cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ISOCITRIC DEHYDROGENASE IN UNEMBRYONATED EGGS OF ASCARIS LUMBRICOIDES.

Abstract Using dialyzed homogenates of unembryonated eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides var. suum , isocitric dehydrogenase activity was demonstrated. Isocitrate as substrate stimulated oxygen consumption and formation of α-ketoglutarate. In addition, isocitrate stimulated the reduction of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol. In all cases, added triphosphopyridine nucleotide (TPN) was required as cofactor for the dehydrogenase activity. Diphosphopyridine nucleotide (DPN) had no such stimulatory effect. The enzymatic activity was further stimulated by the presence of phenazine methosulfate which oxidized TPNH. The addition of pyruvate appeared to stimulate the formation of α-ketoglutarate from isocitrate and oxidized TPNH resulting from the dehydrogenase activity. The results suggested the possibility of a coupling reaction for the oxidation of TPNH. The possible role of isocitric dehydrogenase and TPN in the metabolism of developing eggs was discussed as well as the comparative relationship to the enzyme observed in adult muscle preparations.
Barrier versus Oral Contraceptive Use: A Study of Female College Students

Abstract Although they provide birth control and are easier to use, oral contraceptives (OCPs) are not the preferred approach to preventing sexually transmitted disease (STD). Do the knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of oral contraceptive users place them at greater risk for STDs than those who employ barrier methods? This study examined differences between sexually active female college students (ie, those who reported ever having had vaginal intercourse) who used OCPs and those who employed barrier methods of contraception at the time of their most recent intercourse. The authors analyzed HIV- and other STD-related knowlege, attitudes, and behaviors from three consecutive annual health surveys of young women about to begin their first year of college. Findings showed barrier and OCP users to be comparable in knowledge about the effectiveness of various contraceptive methods in protecting them against STDs, perceived personal susceptibility to HIV, and experiences with alcohol before sexual intercour...
The biological significance of G-T/G-U mispairing in nucleic acid secondary structure

We have computed the expected distribution of the potential for hairpinlike secondary structures with small loops (3–20 bases) and uninterrupted stems and compared that to the distribution observed in the complete genomes of seven DNA viruses from animals, plants and bacteria, as well as a bacterial plasmid. The formation of G-T mismatches in the stems of these structures was allowed. Furthermore we have analyzed the distribution of the potential for such structures along the genetic maps of these genomes, specifically around the start sites of known genes. Our data reveal that the potential for mismatch containing structures with stem length exceeding eight base pairs is over-represented and non-randomly distributed, but to a much lesser degree than that for perfect structures of equal size. Moreover, the potential for both types of structures is preferentially located near functional start codons. From this we deduce that in general G-T/G-U containing nucleic acid secondary structures are biologically relevant, though possibly less significant than perfect ones.
Hair cell regeneration in the bird cochlea following noise damage or ototoxic drug damage

Hair cells are sensory cells that transduce motion into neural signals. In the cochlea, they are used to detect sound waves in the environment and turn them into auditory signals that can be processed in the brain. Hair cells in the cochlea of birds and mammals were thought to be produced only during embryogenesis and, once made, they were expected to last throughout the lifetime of the animal. Thus, any loss of hair cells due to trauma or disease was thought to lead to permanent impairment of auditory function. Recently, however, studies from a number of laboratories have shown that hair cells in the avian cochlea can be regenerated after acoustic trauma or ototoxic drug damage. This regeneration is accompanied by a repair of the sensory organ and associated tissues and results in a recovery of auditory function. In this review, we examine and compare the structural events that lead to hair cell loss after noise damage and ototoxic drug damage as well as the processes involved in the recovery of the epithelium and the regeneration of the hair cells. Moreover, we examine functional recovery and how it relates to the structural recovery. Finally, we investigate the evidence for the hypothesis that supporting cells in the basilar papilla act as the progenitor cells for the regenerated hair cells and examine the cellular events required to stimulate the progenitor cells to leave the quiescent state, re-enter the cell cycle, and divide.
Exogenous and Endogenous Attention Orienting in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Fifteen children with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and 15 children with typical development completed an attentional cuing task using peripheral cues (exogenous orienting) and central cues (endogenous orienting). Results showed that participants with ASD had impaired exogenous and intact endogenous orienting. The pattern of exogenous orienting was related to motor functioning. Individuals with ASD who had poor motor functioning displayed slowed exogenous orienting. However, individuals with ASD who had relatively good motor functioning showed typical levels of exogenous orienting when given a short time but decreased orienting when given a longer amount of time. These results suggest attention impairments in ASD may not be specific to social orienting and instead may represent a more general orienting impairment.
Privates, pee-pees, and coochies: Gender and genital labeling for/with young children:

Second-wave feminists argued that early bodily knowledge was necessary for women’s sexual health and well-being. Using survey data from over 600 mothers, we ask if, decades after the sexual revolut...
Interaction of D3 preferring agonist (−)-N 6-(2-(4-(biphenyl-4-yl)piperazin-1-yl)ethyl)-N 6-propyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[d]thiazole-2,6-diamine (D-264) with cloned human D2L, D2S, and D3 receptors: potent stimulation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and G protein-coupled inward rectifier potassium channels

This study aims to determine the effect of the novel D3 dopamine receptor agonist, D-264, on activation of D3 and D2 dopamine receptor signal transduction pathways and cell proliferation. AtT-20 neuroendocrine cells stably expressing human D2S, D2L, and D3 dopamine receptors were treated with D-264 and the coupling of the receptors to mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and G protein-coupled inward rectifier potassium (GIRK) channels was determined using Western blotting and whole-cell voltage clamp recording, respectively. D-264 potently activated MAPK signaling pathway coupled to D2S, D2L, and D3 dopamine receptors. The activation of MAPK was more pronounced than the reference agonist quinpirole and was longer lasting. D-264 also activated GIRK channels coupled to D2S, D2L, and D3 receptors. In addition, D-264 dose-dependently induced cell proliferation in AtT-D2L and AtT-D3 cells. These results indicate that D-264 robustly activates GIRK channels and MAPK coupled to D2 and D3 dopamine receptors in AtT-20 cells. D-264 is also a potent inducer of cell proliferation.
Measurement and Control of Particle-Bearing Air Currents in a Vertical Laminar Flow Clean Room

Contamination is a crucial issue in the economics of present-day semiconductor manufacturing technology. Such contamination, which may spring from many sources, is controlled in part by the use of special facilities such as the VLF (Vertical Laminar Flow) clean room. However, the current emphasis on high-performance semiconductors requires submicron lithography, where even 0.1 micrometer and smaller-sized particles result in significant product yield losses. Such particles lack the mass to be affected significantly by gravity, but may be convected by even the weakest air currents. In essence, these particles behave as aerosols. Thus, the issue of particle transport by clean room air currents is of great significance. Unfortunately, this issue is poorly understood and is probably not given sufficient attention in clean room design. Despite the VLF designation, the airflows in these clean rooms may not be casually assumed to be either vertical or laminar. In the present study, flow visualization techniques have been applied to reveal such airflow patterns. Among several available techniques, the schlieren optical technique is non-intrusive, non-contaminating, and is itself a detector of the weak thermal gradients in air currents. The study was carried out in a full-scale, state-of-the-art VLF clean room (the IBM Manassas Submicrometer Lithographic Facility). Attention was centered on the airflow about a multistation silicon wafer processing tool. The results emphasize the need for redistribution and rebalancing of the airflow after tool installation. The consideration of secondary flows self-induced by the tool and the compromise between airflow distribution and maintenance access are also discussed.
Radiation-lnduced Graft Polymerization in Emulsion Systems

Abstract The radiation-induced polymerization of styrene was conducted under emulsion conditions in the presence of polybutadiene latex in an attempt to induce grafting and the results were compared with the corresponding chemically initiated system. The propagation rate constants, kp, for styrene estimated on the assumption of the Smith-Ewart theory and the activation energies derived from the temperature dependence were found to be in good agreement with the values reported in the literature. The grafting efficiency was also measured and the results are discussed in association with the molecular weight of the polystyrene chains on the basis of a simple model. This is presented to explain some aspects of the experimental results and to give clearer ideas of the reactions involved.
Hierarchical analysis for determining disconnectedness in a contact formation

Stratification of compliant control requires that we know whether, for any contact configurations under the same contact formation, them exists a CF-compliant motion connecting them. This motivates the question of whether a given CF has disjoint regions of configurations. It is the geometric features of the contacting objects that may cause disjoint regions of contact configurations under the same topological contact formation. In this paper we further analyze such geometric features between two contacting polygons. This paper presents a vocabulary and a hierarchical method that we have found useful in analyzing CFs to determine the connectedness of their regions of CF-compliant configurations. The hierarchical analysis method simplifies the detection of disjoint regions in a CF through a series of tests of increasing complexity on the geometric relations between the two objects in contact under the CF.
Ethanol infusion in the vein of Marshall: Adjunctive effects during ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Background The vein of Marshall (VOM) is a left atrial (LA) vein that contains autonomic innervation and triggers of AF. Its location coincides with areas usually ablated during pulmonary vein (PV) antral isolation (PVAI). Objective This study sought to delineate the safety and ablative effects of ethanol infusion in the VOM during catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods Patients undergoing PVAI (n = 14) gave consent for adjunctive VOM ethanol infusion. In 10 of 14 patients, the VOM was cannulated with an angioplasty wire and balloon. Echocardiographic contrast was injected in the VOM under echocardiographic monitoring. Two infusions of 100% ethanol (1 ml each) were delivered via the angioplasty balloon in the VOM. LA bipolar voltage maps were created before and after ethanol infusion. Radiofrequency ablation times required to isolate each PV and other procedural data were compared with those of 10 age-, sex-, AF type– and LA size–matched control subjects undergoing conventional PVAI. Results The VOM communicated with underlying myocardium, as shown by echocardiographic contrast passage into the LA. There were no acute complications related to VOM ethanol infusion, which led to the creation of a low-voltage area in the LA measuring 10.6 ± 7.6 cm 2 and isolation of the left inferior PV in 4 of 10 patients. Radiofrequency ablation time required to achieve isolation of the left inferior PV was reduced (2.2 ± 4 min vs. 11.4 ± 10.3 min in control subjects, P Conclusion VOM ethanol infusion is safe in humans, decreases radiofrequency ablation time in the left inferior PV, and may have a role as an adjunct to PVAI.
Apical-to-basal gradients in age-related cochlear degeneration and their relationship to "primary" loss of cochlear neurons

The predominant conceptual framework for understanding human age-related hearing loss (ARHL, or presbycusis) holds that three different cochlear elements (organ of Corti, afferent neurons, and stria vascularis) can degenerate independently, and exert independent influences on hearing. Within this framework, temporal bones from subjects with ARHL may be classified as exemplifying sensory (referring to organ of Corti), "primary" neural (loss of afferent neurons without loss of their hair cell targets), strial, or mixed ARHL. While there is general agreement as to the types of cochlear cells most affected by aging, there is less agreement about how to classify ARHL, and whether contributions of particular structures to hearing loss can be isolated. The cochlear apex of humans and animals is particularly prone to apparent primary loss of neurons that may represent an aspect of neural ARHL. We recently reported that in 129S6/SvEv mice apical neuronal loss is often accompanied by abnormalities of spiral limbus, pillar cells, and Reissner's membrane (Ohlemiller and Gagnon [2004] J Comp Neurol 469:377-390). We proposed that the initial pathology occurs within limbus, leading to disruption of perilymphatic ion homeostasis, and eventual loss of neurons as one consequence. We have now examined this issue quantitatively in young and old mice of four different strains (129S6/SvEv, CBA/J, C57BL/6, and BALB/c). Abnormalities of apical spiral limbus were found to correlate only weakly with neuronal loss. Strong correlations were found between neuronal loss and abnormalities of both pillar cells and Reissner's membrane, however. Apical neuronal loss and apical-to-basal progression of pathology of limbus, pillar cells, and Reissner's membrane run counter to most reported age-related cochlear trends. Our findings suggest that these changes share a common triggering influence.
Optical nonlinearities in hydrogenated- amorphous silicon waveguides

We experimentally measure the optical nonlinearities in hydrogenated-amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) waveguides through the transmission of ultra-short pulses. The measured two-photon absorption coefficient β is 4.1 cm/GW and we obtain a 3.5π nonlinear phase shift at 4.1 W coupled input power corresponding to a nonlinear refractive index n2 of 4.2∙10−13 cm2/W. The measured nonlinear coefficient γ = 2003 (W∙m)−1 is at least 5 times the value in crystalline silicon. The measured free carrier absorption coefficient σ = 1.9∙10−16 cm2 agrees with the values predicted from the Drude-Lorenz model. It is seen that a-Si:H exhibits enhanced nonlinear properties at 1550 nm and is a promising platform for nonlinear silicon photonics.
Rhesus monkey oocyte maturation and fertilization in vitro: roles of the menstrual cycle phase and of exogenous gonadotropins.

Our objectives were to improve the efficiency of rhesus monkey oocyte maturation and fertilization in vitro and to determine the influence of menstrual cycle phase and exogenous gonadotropins on these processes. Immature oocytes were recovered from antral follicles of ovaries excised from unstimulated animals (n = 14). The highest yield and quality was associated with oocytes obtained from early follicular phase ovaries, and more of these oocytes underwent germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD; 55%) and matured to metaphase II (MII; 40%) than did oocytes from late follicular (GVBD, 28%; MU, 9%) or luteal (GVBD, 13%; MIU, 10%) phase ovaries. Exogenous human (h) FSH and hLH improved GVBD and MII levels for oocytes recovered from late follicular phase ovaries and increased GVBD, but not MII, for oocytes from luteal phase ovaries. MI levels for oocytes from early follicular phase ovaries were adversely affected. Early follicular phase oocytes underwent GVBD faster and attained MII sooner than did those from either late follicular or luteal phase ovaries. Whereas exogenous gonadotropins did not significantly affect oocyte fertilization, follicular phase oocytes tended to be fertilized at a higher rate (p = 0.07). These results demonstrate that higher maturation levels are obtained with oocytes from early follicular phase ovaries and that gonadotropins influence oocyte performance in a cycle phase-dependent manner.
Conductance and convergence of Markov chains-a combinatorial treatment of expanders

A direct combinatorial argument is given to bound the convergence rate of Markov chains in terms of their conductance (these are statements of the nature 'random walks on expanders converge fast'). In addition to showing that the linear algebra in previous arguments for such results on time-reversible Markov chains was unnecessary, the direct analysis applies to general irreversible Markov chains. >
Nursing: The Ontology of the Discipline

The purpose of this article is to contribute to clarifying the ontology of the discipline by extending existing meanings of the term nursing to propose a substantive definition. In this definition, nursing is viewed as an inherent human process of well-being, manifested by complexity and integration in human systems. The nature of this process and theoretical implications of the new nursing are presented. Nurses are invited to continue the dialogue about the meaning of the term and explore the implications of nursing, substantively defined, for their practice and science.
Childhood socioeconomic factors and perinatal characteristics influence development of rheumatoid arthritis in adulthood

Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been associated with lower socioeconomic status (SES), but the reasons for this are not known. Objectives To examine childhood SES measures, SES trajectory and other perinatal factors in relation to RA. Methods The sample included 50 884 women, aged 35–74 (84% non-Hispanic white) enrolled 2004–9 in a US national cohort study. In baseline questionnaires, cases (N=424, 0.8%) reported RA diagnosis after age 16, ever use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or steroids for RA and ≥6 weeks bilateral joint swelling. Childhood SES measures are presented as OR and 95% CI adjusted for age and race/ethnicity. Analyses of perinatal factors also adjusted for childhood SES, and joint effects of childhood and adult SES and smoking exposures were evaluated. Results Patients with RA reported lower childhood household education ( Conclusions RA was associated with low childhood SES sustained into adulthood, with cumulative effects across multiple measures, suggesting the importance of other unmeasured factors linking SES and RA.
Novel Drugs and Combination Therapies for the Treatment of Metastatic Melanoma

Metastatic melanoma (MM) still remains as one of the most worrisome cancer known to mankind. In last two decades, treatment of melanoma took a dramatic turn with the discovery of targeted therapy which targets the mutations in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and immune checkpoint inhibitors. These new findings have led to emergence of many novel drugs that have been approved by FDA. Targeted therapy drugs such as vemurafenib, trametinib and dabrafenib target the MAPK pathway whereas immunotherapies such as ipilimumab, nivolumab and pembrolizumab block immune checkpoint receptors on T lymphocytes. All these drugs have shown to improve the overall survival in MM. Despite these recent discoveries, treatment of MM remains challenging because of rapid development of resistance to targeted therapy. This review will discuss recently approved drugs and their adverse effects and also shed light on combination therapy in treatment of melanoma. J Clin Med Res. 2016;8(2):63-75 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jocmr2424w
Pulse Combustion Applications: Past, Present and Future

This paper presents an introduction to pulse combustion and a discussion of its past, present and future applications. The types and principles of operation of pulse combustors are discussed. A linear theoretical treatment of the driving of pulsations by a periodic heat addition process is presented. This model shows that the combustion process drives or damps acoustic oscillations when the magnitude of the phase difference between the combustion process and flow oscillations is smaller or larger than 90°, respectively. Furthermore, the frequency of the pulse combustor oscillations is larger or smaller than the natural acoustic mode frequency of the pulse combustor when the magnitude of the phase difference between the combustion and pressure oscillations is smaller or larger than 180°, respectively. The theoretical discussion is followed by a brief historical review of pulse combustion applications. Next, the advantages of pulse combustion heating applications, which have been successfully commercialized in the US, Europe and Japan in recent years, are discussed. The article closes with a discussion of the recently developed resonant driving method that uses a tunable pulse combustor to drive large amplitude beneficial pulsations in energy intensive, combustion and incineration processes. It is shown that this approach can be used to produce fuel savings, increased productivity, reduced emissions and improved product quality in a wide range of industrial processes.
Natural history of brain capillary vascular malformations in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia patients

Background and purpose Brain capillary vascular malformations (CVMs) are known to occur with relatively high frequency in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) patients. These lesions are thought to have a benign natural history but this has not been systematically studied. The purpose of our study was to examine the natural history of CVMs in a consecutive series of HHT patients. Materials and methods Consecutive patients with untreated CVMs receiving serial imaging were included. Baseline data including demographics, HHT gene mutations, and Curacao diagnostic criteria were collected. The primary outcome was rupture on follow-up. A secondary outcome was new focal neurological deficit or seizure related to the lesion. Results 22 patients with 42 CVMs were included. Mean age was 45.9±16.9 years. 18 patients (81.8%) were women and 4 (18.2%) were men. 19 patients (86.4%) had definite HHT and 3 patients (13.6%) had probable HHT. Mean follow-up was 4.6±3.7 years. There were a total of 100.2 patient years of follow-up and 222.5 lesion years. No lesions ruptured on follow-up and no patient had focal neurological deficits or seizures related to the lesions. Conclusions Our study found that CVMs in HHT patients have a benign natural history as no patients had hemorrhage or other symptoms related to these lesions. These findings should be confirmed in additional multicenter longitudinal studies.
MODULAR FINITE STATE MACHINES IMPLEMENTED AS EVENT-CONDITION-ACTION SYSTEMS

Abstract This paper presents a method to design a logic controller as an Event-Condition-Action (ECA) system, where the Modular Finite State Machine (MFSM) framework has been used to build the model for the controller. The resulting model, called an ECA MFSM, is in essence a MFSM model with a special structure that enables the processing of logic to follow the ECA paradigm. The ECA rule based method has a solid theoretical root and has been the paradigm followed to design active database systems.
INVESTIGATION AND ANALYSIS OF OAK RESOURCR UTILIZATION IN SOUTHERN SHAANXI

The major ways to utilize oak resource in southern Shaanxi-the production of edibbe fungi,tall Gastrodia,timber and charcoal and the sit- uation of firwood ccnsumption were discussed.The present situation and causes of seriorly overcutting in the oak resource were also analysed.Some suggestion to utlize and manage oak resource has been given.
Computational study of electro-convection effects on dendrite growth in batteries

Abstract Dendrite formation on the anode surface of a battery is closely related to the safety and capacity of high energy density batteries, thus suppressing dendrite growth will significantly improve the performance of batteries. Many experimental reports reveal that convection near the dendrite nucleation site can change the local mass transport, and ultimately affect dendrite growth. Investigation of the convection effect in batteries will guide the development of strategies to suppress dendrite growth in a convective electrolyte. Most of the existing electro-convection computational models for dendrite growth studies are based on Eulerian frameworks. These methods have difficulty modeling the moving boundaries associated with dendrite growth and are less computationally efficient in simulating convective fluid motion. In this paper we adopt a mesh-free particle based Lagrangian method to address the challenges of previous grid based Eulerian electro-convection models. The developed model is verified by comparison to analytical solutions, including verification of ion migration and the electric potential. Simulation results show that the predicted dendrite growth and electro-convective flow patterns compare well with experimental results during early dendrite growth stages. Parametric studies reveal that low viscosity electrolytes suppress the dendrite growth by increasing the mass transport of ions near the anode/electrolyte interface.
Role of the polyscaccharide capsule in Bordetella pertussis virulence: A novel capsulemediated virulence mechanism in a bacterial pathogen

P capsules are important virulent determinants for many bacterial pathogens by providing various protective mechanisms against hostile extracellular environments. Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, produces a microcapsule at its surface but its role in pertussis pathogenesis remained to be investigated. In this work, we demonstrate that the proteins involved in the polysaccharide export across the bacterial envelope, but not the surface-exposed capsule itself, are involved in B. pertussis virulence. Absence of KpsT, a membrane-associated protein involved in the polysaccharide transport resulted in the down-modulation of a large number of virulence genes which correlated with strong attenuation in vivo. Mechanistically, we provide experimental evidence of a crosstalk between the polysaccharide export machinery and the two-component system BvgA/S which modulates the expression of the great majority of B. pertussis virulence genes in response to environmental stimuli. Our work unravels a novel capsule-mediated virulence mechanism in the bacteria kingdom. Sylvie Alonso, J Bacteriol Parasitol 2013, 4:4 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2155-9597.S1.002
Experimental Evaluation of Deadbeat Running on the ATRIAS Biped

Theoretical spring mass models with deadbeat foot placement policies reveal very robust running in the presence of large and frequent, unexpected gait disturbances. Although this performance goes beyond what has been demonstrated on running machines, a transfer of this theory has only been investigated for simplified monopod systems. Here we investigate how well the control strategies developed for the spring mass model transfer to more complex and human-like robots. We use a model-based control framework to implement the spring mass behavior on a bipedal robot of human scale and weight with articulated legs and an actively stabilized trunk. Evaluating the tracking performance in robot experiments on undisturbed and disturbed running, we find that our controller achieves tracking consistent with the underlying model for velocity changes of $\pm \text{0.2}\,\text{m/s}^{-1}$ . For larger velocity changes and ground height disturbances up to $\pm \text{15}\,\text{cm}$ , the controller performance degrades but the robot maintains running. Based on perturbed simulations of the simplified model, we conclude that the degradation is largely related to force disturbances not considered in the underlying spring mass control theory. The results highlight both limitations of the existing spring mass theory for control of more complex machines and a spring mass model-based control that generates robust and versatile behavior in running robots.
Differential effects of social and novelty enrichment on individual differences in impulsivity and behavioral flexibility

Abstract Early life experience profoundly impacts behavior and cognitive functions in rats. The present study investigated how the presence of conspecifics and/or novel objects, could independently influence individual differences in impulsivity and behavioral flexibility. Twenty-four rats were reared in an isolated condition, an isolated condition with a novel object, a pair-housed social condition, or a pair-housed social condition with a novel object. The rats were then tested on an impulsive choice task, a behavioral flexibility task, and an impulsive action task. Novelty enrichment produced an overall increase in impulsive choice, while social enrichment decreased impulsive choice in the absence of novelty enrichment and also produced an overall increase in impulsive action. In the behavioral flexibility task, social enrichment increased regressive errors, whereas both social and novelty enrichment reduced never-reinforced errors. Individual differences analyses indicated a significant relationship between performance in the behavioral flexibility and impulsive action tasks, which may reflect a common psychological correlate of action inhibition. Moreover, there was a relationship between delay sensitivity in the impulsive choice task and performance on the DRL and behavioral flexibility tasks, suggesting a dual role for timing and inhibitory processes in driving the interrelationship between these tasks. Overall, these results indicate that social and novelty enrichment produce distinct effects on impulsivity and adaptability, suggesting the need to parse out the different elements of enrichment in future studies. Further research is warranted to better understand how individual differences in sensitivity to enrichment affect individuals’ interactions with and the resulting consequences of the rearing environment.
Hydrodynamic Effects of Solitary Waves Impinging on a Bridge Deck with Air Vents

AbstractAir vents in bridge decks are considered one potential measure for mitigating risk of damage to coastal bridges caused by extreme storm surge because they may reduce hydrodynamic uplift loa...
Hepatic, adipocyte, enteric and pancreatic hormones: response to dietary macronutrient composition and relationship with metabolism

We sought to characterize the effects of dietary macronutrient composition on various hormones implicated in the regulation of insulin sensitivity (IS) and energy expenditure (EE). Following 10–15% weight loss, 21 overweight subjects consumed 3 weight-loss maintenance diets [low fat (LF), low glycemic index (LGI) and very low carbohydrate (VLC)] in random order, each for 4 weeks. At baseline and at the end of each treatment period, fasting samples for fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-21, heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1), chemerin, irisin, secreted frizzle-related protein (SFRP-4), total bile acids, ghrelin, gastrin inhibitory peptide (GIP), peptide-Y, and amylin; hepatic and peripheral IS; and EE were obtained. Analyses were controlled for age, gender, baseline body mass index, and diet sequence. FGF-21 decreased (P < 0.0001), with differential effect by macronutrient composition (mean change from baseline ± SEM: LF −49.4 ± 16.6, LGI -58.6 ± 16.3, VLC -76.7 ± 18.2 pg/mL, P = 0.0002). Change in FGF-21 was inversely associated with change in hepatic IS [Beta = −0.565 units/log(ng/mL), P = 0.02], but not with peripheral IS or EE. Heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1) increased (P = 0.003), without differential effect by macronutrient composition (LF 0.40 ± 0.26, LGI 0.98 ± 0.63, VLC 0.49 ± 0.29 ng/mL, P = 0.07). Ghrelin increased (P = 0.0003), while chemerin decreased (P = 0.001) without macronutrient effect. Total bile acid, irisin, SFRP-4, GIP, peptide-Y and amylin levels did not change. FGF-21 levels decreased with dietary intervention in proportion to carbohydrate content, and correlated with hepatic insulin sensitivity, suggesting a pattern of improving FGF-21 resistance. HO-1 increased in response to dietary intervention, a tendency to greater increase in response to the LGI diet. Dietary intervention affected ghrelin and chemerin, independent of macronutrient composition. These findings may elucidate relationships between dietary composition, insulin sensitivity and metabolism. NCT00315354 .
Hepatitis C Virus Translation Inhibitors Targeting the Internal Ribosomal Entry Site

The internal ribosome entry site (IRES) in the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome initiates translation of the viral polyprotein precursor. The unique structure and high sequence conservation of the 5′ UTR render the IRES RNA a potential target for the development of selective viral translation inhibitors. Here, we provide an overview of approaches to block HCV IRES function by nucleic acid, peptide, and small molecule ligands. Emphasis will be given to the IRES subdomain IIa, which currently is the most advanced target for small molecule inhibitors of HCV translation. The subdomain IIa behaves as an RNA conformational switch. Selective ligands act as translation inhibitors by locking the conformation of the RNA switch. We review synthetic procedures for inhibitors as well as structural and functional studies of the subdomain IIa target and its ligand complexes.
The I-Raum: A new shaped hohlraum for improved inner beam propagation in indirectly-driven ICF implosions on the National Ignition Facility

Recent work in indirectly-driven inertial confinement fusion implosions on the National Ignition Facility has indicated that late-time propagation of the inner cones of laser beams (23° and 30°) is impeded by the growth of a “bubble” of hohlraum wall material (Au or depleted uranium), which is initiated by and is located at the location where the higher-intensity outer beams (44° and 50°) hit the hohlraum wall. The absorption of the inner cone beams by this “bubble” reduces the laser energy reaching the hohlraum equator at late time driving an oblate or pancaked implosion, which limits implosion performance. In this article, we present the design of a new shaped hohlraum designed specifically to reduce the impact of this bubble by adding a recessed pocket at the location where the outer cones hit the hohlraum wall. This recessed pocket displaces the bubble radially outward, reducing the inward penetration of the bubble at all times throughout the implosion and increasing the time for inner beam propagatio...
Enhanced online subspace estimation via adaptive sensing

This work investigates the problem of adaptive measurement design for online subspace estimation from compressive linear measurements. We study the previously proposed Grassmannian rank-one online subspace estimation (GROUSE) algorithm with adaptively designed compressive measurements. We propose an adaptive measurement scheme that biases the measurement vectors towards the current subspace estimate and prove a global convergence result for the resulting algorithm. Our experiments on synthetic data demonstrate the effectiveness of the adaptive measurement scheme over non-adaptive compressive random measurements.
APD Rise Time Measurements for 50–300-keV Ions

In this paper, we report the rise time of three silicon reach-through avalanche photodiodes (APD) when measuring alpha particles and low-energy ions in the energy range from 50 to 300 keV. The APDs were custom manufactured by Hamamatsu Photonics and differ by their doping manufacturing method (p-type or n-type) and their depletion layer thickness (30 or $150~\mu \text{m}$ ). Our findings are summarized as follows: 1) the rise time is largely a function of detector drift layer thickness and 2) the rise time is mostly independent of ion species. The measured rise time values were comparable to ~1.5 ns for the two $30~\mu \text{m}$ APDs at the operational bias voltages. In combination with the timing electronics, such as constant fraction discriminators, a less than 1-ns response time resolution will be achievable for these APDs. These new findings are valuable for applying APDs for suprathermal particle measurements in space physics, enabling simplified time-of-flight and energy systems, and high count rate applications.
The Training Director: Middleman at Mid-Life

Residency training directors play a crucial middle management administrative role in determining the content and learning milieu of psychiatric specialty training. They also serve as major teachers, role models, and mentors for tomorrow’s practitioners. This report describes the tasks, stresses, and rewards of the residency training director’s role as departmental middleman standing between the faculty and trainees, between competing service and teaching needs, and between the chairman and other departmental faculty. It also explores the interactions of this role with the personal issues of adult development which the psychiatrist training director himself faces as a mid-life, mid-career professional.
Leveraging technology to promote smoking cessation in urban and rural primary care medical offices.

Abstract We examined the use of automated voice recognition (AVR) messages targeting smokers from primary care practices located in underserved urban and rural communities to promote smoking cessation. We partnered with urban and rural primary care medical offices (n = 7) interested in offering this service to patients. Current smokers, 18 years and older, who had completed an office visit within the previous 12 months, from these sites were used to create a smoker's registry. Smokers were recruited within an eight county region of western New York State between June 2012 and August 2013. Participants were contacted over six month intervals using the AVR system. Among 5812 smokers accrued 1899 (32%) were reached through the AVR system and 55% (n = 1049) continued to receive calls. Smokers with race other than white or African American were less likely to be reached (OR = 0.71, 0.57–0.90), while smokers ages 40 and over were more likely to be reached. Females (OR = 0.78, 0.65–0.95) and persons over age 40 years were less likely to opt out, while rural smokers were more likely to opt out (OR = 3.84, 3.01–4.90). Among those receiving AVR calls, 30% reported smoke free (self-reported abstinence over a 24 h period) at last contact; smokers from rural areas were more likely to report being smoke free (OR = 1.41, 1.01–1.97). An AVR-based smoking cessation intervention provided added value beyond typical tobacco cessation efforts available in these primary care offices. This intervention required no additional clinical staff time and served to satisfy a component of patient center medical home requirements for practices.
Prehospital Damage-Control Resuscitation.

Severe hemorrhage from injury claims the lives of nearly 50,000 Americans every year. Because many of these deaths occur in young, vital people, this number translates to an astounding loss of almo...
Digital Storytelling With Heroin Users in Vancouver.

As the opioid crisis escalates across North America, photographers are highlighting the gravity of the situation. However, many of their images of people who use drugs are problematic and stigmatiz...
Proactive Robot Assistants for Freeform Collaborative Tasks Through Multimodal Recognition of Generic Subtasks

Successful human-robot collaboration depends on a shared understanding of task state and current goals. In nonlinear or freeform tasks without an explicit task model, robot partners are unable to provide assistance without the ability to translate perception into meaningful task knowledge. In this paper, we explore the utility of multimodal recurrent neural networks (RNNs) with long short-term memory (LSTM) units for real-time subtask recognition in order to provide context-aware assistance during generic assembly tasks. We train RNNs to recognize specific subtasks in individual modalities, then combine the high-level representations of these networks through a nonlinear connection layer to create a multimodal subtask recognition system. We report results from implementing the system on a robot that uses the subtask recognition system to provide predictive assistance to a human partner during a laboratory experiment involving a human-robot team completing an assembly task. Generalizability of the system is evaluated through training and testing on separate tasks with some similar subtasks. Our results demonstrate the value of such a system in providing assistance to human partners during a freeform assembly scenario and increasing humans' perception of the robot's agency and usefulness.
Economic and environmental implications of different approaches to hedge against wind production uncertainty in two-settlement electricity markets: A PJM case study

Abstract This paper examines the economic and environmental outcomes of four two-settlement electricity market clearing designs. The first design corresponds to a Deterministic Market Clearing (DMC) similar to the mechanism currently used in organized wholesale electricity markets in the United States. The other three designs account for the day-ahead (DA) wind power production uncertainty into the DA market mechanisms either implicitly or explicitly. An Augmented Deterministic Market Clearing (ADMC) design introduces DA ramp-capability products. These products ensure adequate and ramp-feasible electricity generation capacity commitments in the DA stage to cope with the real-time realization of wind power generation. A Hybrid Deterministic Market clearing (HDMC) design augments ADMC by explicitly integrating a characterization of wind power production uncertainty into the residual unit commitment (RUC) process, which is run after the DA market is closed, using stochastic programming. The last design, referred to as stochastic market clearing (SMC), uses stochastic optimization to explicitly account for wind power production uncertainty in the DA market clearing mechanisms (i.e. DA unit commitment and economic dispatch). The four market clearing designs are assessed by simulating the electricity market operations of a test system and comparing their results in terms of operating costs, prices, costs and revenues of different types of producers, consumer's payments, integration of wind power, and air emissions. The test system has 12% of the capacity of PJM's fossil-fired power generation fleet, and uses data on coincident demand and wind power production from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) system during years 2010–2014. The simulations are performed hourly for a whole year. Results show that SMC is superior as its costs reductions are more than two times the improvements attained by ADMC and HDMC. Also, SMC results in electricity prices that are better aligned with operation costs, cuts the spread between the day-ahead and real-time prices by >40%, reduces out-of-market short-term revenue sufficiency payments by 58%, reduces CO2 emissions by 3.52%, and decreases power plants' cycling. HDMC is a distant second-best market design. Relative to DMC, it achieves a reduction in total costs that is less than half the reduction achieved by SMC, a reduction in out-of-market payments that is 80% of the reduction attained by SMC, and an increase in wind power integration that is
CALMING THE STORM: SEVERE AORTIC STENOSIS CAUSING RECURRENT VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA

Polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PMVT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) are complex arrhythmias with a variety of factors that contribute to their propagation. Here we present a patient with VT storm and VF who required a multimodal approach and eventual aortic valve replacement to resolve the
Cumulative Sulfate Loads Shift Porewater to Sulfidic Conditions in Freshwater Wetland Sediment

It is well established that sulfide can be toxic to rooted aquatic plants. However, a detailed description of the effects of cumulative sulfate loads on sulfide and iron (Fe) porewater geochemistry, plant exposure, and ecological response is lacking. Over 4 yr, we experimentally manipulated sulfate loads to self-perpetuating wild rice (Zizania palustris) populations and monitored increases in the ratio of sulfur (S) to Fe in sediment across a range of sulfide loading rates driven by overlying water sulfate. Because natural settings are complicated by ongoing Fe and S loads from surface and groundwater, this experimental setting provides a tractable system to describe the impacts of increased S loading on Fe-S porewater geochemistry. In the experimental mesocosms, the rate of sulfide accumulation in bulk sediment increased linearly with overlying water sulfate concentration up to 300 µg-SO4 cm-3 . Seedling survival at the beginning of the annual life cycle and seed mass and maturation at the end of the annual life cycle all decreased at porewater sulfide concentrations between 0.4 and 0.7 µg cm-3 . Changes to porewater sulfide, plant emergence, and plant nutrient uptake during seed production were closely related to the ratio of S to Fe in sediment. A mass balance analysis showed that porewater sulfide remained a small and relatively transient phase compared to sulfate in the overlying water and Fe in the sediment solid phase. The results illuminate the evolution of the geochemical setting and timescales over which 4 yr of cumulative sulfate loading resulted in a wholesale shift from Fe-dominated to sulfide-dominated porewater chemistry. This shift was accompanied by detrimental effects to, and eventual extirpation of, self-perpetuating wild rice populations. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:1231-1244. © 2019 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.
Low energy secondary electron induced damage of condensed nucleotides

Radiation damage and stimulated desorption of nucleotides 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-monophosphate (dAMP), adenosine 5'-monophosphate (rAMP), 2'-deoxycytidine 5'-monophosphate (dCMP), and cytidine 5'-monophosphate (rCMP) deposited on Au have been measured using x-rays as both the probe and source of low energy secondary electrons. The fluence dependent behavior of the O-1s, C-1s, and N-1s photoelectron transitions was analyzed to obtain phosphate, sugar, and nucleobase damage cross sections. Although x-ray induced reactions in nucleotides involve both direct ionization and excitation, the observed bonding changes were likely dominated by the inelastic energy-loss channels associated with secondary electron capture and transient negative ion decay. Growth of the integrated peak area for the O-1s component at 531.3 eV, corresponding to cleavage of the C-O-P phosphodiester bond, yielded effective damage cross sections of about 23 Mb and 32 Mb (1 Mb = 10-18 cm2) for AMP and CMP molecules, respectively. The cross sections for sugar damage, as determined from the decay of the C-1s component at 286.4 eV and the glycosidic carbon at 289.0 eV, were slightly lower (about 20 Mb) and statistically similar for the r- and d- forms of the nucleotides. The C-1s component at 287.6 eV, corresponding to carbons in the nucleobase ring, showed a small initial increase and then decayed slowly, yielding a low damage cross section (∼5 Mb). Although there is no statistical difference between the sugar forms, changing the nucleobase from adenine to cytidine has a slight effect on the damage cross section, possibly due to differing electron capture and transfer probabilities.