cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ASCOSPORE DISCHARGE IN HYPOXYLON

SUMMARY Portions of wood, bearing stromata of three species of Hypoxylon, collected in the field and then maintained in a mist chamber in the greenhouse, were studied under controlled conditions in ISCO Environmental Chambers. Kramer-Collins spore samplers were used to study effects of various environmental factors on ascospore discharge. H. investiens (Schw.) Curt. displayed a light-positive response; spore discharge began within 20-30 min after exposure to light and under constant light was continuous. Under constant dark, spore discharge did not occur. In H. truncatum (Schw. ex Fr.) Miller, spore discharge was inhibited by light of 1,500 ft-c; however, with light less than 500 ft-c, the periodic pattern (with maxima occurring during the dark periods previously established under alternating 8 hr of higher intensity light and 16 hr of dark) was maintained in an endogenous rhythm. When H. rubiginosum Pers. ex Fr. was subjected to alternating 8 hr light and 16 hr dark, spore discharge began to increase while still in the light period and peaked approximately midway through the dark period. After conditioning in alternating light/dark, spore discharge ceased after several days in continuous light; however, under continous dark, it remained relatively constant, showing no indication of a gradual decrease.
Enhancing sulfur tolerance of Pd catalysts by hydrogen spillover with two different zeolite supports for low-temperature hydrogenation of aromatics

Pd catalysts supported on zeolite Y and zeolite A (Pd/Y and Pd/A) were prepared separately and combined for improving sulfur tolerance based on our proposed catalyst design concept for low-temperat...
Histochemical localization and metabolic significance of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase system in adrenal cortex.

SummaryA histochemical technic was used to localize the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase system in zones of the adrenal cortex. It was very active in the fascicular and reticular zones. Activity in the glomerulosa was comparatively low. Since this enzyme system may be indirectly influenced by ACTH and is a potential provider of TPNH, a reductant important in steroid synthesis, demonstration of its predominance in a zone where active steroid synthesis is presumed to occur is reasonable and of considerable interest.
Altered Bioenergetics in Primary Dermal Fibroblasts from Adult Carriers of the FMR1 Premutation Before the Onset of the Neurodegenerative Disease Fragile X-Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome

Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a late onset neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by tremors, ataxia, impaired coordination, and cognitive decline. While all FXTAS individuals are carriers of a 55-200 CGG expansion at the 5'-UTR of the fragile X mental retardation gene (FMR1), also known as premutation, not all carriers develop FXTAS symptoms and some display other types of psychological/emotional disorders (e.g., autism, anxiety). The goal of this study was to investigate whether the mitochondrial dysfunction previously observed in fibroblasts from older premutation individuals (>60 years) was already present in younger (17-48 years), non-FXTAS-affected carriers and to identify the type and severity of the bioenergetic deficit. Since FXTAS affects mostly males, while females account for a small part of the FXTAS-affected population displaying less severe symptoms, only fibroblasts from males were evaluated in this study. Based on polarographic and enzymatic measurements, a generalized OXPHOS deficit was noted accompanied by increases in the matrix biomarker citrate synthase, oxidative stress (as increased mtDNA copy number and deletions), and mitochondrial network disruption/disorganization. Some of the outcomes (ATP-linked oxygen uptake, coupling, citrate synthase activity, and mitochondrial network organization) strongly correlated with the extent of the CGG expansion, with more severe deficits observed in cell lines carrying higher CGG number. Furthermore, mitochondrial outcomes can identify endophenotypes among carriers and are robust predictors of the premutation diagnosis before the onset of FXTAS, with the potential to be used as markers of prognosis and/or as readouts of pharmacological interventions.
Stability of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides when extracted from solid matrixes with microwave energy

A stability study of 44 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and 47 organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) was conducted. Compounds were spiked into solvent only (hexane-acetone, 1 + 1; methylene chloride-acetone, 1 + 1; methyl tert-butyl ether [MTBE]; and toluene-methanol, 10 + 1), solvent/dry soil suspensions, and solvent/wet soil suspensions (20% water, w/w). Spiked matrixes were heated in closed vessels with microwave energy at 2 temperatures (50° and 145°C) for 5 or 20 min. For comparison and for determination of nitrogen blowdown losses, spiked matrixes that had not been exposed to microwave energy were concentrated by using the blowdown technique and analyzed for each of the spiked compounds. For OCPs, temperature had the most significant effect on compound recovery, followed by matrix. All 3 pairwise comparisons of the 3 matrix types were statistically significant. The solvent factor was also significant, with average recoveries of 97.8% with methylene chloride-acetone, 96.3% with toluene-methanol, 92.8% with hexane-acetone, and 92.3% with MTBE. Of the 6 pairwise comparisons among the 4 solvents, all but 2 - methylene chloride-acetone versus toluene-methanol and hexane-acetone versus MTBE - were statistically significant. For OPPs, temperature also had the most significant effect on recovery, followed by matrix. All 3 pairwise comparisons of the 3 matrix types were statistically significant in the same order as for OCPs. The solvent factor was also significant, but average recoveries - 89.5% with hexane-acetone, 89.4% with methylene chloride-acetone, and 81.5% with either MTBE or toluene-methanol - are in a slightly different order from that for OCPs. Of the 6 pairwise comparisons among the 4 solvents, all but 2 - hexane-acetone versus methylene chloride-acetone and MTBE versus toluene-methanol - were statistically significant. Compounds that appear to degrade under microwave-assisted extraction conditions include TEPP, phosphamidon, trichlorfon, naled, monocrotophos, demeton-O, and demeton-S.
An Investigational RNAi Therapeutic Targeting Glycolate Oxidase Reduces Oxalate Production in Models of Primary Hyperoxaluria

Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1), an inherited rare disease of glyoxylate metabolism, arises from mutations in the enzyme alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase. The resulting deficiency in this enzyme leads to abnormally high oxalate production resulting in calcium oxalate crystal formation and deposition in the kidney and many other tissues, with systemic oxalosis and ESRD being a common outcome. Although a small subset of patients manages the disease with vitamin B6 treatments, the only effective treatment for most is a combined liver-kidney transplant, which requires life-long immune suppression and carries significant mortality risk. In this report, we discuss the development of ALN-GO1, an investigational RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic targeting glycolate oxidase, to deplete the substrate for oxalate synthesis. Subcutaneous administration of ALN-GO1 resulted in potent, dose-dependent, and durable silencing of the mRNA encoding glycolate oxidase and increased serum glycolate concentrations in wild-type mice, rats, and nonhuman primates. ALN-GO1 also increased urinary glycolate concentrations in normal nonhuman primates and in a genetic mouse model of PH1. Notably, ALN-GO1 reduced urinary oxalate concentration up to 50% after a single dose in the genetic mouse model of PH1, and up to 98% after multiple doses in a rat model of hyperoxaluria. These data demonstrate the ability of ALN-GO1 to reduce oxalate production in preclinical models of PH1 across multiple species and provide a clear rationale for clinical trials with this compound.
Techno-economic analysis of production of Fischer-Tropsch liquids via biomass gasification: The effects of Fischer-Tropsch catalysts and natural gas co-feeding

Abstract The effects of H2/CO ratio in syngas from a biomass gasifier, the type of a Fischer-Tropsch (FT) catalyst, addition of a reformer in a recycle mode, efficiency of CO2 removal, and co-feeding of biomass and natural gas on the overall thermal efficiency and costs for the production of FT liquid fuels from the biomass-derived syngas were analyzed using an Aspen Plus®-based process model. The overall thermal efficiency for biomass-fed processes was in a range of 41.3–45.5%. A cobalt catalyst-based FT process achieved slightly higher efficiency than an iron-based FT process mainly owing to the absence of water-gas shift activity on a cobalt FT catalyst. A proper amount of CO2 in the syngas can inhibit the amount of CO2 generated via the water-gas shift reaction in a FT reactor with an iron-based catalyst which yields a similar efficiency to a cobalt-based FT process. The lowest production costs were around $28.8 per GJ of FT liquids for the biomass fed processes with a reformer. However, the addition of a reformer in the gas recycle loop can improve the economics only when the operation of the plant is optimized for maximum fuel production rather than co-generation of fuels and power. A process with co-feeding of natural gas into the reformer can achieve more attractive economics than a solely biomass fed process. Co-feeding of biomass and natural gas each at 200 MWth for a total feedstock thermal energy input of 400 MWth reduced the costs of FT liquid production by about 30% to $19–$20 per GJ of FT liquids. However, production of FT biofuels would be economically viable only at very high oil price or if some premiums are considered for the production of green fuels and power. At an oil price of $60/barrel, production of FT biofuels in the process configurations considered in this study wouldn’t be economically feasible.
Effect of supplemental zinc source and corn particle size on 40-day broiler performance

Abstract Zinc (Zn) supplementation source and particle size of feed ingredients are two factors that can affect poultry performance and should be considered for proper feeding of poultry. The objective of the current study was to assess the effects of Zn supplementation source and corn particle size on broiler performance, breast yield, and tibia Zn concentration. Treatments were arranged in a 5 × 2 factorial randomized complete block design with the main effects Zn treatment and corn particle size (550 micron vs. 1,050 micron). Zinc treatments included a basal diet (no added Zn), 80 mg/kg Zn sulfate, and 3 diets with 40 mg/kg Zn sulfate + 40 mg/kg of either Zn-glycine amino acid (AA) chelate (Zn-gly), Zn-AA complex (Zn-AA), or Zn bis(-2-hydroxy-4-methylthio)butanoic acid (Zn-HMTBA). A total of 8 replications per treatment were fed to 23 broilers per pen from d one to 40. A Zn treatment x corn particle size interaction was observed for ending bird weight (EBW; P
Current patterns of care for patients with stage I testicular seminoma: Survey of U.S. radiation oncologists on treatment recommendations.

418Background: Most men with Stage I testicular seminoma are cured with surgery alone, now a preferred strategy per national guidelines. The current pattern of practice among US radiation oncologists (RO) is unknown. Methods: We have surveyed practicing US RO via a short online questionnaire. Respondents’ characteristics, self-rated knowledge, perceived patient (pt) compliance rates with observation protocols and expected rate of infertility with and without adjuvant treatments were analyzed for association with treatment recommendations. Results: We received 353 responses from practicing US RO, of whom 23% consider themselves experts. Recommendations are summarized in the table. 34% believe that survival is jeopardized in case of recurrence on observation, but this belief does not impact the recommendation. Over 70% of respondents rate non-compliance with observation at > = 30%. Responders with a higher perceived non-compliance rate are more likely to recommend adjuvant therapy (Fisher’s exact p < 0.01)....
Conserving Nature; Preserving Identity

There are two broad approaches to environmental ethics. The “conservationist” approach on which we should conserve the environment when it is in our interest to do so and the “preservationist” approach on which we should preserve the environment even when it is not in our interest to do so. We propose a new “relational” approach that tells us to preserve nature as part of what makes us who we are or could be. Drawing from Confucian and Daoist texts, we argue that human identities are, or should be, so intimately tied to nature that human interests evolve in relationship to nature.
Cell Cycle Analysis using Propidium Iodide Staining with GFP Detection

[Abstract] Infecting mammalian cells with a GFP construct to overexpress or knockdown target genes is one of the most commonly used methods to study and manipulate gene expression. To determine the target gene function on the cell cycle, analyzing the cell cycle (propidium iodide, PI staining) of GFP positive cells vs GFP negative cells is needed. Usually simple fixation of cells with 70% EtOH for PI staining tends to quench GFP signal; paraformaldehyde (PFA) fixation before ETOH fixation could help to sustain the GFP signal.
Overview of Gut Immunology

The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) plays dual roles in human physiology: digestion and uptake of nutrients and the more daunting task of maintaining immune homeostasis (protecting the body from potentially harmful microbes, while inducing tolerogenic responses to innocuous food, commensals and self-antigens). The unique architecture of the GI tract facilitates both of these functions; multiple levels of infolding results in an immense overall surface area that allows maximal nutrient absorption while housing the largest number of immune cells in the body. This review will focus on how mucosal immune responses generated in the GI tract are organized and controlled. The gastro-intestinal associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), which is composed of discrete inductive and effectors sites, is able to discriminate between harmful and harmless antigens while maintaining homeostasis. Inductive sites are organized into specialized aggregations of lymphoid follicles called Peyer’s patches (PP), while effector sites are more diffusely dispersed. The separation of these sites serves to limit and control immune responses. In addition to its distinct architecture, the GI tract has specialized immune cells that aid in promoting a tolerogenic response to orally introduced antigens, (e.g. subsets of dendritic cells (DCs) and regulatory T-cells (TR)). Secretory IgA (sIgA), which is produced in appreciable quantities at mucosal surfaces, also promotes an anti-inflammatory environment by neutralizing immune stimulatory antigens. The mechanisms of induction tolerance are currently poorly understood; however, this tolerant environment limits potentially damaging inflammatory responses to inappropriate stimuli.
Why Don't More Indians Do Better in School? The Battle between U.S. Schooling & American Indian/Alaska Native Education

American Indian/Alaska Native education – the training for life of children, adolescents, and adults – has been locked in battle for centuries with colonial schooling, which continues to the presen...
Geriatric Trauma Book: Urologic Trauma

Minimal research has been done on urologic injuries in the geriatric trauma population. A number of preexisting conditions may be seen and should be considered in the care of the older adult patient with urologic trauma. With aging, there is a loss of functional glomeruli and tubules as well as a reduction in blood flow, due to the decrease in mass of the kidney [1]. This impacts the ability of the kidneys to excrete medications that rely on renal clearance, therefore increasing the risk of adverse drug reactions [2]. Decreased functional reserve in the older adult also increases the risk of renal failure [3]. Nursing care must include a thorough physical assessment that incorporates the location of pain, assessment for patterns of bruising or lacerations, as well as consideration for associated injury [4]. Hematuria, flank pain/bruising, and abdominal pain have all been associated with assessment of renal injury [4]. There should be a high suspicion of renal injury with rib fractures or spinal process fractures [4]. Hemodynamic stabilization of the patient and treatment of concomitant injuries are critical components of immediate nursing care [4]. Many older adults are currently taking anticoagulants, which can profoundly impact the care of older adult patient with a renal injury. It is critical to complete a thorough review of medications and preexisting comorbidities on admission.
One-Pot Domino Friedel-Crafts Acylation/Annulation between Alkynes and 2-Methoxybenzoyl Chlorides: Synthesis of 2,3-Disubstituted Chromen-4-one Derivatives.

A highly regioselective synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted chromen-4-one derivatives is accomplished from readily available internal alkynes and 2-methoxybenzoyl chlorides. The reaction proceeds via a ...
Epigenetic Phenomena and Epigenomics in Maize

Maize research has provided much of the initial documentation and characterization of epigenetic phenomena such as transposable element inactivation, paramutation and imprinting. Current efforts are beginning to yield an understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible for these epigenetic behaviors. Complementary research in many organisms has now provided strong evidence for the role of repetitive DNA features in facilitating epigenetic control of genome functions. The repetitive and complex structure of the maize genome together with the high level of structural diversity between maize haplotypes suggests that maize research has a significant role to play in understanding the dynamic relationships between genome structure and function.
Partial Hospitalization for Mentally Retarded Citizens

Partial hospitalization in the psychiatric and mental health context has been recognized as a plausible alternative to services facilitating an individual’s reentry to his home, community, or work after a period of hospitalization. Day hospitals and night hospitals have emerged along the continuum of rehabilitative services offering to appropriate patients a prescriptive and regulated blend of medical and therapeutic care with normal life (Astrachan, Flynn, Harvey, & Geller, 1970).These programs are not without disadvantages, although the advantageous outcomes appear to predominate (Guy, Gross, Hogarty, & Dennis, 1969). Some arguments arise criticizing the unnecessary duplication of halfway houses. The support groups, however, contend that the partial hospitalization concept can provide short-term intensive treatment during acute stress, where the halfway house is more suited to recovered patients who need a supportive setting over a period of time (Beigel & Feder, 1976b).
Recent Developments in the Commercial Implementation of Topology Optimization

Topology optimization has matured to be a practical design tool. After several years of success in the automotive industry, topology optimization has been introduced in other industries with great success. Design processes in the consumer products and aerospace industry benefit greatly from the use of topology optimization. The introduction of manufacturing constraints made the technology even more appealing. The paper will discuss recent developments in the implementation of topology optimization in commercial software and the use in a digital engineering environment.
Molecular Basis of Peroxisome Division and Proliferation in Plants

Peroxisomes are multifunctional organelles whose abundance varies depending on the cell type, organism, developmental stage, and environmental and metabolic conditions in which the organism lives. Plant peroxisomes are essential to embryo viability and are involved in numerous biochemical processes in development and in plant interaction with the environment. In the past few years, several classes of peroxisomal proteins required for various steps in peroxisome division and proliferation and a signaling pathway underlying the light induction of peroxisome proliferation have been identified from the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana. Some of the major components of the peroxisome division apparatus have been conserved from plants to yeasts and animals, whereas plant-specific components are also being revealed. Environmental factors and nuclear events that control the process appear to be highly unique in different evolutionary lineages. Future research needs to identify additional members of the peroxisome division/proliferation pathways and to dissect signaling pathways by which various environmental and metabolic cues regulate the abundance of peroxisomes in plants.
On the Processing of Extreme Scale Datasets in the Geosciences

Observational measurements and model output data acquired or generated by the various research areas within the realm of Geosciences (also known as Earth Science) encompass a spatial scale of tens of thousands of kilometers and temporal scales of seconds to millions of years. Here geosciences refers to the study of atmosphere, hydrosphere, oceans, and biosphere as well as the earth’s core. Rapid advances in sensor deployments, computational capacity, and data storage density have been resulted in dramatic increases in the volume and complexity of data in geosciences. Geoscientists now see the data-intensive computing approach as part of their knowledge discovery process alongside traditional theoretical, experimental, and computational archetype [1]. Data-intensive computing poses unique challenges to the geoscience community that is exacerbated by the sheer size of the datasets involved.
The structure of the cereal sensory system and ventral nerve cord of Grylloblatta

The structure of cereal sensilla, the cereal nerve and the central projections of the cereal sensory nerve of a notopteran (Grylloblatta sp.) are described and compared with other orthopteroid insects in which the cereal sensory system and central connections are well known. The cereal sensilla are similar to those of gryllids and blattids, but the gross structure of the cerci and distribution of cereal sensilla more closely resemble those of the Thysanura. The elements of the cereal sensory nerves and the central nervous system are similar to those of other orthopteroid insects, but extracellular material is present in greater quantity, and more extensive glial bundling of axons occurs in both the cereal nerve and central connectives. Glial structure, extracellular material and large multicristate mitochondria may be adaptations to life near 0° C. The form of central projections of the cereal nerve and the configuration of the largest abdominal interneurons are unlike those of gryllids and Dictyoptera; they are similar to those of Dermaptera.
Bulk soil bacterial community structure and function respond to long-term organic and conventional agricultural management

Understanding how soil microbiomes respond to management is essential to maximizing soil health. We contrasted microbiomes in bulk soil under long-term organic and conventional management in a grain production setting. Management category significantly impacted the relative abundances of 17% of the most abundant taxa. Both conventional and organic management favored particular taxa, but these effects were not reflected in summary richness and diversity indices. Management systems also lead to differences in soil edaphic properties, including pH and nutrient status; this may have been the mechanism by which change in the prokaryote community was enacted. Community change between years of sampling was less pronounced, with only 6 taxa differentially abundant among years. Management category also impacted the abundance of functional genes related to the production and consumption of greenhouse gases. Particulate methane monooxygenase genes were more frequent in soil under organic management, while soluble methane monooxygenase genes were more frequent in soil under conventional management in 1 of 2 years. Nitrous oxide reductase genes were significantly less abundant in soils under second-year alfalfa than in soils under corn. This work highlights the ability of agricultural management to enact broad rearrangements to the structure of bulk soil bacterial communities.
NUMERICAL MODELS | Parameter Estimation

The state of the art of parameter estimation in atmospheric sciences is discussed. It is common in numerical weather prediction models to find parameterizations to represent subgrid-scale atmospheric processes such as radiation, cloud microphysics, convection, and turbulence. According to a widely accepted opinion, errors in such parameterizations are major contributors to model error. Parameter estimation aims to reduce such errors by utilizing atmospheric observations within the data assimilation framework. Although early work on parameter estimation mostly utilized variational techniques, with the advent and progress of ensemble-based data assimilation systems, an increasing number of parameter estimation studies based on ensemble-based techniques have recently emerged. The goal here is to highlight the state of the art in parameter estimation through the lens of these most recent atmospheric science publications.
Law and Neuroscience: Progress, Promise, and Pitfalls

This forthcoming chapter provides an overview of the newest developments at the interface of law and neuroscience. It describes what is happening, explains the potential influences of neuroscientific evidence, and explores the contexts in which neuroscience can be useful to law. Along the way, it considers some of the legal problems on which neuroscientific data are thought to provide potential answers. It highlights some illustrative cases. And it surveys new brain imaging research by interdisciplinary teams of legal scholars, judges, and neuroscientists.
A Tale of Two Majors: When Information Technology is Embedded within a Department of Computer Science

Student success is one of the most widely discussed topics in the higher education literature. One understudied factor that may have a significant impact on student success is the effect of co-locating two different undergraduate programs - specifically, Computer Science (CS) and Information Technology (IT) - in the same department. In this paper, we examine student data from the IT and CS undergraduate programs at a large, public university to identify and compare the paths of IT and CS students, who started the program in Fall 2008 and dropped out, changed their major, or successfully completed the program by Summer 2013. We also conducted an open-ended survey of 165 IT and CS students to determine their perceptions of the two programs. Our results suggest a tiered relationship between the two programs, where CS appears to be a more volatile and rigorous of a major in terms of student pathways and perceptions. We conclude that social comparisons that occur due to the way these programs were established at the target university contribute to this imbalance. Based on our analyses, we propose measures to mitigate negative social comparisons between the two programs and make IT a standalone program contributing to student success.
Using Behavioral Change Models to Understand Private Landowner Perceptions of Prescribed Fire in North Dakota

In the northern Great Plains of North America, Kentucky bluegrass has become a conservation concern on many remaining rangelands. Reintroduction of fire may be one of the best ways to combat bluegrass invasion in the northern Great Plains, but perceptions of risk and other societal constraints currently limit its use. We mailed a self-administered questionnaire to 460 landowners in North Dakota to identify landowner attitudes and perceptions toward prescribed fire and understand major factors that limit the use of fire in rangeland management of this area. We draw from the theory of planned behavior and the transtheoretical model of behavior change, two widely used behavioral models, to better understand differences in motivations between ranchers and nonranchers and then formulate engagement actions conducive to a change in fire application behavior. Our results indicate that 55% of nonranchers and 38% of ranchers saw prescribed fire as a beneficial tool, with 25% of nonranchers and 9% of ranchers having performed a prescribed fire on their land. We therefore deduced these two groups were in different behavioral stages. Increasing understanding of the benefits of prescribed fire to forage quality and increasing overall acceptance of fire in North Dakota may be effective for ranchers, whereas approaches that address the lack of labor and equipment would be more applicable to nonranchers. Results also show that once respondents have decided to include the periodic use of prescribed fire as part of their management plans, there is a strong likelihood that they will perform a prescribed fire. On the basis of these findings, we propose that focusing on sociological factors influencing behavior of landowners can inform targeted strategies for increasing prescribed fire perceptions and application in the study area.
Employer-Reported Access to Paid Parental Leave: A study of San Francisco's Paid Parental Leave Ordinance.

A growing body of research finds that paid leave policies have significant population health benefits for workers and their families, but the lack of a national paid leave policy in the United States leaves most workers without access to any paid leave. In 2017 San Francisco implemented the nation's first fully paid leave policy, mandating that covered employers provide up to six weeks of leave to care for a new child. The objective of our study is to examine how the San Francisco Paid Parental Leave Ordinance (PPLO) affected paid leave access, including among workers in low-wage industries. Methods: We surveyed Bay Area employers in 2018, the year after PPLO took effect. We estimated difference-in-differences models of changes in access to paid leave before versus after implementation of the PPLO in San Francisco compared to surrounding counties. Results: Availability of paid leave in San Francisco firms increased from 45% in 2016 to 79% following implementation of the PPLO. This is significantly more (p < 0.05) than the increase from 32% to 47% in surrounding counties. Compliance was lowest (67%) among low-wage firms. We found minimal evidence of self-reported negative effects on employers. Overall, 82% of firms supported the PPLO. Conclusions: San Francisco's experience demonstrates the feasibility of using local policy to increase parental leave access.
Adsorption of atrazine by laser induced graphitic material: An efficient, scalable and green alternative for pollution abatement

Abstract Laser induced graphitic material (LIG) was obtained from polyimide (PI) films using CO2 laser. This environmentally and economically promising fabrication method is a one-step, scalable, reagent-free process. LIG was fabricated, characterized, and tested as adsorbent for the removal of atrazine (ATZ) from water. The effect of presence of humic acid (HA), ionic strength (IS), adsorption time, initial ATZ concentration, and solution pH on the adsorption process was explored. The N2 Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of LIG was 133.6 ± 1.7 m2/g. The prepared LIG exhibited significant removal of ATZ from aqueous solutions; hydrophobicity and π-π interactions played important roles in the process. Adsorption of ATZ on LIG followed a pseudo-second order kinetic model and Langmuir model for the isotherm with maximum adsorption capacity of 15.0 mg ATZ/g LIG. Adsorption was more favorable at higher pH and not affected by ionic strength. LIG exhibited enhanced performance over many previously reported adsorbents. The introduction stage of HA with respect to ATZ influenced the results: pre-introduction of HA reduced ATZ adsorption by 32 %, whereas post-introduction of HA resulted in a slight release of ATZ from the LIG.
The Connection Between Teacher Candidate Attitude and Video-Based Self-Evaluation Accuracy:

A deductive, sequential mixed design was used to better understand the internal aspects of performance-based self-evaluation activities as related to teacher preparation. A modified theory of chang...
The utility of household Grocery Purchase Quality Index scores as an individual diet quality metric.

The validated Grocery Purchase Quality Index (GPQI) reflects concordance between household grocery purchases and US dietary recommendations. However, it is unclear whether GPQI scores calculated from partial purchasing records validly reflect individual-level diet quality. Within the 9-month randomized controlled Smart Cart study examining the effect of targeted coupons on grocery purchase quality (n=209), this secondary analysis examined concordance between the GPQI (range 0-75, scaled to 100) calculated from 3-months of loyalty-card linked partial (≥50%) household grocery purchasing data and individual-level Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores at baseline and 3-months calculated from food frequency questionnaires. HEI and GPQI concordance was assessed with overall and demographic-stratified partially-adjusted correlations; covariate-adjusted percent score differences, cross-classification, and weighted kappa coefficients assessed concordance across GPQI tertiles (T). Participants were mostly middle-aged (55.4(13.9) years), female (90.3%), from non-smoking households (96.4%), without children (70.7%). Mean GPQI (54.8(9.1)%) scores were lower than HEI scores (baseline: 73.2(9.1)%, 3-months: 72.4(9.4)%), and moderately correlated (baseline r=0.41 vs. 3-month r=0.31, p 80% at both timepoints. Weighted kappas (k=0.25) indicated moderate agreement between scores. Household-level GPQI derived from partial grocery purchasing data were moderately correlated with self-reported intake, indicating their promise for evaluating diet quality. Partial purchasing data appears to moderately reflect individual diet quality and may be useful in interventions monitoring changes in diet quality.
Preoperative Eccentric Aortic Regurgitation and Outcomes Following Valve-Sparing Root Replacement.

The David V valve-sparing root replacement (VSRR) is well-established for the treatment of aortic insufficiency (AI) and advanced root aortopathy. The impact of cusp repair in trileaflet aortic valve (TAV) patients, however, with preoperative moderate-severe AI and an eccentric jet is unclear. This study compares outcomes in TAV patients with pre-operative AI >2+ based on jet centricity and cusp repair status. Review of a single institutional database identified 309 consecutive patients undergoing VSRR from 2005 to 2018. Of these, 51 patients had TAV with AI >2+: 25 concentric and 26 eccentric jets. Mean follow-up was 58 (SD = 44) months. Echocardiographic parameters were compared pre- and post-operatively. Kaplan-Meier analysis, longitudinal mixed modeling, and cumulative incidence were used to compare long-term survival, recurrence of AI >1+, and valve specific re-intervention, respectively. The mean age was 48 (SD = 12) years and 84% were male. Differences in preoperative comorbidities and echocardiographic parameters between groups were not statistically significant. Postoperative outcomes were similar in concentric vs. eccentric and cusp vs. no cusp repair. Recurrence of AI>1+ was minimal and unrelated to jet centricity (concentric = 1, eccentric = 3) and cusp repair (no cusp repair = 1, cusp repair = 3) long-term. Aortic valve replacement cumulative incidence was 0% for central and 5% for eccentric at 3-, 5-, and 10-years, respectively. Long-term mortality was similar regardless of jet centricity and cusp repair. In appropriately selected TAV patients with preoperative AI >2+, current results suggest VSRR provides a durable repair regardless of jet centricity or the need for cusp repair based on low rates of reintervention reported.
How Would a Permanently Refundable Child and Dependent Care Credit Affect Eligibility, Benefits, and Incentives?

The federal Child and Dependent Care Credit (CDCC) subsidizes child care costs for working families. Before 2021, the CDCC was nonrefundable, so only families with positive tax liability after other deductions benefited. I estimate how CDCC eligibility, benefits, and marginal tax rates would change if the credit were made permanently refundable, relative to 2020 CDCC parameters set to be restored in 2022. Under refundability, some 5 percent of single parents gain eligibility and receive on average over $1,000 annually. Eligibility increases are largest among Black and Hispanic households. Increases in marginal tax rates among moderate-income taxpayers are small.
Acute MRI changes in opiate-induced toxic leukoencephalopathy.

A 35-year-old woman with a history of substance abuse and a seizure disorder presented to the emergency department with altered mental status. According to her family, she was behaving oddly for the past several days, including standing and staring throughout the day, not speaking and resisting
Knowledge, behavior, and rationality: rationalizability in epistemic games

In strategic situations, agents base actions on knowledge and beliefs. This includes knowledge about others’ strategies and preferences over strategy profiles, but also about other external factors. Bernheim and Pearce in 1984 independently defined the game theoretic solution concept of rationalizability, which is built on the premise that rational agents will only take actions that are the best response to some situation that they consider possible. This accounts for other agents’ rationality as well, limiting the strategies to which a particular agent must respond, enabling further elimination until the strategies stabilize. We seek to generalize rationalizability to account not only for actions, but knowledge of the world as well. This will enable us to examine the interplay between action based and knowledge based rationality. We give an account of what it means for an action to be rational relative to a particular state of affairs, and in turn relative to a state of knowledge. We present a class of games, Epistemic Messaging Games (EMG), with a communication stage that clarifies the epistemic state among the players prior to the players’ actions. We use a history based model, which frames individual knowledge in terms of local projections of a global history. With this framework, we give an account of rationalizability for subclasses of EMG.
Metabolism-based therapies for epilepsy: new directions for future cures.

OBJECTIVE Thousands of years after dietary therapy was proposed to treat seizures, how alterations in metabolism relates to epilepsy remains unclear, and metabolism-based therapies are not always effective. METHODS We consider the state of the science in metabolism-based therapies for epilepsy across the research lifecycle from basic to translational to clinical studies. RESULTS This analysis creates a conceptual framework for creative, rigorous, and transparent research to benefit people with epilepsy through the understanding and modification of metabolism. INTERPRETATION Despite intensive past efforts to evaluate metabolism-based therapies for epilepsy, distinct ways of framing a problem offer the chance to engage different mindsets and new (or newly applied) technologies. A comprehensive, creative, and inclusive problem-directed research agenda is needed, with a renewed and stringent adherence to rigor and transparency across all levels of investigation.
When Worlds Collide--Trafficking in JNK

Much work has elucidated the elegant transport machinery that ferries molecules from one end of the cell to the other. In his Perspective, Goldstein discusses a flurry of recent reports that explain how motor proteins such as kinesin, which drives transport vesicles along microtubule tracks, are connected to the vesicles. In some cases, scaffold proteins called JIPs connect kinesin-I to transport vesicles with the added bonus that the signaling complexes to which JIPs also bind get transported along for free. In other cases, kinesin-I is able to bind directly to transmembrane proteins in the vesicle membrane.
Monoamine oxidase: radiotracer chemistry and human studies.

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) oxidizes amines from both endogenous and exogenous sources thereby regulating the concentration of neurotransmitter amines such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine as well as many xenobiotics. MAO inhibitor drugs are used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and in depression stimulating the development of radiotracer tools to probe the role of MAO in normal human biology and in disease. Over the past 30 years since the first radiotracers were developed and the first positron emission tomography (PET) images of MAO in humans were carried out, PET studies of brain MAO in healthy volunteers and in patients have identified different variables that have contributed to different MAO levels in brain and in peripheral organs. MAO radiotracers and PET have also been used to study the current and developing MAO inhibitor drugs including the selection of doses for clinical trials. In this article, we describe the following: (1) the development of MAO radiotracers; (2) human studies including the relationship of brain MAO levels to genotype, personality, neurological, and psychiatric disorders; and (3) examples of the use of MAO radiotracers in drug research and development. We will conclude with outstanding needs to improve the radiotracers that are currently used and possible new applications.
E-Credibility: Building Common Ground in Web Environments

The Internet has done much tofacilitate research and information gatheringin terms of speed and ease of use. It has,however, introduced a new problem for students,educators and others: how best to assess thecredibility of Web-based information(e-credibility). This article reviews theliterature on credibility from such fields ascommunication and media studies; explorestechnological, social, and psychological factorsthat contribute to e-credibility difficulties;and uses vignettes to ground these discussions. It also examines some common responses toe-credibility difficulties and discusses thelimitations of each. It concludes bydiscussing how linguist Herb Clark's notion of``common ground'' [Using language (pp. 92–121), Cambridge, UK:Cambridge University Press 1996]can provide a basis forfurther examination of e-credibility.
Approximation Algorithms for the Chromatic Sum

The chromatic sum of a graph G is the smallest total among all proper colorings of G using natural numbers. It was shown that computing the chromatic sum is NP-hard. In this article we prove that a simple greedy algorithm applied to sparse graphs gives a "good" approximation of the chromatic sum. For all graphs the existence of a polynomial time algorithm that approximates the chromatic sum with a linear function error implies P = NP.
Exchange-coupled FePt nanoparticle assembly

Summary form only given. High-performance permanent magnetic materials for energy-related applications need large energy-products (BH)max. A permanent magnet with large (BH)max should exhibit both a high saturation magnetization, MS, and a large coercive field, HC. L10 ordered FePt has high MS (~ 1100 emu/cm3) and large magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant KU (> 5×107 erg/cm3), therefore is a suitable candidate for permanent magnetic materials.
Tackling friction - an analytical modeling approach to understanding friction in single tendon driven continuum manipulators

Tendon driven continuum robots have attracted a significant amount of attention in the last decade. As a result several discrete and continuous modeling approaches have been explored in order to understand their behavior. The following article proposes an analytical model describing the influence of frictional effects between the tendon and its conduit in tendon driven continuum robotic manipulators. Existing constant curvature models ignore internal device friction completely and treat it as a negligible effect. This results in an assumption that the tendon tension is always constant along the length of the continuum manipulator. While this assumption is reasonable for small articulation angles, internal device friction can significantly change internal tension distribution deteriorating performance of constant curvature models at high articulation angles. The proposed model departs from the constant tension assumption and predicts a tension distribution along the tendon. From the tension distribution a curvature distribution is determined. It is observed that the proposed nonlinear friction model performs better than the existing linear elastic constant curvature model. Following this, a consequence of internal device friction: hysteresis effects are predicted. An algorithm that estimates tendon tension distribution given applied tendon tension history is proposed.
Anesthetic and Metabolic Effects during EEG and EP Intraoperative Monitoring

ABSTRACT.Various agents are utilized in the operating room to produce anesthetic effects. These include: barbiturates, halogenated inhalation agents, narcotics, nonbarbiturate induction agents, and benzodiazepines. These agents have variable effects upon the EEG/EP waveforms at different anasthetic levels. Metabolic changes such as body temperature and blood pressure can also elicit changes in the EEG and EPs.
Belowground factors mediating changes in methane consumption in a forest soil under elevated CO2

[1] The sustained increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration observed over the past century, and projected to continue into the next, is of great significance for atmospheric CH4. Effects of elevated CO2 on microbial methane cycling are potentially mediated by its effects on plant physiology, which include enhancement of carbon assimilation, belowground carbon allocation, and water use efficiency. To determine the importance of such changes for methane cycling, belowground factors impacting soil CH4 consumption were investigated at the Free Air Carbon Transfer and Storage (FACTS)-I site in the Duke Forest, North Carolina, in which plots have been exposed to ambient (370 ppm) or elevated (ambient + 200 ppm) CO2 since August 1996. CH4 fluxes at the soil surface, porespace concentrations of CH4, O2, and CO2, soil moisture, soil temperature, and soil pH were simultaneously measured over 24 months. Porespace CH4 concentrations were highest (1.98 ± 0.25 ppm) at the soil surface and decreased to 0.65 ± 0.22 ppm at 30 cm, indicating that methanotrophic activity was depleting CH4 in the upper soil layers and creating a gradient to draw atmospheric CH4 into the soil. This was confirmed by surface CH4 flux measurements, which averaged −1.54 ± 0.65 μmol/m2/h. Under elevated CO2, porespace CH4 was 25–30% higher in the upper 70 cm of soils; CH4 fluxes from the atmosphere into soil were diminished by ∼25%; soil CO2 increased by 10–70%; and volumetric soil moisture was greater by up to 40% during some seasons. Statistical modeling revealed that soil moisture strongly predicted variability in surface CH4 fluxes and that soil CO2 and soil moisture both predicted variability in soil CH4. Results also indicated that a portion of the net CH4 sink inhibition in elevated CO2 soils could be attributable to alterations in soil biological processes, suggesting that changes in the CH4-cycling microbial ecology had taken place.
Hispanic Immigrants' Vulnerabilities to Flood and Hurricane Hazards in Two United States Metropolitan Areas

Research reveals that disasters are disproportionately debilitating for marginalized social groups. Numerous studies have examined racial/ethnic dimensions of disaster vulnerability, but few have f...