cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Home-Based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to Prevent and Treat Symptoms Related to Stress: A Potential Tool to Remediate the Behavioral Consequences of the COVID-19 Isolation Measures?

The WHO has recommended self-isolation and social distancing measures for containing the coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the vast majority of countries have adopted it, with strategies varying in terms of degrees of containment (Wilder-Smith and Freedman, 2020). Despite the worldwide efforts in understanding and combating the disease, many uncertainties remain, including the precise rates of transmission and mortality, not to mention the proper treatment, leading to concerns and confusion regarding the necessary duration of the isolation measures. The possible need to adopt intermittent strategies of social distancing has also been raised, alternating periods of stricter and looser isolation (Kissler et al., 2020) until the discovery of a vaccine or efficient treatment is made. Social isolation by itself leads to stress and negative mood (Brooks et al., 2020). The uncertainties mentioned above potentiate these effects, particularly in patients with a history of mental health disorders. Social isolation and loneliness are also associated with increased overall mortality (Steptoe et al., 2013), worse cardiovascular, and mental health outcomes (Leigh-Hunt et al., 2017) and cognitive decline (Evans et al., 2019). Furthermore, the recent Covid-19 outbreak has been associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, which were identified both in medical staff and the general population (Wang et al., 2020). Numerous studies have demonstrated how non-invasive neuromodulatory techniques such as rTMS and tDCS can help prevent and ameliorate stress, with effects not only on emotion, cognition, and behavior but also on the cardiovascular (Makovac et al., 2017) and autonomic nervous systems (Schestatsky et al., 2013). Although non-invasive, repetitive TMS is expensive and not portable (the only portable option applies a very short train of pulses). Therefore, it is not appropriate during the context of social isolation since patients would have to leave their homes to receive the treatment. On the other hand, tDCS is potentially portable, and its feasibility in home-based settings has been previously studied with promising results regarding its safety and effectiveness (Martens et al., 2018; Brietzke et al., 2020). Our objective in this short communication is to provide a comment on the potential tDCS application on preventing and treating stress-related symptoms during social isolation, while addressing the feasibility and efficacy of home-based tDCS.
Ferromagnetic Resonance Study of the Verwey Phase Transition of Magnetite Thin Film on MgGa₂O₄(001) Substrate

We report on temperature-dependent broadband ferromagnetic resonance studies of magnetite (Fe3O4) film of thickness 30 nm grown on magnesium gallate [MgGa2O4(001)] single crystal substrate by pulsed laser deposition. The isotropic point, i.e., the temperature at which magnetocrystalline anisotropy vanishes, is found to be approximately 120 K, which is 10 K lower than the bulk value. The Verwey transition is close to 110 K, again about 10 K lower than the bulk crystal value. Below the Verwey transition temperature, the uniaxial anisotropy of the monoclinic phase increases gradually and asymptotically approaches a constant value indicating a smooth structural transition rather than a sudden change. Resonance linewidth and effective damping increase abruptly below 110 K. The effective damping constant is determined to be ~0.01 and is independent of temperature from 300 K to 120 K.
Parameter Estimation in Astronomy with Poisson-distributed Data. I. The χγ2 Statistic

Applying the standard weighted mean formula, [ ∑iniσi-2]/[∑ iσi-2], to determine the weighted mean of data, ni, drawn from a Poisson distribution, will, on average, underestimate the true mean by ~1 for all true mean values larger than ~3 when the common assumption is made that the error of the ith observation is σi = max (√ni, 1). This small, but statistically significant offset, explains the long-known observation that chi-square minimization techniques which use the modified Neyman's χ2 statistic, χN2 ≡ ∑i (ni-yi)2/max (ni, 1), to compare Poisson-distributed data with model values, yi, will typically predict a total number of counts that underestimates the true total by about 1 count per bin. Based on my finding that the weighted mean of data drawn from a Poisson distribution can be determined using the formula [ ∑i [ ni + min (ni, 1)](ni + 1)-1]/[ ∑i (ni + 1)-1], I propose that a new χ2 statistic, χ2γ ≡ ∑i [ ni + min (ni, 1) - yi]-2]/[ni + 1], should always be used to analyze Poisson-distributed data in preference to the modified Neyman's χ2 statistic. I demonstrate the power and usefulness of χγ2 minimization by using two statistical fitting techniques and five χ2 statistics to analyze simulated X-ray power-law 15 channel spectra with large and small counts per bin. I show that χγ2 minimization with the Levenberg-Marquardt or Powell's method can produce excellent results (mean slope errors 3%) with spectra having as few as 25 total counts.
Effect of bodyweight on VerifyNow Aspirin platelet function test: a retrospective review.

Background Antiplatelet therapy is used to prevent stent thrombosis in intracranial stents, but the optimal dose of aspirin is unknown. This study sought to determine whether the degree of platelet inhibition with aspirin is affected by bodyweight as observed through a platelet reactivity assay. Methods This is a retrospective review of patients who underwent neurovascular stent placement and had a VerifyNow Aspirin assay result. The primary outcome was the correlation between the VerifyNow Aspirin result, bodyweight, and the initial dose of aspirin. Secondary outcomes included the impact of the VerifyNow P2Y12 result and of weight on the incidence of bleeding or a thrombotic event. Results Of the 142 included patients, 62.7% weighed ≥70 kg and 88.7% were initiated on aspirin 300–325 mg daily. 83.8% achieved a therapeutic VerifyNow Aspirin result. There was minimal correlation between the VerifyNow Aspirin result, bodyweight, and aspirin dose (R2=0.02). Between patients who weighed Conclusions Bodyweight did not influence the likelihood of obtaining a therapeutic VerifyNow Aspirin result. The clinical utility of obtaining VerifyNow Aspirin assays for this patient population is unknown.
Combinatorial enumeration of relativistic states of actinide dimers

Relativistic effects are quite large for the actinide 5f and 6d open shells, and in the present study we present combinatorial enumeration of $$\upomega {{-}} \upomega $$ states of all 14 actinide (lanthanide) dimers using multinomial symmetric function (S-function) techniques. The techniques presented here enumerate all possible $$\upomega {{-}} \upomega $$ states that arise from relativistic 2-component molecular spinors composed of the 7s, 6d 5f, and possibly 7p shells of the actinide dimers Th2 through Lr2. The combinatorial enumerations techniques reveal that that for Americium dimer (Am2) there are 20,058,300 S-function terms of which only 616,227 terms satisfy the Pauli exclusion principle yielding 401,166,110 $$\upomega {{-}} \upomega $$ states (142.6 MB of output), all of which arise from primarily the 7s/6d/5f shells of Am. Explicit tables are constructed for the relativistic $$\upomega {{-}} \upomega $$ states for Th2 to Am2 with several restrictions imposed on the levels of excitations primarily to reduce the table sizes, and through the electron–hole equivalence $$\upomega {{-}} \upomega $$ states of the remaining dimers of the actinide row are enumerated. The computational and mathematical techniques also enumerate the $$\upomega {{-}} \upomega $$ states of Ce2 to Eu2 and by electron–hole equivalence Gd2 to Tm2, although spin–orbit splittings are smaller for lanthanides. A unique feature of the present combinatorial technique is that it facilitates any number of orbitals and any number of open shells including the possibility of 14 singly-occupied orbitals for actinide and lanthanide dimers, and thus providing for a technique to enumerate $$\upomega {{-}} \upomega $$ states arising from both very high spin open-shell states as well as low spin states exhaustively.
Aprender y enseñar ciencias

Se discuten ideas clave sobre el proceso de ensenar y aprender ciencias y se presentan los articulos del numero.
Small molecules as tools for functional assessment of deubiquitinating enzyme function

Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) are a largely understudied and untapped resource in the toolkit of protein degradation functionalities. They comprise a large repertoire of enzymes that remove ubiquitin from substrates in a variety of cellular and pathophysiological contexts, and have enormous potential for research and clinical use. It is only within the last 5 years that potent, selective, and well-characterized small-molecule inhibitors of DUBs have been described. These compounds are now being used to study the biological roles of DUBs. Here, we describe downstream applications of small-molecule inhibitors for studying DUBs and provide a framework for future studies. We highlight recent examples of using these inhibitors to confirm and explore the role of these enzymes in both normal and pathological contexts. These studies represent the first steps in the burgeoning field of pharmacological and chemoproteomic studies of DUBs, which will be critical for the continued advancement of DUB field.
Adults who stutter do not stutter during private speech.

Abstract Purpose Adults who stutter tend not to stutter when they are alone. This phenomenon is difficult to study because it is difficult to know whether participants perceive that they are truly alone and not being heard or observed. This may explain the presence of stuttering during previous studies in which stutterers spoke while they were alone. We addressed this issue by developing a paradigm that elicited private speech, or overt speech meant only for the speaker. We tested the hypothesis that adults do not stutter during private speech. Method Twenty-four participants were audio-/video-recorded while speaking in several conditions: 1) conversational speech; 2) reading; 3) private speech, in which deception was used to increase the probability that participants produced speech intended for only themselves; 4) private speech+, for which real-time transcription was used so that participants produced the same words as in the private speech condition but while addressing two listeners; and 5) a second conversational speech condition. Results Stuttering was not observed in more than 10,000 syllables produced during the private speech condition, except for seven possible, mild stuttering events exhibited by 3 of 24 participants. Stuttering frequency was similar for the remaining conditions. Conclusions Adults appear not to stutter during private speech, indicating that speakers' perceptions of listeners, whether real or imagined, play a critical and likely necessary role in the manifestation of stuttering events. Future work should disentangle whether this is due to the removal of concerns about social evaluation or judgment, self-monitoring, or other communicative processes.
Nonparametric estimation and inference for spatiotemporal epidemic models

Epidemic modelling is an essential tool to understand the spread of the novel coronavirus and ultimately assist in disease prevention, policymaking, and resource allocation. In this article, we est...
Biosphere, Atmosphere, Ocean Interactions: A Plant Physiologist’s Perspective

Recent evidence that the CO2 concentration of the atmosphere is increasing (Keeling, 1973), coupled with simulation studies of possible climatic consequences of increasing CO2 (Hansen et al., 1985) and evidence from ice cores that relates past changes in climate with changes in the concentration of CO2 (Barnola et al., 1987), has stimulated a great deal of interest in the mechanisms that determine the CO2 concentration of the atmosphere. Sampling programs reporting the composition of the atmosphere have been in place since the late 50s and the technologies for analysis of air recovered from ice cores provides a source of fossil air extending to approximately 160,000 years ago. These data provide convincing evidence that our present era is undergoing unprecedented change, and efforts to address this issue have made demands on many scientific disciplines not previously thought to have global aspirations. Biology, with its strong reductionist tradition has been slow to respond, and we find ourselves trying very hard to play catch-up with atmospheric scientists who have already made substantial progress towards including biological processes in their global studies. My goal here is to draw attention to some of the advantages of studying biological processes in closed systems, and to show that some properties of the global system can be understood by treating it as closed.
Design and implementation of a laboratory-based drug design and synthesis advanced pharmacy practice experience.

Objective. To provide students with an opportunity to participate in medicinal chemistry research within the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum. Design. We designed and implemented a 3-course sequence in drug design or drug synthesis for pharmacy students consisting of a 1-month advanced elective followed by two 1-month research advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). To maximize student involvement, this 3-course sequence was offered to third-year and fourth-year students twice per calendar year. Assessment. Students were evaluated based on their commitment to the project’s success, productivity, and professionalism. Students also evaluated the course sequence using a 14-item course evaluation rubric. Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Students found the experience to be a valuable component of their pharmacy curriculum. Conclusion. We successfully designed and implemented a 3-course research sequence that allows PharmD students in the traditional 4-year program to participate in drug design and synthesis research. Students report the sequence enhanced their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills and helped them develop as independent learners. Based on the success achieved with this sequence, efforts are underway to develop research APPEs in other areas of the pharmaceutical sciences.
The Measurement Process in Domain Theory

We introduce the measurement idea in domain theory and then apply it to establish two fixed point theorems. The first is an extension of the Scott fixed point theorem which applies to nonmonotonic mappings. The second is a contraction principle for monotone maps that guarantees the existence of unique fixed points.
NONTECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION IN URBAN TRANSIT: A COMPARISON OF SOME ALTERNATIVES

Abstract Transit alternatives, including conventional technology used in innovative ways, are compared on the basis of full costs (capital and operating costs plus user time costs). Bus wagon jitneys are estimated to have lower full costs than conventional buses for short-haul, low-density residential collection or inner-city circulation, particularly at higher travel time values. Rail rapid transit has much higher full costs than express bus for suburban CBD commuters. Rail's much higher capital and operating costs buy virtually identical user time costs for the entire commuter trip.
Lesbians of African Heritage

This study explored the coming out experiences of black lesbians in the heterosexual (straight) black community. This study also explored the coping mechanisms of those who experienced isoloation and the methods of avoiding isolation, for those who stated that they did not experience it. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed at a national black gay and lesbian conference held in 1993 in southern California. Twenty-five women completed and returned questionnaires. Results indicated that the majority of respondents had experienced some form of isoloation from the straight black community as a result of self-disclosure about their sexual orientation. A variety of coping mechanisms were used to overcome the problem of isolation for those whoe experienced it.
Sequential Decision Problems Under Uncertainty

In this article, sequential decision problems under uncertainty are considered. The general features of these problems are given and there is a discussion of practical solutions and how these solutions can be obtained. Several variations of the standard problems statement are shown. Keywords: decision epoch; principle of optimality; modified policy iteration; parametric problem; multiarmed bandit problem
Insolvency vs. Illiquidity in the 2008 Crisis and the Congressional Imagination

What can we learn from the fact that, in the end, Wall Street paid back all of its bailout money, with interest? We now can see that the crisis of 2008 was a rolling loss of investor confidence in financial firms whose solvency was threatened by an ongoing decline in house prices. When investors lost confidence in a firm, it could no longer raise cash to fulfill its immediate obligations. As it turned out, the stabilization of house prices in 2009 meant that most of the firms were never insolvent. Even in 2008, the present value of their future operating profits exceeded their liabilities. Therefore, the federal government was able to keep the firms out of bankruptcy without losing money along the way. The exception is Lehman Brothers, which was not bailed out and does seem to have been insolvent.This account of the crisis suggests that a regulatory statute designed to prevent a replay of 2008 would have two primary objectives: prevent housing bubbles, and reduce the risk to financial firms from liquidity shortages. Remarkably, Dodd-Frank, in its essentials, pursues neither of these goals. Very few of its provisions address the housing market, and those that do have little relationship to the threats posed by bubbles. Instead, the statute treats interconnectedness as the main threat to system-wide stability, thus misdiagnosing the contagion of 2008. The ostensible problems that Dodd-Frank addresses bear little relation to the crisis that prompted Congress to enact it.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma Caused by Hepatitis B Virus

Although hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rare in Europe and North America, it is very common in many areas of the world, especially in Africa and southeast Asia, where it is among the ten most common human cancers. It is estimated that there are more than 500,000 new patients with liver cancer each year. Over 30 new cases of hepatoma occur per 100,000 population annually in the high-prevalence areas, but the yearly incidence is less than 5 per 100,000 in most countries of North America, Europe, and Australia. Hepatocellular carcinoma is more common in males than among females. Its prevalence increases with age, although in high-risk populations, the disease also occurs in younger age groups.
Teichoic Acid of a Stabilized L-Form of Streptococcus pyogenes

A stabilized L-form of Streptococcus pyogenes continues to synthesize glycerol teichoic acid. This polymer was obtained from S. pyogenes and its L-form, treated in identical fashion, and compared. Highly purified glycerol teichoic acid from only the L-form was found to be devoid of d-alanine and to have a shorter chain length. Otherwise, the glycerol teichoic acid from these two organisms was found to be a 1,3-phosphodiester-linked glycerophosphate polymer substituted with d-glucose. Evidence is presented that most, if not all, of the glycerol teichoic acid in this streptococcus lies between the wall and membrane. A possible need for the continued synthesis of a minute amount of glycerol teichoic acid by this L-form for survival is discussed in terms of the known function of teichoic acids in bacteria.
A Review of “In a queer voice: Journeys of resilience from adolescence to adulthood”

In a Queer Voice: Journeys of Resilience from Adolescence to Adulthood is a qualitative longitudinal investigation into the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) youth, shedding l...
Integrated predicative synchronization implemented in a federated DBMS

The author compares predicative locking and predicative validation and shows that predicative locking is superior to predicative validation if many conflicts occur, whereas predicative validation performs better if no conflicts occur. To combine the advantages of both synchronization methods and to avoid their disadvantages, the author has developed integrated synchronization. Integrated synchronization uses a fast heuristics and schedules pairs of operations depending on their conflict probability. Pairs of operations with a low conflict probability, i.e. pairs of tuple operations, are validated against each other, whereas pairs of operations with a high conflict probability, i.e. pairs including at least one set-oriented operation, are synchronized by predicative locking. Furthermore, the author has implemented all three synchronization strategies, predicative locking, predicative validation, and the integrated synchronization, within the federated DBPL database system and compared their performance. The result shows that integrated synchronization is superior to both predicative locking and predicative validation. >
Housing and Household Instability

Previous research attempting to estimate the effects of residential instability typically overlooks other consequential changes within households that may be coincident with moving. Drawing on nove...
THE CAUSES FOR LOW SPINAL FLUID SUGAR IN BACTERIAL MENINGITIS: ANOTHER LOOK

One of the most characteristic abnormalities of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with bacterial and tuberculous meningitis is a decrease in its glucose content. This finding, first observed by Lichtheim, was initially attributed to utilization of glucose by the bacteria growing in the fluid This explanation, as many subsequent ones, has been abandoned in the light of conflicting experimental evidence, and at present the mechanisms inducing a low CSF sugar are enigmatic. Recent publications bearing on this problem prompt a review of the factors involved in lowering cerebrospinal fluid sugar. Goldring and Harford found that the utilization of glucose by concentrations of pneumococci equal to or higher than those usually seen in meningitis was too small to be measured and could, therefore, not affect the spinal fluid sugar in the face of a normal mechanism for its replenishment.
Leadership Models Assignment

In any organization, large or small, public or private, domestic or international, there is a need for leadership. When people assembled together to accomplish a task it is critical for the vision (the ultimate goal) to be communicated to the assembly. To be efficient the group needs to share the same vision. The vision may arise anywhere within an organization and the communication process may take place via formal or informal leadership.
The defense in-depth approach to the protection for browsing users against drive-by cache attacks

Because of the evolution of cloud computing techniques, web browsing becomes the main function for persons using computers. Researchers are then devoted to the study of the attack characteristics for delaminating the attacks via Web connections. Because these defense technologies on the server side have great progress, attackers therefore target to the other side, the client side of personal computers. Drive-by download is the most commonly used method to attack client computers, which exploits software vulnerabilities on the computers to secretly download and install malware. That is used to collect information on the affected computers or take those as hops to the next victims. Because of the protection technology improved and user awareness educated, attackers developed a new variety type of attacks named ‘drive-by cache’ that has different attack steps and counterfeit file extension from the original ‘drive-by download’. The changes elude those existed detection methods. This paper proposed a depth defense scheme to detect and prevent this type of attacks via collaboratively many existing solutions in phases. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cylindrical bending of thick plates

Abstract Sixth and twelfth order plate theory solutions for cylindrical bending plate problems, efficiently obtained by a preliminary reduction of the twelfth order theory for general cylindrical bending to a boundary value problem for a fourth order ODE, demonstrate the adequacy of these theories for the interior of thick plates with a thickness-to-span ratio λ up to ½ (at least). In contrast. Kirchhoff's classical thin plate theory is not adequate for values of the same ratio greater than 1/10. Comparison with the corresponding interior solutions of 3-D elastostatics shows that the twelfth order theory captures the (numerically small) first order correction term in the thicknessto-span parameter e not possible by lower order plate theories. While it is a qualitatively important feature, this additional term associated with the effect of transverse normal stress does not significantly improve the plate theory approximation quantitatively for Isotropic plates.
Hybrid repair of bilateral subclavian artery aneurysms in a patient with Marfan syndrome.

A 32-year-old man with Marfan syndrome presented with enlarging, asymptomatic bilateral subclavian artery aneurysms. He has an extensive surgical history including aortic arch and descending thoracic aorta replacement. The L aneurysm was treated first with an L carotid–vertebral artery vein bypass, aneurysm debranching, and stent-graft repair of aneurysm via the L brachial artery approach. The R aneurysm was treated by placing a stent graft from the proximal R common carotid artery across the R subclavian artery origin and landing in the prosthetic innominate bypass graft via an L common carotid artery conduit. An aneurysm debranching and R carotid–subclavian artery bypass completed the procedure. A proximal type I endoleak was detected in the R aneurysm sac on follow-up computed tomography angiography. This was treated with sternotomy, aorta to L common carotid artery bypass, stent graft removal, and oversewing of the R subclavian artery origin. The patient recovered uneventfully. Subclavian artery aneurysms are rarely diagnosed in patients with Marfan disease. Although durability remains unproven, hybrid repair should be considered in patients with subclavian artery aneurysms, to minimize the morbidity commonly associated with open repair.
Effect of temporal noise on the single-electron transport in long molecules

Abstract We analyze single-electron or exciton transport in long molecules in the presence of both static disorder and temporal noise both of which inevitably exist in biological systems. The equations for the density matrix are derived within an approximation that the temporal noise of transition amplitudes is not correlated. Our model predicts that while in the short-time limit the transport remains coherent, for sufficiently long time the temporal noise causes destruction of the phase coherence, and a crossover from coherent to diffusive transport takes place. This effect leads to the power-law asymptotic behavior of the transmission coefficient with the exponent depending on the effective dimensionality of the molecule.
Avicin D selectively induces apoptosis and downregulates p-STAT-3, bcl-2, and survivin in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma cells.

Avicin D, a natural triterpenoid saponin, inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in transformed tumor cell lines in vitro and mouse skin carcinogenesis models in vivo. To investigate the anti-tumor effects of avicin D in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL), we compared three CTCL cell lines and Sezary cells from three Sezary syndrome (SS) patients with normal CD4+ and activated CD4+ T cells from three healthy donors. Avicin D at 0.5-5 mug ml(-1) induced apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent manner in three cell lines: MJ (-0.2 to 13% and 0.6-37%), Hut78 (2-39% and 3-53%), and HH (13-83% and 44-89%) at 24 and 48 hours, respectively. Avicin D at 0.5-5 microg ml(-1) for 48 hours caused more apoptosis in patients' Sezary cells than in healthy donors' CD4+ T cells and activated CD4+ T cells. The general caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK and caspase-3 inhibitor Z-DEVD-FMK decreased avicin D-induced apoptosis in CTCL cells. Caspase-3 was activated and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase was cleaved after avicin D treatment. Avicin D did not change the expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT-3) but decreased phospho-signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (p-STAT-3) protein levels in all three cell lines and two patients' Sezary cells. Avicin D also decreased expression of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein survivin, the anti-apoptotic protein bcl-2, but not the pro-apoptotic protein bax in these CTCL cells. In summary, avicin D selectively induced apoptosis, inhibited STAT-3 activation, and decreased apoptosis inhibitors (bcl-2 and survivin) in CTCL cell lines and SS patients' Sezary cells. Our findings underlie the therapeutic potential of avicin D in patients with SS.
Interactions of Extracellular Divalent Ions and Hydrogen with the Outer Pore of the Cardiac Potassium Channel HERG

Reduction of the current carried by the cardiac potassium channel HERG can lead to Long QT syndrome, an arrhythmia characterized by a rapid heart rate and reduced cardiac output, which can, in certain situations, be fatal. The effect of extracellular electrolytes on the biophysical properties of the HERG channel have been studied in some detail. In particular, increases in extracellular calcium, magnesium and hydrogen have been shown to slow channel activation, increase channel deactivation, and shift the G-V curve to more positive voltages. A number of reports have also shown that hydrogen can reduce HERG current by a mechanism that does not involve an effect on channel deactivation and which likely involves pore block. We show here that reducing extracellular potassium results in a significant increase in HERG current reduction by a number of extracellular divalent ions, including calcium, magnesium, cobalt, manganese, and hydrogen. The potency of current reduction is different for each ion tested, with cobalt showing the greatest current reduction and magnesium the least. The Drosophila voltage-gated potassium channel Shaker and two voltage-gated potassium channels closely related to HERG, EAG and ELK, showed a much smaller decrease in current by extracellular calcium compared to HERG and this effect was not as strongly dependent on extracellular potassium. There was no difference in current reduction by calcium between WT HERG and the inactivation deficient mutant S631A, either in low or high extracellular potassium. However, current reduction by calcium was decreased compared to WT in the mutant G628CS631C. These results suggest that various divalent ions can block HERG with different potencies and may interact at the outer pore of the HERG channel.
Support, Communication, and Hardiness in Families With Children With Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to examine how support and communication are related to hardiness in families who have young children with disabilities. A sample of 108 parents (54 couples) of preschool-age children with disabilities completed the measures. Among demographic variables, family income was positively correlated with family hardiness. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed perceived family support as a predictor of family hardiness for both parents. Incendiary communication was negatively related to family hardiness for mothers, whereas income was positively associated with fathers’ assessments of hardiness. Results provide family nurses with a foundation for exploring constructs important to help families with children with disabilities.
Spatial Organization of Direct Hippocampal Field CA1 Axonal Projections To the Rest of the Cerebral Cortex

The spatial distribution of axonal projections descending from rat field CA1 to thalamus and hypothalamus was analyzed previously with the PHAL method [Cenquizca, L.A., Swanson, L.W. 2006. An analysis of direct hippocampal cortical field CA1 axonal projections to diencephalon in the rat. J Comp Neurol 497:101-114.]. The same experimental material was used here to define the topography of field CA1 association projections to other cerebral cortical areas. First, the results confirm and extend known intrahippocampal formation inputs to dentate gyrus, subiculum, presubiculum, parasubiculum, and entorhinal area, which are arranged generally along the formation's transverse axis and dominated by the subicular projection-by far the densest established by field CA1 anywhere in the brain. And second, field CA1 innervates a virtually complete ring of extrahippocampal formation cortex via three routes. A dorsal pathway from the dorsal third of field CA1 innervates moderately the retrosplenial area; a moderately strong ventral pathway from the ventral two thirds of field CA1 passing through the longitudinal association bundle sends offshoots to visual, auditory, somatosensory, gustatory, main and accessory olfactory, and visceral areas-as well as the basolateral amygdalar complex and the agranular insular and orbital areas; and a cortical-subcortical-cortical pathway through the fornix from the whole longitudinal extent of field CA1 innervates rather strongly a rostral region that includes the tenia tecta along with the anterior cingulate, prelimbic, infralimbic, and orbital areas. The functional consequences of long-term potentiation in field CA1 projection neurons remain to be explored.
A comprehensive embedded systems design course and laboratory

In this paper we present a vision of the sequence of three embedded systems design courses being taught for computer engineering technology students. The focus of these courses is to prepare strong students in both digital hardware design as well as embedded software design. The courses have been evolving from traditional delivery of the content to a highly interactive hands-on industry-like experience where students are allowed to balance tradeoffs between hardware and software, and to design from idea to final implementation. The sequence progresses around examples of everyday objects as simple as an electric toothbrush, to smartphones and tablets, to airplanes and military devices. Being so pervasive, emerging embedded applications are used as examples and students are asked to explore further to find what skills, hardware and software, are required to build these applications. In the present review, a glimpse of the core ideas around these three courses and how can they be implemented to engage students in this vast field is given.
Computer-assisted alignment and tracking of acne lesions indicate that most inflammatory lesions arise from comedones and de novo.

Background Inflammatory acne lesions are believed to derive from comedones; however, their evolution has not been rigorously studied. Objective To examine the evolution of facial acne lesions using serial digital photographs and spatial alignment software. Methods Six predefined lesion types, including inflammatory lesions, were counted and tracked from photographs taken every 2 weeks for 12 weeks from 25 individuals with untreated facial acne. Results Closed comedones occurred most frequently (37%), followed by erythematous macules (26%), inflammatory papules (15%), open comedones (12%), pustules (2%), and nodules (1%). Inflammatory lesions were preceded by comedones (54%), normal-appearing skin (28%), erythematous macules (12%), and scars (6%). Limitations Lesions could have appeared and resolved within the 2-week intervals and some comedones may have been too small to identify on digital photographs. Conclusion Our results confirm the comedonal origin of the majority of inflammatory acne lesions. However, a sizeable number (28%) appear to arise from normal skin.
Combining multipopulation statistics

The need to combine the results of surveys of different populations arises in the context of combining statistics across domains, across populations, and across time. There is, however, no unified treatment of the issues involved. This paper presents a simple initial treatment of these issues. It provides a broad overview of the various forms of weighting that may be used for combining statistics across populations and across time, and discusses their advantages and disadvantages.
The kinetics and mechanism of catalytic reactions by molecular beam relaxation spectroscopy: HCOOH decomposition

Abstract The reactive scattering of formic acid from Ni(110) was studied over the temperature range of 175–920 K with MBRS in the millisecond time region by employing a modulation frequency of 36.8 Hz. The steady-state carbon and oxygen composition of the surface varied over the range of temperatures studied. For beam fluxes of 10 13 molecules/cm 2 sec the onset of decomposition on the steady-state surface occurred at 300 K. By 400 K decomposition was essentially complete, and the products CO 2 , CO, H 2 and H 2 O were detected. All reaction events were prceded by a common step, and the products were then produced by a series/parallel mechanism. The rate constants measured for H 2 and H 2 O formation indicated stringent limitations on the efficiency of second-order collisions on the surface for producing gaseous products. This study illustrates the use of MBRS for surface reaction mechanistic studies in the millisecond time scale.
Airborne trace elements in Great Smoky Mountains, Olympic, and Glacier National Parks

Les elements traces proviennent: soit de l'alteration de la croute terrestre, soit de l'ambrun marin, soit du transport de polluants sur de grandes distances
Ultracentrifugal studies of the isothermal compressibilities of organic alcohols and alkanes. Correlation with surface tension

Abstract The isothermal compressibility, specific volume, and the dependence of each on pressure, have been determined for several organic alcohols, alkanes, and alkenes by analytical ultracentrifugation. The variation of surface tension of liquids with pressure, at 0.1 MPa, has also been calculated. It was found to be constant for homologous alcohols up to C9 and also for linear and branched alkanes up to C10.
Observation and spatial distribution of C3 in a DC arcjet plasma during diamond deposition using laser-induced fluorescence

radical in the plume of an arcjet plasma during diamond film chemical vapor deposition. C3, identified using laser-induced fluorescence, is distributed in a shell surrounding the diamond-depositing core of the arcjet plasma plume.
Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and EPR Studies of the Five-Coordinate [CuCl(3)(H(2)O)(2)](-) Complex in (dabcoH(2))(2)Cl(3)[CuCl(3)(H(2)O)(2)].H(2)O.

The compound (dabcoH2)2Cl3[CuCl3(H2O)2]·H2O, where dabco = 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane, has been synthesized, its structure has been determined by single-crystal structural analysis, and its properties have been investigated by powder and single-crystal EPR spectroscopy. The compound crystallizes in space group Pnma at room temperature with unit cell dimensions of a = 15.227(1) A, b = 7.467(1) A, and c = 20.166(2) A with Z = 4. The structure was solved by the Patterson method and refined by full-matrix least-squares to R = 4.3% for 1681 observed reflections (I > 2σ(I)). The [CuCl3(H2O)2]- anion exists with a slightly distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry in which the three Cl atoms lie in equatorial positions and the two water molecules are in axial positions. The distortion appears to be driven by the presence of N−H···Cl hydrogen bonds. The EPR spectra are also consistent with the presence of only a small distortion from trigonal bipyramidal geometry since g1 ∼ g2 > g3 ≈ 2.0. Analysis of the geometr...
Activation of an S6/H4 Kinase (PAK 65) from Human Placenta by Intramolecular and Intermolecular Autophosphorylation

The S6/H4 kinase purified from human placenta catalyzes phosphorylation of the S6 ribosomal protein, histone H4, and myelin basic protein. In vitro activation of the p60 S6/H4 kinase requires removal of an autoinhibitory domain by mild trypsin digestion and autophosphorylation of the catalytic domain (p40 S6/H4 kinase). The two autophosphorylation/autoactivation sites contain the sequences SSMVGTPY (site 1) and SVIDPVPAPVGDSHVDGAAK (site 2). These sequences identify S6/H4 kinase as the rac-activated PAK65 (Martin, G. A., Bollag, G., McCormick, F. and Abo, A.(1995) EMBO J. 14, 1971-1978). Site 1 phosphorylation is most rapid, but activation does not occur until site 2 is autophosphorylated. The site 1 phosphorylation occurs by an intramolecular mechanism whereas site 2 autophosphorylation occurs by an intermolecular mechanism. A model is proposed in which phosphorylation of sites 1 and 2 occurs sequentially. The model proposes that trypsin treatment of the inactive holoenzyme removes an inhibitory rac-binding domain which blocks MgATP access to the catalytic site. The pseudosubstrate domain at site 1 is autophosphorylated and subsequent bimolecular autophosphorylation at site 2 fully opens the catalytic site. Phosphorylation by a regulatory protein kinase may occur at site 2 in vivo.
Vasomotor instability in neonates with chromosome 22q11 deletion syndrome.

Approximately 70% of individuals with chromosome 22q11 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) have congenital heart defects. A host of other vascular problems in these patients, such as tortuous carotid arteries, Raynaud's phenomenon, unexplained hypotension, hypertension, and hypothermia, raise the possibility that there may be abnormal autonomic regulation of the vascular system. So far, however, there has been no formal report of autonomic dysfunction in patients with 22q11 deletion. We present two infants with 22q11DS, who had profound hypotension after uncomplicated surgeries for congenital heart disease. The hypotension was not responsive to vasopressor treatment (and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in one infant) and resulted in death, due to multiorgan system failure. Obvious causes, such as poor cardiac contractility, prolonged circulatory arrest, neurological abnormality, sepsis and blood loss were excluded. On autopsy, no abnormalities were found that could explain the hypotension. We hypothesize that these infants died of severe hypotension due to abnormal vascular tone and that this is a variable feature in individuals with 22q11 deletion. The autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for the regulation of vasomotor tone, may be variably affected in 22q11DS. This could have implications for the surgical management of patients with 22q11DS. Further studies on this topic would establish or refute the association between 22q11DS and dysautonomia.© 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The value of cardiac output studies in postoperative cardiac patients: A myth

Abstract Cardiac output was measured by the dye-dilution method in 181 patients up to nine days after cardiac surgery. Three hundred thirty-two valid determinations were performed in duplicate or triplicate. Cardiac index could not be predicted from any of fourteen patient-related variables or from an optimal linear regression function of them. The ability of any variable to predict survival could not be tested because of the small number of patients who died. However, survival for more than seven days after operation was most closely related to high values of cardiac power and power index, but not to cardiac output or cardiac index. Patients with valve replacement had greater central venous pressure, 14% lower stroke work index, and 16% lower power index than patients without valve replacement. Cardiac and power indices increased with postoperative time. Central venous pressure and peripheral resistance index were unrelated to postoperative time. These findings suggest that cardiac competence was increasing, while peripheral resistance was relatively constant.
Long-term efficacy and safety of monotherapy and adjunctive therapy with zonisamide.

Abstract The long-term effects of zonisamide as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy were investigated in patients with seizure disorders. One hundred twelve adult neurology patients treated with zonisamide were retrospectively identified through a chart review; 90 patients (n = 45 monotherapy, n = 45 adjunctive therapy) who received zonisamide for ⩾3 months were included in the efficacy-evaluable population, and all 112 patients were included in the safety population. The average duration of treatment was 24.3 months (range, 3–46 months), and the average zonisamide dosage was 324 mg/day (range, 100–1000 mg/day). Thirty-eight of 90 patients (42%; n = 25 monotherapy, n = 13 adjunctive therapy) were seizure-free, and an additional 26 patients (29%; n = 9 monotherapy, n = 17 adjunctive therapy) had ⩾50% seizure frequency reduction at the last follow-up visit. Thirty of 112 patients (27%) reported mild to moderate adverse events, such as weight loss (5.4%), fatigue (4.5%), and sedation (2.7%). Zonisamide, as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy, was a safe, effective, and well-tolerated long-term treatment option in patients with various seizure types.
Self-Adjustment of Internal Radiation Field to Compensate for Linearly Varying d Spacing in X-Ray Diffraction

It is now well known from studies of "anomalous transmission" that the energy flow through a perfect crystal during symmetric Laue (transmission) diffraction is along the diffracting planes. If the planes are then fanned out, as in elastic bending, the question arises as to whether or not the radiation pattern can adapt itself to the changing $d$ spacing so as to maintain diffraction conditions. If it does, the exit Bragg angle should differ from the entrance Bragg angle by an amount proportional to the bend. Experimental evidence is presented to show that this is indeed the case. Germanium crystals, judged to be perfect because of lack of etch pits, were used. Various anomalies in the transmitted intensities indicate that defects still exist.
Recombination phenotypes of Escherichia coli greA mutants

The elongation factor GreA binds to RNA polymerase and modulates transcriptional pausing. Some recent research suggests that the primary role of GreA may not be to regulate gene expression, but rather, to promote the progression of replication forks which collide with RNA polymerase, and which might otherwise collapse. Replication fork collapse is known to generate dsDNA breaks, which can be recombinogenic. It follows that GreA malfunction could have consequences affecting homologous recombination. Escherichia coli mutants bearing substitutions of the active site acidic residues of the transcription elongation factor GreA, D41N and E44K, were isolated as suppressors of growth inhibition by a toxic variant of the bacteriophage lambda Red-beta recombination protein. These mutants, as well as a D41A greA mutant and a greA deletion, were tested for proficiency in recombination events. The mutations were found to increase the efficiency of RecA-RecBCD-mediated and RecA-Red-mediated recombination, which are replication-independent, and to decrease the efficiency of replication-dependent Red-mediated recombination. These observations provide new evidence for a role of GreA in resolving conflicts between replication and transcription.