cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Formal Comments on Reg-102837-15, Guidance Under Section 529A Qualified ABLE Programs

In December of 2014, Congress passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (the ABLE Act), which enacted Section 529A of the Internal Revenue Code. Section 529A allows states to create savings programs for individuals with disabilities. These programs, modeled on section 529 college savings programs, would permit eligible individuals with disabilities to open tax preferred savings accounts for coverage of disability-related expenses. Contributions to, earnings of, and qualified distributions from, these accounts are not counted as assets for the purpose of determining eligibility for government programs such as Medicaid. These formal comments on proposed Treasury Regulations under section 529A propose ways in which the Treasury could bring its final regulations into greater conformity with Congress's stated purposes for enacting the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act: to facilitate private saving so that individuals with disabilities can maintain health, independence, and quality of life, and to provide secure funding for disability-related expenses. Specifically, these formal comments seek to clarify the impact of the flush language of Section 529A(b)(2) on account contribution limits. They also urge the Treasury to reconsider its application of LIFO principles of accounting to the disgorgement of excess contributions. Finally, the comments urge the Treasury to withdraw a proposed safe harbor that would permit states to cut off contributions to an ABLE account before the statutory aggregate contribution limit for the account has been reached.
Assessment of Developmental Progress Using an Objective Structured Clinical Examination-Simulation Hybrid Examination for Obstetrics and Gynecology Residents.

Objective The Test of Integrated Professional Skills (TIPS) is an objective structured clinical examination-simulation hybrid examination that assesses resident integration of technical, cognitive, and affective skills in Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) residents. The aim of this study was to analyze performance patterns and reactions of residents to the test to understand how it may fit within a comprehensive assessment program. Design A retrospective, mixed methods review of the design and implementation of the examination, patterns of performance of trainees at different levels of training, focus group data, and description of use of TIPS results for resident remediation and curriculum development. Setting OBGYN residents at New York University Langone Medical Center, a tertiary-care, urban academic health center. Participants OBGYN residents in all years of training, postgraduate year-1 through postgraduate year, all residents completing the TIPS examination and consenting to participate in focus groups were included. Results In all, 24 residents completed the TIPS examination. Performance on the examination varied widely among individuals at each stage of training, and did not follow developmental trends, except for technical skills. Cronbach α for both standardized patient and faculty ratings ranged from 0.69 to 0.84, suggesting internal consistency. Focus group results indicated that residents respond to the TIPS examination in complex ways, ranging from anxiety about performance to mixed feelings about how to use the data for their learning. Conclusion TIPS assesses a range of attributes, and can support both formative and summative evaluation. Lack of clear developmental differences and wide variation in performance by learners at the same level of training support the argument for individualized learning plans and competency-based education.
Does Barbed Suture Repair Negate the Benefit of Peripheral Repair in Porcine Flexor Tendon

Background: Advances in suture material and geometry have fueled interest in barbed suture tenorrhaphy. Theoretically, barbed suture allows better load distribution, smoother gliding under pulleys, and improved tendon blood flow. Minimal data exist on whether barbed tendon repair may benefit from supplementation by a peripheral stitch. The purpose of this study is to determine whether peripheral suture repair increases gap resistance in both conventional and barbed core repairs, increases maximum tensile strength, and fails before or after the core repair. Methods: Porcine flexor tendons were harvested and assigned randomly into 4 groups of 10 of varying suture constructs (3-0 PDS™ or 3-0 V-Loc 180™ core with or without peripheral 5-0 Vicryl™ repair). Core repairs were performed using a modified 4-strand cruciate repair. A servohydrolic tester was used for biomechanical testing of linear 2-mm gap resistance and maximum tensile strength. Results: Peripheral repair improved 2-mm gap resistance in all repairs, regardless of core suture type, conventional (173% increase) or barbed (204% increase). No change in the maximum tensile strength was found in either core suture type with peripheral repair. Peripheral repairs always failed before core repairs, at a significantly higher load of 74.2 ± 20.4 N in barbed versus 57.8 ± 12.2 N (P = .04) in conventional core repairs. Conclusions: The addition of peripheral repair improved gap resistance but not ultimate tensile strength in both conventional and barbed flexor tendon repairs in linear testing. The 4-strand cruciate flexor tendon repairs using barbed suture may require peripheral repair to withstand physiologic loads, as core repair alone using barbed suture was insufficient.
Synthesis and Structure of Zwitterionic Silylborates and Silylzincates with Pendant Polydonor Arms

The synthesis and structure of well-defined zinc- and potassium-containing heterobimetallic zwitterions that have pendant polydonor arms is reported. The zwitterionic complexes [Me2ZnSi(SiMe2OCH2CH2OMe)3Li] (Li-2), [Cl2ZnSi(SiMe2OCH2CH2OMe)3K] (K-3), and [I2ZnSi(SiMe2OCH2CH2OMe)3K] (K-4) were prepared from reactions of [Si(SiMe2OCH2CH2OMe)3M] (M = Li, K) (M-1) with ZnCl2, ZnI2, and ZnMe2, respectively. Reaction of K-1 with B(C6F5)3 gave the potassium silyl borate [(C6F5)3BSi(SiMe2OCH2CH2OMe)3K] (K-5) in 90% yield. Treatment of 2 equiv of K-1 with ZnCl2 afforded the nonzwitterionic zinc silanide Zn(Si(SiMe2OCH2CH2OMe)3)2 (6), as a liquid, which upon treatment with 1 equiv of ZnMe2 and 4 equiv of B(C6F5)3 could be converted into the zwitterionic zinc silyl borate [(C6F5)3BSi(SiMe2OCH2CH2OMe)3Zn][MeB(C6F5)3] (7). The structures of the zwitterionic complexes K-4, K-5, and 7 were determined by X-ray crystallography.
The effects of haloperidol on ouabain cardiac inotropy and toxicity.

SummaryHaloperidol, a dopamine blocking agent, has been shown to be effective in preventing and reversing ouabain toxicity in vitro and in vivo without inhibiting its inotropic action. Haloperidol may be useful experimentally in studying digitalis action and clinically in treating digitalis toxicity. Dopamine may play an important role in cardiac chronotrophism and ouabain toxicity.
Acute insertion effects of penetrating cortical microelectrodes imaged with quantitative optical coherence angiography.

The vascular response during cortical microelectrode insertion was measured with amplitude decorrelation-based quantitative optical coherence angiography (OCA). Four different shank-style microelectrode configurations were inserted in murine motor cortex beneath a surgically implanted window in discrete steps while OCA images were collected and processed for angiography and flowmetry. Quantitative measurements included tissue displacement (measured by optical flow), perfused capillary density, and capillary flow velocity. The primary effect of insertion was mechanical perturbation, the effects of which included tissue displacement, arteriolar rupture, and compression of a branch of the anterior cerebral artery causing a global decrease in flow. Other effects observed included local flow drop-out in the region immediately surrounding the microelectrode. The mean basal capillary network velocity for all animals was 0.23 (±0.05 SD) and 0.18 (±0.07 SD) mm/s for capillaries from 100 to 300 μm and 300 to 500 μm, respectively. Upon insertion, the 2-shank electrode arrays caused a decrease in capillary flow density and velocity, while the results from other configurations were not different from controls. The proximity to large vessels appears to play a larger role than the array configuration. These results can guide neurosurgeons and electrode designers to minimize trauma and ischemia during microelectrode insertion.
Fault diagnosis to gears based on continuous wavelet coefficients plot

Continuous wavelet coefficients plot was used to analyze the vibrating signals of gears to distinguish the impacting fault.And the nicety of the result was validated by the power spectrum estimate using the eigenvectors method.The analyses show that the wavelet's capability of multi-resolution could distinctly recognize the impact components in signals.From this,whether the gears were in normal or fault states could be judged.Besides this,the time when the impact happened was embodied in the plots,which is very helpful to find the source of fault and so perform the accurate diagnosis.
Study on method of diagnosis transformer fault by analyzing characteristic metal in transformer oil with spectrum

The paper discussed the application of characteristic metal spectral analysis technology to trans-former fault diagnosis and proposed a method that using characteristic metal's spectrum diagnoses transformer faults and position-setting,which can accurately diagnose transformer's faults by verifying the results of charac-teristic metal spectral analysis with one of gas dissolved in oil.
Transport Processes, Relaxation, and Glass Formation in Hydrogen-Bonded Liquids

The phenomenon of high viscosity and glass formation in supercooling hydrogen-bonded liquids is compared with that in other liquids, and peculiarities which may be associated with the presence of the specific hydrogen-bonding interaction are singled out. In the first part of the paper, these are discussed in the context of “strength” and “fragility” in liquids and linked to specific features of the topology of the potential energy hypersurfaces for such liquids. In the second part, a higher level of complexity in the behavior of certain hydrogen-bonding liquids, such as the normal alcohols and water is discussed and interpreted in terms of hydrogen bond-driven cluster formation. Large clusters of water molecules formed spontaneously in microemulsion systems are then examined spectroscopically to distinguish surface from bulk hydrogen bonds. Finally, the role of hydrogen bonding and glass formation in preservation of life in simple organisms under hostile conditions is briefly examined.
The Reader’s Share in the Narrative Events of Religion and Literature

This study intends to undertake questions of narrative in modern literary texts by engaging the interdisciplinary field of religion and literature. In so doing, the work reflects recent developments in literary theory, especially those emanating from discussions of reader-response criticism and hermeneutics. I wish to look at certain of those works, as J Hillis Miller recently put it, ‘which disrupt the minds of their readers and shape them anew’.4
Intimately Biased: Creating Purposeful Research in American Indian Education with Appropriate and Authentic Methodology

Western scholarship about Native peoples continues to dominate published works, academic departments, and projects directed from within universities and research institutions across the United States. It is clear that Western scholars have a defined purpose and research agenda. But the articulated purposes are distinct from what contemporary Native researchers and communities are proposing. I argue in this chapter that (1) all research is purposeful, and (2) purposeful research in American Indian education must be matched with appropriate and authentic research methodologies that respond uniquely to Native-defined purposes and needs.
Asynchronous implicit backward Euler integration

In standard deformable object simulation in computer animation, all the mesh elements or vertices are timestepped synchronously, i.e., under the same timestep. Previous asynchronous methods have been largely limited to explicit integration. We demonstrate how to perform spatially-varying timesteps for the widely popular implicit backward Euler integrator. Spatially-varying timesteps are useful when the object exhibits spatially-varying material properties such as Young's modulus or mass density. In synchronous simulation, a region with a high stiffness (or low mass density) will force a small timestep for the entire mesh, at a great computational cost, or else, the motion in the stiff (or low mass density) region will be artificially damped and inaccurate. Our method can assign smaller timesteps to stiffer (or lighter) regions, which makes it possible to properly resolve (sample) the high-frequency deformable dynamics arising from the stiff (or light) materials, resulting in greater accuracy and less artificial damping. Because soft (or heavy) regions can continue using a large timestep, our method provides a significantly higher accuracy under a fixed computational budget.
Repeated restraint stress exposure during early withdrawal accelerates incubation of cue-induced cocaine craving

A major challenge for treating cocaine addiction is the propensity for abstinent users to relapse. Two important triggers for relapse are cues associated with prior drug use and stressful life events. To study their interaction in promoting relapse during abstinence, we used the incubation model of craving and relapse in which cue-induced drug seeking progressively intensifies (‘incubates’) during withdrawal from extended-access cocaine self-administration. We tested rats for cue-induced cocaine seeking on withdrawal day (WD) 1. Rats were then subjected to repeated restraint stress or control conditions (seven sessions held between WD6 and WD14). All rats were tested again for cue-induced cocaine seeking on WD15, 1 day after the last stress or control session. Although controls showed a time-dependent increase in cue-induced cocaine seeking (incubation), rats exposed to repeated stress in early withdrawal exhibited a more robust increase in seeking behavior between WD1 and WD15. In separate stressed and control rats, equivalent cocaine seeking was observed on WD48. These results indicate that repeated stress in early withdrawal accelerates incubation of cocaine craving, although craving plateaus at the same level were observed in controls. However, 1 month after the WD48 test, rats subjected to repeated stress in early withdrawal showed enhanced cue-induced cocaine seeking following acute (24 hours) food deprivation stress. Together, these data indicate that chronic stress exposure enhances the initial rate of incubation of craving during early withdrawal, resulting in increased vulnerability to cue-induced relapse during this period, and may lead to a persistent increase in vulnerability to the relapse-promoting effects of stress.
A Public Health of Consequence: Review of the August 2017 Issue of AJPH.

An introduction is presented in which the authors discuss various reports within the journal on topics including a public health of consequence as of 2017, communication in public health, and several advances in the prevention and treatment of the HIV virus and the disease AIDS.
How to Save Your Skin When Processing L2 Idioms: An Eye Movement Analysis of Idiom Transparency and Cross-language Similarity among Bilinguals

The current study looks at whether bilinguals varying in language dominance show a processing advantage for idiomatic over non-idiomatic phrases and to what extent this effect is modulated by idiom transparency (i.e., the degree to which the idiom’s figurative meaning can be inferred from its literal analysis) and cross-language similarity (i.e., the extent to which an idiom has an identical translation equivalent in another language). An eye tracking experiment was conducted in which Spanish-English bilinguals were presented with literally plausible (i.e., idioms that can be interpreted both figuratively and literally) transparent (e.g., break the ice, where the figurative meaning can be deduced from analyzing the idiom literally) and opaque idioms (e.g., hit the sack, where the meaning cannot be inferred from idiom constituents). Idioms varied along the dimension of cross-language similarity, with half the idioms having word for word translation equivalents in English and Spanish and another half being different, that is, having no similar counterpart in another language. Each idiom was used either in its literal (e.g., get cold feet: become cold)or figurative meaning (e.g., get cold feet: become afraid). In control phrases the last word of the idiom was replaced by a carefully matched control (e.g., get cold hands). Reading measures (fixation count, first pass/gaze reading time and total reading time) revealed that cross-language similarity interacts in an important way with idiom transparency, such that opaque idioms were more difficult to process than transparent ones, and different transparent idioms took faster to process than similar transparent idioms. Results are discussed with regard to the holistic vs. compositional views of idiom storage and the role of activated L1 (first language) knowledge in the course of L2 (second language) figurative processing.
Toward a Stress Analysis in the Heart

In this chapter, we briefly discuss the continuum mechanics approach to determining biomechanical constitutive relations and performing stress analyses, with particular emphasis on applications to the noncontracting heart. Examples taken from our own work illustrate possible avenues toward the eventual goal of estimating mechanical stresses in the heart and using this information to understand better certain aspects of cardiac mechanics.
Synaptic Dialogue: Substrate for Protein-Synthesis-Independent Long-Term Memory

The present article makes three points concerning the mechanism of long-lasting memory. First, such a mechanism requires 'synaptic dialogue', a term coined by Colley and Routtenberg (1993) to describe a model of ongoing, self-regenerating, autocatalytic, bi-directional communication between the two sides of the synapse (see Figure 1). Inherent in this model is an intrinsic positive feedback system providing the capacity to maintain the newly altered 'state of the synapse' for long periods of time. Because it is a positive feedback system, it is essential to incorporate well-known regulatory mechanisms, such as protein phosphatases and proteases intercellularly and synaptic inhibition intracellularly to prevent runaway activity. Second, the 'state of the synapse' is the sum of the regulated post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins already present at the synapse. PTMs vary considerably at the mechanistic level as they may involve, but are not limited to, protein phosphorylation, proteolysis, protein translocation or a polymerization reaction. Here we will focus on the protein phosphorylation mechanism with a further focus on protein kinase C (PKC) phosphorylation of preor postsynaptic substrates. The concatenation of these PTMs in each of the synaptic compartments represents the signaling system that is orchestrated to maintain the altered synaptic state. Third, the maintenance of long-lasting synaptic change does not require de novo protein synthesis as an instructive mechanism. The main event that prolongs synaptic change is the PTM of proteins already present at the preand post-synaptic sides. Protein synthesis serves to replenish these modified proteins but it is the PTM of synaptic proteins that serves the main instructive event for long-term memory storage. A critical analysis of the de novo protein synthesis model for long-term memory storage has recently been completed (Routtenberg and Rekart, 2005) and so will not be discussed further here.
INSIGHTS ON THE VOLTAGE-SENSITIVE SODIUM CHANNEL: THE BATRACHOTOXIN CONNECTION

ABSTRACT Batrachotoxin (BTX), the prototype of the so-called "lipid-soluble" class of Na+ channel neurotoxins, binds selectively to a single site on voltage-sensitive sodium channels of excitable membranes, causing the channels to open and remain open for extended times at normal resting membrane potentials. Direct ligand binding experiments using the tritiated derivative batrachotoxinin-A benzoate ([3H]BTX-B) show that the BTX site is coupled to at least five other distinct sodium channel ligand binding domains. The fluorescent derivative batrachotoxinin-A N-methylanthranilate (BTX-NMA) exhibits significant changes in fluorescence parameters upon binding specifically to the BTX site, suggesting that this site lies at the interface of protein and lipid. Resonance energy transfer measurements with this derivative have added to the demonstration that various allosterically-coupled toxin binding domains on the sodium channel are separated from each other by tens of Angstroms. Further insights into the nature of the BTX receptor are being developed with photoaffinity labeling approaches using the photoactivat-able and radioactive derivative batrachotoxinin-A O -azidobenzoate ([3H]BTX-B). These studies are also suggestive of a binding site at the interface of protein and lipid. The accumulated data thus describe a batrachotoxin "connection", as it were, that is impressively broad, extending functionally to all aspects of channel activity and physically to multiple domains of the channel protein and the membrane environment. Further studies of this key neurotoxin binding site will contribute to a better understanding of the voltage-sensitive sodium channel at the molecular level.
Enforcing Legal Norms Through Private Means

We ordinarily think of legal norms as not only established through public means, but also enforced through public means—typically by legislatures and courts, or by bodies authorized by law to produce and enforce such norms. That view of legal norms is, however, an incomplete one. Private actors of various stripes also produce norms that, directly or indirectly, exert binding effect. Modes of private law enforcement span a wide range, running from the most private, personal, and informal at one extreme, to the quite formal, on the other. Development of private modes of law enforcement relieves public authorities of carrying the full law enforcement burden. Yet, private law enforcers often work in tandem with public authorities, especially as we move along this spectrum I have identified. Either way, private law enforcement promotes the public good. However, private law enforcement is not an unmitigated good. Each mode of private law enforcement brings along with it a certain number of risks that must be acknowledged and addressed. Ironically, perhaps, these risks sometimes can only be properly addressed with a minimum of intervention of public authorities. In other words, public and private law enforcement are deeply mutually interdependent.
Salt elimination reactions do not always eliminate. Mechanistic study of the reaction of NdCl3 with sodium N,N-dimethylaminodiboranate

Abstract Treatment of neodymium trichloride (NdCl3) in tetrahydrofuran with 3 equiv of sodium N,N-dimethylaminodiboranate, Na[(H3B)2NMe2], which we will refer to as NaL, followed by solvent removal and extraction with pentane, affords a solution of the trisubstituted product NdL3(thf) in excellent yield. Although this transformation appears to be a straightforward salt metathesis/elimination reaction, the reaction mixture in thf surprisingly does not contain the ultimate NdL3(thf) product; instead the only aminodiboranate species present are the monosubstituted Nd compound NdLCl2(thf)3 and two equivalents of unreacted NaL. A series of 11B NMR experiments in thf show that the monosubstituted product is formed under thermodynamic control: elimination of the first equivalent of salt is thermodynamically downhill but the subsequent two salt elimination reactions are thermodynamically uphill. Consistent with this view, the salt elimination reactions are reversible: treatment of isolated samples of NdL3(thf) with NaCl in tetrahydrofuran generates the same NdLCl2(thf)3 monosubstituted product, along with two equivalents of the aminodiboranate salt NaL. The reversibility of the salt elimination reaction can be attributed to the solvation of the sodium cations by tetrahydrofuran, and the affinity of the Lewis acidic lanthanide centers for tetrahydrofuran and chloride relative to the aminodiboranate anion. The importance of the sodium-solvent and lanthanide-solvent interactions to the thermodynamics of salt elimination reactions is confirmed by the finding that the reaction of NdCl3(thf)2 with 3 equiv of NaL in diethyl ether proceeds – even in the reaction solution – to the fully substituted NdL3(thf) product.
The Influence of Time after Crushing for Cold In-Place Recycling on Compaction and Raveling:

Cold in-place recycling (CIR) mills existing bound pavement with a stabilizing agent to remove all surface distresses and some structural distresses. This research investigated the influence of ext...
Surveillance in a time of changing health care practices: estimating ectopic pregnancy incidence in the United States.

Objectives: Ectopic pregnancy is a common condition with significant health consequences; complications are a major cause of maternal mortality in the United States. Accurate ascertainment of the number of ectopic pregnancies occurring in the United States has been dramatically affected by changing medical practices, causing estimates based on hospital data to be falsely low. This study was performed to identify nationally representative data on ectopic pregnancies and determine overlap of these data, to calculate the annual weighted number of ectopic pregnancies and confidence intervals for these estimates, and to determine barriers to estimation of ectopic pregnancy incidence. Methods: To assess whether a national estimate of the incidence of ectopic pregnancy could be calculated, we analyzed 1992–99 data from the six nationally representative data sets that include information on ectopic pregnancy. We examined relevant data in each data set and assessed whether any combination of data sets could be used to estimate ectopic pregnancy incidence. We calculated weighted estimates and 95% confidence intervals for hospitalizations, outpatient surgeries, outpatient medical procedures, and physician visits for and self-reports of ectopic pregnancy. Results: Small sample sizes severely limited calculation of estimates of ectopic pregnancy. Data needed for assessing multiple counting was not available consistently. The likelihood of multiple counting of cases was substantial when data set counts were combined. Conclusions: A reliable incidence rate for ectopic pregnancy in the United States could not be estimated from existing nationally representative data sources. Major advances in diagnosis and treatment of ectopic pregnancy have affected surveillance in two ways: inpatient hospital treatment of ectopic pregnancy has decreased, and multiple health care visits for a single ectopic pregnancy have increased. Alternate means of surveillance are needed to improve understanding of risk factors and trends for ectopic pregnancy, and we recommend examination of the databases of public and private insurance systems and managed care systems. Similar alternate means of surveillance may be needed for other health conditions with comparable changes in management of care.
Molecular goniometers for single-particle cryo-EM of DNA-binding proteins

Correct reconstruction of macromolecular structure by cryo-electron microscopy relies on accurate determination of the orientation of single-particle images. For small (<100 kDa) DNA-binding proteins, obtaining particle images with sufficiently asymmetric features to correctly guide alignment is challenging. DNA nanotechnology was conceived as a potential tool for building host nanostructures to prescribe the locations and orientations of docked proteins. We used DNA origami to construct molecular goniometers--instruments to precisely orient objects--to dock a DNA-binding protein on a double-helix stage that has user-programmable tilt and rotation angles. Each protein orientation maps to a distinct barcode pattern specifying particle classification and angle assignment. We used goniometers to obtain a 6.5 [A] structure of BurrH, an 82-kDa DNA-binding protein whose helical pseudosymmetry prevents accurate image orientation using classical cryo-EM. Our approach should be adaptable for other DNA-binding proteins, and a wide variety of other small proteins, by fusing DNA binding domains to them.
Implementing LGBTQ curricula into health professions education

Abstract Despite substantial social advances for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals, significant health disparities remain. A contributor to these disparities arises, in part, from the fact that many LGBTQ individuals feel health-care providers have insufficient training to give appropriate care, which may stem from a lack of instruction and exposure in undergraduate medical education. Therefore these issues need to be integrated longitudinally into the medical curriculum. However, not all medical schools have the resources to implement large-scale comprehensive changes to address this need. This chapter describes the development and longitudinal implementation of LGBTQ health into preclerkship medical school education at one medical school. Curricular changes prepared students to care for LGBTQ patients by helping them understand the origin and nature of health disparities within the context of overall health and medicine. This education was provided in a culturally aware environment without the requirement of extensive educational resources. The resulting curriculum and implementation took several forms: (1) faculty-derived structured education, including cultural awareness, sexual history taking, and transgender health; (2) student-derived structured education as a series of cultural awareness forums; and (3) student-derived educational seminars and community outreach symposia. Several lessons were learned during this process: (1) administrative support and faculty motivation are key factors for success. (2) Starting with one course at a time, focusing on courses that readily lend themselves to LGBTQ health education, is effective. (3) Soliciting and using feedback from students to foster their ideas and ensure the inclusion of relevant topics is imperative.
Surviving a Shut-Off: U.S. Households at Greatest Risk of Utility Disconnections and How They Cope:

This is the first known study to estimate household characteristics and coping behaviors associated with utility disconnections in the United States. We capitalize on a measure of disconnections av...
Profound Hypotonia and Respiratory Failure due to Suspected Nemaline Myopathy in a Preterm Infant.

Congenital myopathies, such as nemaline myopathy, may present with hypotonia and respiratory failure in the neonatal period. Respiratory function can be further compromised in affected infants by the development of chylous effusions. We present the case of a preterm male infant born at 326/7 weeks' gestation, who was profoundly hypotonic and required intubation at birth. His clinical course progressed from acute to chronic respiratory failure with mechanical ventilation dependence. He developed bilateral chylous pleural effusions during the newborn period. Whole exome sequencing identified an ACTA1 gene mutation leading to the presumed diagnosis of nemaline myopathy. This case highlights the need to include congenital myopathies in the differential for a preterm newborn with hypotonia and respiratory failure.
Pure bending of a continuous fiber array suspended in a thermoplastic polymer in the melt state

Abstract The prediction of the bending moment–curvature and moment-angular rotation relationships for a collimated, fiber-reinforced thermoplastic prepreg in the melt state is the subject of this work. The central assumption of the developed relationship is that the fiber phase controls the deformed state of the composite and the local curvature rate of the fiber phase induces shearing strain rate in the viscous polymer. The corresponding shearing stresses are shown to retard the elastic deformation of the fibers when subjected to curvature-rate. Further, the developed models exhibit the characteristics of the traditional Voigt-Kelvin viscoelastic medium and thereby provide the rich family of corresponding viscoelastic solutions. The results illustrate how the constituent properties for reinforcing fiber and the thermoplastic polymer can be utilized to develop the desired composite constituent relationships necessary for simulation of thermoplastic hybrid forming.
Invasive Plants Differentially Impact Forest Invertebrates, Providing Taxon-Specific Benefits by Enhancing Structural Complexity

Exotic plant species often negatively affect native herbivores due to the lack of palatability of the invading plant. Although often unsuitable as food, certain invasive species may provide non-nutritional ecological benefits through increased habitat structural complexity. To understand the potential for common invasive forest plant species of the eastern United States to benefit invertebrate communities, we examined the functional and taxonomic community composition of forest insects and spiders in long-term monitoring plots that contained invasive plant species. The extent of invasive plant species ground cover significantly altered spider community composition as categorized by hunting guild. Areas with higher invasive herbaceous and grass cover contained a higher abundance of space web-weaving and hunting spiders, respectively. Spider species richness and total invertebrate abundance also increased with greater invasive grass cover. Still, these trends were driven by just two invasive plant species, garlic mustard and Japanese stiltgrass, both of which have previously been shown to provide structural benefits to native invertebrate taxa. While these two species may improve the structural component of understory forest habitat, many invertebrate groups were not significantly correlated with other prevalent invasive plants and one species, mock strawberry, negatively affected the abundance of certain insect taxa. Particularly in forests with reduced native plant structure, invasive plant management must be conducted with consideration for holistic habitat quality, including both plant palatability and structure.
A Review of “The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child: With No Pills, No Therapy, No Contest of Wills”

Even though by now outdated, I do have a personal, professional, and scientific interest in reviewing this book, especially after reviewing another similar book by Woody (L’Abate, in press). Both b...
A “Coprolitic Vision” for Earth Science Education

William Buckland (1784–1846) first identified and scientifically studied coprolites in the early 1820s. Although some of his contemporaries did not look favorably upon him or his research, Buckland's early experiments advanced paleoecology and taphonomy. Because our informal presentations with coprolites resulted in students' spirited reactions, we investigated whether coprolite introduction, accompanied with its history of science, had potential for meaningful learning in K-12 Earth Science classrooms. Practicing Earth Science teachers (N = 28) enrolled in an online paleontology course researched coprolites, identified potential student interest, and designed coprolite activities for their individual classrooms. Resulting projects were diverse and creative, and incorporated investigations into fossilization processes, paleoenvironments, food chains, and geologic time. In anonymous surveys, teachers indicated that their students' interest in coprolites is high. We propose inclusion of coprolites and their history in Earth Science classrooms as a portal to hook students' interest and as springboard to additional scientific topics.
A Review of “World War II: A New History”

A single-volume history of World War II is an ambitious undertaking, yet a steady stream of such histories, driven by the textbook market for undergraduates, reaches publishers. Occasionally, a new...
Thermal Dose Control During High Temperature Ultrasound Therapies When Temperature Mediated Perfusion Oscillations Are Present: A Simulation Study

An application of our previously developed cascade structure nonlinear and model predictive thermal dose controller for thermal therapies is presented. The application concentrates on cases where temperature mediated blood flow oscillations are present in a tissue. Simulations using a 1-dimensional model of a tumor were carried out with the objective to deliver a desired thermal dose to the tumor, while maintaining safe levels of temperature in the surrounding normal tissue. While the virtual patient in the simulations was assumed to display perfusion oscillations, the model used for the controller design assumed no knowledge of such a phenomenon. The results demonstrate that a) significant treatment time reductions can be achieved if higher blood flow rates in the normal tissue can be induced, and, b) the cascade controller is robust to the large plant-model mismatch introduced by the perfusion oscillations in the normal tissue. A parametric study showing the dependence of the perfusion oscillation parameters on the treatment time is also presented.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Taxes and Supply of Labor by Entrepreneurs

We develop a model of entrepreneurship in which an individual allocates time between salaried work (which pays a certain income) and entrepreneurial activity (which yields an uncertain income). The individual pays taxes on both incomes; however we allow for deductibility of interest. We derive the effects of changing tax rates on the supply of labor to the salaried job market and the supply of labor to the entrepreneurial activity. We also investigate the effects of differential sectoral productivity and differing income tax rates on entrepreneurship.
Generalized Projection-Based M-Estimator

We propose a novel robust estimation algorithm - the generalized projection-based M-estimator (gpbM), which does not require the user to specify any scale parameters. The algorithm is general and can handle heteroscedastic data with multiple linear constraints for single and multicarrier problems. The gpbM has three distinct stages - scale estimation, robust model estimation, and inlier/outlier dichotomy. In contrast, in its predecessor pbM, each model hypotheses was associated with a different scale estimate. For data containing multiple inlier structures with generally different noise covariances, the estimator iteratively determines one structure at a time. The model estimation can be further optimized by using Grassmann manifold theory. We present several homoscedastic and heteroscedastic synthetic and real-world computer vision problems with single and multiple carriers.
III-V MOSFETs: From planar to 3D

III-V MOSFETs with InGaAs channel have been considered promising candidate for post-Si logic devices beyond 14nm technology node. To meet the increasing demand in electrostatic control at sub-100nm channel lengths, non-planar 3D structures have been introduced to the fabrication of InGaAs MOSFETs. In this abstract, the fabrication and characterization of various non-planar 3D InGaAs MOSFETs have been demonstrated and summarized, including InGaAs heterostructure FinFETs, InGaAs-on-nothing nanowire MOSFETs, and InGaAs gate-all-around nanowire MOSFETs. It is shown that the implementation of 3D structure greatly reduces short channel effect and improves scalability of InGaAs MOSFETs. The gate-all-around nanowire structure has been fabricated by a novel top-down approach for the first time and is found to offer great scalability down to at least 50nm channel length with good transport property, making InGaAs gate-all-around nanowire MOSFETs strong candidate for ultimately scaled III-V logic technology.
First proton-transfer study of 18 F + p resonances relevant for novae

The ${}^{18}\mathrm{F}(p,\ensuremath{\alpha}){}^{15}\mathrm{O}$ reaction is the predominant destruction mechanism in novae of the radionuclide $^{18}\mathrm{F}$, a target of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray observatories. Thus, its rate is important for understanding $^{18}\mathrm{F}$ production in novae. We have studied resonances in the ${}^{18}\mathrm{F}+p$ system by making a measurement of a proton-transfer reaction ${}^{18}\mathrm{F}(d,n)$. We have observed 15 $^{19}\mathrm{Ne}$ levels, 5 of which are below the proton threshold, including a subthreshold state, which has significant ${l}_{p}=0$ strength. Our data provide a direct determination of the spectroscopic strength of these states and new constraints on their spins and parities, thereby resolving a controversy, which involves the 8- and 38-keV resonances. The ${}^{18}\mathrm{F}(p,\ensuremath{\alpha}){}^{15}\mathrm{O}$ reaction rate is reevaluated, which takes the subthreshold resonance and other new information determined in this experiment into account.
Direct Mott Insulator-to-Superfluid Transition in the Presence of Disorder

We use renormalization-group theory to examine the quantum phase transitions upon exiting the insulating phase of a disordered, strongly interacting boson system. For weak disorder we find a direct transition from this Mott insulator to the superfluid phase. In $dg4$ a finite region around the particle-hole symmetric point supports this direct transition, whereas for $2l~dl4$ perturbative arguments suggest that the direct transition survives only precisely at commensurate filling. For strong disorder the renormalization trajectories pass next to two fixed points, describing a pair of distinct transitions; first from the Mott insulator to the Bose glass, and then from the Bose glass to the superfluid. The latter fixed point possesses statistical particle-hole symmetry and a dynamical exponent $z$, equal to the dimension $d$.
Pentoxifylline modulates neutrophil function in acute endotoxemia

Abstract Pentoxifylline (PTX), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, is known to modulate the inflammatory response by decreasing proinflammatory cytokine synthesis. The effects of PTX on neutrophil function, enzyme activity, and tissue infiltration leading to organ injury have not been fully evaluated in acute endotoxemia. We hypothesized that polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) function and tissue infiltration are downregulated by PTX treatment in acute endotoxemia. Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent internal jugular venous cannulation under general anesthesia and were then randomized into 3 groups: Sham (saline injection), LPS (LPS 5 mg/kg iv bolus), and PTX/LPS (concomitant iv injection of PTX 25 mg/kg and LPS 5 mg/kg). BAL IL-8 (Elisa), plasma Metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2; zymography), lung neutrophil infiltration (MPO immunostaining), and lung ICAM-1 expression (immunostaining) were evaluated at 4 hours. In addition, human PMN oxydative burst was evaluated by flow cytometry after exposing whole blood to LPS and PTX/LPS. Data is expressed as mean ± SEM; p TABLE—ABSTRACT P51 . Group IL-8 MPO MMP-2 O2 burst ICAM-1 LPS 10.8 ± 1 72 ± 2 10660 ± 1015 387 ± 49 ++/+++ PTX + LPS 6 ± 1.3 61 ± 1 7186 ± 357 192 ± 49 +/++ SHAM 1.2 ± 0 15 ± 0.6 7890 ± 813 — −/+
Program of early development in the mammal: changes in absolute rates of synthesis of ribosomal proteins during oogenesis and early embryogenesis in the mouse.

Abstract The absolute rates of synthesis of specific ribosomal proteins have been determined during growth and meiotic maturation of mouse oocytes, as well as during early embryogenesis in the mouse. These measurements were made possible by the development of a high-resolution twodimensional gel electrophoresis procedure capable of resolving basic proteins with isoelectric points between 9.1 and 10.2. Mouse ribosomal proteins were separated on such gels and observed rates of incorporation of [35S]methionine into each of 12 representative ribosomal proteins were converted into absolute rates of synthesis (femtograms or moles synthesized/hour/oocyte or embryo) by using previously determined values for the absolute rates of total protein synthesis in mouse oocytes and embryos ( R. M. Schultz, M. J. LaMarca, and P. M. Wassarman, 1978 ,Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA,75, 4160; R. M. Schultz, G. E. Letourneau, and P. M. Wassarman, 1979 ,Develop. Biol.,68, 341–359). Ribosomal proteins were synthesized at all stages of oogenesis and early embryogenesis examined and, while equimolar amounts of ribosomal proteins were found in ribosomes, they were always synthesized in nonequimolar amounts during development. Rates of synthesis of individual ribosomal proteins differed from each other by more than an order of magnitude in some cases. Synthesis of ribosomal proteins accounted for 1.5, 1.5, and 1.1% of total protein synthesis during growth of the oocyte, in the fully grown oocyte, and in the unfertilized egg, respectively. During meiotic maturation of mouse oocytes the absolute rate of synthesis of ribosomal proteins decreased about 40%, from 620 to 370 fg/hr/cell, as compared to a 23% decrease in the rate of total protein synthesis during the same period. On the other hand, during early embryogenesis the absolute rates of synthesis of each of the 12 ribosomal proteins examined increased substantially as compared with those of the unfertilized egg, such that at the eight-cell stage of embryogenesis synthesis of ribosomal proteins (4.17 pg/hr/embryo) accounted for about 8.1% of the total protein synthesis in the embryo. Consequently, while the absolute rate of total protein synthesis increased about 1.5-fold during development from an unfertilized mouse egg to an eight-cell compacted embryo, the absolute rate of ribosomal protein synthesis increased more than 11-fold during the same period. These results seem to reflect the differences reported for the patterns of ribosomal RNA synthesis during early development of mammalian, as compared to nonmammalian, animal species. The results are compared with those obtained using oocytes and embryos fromXenopus laevis.
Reversible encephalopathy after cryopreserved peripheral blood stem cell infusion

We report two patients who experienced severe reversible encephalopathy following infusion of peripheral blood stem cells cryopreserved in 10% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). In one patient, reduction of DMSO level with plasmapheresis resulted in marked improvement in encephalopathy. Infusion of large volumes of cryopreserved stem cells may result in a significant toxic reaction. Plasmapheresis may be a treatment option for patients with significant toxicity related to DMSO.