cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Voltammetric codetection of arsenic(III) and copper(II) in alkaline buffering system with gold nanostar modified electrodes.

Abstract One of the challenges preventing rapid, onsite voltammetric detection of arsenic(III) is the overlapping oxidation peak of copper(II). This paper describes a novel methodology for the voltammetric detection of trace levels of arsenic(III) in the presence of high copper(II) concentrations (up to the action level of 1.3 mg L−1 set by the US EPA for drinking water). Square wave stripping voltammetry tests were performed using disposable carbon screen printed electrodes modified with gold nanostars on samples buffered with Britton-Robinson buffer. The optimized parameters for accurate codetection of arsenic(III) and copper(II) were a buffer pH of 9.5, a loading of gold nanostars of 2.39 * 10 − 5 nmol per electrode, a deposition voltage of −0.8 V, and a deposition time of 180 s. Based on calibration testing, the limits of detection for arsenic(III) and copper(II) were determined to be 2.9 μg L−1 and 42.5 μg L−1, respectively. Furthermore, the linear ranges for arsenic and copper were 0–100 μg L−1 and 0–250 μg L−1 with sensitivities of 0.101 μA (μg L−1)−1 and 0.121 μA (μg L−1)−1, respectively. Interference testing was performed with several common ionic species, sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, tannic acid, iron(iii) chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium nitrate, and sodium sulfate, with only sodium bicarbonate significantly affecting the response. Validation testing in real-world samples was performed by comparison with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. The validation testing demonstrated good accuracy and precision, expressed as percent recovery and relative standard deviation (RSD), respectively, in river water and tap water, with mean percent recoveries of 87.7% (RSD = 4.20%) and 83.2% (RSD = 10.02%), respectively.
Hypothalamic-vagal oxytocinergic neurocircuitry modulates gastric emptying and motility following stress.

Key points Stress triggers and exacerbates the symptoms of functional gastrointestinal disorders, such as delayed gastric emptying and impaired gastric motility. Understanding the mechanisms by which the neural circuits, impaired by stress, are restored may help to identify potential targets for more effective therapeutic interventions. Oxytocin administration or release ameliorates the stress-induced delayed gastric emptying and motility. However, is it unclear whether the effects are mediated via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis or the oxytocinergic projections from the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus to brainstem neurones of the dorsal vagal complex. We used Cre-inducible designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs to demonstrate the fundamental role of the oxytocinergic hypothalamic-vagal projections in the gastric adaptation to stress. Abstract Stress triggers and exacerbates the symptoms of functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, such as delayed gastric emptying and impaired gastric motility. The prototypical anti-stress hormone, oxytocin (OXT), plays a major role in the modulation of gastric emptying and motility following stress. It is not clear, however, whether the amelioration of dysregulated GI functions by OXT is mediated via an effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis or the oxytocinergic projections from the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) to neurones of the dorsal vagal complex (DVC). In the present study we tested the hypothesis that the activity of hypothalamic-vagal oxytocinergic neurocircuits plays a major role in the gastric adaptation to stress. Cre-inducible designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) were injected into the DVC of rats and retrogradely transported to allow selective expression in OXT neurones in the PVN. Following acute stress and either chronic heterotypic (CHe) or chronic homotypic (CHo) stress, gastric emptying was assessed via the [13 C]-octanoic acid breath test, and gastric tone and motility were assessed via strain gauges sewn on the surface of the stomach. Activation of the hypothalamic-vagal oxytocinergic neurocircuitry, by DREADD agonist clozapine-N-oxide (CNO), prevented the delayed gastric emptying observed following acute or CHe stress, and 4th ventricular administration of CNO increased gastric tone and motility. Conversely, CNO-mediated inhibition of the hypothalamic-vagal oxytocinergic neurocircuitry prevented the CHo-induced adaptation in gastric emptying, and an increase in gastric tone and motility. Taken together, the data support the hypothesis that hypothalamic-vagal oxytocinergic neurocircuits play a major role in the modulation of gastric emptying and motility following stress.
Solid-state laser refrigeration of a composite semiconductor Yb:YLiF 4 optomechanical resonator

Photothermal heating represents a major constraint that limits the performance of many nanoscale optoelectronic and optomechanical devices including nanolasers, quantum optomechanical resonators, and integrated photonic circuits. Here, we demonstrate the direct laser refrigeration of a semiconductor optomechanical resonator >20 K below room temperature based on the emission of upconverted, anti-Stokes photoluminescence of trivalent ytterbium ions doped within a yttrium-lithium-fluoride (YLF) host crystal. Optically-refrigerating the lattice of a dielectric resonator has the potential to impact several fields including scanning probe microscopy, the sensing of weak forces, the measurement of atomic masses, and the development of radiation-balanced solid-state lasers. In addition, optically refrigerated resonators may be used in the future as a promising starting point to perform motional cooling for exploration of quantum effects at mesoscopic length scales, temperature control within integrated photonic devices, and solid-state laser refrigeration of quantum materials. Optically refrigerated resonators may be useful in optical devices and exploring quantum effects. Here, the authors show laser refrigeration of a semiconductor mechanical oscillator Yb:YLF host crystal and lowering the thermal load temperature.
Edge-transitive graphs and combinatorial designs

A graph is said to be edge-transitive if its automorphism group acts transitively on its edges. It is known that edge-transitive graphs are either vertex-transitive or bipartite. We present a complete classification of all connected edge-transitive graphs on less than or equal to 20 vertices. We investigate biregular bipartite edge-transitive graphs and present connections to combinatorial designs, and we show that the Cartesian products of complements of complete graphs give an additional family of edge-transitive graphs.
Keeping Up With the Joneses: District Adoption of the 4-Day School Week in Rural Missouri:

In recent years, rural school district adoption of 4-day school weeks has grown markedly. Despite this rapid growth, scant empirical evidence has documented the factors associated with district ado...
Black Mental Health Matters: Addressing Post-COVID Mental Health Needs of Black Americans.

As our nation and our world appear to have turned a corner after the height of the disastrous COVID-19 pandemic, many thoughtful writers have called attention to the racial inequities and injustice...
Degradation of Polysorbate 20 by Sialate O-Acetylesterase in Monoclonal Antibody Formulations.

Abstract Polysorbates (PS) are surfactants commonly added in biologics formulations that can protect proteins from denaturation and aggregation. However, decreases in polysorbate 20 (PS20) content have been observed in some monoclonal antibody formulations, causing the formation of visible and/or subvisible particles that ultimately compromise the quality and stability of the therapeutic protein products. It was determined that the particles are mainly composed of free fatty acid, suggesting enzymatic hydrolysis of PS is responsible for the degradation of PS. Enrichment of host cell proteins (HCPs) by immunoprecipitation followed by shotgun proteomics have been utilized to identify the HCPs that can hydrolyze PS20. One HCP, sialate O-acetylesterase (SIAE), demonstrated strong enzymatic activity for PS20 degradation even at low concentration (
The landscape of extrachromosomal circular DNA in medulloblastoma

SUMMARY Extrachromosomal circular DNA (ecDNA) is an important driver of aggressive tumor growth, promoting high oncogene copy number, intratumoral heterogeneity, accelerated evolution of drug resistance, enhancer rewiring, and poor outcome. ecDNA has been reported in medulloblastoma (MB), the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor, but the ecDNA landscape and its association with specific MB subgroups, its impact on enhancer rewiring, and its potential clinical implications, are not known. We assembled a retrospective cohort of 468 MB patient samples with available whole genome sequencing (WGS) data covering the four major MB subgroups WNT, SHH, Group 3 and Group 4. Using computational methods for the detection and reconstruction of ecDNA1, we find ecDNA in 82 patients (18%) and observe that ecDNA+ MB patients are more than twice as likely to relapse and three times as likely to die of disease. In addition, we find that individual medulloblastoma tumors often harbor multiple ecDNAs, each containing different amplified oncogenes along with co-amplified non-coding regulatory enhancers. ecDNA was substantially more prevalent among 31 analyzed patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models and cell lines than in our patient cohort. By mapping the accessible chromatin and 3D conformation landscapes of MB tumors that harbor ecDNA, we observe frequent candidate “enhancer rewiring” events that spatially link oncogenes with co-amplified enhancers. Our study reveals the frequency and diversity of ecDNA in a subset of highly aggressive tumors and suggests enhancer rewiring as a frequent oncogenic mechanism of ecDNAs in MB. Further, these results demonstrate that ecDNA is a frequent and potent driver of poor outcome in MB patients.
Future Research Topics

A successful intercountry adoption could be defined as: the creation of a stable family unit that allows each adoptee to reach their full potential as an adult. The factors that determine whether or not international adoption is successful can be thought of in broad categories: biologic, psychological and societal. In each area there are many opportunities for future research.
Gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis of volatile organics in the atmosphere

Trace-level vapor-phase organic components in tropospheric samples have been identified using combined glass capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Samples were collected on Tenax-GC sorbent from an aircraft sampling port at various locations over North America and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The compounds found in these samples include n-alkanes (hexane to pentadecane), alkenes, benzene and alkylbenzenes, styrene, tetrachloroethylene, dichlorobenzenes, dimethyldisulfide, and benzaldehyde. The concentrations of benzene and toluene were determined to be in the range of <0.1 to 1.3 ppb and <0.1 to 5 ppb, respectively. These values are comparable to those found for land-based samples.
The lack of reproducibility in research: How statistics can endorse results

Scientific research is validated by reproduction of the results, but efforts to reproduce spurious claims drain resources. We focus on one cause of such failure: false positive statistical test results caused by random variability. Classical statistical methods rely on p-values to measure the evidence against null hypotheses, but Bayesian hypothesis testing produces more easily understood results, provided one can specify prior distributions under the alternative hypothesis. We describe new tests, UMPBTs, which are Bayesian tests that provide default specification of alternative priors, and show that these tests also maximize statistical power.
Contemporary Coffee Houses: How Accessibility, Playful Atmosphere, and Lack of Communication Make Up The Modern Third Place.

Over the course of a semester, I researched via observation and interviews how modern coffee shops make up a modern third place within our society. During my research I found out that they had several key aspects to research done on third places from before, while also having a vast difference in modern society based upon new technology that has entered society. The three areas which I covered within my paper are how the location is accessed, the atmosphere within the location, and how the lack of communication within the coffee house makes up modern third places.
Using the Subjective Workload Dominance (SWORD) technique for projective workload assessment.

The present study examined the utility of the Subjective Workload Dominance (SWORD) technique as a projective workload tool. Two groups predicted the workload associated with using six possible hea...
The Effect of the Solar Wind on the Terrestrial Environment

When the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) carried by the expanding solar corona has a southward component for about an hour or longer, a number of remarkable phenomena begin to be perceived at Earth. Invariably there are displays of aurora, usually at high latitudes but sometimes also at low latitudes. Instruments measuring magnetic fields show deviations from normal levels. Disruptions may occur in power distribution systems and in radio and cable communication systems. The deeper the terrestrial environment is probed with both ground-based and spacecraft instruments, the more associated phenoma are discovered. It is perhaps surprising that the impact of the expanding corona can be so pronounced, since at Earth its energy flux is six to seven orders of magnitude smaller than the energy flux radiated by the Sun.
An In Vitro Biomechanical Comparison of Hydroxyapatite Coated and Uncoated AO Cortical Bone Screws for a Limited Contact: Dynamic Compression Plate Fixation of Osteotomized Equine 3rd Metacarpal Bones

Objectives To compare the monotonic biomechanical properties of a broad 4.5 mm limited contact-dynamic compression plate (LC-DCP) fixation secured with hydroxyapatite (HA) coated cortical bone screws (HA-LC-DCP) versus uncoated cortical bone screws (AO-LC-DCP) to repair osteotomized equine 3rd metacarpal (MC3) bones. Study Design Experimental. Sample Population Adult equine cadaveric MC3 bones (n = 12 pair). Methods Twelve pairs of equine MC3 were divided into 3 test groups (4 pairs each) for: (1) 4 point bending single cycle to failure testing; (2) 4 point bending cyclic fatigue testing; and (3) torsional single cycle to failure testing. For the HA-LC-DCP-MC3 construct, an 8-hole broad LC-DCP (Synthes Ltd, Paoli, PA) was secured on the dorsal surface of each randomly selected MC3 bone with a combination of four 5.5 mm and four 4.5 mm HA-coated cortical screws. For the AO-LC-DCP-MC3 construct, an 8-hole 4.5 mm broad LC-DCP was secured on the dorsal surface of the contralateral MC3 bone with a combination of four 5.5 mm and four 4.5 mm uncoated cortical screws. All MC3 bones had mid-diaphyseal osteotomies. Mean test variable values for each method were compared using a paired t-test within each group. Significance was set at P < .05. Results Mean yield load, yield bending moment, composite rigidity, failure load, and failure bending moment, under 4 point bending, single cycle to failure, of the HA-LC-DCP fixation were significantly greater than those of the AO-LC-DCP fixation. Mean ± SD values for the HA-LC-DCP and the AO-LC-DCP fixation techniques, respectively, in single cycle to failure under 4 point bending were: yield load, 26.7 ± 2.15 and 16.3 ± 1.38 kN; yield bending moment, 527.4 ± 42.4 and 322.9 ± 27.2 N-m; composite rigidity, 5306 ± 399 and 3003 ± 300 N-m/rad; failure load, 40.6 ± 3.94 and 26.5 ± 2.52 kN; and failure bending moment, 801.9 ± 77.9 and 522.9 ± 52.2 N-m. Mean cycles to failure in 4 point bending of the HA-LC-DCP fixation (116,274 ± 13,211) was significantly greater than that of the AO-LC-DCP fixation 47,619 ± 6580. Mean yield load, mean composite rigidity, and mean failure load under torsional testing, single cycle to failure was significantly greater for the broad HA-LC-DCP fixation compared with the AO-LC-DCP fixation. In single cycle to failure under torsion, mean ± SD values for the HA-LC-DCP and the AO-LC-DCP fixation techniques, respectively, were: yield load, 101.3 ± 14.68 and 70.54 ± 10.20 N-m; composite rigidity, 437.9 ± 32.9 and 220.7 ± 17.6 N-m/rad; and failure load: 105.7 ± 15.5 and 75.28 ± 10.1 N-m. Conclusion HA-LC-DCP was superior to AO-LC-DCP in resisting the static overload forces (palmarodorsal 4 point bending and torsional) and in resisting cyclic fatigue under palmarodorsal 4 point bending.
CONDOR: a computational architecture for robots

This chapter presents an overview of the CONDOR architecture, a fully implemented system that controls the Utah/MIT hand. The architecture is especially suited for complex robots that are characterized by a number of joints and consequently demand powerful computer architectures to be controlled and utilized effectively. Using the CONDOR as a representative example, this chapter attempts to introduce the hardware and software issues that are relevant to the design of real-time control systems for robot hands.
Role of coprophagy in masking dietary deficiencies of cystine in the rat.

When a diet containing raw soybean was fed to rats, there was an increase in the synthesis of pancreatic protein, presumably exocrine protein, as evidenced by an increased uptake of [35S]cystine. There was also an increased transsulfuration of methionine sulfur as indicated by labeled sulfur transformation from methionine to cystine. This same pattern of events was produced in rats receiving a casein-containing diet when 50 mg of crystalline trypsin inhibitor was administered by gavage. However, if coprophagy was prevented, the increased uptake of [35S]cystine and [35S]methionine transsulfuration under both dietary conditions was blocked. It was found that prevention of coprophagy was without effect upon these two processes if supplementary dietary cystine was provided or if a dietary protein source with adequate cystine, i.e., heat-treated soybean, was provided. It was concluded that by practicing coprophagy, sufficient fecal cystine was being returned to the upper intestinal tract to permit some synthesis of pancreatic exocrine protein and with this stimulation of synthesis, transulfuration could proceed. This assumes that the biosynthesis of cystine is dependent upon the availability of sufficient cystine to permit active protein synthesis. In another situation where cystine requirement is high, namely, the rapidly growing rat, a limited amount of cystine was fed by providing a 12% casein diet. Either supplementary cystine or methionine was provided and it was found that both amino acids gave optimal growth in conventional rats, but when coprophagy was prevented, optimal growth was achieved only with the cystine-supplemented diet.
Structural evolution along iso-chains of nuclei

The advent of radioactive nuclear beams (RNBs) has led to a rapid growth in the study of exotic nuclei. Already a number of major discoveries have been made. Examples are halo nuclei, mapping the bounds of nuclear existence, assessing the fragility of magicity, producing special nuclei such as 100Sn and 48Ni, and measuring key reaction rates of astrophysic interest. The growth in this field in the next decade will be enormous. With advanced RNB facilities being planned or under construction, more and more exotic nuclei will become accessible. One of the most interesting opportunities will be the study of the evolution of nuclear structure along extended iso-chains of nuclei. A prime example is Ni, where four magic numbers (20, 28, 40, and 50) and five major shells will be accessible. Structural evolution will be discussed from several standpoints, both theoretical and experimental, with emphasis on methods to obtain a maximum of information on new nuclei from the sparse data that will be available at the extremes of accessible N/Z ratios.
Invoking racism in the public sphere: Two takes on national self‐criticism

Invocations of “racism” are treated here as socially and historically situated acts of societal criticism. Getting away from arguments about the “truth‐value” of particular accusations and from worries about the diffuse or polysemic nature of the term racism, this essay recommends focusing on what the invocation of “racism” accomplishes contextually given a field of available options that range from its silencing to its naming as a different “thing.” Drawing on noticeable recent shifts in the naming of particular social phenomena in Israel and the United States, the analysis highlights both the way these new public discourses (on Israeli Jewish racism and U.S. multiculturalism) critique habitual categories of understanding and the ways they inadvertently reproduce them.
Hypersensitive parameter-identifying ring oscillators for lithography process monitoring

This paper applies process and circuit simulation to examine plausible explanations for measured differences in ring oscillator frequencies and to develop layout and electronic circuit concepts that have increased sensitivity to lithographic parameters. Existing 90nm ring oscillator test chip measurements are leveraged, and the performance of ring oscillator circuit is simulated across the process parameter variation space using HSPICE and the Parametric Yield Simulator in the Collaborative Platform for DfM. These simulation results are then correlated with measured ring oscillator frequencies to directly extract the variation in the underlying parameter. Hypersensitive gate layouts are created by combining the physical principles in which the effects of illumination, focus, and pattern geometry interact. Using these principles and parametric yield simulations, structures that magnify the focus effects have been found. For example, by using 90 O phase shift probe, parameter-specific layout monitors are shown to be five times more sensitive to focus than that of an isolated line. On the design side, NMOS or PMOS-specific electrical circuits are designed, implemented, and simulated in HSPICE.
Differential distribution of distinct forms of myeloperoxidase in different azurophilic granule subpopulations from human neutrophils

Myeloperoxidase (MPO), a characteristic enzyme of human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN), is localized in specialized lysosomal or azurophilic granules, and can be resolved into three distinct forms (I, II, III) by ion-exchange chromatography. Granules were isolated from single donor PMN and fractionated with centrifugation into two different azurophilic subpopulations (high and low density) by banding in a continuous sucrose density gradient. Ion-exchange chromatography of granule extracts indicated that the lower density granules contained mainly MPO forms II and III while the higher density granules appeared to contain all three forms, but in much reduced amounts. Sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that, the mobilities of the heavy subunits of MPO appeared to be inversely related to the density of the granule population from which they were extracted. These observations suggest that the different forms of MPO may have distinct functional roles and/or are a possible reflection of maturational differences among the granule subpopulations.
Extensions to the Theory of Widely Linear Complex Kalman Filtering

For an improper complex signal x, its complementary covariance ExxT is not zero and thus it carries useful statistical information about x. Widely linear processing exploits Hermitian and complementary covariance to improve performance. In this paper, we extend the existing theory of widely linear complex Kalman filters (WLCKF) and unscented WLCKFs [D. P. Mandic and S. L. Goh,Complex Valued Nonlinear Adaptive Filters: Noncircularity, Widely Linear and Neural Models (New York: Wiley, 2009)]. We propose a WLCKF which can deal with more general dynamical models of complex-valued states and measurements than the WLCKFs in Mandic and Goh. The proposed WLCKF has an equivalency with the corresponding dual channel real KF. Our analytical and numerical results show the performance improvement of a WLCKF over a complex Kalman filter (CKF) that does not exploit complementary covariance. We also develop an unscented WLCKF which uses modified complex sigma points. The modified complex sigma points preserve complete first and second moments of complex signals, while the sigma points in Mandic and Goh only carry the mean and Hermitian covariance, but not complementary covariance of complex signals.
Increased urotensin I and II immunoreactivity in the urophysis of Gillichthys mirabilis transferred to low salinity water.

Abstract The function of the fish caudal neurosecretory system is uncertain, but a role in osmoregulation has been suggested by many investigators. Our objective was to determine if acclimation to water of different salinity has an effect on immunoreactive patterns and staining intensities of the two caudal neuropeptides, urotensins I (UI) and II (UII), in Gillichthys mirabilis. Five fish, originally maintained in seawater, were transferred to deionized fresh water (FW), and five were transferred to new seawater (SW). After 24 hr spinal cords were removed and fixed, FW and SW spinal cords were paired in blocks to receive identical treatment, and cryostat sections were double immunostained for both peptides using a double sequential immunofluorescence procedure. FW spinal cords exhibited increased staining intensities for both UI and UII in their urophyses (the neurohemal organ) compared to the SW spinal cords. The magnitude of intensity difference appeared greater for UI than for UII. In addition, the FW urophyses had more loci displaying intense, perivascular UI immunoreactivity than the SW urophyses. Thus, it appears that environmental salinity has an effect on the urophysial content of UI and UII in this euryhaline fish. The increased immunoreactivity in FW fish could reflect increased synthesis and storage, decreased release of the stored peptides, or decreased peptide degradation.
Using a comparative species approach to investigate the neurobiology of paternal responses.

A goal of behavioral neuroscience is to identify underlying neurobiological factors that regulate specific behaviors. Using animal models to accomplish this goal, many methodological strategies require invasive techniques to manipulate the intensity of the behavior of interest (e.g., lesion methods, pharmacological manipulations, microdialysis techniques, genetically-engineered animal models). The utilization of a comparative species approach allows researchers to take advantage of naturally occurring differences in response strategies existing in closely related species. In our lab, we use two species of the Peromyscus genus that differ in paternal responses. The male California deer mouse (Peromyscus californicus) exhibits the same parental responses as the female whereas its cousin, the common deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) exhibits virtually no nurturing/parental responses in the presence of pups. Of specific interest in this article is an exploration of the neurobiological factors associated with the affiliative social responses exhibited by the paternal California deer mouse. Because the behavioral neuroscience approach is multifaceted, the following key components of the study will be briefly addressed: the identification of appropriate species for this type of research; data collection for behavioral analysis; preparation and sectioning of the brains; basic steps involved in immunocytochemistry for the quantification of vasopressin-immunoreactivity; the use of neuroimaging software to quantify the brain tissue; the use of a microsequencing video analysis to score behavior and, finally, the appropriate statistical analyses to provide the most informed interpretations of the research findings.
Prevention of smooth muscle cell phenotypic modulation in vein grafts: a histomorphometric study.

Abstract This is a prospective study of the relationship between graft preparation technique and the subsequent morphologic fate of vein grafts. Paired vein grafts (optimal vs injury prepared) were placed in a canine model and removed over time. Vein grafts intentionally injured by warm saline storage demonstrated endothelial and smooth muscle cell damage. In the acute postimplantation period, platelet adhesion and white cell infiltration of the graft were present. By 7 days, the endothelium had “healed,” but the underlying smooth muscle cells had modulated and were of the transitional or synthetic phenotype. This persisted at 30 days, but by 60 days the graft wall had remodeled to a contractile smooth muscle cell phenotype. Changes in the extracellular matrix were greatest at 30 days corresponding to changes in the smooth muscle cell phenotype. None of these injurious responses were noted in optimally prepared, papaverine treated vein grafts. The combined intima and media (lumen to adventitial edge) was measured at baseline and at graft excision with use of digitized graphic techniques. The intimal/medial thickness of injured vein graft walls was always greater than that of pair-matched optimally treated vein grafts (p J Vasc Surg 1992;16:225–31.)
Microstructural Properties of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3/RuO2 Multi-Layers Grown on MgO and YSZ by Pulsed-Laser Deposition

The microstructure of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 (BST)/RuO2 multi-layers grown on (100) MgO and (100) YSZ substrates, respectively, by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) has been studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). The RuO2 films deposited at 700°C adopt epitaxial relationships with both substrates. The epitaxial films on (100) MgO consist of two variants with an orientation relationship given by (110) RuO2//(100) MgO and [001] RuO2//[011] MgO. The epitaxial films on (100) YSZ contain four variants with an orientation relationship given by (200) RuO2//(100) YSZ and [011] RuO2//[001] YSZ. The BST films deposited on the RuO2 electrode are epitaxial on the (200) RuO2 films deposited on YSZ, and non-epitaxial on the (110) RuO2 films deposited on MgO. The epitaxial relationship between the BST and (200) RuO2 films can be described as (111) BST//(200) RuO2 and [1&1macr;0] BST//[011] RuO2. The BST films contain at least four variants. The growth and microstructural pr...
Assessing the outcomes of a home nursing programme: previousiy hospitalized versus non‐hospitalized patients

SUMMARY This study utilizes four outcome measures to compare the success of a home nursing programme on a group of patients previously hospitalized and a non-hospitalized group. The outcome measures are: mortality, stabilization, hospitalization and nursing home confinement at discharge from the programme. No significant differences were found between the groups, except for nursing home confinement which was higher for the non-hospitalized group. The relationships remained the same even when age and functional status were considered as alternative hypotheses. Implications of this study suggest that home nursing programmes are likely to be as successful with previously hospitalized, as they are with non-hospitalized, patients. Secondly, in evaluating the impact of home nursing programmes on patients, the potential stabilizing influence of the hospital must be taken into account before examining the programme in isolation.
Impairments and comorbidities of polyneuropathy revealed by population-based analyses

Objective: To quantify polyneuropathy impairments and comorbidities utilizing the Rochester Epidemiology Project (2010 census = 148,201). Methods: ICD-9-CM coding identified polyneuropathy cases (2006–2010) and their 5:1 age- and sex-matched controls. Mortality and impairments were evaluated while identifying and adjusting for Charlson Index comorbidities. Results: Overall prevalence of polyneuropathy was 1.66%, and markedly rose to 6.6% in persons older than 60 years. Cases (n = 2,892) had more comorbidities than controls (n = 14,435) with higher median Charlson Index (6 vs 3, p p p Conclusions: Polyneuropathies have notable neurologic impairments beyond their identified multiple comorbidities. Life expectancy is shortened. Diabetic polyneuropathy is underidentified. The quantified extent of the disease burden and refined comorbidity associations emphasize that greater research efforts and health care initiatives are needed.
Hydrogen Peroxide Treatment during Egg Incubation Improves Channel Catfish Hatching Success

Abstract Three trials were conducted to evaluate the effect of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) treatment on the hatching success of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus when administered during egg incubation as a 15-min bath or as a flow-through treatment. In the first trial, initial treatment with 100 mg povidone iodine/L followed by daily 15-min baths of 250 mg H2O2/L yielded a 26% increase (P < 0.05) in hatching success above controls. In the second trial, daily 15-min baths with H2O2 (250 mg/L) yielded a 30% increase (P < 0.05) in hatching success compared with povidone-iodine-treated controls and significantly improved hatching success compared with formalin-treated (1,600 mg/L) eggs. In the third trial, hydrogen peroxide was administered in flow-through hatching troughs. Egg masses treated with 70 mg H2O2/L had significantly improved (P < 0.05) hatching success compared with untreated controls (68.3% and 24.2%, respectively). The results of this research show that significant improvements in channel catfis...
Simulation analysis of formycin 5'-monophosphate analog substrates in the ricin A-chain active site.

Ricin is an RNA N-glycosidase that hydrolyzes a single adenine base from a conserved loop of 28S ribosomal RNA, thus inactivating protein synthesis. Molecular-dynamics simulation methods are used to analyze the structural interactions and thermodynamics that govern the binding of formycin 5′-monophosphate (FMP) and several of its analogs to the active site of ricin A-chain. Simulations are carried out initiated from the X-ray crystal structure of the ricin-FMP complex with the ligand modeled as a dianion, monoanion and zwitterion. Relative changes in binding free energies are estimated for FMP analogs constructed from amino substitutions at the 2- and 2′-positions, and from hydroxyl substitution at the 2′-position.
In Times of Crisis, What’s a Pediatrician to Do?

Pediatricians have always helped children and their families at times of greatest need. The terrorist attacks that began on September 11 provide an unprecedented challenge—and opportunity—for the pediatric community to continue this tradition. We must first acknowledge that we have been, and will continue to be, impacted directly—and uniquely—by these events and their aftermath. Although at one level, this is a shared experience, it is fundamentally a very personal one. If we feel overwhelmed or disempowered, we may deny or even fail to see many of the problems. If instead we see, even in the setting of a crisis, opportunities to help children and families, we will actively seek out ways to provide such assistance. An organized crisis response requires: plans for optimizing physical safety and security, rapid dissemination of accurate and appropriate information, … Reprint requests to (D.J.S.) Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, Box 208064, New Haven, CT 06520-8064. Email: david.schonfeld{at}yale.edu
Why I stopped worrying about the definition of life... and why you should as well

In several disciplines within science—evolutionary biology, molecular biology, astrobiology, synthetic biology, artificial life—and outside science—primarily ethics—efforts to define life have recently multiplied. However, no consensus has emerged. In this article, I argue that this is no accident. I propose a dilemma showing that the project of defining life is either impossible or pointless. The notion of life at stake in this project is either the folk concept of life or a scientific concept. In the former case, empirical evidence shows that life cannot be defined. In the latter case, I argue that, although defining life may be possible, it is pointless. I conclude that scientists, philosophers, and ethicists should discard the project of defining life.
Collagen synthesis in explant cultures of normal and CCl4-treated mouse liver.

Acute liver damage was induced in mice by oral administration of a single dose of CCl 4 . The activity of prolyl hydroxylase and the incorporation of [2,3- 3 H]proline into collagen and noncollagen proteins were significantly increased 3 days after CCl 4 administration when compared to controls. Collagen synthesis, measured as the percentage of total protein synthesis in primary organ cultures, was also significantly increased at this time. Explant cultures of damaged liver fragments were characterized by a rapid outgrowth of cells, while normal liver explants grew more slowly as indicated quantitatively by cell number present and radioactive thymidine incorporation into DNA. The rate of incorporation of radioactive proline into both collagen and noncollagen proteins measured at different intervals in the explant cultures increased in parallel with the rate of outgrowth of the cells from the tissue fragments. The amount of collagen produced per cell by cultures of injured liver was elevated at all time periods with a maximum 10-fold elevation observed after 11 days in culture. Maximum collagen production as a percentage of total protein synthesis was found to be associated with the early stages of culture growth where the proportion of collagen made increased in the initial phases of outgrowth and subsequently decreased despite the continuous proliferation of the cultures. This relative rate of collagen synthesis was significantly higher in the explant cultures of damaged liver tissue compared to the controls for at least 11 days in culture. This study indicates that the growth in culture of cells committed to collagen production is stimulated by acute liver injury. This response may be an early marker of the mesenchymal cell reaction to liver injury which eventually leads to liver fibrosis.
NEW RULES FOR THE GROWTH GAME: The Use of Rational State Standards in Land Use Policy

: Cities and states are searching for responses to the demands of urban growth which will allow growth to continue while diminishing the associated problems. The broad policy choices center on the need to continue private development efficiency through the free market and the need to protect the public interest equity through public regulatory protection. Growth politics is a politicized arena, reflecting the biases exhibited within local government. While the growth machine and antigrowth coalition contribute to growth politics, this is not the only plausible scenario. Local government may act as a conservative growth facilitator in the traditional growth politics explanation, but local government can also seek to manage growth using some of the same political machinations. One alternative is for state government to assist local government to balance economic and political rationality through mandated state growth standards. This can be accomplished by using a policy vehicle such as comprehensive planning. In this way, government moves beyond the growth machine scenario and local government may act as a growth manager. Intergovernmental policy support can be an important political force in shaping growth politics.
Close Relationships, Inflammation, and Health

Different aspects of personal relationships including social integration, social support, and social conflict have been related to inflammation. This article summarizes evidence linking the quality and quantity of relationships with gene expression, intracellular signaling mechanisms, and inflammatory biomarkers, and highlights the biological and psychological pathways through which close relationships impact inflammatory responses. Relationship conflict and lower social support can effectively modulate proinflammatory cytokine secretion both directly (via CNS/neural/endocrine/immune biobehavioral pathways), and indirectly, by promoting depression, emotional stress responses, and detrimental health behaviors. Accordingly, thorough assessments of health behaviors and attention to key methodological issues are necessary to identify the contributions of relationships to inflammation, and thus we highlight procedural issues to be considered in the design of studies. Despite some notable methodological challenges, the evidence suggests that learning more about how close relationships influence inflammation will provide important new insights into the ways that relationships impact health.
Regional alterations in cerebral growth exist preoperatively in infants with congenital heart disease

Objectives Magnetic resonance imaging has been used to define the neurologic abnormalities in infants with congenital heart disease (CHD), including preoperative injury and delayed brain maturation. The present study used qualitative scoring, cerebral biometry, and diffusion imaging to characterize the preoperative brain abnormalities in infants with CHD, including the identification of regions of greater vulnerability. Methods A total of 67 infants with CHD had preoperative magnetic resonance imaging scans available for analysis of brain injury using qualitative scoring and brain development using qualitative scoring, metrics, and diffusion imaging. Results Qualitative abnormalities were common, with 42% of infants having preoperative focal white matter lesions. Infants with CHD had smaller brain measures in the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, cerebellum, and brainstem ( P P Conclusions Infants with CHD commonly display brain injury and delayed brain development. Regional alterations in brain size are present, with the frontal lobe and brainstem demonstrating the greatest alterations. This might reflect a combination of developmental vulnerability and regional differences in cerebral circulation.
Phosphorylation of the Human La Antigen on Serine 366 Can Regulate Recycling of RNA Polymerase III Transcription Complexes

The human La antigen is an RNA-binding protein that facilitates transcriptional termination and reinitiation by RNA polymerase III. Native La protein fractionates into transcriptionally active and inactive forms that are unphosphorylated and phosphorylated at serine 366, respectively, as determined by enzymatic and mass spectrometric analyses. Serine 366 comprises a casein kinase II phosphorylation site that resides within a conserved region in the La proteins from several species. RNA synthesis from isolated transcription complexes is inhibited by casein kinase II-mediated phosphorylation of La serine 366 and is reversible by dephosphorylation. This work demonstrates a novel mechanism of transcriptional control at the level of recycling of stable transcription complexes.
ATP- and ADP-Dependent Modulation of RNA Unwinding and Strand Annealing Activities by the DEAD-Box Protein DED1†

DEAD-box RNA helicases, which are involved in virtually all aspects of RNA metabolism, are generally viewed as enzymes that unwind RNA duplexes or disrupt RNA-protein interactions in an ATP-dependent manner. Here, we show in vitro that the DEAD-box protein DED1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae promotes not only RNA unwinding but also strand annealing, the latter in such a profound fashion that the physical limit for a bimolecular association rate constant is approached. We further demonstrate that DED1 establishes an ATP-dependent steady state between unwinding and annealing, which enables the enzyme to modulate the balance between the two opposing activities through ATP and ADP concentrations. The ratio between unwinding and annealing and the degree to which both activities are ATP- and ADP-modulated are strongly influenced by structured as well as unstructured regions in the RNA substrate. Collectively, these findings expand the known functional repertoire of DEAD-box proteins and reveal the capacity of DED1 to remodel RNA in response to ADP and ATP concentrations by facilitating not only disruption but also formation of RNA duplexes.
Analysis of gas flow through erupting bubbles in a gas-fluidized bed

Abstract In the present paper, a mathematical model for the motion of the emulsion and gas phases as a bubble moves upward through a fluidized bed and erupts at the free surface is described. The model is an extension of the Davidson theory for a three-dimensional bubble in an infinite bed, modified to include the upward motion of the bubble, dynamic and kinematic conditions of the free surface and the deformation of the free surface. The problem is solved assuming that the velocity of the emulsion phase is induced by the upward motion of a spherical bubble. The emulsion phase is treated as an incompressible and inviscid fluid and is assumed to be unaffected by the gas motion. The gas flow field is then obtained using Darcy's Law and conservation of mass. The solution for the emulsion phase is also relevant to the analysis of the motion of the free surface of a liquid when approached by a spherical bubble. The resulting set of equations was solved numerically for an isolated spherical bubble, using a combination of finite element and finite difference techniques. Solutions are presented for particle and gas velocities and the shape of the free surface as a function of the vertical position of the advancing bubble. The results show that the gas velocities across the free surface and through the rising bubble increase when the bubble approaches the free surface. When the bubble erupts, both the flow pattern of gas and particles and the shape of the free surface change significantly.
National nanotechnology partnership to protect workers

Nanotechnology is predicted to improve many aspects of human life. By 2015, it is estimated to represent $3.1 trillion in manufactured goods. Data is emerging that exposure to nanomaterials may pose a health risk to workers. If the economic promise of nanotechnology is to be achieved, ways need to be found to protect nanotechnology workers now. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHAct) gave the responsibility to protect workers to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) through research, standards adoption, and standards enforcement. Since 1980, adopting new occupational health standards has grown more complex. The increased complexity has greatly slowed efforts to adopt protective standards for toxic agents that are well-known to pose significant risks. The likelihood of rapidly adopting standards to protect workers from nanomaterials, whose risks are just emerging, seems even more unlikely. Use of the OSHAct’s general duty clause to protect workers also seems uncertain at this time. In the interim, a national partnership led by NIOSH involving nanotech manufacturers and downstream users, workers, academic researchers, safety, and health practitioners is proposed. A National Nanotechnology Partnership would generate knowledge about the nature and the extent of worker risk, utilize that knowledge to develop risk control strategies to protect nanotechnology workers now, and provide an evidence base for NIOSH recommendations to OSHA for a nanotechnology program standard at a future date.