cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stress and coping strategies among Zimbabwean adolescents

Background. Stress and social support influence adolescents' coping strategies. Adolescents need to acquire a large repertoire of coping strategies in light of a rapidly changing socio-economic and political situation. Aim. This study reports on the coping strategies of Zimbabwean adolescents and highlights some major stressors they face. The interplay among stress, social support and the coping strategies of Zimbabwean adolescents are also reported. Sample. A sample of 101 Zimbabwean students (ages 17–19) participated in this study. Method. Participants completed three instruments: the Perceived Stress Scale, the Social Provision Scale and the Ways of Coping Scale. Results. Zimbabwean adolescents experienced slight stress as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale. Major stressors included schoolwork, relationships, social life and financial hardship. Females reported a higher level of perceived stress than males. Zimbabwean adolescents reported having fewer social provisions than the norm group. Results from the Ways of Coping Scale indicated that Zimbabwean adolescents use emotion-focused strategies more frequently than problem-solving strategies. Conclusion. The implications of the study are that Zimbabwean adolescents may need to acquire a larger repertoire of coping skills adding to what they may already have. Problem-solving skills need to be employed in face of today's challenging situations.
Problems associated with the use of inverse dynamics in prosthetic applications: An example using a polycentric prosthetic knee

Inverse dynamic calculations are often performed in the analysis of human ambulation. However, assumptions are made in the construction of the models that may not be valid for some prosthetic componentry, specifically polycentric knees used by transfemoral amputees. Data were collected for one subject using a polycentric knee. Moments and forces were calculated when ignoring the extra linkages of the knee and when including the extra linkages of the knee. Significant differences were seen in the hip moment and power between the two cases and indicate that care must be taken when comparing componentry that violates the basic assumptions of the rigid link model.
Photoelastic stiffening by z-directed acoustic-wave-induced electric fields as extra control of optic interaction in BaTio 3

Acoustic waves in ferroelectrics are well known to induce both strain and electric field by propagating through the medium and to perturb the refractive index by the photoelastic effect. In this paper, the strain and strain-induced electric field associated with the longitudinal acoustic waves propagating in the ξz plane of ferroelectric BaTiO3 crystal is applied to the perturbation theory of the acousto-optic interactions to examine the effect of the photoelastic tensor stiffening by zdirected acoustic-wave-induced electric fields on the effective photoelastic constant as extra control of optic wave interaction with ξ-directed acoustic waves in the crystal. The tensorial photoelastic coupling is suggested to have a great potential for development of low voltage and tunable acousto-optic devices by using the strain-induced electric field and tuning the strain magnitude.
Full band Monte Carlo simulation of zincblende GaN MESFET's including realistic impact ionization rates

In this paper, we present the first theoretical study of the breakdown properties of zincblende phase GaN MESFET devices. The calculations are made using a full band, ensemble Monte Carlo simulation that includes a numerical formulation of the impact ionization transition rates. The breakdown voltage, transconductance and cutoff frequency are calculated for the GaN MESFET under two different conditions, with and without semiconductor-oxide interface states. Uniform surface depletion regions model the effect of the interface states. It is found that the breakdown voltage of the zincblende GaN MESFET is less dependent upon the surface depletion conditions than a corresponding GaAs MESFET. It is also found that the drain current increases more gradually with increasing drain-source voltage at the onset of breakdown and that the breakdown voltage of the zincblende GaN MESFET is predicted to be several times larger than that of a comparable GaAs MESFET. The maximum current gain cutoff frequency of a 0.1 /spl mu/m gate length GaN MESFET is calculated to be 230 and 220 GHz, for the non-surface-depleted and the surface depleted devices respectively.
A News Media Analysis of the Economic and Reputational Penalties of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program

Section 3025 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 established the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), an initiative designed to penalize hospitals with excess 30-day readmissions. This study investigates whether readmission penalties under HRRP impose significant reputational effects on hospitals. Data extracted from 2012 to 2013 news stories suggest that the higher the actual penalty, the higher the perceived cost of the penalty, the more likely it is that hospitals will state they have no control over the low-income patients they serve or that they will describe themselves as safety net providers. The downside of being singled out as a low-quality hospital deserving a relatively high penalty seems to be larger than the upside of being singled out as a high-quality hospital facing a relatively low penalty. Although the financial burden of the penalties seems to be low, hospitals may be reacting to the fact that information about excess readmissions and readmission penalties is being released widely and is scrutinized by the news media and the general public.
First-order perturbations of reflective surfaces and their effects in interferometric testing of mirrors

The equations are derived which relate first-order perturbations of a mirror surface to the optical path difference (OPD) function observed during interferometric centre-of-curvature null tests. Rigid body displacements in particular and their effects on the Fourier coefficients of the OPD function are then considered. Next, the linearity of the rigid body component of the OPD is shown to lead to a method, based on the generalized matrix inverse, for aligning mirrors. Finally, the limits of the validity, in terms of the magnitude of local displacements, of our linear model are analysed. The result of the analysis is a concise, conceptually appealing treatment of general surface deformations in the interferometric regime and a matrix formulation for the particular case of rigid body displacements in the centre-of-curvature null interferometer configuration. This robust formulation treats interferometrically measured OPD functions as state vectors and small deformations as linear transformations of these ve...
Mechanisms of Vasculopathy in Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia

Many mechanisms contribute to the complex pathophysiology of sickle cell disease (SCD), with dysfunction of the vascular endothelium as a unifying theme. Specifically, hemolysis-associated low arginine and nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, amplified by NO synthase uncoupling, elevated arginase activity, superoxide production, oxidative stress, accumulation of arginine analogs such as asymmetric dimethylarginine, ischemia-reperfusion injury, inflammation, apolipoprotein A-1 depletion, and a hypercoagulable state are significant mechanisms contributing to endothelial dysfunction. Genetic polymorphisms also influence disease severity. Clearly the variable spectrum of disease is the consequence of multiple events and genetic susceptibility that go beyond the occurrence of a single amino acid substitution in the beta globin chain of hemoglobin. Recent studies begin to demonstrate overlap among these seemingly unrelated processes. Impaired NO bioavailability represents the central feature of endothelial dysfunction, and is a common denominator in the pathogenesis of vasculopathy in SCD. The consequences of decreased NO bioavailability include endothelial cell activation, upregulation of the potent vasoconstrictor endothelin-1, vasoconstriction, platelet activation, increased tissue factor, and activation of coagulation, all of which ultimately translate into the clinical manifestations of SCD. Evidence supporting vasculopathy subphenotypes in SCD, including pulmonary hypertension, priapism, cutaneous leg ulceration, and stroke, will be reviewed and relevance to other hemolytic disorders including the thalassemia syndromes will be considered.
LIQUIFYING COD FISH FRAMES UNDER ACIDIC CONDITIONS WITH A FUNGAL ENZYME

An acidic protease (Newlase A from Rhizopus niveus, Amano) was evaluated as to its ability to reduce viscosity of ground cod fish frames without excessive hydrolysis. Newlase A had an optimal pH of 3.5 and an optimal temperature of 60C with Azocoll as substrate. the enzyme was more stable in the ground fish mixture at pH 3.5 than it was in citrate:phosphate buffer of the same pH. the enzyme hydrolyzed the fish proteins more extensively and decreased the viscosity of the ground fish more between 40–50C over an extended time period than at its optimal temperature of 60C. It is likely that the lower optimal temperature under these conditions is related to its greater stability at the lower temperatures. the energy of activation of the deactivation of the enzyme was 44.5 Kcal per mol-degree. Over a period of 75 min at 45C there was a decrease in viscosity of the ground fish with added enzyme of some two orders of magnitude. After a 3-h incubation, total soluble protein increased from 30% to 48%; the amount of each molecular size fraction produced decreased in the following order: 1–3, < 10, < 1, and 3–10 kdaltons.
PROGRESS IN COMPUTER-ASSISTED DIAGNOSIS AND CONTROL OF NEUTRAL BEAM LINES

This paper discusses the principles that have guided the development of a computerized diagnostic and control system for both the Neutral Beam Systems Test Facility at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and the Doublet III neutral beams at the General Atomic Company. The emphasis is not on the particular details of the implementation, but on general considerations which have influenced the design criteria for the system. Foremost among these are the requirements of an appropriate human interface to the system, and effective use of a relational data base. Examples are used to illustrate how these principles are carried out in practice. A systems view of diagnostic programs is suggested in the light of our experience.
Self-Calibrating Sensor for Measuring Density Through Stainless Steel Pipeline Wall

An ultrasonic instrument to measure the density of a liquid or slurry [1,2] through the stainless steel (SS) pipeline wall is described. By using multiple reflections of the ultrasound within the SS wall, the acoustic impedance (defined as the product of the density of the liquid and the velocity of sound in the liquid) is determined. Thus, the wall is part of the measurement system. The density is obtained by coupling the acoustic impedance measurement with a velocity of sound measurement. Since methods for measuring the time-of-flight (TOF) are well known, the research presented here will focus on the measurement of the acoustic impedance. The self-calibrating feature is very important because the measurement of the acoustic impedance is independent of changes in the pulser voltage. The objective is to develop an ultrasonic sensor that (1) can be attached permanently to a pipeline wall, possibly as a spool piece inserted into the line and (2) can clamp onto an existing pipeline wall and be movable to another location. The self-calibrating feature is very important because the signal strength is sensitive to the pressure on the clamp-on sensor. A sensor for immersion into a tank could also be developed. A U.S. Patent application has been filed.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
A cold dwell fatigue crack nucleation criterion for polycrystalline Ti-6242 using grain-level crystal plasticity FE Model

A grain-level fatigue crack nucleation criterion for cold dwell in Ti-6242 alloy is developed in this paper using a rate and size dependent anisotropic elasto-crystal plasticity constitutive model, and validated with experiments. Early crack initiation in Ti-6242 under cold dwell fatigue has been identified to be caused by stress concentrations in a hard grain, induced by load shedding from creep in adjacent soft grains. Accurate prediction of local stress and strain evolution during loading requires a robust representation of morphological and crystallographic features of the microstructure. These are accounted for in the FE model in a statistically equivalent sense. The proposed crack nucleation model is based on the observed similarities between crack evolution at the tip of a crack and a dislocation pileup. The nucleation model is calibrated and validated using data available from acoustic microscopy though real time monitoring of crack evolution in dwell fatigue experiments.
Selecting High-Quality Delay Tests for Manufacturing Test and Debug

The process of debugging timing failures requires the selection of a small set of high-quality tests which can excite critical paths and cause a circuit to fail at as low a frequency as possible. Since the primary source of such vectors are functional vectors which can run into millions of cycles, a cost-effective methodology for selecting high quality delay tests should not require an excessive computational effort and should guarantee reasonable accuracy. We propose two metrics for estimating the delay under a given test to aid in ranking tests in order of their ability to excite critical delays. The first metric is path-based, i.e., it estimates delays of excited paths, and associates the worst-case delay over all the excited paths with the test. The second metric is cone-based, i.e., it estimates the worst-case delay for the logic cone of every output without considering paths explicitly, and associates the largest delay over all the cones with the test. For each of these two metrics, we evaluate the correlation between the metric and the delay computed by circuit simulation. Results on combinational benchmark circuits demonstrate that the metrics achieve reasonable accuracy in test selection at a significantly lower computation time than circuit simulation.
Sexuality Education and Desire: Still Missing after All These Years.

Nearly twenty years after the publication of Michelle Fine's essay "Sexuality, Schooling, and Adolescent Females: The Missing Discourse of Desire," the question of how sexuality education influences the development and health of adolescents remains just as relevant as it was in 1988. In this article, Michelle Fine and Sara McClelland examine the federal promotion of curricula advocating abstinence only until marriage in public schools and, in particular, how these policies constrict the development of "thick desire" in young women. Their findings highlight the fact that national policies have an uneven impact on young people and disproportionately place the burden on girls, youth of color, teens with disabilities, and lesbian/gay/bisexual/ transgender youth. With these findings in mind, the authors provide a set of research guidelines to encourage researchers, policymakers, and advocates as they collect data on, develop curricula for, and change the contexts in which young people are educated about sexual...
Preschool children’s views on emotion regulation: Functional associations and implications for social-emotional adjustment

Previous studies show that preschool children view negative emotions as susceptible to intentional control. However, the extent of this understanding and links with child social-emotional adjustment are poorly understood. To examine this, 62 3- and 4-year-olds were presented with puppet scenarios in which characters experienced anger, sadness, and fear. Forty-seven adults were presented with a parallel questionnaire. Participants rated the degree to which six emotion-regulation strategies were effective in decreasing negative emotions. Results showed that even the youngest preschoolers viewed cognitive and behavioral distraction and repairing the situation as relatively effective; compared to adults, however, preschoolers favored relatively “ineffective” strategies such as venting and rumination. Children also showed a functional view of emotion regulation; that effective strategies depend on the emotion being regulated. All participants favored repairing a negative situation to reduce anger and behavioral distraction to reduce sadness and fear. Finally, the more children indicated that venting would reduce negative emotions, the lower their maternal report of social skills. Findings are discussed in terms of functional emotion theory and implications of emotion-regulation understanding for child adjustment.
Architectural support for inter-stream communication in a MSIMD system

This paper considers hardware support for the exploitation of control parallelism on data parallel architectures. It is well known that data parallel algorithms may also possess control parallel structure. However the splitting of control leads to data dependency and synchronization issues that were implicitly handled in conventional SIMD architectures. These include synchronization of access to scalar and parallel variables, and synchronization for parallel communication operations. We propose a sharing mechanism for scalar variables and identify a strategy which allows synchronization of scalar variables between multiple streams. The techniques considered are based on a bit-interleaved register file structure which allows fast copy between register sets. Hardware cost estimates and timing analyses are provided, and comparison with an alternate scheme is presented. The register file structure has been designed and simulated for the HP 0.8 /spl mu/m CMOS process, and circuit simulation indicates that access times are less than six nanoseconds. In addition, the impact of this structure on system performance is also studied. >
Variable Feature Usage Patterns in PHP (T)

PHP allows the names of variables, classes, functions, methods, and properties to be given dynamically, as expressions that, when evaluated, return an identifier as a string. While this provides greater flexibility for programmers, it also makes PHP programs harder to precisely analyze and understand. In this paper we present a number of patterns designed to recognize idiomatic uses of these features that can be statically resolved to a precise set of possible names. We then evaluate these patterns across a corpus of 20 open-source systems totaling more than 3.7 million lines of PHP, showing how often these patterns occur in actual PHP code, demonstrating their effectiveness at statically determining the names that can be used at runtime, and exploring anti-patterns that indicate when the identifier computation is truly dynamic.
Structure of the C8H8•+ Radical Cation Formed by Electron Impact Ionization of Acetylene Clusters. Evidence for a (Benzene•+·Acetylene) Complex

Here, we report ion mobility experiments and theoretical studies aimed at elucidating the identity of the C8H8•+ ion formed by electron impact ionization of neutral acetylene clusters. The ion dissociates by a dominant low-energy channel involving the loss of an acetylene molecule, leaving behind a stable benzene radical cation. Using equilibrium thermochemical measurements, the enthalpy and entropy changes of association of acetylene to the benzene radical cation are measured as −4.0 ± 1 kcal/mol and −11.4 ± 2.5 cal/(mol K), respectively. Ion mobility measurement indicates the presence of mainly one isomer with an average collision cross section in helium of 61.0 ± 3 A2, significantly larger than the calculated cross sections of all of the covalently bonded C8H8•+ ions and in excellent agreement with that of the benzene•+·acetylene complex. The results provide strong evidence that the C8H8•+ ion is predominantly present as an acetylene molecule associated with the benzene radical cation in ionized acetyl...
Conjugates of Adrenal Corticoids in Human Plasma.

Summary1. It appears that conjugated corticoids (Porter-Silber chromogens) are present in human plasma which may be released by hydrolysis with beta-glucuronidase. 2. Under normal conditions the quantity of corticoids is approximately equal to the free. Under some circumstances, such as in Cushing's syndrome, the conjugates may exceed the free fraction. 3. Stress, ACTH or the administration of compounds E or F lead to elevations in the conjugated as well as the free fractions. The rate of disappearance of the free fraction is in part related to conjugation. 4. The rate of conjugation of corticoids in human plasma has been found to be defective in subjects with disease of the liver.
Reinforce Higher Education Innovation and Cultivate Talent of New Type

In order to be geared to the needs of knowledge economy in the new century, higher education innovation should be reinforced in the aspects of educational concept, management system, educational practice and operation mechanism so as to promote the cultivation of the talent of new type.
Fine-Needle Aspiration: A Personal View

Category A-1 continuing education credit is available to anyone who studies a Q/E Update series and completes a written exam. Exams will appear with the final article of each series in LABORATORY MEDICINE. After receipt of a completed answer sheet and exam fee at ASCP, a certificate of credit will be awarded to each participant.
Implications of International Manor Economy for Development of Characteristic Modern Agricultural Manor Economy in Yunnan Plateau Area

This paper firstly summarized experience of Vietnam and Taiwan in developing modern agricultural manor economy. The manor economy of Vietnam is characterized by intensive and specialized operation and high marketization and wide employment of labors; while the experience of Taiwan can be outlined as"government launching,agricultural association promoting,and farmers acting". Then,it analyzed existing problems of modern agricultural manor economy in China and opportunities and challenges of characteristic modern agricultural manor economy in Yunnan plateau area. Finally in line with these problems and combining experience of international manor economy,it came up with systematic recommendations for healthy and sustainable development of characteristic modern agricultural manor economy in Yunnan plateau area:( 1) perfecting organization leadership,improving planning guidance,and enhancing standardized management;( 2) putting forth effort on innovation of system and mechanism for land,fund and technology,to break bottleneck of manor economic development;( 3) increasing input and comprehensively building the service support system to promote long-term development of manor economy.
Environmental Stresses Increase Photosynthetic Disruption by Metal Oxide Nanomaterials in a Soil-Grown Plant

Despite an increasing number of studies over the past decade examining the interactions between plants and engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), very few have investigated the influence of environmental conditions on ENM uptake and toxicity, particularly throughout the entire plant life cycle. In this study, soil-grown herbaceous annual plants (Clarkia unguiculata) were exposed to TiO2, CeO2, or Cu(OH)2 ENMs at different concentrations under distinct light and nutrient levels for 8 weeks. Biweekly fluorescence and gas exchange measurements were recorded, and tissue samples from mature plants were analyzed for metal content. During peak growth, exposure to TiO2 and CeO2 decreased photosynthetic rate and CO2 assimilation efficiency of plants grown under high light and nutrient conditions, possibly by disrupting energy transfer from photosystem II (PSII) to the Calvin cycle. Exposure Cu(OH)2 particles also disrupted photosynthesis but only in plants grown under the most stressful conditions (high light, limited nutrient) likely by preventing the oxidation of a primary PSII reaction center. TiO2 and CeO2 followed similar uptake and distribution patterns with concentrations being highest in roots followed by leaves then stems, while Cu(OH)2 was present at highest concentrations in leaves, likely as ionic Cu. ENM accumulation was highly dependent on both light and nutrient levels and a predictive regression model was developed from these data. These results show that abiotic conditions play an important role in mediating the uptake and physiological impacts of ENMs in terrestrial plants.
Half a century of research on Value Line: a comprehensive review

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive review of literature on Value Line. First, the authors summarize the literature examining the Value Line enigma. Second, the authors survey the literature on Value Line’s other valuation metrics. Finally, literature comparing Value Line’s database to other tradition data sources is presented. Design/methodology/approach – Approximately 60 academic articles published from 1967 to 2015 on Value Line are systematically reviewed and analyzed. Findings – Despite extensive research, empirical evidence on the Value Line enigma remains less than conclusive. Empirical evidence suggests that Value Line’s other metrics are useful and efficacious. In terms of forecast accuracy and consistency, evidence seems to suggest that Value Line Investment Survey database is as good as other databases. Originality/value – Academic research on Value Line began over half a century ago and is extensive; however, a comprehensive review of previous work is non-existen...
Chapter 5 – VAPOR-LIQUID EQUILIBRIUM OPERATIONS

The purpose of this chapter is to elucidate vapor-liquid equilibrium, operations. Chemical engineers have used the concept of vapor-liquid equilibrium for much of their treatment of separation processes such as distillation, absorption, and stripping. This chapter examines the dynamic modeling and numerical solution of typical vapor-liquid equilibrium systems. The phenomenon of the boiling of a pure fluid provides a situation in which the vapor pressure of the fluid tends to exceed the total pressure of the system. Some models discussed in this chapter are the binary distillation column, in which a typical tray in a binary distillation column is modeled. The major assumption made for binary distillation is that of equal-molar overflow, namely that the molar vapor flow rate entering the tray is equal to the molar vapor flow rate leaving the tray; the mathematical modeling of multi-component distillation, which is a dynamic model of a ternary equilibrium column of five stages including a partial condenser and a re-boiler.
Factors that promote macrophage homing to adipose tissue in metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a common cardio-metabolic cluster, predisposes to both increased cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Both adipose tissue and monocyte/macrophages contribute to the increased inflammation in MetS. However there are sparse data on factors that determine macrophage recruitment into adipose tissue (AT). In this preliminary report in patients with MetS, without the confounding of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, we show that plasma resistin, soluble CD14 and monocyte p38 MAP kinase activity correlate significantly with AT macrophage density and hence could be important biomediators of macrophage homing to AT in MetS. However larger studies are required to confirm these novel findings and elucidate other important factors.
An Inorganic Twist in Nanomaterials: Making an Atomically Precise Double Helix.

Bringing a common biological motif to the world of inorganic materials (from Advanced Materials).
Researching resilience of youth in the context of HIV: harbinger of change

This is a commentary on:Leigh Adams Tucker, Kaymarlin Govender, Caroline Kuo, Marisa Casale and Lucie Cluver. (2016). Child prosociality within HIV-affected contexts: The impact of carer ill-health and orphan status. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 11(4), 352–362. doi: 10.1080/17450128.2016.1226530
Δ5 desaturation of fatty acids in L-M cells

L-M cells grown in a lipid-free medium containing /sup 14/C-labeled 9, 12-linoleic acid incorporated most of this acid into glycerolipids as linoleic acid. Only a small amount (3%) was elongated to eicosadienoic acid. No ..delta..6 desaturation occurred. When the cells were incubated with /sup 14/-C-labeled 8, 11, 14-eicosatrienoic acid, 22% of the activity was found in 5, 8, 11, 14-eicosatetraenoic acid. Treatment of the cells for 24 hr with N-isopropylethanolamine, a choline analog, depressed this desaturation reaction to about 60% of control values. The identity of the tetraene product was established by two different chromatographic analyses of the fatty acid methyl esters. Location of the double bond at position C-5 was determined by ozonolysis and subsequent reduction of the ozonides to aldesters followed by gas-liquid chromatography. These results prove that L-M cells have a ..delta..5 desaturase and an elongation enzyme converting 18 : 2 to 20 : 2, but lack a ..delta..6 desaturase.
Use of cognitive diagnostic model to study differential item functioning in accommodations

This study explored potential sources of differential item functioning (DIF) among accommodated and nonaccommodated groups by examining skills and cognitive processes hypothesized to underlie student performance on the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP). Out of 53 released NAEP items in 2007 for grade 8, a total of 25 items were flagged as DIF among the four studied groups (nonaccommodated, accommodated with extra time, accommodated with read aloud, and accommodated with small groups) by a generalized logistic regression method. The Reparameterized Unified Model was fit to the same data using a Q-matrix containing 25 skills that included content-, process-, and item-type attributes. The nonaccommodated group yielded the highest averages of attribute mastery probabilities as well as the largest proportion of mastered examinees among all the groups. The three accommodated groups tended to have similar attribute mastery means, with the group accommodated with small groups yielding a larger proportion of mastery examinees when compared to the other two accommodated groups.
Induction of PPAR gamma signaling and autophagy as a mechanism mediating acquired rapamycin resistance in breast cancer models

3210 Rapamycin is a product of the soil bacterium S. hygroscopicus most widely used as an immunosuppressive agent and is an emerging cancer therapeutic. It functions by binding to FK506-binding protein 12 (FKBP12), which in turn complexes with and inhibits mTOR. mTOR is a critical regulator of cellular proliferation by controlling protein synthesis via sensing growth factor and nutrient availability. In mouse models that mimic the progression of human breast cancer from DCIS to metastatic disease, we have shown rapamycin can significantly decrease the growth of premalignant mammary intraepithelial neoplastic outgrowth (MIN-O) lesions and Met-1 tumors. However, these lesions were not abolished and rapamycin-resistant tumors emerged. Gene expression profiling implicated the activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARg) signaling as the molecular basis underlying rapamycin resistance. PPARg is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily of proteins with transcription factor activity, controlling diverse cellular functions including fat and lipid metabolism, cellular proliferation and apoptosis. Both in vitro and in mouse models we observe an induction of PPARg expression and its downstream targets after rapamycin treatment. Furthermore, this is preceded by marked nuclear translocation of PPARg. The exact role of PPARg in breast cancer survival is not clear. PPARg agonists have shown antiproliferative effects in breast cancer cells. However, mice overexpressing PPARg show increased breast cancer development when mated with transgenic MMTV-PyV-mT mice. In both the MIN-O and Met-1 mouse models, PPARg promoted tumor growth. Conversely, the addition of GW9662, a PPARg antagonist, enhanced the antiproliferative effect of rapamycin. Rapamycin-treated MIN-O lesions and cell lines also exhibited characteristic features of autophagy, including accumulation of autophagic vesicles. This occurred with rapid kinetics in vitro and was supported biochemically by increased conversion of light chain 3 (LC3B) to the cleaved, type II form. Rapamycin is a well-known inducer of autophagy, but depending upon the cellular context, autophagy can function in survival or as an intermediate in cell death. The exact role of autophagy in breast cancer is still not fully understood. In these mouse models, it is unclear whether autophagy is aiding rapamycin resistance or is responsible for the antiproliferative effect of rapamycin. In summary, our results suggest that PPARg antagonists, already widely used experimentally, may have clinical utility in the treatment of breast cancer and to combat rapamycin resistance. Further investigation into the function of autophagy in these models may clarify its role in breast tumor development and in overcoming resistance to chemotherapy regimens through the adjuvant use of inhibitors of autophagy.
Gender differences in the real-world effectiveness of smoking cessation medications: Findings from the 2010–2011 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey

Abstract Background Meta-analyses of clinical trial data have identified clinically relevant gender differences in the efficacy of smoking cessation pharmacotherapy. It is unclear whether these findings are generalizable to smokers quitting in real-world contexts. Methods Using Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS) 2010–2011 cross-sectional data, we generated propensity score matched samples of smokers who quit either unassisted by medication, using only varenicline, or using only transdermal nicotine patch (TNP). We used generalized estimating equations to estimate gender differences in the comparative effectiveness of these cessation options for achieving 30-days of abstinence, adjusting for potential confounders. Results When stratified by gender, TNP was significantly more effective than unassisted quit attempts for men (OR = 1.37; 95%CI = 1.02,1.83; p = 0.03), but not for women (OR = 0.96; 95%CI = 0.71,1.31; p = 0.82). Varenicline was significantly more effective than unassisted quit attempts for women (OR = 1.63; 95%CI = 1.16, 2.31; p = 0.005), but not men (OR = 1.35; 95%CI = 0.94,1.96; p = 0.11). Varenicline was also more effective than TNP for women (OR = 1.51; 95%CI = 0.12,2.05; p = 0.007) but not men (OR = 0.92; 95%CI = 0.65,1.31; p = 0.64). A significant gender by medication interaction was found only for the comparison of varenicline to TNP (OR = 1.64; 95%CI = 1.04,2.61; p = 0.04). Conclusions Findings for varenicline vs. TNP were consistent with clinical trial data, showing greater differences in effectiveness for women compared to men. Results lend support to the generalizability of clinical trial findings, highlighting the importance of considering gender when offering treatment for smoking cessation.
Gold decorated polystyrene particles for lateral flow immunodetection of Escherichia coli O157:H7

Conventional lateral flow immunoassays for pathogen detection usually make use of gold nanoparticles to impart the color necessary for a readout. Unfortunately, these immunoassays require an extra-long time enrichment process before the detection. The synthesis of gold-decorated polystyrene particles (Au-PS), and their incorporation in a lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) with improved sensitivity for detection of the model pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7) were described in this article. The synthesis of the Au-PS particles occurred through the citrate reduction method. Then the particles underwent surface modification through coating with branched polyethylenimine, followed by grafting of the anti-E. coli O157:H7 antibody. The effect of Au-PS particle size and of the surface coverage on the detection limit of the assay was investigated. The Au-PS particles with 0.46 μm PS and 10% Au surface coverage achieved 500 CFU·mL−1 limit of detection (LOD) for E. coli O157:H7 in apple juice, ground beef, and spiked buffer solutions. Furthermore, these particles achieved 100 CFU·mL−1 LOD when the secondary a signal amplification reaction via gold reduction method was used. While the antibody-antigen interaction has a well-known role in detection, a precise optimization of the Au-PS particles used in LFIA assays can significantly affect performance. In our perception, Au nanoparticles coverage on sub-micron sized polystyrene particles was the critical factor that allowed reaching the reported low concentration of E. coli O157:H7 in real food samples.
An empirically-based model for the lift coefficients of twisted airfoils with leading-edge tubercles

Experimental data for untwisted airfoils are utilized to propose a model for predicting the lift coefficients of twisted airfoils with leading-edge tubercles. The effectiveness of the empirical model is verified through comparison with results of a corresponding computational fluid-dynamic (CFD) study. The CFD study is carried out for both twisted and untwisted airfoils with tubercles, the latter shown to compare well with available experimental data. Lift coefficients of twisted airfoils predicted from the proposed empirically-based model match well with the corresponding coefficients determined using the verified CFD study. Flow details obtained from the latter provide better insight into the underlying mechanism and behavior at stall of twisted airfoils with leading edge tubercles.
FATIGUE CHARACTERISTICS OF AVIAN LEG TENDONS

Apparatus and Testing Procedures have been developed to determine the fatigue characteristics of parallel-fibered collagenous tissue. North American Turkey tendons were subjected to both short and long duration cyclic stress loading. An entire testing procedure and accurate method of cross-sectional area measurement were developed and perfected for future in depth study. The results of the fatigue testing indicate the viscoelastic properties of tendon.
Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic coma.

Summary HHNC is a syndrome of abnormally high serum glucose and osmolality coupled with depressed consciousness and an absence of ketoacidosis. It represents as many as 20 per cent of all cases of severe hyperglycemia and constitutes a life-threatening medical emergency; however, the absence of acidosis and the insidious presentation of the disorder frequently mislead clinicians into dangerously inadequate therapeutic interventions. Aggressive therapy with intravenous fluids and potassium and the judicious use of insulin, in conjunction with careful monitoring of central venous pressure and urine output, form the mainstays of treatment. There is a strong association of HHNC with other underlying serious diseases, the detection and treatment of which are imperative to the adequate resolution of the syndrome.
Analysis of No-Confounding Designs using the Dantzig Selector

No-confounding designs in 16 runs for 6, 7 and 8 factors are non-regular fractional factorial designs that have been suggested as attractive alternatives to the regular minimum aberration resolution IV designs because they do not completely confound any two-factor interactions with each other. These designs allow for potential estimation of main effects and a few two-factor interactions without the need for follow-up experimentation. Analysis methods for non-regular designs are areas of ongoing research, because standard variable selection techniques such as stepwise regression may not always be the best approach. We investigate the use of the Dantzig selector for analysing no-confounding designs. Through a series of examples we show that this technique is very effective for identifying the set of active factors in no-confounding designs when there are three of four active main effects and up to two active two-factor interactions.
Nanoscale hygromechanical behavior of lignin

The nanoscale hygromechanical behavior of lignin is presented in this work. Three atomic force microscopy experimental methods were used to correlate moisture sorption of lignin to its mechanical behavior. First, sorption isotherms were established using cantilever mass sensing and subsequently predicted using the Guggenheim–Anderson–de Boer model. The sorption isotherms of lignin particles followed a repeatable and cyclic trend reaching a maximum moisture content of ≈ 17% at ≈ 79% relative humidity (RH). Second, 3D nanomechanical contrast images were obtained using contact resonance force microscopy (CR-FM) to observe the hygromechanical response of lignin over three RH cycles. Finally, force volume mapping and the Hertz model were used to compute the elastic modulus of lignin as a function of moisture content. As RH increased, CR-FM measurements revealed initial topographical heterogeneity, as well as notable surface softening, especially in initially smooth domains. The average elastic modulus of the smooth domain decreased from 9.0 to 4.3 to 2.4 GPa as the moisture content increased from 0.024 to 9.1 to 17.3%, respectively. Cyclic measurements confirm that the elastic modulus of lignin rebounds upon moisture desorption.
Histone Deacetylase 4 Downregulation Elicits Post-Traumatic Psychiatric Disorders through Impairment of Neurogenesis

An enduring deficit in neurogenesis largely contributes to the development of severe post-traumatic psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, and memory impairment following traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, the mechanism remains obscure. Here we have shown that an imbalance in the generation of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic and glutamatergic neurons due to aberrant induction of vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (vGlut1)-positive glutamatergic cells is responsible for impaired neuronal differentiation in the hippocampus following TBI. To elucidate the molecular mechanism, we found that TBI activates a transcription factor, Pax3, by increasing its acetylation status, and subsequently induces Ngn2 transcription. This event, in turn, augments the vGlut1-expressing glutamatergic neurons and accumulation of excess glutamate in the hippocampus that can affect neuronal differentiation. In our study the acetylation of Pax3 was increased due to loss of its interaction with a deacetylase, histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4), which was downregulated after TBI. TBI-induced activation of GSK3β was responsible for the degradation of HDAC4. We also showed that overexpression of HDAC4 before TBI reduces Pax3 acetylation by restoring an interaction between HDAC4 and Pax3 in the hippocampus. This event prevents the aberrant induction of vGlut1-positive glutamatergic neurons by decreasing the Ngn2 level and subsequently reinforces the balance between GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons following TBI. Further, we found that overexpression of HDAC4 in the hippocampus improves anxiety, depressive-like behavior, and memory functions following TBI.
Team-Based Robot Righting via Pushing and Shell Design

The minimalist robot designs typically employed in swarms and teams can fall and get trapped when traversing irregular terrain. To protect against this contingency the design could add a specialized escape actuator, but each actuator drives up cost multiplicatively for the whole team. Instead, the emergency actuator can be found for free in the form of another teammate. Teammate pushing can be efficiently directed by careful shaping of the robot’s exterior hull. This approach is illustrated by designing a shell for VelociRoACH robots that enables them to roll pronated comrades back onto their feet. The designed maneuver can be performed in open-loop with 87% success and an average time of 0.7 seconds.
Status of medical genomics and genetics education in maternal-fetal medicine: survey of program directors and clinical fellows in the USA.

Objective: The study aimed to assess the current state of medical genetics and genomics (MGG) education amongst maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) program directors (PDs) and clinical fellows.Methods: A...
Hope and optimism as predictors of academic performance and subjective well-being in college students

Abstract Objective Snyder's (1994) hope and Scheier and Carver's (1985) optimism have been shown to independently predict academic performance and changes in subjective well-being. This study seeks to clarify their unique associations. Method An undergraduate class (N = 334, 59.6% female, 75.7% Caucasian, M = 19.89 years) was studied at two time points in a semester. Students predicted their expected grade in the course and completed measures of hope, optimism, and subjective well-being (i.e., positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction) the first week of classes. The final week of classes, students completed subjective well-being measures and final grades were obtained from the instructor. Results Path analysis showed that hope, but not optimism, predicted grade expectancy. Grade expectancy, in turn, predicted final grades, even after controlling for previous academic achievement. Hope did not directly predict final course grade, but had a significant indirect effect through grade expectancy. Path analysis showed that hope significantly predicted increases in positive affect and life satisfaction over the semester; whereas, optimism predicted decreases in negative affect. Conclusion These findings extend previous research demonstrating that hope and optimism, while conceptually similar, have differential longitudinal associations with academic performance and subjective well-being among college students. Implications for screening for at-risk college students and employing targeted interventions are discussed.
Release of amino acids from the spinal cord in vitro and in vivo.

In the last decade, considerable evidence has supported the initial suggestion by Aprison and Werman2 that glycine is a likely inhibitory transmitter in the mammalian spinal cord. The concentration of glycine becomes progressively higher in more caudal areas of the nervous system and it is particularly high, on the order of 5 µmoles/gram, in regions of spinal cord known to contain inhibitory interneurons. The concentration falls after partial spinal cord ischemia in a manner proportional to the loss of interneurons. 12 The action of glycine is antagonized by strychnine, which is known to block postsynaptic inhibitory mechanisms.5 There is reason to believe that other amino acids may have roles as neurotransmitters in the spinal cord, based on less complete evidence than that for glycine. For example, GABA has been proposed as a presynaptic inhibitory transmitter at primary afferent terminals. It is found in high concentrations in the dorsal horn, and local ischemia of this region leads to a marked fall in concentration.23 Deafferentation of the spinal cord by dorsal root section leads to a reduction in glutamic acid decarboxylase activity in the dorsal lateral region of cord, together with a fall in GABA content and a reduction of [3H] GABA uptake.14
Who reaps the benefits? Exploring access and social exclusion among village chicken producers in Kenya

Wilson, Kelly (2019). Do women reap the benefits? Exploring access and social exclusion among village chicken producers in Kenya. (Electronic Thesis or Dissertation). Retrieved from https://etd.ohi...