cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with pediatric firearm injury and enrollment in a violence intervention program.

Abstract Purpose To identify factors associated with firearm injury (FI) and willingness to enroll in a violence intervention program amongst pediatric victims of violence. Methods Cross-sectional study of victims of violence age 6–19 years presenting to a children's hospital emergency department from 2014 to 2017. Participants were interviewed by social workers prior to being offered enrollment in a violence intervention program. We used multivariate logistic regression analyses to identify factors associated with FI and enrollment in the violence intervention program. Results Four hundred seven patients were analyzed, 156 (38%) of which were victims of FI and 251 (62%) were victims of non-firearm-related physical assaults (PA). Multiple factors were associated with FI including older adolescent age, male sex, separated/divorced parents, losses in family/social network due to violence, being on probation, illicit substance use, gang affiliation, and lack of school enrollment. One hundred four patients (26%) enrolled in the violence intervention program. There was no difference in enrollment between FI and PA. However, older adolescent age, illicit substance use and probation were associated with significantly decreased odds of enrolling in the program. Conclusions Multiple identifiable and potentially actionable risk factors exist amongst pediatric victims of acute FI. More specific targeting of at-risk groups may improve enrollment in violence interventions programs. Level of Evidence This is a prognostic study, investigating the natural history of pediatric firearm injuries, factors associated with firearm injuries as well as those associated with patient propensity to enroll in a violence intervention program. This study is observational in nature and utilizes patients with non-firearm-related physical assaults as a control group, making this study Level III evidence.
Retrieval practice facilitation of family psychoeducation in people with early psychosis.

Abstract Background Providing early psychosis (EP) individuals with family psychoeducation (FPE) can reduce symptoms and improve clinical outcomes. However, relational memory problems may limit prospective utilization of FPE information. This study examines whether memory for FPE can be improved by testing participants during the initial FPE workshop presentation. Method Data were obtained from 20 people with EP and 20 demographically matched healthy comparison subjects (HC). During session one, FPE was presented in small group workshops, with half of the information re-studied twice (re-study condition) and the remaining information tested twice using cued recall tasks (retrieval practice condition). One week later (session two), delayed cued recall was tested for all FPE information. “Testing effects” (i.e., better memory following retrieval practice versus re-study) were examined across all items (standard analysis) and also limited to items successfully retrieved during session one (conditionalized analysis). Results HC had better initial recall and learned more over the two retrieval practice trials than EP. However, HC also lost more information than EP over the one-week delay. Both groups produced a significant testing effect. This effect was smaller in EP versus HC across all test items, but did not differ for the conditionalized analysis. Negative symptoms were inversely correlated with delayed cued recall in EP. Conclusions EP participants benefit from retrieval practice, with participants with less severe negative symptoms showing the greatest benefit. These results encourage use of memory tests during group psychoeducation to improve subsequent long-term recall of clinically relevant information.
Temporary Circulatory Support With Ventricular Assist Devices: Update on Surgical and Percutaneous Strategies

The available platforms for temporary circulatory support (TCS) have expanded to include impeller technologies in addition to the traditional approaches with centrifugal pumps and intra-aortic counterpulsation. We review the evidence for competing technologies, relative risk, and benefit of individual TCS platforms and provide a consensus opinion in the context of our institutional experience. Trans-aortic axial flow devices (Impella) have significantly impacted the support of patients with cardiogenic shock. Despite the absence of prospective randomized data, the use of both percutaneous and surgical Impella devices is ubiquitous among heart failure centers and rapidly evolving. Extracorporeal centrifugal pumps remain the technology of last resort. Despite the increasing use of new TCS platforms, there is little empirical evidence that outcomes have been impacted. Increasingly, systems of care—rather than technology—are seen as the more important variable in the management of patients with cardiogenic shock.
Accuracy of an Electronic Health Record Patient Linkage Module Evaluated between Neighboring Academic Health Care Centers.

Background Patients often seek medical treatment among different health care organizations, which can lead to redundant tests and treatments. One electronic health record (EHR) platform, Epic Systems, uses a patient linkage tool called Care Everywhere (CE), to match patients across institutions. To the extent that such linkages accurately identify shared patients across organizations, they would hold potential for improving care. Objective This study aimed to understand how accurate the CE tool with default settings is to identify identical patients between two neighboring academic health care systems in Southern California, The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Methods We studied CE patient linkage queries received at UCLA from Cedars-Sinai between November 1, 2016, and April 30, 2017. We constructed datasets comprised of linkages ("successful" queries), as well as nonlinkages ("unsuccessful" queries) during this time period. To identify false positive linkages, we screened the "successful" linkages for potential errors and then manually reviewed all that screened positive. To identify false-negative linkages, we applied our own patient matching algorithm to the "unsuccessful" queries and then manually reviewed a sample to identify missed patient linkages. Results During the 6-month study period, Cedars-Sinai attempted to link 181,567 unique patient identities to records at UCLA. CE made 22,923 "successful" linkages and returned 158,644 "unsuccessful" queries among these patients. Manual review of the screened "successful" linkages between the two institutions determined there were no false positives. Manual review of a sample of the "unsuccessful" queries (n = 623), demonstrated an extrapolated false-negative rate of 2.97% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.6-4.4%). Conclusion We found that CE provided very reliable patient matching across institutions. The system missed a few linkages, but the false-negative rate was low and there were no false-positive matches over 6 months of use between two nearby institutions.
An Educational Intervention for Improving the Snacks and Beverages Brought to Youth Sports in the USA.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to test a small-scale intervention and its ability to decrease total sugar intake and number of calories offered at youth sports games. Methods: This study was a pre/post-test quasi-experimental design. A flier was developed and distributed to parents. The flier aimed to decrease the sugar-sweetened beverages and increase the nutritional quality of food brought to games. Baseline data were collected in 2018 (n = 61). The flier was distributed prior to the start of the league, once during the league, and posted online in 2019. Postintervention data were collected in the intervention group (n = 122) and a comparison group (n = 74). Nutritional information was collected through direct observation. Results: The average amount of total sugar provided per game per child was 25.5 g at baseline when snacks/beverages were provided at games. After the intervention, the average amount of total sugar provided significantly decreased (16.7 g/game/child, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The intervention reduced total sugar offered and the number of sugar-sweetened beverages brought to games. It was low-cost and could be easily implemented by public health practitioners and/or parks and recreation administrators. Further, considerations could be made to implement policies relative to snacks and beverages at youth sports games.
Association of Simulated COVID-19 Vaccination and Nonpharmaceutical Interventions With Infections, Hospitalizations, and Mortality.

Importance: Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to significantly reduce transmission and COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. The relative importance of vaccination strategies and nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) is not well understood. Objective: To assess the association of simulated COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and coverage scenarios with and without NPIs with infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. Design, Setting, and Participants: An established agent-based decision analytical model was used to simulate COVID-19 transmission and progression from March 24, 2020, to September 23, 2021. The model simulated COVID-19 spread in North Carolina, a US state of 10.5 million people. A network of 1â¯017â¯720 agents was constructed from US Census data to represent the statewide population. Exposures: Scenarios of vaccine efficacy (50% and 90%), vaccine coverage (25%, 50%, and 75% at the end of a 6-month distribution period), and NPIs (reduced mobility, school closings, and use of face masks) maintained and removed during vaccine distribution. Main Outcomes and Measures: Risks of infection from the start of vaccine distribution and risk differences comparing scenarios. Outcome means and SDs were calculated across replications. Results: In the worst-case vaccination scenario (50% efficacy, 25% coverage), a mean (SD) of 2â¯231â¯134 (117â¯867) new infections occurred after vaccination began with NPIs removed, and a mean (SD) of 799â¯949 (60â¯279) new infections occurred with NPIs maintained during 11 months. In contrast, in the best-case scenario (90% efficacy, 75% coverage), a mean (SD) of 527â¯409 (40â¯637) new infections occurred with NPIs removed and a mean (SD) of 450â¯575 (32â¯716) new infections occurred with NPIs maintained. With NPIs removed, lower efficacy (50%) and higher coverage (75%) reduced infection risk by a greater magnitude than higher efficacy (90%) and lower coverage (25%) compared with the worst-case scenario (mean [SD] absolute risk reduction, 13% [1%] and 8% [1%], respectively). Conclusions and Relevance: Simulation outcomes suggest that removing NPIs while vaccines are distributed may result in substantial increases in infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. Furthermore, as NPIs are removed, higher vaccination coverage with less efficacious vaccines can contribute to a larger reduction in risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared with more efficacious vaccines at lower coverage. These findings highlight the need for well-resourced and coordinated efforts to achieve high vaccine coverage and continued adherence to NPIs before many prepandemic activities can be resumed.
Survivors of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Show Neuropsychiatric Sequelae Measured by Surveys, Neurocognitive Testing, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Preliminary Results

Abstract A significant number of individuals experience physical, cognitive, and mental health symptoms in the months after acute infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This study assessed depressive and anxious symptoms, cognition, and brain structure and function in participants with symptomatic COVID-19 confirmed by PCR testing (n=100) approximately three months following infection, leveraging self-report questionnaires, objective neurocognitive testing, and structural and functional neuroimaging data. Preliminary results demonstrated that over 1/5 of our cohort endorsed clinically significant depressive and/or anxious symptoms, and >40% of participants had cognitive impairment on objective testing across multiple domains, consistent with ‘brain-fog’. While depression and one domain of quality of life (physical functioning) were significantly different between hospitalized and non-hospitalized participants, anxiety, cognitive impairment, and most domains of functioning were not, suggesting that the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection does not necessarily relate to the severity of neuropsychiatric outcomes and impaired functioning in the months after infection. Furthermore, we found that the majority of participants in a subset of our cohort who completed structural and functional neuroimaging (n=15) had smaller olfactory bulbs and sulci in conjunction with anosmia. We also showed that this subset of participants had dysfunction in attention network functional connectivity and ventromedial prefrontal cortex seed-based functional connectivity. These functional imaging dysfunctions have been observed previously in depression and correlated with levels of inflammation. Our results support and extend previous findings in the literature concerning the neuropsychiatric sequelae associated with long COVID. Ongoing data collection and analyses within this cohort will allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the longitudinal relationships between neuropsychiatric symptoms, neurocognitive performance, brain structure and function, and inflammatory and immune profiles.
The Tyranny of Space in Organizational Analysis

We want to understand organizational process as the temporal making of meanings, but our vocabulary for doing so is predominantly spatial. Some mistakes this has led to in my own research are reviewed, and the hope for a more thoroughly temporal mode of analysis based on an actor’ ongoing narrativization of experience is explored.
Violence and reproductive health: current knowledge and future research directions.

Objectives: Despite the scope of violence against women and its importance for reproductive health, very few scientific data about the relationship between violence and reproductive health issues are available. Methods: The current knowledge base for several issues specific to violence and reproductive health, including association of violence with pregnancy, pregnancy intention, contraception use, pregnancy terminations, and pregnancy outcomes, are reviewed and suggestions are provided for future research. Results: Despite the limitations of current research and some inconclusive results, the existing research base clearly documents several important points: (1) violence occurs commonly during pregnancy (an estimated 4%–8% of pregnancies); (2) violence is associated with unintended pregnancies and may be related to inconsistent contraceptive use; and (3) the research is inconclusive about the relationship between violence and pregnancy outcomes. Conclusions: Improved knowledge of the risk factors for violence is critical for effective intervention design and implementation. Four areas that need improvement for development of new research studies examining violence and reproductive-related issues include (1) broadening of study populations, (2) refining data collection methodologies, (3) obtaining additional information about violence and other factors, and (4) developing and evaluating screening and intervention programs. The research and health care communities should act collaboratively to improve our understanding of why violence against women occurs, how it specifically affects reproductive health status, and what prevention strategies may be effective.
Attachment Stimulates Exopolysaccharide Synthesis by a Bacterium

This study examined the hypothesis that solid surfaces may stimulate attached bacteria to produce exopolymers. Addition of sand to shake-flask cultures seemed to induce exopolymer synthesis by a number of subsurface isolates, as revealed by optical microscopy. Several additional lines of evidence indicated that exopolymer production by attached cells (in continuous-flow sand-packed columns) was greater than by their free-living counterparts. Total carbohydrates and extracellular polysaccharides, both normalized to cell protein, were greater (2.5- and 5-fold, respectively) for attached cells than for free-living cells. Also, adsorption of a polyanion-binding dye to the exopolymer fraction was sixfold greater for attached cells than for unattached cells. When surface-grown cells were resuspended in fresh medium, exopolymer production decreased to the level characteristic of unattached cells, which ruled out the possibility that attached cells comprised a subpopulation of sticky mucoid variants. The mechanism by which attachment stimulated exopolymer synthesis did not involve changes of the specific growth rate, growth stage, or limiting nutrient.
FIR: Special Cases

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Moving Average (MA) FIR Comb FIR L-Band Filters Mirror FIR Complement FIR Frequency Sampling Filter Bank Savitzky - Golay (SG) FIR Nonlinear Phase FIR Farrow FIR ]]>
Creativity for 21st Century Skills

Currently, there is a call for 21st Century Skills, and these skills include creativity skills. This book will, perhaps help in that endeavor. These 21st Century Skills include creativity and innovation skills within a comprehensive skills framework, as suggested by one of the 21st Century Skills think tanks.
Typology of menstrual cycle symptoms

Abstract Each of 839 women rated their experience of each of 47 menstrual symptoms on a six-point scale separately for the menstrual, premenstrual, and intermenstrual phases of her most recent menstrual cycle and for her worst menstrual cycle. The 47 symptoms were intercorrelated and factor analyzed separately for each phase, and eight basically replicated clusters of symptoms emerged. These clusters were labeled pain, concentration, behavioral change, autonomic reactions, water retention, negative affect, arousal, and control. Menstrual cycle symptom profiles illustrating various types of symptomatology were constructed. The relevance of these analyses to the conceptualization and differentiated analysis of menstrual cycle symptomatology, especially to the possibility that the premenstrual syndrome might more appropriately be labeled the premenstrual syndromes, is discussed.
The Theory of Rationally Heterogeneous Expectations: Evidence from Survey Data on Inflation Expectations†

Author(s): Branch, William | Abstract: Previous work with survey data casts doubt on the Rational Expectations Hypothesis. In this paper, we develop a model of expectation formation where agents form their forecasts of inflation by selecting a predictor function from a set of costly alternatives whereby they may rationally choose a method other than the most accurate. We use this model to test whether survey data exhibit rationally heterogeneous expectations. Maximum likelihood is applied to a new discrete choice setting where the observed variable is continuous and the latent variable is discrete. The results show there is dynamic switching that depends on relative mean squared errors of the predictor.
Incremental art: negotiating the route of London's Notting Hill Carnival

This essay provides a brief overview of London's carnival and its beginnings in the late 1950s. Claudia Jones committed herself to both the culture and political underpinning of Caribbean carnival when she founded the event. London's West Indian community embraced carnival as an important source of celebration and cultural identity in the face of racist intimidation in Britain. The essay explores various difficulties that black British artists face gaining recognition, particularly those who work in carnival. Clary Salandy, the artistic leader of Mahogany Arts Ltd., in London, is considered one of London's leading, vanguard carnival designers. Her creation of a mas camp and her focus on community development to pursue carnival as a collective enterprise is examined. Salandy insists that ‘Carnival is art’ and her work exemplifies the tension between her desire to establish carnival as a viable art form in Britain and the social, political and cultural barriers faced by carnival artists today.
Pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum. Report of two cases studied by selective angiocardiography and right heart catheterization.

Abstract Two cases of pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum have been presented. In one case a right ventricular cavity of small size was present (Type 1), and in the other a right ventricular cavity of large size was found (Type 2). The patient with the Type 1 defect had high right ventricular pressure and a normal contour of atrial pressure. Injection of opaque medium into the right ventricular cavity demonstrated anomalous myocardial sinusoids. The patient with the Type 2 lesion had a normal right ventricular pressure and a dominant “v” wave in the contour of the right atrial pressure curve. An angiocardiogram showed a large, dilated right ventricular cavity, gross tricuspid regurgitation, and a tricuspid valve displaced to the left. The surgical implications of these findings were discussed briefly.
Interaction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with human cytochrome P450 1B1 in inhibiting catalytic activity.

Eleven polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 14 acetylenic PAHs and biphenyls were used to analyze interactions with cytochrome P450 (P450) 1B1 in inhibiting catalytic activity, using 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation (EROD) as a model reaction. Most of the chemicals examined were direct inhibitors of P450 1B1 except for 4-(1-propynyl)biphenyl, a mechanism-based inhibitor. In the case of direct inhibition of EROD activity {15 of 24 chemicals, e.g., benzo[a]pyrene, 1-(1-propynyl)pyrene, and 3-(1-propynyl)phenanthrene}, restoration of the EROD activity occurred with increasing incubation time, and kinetic analysis showed that EROD Km values were higher with these inhibitors at initial stages of incubation but became lower with increasing incubation time. With the other nine chemicals, the Km values for P450 1B1-mediated EROD increased during the incubations. Acetylenic inhibitors, but not the 11 PAHs, induced reverse type I spectral changes with P450 1B1, and the low dissociation constants (Ks) suggest...
Thioester hydrolysis reactivity of zinc hydroxide complexes: investigating reactivity relevant to glyoxalase II enzymes

A recently reported binuclear zinc hydroxide complex [(L1Zn2)(µ-OH)](ClO4)2 (1, L1 = 2,6-bis[(bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amino)methyl]-4-methylphenolate monoanion) containing a single bridging hydroxide was examined for thioester hydrolysis reactivity. Treatment of 1 with hydroxyphenylthioacetic acid S-methyl ester in dry CD3CN results in no reaction after ∼65 h at 45(1) °C. Binuclear zinc hydroxide complexes of the N-methyl-N-((6-neopentylamino-2-pyridyl)methyl)-N-((2-pyridyl)methyl)amine (L2) and N-methyl-N-((6-neopentylamino-2-pyridyl)methyl)-N-((2-pyridyl)ethyl)amine (L3) chelate ligands were prepared by treatment of each ligand with molar equivalent amounts of Zn(ClO4)2·6H2O and KOH in methanol. These complexes, [(L2Zn)2(µ-OH)2](ClO4)2 (2) and [(L3Zn)2(µ-OH)2](ClO4)2 (3), which have been structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography, behave as 1 : 1 electrolytes in acetonitrile, indicating that the binuclear cations dissociate into monomeric zinc hydroxide species in solution. Treatment of 2 or 3 with one equivalent of hydroxyphenylthioacetic acid S-methyl ester per zinc center in acetonitrile results in the formation of a zinc α-hydroxycarboxylate complex, [(L2)Zn(O2CCH(OH)Ph)]ClO4·1.5H2O (4) or [(L3)Zn(O2CCH(OH)Ph)]ClO4·1.5H2O (5), and CH3SH. These reactions, to our knowledge, are the first reported examples of thioester hydrolysis mediated by zinc hydroxide complexes. The results of this study suggest that a terminal Zn–OH moiety may be required for hydrolysis reactivity with a thioester substrate.
Human DNA sequences exhibiting gamete-specific hypomethylation.

Abstract Three human DNA sequences have been cloned from DNA regions which are strikingly undermethylated in sperm, highly methylated in adult somatic tissues, and methylated to an intermediate extent in tissues of extraembryonic origin. It is proposed that some such DNA sequences may function specifically early in embryogenesis or during gametogenesis. They may be subsequently extensively methylated in the embryonic cell lineage and methylated to a lesser extent in extraembryonic tissues in order to allow embryogenesis to proceed.
Effect of nicardipine on rest and exercise hemodynamics in chronic congestive heart failure

The hemodynamic response to vasodilation induced by the new calcium channel antagonist nicardipine was studied in 10 patients with severe, chronic congestive heart failure. Rest and exercise hemodynamics were evaluated in the baseline state and after 1 week of oral nicardipine therapy (30 mg 3 times daily). In addition, respiratory gas exchange and arteriovenous oxygen difference were measured to assess changes in oxygen utilization. The responses of the sympathetic nervous system were evaluated by measuring plasma norepinephrine concentrations at rest and during maximal exercise. At rest, nicardipine administration was associated with significant reductions in mean systemic arterial pressure, systemic vascular resistance, pulmonary artery wedge pressure and pulmonary arterial pressure, and significant increases in cardiac index and stroke volume index. These effects were maintained during exercise. In contrast to findings with other calcium channel antagonists, no negative inotropic effect of nicardipine was identified. Nicardipine administration was associated with reduction of arteriovenous oxygen difference. Nicardipine had no effect on plasma norepinephrine concentrations, suggesting absence of reflex sympathetic nervous activation. Thus, nicardipine-mediated vasodilation leads to significant improvements in both rest and exercise cardiac performance.
Identification of the Cortical Neurons that Mediate Antidepressant Responses

Our understanding of current treatments for depression, and the development of more specific therapies, is limited by the complexity of the circuits controlling mood and the distributed actions of antidepressants. Although the therapeutic efficacy of serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is correlated with increases in cortical activity, the cell types crucial for their action remain unknown. Here we employ bacTRAP translational profiling to show that layer 5 corticostriatal pyramidal cells expressing p11 (S100a10) are strongly and specifically responsive to chronic antidepressant treatment. This response requires p11 and includes the specific induction of Htr4 expression. Cortex-specific deletion of p11 abolishes behavioral responses to SSRIs, but does not lead to increased depression-like behaviors. Our data identify corticostriatal projection neurons as critical for the response to antidepressants, and suggest that the regulation of serotonergic tone in this single cell type plays a pivotal role in antidepressant therapy.
Offshore recording of low-frequency ocean waves

A Vibrotron transducer on the sea bottom converts pressure into frequency of a stretched wire. The oscillations are counted and recorded on shipboard in a form suitable for subsequent filtering and spectrum analysis by high speed digital computers. Oscillation by 1 mm of water pressure in the frequency range 0.2 to 100 cycles/kilosec (periods 5000 to 10 sec) have been recorded at depths exceeding 100 m.
The isometric pull task: A novel automated method for quantifying forelimb force generation in rats

Reach-to-grasp tasks are commonly used to assess forelimb function in rodent models. While these tasks have been useful for investigating several facets of forelimb function, they are typically labor-intensive and do not directly quantify physiological parameters. Here we describe the isometric pull task, a novel method to measure forelimb strength and function in rats. Animals were trained to reach outside the cage, grasp a handle attached to a stationary force transducer, and pull with a predetermined amount of force to receive a food reward. This task provides quantitative data on operant forelimb force generation. Multiple parameters can be measured with a high degree of accuracy, including force, success rate, pull attempts, and latency to maximal force. The task is fully automated, allowing a single experimenter to test multiple animals simultaneously with usually more than 300 trials per day, providing more statistical power than most other forelimb motor tasks. We demonstrate that an ischemic lesion in primary motor cortex yields robust deficits in all forelimb function parameters measured with this method. The isometric pull task is a significant advance in operant conditioning systems designed to automate the measurement of multiple facets of forelimb function and assess deficits in rodent models of brain damage and motor dysfunction.
A One-Year Follow-up Study of Parent-refer red Hyperactive Preschool Children

Thirty-five problem children and 19 controls were followed up 1 year after an initial assessment. Parent complaints at intake focused on active, inattentive, impulsive, and noncompliant behavior. Children were seen initially at a mean age of 35 months and were reassessed 11 months later. Mothers continued to rate problem children as more hyperactive and aggressive than controls. Independent laboratory assessments confirmed that problem behaviors persisted. These data suggest that symptoms of attention deficit disorder can be identified in young children, but they must be differentiated from difficult, but typical toddler behaviors which are more evanescent in nature.
Inelastic 18O+48Ca scattering and a microscopic description using a renormalized effective interaction

Abstract Angular distributions for the excitation of the first 2+ states in both 18O and 48Ca have been measured in 18O+48Ca scattering at E18O=50 MeV. A shell-model description using a renormalization of the effective interaction due to core polarization is applied to the data. This description, which is consistent with light ion scattering, is in remarkable agreement with our experimental data.
Nanofluidic capillaries produced via femtosecond laser induced delamination of thin thermal oxide films from Si(100) substrates

Highly selective and repeatable delamination of thermal oxide films from Si(100) substrates has been performed using single and multiple femtosecond laser pulses forming bubbles or blisters. By overlapping the bubbles laterally, tubes or capillaries can be formed with a range of volumes suitable for nanofluidics. By scanning the sample through the laser using an automated translation stage, patterns of tubes with arbitrary complexity can be formed, while the scan velocity can easily control the volume of the tubes. The production time for capillaries in this fashion is considerably less than with other lithographic techniques, while the proximity of the tubes to the underlying silicon substrate yields the possibility for integrated devices. The mechanism responsible for the delamination will be discussed and the optimal laser and sample translation conditions will be presented which provide the most uniform tubes. Atomic force microscopy and optical microscopy of capillaries with a range of volumes will be presented.
Remembering AfriCOBRA and the Black Arts Movement in 1960s Chicago

This essay, written by one of AfriCOBRA’s members, places the group as an aesthetic life force and a way of seeing the visual world coupled with the social, spiritual, relational, and political realities. The members of AfriCOBRA agitated for a new aesthetic, a new sense of purpose, a new reason for making “art” “IMAGES”: positive images of Black pride, Black self-determination, weapon images in and for the struggle to heal the minds and the souls of Black folk throughout the African Diaspora.
Oxidation stiffening of PDMS microposts

Abstract This paper presents guidance for analyzing the stiffness changes of micropost arrays after oxidation. Numerous mechanobiology studies exploit micropost arrays to quantify cell-generated micropost displacements and traction forces. Cell adhesion requires surface functionalization typically facilitated by an oxidation step, which can form a glassy skin. We estimate the material properties of this skin, analytically calculate the stiffness of oxidized microposts and compare it with direct measurements. We find correction factors increase exponentially with decreasing micropost diameter. Ignoring this oxidation stiffening of microposts results in more than 200% underestimation in micropost stiffness as well as the cellular traction forces extracted from micropost deflections.
Molecular bacterial diversity and bioburden of commercial airliner cabin air.

Culture-independent, biomarker-targeted bacterial enumeration and identification strategies were employed to estimate total bacterial burden and diversity within the cabin air of commercial airliners. Samples from each of 4 flights on 2 commercial carriers were collected via air-impingement. The total viable microbial population ranged from below detection limits to 4.1 × 106 cells/m3 of air, as assessed by the ATP assay. A gradual accumulation of microbes was observed from the time of passenger boarding through mid-flight, followed by a sharp decline in bacterial abundance and viability from the initiation of descent through landing. Representatives of the α-, β-, and γ-Proteobacteria, as well as Gram-positive bacteria, were isolated in varying abundance. Neisseria meningitidis rRNA gene sequences were retrieved in great abundance from Airline A followed by Streptococcus oralis/mitis sequences. Pseudomonas synxantha sequences dominated Airline B clone libraries, followed by those of N. meningitidis and S...
In vitro effect of ethanol on cell-mediated cytotoxicity by murine spleen cells

Abstract The effects of ethanol on murine spleen cell-mediated lysis have been studied. Concentrations of 5.5–176 mM ethanol produced progressive inhibition of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). Binding of spleen cells to antibody-sensitized target cells was not inhibited by comparable concentrations of ethanol. Kinetic analysis revealed decreased rates of lysis with increasing concentrations of ethanol. Changes of effector to target cell ratios revealed an inhibition of maximum lysis and decreased lytic efficiency in the presence of 88 mM ethanol. Preincubation experiments showed the inhibitory effect of ethanol to be reversible. Macrophage-depleted spleen cells appeared to be as susceptible to inhibition by ethanol as unfractionated spleen cells. Ethanol also inhibited natural killer and alloimmune cytotoxic T cell activity. The ADCC data were analysed by using a mathematical model which incorporates the kinetics of lysis, dose-response relationships, heterogeneity of the lytic effectors, reversibility of inhibition and ethanol loss during incubation. An inhibition constant (KI) of 373 mM−2 when two ethanol molecules interact with the site of inhibition was calculated. 50% inhibition of lysis is produced by 52 mM (0.24%) ethanol. The results are consistent with a model which assumes that lysis is due to a critical number of interactions which ultimately trigger the lytic event. Alcohol interferes with lysis by reacting with sites which are required for triggering the lytic event. Although the molecular details of the mechanism of inhibition are as yet undefined, we infer that ethanol inhibits ADCC at the programming for lysis or the lethal hit stages.
Localization of putative gonadotrophin releasing hormone receptor protein in the anterior pituitary

Specific binding of a fully biologically active 125I-gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) to isolated anterior pituitary cells is time dependent, saturable and the concentration dependent binding curves exhibit positive cooperativity. Binding to intact or solubilized plasma membranes and an affinity purified GnRH receptor protein reveals in all instances multiple high affinity binding sites. Thus, GnRH receptor protein appears to be an intrinsic constituent of the cell membrane, and perhaps, other membranous organelles. To investigate the latter, the binding of 125I-GnRH to various subcellular fractions was studied and its affinity and time requirements determined. GnRH binding to plasma membranes and secretory granules was to multiple high affinity sites, while that to nuclei and microsomes was to a single high affinity site. Binding was 1.83 ± 0.07, 0.78 ± 0.04, 0.31 ± 0.03 and 0.27 ± 0.03 fmol μg−1 protein for isolated plasma membranes, secretory granules, microsomes and nuclei, respectively, after 30 min incubation with 10−9M GnRH. The magnitude of binding to microsomes did not change during the incubation period. It did not show any decrease (p > 0.5) in isolated nuclei and plasma membranes, except for the 24 h time period, when a significant drop (p < 0.001) was seen. Binding to the secretory granule fraction culminated at 15 min and then decreased (p < 0.001) steadily to a non-detectable level at 24 h. Thus GnRH receptor protein or its portion may be an integral part of some membranous particles in the anterior pituitary cells. A single, low-capacity binding site may, or may not suggest the presence of a structurally incomplete form of the receptor protein in microsomes and nuclei. Binding to the secretory granules fraction exhibited only a relatively minor temporal difference compared to the plasma membrane, which may have resulted from an inappropriate conformational state of the receptor protein. Only the binding to the plasma membrane exhibited appropriately both the affinity and temporal requirements of the intact GnRH receptor protein in vitro and in vivo.
Effect of Gravitational Lensing on Measurements of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect

The Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect of a cluster of galaxies is usually measured after background radio sources are removed from the cluster field. Gravitational lensing by the cluster potential leads to a systematic deficit in the residual intensity of unresolved sources behind the cluster core relative to a control field far from the cluster center. As a result, the measured decrement in the Rayleigh-Jeans temperature of the cosmic microwave background is overestimated. We calculate the associated systematic bias which is inevitably introduced into measurements of the Hubble constant using the SZ effect. For the cluster A2218, we find that observations at 15 GHz with a beam radius of 0'.4 and a source removal threshold of 100 microJy underestimate the Hubble constant by 6-10%. If the profile of the gas pressure declines more steeply with radius than that of the dark matter density, then the ratio of lensing to SZ decrements increases towards the outer part of the cluster.
Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution in Acidic Water with Molecular Cobalt Tetraazamacrocycles

A series of water-soluble molecular cobalt complexes of tetraazamacrocyclic ligands are reported for the electrocatalytic production of H2 from pH 2.2 aqueous solutions. The comparative data reported for this family of complexes shed light on their relative efficiencies for hydrogen evolution in water. Rotating disk electrode voltammetry data are presented for each of the complexes discussed, as are data concerning their respective pH-dependent electrocatalytic activity. In particular, two diimine–dioxime complexes were identified as exhibiting catalytic onset at comparatively low overpotentials relative to other reported homogeneous cobalt and nickel electrocatalysts in aqueous solution. These complexes are stable at pH 2.2 and produce hydrogen with high Faradaic efficiency in bulk electrolysis experiments over time intervals ranging from 2 to 24 h.
Conditions of Equivalence Among E-V, SSD, and E-H Portfolio Selection Criteria: The Case for Uniform, Normal and Lognormal Distributions

Conditions of equivalence are established among the following portfolio selection criteria: 1 Mean-Variance E-V, 2 Second-Degree Stochastic Dominance SSD, and 3 Mean-Entropy E-H, for portfolios whose returns are characterized by-Uniform, Normal, and Lognormal probability distributions. We also assume that all portfolios derive from the same family of distributions and consider only the cases where the cumulative density functions intersect. In comparing the three selection criteria, under the three posited probability distributions, we utilize a combination of mathematical and graphical analyses. It is concluded that the three efficiency criteria are equivalent for uniformly and normally distributed portfolio returns. For lognormally distributed portfolio returns, the SSD criterion is optimal. Its efficiency, however, is sufficient but not necessary to establish efficiency for E-V and E-H. On the other hand, given the empirical similarities between E-V and SSD derived portfolios, and the close correspondence between the E-V and E-H criteria, the potential use of E-H becomes more appealing because of its distribution free nature.
Impact of dry solids and bile acid concentrations on bile acid binding capacity of extruded oat cereals.

Extruded breakfast cereals (EBC), processed from two oat lines, N979-5-2-4 (N979) and “Jim”, with � -glucan concentrations of 8.7 and 4.9%, respectively, were used to determine the impact of dry solids (DS) and bile acid (BA) concentrations on in vitro BA binding efficiency. A full fractional factorial design with levels for BA concentrations of 0.20, 0.47, 0.95, 2.37, and 4.73 µmol/g of total EBC slurry and for DS in the slurries of 0.8, 2, 3, and 4% (w/w) was selected. The absolute amount of BA bound (µmol) was measured for each trial in the experiment design. The percentage (%) of BA bound based on the total amount of BA added and BA bound per gram of DS of the EBC (µmol/g) were also presented and discussed. N979 in vitro digestion slurries had greater BA binding (µmol) than Jim slurries at different DS and BA concentrations, with greater differences at DS of 3% or above and at BA concentrations of 2.37 µmol/g or above. No difference in the absolute amount of BA bound (µmol) and percentage (%) BA bound occurred between the EBC slurries made from the two oat types at the lowest DS of 0.8% or the lowest BA concentration of 0.20 µmol/g. The efficiency of BA binding by � -glucan in these two EBC became more distinguishable at 3% DS or above and BA concentrations of 2.37 µmol/g or above, indicating that these two conditions can be employed to measure BA capacities for similar foods. Also, the � -glucan in the EBC produced from the N979 oat line was more soluble than that from the EBC produced from the Jim oat line. Thus, greater BA binding capacity may have been caused by both a greater amount of � -glucan and a greater solubility of � -glucan in N979 than in Jim EBC.
The plausibility of RNA-templated peptides: simultaneous RNA affinity for adjacent peptide side chains.

According to the RNA world hypothesis, coded peptide synthesis (translation) must have been first catalyzed by RNAs. Here, we show that small RNA sequences can simultaneously bind the dissimilar amino acids His and Phe in peptide linkage. We used in vitro counterselection/selection to isolate a pool of RNAs that bind the dipeptide NH2-His-Phe-COOH with KD ranging from 36 to 480 μM. These sites contact both side chains, usually including the protonated imidazole of His, but bind-free l-His and l-Phe with much lower, sometimes undetectable, affinities. The most frequent His–Phe sites do not usually contain previously isolated sites for individual amino acids, and are only ≈35 % larger than previously known separate His and Phe sites. Nonetheless, His–Phe sites appear enriched in His anticodons, as previous l-His sites also were. Accordingly, these data add to existing experimental evidence for a stereochemical genetic code. In these peptide sites, bound amino acids approach each other to a proximity that allows a covalent peptide linkage. Isolation of several RNAs embracing two amino acids with a linking peptide bond supports the idea that a direct-RNA-template could encode primordial peptides, though crucial experiments remain. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00239-012-9501-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
What is the Effect of Women's Financial Empowerment on Intimate Partner Violence in Jordan?

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a prevalent and dangerous problem that women worldwide face, which can impact their emotional and physical health. It has been considered the most persistent human right violation in the world. In Jordan, approximately one out of three women has experienced IPV during their marriage. Given the prevalence and danger of IPV and the need to understand risk and protective factors, this study investigated the effect of women’s financial empowerment on intimate partner violence for ever-married women in Jordan using data from the 2007 Jordan Population and Family Health Survey (JPFHS). The results of this analysis demonstrated that not having financial empowerment could lead to an increase of probability of experiencing intimate partner violence for non-empowered women in Jordan. The women who participate in financial decision-making regarding either the income they earn, or the income their partners earn, have a decreased probability of ever experiencing any type of IPV. We suggest that policies promoting positive images of women participating in household decision-making processes or educational programs that include interventions for women to learn the positive aspects of empowerment can be successful to aid in decreasing the levels of intimate partner violence in Jordan.
PRECIPITINS IN THE RABBIT PRODUCED BY PROTEIN POLYSACCHARIDE FROM BOVINE NASAL CARTILAGE.

Precipitins have been produced in the rabbit by injecting protein polysaccharide from bovine nasal cartilage in Freund9s adjuvant. These antibodies did not precipitate either protein polysaccharides extracted from other species, or the separated protein and carbohydrate moieties of the antigen. It is postulated that the antibodies are directed toward determinants consisting of carbohydrate and amino acid residues linked in three-dimensional arrangements specific for different protein polysaccharides.
Resistance to distortion as a metric for pattern goodness

The breakdown of binocular fusion (doubling of image) as a function of increasing lateral separation of dichoptically presented images was explored as a metric for an operational definition of “good figure.” It was found that those patterns constructed so as to reflect the Gestalt principles of good figure were significantly more resistant to this type of distortion than were patterns whose configurational properties generally reflect “poor figure.”