cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Growth Mode Transition from Monolayer by Monolayer to Bilayer by Bilayer in Molecularly Flat Titanyl Phthalocyanine Film

To avoid defects associated with inhomogeneous crystallites and uneven morphology that degrade organic device performance, the deposition of ultraflat and homogeneous crystalline organic active layers is required. The growth mode transition of organic semiconducting titanyl phthalocyanine (TiOPc) molecule from monolayer-by-monolayer to bilayer-by-bilayer can be observed on highly ordered pyrolytic graphic (HOPG), while maintaining large and molecularly flat domains. The first monolayer of TiOPc lies flat on HOPG with a ∼98% face-up orientation. However, as the thickness of the TiOPc increases to over 15 monolayers (ML), the growth mode transitions to bilayer-by-bilayer with the repeated stacking of bilayers (BL), each of which has face-to-face pairs. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the increasing of thickness induces weakening of the substrate effect on the deposited TiOPc layers, resulting in the growth mode transition to BL-by-BL. The asymmetric stacking provides the driving force to ...
Development of 1/N Machines for Optimization of life Cycle Cost Responding to Globally Varying Production Environment

Abstract International business competition is becoming intense along with economic growth among emerging countries. One of the most significant issues in the expansion of global production involves the localization of parts. Parts processing requires sophisticated techniques, and its localization requires a certain level of production volume and investment. These needs have caused delays in localization, now among the most significant hindrances to competitiveness. We developed 1/N machines in order to solve these issues and build a new lean production system with high cost competitiveness. This system is expected to reduce environmental footprints and generate steady competitiveness throughout the entire product life cycle.
Microgrid modular design for tribal healthcare facilities: Kayenta Health Center PV system case study

This paper describes an experimental process and detailed information related to a 100-KW photovoltaic (PV) system case study at the Kayenta Health Center, which is located in the Navajo Nation. Information about the solar irradiance on site, the PV system performance, the power quality at the facility, and observation of the related equipment is gathered. Experimental data validate the theoretical data available for the zone, the facility, the systems, and the equipment. Detailed study of an existing PV system at the Navajo Nation combined with modeling and simulation will lead to a good industrial pilot project from implementation and practical perspective of the microgrid in existing tribal health care facilities. A modified configuration of the existing power system is presented. The configuration provides guidance for the redesign of existing healthcare facilities around the microgrid concept. Since the Kayenta Health Center is representative of the average healthcare facility in the Navajo Nation, this guidance will be useful for the improvement of the power system of many tribal healthcare facilities. This in turn will improve the quality of the healthcare service and will benefit the living conditions of a significant tribal population.
Insights into the dynamics and dissociation mechanism of a protein redox complex using molecular dynamics

Leishmania major peroxidase (LmP) is structurally and functionally similar to the well-studied yeast Cytochrome c peroxidase (CCP). A recent Brownian dynamics study showed that L. major Cytochrome c (LmCytc) associates with LmP by forming an initial complex with the N-terminal helix A of LmP, followed by a movement toward the electron transfer (ET) site observed in the LmP–LmCytc crystal structure. Critical to forming the active electron transfer complex is an intermolecular Arg-Asp ion pair at the center of the interface. If the dissociation reaction is effectively the reverse of the association reaction, then rupture of the Asp-Arg ion pair should be followed by movement of LmCytc back toward LmP helix A. To test this possibility, we have performed multiple molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the LmP–LmCytc complex. In five separate simulations, LmCytc is observed to indeed move toward helix A, and in two of the simulations, the Asp–Arg ion pair breaks, which frees LmCytc to fully associate with the ...
Long-Term Experimental Determination of Solubilities of Micro-Crystalline Nd(III) Hydroxide in High Ionic Strength Solutions: Applications to Nuclear Waste Management

In this study, the experimental results from long-term solubility experiments up to 1146 days on micro-crystalline neodymium hydroxide, Nd(OH)3(micro-cr), in high ionic strength solutions at 298.15 K under well-constrained conditions, are presented. Hydrogen ion concentrations in our experiments are controlled by the dissolution of Nd(OH)3(micro-cr) without artificial adjustment with addition of either an acid or a base, preventing the possibility of phase change that could be induced especially by addition of a base. Such an experimental design also provides the information about the hydrogen ion concentrations buffered by the dissolution of Nd(OH)3, which is currently lacking. The solubility data produced in this work, applicable to geological repositories in high ionic strength environments, are compared with the solubilities of Am(OH)3(s) predicted by using the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) thermodynamic model. The predicted values for Am(OH)3(s) are in good agreement with the experimental values for Nd(OH)3(micro-cr) obtained in this work. Our experimental data indicate that the pHm (negative logarithm of hydrogen ion concentration on a molal scale) buffered by dissolution of Nd(OH)3(micro-cr) ranges from ~ 9.5 to ~ 9.9. As the equilibrium constant for amorphous neodymium hydroxide, Nd(OH)3(am), is useful for several fields, the equilibrium constant regarding the dissolution of Nd(OH)3(am) for the following reaction, $$ {\text{Nd}}\left( {\text{OH}} \right)_{3} \left( {\text{am}} \right) + 3{\text{H}}^{ + } = {\text{Nd}}^{3 + } + 3{\text{H}}_{2} {\text{O}}\left( {\text{l}} \right) $$ is also obtained by evaluating the experimental data in a wide range of ionic strengths from the literature by using the WIPP thermodynamic model. The $$ \log_{10} K_{{{\text{s}}0}}^{0} $$ at 298.15 K for the above reaction obtained in this work is 16.85 ± 0.20 (2σ), which is similar to, but slightly lower than, the values in the literature evaluated in the low ionic strength range. This value can be applied to amorphous americium hydroxide, Am(OH)3(am), using Nd(III) as an analog to Am(III).
State of stress in the Permian Basin, Texas and New Mexico: Implications for induced seismicity

Abstract Since the 1960s, the Permian Basin of west Texas and southeast New Mexico has experienced earthquakes that were possibly triggered by oil and gas activities. In recent years, seismicity ha...
The effects of the TOMM40 poly-T alleles on Alzheimer's disease phenotypes.

Abstract The TOMM40 poly-T is a polymorphism in intron 6 of the TOMM40 gene, which is adjacent to and in linkage disequilibrium with APOE. Roses et al. identified the association between the length of TOMM40 poly-T with the risk and age of onset of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). Following the original discovery, additional studies found associations between the TOMM40 poly-T and LOAD-related phenotypes independent of APOE genotypes, while others did not replicate these associations. Furthermore, the identity of the TOMM40 poly-T risk allele has been controversial between different LOAD-related phenotypes. Here, we propose a framework to address the conflicting findings with respect to the TOMM40 poly-T allele associations with LOAD phenotypes and their functional effects. The framework is used to interpret previous studies as means to gain insights regarding the nature of the risk allele, very long versus short. We suggest that the identity of the TOMM40 poly-T risk allele depends on the phenotype being evaluated, the ages of the study subjects at the time of assessment, and the context of the APOE genotypes. In concluding remarks, we outline future studies that will inform the mechanistic interpretation of the genetic data.
Shortcut assessment: Can residents' operative performance be determined in the first five minutes of an operative task?

Background The aim was to validate the potential use of a single, early procedure, operative task as a predictive metric for overall performance. The authors hypothesized that a shortcut psychomotor assessment would be as informative as a total procedural psychomotor assessment when evaluating laparoscopic ventral hernia repair performance on a simulator. Methods Using electromagnetic sensors, hand motion data were collected from 38 surgery residents during a simulated laparoscopic ventral hernia repair procedure. Three time-based phases of the procedure were defined: Early Phase (start time through completion of first anchoring suture), Mid Phase (start time through completion of second anchoring suture), and Total Operative Time. Correlations were calculated comparing time and motion metrics for each phase with the final laparoscopic ventral hernia repair score. Results Analyses revealed that execution time and motion, for the first anchoring suture, predicted procedural outcomes. Greater execution times and path lengths correlated to lesser laparoscopic ventral hernia repair scores (r = -0.56, P = .0008 and r = -0.51, P = .0025, respectively). Greater bimanual dexterity measures correlated to Greater LVH repair scores (r = + 0.47, P = .0058). Conclusions This study provides validity evidence for use of a single, early operative task as a shortcut assessment to predict resident performance during a simulated laparoscopic ventral hernia repair procedure. With the continued development and decreasing costs of motion technology, faculty should be well-versed in the use of motion metrics for performance measurements. The results strongly support the use of dexterity and economy of motion (path length + execution time) metrics as early predictors of operative performance.
Mobile Web and Native Apps: How One Team Found a Happy Medium

Mobile web and native apps bring different pros and cons to the table. Intuit recently embarked on a journey to create a mobile web version of its online business banking solution. In developing this product, the team attempted to get the best of both worlds by creating a system that would recognize a device class and adapt content to better fit it, providing a more consistent user experience while still taking advantage of the wide accessibility gained by utilizing the mobile web.
Regrets only! online stochastic optimization under time constraints

This paper considers online stochastic optimization problems where time constraints severely limit the number of offline optimizations which can be performed at decision time and/or in between decisions. It proposes a novel approach which combines the salient features of the earlier approaches: the evaluation of every decision on all samples (expectatio0n) and the ability to avoid distributing the samples among decisions (consensus). The key idea underlying the novel algorithm is to approximate the regret of a decision d. The regret algorithm is evaluated on two fundamentally different applications: online packet scheduling in networks and online multiple vehicle routing with time windows. On both applications, it produces significant benefits over prior approaches.
The Immune-Neuroendocrine Circuitry—The Next, and Possibly, the Last Frontier of Vertebrate Immunity

David Wilson Talmage, one of the most important pioneers of the molecular biology of immunoregulation, in discussing recently (1988) what is beyond molecular immunology, poses the following questions: ”What will we study after we understand all the genes and their products that impact on the immune system? Surely, in a few years we will understand how lymphocytes differentiate and are activated, how they synthesize, secrete, kill, migrate, What will we study then? My prediction is that immunology will then have its greatest challenge. How can we put it all together for the benefit of mankind? How will we prevent allergies, autoimmunity, transplant rejection, and how will we cure cancer? The coming era of immunology will be a stage of synthesis-a return to Stage 1 and the immunology of the whole animal.”1
CsF-Catalyzed Nucleophilic Trifluoromethylation of trans-Enones with Trimethyl(trifluoromethyl)silane: A Facile Synthesis of trans-α-Trifluoromethyl Allylic Alcohols

Reactions of trans-enones, R−CC−COR‘ (R = Ph, Me, R‘ = Ph, Me, Et, CF3) (1a−e), with TMS-CF3 in the presence of catalytic amounts of cesium fluoride (CsF) in ethylene glycol dimethyl ether led to the formation of the corresponding trans-α-trifluoromethyl silyl ethers, R−CC−C(OSiMe3)(CF3)R‘ (R = Ph, Me, R‘ = Ph, Me, Et, CF3) (2a−e), in essentially quantitative yield. On hydrolysis with aqueous HCl, the corresponding trans-α-trifluoromethyl allylic alcohols, R−CC−C(OH)(CF3)R‘ (R = Ph, Me, CF3) (3a−e), were formed in >90% isolated yield. Under similar reaction conditions, 2-cyclohexen-1-one (1f) also gave trifluoromethyl allylic alcohols (3f) in 92% yield. The intermediates (2a−f) and products (3a−f) are liquids and were characterized by IR, 1H, 19F and 13C NMR, MS, and high-resolution mass spectroscopy (HRMS).
Socioeconomic Determinants of Quality of Life in Patients with Kidney Diseases

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a vital concept with multiple definitions and multiple dimensions. Each individual perceives HRQOL through the prism of their own unique functioning in major areas, such as physical, psychologic, and social wellbeing. CKD affects HRQOL in many different ways
Lineage- and Sex-Dependent Behavioral and Biochemical Transgenerational Consequences of Developmental Exposure to Lead, Prenatal Stress, and Combined Lead and Prenatal Stress in Mice.

Background: Lead (Pb) exposure and prenatal stress (PS) during development are co-occurring risk factors with shared biological substrates. PS has been associated with transgenerational passage of ...
Spontaneous alpha oscillations and low-frequency activities are related to complementary aspects of cognitive control in younger and older adults

Resting-state EEG is dominated by sustained alpha oscillations, and low-frequency activities (short theta bursts and non-oscillatory 1/f slope). Resting alpha power decreases with age and correlates with intelligence. We propose that alpha facilitates proactive control (requiring task set maintenance in preparation for expected conditions), whereas theta bursts relate to reactive control, requiring task-set updating in response to unexpected demands. Less is known about 1/f slope. To investigate these relationships, we recorded eyes-open and eyes-closed resting EEG from younger and older adults and subsequently tested their performance on a cued flanker task, expected to elicit proactive and reactive control processes. Alpha power and 1/f slope were smaller in older adults, whereas theta power did not show age-related reductions. Resting alpha power and 1/f slope predicted proactive control performance, whereas theta predicted reactive control. Resting theta may indicate greater sensitivity to distraction, reflected in frequent spontaneous updating operations. All predictive associations were present beyond the effect of age, suggesting that these EEG correlates may serve as biomarkers of individual differences in cognitive control.
Influence of fishes on macroinvertebrate communities and insect emergence production in intermittent stream refuges

Drying intermittent stream networks often have permanent water refuges that are important for recolonisation. These habitats may be hotspots for interactions between fishes and invertebrates as they become isolated, but densities and diversity of fishes in these refuges can be highly variable across time and space. Insect emergence from streams provides energy and nutrient subsidies to riparian habitats. The magnitude of such subsidies may be influenced by in‐stream predators such as fishes. We examined whether benthic macroinvertebrate communities, emerging adult insects, and algal biomass in permanent grassland stream pools differed among sites with naturally varying densities of fishes. We also manipulated fish densities in a mesocosm experiment to address how fishes might affect colonisation during recovery from hydrologic disturbance. Fish biomass had a negative impact on invertebrate abundance, but not biomass or taxa richness, in natural pools. Total fish biomass was not correlated with total insect emergence in natural pools, but orangethroat darter (Etheostoma spectabile) biomass was inversely correlated with emerging Chironomidae biomass and individual midge body size. The interaction in our models between predatory fish biomass and date suggested that fishes may also delay insect emergence from natural pools, altering the timing of aquatic–terrestrial subsidies. There was an increase over time in algal biomass (chlorophyll‐a) in mesocosms, but this did not differ among fish density treatments. Regardless, fish presence in mesocosms reduced the abundance of colonising insects and total invertebrate biomass. Mesocosm invertebrate communities in treatments without fishes were characterised by more Chironomidae, Culicidae, and Corduliidae. Results suggest that fishes influence invertebrates in habitats that represent important refuges during hydrologic disturbance, hot spots for subsidy exports to riparian food webs, and source areas for colonists during recovery from hydrologic disturbance. Fish effects in these systems include decreasing invertebrate abundance, shifting community structure, and altering patterns of invertebrate emergence and colonisation.
A split body trial comparing dilute bleach vs . dilute apple cider vinegar compresses for atopic dermatitis in Chicago: a pilot study

Topical therapies such as dilute bleach and acetic acid are widely used to treat atopic dermatitis though research regarding their efficacy and mechanism of action is lacking The objective of this single blinded pilot study of eleven patients was to compare clinical and antibacterial benefits of bleach and apple cider vinegar compresses when locally applied to eczematous skin While both solutions demonstrated comparable clinical benefit as measured by improvement in local Eczema Area and Severity Index EASI scores both similarly lacked efficacy with respect to decreasing the burden of Staphylococcus aureus on eczematous lesions These results suggest that while bleach or ACV may be effective treatments for AD the mechanism of either solution is likely not due to antibacterial properties
Intertwining Journeys and Professional Passions

A friend of mine once wrote that we are not the sole authors of our stories. I know very well that I am not the sole author of my own transformations. My internal imperative for social justice, my commitment to expand my worldviews, especially into indigenous knowledge, world view and decolonization, and my path to do that work within school psychology were strongly influenced by three key and transformative individuals in my life. Many others followed, as I learned to open myself to the opportunities that presented themselves that would take me far beyond what I had known as a young woman. Always compelled by a belief that learning should be transformative, I began that path in college during my student teaching, going way outside the bounds of the norm. Going outside the bounds of the norm soon became my new norm. I have felt compelled to create new ways of delivering services, capitalizing on collaboration and commitment. Systemic impact has always been key. Three areas defined my specializations: (a) culturally responsive dynamic assessment and mediated learning, (b) Native American issues in education; and (c) comprehensive school psychology for dual language learners. My success as a grant writer supported and enhanced many of those efforts; my mentoring of dozens of other grant writers, as well as younger faculty and graduate students greatly enhanced my own satisfaction. My role as mother and now as grandmother complete the circle.
Performance fatigability and neuromuscular responses for bilateral and unilateral leg extensions in men.

OBJECTIVES This study examined performance fatigability and the patterns of neuromuscular responses for electromyographic (EMG) and mechanomyographic (MMG) amplitude (AMP) and mean power frequency (MPF) during bilateral (BL) and unilateral (UL) maximal, isokinetic leg extensions. METHODS Peak torque for each repetition and EMG and MMG signals from the non-dominant vastus lateralis were recorded in 11 men during 50 BL and UL maximal, concentric, isokinetic leg extensions at 60o·s-1 that were performed on separate days. Separate repeated measures ANOVAs were performed to examine the normalized isokinetic torque and neuromuscular parameters. RESULTS Normalized isokinetic peak torque demonstrated a significant Conditions by Repetition interaction (p<0.001, η2p= 0.594). There were no interactions, but significant main effects for Repetition with increases in EMG AMP (p<0.001; η2p=0.255) and decreases in EMG MPF (p<0.001; η2p=0.650), MMG AMP (p<0.001; η2p=0.402), and MMG MPF (p<0.001; η2p=0.796). In addition, EMG MPF and MMG AMP demonstrated main effects for Condition (p=0.031; η2p=0.387 and p=0.002; η2p=0.64, respectively) with the BL exhibiting greater values than UL leg extensions for both parameters. CONCLUSIONS The current findings indicated greater performance fatigability during UL versus BL leg extensions, but similar patterns of neuromuscular responses consistent with the Muscle Wisdom Hypothesis.
Building longitudinal medication dose data using medication information extracted from clinical notes in electronic health records.

Objective To develop an algorithm for building longitudinal medication dose datasets using information extracted from clinical notes in electronic health records (EHRs). Materials and methods We developed an algorithm that converts medication information extracted using natural language processing (NLP) into a usable format and builds longitudinal medication dose datasets. We evaluated the algorithm on 2 medications extracted from clinical notes of Vanderbilt's EHR and externally validated the algorithm using clinical notes from the MIMIC-III clinical care database. Results For the evaluation using Vanderbilt's EHR data, the performance of our algorithm was excellent; F1-measures were ≥0.98 for both dose intake and daily dose. For the external validation using MIMIC-III, the algorithm achieved F1-measures ≥0.85 for dose intake and ≥0.82 for daily dose. Discussion Our algorithm addresses the challenge of building longitudinal medication dose data using information extracted from clinical notes. Overall performance was excellent, but the algorithm can perform poorly when incorrect information is extracted by NLP systems. Although it performed reasonably well when applied to the external data source, its performance was worse due to differences in the way the drug information was written. The algorithm is implemented in the R package, "EHR," and the extracted data from Vanderbilt's EHRs along with the gold standards are provided so that users can reproduce the results and help improve the algorithm. Conclusion Our algorithm for building longitudinal dose data provides a straightforward way to use EHR data for medication-based studies. The external validation results suggest its potential for applicability to other systems.
Establishing content-validity of a disease-specific health-related quality of life instrument for patients with chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

Chronic Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (CHP) is caused by an immune mediated response in the lung tissue after exposure to an inhaled environmental antigenic stimulant. We previously documented the ways in which CHP impacts patients’ lives and have now developed a disease-specific instrument, the CHP-HRQOL instrument, to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The objective of this study was to assess content validity for the CHP-HRQOL. Cognitive interviews were conducted among adults with CHP. The instrument was revised and refined between each round of interviews. Feedback was obtained on the instructions, items, response options, and recall period. Items where participants had difficulty with comprehension, wording, or misinterpretation were marked by the interviewer and participant feedback was reviewed to make revisions, add or delete items when appropriate. Readability statistics were calculated using Flesch-Kincaid grade level and reading ease scores. Ten participants were interviewed over three rounds, with revisions made to the questionnaire in an iterative process. In the initial 39 item instrument, we identified 7 items where two or more participants reported difficulty. Participants preferred a four-week recall period (compared to a two-week recall period) and response options with a 5-point response scale. The final version of the CHP-HRQOL includes 40 items with a median reading level between 6th and 7th grade. The CHP-HRQOL instrument demonstrated high content validity and is ready for psychometric testing in further validation studies.
Capturing women’s voices: lived experiences of incivility during childbirth in the United States

Increasing research has improved global awareness of mistreatment during childbirth. However, research primarily focuses on “higher-intensity” mistreatment during childbirth, and largely focuses on...
Maternal morbidity after preterm premature rupture of membranes at <24 weeks' gestation.

Background After preterm premature rupture of membranes Objective To compare maternal morbidity after preterm premature rupture of membranes Study design This retrospective cohort study includes women with preterm premature rupture of membranes between 14 0/7 and 23 6/7 weeks' gestation with singleton or twin pregnancies at three institutions from 2011-2018. We excluded pregnancies complicated by fetal anomalies, rupture of membranes immediately after obstetric procedures (chorionic villus sampling, amniocentesis, cerclage placement, fetal reduction), spontaneous delivery 1000cc, transfusion, maternal intensive care unit admission, acute renal insufficiency, venous thromboembolism, pulmonary embolism, and readmission within six weeks. We compared demographic and antenatal characteristics of women electing expectant management versus pregnancy termination and used logistic regression to quantify the association between initial management decision and composite maternal morbidity. Results We identified 350 pregnancies complicated by preterm premature rupture of membranes Conclusion Expectant management of preterm premature rupture of membranes
Critical Questions at a Critical Time: Reflections on the Contributions of LSIE to Museum Practices

Writing from a science museum perspective, the authors argue that the Learning Science in Informal Environments report arrives at a critical time, when growing policy interest in informal learning environments provides new opportunities for the museum field but also introduces potential threats to autonomy, diversity, and creativity. The authors explore critical questions raised in the report, including: 1) whether and how we represent our subject matter as cultural fields of practice, as opposed to fixed collections of facts and artifacts; 2) how we ensure, at a time of increasing interest and scrutiny from policymakers, that we continue to design for a variety of learning opportunities both across and within our institutions, thus sustaining rich, robust learning for more diverse and inclusive audiences; 3) how we develop better assessment questions, methodologies, and instrumentation that can more effectively address the contributions museums make to local learning ecologies. The authors conclude that, at this juncture, it is just as important for the education research community to learn from the practices of the museum field, as it is for the museum field to learn from the research.
Epstein-Barr virus nuclear protein EBNA-3C interacts with the human metastatic suppressor Nm23-H1: A molecular link to cancer metastasis

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is an oncogenic virus associated with a number of human malignancies including Burkitt lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, lymphoproliferative disease and, though still debated, breast carcinoma. A subset of latent EBV antigens is required for mediating immortalization of primary B-lymphocytes. Here we demonstrate that the carboxy-terminal region of the essential latent antigen, EBNA-3C, interacts specifically with the human metastatic suppressor protein Nm23-H1. Moreover, EBNA-3C reverses the ability of Nm23-H1 to suppress the migration of Burkitt lymphoma cells and breast carcinoma cells. We propose that EBNA-3C contributes to EBV-associated human cancers by targeting and altering the role of the metastasis suppressor Nm23-H1.
Absence of Fenfluramine-Induced Anorexia and Reduced c-fos Induction in the Hypothalamus and Central Amygdaloid Complex of Serotonin 1B Receptor Knock-Out Mice

Fenfluramine, a serotonin releaser and uptake inhibitor, has been widely prescribed as an appetite suppressant. Despite its popular clinical use, however, the precise neural pathways and specific 5-HT receptors that account for its anorectic effect have yet to be elucidated. To test the hypothesis that stimulation of 5-HT1B receptors is required for the anorectic effect of fenfluramine, we assessed food intake in wild-type and 5-HT1B knock-out mice. Next, to determine possible brain structures and pathways that may contribute to the 5-HT1B-mediated effects of fenfluramine, we studied by immunohistochemistry the induction of the immediate early gene c-fos. Although the effect of fenfluramine on locomotion was indistinguishable between both wild-type and 5-HT1B knock-out mice, the anorectic effect of the drug was absent in only the knock-out mice. Furthermore, the induction of c-Fos immunoreactivity found in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) of wild-type mice was substantially reduced in the knock-outs. Induction in the central amygdaloid nucleus (CeA) and in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), although robust in wild-type animals, was completely absent in knock-out animals. The mixed 5-HT1A/1B agonist RU24969 was able to mimic both the hypophagia and c-fos induction elicited by fenfluramine in wild-type mice, but not in the 5-HT1Bknock-out mice. Our results thus demonstrate that stimulation of 5-HT1B receptors is required for fenfluramine-induced anorexia and suggest a role for the PVN, CeA, and BNST in mediating this effect.
Lymphotoxin-Independent Expression of TNF-Related Activation-Induced Cytokine by Stromal Cells in Cryptopatches, Isolated Lymphoid Follicles, and Peyer’s Patches

Stromal cells play a crucial role in the organogenesis of lymphoid tissues. We previously identified VCAM-1(+) stromal cells in cryptopatches (CP) and isolated lymphoid follicles (ILF) in the small intestine of C57BL/6 mice. Nonhemopoietic stromal cell networks in CP and ILF of adult mice also expressed FDC-M1, CD157 (BP-3), and TNF-related activation-induced cytokine (TRANCE). Individual stromal cells were heterogeneous in their expression of these markers, with not all stromal cells expressing the entire set of stromal cell markers. Expression of VCAM-1, FDC-M1, and CD157 on CP stromal cells was absent in alymphoplasia mice deficient in NF-kappaB-inducing kinase (NIK) and NIK knockout mice. Administration of lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTbetaR)-Ig to wild-type mice on day 13 resulted in the absence of CP on day 20; delaying administration of LTbetaR-Ig until day 18 resulted in an 80% decrease in the number of CP on day 22 and diminished expression of VCAM-1, FDC-M1, and CD157 on the remaining CP. In sharp contrast, TRANCE expression by stromal cells was completely independent of NIK and LTbetaR. In addition, expression of TRANCE in ILF was concentrated just beneath the follicle-associated epithelium, a pattern of polarization that was also observed in Peyer's patches. These findings suggest that TRANCE on stromal cells contributes to the differentiation and maintenance of organized lymphoid aggregates in the small intestine.
A free boundary problem arising in the modelling of internal oxidation of binary alloys

A one-dimensional free boundary problem arising in the modelling of internal oxidation of binary alloys is studied in this paper. The free boundary of this problem is determined by the equation u = 0, where u is the solution of a parabolic partial differential equation with discontinuous coefficients across the free boundary. Local existence, uniqueness and the regularity of the free boundary are established. Global existence is also studied.
A practical synthesis of N α-Fmoc protected L-threo-β-hydroxyaspartic acid derivatives for coupling via α- or β-carboxylic group.

A simple and practical general synthetic protocol towards orthogonally protected tHyAsp derivatives fully compatible with Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthetic methodology is reported. Our approach includes enantioresolution of commercially available d,l-tHyAsp racemic mixture by co-crystallization with l-Lys, followed by ion exchange chromatography yielding enantiomerically pure l-tHyAsp and d-tHyAsp, and their selective orthogonal protection. In this way N α -Fmoc protected tHyAsp derivatives were prepared ready for couplings via either α- or β-carboxylic group onto the resins or the growing peptide chain. In addition, coupling of tHyAsp via β-carboxylic group onto amino resins allows preparation of peptides containing tHyAsn sequences, further increasing the synthetic utility of prepared tHyAsp derivatives.
Quick fix or long-term cure? Pros and cons of bariatric surgery

The past decade has seen an enormous increase in the number of bariatric, or weight loss, operations performed. This trend is likely to continue, mirroring the epidemic of obesity around the world and its rising prevalence among children. Bariatric surgery is considered by many to be the most effective treatment for obesity in terms of maintenance of long-term weight loss and improvement in obesity-related comorbid conditions. Although overly simplified, the primary mechanisms of the surgical interventions currently utilized to treat obesity are the creation of a restrictive or malabsorptive bowel anatomy. Operations based on these mechanisms include the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band and laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy (considered primarily restrictive operations), the laparoscopic biliopancreatic diversion with or without a duodenal switch (primarily malabsorptive operation), and the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (considered a combination restrictive and selective malabsorptive procedure). Each operation has pros and cons. Important considerations, for the patient and surgeon alike, in the decision to proceed with bariatric surgery include the technical aspects of the operation, postoperative complications including long-term nutritional problems, magnitude of initial and sustained weight loss desired, and correction of obesity-related comorbidities. Herein, the pros and cons of the contemporary laparoscopic bariatric operations are reviewed and ongoing controversies relating to bariatric surgery are discussed: appropriate patient selection, appropriate operation selection for an individual patient, surgeon selection, and how to measure success after surgery.
The Adolescent Research Participant: Strategies for Productive and Ethical Interviewing

Nurse researchers who seek to study the experiences of adolescents have limited resources to assist them with the process. Although some elements of interviewing are standard practice, special approaches are needed for the adolescent participating in research. Interviews are especially challenging. The purpose of this article is to present strategies to assist researchers as they engage this cohort in research. These strategies include evaluating the adolescent's developmental level, designing developmentally appropriate questions, and refining interviewing techniques to optimize the experience for the participants. Strategies presented are useful to clinicians who wish to establish a therapeutic rapport with young patients.
Using the Learning Cycle as a Model for Teaching the Learning Cycle to Preservice Elementary Teachers

The learning cycle has been embraced as a teaching approach that is consistent with the goals of theNational Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996). Science teacher educators may be disappointed to find, however, that preservice teachers may fail to grasp this model, even after extensive instruction (e.g., Settlage, 2000). Our own preservice teachers often express the belief that teaching multiple activities related to a single concept is redundant. In this manner, they fail to grasp the importance of carefully sequencing learning activities to promote conceptual development. In this paper, we describe an approach in which we use the learning cycle as a model for our own instruction to assist preservice elementary teachers in developing “conceptual storylines” through carefully sequenced activities that follow the learning cycle.
Thermal and Heat Transfer Characteristics of Cannonsville Reservoir

ABSTRACT Observations of the spatial and temporal distribution of temperature in Cannonsville Reservoir over the 1988–1995 period are reviewed, with emphasis on 1994 and 1995. The dominant spatial variations in temperature are in the vertical direction (thermal stratification), with modest spatial variations along the longitudinal axes of the basin. Longitudinal temperature variations were greatest in the spring, with shallow, upstream waters being warmer than at deeper sites downstream near the dam. Diurnal temperature variations of the surface waters of the reservoir were generally less than 2 °C. The variations of temperature of two major reservoir tributaries are also documented. The tributaries are generally warmer than reservoir surface waters in spring, but are cooler through most of the summer and the fall. Diurnal fluctuations in tributary temperature may be significant, with day-night changes as large as 15 °C observed for Trout Creek. A reservoir heat budget calculation for 1995 indicates that ...
Seasonal Prediction Models for North Atlantic Basin Hurricane Location

Using multivariate discriminant analysis techniques, statistically significant and skillful models are developed for making extended-range forecasts of hurricane activity within specific locations of the North Atlantic basin. These forecasts predict the presence or absence of hurricane activity and not the actual number of storms that will occur within a region. Successful models are developed for predicting intense hurricane activity in both the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean subbasins separately. Extended-range forecasts of all hurricane activity are also possible within the Caribbean Sea. More significantly, lead-time forecasts of landfalling hurricanes on the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States are possible and show a substantial improvement over climatology. Extended-range forecasts of hurricane activity for the northeastern United States and for the Gulf of Mexico are not feasible due, respectively, to the relative lack and abundance of hurricane activity. Crossvalidated forecast accuracies range from 78% to 81% for the regions in which successful models can be developed. An all-possible subsets selection algorithm is used to identify the predictor models, while bootstrap techniques are used to assess model significance. Statistical tests using normal approximations are employed to compare cross-validated (hindcast) forecast accuracy to climatology.
Validation of a Jungian instrument for MIS research

The Jungian personality typology has been widely used in MIS research to investigate personal characteristics of MIS participants. The Personal Style Inventory (PSI) is a Jungian instrument in the public domain which has received little previous attention from the MIS community. Reliability, concurrent validity, and construct validity were investigated in an experiment where this instrument was directly compared with the Abbreviated Version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI/AV) utilizing a sample of undergraduate business majors. Although the PSI was found to be a somewhat weaker instrument, the ability to directly incorporate it into other questionnaires makes it a useful tool for research utilizing a blind mail survey methodology.
Biochemical screening for aneuploidy

Biochemical and ultrasound methods for risk adjustment of fetal aneuploidy have replaced maternal age as the mainstay of prenatal care. This development has been accompanied by much confusion and inconsistent results. However, the totality of available data support the conclusion that, as of 2007, optimal biochemical detection can be achieved in the first trimester using free β−human chorionic gonadotropin and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A, and for greater sensitivity the biochemistry needs to be combined with ultrasound nuchal translucency measurement. Even better results might be obtained by testing women sequentially in both trimesters, but this approach has the disadvantage of delaying diagnosis for many women. An alternative, in appropriately trained centers, is to carry out sequential testing within the first trimester using nasal bone determination and other secondary ultrasound markers to complement nuchal translucency measurements.
Doped Optical Claddings for Electro-Optical Polymer Waveguide Devices

With the continued development of electro—optic polymer devices, optical and electrical performance have become increasingly important issues. Higher r33 values and lower Vπl, are continually sought, and improvements have been reported [1,2]. In order to optimize these vlaues, high electric field strengths must be achieved across the active polymer during both poling and device operation. Devices are generally constructed as a multilayer structure with upper and lower dielectric polymer optical buffer layers. The electric field strength across the EO polymer or active guiding layer is determined in large measure by the electrical properties of the cladding layers. If these properties for all layers are similar, then the field strength across the EO polymer is reduced by an amount determined by the relative thicknesses of the cladding and active layer. Reported here is a technique in which the buffer layers were doped in order to increase the field strength across the active polymer, thus reducing the required poling voltage as well as the operating voltage for the device.
Occult double RV physiology complicating VSD repair.

Double-chamber right ventricle (DCRV) is an uncommon congenital abnormality usually described in children. It occurs due to partitioning of the right ventricle by prominent muscle bundles. In this case report, we describe an adult in cardiogenic shock postoperatively from repair of a ventricular septal defect in whom a previously undiagnosed DCRV was found to be clinically significant. (Echocardiography 2010;27:E9-E12)
SIMS measurements of δ34S in sulfide minerals from adjacent vein and stratabound ores

Abstract The effects of sample matrix and secondary ion energy on the instrumental fractionation of sulfur isotopes have been studied for troilite, pyrite, and galena using the Cameca IMS-3f ion microprobe. An analytical procedure is described for the measurement of δ 34 S on negatively charged sulfur ions from pyrite and galena with a reproducibility better than ±1.5%. Sulfur isotope ratios were measured in pyrite and galena from adjacent stratabound manto orebodies and crosscutting veins in the Hualgayoc district of northern Peru. Isotopic compositions (δ 34 S CDT ) of sulfur in pyrite and galena from vein and manto deposits have a total range from −20 to 10%.. Sulfur in manto galenas has a wide range of isotopic compositions and is usually isotopically heavier than pyrite when both minerals have been analyzed in the same sample. Isotopic disequilibrium between pyrite and galena suggests precipitation from separate fluids, consistent with textural evidence that galena is paragenetically later than pyrite and often replaces it. Formation of ore minerals in the veins appears to have overlapped temporally with the later stages of manto mineralization and continued after manto formation ceased. Sulfur isotope values in pyrite and galena from veins are lower by about 5%. on average than the same sulfides in the mantos, and δ 34 S values of vein galenas decrease over the course of vein formation. This shift of δ 34 S toward lower values with time may be the result of increased mixing with sulfur from diagenetic sulfides or a decrease in the δ 34 S value of aqueous sulfide due to oxidation of the ore fluid in the later stages of deposition. The latter hypothesis is favored because the lead isotopic compositions of the same vein minerals do not indicate an influx of sediment-derived lead and because of the appearance of barite in the final stages of several vein deposits. The majority of pyrite and galena analyses from vein and manto ores are compatible with precipitation from ore fluids having δ 34 S of aqueous sulfur of 0 ± 5%.. This result indicates that the associated igneous rocks may have been the source of sulfur in the ore minerals (as well as of lead). Low values of δ 34 S in manto galena may be accounted for by incorporation of sulfur derived from diagenetic iron sulfides.
Synthesis and structural characterization of some selenoruthenates and telluroruthenates.

The reaction of solid [RuClCp(PPh3)2] with TeSe32- or Sen2- in DMF leads to the formation of [RuCp(PPh3)(μ2-Se2)]2 (1). In the structure of this compound the two bridging Se2 groups lead to a six-membered Ru2Se4 ring in a chair conformation. Attached to each Ru center is a PPh3 ligand in an equatorial position and a Cp ring in an axial position. The compound is diamagnetic. The compound [Ru2Cp2(μ3-Se2)(μ3-Se)]2 (2) is obtained under similar conditions in the presence of air. This structure comprises a centrosymmetric Ru4Se6 dimer formed from the two bridging Se groups and the two bridging Se2 groups. Each Ru center is π-bonded to a Cp ring. The reaction of solid [RuClCp(PPh3)2] with a Ten2- polytelluride solution in DMF leads to the diamagnetic compound [(RuCp(PPh3))2(μ2-(1,4-η:3,6-η)Te6)] (3). Here the Ru centers are bound to a bridging Te6 chain at the 1, 4, 3, and 6 positions, leading to a bicyclic Ru2Te6 ring. Each Ru atom is bound to a Cp ring and a PPh3 group. This dimer possesses a center of symmet...
A comparison of analytical methods for the study of fractional brownian motion

Fractional Brownian motion (FBM) provides a useful model for many physical phenomena demonstrating long-term dependencies and l/f-type spectral behavior. In this model, only one parameter is necessary to describe the complexity of the data, H, the Hurst exponent. FBM is a nonstationary random function not well suited to traditional power spectral analysis however. In this paper we discuss alternative methods for the analysis of FBM, in the context of real-time biomedical signal processing. Regression-based methods utilizing the power spectral density (PSD), the discrete wavelet transform (DWT), and dispersive analysis (DA) are compared for estimation accuracy and precision on synthesized FBM datasets. The performance of a maximum likelihood estimator for H, theoretically the best possible estimator, are presented for reference. Of the regression-based methods, it is found that the estimates provided by the DWT method have better accuracy and precision for H > 0.5, but become biased for low values of H. The DA method is most accurate for H 0.5.