cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Scrambler Therapy for the management of chronic pain

Purpose Chronic pain is a widespread and debilitating condition, encountered by physicians in a variety of practice settings. Although many pharmacologic and behavioral strategies exist for the management of this condition, treatment is often unsatisfactory. Scrambler Therapy is a novel, non-invasive pain modifying technique that utilizes trans-cutaneous electrical stimulation of pain fibers with the intent of re-organizing maladaptive signaling pathways. This review was conducted to further evaluate what is known regarding the mechanisms and mechanics of Scrambler Therapy and to investigate the preliminary data pertaining to the efficacy of this treatment modality.
Drowning in Data: Eyetracker Tips and Techniques for Content-Coding Video Media

As the use of eyetracker analysis in marketing extends from static print advertisements and webpages into dynamic media such as television and interactive gaming, the amount of data collected can quickly grow overwhelming. As the media under study is changing frame-by-frame, static methods of analysis no longer apply. This presentation looks at various methods of content-coding dynamic media for eyetracker analysis, and offers insight into how variables obscured in static media, such as dynamic goal-relevance, can create persistent biases in longitudinal eyetracker data.
Emotional Impact of Teasing Moderates the Association Between Teasing Frequency and Self-Worth in Youth

The purpose of the present study was to examine the moderating role of emotional impact on the relationship between teasing frequency and self-worth in a community sample of youth. Participants included a community sample of 405 youth (M age = 10.22) who completed self-report measures of the frequency and emotional impact of teasing and self-worth. Latent moderated structural equation modeling indicated that emotional impact moderated the association between teasing frequency and self-worth (β = −.15, p = .04). Probing of the interaction revealed that among youth who experienced frequent teasing, self-worth was lower when emotional impact was high (β = −.25, t = 2.34, p = .02). Findings demonstrate that emotional impact moderated the relationship between teasing frequency and self-worth. Intervention designed to reduce teasing and its associated negative outcomes may benefit from intervention components designed to address the emotional impact of teasing.
Realizing the Potential for Recipient Immune Cells in Adoptive Immune Therapy

Despite the extensive use of animal models to better understand disease progress, efficacy and toxicity of therapeutic interventions a vast majority of promising treatments fail in human trials (Holzapfel et al., 2015). One approach has been to humanize mouse model systems to recapitulate disease processes by conditioning mice to permit engraftment of human cells utilizing immune-deficient mice such as NSG strains (NOD.Cg-Prkdcscid Il2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ) in pre-clinical studies. One major advantage of this is to allow detailed molecular profiling of diseased cells and targeting aberrant processes for individual patients by growing patient derived cells xenografted into immune-deficient mice (Malaney et al., 2014). However, major shortcoming of humanized xenograft mouse models include: the absence of a tumor microenvironment to study cytokine/chemokine interactions that are critical for cancer progression and metastasis; and toxicity arising from induction of cytokine storms cannot be tested.
An examination of restaurant firm financing and the cost of borrowing

ABSTRACTThe use of debt is prevalent in the restaurant industry. While there have been numerous studies on restaurant capital structure, this study examines the relationship between firm performance and effective interest rate on debt used by restaurant firms. This study uses a sample of 56 publicly traded U.S. restaurant firms for the years 2012–2014. We examine the relationship between effective interest rates and firm performance as measured by approximate Tobin’s Q, return on assets, and return on equity. We find a significant and positive relationship between effective interest rates and return on equity.
Toxoplasmic Encephalitis and Hyper-IgM Syndrome

A 9-year-old boy with hyper-IgM syndrome complicated by impaired consciousness and disseminated toxoplasmosis is reported from Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Designing a Positive Psychology Course for Lawyers

Legal education is slowly beginning to include not only education in critical thinking and legal knowledge, but also education in complementary qualities of personal conduct and early professional formation. Positive psychology, with its emphasis on the evidence-based study of how people can thrive, not just be treated for mental illness or emotional difficulty, can aid these additional educational objectives. This Article examines some of the ongoing pedagogical choices involved in creating a law school course on positive psychology oriented around experiential student learning. Highlighted are a few key insights from the field, including resilience, character strengths, positive values, and enhanced relationships with other people. While only an introduction, this course is designed to help law students become sufficiently grounded in these insights and others from positive psychology to continue their education after law school. Because the course is experimental, the hope is that it will lay the foundation for initiatives by other law professors to make the application of positive psychology more broadly available to law students in general.
Review: Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture by Robert Venturi: Review: Power and Privilege

When I arrived at Princeton University nearly thirty years ago to start my undergraduate education, I secured a work-study job washing dishes on the breakfast shift at Gordon Wu Hall. While the work was tedious, and the dank scullery air left my clothes smelling of eggs, I took pleasure in the design of my workplace. In Architecture 101 the following semester, the first assignment was to choose a room someplace on the campus for analysis through drawings and text. Aware that Wu Hall was a celebrated recent building, and knowing it from daily experience, I chose to write about its entry hall and dining room. In words and novice pencil drawings, I carefully described the postmodernist interplay between modernist and medieval architectural forms staged in the building's facades and primary public spaces. This intimate engagement with Wu Hall was my path into the work of Venturi, Rauch and Scott Brown (VRSB), into Complexity and Contradiction , and into architectural history, theory, and criticism at large. I learned postmodernism in part from these close interactions with Wu Hall and from studying the ways it engaged the campus context. Walking each morning through the quadrangles and passages of Princeton's Tudor Revival dormitories on my way to the dishwashing station, I passed ogival doors, bay windows, and pedimented archways similar to those depicted in Complexity and Contradiction . In Wu Hall, as well as in halls paneled and trimmed with Gothic …
The Pertussis resurgence: putting together the pieces of the puzzle

Pertussis incidence is rising in almost every country where acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines have been introduced, and is occurring across all age groups from infancy to adulthood. The key question is why? While several known factors such as waning of immunity, detection bias due to more sensitive tests and higher awareness of the disease among practitioners, and evolutionary shifts among B. pertussis all likely contribute, collectively, these do not adequately explain the existing epidemiologic data, suggesting that additional factors also contribute. Key amongst these is recent data indicating that the immune responses induced by aP vaccines differ fundamentally from those induced by the whole cell pertussis (wP) vaccines, and do not lead to mucosal immunity. If so, it appears likely that differences in how the two categories of vaccines work, may be pivotal to our overall understanding of the pertussis resurgence.
Effect of High-Dose Rituximab on Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Mobilization in Intermediate Grade Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphomas.

High dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is considered to be standard therapy for patients with intermediate grade NHL (IGNHL) in chemosensitive relapse. In recent years rituximab has been widely used for in vivo purging of lymphoma cells from apheresis products, however its impact on kinetics of stem cell mobilization and engraftment are not well characterized. We studied 69 patients with IGNHL who were mobilized using rituximab plus chemotherapy or with chemotherapy alone. 31 patients (No-R group) were mobilized with ifosfamide (10 g/m 2 ), and etoposide (150 mg/m 2 every 12 hours for 6 doses) followed by G-CSF (12 mcg/kg/day). 38 patients (R group) also received 2 doses of rituximab (375 mg/m 2 and 1000 mg/m 2 ) on days 1 and 10. Patients underwent HDT following successful stem cell collection. HDT was standard BEAM (+ rituximab for patients in the R group) regimen in most patients. 15 patients received a cycle of CVP (cyclophosphamide, cisplatin, etoposide) prior to BEAM because of failure to achieve at least a PR following mobilization chemotherapy (all in the No-R arm). RESULTS: The baseline characteristics of the 2 groups are summarized in Table 1. Patients in the No-R group were more likely to have stage III/IV disease, and were more likely to have BM involvement with lymphoma, but had received fewer number of chemotherapy regimens received prior to mobilization. Failure to mobilize was defined as failure to reach a circulating CD34 count of 10/mcl. The target cell dose was a minimum of 4 x 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg. The apheresis data is summarized in Table 2. All 31 patients in the No-R group mobilized the target cell dose (NA-1). In the R group 7.9% did not reach the target cell dose ( P =NS). Median time to neutrophil engraftment after ASCT was 10 (8–17) and 11 (9–37) days in the No-R and R groups respectively ( P =0.01). The OS and DFS at 2 years were 45% (27–61) and 39% (22–55) and 78% (51–92) and 63% (38–51) respectively in the No-R and R group ( P =0.001 and 0.01). CONCLUSION: High dose rituximab added to the mobilization regimen does not affect the ability to collect adequate number of stem cells for ASCT. Incidence of bacteremic episodes was higher in the rituximab group. The OS and DFS were significantly longer in patients receiving rituximab. Table 2. Apheresis Data Table 1: Baseline characteristics
Thinned-skulled Cranial Window Preparation (Mice)

Imaging structural plasticity or activity of neurons in the brain circuit will facilitate understanding the neural mechanisms underlying animal behavior. Here we describe a modified procedure, the polished and reinforced thinned-skull cranial window preparation, by which we can image dendrites and spines in mouse layer I cortex for weeks ( Zhang et al., 2016 ). By this method, we also imaged the glioma initiation in the mouse cortex for two weeks in previous work ( Zhang et al., 2012 ), which included the photographs and video for reference.
Into Africa: Molecular phylogenetics and historical biogeography of sub-Saharan African woodferns (Dryopteris).

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Our goal was to infer the phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeography of the genus Dryopteris with a focus on taxa in sub-Saharan Africa and neighboring islands. In general, little is known about the relationships between African fern species and their congeners in other geographic regions, and our aim was to determine whether the sub-Saharan African species of Dryopteris are monophyletic and evolved within Africa or arrived there via repeated dispersals into Africa from other regions. METHODS We obtained sequence data for five chloroplast markers from 214 species of Dryopteris and 18 outgroups. We performed phylogenetic and molecular dating analyses using a Bayesian relaxed clock method in BEAST with fossil and secondary calibration points and estimated ancestral ranges for the genus globally by comparing multiple models in BioGeoBEARS. KEY RESULTS We found that 22 of 27 accessions of sub-Saharan African Dryopteris belong to a large clade of 31 accessions that also includes taxa from Indian and Atlantic Ocean islands. Additional accessions of taxa from our regions of interest have Asian, Hawaiian, European, or North American species as their closest relatives. CONCLUSIONS The majority of sub-Saharan African Dryopteris species are descended from a shared common ancestor that dispersed to Africa from Asia approximately 10 Ma. There have been subsequent dispersal events from the African mainland to islands in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, including Madagascar. Several additional species are estimated to have descended from ancestors that reached Africa via separate events over the last roughly 20 million years.
Improved Well Modeling Tools for Unsaturated Flow Pump-and-Treat Remediation Studies

Many Department of Defense military sites and Environmental Protection Agency superfund sites benefit from pump-and-treat systems for their remediation. One of the ways used to determine the effectiveness of a pump-and-treat system is by using a groundwater finite element method program to compute flow patterns from proposed well placement. As the governing Richards’ equation for unsaturated flow is highly nonlinear, the finite element discretization often has trouble converging. This is especially true when (1) a significant part of the flow region has unsaturated flow, (2) soils such as sand have relative hydraulic conductivities that go from almost vertical to almost horizontal, (3) water in very dry soil is being applied at the top of the flow region, and (4) the wells become partially above the free surface when the pumping is turned on. This paper focuses on an improved well-modeling technique that allowed the finite element solution to go from nonconvergent to converging in 15 nonlinear iterations for the Higgins Farm Superfund site The Higgins Farm Superfund site, which is approximately 75 acres in size and currently operated as a cattle farm, is located in a rural area along Route 518 in Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey. The site is primarily pastureland where a drum burial dump was discovered. Extraction wells were placed around the perimeter with an onsite treatment plant. The finite element run not only did not converge but also the modeling of wells was initially very tedious. A given well has a specified flow, and the user would manually try to distribute this flow among the given set of nodes modeling the well. During the iteration toward convergence, if a node of a well became above the free surface (pressure head less than zero), the code stopped. The user then manually redistributed the flow for that well and started the process again. However, combining all of the nodes for a well into one well supernode was determined to be the best solution. The nodes representing a partially penetrating well are combined into a single degree-of-freedom well supernode. Now, one total value of flow is used as input to the well supernode, and one single value of total head is computed as output. Further improvement was added to the well model by implementing a nonreversible elimination of well nodes above the water table. This paper will give the details of this computational experience using the high performance computers at the ERDC and illustrate the general applicability of this approach to other studies.
Intrathecal Drug Delivery Systems

In the USA, chronic pain afflicts approximately one out of every four people, nearly 116 million Americans. Of those Americans, ten million suffer from chronic, intractable, disabling pain (American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians Fact Sheet. American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. https://www.asipp.org/documents/ASIPPFactSheet101111.pdf. Accessed Jan 2016, 2011). For a significant portion of the chronic pain patients, opioids remain a mainstay of treatment. Over the last 20 years, opioid use has increased by nearly 200 %. Approximately, 67 % of cancer pain patients present to pain clinics with pain symptoms (American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians Fact Sheet. American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. https://www.asipp.org/documents/ASIPPFactSheet101111.pdf. Accessed Jan 2016, 2011).
Evaluation of WorldVistA and OpenEMR for PCMH care

The Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) is a team-based primary care delivery model for improving quality of care, patient satisfaction, and reduce medical cost. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) defined standards that primary-care practices and community health centers must meet in order to be recognized as PCMHs. In this study, the NCQA's PCMH 2014 standards are used to evaluate the effectiveness of WorldVistA and OpenEMR in support of PCMH operations.
PHYTOSTEROL REQUIREMENT FOR PROPAGATION OF RHINOCYLLUS CONICUS (COLEOPTERA: CURCULIONIDAE) ON ARTIFICIAL DIETS

The development of Rhinocyllus conicus Froelich was evaluated on 52 artificial diets. Selected diet constituents were varied to determine their effects on weevil development. High mortality without...
A memristor based image sensor exploiting compressive measurement for low-power video streaming

Image sensor is a commonly used electronic device in various applications. With the increasing requirement for resolution and frame rates, the power consumption is getting significant, which limits the use of image sensors in mobile device sand IoT applications. Compressive sensing (CS) techniques can achieve sub-Nyquist sampling rate to reduce the power consumption in hardware circuits. Currently, most compressive measurements are implemented in digital CMOS circuits, leading to high hardware complexity and power consumption as well as the limited sampling speed. These drawbacks cannot support the rapid growth in performance requirement of image sensor applications. In this paper, we propose a memristor-based image sensor exploiting compressive measurement to achieve high performance with low power consumption and hardware overheads. Simulation results demonstrate the advantages of the proposed technique.
A capillary flow model for filtration

Abstract A filtration model has been developed by considering the two- and three-phase flows through a filter cake during the cake formation and drying cycle times, respectively. Assuming that the cake consists of well-defined capillaries of identical radius, it is possible to predict filtration kinetics from first principles using the Navier-Stokes equation and capillary pressures. The model parameters have been determined by fitting experimental data to the model using capillary radius and slip length as adjustable parameters. It has been found that use of hydrophobizing reagents greatly improves filtration kinetics and reduces cake moistures, which may be attributed to increases in capillary radius and possibly in slip lengths. Use of a polymeric flocculant also increases filtration kinetics but can cause an increase in cake moisture due to the entrapment of moisture within floc structures.
The Driver's Angry Thoughts Questionnaire: A Measure of Angry Cognitions When Driving

Five forms of driving-related angry cognitions were identified—Judgmental/Disbelieving Thinking (α = .94), Pejorative Labeling/Verbally Aggressive Thinking (α = .92), Revenge/Retaliatory Thinking (α = .93), Physically Aggressive Thinking (α = .93), and Coping Self-instruction (α = .83). Pejorative labeling/verbally aggressive, physically aggressive, and revengeful/retaliatory thinking correlated positively with each other and with driving anger, aggressive driving anger expression, aggression, and risky driving behavior. Coping self-instruction tended to correlate negatively with these variables. Judgmental/disbelieving thinking correlated positively with other forms of angry thinking, but was only somewhat correlated with other variables. Driving-related angry thoughts, except coping self-instruction, correlated positively with general hostile automatic thoughts. Differences in strengths of correlations with specific variables, and contributions to regression analyses supported the discriminant and incremental validity of driving-related angry thoughts. Implications for cognitive processes in anger and interventions were discussed.
Varying cross-section and axial strain-gradient effects in flexoelectric cantilevers at submicron thickness levels

In elastic dielectrics, piezoelectricity is the polarization response to applied mechanical strain, and vice versa. Piezoelectric coupling is controlled by a third-rank tensor and is allowed only in materials that are non-centrosymmetric. Flexoelectricity, however, is the generation of electric polarization by the application of a non-uniform mechanical strain field, i.e. a strain gradient, and is expected to be pronounced at submicron thickness levels, especially at the nanoscale. Flexoelectricity is controlled by a fourth-rank tensor and is therefore allowed in materials of any symmetry. In this work, we explore the effects of varying crosssection and axial strain gradient on bending vibrations on flexoelectric cantilevers. The focus is placed on the development of governing electroelastodynamic flexoelectric equations for a cantilever with varying cross-sectional widths for energy harvesting. The coupled governing equations are analyzed to obtain the frequency response and study the effects of various axial geometry profiles on the electromechanical coupling. The effect of axial strain gradient was also studied and found to be negligible for the geometries and various cross-sections studied here. Varying cross-section profile (with a reduced tip width) yields increased flexoelectric coupling.
How do changes in suspended sediment concentration alone influence the size of mud flocs under steady turbulent shearing

Abstract Modeling the size and settling velocity of sediment under the influence of flocculation is crucial for the accurate prediction of mud movement and deposition in sediment transport modeling of environments such as agricultural streams, large coastal rivers, estuaries, river plumes, and turbidity currents. Yet, collecting accurate and high resolution data on mud flocs is difficult. As a result, models that account for the influence of flocculation on mud settling velocity are based on sparse data that often present non-congruent relationship in floc properties with basic influencers of flocculations such as suspended sediment concentration. This study examines the influence of suspended sediment concentration on floc size populations within a turbulent suspension. Specifically, the work investigates: (1) the relationship between the equilibrium floc size and suspended sediment concentration under conditions of steady concentration and turbulent shearing; and (2) the speed at which mature flocs adapt to an unsteady drop in the concentration when turbulent shear is constant. Two sets of experiments were used to investigate the target processes. All work was conducted in laboratory mixing tanks using a floc camera and a newly developed image acquisition method. The new method allows for direct imaging and sizing of flocs within turbulent suspensions of clay in concentrations ranging from 15 to 400 mg/L, so that no transfer of the sample to another settling column or imaging tank is needed. The primary conclusions from the two sets of experiments are: (1) that the equilibrium floc size in an energetic turbulent suspension is linearly and positively related to concentration over the range of C = 50 to 400 mg/L, yet with a smaller-than-expected slope based on previous data and models from low-energy environments; and (2) that floc sizes decrease quickly (with a time lag on the order of 1–15 min) to time-varying decreases in concentration at turbulent shearing of G = 50 s - 1 . Overall the data illustrate that equilibrium floc size is a positive function of concentration, but that the rate of increase is weaker than expected. The data also suggest that approximating the size or settling velocity of some muds with a simple equilibrium model might be appropriate if the time steps of interest are on the order of 10 min or larger. The data also shows the importance of calibrating historic mud settling velocity equations for accurate predictions.
Extracting multivalent detachment rates from heterogeneous nanoparticle populations

Nanoparticles can form multiple bonds with target surfaces, thereby increasing adhesion strength and internalization rate into cells. This property has helped to drive interest in nanoparticles as delivery vehicles for drugs and imaging agents, but significant gaps in our understanding of multivalent adhesion make it difficult to control and optimize binding dynamics. In previous work, we experimentally observed that multivalent nanoparticle adhesion can exhibit a time-dependent detachment rate. However, simulations later indicated that the underlying cause was variability in the number of bonds that formed between individual nanoparticles within the population. Here, we use this insight to develop a simple model to isolate a series of constant detachment rates from such heterogeneous populations. Using simulations of experimental data to train the model, we first classified nanoparticles within a given population based on the most likely equilibrium bond number, which we termed the bond potential. We then assumed that each bond potential category would follow standard first-order kinetics with constant detachment rates. Model results matched the population binding data, but only if we further divided each bond potential category into two sub-components, the second of which did not detach. We then utilized bonding rates from the simulation to estimate detachment rates for the second, slower detaching sub-component. These results confirm our hypothesis that nanoparticle populations can be sub-divided based on bond potential, each of which could be characterized by a constant detachment rate. Finally, we established relationships between the new heterogeneous population detachment model and a time-dependent, empirical detachment model that we developed in previous work. This could make it possible to determine bond potential distributions directly from experimental data without computationally costly simulations, which will be explored in future work.
Dobutamine stress echocardiogram-related in-stent thrombosis with acute myocardial infarction

Dobutamine stress echocardiogram (DSE) is considered a safe and reliable method for screening for underlying myocardial ischaemia. We report a case of a 60-year-old man who developed inferior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction within 30 minutes of a normal DSE. The patient was found to have a 99% in-stent restenosis in the mid-right coronary artery with significant thrombosis for which successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was performed. Acute coronary syndrome after a normal DSE has been rarely reported in the literature. The reported cases were found to have obstructive or non-obstructive coronary plaques with overlying thrombus, which suggests plaque destabilisation and rupture as the possible underlying mechanism behind coronary occlusion.
Clopidogrel Plus Aspirin Provides More Net Benefit Than Aspirin Alone After Minor Stroke or TIA.

This study showed that patients with chronic rhinosinusitis who continue to use a saline nasal wash (NeilMed) will often experience an improvement in symptoms that can be clinically meaningful, but the addition of the corticosteroid budesonide has yet to show an extra benefit.
The Protos Mandate

In the 25th Century, the effects of overpopulation and global warming on Earth have led to the formation of human colonies on the Moon, Mars and elsewhere in the Solar System, yet the limited number of viable places forces humanity to look to the stars. A crash program has been developed to send Protos 1, a giant multigenerational starship, to a newly discovered Earth-like planet orbiting a nearby star. The plan is for awake crewmembers to run the ship, and for people in suspended animation to be roused before planetfall to use their skills in exploration and colony formation. To fulfill the goals of the mission and ensure that the in-flight population does not deplete the limited resources, the Protos Mandate is set up to govern a tightly controlled social system for the duration of the journey, which will take several generations. But problems threaten to sabotage the mission during its launch and transit, and what finally awaits the crewmembers shocks them in an unpredictable way. This novel in Part I of the book chronicles the trials and tribulations of this epic first interstellar mission. Part II consists of a scientific and referenced discussion of the challenges of manned interstellar travel that is linked to specific episodes in the novel.
Fisher v. University of Texas: The Potential for Social Science Research in Race-Conscious Admissions

Less than ten years after Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear Fisher v. University of Texas, another race conscious admissions case in higher education. In Fisher v. University of Texas, Abigail Fisher, a white Texas resident, claimed that she was denied admission to the University of Texas in Austin because of her race. Specifically, she alleges that minority students with less stellar qualifications were admitted instead of her. Affirming the district court’s opinion, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held in favor of the University. The Fifth Circuit did not find the university’s plan to be an illegal quota or akin to racial balancing. Instead, the court determined that the university followed the Grutter decision and carefully considered race as one of many factors in admitting students. The Fifth Circuit declined to hear the case en banc. After briefly highlighting the equal protection analysis, the outcomes in earlier Supreme Court decisions involving race-conscious admissions, and the 2011 Guidance from the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice on implementing race-conscious policies in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education, we examine the amicus briefs filed on behalf of Abigail Fisher and the University of Texas. In analyzing the amicus briefs, particular attention is focused on whether social science research was relied upon. Specifically, the social science research was rated and then discussed in order to highlight the range of research relied upon by both amici.
A Kinetic Approach to the Oxidation of Linseed Oil as Influenced by Fruit Peel and Seeds of Pomegranate

The objective of this research is to analyze the kinetic parameters of linseed oil by treating it with pomegranate peel and seeds at 353, 368, and 383 K using Rancimat. There are no significant differences (p < 0.05) between the oxidative stability indices of samples containing pomegranate peel and pomegranate seeds. In addition, the indices pertaining to the oxidative stability of linseed oil increase in value as the concentrations of pomegranate peel and seeds increase. Apart from the pomegranate peel at 0.1% and the quercetin, all other antioxidants are able to reduce the severity of temperature‐related parameters (i.e., temperature coefficient and Q₁₀ values). In addition, these antioxidants are able to form an activated complex with lower levels of thermal energy (by reducing activation energy and enthalpy) but of more structured configuration (by reducing the frequency factor and entropy). A high correlation is found between the Gibbs free‐energy of activation and the oxidative stability index of samples. The most substantial increase in the Gibbs free‐energy of activation occurs by TBHQ, followed by gallic acid, quercetin, and pomegranate peel at 1%. Practical Applications: Linseed oil is characterized by its high amounts of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The high PUFA content of linseed oil contributes to its rapid oxidation. Pomegranate peel and seeds are valuable sources of natural antioxidants. Investigating the effect of pomegranate peel and seeds in reducing the dependence of linseed oil oxidation on temperature provides a range of valuable kinetic parameters. Nevertheless, this subject has received little attention so far. There are few published data regarding the effect of natural antioxidants on lipid oxidation by this approach. Accordingly, this study is designed to investigate the oxidation kinetics and mechanisms of linseed oil as manipulated by fruit peel and seeds of pomegranate. The results show that the fruit peel and seeds of pomegranate can improve the oxidative stability of linseed oil and reduce the severity of effects caused by undesirable temperatures that may increase the oxidation rate of linseed oil.
Mechanical considerations for polymeric heart valve development: Biomechanics, materials, design and manufacturing

The native human heart valve leaflet contains a layered microstructure comprising a hierarchical arrangement of collagen, elastin, proteoglycans and various cell types. Here, we review the various experimental methods that have been employed to probe this intricate microstructure and which attempt to elucidate the mechanisms that govern the leaflet's mechanical properties. These methods include uniaxial, biaxial, and flexural tests, coupled with microstructural characterization techniques such as small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), small angle light scattering (SALS), and polarized light microscopy. These experiments have revealed complex elastic and viscoelastic mechanisms that are highly directional and dependent upon loading conditions and biochemistry. Of all engineering materials, polymers and polymer-based composites are best able to mimic the tissue-level mechanical behavior of the native leaflet. This similarity to native tissue permits the fabrication of polymeric valves with physiological flow patterns, reducing the risk of thrombosis compared to mechanical valves and in some cases surpassing the in vivo durability of bioprosthetic valves. Earlier work on polymeric valves simply assumed the mechanical properties of the polymer material to be linear elastic, while more recent studies have considered the full hyperelastic stress-strain response. These material models have been incorporated into computational models for the optimization of valve geometry, with the goal of minimizing internal stresses and improving durability. The latter portion of this review recounts these developments in polymeric heart valves, with a focus on mechanical testing of polymers, valve geometry, and manufacturing methods.
Can We Uncouple Neighborhood Disadvantage and Delinquent Behaviors? An Experimental Test of Family Resilience Guided by the Social Disorganization Theory of Delinquent Behaviors.

Although the influence of neighborhood disadvantage on youth development of delinquent behavior is well established, findings from this research have yet to inform the development of family-centered prevention programming to protect youth from these erosive effects. The current paper examines the role of family integration in buffering the impact of social disadvantage in a sample of N = 298 families randomly assigned either to a control condition or to a family-based prevention program previously shown to enhance marriage and parenting. We first confirmed that neighborhood concentrated disadvantage predicted change in delinquent behaviors across the course of the study. Additionally, replicating prior work, parents participating in the Protecting Strong African American Families (ProSAAF) program, relative to those randomly assigned to the control group, significantly improved their use of effective communication strategies with each other and reduced ineffective conflict in front of youth. This resulted in a significant indirect effect of ProSAAF on change in youth delinquent behaviors. Furthermore, using mediated moderation analysis, the study tested the buffering effect of greater family integration, showing that experimentally produced change in interparental communication skills and the resulting reduction in youth exposure to parental conflict buffered the effect of neighborhood disadvantage on change in youth delinquent behaviors, supporting a mediated moderation model in which family environments buffer neighborhood effects.
Miniaturized Filter-Aided Sample Preparation (MICRO-FASP) Method for High Throughput, Ultrasensitive Proteomics Sample Preparation Reveals Proteome Asymmetry in Xenopus laevis Embryos.

We report a miniaturized filter aided sample preparation method (micro-FASP) for low-loss preparation of submicrogram proteomic samples. The method employs a filter with ∼0.1 mm2 surface area, redu...
EMG Median Frequency Shifts Without Change in Muscle Oxygenation Following Novel Locomotor Training in Individuals With Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

Objectives: To examine the effect of muscle fiber recruitment patterns on muscle oxygen utilization during treadmill walking in a group of individuals who have incomplete spinal cord injury.Methods...
Transient Enhanced GluA2 Expression in Young Hippocampal Neurons of a Fragile X Mouse Model.

AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) are tetrameric ligand-gated channels made up of combinations of GluA1-4 subunits and play important roles in synaptic transmission and plasticity. Here, we have investigated the development of AMPAR-mediated synaptic transmission in the hippocampus of the Fmr1 knock-out (KO) mouse, a widely used model of Fragile X syndrome (FXS). FXS is the leading monogenic cause of intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and it is considered a neurodevelopmental disorder. For that reason, we investigated synaptic properties and dendritic development in animals from an early stage when synapses are starting to form up to adulthood. We found that hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in the Fmr1-KO mouse exhibit a higher AMPAR-NMDAR ratio early in development but reverses to normal values after P13. This increase was accompanied by a larger presence of the GluA2-subunit in synaptic AMPARs that will lead to altered Ca2+ permeability of AMPARs that could have a profound impact upon neural circuits, learning, and diseases. Following this, we found that young KO animals lack Long-term potentiation (LTP), a well-understood model of synaptic plasticity necessary for proper development of circuits, and exhibit an increased frequency of spontaneous miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents, a measure of synaptic density. Furthermore, post hoc morphological analysis of recorded neurons revealed altered dendritic branching in the KO group. Interestingly, all these anomalies are transitory and revert to normal values in older animals. Our data suggest that loss of FMRP during early development leads to temporary upregulation of the GluA2 subunit and this impacts synaptic plasticity and altering morphological dendritic branching.
Indicators of Engineering Students’ Academic Performance: A Gender-Based Study

Academic performance of engineering students continues to receive attention in the literature. However, the literature lacks studies that investigate the simultaneous relationship between students’ systems thinking (ST) skills, and Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality traits and proactive personality scale, and their potential impact on academic performance across gender. Three established instruments, namely, ST skills instrument with seven dimensions, FFM traits with five dimensions, and proactive personality with one dimension, were administrated for data collection. A web-based cross-sectional survey using Qualtrics was developed to gather data from engineering students. To show the prediction power of the ST skills, FFM traits, and proactive personality on the academic performance of engineering students, Multiple Group Structural Analysis was applied. The study findings show how key skills and characteristics impact engineering students’ academic performance and also how gender moderates these relationships. This study can provide important implications and contributions to engineering education and complex systems bodies of knowledge. First, the study will provide a better understanding of engineering students’ academic performance across gender. This intent is to help educators, teachers, mentors, college authorities, and other involved parties to understand students’ individual differences for a better training and guidance environment. Second, a closer look at the level of systemic thinking and its connection with FFM traits and proactive personality would assist in understanding engineering students’ skillset better in the domain of complex systems.
Identification of biomarkers for diagnosing and monitoring therapy in the treatment of neurologic disorders

Abstract One of the greatest obstacles for developing disease-modifying therapy for neurologic disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease is the lack of early diagnosis. Currently, the diagnosis of these diseases relies mostly on clinical symptoms which appear after massive neuronal loss has already occurred. An accurate and reliable biomarker is needed for early diagnosis, monitoring therapeutic interventions, and for assessing disease progression. Key pathological events in these diseases are protein misfolding, aggregation, and brain deposition that involves the formation of several intermediate species including soluble oligomers or aggregates (nonfibrillar). These species are toxic and believed to form years or decades before the occurrence of neuronal death and clinical symptoms. With advanced methodology, they can be detected in spinal fluid, blood, etc., an advance that approaches the need for an ideal biomarker and highlights the importance of novel methods for detecting these species associated with neurological disorders. In this regard, the development of protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) in biochemical diagnosis and disease monitoring is described.
Oil price changes and wages: a nonlinear and asymmetric approach

We assess the relationship between oil prices and wages in 15 top oil producing counties in the USA using data between 2001 and 2018. The analysis is conducted at the sectoral level where wages in seven industries are assessed in both the long- and short-run using a panel ARDL model. Asymmetric county level analyses are also conducted using nonlinear ARDL (NARDL) models. Results from the panel indicate that in the long-run, a positive shock to oil prices granger causes wages to increase in all sectors, with the largest (smallest) increase in the manufacturing (service) sector. Short-run coefficients indicate that oil price shocks have the largest effect on resource sector wages. County level results from the NARDL models provide evidence that there is no consistent effect on wages following oil price shocks in the long- and short-run in the overall economy.
Self-injectable extended release formulation of Remdesivir (SelfExRem): A potential formulation alternative for COVID-19 treatment.

There has been a growing and evolving research to find a treatment or a prevention against coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Though mass vaccination will certainly help in reducing number of COVID-19 patients, an effective therapeutic measure must be available too. Intravenous remdesivir (RDV) was the first drug receiving Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the treatment of COVID-19. However, in a pandemic like COVID-19, it is essential that drug formulations are readily available, affordable and convenient to administer to every patient around the globe. In this study, we have developed a Self-injectable extended release subcutaneous injection of Remdesivir (SelfExRem) for the treatment of COVID-19. As opposed to intravenous injection, extended release subcutaneous injection has the benefits of reducing face-to-face contact, minimizing hospitalization, reducing dosing frequency and reducing overall health care cost. SelfExRem was developed using a biodegradable polymer, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), dissolved in a biocompatible vehicle. Six different batches were formulated using 2 different grades of low molecular weight PLGA and 3 different PLGA concentration. The force of injection of various polymeric solutions through 23-30-gauge needles were analyzed using a TA.XTplus texture analyzer. The time required for injection was evaluated both manually and by using an autoinjector. In vitro release of all the batches were carried out in 1% v/v tween 80 in phosphate buffer saline. The study indicated that SelfExRem developed with15% w/v PLGA(75:25) provided a steady release of drug for 48 h and may be a breakthrough approach for the treatment of COVID-19.
Does Parenting Style Affect Adolescent IBD Transition Readiness and Self-Efficacy Scores?

Background: Transition to adult-centered care requires adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to acquire a set of independent self-management skills. Transition success can be affected by maturity, cognitive development, and many other factors. Our hypothesis was that parenting style would be associated with increased self-efficacy and therefore transitions readiness. Methods: A prospective cohort survey study of adolescents with IBD and their parents from October 2018 to October 2019 was performed. Participants completed the IBD-Self-Efficacy Scale- Adolescent questionnaire (IBD-SES-A) and the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire (TRAQ). Parents completed the Parent Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ-short form). Demographic and disease information were also collected. Results: Sixty-nine participants were included for full analysis (36 males and 33 females); mean age was 18.2 years, and average age of IBD diagnosis 13 years. Overall, 83% of participants were non-Hispanic Caucasian, and 84% reported parental annual income over USD 100,000. All 69 parents reported an authoritative parenting style. Females have significantly higher TRAQ scores than males (p = 0.0004). TRAQ scores differed significantly between age groups, with 20 to 22 years old having higher scores (p ≤ 0.0001). TRAQ and IBD-SES-A scores did not differ by parental education or parenting style. Conclusion: Given the inability to delineate different parenting, this study was unable to demonstrate a protective parenting style associated with better transitions readiness and self-efficacy scores in adolescents with IBD. Within the context of authoritative parenting, we did find that females and older adolescents had higher transition readiness scores. Additional research into psychosocial determinants of transition readiness, and the importance of multidisciplinary management with an integrated team including psychologist and social workers, can help improve IBD transition outcomes.
Revolution, Anti-Imperialism, and Learning

The paper raises the question of the relationship of the post sovereign, multi-stage, negotiated paradigm to external imposition and influence. It proposes three ways of guarding against "neo-imperialism" within the paradigm: corporatism, constitutionalization of social rights and rights against third parties, and the expansion of civil society participation in the ascending stages of constitution making.