cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Managing Maneuverability and Rear Stability of Adjustable Manual Wheelchairs: An Update

In the late 1970s, the introduction of new materials and, more importantly, new ideas has changed wheelchair users' potential for wheelchair mobility. The new generation of wheelchairs can be adjusted (Fig. 1) to provide a better fit to the user (legrest length, backrest height, armrest height, and width between the rear wheels), better posture (seat angle), and modifiable propulsion characteristics (axle position relative to user and rear wheel camber). The health care professional's challenge is to “optimize” wheelchair technology for each user. Decisions must be made about adjustments and configurations, and these decisions will determine how much effort will be required of the user and how stable the wheelchair will be. Simple decision criteria for wheelchair configuration are not found in the literature. The decisions are complex because the interaction of user, wheelchair, and environmental characteristics must be considered. The purposes of this article are to describe wheelchair characteristics and to discuss how adjustments can be made to manage these characteristics. Figure 1. Illustration of an adjustable manual wheelchair showing commonly available adjustments. Brubaker1,2 identified biomechanical factors that affect wheelchair performance in order to illustrate the advantages of adjustable manual wheelchairs compared with “standard” wheelchairs. In the opinion of most experts, adjustable manual chairs have less rearward stability than standard chairs and, therefore, are more easily tipped backward. This increased potential to tip backward can be a disadvantage, although Brubaker argued that “standard” wheelchairs are more stable than they need to be for most users and, consequently, require more effort to propel. The adjustable wheelchair requires less effort to propel and turn than a standard wheelchair, which is its performance advantage. To propel a manual wheelchair, rolling resistance and the side slope effect need to be overcome.1 Rolling resistance is the force that must be overcome by the …
THE POLITICS OF NATIONAL CULTURE AND URBAN EDUCATION REFORMS IN POST-INDEPENDENT ZIMBABWE

This chapter discusses urban education reforms in post-independent Zimbabwe in the context of the government’s project of national cultural policy and national identityformation. Zimbabwe is an emerging post-independent society in Africa in that it gained its independence at a later stage than many African countries. It thus provides a raw field of study on issues of identity, educational reform and cultural struggles. The study of urban educational reforms provides an important lens through which to understand the politics of transition in post-independent Zimbabwe. In underscoring how the Zimbabwean cultural struggles over educational meanings and representations are deeply entangled with the government’s definition of culture, the study furthers the theoretical reflection on the political dimensions of culture. Cultural contestations are constitutive of the efforts of the Zimbabwe people to redefine the meaning and limits of the political system itself. This paper paves the way for understanding on a broad theoretical and practical basis, the trajectories of education, culture, politics, and identity-formation in post-colonial transformations like Zimbabwe. An analysis of the Zimbabwean educational system and national culture allows one to scrutinize the contradictions within official discourse on education and culture and to assess the gap that exists between the real urgency of preserving, valorizing, and reinvigorating collective spiritual heritage and identity. The moribund and critical state of the contemporary Zimbabwean nation calls for a more subtle and nuanced historical analysis of the relationship among national politics, culture, and education. Cheru (2002, p. 72) argues that independent African governments responded to the inherited educational disparities in two ways: (1) Africanizing school enrolments, and (2) rapidly expanding the educational system from primary school to university. The advent of Zimbabwean national independence in 1980 ushered in far-reaching reforms in education and training based on the development needs and goals of the new dispensation, which included democratization and expansion of the provision of education and
Sport Concussion Knowledge and Clinical Practices: A Survey of Doctors of Chiropractic With Sports Certification

Objective The purpose of this study is to describe the knowledge base and clinical practices regarding concussion by sports-certified doctors of chiropractic.
Law's Beatitude: A Post-Nietzschean Account of Legitimacy

My subject is law's legitimacy. In the aftermath of September 11th, the issues before us are not simply academic. How could they be when, in a climate of violence, one of the questions pressing upon us is how the rule of law is different from the rule of violence?
α-Fe2O3 nanoparticle-loaded carbon nanofibers as stable and high-capacity anodes for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

α-Fe2O3 nanoparticle-loaded carbon nanofiber composites were fabricated via electrospinning FeCl3·6H2O salt-polyacrylonitrile precursors in N,N-dimethylformamide solvent and the subsequent carbonization in inert gas. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and elemental analysis were used to study the morphology and composition of α-Fe2O3-carbon nanofiber composites. It was indicated that α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with an average size of about 20 nm have a homogeneous dispersion along the carbon nanofiber surface. The resultant α-Fe2O3-carbon nanofiber composites were used directly as the anode material in rechargeable lithium half cells, and their electrochemical performance was evaluated. The results indicated that these α-Fe2O3-carbon nanofiber composites have high reversible capacity, good capacity retention, and acceptable rate capability when used as anode materials for rechargeable lithium...
Creep- and coarsening properties of Al–0.06 at.% Sc–0.06 at.% Ti at 300–450 °C

Abstract Upon aging at 300–450 °C, nanosize, coherent Al 3 (Sc 1− x Ti x ) precipitates are formed in pure aluminum micro-alloyed with 0.06 at.% Sc and 0.06 at.% Ti. The outstanding coarsening resistance of these precipitates at these elevated temperatures (61–77% of the melting temperature of aluminum) is explained by the significantly smaller diffusivity of Ti in Al when compared to that of Sc in Al. Furthermore, this coarse-grained alloy exhibits good compressive creep resistance for a castable, heat-treatable aluminum alloy: the creep threshold stress varies from 17 MPa at 300 °C to 7 MPa at 425 °C, as expected if the climb bypass by dislocations of the mismatching precipitates is hindered by their elastic stress fields.
Dermabrasion : As a complement to aesthetic surgery

Dermabrasion remains an effective and reliable resurfacing option for perioral rhytids, acne scars, traumatic facial scars, and rhinophyma. It is inexpensive, portable, and widely available. It is well taught in most plastic surgical training programs and, therefore, does not require expensive secondary training courses. Dermabrasion requires no specialized accessory equipment and poses no fire hazard in the operating room. Extensive literature and clinical experience document its efficacy. Proper patient selection and recognition of planing depth are both essential to successful outcome. Despite the recent popularity of the carbon dioxide laser, dermabrasion should remain a fundamental working skill for all plastic surgeons.
A Multi-server Queueing Model with Markovian Arrivals and Phase Type Cooperative Services - Simulation Approach

In Chakravarthy [5] a new class of queueing models in which one type of customers opt for cooperative services with fellow customers was introduced in the context of a single server. Under the assumption of versatile Markovian point process for the arrivals, exponential services, and with a limit of no more than two groups of cooperative customers be present in the system, the model was analyzed in steady-state and some interesting numerical examples were illustrated in [5]. In this paper we generalize that cooperative services model by relaxing the assumptions of single server, exponential services, and only two groups be present at any given time. Thus, we consider a multi-server queueing model in which the customers arrive according to a versatile Markovian point process. One type of customers require individual services whereas the second type of customers opt for a cooperative service (to be offered along with other similar customers). We assume that at any given time there can be at most \(K, 2 < K \le \infty \), groups of customers needing cooperative services and that the services are of phase type with representation depending on the type of service offered. While this model can be analyzed using matrix-analytic method with a very large state space, in this paper we will study the model using simulation to bring out a few salient features of this new class of queueing models.
11C-UCB-J as a biomarker for synaptic density - an in vivo/in vitro validation study

1800 Objectives We recently developed 11C-UCB-J as a promising PET ligand for quantitative measurement of synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) in monkeys and humans. SV2A is located on the membrane of synaptic vesicles, similar to synaptophysin (SYN). SYN has been extensively studied as a biomarker for synaptic density using immunochemical techniques. Here we compare in vivo (PET) and in vitro SV2A binding and correlate in vitro SV2A and SYN binding in the nonhuman primate brain. Methods One baboon was studied with 11C-UCB-J in a Siemens Biograph mCT PET system. After completion of the PET scan, the baboon was euthanized, the brain harvested and sectioned, and tissue was frozen at -80°C. Tissue samples from 12 brain regions were obtained and analyzed with western blotting for SV2A and SYN, and homogenate binding assays with 11C-UCB-J to allow for direct comparison to the in vivo PET measure of volume of distribution (VT). Results In vivo brain uptake was high, with highest activity concentrations in the cortex and lowest in the white matter region centrum semiovale (CS). Regional VT values in baboon correlated well with previously reported VT values in rhesus monkeys and humans. Western blotting showed clear SV2A and SYN signal in all gray-matter regions, but none in CS. The in vitro regional distribution of SV2A correlated well with the PET measured 11C-UCB-J VT (in vivo=0.0011[asterisk]in vitro+4.25, R2=0.61). Also importantly, western blot results demonstrated a linear correlation between SV2A and SYN across the examined brain regions (SYN=0.80[asterisk]SV2A-5229, R2=0.90). Conclusions SV2A-specific 11C-UCB-J binding may be interpreted as a measure of synaptic density. Studies are ongoing to examine the suitability of 11C-UCB-J as a biomarker of synaptic density in Alzheimer’s disease.
Abstract IA18: Fighting fire with fire: Developing a personalized neoantigen cancer vaccine

One of the critical steps to developing curative and tumor-specific immunotherapy is the identification and selection of antigens with tumor-restricted expression in order to avoid undesirable immune responses against normal tissues. Tumor neoantigens are analogous to non-self foreign proteins, therefore bypassing central tolerance and are also exquisitely tumor-specific. Seminal studies have provided compelling evidence suggesting their immunogenicity. However, the comprehensive identification of such neoantigens has only become feasible recently using next-generation massively-parallel sequencing technologies, providing unprecedented genetic information about cancer cells. In addition, refinements in class I HLA prediction algorithms, particularly NetMHCpan, have enabled the reliable prediction of peptide binding for a broad range of class I HLA alleles. Recent studies by us and others in humans and mice have leveraged these tools to demonstrate evidence of protective immunity when targeting tumor neoantigens. We have developed pipelines that leverage WES to systematically identify personal tumor mutations with immunogenic potential, which can be incorporated as antigen targets in a multi-epitope personalized therapeutic vaccine. We are pioneering this approach in a first-in-man clinical trial in melanoma. Citation Format: Catherine J. Wu. Fighting fire with fire: Developing a personalized neoantigen cancer vaccine. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy: A New Chapter; December 1-4, 2014; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2015;3(10 Suppl):Abstract nr IA18.
Abstract 306: Sympathetic Reinnervation is Required for Mammalian Cardiac Regeneration.

Rationale: Established animal models of limb and tissue regeneration with re-vascularization demonstrate a critical dependence on concurrent reinnervation by the peripheral nervous system. Objective: Considering the significant abundance of autonomic nerves in the mammalian heart we tested the hypothesis that reinnervation is required for neonatal mouse cardiac regeneration. Methods and Results: Crossing Wnt1:cre transgenic mice with a double-tandem (td) tomato reporter strain identifies all neural crest-derived cell lineages including the peripheral autonomic nerves in the heart. Whole mount epi-fluorescence microscopy facilitated the clear resolution of subepicardial autonomic nerves in the mouse ventricles providing unprecedented detail of the subepicardial neuroanatomy of the mouse heart. Sympathetic nerve bundles envelop the entire heart and extend to the tip of the ventricular apex. Our data demonstrate that during regeneration of the resected ventricular apex of the neonatal mouse heart, sympathetic nerves fibers undergo concurrent re-growth into the injury site resulting in complete sympathetic reinnervation of the regenerated tissue. Sympathectomy of the heart, induced by administration of 6-OHDA, was sufficient to block innate cardiac regeneration in the neonatal mouse. Conclusions: We report that the innate ability of the neonatal mouse heart to undergo regeneration in response to injury is dependent on sympathetic innervation of the ventricular myocardium. Ablation of post-ganglionic sympathetic nerves blocks the innate regenerative capacity of neonatal mouse hearts suggesting that sympathetic reinnervation is critical for ventricular regeneration. This finding has significant implications for adult regeneration following myocardial infarction where nerve growth is hindered by age related influences and scar tissue.
Abstract 2264: Telomere biology gene methylation and cancer risk

Background: Telomeres maintain genomic stability and regulate cellular senescence. Numerous studies have examined blood telomere length (BTL) and cancer risk, including our own which previously identified a dynamic relationship between BTL and cancer risk over time: Relative to subjects who remained cancer-free, those who later developed cancer experienced accelerated telomere shortening until 3-4 years prior to cancer diagnosis/censoring, at which point BTL in the incident cancer group stabilized. Other studies have suggested that cancer cells are able to hijack telomere maintenance mechanisms (e.g., telomerase) in order to circumvent the Hayflick limit, which will otherwise induce senescence and limit cancer cells’ ability to multiply. As DNA methylation dysregulation is a known epigenetic hallmark of cancer, our objective was to understand whether DNA methylation of telomere biology genes is associated with cancer risk and BTL. Methods: We studied 915 blood measurements from 491 subjects in the Normative Aging Study taken between 1999 and 2013, who were cancer free in 1999 and randomly selected for whole-epigenome DNA methylation profiling using the Illumina 450K BeadChip array. Among these subjects, 125 cases developed cancer and 366 controls remained cancer free for our entire follow up (median 10.1 years). Our analysis focused on 2,731 CpG sites on 142 genes related to telomere length maintenance. We used linear models to identify CpGs differentially methylated by cancer status at the first blood draw only, followed by mixed models using our full data to determine the final CpG sites of interest for Cox models of cancer risk, and another set of mixed models to compare trajectories over time of methylation in cancer patients vs. controls. Finally an additional mixed model explored the temporal relationship between methylation measured at the first visit and BTL measured at the second visit. Results: Our screening identified 167 CpG sites, 10 of which were associated with time-dependent cancer risk at FDR Conclusion: These findings suggest that methylation changes in telomere maintenance genes may be a mechanism by which cancer cells alter telomere length, thus undermining genomic stability and protecting cancer cells from senescence. Future studies should confirm these findings, and explore these CpG sites and genes as potential early detection biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Citation Format: Brian T. Joyce, Yang Li, Yinan Zheng, Lei Liu, Hushan Yang, Chad Achenbach, Pantel Vokonas, Joel Schwartz, Andrea Baccarelli, Lifang Hou. Telomere biology gene methylation and cancer risk [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2264. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2264
Clinical Track Program Expansion Increases Rotation Capacity for Experiential Program.

Objective. To evaluate the rotation capacity at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and see if the implementation of clinical track programs across the state correlates to an increase in rotation capacity for the school.Methods. The following information was collected: number of preceptors over the years in the school’s experiential learning program, number of clinical track programs from 2012 to 2015, rotation type, availability submissions per rotation type per year, and availability submissions per hospital participant in the clinical track program per year. The rotation capacity and rotation types from 2012 to 2015 academic years were assessed and compared to see if there was any impact on the clinical track programs implemented.Results. There was no statistically significant difference in the frequency distribution of rotation types among all sites from 2012 through 2015 academic years. However, there was a statistically significant difference in the total number/capacity of rotations from ...
Complications and Mortality Following Total Hip Arthroplasty in the Octogenarians: An Analysis of a National Database.

Abstract Background As advances in medicine have increased life expectancy, more octogenarians are undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) than ever before. Concerns exist, however, about the safety of performing this elective procedure in this age group. The purpose of this study is to determine the 30-day complications associated with THA patients over 80 years of age and to identify high-risk patients. Methods We queried the American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database for all patients who underwent primary THA from 2011 to 2014. Demographic variables, medical comorbidities, and 30-day complication, readmission, and reoperation rates were compared between patients under vs over 80 years of age. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was then performed to identify independent risk factors of poor short-term outcomes. Results Of the total 66,839 patients who underwent THA, 7198 (11%) patients were 80 years of age or older. Octogenarians had a higher overall complication rate (29% vs 15%, P Conclusion THA in patients older than 80 years old are at an increased risk of complications and mortality. Octogenarian patients should be counseled on their risk profile, particularly those with malnutrition and chronic kidney disease.
Autoethnography as Object-Oriented Method

On my desk sits the well-worn stapler I smuggled in an old printer paper box from my last job. “This is MY stapler,” I thought as I tucked it into a back corner of one of the non-descript boxes that lined my office wall. The dull black paint is worn away where the space between my thumb and pointer finger holds it. It’s not like the new one that sits in my desk drawer; this one is a well-oiled relic from the past that moves smoothly and requires very little attention.
Trowels and Tribulations: Review of Antimicrobial-Impregnated Bone Cements in Prosthetic Joint Surgery

Antimicrobial-impregnated bone cement (AIBC) is a staple of contemporary orthopedic surgery and has been used to either treat or prevent prosthetic joint infection. Applied intraoperatively during primary arthroplasty or prosthetic joint exchange, this drug-delivery vehicle has become a popular means of maximizing drug concentrations within a joint space while minimizing systemic exposure. Antimicrobial characteristics conducive to cement loading include availability of a crystalline powder formulation, molecular characteristics, minimal impact on cement integrity, and other variables promoting drug elution. Antimicrobials most commonly incorporated into cements are vancomycin and aminoglycosides, usually in combination due to synergistic antibacterial activity and enhanced cement elution. Other classes include the β-lactams, lipopeptides, oxazolidinones, and antifungals. With the exception of several commercially available AIBCs, most products are compounded extemporaneously without a formal safety or efficacy assessment. Few randomized controlled trials have been conducted to assess the benefit or optimal use of these cement preparations, and variable methodology renders cross-study comparison challenging. Given the lack of standardization and multidisciplinary oversight often seen with practical AIBC use, additional data are needed. This review presents information intended to guide AIBC preparation, selection, dosing, and safe use. In addition, opportunities for best practice development, antimicrobial stewardship, and future research are discussed.
Disability Access and the Federal Communications Commission

Biography: Karen Peltz Strauss is the Deputy Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where she helps to oversee implementation of the Commission's disability policies.
Examining the Effectiveness of Forward Collision Warnings for Drowsy Drivers

Forward collision warnings (FCW) offer the potential to reduce frontal crashes by alerting drivers and are becoming standard in vehicles. These systems are largely intended to alert distracted drivers, but a pending question is the efficacy of FCW alerts for other types of impairment that might slow reaction time. To that end, this study examined the effectiveness of auditory and haptic FCW for drowsy drivers using a high-fidelity motion-base driving simulator. Overall, there was no evidence of that FCWs altered the response behavior of drowsy drivers relative to a group of drowsy drivers that did not receive a warning. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for design of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and driver state monitoring.
Materials for surgical use

Surgeons have been more successful in reconstructing or replacing hard tissues, that is bone and teeth, than soft tissue. Metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites are commonly used in reconstructive surgery of the bones of the cranial and maxillofacial regions. Metals are often used for devices such as rods, pins, screws, sutures, and bone plates. Ceramic hydroxy apatite has been extensively used for alveolar-ridge augmentation in atrophic mandibles and maxillae and/or small contour defects of facial bones, for example the molar bone and the chin.
Water-soluble upper GI based on clinical findings is reliable to detect anastomotic leaks after laparoscopic gastric bypass.

Anastomotic leak after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LGB) is a major complication that must be recognized and treated early for best results. There is controversy in the literature regarding the reliability of upper GI series (UGI) in diagnosing leaks. LGB was performed in patients meeting NIH criteria for the surgical treatment of morbid obesity. All leaks identified at the time of surgery were repaired with suture and retested. Drains were placed at the surgeon's discretion. Postoperatively, UGI was performed by an experienced radiologist if there was a clinical suspicion of leak. From September 2001 until October 2004, a total of 553 patients (age 40.4 ± 9.2 years, BMI 48.6 ± 7.2) underwent LGB at UAB. Seventy-eight per cent (431 of 553) of patients had no clinical evidence suggesting anastomotic leak and were managed expectantly. Twenty-two per cent (122 of 553) of patients met at least one inclusion criteria for leak and underwent UGI. Four of 122 patients (3.2%) had a leak, two from anastomosis and two from the perforation of the stapled end of the Roux limb. No patient returned to the operating room without a positive UGI. High clinical suspicion and selectively performed UGI based on clinical evidence is reliable in detecting leaks.
Recommendations and Conclusions

As Gifford contends, decision makers need a mechanism to assist in making difficult decisions regarding the allocation of opportunity. It is suggested herein that a special form of impact analysis be used to extract, and make more explicit, the powerful tensions inherent in the implicit intelligence policy behind explicit college admissions and other policies. Although this mechanism will not necessarily resolve the many difficulties of opportunity allocation, it will force the specification, even illumination, of the biases that drive policy and its outcome. Greater control over the effects of these biases should result.
Good and bad banking on Europe’s periphery: pathways to catching up and falling behind

AbstractThe research question here is two-fold. The article seeks to explain why bank performance varied so dramatically during and after the financial crisis on Europe’s periphery, both across states and also at times within them. The dependent variable used is bank performance in terms of credit provision and banks’ contribution to financial stability. The independent variable used is the particular mix at play between political/social purpose (the various forms of which are detailed below) and what is called ‘market authority’, which refers to the importance of market incentives, signals and pricing within a particular financial ‘ecosystem’. The second, related research question is why bank behaviour contributes to economic catching up and adjustment in some countries, but sets back others.
Cognitive Control in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Proactive Control Adjustments or Consistent Performance?

Cognitive control is often parsed into proactive and reactive control components. In proactive control, task- and goal-relevant information is utilized in a top-down manner to improve performance, while reactive control is a late-response corrective mechanism that occurs after conflict or errors. We tested whether people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) would show specific proactive control dysfunction in 31 individuals with OCD and 30 psychiatrically-healthy controls. We employed two tasks that differentiate proactive and reactive cognitive control processes: the cued-Stroop and the AX version of a continuous performance task (AX-CPT). There was a 1s or 5s delay between the cue and probe for both tasks to allow for implementation of proactive control processes. Participants also completed a neuropsychological test battery and mood and symptom severity self-report questionnaires. Although there were group-level differences in OCD severity and depression/anxiety symptoms, there were no significant differences in response times (RT) and error rates between groups for delay or condition for the cued-Stroop or for the AX-CPT, indicating similar performance in implementing proactive control strategies. There were also no significant differences between OCD and control participants on neuropsychological test performance. Results suggest a convergence of evidence wherein individuals with OCD are not showing disproportionately altered proactive control abilities.
Heavy and binge alcohol drinking and parenting status in the United States from 2006 to 2018: An analysis of nationally representative cross-sectional surveys.

BACKGROUND: Binge and heavy drinking are preventable causes of mortality and morbidity. Alcohol consumption by women who parent is damaging to child health, and it is concerning that women in the United States in their reproductive years have experienced increased drinking over the past decade. Although media attention has focused on the drinking status of women who are child-rearing, it remains unclear whether binge and heavy drinking vary by parenting status and sex. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We examined national trends in binge drinking, defined as 5 or more drinks in a single day for men and 4 or more drinks for women, and heavy drinking, defined as 60 or more days with binge episodes in a year. We used survey-weighted logistic regression from the 2006-2018 waves of the cross-sectional National Health Interview Survey (NHIS, N = 239,944 eligible respondents) to study time trends in drinking outcomes by sex, age, and parenting status. Binge drinking increased for both sexes in nearly all age groups, with the largest increase among women ages 30-44 without children (from 21% reporting binge drinking in 2006 to 42% in 2018); the exception was young men (ages 18-29) with children, among whom binge drinking declined. By 2012, the prevalence of binge drinking among young men with children (38.5%) declined to below that of young women without children (39.2%) and stayed lower thereafter. Despite widespread increases in binge drinking, heavy drinking declined or remained stable for all groups except older women (ages 45-55) without children (odds ratio [OR] for heavy drinking each year = 1.06, 95% CI 1.02-1.10) and women ages 30-44, regardless of parenting status. For binge drinking outcomes only, we saw evidence of interaction in drinking trends by parenting status, but this was shown to be confounded by sex and age. Men and women with children reported consistently lower levels of drinking than those without children. Rates of abstention mirrored trends in binge outcomes for both sexes, limiting concerns about invariance. Study limitations include self-reported data and measurement invariance in binge drinking cutoffs across study years. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that trends in binge and heavy drinking over time were not differential by parenting status for women; rather, declines and increases over time were mainly attributable to sex and age. Women both with and without children are increasing binge and heavy drinking; men, regardless of parenting status, and women without children consumed more alcohol than women with children. Regardless of impact on child health, increased drinking rates in the past decade are concerning for adult morbidity and mortality: binge drinking has increased among both sexes, and heavy drinking has increased among older women. Men and women of all ages and parenting status should be screened for heavy alcohol use and referred to specialty care as appropriate.
DNA helicases and their roles in cancer

DNA helicases, known for their fundamentally important roles in genomic stability, are high profile players in cancer. Not only are there monogenic helicase disorders with a strong disposition to cancer, it is well appreciated that helicase variants are associated with specific cancers (e.g., breast cancer). Flipping the coin, DNA helicases are frequently overexpressed in cancerous tissues and reduction in helicase gene expression results in reduced proliferation and growth capacity, as well as DNA damage induction and apoptosis of cancer cells. The seminal roles of helicases in the DNA damage and replication stress responses, as well as DNA repair pathways, validate their vital importance in cancer biology and suggest their potential values as targets in anti-cancer therapy. In recent years, many laboratories have characterized the specialized roles of helicase to resolve transcription-replication conflicts, maintain telomeres, mediate cell cycle checkpoints, remodel stalled replication forks, and regulate transcription. In vivo models, particularly mice, have been used to interrogate helicase function and serve as a bridge for preclinical studies that may lead to novel therapeutic approaches. In this review, we will summarize our current knowledge of DNA helicases and their roles in cancer, emphasizing the latest developments.
Potential consumer exposure to respirable particles and TiO2 due to the use of eyebrow powders

Background Cosmetic powders contain numerous components, including titanium dioxide (TiO2), which is classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B). However, little is known about potential inhalation exposures to particles that are released during cosmetic powder applications. Methods We realistically simulated the application of five different eyebrow powders using a mannequin and then determined concentrations of total suspended particles (TSP), PM10, and PM4 fractions of particles that would be inhaled during powder application. We determined the size and shape of particles in the original powders and released particles, as well as their TiO2 concentrations and Ti content of individual particles. Results The application of eyebrow powders resulted in the release and inhalation of airborne particles at concentrations ranging from 21.2 to 277.3 µg/m3, depending on the particle fraction and the powder. The concentrations of TiO2 in PM4 and PM10 samples reached 2.7 µg/m3 and 9.3 µg/m3, respectively. The concentration of TiO2 in airborne particle fractions was proportional to the presence of TiO2 in the bulk powder. Conclusion The application of eyebrow powders results in user exposures to respirable PM4 and PM10 particles, including those containing TiO2. This information should be of interest to stakeholders concerned about inhalation exposure to TiO2.
Speaking with the Dead in Early America: by Erik R. Seeman, Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019, 344 pp., £32.00 (hardback), ISBN 9780812251531

In this study of deathways in early America, Erik R. Seeman offers a cultural and social history of Protestant communication with the dead before the advent of seance Spiritualism–one which careful...
Resonant Clock Synchronization With Active Silicon Interposer for Multi-Die Systems

This paper presents the integration of resonant clocking to multi-die architectures to synchronize individual chiplets connected through an active silicon interposer. The proposed inter-chiplet synchronization through the active silicon interposer rotary oscillator array (ASI-ROA) provides a unitary clock domain to the multiple die (i.e. multiple chiplets) in the package with a very low design overhead. System performance analysis is performed with parasitics-extracted, post-layout simulation models of two different sizes of representative heterogeneous multi-die architectures, each with varying number of RISC-V cores per die. Each RISC-V core of the multi-die package belongs to the unitary clock domain, designed with ASI-ROA to operate at a frequency of 2 GHz. The proposed architecture is investigated for robustness in frequency and skew across the multi-die system (MDS) with SPICE based simulations of post layout models, demonstrating variations of only 80 MHz for a 2 GHz target frequency. The power savings are upto 41% for the overall MDS, compared to an equivalent implementation with a contemporary ADPLL used to synchronize the multiple chiplets over the active interposer. The average clock skew of the completely resonant architecture presented in this work is 8.2 ps.
A Role for Mating in Cryptococcal Virulence

This chapter discusses the effect of mating type, pheromone signaling, spore production, and ploidy on cryptococcal virulence. Cryptococcus may have the most unusual mating-type locus (MAT) of all the human-pathogenic fungi. The majority of basidiomycetous fungi have tetrapolar mating systems with two unlinked pheromone and sex-determining loci in which strains must differ at both loci for mating to succeed. In Cryptococcus, two traditional mating loci appear to have fused to generate one very large mating-type (MAT) locus that contains not only the sex-determining homeodomain transcription factors, pheromones, and pheromone receptors, but also genes from many other functional categories including several essential genes. The role of mating type in pathogenicity of C. neoformans var. grubii has been further characterized by examining the colonization of various organs by the KN99α/ α congenic strains in animal models. When infected individually, both mating types accumulate equivalently in all organs examined at early, intermediate, and late stages of the infection. While sexual recombination disrupts accumulation of deleterious mutations by reducing linkage, it can also disrupt the accumulation of beneficial mutations.
Tetrahydropterin Oxidation without Hydroxylation Catalyzed by Rat Liver Phenylalanine Hydroxylase

Abstract In the presence of lysolecithin or α-chymotrypsin, rat liver phenylalanine hydroxylase catalyzes the p-tyrosine-dependent oxidation of tetrahydropterin. p-Tyrosine is not hydroxylated during this reaction. Thus, tetrahydropterin oxidation occurs in the absence of hydroxylation of the substrate. For each equivalent of TPNH (or tetrahydropterin) oxidized, 1 equivalent of oxygen is reduced to hydrogen peroxide. Therefore, in the presence of lysolecithin or α-chymotrypsin and p-tyrosine, phenylalanine hydroxylase functions as a tetrahydropterin oxidase.
Nucleolar disruption and apoptosis are distinct neuronal responses to etoposide-induced DNA damage

Although DNA damaging topoisomerase inhibitors induce apoptosis in developing neurons, their effects on adult neurons have not yet been characterized. We report a blockage of RNA-Polymerase-1-driven transcription and nucleolar stress in neocortical neurons of adult rats after intracarotid injection of the DNA-topoisomerase-2 inhibitor, etoposide. Intracerebroventricular injection of etoposide induced a similar response in neonatal rats. In contrast, etoposide triggered neuronal apoptosis in the neonates, but not the adults. Nucleolar disruption and apoptosis were also observed in etoposide-challenged cultured cortical neurons from newborn rats. In that system, activation of the DNA double strand break signaling kinase ataxia telangiectasia-mutated protein kinase, p53 and p53-dependent apoptosis required lower etoposide concentrations than did the p53-independent induction of nucleolar stress. These distinct responses may be coupled to different forms of etoposide-induced DNA damage. Indeed, double strand breaks by the over-expressed endonuclease I-Ppo1 were sufficient to induce p53-dependent apoptosis. Moreover, nucleolar transcription was insensitive to such damage implying single strand breaks and/or topoisomerase-2-DNA adducts as triggers of nucleolar stress. Because nucleolar stress is not age-restricted, it may underlie non-apoptotic neurotoxicity of chemotherapy- or neurodegeneration-associated DNA damage by reducing ribosomal biogenesis in adult brain. Conversely, nucleolar insensitivity to double strand breaks likely contributes to mature neuron tolerance of such lesions.
Design of an adaptive architecture for energy efficient wireless image communication

With the projected significant growth in mobile internet and multimedia services, there is a strong demand for next-generation wireless appliances capable of image communication. However, wireless image communication faces significant bottlenecks including high energy and bandwidth consumption. Past studies have shown that the bottlenecks to wireless image communication can be overcome by developing adaptive image compression algorithms and dynamically adapting them to current channel conditions and service requirements [1,2].In this paper, we present the design of an adaptive hardware/software architecture that enables adaptive wireless image communication. Through intelligent co-design of the proposed architecture and algorithms, we achieve an architecture which enables not only power and performance efficient implementation, but also fast and efficient run-time adaptation of image compression parameters. To achieve efficient image compression and run-time adaptation, we characterized the adaptation needs of an adaptive image compression algorithm in terms of parameters, and implemented an adaptive hardware/software architecture capable of executing JPEC image compression with different parameters. We present experimental results demonstrating that the proposed architecture enables low overhead adaptation to current wireless conditions and requirements while implementing a low cost (energy and performance) implementation of adaptive image compression algorithms.
The helminthosporoside-binding protein of sugarcane. Its properties and relationship to susceptibility to the eye spot disease.

Abstract Clones of sugarcane susceptible to the eyespot disease caused by Helminthosporium sacchari possess a membrane protein that binds helminthosporoside, the host-specific toxin produced by this fungus pathogen (Steiner, G. W., and Strobel, G. A. (1971) J. Biol. Chem. 246, 4350). Membrane preparations from clones resistant to the toxin do not possess binding activity. Clones that are slightly affected by the toxin, likewise possess only an intermediate amount of toxin-binding activity. That the binding of the toxin to membranes occurs in vivo in susceptible clones and not resistant ones was established by labeling experiments. Furthermore, treatment of leaves with one of any number of α-galactosides inhibits symptom expression in them after application of the toxin. These same α-galactosides also lower the amount of binding of helminthosporoside by membrane preparations. The binding protein was purified from Triton X-100-treated membrane preparations of the susceptible clone 51 NG 97. The protein has a molecular weight of about 49,000 as determined by gel electrophoresis and 45,000 by gel filtration. It consists of four subunits each with a molecular weight of about 11,700. It has a Km in the order of 10-5, at least two binding sites for helminthosporoside, and its amino acid composition and isoelectric point have been established.
Integrating ocean acoustic propagation models and marine mammal auditory models

In responding to concerns about the potential impact of active sonar systems on marine mammals, the US Navy has initiated a research and development program to study the effects of sound on the marine environment (EMSE). As part of the ESME effort, the Naval Research Laboratory is developing a workbench for integrating the diverse software modules under development by other ESME researchers. This workbench models the complete sound propagation path: from the source, through the medium, and to the biosensor system. It allows researchers to explore different scenarios for the interaction between sonar, the marine environment, and marine mammals. There are several issues in building such a workbench. First, the Temporary Threshold Shift (TTS) data for marine mammals are very limited. Both behavioral and physiological models for estimating the TTS for marine mammals as a function of auditory exposure are still in their early stages of development. Second, developing an ocean acoustic propagation model that can produce accurate sound field estimations in shallow water environments is still a challenge. Third, collecting accurate oceanographic data directly such as sound speed profiles, sea floor properties, and bathymetric data is very expensive. The accuracy of oceanographic data directly affects the outcome of an ocean acoustics propagation model. As more and more experimental data are collected, the TTS estimation models for marine mammal auditory systems and the ocean acoustic propagation models will both improve. Furthermore, the Navy has an ongoing effort to collect more accurate oceanographic data. To build a software system that can incorporate software components subject to modification, the components should be modular. Modular components may be easily replaced by improved components provided that the interfaces are clearly defined and stable. This paper describes the current state of this software workbench development effort and discusses the issues involved in integrating different software models developed independently for modeling different phenomena.
Comparative Study of Cultured Burkitt Tumor Cells by Immunofluorescence, Autoradiography, and Electron Microscopy

Abstract Cultured Burkitt cells were examined by immunofluorescence, autoradiography, and electron microscopy in an effort to identify the stainable cells with those harboring herpes-type virus particles. Immediately after a 2-hr pulse of 3H-thymidine, from 30 to 60% of the cells revealed heavy nuclear labeling. In most cases the grains were evenly dispersed, but in about 3 to 5% the grains showed a focal distribution and occasionally they extended into the cytoplasm. Such nuclear foci were rarely seen at 8 hr after the pulse. When the analysis was restricted to preselected immunofluorescent cells, up to 80% showed label at 8 hr and cytoplasmic grains were prominent. To reduce cellular deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis, cells were X-irradiated with 3,000 to 6,000 R, and the isotope pulse was applied 1, 4, or 7 days later. Whereas the total number of labeled cells decreased in roughly twofold steps at the respective intervals (from 40 to 10%), the incorporation of 3H-thymidine into fluorescent cells was not affected by X irradiation. In each series, about 70% of the fluorescent cells contained label when they were examined at 24 and 48 hr after the pulse, whereas at 8 and 72 hr fewer were positive. At the earlier intervals, unlabeled fluorescent cells most likely represented cells which had completed viral DNA synthesis prior to the pulse; at the later intervals, unlabeled fluorescent cells were probably cells which commenced viral replication after the pulse. These data support the conclusion that the immunofluorescent cells are the ones which harbor virus, and also confirm the expectation that the virus is a DNA virus from a member of the herpes group. This conclusion was firmly established by sectioning and electron microscopic examination of individual fluorescent cells, all of which contained numerous virus particles, whereas the nonstained cells prepared in a similar manner were free of them.
Acritarchs: proterozoic and paleozoic enigmatic organic-walled microfossils

Acritarchs are organic-walled cysts of unicellular protists that cannot be assigned to any known group of organisms. Most acritarchs are probably the resting cysts of marine eukaryotic phytoplankton. Some acritarchs are thought to be dinoflagellate cysts but lack the requisite morphology to make a positive attribution. Others, however, can be confidently assigned to the chlorophytes (green algae), but for convenience, are still commonly included in the acritarchs. Thus, acritarchs are a heterogeneous, polyphyletic collection of organic-walled microfossils of unknown or uncertain origin. Acritarchs vary in size from < 10 microns to more than 1 mm, but the majority of species range from 15 to 80 microns. Because of their small size, abundance and diversity, as well as widespread distribution, acritarchs are very useful in biostratigraphic correlation, as well as paleobiogeographic and paleoenvironmental studies. Acritarchs are found throughout the geologic column but were most common during the Late Proterozoic and Paleozoic. Because they represent the fossil record of the base of the marine food chain during the Proterozoic and Paleozoic, acritarchs played an important role in the evolution of the global marine ecosystem.