cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Elastic moduli reduction in SiC-SiC tubular specimen after high heat flux neutron irradiation measured by resonant ultrasound spectroscopy

Abstract The initial results of a post-irradiation examination study conducted on a SiC-SiC tubular specimen irradiated under a high radial heat flux are presented herein. The elastic properties of the specimen were evaluated before and after the irradiation using the resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) technique. The composite tubular specimen was considered as an orthotropic elastic with nine elastic constants (Young's moduli, shear moduli and Poisson's ratios—three components of each) for representing its full elastic deformation behavior. All the elastic moduli decreased after irradiation; the reduction was as high as 35% in one of the moduli. The significant decrease in the moduli indicates the presence of microcracks. The results from a computational study show significant stress development in the specimen due to irradiation, primarily caused by differential swelling across the thickness of the specimen. The evaluated stresses exceed the proportional limit stress of the material, indicating the likelihood of matrix microcracking, and thus corroborating the results obtained from RUS. X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) study confirmed the presence of cracks in the irradiated specimen. These cracks occurred at the inner region of the specimen and propagated in axial and hoop directions. These XCT results are in agreement with the RUS results and stress distribution results from the computational study.
P14 Increasing Critical Nutrition Literacy Through a College-Level, Introductory Nutrition Course

Background Nutrition literacy, derived from health literacy, is the ability to understand basic nutrition information needed to make appropriate nutrition decisions. Critical nutrition literacy (CNL), analogous to critical health literacy, indicates the highest level, defined as the ability to critically analyze and apply nutrition information, using more advanced critical appraisal skills. However, previous research on CNL has solely been cross-sectional. Objective To determine if a college-level, introductory nutrition course with a required laboratory component is associated with an increase in CNL. Study Design, Settings, Participants A non-experimental, pre-post study design of a four-credit, 13-week, academic course intervention in a sample of college students from the University of Rhode Island enrolled in Applied General Nutrition. Measurable Outcome/Analysis Students consenting to participate in research completed a demographic survey and a validated, five-item CNL Scale. CNL items were administered on a five-point anchored Likert scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree, with five indicating high CNL. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess if students increased their CNL score after completing the course. Results Out of the 118 consenting students, 80 students had complete data for CNL and demographics, and were between the ages of 18 and 24. The average age was 18.7 ± 1.1 (SD) years old; the majority were white (82%), female (79%), freshmen (61%), lived on-campus (70%), and had a meal plan (75%). Participants significantly increased their CNL score from baseline to post intervention from 2.34 ± 0.7 (SD) to 2.63 ± 0.7 (SD) (P Conclusion Results indicated that there was a significant increase in CNL score from baseline to post intervention, although the increase was limited. Future introductory nutrition classes should highlight the ability to critically analyze nutrition information, through determining its credibility and truth, and how to use this information to improve dietary choices. Funding USDA.
Unsupervised Representation Learning of Spatial Data via Multimodal Embedding

Increasing urbanization across the globe has coincided with greater access to urban data; this enables researchers and city administrators with better tools to understand urban dynamics, such as crime, traffic, and living standards. In this paper, we study the Learning an Embedding Space for Regions (LESR) problem, wherein we aim to produce vector representations of discrete regions. Recent studies have shown that embedding geospatial regions in a latent vector space can be useful in a variety of urban computing tasks. However, previous studies do not consider regions across multiple modalities in an end-to-end framework. We argue that doing so facilitates the learning of greater semantic relationships among regions. We propose a novel method, RegionEncoder, that jointly learns region representations from satellite image, point-of-interest, human mobility, and spatial graph data. We demonstrate that these region embeddings are useful as features in two regression tasks and across two distinct urban environments. Additionally, we perform an ablation study that evaluates each major architectural component. Finally, we qualitatively explore the learned embedding space, and show that semantic relationships are discovered across modalities
Genetic ablation of SGLT2 function in mice impairs tissue mineral density but does not affect fracture resistance of bone

Abstract Selective sodium-dependent glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2Is) are oral hypoglycemic medications utilized increasingly in the medical management of hyperglycemia among persons with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Despite favorable effects on cardiovascular events, specific SGLT2Is have been associated with an increased risk for atypical fracture and amputation in subgroups of the T2D population, a population that already has a higher risk for typical fragility fractures than the general population. To better understand the effect of SGLT2 blockade on skeletal integrity, independent of diabetes and its co-morbidities, we utilized the “Jimbee” mouse model of slc5a2 gene mutation to investigate the impact of lifelong SGLT2 loss-of-function on metabolic and skeletal phenotype. Jimbee mice maintained normal glucose homeostasis, but exhibited chronic polyuria, glucosuria and hypercalciuria. The Jimbee mutation negatively impacted appendicular growth of the femur and resulted in lower tissue mineral density of both cortical and trabecular bone of the femur mid-shaft and distal femur metaphysis, respectively. Several components of the Jimbee phenotype were characteristic only of male mice compared with female mice, including reductions: in body weight; in cortical area of the mid-shaft; and in trabecular thickness within the metaphysis. Despite these decrements, the strength of femur diaphysis in bending (cortical bone), which increased with age, and the strength of L6 vertebra in compression (primarily trabecular bone), which decreased with age, were not affected by the mutation. Moreover, the age-related decline in bone toughness was less for Jimbee mice, compared with control mice, such that by 49–50 weeks of age, Jimbee mice had significantly tougher femurs in bending than C57BL/6J mice. These results suggest that chronic blockade of SGLT2 in this model reduces the mineralization of bone but does not reduce its fracture resistance.
Deep curriculum learning optimization

We describe a quantitative and practical framework to integrate curriculum learning (CL) into deep learning training pipeline to improve feature learning in deep feed-forward networks. The framework has several unique characteristics: (1) dynamicity—it proposes a set of batch-level training strategies (syllabi or curricula) that are sensitive to data complexity (2) adaptivity—it dynamically estimates the effectiveness of a given strategy and performs objective comparison with alternative strategies making the method suitable both for practical and research purposes. (3) Employs replace–retrain mechanism when a strategy is unfit to the task at hand. In addition to these traits, the framework can combine CL with several variants of gradient descent (GD) algorithms and has been used to generate efficient batch-specific or data-set specific strategies. Comparative studies of various current state-of-the-art vision models, such as FixEfficentNet and BiT-L (ResNet), on several benchmark datasets including CIFAR10 demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. We present results that show training loss reduction by as much as a factor 5. Additionally, we present a set of practical curriculum strategies to improve the generalization performance of select networks on various datasets.
Mapping and Ablation of Intramural Ventricular Arrhythmias: A Stepwise Approach Focused on the Site of Origin

Abstract Objectives This study sought to establish a mapping and ablation strategy to target intramural ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) by identifying the precise arrhythmia site of origin (SOO). Background Radiofrequency ablation of intramural VAs is challenging because the arrhythmia origin is difficult to localize. Methods In 83 consecutive patients with intramural VAs, a stepwise mapping approach was performed: ablation targeted directly the SOO when possible followed by the closest adjacent anatomical structure when necessary. If the SOO could not be identified, the earliest endocardial breakout sites were ablated. Safety and procedural outcomes between patients in whom the SOO could and could not be identified were compared. Results The SOO was identified in 19 of 83 (23%) patients, and radiofrequency ablation was effective in eliminating VAs in all 19 (100%) patients by ablation at the SOO alone (n = 3), at the SOO and an anatomically adjacent area (n = 7), or at an anatomically adjacent area alone (n = 9). Breakout site mapping and ablation in the remaining 64 patients in whom the SOO was not identified was effective in 43 of 64 patients, which was significantly less than in patients in whom the SOO was identified (67% vs. 100%; p Conclusions Identification of the SOO was associated with a successful ablation procedure by either targeting the SOO directly or targeting an adjacent anatomical structure. Ablation at the breakout sites of intramural VAs has a lower efficacy than when the SOO can be directly targeted.
What to Do at Well-Child Visits: The AAFP's Perspective.

Well-child visits provide the best opportunities to deliver evidence-based preventive services. Family physicians have limited time at these visits and therefore should prioritize preventive services that have strong evidence of net benefit.
Delirium Associated with Salicylate and Acetaminophen Overdose in a Patient with COVID-19: A Case Report

Author(s): Wen, Tyler H.; Chu, Jason; Allenspach, Danielle M.; Van, David C. | Abstract: Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created numerous clinical challenges for physicians, in part due to its wide range of clinical manifestations and associated complications.Case Report: Here we present the case of a 69-year-old man who was admitted to the emergency department with fever, dyspnea, and altered mental status. We believe the patient’s condition was precipitated by a COVID-19 infection-induced delirium, a setting in which he ingested aspirin and acetaminophen in overdose that required lifesaving interventions.Conclusion: This case illustrates the potential for neuropsychiatric effects in COVID-19 patients due to both direct viral central nervous system pathology and pandemic-related psychosocial stressors.
Dynamic Associations of Parent-Adolescent Closeness and Friend Support With Adolescent Depressive Symptoms Across Ages 12-19

Supportive relationships with parents and friends reduce adolescent risk for depression; however, whether and how the strength of these associations changes across adolescence remains less clear. Age-varying associations of mother-adolescent and father-adolescent closeness and friend support with depressive symptoms were examined across ages 12.5-19.5 using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 4,819). Positive relationships with mothers, fathers, and friends were associated with lower depressive symptoms across adolescence, and the associations were generally stable across age. The association between father-adolescent closeness and depressive symptoms was stronger for girls than for boys during mid-adolescence. Mother-adolescent closeness was more strongly negatively associated with depressive symptoms in the context of higher friend support during mid-adolescence.
Lung megakaryocytes display distinct transcriptional and phenotypic properties.

Megakaryocytes (MKs) are responsible for platelet biogenesis, which is believed to occur canonically in adult bone marrow (BM) and in the fetal liver during development. However, emerging evidence highlights the lung as a previously underappreciated residence for MKs that may contribute significantly to circulating platelet mass. Although a diversity of cells specific to the BM is known to promote the maturation and trafficking of MKs, little investigation into the impact of the lung niche on the development and function of MKs has been done. Here, we describe the application of single-cell RNA sequencing, coupled with histological, ploidy, and flow cytometric analyses, to profile primary MKs derived from syngeneic mouse lung and hematopoietic tissues. Transcriptional profiling demonstrated that lung MKs have a unique signature distinct from their hematopoietic counterparts, with lung MKs displaying enrichment for maturation markers, potentially indicating a propensity for more efficient platelet production. Reciprocally, fetal lung MKs also showed the robust expression of cytokines and growth factors that are known to promote lung development. Lastly, lung MKs possess an enrichment profile skewed toward roles in immunity and inflammation. These findings highlight the existence of a lung-specific MK phenotype and support the notion that the lung plays an independent role in the development and functional maturation of MKs. The immune phenotype displayed by lung MKs also introduces their potential role in microbial surveillance and antigen presentation.
Pitfalls in Frozen Section: A Case of Incidental Papillary Mesothelioma

Well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma is an uncommon benign, although potentially recurrent mesothelial lesion that occurs in the peritoneum of women over a wide age range. We recently encountered an incidental case sent for frozen section at the time of hysterectomy for endometrial carcinoma. Familiarity with this lesion will help prevent overinterpretation as a serous carcinoma.
Impatience for Information: Curiosity Is Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Organizations strive to encourage curiosity, seeking employees who are open to asking questions and intrinsically motivated to find answers, i.e., who display curiosity traits. We argue that situational determinants are stronger predictors of information-seeking behaviors than traits. Situational curiosity is transient, and while people may be tempted by immediate answers, they may be less motivated when they need to wait for information. In a preregistered experiment (N = 1,245) featuring real effort and incentives, we find that a small change in the schedule of information provision—delaying performance feedback by 24–48 hours—reduces participants’ willingness to obtain this information by 24%. The effect of this short delay is at least three times stronger than a one-standard-deviation difference in trait openness. This reduction cannot be explained by standard models of time discounting or the goal gradient hypothesis, as an identical delay in monetary rewards reduces participants’ efforts by only 3%.
United States Regional History as an Instructional Field: The Practice of College and University History Departments

tory is the outlook for regionally-based scholarship and teaching. Within a larger field, whose practitioners also divide themselves by periods and topics of specialization, American regional history has sometimes seemed in precarious straits. From U. B. Phillips to C. Vann Woodward and Eugene Genovese, southern historians have responded by repeatedly arguing the uniqueness of their region's heritage and character within the national experience.' Western historians have faced a different problem. Their most common interpretive model views the West, or the westward frontier, as the forerunner of national change and the epitome of the national character--"'the most American part of America, " as James Bryce put it, five years before Frederick J. Turner's famous essay on the frontier.2 The more we stretch the history of the West into our present century, the more its story blends into the general history of the nation. As part of a larger interest in region as a category of analysis in American social science, I conducted a survey of regional history as a postsecondary instructional field. In part, the survey was designed to explore aspects of professional practice that have not been systematically investigated for a number of years.3 In addition, it is intended to create an empirical information base for analyzing the place of regional history within the evolving discipline of American historical studies.
Fiscal policy and private investment in developing countries : recent evidence on key selected issues

This paper discusses the following issues regarding the pace of private domestic investment, its prospects for recovery, and its role in adjustment programs of developing countries: (a) the relationship between stabilization measures affected through aggregate demand management and the need for investment recovery; (b) the complementarity or competitiveness of private and public investment; and (c) the role of capital income taxation as a tool in influencing investment incentives. It also examines the effect of the size of the fiscal deficit and alternative sources of financing the budget deficit on private investment. The key issues here are how these options affect the real interest rate, credit allocation, and the real exchange rate and how those variables in turn affect private investment. The impact of public expenditure decisions on private investment, particularly the different types of public investment choices and their impact on private investment are discussed. The paper examines the implications of tax policy for private investment decision and the effect of tax policy on private investment in the presence of capital market imperfections. It also discusses the impact of inflation in the absence of a fully indexed tax system and provides concluding thoughts.
Metacognitive Models of Learning and Instructional Systems Design

This paper examines two currently popular models of interactive learning. While both emphasize the importance of acquiring metacognitive intelligence, each represents a different view of how metacognitive intelligence is best learned. The first is a neo-Piagetian model that views metacognitive learning as a by-product of interactions with an environment that has been carefully designed. This model characterizes the student as a “reflective explorer” and places instructional systems in roles as catalysts that support the student by making abstract ideas and thinking processes the objects of reflection, experimentation and argument. The second approach, based on Vygotskian psychology, places the student in the role of cognitive apprentice, while the system becomes a cooperating, empathic mentor. This approach characterizes metacognitive learning as a process of gradually assuming more responsibility for what initially is a shared problem-solving activity. Although the cognitive apprenticeship model is probably more powerful, apprenticeship interactions are complex and may be impossible to accomplish with computers given current technology. However, developing the required technology is a worthwhile long-term goal for instructional computing research.
Mathematical Structures of Special Relativity

This book is primarily intended to be a textbook for undergraduate students majoring in mathematics or in physics. Most, if not all, of the existing textbooks on Relativity use verbal descriptions together with what one might call \the mathematics of variables and coordinates". We believe that such an approach makes it difficult to convey a deeper understanding of the subject and an intuition for relativistic phenomena, an ability to "think relativistically" as it were. Such an understanding can be gained, we believe, by employing a more contemporary type of mathematics: the mathematics of sets, mappings, and relations. Typically, physics majors rarely learn about this kind of mathematics, and mathematics majors, when they learn about it, are not told how useful it can be to gain a deeper understanding of the concepts of physics.
Self-Silencing, Perfectionism, Dualistic Discourse, Loss of Control, and the Experience of Premenstrual Syndrome

Fears of loss of control and utilization of dualistic discourse (e.g., me/not me; my PMS self/my real self) are hallmarks of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), as described in self-help books and articles in the popular press. In the present study, 182 North American women, ages 18–46 years, were recruited online to complete measures of self-silencing, perfectionism, affective control, and use of dualistic discourse. Women who reported that they experience PMS (N = 90) scored significantly higher on the measure of concern about affective control and used more dualistic discourse than did women who did not report PMS (N = 78). High scores on the self-silencing and perfectionism scales predicted greater concern about affective control. Our findings can be useful in designing psychotherapeutic interventions to reduce distress and assist women in coping with their symptoms.
Cortical defects in the mandibular sulcus

Examination of 5366 dry mandibles at the Smithsonian Institution revealed three cases of unilateral lingual defects superior to the mandibular foramen. The differential diagnosis includes a neuroma, neurolemmoma, hemangioma, or aneurysm of the inferior alveolar artery. The clinical significance of a vascular neoplasm or aneurysm would be the likelihood of increasing the risk of injecting the anesthetic solution directly into a blood vessel.
The DNA damage pathway regulates innate immune system ligands of the NKG2D receptor

Some stimulatory receptors of the innate immune system, such as the NKG2D receptor (also called KLRK1) expressed by natural killer cells and activated CD8(+)T cells, recognize self-molecules that are upregulated in diseased cells by poorly understood mechanisms. Here we show that mouse and human NKG2D ligands are upregulated in non-tumour cell lines by genotoxic stress and stalled DNA replication, conditions known to activate a major DNA damage checkpoint pathway initiated by ATM (ataxia telangiectasia, mutated) or ATR (ATM- and Rad3-related) protein kinases. Ligand upregulation was prevented by pharmacological or genetic inhibition of ATR, ATM or Chk1 (a downstream transducer kinase in the pathway). Furthermore, constitutive ligand expression by a tumour cell line was inhibited by targeting short interfering RNA to ATM, suggesting that ligand expression in established tumour cells, which often harbour genomic irregularities, may be due to chronic activation of the DNA damage response pathway. Thus, the DNA damage response, previously shown to arrest the cell cycle and enhance DNA repair functions, or to trigger apoptosis, may also participate in alerting the immune system to the presence of potentially dangerous cells.
A Mathematical Model for the Strained Shape of a Large Scientific Balloon at Float Altitude

A large scientific balloon is constructed from long flat tapered sheets of thin polyethylene film called gores which are sealed edge to edge to form a complete shape, The balloon is designed to carry a fixed payload to a predetermined altitude. Its design shape is based on an axisymmetric model that assumes that the balloon film is inextensible and that the circumferential stresses are zero. While suitable for design purposes, these assumptions are not valid for a real balloon, In this paper, we present a variational approach for computing strained balloon shapes at float altitude. Our model is used to estimate the stresses in the balloon film under various loads and for different sets of material constants. Numerical solutions are computed.
Reduction: a new method of proving properties of systems of processes

When proving that a system of processes has a given property it is often convenient to assume that a routine is uninterruptible, i.e. that the routine cannot be interleaved with the rest of the system. Here sufficient conditions are obtained to show that the assumption that a routine is uninterruptible can be relaxed and still preserve basic properties such as halting and determinacy. Thus correctness proofs of a system of processes can often be greatly simplified. This technique - called reduction - is viewed as the replacement of an interruptible routine by an uninterruptible one.
Measuring circadian and acute light responses in mice using wheel running activity.

Circadian rhythms are physiological functions that cycle over a period of approximately 24 hours (circadian- circa: approximate and diem: day)1, 2. They are responsible for timing our sleep/wake cycles and hormone secretion. Since this timing is not precisely 24-hours, it is synchronized to the solar day by light input. This is accomplished via photic input from the retina to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) which serves as the master pacemaker synchronizing peripheral clocks in other regions of the brain and peripheral tissues to the environmental light dark cycle3-7. The alignment of rhythms to this environmental light dark cycle organizes particular physiological events to the correct temporal niche, which is crucial for survival8. For example, mice sleep during the day and are active at night. This ability to consolidate activity to either the light or dark portion of the day is referred to as circadian photoentrainment and requires light input to the circadian clock9. Activity of mice at night is robust particularly in the presence of a running wheel. Measuring this behavior is a minimally invasive method that can be used to evaluate the functionality of the circadian system as well as light input to this system. Methods that will covered here are used to examine the circadian clock, light input to this system, as well as the direct influence of light on wheel running behavior.
A quantitative and standardized robotic method for the evaluation of arm proprioception after stroke

Stroke often results in both motor and sensory deficits, which may interact in the manifested functional impairment. Proprioception is known to play important roles in the planning and control of limb posture and movement; however, the impact of proprioceptive deficits on motor function has been difficult to elucidate due in part to the qualitative nature of available clinical tests. We present a quantitative and standardized method for evaluating proprioception in tasks directly relevant to those used to assess motor function. Using a robotic manipulandum that exerted controlled displacements of the hand, stroke participants were evaluated, and compared with a control group, in their ability to detect such displacements in a 2-alternative, forced-choice paradigm. A psychometric function parameterized the decision process underlying the detection of the hand displacements. The shape of this function was determined by a signal detection threshold and by the variability of the response about this threshold. Our automatic procedure differentiates between participants with and without proprioceptive deficits and quantifies functional proprioceptive sensation on a magnitude scale that is meaningful for ongoing studies of degraded motor function in comparable horizontal movements.
The Effects of Arcing Ground Faults on Low-Voltage System Design

Recurring reports of arcing ground fault burndowns have generated a considerable amount of interest in the subject on the part of those individuals who are responsible for the design of power systems. In fact the interest is so widespread that as one consequence, article 230-95 of the 1972 edition of the National Electrical Code requires that service entrance devices of specific types be equipped with additional ground fault protection.
Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) Therapy of Tumors

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is an essentially nonpathogenic negative-stranded RNA virus, the replication of which is extremely sensitive to the antiviral effects of interferon (IFN). We demonstrate here that VSV selectively induces the cytolysis of numerous transformed human cell lines in vitro, with all the morphological characteristics of apoptotic cell death. Importantly, VSV can also potently inhibit the growth of p53-null C6 glioblastoma tumors in vivo without infecting and replicating in normal tissue. With our previous findings demonstrating that primary cells containing the double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase PKR and a functional IFN system are not permissive to VSV replication, these results suggest that signaling by IFN may be defective in many malignancies. Thus VSV might be useful in novel therapeutic strategies for targeting neoplastic disease.
Strategic Management in Agribusiness Firms: Discussion

Strategic management is a relatively new approach to the analysis of business decision making. Borrowing from the heretofore separate literatures of organization theory and industrial organization, strategic management practitioners have provided us with not one, but a great number of "how to do it" recipes. They range from simplistic twovariable models, such as the Boston Consulting Groups market, share, industry growth matrix, to strategic bibles such as Porter's books. Much of this work is written for the business executive and
Non-instrumental belief is largely founded on singularity

The radical evolutionary step that divides human decision-making from that of nonhumans is the ability to excite the reward process for its own sake, in imagination. Combined with hyperbolic over-valuation of the present, this ability is a potential threat to both the individual's long term survival and the natural selection of high intelligence. Human belief is intrinsically "unfounded" or under-founded, which may or may not be adaptive.
The circadian clock-containing photoreceptor cells in Xenopus laevis express several isoforms of casein kinase I.

Abstract The frog ( Xenopus laevis ) retina has been an important model for the analysis of retinal circadian rhythms. In this paper, several isoforms of X. laevis casein kinase I (CKI) were analyzed to address whether they are involved in the phosphorylation and degradation of period protein (PER), as they are in the circadian oscillators of other species. cDNAs encoding two splice variants of CKIδ (a full-length form and deletion isoform, which is missing an exon that encodes a putative nuclear localization signal and two evolutionarily conserved protein kinase domains) were isolated and analyzed, together with a previously isolated CKIe isoform. Both CKIδ and CKIe were shown to be constitutively expressed in the photoreceptors of the retina, where a circadian clock has been localized. Both the full-length CKIδ and CKIe were shown to have kinase activity in vitro, and the full-length CKIδ phosphorylated and degraded Drosophila PER when expressed in Drosophila S2 cells. The expression and biochemical characteristics of these CKIs are consistent with an evolutionarily conserved role for CKI in the Xenopus retinal clock. The CKIδ deletion isoform did not exhibit kinase activity and did not trigger degradation of PER. Subcellular localization of both CKIδ isoforms was cytoplasmic in several cell culture lines, but the full-length CKIδ, and not the deletion CKIδ isoform, was localized to both the nucleus and the cytoplasm in Drosophila S2 cells. These results indicate that the sequences missing in the deletion CKIδ isoform are important for the nuclear localization and kinase activity of the full-length isoform and that one or both of these features are necessary for degradation of Drosophila PER.
Electronic Structure and Charge-Transport Parameters of Functionalized Tetracene Crystals: Impact of Partial Fluorination and Alkyl or Alkoxy Derivatization

The charge-transport parameters of fluorine- and alkyl/alkoxy-substituted tetracene crystals have been investigated by means of density functional theory calculations. The intramolecular reorganization energy (vibronic coupling) is found to increase upon partial fluorination of tetracene and upon further alkoxy substitution, whereas alkyl substitution has a lesser impact. The calculated ionization energies are in agreement with electrochemical measurements and confirm that the electron injection barrier from conventional cathodes into partially fluorinated, alkyl/alkoxy-substituted tetracenes is expected to be smaller than into tetracene. Calculations of the intermolecular electronic couplings and of the crystal band structures have been performed to understand the role of packing on the charge-transport properties. A tight binding model with two sites per unit cell has been used to rationalize the results of the band-structure calculations. The largest electron mobility is predicted for the material wher...
Testing an off-axis parabola with a CGH and a spherical mirror as null lens

Steward Observatory Mirror Lab is currently polishing an off-axis parabola which will be the primary mirror of the New Solar Telescope. To test this mirror, we built a test equipment to combine a spherical mirror and a Computer Generated Hologram (CGH) as null lens. The spherical mirror is tilted to compensate much of the astigmatism and some coma. And the CGH compensates rest of aberrations. The combination of a spherical mirror and a CGH makes the test system compact. The technology developed here will be used to test the Giant Magellan Telescope's primary mirror segment--a five times larger off-axis parabola.
Comparison of Clinical and Simulation Results for the Stanford Y-Graft Fontan Pilot Trial

Without surgical palliation, single ventricle heart defects are uniformly fatal. A three-staged surgical repair is typically performed on these patients, who are otherwise severely cyanotic. In the third stage, the Fontan procedure, the inferior vena cava (IVC) is connected to the pulmonary arteries (PAs) via a lateral tunnel or extracardiac conduit. Following Fontan completion, deoxygenated blood from the upper and lower body is redirected to the PAs, bypassing the heart.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Older adults' perceptions of their health and functioning in relation to sleep disturbance, falling, and urinary incontinence

OBJECTIVE: To investigate variation in older adults' perceived health and functioning that is associated with self-reported sleep disturbance, falling, and urinary incontinence, controlling for self-reported depression, ambulation difficulty, number of chronic conditions, and subjects' sociode-mographic characteristics. DESIGN: Multicenter prospective study (FICSIT). SETTING: Persons age 70 and older living in the community evaluated at baseline. PARTICIPANTS: 239 women, 113 men; mean age = 77. MEASUREMENTS: Sleep disturbance score based on EPESE questions, recent falls history (Y/N), incontinent episodes (Y/N), CES-D score, SIP Ambulation score, and 4 MOS SF-36 scale scores. RESULTS: Women were significantly more likely than men to report multiple conditions (sleep disturbance, falling, incontinence) and to report lower levels of functioning as measured by 3 of 4 SF-36 scales. In regression analyses, sleep disturbance and urinary incontinence were significant predictors of perceived limitation in usual role activities because of physical health problems. Depression and ambulation measures significantly predicted scores on all 4 SF-36 scales. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis suggests that it is important to address depressive symptomatology and ambulation difficulty—which in turn are related to sleep disturbance, falling, and urinary incontinence —in efforts to enhance older adults' perceived health and functioning.
Relation of concrete fracture toughness to its internal structure

Abstract When subjected to tensile loads, concrete failure often initiates at the interfacial defects between the mortar and coarse aggregates. The branching of an interfacial crack into the mortar may form a dominant crack which leads to the eventual fracture plane. A simplified model, accounting approximately the physical events experienced by such a dominant crack, is developed to relate the internal structure and mechanisms of deformations to the post-peak behavior and fracture toughness of concrete.
Decline in NAD(P)H autofluorescence precedes apoptotic cell death from chemotherapy

OBJECTIVE: Optical spectroscopic tools exist that allow open surgical and minimally invasive assays of intrinsic tissue optics. Optical detection of cellular and tissue viability may offer a minimally invasive way to assess tumor responsiveness to chemotherapies. We report on an optical spectroscopic change that precedes apoptotic cell death and appears related to NAD(P)H autofluorescence. METHODS: The cell lines SW 480 and U87-MG were grown in culture and treated with cisplatin 100 μg/ml and tamoxifen 10 μM, respectively. Fluorescence spectroscopy at 355 nm excitation and 460 nm emission were collected. MTS assays were used to determine cell viability. Cell lysates were analyzed for NAD(P)H concentrations by mass spectroscopy. RESULTS: Autoflourescence at 355 nm excitation and 460 nm emission declines markedly despite normalization for cell number and total protein concentration after treatment with tamoxifen or cisplatin. The autofluorescence drop precedes the loss of cell viability as measured by MTS assay. For example, the relative viability of the U87-MG cell treated with tamoxifen at hours 0, 8, 12 and 24 of treatment was 100 ± 6, 85 ± 6, 53 ± 9 and 0 ± 3. The relative fluorescence at the same time points were 100 ± 2, 57 ± 6, 47 ± 3, and 0 ± 1. TUNNEL assays confirm that cell death is via apoptosis. The key cellular fluorophore at these wavelengths is NAD(P)H. Mass spectroscopic analysis of cell lysates at these time points reveals a drop in NAD(P)H concentrations that is parallel to the loss of fluorescence signal. CONCLUSIONS: NAD(P)H autofluoresence decline precedes apoptotic cell death. This may allow the design of minimally invasive spectroscopic tools to monitor chemotherapeutic response.
Clinical Grading Scales in Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) carries higher risk of long-term disability and mortality than any other form of stroke. Despite greater understanding of ICH pathophysiology, treatment options for this devastating condition remain limited. Moreover, a lack of a standard, universally accepted clinical grading scale for ICH has contributed to variations in management protocols and clinical trial designs. Grading scales are essential for standardized assessment and communication among physicians, selecting optimized treatment regiments, and designing effective clinical trials. There currently exist a number of ICH grading scales and prognostic models that have been developed for mortality and/or functional outcome, particularly 30 days after the ICH onset. Numerous reliable scales have been externally validated in heterogeneous populations. We extensively reviewed the inherent strengths and limitations of all the existing clinical ICH grading scales based on their development and validation methodology. For all ICH grading scales, we carefully observed study design and the definition and timing of outcome assessment to elucidate inconsistencies in grading scale derivation and application. Ultimately, we call for an expansive, prospective, multi-center clinical outcome study to clearly define all aspects of ICH, establish ideal grading scales, and standardized management protocols to enable the identification of novel and effective therapies in ICH.
STUDIES ON THE ELECTRON-TRANSFER SYSTEMS IN PHOTOSYNTHETIC BACTERIA. IV. KINETICS OF LIGHT-INDUCED CYTOCHROME REACTIONS AND ANALYSIS OF ELECTRON-TRANSFER PATHS.

Abstract The light-induced cytochrome reactions and dark steady state changes were studied in photosynthetic bacteria, Chromatium and Rhodospirillum rubrum . The effects of external substrates, reducing agents, inhibitors, O 2 tension etc. on the kinetics and the steady state changes of the cytochrome reactions are presented. The pattern of electron transfer in the bacterial systems changed markedly under different conditions. O 3 was one of the key factors to control the patterns. In general, apparently “non-cyclic” cytochrome response was observed under the growing conditions; on the other hand, ‘cyclic” or “closed-chain” type characteristics were observed under non-growing aerobic conditions. Kinetic analysis indicated that heptylhydroxyquinoline- N -oxide had an interaction with the reaction of cytochrome c and cytochrome b as had been postulated from difference spectra. Cross-over of the photochemical oxidation and photochemical reduction was observed in the presence of the inhibitor. It was indicated that ascorbate and trichlorophenolidophenol (added singly or combined) did not compete effectively with the internal photochemical reducing system and did not change the steady state of cytochromes. Under certain conditions, however, ascorbate plus trichlorophenolindophenol shifted the steady state of cytochrome b . The formation of an electron-transfer by-pass by N -methylphenazonium methosulfate was confirmed. Direct interaction of bacteriochlorophyll and cytochrome molecules was postulated in the heptylhydroxyquinoline- N -oxide-insensitive rapid “light-off” reaction or aerobic cells, as well as in the rapid phase of the light-induced oxidation of cytochrome. The possibility of the control of electron transfer by concentration of adenosine phosphates was also discussed.
Morphological changes in and around Sn electrodes during Li ion cycling characterized by in situ environmental TEM

Sn electrodes are cycled against Li metal in situ in a transmission electron microscope in commercial liquid electrolyte. The strain associated with the dealloying reaction is accommodated by the formation of nanoscale porosity. Significant asymmetry in the charge vs. discharge rate results from the effects of solid–electrolyte interphase formation in the confined geometry during lithiation. This layer partially dissolves during delithiation. This cyclic formation and dissolution of solid–electrolyte interphase should contribute significantly to the capacity fade observed in Sn-based electrodes.
Maternal correlates of health status in adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease.

Abstract Objective: People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) manifest great variability in health status, but little research has examined correlates of this variability, especially among adolescents with IBD. This study examined family dysfunction, maternal physical symptoms and maternal positive affect (PA) as correlates of variability in depression, pain/fatigue, functional disability and bowel movement frequency among adolescents with IBD. We also tested whether these relationships were independent of maternal negative affect (NA). Methods: Participants were 62 adolescents with IBD (36 with Crohn's disease (CD) and 26 with ulcerative colitis [UC]) and their mothers. Mothers completed measures about the family and themselves, and adolescents provided health status measures. Results: Controlling for the duration since diagnosis, we found that family dysfunction correlated significantly and positively with bowel movement frequency of the adolescent (partial r=.27), and mother's PA correlated inversely with adolescent's depression (partial r=−.30) and functional disability (partial r=−.28). These relationships remained significant after controlling for maternal NA. Maternal symptoms were not related to the adolescent's health status. Analyses indicated that relationships did not differ for the two IBD subtypes. Discussion: Family dysfunction and maternal PA appear to account for some of previously unexplained variance in the health status of adolescents with IBD. Family interventions should be explored to determine whether these familial and maternal factors influence the health of the adolescent, and whether improving family functioning can lead to health improvements in the children.
Effect of combined therapy with sodium fluoride, vitamin D and calcium in osteoporosis

Abstract Fluoride administration in both man and animals has been shown to stimulate new bone formation. However, the bone is poorly mineralized, and osteomalacia and secondary hyperparathyroidism frequently occur. In this study we investigated the effect of variable levels of fluoride and calcium intake, accompanied by vitamin D, on osteoporosis in eleven patients treated for one year. Bone biopsies indicated an increase in new bone formation in all patients receiving 45 mg of sodium fluoride per day, whereas 600 mg of calcium per day prevented both osteomalacia and any increase in bone resorption. In order to restore bone mass in osteoporotic subjects without producing roentgenographic or microscopic evidence of fluorosis, a therapeutic regimen of 50 mg of sodium fluoride and at least 900 mg of calcium per day and 50,000 units of vitamin D twice weekly is recommended.
Post-prostatectomy Incontinence and Pelvic Floor Muscle Training: A Defining Problem

novel treatment of incontinence, this possibility strikes me as highly unlikely. Rather, I suspect that the definition of incontinence used in the study itself was problematic. Although pad tests are thought to be objective, patients may change their activity level or make other behavioral alterations to prevent leakage. These changes, in turn, may influence the results of the pad test. One could see patients in the postoperative period adjusting their activities to cope with changes in urinary control. While they might then be considered dry using the pad test, we should ask if they are truly continent, given that they may have been forced to change their daily routines and limit their activities. Centemero et al. [3] used a different primary outcome in their study that may explain why they found an advantage to the addition of preoperative PFMT. They defined continence as no urinary leakage reported in a patientcompleted bladder diary coupled with an in-office negative stress test. In contrast to Geraerts et al. [2], who report 3-mo postoperative continence rates of 73.3% and 70.9% in the experimental and control groups, respectively, Centemero and colleagues [3] report 3-mo postoperative continence rates of 59.3% and 37.3%, respectively. While considerably worse, these rates are more reflective of rates from prior large multicenter studies [1], supporting the validity of the results. This characteristic may be because the definition used by Centemero et al. [3] incorporated an element of patient perception in the outcome assessment that many might consider somewhat subjective but that also might make the end point more relevant to the clinical scenario. Which is the ‘‘better’’ way to define incontinence after
Viral Protection in Transgenic Tobacco Plants Expressing the Cucumber Mosaic Virus Coat Protein or its Antisense RNA

Progeny of transgenic tobacco plants expressing the cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) coat protein (CP +) or its antisense transcript (antisense–CP) were protected from CMV infection. Symptom development and virus accumulation were reduced or absent in CP+ plants, independent of the strength of the inoculum. Antisense–CP plants were protected only at low inoculum concentrations. These results demonstrate that although it is possible to obtain protection in transgenic plants using antisense–CP message, this protection is not as effective as the CP–mediated protection.