. FCU exams were conducted on three standardized patients after completion of an introductory workshop, at 3 months, and at 6 months. Two blinded cardiologists scored the exams. Analysis: mean efficiency scores were compared using a linear mixed effects model, followed by pairwise comparisons using Tukey’s test. GIM faculty’s FCU efficiency scores were maintained over the 6-month period (2.2, SE 1.0 vs. 3.8, SE 1.0, p = 0.076). Their scores at each session were similar to cardiology fellows (p > 0.69), but inferior to DCSs (p < 0.0001). GIM faculty participating in a POCUS curriculum maintained their FCU performance over 6 months with efficiency scores comparable to experienced cardiology fellows.
Renal Cell Carcinoma with Vena Caval Extension: Operative Management

Renal cell carcinoma, unless it is localized, remains a difficult tumor to cure. There were nearly 23000 new cases of renal cell cancer diagnosed in the United States alone in 1989, and there were almost 10000 deaths directly related to this disease. For the majority of patients, radical nephrectomy with early ligation of the renal artery and vein and regional lymph node dissection remains the primary therapy for potentially curable disease. The natural history of this tumor is quite unpredictable except for patients presenting with metastatic disease for whom 5-year cures are rarely achieved. The best cure rate is seen in patients with cancer confined to the kidney and 5-year survivals may approach 70%. Once the tumor invades the perinephric fat the 5-year survival drops to 50%. Regional lymph node involvement which occurs in approximately 20% of patients at the time of diagnosis further decreases survival, and spread to contiguous viscera or distant metastases results in only an occasional cure without effective adjuvant therapy.
Dissemination and replication of MCMV after supraciliary inoculation in immunosuppressed BALB/c mice

PURPOSE To study replication and dissemination of murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) in immunosuppressed (IS) and non-IS BALB/c mice after ocular inoculation via the supraciliary route. METHODS BALB/c mice were immunosuppressed by injections of methylprednisolone, and MCMV was injected via the supraciliary route. Ocular and nonocular tissues from both IS and non-IS mice were studied by plaque assay of tissue homogenates. The frequency of virus-positive leukocytes was determined by PCR. RESULTS In the inoculated eye, virus replication was significantly higher in both the anterior segment and the posterior segment of IS mice. Virus spread to extraocular sites in both IS and non-IS mice; however, significantly higher titers of virus were recovered from the salivary glands and lungs of IS mice than from non-IS mice, and clearance of virus from these sites was delayed in IS mice. Virus spread from the injected eye via leukocytes, and PCR amplification revealed that the frequency of virus-infected leukocytes was approximately 200-fold higher in IS mice. CONCLUSIONS The results of these studies suggest that immunosuppression significantly enhances virus replication in the inoculated eye, salivary glands, and lungs, leads to a higher frequency of virus-positive leukocytes, and delays clearance of virus from ocular and nonocular tissues. These results also suggest that retinitis in the injected eye of IS mice correlates with significantly higher titers of virus in the posterior segment.
Benign Non-neoplastic Lesions of the Head and Neck

This chapter continues the previous chapter’s discussion of the DAMIEN mnemonic concept for formulating a differential diagnosis of pathology of the head and neck. The categories to be discussed are Developmental, Allergy or immunologic, Metabolic or systemic, Infectious, and Environmental. Neoplastic benign conditions were discussed in the prior chapter, and malignant neoplastic conditions are discussed elsewhere in this book. In each category, pathologic entities or conditions common to multiple sites in the head and neck are discussed, followed by discussion of examples of pathology characteristic to several different locations in the head and neck.