cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling and analysis of HVOF thermal spray process accounting for powder size distribution

Abstract This work focuses on the high velocity oxygen–fuel (HVOF) thermal spray processing of coatings and presents a fundamental model for the process which explicitly accounts for the effect of powder size distribution. The model describes the evolution of the gas thermal and velocity fields, as well as the motion and temperature of agglomerate particles of different sizes. In addition to providing useful insight into the in-flight behavior of particles with different sizes, the model is used to make a control-relevant parametric analysis of the HVOF thermal spray process. This analysis allows us to systematically characterize the influence of controllable process variables such as combustion chamber pressure, oxygen/fuel ratio, as well as the effect of powder size distribution, on the values of particle velocity and temperature at the point of impact on substrate. Specifically, the study shows that particle velocity is primarily influenced by the combustion chamber pressure, and particle temperature is strongly dependent on the fuel/oxygen ratio. Furthermore, it shows that the particle velocity and temperature at the point of impact depend strongly on particle size. These findings are consistent with available experimental observations and set the basis for the formulation of the control problem for the HVOF process.
Sol-gel preparation and spectral characterization of Y 2 O 3 powders doped with Yb 3+ and Nd 3+

Using a sol-gel process, we prepared samples of Y 2 O 3 powder that were doped and codoped with Nd3+ and Yb3+. Samples were doped with different amounts of the rare earth ions in order to study the energy transfer between the dopant species. It was confirmed that energy transfer can be achieved allowing the Yb3+ ions to be excited using Nd3+ absorption peaks in the UV and visible wavelength regions. Optimum energy transfer occurred in samples doped with 0.5 at% Nd and 2 at% Yb.
Decoupling Orientation Recovery from Position Recovery with 3D-2D Point Correspondences

We propose a new algorithm for model-based extrinsic camera calibration that allows one to separate the recovery of the relative orientation of the camera from the recovery of its relative position, given a set of at least three correspondences between model and image points. The key idea is to replace each (real) model point whose correspondence is known by two (virtual) model edges, and then to use the fact that these edges have pairwise intersections in 3D space to derive a set of alignment constraints. We provide a proof that the resulting technique is essentially more powerful than any of the traditional methods for decoupled orientation and position recovery based uniquely on line correspondences. We also present a detailed example of a real-life application that benefits from our work, namely autonomous navigation using distant visual landmarks. We use simulation to show that, for this specific application, our algorithm, when compared to similar techniques, is either significantly more accurate at the same computational cost, or significantly faster with roughly the same average-case accuracy.
Ground-foraging palm cockatoos ( Probosciger aterrimus ) in lowland New Guinea: fruit flesh as a directed deterrent to seed predation?

Fruit traits that selectively deter vertebrate seed predators without affecting high-quality seed dispersers are said to exhibit directed deterrence. Directed deterrence has been criticized as being unlikely in natural systems, but has rarely been explicitly tested. We evaluated the potential for directed deterrence to explain the double-layered viscous fruit morphology and fruiting phenology of Terminalia impediens, a common canopy tree endemic to New Guinea. The large fleshy fruits of this tree are consumed and dispersed by cassowaries (Casuarius spp.) and are consumed and killed by palm cockatoos (Probosciger aterrimus). Fruit flesh in this tree species appears to function as a deterrent to seed predation by palm cockatoos; the fruits of T. impediens fall to the ground before ripening, and are avoided by palm cockatoos until after the flesh has rotted off the hard nut. We found that palm cockatoos are able to prey upon seeds from fruits without flesh on the forest floor more efficiently than they can consume seeds from unripe fruit still on the trees. Further, through foraging preference tests, we found that palm cockatoos largely ignore seeds within ripe fruit on the ground, but readily eat the seeds when the fruit flesh has been removed. Cassowaries consume the fruit whole, when ripe, and defecate seeds in piles away from parent trees, where seed predation rates are lower. These results challenge the prevailing view that fleshy fruits evolved in tight synchrony with high-quality seed dispersers and add support to the non-exclusive hypothesis that aspects of fruit fleshiness may also have evolved as a response to seed predation.
Ambler: a six-legged planetary rover

The goal of the planetary rover project is to prototype an autonomous mobile robot for planetary exploration. The authors have constructed a six-legged walking robot, called the Ambler, that features orthogonal legs, an overlapping gait, and a scanning laser rangefinder to model terrain. To enable the Ambler to walk over rugged terrain, they have combined perception, planning, and real-time control into a comprehensive robotic system. >
Games against Nature: An Eco-Cultural History of the Nunu of Equatorial Africa

1. Introduction 2. The antecedents 3. The tactics 4 The strategies 5. The Drylands 6. The river 7. The core 8. The region 9. The traders 10. The troubles 11. The opportunities 12. The battle 13. Conclusion: nature and culture.
Adolescent sexual aggression: risk and protective factors.

Objective. Little research addresses the correlates of sexual aggression in nonclinical populations of adolescents. The purpose of this study was to identify risk and protective factors associated with sexual vio- lence among male and female adolescents. Methods. We analyzed data on 71 594 students in the 9th and 12th grades responding to the 1992 Minnesota Student Survey, an anonymous, self-report survey exam- ining an array of risk environments, health-compromis- ing behaviors, and protective factors. The responses of students reporting a history of forcing someone into a sexual act were compared with those who reported that they had never forced someone into a sexual act. Separate analyses were conducted for males and females. Results. A history of sexual violence perpetration was reported by 4.8% of male and 1.3% of female adolescents. Using a logistic regression model, sexual aggression was associated with experiencing intrafamilial or extrafamil- ial sexual abuse, witnessing family violence, frequent use of illegal drugs, anabolic steroid use, daily alcohol use, gang membership, high levels of suicide risk behav- ior, and excessive time spent "hanging out." Emotional health and connectedness with friends and adults in the community were protective factors for male adolescents against sexually aggressive behavior, and academic achievement was a protective factor for female adoles- cents. Conclusions. A history of forcing someone into a sex- ual act was associated with several risk and protective factors. Efforts to prevent adolescent sexual violence should target individuals at increased risk. Through their psychosocial assessment of young people, health care professionals can play a role in identifying, counseling, and making appropriate referrals for adolescents at risk for sexually aggressive behavior. Pediatrics 1997;100(6). URL: http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/100/6/e7; adolescence, sexual aggression, violence, risk factors, pro- tective factors.
Analysis and comparison of langasite versus quartz for a thickness shear vibratory gyroscope

In our previous work an AT-cut quartz plate with lateral tines was proposed as an angular velocity sensor. The plate itself formed the driving component while the lateral tines formed the angular velocity sensors. The separation of the driving component from the sensing component allowed for a wider variety of tine geometries and modes for detecting angular velocity. In this work we analyze and compare the use of langasite versus quartz for the gyroscope. Since the langasite has a higher (2.17 times) mass density, and a higher (2.26 times) electromechanical coupling constant than those of quartz, the lateral tines were found to be more sensitive to a given angular acceleration. Our analysis showed that the material langasite was better suited for the thickness shear mode angular velocity sensor. Another important advantage for using langasite would be when the gyroscope was needed to operate at a high temperature environment unsuitable for quartz. Strong gyroscopic responses are also a function of the tine geometry. A careful selection of the tine geometry will yield stronger responses to angular velocities. Responses to angular velocities about the three axes (X-, Y-, and Z-axes) could be obtained by using different tine geometries. Hence it is possible for the thickness shear vibratory gyroscope to sense angular velocities about the three axes using multiple tines of various geometries.
Effect of Fetal Protein Malnutrition on the Postnatal Structure and Function of Alveolar Macrophages

To test the hypothesis that intrauterine malnutrition may alter ontogeny of the host defense system, an animal model of fetal protein deprivation was developed. Young adult female rats were fed either a deficient (8% protein) diet or a normal (25% protein) diet for 10 days before insemination and throughout gestation. Offspring of the malnourished animals showed significant growth retardation and were hypoproteinemic. Lavageable pulmonary cells from both groups of neonates were similar with respect to number (2.05 x 10(5) cells per animal), type (95% macrophages), size (approximately 10-micrometer diameter), ultrastructure, and presence of surface receptors for IgG. Despite these similarities, alveolar macrophages from malnourished neonates were significantly impaired in their ability both to ingest and to kill Candida tropicalis. Nutritional supplementation of nursing females reversed these functional macrophage defects in their offspring by the time that weaning occurred. These data indicate that fetal protein malnutrition affects macrophage function but that with postnatal nutritional supplementation these defects are rapidly reversed.
Cultures to detect staphylococcus carriers among mothers.

Abstract 1. Nose and throat cultures were taken on mothers to determine staphylococcus carriers. 2. Of all mothers on whom cultures were taken, 22 per cent were staphylococcus carriers. There was a decrease in the second year. 3. Untreated carriers had a high incidence of staphylococcus infections among both mothers and infants. 4. Treated carriers had a minimum Staph. aureus infection among their infants and a minimum of breast abscesses themselves. 5. We recommend routine nose and throat cultures on mothers if staphylococcus infections exist in the community. 6. Mothers who are staphylococcus carriers should be treated with bacitracin-neomycin ointment, applied in the nose once daily.
Telling it from the Mountain: A Rhetorical Analysis of Fannie Lou Hamer's Speech before the Democratic National Convention

Fannie Lou Hamer delivered a speech on behalf of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party to the credentials committee of the Democratic National Convention in 1964 to highlight the gruesome realities facing African Americans, especially those who attempted to vote. Her revelations about the methods used to withhold voting rights and the violent discrimination against blacks who tried to vote shocked the nation, but the most disturbing aspects of her speech were personal stories of the brutality wrought upon her. Hamer’s speech is reflective of the obstacles she faced throughout her life. Her depiction of racist atrocities gripped the attention of the nation at a time when President Johnson was trying to shift the focus to avoid a divisive reelection issue and segregationists were aligning the integrationists’ ideals with a Communist agenda. Hamer’s speech ends with a dramatic questioning of America, forcing the congressmen and people throughout the nation watching the event on television to confront and accept the challenge to acknowledge grievous civil rights violations and begin to take steps to improve social and political standards. Fannie Lou Hamer took the horrendous experiences of her life and transformed them into such powerful, persuasive rhetoric that the nation could no longer accept the current state of the Jim Crow–infested South.
Spectra and laser cross sections of ceramic Er3+:AlN

We report what we believe are the first optical spectroscopy and lifetime data on Er3+:AlN ceramic. One type of Er3+ center dominates its spectra, for which stimulated emission and absorption cross sections are inferred.
Hepatitis B antigen: nature and distribution of cytoplasmic antigen in hepatocytes of carriers.

SummaryAbundant ER with 20-30-nm circular and filamentous structures was found by electron microscopy in hepatocytes of asymptomatic carriers with “ground-glass”-appearing cytoplasm which by immunofluorescence had been shown to contain HB Ag. On immunoelectron microscopy, the circular and filamentous structures as well as the surrounding ER reacted with antibody to HB Ag. In HB Ag-positive chronic hepatitis, cytoplasmic antigen was less prominent, but HB Ag was localized in many hepatocytic nuclei by immunofluorescence, electron microscopy, and immunoelectron microscopy. This difference in intracellular localization of HB Ag between asymptomatic carriers and patients with chronic hepatitis may have epidemiologic implications.
Germination of Basidiospores and Oidia of Coprinus Domesticus

range. Preliminary investigations indicated that basidiospores of Coprinus domesticus Fries would germinate on synthetic-agar medium. Thus, it can be used to study effects of environmental factors on basidiospore germination. Coprinus domesticus, isolate ATCC 26829, was supplied by O. K. Miller, Jr. Basidiocarps were obtained by growing the organism in Petri dishes containing a synthetic-agar medium described by Chap
Dose-dependent pulmonary vein reconnection in response to adenosine: relevance of atrioventricular block during infusion

Adenosine infusion during atrial fibrillation ablation is often used to evaluate for dormant pulmonary vein (PV) conduction. Several physiologic effects of adenosine may be seen during infusion, including atrioventricular (AV) block, hypotension, sinus tachycardia (as a reflex mechanism), and sinus bradycardia. However, hypotension and sinus tachycardia may be seen in the absence of AV block. Whether the dose required to achieve AV block versus any physiologic effect (e.g., hypotension) is relevant when evaluating for PV reconnection is unclear. In consecutive patients undergoing first-time atrial fibrillation radiofrequency ablation for persistent or paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, adenosine testing was performed 30 min after successful PV isolation. When testing each PV after isolation, a circular mapping catheter was placed at the ostium and a 12-mg bolus of adenosine was given via peripheral line. The presence of some physiologic effect (e.g., sinus tachycardia or hypotension) versus AV block was recorded as was PV reconnection. If no AV block and no PV reconnection were seen, the dose was escalated by 6-mg increments to assess for PV reconnection until AV block or PV reconnection was achieved. Among 50 patients, there were 3 to 5 PVs isolated (median 4; mean 4.4). In 35 patients, a 12-mg bolus resulted in AV block and 16/155 (10 %) veins exhibited reconnection requiring additional ablation. In all other patients, sinus tachycardia and hypotension were seen in response to 12-mg infusion but no AV block and no PV reconnection was seen. No sinus bradycardia was seen in any patients. In 10/15 patients without AV block with 12 mg, 18 mg of adenosine was sufficient to achieve AV block and 5/43 (12 %) PVs exhibited reconnection. Among the remaining 5 patients, 3 patients required a dose of 24 mg to achieve AV block, and PV reconnection was seen in 1/14 (7 %) PVs. The remaining two patients required a dose of 30 mg to achieve AV block, but no PV reconnection was seen. There was no difference in symptomatic recurrence rate between those who exhibited adenosine-induced reconnection and those who did not after 1-year follow-up. A fixed dose of adenosine may be insufficient to assess for PV reconnection. Furthermore, the presence of a physiologic effect (e.g., sinus tachycardia or hypotension) in the absence of AV block may reflect an insufficient dose. The dose needed may vary between patients, and AV block may reflect a minimal requirement when administering adenosine to assess for PV reconnection.
Approval Process For Implants In Otolaryngology

The United States Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, embodied under Title 21 of the US Code and amended by the Medical Device Amendments of 1976 and the Safe Medical Device Act of 1990, granted authority to the US Food and Drug Administration to permit clinical studies for the purpose of compiling safety and efficacy data. A new or modified otolaryngologic implant may be required to undergo a clinical study before marketing approval can be given. A study approval permits an implant to be lawfully investigated in human subjects. The data collected from the study may then be used to support a request for marketing approval via premarket notification in accordance with Section 510(k) of the Medical Device Amendments, or via premarket approval application in accordance with the amendments. This article examines the approval process as it applies to otolaryngologic implants.
Oroesophageal candidiasis in a patient with AIDS.

Topical treatment for oral candidiasis is not as effective when there is esophageal involvement. Topical treatments include nystatin, amphotericin B solution, and miconazole tablets. Systemic therapy given orally includes the azoles, of which fluconazole remains the most effective commonly prescribed. Voriconazole is effective against some resistant strains of Candida. Echinocandins, a newer class of drugs, inhibit cell wall synthesis.
Energy drink use is associated with alcohol and substance use in eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders

The increasing prevalence of energy drink (ED) use and its link with negative behaviors and adverse health outcomes has garnered much attention. Use of EDs combined with alcohol among college students has been of particular interest. It is unclear if these relationships develop in the context of college, or if similar associations exist in younger individuals. The present study examined associations between ED consumption patterns and other substance use in an adolescent, school-based sample. Participants were N = 3743 students attending 8th, 10th or 12th grade in a suburban central Virginia public school system who completed a prevention needs assessment survey in 2012. Chi-square analyses and logistic regressions were used to compare rates of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use across three ED use groups: moderate/heavy (12.6%), light (30.5%), and non-users (57%). Over 40% of the sample reported recent (past month) ED use, with males more likely to report moderate/heavy ED use than females (14.0% and 11.1%, respectively; p = 0.02). After adjusting for gender and grade, ED use group predicted lifetime alcohol, tobacco and other drug use (all p < 0.001). Moderate/heavy ED users were most likely and ED non-users were least likely to report using each of the 13 substances in the survey, with light ED users intermediate to the other two groups. Moderate/heavy ED users were consistently most likely to report licit and illicit substance use. Additional research is needed to better understand which adolescents are at greatest risk for adverse health behaviors associated with ED use.
Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans in Rural Schools: An Exploration of the Need, Barriers, and Recommendations

A wealth of research highlights negative outcomes associated with mental and behavioral health problems in children and adolescents. Prevention-based frameworks have been developed to provide prevention and early intervention in the school setting. Tertiary behavioral supports often include the use of functional behavior assessments (FBAs) and behavior intervention plans (BIPs), for which considerable positive student outcomes have been documented. However, these supports are not void of implementation barriers that decrease effectiveness and prevent desired student outcomes. Rural communities are characterized by factors that further limit the implementation of FBAs. This article explores general implementation barriers as well as distinct characteristics of rural schools that prevent successful implementation of FBAs and BIPs. Furthermore, recommendations are provided for overcoming implementation barriers in rural schools.
Introduction: New Frontiers in Regional Science

In this first volume of the tribute to Walter Isard we have sought to present papers by leading scholars which, in the Isardian tradition, propound new theoretical problems in regional science, new theoretical approaches to the solution of old problems, or new theoretical challenges to established conceptions of old problems. An ‘appreciative dissatisfaction’ with existing modes of viewing regional reality and of seeking new theses and syntheses in a creative dialectic are hallmarks of Walter Isard’s leadership. Most frequently, the lens through which he probed beneath the surface of such perceptions of regional reality was that of a relevant theory, frequently of his own construction. This volume is a witness to and an appreciation of his example.
Written Corrective Feedback Research

Although corrective feedback is typically associated with the oral presentation mode, we must not forget that language teachers tend to give valuable feedback on their students’ written work and that some of this feedback is inherently corrective in nature.
Migraine Prophylaxis with Divalproex

The effectiveness and safety of divalproex sodium administered daily in migraine prophylaxis were evaluated in 23 children, ages 7 to 17 years (mean, 12.4 yrs), at Ohio State University College of Medicine, Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH.
The historiography of mud: Vincent Scully, Ralph Knowles and the image of ecology

In this article, I argue that the representational practices of ecology played a critical role in the field of architectural history in the late 1960s and 1970s as scholars sought to re-evaluate prevailing historical narratives in the context of environmental crisis. Taking Vincent Scully's and Ralph Knowles' writings about Pueblo architecture in New Mexico as a point of focus, the paper explores ways in which architects and historians developed image-making techniques—from panoramic photography to energy performance diagrams—in shifting the focus of architectural history from static monuments to the feedback between architecture and environmental phenomena.
$t \to$ cg, $c \gamma$, cZ in the left-right supersymmetric model

We analyze top-quark flavor violating decays into a charm quark and a gluon, photon, or Z boson in a supersymmetric model incorporating left-right symmetry. We include loop calculations involving contributions from scalar quarks, gluinos, charginos, and neutralinos. We perform the calculations first assuming the minimal (flavor-diagonal) scalar quark scenario and then allowing for arbitrary mixing between the second and the third generation of scalar quarks, in both the up and the down sectors. In each case we present separately the contributions from gluino, chargino, and neutralino loops and compare their respective strengths. In the flavor-diagonal case, the branching ratio cannot exceed 10{sup -5} (10{sup -6}) for the gluon (photon/Z boson); while for the unconstrained (flavor-nondiagonal) case the same branching ratios can reach almost 10{sup -4} for the gluon, 10{sup -6} for the photon, and 10{sup -5} for the Z boson, all of which are slightly below the expected reach of LHC.
Estimating refrigeration costs at cryogenic temperatures

Abstract Conceptual process design makes extensive use of typical costs for energy sources that supply heat at various high temperatures and for energy sinks that remove heat at various low temperatures. Many books provide extensive data for energy sources such as steam, dowtherm, natural gas, coal, Bunker C and electricity over a broad range of temperatures, with energy cost naturally increasing with increasing temperature. Much less information is available about the cost of refrigeration at various temperature levels. The purpose of this paper is to greatly expand and update the information for estimating cryogenic refrigeration costs. Process source temperatures from −25 °C to −190 °C are considered using single-stage and up to four-stage compression refrigeration systems with different refrigerants used at each stage. Refrigeration costs vary from $18 per GJ at −25 °C to $360 per GJ at −190 °C.
Integrating CAD with Abaqus

Isogeometric analysis (IGA) has been developed for more than a decade. However, the usage of IGA is by far limited mostly within academic community. The lack of automatic or semi-automatic software platform of IGA is one of the main bottlenecks that prevent IGA from wide applications in industry. In this paper, we present a comprehensive IGA software platform that allows IGA to be incorporated into existing commercial software such as Abaqus, heading one step further to bridge the gap between design and analysis. The proposed IGA software framework takes advantage of user-defined elements in Abaqus, linking with general. IGES files from commercial computer aided design packages, Rhino specific files and mesh data. The platform includes all the necessary modules of the design-through-analysis pipeline: pre-processing, surface and volumetric T-spline construction, analysis and post-processing. Several practical application problems are studied to demonstrate the capability of the proposed software platform.
Mitotic nuclear pore complex segregation involves Nup2 in Aspergillus nidulans

Transport through nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) during interphase is facilitated by the nucleoporin Nup2 via its importin α- and Ran-binding domains. However, Aspergillus nidulans and vertebrate Nup2 also locate to chromatin during mitosis, suggestive of mitotic functions. In this study, we report that Nup2 is required for mitotic NPC inheritance in A. nidulans Interestingly, the role of Nup2 during mitotic NPC segregation is independent of its importin α- and Ran-binding domains but relies on a central targeting domain that is necessary for localization and viability. To test whether mitotic chromatin-associated Nup2 might function to bridge NPCs with chromatin during segregation, we provided an artificial link between NPCs and chromatin via Nup133 and histone H1. Using this approach, we bypassed the requirement of Nup2 for NPC segregation. This indicates that A. nidulans cells ensure accurate mitotic NPC segregation to daughter nuclei by linking mitotic DNA and NPC segregation via the mitotic specific chromatin association of Nup2.
Review Essay: Making Citizens, Making Gender: The Importance of National Context

L'A. examine deux etudes transnationales recentes de l'inegalite de genre qui mettent l'accent sur l'influence, entre autres facteurs, des ideologies politiques et des ideologies de genre : The gender division of welfare de Mary Daly et Gender and citizenship de Birte Siim. De cette analyse, il ressort que les inegalites de genre varient substantiellement en fonction des contextes nationaux
Design of a bistable network using the CRISPR/Cas system

The CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing system has provided a powerful tool for control of gene activity within cells. Here, we model an experimentally plausible architecture harnessing the power of CRISPR/Cas to create a biomolecular bistable switch. The designed in vitro circuit is based on mutual repression of two genes together with two other activator genes. The repression is generated by the binding of catalytically dead endonuclease (dCas9) to the target gene mediated by a guide RNA. The activation is accomplished by use of an antiguide RNA partially complementary to the guide RNA. Using mathematical analysis of the model, we show that the proposed scheme is capable of exhibiting bistability. We further discuss ultrasensitivity of the regulatory modules, and their capacity to manage competition for dCas9 and downstream load.
Cannon, Walter Bradford

Walter Bradford Cannon (1871–1945) was the preeminent American physiologist of the early twentieth century. He made fundamental contributions to our understanding of mechanical and reflex factors in digestion, coined the term fight-or-flight response, developed an influential theory of emotion, and developed the concepts of homeostasis and denervation supersensitivity. Throughout his career, Cannon was readily moved to sympathy and indignation by suffering and injustice and was not afraid to stand on principal, even when this generated vocal opposition or controversy. Cannon's convictions led him to oppose the antivivisection movement, to assist Jewish doctors from Nazi-controlled Europe, to bring medical relief to the Spanish Republic, and to support the formation of scientific ties with the Soviet Union.
Circumventing the “Pay Now or Pay Later” Dilemma: Strategies for Achieving Process Development with Speed and Long-Term Potential

One dilemma faced by process development organizations is balancing the competing demands of speed to clinic with commercial readiness. Highly successful platform approaches, which are common to larger companies, have significantly increased the speed of development leading to testing in humans. The consequences of shortening the timeline for initiation of early phase clinical trials, however, include a limited scope of process and product understanding, increased risk of failure upon scale-up during the Phase I/II clinical campaign(s), and a resulting process that often requires at least some re-development prior to pivotal and commercial manufacturing. At Amgen, we have developed an approach to process development that allows us to satisfy the demands for both early and late-phase processes with efficient use of human and capital resources.
College Students’ Perceptions on Effects of Volunteering with Adults with Developmental Disabilities

The purpose of the current study was to address the research question, “Does direct contact with individuals with developmental disabilities positively alter college student attitudes toward people with developmental disabilities?” Subjects were undergraduate students from various majors who participated in an alternative spring break trip working with adults with disabilities. A mixed-methods study was used. Two instruments were administered before and after the volunteer experience: (a) Demographic and Open-Ended Questionnaire and (b) Multidimensional Attitude Scale Toward Persons With Disabilities (MAS). During the week, research participants kept daily journals where they reflected on their experiences as camp counselors and activity facilitators. Results were consistent with previous research that found significant changes in students’ self-perceptions, perception of others, and increased appreciation for social issues (Mann & DeAngelo, 2016). Further, results led to the identification of three distinct themes: transformation, enlightenment, and adjourning.
A Bump-Hole Approach for Directed RNA Editing.

Summary Molecules capable of directing changes to nucleic acid sequences are powerful tools for molecular biology and promising candidates for the therapeutic correction of disease-causing mutations. However, unwanted reactions at off-target sites complicate their use. Here we report selective combinations of mutant editing enzyme and directing oligonucleotide. Mutations in human ADAR2 (adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 2) that introduce aromatic amino acids at position 488 reduce background RNA editing. This residue is juxtaposed to the nucleobase that pairs with the editing site adenine, suggesting a steric clash for the bulky mutants. Replacing this nucleobase with a hydrogen atom removes the clash and restores editing activity. A crystal structure of the E488Y mutant bound to abasic site-containing RNA shows the accommodation of the tyrosine side chain. Finally, we demonstrate directed RNA editing in vitro and in human cells using mutant ADAR2 proteins and modified guide RNAs with reduced off-target activity.
Identification of QTLs and Validation of qCd-2 Associated with Grain Cadmium Concentrations in Rice

Abstract Cadmium (Cd) is one of heavy metals harmful to human health. As rice is the main staple food in Asia and Cd is easily contaminated in rice, the molecular regulation of Cd accumulation should be explored. In this study, a recombinant inbred population derived from Xiang 743/Katy was grown in Cd-polluted fields and used to map the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for Cd accumulation in rice grains. We identified seven QTLs distributed on chromosomes 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 and 10. These QTLs displayed phenotypic variances of 58.50% and 40.59% in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Two QTLs, qCd-2 and qCd-7, were identified in both the two years. qCd-2 was detected on the interval of RM250–RM207 on chromosome 2, with an LOD of 2.51 and a phenotypic contribution of 13.75% in 2014, and an LOD of 3.35 and a phenotypic contribution of 14.16% in 2015. qCd-7 co-localized with the cloned qCdT7 on chromosome 7 and may represent the correct candidate. The other five QTLs were detected only in one year. To further confirm the effects of qCd-2, a residual heterozygous line designated as RHL945, with a heterozygous interval of RM263–RM207 on chromosome 2, was selected from the recombinant inbred population and used to develop an F2 population consisting of 155 individual plants. By incorporating further simple sequence repeat markers into the segmental linkage map of the target region, qCd-2 was delimited in the interval of RM5404–RM3774, with an LOD value of 4.38 and a phenotypic contribution of 15.52%. These results reflected the genetic regulation of grain Cd in rice and paved the way for the future cloning of qCd-2.
Immune thrombocytopenic purpura.

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a bleeding disorder characterized by isolated thrombocytopenia (platelet count <150,000 u/L), which is not associated with a systemic illness. ITP is report...
Leaping Black Swans

This article examines an option based portfolio insurance strategy where a fixed percentage of the portfolio is used to purchase in the money long-term call options with the remainder invested in a standard investment grade bond fund. Our results show a 90/10 portfolio, where 10% is invested in long term call options, has returns commensurate with the S&P 5000 while mitigating losses. These call option based portfolios don’t require rebalancing during the term of coverage and are flexible enough to suit investors with very different risk tolerances and portfolio sizes. As constructed, these portfolios outperform put option based portfolio insurance strategies and perform as well as a CPPI, with the added advantage of not needing to be actively managed.
Antinociceptive activity of thiazole-containing cyclized DAMGO and Leu-(Met) enkephalin analogs.

Numerous studies demonstrate the promise of opioid peptides as analgesics, but poor oral bioavailability has limited their therapeutic development. This study sought to increase the oral bioavailability of opioid peptides by cyclization, using Hantzsch-based macrocyclization strategies to produce two new series of cyclized DAMGO and Leu/Met-enkephalin analogs. Opioid receptor affinity and selectivity for compounds in each series were assessed in vitro with radioligand competition binding assays. Compounds demonstrated modest affinity but high selectivity for the mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptors (MOR, DOR and KOR), while selectivity for mu opioid receptors varied by structure. Antinociceptive activity of each compound was initially screened in vivo following intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration and testing in the mouse 55 °C warm-water tail-withdrawal test. The four most active compounds were then evaluated for dose- and time-dependent antinociception, and opioid receptor selectivity in vivo. Cyclic compounds 1924-10, 1936-1, 1936-7, and 1936-9 produced robust and long- lasting antinociception with ED50 values ranging from 0.32–0.75 nmol following i.c.v. administration mediated primarily by mu- and delta-opioid receptor agonism. Compounds 1924-10, 1936-1 and 1936-9 further displayed significant time-dependent antinociception after oral (10 mg kg−1, p.o.) administration. A higher oral dose (30 mg kg−1. p.o.) of all four cyclic peptides also reduced centrally-mediated respiration, suggesting successful penitration into the CNS. Overall, these data suggest cyclized opioid peptides synthesized by a Hantzsch-based macrocyclization strategy can retain opioid agonist activity to produce potent antinociception in vivo while conveying improved bioavailability following oral administration.
Leveraging multiple data types to estimate the true size of the Zika epidemic in the Americas

Abstract Since the first Zika virus (ZIKV) infection was confirmed in Brazil in May 2015, several hundred thousand cases have been reported across the Americas. This figure gives an incomplete picture of the epidemic, however, given that asymptomatic infections, imperfect surveillance, and variability in reporting rates imply that the incidence of infection was likely much higher. The infection attack rate (IAR)—defined as the proportion of the population that was infected over the course of the epidemic—has important implications for the longer-term epidemiology of Zika in the region, such as the timing, location, and likelihood of future outbreaks. To estimate the IAR and the total number of people infected, we leveraged multiple types of Zika case data from 15 countries and territories where subnational data were publicly available. Datasets included confirmed and suspected Zika cases in pregnant women and in the total population, Zika-associated Guillan-Barre syndrome cases, and cases of congenital Zika syndrome. We used a hierarchical Bayesian model with empirically-informed priors that leveraged the different case report types to simultaneously estimate national and subnational reporting rates, the fraction of symptomatic infections, and subnational IARs. In these 15 countries and territories, estimates of Zika IAR ranged from 0.084 (95% CrI: 0.067 − 0.096) in Peru to 0.361 (95% CrI: 0.214 − 0.514) in Ecuador, with significant subnational variability in IAR for every country. Totaling these infection estimates across these and 33 other countries and territories in the region, our results suggest that 132.3 million (95% CrI: 111.3-170.2 million) people in the Americas have been infected by ZIKV since 2015. These estimates represent the most extensive attempt to date to determine the size of the Zika epidemic in the Americas, and they offer an important baseline for assessing the risk of future Zika epidemics in this region.
Maternal Influences on Effortful Control in Adolescence: Developmental Pathways to Externalizing Behaviors

Adolescents' effortful control is subject to numerous maternal influences. Specifically, a mother's own effortful control is associated with her child's effortful control. However, maternal substance use, psychopathology, and stress within the parenting role may also lead to poor effortful control for their child. Poor effortful control during adolescence can subsequently contribute to a variety of negative outcomes, including externalizing behaviors. A sample of 460 adolescents (47% female, 59.3% Non-Hispanic Caucasian) was selected from a longitudinal, multigenerational study. The goal was to examine maternal effortful control, substance use, psychopathology, and stress in their offspring's childhood (Mage = 6.27) and their influence on their children's effortful control in early adolescence (Mage = 12.21) and the subsequent effect of effortful control on adolescents' externalizing behavior (Mage = 13.53). Maternal effortful control (measured via conscientiousness) and psychopathology were associated with adolescent effortful control, which was associated with externalizing behavior a year later. Additionally, there was a significant indirect association between maternal effortful control and adolescent externalizing behaviors via adolescent effortful control. Thus, adolescent effortful control is associated with maternal effortful control but also subject to specific maternal risk factors in childhood. These results inform potential maternal strategies for promoting positive developmental outcomes in adolescents.
Real-time transfer of lentiviral particles by producer cells using an engineered coculture system

Lentiviruses are quite effective gene delivery systems for stable production of genetically engineered human cells. However, prior to using lentivirus to deliver genetic materials to cells of interest, the normal course of production of these lentiviruses involves a lengthy collection, purification, preservation, and quantification process. In this report, we demonstrate the ability for producer HEK293T cells to simultaneously produce lentiviral particles and transduce (i.e., infect) target cells through a membrane-based coculture system in a continuous, real-time mode which negates the need for a separate viral collection and quantification process. The coculture system was evaluated for major design features such as variations in HEK293T seeding density, target cell type densities, as well as membrane porosities to identify key relationships between lentiviral particle production rate and infection kinetics for adherent and suspension cell types. As a proof-of-concept for the creation of an engineered cell immunotherapy, we describe the ability to engineer human T cells isolated from PBMCs under the control of this coculture system in under 6 days with a GFP construct. These studies suggest the capability to combine and more closely automate the transfection/transduction process in order to facilitate well-timed and cost-effective transduction of target cell types. These experiments provide novel insight into the forthcoming transition into improved manufacturing systems for viral production and subsequent cell engineering.
Germanium Hydride Radical Trapped during the Photolysis/Thermolysis of Diarylgermylene.

Herein, we report the characterization of a novel germanium hydride radical arising from the photolysis/thermolysis of the diarylgermylene GeR2 [R = terphenyl: AriPr4 = C6H3-2,6-(C6H3-2,6-iPr2)2 or...
Assessing the Readability of Online Information About Achilles Tendon Ruptures

The American Medical Association (AMA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) currently suggest that health care materials be written at a sixth-grade reading level. Our study investigates the readability of online information on Achilles rupture and reconstruction. Achilles tendon rupture, Achilles tendon repair, and Achilles tendon reconstruction were queried using advanced search functions of Google, Bing, and Yahoo!. Individual websites and text from the first 3 pages of results for each search engine were recorded and categorized as physician based, academic, commercial, government and nongovernmental organization, or unspecified. Individual readability scores were calculated via 6 different indices: Flesch-Kincaid grade level, Flesch Reading Ease, Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman-Liau index, and Automated Readability Index along with a readability classification score and average grade level. A total of 56 websites were assessed. Academic webpages composed the majority (51.8%), followed by physician-based sources (32.1%). The average overall grade level was 10.7 ± 2.54. Academic websites were written at the highest-grade level (11.5 ± 2.77), significantly higher than physician-based websites (P = .040), and only 2 were written at, or below, a sixth-grade reading level. Currently, online information on Achilles tendon rupture and reconstruction is written at an inappropriately high reading level compared with recommendations from the AMA and NIH.Level of Evidence: Level IV.
Stability of the anabatic Prandtl slope flow in a stably stratified medium

In the Prandtl model for anabatic slope flows, a uniform positive buoyancy flux at the surface drives an upslope flow against a stable background stratification. In the present study, we conduct linear stability analysis of the anabatic slope flow under this model and contrast it against the katabatic case as presented in Xiao & Senocak (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 865, 2019, R2). We show that the buoyancy component normal to the sloped surface is responsible for the emergence of stationary longitudinal rolls, whereas a generalised Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) type of mechanism consisting of shear instability modulated by buoyancy results in a streamwise-travelling mode. In the anabatic case, for slope angles larger than to the horizontal, the travelling KH mode is dominant whereas, at lower inclination angles, the formation of the stationary vortex instability is favoured. The same dynamics holds qualitatively for the katabatic case, but the mode transition appears at slope angles of approximately . For a fixed slope angle and Prandtl number, we demonstrate through asymptotic analysis of linear growth rates that it is possible to devise a classification scheme that demarcates the stability of Prandtl slope flows into distinct regimes based on the dimensionless stratification perturbation number. We verify the existence of the instability modes with the help of direct numerical simulations, and observe close agreements between simulation results and predictions of linear analysis. For slope angle values in the vicinity of the junction point in the instability map, both longitudinal rolls and travelling waves coexist simultaneously and form complex flow structures.
When we increase fear, do we dampen hope? Using narrative persuasion to promote human papillomavirus vaccination in China:

This study examines the use of narrative persuasion in promoting human papillomavirus vaccination. Compared to non-narrative message, the narrative message increased perceived severity of human pap...