cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative Effectiveness of Usual Care With or Without Chiropractic Care in Patients with Recurrent Musculoskeletal Back and Neck Pain.

Chiropractic care is a popular alternative for back and neck pain, with efficacy comparable to usual care in randomized trials. However, the effectiveness of chiropractic care as delivered through conventional care settings remains largely unexplored. To evaluate the comparative effectiveness of usual care with or without chiropractic care for patients with chronic recurrent musculoskeletal back and neck pain. Prospective cohort study using propensity score-matched controls. Using retrospective electronic health record data, we developed a propensity score model predicting likelihood of chiropractic referral. Eligible patients with back or neck pain were then contacted upon referral for chiropractic care and enrolled in a prospective study. For each referred patient, two propensity score-matched non-referred patients were contacted and enrolled. We followed the participants prospectively for 6 months. Main outcomes included pain severity, interference, and symptom bothersomeness. Secondary outcomes included expenditures for pain-related health care. Both groups’ (N = 70 referred, 139 non-referred) pain scores improved significantly over the first 3 months, with less change between months 3 and 6. No significant between-group difference was observed. (severity − 0.10 (95% CI − 0.30, 0.10), interference − 0.07 (− 0.31, 0.16), bothersomeness − 0.1 (− 0.39, 0.19)). After controlling for variances in baseline costs, total costs during the 6-month post-enrollment follow-up were significantly higher on average in the non-referred versus referred group ($1996 [SD = 3874] vs $1086 [SD = 1212], p = .034). Adjusting for differences in age, gender, and Charlson comorbidity index attenuated this finding, which was no longer statistically significant (p = .072). We found no statistically significant difference between the two groups in either patient-reported or economic outcomes. As clinical outcomes were similar, and the provision of chiropractic care did not increase costs, making chiropractic services available provided an additional viable option for patients who prefer this type of care, at no additional expense.
Age Structure and Population Dynamics

Age structure in populations can take a variety of forms and thus have a variety of effects on population dynamics. Species can be comprised of multiple age classes in a single-stage life cycle (age-class structuring) or show multistage life cycles, where different stages in the life cycle are analogous to age classes (stage structuring). Species can also show both types of age structuring. Stage-structured populations are commonly an adaptation to habitats that show extreme temporal or spatial heterogeneity in resource availability. Such species are usually defined by very high fecundity, display typical r-oriented ‘boom or bust’ population dynamics in one or more life stages, and have the ability to persist through long periods of dormancy in response to unfavorable environmental condition. Age structure in age-class-structured species generally affects population dynamics through more subtle changes in annual population growth rate in response to annual variation in habitat quality and population density. Because this variation affects different age classes unequally, age-structured populations typically show a greater variety of responses to subtle changes in environmental conditions and are thus much more strongly regulated than are stage-structured populations. Regardless of type of age structuring, the effects of age structuring on population dynamics are extremely varied and numerous, and go well beyond simply differences in age-specific survival or fecundity.
Subtotal Lesions: Implications for Coding and Recovery of Function

In introducing her chapter on the lesion technique in somesthesis, Semmes (1973) has written: ...the general method of behavioral analysis following ablations... should help to answer not only the question of “where?” (localization) but also the more interesting question of “how?” (neural coding). Full exploitation of the method in animal studies depends, on the one hand, upon relating behavioral results to anatomical and physiological properties of tracts and areas, and on the other, upon advancing behavioral techniques. Ideally, once it has been found that a selected lesion produces impairment on a test, the analytical task has only begun. It proceeds in two directions, toward identifying the critical features of the lesion and toward denning as precisely as possible the function impaired (p. 719–720).
Update of cardiovascular drug interactions

An increasing number of clinical studies address interactions of cardiovascular drugs in terms of both their importance in the treatment of disease and their potential to cause drug-induced toxicity. Several books and reviews are devoted to extensive listings of both observed and theoretical drug interactions [1–4]. Such listings often include extrapolation of animal data, anecdotal case reports, and interactions of questionable importance. Consequently, their literal use could result in withholding therapy or overcomplicating therapeutic decisions. Some drug interactions are critical for optimum patient care, such as combined use of drugs for their additive or synergistic effects, while others, although academically interesting, have little clinical relevance. In this review, it is not our intent to provide extensive listings of cardiovascular drug interactions but to use clinical examples to illustrate pharmacological principles which may then be extrapolated to individual patients [5].
Open Mitosis: Nuclear Envelope Dynamics

The nuclear envelope separating the cell nucleus from the cytoplasm is a common feature of alleukaryotic cells, but its origin is still an enigma. Its early evolution appears closely linked with theevolution of the mitotic spindle apparatus. Many regulatory proteins are playing critical dual roles inspindle assembly as well as nuclear envelope and nuclear pore complex formation. During the evolution ofhigher eukaryotes, open mitosis evolved independently in the plant and animal lineages, leading to a markeddiversification of nuclear envelope compositions and roles in mitosis. Unique features of the plant nuclearenvelope include its function as mitotic spindle organizing center and the lack of nuclear lamins and associatedproteins. Nuclear envelope dynamics observed during mitosis appear to be similar between plants and animals.The nuclear envelope is absorbed into the endoplasmic reticulum after breakdown and reformed from the endoplasmicreticulum membrane pool after mitosis. In addition, nuclear envelope material contributes to the newlyforming cell plate in plant cells. Plant and animal cells might use the same underlying molecular signalsfor nuclear envelope reassembly, but modified as variations of a common theme.
Quantum well infrared photodetectors

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the device physics, structures, characteristics, and performance parameters for a wide variety of n- and p-type QWIPs. Using intersubband transitions and bandgap engineering, single- and multicolor QWIPs with detection wavelengths ranging from 3.4 to 16 μm have been presented in this work. The basic device physics and the performance parameters of QWIPs have been described. Theoretical considerations include the calculations of the electronic states in quantum well using multilayer transfer matrix method (TMM), the physics of intersubband transitions, the effects of strain in the quantum well on the energy bandgap and band offset in the strained-layer QWIPs, and the performance parameters of QWIPs. Two p-type CSL-QWIPs using InGaAs/A1GaAs material system grown on GaAs substrates and a p-type TSL-InGaAs/InA1As QWIP grown on InP substrates have been presented. The advantages of using strained layer p-type QWIPs over the unstrained case have also been discussed. Several multicolor QWIPs for both MWIR and LWIR detection is also discussed. In comparing with HgCdTe LWIR detectors, QWIPs have the advantages of higher uniformity, higher reproducibility, and higher operability in large format FPAs with the potential of higher yields and lower costs due to the mature III-V semiconductor epitaxial growth (MBE) and processing technologies.
The management of hepatitis B and hepatitis C in children

In the present paper, we review the increased disease burden of hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) infection that is recognized worldwide; especially in children when the most common mode of transmission is vertically from infected mothers. In children with HBV and HCV infection, spontaneous clearance of the virus in the first years of life is not common, in contrast with adults, but these patients often stay asymptomatic until early adulthood, when disease has progressed to chronic hepatitis with increased risk of cirrhosis and its complication, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Due to limited treatment options of HBV infection in the pediatric population, clinicians focus on primary prevention, by vaccinating all infants during their first days of life. Infants born to infected mothers, receive intravenous immunoglobulin on top of the vaccine, and thus preventing transmission in 95% of the infants. While for HCV infection, since there is no vaccine to prevent HCV disease, providers focus primarily on treatment. The treatment landscape of HCV infection in children rapidly evolves, away from interferon regimens, and towards direct-acting antiviral agents that have a safer and more efficacious drug profile. Currently, there are ongoing clinical trials investigating the efficacy and tolerance of direct-acting agents in children below 12 years of age.
Memristors learn to play

A hybrid analogue–digital computing system based on memristive devices is capable of solving classic control problems with potentially a lower energy consumption and higher speed than fully digital systems.
Is Student Share of Net Tuition Impacted by a Growing Elderly Population? A Longitudinal, Multi-level Analysis of Student Share of Net Tuition in All 50 American States Between 1992 and 2013

To understand increases in student share of net tuition for state colleges and universities, resulting from state financial decreases in support for higher education, a quantitative, longitudinal, multi-level analysis of data from all 50 states in the USA from 1992 to 2013 was examined. Five hypotheses related to (1) growth in student share of net tuition over a 22-year period, and its relationship to (2) the percent of the population 65 years of age and older, (3) state expenditures for hospitals and public health, (4) state expenditures for police protection and corrections, and (5) Republican political control of state legislatures, were quantitatively tested. Data were obtained from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEOA). Even though student share of net tuition is increasing drastically over the 22-year period, expenditures on public health, police protection, and corrections have no significant effect on increasing or decreasing the share of net tuition for which students are responsible. The effect of the percent of the population 65 years and older, however, has a significant impact on student share of net tuition.
No shortage of disagreement between biomechanical and clinical hop symmetry after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Abstract Background Evaluating average performance on functional hop tasks can potentially overestimate physical function, as it masks variability present within individual trials and may lead to clinician oversight regarding the overall movement quality. The purpose was to evaluate the trial-by-trial agreement between hop-distance symmetry and knee biomechanics (knee flexion angle, knee extension moment) to reveal the full extent of agreement between these measures. Methods Sixteen individuals with primary, unilateral anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction participated (age: 22(2) y; height: 1.71(0.11) m; mass: 68.94(13.06) kg; gender: 8 males, 8 females; years' post-surgery:4(3) y) in a cross-sectional study. Knee kinematics and kinetics were measured using 3D motion analysis and hop distance was collected during the triple hop for distance. Individual limb difference values for individual hop trials were calculated and values for each trial were dichotomized as pass/fail based on achieving a limb difference of Findings No agreement between triple hop and peak knee flexion angle symmetry (κ = 0.033, p = 0.387) and peak internal knee extension moment (κ = 0.022, p = 0.475) were found. McNemar tests confirmed no agreement between hop-distance %LD and knee flexion angle/knee extension moment %LD (p = 0.000). Interpretation These findings suggest that while individuals after ACLR may on average achieve symmetrical hop-distance, they may not necessarily pass subsequent functional tasks. Further, individual trial-by-trial analyses may provide insight into an individual's true physical capability compared to simply evaluating the average, which may overestimate physical function or mask altered movement strategies.
A sufficient condition for subellipticity of the d-bar-Neumann operator

We give a sufficient condition for subelliptic estimates for the d-bar-Neumann operator on smoothly bounded, pseudoconvex domains in $\mathbb{C}^n$. This condition is a quantified version of McNeal's condition ($\tilde{P}$) for compactness of the d-bar-Neumann operator, and it extends Catlin's condition for subellipticity as it is less stringent.
OSM-induced CD44 contributes to breast cancer metastatic potential through cell detachment but not epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Background Hormone receptor status in human breast cancer cells is a strong indicator of the aggressiveness of a tumor. Triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) are aggressive, difficult to treat, and contribute to high incidences of metastasis by possessing characteristics such as increased tumor cell migration and a large presence of the transmembrane protein, cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) on the cell membrane. Estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) cells are less aggressive and do not migrate until undergoing an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Methods The relationship between EMT and CD44 during metastatic events is assessed by observing changes in EMT markers, tumor cell detachment, and migration following cytokine treatment on both parental and CD44 knockdown human breast tumor cells. Results ER+ T47D and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells treated with OSM demonstrate increased CD44 expression and CD44 cleavage. Conversely, ER- MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells do not show a change in CD44 expression nor undergo EMT in the presence of OSM. In ER+ cells, knockdown expression of CD44 by shRNA did not prevent EMT but did change metastatic processes such as cellular detachment and migration. OSM-induced migration was decreased in both ER+ and ER- cells with shCD44 cells compared to control cells, while the promotion of tumor cell detachment by OSM was decreased in ER+ MCF7-shCD44 cells, as compared to control cells. Interestingly, OSM-induced detachment in ER- MDA-MB-231-shCD44 cells that normally don't detach at significant rates. Conclusion OSM promotes both EMT and tumor cell detachment in ER+ breast cancer cells. Yet, CD44 knockdown did not affect OSM-induced EMT in these cells, while independently decreasing OSM-induced cell detachment. These results suggest that regulation of CD44 by OSM is important for at least part of the metastatic cascade in ER+ breast cancer.
Infection with Bacteroides Phage BV01 Alters the Host Transcriptome and Bile Acid Metabolism in a Common Human Gut Microbe

Gut-associated phages are hypothesized to alter the abundance and activity of their bacterial hosts, contributing to human health and disease. Although temperate phages constitute a significant fraction of the gut virome, the effects of lysogenic infection are underexplored. We report that the temperate phage, Bacteroides phage BV01, broadly alters its host's transcriptome, the prominent human gut symbiont Bacteroides vulgatus. This alteration occurs through phage-induced repression of a tryptophan-rich sensory protein (TspO) and represses bile acid deconjugation. Because microbially modified bile acids are important signals for the mammalian host, this is a mechanism by which a phage may influence mammalian phenotypes. Furthermore, BV01 and its relatives in the proposed phage family Salyersviridae are ubiquitous in human gut metagenomes, infecting a broad range of Bacteroides hosts. These results demonstrate the complexity of phage-bacteria-mammal relationships and emphasize a need to better understand the role of temperate phages in the gut microbiome.
Hindlimb unloading causes regional loading-dependent changes in osteocyte inflammatory cytokines that are modulated by exogenous irisin treatment.

Disuse-induced bone loss is characterized by alterations in bone turnover. Accruing evidence suggests that osteocytes respond to inflammation and express and/or release pro-inflammatory cytokines; however, it remains largely unknown whether osteocyte inflammatory proteins are influenced by disuse. The goals of this project were (1) to assess osteocyte pro-inflammatory cytokines in the unloaded hindlimb and loaded forelimb of hindlimb unloaded rats, (2) to examine the impact of exogenous irisin during hindlimb unloading (HU). Male Sprague Dawley rats (8 weeks old, n = 6/group) were divided into ambulatory control, HU, and HU with irisin (HU + Ir, 3×/week). Lower cancellous bone volume, higher osteoclast surfaces (OcS), and lower bone formation rate (BFR) were present at the hindlimb and 4th lumbar vertebrae in the HU group while the proximal humerus of HU rats exhibited no differences in bone volume, but higher BFR and lower OcS vs. Con. Osteocyte tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-17 (IL-17), RANKL, and sclerostin were elevated in the cancellous bone of the distal femur of HU rats vs. Con, but lower at the proximal humerus in HU rats vs. Con. Exogenous irisin treatment increased BFR, and lowered OcS and osteocyte TNF-α, IL-17, RANKL, and sclerostin in the unloaded hindlimb of HU + Ir rats while having minimal changes in the humerus. In conclusion, there are site-specific and loading-specific alterations in osteocyte pro-inflammatory cytokines and bone turnover with the HU model of disuse bone loss, indicating a potential mechanosensory impact of osteocyte TNF-α and IL-17. Additionally, exogenous irisin significantly reduced the pro-inflammatory status of the unloaded hindlimb.
Drug Conjugates of Antagonistic RSPO4 Mutant For Simultaneous Targeting of LGR4/5/6 for Cancer Treatment

Abstract LGR4-6 (Leucine-rich repeating containing, G-protein-coupled receptors 4, 5, and 6) are three related receptors with distinct roles in organ development and stem cell survival. All three receptors are upregulated in gastrointestinal cancers to different levels, and LGR5 has been shown to be enriched in cancer stem cells. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting LGR5 showed robust antitumor effect in vivo but could not eradicate tumors due to plasticity of LGR5-positive cancer cells. As LGR5-negative cells often express LGR4 or LGR6 or both, we reasoned that simultaneous targeting of all three LGRs may provide a more effective approach. R-spondins (RSPOs) bind to LGR4-6 with high affinity and potentiate Wnt signaling. We identified an RSPO4 mutant (Q65R) that retains potent LGR binding but no longer potentiates Wnt signaling. The RSPO4 mutant was fused to the N-terminus of human IgG1-Fc to create a peptibody which was then conjugated with cytotoxins monomethyl auristatin or duocarmycin by site-specific conjugation. The resulting peptibody drug conjugates (PDCs) showed potent cytotoxic effects on cancer cell lines expressing any LGR in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in vivo without inducing intestinal enlargement or other adverse effects. These results suggest that RSPO-derived PDCs may provide a novel approach to the treatment of cancers with high LGR expression.
Navigating through Turbulent Times: U.S. Secondary Teachers Share Their Experiences as Online Learners and the Implications for Their Teaching Practice

This Participatory Action Research project was a collaborative endeavor designed to identify the challenges secondary in-service teachers face as learners in a virtual context and the implications their participation in graduate synchronous remote coursework had for them as middle and secondary classroom teachers teaching online. In this article we highlight the obstacles schools have been facing amid the coronavirus pandemic, present the fears consuming teachers, parents and students, describe the frustration with remote learning, summarize the pre- and post-coronavirus teacher stress, burnout, and attrition occurrences, outline preventative measures being taken to make schools safe and secure, and discuss how supporting teacher self-care, in turn promotes student wellbeing. We share lessons learned from identifying teacher stresses in the online virtual learning context and redesigning our graduate courses for our participants by modeling best practices for coping with technostress, incorporating technology tools, modifying pedagogical procedures and integrating various resources to enhance virtual instruction. Using thematic analysis we identified the following themes which impact the e-teaching-learning experience: a) juggling multiple demands in the home environment while learning online is distracting; (b) balancing work-life responsibilities is challenging; (c) teaching and learning in a virtual context is isolating; (d) dealing with technostress is overwhelming and (e) practicing self-care allows teachers to support student wellbeing. We summarize the findings from this project where the teachers reflect on their personal experiences while enrolled in online graduate courses and describe how the teachers’ experiences as learners, informed their teaching practice
Adaptive learning: Helpful to the flipped classroom in the online environment of COVID?

Abstract Flipped instruction in an undergraduate numerical methods course in the online, remote environment during the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted with and without the use of adaptive-learning lessons for pre-class preparation. This comparison was made to explore potential differences with and without adaptive software relative to exam and concept inventory performance and student perceptions of the classroom environment, learning and motivation, and benefits and drawbacks. Student perceptions were gathered via the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) and a survey designed to capture feedback specific to flipped instruction. The analysis was made possible by a current NSF grant to study adaptive learning in the flipped classroom at three universities and extensive prior research with the flipped classroom and adaptive learning by the authors. Results gathered in the online flipped classroom with adaptive learning suggested positive changes in the following: classroom environmental perceptions, preference for flipped instruction, perceived responsibility imposed, motivation for independent learning, and perceived learning. Furthermore, based on an open-ended question, there was a significant decrease in the proportion of students who experienced load, burden, or stressors in the online flipped classroom when adaptive learning was available versus not. Multiple-choice exam and concept-inventory results were slightly higher with adaptive lessons (although not significantly so), with the most promising results occurring for Pell grant recipients. The emerging medical education literature has suggested that adaptive learning and flipped instruction will be key to post-pandemic education. The present article begins advocacy for adaptive learning with flipped instruction in engineering education.
Data Bases and Statistical Systems: Overview

In the social and behavioral sciences, the term ‘database’ refers to collections or aggregations of data sets that can be accessed through a unified repository or archive. Databases often involve data sets that vary over time (e.g., longitudinal data) or space (e.g., cross-national data). Since the 1960s, availability of and access to large databases have increased significantly, spurred by the development of archives across the world willing to store and curate data. As such, an increasing amount of scholarship has been accomplished using preexisting databases. This article also discusses different types of databases within the social and behavioral sciences, and provides considerations for existing challenges and new developments.
Subcellular distribution of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase in rat brain.

Abstract The subcellular distribution of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase has been studied in rat cerebral tissue. The enzyme was found to be present primarily in the particulate fractions. The active particulate fractions possessed considerable latent activity which could be unmasked by treatment with Triton X-100. Protein kinase of high specific activity could be solubilized from the microsomal fraction as well as from subcellular organelles associated with the synapse. The data support the concept that adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate is associated with the molecular events underlying the processes of synaptic transmission.
Technology applications in foodservice purchasing: A primer for foodservice marketers

Abstract This paper discusses the implementation and use of several forms of technology within the foodservice purchasing environment that assist in the management of information. This paper was completed in an effort to provide foodservice marketers insight into technological applications that can affect their marketing efforts. The article focuses primarily on the most influential technological components used by foodservice operators, distributors, and suppliers in the selection and procurement of food products. It also notes Internet applications and other on-line forms of communication in foodservice purchasing. The methods chosen for this study were: (1) an informative and descriptive literature review; and (2) interviews with executives of prominent foodservice organizations. It was concluded that current technology can allow foodservice marketers to receive, assess, and provide vital foodservice purchasing information quickly and effectively.
Software as science: science as software

Software should be of great interest to historians of science. That may seem strange, given that it is of such recent origin. Software is no older than the modern electronic computer and the activity of writing programs for it. It is still experiencing growing pains. Yet, over the past fifty years, it has become the subject of its own thriving science and a ubiquitous medium for pursuing other sciences. In both instances software represents a new kind of science. It is what Herbert Simon calls a “science of the artificial.”2 There is nothing natural about software or any science of software. Programs exist only because we write them, we write them only because we have built computers on which to run them, and the programs we write ultimately reflect the structures of those computers. Computers are artifacts, programs are artifacts, and models of the world created by programs are artifacts. Hence, any science about any of these must be a science of a world of our own making rather than of a world presented to us by nature.3 What makes it both challenging and intriguing is that those two worlds meet in the physical computer, which enacts a program in the world. Their encounter has posed new and difficult epistemological questions concerning what we can know both about the workings of the models and about the relation of the models to the phenomena they purport to represent or simulate. Answers to those questions would seem to depend, at least in part, on understanding programs as dynamic systems.
Aging increases the susceptiblity to methamphetamine-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity in rats: correlation with peroxynitrite production and hyperthermia.

Methamphetamine (METH) produces dopaminergic neurotoxicity by the production of reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen (RNS) species. The role of free radicals has also been implicated in the process of aging. The present study was designed to evaluate whether METH-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity and hyperthermia is a result of peroxynitrite production and if these effects correlate with age. One-, sixand 12-month-old male rats (na 8) were administered a single dose of METH (0, 5, 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). The formation of 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) as a marker of peroxynitrite production as well as dopamine and its metabolites DOPAC and HVA were measured in the striatum 4-h after METH-administration. Rectal temperature was monitored every 30 min after METH administration until 4 h. At 40 mg/kg METH, a 100% mortality in 12-month-old animals was observed, whereas no deaths occurred in 1- or 6-monthold rats. An age-dependent increase in hyperthermia was observed after METH-administration. A similar pattern of dose-dependent increase in the formation of 3-NT and in the depletion of dopamine and its metabolites with age was observed in the striatum. Furthermore, no effect was observed at 5 mg/kg METH in 1-month-old animals, whereas the effect was significant in 6- and 12-month-old animals. These data suggest that aging increases the susceptibility of the animals toward METH-induced peroxynitrite generation and striatal
Eulerian-Eulerian Description of the Interaction of a Shock With Particles Through Godunov’s Scheme

This paper is on an Eulerian-Eulerian (EE) approach that utilizes Godunov’s scheme to deal with a running shock that interacts with a cloud of particles. The EE approach treats both carrier phase (fluid phase) and dispersed phase (particle phase) in the Eulerian frame. In this work, the fluid equations are the Euler equations for the compressible gas while the particle equations are based on a recently developed model to solve for the number density, velocity, temperature, particle sub-grid scale stresses, and particle sub-grid scale heat fluxes. The carrier and dispersed phases exchange momentum and heat, which are modeled through incorporating source terms in their equations. Carrier and dispersed phase equation form a hyperbolic set of differential equations, which are numerically solved with Godunov’s scheme. The numerical solutions are obtained in this work for a two-dimensional normal running shock interacting with a rectangular cloud of particles. The results generated by the EE approach were compared against the results that were generated by a well-stablished Eulerian-Lagragian (EL) approach that treats the carrier phase in an Eulerian frame, while does the dispersed phase in a Lagrangian framework where individuals particles are traced and solved. For the considered configuration, the EE approach reproduced the EL results with a very good accuracy.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Contributions of Family Leisure to Family Functioning Among Families that Include Children with Developmental Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family leisure involvement and family functioning among families that include children with developmental disabilities. The sample ...
Photon-stimulated desorption as a substantial source of sodium in the lunar atmosphere

Mercury and the Moon both have tenuous atmospheres that contain atomic sodium and potassium. These chemicals must be continuously resupplied, as neither body can retain the atoms formore than a few hours (1–6). The mechanisms proposed to explain the resupply include sputtering of the surface by the solar wind3,4, micrometeorite impacts5, thermal desorption6,7,8 and photon-stimulated desorption6,7,8,9,10. But there are few data and no general agreement about which processes dominate5,10,11,12,13,14. Here wereport laboratory studies of photon-stimulated desorption of sodium from surfaces that simulate lunar silicates. We find that bombardment of such surfaces at temperatures of ∼250 K by ultraviolet photons (wavelength λ< 300 nm) causes very efficient desorption of sodium atoms, induced by electronic excitations rather than by thermal processes or momentum transfer. The fluxat the lunar surface of ultraviolet photons from the Sun is sufficient to ensure that photon-stimulated desorption of sodium contributes substantially to the Moon's atmosphere. On Mercury, solar heating of the surface implies that thermal desorption7 will also be an important source of atmospheric sodium.
Clostridium difficile infections before and during use of ultraviolet disinfection.

Background We previously reported a significant decrease in hospital-acquired (HA) Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) coincident with the introduction of pulsed xenon ultraviolet light for room disinfection (UVD). The purpose of this study was to evaluate CDI cases in greater detail to understand the effect of UVD. Methods CDI rates (HA and community acquired [CA]), CDI patient length of stay, room occupancy, and number of days between a CDI case in a room and an HA CDI case in the same room were studied for the first year of UVD compared with the 1-year period pre-UVD. Results Compared with pre-UVD, during UVD, HA CDI was 22% less ( P = .06). There was a 70% decrease for the adult intensive care units (ICUs) ( P P Conclusion These data suggest that UVD contributed to a reduction in ICU-acquired CDI where UVD was used for a larger proportion of discharges. Evaluation of UVD should include data for hospitalized CA CDI cases because these cases may impact the HA CDI rate.
Pope Paul V's global design: the fresco cycle in the Quirinal Palace

Commissioned by Paul V, the monumental fresco in the Sala Regia of the Quirinal Palace, Rome, represents Kongolese, Ethiopian, Persian, and Japanese ambassadors, in addition to what can be regarded as Chinese figures. The present article investigates how the fresco emphasizes the pope's evangelical successes, and his desire to increase conversions and unite other Christian Churches under the supreme leadership of the papacy despite Portugal and Spain's claim for padroado. The fresco also reflects papal ambition to establish a pan-continental military and commercial network in order to counter the Ottomans and Protestants. The pope's intertwined foreign policies towards the nations represented in the fresco are examined to clarify these points. The fresco appropriates the presumptive power of the non-European potentates and manipulates imagery of their envoys (both actual and imagined) to promote the pope's authority. In particular, the individualized representation of the East Asians contributes to the display of the papacy's global knowledge and its power. Apart from the images of the foreign dignitaries, other understudied figures in the fresco are analysed. The surrounding urban environment is related to the mood of levity in the fresco, which stresses eternal bliss for the pope's devotees and divine punishment for the disobedient.
Absorption Coefficients of O(2) at the Lyman-alpha Line and of other O(2) Transmission Windows.

Oxygen absorption coefficients at Lyman alpha line and other transmission windows, verifying dependence on pressure source line width and doublet separation
Voltage-Sensitive Dye Imaging of Neocortical Spatiotemporal Dynamics to Afferent Activation Frequency

The spatial and temporal patterns of neocortex activation are determined not only by the dynamic character of the input but also by the intrinsic dynamics of the cortical circuitry. To study the role of afferent input frequency on cortical activation dynamics, the electrical activity of in vitro neocortex slices was imaged during white-matter electrical stimulation. High-speed optical imaging was implemented using voltage-sensitive dyes in guinea pig visual and somatosensory cortex slices concomitantly with intracellular recordings. Single white-matter electrical stimuli activated well-defined cortical sites with a radially oriented columnar configuration. This configuration was followed, over the next few milliseconds, by a lateral spread of excitation through cortical layers 5 and 6 and layers 2 and 3. Much of the optical response was eliminated in low extracellular calcium, indicating that it was primarily synaptically mediated. Repetitive stimuli at 10 Hz reproduced the spatiotemporal pattern observed for single stimuli. In contrast, repetitive stimulation in the γ frequency range (∼40 Hz) rapidly restrained the area of excitation to a small columnar site directly above the stimulating electrode. Intracellular recordings from cells lateral to the activated column revealed increased inhibitory synaptic activity and/or decreased excitatory responses during the train at 40 Hz, but not during a 10 Hz stimulation. Localized microinjections of GABAA antagonist produced a reorganization of the geometrical activity pattern that was dependent on the position of the microinjection site. These findings indicate that the frequency-dependent spatial organization of neocortex activation is determined by inhibitory sculpting attributable to local network dynamics.
PPARδ agonist attenuates alcohol-induced hepatic insulin resistance and improves liver injury and repair

Background/Aims Chronic ethanol exposure impairs liver regeneration due to inhibition of insulin signaling and oxidative injury. PPAR agonists function as insulin sensitizers and anti-inflammatory agents. We investigated whether treatment with a PPARδ agonist could restore hepatic insulin sensitivity, survival signaling, and regenerative responses vis-a-vis chronic ethanol feeding. Methods Adult rats were fed isocaloric liquid diets containing 0% or 37% ethanol, and administered a PPARδ agonist by i.p. injection. We used liver tissue to examine histopathology, gene expression, oxidative stress, insulin signaling, and regenerative responses to 2/3 hepatectomy. Results Chronic ethanol feeding caused insulin resistance, increased oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, and hepatocellular injury in liver. These effects were associated with reduced insulin receptor binding and affinity, impaired survival signaling through PI3K/Akt/GSK3β, and reduced expression of insulin responsive genes mediating energy metabolism and tissue remodeling. PPARδ agonist treatment reduced ethanol-mediated hepatic injury, oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and insulin resistance, increased signaling through PI3K/Akt/GSK3β, and enhanced the regenerative response to partial hepatectomy. Conclusions PPARδ agonist administration may attenuate the severity of chronic ethanol-induced liver injury and ethanol's adverse effects on the hepatic repair by restoring insulin responsiveness, even in the context of continued high-level ethanol consumption.
Influence of physical aging on medical plastics properties

Proper design of medical devices requires a thorough understanding of material properties throughout the manufacturing, distribution, and end-use conditions. Widely used amorphous polymers deserve special attention. In this article, we will focus on the physical aging phenomenon. This process affects many important properties of materials. An improved Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) technique was developed to quantify the extent and the kinetics of aging. Consequences of aging were also studied with physical testing and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).
Interactive conflict resolution in English

: In this study involving international graduate assistants in an American university, some members of the outer circle of English users (students from India) were paired with members of the expanding circle (students from China and Korea) to perform a special type of interactive communication task. The task required a ‘sender’ to describe a delivery route to a ‘receiver’ on similar, but slightly different, maps. Under the first condition, the more fluent outer circle members were in the dominant sender role, giving directions to a member of the expanding circle and, under the second condition, the roles were reversed. Evidence from the taperecorded interactions is presented to illustrate not only how referential conflicts arose in these interactions, but also how they were resolved. The strategies adopted for resolving the conflicts in the first-condition interactions are shown to be much less effective in terms of successful communication than the type of negotiated, cooperative strategies found under the second condition. It is argued that, if we wish to create task-related pairings which will give most benefit in the development of communication skills, then the more fluent or more proficient member is, perhaps paradoxically, best placed in the subordinate role.
A Method for Setting a Test Signal Level Relative to Noise

A method is described for adjusting the leval of an RF test signal generator relative to the noise level at the receiver output. The method compares a detected output to a threshold and counts the number of times noise and signal plus noise cross the threshold in a given number of tries. By setting the threshold at a given false alarm probability for noise alone and then adding the test signal and adjusting its level to give a specified detection probability, the signal-to-noise ratio can be calibrated to an accuracy that depends on the number of samples used to measure the probabilities. The false alarm and detection probabilities are given for best accuracy as well as the rms error in signal-to-noise ratio as a function of the number of samples used.
Reduction kinetics and microstructures of Al3+-containing cobalt ferrites

Dense, polycrystalline CoFe2O4, CoAl0.02Fe1.98O4, and CoAl0.1Fe1.9O4 were reduced in flowing H2/0.01% H2O at temperatures between 500 and 800° C. The reactions proceeded in a topochemical fashion. The rate of advance of the reaction interface was determined by direct measurement and by thermogravimetric analysis. An anomalous decrease in the reduction kinetics was observed for CoFe2O4 around 650° C and for CoAl0.02Fe1.98O4 at 750° C. This reaction rate anomaly could be attributed to the appearance of a wustite-type subscale. The effect of the substitutional Al3+ ions was to decrease the interfacial reaction rates. In the lower temperature range, the reaction was dominated by the interface reaction. With increasing temperatures, the importance of the gas transport resistance through the porous metal product scale increased. The microstructure of the scales was examined extensively. Pronounced grain-boundary attack was observed at lower temperatures leading to the formation of a distributed reaction interface. At higher temperatures, the reaction interface was better defined. The pore structure of the scales was examined after polishing and sputter etching. While changes in the pore morphology were observed, they were not correlated with the anomalous reaction rate effects.
Intracoronary urokinase as an adjunct to percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in patients with complex coronary narrowings or angioplasty-induced complications

The effectiveness of intracoronary urokinase infusion as an adjunct to percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was studied in 50 patients who underwent angioplasty for complex coronary narrowings or had thromboembolic complications during PTCA (29 [58%] men, 3 [6%] stable and 37 [74%] unstable angina, and 16 [32%] prior coronary bypass surgery). The primary indications for intracoronary urokinase infusion were intracoronary thrombus in 27 patients (54%), distal coronary embolization in 9 (18%), and abrupt reclosure in 14 (28%). Urokinase was infused in a mean (+/- standard deviation) dosage of 399,000 +/- 194,000 IU (range 150,000 to 1,000,000) at an average rate of 5,000 to 20,000 IU/min. Angiographic success was achieved in 43 patients (86%). Complications included the need for urgent bypass surgery in 3 patients, Q-wave myocardial infarction in 2, and non-Q-wave myocardial infarction in 12 (8 of whom had peak creatine kinase less than twice the upper normal limit). The incidence of myocardial infarction was significantly higher in patients with vein grafts (69%) than in those with PTCA of native vessels (14%). Two patients died (1 massive gastrointestinal necrosis 24 hours after angioplasty, and 1 after urgent bypass surgery). Mean (+/- standard deviation) fibrinogen levels were 355 +/- 73 mg/dl before urokinase infusion, and 361 +/- 70, twelve hours afterward. Three patients had local bleeding, but no transfusions were needed. It is concluded that intracoronary urokinase is a safe and effective adjunct to PTCA in patients with associated thrombi and may improve the success rate in angioplasty complicated by thrombus formation.
Hospital-Based Comparative Effectiveness Centers: Translating Research into Practice to Improve the Quality, Safety and Value of Patient Care

Hospital-based comparative effectiveness (CE) centers provide a model that clinical leaders can use to improve evidence-based practice locally. The model is used by integrated health systems outside the US, but is less recognized in the US. Such centers can identify and adapt national evidence-based policies for the local setting, create local evidence-based policies in the absence of national policies, and implement evidence into practice through health information technology (HIT) and quality initiatives. Given the increasing availability of CE evidence and incentives to meaningfully use HIT, the relevance of this model to US practitioners is increasing. This is especially true in the context of healthcare reform, which will likely reduce reimbursements for care deemed unnecessary by published evidence or guidelines. There are challenges to operating hospital-based CE centers, but many of these challenges can be overcome using solutions developed by those currently leading such centers. In conclusion, these centers have the potential to improve the quality, safety and value of care locally, ultimately translating into higher quality and more cost-effective care nationally. To better understand this potential, the current activity and impact of hospital-based CE centers in the US should be rigorously examined.
A Test and Extension of Objectification Theory as It Predicts Disordered Eating: Does Women's Age Matter?.

When predicting disordered eating, models incorporating several of objectification theory’s (B. L. Fredrickson & T. A. Roberts, 1997) core constructs (i.e., sexual objectification, self-objectification, body shame, poor interoceptive awareness) have been empirically supported with women of traditional undergraduate age who are consistent in age with the youthful-ideal prototype for women presented in the media. The present study extended this research by testing these core constructs with women ages 25–68 years (n 330), as their experiences with these constructs may differ as they deviate from this youthful prototype. A multiple-groups analysis comparing these women with women ages 18–24 (n 329) indicated that objectification theory can be extended to women ages 25 and older, as the model provided an adequate fit to the data. However, structural invariance analysis revealed that what takes place within the model may not be identical for these groups. The older group had a stronger relationship between body shame and disordered eating and a weaker relationship between poor interoceptive awareness and disordered eating than did the younger group.
Lymphocytic adenohypophysitis of pregnancy with complete recovery.

A case of lymphocytic adenohypophysitis in a postpartum woman who became symptomatic during her 8th month of pregnancy is presented. The clinical presentation, endocrine findings, pathological findings, and operative management are discussed. Transient hypopituitarism is documented. Unlike most prev