cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exact and Approximate Stability Conditions for Cluster Synchronization of Kuramoto Oscillators

In this paper we derive exact and approximate conditions for the (local) stability of the cluster synchronization manifold for sparsely interconnected oscillators with heterogeneous and weighted Kuramoto dynamics. Cluster synchronization, which emerges when the oscillators can be partitioned in a way that their phases remain identical over time within each group, is critically important for normal and abnormal behaviors in technological and biological systems ranging from the power grid to the human brain. Yet, despite its importance, cluster synchronization has received limited attention, so that the fundamental mechanisms regulating cluster synchronization in important classes of oscillatory networks are still unknown. In this paper we provide the first conditions for the stability of the cluster synchronization manifold for general weighted networks of heterogeneous oscillators with Kuramoto dynamics. In particular, we discuss how existing results are inapplicable or insufficient to characterize the stability of cluster synchronization for oscillators with Kuramoto dynamics, provide rigorous quantitative conditions that reveal how the network weights and oscillators' natural frequencies regulate cluster synchronization, and offer examples to quantify the tightness of our conditions. Further, we develop approximate conditions that, despite their heuristic nature, are numerically shown to tightly capture the transition to stability of the cluster synchronization manifold.
Perception and Outcome of PEM Fellows following POCUS Curriculum Implementation

Introduction: Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) in the emergency department provides the clinician with a real-time, non-invasive and rapid assessment of their patients. Currently, there is a lack of published POCUS curriculum guidelines for pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) trainees. In this regard, we developed a POCUS curriculum for fellows at a newly established PEM fellowship at our institution to understand their perception and its effectiveness. Methods: We enrolled all current PEM fellows (n = 4) who had limited to no prior experience with POCUS to participate in program implementation in January 2018. Their progress was followed over time until graduation. The curriculum included didactics hands-on training in the presence (supervised) and absence (solo) of an expert instructor. In addition to the curriculum, the fellows were also required to complete a pre- and post-survey assessment. Results: Before curriculum implementation, barriers of POCUS common to all fellows (100%) included image interpretation and comfort level. Conversely, this improved with only 1 fellow (25%) suggesting these barriers. Interestingly, nearly all fellows (75%) found POCUS to be time-consuming following the curriculum implementation. Knowledge-base assessment showed improvement from an average score of 50% pre-test versus 79% post-test. The number of scans increased with time, but qualitative measures of image acquisition had a minimal improvement on a self-assessment quality assurance (QA) Likert scale. Average solo QA rating by an expert was higher (Mean 3.23 + SEM 0.15) than the average by the fellows' selfassessment (3.07 + 0.18). Overall sensitivity of POCUS examinations was 90.32% (61.92%93.07%) and specificity was 99.11% (94.07%-99.57%). Conclusion: POCUS curriculum implementation can improve the PEM fellow's skills while enhancing their experience. While there are challenges for the utilization of POCUS, this study shows that the implementation of such a curriculum may have a positive effect on skill, knowledge development as well as perception.
Reframing implementation science to address inequities in healthcare delivery

Research has generated valuable knowledge in identifying, understanding, and intervening to address inequities in the delivery of healthcare, yet these inequities persist. The best available interventions, programs and policies designed to address inequities in healthcare are not being adopted in routine practice settings. Implementation science can help address this gap by studying the factors, processes, and strategies at multiple levels of a system of care that influence the uptake, use, and the sustainability of these programs for vulnerable populations. We propose that an equity lens can help integrate the fields of implementation science and research that focuses on inequities in healthcare delivery. Using Proctor et al.’ (12) framework as a case study, we reframed five elements of implementation science to study inequities in healthcare. These elements include: 1) focus on reach from the very beginning; 2) design and select interventions for vulnerable populations and low-resource communities with implementation in mind; 3) implement what works and develop implementation strategies that can help reduce inequities in care; 4) develop the science of adaptations; and 5) use an equity lens for implementation outcomes. The goal of this paper is to continue the dialogue on how to critically infuse an equity approach in implementation studies to proactively address healthcare inequities in historically underserved populations. Our examples provide ways to operationalize how we can blend implementation science and healthcare inequities research.
User-Silicon Entangled Mobile Identity Authentication

We explore mobile device touchscreen characteristics to build a user-device (UD) biometric physical unclonable function (PUF). Human user touchscreen interaction induces dynamic capacitive differences. Sensors detect current differences which are a function of both (1) a human biometric of how a shape is traced and (2) silicon foundry process transistor-level variability embedded in the touchscreen grid. This forms a physical function with input x defining a shape and output y abstracted from the measured current value stream. We argue and establish that this physical function has PUF attributes. Moreover, it provides a robust user-device biometric-based authentication mechanism. Authentication is based on geometric shapes (challenges) drawn on the touchscreen. Users trace them. The authentication layer creates a response abstract, and validates it against a user profile. Authentication accuracy is affected by the complexity of geometric shapes as well as the validation algorithm. We consider polyline shapes (simple gestures) and complex closed geometric shapes (complex gestures). Complex gestures offer higher response entropy, but are computationally less efficient with a slightly lower validation accuracy. Complex gestures achieve 99.6% accuracy compared with 100% for simple gestures. User profiles exhibit physical unclonable function (PUF) properties. Touchscreen gestures are quantized into binary strings. Gesture hamming distance is 60+ bits for 128-bit strings for different user-device profiles; it is 0 bits for the same profile. This demonstrates variability and reproducibility respectively. Montreal TestU01 tests binary string pseudorandom characteristics; the majority of tests pass showing pseudorandom number generator (PRG) characteristics.
Comparative Encapsulation Efficiency of Lutein in Micelles Synthesized via Batch and High Throughput Methods.

Purpose Black raspberries (BRBs) and their anthocyanin-rich hydrophilic fractions (BRB-H) have exhibited significant chemopreventative activity across aerodigestive cancers. Lutein, the primary component of the BRB lipophilic fraction (BRB-L), also demonstrates bioactivity potential, but is less well characterized, in part because of its poor, innate bioavailability. For these lipophilic compounds to be accurately evaluated for anticancer efficacy, it is necessary to increase their functional bioavailability using delivery vehicles. Lutein has been delivered in commercial settings in emulsion form. However, emulsions are unstable, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract, which limit their use as an oral nutraceutical. Here, we evaluated lutein encapsulation and cellular uptake for nanoparticle (NP) delivery vehicles composed of three different materials synthesized via two different approaches. Methods Specifically, NPs were synthesized via smaller scale batch interfacial instability (II) sonication and semi-continuous high throughput electrohydrodynamic-mediated mixing nanoprecipitation (EM-NP) methods using polystyrene-polyethylene oxide (PSPEO) or polycaprolactone-polyethylene glycol (PCLPEG) block copolymers and PHOSPHOLIPON 90G® (P90G, Lipoid GmbH) lipids. Size distribution, lutein encapsulation efficiency (EE), and cellular uptake and delivery were evaluated for each NP formulation. Results NPs produced via high throughput EM-NP had higher EEs than NPs produced via batch II sonication, and P90G had the greatest EE (55%) and elicited faster cellular uptake in premalignant oral epithelial cells (SCC83) compared to other delivery systems. Conclusion These qualities suggest P90G could be a beneficial candidate for future lutein in vitro delivery research and clinical translation for oral cancer prevention.
Effect of Nanomagnet Geometry on Reliability, Energy Dissipation, and Clock Speed in Strain-Clocked DC-NML

Strain-clocked dipole-coupled nanomagnetic logic (DC-NML) is an energy-efficient Boolean logic paradigm whose progress has been stymied by its propensity for high error rates. In an effort to mitigate this problem, we have studied the effect of nanomagnet geometry on error rates, focusing on elliptical and cylindrical geometries. We had previously reported that in elliptical nanomagnets, the out-of-plane excursion of the magnetization vector during switching creates a precessional torque that plays a dual role—it speeds up the switching, but is also responsible for the high switching error probability. The absence of this torque in cylindrical magnets should lower error rates, but our simulations show that the error rate actually does not improve significantly compared with elliptical magnets while the switching becomes unacceptably slow. Here, we show that DC-NML employing elliptical nanomagnets can offer relatively high reliability for NML (switching error probability $10^{-8}$ ), moderate clock speed ( $\sim 100$ MHz), and two to three orders of magnitude energy saving compared with CMOS devices, provided the shape anisotropy energy barrier of the nanomagnet is increased to at least $\sim 5.5$ eV to allow engineering a stronger dipole coupling between neighboring nanomagnets.
Stock Characteristics and Individual Herding: A Causal-Comparative Study

Individuals who invest stocks in a market with excess volatility generally end up selling or holding the stocks at losses. The purpose of this study was to examine individual herding as it related to three comprehensible stock characteristics, market capitalization, price-to-book ratio, and industry affiliation. The target population was the individual investors who traded in Taiwan Stock Exchange in 2016. Data were collected through subscription. Based on Lakonishok, Shleifer, and Vishny's measure, individual herding was significant. The three stock characteristics were separately and as a whole related to individual herding. The findings confirmed sell-herding higher than buy-herding, more serious herding in high market capitalization stocks, and broad industry herding. The findings also extended knowledge to comparable herding levels with 8 to 10 years ago, more linearity between log market capitalization and log odds of herd occurrence, and less herding in P/B ratio stocks with other independent variables controlled.
Animal Models of Retinopathy of Prematurity

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of blindness in preterm infants. It is a biphasic disease characterized by an initial phase of arrested vascular growth caused by hyperoxia exposure and loss of maternal–fetal interaction, followed by a second phase of hypoxia-induced neovascularization, which may lead to retinal detachment and vision loss. Animal models of ROP are crucial for studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying ROP pathogenesis and for the development of potential therapeutics. Early animal models of oxygen-induced ROP were developed in the 1950s in multiple species including feline, canine, and murine, after the recognition of supplemental oxygen use as a risk factor. Refined mouse and rat models of oxygen-induced retinopathy were modernized in the 1990s with standardized oxygen protocols and improved methods for assessing retinopathy severity. More recently, murine models of hyperglycemia-associated neonatal retinopathy were developed to mimic neonatal hyperglycemia, a newly identified ROP risk factor. This chapter summarizes the basic concepts, advantages, and limitations of animal models of ROP, with a focus on the most widely used mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy.
Research From a Diné-Centered Perspective and the Development of a Community-Based Participatory Research Partnership.

Purpose. Indigenous (Dine) communities have long endured high rates of behavioral and mental health diseases like depression, drug and alcohol dependency, and suicide due to historical trauma and posttraumatic stress disorders. Western research methods used to address these issues have often failed to provide sufficient understanding of the culturally nuanced dynamics underpinning these health disparities in Indigenous contexts. As a result, Indigenous health disparities have actually increased and complex culture-based relationships that influence health outcomes are underconceptualized. Aim. For the first time a community-based participatory research approach from a Dine perspective is introduced to three Navajo communities in New Mexico to collaboratively explore their perspectives about community-engaged research and community well-being from a Dine lens. The overarching research question was: Can a community-based participatory research approach embedded within a Dine research paradigm be utilized to develop a culturally centered intervention approach? Methods. The study utilized a mixed method approach that included surveys and focus groups. Results. Six overarching themes emerged that underscored the important role of utilizing a community-based participatory Dine-centered approach to define community well-being and increase community agency to address their own health disparities. Conclusion. Indigenous-centered community-engaged research can potentially become an intervention approach for informing Indigenous communities' understandings of well-being by drawing upon local cultural Indigenous knowledge. This study demonstrated that developing an effective community-engaged research partnership to address health disparities in a Dine context must be informed by a Dine paradigm grounded in local community cultural knowledge.
Single-nuclear transcriptomics reveals diversity of proximal tubule cell states in a dynamic response to acute kidney injury.

Acute kidney injury (AKI), commonly caused by ischemia, sepsis, or nephrotoxic insult, is associated with increased mortality and a heightened risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). AKI results in the dysfunction or death of proximal tubule cells (PTCs), triggering a poorly understood autologous cellular repair program. Defective repair associates with a long-term transition to CKD. We performed a mild-to-moderate ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) to model injury responses reflective of kidney injury in a variety of clinical settings, including kidney transplant surgery. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing of genetically labeled injured PTCs at 7-d ("early") and 28-d ("late") time points post-IRI identified specific gene and pathway activity in the injury-repair transition. In particular, we identified Vcam1 +/Ccl2 + PTCs at a late injury stage distinguished by marked activation of NF-κB-, TNF-, and AP-1-signaling pathways. This population of PTCs showed features of a senescence-associated secretory phenotype but did not exhibit G2/M cell cycle arrest, distinct from other reports of maladaptive PTCs following kidney injury. Fate-mapping experiments identified spatially and temporally distinct origins for these cells. At the cortico-medullary boundary (CMB), where injury initiates, the majority of Vcam1 +/Ccl2 + PTCs arose from early replicating PTCs. In contrast, in cortical regions, only a subset of Vcam1 +/Ccl2 + PTCs could be traced to early repairing cells, suggesting late-arising sites of secondary PTC injury. Together, these data indicate even moderate IRI is associated with a lasting injury, which spreads from the CMB to cortical regions. Remaining failed-repair PTCs are likely triggers for chronic disease progression.
A statistical framework for assessing temperature controls on landscape Freeze-Thaw: Application and implications in Québec, Canada (1979–2016)

Abstract Climate change has already made significant alterations to various elements of the hydrologic cycle. One relatively less attended hydrologic impact of climate change is on the landscape Freeze-Thaw (FT), which largely affects surface and sub-surface hydrology, phenology, and land-atmospheric interactions, particularly in cold regions. Understanding the impacts of climate change on FT patterns, however, is not trivial due to sparse networks of in-situ measurements as well as limitations in current physically-based modeling schemes, aiming at continuous simulations of FT states. Here, we propose shifting the focus of FT modeling from continuous simulations in time and space, and move toward statistical representations of FT characteristics at larger temporal and spatial scales. We accordingly suggest using copulas to formally describe the impacts of temperature alterations on FT characteristics using conditional probabilities. To showcase the application of this framework in practice, we pair datasets of satellite-based FT with gridded temperature over Quebec, Canada. The results show strong and rather unique dependencies between temperature and FT characteristics across different regions and/or timeframes. Our findings demonstrate copulas as effective tools to capture such dependencies and to reconstruct marginal FT characteristics. Through a set of impact assessments, it is shown that a similar change in temperature conditions can result in different regional responses in landscape FT. These responses are often nonsymmetric, meaning that the magnitude of change in FT conditions can be different under warming and cooling conditions. In addition, we highlight intensifications in FT responses to a similar magnitude of change in temperature under more recent years, which is linked to alterations in dependencies between temperature and FT. This study provides another line of evidence for complex responses of landscape FT to climate change.
Fault tolerant longitudinal and lateral control for automated highway systems

Increasing highway traffic congestion and real estate costs that limit the building of new highways has brought about a renewed interest in an automated highway system (AHS) where the vehicle steering task ("lateral controls") and the braking/throttle control tasks ("longitudinal control") are taken over by computers to increase the throughput of existing highways. Since safety plays a key role in the development of an AHS, fault tolerant control is vital. In this paper, we develop longitudinal and lateral fault tolerant sliding mode control algorithms and prove that these control algorithms are stable for a variety of faults (e.g. in the braking, powertrain, and steering systems). Finally, the performance of the sliding mode controllers is demonstrated through a series of simulations incorporating various vehicle and AHS faults.
Evolution of electronic structure across the rare-earth RNiO3 series

Here, the perovksite rare-earth nickelates, RNiO3 (R = La… Lu), are a class of materials displaying a rich phase-diagram of metallic and insulating phases associated with charge and magnetic order. Being in the charge transfer regime, Ni3+ in octahedral coordination displays a strong hybridization with oxygen to form 3d-2p mixed states, which results in a strong admixture of 3d8L_ into 3d7, where L_ denotes a hole on the oxygen. To understand the nature of this strongly hybridized ground state, we present a detailed study of the Ni and O electronic structure using high-resolution soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Through a comparison of the evolution of the XAS line-shape at Ni L- and O K-edges across the phase diagram, we explore the changes in the electronic signatures in connection with the insulating and metallic phases that support the idea of hybridization playing a fundamental role.
An undergraduate laboratory in the design, fabrication and test of semiconductor processes and integrated circuits

In a semester-long integrated circuits fabrication laboratory at Northern Arizona University, senior electrical engineering students design a silicon process, design and lay out integrated circuits, fabricate wafers, and test working die. Breaking into small teams, students arrive at a preliminary process now using first order models, refine the process based on simulations, and carry out process verification on actual wafers. Concurrent with the process development, students design and lay out circuits according to rules they establish (lambda-based, with /spl lambda/ from 3 to 6 /spl mu/m). Circuits include test devices, logic gates and oscillators, Students set up a process schedule and fabricate their integrated circuits in a clean room. Finally, they perform electrical test to extract parameters and verify circuit operation. Also discussed in this paper is the experience students gain in soft skills such as team work, time management, communication and presentation.
Dynamics of interstitial and intracellular pH in evolving brain infarct

We examined the relationships between intracellular pH (pHi) and interstitial pH (pHe) in a rat model of focal ischemia. Interstitial pH was measured with pH-sensitive microelectrodes, and the average tissue pH was measured with the [14C]dimethadione method in rats subjected to occlusion of the right middle cerebral and common carotid arteries (MCA-CCAO). In normal cortex, pHe and pHi were 7.24 +/- 0.97 and 7.01 +/- 0.13 (means +/- SD, n = 6), respectively. In the ischemic cortex, pHe fell to 6.43 +/- 0.13, whereas pHi decreased only to 6.86 +/- 0.11 (n = 5) 1 h after MCA-CCAO. After 4 h of ischemia, the pHe was 6.61 +/- 0.09 and pHi was 6.62 +/- 0.20 (n = 4). Treatment with glucose before ischemia markedly lowered the pHe (5.88 +/- 0.17) but not pHi (6.83 +/- 0.03, n = 4) measured 1 h after ischemia. In the ischemic cortex of animals made hypoglycemic by pretreatment with insulin, neither pHe (7.25 +/- 0.06) nor pHi (6.99 +/- 0.13, n = 4) decreased. The demonstrated difference in pHi and pHe indicates that some cells remained sufficiently functional to maintain a plasma membrane gradient of protons within the evolving infarct. If the calculated pHi values accurately reflect the true pHi of cells within zones of severe focal ischemia, then cerebral infarction can proceed at pHi levels not greatly altered from normal.
Ventricular diastolic stiffness predicts perioperative morbidity and duration of pleural effusions after the Fontan operation.

Background— We validated the clinical relevance of ventricular stiffness by examining surgical morbidity in children with univentricular hearts undergoing Fontan operation. We hypothesized that ventricular stiffness affects Fontan morbidity, particularly duration of pleural effusions. Methods and Results— Sixteen children with right ventricular (RV) (n =11) or left ventricular (LV) (n =5) dominance were studied intraoperatively at a median age of 3.3 years (1.8 to 5.1). Transesophageal long-axis echocardiograms and ventricular pressure by micromanometer provided end-diastolic pressure (P) area (A) relations during initiation and conclusion of cardiopulmonary bypass. Curve fitting to the equation P=αe βA defined the ventricular stiffness constant, β. Changes in β and clinical correlations were examined. Ventricular stiffness increased after bypass in patients with complete pre-bypass and post-bypass data (n =11, P =0.023, mixed models methodology). Pre-bypass β correlated well with duration of chest tube (CT) drainage ( r =0.90, n =16), net perioperative fluid balance ( r =0.71, n=14), and length of stay (LOS) ( r =0.81, n =16). CT duration and LOS also correlated significantly with post-bypass β ( r =0.77 for both, n=11), but insignificantly with preoperative catheterization pressures. Conclusions— Intraoperative β predicts duration of CT drainage, net perioperative fluid balance, and LOS after the Fontan operation. These observations could improve risk stratification and clinical management of children at high-risk undergoing the Fontan operation.
SU‐E‐T‐571: EPID Assisted Dosimetric Evaluation of Treatment Planning Using Helical or 4D CT in Stereotactic Radiotherapy of Lung Cancer

Purpose: To investigate potential dosimetric discrepancy due to the choice of CT scanning protocols (helical versus 4DCT) for treatment planning in stereotactic body radiotherapy of lungcancer. Method and Materials: For each lungcancer patient treated with SBRT, both free‐breathing helical CT and 4DCT images were obtained. A conventional PTV (PTVconv) was created by applying an anisotropic margin of 5mm in the axial plane and 10mm in the longitudinal (craniocaudal) plane to the GTV outlined on the helical CT. Similarly, a PTV4D was created by applying a uniform margin of 5 mm to the internal target volume (ITV) contoured on the average intensity image set derived from the 4DCT. Both approaches are accepted by RTOG protocols (0813 and 0915). In this study, two SBRT plans were created for each patient using identical beam portals except the aperture of each beam is adjusted according to the PTVconv or PTV4D, respectively. The volume difference of both PTVs and target coverage were compared between two plans. On a daily basis, the position of the GTV was monitored real‐time for each field using an EPID in cine mode. The dose distribution was recalculated based on geometrical information obtained from the cine images. Results: It was observed that the volume of PTVconv is 16% smaller than PTV4D. Subsequently the SBRT plan using PTVconv provides suboptimal dose coverage to the tumor than PTV4D. The V100 of PTV4D decreased from 95% to 82% and D95 of ITV decreased from 47Gy to 42Gy. The cine EPIDimages have confirmed tumor excursion with respiratory motion is within the predefined ITV boundary. However if the plan is based on apertures designed using PTVconv, there could be geometrical misses resulting in target under dosage. Conclusion: It is recommended to perform 4D CT and use PTV4D for treatment planning for SBRTlungcancer.
Making sense of political contention: Approaches, substantive issues, and interpretation in social movement analysis

This review essay discusses and compares three books that cover aspects of political contention and social movements. The books are Freedom is an Endless Meeting: Democracy in American Social Movements by Francesca Polletta (Chicago: The University of Chicago, 2002); Making Sense of Social Movements by Nick Crossley (Buckingham: Open University Press, 2002); and Methods of Social Movement Research, edited by Bert Klandermans and Suzanne Staggenborg (Minneapolis: The University of Minnesota Press, 2002).
The Environmental and Situational Correlates of Victim Injury in Nonfatal Violent Incidents

Previous research has documented several correlates of criminal victimization, but less is known about the factors related to victim injury during criminal events. Using environmental criminology to understand offender decision making during the criminal event, victim injury is explored with data from the National Incident Based Reporting System. Incident-level logistic and multinomial regression analyses were conducted to estimate the environmental and situational correlates of victim injury risk and severity in nonfatal violent events. Findings indicate that environmental and situational factors influence the likelihood and severity of victim injury, suggesting the utility of an environmental criminological approach for understanding not just the decision to offend but also offender behavior during criminal events.
Laboratory studies of polyoxymethylene - Application to comets

Formaldehyde polymer mass spectra gathered by means of the particle beam and direct insertion probe system indicate that these substances can evaporate at 300 K and yield gas-phase polyoxymethylene glycols in the presence of water. These experimental results are presently used to ascertain the likely origin of the polymeric ions that have been observed with the Giotto mission's PICCA instrument. The experimental results are held to be in keeping with the hypothesized presence of formaldehyde polymers in comets.
Ion beam mixing in insulator substrates

Abstract Studies of ion beam mixing involving insulator substrates is reviewed with an emphasis on thermodynamical and thermochemical considerations. Such studies generally have employed the bi-layer configuration of metal/insulator combinations. There is little evidence for long-range material transport. In the case of sapphire (single crystal Al2O3) substrates, only recoil mixing has been detected for both metal and oxide films irradiated at room temperature. “Demixing” of recoil-implanted cations is indicated at temperatures of 825–900°C. Agglomeration of non-wetting metal films suggests that surface diffusion occurs under the influence of the ion beam. Ballistic mixing has been reported for metal films on SiC, Si3N4 and SiO2. Ion beam-induced reactions are observed at the interfaces for systems in which the enthalpy of reaction is favorable. There is evidence that chemical effects in the cascade mixing regime determine the phases present in the mixed zone.
Semantic pattern analysis for verbal fluency based assessment of neurological disorders

In this paper, we present preliminary results of semantic pattern analysis of verbal fluency tests used for assessing cognitive psychological and neuropsychological disorders. We posit that recent advances in semantic reasoning and artificial intelligence can be combined to create a standardized computer-aided diagnosis tool to automatically evaluate and interpret verbal fluency tests. Towards that goal, we derive novel semantic similarity (phonetic, phonemic and conceptual) metrics and present the predictive capability of these metrics on a de-identified dataset of participants with and without neurological disorders.
University-Based Child Development Laboratory Programs: Emerging Issues and Challenges.

University-based child development laboratory programs have a long and rich history of significant contributions to the early childhood education field, yet many are being threatened by cutbacks and/or closures. This paper identifies emerging issues and challenges facing lab schools nationwide as they attempt to build support for their programs. Recommendations for strengthening the roles lab programs play in the early childhood field are outlined based on these issues and challenges.
Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary ductile deformation: Catalina-Rincon metamorphic core complex, southeastern Arizona

Detailed mapping and kinematic analysis have revealed east-vergent Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary ductile deformation in the eastern Santa Catalina Mountains within the Catalina-Rincon metamorphic core complex. A gently dipping tectonite fabric formed concurrently with greenschist to amphibolite facies metamorphism in Precambrian through Upper Cretaceous sedimentary and plutonic rocks. The tectonites contrast in age, lineation orientation, shear sense, and deformational style with younger mid-Tertiary mylonites that are kinematically coordinated with the detachment fault. The Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary deformation may reflect crustal thickening prior to mid-Tertiary extension of the complex.
Minimization of seasonal sucrose losses across Robert's-type evaporators in raw sugar manufacture by pH optimization.

Factory staff must consider all costs to make sound economic decisions on how to improve the performance of evaporators, which includes knowing optimum pH levels to minimize sucrose losses. A factory study was conducted to determine the effects of target final evaporator syrup (FES) pH values across the season on sucrose losses. The factory operated Robert's type calandria evaporators, with two (2787 and 2322 m2) preevaporators in parallel and three sets of triple-body evaporators (1148 m2 each) in parallel; Rt values were 11.4 and 9.5 min in the two preevaporators, respectively, and increased from 10.0 to 21.8 min across the triple bodies. Gas chromatography was used to determine sucrose losses as Δ%glucose/%sucrose ratios on a °Brix basis. Most sucrose losses to acid hydrolysis occurred in the preevaporators. Increasing the target pH of the FES or clarified juice (CJ) systematically reduced losses of sucrose; however, scaling effects overrode pH effects in later bodies. Seasonal effects on evaporator su...
Veterans’ Mental Health: Challenges and Issues of College Enrolled OIF and OEF Veterans

To help mental health professionals and college personnel better understand the mental health needs of returning veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, 39 veterans enrolled at a comprehensive State University completed questionnaires that surveyed their symptoms related to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Depression. Irritability, outbursts of anger, feeling detached or estranged from others were the most frequently reported symptoms of PTSD. Depressed mood most of the day and sleep disorders were the most reported symptoms of depression. Five percent reported taking psychiatric medication and 31% had seen a counselor. Twenty-one percent met the criteria to receive a formal diagnosis of PTSD and 27% met criteria for Major Depression.
Alcohol ablation of the vein of Marshall: Is it the answer for mitral isthmus ablation?

w a r w Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in patients with structural heart disease may include isolation of the pulmonary veins and modification of the atrial substrate by a combination of ablation of complex fractionated atrial electrograms and left atrial linear ablation. Left atrial roof and mitral isthmus lines are the most commonly used, and these are important adjuncts to pulmonary vein isolation in achieving successful catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation, especially in persistent atrial fibrillation. However, paradoxically, improved success rate of ablation of atrial fibrillation comes at the cost of increasing the incidence of macroreentrant left atrial tachycardia during follow-up. Perimitral flutter is the commonest left atrial reentrant tachycardia occurring after atrial fibrillation ablation. Interestingly hough, linear ablation of mitral isthmus, which would be seful in treating perimitral flutter, can lead to increased risk f the same arrhythmia. This phenomenon is explained by inadvertent gaps left in the linear mitral isthmus ablation line, facilitating reentrant circuits for the development of atrial tachycardia. A durable bidirectional block across mitral isthmus is of utmost importance in achieving freedom from atrial flutter in these patients. Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) has been the standard tool for mitral isthmus ablation, but it is usually difficult to achieve bidirectional mitral isthmus block with this modality. The initial failure to achieve conduction block and ecurrent conduction across the mitral isthmus during folow-up may lead to recurrence of atrial flutter. This is unlike the high success rate in achieving durable bidirectional block in the cavotricuspid isthmus in classic atrial flutter. Failure to achieve durable mitral isthmus conduction block may arise from multiple factors. These include the presence of coronary sinus and circumflex coronary arteries in the isthmus line working as heat sinks reducing the efficacy of RFCA, thick atrial wall in this area, a longer isthmus, and use of lower power during ablation on the left side of the heart. Various methods have been used to overcome these problems and achieve durable mitral isthmus block with
Shareholder preferences concerning corporate ethical performance

This study surveyed investors to determine the extent to which they preferred ethical behavior to profits and their interest in having information about corporate ethical behavior reported in the corporate annual report. First, investors were asked to determine what penalties should be assessed against employees who engage in profitable, but unethical, behavior. Second, investors were asked about their interest in using the annual report to disclose the ethical performance of the corporation and company officials. Finally, investors were asked if they felt that ethics reports should be audited.
Visual Influences on Echo Suppression

Summary Locating sounds in realistic scenes is challenging because of distracting echoes and coarse spatial acoustic estimates. Fortunately, listeners can improve performance through several compensatory mechanisms. For instance, their brains perceptually suppress short latency (1–10 ms) echoes by constructing a representation of the acoustic environment in a process called the precedence effect [1]. This remarkable ability depends on the spatial and spectral relationship between the first or precedent sound wave and subsequent echoes [2]. In addition to using acoustics alone, the brain also improves sound localization by incorporating spatially precise visual information. Specifically, vision refines auditory spatial receptive fields [3] and can capture auditory perception such that sound is localized toward a coincident visual stimulus [4]. Although visual cues and the precedence effect are each known to improve performance independently, it is not clear whether these mechanisms can cooperate or interfere with each other. Here we demonstrate that echo suppression is enhanced when visual information spatially and temporally coincides with the precedent wave. Conversely, echo suppression is inhibited when vision coincides with the echo. These data show that echo suppression is a fundamentally multisensory process in everyday environments, where vision modulates even this largely automatic auditory mechanism to organize a coherent spatial experience.
Cellular osmoregulation: beyond ion transport and cell volume.

Summary All cells are characterized by the expression of osmoregulatory mechanisms, although the degree of this expression is highly variable in different cell types even within a single organism. Cellular osmoregulatory mechanisms constitute a conserved set of adaptations that offset antagonistic effects of altered extracellular osmolality/environmental salinity on cell integrity and function. Cellular osmoregulation includes the regulation of cell volume and ion transport but it does not stop there. We know that organic osmolyte concentration, protein structure, cell turnover, and other cellular parameters are osmoregulated as well. In this brief review two important aspects of cellular osmoregulation are emphasized: 1) maintenance of genomic integrity, and 2) the central role of protein phosphorylation. Novel insight into these two aspects of cellular osmoregulation is illustrated based on two cell models, mammalian kidney inner medullary cells and teleost gill epithelial cells. Both cell types are highly hypertonicity stress-resistant and, therefore, well suited for the investigation of osmoregulatory mechanisms. Damage to the genome is discussed as a newly discovered aspect of hypertonic threat to cells and recent insights on how mammalian kidney cells deal with such threat are presented. Furthermore, the importance of protein phosphorylation as a core mechanism of osmosensory signal transduction is emphasized. In this regard, the potential roles of the 14-3-3 family of phospho-protein adaptor molecules for cellular osmoregulation are highlighted primarily based on work with fish gill epithelial cells. These examples were chosen for the reader to appreciate the numerous and highly specific interactions between stressor-specific and non-specific pathways that form an extensive cellular signaling network giving rise to adaptive compensation of hypertonicity. Furthermore, the example of 14-3-3 proteins illustrates that a single protein may participate in several pathways that are non-specific with regard to the type of stress and, at the same time, in stress-specific pathways to promote cell integrity and function during hypertonicity.
The duration of hepatitis B vaccine immunity in pediatric dialysis patients

Background Dialysis patients are at risk for hepatitis B infection, a serious but preventable disease. Long-term hepatitis B protection has not been defined in pediatric patients with chronic kidney disease stage 5 on dialysis (CKD 5D) who were vaccinated as infants or children.
Using administrative data to identify surgical adverse events: an introduction to the Patient Safety Indicators

Abstract Background The Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) are algorithms based on the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, aimed at identifying potential safety-related adverse events through the automated screening of readily available administrative databases. Many of these indicators focus on surgical care, and a few have been endorsed by the National Quality Forum as performance measures. The aim of this report is to give a brief overview of the development and definitions of the PSIs as well as the current evidence for their validity, compared with the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program and chart abstraction designed for the purpose of PSI validation. Methods Several articles published in the past few years, in addition to primary data collected from an ongoing study of PSI validation in the Veterans Health Administration, were examined. Results Selected surgical PSIs have positive predictive values ranging from 22% to 89%, depending on the nature of the PSI and the method of validation used. Conclusions With adequate coding revisions, PSI performance can be substantially improved.
The Effects of Arts Integration on Long‐Term Retention of Academic Content

Previous correlational and quasi-experimental studies of arts integration—the pedagogical practice of “teaching through the arts”—suggest its value for enhancing cognitive, academic, and social skills. This study reports the results of a small, preliminary classroom-based experiment that tested effects of arts integration on long-term retention of content. We designed matched arts-integrated (AI) and conventional science units in astronomy and ecology. Four randomized groups of 5th graders in one school completed one unit in the treatment (AI) condition and the other in the control (conventional) condition. To control for teacher effects, four teachers taught the same subject to different groups in each condition. We administered curriculum-based assessments before, immediately after, and 2 months after each unit to measure initial learning and retention. Results showed no differences in initial learning, but significantly better retention in the AI condition. Increases in retention were greatest for students at the lowest levels of reading achievement.
Early Literacy Development in Toddlerhood: Publication Trends from 1990 to 2009

The paper examines publication trends in the United States regarding literacy development in toddlerhood from 1990 to 2009, exploring what features or elements of toddlers’ literacy development have been documented, and how they have been documented, over the last 20 years, to indicate areas for further exploration. Articles were carefully selected with predetermined exclusion criteria within five chosen databases that cover professional and scholarly peer-reviewed journals in a variety of areas in education. The selected articles then were analyzed and categorized with predefined categories: publication year, type of article, participants, methodology, research setting, and purpose(s) of study.
In vitro modulation of somatic glycine‐like immunoreactivity in presumed glycinergic neurons

Previous studies indicate that tuberculoventral and cartwheel cells in the dorsal cochlear nucleus as well as a group of stellate cells in the ventral cochlear nucleus are likely to be glycinergic. To test whether these neurons contain higher levels of free glycine than cells that are probably not glycinergic, immunocytochemical studies with antibodies against glycine conjugates were undertaken on slices of the murine cochlear nuclear complex. Present results show that the cell bodies of all three groups of neurons are immunolabeled. However, the somatic labeling of the tuberculoventral and cartwheel cells can be modulated by experimental conditions. In slices fixed immediately after cutting, many cell bodies in the deep layer of the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN), presumably tuberculoventral neurons, are labeled. As a slice is incubated in vitro, cell bodies in the deep layer of the DCN lose their glycine-like immunoreactivity. After 7 hours in vitro, labeled cells are absent in the deep DCN, but the immunoreactivity can be regained by electrically stimulating the auditory nerve for 20 minutes. The loss of immunoreactivity is prevented by electrical stimulation, by axotomy, and by inclusion of 0.8 μM tetrodotoxin, or 1 μM strychnine, or 50 μM colchicine or 50 μM μ-lumicolchicine in the bathing saline. Cartwheel cells retain their immunoreactivity during incubation in vitro without electrical stimulation, but lose it under two conditions. One is following a cut across the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) that severs most of their granule cell input, and the other is the inclusion of tetrodotoxin in the bathing saline. The labeling of cell bodies in the ventral cochlear nucleus and of puncta and processes is not changed by any of these experimental manipulations. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Impact of triglycerides on lipid and lipoprotein biology in women.

Abstract Background: Because atherosclerosis, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women, is thought of as a sterol (cholesterol and noncholesterol sterol)-mediated disease, plasma triglyceride (TG) levels (the concentration of all TG trafficked within all of the lipoproteins per dL of plasma), TG biology, and TG pathobiology historically have been ignored or frequently misunderstood in both risk assessment and treatment decisions. Objectives: This review presents information on the importance of TG (chemical name, triacylglycerol) in atherogenesis and the relationship of TG to gender, adiposopathy (the pathophysiological transformation of functional adipose tissue into an organ with pathogenic endocrine and immune responses), insulin resistance, sterol-trafficking lipoproteins, and overall vascular health. In addition, this review seeks to explain the complexities of lipid homeostasis and how it is influenced by lipid-modulating medications, reproductive hormones, and selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs). Methods: Using peer-reviewed materials published in English from the extensive libraries of the authors, this narrative review references key epidemiologic, basic science lipid/lipoprotein publications as well as efficacy trials of lipid-modulating, hormonal, and SERM therapies. Results: TG are associated with insulin resistance; the metabolic syndrome; increased atherogenic lipo-proteins; and rheologic, inflammatory, and coagulation abnormalities. TG can be influenced by lifestyle and multiple medications used by women, including hormonal therapies. Several studies, but not all, support sex differences in TG. Conclusions: Through effects on sterol-trafficking lipoproteins, TG have a significant influence on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk in menopausal women. TG-rich lipoproteins are affected by lipid-modulating drugs, estrogen therapy, estrogen-progestogen therapy, and SERMs.