cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Acute Cardiometabolic Responses in a 7-Minute Body Weight Circuit to 7-Minute HIIT Training Protocol.

To investigate the acute cardiometabolic responses of a 7-minute bodyweight resistance exercise circuit (HICE) compared to a 7-minute high intensity interval training cycle protocol (HIIE). Methods: Twelve apparently healthy and active young adults were enrolled in a randomized crossover study (HICE vs HIIE). The 12 HICE exercises used a 30:5 second exercise to rest ratio, followed by a 3-minute cool-down and was replicated in the HIIE cycle protocol. Following each protocol, subjects were seated for the next hour. Measurements included blood pressure (BP) heart rate, blood glucose and triglycerides, taken prior to exercise, immediately after, 15, 30, 45, and 60-minutes post-exercise. Blood glucose and triglycerides were only taken, immediately after and at 60-minutes. General mixed linear modeling was used to analyze the data and Cohen’s d was calculated for effect size. Post hoc analysis of individual time points used Bonferroni adjustment. Results: There was no significant difference in overall systolic BP between HIIE and HICE (p = 0.168). However, there was a significant difference in overall diastolic BP resulting a higher response in HIIE (p = 0.002). Immediately after exercise exhibited significant (p = 0.001) and trending, respectfully, higher values in diastolic BP for HIIE. The overall post-exercise heart rate was lower for HIIE vs HICE (p < 0.001). Blood glucose and Triglycerides had no overall difference between the two protocols (p = 0.104). Conclusion: The HICE protocol had a similar cardiometabolic response post-exercise to HIIE but did have a reduction in diastolic BP post-exercise. However, post-exercise heart rate was higher.
The Association of Perceived Social Support with Anxiety over Time in Parents of Children with Serious Illnesses.

Background: Parenting a child with a serious life-threatening illness (SLTI) may impact parents' mental health. The protective association of social support with anxiety over time following an acute medical event has not been empirically tested in a sample of parents of children with oncologic and nononcologic serious illnesses. Objective: To test the potential association of perceived social support with anxiety in parents of children with SLTIs over time. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting/Subjects: Two hundred parents of 158 children in the Decision Making in Serious Pediatric Illness study, conducted at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Measurements: Parental anxiety and perceived social support were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Social Provisions Scale (SPS). We performed bivariate linear regressions to test cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the SPS and anxiety scores at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months. Results: The average SPS total and subscale scores decreased significantly from baseline to 12 months, and increased from 12 to 24 months. The average HADS-Anxiety scores decreased significantly from baseline to 12 months, and remained stable at 24 months. Cross-sectionally, total SPS scores were negatively associated with anxiety scores at each time point. Longitudinally, SPS scores were associated with anxiety scores, although this association weakened in adjusted modeling. Conclusions: Over a two-year period, higher levels of perceived social support were associated with lower levels of anxiety in parents of seriously ill children. Clinicians and researchers should work to optimize social support for families to improve parental mental health outcomes.
Application of population balance-based thixotropic model to human blood

Abstract Modeling blood rheology remains challenging in part because of its multiphase, aggregating colloidal nature that gives rise to complex viscoplastic and time-dependent (thixotropic) behavior. Here, we demonstrate that a multiscale approach incorporating a direct coupling of coarse-graining particle-level modeling to the macroscopic phenomenological modeling can provide new insights and a promising methodology. Specifically, a general population balance-based, multiscale, thixotropic modeling approach, first proposed by Mwasame et al., AIChE J. 63 (2017) 517–531, is applied to account for the rouleaux-induced thixotropy in human blood in shear flow. Population balances offer a compelling alternative to previously proposed structure-based heuristic kinetics models of aggregating colloidal suspensions as they use a statistical approach to describe the aggregate size distribution with well-defined processes for either shear-induced or Brownian aggregation and breakup under shear flow. When applied to human blood, the population balance approach offers a first attempt to model the size evolution of predominantly coin-stack like rouleaux structures of the red blood cells that are the primary source behind the observed yield stress and thixotropy of blood at low shear rates. This microscopic information, suitably coarse-grained, is then introduced into a semi-phenomenological macroscopic model that expresses the total stress in terms of an elastic and viscous contribution. Shear thinning introduced due to the red blood cell deformation at high shear rates is accounted for by following Horner et al., J. Rheol. 62 (2018) 577–591. An advantage of this modeling approach is that the parameters have specific physical meaning that allows for independent estimates and/or evaluations through appropriately designed independent experiments. Conversely, parameters with specific microscopic interpretations, such as the fractal dimension of the aggregates, df, are obtained fits of macroscopic shear experiments. Fitting and predictions use steady shear, and unidirectional large amplitude oscillatory shear (UD-LAOS) experiments on whole blood samples of two healthy donors, as reported in Horner et al. We obtain values for df in the range of 1.5 ± 0.2 which is consistent with the rod-like shape of rouleaux structures reported in the literature. Furthermore, the shear predictions compare favorably against the experiments. While this approach is not as accurate as the fits of prior structure kinetics modeling of Horner et al., these promising results provide a pathway for model improvement by including independently verified physical properties of blood. This work demonstrates a new particle-level approach for describing and predicting the non-Newtonian, thixotropic rheology of human blood.
Increased Risk of Short-Term Complications and Venous Thromboembolism in Latarjet-Bristow Procedures Compared With Bankart Repairs

Abstract Purpose To (1) determine the rate of surgical complications and venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients undergoing arthroscopic Bankart repair, open Bankart repair, or Latarjet-Bristow; and (2) assess potential risk factors for surgical complications and VTE in patients undergoing shoulder stabilization procedures. Methods The NSQIP database was used to identify patients undergoing isolated surgery for shoulder instability from 2005 to 2017. Demographic data were collected and compared. Logistic regression was used to assess the risk factors for developing a postoperative complication, and regression analyses were used to evaluate the odds of postoperative complications between types of surgery. Results We identified 7,233 patients for inclusion. Patients undergoing Latarjet-Bristow were more likely to be male and Black and to report current tobacco use. Overall, there was a low rate of surgical complications (0.4%) and VTE (0.2%). However, patients undergoing Latarjet-Bristow had nearly a 10-fold increase in the risk of surgical complications compared with an arthroscopic or open Bankart repair (1.9% versus 0.2%, P Conclusion This study used a nationally representative, widely validated, peer-reviewed database to demonstrate that patients undergoing a Latarjet-Bristow procedure are at significantly higher risk for short-term postoperative complications, including deep surgical site infections, return to the operating room, and symptomatic VTE, than those undergoing Bankart repair. These findings should not discourage surgeons from proceeding with a coracoid transfer procedure when indicated for glenoid deficiencies, but should inform preoperative counseling and help guide perioperative care to optimize patient outcomes. Level of Evidence III, retrospective comparative trial
The Causal Effect of the Fed's Corporate Credit Facilities on Eligible Issuer Bonds

We use a difference-in-differences framework to estimate the causal effects of the Federal Reserve's Primary and Secondary Market Corporate Credit Facilities (CCFs) on corporate bond credit spreads. In particular, we exploit the publication of the constituents of the SMCCF Broad Market Index to accurately identify eligible issuers and compare bonds of similar maturity and rating across differentially eligible issuers to measure the causal effect of the CCFs on eligible issuer bond spreads. We estimate that eligible issuer bonds enjoy an additional 51 bps to 85 bps reduction in spreads, relative to ineligible issuer bonds. This effect increases to between 71 bps and 115 bps of additional spread reduction when restricting bonds to maturities of less than five years, the maturity segment eligible for the SMCCF purchases. We also chronicle the response of eligible and ineligible bond spreads to key events. We find that both the absolute and relative response in bond spreads depend on the content of the Fed's policy announcements, as well as the particular securities being purchased. We find evidence of bond spread tightening due to improvements in bond liquidity on the initial CCF announcement date on March 23 for eligible issuer bonds, as well as at the start of SMCCF bond purchases on June 16 for ineligible issuer bonds. We contend that the portfolio re-balance channel may explain why ineligible issuer bonds experienced improvements in liquidity, despite not being the ones purchased.
Two-Dimensional (2D) or Quasi-2D Superstructures from DNA-Coated Colloidal Particles

This contribution describes the synthesis of colloidal di-patch particles functionalized with DNA on the patches and their assembly into colloidal superstructures via cooperative depletion and DNA-mediated interactions. The assembly into flower-like Kagome, brick-wall like monolayer, orthogonal packed single or double layers, wrinkled monolayer, and colloidal honeycomb superstructures can be controlled by tuning the particles' patch sizes and assembly conditions. Based on these experimental results, we generate an empirical phase diagram. The principles revealed by the phase diagram provide guidance in the design of two-dimensional (2D) materials with desired superstructures. Our strategy might be translatable to the assembly of three-dimensional (3D) colloidal structures.
Deep Reinforcement Learning for Residential HVAC Control with Consideration of Human Occupancy

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) development described herein uses model-free Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) to minimize energy cost during residential heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) operation. Building cooling loads and HVAC operation are difficult to accurately model due to complexity, lack of measurements and data, and model specific performance, so online machine learning is used to allow for real-time readjustment in performance. Energy costs for the multi-zone cooling unit shown in this work are minimized by scheduling on/off commands around dynamic prices. By taking advantage of precooling events that take place when the price is low, the agent is able to reduce operational cost without violating user comfort. The DRL controller was tested in simulation where the learner achieved a 43.89% cost reduction when compared to traditional, fixed-setpoint operation. The system is now ready for the next phase of testing in a live, real-time home environment.
High spatial resolution mapping of the mucosal proteome of the gills of Crassostrea virginica: implication in particle processing.

ABSTRACT In the oyster Crassostrea virginica, the organization of the gill allows bidirectional particle transport where a dorsal gill tract directs particles meant to be ingested while a ventral tract collects particles intended to be rejected as pseudofeces. Previous studies showed that the transport of particles in both tracts is mediated by mucus. Consequently, we hypothesized that the nature and/or the quantity of mucosal proteins present in each tract is likely to be different. Using endoscopy-aided micro-sampling of mucus from each tract followed by multidimensional protein identification technologies, and in situ hybridization, a high spatial resolution mapping of the oyster gill proteome was generated. Results showed the presence in gill mucus of a wide range of molecules involved in non-self recognition and interactions with microbes. Mucus composition was different between the two tracts, with mucus from the ventral tract shown to be rich in mucin-like proteins, providing an explanation of its high viscosity, while mucus from the dorsal tract was found to be enriched in mannose-binding proteins, known to be involved in food particle binding and selection. Overall, this study generated high-resolution proteomes for C. virginica gill mucus and demonstrated that the contrasting functions of the two pathways present on oyster gills are associated with significant differences in their protein makeup.
Predicting glass transition of amorphous polymers by application of cheminformatics and molecular dynamics simulations

Abstract Predicting the glass-transition temperatures ( T g ) of glass-forming polymers is of critical importance as it governs the thermophysical properties of polymeric materials. The cheminformatics approaches based on machine learning algorithms are becoming very useful in predicting the quantitative relationships between key molecular descriptors and various physical properties of materials. In this work, we developed a modeling framework by integrating the cheminformatics approach and coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CG-MD) simulations to predict T g of a diverse set of polymers. The developed machine learning-based QSPR model identified the most prominent molecular descriptors influencing the T g of a hundred of polymers. Informed by the QSPR model, CG-MD simulations are performed to further delineate mechanistic interpretation and systematic dependence of these influential molecular features on T g by investigating three major CG model parameters, namely the cohesive interaction, chain stiffness, and grafting density. The CG-MD simulations reveal that the higher intermolecular interaction and chain stiffness increase the T g of CG polymers, where their relative influences are coupled with the existence of side chains grafted on the backbone. This synergistic modeling framework provides valuable insights into the roles of key molecular features influencing the T g of polymers, paving the way to establishing a materials-by-design framework for polymeric materials via molecular engineering.
Reliability of Cloud-Based Processing for Satellite Data

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) funded a program to leverage cloud-based processing of satellite data with a program called Commercially Augmented Space Inter-Network Operations (CASINO) Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination (PED). Southwest Research Institute (SwRI®) is one of two teams developing demonstrations using different commercial cloud computing services. Our CASINO PED team is leveraging Amazon Web Services (AWS) for the satellite data processing chain. Over the last decade, the military has significantly increased the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) data it collects. Unfortunately, this data surplus has created a bottleneck in processing and analysis. This prototype will demonstrate rapid, scalable delivery of processed satellite data to the tactical units needing the information in areas of conflict. The CASINO PED demonstration project will integrate a ground network supporting a constellation of satellites with unique processing capabilities and cloud access to deliver data needed to meet military objectives. One of the concerns is the reliability and throughput of this process. We collected data from operation of the prototype processing stream to determine throughput and reliability. We present our analysis of the system performance and observations on the applicability of cloud-based processing for needs of this type.
GIS and Spatial Representations: Challenges and Missteps

The global pandemic known officially as COVID-19 has paralyzed health-care systems, economies, and general society, but it also provides excellent opportunities and perplexing challenges for deploying the powerful tools of health and medical geographers for developing and targeting public health interventions. However, the poor data drawn from sparse and spatially variable access to testing diminish the utility and power of traditional spatial representation approaches for disease burdens such as mapping disease rates and hot spot analysis. While in the current environment these may sometimes produce questionable results and conclusions, used with caution, spatial analysis of COVID-19 may provide critically important insights for understanding and controlling the disease. This paper examines the challenges of using traditional spatial analysis and representation tools in analyzing the COVID pandemic. We argue that given the problems in the data, users must exercise extreme caution in their analysis and conclusions. Using data from reported cases and deaths from COVID-19 in Texas, we demonstrate that while the data is imperfect, careful use can provide important insights for fighting the disease.
Improving estimates of Medicaid's effect on poverty: Measures and counterfactuals.

OBJECTIVE To re-evaluate the effect of Medicaid on poverty using a poverty measure that accounts for health insurance needs and benefits and an evaluation approach that reflects disparities in access to alternative coverage. DATA SOURCES The Current Population Survey (CPS) for calendar year 2015. STUDY DESIGN We estimate the effect of losing Medicaid on poverty, combining two previous approaches: (1) A propensity impact, which simulates a no-Medicaid counterfactual incorporating changes to health insurance and medical out-of-pocket spending, using the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). This measure does not reflect a need for health care access nor how health benefits meet that need. (2) An accounting impact, which assumes that those losing Medicaid remain uninsured and does not incorporate any behavioral changes, using the health-inclusive poverty measure (HIPM). This measure includes a need for health insurance in the threshold and health insurance benefits in resources. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS Not applicable. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Using the propensity-matched approach, we attributed a 2.5 percentage point reduction in health-inclusive poverty among those younger than age 65 to the Medicaid program, between the 1.0-point SPM propensity-match impact and the 3.9-point HIPM accounting impact. Medicaid's antipoverty impact and HIPM-SPM differences are greater among those who would become uninsured. HIPM propensity-matched estimates reveal much larger impacts of Medicaid on poverty disparities linked to race/ethnicity and single parenthood than SPM-based propensity estimates. CONCLUSIONS Both the poverty measure and the method used to estimate the counterfactual make substantial, policy-relevant differences to estimates of Medicaid's impact on poverty. A poverty measure that fails to incorporate health insurance needs and benefits substantially underestimates Medicaid's effect. Failing to consider adjustments in insurance coverage and out-of-pocket spending substantially overestimates Medicaid's effect and underestimates its reduction of disparities.
Are Investment Banks Special Too? Evidence on Relationship‐Specific Capital in Investment Bank Services

The question of whether optimal provision of these services comes mainly from established relationships between banks and client firms or can result from arms'-length market transactions has been the topic of considerable recent debate. This discussion has paralleled the debate in the commercial banking literature on the “specialness” of banks and whether lending can and should be relational or purely transactional. Whether the provision of investment bank services is relationship-based or transactional is especially relevant now thanks to recent trends that have blurred the distinction between commercial and investment banks, and changed the competitive landscape for investment bank services. In their study summarized in this article, the authors examine whether investment bank-client relationships create valuable relationship-specific capital using stock market evidence from the period surrounding the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Specifically, they studied the effect of the Lehman collapse on companies that used Lehman for (1) underwriting equity offerings, (2) underwriting debt offerings, (3) advice on mergers and acquisitions, (4) analyst research services, and (5) market-making services. The study addressed two specific questions. First, which investment bank services, if any, are associated with the creation of relationship-specific capital; and second, what are the value drivers of this relationship capital? The authors report finding that companies that used Lehman as lead underwriter for public equity offerings experienced significantly negative abnormal stock returns in the days surrounding Lehman's bankruptcy announcement. By contrast, they find no significant reaction to the announcement for Lehman's debt underwriting clients or any of the other client categories they examine. While most of these investment bank services have at least the potential to create relationship-specific capital, the authors' findings suggest that except for equity underwriting, all the other investment bank services appear to be transactional rather than relationship-based, at least in the average case. Moreover, the authors report significant differences even among different groups of Lehman's equity underwriting clients. An equity underwriting relationship with Lehman appears to have been especially valuable for smaller, younger, and more financially constrained firms—those firms which presumably had a high degree of dependence on Lehman to access the capital market.
A Full Wafer-Scale PAML Modeling Approach for Predicting CMP

Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is a complex, multi-scale problem with several order of physics. As it is a subtractive manufacturing process, it involves cutting tool–workpiece interaction. The cutting tool in CMP are nanoscale abrasives trapped in the contact between the workpiece (wafer) and a soft, rotating pad. These abrasives are suspended in a liquid medium and transported across the interface to provide even material removal. The current model presents an expansive wafer-scale framework that not only accounts for the solid–solid contact mechanics and wear, but also utilizes the mechanics of the slurry through fluid and particle dynamics. Results from this work include the temporal evolution of hydrodynamic fluid pressure, contact stress and material removal at the die and wafer scales. Comparisons with published CMP experiments have been made, and the results are favorable. Parametric studies have been conducted to predict the influence of different polishing parameters on the material removal rate. With this new framework, the entire wafer–pad interface can be studied under the influence of the four major physical interactions (contact mechanics, fluid mechanics, particle mechanics, wear). The result is a significantly faster multi-physical model that can simulate realistic CMP conditions without sacrificing accuracy.
A Question of Time: A Short Review of Data on the Incubation Period Between Exposure and Symptom Onset for Legionnaires’ Disease

The literature on Legionnaires’ disease (LD) widely cites 2 to 10 days (less frequently to 14 days) as the incubation period for the disease. This chapter summarizes the findings of reports with data adequate to examine the potential for incubation periods longer than 10 to 14 days. These findings suggest that while the majority of cases will develop by 14 days, 19 days may be the upper end of the incubation period. The scientific literature was searched, primarily via PubMed and Scirus, for reports on outbreaks of LD. The recovered reports were reviewed for information on the incubation period considered for case inclusion and for data on the actual periods between exposure and symptom onset for the cases. Investigators of outbreaks with well-defined sources and exposure windows should consider a longer case inclusion period from 14 to perhaps as long as 21 days to ensure good data capture and to help better define the latency period between exposure and symptoms for LD.
Enzyme catalysis in biological fuel cells

Biocatalysts represent a compelling alternative to precious metals as catalysts for low-temperature fuel cell power systems. Enzymatic catalysts capable of reducing oxygen or oxidizing small organic molecules can be less expensive and manufacturable, and have favorable reaction selectivity as compared to precious metals. The key barriers to realization of practical biocatalyzed fuel cells are the insufficient current, power, and lifetime achievable with current devices. Recently, significant progress has been made in addressing these issues, from the standpoint of fundamental studies of electron transfer to enzymes, mediation of enzyme-catalyzed reactions, and immobilization of enzymes in materials that confer stability and high surface area for heterogeneous reactions. In this article, we introduce concepts in enzyme catalysis for energy applications and describe important recent progress. Keywords: biological fuel cells; enzyme catalysis; oxidoreductases; direct electron transfer; mediated electron transfer; enzyme immobilization; porous materials
From Persistence to Resistance: Pedagogies of Liberation for Inclusive Science and Engineering

This paper describes liberative pedagogies and their implementation in a women's college engineering classroom. A variety of assessment techniques employed in the first three years of a five-year study on liberative pedagogies in engineering reveal a clear dynamic of resistance. Assessment data are interpreted drawing on Foucault's theory of resistance, developmental theories of critical thinking and reflective judgment, and the literature on liberative pedagogies itself, in order to better understand the causes and focal elements of resistance, and in order to evaluate the role of resistance in the learning process. How can we apply ideas from feminist and critical pedagogies in science and engineering classrooms? How do these pedagogies of liberation challenge students' epistemological assumptions, that is how they know what they know, and epistemologies of science? How do we make sense of student resistance in the classroom, and how can we tap this resistance as a positive learning tool? If the role of women (and men) in engineering changes from persister to resister, even a group small in number may have a large and long-lasting impact on engineering education and practice.
Other Efforts to Secure Information and Computer Networks

The rapid advances in computer technology, the plummeting prices of information processing and indexing devices, and the development of sprawling global networks have all made the generation, collection, processing, indexing, and storage of information easy. Massive information is created, processed, and moved around on a daily basis. The value of information has skyrocketed, and information has all of a sudden become a valuable asset for individuals, businesses, and nations. The security of nations has come to depend on computer networks that very few can defend effectively. Our own individual privacy and security have come to depend on the whims of the kid next door.
The Epidemiology of Tachyfibrillation in Sudden Death

Although death occurs suddenly in coronary heart disease, it is associated with a prior history of cardiac disease in 85% and with prodromal symptoms in 73.8% of the patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest outside the hospital. Sudden death was the first expression of coronary heart disease in 3.6% of the patient population. The fact that out-of-hospital sudden death is usually secondary to myocardial infarction and ischemia is supported by this clinical study and is suggested by other clinical and pathological studies of individuals dying suddenly.
Complex Formation between Magnesocene (MgCp2) and NH3: Implications for p-Type Doping of Group III Nitrides and the Mg Memory Effect

Magnesocene (biscyclopentadienylmagnesium) is a common precursor used for the p-type doping of GaN and other group III nitride materials. Unfortunately, difficulties remain with predictably controlling the incorporation of Mg during metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) film growth, which often exhibits poorly understood “memory effects.” Although the formation of a reaction product between magnesocene and ammonia has been previously speculated, one has never been experimentally isolated or identified. We have spectroscopically observed and identified, for the first time, the adducts formed between magnesocene and ammonia. Density functional theory (DFT) quantum chemistry calculations have also been performed on the system to determine the structures and energetics of the reaction products. It was found that ammonia can form condensable Lewis acid−base complexes with magnesocene in both 1:1 and 2:1 ratios (i.e., NH3−MgCp2 and (NH3)2−MgCp2) via nucleophilic attack of NH3 at the positively charged...
Implementation of On-line Error Detecting, Constant Delay, Carry Free Adder

This work is derived from the implementation of design proposed by Whitney J. Townsend, Mitchell A. Thornton and Parag K. Lala in 'On-line error detection in a carry-free adder' (2004). The circuit was implemented using AMI06 process to function at 200 MHz clock. The observations made from the implementation were studied and a more generalized, simple and cost effective error detecting technique is proposed.
Transverse laser cooling induced through dispersion at an rf cavity

We propose a possible scheme to realize three-dimensional laser cooling of stored and circulating ion beams in a storage ring. The idea is based on creating a linear synchrobetatron coupling such that the longitudinal laser cooling effect can be extended to transverse degrees of freedom through the coupling. The idea of indirect transverse laser cooling was recently studied, employing a so-called [ital coupling] [ital cavity] as a source of the forced coupling. In the present paper, we theoretically explore the possibility of using natural dispersion of a ring as an alternative coupling source, setting an [ital ordinary] rf cavity at a position with nonzero dispersion. It is found that the effect of the dispersion-induced coupling is essentially equivalent to that of the coupling cavity, and that the coupling can be considerably enhanced under resonance conditions. The cooling rates of longitudinal and transverse modes are evaluated. An approximate formula is derived to estimate an optimum value of dispersion at the cavity location. The validity of the present theoretical predictions is confirmed by tracking simulations that demonstrate effective transverse laser cooling.
Biomarkers in clinical drug development: realizing the promise

as well as the extremely high attrition rates. This has led to a need for objective end points that allow a clinical trial sponsor to quickly evaluate whether or not an experimental drug is at least ‘reasonably likely’ to produce the requisite clinical benefit, so as to more rapidly terminate the losers and direct the saved resources towards more promising candidates in the pipeline. A good example of such outcome biomarkers might be the variety of imaging end points employed in oncology drug studies (e.g., PET scans, or even traditional RECIST-based radiographic measures of tumor size) that are intended as earlier substitutes for the lengthy survival studies usually required for marketing approval. It is now becoming commonplace in many therapeutic areas to see small Phase IIa studies of new drugs, performed in selected patients at or near the maximum tolerated dose, using biomarker-based primary end points in order to drive the go/no-go decision to larger Phase IIb dose-ranging studies, or even pivotal Phase III studies. Of course, the level of confidence in any such biomarker-driven decision is dependent on the level of qualification and validation of the biomarker itself.
Responsiveness of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) corpora allata to allatoregulatory peptides from four insect species

Five neuropeptides with known allatotropic or allatostatic activity in other insect species were examined for their effects on honey bee corpora allata. Using an in vitro radiochemical assay, we assessed the ability of these peptides to affect the biosynthesis of juvenile hormone III and its immediate precursor methyl farnesoate, as well as their effects on the conversion of methyl farnesoate into juvenile hormone. None of the allatostatins tested affected JH biosynthesis during the last larval instar of honey bee workers. Manduca sexta allatotropin, however, stimulated JH biosynthesis in a stage-specific and dose-dependent manner. Analysis of intraglandular contents of juvenile hormone and its precursor revealed that the allatotropin significantly increased JH precursor but did not overcome the stage-specific block in the terminal step of JH biosynthesis that is typical for early fifth-instar worker larvae. Studies also indicated that the allatotropic effect was reversible at the level of methyl farnesoate production.
The regulatory significance of intermediary metabolites: Control of aromatic acid biosynthesis by feedback inhibition in Bacillus subtilis

A new pattern of control by feedback inhibition has been observed in the multi-branched pathway of aromatic acid biosynthesis in Bacillus subtilis . In vitro and in vivo experiments show that DAHP† synthetase, the first enzyme of the pathway, is feedback inhibited by two intermediary metabolites of the pathway, prephenic acid and chorismic acid. The inhibition is non-competitive with respect to both substrates. These metabolites are the last of the sequence of intermediates which is common to the synthesis of the end-products of the pathway. Prephenate and chorismate inhibit 50% of DAHP synthetase activity at concentrations of 5×10 −5 M and 4×10 −4 M , respectively. Except for the latter quantitative difference, chorismic and prephenic acids appear to be qualitatively identical inhibitors of DAHP synthetase. The relationships of prephenic and chorismic acids to DAHP synthetase and to the amino acid end-products are discussed in the context of the physiological significance of this unusual pattern of metabolic control.
My Ishvara is dead: spiritual care on the fringes.

Human suffering speaks differently to different lived contexts. In this paper, I have taken a metaphoric representation of suffering, Ishvara, from the lived context of a Hindu immigrant woman to show that suffering is experienced and expressed within one’s lived context. Further, a dominant narrative from her world is presented to show that the same lived context can be a resource for spiritual care that could reconstruct her world that has fallen apart with a suffering experience. Having argued that suffering is experienced and expressed within one’s lived context, and that lived context could be a resource, in this paper I present that spiritual care is an intervention into the predicaments of human suffering and its mandate is to facilitate certain direction and a meaningful order through which experiences and expectations are rejoined. Finally, I observe that spiritual care is an engagement between the lived context where suffering is experienced and the spiritual experience and orientation of the caregiver.
Hybrid Gold‐Nanoparticle‐Cored Conjugated Thiophene Dendrimers: Synthesis, Characterization, and Energy‐Transfer Studies

A series of hybrid Au-nanoparticle-dendrimer materials: nanoparticle-cored thiophene dendrimers (NCTDs) were synthesized, characterized, and investigated for their energy-transfer properties. These hybrid nanoparticles were obtained by the simultaneous and in situ reduction of gold(III) chloride and self-assembly of the thiol-containing thiophene dendritic ligands. The dendron ligands were radially attached to the gold nanoparticles and were analyzed by TEM, UV/Vis, (1)H NMR, and FTIR spectroscopies. The solution fluorescence of the attached thiophene dendrons are quenched progressively. Both alkyl-chain length and dendron size have significant influence on the energy-transfer efficiency, as well as on core sizes and size distribution of the Au nanoparticles. In spite of the phenomenon's dependence on nanoparticle size, the energy transfer generally follows the 1/d(2) distance dependence. Single NCTD nanoparticles were also adsorbed on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and uniform aggregates were observed on mica flat substrates.
Ultrathin cantilevers based on polymer-ceramic nanocomposite assembled through layer-by-layer adsorption

An ultrathin cantilever based on nanoorganized film from six alternating monolayers of clay plates, polycations, and magnetite nanoparticles was developed. The 170-nm thick clay−polymer−magnetite cantilever is a magnetic free-standing microstrip with a root anchored on a substrate. Hundreds of such cantilevers can be produced on a solid substrate within one processing cycle and, therefore, to provide sensor arrays or an adjustable surface with synchronized cantilever movements using an external magnetic field.
Tell them you are planning for the future: Gender norms and family planning among adolescents in northern Uganda.

Abstract Objective To understand how social norms about gender and reproduction shape fertility desires and use of family planning among adolescents in post-conflict northern Uganda. Methods A study was conducted in 2 post-conflict districts in north-central Uganda. Life histories were collected from 40 adolescents (20 males, 20 females). In-depth interviews were conducted with 40 individuals (20 males, 20 females) who were identified as significantly influencing the lives of adolescents in research areas. Data were analyzed through inductive and deductive approaches, facilitated by the qualitative software program ATLAS.ti (v.5.6). Results Rigid gender norms and post-conflict economic realities create an environment in which young people struggle to bridge the gap between idealized and experienced gender roles. Social changes brought about by the conflict, combined with cultural values and gender norms, strongly influence fertility desires and contraceptive use. Despite support for smaller, spaced families, gendered barriers to adolescent use of family planning and access to services are significant, even among married couples. Conclusion The increased recognition of the determining influence of gender on adolescent reproductive health provided by studies such as this can encourage greater investment in gender transformative interventions with the potential to significantly improve sexual and reproductive health across the life course.
Nonlinear theory of film rupture

Abstract The present work aims at examining nonlinear effects on film rupture by investigating the stability of thin films to finite amplitude disturbances. The dynamics of the liquid film is formulated using the Navier-Stokes equations augmented by a body force describing the London/van der Waals attractions. The liquid film is assumed to be charge neutralized, nondraining, and laterally unbounded. A nonlinear evolution equation is derived for h ( x , t ), the film thickness. This strongly nonlinear partial differential equation is solved by numerical methods as part of an initial-value problem for periodic boundary conditions in x , the lateral space dimension. Given this model, one obtains true rupture in the sense that the film thickness becomes zero in a finite time. The results reveal rupture characteristics and effects of nonlinearities on the rupture properties.
Epoxyannulation II: Cyclization of ω-ketosulfonium salts

Abstract Treatment of 1,5 or 1,6 ketosulfonium salts with potassium t-butoxide has yielded cyclic epoxides of high stereochemical purity in good yield.
The influence of the tonic neck reflex: vertical writing.

The influence of shoulder girdle position on the elaboration of the tonic neck reflex in man was investigated. The subjects were twelve normal adult women volunteers. They volitionally positioned the head to simulate the classical tonic neck reflex postures of Magnus and de Kleijn (1912). Fukuda's vertical writing test (1961) was administered as the diagnostic instrument. A total of 1810 synchronous biplane photographs and 72 columns of letters or circles were interpreted. Data analysis showed that shoulder girdle positioning blocked or enhanced the influence of the head positioning on the extremity used in vertical writing.
Making Connections in Practice: How Prospective Elementary Teachers Connect to Children's Mathematical Thinking and Community Funds of Knowledge in Mathematics Instruction.

This study examines the ways prospective elementary teachers (PSTs) made connections to children’s mathematical thinking and children’s community funds of knowledge in mathematics lesson plans. We analyzed the work of 70 PSTs from across three university sites associated with an instructional module for elementary mathematics methods courses that asks PSTs to visit community settings and develop problem solving mathematics lessons that connect to mathematical practices in these settings (Community Mathematics Exploration Module). Using analytic induction, we identified three distinct levels of connections to children’s mathematical thinking and their community funds of knowledge evidenced in PSTs’ work (emergent, transitional, and meaningful). Findings describe how these connections reflected different points on a learning trajectory. This study has implications for understanding how PSTs begin to connect to children’s mathematical funds of knowledge in their teaching, a practice shown to be effective for...
Heterologous expression and functional characterization of avian mu-class glutathione S-transferases

Hepatic glutathione S-transferases (GSTs: EC2.5.1.1.8) catalyze the detoxification of reactive electrophilic compounds, many of which are toxic and carcinogenic intermediates, via conjugation with the endogenous tripeptide glutathione (GSH). Glutathione S-transferase (GST)-mediated detoxification is a critical determinant of species susceptibility to the toxic and carcinogenic mycotoxin aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), which in resistant animals efficiently detoxifies the toxic intermediate produced by hepatic cytochrome P450 bioactivation, the exo-AFB1-8,9-epoxide (AFBO). Domestic turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) are one of the most sensitive animals known to AFB1, a condition associated with a deficiency of hepatic GST-mediated detoxification of AFBO. We have recently shown that unlike their domestic counterparts, wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris), which are relatively resistant, express hepatic GST-mediated detoxification activity toward AFBO. Because of the importance of GSTs in species susceptibility, and to explore possible GST classes involved in AFB1 detoxification, we amplified, cloned, expressed and functionally characterized the hepatic mu-class GSTs tGSTM3 (GenBank accession no. JF340152), tGSTM4 (JF340153) from domestic turkeys, and a GSTM4 variant (ewGSTM4, JF340154) from Eastern wild turkeys. Predicted molecular masses of tGSTM3 and two tGSTM4 variants were 25.6 and 25.8kDa, respectively. Multiple sequence comparisons revealed four GSTM motifs and the mu-loop in both proteins. tGSTM4 has 89% amino acid sequence identity to chicken GSTM2, while tGSTM3 has 73% sequence identity to human GSTM3 (hGSTM3). Specific activities of Escherichia coli-expressed tGSTM3 toward 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and peroxidase activity toward cumene hydroperoxide were five-fold greater than tGSTM4 while tGSTM4 possessed more than three-fold greater activity toward 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene (DCNB). The two enzymes displayed equal activity toward ethacrynic acid (ECA). However, none of the GSTM proteins had AFBO detoxification capability, in contrast to recombinant alpha-class GSTs shown in our recent study to possess this important activity. In total, our data indicate that although turkey hepatic GSTMs may contribute to xenobiotic detoxification, they probably play no role in detoxification of AFBO in the liver.
Male rats with the testicular feminization mutation of the androgen receptor display elevated anxiety-related behavior and corticosterone response to mild stress

Abstract Testosterone influences the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, anxiety-related behavior, and sensorimotor gating in rodents, but little is known about the role of the androgen receptor (AR) in mediating these influences. We compared levels of the stress hormone corticosterone at baseline and following exposure to a novel object in an open field in wild type (wt) male and female rats, and male rats with the testicular feminization mutation (Tfm) of the AR, which disables its function. Basal corticosterone was equivalent in all groups, but exposure to a novel object in an open field elicited a greater increase in corticosterone in Tfm males and wt females than in wt males. Tfm males also showed increased behavioral indices of anxiety compared to wt males and females in the test. Analysis of the immediate early gene c-Fos expression after exposure to a novel object revealed greater activation in Tfm males than wt males in some regions (medial preoptic area) and lesser activation in others (dentate gyrus, posterodorsal medial amygdala). No differences were found in a measure of sensorimotor gating (prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response), although Tfm males had an increased acoustic startle response compared to wt males and females. These findings demonstrate that ARs play a role in regulating anxiety-related behaviors, as well as corticosterone responses and neural activation following exposure to a mild stressor in rats.
PHOTOINDUCED CHARGE CARRIERS IN INSULATING CUPRATES: FERMI GLASS INSULATOR, METAL-INSULATOR TRANSITION AND SUPERCONDUCTIVITY

The results of photoexcitation experiments in partially doped, insulating cuprates are reviewed, and the physical implications of these “photodoping” experiments are discussed. The existence of a Fermi-glass insulating state at intermediate doping levels is thoroughly explored. The localized electronic states near the Fermi energy (EF) are characterized through transport, steady-state photoconductivity (including spectral response) and time resolved transient photodoping experiments (sub-nanosecond through microsecond). The experimental results indicate an Anderson-type metal-insulator transition in the doped cuprates; i.e., the transition from metal to insulator is dominated by disorder-induced localization. The Fermi energy can be shifted across the mobility edge either by increasing the doping level or by transient photoexcitation at high pump intensities, thereby causing the metal-insulator transition. The high-Tc superconductors, therefore, can be characterized as disordered metals with the Fermi energy relatively close to the mobility edge (Ec). Although the photo-generated carriers are generated homogeneously, the data indicate electronic phase separation into metallic “droplets”. The temperature dependence of the photoinduced conductivity implies that these droplets become superconducting below the intrinsic transition temperature observed in the heavily doped metallic regime.