cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stroke triggers nigrostriatal plasticity and increases alcohol consumption in rats

Excessive alcohol consumption is a known risk factor for stroke, but the effect of stroke on alcohol intake is unknown. The dorsomedial striatum (DMS) and midbrain areas of the nigrostriatal circuit are critically associated to stroke and alcohol addiction. Here we sought to explore the influence of stroke on alcohol consumption and to uncover the underlying nigrostriatal mechanism. Rats were trained to consume alcohol using a two-bottle choice or operant self-administration procedure. Retrograde beads were infused into the DMS or midbrain to label specific neuronal types, and ischemic stroke was induced in the dorsolateral striatum (DLS). Slice electrophysiology was employed to measure excitability and synaptic transmission in DMS and midbrain neurons. We found that ischemic stroke-induced DLS infarction produced significant increases in alcohol preference, operant self-administration, and relapse. These increases were accompanied by enhanced excitability of DMS and midbrain neurons. In addition, glutamatergic inputs onto DMS D1-neurons was potentiated, whereas GABAergic inputs onto DMS-projecting midbrain dopaminergic neurons was suppressed. Importantly, systemic inhibition of dopamine D1 receptors attenuated the stroke-induced increase in operant alcohol self-administration. Our results suggest that the stroke-induced DLS infarction evoked abnormal plasticity in nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons and DMS D1-neurons, contributing to increased post-stroke alcohol-seeking and relapse.
Analysis of optimal mixing in open-flow mixers with time-modulated vortex arrays

An Eulerian approach to optimize open-flow mixing with duty-cycled vortical crossflows is developed using general physical principles. For mixers based on microbubble streaming, the formalism identifies optimum mixing protocols that agree with experiments and numerical simulations of mixing.
Banking Sector Reforms and Economic Growth: Recent Evidence from a Reform-Bound Economy

This research investigated the banking sector reforms and economic growth using time series data from 1970 to 2013 for the Nigerian economy. Autoregressive Distributed Lags (ARDL) Bounds test was applied for the specific determination of the long and short-run relationships between banking sector reforms and economic growth. The research finds that the interest rate margin is more significant than other variables in the model in explaining the banking sector reforms and economic growth. Banking sector credit to the private sector was negative and statistically insignificant in economic growth in Nigeria. This means that the size of the banking sector does not enhance economic growth. Meanwhile, inflation is negatively and statistically significant in economic growth. The duration of banking sector reforms should be defined and strictly adhered to irrespective changes in the political administration of the country.
Modern and historic accumulation rates of phosphorus in Lake Okeechobee, Florida

Phosphorus accumulation rates in depositional zone sediments of Lake Okeechobee were determined in 11 mud-zone cores and two peat-zone cores dated by 210Pb. Although difficulties were encountered in interpreting 210Pb data from some sites, reliable dating of sediments from the mud zone of this shallow lake is possible. Sediment accumulation rates in this zone have increased during the present century by an average of about twofold, and accumulation of organic sediments in the lake during pre-settlement times apparently was much slower than during the past century. Concentrations of all forms of sedimentary P but especially nonapatite inorganic-P and organic-P also have increased since pre-settlement times and especially since about 1940. Annual P accumulation rates in the lake's sediments have increased about fourfold during the 1900s, with most of the increase occurring in the past 40–50 years. The recent accumulation rate of sedimentary P (past ~ 10 years) agrees within a factor of 1.5 with the net retention of P in the lake calculated from published input-output mass balances.
The Simple Isoquinolines

The chemistry, synthesis, and biogenesis of peyote, Lophophora williamsii (Lemaire) Coult., and other cactus alkaloids have been thoroughly reviewed.1–5
FACTOR DETERMINE MARKETING OF ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS AND PROBLEMS OF BUYING ELECTRONICS PRODUCTS: A MICRO LEVEL STUDY

Consumer behaviour is the study of the processes that individuals or groups go through in making their purchasing choices in order to satisfy their needs. Usually the buying behaviour takes many forms of consumer's choices that can vary depending on a broad set of factors such as: earnings, demographics, social and cultural factors. Beside these basic internal factors which are considered to be influential to the buying behaviour, there are also a set of factors that would be simulated by the external circumstances in the environment surrounding the consumer. It is valuable to mention that the consumer behaviour is a combination of customer's buying awareness combined with external motivators to result in a change in the consumer's behaviour. This is why most of the economies around the globe shares one problem; because of the external influence on the internal community aspects. Satisfying customers is the ultimate objective of every marketer in all categories of goods and service. After selling a product, the marketers may not have direct contact with the customers. The post purchase behavior of a customer has been influenced by a number of social factors in which the marketer may not get any direct role. Therefore, this paper study the factor determine marketing of electronic products and problems of buying electronics products
The delicate causalist: Reply to my critics

I am grateful to Livia Guimaraes Fred Wilson and Karann Durland for their criticism of Hume’s Theory of Causation: A Quasi-Realist Interpretation. My ideas have been significantly improved by their comments. I am unable to respond to every point in the allotted time although I’d like to get the chance to respond in greater detail very much. I focus on two important points of each critic. Opportunities to address other issues will perhaps arise in the discussion period. Sincere thanks also to Wes Anderson, Avram Hiller, Peter Kail, Ted Morris, Tom Seppalainen and Chad Wiener for helpful discussions
Photocatalytic CO2 reduction by H2O: insights from modeling electronically relaxed mechanisms

A detailed understanding of the mechanism for photocatalytic reduction of CO2 by H2O is required to facilitate the development of catalysts that exhibit improved activity, controlled product distributions, and enhanced quantum yield. As the reaction assuredly contains many more reaction intermediates than the well-studied water-splitting reaction, the effect of catalyst surface reactivity may be quite pronounced. The reaction mechanism may also contain electronically relaxed intermediates that are driven through the reaction via non-photoelectrochemical steps. We have investigated the ground-state surface reaction mechanism for CO2 reduction over SiC and GaN using DFT modeling. Results were correlated with experimentally observed catalyst performance at near-ambient and elevated temperatures and in condensed and gas phase H2O conditions. Positive correlations suggest photocatalyst surface reactivity may play a role in C–O cleavage and stabilizing reaction intermediates to promote CH4 production. Electronic analysis indicated protonic H+ from H2O dissociation would relax to neutral H0 over SiC – an effect that correlated with elevated performance in CH4 production. Less stable H+ over GaN also correlated with a selectivity preference for H2 production. Overall, results suggest that alternative factors beyond bulk electronic structure dictate photocatalytic activity in this reaction.
Contemporary Epidemiology of Cirrhosis

We sought to review the contemporary epidemiology of cirrhosis, focusing on the relative burden of the most common chronic liver diseases. The key findings in the review highlight the increasing prevalence and impact of alcohol-related liver disease, particularly among young people, and the epidemic of nonalcoholic fatty liver commensurate with rising rates of obesity. We also contrast recent advances in the care of persons with hepatitis C with the lamentable rise in new infections associated with intravenous drug use. Finally, we highlight the impact of both conventional complications of cirrhosis (namely hepatic encephalopathy) but also the host of patient-reported outcomes adversely impacted by the symptoms of cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is associated with an expanding footprint in contemporary public health. In order to improve global outcomes, we must not only focus on the identifying and treating persons with viral hepatitis but also preventing the rise of alcohol-related liver disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease while attending to the urgent patient-centered needs posed by the symptoms of cirrhosis.
Timing and Duration of Sleep in Hospitalized Children: An Observational Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sleep during hospitalization is important, but data on children’s sleep quality during hospitalization are lacking. We sought to document sleep duration and awakenings in hospitalized children and explore associations between sleep and chronic care complexity, home sleep quality, and late-night food consumption. METHODS: Children aged 2 to 17 years admitted to a hospitalist service for at least 24 hours were approached for participation. Children were video recorded from 20:00 to 08:00. Paired investigators reviewed recordings and extracted data. Investigators blinded to sleep data separately extracted clinical and demographic information. Analyses included Spearman correlations and linear and generalized linear regression models with t and Wald χ2 tests. RESULTS: The mean time subjects (n = 57) initiated sleep was 22:35 (range: 20:00–02:47), with a mean sleep duration of 475 minutes (89–719 minutes). Subjects awakened 2.2 times (0–7 times, SD: 1.9) per night, on average, with the average total time awake during those awakenings of 55.7 minutes (2–352 minutes, SD: 75 minutes). In multivariate analysis, children with private insurance had longer sleep duration. Additionally, subjects who ate a snack after 21:00 went to sleep much later (odds ratio: 9.5; confidence interval: 2.6 to 34.9) and had 64 minutes less total sleep time and spent less time in bed than patients who did not eat late (P = .007). CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalized children sleep less than recommended and experience frequent awakenings. Some demographic variables are related to sleep. Many hospitalized children also consume food at night, which is associated with later bedtime and less sleep. Future efforts to improve sleep in hospitalized children are needed.
Reinventing the Self in the Face of Received Transgenerational Hatred in the African American Community

There are many clinical methods for understanding and transforming the impact of historical trauma, and reinventing the self in the clinical process. However, the approach advocated here requires that regardless of what clinical method of intervention is chosen, a particular strand must run through the process of treatment to produce durable and meaningful change. This strand must run through psychoanalysis, creative and expressive arts therapies, as well as many forms of intervention in aggrieved communities. The strand includes understanding human suffering, the way that particular suffering is mentalized by the victimized group and subsequently reenacted by generations to come. In technical terms there must first be many profiles of understanding of the historical injury. Then there must be an understanding of how the aggrieved community has stored in their communal memory those psychological hurts—those feelings of humiliation and changing historical accounts of the actual injuries. Subsequently those sendimentations of historical grievances are enacted within the transference in the clinical situation where the grievances are not only staged, but re-staged, distorted or extended. Then comes the most decisive obligation the clinician has towards the analysand, patient, client or community that is attempting to transform itself. That decisive obligation is to extract the errand or ambush towards extinction and to undergo the unpleasant drudgery of constantly engaging the mandate to die or destroy oneself in order to find new and more flexible forms of adaptation.
Palliative Care Use in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Despite advances in pharmacological therapy and timely reperfusion, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains 1 of the leading causes of death in the United States ([1][1]). Although the incidence of AMI has been decreasing with improvement in preventive strategies and medical therapy, in-hospital
TRIPS, Strategic Competition and Global Welfare: IP at the Intersection of Law and Power

The later GATT system and the early WTO system were each grounded in a belief in the “rule of law” as a means to promote economic efficiency and public welfare, and a belief that peaceful multilateral trade relations served the common good. Grounding in the rule of law has broken down. The technology that today needs protecting mainly is that of a global technological infrastructure that is linked together in ways that allow penetration into the most critical infrastructure of societies. This is part of a larger picture in which “policy planners” have lost control of the global digital environment. By happenstance or design, we are living in surveillance states. The TRIPS Agreement was not designed to deal with the current state of international technology affairs. The period between 1989 and 2019 has witnessed a dramatic shift in the balance of global economic power. China has rapidly emerged as the second most powerful economic area behind the United States, and with countries like India beginning to assert themselves both economically and militarily. We are well past the day when China was not issuing and/or serious about patents, and patent quality is improving. India is asserting a right to technological independence as evidenced by its preference for locally-manufactured alternative energy products, and the India-Solar case may be just the cutting-edge of demands for national technological autonomy. President Trump has convinced the Europeans more than ever of their dependence on China and other Asian markets for future economic growth, and he hastened or reinforced a pivot away from North America. None of this is to suggest that trade and investment negotiating and deal-making is going away, or that new deals will not include rules regarding intellectual property, cyber-intrusion and/or transfer of technology. The deals will be bilateral or among coalitions of the willing. Private sector companies are always adapting to changing circumstances. They are not relying on bureaucrats in Geneva or in Washington to enable their activities. In terms of technology and IP, solutions will be technical. More will be spent on hardening networks, encrypting product technologies, implementing block chain supply systems, more carefully vetting and controlling employee behavior, and defending corporate interests in our chaotic global environment. The systemic issues are not going to be resolved in the near to medium term. They will be with us for a while.
Human neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2: Views and perspectives from Professor Linqi Zhang at Tsinghua University

Statement of Significance: Professor Linqi Zhang's laboratory has uncovered the structure of SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain binding with cell receptor angiotensin converting enzyme 2, and isolated more than 200 receptor-binding domain-specific monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 The top SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies are now under development with partnership in pharmaceutical industry
Prozessinnovation in der Praxis : die Anwendung der Lean-Methode auf Arztpraxen

Als Methode zur kontinuierlichen Qualitatsverbesserung ist Lean mittlerweile im Gesundheitswesen, insbesondere in Krankenhausern, etabliert. Bisher gibt es nur wenige Erkenntnisse zur Anwendung von Lean in Arztpraxen. Dieser Beitrag beleuchtet das Innovationspotenzial von Lean in Arztpraxen und zeigt praktische Umsetzungsmoglichkeiten auf. Bisher durchgefuhrte Studien zeigen, dass Arztpraxen langfristig primar das „Kaizen-Prinzip“ befolgen und in kurzen intensiveren Phasen Projekte umsetzen. Ubergeordnetes Ziel der Lean-Initiativen ist meist eine Verbesserung der Effizienz und Produktivitat bei gleichbleibender (medizinischer) Qualitat und gleichbleibendem oder reduziertem Ressourceneinsatz. Die Akzeptanz der Lean-Implementierung wird stark von der vorherrschenden Kultur und dem Fuhrungsstil beeinflusst und davon, welche Art der Implementierung gewahlt wurde (Bottom-up vs. Top-down). Aus der Literatur konnen fur den Praxistransfer drei Handlungsempfehlungen aus den Bereichen Mitarbeitereinbindung, Erfolgsevidenz und patientenzentrierte Outcomes extrahiert werden.
Intelligent Cells and the Body as Conversation: The Democratic Rhetoric of Mindbody Medicine.

Mindbody medicine has become the most prominent version of alternative medicine in the United States. It advocates a system of medicine in which patients are equal partners with physicians in the d...
Elevated Cellular Oxidative Stress in Circulating Immune Cells in Otherwise Healthy Young People Who Use Electronic Cigarettes in a Cross‐Sectional Single‐Center Study: Implications for Future Cardiovascular Risk

Background Tobacco cigarettes (TCs) increase oxidative stress and inflammation, both instigators of atherosclerotic cardiac disease. It is unknown if electronic cigarettes (ECs) also increase immune cell oxidative stress. We hypothesized an ordered, "dose-response" relationship, with tobacco-product type as "dose" (lowest in nonsmokers, intermediate in EC vapers, and highest in TC smokers), and the "response" being cellular oxidative stress (COS) in immune cell subtypes, in otherwise, healthy young people. Methods and Results Using flow cytometry and fluorescent probes, COS was determined in immune cell subtypes in 33 otherwise healthy young people: nonsmokers (n=12), EC vapers (n=12), and TC smokers (n=9). Study groups had similar baseline characteristics, including age, sex, race, and education level. A dose-response increase in proinflammatory monocytes and lymphocytes, and their COS content among the 3 study groups was found: lowest in nonsmokers, intermediate in EC vapers, and highest in TC smokers. These findings were most striking in CD14dimCD16+ and CD14++CD16+ proinflammatory monocytes and were reproduced with 2 independent fluorescent probes of COS. Conclusions These findings portend the development of premature cardiovascular disease in otherwise healthy young people who chronically vape ECs. On the other hand, that the COS is lower in EC vapers compared with TC smokers warrants additional investigation to determine if switching to ECs may form part of a harm-reduction strategy. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03823885.
Regulation of Lung Macrophage Activation and Oxidative Stress Following Ozone Exposure by Farnesoid X Receptor

Inflammatory macrophages are known to contribute to ozone toxicity. Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a nuclear receptor involved in regulating bile acid and lipid homeostasis; it also exerts anti-inflammatory activity by suppressing macrophage NF-κB. Herein, we analyzed the role of FXR in regulating macrophage activation in the lung following ozone exposure. Treatment of wild-type (WT) mice with ozone (0.8 ppm, 3 h) resulted in increases in proinflammatory (F4/80+CD11c+CD11b+Ly6CHi) and anti-inflammatory (F4/80+CD11c+CD11b+Ly6CLo) macrophages in the lung. The accumulation of proinflammatory macrophages was increased in FXR-/- mice compared with WT mice; however, anti-inflammatory macrophage activation was blunted as reflected by reduced arginase and mannose receptor expression, a response correlated with decreased Nur77. This was associated with prolonged oxidative stress, as measured by 4-hydroxynonenal-modified proteins in the lung. Loss of FXR was accompanied by protracted increases in lung NF-κB activity and its target, inducible nitric oxide synthase in response to ozone. Levels of Tnf-α, Il-1β, Ccr2, Ccl2, Cx3cr1, and Cx3cl1 were also increased in lungs of FXR-/- relative to WT mice; conversely, genes regulating lipid homeostasis including Lxrα, Apoe, Vldlr, Abcg1, and Abca1 were downregulated, irrespective of ozone exposure. In FXR-/- mice, ozone caused an increase in total lung phospholipids, with no effect on SP-B or SP-D. Dyslipidemia was correlated with blunting of ozone-induced increases in positive end-expiratory pressure-dependent quasi-static pressure volume curves indicating a stiffer lung in FXR-/- mice. These findings identify FXR as a regulator of macrophage activation following ozone exposure suggesting that FXR ligands may be useful in mitigating inflammation and oxidative stress induced by pulmonary irritants.
Retrospective assessment of rat liver microsomal stability at NCATS: data and QSAR models.

Hepatic metabolic stability is a key pharmacokinetic parameter in drug discovery. Metabolic stability is usually assessed in microsomal fractions and only the best compounds progress in the drug discovery process. A high-throughput single time point substrate depletion assay in rat liver microsomes (RLM) is employed at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. Between 2012 and 2020, RLM stability data was generated for ~ 24,000 compounds from more than 250 projects that cover a wide range of pharmacological targets and cellular pathways. Although a crucial endpoint, little or no data exists in the public domain. In this study, computational models were developed for predicting RLM stability using different machine learning methods. In addition, a retrospective time-split validation was performed, and local models were built for projects that performed poorly with global models. Further analysis revealed inherent medicinal chemistry knowledge potentially useful to chemists in the pursuit of synthesizing metabolically stable compounds. In addition, we deposited experimental data for ~ 2500 compounds in the PubChem bioassay database (AID: 1508591). The global prediction models are made publicly accessible ( https://opendata.ncats.nih.gov/adme ). This is to the best of our knowledge, the first publicly available RLM prediction model built using high-quality data generated at a single laboratory.
Subglottic suction frequency and adverse ventilator-associated events during critical illness.

Objective: Tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation provide essential support for patients with respiratory failure, but the course of mechanical ventilation may be complicated by adverse ventilator-associated events (VAEs), which may or may not be associated with infection. We sought to understand how the frequency of subglottic suction, an indicator of the quantity of sputum produced by ventilated patients, relates to the onset of all VAEs and infection-associated VAEs. Design: We performed a case-crossover study including 87 patients with VAEs, and we evaluated 848 days in the pre-VAE period at risk for a VAE. Setting and participants: Critically ill patients were recruited from the medical intensive care unit of an academic medical center. Methods: We used the number of as-needed subglottic suctioning events performed per calendar day to quantify sputum production, and we compared the immediate pre-VAE period to the preceding period. We used CDC surveillance definitions for VAE and to categorize whether events were infection associated or not. Results: Sputum quantity measured by subglottic suction frequency is greater in the period immediately prior to VAE than in the preceding period. However, it does not discriminate well between infection-associated VAEs and VAEs without associated infection. Conclusions: Subglottic suction frequency may serve as a valuable marker of sputum quantity, and it is associated with risk of a VAE. However, our results require validation in a broader population of mechanically ventilated patients and intensive care settings.
Telemedicine Surge for Pediatric Patients in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York City.

Background: Our objective is to describe our pediatric virtual urgent care (VUC) experience at a large urban academic medical center, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City (NYC). Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of our pediatric VUC program of patients less than age 18 years, from March 1 to May 31, 2020. We include data on expansion of staffing, patient demographics, virtual care, and outcomes. Results: We rapidly onboarded, educated, and trained pediatric telemedicine providers. We evaluated 406 pediatric patients with median age 4.4 years and 53.9% male. Median call time was 5:12 pm, median time to provider was 5.7 min, and median duration of call was 11.1 min. The most common reasons for a visit were COVID-19-related symptoms (36%), dermatologic (15%), and trauma (10%). Virtual care for patients consisted of conservative management (72%), medication prescription (18%), and referral to an urgent care or pediatric emergency department (PED) (10%). Of 16 patients referred and presented to our emergency department, 2 required intensive care for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Oral antibiotics were prescribed for 7.1% of all patients. Only 0.005% of patients had an unplanned 72-h PED visit resulting in hospitalization after a VUC visit. Conclusion: Pediatric emergency VUC allowed for high-quality efficient medical care for patients during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in NYC. Although most patients were managed conservatively in their home, telemedicine also enabled rapid identification of patients who required in-person emergency care.
Tax Refund Uncertainty: Evidence and Welfare Implications

Transfers paid through annual tax refunds are a large but uncertain source of income for poor households. We document that low-income tax-filers have substantial subjective uncertainty about these refunds. We investigate the determinants and consequences of refund uncertainty by linking survey, tax, and credit bureau data. On average, filers’ expectations track realized refunds. More uncertain filers have larger differences between expected and realized refunds. Filers borrow in anticipation of their refunds, but more uncertain filers borrow less, consistent with precautionary behavior. A simple consumption-savings model suggests that refund uncertainty reduces the welfare benefits of the EITC by about 10 percent.
Impoverishment by Taxation

Viewed in the aggregate, the U.S. fiscal system is progressive, reduces inequality, and cuts poverty. The system improves on market outcomes by transferring income from rich to poor. Yet this bird’s eye view rings hollow on the ground, where millions of low-income taxpayers across the United States are made poor or poorer by paying their state and federal taxes. In truth, while the U.S. fiscal system may be broadly equalizing and poverty reducing, for many struggling households, it is impoverishing. This Article offers a new way to measure taxation of low-income households in the United States, presenting a concept called fiscal impoverishment. Taxpayers are fiscally impoverished when they are made poor or poorer by paying state and federal taxes, after accounting for the offsetting cash or near-cash public benefits they receive. Distinct from the aggregate and anonymous measures by which we typically assess our tax and transfer system, fiscal impoverishment is dynamic and individualized. It highlights individual human dignity and implicates the economic responsibilities of the state vis-a-vis low-income taxpayers. In addition to introducing the concept, the Article sketches the scope of fiscal impoverishment throughout the United States and recommends adopting impoverishment analysis to guide tax reform at all levels of government. Using stylized households, it explores net tax burdens at various income levels across all fifty states. In combination with U.S. Treasury and Census data, this work reveals that fiscal impoverishment is significant—affecting millions of households—and highly variable—based on a patchwork of federal and state tax and transfer programs. Patterns of impoverishment track familiar safety-net fault lines based on family structure, employment, immigration status, and state of residence. Finally, finding that such impoverishment exists, the Article provides specific reforms and a framework for rethinking taxation of poor households.
Securing sexual justice for people with intellectual disability: A systematic review and critical appraisal of research recommendations.

BACKGROUND People with intellectual disability contend with significant restrictions to their sexual expression and partnered relationships. This review examines the types of recommendations scholars offer in their qualitative research involving participants with intellectual disability discussing sexuality and intimate relationships. METHOD A systematic review of peer-reviewed studies published between 1972 and July 2018 yielded a sample of 26 studies. Thematic analysis was used to taxonomize scholars' recommendations. RESULTS Six distinct forms of recommendations were identified. The most frequently offered and most strongly emphasized recommendation across studies aimed to change individuals with intellectual disability. In contrast, a minority of studies prioritized engaging individuals as informants, eliciting individuals' wishes, enabling relationships and fostering ideological change. No studies placed the greatest weight on promoting systems change. CONCLUSIONS Recommendations in the literature have predominantly emphasized individual as opposed to environmental changes. I consider the ramifications of this and argue for a reorientation towards systems change.
Parents’ socialization of preschool-aged children's emotion skills: A meta-analysis using an emotion-focused parenting practices framework

Abstract Children make dramatic gains in their abilities to understand, express, and regulate their feelings before entering kindergarten. Despite decades of research into parents’ socialization of young children's emotion skills, the field lacks a formal synthesis of past studies testing the associations between specific emotion-focused parenting practices and young children's emerging emotion skills. The present meta-analysis addresses this gap. This study relies on a framework that organizes parent emotion socialization into three core emotion-focused parenting practices (modeling, responding, and instructing) and connects these practices to children's emotion skills (knowledge, expression, and regulation). Over 1600 abstracts were screened. Articles meeting inclusion criteria (N = 24) reported that parents’ modeling of, responding to, and instructing about emotions were positively correlated with children's emotion skills, but only sometimes significantly, and effect sizes were small (ranging from r ¯ = .05 to r ¯ = .19 and β ¯ = .05 to β ¯ = .12 ) and studies mostly relied on bivariate cross-sectional associations. This review also revealed several ways in which the literature can be strengthened, including through the use of longitudinal and experimental designs, reliance on common measures, and inclusion of diverse representative samples. This study concludes with a discussion of these findings’ implications for future research, especially the need for improved reporting standards and increased attention to understudied aspects of emotion-focused parenting.
Optimizing the Selenization of Sb 2 Se 3 Absorbers to Improve the Film Quality and Solar Cell Performances

In this work, we study antimony selenide (Sb 2 Se 3 ) thin film solar cells deposited by closed space sublimation followed by a post-deposition selenization process at different temperatures. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses are employed to investigate the effects of the selenization treatment on the structural properties of Sb 2 Se 3 films. It is found that a proper selenization temperature leads to a high-quality Sb 2 Se 3 film with the desired grain orientation and a benign Sb 2 Se 3 /Mo interface. After optimizing, we obtained Sb 2 Se 3 solar cells with an improved power conversion efficiency from 3.66 to 7.07 %.
Pigments in Strawberry

The cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) is a high-value fresh fruit grown for its sweet taste, nutrient value, and attractive colors. The central pigments are the anthocyanins that provide the red coloration associated with this fruit. Over the past decade, there has been a significant progress in understanding pigment synthesis in strawberry. A sequenced genome allowed mining of orthologous genes and a rapid and effective transient assay has allowed in planta description of gene function. This chapter provides an overview of the literature germane to the discovery and functional testing of the genes that contribute to strawberry pigmentation, as well as an overview of pigmentation changes in response to environmental and postharvest variables.
Toward a transactional conceptualization of oppositional defiant disorder: implications for assessment and treatment

The conceptualization and treatment of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) has been characterized by surprising homogeneity. In this paper evidence is presented to underscore the heterogeneity within ODD, including research demonstrating (a) the distinction between reactive and proactive forms of aggression; (b) the importance of affective modulation and self-regulation, and associated cognitive skills, in the development of the skill of compliance; and (c) high levels of comorbidity between ODD and other disorders. The disparate pathways that give rise to oppositional behavior suggest that different children with ODD may require different forms of intervention. The necessity of a transactional conceptualization, of achieving a comprehensive understanding of the factors underlying the difficulties of individual children with ODD, and of matching intervention ingredients to the specific needs of different children and families is discussed.
Hemoglobin, a newly recognized lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein that enhances LPS biological activity.

Cell-free hemoglobin (Hb) is a purified preparation of human hemoglobin that is being developed as a resuscitation fluid. In vivo administration of hemoglobin has resulted in significant toxicity, due in part to contamination with bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide (LPS)). To better understand this toxicity, we have studied the interaction between Hb and LPS. Mixtures of each of three different Hb preparations (cross-linked alpha alpha Hb, cross-linked carbon monoxy-alpha alpha HbCO, and non-cross-linked (native) HbAo) and LPS (Escherichia coli O26:B6 or Proteus mirabilis S1959) were examined by several independent methods for evidence of Hb.LPS complex formation. Binding assays in microtiter plates demonstrated saturable binding of LPS to immobilized Hb, with a kD of 3.1 x 10(-8) M. Binding of LPS to Hb also was demonstrated wiht a radiolabeled LPS photoaffinity probe. Ultrafiltration of Hb/LPS mixtures by 300- and 100-kDa cut-off membranes showed that the majority of LPS in these mixtures (87-97 and 64-72%, respectively) was detected in the filtrates, in contrast to the lack of filterability of LPS in the absence of Hb. Density centrifugation demonstrated that LPS co-migrated with each of the three Hbs, whereas unbound LPS had a distinctly greater sedimentation velocity than Hb or Hb.LPS complexes. Nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis demonstrated that in the presence of Hb, LPS migrated into the gel and co-electrophoresed with Hb, whereas LPS alone did not appreciably enter the gel. Finally, precipitation by ethanol of each of the three Hb preparations was increased in the presence of LPS compared with precipitation in the absence of LPS. Interaction of LPS with each of the three Hb preparations was also associated with altered biological activity of LPS, as shown by enhancement of LPS activation of Limulus amebocyte lysate. Therefore, our data provide several lines of independent evidence for Hb-LPS complex formation and indicated that LPS exhibited altered physical characteristics and enhanced biological activity in the presence of Hb.
STRIPES OF A DIFFERENT STRIPE

In some materials, electronic charge can form stripes. These stripe phases may be connected with high-temperature superconductivity. A new type of stripe has been observed, one that forms in pairs and should be especially useful in studying the interplay between localizing and delocalizing electronic forces.
Blitzkrieg Against the Moas

The prevailing view among archeologists is that the moas, large flightless birds indigenous to New Zealand, were gradually hunted to extinction after the arrival of the Maoris. However, as Diamond explains in a lively Perspective, new findings (Holdaway and Jacomb) suggest that the moas became extinct within 100 years of the arrival of the Maoris in New Zealand, ten times more quickly than previously thought. Apparently, their slow reproductive rate meant that they were unable to replace their brethren killed by Maori hunters, resulting in their rapid extinction.
Development and US Troop Deployments

For over six decades, the US military has shaped international economic development, notably by way of nearly 31 million US troop-year deployments since 1950. Worldwide, life expectancy increased by 10 years between 1970 and the present. The mortality rate of children dropped from 132 per 1,000 live births to 55. The number of telephone lines per capita quadrupled from 48 to 196 per thousand. In each case, the improvement was faster in countries with a heavy US troop presence and slower in countries with zero US troop presence. These relationships stem from a data set on US deployments across all countries and years from 1950 to the present matched with World Bank data on indicators of social well-being since 1970 across 148 countries. The positive relationship between American forces and social development holds in econometric regressions even when controlling for initial income levels and initial social indicator levels.
Neural coding of tactile texture: comparison of spatial and temporal mechanisms for roughness perception.

A previous study showed that roughness perception may depend on either temporal or spatial variations in firing rate among cutaneous mechanoreceptive afferents. The present study was designed to distinguish between these hypotheses. Plastic surfaces embossed with patterns of dots designed to produce predictable alterations in temporal and spatial firing rate variation were used as stimuli in psychophysical and neurophysiological experiments. Subjective roughness magnitudes obtained from psychophysical experiments fitted the predictions of the spatial but not the temporal hypothesis. In the neurophysiological experiments, the stimuli were scanned across the receptive fields of cutaneous mechanoreceptive afferents. Firing rate variation in the neural responses was measured using a range of temporal and spatial filters. Temporal variation was not correlated with roughness magnitude. Spatial variation, on a scale of 1–2 mm (one to two receptor spacings), was closely correlated with roughness.
Processing of visual information compromises the ability of older adults to control novel fine motor tasks

We performed two experiments to determine whether amplified motor output variability and compromised processing of visual information in older adults impair short-term adaptations when learning novel fine motor tasks. In Experiment 1, 12 young and 12 older adults underwent training to learn how to accurately trace a sinusoidal position target with abduction-adduction of their index finger. They performed 48 trials, which included 8 blocks of 6 trials (the last trial of each block was performed without visual feedback). Afterward, subjects received an interference task (watched a movie) for 60 min. We tested retention by asking subjects to perform the sinusoidal task (5 trials) with and without visual feedback. In Experiment 2, 12 young and 10 older adults traced the same sinusoidal position target with their index finger and ankle at three distinct visual angles (0.25°, 1° and 5.4°). In Experiment 1, the movement error and variability were greater for older adults during the visual feedback trials when compared with young adults. In contrast, during the no-vision trials, age-associated differences in movement error and variability were ameliorated. Short-term adaptations in learning the sinusoidal task were similar for young and older adults. In Experiment 2, lower amount of visual feedback minimized the age-associated differences in movement variability for both the index finger and ankle movements. We demonstrate that although short-term adaptations are similar for young and older adults, older adults do not process visual information as well as young adults and that compromises their ability to control novel fine motor tasks during acquisition, which could influence long-term retention and transfer.
Verifiable network function outsourcing: requirements, challenges, and roadmap

Network function outsourcing (NFO) enables enterprises and small businesses to achieve the performance and security benefits offered by middleboxes (e.g., firewall, IDS) without incurring high equipment or operating costs that such functions entail. In order for this vision to fully take root, however, we argue that NFO customers must be able to verify that the service is operating as intended w.r.t.: (1) functionality (e.g., did the packets traverse the desired sequence of middlebox modules?); (2) performance (e.g., is the latency comparable to an "in-house" service?); and (3) accounting (e.g., are the CPU/memory consumption being accounted for correctly?). In this position paper, we formalize these requirements and present a high-level roadmap to address the challenges involved.
Hydrostatic Pressure Independently Increases Elastin and Collagen Co-expression in Small-diameter Engineered Arterial Constructs

Prior studies have demonstrated that smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation, migration, and extracellular matrix production increase with hydrostatic pressure in vitro. We have engineered highly compliant small-diameter arterial constructs by culturing primary adult arterial SMCs under pulsatile perfusion on tubular, porous, elastomeric scaffolds composed of poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS). This study investigates the effect of hydrostatic pressure on the biological and mechanical properties of PGS-based engineered arterial constructs. Pressure was raised using a downstream needle valve during perfusion while preserving flow rate and pulsatility, and constructs were evaluated by pressure-diameter testing and biochemical assays for collagen and elastin. Pressurized constructs contained half as much insoluble elastin as baboon common carotid arteries but were significantly less compliant, while constructs cultured at low hydrostatic pressure contained one third as much insoluble elastin as baboon carotids and were similar in compliance. Hydrostatic pressure significantly increased construct burst pressure, collagen and insoluble elastin content, and soluble elastin concentration in culture medium. All arteries and constructs exhibited elastic recovery during pressure cycling. Hydrostatic pressure did not appear to affect radial distribution of SMCs, collagens I and III, and elastin. These results provide insights into the control of engineered smooth muscle tissue properties using hydrostatic pressure.
Opportunities and threats: A security assessment of state e-government websites

Abstract This study assessed the security of the U.S. state e-government sites to identify opportunities for and threats to the sites and their users. The study used a combination of three methods – web content analysis, information security auditing, and computer network security mapping – for data collection and analysis. The findings indicate that most state e-government sites posted privacy and security policy statements; however, only less than half stated clearly what security measures were in action. Second, the information security audit revealed that 98% of the sites secured users' accounts with SSL encryption for data transmission, and the sites' search tools enable public users to search for public information only. Third, although the sites had most of their internet ports filtered or behind firewalls, all of them had their main IP addresses detected and their port 80/tcp open. The study discussed the threats and opportunities and suggested possible solutions for improving e-government security.
Molecular forms of enzymes in cancer.

Resume Les travaux de notre laboratoire ont montre d'importantes modifications isozymiques dans des hepatomes de Morris, qui sont des cancers du foie induits chimiquement chez le rat, et transplantes ; leur degre de differenciation et leur taux de croissance est tres variable. Il en ressort, en general, que parallelement a une diminution de la differenciation et a un taux de croissance plus rapide, on observe une perte des isozymes « marqueursspecifiques du foie. Dans les tumeurs les moins differenciees et dont la croissance est la plus rapide, certains isozymes sont parfois remplaces par des isozymes qui sont normalement tres faibles, ou absents dans le foie normal adulte. Ce mode de comportement a ete observe pour la glucose-ATP phosphotransferase, la pyruvate kinase et l'adenylate kinase ; et des constatations semblables de F. Schapira pour l'aldolase ont ete confirmees. Des etudes preliminaires indiquent des aspects similaires pour les isozymes de la glucose-6-phosphate deshydrogenase et de la glycogene synthetase. D'autres chercheurs ont observe des alterations isozymiques semblables pour la glutaminase, les transaminases des acides amines branches, la glycogene synthetase, la fructose-1-6 diphosphatase, la glucosamine-6-phosphate synthetase et la ferritine. Ces constatations indiquent un defaut des mecanismes du controle de l'activation des genes dans le cancer, et peuvent etre ajoutees a un ensemble croissant d'arguments d'ordre experimental et clinique prouvant que les cellules cancereuses ont des mecanismes aberrants de synthese proteique. Ceci est illustre par : u 1) La production ectopique d'hormones par des tumeurs non-endocrines. 2) La synthese de proteines fœtales par des tumeurs du tractus gastrointestinal, du foie et des ovaires. 3) D'autres profondes alterations d'activites enzymatiques dans des hepatomes experimentaux. De telles alterations moleculaires, ayant pour resultat des differences marquees dans les activites et les proprietes cinetiques d'enzymes-cles, peuvent rendre compte de quelques aspects insolites du metabolisme des cellules neoplasiques, particulierement leur glycolyse aerobie elevee. Le remplacement d'isozymes hepatiques adaptatifs hormono-sensibles par des types moleculaires non hepatiques peut aussi rendre compte de l'absence de reponse des tumeurs hepatiques aux mecanismes regulateurs de l'hote.