cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The content of family physicians' online videos and biographies

Background and objectives Finding information about new physicians can sometimes be challenging. The purpose of the current study was to determine if the information and qualities prospective patients want to know about family physicians, before selecting one to visit, are present within videos placed in their online biographies. Methods More than 150 family physician videos, and their accompanying text biographies, were coded from 20 health systems within the United States. Videos and biographies were coded for the presence or absence of 50 pieces of information (eg, was a philosophy of care mentioned, were personal hobbies/interests noted?). Results The majority of videos (80.4%) contained the doctor's philosophy of care. Nearly half (47.7%) contained at least one piece of personal information about the doctor (ie, where the doctor is originally from, the doctor's marital status, the number of children the doctor has, other family members the doctor has, the doctor's religion/faith, and personal hobbies/interests). Only 30.7% of videos showed footage of the doctor's office, and 25.5% showed footage of the doctor interacting with a patient. Conclusions The full potential of video is not being utilized by health systems in constructing videos of their physicians to place alongside online biographies. Previous research indicates patients want to know not only what a doctor's office looks like but also how that doctor will treat them in a consultation. The inclusion of footage of the doctor's office, as well as of the doctor interacting with a patient, could help to reduce the uncertainty and apprehension sometimes present when choosing a new physician.
Prognostic Factors Associated with Progression of Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) to Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) In Patients (pts) Treated with Decitabine

Abstract 4956 Background: About 50% of pts with MDS ultimately progress to AML with no clear pattern in underlying parameters leading to progression. This analysis sought to identify predictive factors in pts with MDS that are associated with progression to AML after treatment with decitabine. Methods: In a combined analysis of MDS pts treated with either a 3- or 5-day dosing schedule of decitabine, pts were stratified on the basis of those who progressed to AML (P) versus those who did not (NP). CR rates by IWG2006 criteria for each of the baseline factors were compared by using the chi-square test. Factors that were significant in the univariate analysis (p 1000 U/L); baseline HGB, plt and BM blast count ≤20; FAB classification; ECOG status; and IPSS (low, int-1, int-2). A Cox proportional-hazards analysis was conducted for survival. Results: A combined analysis of prognostic factors for MDS was completed in 163 pts with a complete response to decitabine; 37 (22.6%) had progressed to AML and 126 (77.3%) had not. Baseline characteristics in pts that progressed had significantly less time since diagnosis ( Conclusions: MDS pts with a deep anemia (HGB Disclosures: Borthakur: Eisai Inc.: Research Funding. Kantarjian: Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding. Jabbour: Eisai Inc.: Editorial and statistical support, Honoraria.
Homeostatic Responses to Increased Oxygen Affinity

Oxygen transport is probably normal in carriers of hemoglobins with altered oxygen affinity, as judged by the patients’ lack of symptoms and by their excretion of normal amounts of erythropoietin (1–4). Possible adjustments to maintain homeostasis include changes in hemoglobin concentration; cardiac output, or its distribution; number of perfused capillaries (i.e., the capillary-cell distance); or oxygen utilization in the tissue (5–7). The choice between these adjustments varies from stress to stress (8); in the case of hemoglobins with altered oxygen affinity, a strong arguement was made that adjustments are almost entirely hematopoietic (9), and that mixed venous PO2 (PVO2, a reflection of tissue PO2) remains constant (10).
The Drift into Germany’s Orbit: Romania, 1938–1941

Romania was driven into alliance with Nazi Germany by fear of the Soviet Union. ‘Nothing could put Romania on Germany’s side’, remarked a member of the Romanian Foreign Ministry to the British Minister Sir Reginald Hoare in March 1940, ‘except the conviction that only Germany could keep the Soviets out of Romania.’1 That conviction was quick to form after the collapse of France in May 1940, the Soviet seizure from Romania of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina at the end of June, and the loss of Northern Transylvania to Hungary under the Vienna Award in late August. One third of Romania’s 1939 area was ceded in 1940 and with it Romania’s population fell from 19.9 million to 13.3 million. The loss of the three territories led King Carol II to accept Hitler’s frontier guarantee, one which he gave only after Carol’s agreement to the Vienna Award.
Modeling the detailed kinetics of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase: Catalytic mechanism and nitric oxide inhibition

We developed a thermodynamically constrained mechanistic mathematical model for the kinetics of cytochrome c oxidase, incorporating several salient features, e.g., electron transfer, proton pumping...
Surgeon Participation in Early Accountable Care Organizations.

Objective:We aimed to characterize the landscape of surgeon participation in early accountable care organizations (ACOs) and to identify specialty-, organization-, and market-specific factors associated with ACO participation.Background:Despite rapid deployment of alternative payment models (APMs),
Human Body Composition and Immunity: Visceral Adipose Tissue Produces IL-15 and Muscle Strength Inversely Correlates with NK Cell Function in Elderly Humans.

Natural killer (NK) lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity and cytokine secretion control infections and cancers, but these crucial activities decline with age. NK cell development, homeostasis, and function require IL-15 and its chaperone, IL-15 Receptor alpha (IL-15Rα). Macrophages (Mφ) and dendritic cells (DC) are major sources of these proteins. We had previously postulated that additional IL-15 and IL-15Rα is made by skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. These sources may be important in aging, when IL-15-producing immune cells decline. NK cells circulate through adipose tissue, where they may be exposed to locally-produced IL-15. The objectives of this work were to determine 1) if human muscle, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) are sources of IL-15 and IL-15 R, and 2) whether any of these tissues correlate with NK cell activity in elderly humans. We first investigated IL-15 and IL-15Rα RNA expression in paired muscle and SAT biopsies from healthy human subjects. Both tissues expressed these transcripts, but IL-15Rα RNA levels were higher in SAT than in skeletal muscle. We also investigated tissue obtained from surgeries, and found that SAT and VAT expressed equivalent amounts of IL-15 and IL-15Rα RNA, respectively. Furthermore, stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells expressed more IL-15 RNA than did adipocytes. To test if these findings related to circulating IL-15 protein and NK cell function, we tested 50 healthy adults aged >70 years old. Plasma IL-15 levels significantly correlated with abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass in the entire cohort and in non-obese subjects. However, plasma IL-15 levels did not correlate with skeletal muscle cross-sectional area and correlated inversely with muscle strength. Plasma IL-15 did correlate with NK cell cytotoxic granule exocytosis and with CCL4 (MIP-1β) production in response to NKp46-crosslinking. Additionally, NK cell responses to K562 leukemia cells correlated inversely with muscle strength. With aging, immune function declines while infections, cancers, and deaths increase. We propose that VAT-derived IL-15 and IL-15Rα is a compensatory NK cell support mechanism in elderly humans.
Contextual constraints on lexico-semantic processing in aging: Evidence from single-word event-related brain potentials

The current study reports the effects of accumulating contextual constraints on neural indices of lexico-semantic processing (i.e., effects of word frequency and orthographic neighborhood) as a function of normal aging. Event-related brain potentials were measured from a sample of older adults as they read sentences that were semantically congruent, provided only syntactic constraints (syntactic prose), or were random word strings. A linear mixed-effects modeling approach was used to probe the effects of accumulating contextual constraints on N400 responses to individual words. Like young adults in prior work, older adults exhibited a classic word position context effect on the N400 in congruent sentences, although the magnitude of the effect was reduced in older relative to younger adults. Moreover, by modeling single-word variability in N400 responses, we observed robust effects of orthographic neighborhood density that were larger in older adults than the young, and preserved effects word frequency. Importantly, in older adults, frequency effects were not modulated by accumulating contextual constraints, unlike in the young. Collectively, these findings indicate that older adults are less likely (or able) to use accumulating top-down contextual constraints, and therefore rely more strongly on bottom-up lexical features to guide semantic access of individual words during sentence comprehension.
Simultaneous System Calibration of a Multi-LiDAR Multicamera Mobile Mapping Platform

Mobile light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems are widely used to generate precise 3-D spatial information, which in turn aids a variety of applications such as digital building model generation, transportation corridor asset management, telecommunications, precision agriculture, and infrastructure monitoring. Integrating such systems with one or more cameras would allow forward and backward projection between imagery and LiDAR data, thus facilitating several other high-level data processing activities, such as reliable feature extraction and colorization of point cloudsv. To increase the registration accuracy of point clouds derived from LiDAR data and imagery, along with their accuracy with respect to the ground truth, a simultaneous estimation of the mounting parameters relating the different laser scanners and cameras to the onboard global navigation satellite system (GNSS)/inertial navigation system (INS) unit is vital. This paper proposes a calibration procedure that directly estimates the mounting parameters for several spinning multibeam laser scanners and cameras onboard an airborne or terrestrial mobile platform. This procedure is based on the use of conjugate points and linear/planar features in overlapping images and point clouds derived from different drive-runs/flight lines. In order to increase the efficiency of semi-automatic conjugate feature extraction from the LiDAR data, specifically designed calibration boards covered by highly reflective surfaces that could be easily deployed and set up within an outdoor environment are used in this study. An experimental setup is used to evaluate the performance of the proposed calibration procedure for both airborne and terrestrial mobile mapping systems through the a posteriori variance factor of the least squares adjustment procedure and the quality of fit of the adjusted LiDAR point cloud and image points to linear/planar surfaces before and after the calibration process.
Interactions of Small Molecules with Membranes: Partitioning, Permeability, and Electrical Effects

At the beginning of the previous chapter, the point was made that biomembranes are not merely passive barriers defining the boundaries of cells or organelles. In this chapter, we recognize that, in fact, being a barrier to solute flux between aqueous compartments is an essential part of membrane function. The major focus of this chapter is the interaction between the phospholipid bilayer and small solute molecules, both ions and nonelectrolytes. We will first discuss the binding of small molecules to the membrane, either adsorbed at the surface or partitioning into the interior of the bilayer. Any solute that can partition into the membrane can diffuse across the bilayer and exit from the opposite side. Membrane permeability to nonelectrolytes is discussed in this context. In order to understand the way in which ions interact with the membrane, the total electric potential energy profile of the membrane must be considered. The electrical component of the free energy of an ion near or within the membrane is critical not only for understanding how divalent and monovalent metal ions bind to the membrane surface, but also for estimating the local pH at the membrane surface, and for modeling how some enzymes and ion channels might be regulated by a voltage across the bilayer.
EFFECT OF TUBE DIAMETER ON DURATION OF PATENCY OF HYBRID ARTIFICIAL PANCREAS PROTOTYPES IN EX VIVO SHUNTS

The goal for the hybrid artificial pancreas is chronic implantation in diabetics. In approaching this goal it is important to have animal models in which the effectiveness of the hybrid artificial pancreas, already proven in short-term studies, can be investigated over periods of weeks and preferably without anticoagulation. Scribner shunts have been implanted in beagles and exteriorized on their backs, giving flows of 150–200 ml/min. Pancreas prototypes with U-shaped tubes were inserted with a single loading dose of heparin, and three different tube sizes were used. Average life before occlusion by thrombi decreased as the tube diameter decreased, but 2.7 mm i. d. tubes can be maintained free of thrombus for at least three weeks.
Boundless Simulation Area Mobility

The boundless simulation area mobility model that does not have the border effect is analyzed deriving the analytical model and verifying through simulations. The relationship between mobility and connection stability in ad hoc networks is studied using different mobility models such as BSA , RWP , and RW using the constant velocity model. In addition, the role of the link duration parameter of the mobility metric is investigated in the multihop MANET .
Dominance of Pavement Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Residential Areas of West Lafayette, IN, USA1

Abstract Ant abundance and diversity are affected by numerous factors, including competition. Pavement ants (Tetramorium immigrans Santschi) are by far the most dominant species in North American urban areas, and so likely engage in interspecific competition and thus affect the abundance and diversity of other ant species. Ant abundance and diversity were monitored at the level of genus at two field sites in West Lafayette, IN, taking into account temperature, humidity, and habitat as possible factors in ant distribution. Temperature was found to be a significant factor affecting the abundance of ants, while humidity was not. The different habitats at the two locations resulted in the presence of different genera. The number of pavement ants was positively correlated with the number of cornfield ants (Lasius neoniger Emery) in Copper Beech Apartments, but not at Purdue Village. There was also a slightly greater diversity of ants found at Copper Beech Apartments.
Memories of Hilary Putnam

It is traditional in volumes such as this – especially volumes appearing relatively soon after the death of their subject – to include a lengthy, and often rather dry and boring, intellectual biography. In the case of Putnam, such an essay would not, in fact, be boring (although, given the richness of Putnam’s life, such an essay might have to be rather lengthy!) But we wanted to do something a little different, and at any rate we knew we couldn’t do a better job at biography than what is already in the gripping intellectual autobiography Putnam wrote for his installment in the Library of Living Philosophers series (Auxier et al. 2015).
Effect of Soluble Chromate Inhibitor on the Macro- and Meso-Scale Damage Morphology and Electrochemical Corrosion Behavior of AA7050-T7451 Coupled to Type 316 Stainless Steel

The damage morphology on AA7050-T7451 plate in chromate-containing environments was studied in a simulated fastener-plate arrangement utilizing x-ray tomography. Constant potential holds near the g...
Anisotropic Two-Dimensional, Plane Strain, and Plane Stress Models in Classical Linear Elasticity and Bond-Based Peridynamics

This paper concerns anisotropic two-dimensional and planar elasticity models within the frameworks of classical linear elasticity and the bond-based peridynamic theory of solid mechanics. We begin by reviewing corresponding models from the classical theory of linear elasticity. This review includes a new elementary and self-contained proof that there are exactly four material symmetry classes of the elasticity tensor in two dimensions. We also summarize classical plane strain and plane stress linear elastic models and explore their connections to the pure two-dimensional linear elastic model, relying on the definitions of the engineering constants. We then provide a novel formulation for pure two-dimensional anisotropic bond-based linear peridynamic models, which accommodates all four material symmetry classes. We further present innovative formulations for peridynamic plane strain and plane stress, which are obtained using direct analogies of the classical planar elasticity assumptions, and we specialize these formulations to a variety of material symmetry classes. The presented anisotropic peridynamic models are constrained by Cauchy's relations, which are an intrinsic property of bond-based peridynamic models. The uniqueness of the presented peridynamic plane strain and plane stress formulations in this work is that we directly reduce three-dimensional models to two-dimensional formulations, as opposed to matching two-dimensional peridynamic models to classical plane strain and plane stress formulations. This results in significant computational savings, while retaining the dynamics of the original three-dimensional bond-based peridynamic problems under suitable assumptions.
Association between EKG Alterations and Clinical Outcomes in Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Associated Myocarditis

Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized oncologic care. Myocarditis is an uncommon but frequently fatal complication of ICI use. There is need for improved methods of detection and risk stratification of ICI myocarditis. Both the QRS duration and the QTc interval on EKG are widely used, standardized, and easily interpretable measures; there are no data on the utility of these measures among patients with ICI myocarditis. Hypothesis We hypothesized that ICI myocarditis is associated with EKG abnormalities and that such abnormalities would correlate with worse clinical outcomes. Methods From a multicenter international registry, we compared the PR interval, QRS duration, and QTc interval from 110 ICI myocarditis cases and 178 controls. Where available, we measured these parameters from cases and controls prior to starting ICI and also while on ICI but prior to the development of myocarditis (for cases). The association between EKG measures and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) was tested. Cases and controls were compared using the pair-wise Wilcoxon rank-sum test with Bonferroni correction, MACE Kaplan-Meier curves were compared with the log-rank test, and hazard ratios (HR) were determined using the Cox proportional hazards model. Results The PR interval, QRS duration, and QTc interval were similar between cases and controls both prior to ICI and after initiation of ICI but prior to myocarditis (in cases). At presentation with myocarditis, cases had a similar PR interval, but longer QRS duration (107±22 ms vs 91±19 ms; p 110 ms conferred a 2.6-fold increased risk of MACE (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5-4.4; p 450 ms also conferred a 2.6-fold increased risk (95% CI 1.3-5.1; p=0.003; figure B). Conclusions Increases in QRS duration and QTc interval, but not PR interval, were observed in ICI myocarditis and were each associated with increased risk of MACE. Measurement of these standardized and widely available parameters may be helpful in diagnosing ICI myocarditis and identifying those with ICI myocarditis at elevated risk of MACE.
Fully 3-D-Printed Frequency-Scanning Slotted Waveguide Array With Wideband Power-Divider

We report the design, fabrication, and measurement results of a fully three-dimensional (3-D) printed frequency-scanning slotted waveguide array (SWA). The antenna system is composed of an 18 × 4 nonresonant (traveling wave) array operating at 12–18 GHz (Ku-band), a wideband 1 × 4 power divider, and four 50 Ω matched loads all fabricated using a 3-D printer and wet metallization steps. The antenna system is designed to be impedance-matched with S 11 less than −10 dB across the entire band. Inductive walls are added to the power divider to improve the impedance matching of closely packed waveguides. Complex yet smooth waveguides are fabricated using the PolyJet technology. Conformal in-house metallization processes consisting of nickel electroless plating and copper electroplating are established. Measurement results show beam-scanning ranges from −17° at 12 GHz to +15° at 18 GHz. The maximum measured gain is 21.4 dBi with sidelobe level of −13.4 dB at 15.8 GHz and scanning angle of 7°. Furthermore, the array maintains minimum gain of 10 dBi for most of the band ranging from 13.4 to 17.8 GHz. Our measurement results are in an agreement with the simulations. This letter demonstrates a scanning array, together with a wideband power divider, and termination loads all fabricated using a 3-D printing technology.
Comparing the Effects of Two Reading Interventions Using a Randomized Alternating Treatment Design

An emerging body of research suggests that incorporating randomization schemes in single-case research designs strengthens study internal validity and data evaluation. The purpose of this study was...
The Lion & the Princess: Essays: by T. Sher Singh, Canada, Macauliffe Books, 2018, x + 213 pp., $25 (hardback), ISBN 978-1-9994291-0-2

This collection of twenty-eight essays written by T. Sher Singh provides us with a window to look into the author’s living experiences at various points in time. We can certainly understand his rem...
Potential benefits of oral administration of AMORPHOPHALLUS KONJAC glycosylceramides on skin health – a randomized clinical study

Ceramides play a fundamental role in maintaining the skin health as a function of improved barrier permeability. Reduced ceramide content results in skin dryness and wrinkledness. Intake of dietary ceramides potentially compensates the skin ceramide content. In the present study we have assessed the skin health benefits of oral supplementation of a hydroalcoholic extract from Amorphophallus konjac tubers standardized to 5% glycosylceramides, in a placebo-controlled clinical trial. Fifty-one healthy human volunteers (aged 18–60 years) were supplemented with 100 mg/day of either a placebo or A. konjac extract capsules (5 mg glycosylceramides) for 6-weeks. The skin parameters were evaluated through dermatological diagnosis. Subject perceived efficacy of the product was further evaluated by a self-assessment questionnaire. Oral intake of A. konjac extract significantly decreased the skin dryness, hyperpigmentation, redness, itching and oilyness (p < 0.05). The improvement in skin health following intake of A. konjac extract was observed to be time-dependent from the start. Further, A. konjac extract was well-tolerated throughout the study, as no adverse events or toxic changes were recorded. The study demonstrates the skincare properties of orally ingested glycosyl ceramides from konjac tubers. CTRI/2018/12/016661 dated 13/12/2018 retrospectively registered, http://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/showallp.php?mid1=19851&EncHid=&userName=SkinCera
Discharge Before Return to Respiratory Baseline in Children With Neurologic Impairment.

Background Children with neurologic impairment (NI) are commonly hospitalized with acute respiratory infections (ARI). These children frequently require respiratory support at baseline and are often discharged before return to respiratory baseline. Objective To determine if discharge before return to respiratory baseline is associated with reutilization among children with NI hospitalized with ARI. Methods This single-center retrospective cohort study included children with NI aged 1 to 18 years hospitalized with ARI who required increased respiratory support between January 2010 and September 2015. The primary exposure was discharge before return to respiratory baseline. The primary outcome was 30-day hospital reutilization. A generalized estimating equation was used to examine the association between exposure and outcome while accounting for within-patient clustering and patient-level clinical complexity and illness severity. Results In the 632 hospitalizations experienced by 366 children, children were discharged before return to respiratory baseline in 30.4% of hospitalizations. Compared with those hospitalizations in which children were discharged at baseline, hospitalizations with a discharge before return to respiratory baseline were more likely to be for privately insured, technology-dependent children with respiratory comorbidities. Compared with discharges at respiratory baseline, discharges with increased respiratory support had no difference in 30-day reutilization (32.8% vs 31.8%; P = .81; adjusted OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.51-1.26). Conclusions Among children with NI hospitalized with ARI, discharge before return to respiratory baseline was common, but it was not associated with hospital reutilization. Return to respiratory baseline may not be a necessary component of discharge criteria in this population.
A Quantitative Analysis of When Students Choose to Grade Questions on Computerized Exams with Multiple Attempts

In this paper, we study a computerized exam system that allows students to attempt the same question multiple times. This system permits students either to receive feedback on their submitted answer immediately or to defer the feedback and grade questions in bulk. An analysis of student behavior in three courses across two semesters found similar student behaviors across courses and student groups. We found that only a small minority of students used the deferred feedback option. A clustering analysis that considered both when students chose to receive feedback and either to immediately retry incorrect problems or to attempt other unfinished problems identified four main student strategies. These strategies were correlated to statistically significant differences in exam scores, but it was not clear if some strategies improved outcomes or if stronger students tended to prefer certain strategies.
A Novel Role for the Nuclear Receptor, NR4A1, in Klebsiella pneumoniae Lung Infection

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative bacterial pathogen and common cause of pneumonia and bacteremia. Increasingly, K. pneumoniae has become a public health concern due to its rate of nosocomial infection and emerging, broad-spectrum antibiotic resistance. The nuclear receptor NR4A1 exhibits functionality in a multitude of organ systems and is implicated as having a role in the immune response to bacterial infection, though its role in K. pneumoniae infection is unknown. To determine if Nr4a1 functions in response to K. pneumoniae pulmonary disease, we infected wild-type and Nr4a1-/- mice with K. pneumoniae and assessed bacterial growth, immune cell recruitment and function, and cytokine production. We found that Nr4a1-/- mice had increased bacterial burden in the lungs and spleen, though no differences in cell recruitment. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, Il1{beta} and Il6, as well as chemokine, Cxcl2, were significantly decreased in the BAL fluid cells of Nr4a1-/- mice 5 hours post-infection. Additionally, Nr4a1-/- mice had reduced IL-1{beta} and myeloperoxidase protein production. We then examined the bactericidal function of macrophages and neutrophils from WT and Nr4a1-/- mice. We identified that Nr4a1-/- neutrophils had decreased bactericidal function compared to wild-type neutrophils, which was associated with reduced expression of Il1{beta}, Lcn2, Mpo, and Lyz2. These data suggest Nr4a1 plays a novel and essential role in neutrophil function during the host immune response to K. pneumoniae pulmonary infection.
Oxidative coupling of 2-methyl furoate: A scalable synthesis of dimethyl 2,2'-bifuran-5,5'-dicarboxylate

Abstract We report an investigation of the homogeneous Pd-catalyzed oxidative homocoupling of methyl 2-furoate with molecular oxygen as oxidant. Conditions were identified that produce acceptable yield (11.4 %), good selectivity (85 %) and ultra-high turn-over-frequency (TOF, 544 h−1). The product, dimethyl 2,2′-bifuran-5,5′-dicarboxylate, precipitates in nearly pure form upon cooling the reaction mixture. Kinetic and mechanistic investigations showed the reaction followed the so-called bimetallic mechanism.
Controlling Thermally Activated Delayed Photoluminescence in CdSe Quantum Dots through Triplet Acceptor Surface Coverage.

Quantum-dot/molecule composites (QD/mol) have demonstrated useful photochemical properties for many photonic and optoelectronic applications; however, a comprehensive understanding of these materials remains elusive. This work introduces a series of cadmium(II) selenide/1-pyrenecarboxylic acid (CdSe/PCA) nanomaterials featuring bespoke PCA surface coverage on CdSe585 (coded by the peak of the first exciton absorption band) to glean insight into the QD/mol photophysical behavior. Tailoring the energy gap between the CdSe585 first exciton band (2.1 eV) and the lowest PCA triplet level (T1 = 2.0 eV) to be nearly isoenergetic, strong thermally activated delayed photoluminescence (TADPL) is observed resulting from reverse triplet-triplet energy transfer. The resultant average decay time constant (τobs) of the photoluminescence emanating from CdSe585 is deterministically controlled with surface-bound PCAn chromophores (n = average number of adsorbed PCA molecules) by shifting the triplet excited state equilibrium from the CdSe585 to the PCA molecular triplet reservoir as a function of n.
Achieving COVID-19 Herd Immunity in Oregon: Progress & Challenges

Oregon has one of the higher adult vaccination rates in the US (just over 70% of adults 18+). This accomplishment is not to be scoffed at. Yet 20 percent of Oregonians have no plans to vaccinate, thus more work is needed. On June 30, Gov. Brown lifted almost all restrictions put in place at the start of the pandemic. However, the data in this report highlight that the rates of vaccination are not even across the state. The map on this page shows vaccinations rates for Oregonians age 16+ (other places in this report use 18+ reporting). It is clear from this that there are large differences in vaccination rates within the state. Achieving a higher rate of vaccinations in all corners of the state assure benefits are more even and lasting. Our analysis shows that rural parts of the state are less likely to get vaccinated, more likely to avoid precautionary measures (social distancing and masking), and more likely to think that COVID-19 is not particularly serious. This combination of higher risk behaviors in rural areas is likely to create a longer-lasting and more impactful pandemic in Oregon. This combination of factors could create a breeding ground for new variants to emerge that will threaten not just rural Oregon, but the whole state. It will be vital to continue finding ways to persuade, entice, and encourage residents everywhere, and rural Oregonians in particular, to get vaccinated. The remainder of this report lays out the findings from our report, highlighting who is and is not getting vaccinated.
Exploring Intersectional Identity in Black Deaf Women: The Complexity of the Lived Experience in College:

Although the concept of intersectionality has gained widespread attention in social science research, there remains a significant gap related to the impact of intersectionality on identity formatio...
Vegetative Phase Change Causes Age-Dependent Changes in Phenotypic Plasticity

Phenotypic plasticity allows organisms to optimize traits for their environment. As organisms age, they experience diverse environments that merit varying degrees of phenotypic plasticity. Developmental transitions can control these age-dependent changes in plasticity and as such, the timing of these transitions can determine when plasticity changes in an organism. Here we investigate how the transition from juvenile-to adult-vegetative development known as vegetative phase change (VPC) contributes to age-dependent changes in phenotypic plasticity using both natural accessions and mutant lines in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Further, we look at how the timing of this transition and the concordant shifts in plasticity change across accessions and environments. We found that the adult phase of vegetative development has greater plasticity than the juvenile phase and confirmed that this difference in plasticity is caused by VPC using mutant lines. Further, we found that the timing of VPC, and therefore the time when increased plasticity is acquired, varies significantly across genotypes and environments. This genetic and environmental variation in the timing of VPC indicates the potential for population-level adaptive evolution of VPC. The consistent age-dependent changes in plasticity caused by VPC add further support to the hypothesis that VPC is adaptive.
Should We Let Dialysis Patients Eat Their Fruits and Veggies

Hyperkalemia is a frequent abnormality in patients treated with thrice weekly maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) ([1][1]). Its clinical relevance is underscored by potassium’s physiologic effects on the membrane potential and the acute arrhythmogenicity of its excursions (both hypo- and hyperkalemia
Data sources for scholarly research: Towards a guide for novice researchers

One of the biggest challenges the novice researcher faces is determining just where and how to start her or his research. During the research design stage, a novice researcher must take into consideration three key factors: a) literature; b) research-worthy problem; and c) data. While the role of the problem and literature in research has been explored previously, inadequate attention has been given to the centrality of data and access to collecting data in the context of research design. This paper explores data as a vital element of scholarly enquiry by outlining the role of data in research in the informing sciences, identifying some issues with access to data collection, and their impact on the design of a proposed research. This paper explores the categories of data, organized in a 2x2 taxonomy: the Qualitative-Quantitative-Indirect-Direct (Q 2 ID) Taxonomy of Data Sources. This paper concludes with examples from literature for some research studies and explanations for the types of data used in the context of the proposed Q 2 ID Taxonomy of Data
The Classification of Isometries

Before continuing with our results on isometries that apply to the absolute plane and, hence, to the Euclidean plane as well as the Bolyai Lobachevsky plane, we have a definition and a theorem that are relevant only to the hyperbolic plane. These complement the absolute theorem that two circles are congruent if they have the same radius (distance).
Theory of Optical Waveguides

Chapter 2 has reviewed the key results of waveguide theory, particularly with respect to the various optical modes that can exist in the waveguide. A comparison has been made between the physical-optic approach and the ray-optic approach in describing light propagation in a waveguide. In this chapter, the electromagnetic wave theory of the physical-optic approach is developed in detail. Emphasis is placed on the two basic waveguide geometries that are used most often in optical integrated circuits, the planar waveguide and the rectangular waveguide.
Mechanism of Adsorption and Eclipse of Bacteriophage φX174 II. Attachment and Eclipse with Isolated Escherichia coli Cell Wall Lipopolysaccharide

Abstract A mixture of aqueous phenol, choloroform, and ether extracts the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from the X174-sensitive strain, Escherichia coli C/1, and resistant strains, C/X and K12. Interaction of the C/1 LPS with X in a starvation buffer containing 10−3 M CaCl2 at 37 C, but not at 15 C, results in a first-order inactivation that is specific for C/1 LPS. After interaction for 60 min at 15 C, followed by centrifugation, 37 and 20% of a 14C-X preparation are bound to the C/1 and C/X LPS pellets, respectively. The results for intact cells are 75 and 10%. Supporting the conclusion that this represents specific attachment of X to its receptor site in the LPS is the fact that EDTA-borate buffer is required to elute 85% of the 14C-X from the C/1 LPS, whereas starvation buffer elutes the same amount from C/X LPS. Moreover, 95% of the PFU are found in the C/1 LPS pellets as compared with 50% in the resistant strain LPS pellets. When the products of interaction between X and LPS at 37 C are examined by sucrose density gradients in EDTA-borate, a single 60 to 90S peak is observed in the C/1 sample, and the single peak cosediments with the 120S marker X in the C/X sample. This change in S20, w is very similar to that reported for the eclipse of X in vivo. If the inactivation at 37 C is carried out on X-LPS complexes first formed at 15 C, the first-order kinetics are biphasic and nearly identical to that observed for the eclipse kinetics of X attached to intact cells. Thus, the X-LPS system is suitable for in vitro studies on the early events in X infection.
THE* Rules of Stakeholder Satisfaction (* Timeliness, Honesty, Empathy)

The results of an exploratory study examining the role of trust in stakeholder satisfaction are reported. Customers, stockholders, and employees of financial institutions were surveyed to identify management behaviors that lead to stakeholder satisfaction. The factors critical to satisfaction across stakeholder groups are the timeliness of communication, the honesty and completeness of the information and the empathy and equity of treatment by management.
Lifting as we climb : African American women's education experiences in the Ivory Tower

of the Dissertation Lifting as We Climb: African American Women’s Education Experiences in the Ivory Tower By Bonnie Lynn Reddick This study uses mixed methods to examine the experiences of African American women in doctoral programs. 102 African American women completed an on-line survey, and twenty women participated in one-on-one interviews. As an African American female, the researcher is interested in comparing the experiences of African American women: critiquing, analyzing and interpreting similarities and points of divergence in their experiences, and articulating stories of triumph and struggle, using a narrative style. This study confirms that Black women have experienced success in doctoral programs. Some of the participants had meaningful and supportive mentors. They have had limited exposure to Black faculty and/or scholarship. The participants in this study illuminate the dynamics inherent in their relationships with their dissertation committee members, particularly the chairs of their respective committees. In addition, this study explores the discordant relationship between Black female graduate students and Black female dissertation committee members. A majority of the participants were unfamiliar with the term Afrocentricity. They did not fathom that Afrocentricity could be used as a methodological or theoretical framework. All the participants exhibited at least one tenet of Afrocentricity. They are testimonies of the veracity of the Sankofian principles of looking back, reclaiming, and retelling their collective stories. These stories serve as inspiration for some and models of commitment for others.
Independence of bacteriophage N15 lytic and linear plasmid replication from the heat shock proteins DnaJ, DnaK, and GrpE.

The chromosome of the temperate bacteriophage N15 replicates as a linear plasmid with covalently closed ends (or hairpins) when it forms a lysogen. I found that, in contrast to the cases for lambda and the low-copy-number plasmids F and P1, both phage and plasmid replication of N15 are independent of the heat shock proteins DnaJ, DnaK, and GrpE. Images
Use of pH gradient plates for increasing the acid tolerance of salmonellae.

Abstract Several strains of salmonellae survived higher concentrations of lactic acid after streaking on the surface of pH gradient plates. Most strains increased their acid tolerance by about 0.8 to 1.0 pH unit (9- to 10-fold), with Salmonella madelia showing the greatest differential, pH 5.2 in the wild strain and pH 4.2 after conditioning. The increased acid resistance was quickly lost after transferring to normal tryptic soy agar. Tests for survival in a liquid medium at pH values lower than those giving visible growth indicated that these pH values were bactericidal rather than bacteriostatic for both the wild and acid-conditioned strains.
Charge pair interactions stabilizing ferredoxin-ferredoxin reductase complexes : identification by complementary site-specific mutations

Ferredoxin reductase (Fd-reductase) supplies electrons to mitochondrial steroid hydroxylase cytochrome P450 enzymes via a [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin. Chemical labeling studies with bovine Fd-reductase have implicated Lys-243 as important in binding to bovine ferredoxin (Hamamoto, I., Kazutaka, K., Tanaka, S., and Ichikawa, Y. (1988) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 953, 207-213). We have used site-directed mutagenesis to examine the role of charged residues in this region of human Fd-reductase in ferredoxin binding. Mutant proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli and were assayed for activity by ferredoxin-mediated electron transfer to cytochrome c. Replacement of Lys-242 (homologous to Lys-243 in bovine Fd-reductase) with Gln and replacement of Arg-241 with Ser had little effect (2.7- and 3.6-fold increased Km, respectively). In contrast, mutants at positions 239 and 243 (R239S and R243Q) exhibited markedly lower affinity for ferredoxin (17.5- and 1,600-fold increased Km, respectively). Studies were also carried out with two ferredoxin charge mutants shown previously to have lowered affinity for Fd-reductase (Coghlan, V. M., and Vickery, L. E. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 18606-18612). Comparisons of the binding of ferredoxin mutants D76N and D79N to Fd-reductase mutants R239S and R243Q suggest that Arg-239 and Arg-243 of Fd-reductase each interact directly with both Asp-76 and Asp-79 of ferredoxin during formation of the complex between the two proteins. These results support the hypothesis that specific electrostatic interactions involving this region are important in stabilizing the ferredoxin-Fd-reductase complex.
The resilience of face recognition to early life stress

Abstract Individuals vary substantially in their ability to recognize faces, and these differences affect social functioning. But which aspects of nature and nurture impact face recognition? Early life stress is a likely candidate, as adverse childhood environments impact the development of many major cognitive, social, and affective functions. At the same time, evidence from twins suggests that variation in face recognition ability is due primarily to variations in genes and not environments. Here, we use a combined individual differences and epidemiological approach to directly assess whether variations in early life stress are linked with face recognition ability. We define early life stress as exposure to one of 25 forms of common childhood adversity before the age of 18. In approximately 4,000 adults, we show that face recognition ability is not significantly associated with variations in early life stress (including neglect, socioeconomic deprivation, physical abuse, and sexual abuse). Complex emotion perception ability, on the other hand, was reduced among individuals with a range of early life stress experiences. Our findings indicate that face recognition ability is uniquely resilient to variations in early life stress and childhood environment, thus ruling out domain general and process general accounts of the impact of early life stress on cognitive development. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015.
Does population aging produce increasing gerontocracy

As the population of the United States grows older, we might expect the role of the elderly to change. Among the many questions that could be asked about changes in the age stratification system, here we focus on the engagement of older persons in leadership roles. The period covered is roughly 1940 to the present, and the areas of leadership examined are representation in Congress and in professional and managerial occupations. If age-specific rates of representation remain constant over time, the proportion of leadership positions filled by older persons will increase at the same pace that the proportion of the adult population age sixty-five and over is increasing. On the other hand, if changes are occurring in the age stratification system, the role of the elderly in leadership may be either decreasing or increasing more rapidly than the population is aging. The data examined here show that over the past several decades the engagement of older persons in leadership positions has declined rapidly.
Acute Abdominal Pain in the Older Adult

Abdominal pain in older adults is a concerning symptom common to a variety of diagnoses with high morbidity and mortality. Organizing the differential into categories based on pathology (inflammatory, obstructive, vascular, or other causes) provides a framework for the history, physical, and diagnostic studies. An organized approach and treatment and considerations specific to the geriatric population are discussed.
River profile controls on channel morphology, debris flow disturbance, and the spatial extent of salmonids in steep mountain streams

Received 29 December 2011; revised 5 September 2012; accepted 17 September 2012; published 27 October 2012. [1] In the geologically and topographically diverse mountain ranges of the Pacific Northwest, a broad-scale means of prioritizing salmonid habitat conservation areas based on geomorphic process domains is examined. We propose that steepness and concavity indices derived from the relation between drainage area and channel slope provide a means of identifying basins that express different reach-scale morphologies, fish habitat capacity, and risk of episodic disturbance. Strongly concave river profiles that develop in mountainous terrain indicate that almost all of the relief in the drainage network occurs in headwater streams. In these basins a large proportion of the channel network has low-gradient morphologies, which provide favorable habitat for many salmonid species. The severity of pulse disturbances is also reduced because low-gradient main stem channels inhibit debris flow conveyance, and in these networks the distribution of fish can expand into tributaries, allowing for a spatial spreading of risk. In contrast, rivers with poorly concave or steeper profiles have a greater abundance of high gradient reaches that limit the distribution of fish to a small portion of the channel network and facilitate debris flow-passage. The combined influence of a limited spatial distribution of fish and an increased risk of debris flows may cause populations in these basins to be less resilient to pulse disturbances. A case example from the Klamath Mountains, an area with broad variation in the steepness and concavity of river profiles, was used to develop this approach and aid conservation planning for imperiled populations of anadromous salmonids.