cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Relationships of Free to Conjugated Normetanephrine in Plasma and Spinal Fluid of Hypertensive Patients

The concentrations of free and total normetanephrine (NMN) were determined in the plasma of normotensives and patients with primary hypertension and pheochromocytoma. NMN values were measured in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients. Free and conjugated NMN, the latter after acid hydrolysis, were assayed using S-adenosylmethionine in the presence of phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase to form labeled metanephrine. The conjugates of NMN were present in plasma as sulfates principally, as they were also liberated with arylsulfatase. Free and conjugated NMN levels were 117 +/- 10 and 1417 +/- 109 ng/liter, respectively in plasma of normotensives. The mean ratio of the content of conjugated to free NMN was 14.9 +/- 1.8 (mean +/- SEM). The contents of free and conjugated NMN were 155 +/- 33 and 1670 +/- 320 ng/liter in primary hypertensives, respectively, and the ratio of conjugated to free NMN was 18.5 +/- 3.3. These values did not differ significantly from those in normotensives. The contents of free and total NMN in the plasma of patients with pheochromocytoma were 50- to 60-fold greater than values in normotensive and primary hypertensives. The mean ratio of conjugated to free NMN in the plasma of patients with pheochromocytoma was similar to those in normotensives and primary hypertensives. The contents of free and conjugated NMN in the CSF of patients with pheochromocytoma exceeded those in primary hypertensives (P less than 0.01 and P less than 0.001). Further, the ratio of conjugated to free NMN in CSF was increased in patients with pheochromocytoma (33.9 +/- 8.1) compared to that primary hypertensives (8.3 +/- 2.3; P less than 0.001). The measurement of NMN in plasma and CSF may help characterize sympathetic nerve tone in patients with primary hypertension to elucidate the pathophysiology of the elevated blood pressure.
Enhancing Student Learning: An Examination of the Student Use of Textbooks in Financial Accounting.

As accounting instructors, we provide our students with guidance that will assist them in more effectively and efficiently learning the required material. Often, this guidance includes prescriptive advice on how to properly use their textbook. However, little evidence exists as to whether students actually follow our advice on how to use their textbook. Therefore, when student (and instructor) frustrations arise with regard to class performance, it is unclear whether students are simply not using the textbook effectively or if there are more fundamental problems with the textbook itself. The purpose of this study is to provide evidence as to how students actually use their financial accounting textbooks. Based on instructor and student surveys, the results indicate that students approach textbooks differently from the traditional notion that many instructors encourage. Evidence suggests that students value textbooks , but that they primarily use textbooks as a source of examples and descriptions to help them complete homework. In short, students do not appear to be reading textbooks, but referencing them. The implications of this behavior suggest that textbook authors and publishers need to reconsider textbook design. In addition, instructors, armed with the knowledge of how their students are using the textbook, can better design their course to encourage student success.
Participant-mix and management of qualified pension plans

ABSTRACT: This paper examines if the management of qualified pension plans is affected by the mix of plan participants. Evidence is presented that defined‐benefit pension plans that are dominated by highly compensated employees tend to contribute beyond the minimum amount required under the Internal Revenue Code (flow effect), resulting in overfunded plans (stock effect), and then use of aggressive actuarial assumptions to disguise the overfunding to avoid visibility costs (reporting effect). These effects are less likely when the sponsoring firm has an active labor union (monitoring effect). These findings will be of interest to the federal government, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, employees, and labor unions.
Optimal Control of Hybrid Systems Using a Feedback Relaxed Control Formulation

We present a numerically tractable formulation for computing the optimal control of the class of hybrid dynamical systems whose trajectories are continuous. Our formulation, an extension of existing relaxed-control techniques for switched dynamical systems, incorporates the domain information of each discrete mode as part of the constraints in the optimization problem. Moreover, our numerical results are consistent with phenomena that are particular to hybrid systems, such as the creation of sliding trajectories between discrete modes.
Inspecting the Termites: Market Structure and WTO's Consideration Process of PTAs

A burgeoning literature exists on the issue of how preferential trade agreements coexist with the multilateral governance of international trade. However, scholars have not examined the juncture at which the member states of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and subsequently the World Trade Organization (WTO) may exert the greatest political influence on PTAs. Such opportunity exists during the GATT/WTO consideration process of PTAs that are notified to the multilateral institution. I argue that agreements that are more likely to affect market structure — the level of competition in an industry or in an economy — will confront more rigorous examination in terms of the number of rounds of questioning, number of questions and number of countries participating in the process. A preliminary analysis of novel data from the WTO supports the argument.
Gender and globalisation: Engendering social and environmental justice through globalising women’s human rights

Globalization has its critics and its champions. In large part, disputes over globalization’s relative merits are due to the lack of uniformity in globalization’s effects across difference. Globalization is experienced differently across countries and among different groups within countries based on race, class and gender. Globalization has mixed and multiple meanings for gender justice; some aspects of globalization are problematic, while other aspects are positive, perhaps sometimes simultaneously. To the extent the global economy can be characterized by its increasing integration, interconnection and independence among countries and communities; it is increasingly imperative that the indivisible, interdependent and interrelated nature of women’s social, economic, cultural, civil and political rights be given greater emphasis and the responsibility of non-state commercial actors to align their conduct with respect for women’s human rights explored further. This Chapter has three parts. Part I, deconstructs the position of gender in global economic integration considering how conventional gender roles have served to advance the process of globalization and how globalization is serving to alter the paradigm of conventional gender roles. Part II, describes the growing power and prominence of global networks promoting gender equality and environmental justice led by women. Part III discusses the constructive role international human rights law could play in the process of engendering social and environmental justice in an increasingly integrated interconnected and interrelated world.
Electrical Impedance Myography to Detect the Effects of Electrical Muscle Stimulation in Wild Type and Mdx Mice

Objective Tools to better evaluate the impact of therapy on nerve and muscle disease are needed. Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is sensitive to neuromuscular disease progression as well as to therapeutic interventions including myostatin inhibition and antisense oligonucleotide-based treatments. Whether the technique identifies the impact of electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) is unknown. Methods Ten wild-type (wt) C57B6 mice and 10 dystrophin-deficient (mdx) mice underwent 2 weeks of 20 min/day EMS on left gastrocnemius and sham stimulation on the right gastrocnemius. Multifrequency EIM data and limb girth were obtained before and at the conclusion of the protocol. Muscle weight, in situ force measurements, and muscle fiber histology were also assessed at the conclusion of the study. Results At the time of sacrifice, muscle weight was greater on the EMS-treated side than on the sham-stimulated side (p = 0.018 for wt and p = 0.007 for mdx). Similarly, in wt animals, EIM parameters changed significantly compared to baseline (resistance (p = 0.009), reactance (p = 0.0003) and phase (p = 0.002); these changes were due in part to reductions in the EIM values on the EMS-treated side and elevations on the sham-simulated side. Mdx animals showed analogous but non-significant changes (p = 0.083, p = 0.064, and p = 0.57 for resistance, reactance and phase, respectively). Maximal isometric force trended higher on the stimulated side in wt animals only (p = 0.06). Myofiber sizes in wt animals were also larger on the stimulated side than on the sham-stimulated side (p = 0.034); no significant difference was found in the mdx mice (p = 0.79). Conclusion EIM is sensitive to stimulation-induced muscle alterations in wt animals; similar trends are also present in mdx mice. The mechanisms by which these EIM changes develop, however, remains uncertain. Possible explanations include longer-term trophic effects and shorter-term osmotic effects.
A Novel Fuzzy Inference-Based Technique for Dynamic Link Adaptation in SDR Wideband Waveform

A new dynamic link adaptation technique based on a fuzzy inference system for hybrid multicode code division multiple access/time division multiple access wideband networking waveform of software defined radio is proposed. A constrained optimization problem is formulated under the quality of service, signal-to-noise ratio, and throughput constraints. The optimization problem is solved using the fuzzy inference system by dynamically changing the modulation technique and the number of multicodes assigned to each user. The proposed algorithm provides maximum possible data throughput as required by the user or application by reducing the packet retransmission overhead through the use of optimum waveform parameters decided through the fuzzy inference system. A novel contribution of the proposed algorithm is that it reduces the computational complexity and thus the power consumption by restricting the throughput to the required value even if the channel conditions are fair enough to allow higher throughput. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in achieving better throughput by efficiently reducing the packet retransmissions overhead.
Slurry Preparation Technology for Nanometer Indium Tin Oxide Powders

The indium tin oxide powders are prepared by chemical co-precipitation and the ITO slurry are prepared by the means of shearing dispersant with the powders.The powders and slurry are characterized by XRD,TEM and SEM.The effects of technological parameters on the slurry are investigated.The results show that the crystals of ITO powders have a C-type rare-earth oxide structure with an average particle size 20nm in diameter.The optimal technological condition fro the slurry preparation with the powders is pH about 3,shearing time 30h,shearing velocity 6000r/min,the dosage of dispersant agent 0.12 mL/g-powder.
This Month in Investigative Urology: Urinary Reservoirs and Pelvic Malignancy

The several uses for bowel as substitute for missing or malfunctioning parts of the storage-evacuation system are shown including continent diversion when both ureterovesical and vesicourethral connections are missing as is the case after cystectomy for advanced malignancy
UniCoor: A Smartphone Unified Coordinate System for ITS Applications

Using smartphones in intelligent transportation systems (ITS) is gaining an increasing interest among researchers and developers. Typically, the set of sensors that come with smartphones are utilized to develop tools and services in order to enhance safety and driving experience. GPS, cameras, Bluetooth and inertial sensors are used to detect and analyze drivers' behavior and vehicles' motion. Given that inertial sensors reading are in reference to the device local coordinate system, one of the main challenges in processing the inertial sensors in vehicles is to translate the sensors reading values to the vehicle movement context (i.e., vehicle coordinate system). In this work we develop and evaluate a framework to map the inertial sensors readings from the device coordinate to the vehicle coordinate. The proposed framework in this paper performs better than the existing methods and it enhances the accuracy of tracking and analyzing various vehicle dynamics such as vehicle's stops, lane changes and accurate vehicle speed calculation that, in turn, it will enable development of new ITS applications and services.
‘We Did Not Quarrel, We Did Not Curse’: The Price of Yugoslav Independence After the Soviet Intervention in Czechoslovakia

Soviet-Yugoslav relations were highly volatile after Moscow’s intervention in Czechoslovakia in 1968, which the Yugoslavs denounced while siding with the cause of Czechoslovak reformers. Fearful of Soviet intentions, the Yugoslav leadership courted support in the Balkans (from Romania and even Albania), but especially in the West, notably the United States. The course of internal reform in Yugoslavia, especially its anti-centric direction, created an appearance of weakness that in turn encouraged further Soviet influence. However, any attempt by Tito’s government to discipline the reformers would weaken Yugoslavia’s bargaining position with the Soviets. The situation changed following American rapprochement with China when the Soviets were forced to improve relations with Yugoslavia. That in turn allowed Tito to go after the domestic reformers and resulted in the intervention in Croatia in December 1971. Yugoslav political independence was achieved by sacrificing ideological independence. The price was huge. Shorn of the illusions of hope, reform and domestic sovereignty, Yugoslav unity began to crumble.
Latent structure of negative valence measures in childhood.

Background Internalizing disorders (IDs), consisting of the syndromes of anxiety and depression, are common, debilitating conditions often having onsets in adolescence. Scientists have developed dimensional self-report instruments that assess putative negative valence system (NVS) trait-like constructs as complimentary phenotypes to clinical symptoms. These include various measures that index temperamental predispositions to IDs and correlate with neural substrates of fear, anxiety, and affective regulation. This study sought to elucidate the overarching structure of putative NVS traits and their relationship to early manifestations of ID symptomatology. Methods The sample consisted of 768 juvenile twin subjects ages 9–13. Together with ID symptoms, extant validated instruments were chosen to assess a broad spectrum of NVS traits: anxiety sensitivity, irritability, fearfulness, behavioral activation and inhibition, and neuroticism and extraversion. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA/CFA) were used to investigate the latent structure of the associations among these different constructs and ID symptoms. Bifactor modeling in addition to standard correlated-factor analytic approaches were applied. Results Factor analyses produced a primary tripartite solution comprising anxiety/fear, dysphoria, and positive affect among all these measures. Competing DSM-like correlated factors and an RDoC-like NVS bifactor structure provided similar fit to these data. Conclusions Our findings support the conceptual organization of a tripartite latent internalizing domain in developing children. This structure includes both clinical symptoms and a variety of self-report dimensional traits currently in use by investigators. These various constructs are, therefore, most informatively investigated using an inclusive, integrated approach.
GameTheoretic Analysis of Digital Multimedia Broadcasting Industry

Cellular phone users in Korea c an watch TV using their mobile phones. The new multimedia service for the mobile users is called Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB). DMB is a process of broadcasting multimedia over the Internet or satellite that can be tuned in by multimedia receivers or players. There are two competing DMB technology stand ards in South Kore a: Terrestrial DMB and Satellite DMB. These services are expected to become fierce competitors in the mobile broadcasting market. One of the major differences between the two is the service business model: while S DMB is a fee -based service, T -DMB is a fr ee service. There are two important regulatory issues imposed by the government for the purpose of fair competition: (1) S DMB is not allowed to re -transmit land -based TV programs and (2) T -DMB is not allowed to convert to a fee -based service. In this pap er, the authors make an analysis of the DMB market using a game theory approach. Three major issues are examined: (1) which of the DMB services will have a better market position in the future , (2) what is the optimal pricing level for T -DMB service if bot h regulatory issues are removed and (3) what is the amount that the regulatory body will allow T -DMB providers to bill their customers if it is needed.
Inducible Enhancement of T Cell Function and Anti-tumor Activity after Adoptive Transfer.

The transfer of tumor-reactive T cells has shown clinical efficacy in a variety of malignancies—notably in the treatment of B cell malignancies—an indication likely to soon receive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval as the first ever T cell therapeutic product.1–3 However, improved methods are needed to achieve efficacy in a greater number of cancer patients. In this issue of Molecular Therapy, Foster et al.4 demonstrate a novel approach through the use of a ligand-inducible genetic element that offers the possibility of broadly improving the efficacy of adoptive cell therapy (ACT).
How Do You Use Experiential Learning to Bridge the Classroom and the Real World

Historically, a liberal arts education was thought to “liberate” students from the narrow perspective of experiential learning. Paradoxically, experiential learning is increasingly being used to broaden a liberal arts education. This chapter provides a discussion on three signature experiential learning practices, and suggests these practices can be implemented across disciplines to enrich the learning experience.
A spatial one-to-many flow layout algorithm using triangulation, approximate Steiner trees, and path smoothing

Mapping spatial flow remains a challenge despite noticeable progress in recent years. This article presents a new, automated layout algorithm for spatial flow from one origin to multiple destinatio...
Why Otolaryngologists and Asthma Are a Good Match: The Allergic Rhinitis-Asthma Connection

Consideration of the unified airway model when managing patients with rhinitis and or asthma allows a more comprehensive care plan and therefore improved patient outcomes. Asthma is linked to rhinitis both epidemiologically and biologically, and this association is even stronger in individuals with atopy. Rhinitis is not only associated with but is a risk factor for the development of asthma. Management of rhinitis improves asthma control. Early and aggressive treatment of allergic rhinitis may prevent the development of asthma. In patients with allergic rhinitis that is not sufficiently controlled by allergy medication, allergen-directed immunotherapy should be considered.
Biomarker levels in hormonally sensitive female F-344 rat and beagle dog tissues after treatment with SR16157, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM)

3100 SR16157 is a potent in vitro inhibitor of estrone sulfatase (ES) and antitumor agent in mouse xenograft breast cancer models. Preliminary safety studies show that SR16157 is relatively nontoxic (MTD >500 mg/kg) in rats and dogs. In the current studies, tissue levels of estrogen, estrone, estradiol, and estrone sulfate were quantified using EIA, and hepatic estrone sulfatase (ES) activities were determined. Rats received SR16157 by daily gavage for 14 days at 50, 200 or 1000 mg/kg (300, 1200, 6000 mg/m 2 ). Dogs received a single dose of SR16157 by IV (2 mg/kg, 40 mg/m 2 ) or orally (capsule or gavage 20 and 200 mg/kg, 400 and 4000 mg/m 2 ). Blood was collected for evaluation of circulating serum biomarker and plasma drug levels. Liver, ovaries, uterus, vagina, mammary fat, fallopian tubes and cervix (dog only) were flash frozen at necropsy. In rats, mortality was observed at 200 and 1000 mg/kg. Dose related decreases were observed in circulating lymphocytes and lymphoid depletion in spleen, thymus and regional lymph nodes. Hepatic ES was almost completely blocked in SR16157-treated groups, and dose-related reductions in estradiol were observed in liver and ovaries. In dogs, emesis was observed at 200 mg/kg (both oral routes). By 6 hr post dose, hepatic ES was completely inhibited in SR16157-treated groups and activity remained decreased ( 2 ) was 61% (gavage) and in female dogs (20 mg/kg; 400 mg/m 2 ) was 27% after gavage or ∼100% after capsule administration. In conclusion SR16157 has excellent oral bioavailability with minimal toxicity to rats and dogs. Furthermore, ES inhibition is a very sensitive indicator of the pharmacologic action of SR16157. Work supported by NCI Contract N01-CM-42203.
A Definition of Nationhood1

Actors in conflicts of self-determination employ the notion of nationhood to identify themselves. Yet the fact that they claim national identity does not necessarily place them in the class of nations, nor does it immediately entitle them to self-determination. Judging the legitimacy of granting a particular group the right to self-determination requires determining first whether it qualifies in principle to advance the claim. We need to evaluate the various claims to nationhood and self-determination made by minority groups and to verify the status of various groups presently referred to as “national.” Generating a commonly accepted definition of nationhood and clarifying how nationhood relates to self-determination could introduce much-needed conceptual clarity to the assessment of substate groups’ entitlements and to the definition of the subjects of the right to self-determination. In the previous chapter, I distinguished between two types of group rights and established that a moral right to self-determination is primary, belonging to group agents constituted so as to be capable of exercising equal freedom with other similarly constituted agents. In this chapter, I define nations as groups organized around the shared collective good of self-determination and defend this definition as providing the conceptual ground to determine the status of and norms for relations between national groups in multinational states.
Installing Circuit Breakers: Mechanisms to Avoid Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

This paper suggests that a synergy is both possible and necessary between two traditionally distinct management approaches: the Weberian approach, which contends that the bureaucratic structure of a company affects the daily activities of employees, and the human relations model, which holds that small group leadership dynamics at the divisional/department level affects daily activities of employees. The tendency within organizations is to promote one approach over the other. A resolution to the debate is suggested in applying mechanisms to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Indeed, the courts have inadvertently pointed the way: the reasonable woman standard urges a human relations approach to resolving the problem of sexual harassment, placing the burden of solving the problem on supervisor personnel and their ability to direct their employee's behavior; the hostile environment issues promotes a Weberian structural solution, requiring sound policy be developed at the executive level to ensure workplace compliance to appropriate normative behavior. A one-sided approach is doomed to failure, which may explain why the issue continues to rage in the corporate sphere.
A Biomarker-Based Grading System At Onset Of GvHD Predicts NRM Better Than The Modified Glucksberg Grading System

Abstract Maximum grades of the commonly used modified Glucksberg staging system for acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) correlate with non-relapse mortality (NRM), but cannot guide treatment at diagnosis. All patients with GVHD grade II-IV are standardly treated with high dose steroids, and no further treatment decisions are based on GVHD severity at onset. In contrast, treatment for GVHD grade I varies so that some patients receive systemic steroid therapy while others are observed. We wished to devise a grading system that predicted eventual mortality and that could therefore guide treatment at diagnosis. We have previously shown that plasma concentrations of GVHD biomarkers (TNFR1, IL2Rα, elafin, REG3α, ST2) have prognostic significance (Paczesny, Blood, 2009, Paczesny, Sci Trans Med, 2010, Ferrara Blood, 2011, Vander Lugt, NEJM, 2013). We identified 360 University of Michigan allogeneic hematopoietic cell recipients with acute GVHD (median age 48y, range 0-70y) who had plasma samples taken at the time of diagnosis [median day 28, range: 5-174] and stored in our repository: grade I (n =130, 36%), grade II (n = 151, 42%), or grade III/IV (n = 79, 22%). Biopsy confirmation was available for >80% of cases. Progression from Glucksberg I to Glucksberg ≥ II occurred in 84 (64%) patients at a median of 6 days from onset, whether systemic therapy for grade I was initiated (N=80; 70%) or not (N=50; 56%, p=0.12). We chose 6 month NRM as the key endpoint as it encompasses treatment failures due to nonresponse, loss of treatment response, and complications of treatment; 93% of 6 m NRM was due to GVHD. The 6 m NRM for patients presenting with Glucksberg I (15%) and Glucksberg II (24%) was not significantly different [as also shown by others: MacMillan, Blood, 2010]; their combined NRM was 20% (n=281, Panel A). Patients who presented with Glucksberg III/IV had significantly worse 6 m NRM than Glucksberg I/II (56%, N=79, p 50% for Ann Arbor III (similar to the 6 m NRM for Glucksberg III/IV). We treated relapse after development of GVHD as a competing risk and developed separate regression models according to the clinical severity at presentation, i.e. Glucksberg I/II and III/IV. Panel B shows the 6 m NRM of patients who presented with Glucksberg I/II according to Ann Arbor I (thin), II (medium), and III (thick). Patients with Ann Arbor III (n=29/281, 10%) experienced far worse 6 m NRM (59%) than either Ann Arbor I (11%) or Ann Arbor II (17%) [p Download : Download high-res image (147KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures: Levine: University of Michigan: Patent for GVHD biomarkers, Patent for GVHD biomarkers Patents & Royalties. Braun: University of Michigan: Patent for GVHD Biomarkers, Patent for GVHD Biomarkers Patents & Royalties. Ferrara: University of Michigan: Patent for GVHD Biomarkers, Patent for GVHD Biomarkers Patents & Royalties.
Recipient working status is independently associated with outcomes in heart and lung transplantation.

Employment status may capture elements of patients' physical strength, mental resilience, and socioeconomic status to better prognosticate transplant outcomes. This study characterized the effect of working status on thoracic transplant outcomes by evaluating the United Network for Organ Sharing registry for adult lung or heart transplants from 2005 to 2016. Kaplan-Meier estimates illustrated 5-year and 10-year survival by working status at transplant, while multivariable Cox proportional hazards regressions controlled for baseline differences, including functional and socioeconomic status. Of 17 778 lung transplant recipients, 1700 (9.6%) worked at transplant and experienced significantly lower 5-year mortality than nonworking recipients (38.6% vs 45.5%, P < 0.001). Of 21 394 heart transplant recipients, 1289 (6.0%) were employed and experienced significantly lower 10-year mortality than nonworking recipients (34.1% vs 40.2%, P < 0.001). Adjusted Cox regressions demonstrated that employment significantly reduced mortality independent of functional status for both lung (HR: 0.86 [0.78-0.95], P = 0.003) and heart (HR: 0.84 [0.72-0.97], P = 0.023) recipients. After accounting for insurance status, the effect of working status persisted only in lung transplantation (HR: 0.89 [0.81-0.98], P = 0.023). Since heart and lung transplant candidates employed at transplant face lower long-term mortality, working status must encompass a broad set of physical, psychological, and socioeconomic variables that may prognosticate post-transplant outcomes.
Elemental Architecture: Temperaments of Sustainability

Elemental Architecture presents a new and refreshing approach to sustainable architectural practice. Going beyond the standard performance-based and quantitative sustainable measures, it incorporates a broader framework of considerations, including the more poetic and noetic possibilities of environmental design. The book is structured around the ancient Greek and medieval alchemists’ system of the Five Temperaments: fire, earth, air, water, and ether. Phillip James Tabb examines how these elements produce both positive and negative environmental forces which have an impact on architectural design – from drinking water and fresh air to torrential floods and tornados. He shows how responding to or enhancing these forces can help us to create a more sustainable, healthy, and purposeful architecture. To illustrate this, each chapter draws on seminal contemporary works of architecture, from Peter Zumthor’s Bruder-Klaus Field Chapel to Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece at Fallingwater. These examples are accompanied by over a hundred high-quality illustrations. Expanding the discussion of sustainability to include phenomenological as well as qualitative considerations, Elemental Architecture is ideal for students and researchers with an interest in sustainable architecture and architectural theory.
Growth Mechanism of Sea Urchin ZnO Nanostructures in Aqueous Solutions and Their Photocatalytic Activity for the Degradation of Organic Dyes.

This work reports the development of a fast and simple route for the synthesis of ZnO sea urchin (SU) nanostructures by the formation and assembly of ZnO nanorods under favorable growth conditions ...
Floral Traits Predict Frequency of Defecation on Flowers by Foraging Bumble Bees

Flowers may become inoculated with pathogens that can infect bees and other critical pollinators, but the mechanisms of inoculation remain unclear. During foraging, bees may regurgitate or defecate directly onto flower parts, which could inoculate flowers with pollinator pathogens and lead to subsequent disease transmission to floral visitors. We tested if captive eastern bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) defecate on floral surfaces during foraging and if flower shape played a role in the probability of defecation and the quantity of feces deposited on floral surfaces. Captive Bombus impatiens were fed a solution of fluorescent dye and sucrose, then allowed to forage freely on flowers of a variety of shapes in a flight cage. Flowers were then examined under ultraviolet light for fluorescing fecal matter. We found that bumble bees did defecate on floral surfaces during foraging and that composite flowers with a large area of disk flowers were the most likely to have feces on them. Our results point to defecation by bumble bees during foraging as a potential mechanism for inoculation of flowers with pollinator pathogens and suggest that flower shape could play a significant role in inoculation.
Type 2 Diabetes Predicts Increased Risk of Neurodegenerative Complications in Veterans Suffering Traumatic Brain Injury.

Aims Obese type 2 diabetes and traumatic brain injury are associated with persistent peripheral and neuro-inflammation, respectively. We tested whether adult type 2 diabetes increased the hazard rate for neurodegeneration complications following traumatic brain injury. Methods Retrospective chart review of patients treated at the Veterans Affairs New Jersey Healthcare System between 2016-2019 and having a diagnosis of prior traumatic brain injury was performed in adult veterans, age 50 years or older. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to identify risk factors predictive of an increased risk of neurodegeneration, i.e. worsening major depression, dementia or Parkinson's disease following traumatic brain injury. Results Type 2 diabetes predicted a nearly three-fold increased hazard ratio (HR = 2.95, 95% CI 1.15-7.56, P =0.02) for the occurrence of worsening major depression, dementia or Parkinson's disease in eighty adults age 50 years or older who had experienced prior traumatic brain injury. After adjusting for other covariates, hypertension (HR= 4.15, 95% CI 1.21-14.29, P =0.02) was significant and body mass index (HR=1.14, 95% CI 0.99-1.30; P=0.06) modestly significant predictors of the risk for the time to first occurrence of the composite neurodegenerative outcome. Conclusion Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and higher body mass index increase the hazard for the occurrence of worsening depression, Parkinson's disease and dementia following traumatic brain injury in middle-aged and older adults.
Effect of column temperature and eluent flow rate on the high performance liquid chromatographic analysis of cyclosporin a and d.

On a reversed-phase C18 analytical column using an eluent of 70:30 acetonitrile and water, the following effects were observed with increasing column temperature (from 25 to 75°C) for Cyclosporin A (CSA) and Cyclosporin D (CSD). The peak heights and number of theoretical plates (N) increased. The height equivalent to a theoretical plate (HETP) decreased. The areas under the peaks, retention times and capacity factors (k′) for both compounds did not vary with temperature. With increasing eluent flow rate (from 0.5 to 2.5ml/ min), the peak heights, peak areas, retention times and N all decreased for both compounds. A slight decrease in k′ for CSA and CSD was also observed. HETP increased with increasing flow. The separation factor, α, remained relatively constant for the ranges of temperatures and flow rates investigated.
Instructional Approaches That Promote Positive Social Outcomes for Young Children: A Historical Review of Single-Case Design Research:

This historical review explores the development of the literature base of single-case intervention research associated with the promotion of social outcomes for young children under the age of 9. R...
Statistics for Forensic Toxicology

Forensic toxicologists routinely deal with the analysis of numerical data. Statistical methods have a wide variety of applications, from initial method development and data interpretation to method validation and measurement uncertainty. In this chapter, basic concepts including data distributions, types of error, and hypothesis testing are explored. Using illustrative examples from forensic toxicology, the use of statistical tests is discussed, including the Student’s t-test and some of its variants, F-tests, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The treatment of outliers, regression analysis, and tools for the evaluation of calibration models are also discussed.
Non-native Microstegium vimineum populations collapse with fungal leaf spot disease outbreak

Non-native plants may meet little resistance in the novel range if they leave their biological enemies at home. As a result, species invasion can be rapid and appear unlimited. However, with time, organisms may acquire novel enemies in the novel range, or home-range enemies also may colonize the novel range. For plants, several authors have suggested that enemy release may give way to enemy acquisition in which pathogens accumulate and suppresses non-native plants. The ‘naturalization’ that occurs with acquired enemies may take decades to develop, yet most species invasion research lasts less than 4 years, and data tracking plant invasion before and after the appearance of pathogens are rare. Microstegium vimineum is an Asian grass that has invaded deciduous forest habitats in the southern Midwestern and Southeastern USA and is currently expanding in the Northeastern USA. We recorded widespread expansions in M. populations in North Carolina and Georgia (USA) between 2009 and 2011 but noticed that a fungal pathogen (indicated by leaf lesions; Bipolaris sp.) appeared on several of the populations in 2011. In 2019, we re-sampled these populations to determine whether the appearance of the fungal pathogen corresponded with a suppression of M. vimineum expansion. We found the once-expanding M. vimineum populations in retreat in 2019, and the plant population contractions were greater (and seed production lesser) where the fungal leaf spot disease was most extensive. These results suggest that enemy acquisition suppressed an active non-native plant invasion. We also found that where M. vimineum populations declined (or disappeared) native plants appeared to fill in the gap. Hence, whereby exotic species may gain advantage in novel habitat with the loss of their native-range pathogens, with longer time spans, enemy release may give way to enemy acquisition and native populations may recover if they are immune to the pathogens.
A sample of [C II] clouds tracing dense clouds in weak FUV fields observed by Herschel

The [Cii] fine‐structure line at 158 � m is an excellent tracer of the warm diffuse gas in the ISM and the interfaces between molecular clouds and their surrounding atomic and ionized envelopes. Here we present the initial results from Galactic Observations of Terahertz C + (GOT C+), a Herschel Key Project devoted to study the [Cii] fine structure emission in the galactic plane using the HIFI instrument. We use the [Cii] emission together with observations of CO as a probe to understand the effects of newly‐formed stars on their interstellar environment and characterize t he physical and chemical state of the star-forming gas. We collected data along 16 lines‐of‐sight passing near star forming regions in the inner Galaxy near longitudes 330 � and 20 � . We identify fifty-eight [Cii] components that are associated with high‐column density molecular clouds as traced by 13 CO emission. We combine [Cii], 12 CO, and 13 CO observations to derive the physical conditions of the [Cii]‐emitting regions in our sample of high‐column density clouds based on comparison with results from a grid of Photon Dominated Region (PDR) models. From this unbiased sample, our results suggest that most of [Cii] emission originates from clouds with H2 volume densities between 10 3: 5 and 10 5: 5 cm −3 and weak FUV strength (� 0 = 1− 10). We find two regions where our analysis suggests high dens ities > 10 5 cm −3 and strong FUV fields (� 0 = 10 4 − 10 6 ), likely associated with massive star formation. We suggest that [Cii] emission in conjunction with CO isotopes is a good tool to differentiate between regions of massive star formation (high densities/strong FUV fields) and regions that are distant from massive stars (lower densities/weaker FUV fields) along the line‐of‐sight.
Examining Whether Student Participation in School-Sponsored Extracurricular Activities Is Represented in IEPs

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which extracurricular activities are included in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) of secondary age students with intellectual disability (ID). Student characteristics (grade, disability, use of augmentative and alternative communication) were examined to explore potential group differences. Participants were 498 special education teachers who had at least one student with ID on their caseload who had participated in a school sponsored extracurricular activity. Data were collected through an online questionnaire sent to members of a national listserv for transition professionals. Findings reveal that 63.69% (n = 314) of teachers reported they included information about extracurricular activities in the IEP; however, only 59.61% (n = 186) of these teachers also reported their student worked on IEP goals during extracurricular activities. Student characteristics were related to the presence of extracurricular activities in the IEP, number of IEP goals students worked on during extracurricular activities, student's most important IEP goal, and whether students received instruction on their most important IEP goal during extracurricular activities.
Sudden anosmia and ageusia in a child: A COVID-19 case report

Abstract Objective COVID-19 in children has a spectrum of clinical presentations ranging from asymptomatic infection to severe illness and death. The recognition of COVID-19 in children has been challenging due to overlap with symptoms of common respiratory and gastrointestinal tract infections. We describe isolated sudden anosmia and ageusia as an uncommon clinical presentation of a child with COVID-19. Methods Chart of a 17-year-old male referred to a tertiary care pediatric hospital for assessment of anosmia and ageusia was reviewed. Data included relevant history and physical examination, diagnostic work up, and management. Results The child presented with sudden anosmia and ageusia for 3 months. The patient did not have symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection or gastrointestinal infection. There was no history of trauma. Examination of the ears, nose, and throat were all unremarkable. Magnetic resonance imaging documented the presence of both olfactory bulbs and olfactory sulci. SARS-CoV-2 IgG test was positive. Anosmia was confirmed by The University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test with a score of 27.5%. Conclusions The clinical picture of our patient represents a non-classical presentation of COVID-19 in a child. Clinicians should be cognizant about uncommon presentations of COVID-19 in previously asymptomatic children.
Building an emotion regulation recommender algorithm for socially anxious individuals using contextual bandits.

OBJECTIVES Poor emotion regulation (ER) has been implicated in many mental illnesses, including social anxiety disorder. To work towards a scalable, low-cost intervention for improving ER, we developed a novel contextual recommender algorithm for ER strategies. DESIGN N = 114 socially anxious participants were prompted via a mobile app up to six times daily for five weeks to report their emotional state, use of 19 different ER strategies (or no strategy), physical location, and social context. Information from passive sensors was also collected. METHODS Given the large number of ER strategies, we used two different approaches for variable reduction: (1) grouping ER strategies into categories based on a prior meta-analysis, and (2) considering only the ten most frequently used strategies. For each approach, an algorithm that recommends strategies based on one's current context was compared with an algorithm that recommends ER strategies randomly, an algorithm that always recommends cognitive reappraisal, and the person's observed ER strategy use. Contextual bandits were used to predict the effectiveness of the strategies recommended by each policy. RESULTS When strategies were grouped into categories, the contextual algorithm was not the best performing policy. However, when the top ten strategies were considered individually, the contextual algorithm outperformed all other policies. CONCLUSIONS Grouping strategies into categories may obscure differences in their contextual effectiveness. Further, using strategies tailored to context is more effective than using cognitive reappraisal indiscriminately across all contexts. Future directions include deploying the contextual recommender algorithm as part of a just-in-time intervention to assess real-world efficacy. PRACTITIONER POINTS Emotion regulation strategies vary in their effectiveness across different contexts. An algorithm that recommends emotion regulation strategies based on a person's current context may one day be used as an adjunct to treatment to help dysregulated individuals optimize their in-the-moment emotion regulation. Recommending flexible use of emotion regulation strategies across different contexts may be more effective than recommending cognitive reappraisal indiscriminately across all contexts.
Rapid development and optimization of paper microfluidic designs using software automation.

Abstract Paper microfluidic or lateral flow devices have found many applications, especially in medical diagnostics. Their low cost and ease of use makes them particularly valuable in resource-limited and point-of-care applications. However, the process of developing new paper microfluidic devices is slowed by the need to find optimal values for their various design parameters, which determine the overall size and fluid volume requirements of the device. Often, researchers must design and test several different versions of a device to find a combination of parameters that functions as intended. To accelerate the development of new paper microfluidics, we developed a software framework that automatically designs custom paper microfluidic devices for a given application. Once the user specifies the desired device parameters, the software generates printable image files of the resulting devices, ready to output to a conventional wax ink color printer and test. As a proof-of-concept, we used our software to automatically design 51 different paper microfluidic devices we needed to create a functional lateral flow assay that detects protein and glucose in urine. These designs took only a few seconds to generate and were used in 120 lab experiments we performed in 16 h in the lab. Thus, with the help of our software framework, we went from an idea to a functional device in just two work days. By accelerating device development and enabling researchers without microfluidics experience to create custom devices, our software can help spread paper microfluidic technology to important new application areas.
Cardiac Sarcoidosis Initially Diagnosed as Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection

We present the case of a woman who developed presumed spontaneous coronary artery dissection of a septal branch. She later developed high-grade atrioventricular block that led to a diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis involving the interventricular septum. This case illustrates a rare and challenging presentation of cardiac sarcoidosis. (Level of Difficulty: Beginner.).
Saving Normal: An Insider's Revolt Against Out-of-Control Psychiatric Diagnosis, DSM-5, Big Pharma, and the Medicalization of Ordinary Life

In this extract from his new book, Saving Normal, Allen Frances, Chair of the DSM-IV Task Force, warns that mislabeling everyday problems as mental illness has shocking implications for individuals and society: stigmatising a healthy person as mentally ill leads to unnecessary, harmful medications, the narrowing of horizons, misallocation of medical resources, and draining of the budgets of families and the nation. We also shift responsibility for our mental well-being away from our own naturally resilient and self-healing brains, which have kept us sane for hundreds of thousands of years, and into the hands of 'Big Pharma', who are reaping multi-billion-dollar profits.