cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ocean loading effects on stress at near shore plate boundary fault systems

[1] Changes in eustatic sea level since the Last Glacial Maximum create a differential load across coastlines globally. The resulting plate bending in response to this load alters the state of stress within the lithosphere within a half flexural wavelength of the coast. We calculate the perturbation to the total stress tensor due to ocean loading in coastal regions. Our stress calculation is fully 3-D and makes use of a semianalytic model to efficiently calculate stresses within a thick elastic plate overlying a viscoelastic or fluid half-space. The 3-D stress perturbation is resolved into normal and shear stresses on plate boundary fault planes of known orientation so that Coulomb stress perturbations can be calculated. In the absence of complete paleoseismic indicators that span the time since the Last Glacial Maximum, we investigate the possibility that the seismic cycle of coastal plate boundary faults was affected by stress perturbations due to the change in sea level. Coulomb stress on onshore transform faults, such as the San Andreas and Alpine faults, is increased by up to 1–1.5 MPa, respectively, promoting failure primarily through a reduction in normal stress. These stress perturbations may perceptibly alter the seismic cycle of major plate boundary faults, but such effects are more likely to be observed on nearby secondary faults with a lower tectonic stress accumulation rate. In the specific instance of rapid sea level rise at the Black Sea, the seismic cycle of the nearby North Anatolian fault was likely significantly advanced.
Synthesis of uniformly ultimate boundedness switching laws for discrete-time uncertain switched linear systems

In this paper, discrete-time switched linear systems affected by both parameter variations and exterior disturbances are considered. The problem of synthesis of switching control laws, which assure that the system state is ultimately bounded within a given compact set containing the origin with an assigned rate of convergence, is investigated. The method is based on set-induced Lyapunov functions. Based on these Lyapunov functions, we compose a global Lyapunov function which guarantees ultimate boundedness for the switched system. The switching laws are characterized by computing conic partitions of the state space.
Object Lessons: Romance, Violation, and Female Adolescent Sexual Desire

The familiar story that organizes “normal” female adolescent sexuality is a romance narrative in which a (good) girl, who is on a quest for love, does not feel sexual desire—strong, embodied, passionate feelings of sexual wanting. In this story, sexual desire is male; it is intractable, uncontrollable, and victimizing. There continues to be no readily available image or story of a normal girl who has and responds to her own sexual desire. Following a social constructivist perspective, the ways in which we do and do not “story” sexuality into being are definitive in how we make meaning out of our bodies and our relationships, and so the ways in which we do and do not speak about sexuality are crucial. This perspective also suggests that providing critiques and alternatives to sanctioned stories can be a crucial intervention. This point is illustrated by following the stories that are available to one girl for understanding her sexuality, and by portraying the tensions, revelations, and challenges that the ...
Exploitation of Intercountry Adoption: Toward Common Understanding and Action

ABSTRACTThe conflation of various illicit intercountry adoption activities under the umbrella of “child trafficking” has caused confusion in the adoption literature. Utilizing a pragmatic approach, this article explores the cacophony of opinions that have arisen with regard to trafficking in illicit adoption activities and identifies the concept of exploitation as a useful framework for differentiating among them. To improve and increase the accuracy of research, policy, and programming, the authors suggest the new labels child trafficking, the sale of children, birth mother trafficking, and abuse of process for use in identifying and discussing different forms illicit adoption.
Inequalities and the Saturation Classes of Bernstein Polynomials

The notion of a saturation class, due to Favard, can be explained as follows. (For a more general discussion and for the determination of the saturation classes for trigonometric approximation, compare the article of Sunouchi [4].) We try to approximate continuous functions f (x) by a given sequence of linear operators L n (f, x). Sometimes the following phenomena occur. There is a subclass K of the space C of all continuous functions for which the degree of approximation of f by L n (f) is optimal. A still better approximation happens only for functions f of a very narrow subclass K o of K, for which L n (f) = f. In this situation, K is called the saturation class of the operators L n .
Performing gender in the studio and postmodern musical

This essay explores two distinct historical periods in the Hollywood musical through a Butlerian reading of gender as a performance. The two example films from the studio era, Howard Hawks' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and the restored version of George Cukor's A Star is Born (1954), are contextualised not only within the studio system but through the constructed star personae of their leads—Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland. Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Rob Marshall's Chicago (2002), the two example films from the twenty first century, are contextualised within a Jamesonian post-modern aesthetic and as examples of the non-studio, non-star filmic text as act of nostalgia. In contrasting these historical periods, the essay posits that the studio musical was, in fact, always already "post-modern" in its fragmentation of narrative in favour of the star performance, which constructs the gendered persona of the star. In addition, it is suggested that the sub-textual subversion of traditional female roles within the studio star performance is in many ways more effectively critical of gender conventions than the intentionally parodic aesthetics of Luhrmann and Marshall.
Demystifying the SSRN Process: How to Make it Work for You

On July 15th I presented a session on The Social Science Research Network (SSRN) at the Legal Writing Institute's conference in Indianapolis. SSRN is one of the key places scholars post academic papers. My presentation introduced participants to SSRN, explained the benefits of SSRN, and provided step-by-step instructions for using SSRN. This presentation sought to demystify the SSRN process and help participants become comfortable with the submission process including how to write effective abstracts. I have attached the PowerPoint slides for the presentation.
Cardiovascular issues with oral contraceptives : Evidenced-based medicine

Recent studies of current oral contraceptives indicate that the risk of cardiovascular sequelae is low in young (age 20-24 years) reproductive-aged women. Venous thromboembolism remains the one event that occurs in users independent of the presence of risk factors. However, the attributable risk is small, in the range of 7 to 18 events per 100,000 women annually. This risk is proportional to estrogen dose until the level of 30-35 microg is reached; type of progestin may also influence risk, though recent studies are controversial. Modifiable risk factors for venous thromboembolism include the presence of hemostatic disorders, especially factor V Leiden, and perhaps obesity. Stroke is even more uncommon, with an attributable risk of about 1.5 events per 100,000 women annually. Cigarette smoking and hypertension are modifiable risk factors for both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke; use of preparations with 50 microg of estrogen or higher and migraine headaches are risk factors for ischemic stroke. Eliminating risk factors among users substantially reduces the risk of ischemic stroke and virtually eliminates the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Myocardial infarction is rare among young women, occurring at a rate of about 0.2 event per 100,000 women annually. Oral contraceptive users who are non-smoking and normotensive do not have an increased risk of myocardial infarction. However, the presence of these risk factors along with age acts synergistically to increase the risk among oral contraceptive users.
Write on! Using Assistive Technology and Systematic Instruction to Teach Sentence Writing to Students With Moderate to Severe Disability:

Developing skills for the written expression of students with moderate to severe disability can be challenging for teachers. Despite the importance of written expression to success in a variety of educational and community environments, there is little research evidence to support a set of practices for teachers to use to establish writing skills for this unique population. The current article provides a synthesis of the available research, and the author proposes a model for teaching students to develop basic sentence writing skills, as sentence writing serves a foundational component for other types of writing.
Investigation on the epidemic of endemic fluorosis in Changping District of Beijing City in 2011

[Objective]To explore the prevalence of endemic fluorosis and its trends in Changping District after drinking water improvement,and provide scientific evidence for the disease control and prevention.[Methods]Six villages were selected in Changping District by stratified and clustered sampling according to the distribution feature of disease area.Dental fluorosis of 8 to 12 year old children and the adults who were older than 30 years were examined in the selected spots according to the Dean 's dental fluorosis indexing.The urine fluorine content of above children was also detected.[Results]A total of 12 samples of drinking water were detected,fluorine content all met the standard of ≤1.0 mg/L.There were 145 children were surveyed and the dental fluorosis prevalence rate was 16.55%.The index was 0.56.Average urine fluorine of children was 0.80 mg/L.There were 460 adults were surveyed and the dental fluorosis prevalence rate was 67.72%.[Conclusion]The overall prevalence of fluorosis is descending in Changping District after 20 years of water improvement.
The Signaling Effects of the US Food and Drug Administration Fast‐Track Designation

Pharmaceutical firms are reluctant to disclose proprietary information about a drug's likelihood of approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for fear of losing their competitive advantage. Instead, firms may use signals, like the FDA fast-track designation, to indicate to investors the likelihood of a drug's approval. This analysis uses an event study methodology, with stock and market data from the Center for Research in Security Prices. The results show that the fast-track designation is a strong, positive signal to investors (1998–2015), but its strength has markedly decreased over time. Results also show that the signal is strongest for the smallest firms. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identifying women at risk of delayed breast cancer diagnosis

Article-at-a-Glance Background Delays in breast cancer diagnosis contribute to increased morbidity and mortality. Factors related to the occurrence of delayed diagnosis have not been well studied. Methods A retrospective cohort study of 5,464 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer from 1999 through 2006 was conducted at a comprehensive cancer center in Boston. A delayed diagnosis was defined as an interval greater than 90 days between the patient's first breast-related problem that prompted seeking of medical care and the breast cancer diagnosis based on biopsy. Results 938 (17%) patients had a delayed breast cancer diagnosis. Non-white race or Hispanic ethnicity (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.13–1.90), living more than 26miles from Boston (OR 1.46, 95% CI=1.25–1.71), and initial presentation with a lump found by the patient herself (OR = 2.89, 95% CI=2.36–3.55) or another breast symptom (OR = 0.25, 95% CI=1.79–2.82) compared to an abnormal mammogram were significantly associated with a delay in diagnosis. In contrast, the odds of a delay were lower for women who were older than 18–39 years of age and for women living with two or more household members (OR = 0.72, 95% CI=0.59–0.87). The likelihood of experiencing a delayed breast cancer diagnosis increased markedly if a woman had multiple risk factors, with a nearly 12-fold increase among women with five or more risk factors (OR = 11.96, 95% CI=6.32–22.61). Conclusions Younger age, minority race, and self-identification of breast symptom affect the likelihood of delayed breast cancer diagnosis. Awareness of these issues could help focus efforts to develop algorithms that identify women at risk for a delay and build programs that facilitate their timely access to care.
Tissue-gel electrophoresis enhances antigen removal from porcine aortic valve and bovine pericardium.

Background and aim of the study A tissue-engineered heart valve could provide a living prosthesis with characteristics of an ideal valve replacement. One approach to scaffolding a tissue-engineered heart valve is through the 'decellularization' of xenogeneic tissues. Concerns regarding the completeness of antigen removal associated with current detergent-based decellularization treatments have been raised. The study aim was to evaluate antigen removal from candidate xenogeneic bioscaffolds using a novel tissue-gel electrophoresis (TGE) method. Methods Porcine aortic valve (PAV) conduit and bovine pericardium (BP) were treated sequentially with hypotonic lysis, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and TGE. The completeness of antigen removal was evaluated by immunoblot analysis of extractable soluble proteins using rabbit anti-PAV or anti-BP serum. Tissues were also evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin histology. Results TGE enhanced antigen removal from both the PAV and BP. The effects of TGE were shown to depend on the SDS concentration and voltage (60 versus 120 V), but to be independent of time after 4 h. The effects of TGE were detectable both before and after 96 h aqueous washout. Treatment with 1.0% SDS with TGE (120 V for 4 h) resulted in complete acellularity and no detectable soluble protein antigens from the PAV conduit. Conclusion TGE is a promising adjunctive decellularization method for generating non-immunoreactive bioscaffolds from xenogeneic tissues.
Targeting HPV-infected cervical cancer cells with PEGylated liposomes encapsulating siRNA and the role of siRNA complexation with polyethylenimine

The greatest obstacle to clinical application of cancer gene therapy is lack of effective delivery tools. Gene delivery vehicles must protect against degradation, avoid immunogenic effects and prevent off target delivery which can cause harmful side effects. PEGylated liposomes have greatly improved tumor localization of small molecule drugs and are a promising tool for nucleic acid delivery as the polyethylene glycol (PEG) coating protects against immune recognition and blood clearance. In this study, small interfering RNA (siRNA) was fully encapsulated within PEGylated liposomes by complexing the siRNA with a cationic polymer, polyethyleneimine (PEI), before encapsulation. Formation methods and material compositions were then investigated for their effects on encapsulation. This technology was translated for protective delivery of siRNA designed for human papillomavirus (HPV) viral gene silencing and cervical cancer treatment. PEGylated liposomes encapsulating siRNA were functionalized with the AG86 targeting peptide-amphiphile which binds to the α6β4 integrin, a cervical cancer biomarker. It was found that both targeting and polymer complexation before encapsulation were critical components to effective transfection.
A Narrative of Two Preservice Music Teachers With Visual Impairment

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to re-story the student teaching experience of two preservice music education majors who are visually impaired or blind. While music education scholars have devoted attention to P–12 students with disabilities, research with preservice music teachers with impairments is seemingly nonexistent. Using a transformative paradigm and social model of disability as lenses, we retell participants’ experiences across three commonplaces of narrative inquiry: sociality, temporality, and place. Participants told their student teaching stories through various field texts, including interviews, journals, emails, and informal conversations. Three particular issues were highlighted strongly within their narratives: accessible music, reliance on others, and individuals’ attitudes. Issues of what constitutes effective teaching, teacher identity construction, and preparedness for working with individuals with disabilities also emerged. Multiple avenues are suggested for practice, res...
Microbial community ecology: Function over phylogeny

Analysis of bacterial communities inhabiting water ‘tanks’ in the foliage of tropical bromeliads reveals a surprising similarity in their metabolic capacity, despite large variation in microbial taxa.
Designing Locality and NUMA Aware MPI Runtime for Nested Virtualization based HPC Cloud with SR-IOV Enabled InfiniBand

Hypervisor-based virtualization solutions reveal good security and isolation, while container-based solutions make applications and workloads more portable and distributed in an effective, standardized and repeatable way. Therefore, nested virtualization based computing environments (e.g., container over virtual machine), which inherit the capabilities from both solutions, are becoming more and more attractive in clouds (e.g., running Docker over Amazon EC2 VMs). Recent studies have shown that running applications in either VMs or containers still has significant overhead, especially for I/O intensive workloads. This motivates us to investigate whether the nested virtualization based solution can be adopted to build high-performance computing (HPC) clouds for running MPI applications efficiently and where the bottlenecks lie. To eliminate performance bottlenecks, we propose a high-performance two-layer locality and NUMA aware MPI library, which is able to dynamically detect co-resident containers inside one VM as well as detect co-resident VM inside one host at MPI runtime. Thus the MPI processes across different containers and VMs can communicate to each other by shared memory or Cross Memory Attach (CMA) channels instead of network channel if they are co-resident. We further propose an enhanced NUMA aware hybrid design to utilize InfiniBand loopback based channel to optimize large message transfer across containers when they are running on different sockets. Performance evaluations show that compared with the performance of the state-of-art (1Layer) design, our proposed enhance-hybrid design can bring up to 184%, 81% and 12% benefit on point-to-point, collective operations, and end applications. Compared with the default performance, our enhanced-hybrid design delivers up to 184%, 85% and 16% performance improvement.
Isolated supravalvular aortic stenosis with left ventricular diverticulum and cleft mitral valve: Surgical repair in adulthood

Supravalvular aortic stenosis is an uncommon but well characterized congenital narrowing of the ascending aorta above the level of the coronary arteries. It can be a familial disorder, can occur sporadically, or can be associated with Williams syndrome. We are reporting a very rare presentation of supravalvular aortic stenosis with associated left ventricular diverticulum and cleft mitral valve. Repair consisted of resection of the ascending aorta, patch augmentation of the aortic root, and mitral valve repair. Follow-up echocardiography demonstrated normal mitral and aortic valve function and a postoperative three-dimensional computed tomographic scan showed a normal shape of the reconstructed ascending aorta.
A note on (Strawson) entailment

It is argued that the notion of classical entailment faces two problems, the second argument projection problem and the P -to- Q problem, which arise because classical entailment is not designed to handle partial functions. It is shown that while the second argument projection problem can be solved either by flattening the syntactic tree or with naive multi-valued logics, the P -to- Q problem cannot. Both problems are solved by introducing a new notion of entailment that is defined in terms of Strawson entailment (in the sense of von Fintel 1999, 2001). BibTeX info
A Personalized Study Program for Medical Students

During a required clinical clerkship in psychiatry, medical students participate in a self-paced Personalized Study Program consisting of: (1) structured reading assignments; (2) private meetings with a tutor; (3) standardized practice quizzes; (4) immediate remedial feedback; (5) optional use of audiovisual materials and attendance at lectures; (6) a written final examination; and (7) continuous monitoring by a faculty committee. National Board Examination scores in psychiatry have dramatically increased, and evaluations by students have been overwhelmingly favorable. An important factor in our success has been the enthusiasm of the tutors, who include full-time and volunteer faculty psychiatrists, residents, and selected medical students.
CANPRO: a conflict-aware protocol for negotiation of cloud resources and services

In a Cloud environment, users face the challenge of selecting and composing resources and services from a single or multiple providers. As several negotiations can occur concurrently, information on service and resource availability may be out-of-date, thus requiring several iterations between users and providers until an agreement is achieved. To address this problem, we introduce CANPRO, a Conflict-Aware Negotiation Protocol for allocating Cloud resource and services aimed at reducing cancellation messages during negotiation. CANPRO allows users (or entities on their behalf) to know the amount of resources being concurrently negotiated by other users and the number of users interested in such an amount, while still keeping users' information private. By knowing this information, users can, for instance, confirm allocation requests with lower chances of having collisions with other users. In addition, for the same reason, users can increase their time deciding which (combination of) resources they want to allocate. The paper presents comparative results of CANPRO against the popular two-phase commit protocol (2PC) and a state-of-the-art protocol named SNAP-3PC. We used think time, network overhead, number of concurrent negotiations and providers as main metrics. The results are promising and the protocol can be used in scenarios other than Cloud Computing; for instance, bookings of health services, cars, tickets for venues, schedule of appointments, among others.
Prostate Inflammation and Prostate Cancer

Both prostate cancer and prostatic inflammation have reached epidemic proportions among men in the United States and developed world. New insights from molecular pathology analyses of human prostate tissues, and from animal models, have hinted that a diverse collection of factors, ranging from infectious agents to estrogenic hormones to dietary carcinogens, can inflict damage to the prostate epithelium and elicit inflammatory responses that can evolve into a chronic or recurrent condition. When inflammatory infiltrates collect near the prostate urethra, symptomatic prostatitis likely ensues, driving as many as two million physician visits each year in the US. Asymptomatic prostate inflammation, an insidious condition that is likely far more common than symptomatic prostatitis, tends to affect the peripheral zone of the prostate, creating a tissue microenvironment prone to promote prostate cancer development. This environment leads to the formation of focal atrophy lesions of the prostate epithelium, replete with corpora amylacea, and a prostate stroma infiltrated by inflammatory cells. The mechanism of inflammation-driven prostatic carcinogenesis appears to involve epigenetic gene silencing and neoplastic transformation in proliferative inflammatory atrophy lesions, a type of focal atrophy that represents the earliest of prostate cancer precursor lesions. With accumulating evidence supporting a causal association between prostate inflammation and prostate cancer, attention has turned to the potential use of anti-inflammatory drugs for prostate cancer prevention. From epidemiology studies, aspirin and statin drugs, both with anti-inflammatory properties, seem to protect against prostate cancer development, especially when taken in combination. The contribution of chronic and recurrent prostate inflammation to the pathogenesis of prostate cancer will be reviewed.
Synthetic beamforming for localized FSS-based sensing

Recently, frequency selective surface (FSS)-based sensors have shown potential for structural health monitoring (SHM). FSS sensors are attractive due to their sensitivity to changes in element geometry, inter-element spacing, substrate properties, and local environment. In addition, these sensors are remotely interrogated and present a planar structure, making them an ideal candidate for SHM. Traditionally, FSS sensors are analyzed assuming a uniform (plane wave) illumination. However, practically speaking, the sensor will be illuminated with a non-uniform excitation. In this way, the resolution of the sensor is related to the excitation beam. Therefore, this paper considers a synthetic beamforming approach as a solution for localized sensing applications. Specifically, the effect of distance between the synthetic aperture and FSS sensor is studied, along with the effect of windowing (used to suppress side lobe levels). Measurements were conducted on an FSS sensor based on a square loop element and backed by a ground plane. They were performed on this sensor before and after the introduction of two small copper strips (oriented orthogonally to one another). The results show that, using a focused beam, the presence of the copper strips can be detected.
The Chloroplast, Its Genome and Possibilities for Genetically Manipulating Plants

We can imagine altering the genetic potential of an organism by deleting or introducing structural genes. We can visualize altering patterns of gene expression by manipulating regulatory DNA sequences. Exercise of either of these two genetic engineering approaches will reveal important biological principles and may well lead to important applications.
A survey and classification of service-staff scheduling models that address employee preferences

Scheduling service workers in operations that require staffing over long days and a long week, oftentimes 24/7, is a problem that continues to grow in importance and applicability. As research in this area progresses, proposed scheduling models are increasingly including consideration of employee preferences. Roughly 325 articles containing workforce scheduling models were examined, of which 48 (about 15%) explicitly address worker preferences. Findings suggest an upward trend over time in the number of scheduling models with preference consideration. Shift and days-off preferences are most often addressed, with task assignment, total hours scheduled, and work location preferences receiving much less attention. This study brings much needed organisation to, and hence a better picture of, the research of this type published to date. The models surveyed are classified by types of preferences considered, source of the preferences (i.e., individual or staff), and priority criterion in satisfying the preferences.
Social exclusion and perceived vulnerability to physical harm

AbstractThe social exclusion literature has long emphasized the evolutionary basis of belonging and its inherent association with physical safety. We further elucidate this link by examining how social vulnerability shapes subjective experiences of physical vulnerability. We hypothesized that social exclusion would heighten sensitivity to physical vulnerability concerns. Across 3 studies, social exclusion, relative to control conditions, increased the accessibility of physical vulnerability-related cognitions (Study 1), feelings of physical vulnerability in familiar environments (Study 2), and predictions of negative physical harm in the future (Study 3). Discussion centers on the benefits of adopting an evolutionary approach to understanding when social exclusion facilitates vs. dampens perceptions of harm, and remaining questions regarding the corresponding vs. conflicting effects of belonging and safety needs.
Passion for Exercise: Passion's Relationship to General Fitness Indicators and Exercise Addiction.

Research into the Dualistic Model of Passion (DMP) has suggested that a harmonious passion for an activity is related to more positive outcomes (e.g., higher well-being and satisfaction with life), and an obsessive passion for an activity is related to negative and less adaptive outcomes (e.g., lower self-esteem and burnout; 37, 40, 43). The current study demonstrated differences between passion types (i.e., harmonious passion, obsessive passion, no passion) in terms of physical fitness, risk of exercise addiction, frequency of exercise, and perceptions of exercise. Sixty-one college students from a large, Midwestern university completed the study. A MANOVA with the self-report exercise behavior/perceptions measures (F(8, 96) = 3.94, p<.001, Wilk’s λ= 0.58) was significant with post-hoc analyses revealing significant differences (p< 0.05) between obsessive, harmonious, and non-passionate individuals on time in vigorous activity, risk of exercise addiction, and perceptions of exercise, with no significant differences in fitness levels. Obsessive individuals spend more time in vigorous exercise and are most at risk for exercise addiction, while harmonious individuals do not differ from obsessive on time in vigorous activity and are between obsessive and non-passionate individuals for risk of exercise addiction. The MANOVA with physical fitness indicators (body fat, VO2max, completed push-ups and curl-ups) revealed no significant differences between the passion groups, but follow-up ANOVAs examining trends indicated differences in body fat and pushups, with non-passionate individuals having higher body fat and fewer pushups than the two passion groups. The findings of this study partially support the Dualistic Model of Passion and previous research findings, and these findings demonstrate interactions between passion and performance in fitness tasks.
Ultrasonic Evaluation of Rough and Porous Ceramic Coatings with a Dual-Element Large Aperture Lensless Line-Focus Transducer

Plasma-sprayed ceramic coatings are being developed for many applications such as thermal barriers and corrosion protection. In plasma spraying, the ceramic powder is heated into semi-molten droplets for projection onto a target surface by a high velocity gas stream. This coating is then rapidly cooled to form a solid layer. By repeating this process for multiple layers, a coating thickness from micrometers to millimeters may be built up. Inherent to this process, plasma-sprayed coatings generally possess rough surfaces and a high degree of porosity.
Couple‐based interventions for PTSD among military veterans: An empirical review

Objective Treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a commonly sought mental health service among military service members and veterans (SM/Vs). Such treatment is typically individually-based, despite many SM/Vs reporting a desire for greater partner involvement in treatment. This review examined couple-based treatments for PTSD among SM/Vs and their romantic partners. Method A database search conducted in July, 2018 yielded 167 studies, of which 16 (10%) met inclusion criteria. Brief intervention summaries, effect sizes, and distress change scores (where applicable) are reported. Results The 16 studies tested 7 interventions, which showed a reduction in self-rated and clinician-rated PTSD symptoms with large effect sizes observed in most studies. Relationship outcomes also improved for SM/Vs and their partners, with effect sizes ranging from small-to-medium for SM/Vs and small-to-large for partners. Conclusions Couple-based interventions show success in reducing PTSD symptoms and improving relationship outcomes, offering several alternatives to individual-based interventions among partnered SM/Vs.
Carbon Dioxide Recycling Makes Waves

Recycling CO2 into fuels and chemicals would lessen dependence on fossil fuels and help to mitigate CO2 emissions. Writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A., Patterson et al. propose that solar methanol islands, man-made oceanic structures that use renewable energy to harvest CO2 from seawater, perform catalysis, and generate methanol, could provide a new approach to recycling carbon dioxide into liquid fuels.
Selecting the optimal artificial reefs to achieve fish habitat enhancement goals

Abstract Managers and conservation practitioners commonly deploy artificial habitats to restore lost natural habitats or supplement existing natural habitats. These decision makers face logistical and financial constraints in determining which type of structure (e.g., size, material) to deploy, as well as the added complication that ecological evaluations of structure performance are sparse. As a result, deployed artificial habitats often fail to meet habitat restoration or supplementation goals, especially in marine systems. Here, we evaluated the ecological performance of four types of marine artificial reefs (metal ships, three types of concrete modules) relative to each other and to neighboring natural habitat (rocky reefs). Through diver-conducted fish surveys on twenty-three reefs offshore of North Carolina (NC), USA, we found that different reef types hosted distinct fish communities. Concrete modules performed similarly to rocky reefs, supporting similar fish abundance, biomass, and community composition. In contrast, metal ships supported different fish communities than concrete modules and rocky reefs. Further analyses revealed that these patterns may relate to the ‘footprint’ and structural complexity of reef structures. These findings suggest that managers should strategically deploy particular types of artificial reefs depending on their objectives. For example, concrete modules should be deployed if the objective is to mimic rocky reefs, whereas deploying ships may create habitats that surpass natural reefs in fish abundance and biomass but with different communities. Moving forward, managers and conservation practitioners must rely on the most recent and location-specific structure evaluations when deciding which types of artificial habitats to deploy given their management objectives.
The effect of tendon rotation on distal biceps repair.

Background The distal biceps tendon externally rotates from proximal to distal before inserting onto the radius. Our hypothesis is that an externally rotated (anatomic) repair would re-create native supination moment arm and flexion force, whereas an internally rotated (nonanatomic) repair would result in reduced force transmission. Methods The mechanical tests performed in this study measured isometric moment arms and elbow flexion force using a validated elbow simulator as previously published. Mechanical testing was performed on 8 native cadaveric elbows (61 ± 15 years). The distal biceps tendons in all specimens were then incised from their footprint and repaired with anatomic and nonanatomic tendon rotations. After each repair, the specimens were retested. The repair sequence was randomly assigned. Results Gross observation showed repair site bunching with the nonanatomic repairs. There was no statistical difference in the moment arms between the native, anatomic, and nonanatomic rotations for the 3 forearm angles (P ≥ .352). Analysis showed no statistical difference in flexion force ratio for the elbow at 90° (P ≥ .283). Discussion The study showed that biceps tendon rotation does not play a role in supination moment arm or flexion force. Twisting the distal biceps tendon around the tendon axis does not change the direction of its applied force on the tuberosity. Tendon bunching in nonanatomic reattachments increases repair site width, which may lead to tendon-ulnar impingement during forearm rotation.
Neuropathology: Alzheimer's in real time.

A hallmark of Alzheimer's disease is the presence in the brain of protein deposits, or plaques, which are thought to form over a long period. But studies in mice suggest that the plaques can grow overnight.
Assessment of Strain Relaxation and Oxygen Vacancy Migration Near Grain Boundary in SrTiO3 Bicrystals by Second Harmonic Generation

Mesoscopic structural distortions that result from ionic space charge accumulation near a grain boundary have impacts on the electrical conductivity and optical properties of perovskite oxides. Her...
Professional Learning Communities: Bridging the Technology Integration Gap Through Effective Professional Development

While technology is prevalent in American classrooms, meaningful technology integration remains an issue, indicating a lack of effective professional development. Unlike the typical workshop model,...
Insomnia and Insomnia Symptoms in Persons with Heart Failure: An Integrative Review

Background/objective Insomnia and insomnia symptoms are highly prevalent in persons with heart failure (HF), and they are associated with several untoward outcomes. The purpose of this integrative review is to describe the correlates, predictors, and outcomes of insomnia and insomnia symptoms in persons with HF. Methods Using integrative review methods, an extensive electronic search of 5 databases was conducted for the period of 2000-2019. Sixteen studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria for review and investigated insomnia or insomnia symptoms in HF. Results Various sociodemographic factors, chronic comorbidities, clinical factors, and cognitive-behavioral factors are correlates and predictors of insomnia and insomnia symptoms in persons with HF. Depression, fatigue, daytime sleepiness, poor self-reported physical functioning, decreased exercise capacity, cardiac events, and poor health-related quality of life are significant outcomes of insomnia and insomnia symptoms in persons with HF. The associations of insomnia and insomnia symptoms with age, sex, sleep-disordered breathing, and cognition were not consistent across all studies. Conclusion Larger studies with diverse age and race groups as well as longitudinal studies and designs that test mediation effects are needed to disentangle complex relationships between insomnia and insomnia symptoms and several of their potential predictors and correlates in HF.
The impact of euthanasia and enucleation on mouse corneal epithelial axon density and nerve terminal morphology.

Abstract Introduction Here we study the impact of using either CO2 gas or cervical dislocation (CD) for euthanasia and using different techniques to enucleate the eye on preserving axonal density and morphology of the intraepithelial corneal nerves (ICNs). Objectives To determine whether using CO2 gas or CD for euthanasia and enucleating by cutting or pulling eyes out impacts axon density and nerve terminal morphology in the mouse cornea. Methods Mice were euthanized by CO2 gas or CD; the impact of delaying fixation for 5 min post-euthanasia was also assessed. We tested two different techniques to enucleate the eyes: cutting the optic nerve by curved scissors or pulling the eye out. A minimum of 10 corneas from 5 male and female BALB/c mice were used for each variable. Axons and intraepithelial corneal nerve terminals (ICNTs) were visualized utilizing βIII tubulin and L1CAM and quantified using confocal microscopy. Results The variations seen in axon density between individual mice are not gender- or euthanasia-dependent. A significant reduction in axon density and loss of ICNT morphology are observed in eyes enucleated by pulling the optic nerve out. Similar results are obtained in male and female mice. Conclusion While the variations tested in euthanasia do not affect axon density in male and female mouse corneas, enucleation by proptosing and gently cutting out the eyes yields increased axon density and improved ICNT morphology compared to pulling eyes out and leaving the optic nerve attached.
Summery, perspective, and future studies on neurodegeneration and regeneration in neurological disorders

Abstract Neurodegeneration in neurological disorders involves mitochondrial dysfunctions, proteasomal impairment, oxidative stress, axonal transport deficits, synaptic dysfunction, protein oligomerization and aggregation, excitotoxicity, calcium deregulation, and neuroinflammation. These processes are mediated by vasculature changes, cellular aging, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) deficiency, gut dysbiosis, genetic abnormalities, and immune system problems. Regenerative process in brain and spinal cord involves spontaneous reorganization and recovery. Adult neurogenesis after the onset of neurological disorder results in the formation of new neurons, glia, myelin, and axon, synapses, as well as the regaining of essential functions: sensory, motor, emotional, and cognitive abilities.
Trophobiosis between a new species of Williamsrhizoecus (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Rhizoecidae) and Acropyga silvestrii (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Tanzania

A new myrmecophilous species of root mealybug, Williamsrhizoecus udzungwensis sp. n., is described from individuals found living within a nest of Acropyga silvestrii in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania. Acropyga ants are highly specialized, obligate associates of scale insects, typically members of the scale family Xenococcidae. Acropyga are best known for vertically transmitting trophobiotic partners during their nuptial flights and for housing them within brood chambers. This article presents the first record of trophobiosis between a species of Williamsrhizoecus and Acropyga, and only the second record of an association between Acropyga and rhizoecids in the Old World. This discovery contributes important information about the few species of Rhizoecidae confirmed to engage in these unique symbioses, each putatively the result of a past horizontal transmission event from a xenococcid to a rhizoecid lineage. Included is a discussion on the diagnosis of Williamsrhizoecus and an updated key to the species.
THE EFFECT OF METALLICITY-DEPENDENT T-τ RELATIONS ON CALIBRATED STELLAR MODELS

Mixing length theory is the predominant treatment of convection in stellar models today. Usually described by a single free parameter, α, the common practice is to calibrate it using the properties of the Sun, and apply it to all other stellar models as well. Asteroseismic data from Kepler and CoRoT provide precise properties of other stars which can be used to determine α as well, and a recent study of stars in the Kepler field of view found α to vary with metallicity. Interpreting α obtained from calibrated stellar models, however, is complicated by the fact that the value for α depends on the surface boundary condition of the stellar model, or T-τ relation. Calibrated models that use typical T-τ relations, which are static and insensitive to chemical composition, do not include the complete effect of metallicity on α. We use three-dimensional radiation-hydrodynamic simulations to extract metallicity-dependent T-τ relations and use them in calibrated stellar models. We find the previously reported α-metallicity trend to be robust, and not significantly affected by the surface boundary condition of the stellar models.
Two contrasting mediodorsal thalamic circuits target the medial prefrontal cortex

At the heart of the prefrontal executive and limbic networks is the mediodorsal thalamus (MD). Despite the importance of MD in a broad range of behaviors and neuropsychiatric disorders, virtually nothing is known about the physiology of neurons in MD. Here, we injected the retrograde tracer cholera toxin subunit B (CTB) into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of adult (8 - 12 week old) male and female wildtype mice. We prepared acute brain slices and used current clamp electrophysiology to measure and compare the intrinsic properties of the neurons in MD that project to mPFC (MD[->]mPFC neurons). MD[->]mPFC neurons are located predominantly in the medial (MD-M) and lateral (MD-L) subnuclei of MD. We found that that MD-M[->]mPFC neurons have longer membrane time constants, higher membrane resistance, less Hyperpolarization and Cyclic Nucleotide gated (HCN) channel activity, and more readily generate action potentials compared to MD-L[->]mPFC neurons. Additionally, MD-M[->]mPFC neurons have larger and more complex dendritic arbors compared to MD-L[->]mPFC neurons. These data demonstrating that the two populations of MD[->]mPFC neurons have distinct physiologies and morphologies suggests a differential role in thalamocortical information processing and potentially behavior.
Acute and short-term haemodynamic impact of transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation on left ventricular systolic and diastolic function.

Objectives: Assess the acute and short-term haemodynamic impact of transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation on left ventricular systolic and diastolic function stratified by pre-transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation physiology. Background: Transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation is a widely available option to treat residual or recurrent pulmonary stenosis and pulmonary insufficiency. Transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation acutely increases pulmonary artery size and diastolic pressure in patients with pulmonary insufficiency and acute pulmonary edema has been reported after transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation, possibly related to acute left ventricular volume loading. However, the impact of transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation on left ventricular diastolic function has not been established. Methods: Patients who underwent transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation from 2010 to 2017 at our centre were grouped by indication for transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation as pulmonary stenosis, pulmonary insufficiency, or mixed disease. Separate analysis was performed on those who underwent transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation for pulmonary stenosis versus pulmonary insufficiency or mixed disease. Intracardiac haemodynamics immediately before and after transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation and echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function at baseline, 1-day post transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation, and 1-year post transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation were compared between groups. Results: In 102 patients who underwent transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation, the indication was pulmonary stenosis in 29 (28%), pulmonary insufficiency in 28 (29%), and mixed disease in 44 (43%). There were no significant differences in left ventricular systolic or diastolic function between groups at baseline, immediately after transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation, or 1-year post implantation. The mean pulmonary artery wedge pressure increased equally across groups. Conclusions: While patients with pulmonary insufficiency likely have acute left ventricular volume loading following transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation, this does not appear to be haemodynamically significant as transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation was not associated with measurable changes in left ventricular systolic or diastolic function acutely or 1-year post implantation.